Post by Sixteen on Aug 2, 2013 5:35:11 GMT -5
6: The Spy
“Agent L. We’re sending you the brief for your next mission. Expect delivery circa 1100 hours. Good luck. This voicemail will self-destruct in five seconds, four, three, two...”
From her balcony, Linda listened to the distant poofing sound as the message blew itself up. In all her years as a secret agent, she had never figured out exactly what happened to those voicemails. She checked her watch and saw that it was 10:57. They were cutting it close this time. She left the Las Vegas skyline behind and opened her laptop.
Across the screen flashed the logo of her organisation, known only as HERMES. The logo vanished and she entered a variety of passwords to access the mission brief.
Mission Objective: Retrieve the Tin Diagrams at any cost.
Company car will be provided by hotel bellhop. Upon hearing the phrase “your room is a mess”, please reply “nice uniform”. Relevant gadgets will be found in the glove compartment.
Location:
Linda inhaled sharply. It was her hometown, the city she grew up in. She hadn’t been back since she left for the HERMES Academy as a teenager. Never did she think she would find herself back there, but she knew how much the Diagrams meant. In the wrong hands they could be used to aid migrants illegally across international borders. She had to go back.
In the hotel lobby, Linda flicked up the collar of her trenchcoat. She saw a bellhop standing by the front door and sat down next to him. He said nothing so she cleared her throat. From the corner of her eye she saw him approach.
“You sound like you could use a glass of water ma’am,” he said, with a smile. Linda looked at him oddly. There were no other bellhops around. This had to be the right person.
“Um... don’t you have something to say to me, Bryan?” she replied, reading his nametag.
“I hope you’re enjoying your stay here...” he said, hoping that was what she wanted to hear.
“Nice uniform,” Linda answered pointedly. Bryan’s face dropped. He sputtered and fumbled at his pockets.
“Oh no, not again. The other one knew it, though. She said the right words. Ugh, I’m going to be so fired.” Linda slapped him.
“Get a hold of yourself,” she said through bared teeth. “Where’s the car?” Bryan pointed outside the door, where a valet was pulling up a Porsche in front of three waiting women. Linda dived through the revolving door and barrelled through the women. She knocked out the valet in one punch and took the keys, speeding off into the distance.
Linda wasn’t usually so violent but she knew that this was an important mission. HERMES had been searching for the Tin Diagrams ever since its establishment and now it finally had a lock on their location. Linda had almost made it home when she noticed the car following her. It was immediately obvious who the car belonged to: DANTE, the rival agency to HERMES. She had to lose them somehow. Reaching into the glove compartment, she pulled out a juice box. With her teeth she ripped open the straw. She jabbed it into the box and tossed it out the window. There was a massive explosion as the chemicals reacted inside the juice box. When the smoke cleared, DANTE was still on her tail. She pulled out a lightbulb next. She threw it through the sunroof where it burst, revealing a cloud of bees. The bees swarmed around DANTE’s car, slowing it down but not stopping it. There was only one gadget remaining. Linda extracted a tube and inserted it into a chute on the dashboard. Out of the tailpipe shot a replica Porsche which inflated instantaneously. The DANTE car swerved to avoid it, skidding and tumbling off the wet road. Linda wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead and passed the city limit.
She had been driving all night, afraid to stop in case DANTE found her again. She stopped in a café to perk herself up. She saw a very fancily dressed woman run to the toilets, only to emerge moments later dressed much more casually. Linda decided she needed more coffee. She took it ‘to-go’ and got back into her car. It was getting some stares. Perhaps she wasn’t as inconspicuous as she thought. After a while she came across a church. Pulling up in front, she realised this would be the perfect place not only to hide but also to catch up on some sleep. She donned her sunglasses and hat and stepped inside, where a wedding was taking place.
Linda didn’t know how long she had been asleep before she was woken by the very same woman from the café, muttering something about the stained glass window. The woman then ran out the door of the church. What had just happened? Was it some code she wasn’t prepared for? Was DANTE coming? Linda pulled out her phone but there were no voicemails. There was a magnificent stained glass window above the happy couple. Maybe that was all the woman was referring to. At any rate, she was on edge and couldn’t sleep so she sat silently through the rest of the ceremony.
“If anyone has a reason why these two should not be wed,” the minister said hoarsely, “let them speak now or forever hold their peace...”
