Ch1, Part 1

The manditory decompression break was the C.I.A.'s way of saying, "Hey, we don't want you going crazy and screwing up an operation, so take a week to cool down before your next near-death experience." Of course, that didn't make for a very good advertisement, so it was normally worded with a more positive spin. You couldn't blame them for trying.

For Jasper, this was normally the time for a string of night club visits, sleeping in, and general not caring. Unfortunately, this time he was tasked with a mission more frightening than any foriegn extremist could ever dream of: visiting the family.

To Jasper, family meant Karen. Jasper's only living relative, his sister had moved to Miami the year that thier parents had been killed in a plane crash. It wasn't that he didn't like her. Jasper was simply used to situations that could be solved with bullets, blueprints, and a plan. Family was not one of those things. I didn't really help that the occasion this time was even more perilous than the average visit: Karen had a new boyfriend.

 

Jasper, being Jasper, had pulled Samuel Diller's records. The owner of a small fitness center, the man had never even had a parking ticket. By itself, that wouldn't have set off any bells, but combined with his sister's normal preference for men with more.....colorful backgrounds, Jasper was interested to know what the sudden change was about.

 

All of that, of course, was assuming that he ever made it out of the traffic. In a car chase, you never had to worry about exactly where you were going. After having missed three exits, making two wrong turns, and getting trapped behind an overturned S.U.V. blocking an intersection, Jasper had concluded that he should never again be allowed to drive under average circumstances.

 

As a bored-looking cop in directed him around the accident, Jasper sighed with relief at the sight of the South Sun Fitness Center ahead on the right. It was about what one would expect. A brightly colored sign with an obnoxiously orange arrow announced the lowest membership rates around, and massive glass windows showcased a gym full of equipment that was designed to torture those extra pounds right off. At first glance, it was somewhere between a highschool gym, and a high-tech Spanish Inquisition chamber.

 

Pulling into the parking lot, Jasper noted that about half the spaces were filled. Not too busy, not totally empty. Finding a free space, he pulled into it, shifting into park just as he realized that it was a handicapped space.

 

Now, the right thing to do would have been to back out and find another space. But then, Jasper did work for the C.I.A., and the job had perks. Opening the glove box, he pulled out one of the nice blue passes stored there, and hung it on the mirror. Somewhere, a little voice scolded him. He shrugged to himself. Why would a handicapped person be at a fitness center anyway?

 

Jasper got out of the car, walking away quickly so that nobody noticed that he was clearly not handicapped. Stepping through the door, Jasper was confronted by an overwhelming smell of ancient sweat, and a man in a wheelchair sitting behind a reception desk. Of course, it would be a man in a wheelchair.

 

Approaching the desk, Jasper leaned over, as the man was engulfed in a novel, and hadn't seemed to notice Jasper's entrance.

 

"Uh, hi......i'm here to see-"

 

"Membership card." the man, whose nametag indicated was named Stan, interrupted, holding out a hand without looking up.

 

"I actually don't have one, i'm just-"

 

"First month is two dollars, fifteen after that." Stan mumbled.

 

"Listen, im just trying to-"

 

Before he could finish, another man walked out from the gym area.

 

"Hi," he said, extending a hand. "You must be Jasper. I'm Sam Diller."

 

As Jasper shook his hand, he found himself confounded by the man. It was like someone had ripped him from the Chump of the Year magazine. His hair was parted perfectly, his clothes were ironed, his shoes were perfectly scuffed. If Jasper could have picked one person on the planet who was least likely to ever date Karen, it would have been Sam Diller.

 

"Come on back, Karen's just finishing up." Diller said, leading Jasper through the door as Stan obliviously ignored the world.

 

Diller led him through a room full of weights, then a room full of treadmill-like machines, and finally into a place where he would have expected ot find his sister. A large, open room with high windows containing one large boxing ring. Inside of the ring, Karen was helping some guy up. Jasper smiled. The man had probably expected an easy fight.

 

Clambering down, Karen rushed over to him, tackle-hugging him backwards into the wall.

 

"Hey!" Jasper said, grinning.

 

"Hi." Karen said, letting him go. After an awkward moment of silence, she turned to Diller.

 

"This is Sam." She said cheerfully.

 

"Yeah..." Jasper said. He had expected her to ask who the weird guy was.

 

Another awkard moment passed. Diller finally pointed to the ring.

 

"You know, your sister's pretty good. She said she learend most of that from you?"

 

Jasper shrugged. "Yeah, I uh, taught her a few things."

 

Diller smiled. "Well, you know, I used ot do a bit myself." he made an odd jabbing motion. "Say, why don't you and I have a little sparring session. You know, just for fun, sort of guy-on-guy icebreaking."

 

It literally took every fiber of Jasper's self-controll not to say "I'm not really into guy-on guy." Instead, he opted for a more diplomatic approach.

 

"Ah, well, you know you own a fitness center, so I think you've got an advantage. Why don't we just have some lunch or something?"

 

Karen pulled him toward the ring. "Oh, c'mon Jas, just for fun."

 

"Yeah," Diller added. "Don't worry. i'll go easy on you."

 

Jasper smiled. "Yeah....I guess." This would be interesting.