Chapter Text
Glinda anxiously gazes at the door before her, mindlessly listening as Dillamond preaches her words of encouragement.
“There are six other candidates applying for this position. I know not a single one possesses a higher skill set than you.” He smiles at her assuringly.
“Are you sure?” She asks, already assuming it is her who will be the first to be sent home.
“Glinda, my reputation as a Kingsman is riding on this.”
Glinda frowns at his words.
“I do not say that to cause you any anxiety or distress. I say it so you know how deeply I believe in you. I would not bank my reputation on you if I did not have full faith that you will succeed.” He tells her, sending her a small sincere smile.
“Thank you.” She nods to him and the man takes that as his prompt to open the door for her.
“You are incredibly capable Miss.Glinda.” He whispers just before sending her in.
Glinda lets out an anxious breath as she steps inside where she finds her peers, unloading their things and casually mingling amongst themselves. She walks over to her designated bed and begins unloading her bag. She makes eye contact with the girl across from her and begins to strike up a conversation.
“Hi, I'm Glinda.” She offers out a handshake which the woman takes, firmly grabbing onto her hand.
“Milla.” She smiles. But before they can start conversing, the door opens again. In-steps a woman, with gorgeous silver hair and a powerful presence that demands respect as soon as they see her. She wastes no time in beginning the introduction.
“Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Morrible. You are about to embark on what is probably the most dangerous job interview in the world.” Her eyes graze over the recruits. “Can anybody tell me what this is?” She picks up the black fabric resting on everyone's beds. “Yes?”
An orange haired boy speaks up. “Body bag, ma’am.”
“Correct. Boq isn’t it?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Good.”
She continues on, picking up one of the rough black bags resting on each of their beds. “In a moment, you will each collect a body bag. You will write your name on that bag. You will write the details of your next of kin on that bag. This represents your acknowledgment of the risks that you are about to face as well as your agreement to strict confidentiality which incidentally, if you break, will result in you and your next of kin being in that bag. Is that understood?”
The recruits stay stoic and silent as a show of their compliance. “Excellent. Fall out.” She leaves the room without another word.
Glinda thinks to herself as she picks up her bag. She writes down her name, then hesitates before closing the pen. There's no next of kin to put under her name. Her parents both died two years ago. She immediately had to join the workforce. While going to apply for a job at the seemingly simple Kingsman tailor shop, she met Dillamond. He initially turned down her application but when she left, there was a pickpocket on the street that Glinda instantly put a stop to.
She chased him down, tackled him to the ground, and dug through his pockets until she had cleared out all of the stolen property. After that, she began spending every waking second at the shop, which helped her develop quite a close relationship with her boss. After all, he was the only person she was able to lean on through such a devastating season of her life. Then after a year, his trust in her grew so deep that, after a few personal tests, he showed her the world of Kingsman and made the suggestion that she go into training.
Glinda feels her heart race as she unloads her things and begins to grapple with her reality. This intensely secret world is real, and it’s the only thing she has left to care about. If she doesn’t succeed in becoming a Kingsman, she’s not sure what she’ll do after that.
———
Glinda is sitting in her home office, spinning around in her chair as she flicks her tie clip open and shut over and over again. Dillamond gave her the new gadget so she could test it out. The tie clip opens with a flick to the edge of the metal so it produces a small laser. All she’s been able to practice on is pieces of trash and an apple she needed to cut. But so far, it works flawlessly.
She spots a now useless paper on her desk and holds it up so she can slice it in half with the new toy. While she’s busy testing the clip for about the ten thousandth time, her hidden screen appears and displays a message, summoning her to headquarters. She quickly dresses and swings herself into her disguised car that immediately begins taking her to the tailor shop.
Inside, Fiyero is waiting for her. “We need to go, now.” He heads straight to the back and Glinda picks up her pace, joining him in the secret elevator.
“What is it?”
“Hostage situation.” Fiyero answers, pulling Glinda to fully grasp the circumstance.
“Where?”
“I don’t know, Dillamond told us to meet him on the jet.”
Glinda fidgets with her clip, subtly flicking it open and shut. She keeps her nervous ticks at bay around everyone but Fiyero. He’s the only agent that doesn’t force her to be completely stoic 100% of the time. After meeting, they quickly learned that they can only truly be themselves around each other.
“What’s that?” Fiyero points at the unfamiliar tie clip in Glinda's hand.
