Author's notes: This is a submission to VioletSun5's Prompt Wars, Prompt One ("You are a spy in international spy organization, except it's horribly underfunded.")

Word count: 1311

~*~*~

Penny Wellsworth, 38 years old. Also known as agent INT-130. Not that either was her real name. Well, yes, her birth name was Penny. The last name was just something the secretary in the personnel department had come up with when she had joined the international spy organization S.E.C.R.E.T. No, she didn't have any idea what that abbreviation meant - that was confidential -, but it sounded cool.

In any case, Penny was very busy when her boss informed her through the intercom that her new partner - someone he referred to as 'hacker kid' - would arrive today. Clothes, check. Emergency communication device (old mobile phone only good for calls and text messages), check. Navigation equipment (city map and compass), check. Disguise...waste of money. It wasn't like anybody there would know what she looked like.

There was a loud knock at the door to her small office / apartment. It was opened almost instantly without waiting for any kind of reply, and a young man with short hair the color of carrots and holding a battered laptop close to his chest with one arm came to view. "Miss MacGyver? I was told to report to you."

"Yes. Um, no, my name isn't really MacGyver. It's Penny. Penny Wellsworth."

"Okay...Miss...Penny."

"Just Penny is fine. I'm your partner, not your boss."

"Okay. I'm Luke." He fished out his new ID card (okay, mostly new - it was a little worn at the corners) from the chest pocket of his shirt. "Agent HAC-3R. I specialize in computers."

"That's great. Are your packs packed already?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm- We are leaving for Russia in two hours. Make sure to take along a sleeping bag."

"But I don't have a plane ticket. Or a passport."

"Didn't the boss give you a large brown envelope?"

Luke retrieved it from under his laptop.

"Yeah, that one. It should have a fake passport and a train ticket. Kiel - Hamburg - Moscow. We'll be there tomorrow morning."

~*~*~

The train wasn't crowded by any means. A few kids carrying at least half of everything they owned on their backs, seeking adventure in Europe. Penny and Luke fit right in with their smaller backpacks stuffed full of whatever supplies they had managed to scavenge together. Nobody would have thought them spies on a top-secret mission.

Luke didn't feel much like a spy at the moment. The only wireless connection he had been given was a very, very slow prepaid that would only work in Russia. Then his laptop ran out of battery and shut down after half an hour of use.

"Even my own laptop is a hundred times better than this piece of junk," he complained to no one in particular (although the only person in the same car was Penny).

"Company policy. No own devices," she replied calmly.

Luke searched under the seats. "No electricity? What kind of train is this?"

"The cheapest one possible. S.E.C.R.E.T. doesn't have much money to spend."

Luke groaned dramatically.

"If you're as good as the boss says, why not apply to national security? It's not going to get any better than this with this company."

Luke ran his hand through his hair and leaned back on his seat. "I shot down any chances on that as a stupid teen. S.E.C.R.E.T. was the only security organization that would hire someone with a record in cyber crime. You definitely don't get employed by the government by hacking them like in TV."

"I'm sorry to hear that." She smiled in a bit of a motherly way. "At the end of the day, it's not that bad. Put together an impossible situation and some creativity, and miracles happen."

"Would those miracles include a soft bed and good dinner?" It was getting late. The idea of sleeping on their seats didn't sound very inviting.

Her smile turned impish. "I can guarantee at least the former." She quickly looked around to ensure there was no on-train staff around. Most of them should be in the restaurant car at this time.

Luke followed her to the sleeping car. Here those who were willing to fork over more cash had their own quarters.

"Keep watch for a minute," Penny told him and took out a small, worn leather folder the size of a credit card. She studied the door for a moment, picked one card with certainty and inserted it into the slot above the handle.

There was a soft whirring sound. She quickly pressed the handle down, and the door opened. "Hurry, before someone comes."

"How did you...?" Luke asked as he surveyed the empty room.

"The on-train staff mark empty rooms with a small piece of green tape. It gets torn when the door is opened. That's how they keep track of which rooms are free." She returned the card into the folder and added with a small amount of pride, "Opening the door was one of my MacGyver tricks. So many things you can make with what most people call junk."

"Oh, I see...MacGyver, like that guy in the TV series."

"That's the one." Penny smiled. "I loved that show as a kid. And MacGyver mindset really helps in this job." She put her backpack down on the bottom bed. "Anyway, the company sponsored the meals, so don't expect too much."

~*~*~

Penny briefed Luke on the details of their mission as soon as they woke up. They were after a businessman funding a criminal organization Russian government would also have liked to very much get rid of. But the said businessman had a little too much fame and influence, so it was better to deal with him hush-hush. Therefore a job for S.E.C.R.E.T.

He lived in Moscow. His company's headquarters were also located in a skyscraper in the city.

"We need to get his schedule. Can you hack it?"

"Hack it on what? I don't even know what service it is in or what his username is. Impossible."

"Completely?"

"Completely. Unless you can get your hands on his phone. Or computer. Then I might have a chance."

"Hmm. So we need to get into his office. Maybe dress up as rich customers..." The boss would kill her for such expenses, though.

"Cleaners. Nobody in office buildings pays any attention to cleaners."

"Really?"

"Uh huh. Get us clothes to go with that story, get us past the lobby guards and I'll handle the rest."

"Let me think for a moment-"

"Yo! Penny!" a deep masculine voice called out to her.

Her face fell as she saw him. All muscles and arrogance. Mike. Even his graying hair didn't stop him from acting like a 15 years old jerk.

"Don't tell me you're also here for target #759."

"Bull's eye." He grinned. "You took so long that my boss decided to send a real man to do the job."

"Who is this guy?" Luke asked, annoyed.

"Mike from the military department, M.U.S.C.L.E. Also the reason why we never get enough funding. His boys and their toys are an endless money drain."

"The best need the best tools." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She looked so small compared to him, even though she was by no means a small woman. "Since we got your man already, how about we return home together? The plane is waiting. Your nerd can come along too."

Before Luke could say anything, Penny smiled charmingly at Mike. "That would be great. But I should send my boss an e-mail to inform him of the situation. Could I borrow your phone?"

Mike quickly unlocked his phone and gave it to her. "Of course."

Penny passed it to Luke and started walking next to Mike, holding on to his arm. "Tell me everything. How did you get him?"

"It was really easy. First we dealt with his bodyguards and put some of ours in their place..."

Meanwhile, Luke first sent the e-mail to their boss. Then...he set up a little "reward" for Mike for calling him a nerd and stealing their target. Nothing too obvious, of course. This trap would spring only when there was nothing to indicate he had anything to do with it.

Never give your phone to a hacker.