Let me tell you a story.
My name is Michael Westen....
....and I used to be a spy.
And then one day, I was burned.
Spies, unlike any other profession, don't get fired....
....they get "burned."
And when you're burned, you've got nothing....
....and you're stuck wherever the government decides to dump you.
Luckily for me, I was dumped in my hometown of Miami, Florida.
I've been desperate for answers as to who burned me and why....
....but in the meantime, I do what I can to get by.
I've still got a few friends left though.
There's my trigger-happy ex-girlfriend, Fiona.
Let's just say that my work doesn't exactly warrant for a love life....
....but it's complicated, I guess.
And then there's my old buddy, Sam.
He used to inform on me to the FBI as my double agent....
....but at the end of the day, you couldn't ask for a more loyal guy to fight beside you.
Like everyone, I've got family.
There's my hypochondriac mom, Madeline....
And lastly, there's my gambling little brother, Nate....
....who hasn't changed much since we were kids.
But even still, the job - of all things, has relatively remained the same.
When you're a covert op for over a decade, things tend to become very black and white.
You help those in need....
....and you turn the tables on those who've caused someone harm.
Let it be, having to swim for five miles to shore....
....or dodging explosives planted in your loft's front door....
....or having to put a fellow burned operative out of his misery....
....the thing to keep in mind is that it's all apart of the job.
The thing that people don't realize is that spies don't pick their jobs....
....the job and the lifestyle picks you.
Sometimes, the whole thing takes it's toll on you....
....but you stay in shape....
....and you keep a sharp eye out for any kind of potential danger.
No matter what, you can't let the job bring you down.
Life as a burned op isn't what it's cracked up to be in the movies and television shows.
Sometimes, the ones you love can be affected by the life you've lived....
....and sometimes that means you have to play just as rough.
Most people are naked to the dangers around them....
....but it's people like Fi, Sam, and I who change the patches around the edges a bit.
But it's not always "bullets and blacktop" as most people think.
The life of a spy is a life filled with improvisation.
And that means, you usually have to become someone else, entirely, just to get the results you need.
Most of the time, that can mean using your brain instead of your nine millimeter.
After so many years or so, I've learned to spot even the smallest of details.
It can be anything from a recording device planted in my mother's electrical outlet....
....or a way to blow up my own car in order to out-smart the enemy.
But the most important thing to learn in this trade is to use whatever you can to your advantage.
That advantage can be an offensive gun to your opponents' face....
....or a defensive and strategic surrender.
But being burned also means plenty of disadvantages too.
First off, you can't leave the city you're in....
....and you can't cause too much attention to yourself....
....for obvious reasons.
When all is said and done, knowing your enemy is just a matter of patience....
....and intelligence.
In this kind of life, knowing who your enemy is, becomes a top priority.
Some of them will let you know who they are....
....while others, you'll just have to drag out of the shadows to you.
Sometimes that can mean getting creative by turning a camera into a taser....
....or just the old school method of a pistol to the back of someone's head.
There's no way to truly predict everything that's around the corner....
....but it's how you handle yourself that counts the most.
In the spy trade, you have to handle yourself well even if it's necessary to take a life.
A big part of this job is doing what you have to do in order to survive....
....but I'm not an animal....
....and I'll only kill if it's absolutely necessary.
To me, even the worst criminal is somebody's parent, sibling, or child....
....but if they're going to kill you then you kill them first. It's as simple as that.
The most important thing that you learn in this job is how to move on and adapt....
....but being a spy is in my bones.
It's what I do.
Even so, in a way, I feel as if this whole situation is some sort of blessing in disguise.
Sam's still got my back when I need him.
And most of all, Fiona has decided to stick around....
....and things are still happily complicated.
I don't like to admit it....
....but some days it feels like getting burned in Miami was the best thing to ever happen to me.
"Tales of Michael Westen"
My name is Michael Westen....
....and I used to be a spy.
And then one day, I was burned.
Spies, unlike any other profession, don't get fired....
....they get "burned."
And when you're burned, you've got nothing....