“It’s a new toy we’re testing out. Dillamond gave it to me.” She holds it up for the man and presses on the very edge to reveal the miniscule laser. “It can cut through nearly anything.” She grins.
“Why don’t I have one!?” He yelps.
“Again, testing.” She flicks it off and clips it to her tie. “It’s not allowed in the field yet.”
“Well tell him that it works so I can get one.” He playfully huffs just as they arrive at their destination.
——
Glinda stands with her hands neatly tucked behind her back. Her fellow recruits stand next to her as they all look forward at the twelve cages displayed before them. Each cage holds a different dog, barking and scratching to get out.
“As some of you will have learned last night, teamwork is paramount here at Kingsman.” Morrible reminds them of the perilous water trial they faced just hours before. “We are here to enhance your skills and test you to the limit. Which is why you're going to pick a puppy. Wherever you go, your dog goes. You will care for it, you will teach it, by the time it is fully trained, so will you be. Those of you who are still here, that is.” Glinda feels the authoritative gaze on her. “Do you understand?”
Silent nods prompt Morrible on. “Choose your puppy.” She leans forward while the recruits all step towards the cages. Four of her peers chose their puppy without a second thought while Glinda is stood, making a careful decision. She looks over the animals. A poodle, a german shepard, a husky, and… two pugs? What idiot would choose a pug? She chuckles to herself before making her selection and returning to the group.
“Good luck with that one.” Milla laughs at her, in a friendly teasing way.
“What's wrong with choosing one of the smartest breeds?” Glinda looks down, only slightly questioning her decision.
“Yes they are extremely intelligent, but Huskies are also incredibly stubborn. He might give you a run for your money.” She snickers. “Luck to you.”
Glinda huffs and stares down at her dog who happily looks straight back up at her. Did she make the wrong choice? Only time will tell. But she knows that if she manages to pull off successfully training the animal, then it will be worth it. To have a husky's loyalty is just about as helpful as she can imagine.
Morrible begins speaking again. “Now that you have chosen your animals, there will be supplies waiting in your quarters. Take the afternoon, get to know your dog, then tomorrow, their training begins.” She nods to dismiss them but as Glinda follows after everyone, Morrible stops her.
“A husky?” She takes her attention and Glinda stops dead in her tracks.
“Yes ma’am.” She stands sturdy while Morrible eyes her and the dog.
“That breed is particularly difficult to train.” She points out and Glinda must keep from snapping at her.
“Yes, I’m aware. I’m looking for a challenge.” She confidently informs her.
“You’re looking for a challenge? Or did you make a poor decision based on cuteness and size?” She stares down at the girl knowingly.
“I intend on training my dog to his full potential.” Glinda states but her confidence slightly falters.
Morrible’s eyes continue to bore into her. “You will likely fail at training this animal. I hope you prove me wrong. I doubt you will.” And with that, she leaves.
Glinda's stomach churns and her heart begins to race. She wasn’t only speaking about her ability to train her dog, she was making a comment on her own doubts for Glinda. Morrible's immediate distaste towards her has her questioning every single one of her abilities. What does this woman see in her that she can’t? What caused such an immediate judgement of the girl? And how can she prove her wrong?
———
“Maladus Brank.” Dillamond throws his image onto the screen once they are airborne and on their way to the destination. “Two days ago, he abducted this couple.” They see an image of what seems to be an average couple. “Both hostages were taken under the guise that our perpetrator could get some kind of financial reward from their families.”
“What's the ransom?” Glinda asks.
“5 million each.” Dillamond tells them and they both wince at the number.
“Are their families rich?” Fiyero leans in.
“They belong to the Blanlin and Cardun families. Both extremely wealthy. They are honestly lucky we caught wind of this.”
Glinda chimes in. “Do we know how dangerous this guy is?”
“From our research, his only crimes are victimless ones. Traffic violations, burglary, money laundering. But, we don’t know how mentally stable he is. Abduction is a large leap from his usual crimes. This could be his breaking point.” Dillamond warns them.
“Nothing we can’t handle.” Glinda says and Fiyero responds by prompting a fist bump.
“That is why I put the two of you on this.” Dillamond proudly informs them. “Now get ready.”
Fiyero heads to the back of the cabin to prepare for the mission while Glinda approaches Dillamond.
“Hey, just wanted to let you know that the tie clip works great.” She happily informs him, handing it over.
“Really?” He turns it in his hands and flicks it open. “How do you feel about a field test?” He holds it back out to her and she lets out a small squeal, snatching it back. Dillamond smiles at her excitement while she scurries to get ready.