“Agent L. We’re sending you the brief for your next mission. Expect delivery circa 1100 hours. Good luck. This voicemail will self-destruct in five seconds, four, three, two...”
From her balcony, Linda listened to the distant poofing sound as the message blew itself up. In all her years as a secret agent, she had never figured out exactly what happened to those voicemails. She checked her watch and saw that it was 10:57. They were cutting it close this time. She left the Las Vegas skyline behind and opened her laptop.
Across the screen flashed the logo of her organisation, known only as HERMES. The logo vanished and she entered a variety of passwords to access the mission brief.
Mission Objective: Retrieve the Tin Diagrams at any cost.
Company car will be provided by hotel bellhop. Upon hearing the phrase “your room is a mess”, please reply “nice uniform”. Relevant gadgets will be found in the glove compartment.
Location:
Linda inhaled sharply. It was her hometown, the city she grew up in. She hadn’t been back since she left for the HERMES Academy as a teenager. Never did she think she would find herself back there, but she knew how much the Diagrams meant. In the wrong hands they could be used to aid migrants illegally across international borders. She had to go back.
In the hotel lobby, Linda flicked up the collar of her trenchcoat. She saw a bellhop standing by the front door and sat down next to him. He said nothing so she cleared her throat. From the corner of her eye she saw him approach.
“You sound like you could use a glass of water ma’am,” he said, with a smile. Linda looked at him oddly. There were no other bellhops around. This had to be the right person.
“Um... don’t you have something to say to me, Bryan?” she replied, reading his nametag.
“I hope you’re enjoying your stay here...” he said, hoping that was what she wanted to hear.
“Nice uniform,” Linda answered pointedly. Bryan’s face dropped. He sputtered and fumbled at his pockets.
“Oh no, not again. The other one knew it, though. She said the right words. Ugh, I’m going to be so fired.” Linda slapped him.
“Get a hold of yourself,” she said through bared teeth. “Where’s the car?” Bryan pointed outside the door, where a valet was pulling up a Porsche in front of three waiting women. Linda dived through the revolving door and barrelled through the women. She knocked out the valet in one punch and took the keys, speeding off into the distance.
Linda wasn’t usually so violent but she knew that this was an important mission. HERMES had been searching for the Tin Diagrams ever since its establishment and now it finally had a lock on their location. Linda had almost made it home when she noticed the car following her. It was immediately obvious who the car belonged to: DANTE, the rival agency to HERMES. She had to lose them somehow. Reaching into the glove compartment, she pulled out a juice box. With her teeth she ripped open the straw. She jabbed it into the box and tossed it out the window. There was a massive explosion as the chemicals reacted inside the juice box. When the smoke cleared, DANTE was still on her tail. She pulled out a lightbulb next. She threw it through the sunroof where it burst, revealing a cloud of bees. The bees swarmed around DANTE’s car, slowing it down but not stopping it. There was only one gadget remaining. Linda extracted a tube and inserted it into a chute on the dashboard. Out of the tailpipe shot a replica Porsche which inflated instantaneously. The DANTE car swerved to avoid it, skidding and tumbling off the wet road. Linda wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead and passed the city limit.
She had been driving all night, afraid to stop in case DANTE found her again. She stopped in a café to perk herself up. She saw a very fancily dressed woman run to the toilets, only to emerge moments later dressed much more casually. Linda decided she needed more coffee. She took it ‘to-go’ and got back into her car. It was getting some stares. Perhaps she wasn’t as inconspicuous as she thought. After a while she came across a church. Pulling up in front, she realised this would be the perfect place not only to hide but also to catch up on some sleep. She donned her sunglasses and hat and stepped inside, where a wedding was taking place.
Linda didn’t know how long she had been asleep before she was woken by the very same woman from the café, muttering something about the stained glass window. The woman then ran out the door of the church. What had just happened? Was it some code she wasn’t prepared for? Was DANTE coming? Linda pulled out her phone but there were no voicemails. There was a magnificent stained glass window above the happy couple. Maybe that was all the woman was referring to. At any rate, she was on edge and couldn’t sleep so she sat silently through the rest of the ceremony.
“If anyone has a reason why these two should not be wed,” the minister said hoarsely, “let them speak now or forever hold their peace...”