....and you're stuck wherever the government decides to dump you.
Luckily for me, I was dumped in my hometown of Miami, Florida.
I've been desperate for answers as to who burned me and why....
....but in the meantime, I do what I can to get by.
I've still got a few friends left though.
There's my trigger-happy ex-girlfriend, Fiona.
Let's just say that my work doesn't exactly warrant for a love life....
....but it's complicated, I guess.
And then there's my old buddy, Sam.
He used to inform on me to the FBI as my double agent....
....but at the end of the day, you couldn't ask for a more loyal guy to fight beside you.
Like everyone, I've got family.
There's my hypochondriac mom, Madeline....
And lastly, there's my gambling little brother, Nate....
....who hasn't changed much since we were kids.
But even still, the job - of all things, has relatively remained the same.
When you're a covert op for over a decade, things tend to become very black and white.
You help those in need....
....and you turn the tables on those who've caused someone harm.
Let it be, having to swim for five miles to shore....
....or dodging explosives planted in your loft's front door....
....or having to put a fellow burned operative out of his misery....
....the thing to keep in mind is that it's all apart of the job.
The thing that people don't realize is that spies don't pick their jobs....
....the job and the lifestyle picks you.
Sometimes, the whole thing takes it's toll on you....
....but you stay in shape....
....and you keep a sharp eye out for any kind of potential danger.
No matter what, you can't let the job bring you down.
Life as a burned op isn't what it's cracked up to be in the movies and television shows.
Sometimes, the ones you love can be affected by the life you've lived....
....and sometimes that means you have to play just as rough.
Most people are naked to the dangers around them....
....but it's people like Fi, Sam, and I who change the patches around the edges a bit.
But it's not always "bullets and blacktop" as most people think.
The life of a spy is a life filled with improvisation.
And that means, you usually have to become someone else, entirely, just to get the results you need.
Most of the time, that can mean using your brain instead of your nine millimeter.
After so many years or so, I've learned to spot even the smallest of details.
It can be anything from a recording device planted in my mother's electrical outlet....
....or a way to blow up my own car in order to out-smart the enemy.
But the most important thing to learn in this trade is to use whatever you can to your advantage.
That advantage can be an offensive gun to your opponents' face....
....or a defensive and strategic surrender.
But being burned also means plenty of disadvantages too.
First off, you can't leave the city you're in....
....and you can't cause too much attention to yourself....
....for obvious reasons.
When all is said and done, knowing your enemy is just a matter of patience....
....and intelligence.
In this kind of life, knowing who your enemy is, becomes a top priority.
Some of them will let you know who they are....
....while others, you'll just have to drag out of the shadows to you.
Sometimes that can mean getting creative by turning a camera into a taser....
....or just the old school method of a pistol to the back of someone's head.
There's no way to truly predict everything that's around the corner....
....but it's how you handle yourself that counts the most.
In the spy trade, you have to handle yourself well even if it's necessary to take a life.
A big part of this job is doing what you have to do in order to survive....
....but I'm not an animal....
....and I'll only kill if it's absolutely necessary.
To me, even the worst criminal is somebody's parent, sibling, or child....
....but if they're going to kill you then you kill them first. It's as simple as that.
The most important thing that you learn in this job is how to move on and adapt....
....but being a spy is in my bones.
It's what I do.
Even so, in a way, I feel as if this whole situation is some sort of blessing in disguise.
Sam's still got my back when I need him.
And most of all, Fiona has decided to stick around....
....and things are still happily complicated.
I don't like to admit it....
....but some days it feels like getting burned in Miami was the best thing to ever happen to me.
"Tales of Michael Westen"
Written
By
DaiQuan Cain
No comments:
Post a Comment
Montages, the artform thereof, and all subsequent works featured on this blog page are owned by DaiQuan M. Cain and are subject to copyright (#185729-V) under the U.S. Copyright Law of 1976 & the U.S. Library of Congress. Any thievery, unauthorized usage, or infringement of said work(s) and copyright(s) will result in a fine of up to $250,000 or more.