——-
Glinda clings to Milla as they hurdle closer and closer to the ground. Milla's parachute was opened with only 300ft of air to fall. This particular training assessment started fun. They all jumped out of the plane and began showing off their different sky diving tricks when in their ears, Morrible revealed that one of them did not have a parachute.
Glinda was quick to come up with a plan. They all partnered up so they only had a fifty fifty chance that one of them was missing their chute. But Boq pulled his cord out of fear, making them an odd number. By the time it was down to Milla and Glinda, they had no choice but to pull Milla's cord and pray for the best. So now, here they are, screaming for dear life as Milla's parachute does its best to slow their fall.
They close their eyes when they near the ground. They hit the floor and for a moment, they both swear they died but Glinda opens her eyes to see clouds above her and feel grass below her. They landed hard, but just slow enough that they’ll get away with only a few scrapes and bruises.
While they try to gather themselves by sprawling flat out across the surface, Morrible approaches them, slowly clapping her hands together. “Well done ladies. Let's see how the boys do.” She looks up to see the other recruits gliding their way down.
Once they are all gathered, Morrible begins ranking their performances.
“Boq, only a coward would leave their colleagues in such a dire situation. Go home.” The ginger trudges off, quietly scolding himself as he does so.
“Pfannee, ShenShen, Tibbett. You missed the target, go home.” She tells them and they do the same, more disappointed in themselves than angry.
“Milla, Glinda, congratulotions. You are dismissed.” She dutifully nods to the women. Milla heads off while Glinda stares her superior down. It was her who didn’t have a parachute. The woman she trusted to put aside her contempt towards Glinda just chose to put her, and only her, directly in harm's way. All for a training exercise.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. But why did you choose me as the dummy?” She jabs a finger into her own chest. “Am I the expendable candidate to you?” She snaps, forgetting to watch her tone.
Morrible's eyes darken. “You do not speak to me like that. If you have a complaint, you come here and whisper it in my ear.” She stays sturdy as Glinda huffs and stomps over to her.
Morrible whispers first. “You need to take that chip off your shoulder." She then reaches behind Glinda and pulls her rip cord, sending the blonde flying back as an active parachute launches out of the pack.
Morrible leaves without another word; while Glinda hits the ground once again with a grunt. Flabbergasted, she watches the woman walk away. All that terror, all those trainings where they were told they could die, how many of those scenarios were actually fake? Maybe she pinned too much blame on her.
———
“Ready?” Fiyero asks Glinda as they near the house the hostages are being held in. They are walking through a field in the middle of nowhere. His house was easy to find, he had it listed with his place of employment. So far, this man is proving that he doesn't really know what he’s doing.
“Of course, this’ll be an easy one.” She casually brushes him off. They stick close to the wall of the building as they silently evaluate their best entrance strategy. Fiyero spots a window, high above where they’re currently standing. He points up, spurring both him and Glinda into action.
Three years of serving together has made them quite the unstoppable team. They are able to formulate most plans without sharing a single word. Which comes in extremely handy on nearly every mission. Fiyero helps Glinda hoist herself up the wall where she is able to place their wall climbing tech which creates climbing holds for them. As she climbs higher, she continues to place the holds along the wall while Fiyero follows behind her.
They pull themselves up so they can look in the window. Inside, the house is poorly lit but they can make out the hostages tied up on opposite sides of the room. Brank is across from them, tinkering with something.
“I’ll handle Brank if you can get to the hostages.” Glinda whispers.
“C’mon, why do you get the fun job?” Fiyero whines.
“Because, if the scenario arises, I think you will have an easier time carrying two grown adults than I will.” She answers and Fiyero has no choice but to agree.
“Me first.” Glinda feels around the window for a weak spot and when she can’t find it, she remembers the tie clip. She holds it up and eyes Fiyero before showing off its ability to cut through glass like it’s gelatin.
“It’s gonna be loud.” She whispers just seconds before the last cut is made and the glass goes crashing to the floor. They spring into action, hurling themselves through the window, landing with practiced grace. Gunshots ring out instantly, causing both agents to swing themselves behind a wall as the bullets hit the wall and the hostages scream in terror.
“Now, Maladus! We wouldn’t want you adding a murder charge to your roster now would we?” Fiyero condescendingly calls to him while he continues to shoot.
“It would really be a shame!” Glinda jumps in. “I’d hate to have to fire back!” Her tone is just as casual and unbothered.
