Animals

Meeting and Day 1

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Saturday, May 9th

I checked my watch for the third time, watching my coffee get cold as I waited patiently for my contact to arrive. He was half an hour late. You'd think being in the CIA would mean being punctual, but apparently this man thought I had all day to wait on his ass. If the sun didn't revolve around this guy, then he needed a reality check.

The coffee shop he'd asked to meet me in was a small hole in the wall and the coffee wasn't all that great. It was too strong like I was drinking dark matter infused with toxic chemicals. I counted four customers, not including myself, and two employees. Only one of them was visible, but I heard someone else riffling through the back seven minutes ago.

From the farthest corner in the room, I could see the moves people made. The young woman sitting by the door was busy typing away on her laptop covered in different stickers. There was a biology book open next to her that she kept referring to, so I assumed she was a college student. A couple sat on the love couch near the opposite wall of her on the other side of the room, cuddled close to each other as if they were in need of warmth. The pair, no more than two months into their relationship, couldn't stop smiling and touching each other. The last man was older in age and quick on his feet like he was late, yet he had to stop in for his fix of shitty coffee.

The building itself wasn't too bad to hang out in. A little dirty, but it had a calming atmosphere. And, the reason this place was chosen, it was anonymous.

I spun my coffee cup slowly, needing a part of me to be moving as I stared at the people. A man, young but still old-looking due to the emotion behind his eyes, walked into the room. His eyes locked on mine and I knew he was the one I was meant to meet. I analyzed him as he made his way over to me. He was rather short for a field agent and he wore an ill-fitting suit. Above his left eyebrow, he had a small scar. His short brown hair showed signs of greying, but his stubbled chin was still one color. I squinted up at him unhappily as he stopped in front of me.

"Are you Elle?"

I checked my watch quickly. "I am, and you're 47 minutes late."

"I'm sorry." He invited himself to sit down in front of me, placing his briefcase on the floor. "Our target caused some issues at the agency."

"You're Gary Moore, CIA?"

"I am."

"Where's your badge?" It wasn't that I didn't trust the guy, but I didn't know him, so I wasn't going to put blind faith in the man. Especially after he was 47 minutes late. Gary nodded and fumbled through his jacket. When his tie moved, it revealed a mustard stain on his white shirt.

Finally, he pulled it from his pant pocket on the left side. He held it out to me and I leaned in to look at it. The face was his and there was definitely a badge belonging to the CIA, but he didn't look the part at all. He wasn't sloppy exactly; he just looked like his alarm didn't go off this morning.

"What do you want?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"I want your help."

"You want my help? I thought the CIA were sticklers for my kind."

"Private eyes are a pain in the ass, but you've got something we need."

"Which is?"

"Blendabilty."

Judging based on his appearance, I figured blending in was something he'd be fine at, but it wasn't something that peaked my curiosity. "Okay. Say I agreed to help you. What's in it for me?"