“Fuck you!” The man screams back while still firing. Glinda managed to catch a glimpse at his gun before they hid, so she’s counting the rounds until she’s sure that he only has one left.
“Go.” She whispers to Fiyero just as she runs out, heading straight towards the perpetrator. He shoots his final bullet which allows Glinda to sprint towards him. Their suits are bullet proof but still, it’s best to try and avoid a headshot. Brank takes off running the second he processes what is happening. Glinda picks up her speed, easily catching up to him. She kicks him in the back of the leg, sending him to the ground before she begins speaking in that annoyingly unbothered voice. “Firing every single round at a wall? Not very practical of you, Maladus Brank.”
“Who the fuck are you?!” He grunts out while trying to scramble to his feet. Glinda quickly kicks him to the ground again.
“Doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that you are about to get your ass kicked.” She literally kicks him in the ass, cackling after.
“G!” Fiyero yells at her. “The clip!”
She instantly pulls the metal off of her tie and hurls it to the man who just barely catches it. As she’s doing this, Brank swipes his leg under her, knocking her to the ground.
He scrambles away, but once again, Glinda hops back to her feet like she fell onto a trampoline and seconds later, she once again has him down. She then pins him to the ground while he continues to try to wrestle her off of him. Over the years, Glinda has found that every criminal underestimates her skills, purely based on her small stature and feminine presence. So she finds it hilarious when they are no match for her.
He continues with his struggle while Glinda's form keeps him pinned down with ease. She injects him with a temporarily paralyzing agent, making him scream out in detest once it begins to set it.
“Well if you would stop wiggling, all I would have to do is put you in handcuffs but here we are.” She sneers at him. “Need any help Yero!? This guy's an idiot!” She yells to her partner, delighting in the way Brank cries out at the insult.
“All good!” Fiyero calls back.
“You fucking bitch!” Brank screams.
“C’mon, buddy, you can do better than that. The default insult for a woman, really? Be more creative.” She fires straight back at him, delighting in yet another disgruntled scream.
———
“You can do anything Miss.Glinda.” Dillamond tells her with all his confidence as he smoothes out her sleeves. Glinda dutifully nods back, takes a deep breath and walks into the room.
Inside, Morrible is sat comfortably in front of the fireplace.
“Dillamond said you wanted to see me ma’am.”
“Sit down.” She invites Glinda to sit in the chair across from her. She does so and her dog follows suit, finding a seat between the two of them.
“What did you name him?” Morrible asks.
“Shizly.” She smiles at her dog, feeling proud to have trained him so well. Though it was difficult at first, her choice to befriend the animal alongside a strict training regimen proved effective.
“It pains me to admit Glinda but one day, you might be as good of a spy as any of them.” Morrible admits, emotionless.
While Glinda is busy slowly producing a proud grin, Morrible reaches next to her and carefully pulls out a small pistol. She locks eyes with Glinda before she points it straight at her, causing her face to drop as she immediately begins evaluating the situation.
She watches hesitantly when Morrible turns the gun in her hand, offering it out to the blonde. She takes it, curling her fingers over everything but the trigger.
Morrible stares her down for a few more moments before stating, “Shoot the dog.”
Glinda's heart drops into the hundreds of feet of structure below them.
“What?” She asks, keeping her mouth from gaping in shock.
“Shoot the dog.” Morrible states again, nodding towards the animal.
Glinda turns her gaze to her pet, the only true companion she’s had over the months of tireless training. Everyday that left her utterly exhausted and mentally depleted, the dog has provided her comfort through it all.
She stares back at Morrible, trying to read her expression. Surely she cannot be serious. The trials they’ve gone through have been an unpredictable mix between truly perilous tasks and harmless tricks made to make them believe they were in danger. But there's no way they would make her do such a thing. But then again, this is the final test and she’s not so sure that they wouldn’t leave the most extreme examination for the very end. She peers back at Morrible for a few more seconds, praying that she tells her she’s kidding but the woman stays as stoic as ever and eyes the animal once more.
Glinda gulps rather than taking in a breath. She looks at her pet again, noticing every adorable detail on his face. He has a light patch on his nose, his hair is the longest on the very top of his head and one ear flops just slightly more than the other. Then Morrible's silence rings as a command in her head. Her stomach churns violently as she shakily aims the firearm at him.
She trained him well, he doesn’t falter under the threat. He knows what is, part of their training was desensitising their dogs to the sounds for firearms, but he has no clue of what was just asked of her. She thinks about Milla in the other room. Will she do it? Is she heartless enough to go through with it? Or is this a test of bravery? One final sickening task to solidify the only existing agent position. Then again, Morrible might have made the mistake of revealing to her that the parachute test was fake. She adjusts her hold on the gun, feeling the incredibly discreet difference in weight. It’s minute, it’s nearly imperceptible, and she might be wrong but every part of her being is telling her it’s a blank.
Morribles patience is unwavering, she’ll wait all day if she has to. Glinda thinks for a moment longer, choosing to ever so slightly adjust the gun in her hand, turning it into a subtle new position. If the bullet is real, she’ll hopefully graze no more than the side of his skull, but she’s aiming for his ear, as subtly as she can. She glances at Morrible once more, waiting to see if she will show any signs that prove her theory but her expression is unchanging. She checks her aim one last time, inhales once, and pulls the trigger. Her heart explodes as she does so and her eyes close on instinct. That is until she hears the voice of Morrible, “Congratulotions, agent Glinda.” She takes the gun from her hand.
Glinda peeks her eyes open and her body is flooded with relief when she sees Shizly still sitting there, patiently wagging his tail.
“You proved me wrong.” The woman states, rising from her seat to offer her a handshake. Glinda stands and hesitantly takes her hand, slowly shaking it with a growing firmness in her grip.
“Does this mean…?”
“Yes, you are now a Kingsman.” Morrible informs her, no pride in her voice, simply a statement.
Glinda feels her heart swell, this was what she worked so hard to get to, what she’s spent years and months tirelessly training for. But still, Morrible cannot spare her more than a half smile and a judgemental glare.
They then turn as they hear the sound of the next room's door opening and shutting.
“Sounds like your colleague couldn’t do the same.” She grins ever so slightly. “Now… let’s get you fitted for your suit.” She walks out of the room, trusting that Glinda will blindly follow.
———
Glinda helps Fiyero with the hostages while Brank is still flopped on the ground, firing threats and insults their direction.
“I’ll find you! I’ll fucking kill you both!”
“Dude, you are completely powerless right now, I suggest that you shut the fuck up.” Fiyero says, clicking his shoes together to reveal a blade at the tip of his toes. He holds it to his face and Glinda must keep from laughing at the empty threat.
“Very good.” Fiyero leans down and pats his cheek. “Now, we are going to leave, that sedative should wear off in about two hours but by then, you should be in a holding cell.” He sneers and the man unsurprisingly growls at them like an animal, only making them laugh in his face.
“C’mon lets get you guys to safety.” Glinda holds onto the woman as Fiyero helps the man out of the house.
Once they are outside, they release the couple to reunite as it is officially safe to do so.
They embrace, clambering to hold onto each other, placing frantic kisses to anywhere they can while tears of joy stream down both of their faces.
Glinda looks on, her heart filling with pride as she watches them. This is the whole point of her job, to save innocent lives. For every frantic heartfelt reunion, she knows she chose the right career path, no matter how daunting it can be.
“Thank you!” The man turns to them. He releases his partner and yanks both agents into a hug. “Thank you thank you!” He continues as the woman joins in on the embrace.
“It’s nothing.” They both respond, politely nodding their heads towards them once they part.
“It’s not nothing. How can we repay you? What are your names?” The woman asks, thankful eyes boring into them.
“No need for payment. The police are on their way.” Fiyero informs. “We must take our leave.”
“You’re not the police?” The woman asks.
They both shake their heads. “Call it a favor.” Glinda vaguely tells them before the two of them take off into the night just as police sirens wail in the distance.
“Another successful mission for Glin-yero!” Fiyero throws up a hand, waiting for a high-five that Glinda promptly returns.
“I’m glad they’re okay.” Glinda says, smiling contently.
“Me too. Could you imagine that happening not only to you but to the love of your life?” He shakes his head at the thought.
“If I had a true love, yes I imagine that to be incredibly scary.” She answers. Fiyero notices her shift in emotion.
“One day G, don’t worry.” He assures her.
She scoffs out a laugh. “Not with this job.” and Fiyero can only shrug in response. He too is alone, aside from his family and the agency, there’s no one else he has to love. The two of them often find themselves in this conversation, wondering what life would be like if they had someone to share it with. But it is strongly advised that Kingsman agents do not get romantically involved with anyone. One to protect the integrity of the greatest kept secret in the world and two, to keep those close to the agents safe. It’s a lonely life to lead, but at the end of the day, it’s the only way to stay safe.