Sixty Seconds

Chapter Three

Jessica

I was marched out by the three policemen. All looking extremely proud of themselves. My heart sunk at the sight of the police car. It had been parked in the shadows, the light of the flickering street lamp missed it by an inch. I cursed myself for not noticing the obvious. The plant soil and the noises behind the door. I had been too proud of myself to notice these small but amazingly important details. The tallest officer opened the car door and pushed me into the back. They didn't bother with the cuffs. I must have looked too defeated. I slumped in the back seat, picking at the slightly torn material of the seats. The upholstery was chipped and the lingering smell of sick was causing my stomach to churn uneasily. I began wondering whether my parents would be more annoyed at me and what I had done or the fact they were in the same room as each other. Probably the latter. They hadn't been in the same room since the court had given my mother charge of me during the week and my dad the week-end.

I didn't say a word the whole journey as we passed multiple buildings and the odd park. I saw random people enjoying the night. Teenagers in their local park, messing about with each other late night dog walkers, hurrying to get home, I even saw an old lady shuffling towards a block of flats. The officer beside me kept glancing at me, probably thinking how the hell I could be the one who had been break and entering. I ignored him and concentrated on the building looming up in front of us. We stopped in front of an opposing brick building with a sign which identified it as the police station. I closed my eyes for a second. Hoping that it was a dream that I would wake up in my bed with the cosy duvet and my I-pod blasting in my ear, with the feeling of accomplishment. That I had got out without any trouble. But I wasn't.

I was marched straight past the desk, There were multiple people waiting. One looking amazingly drunk and winked at me as I passed. Another was a woman looking extremely pale and worried. Fidgeting with her fingers. Two beat up teenage boys glared at each other from opposite ends of the waiting room, evidently having gotten into a fight. I walked down the corridor and the officer opened a heavy metal door and pushed me into a cell. The door was shut behind me. Immediately I was scanning the room, looking for a way out. The floor was out, It was concrete and was covered in stains that I didn't want to know about. The walls had the beginnings of mould and my eyes landed on a rusty looking window I could see the street outside from where I was standing. I smiled to myself.

There was an argument outside my cell. I heard muffled shouts and before I could jump out the window the door was pushed open and I was pulled back. Two of the three police officers who had caught me marched me, stormy faced down multiple corridors and into a different cell. This one had no window. I kicked the wall and swore as pain engulfed my foot. I had forgotten I only had my trampoline shoes on. The floor of this cell was also concrete, the walls were considerably more mould infested and there was a stain on the which looked entirely too much like blood. I looked up in despair and saw a hole in the ceiling directly above me.

My moment of happiness was short lived as I tried to jump for it. I needed more height. I walked over to the wall hoping for a jutting out brick. I found one, testing its strength. It seemed stabled. Running I hit off the brick and my fingers grasped the ceiling. I hung there for a second before I pulled myself up, avoiding the jagged edge of the small hole. There was a narrow space above me, which I crawled through. Thank God I wasn't claustrophobic. I saw light up ahead. There was a metal grill leading into another room. I pulled it up and poked my head out. The room was deserted. It was another cell, which looked in the middle of renovating into an office. I crawled past the grill and put my feet out first. Dropping to the few feet to the floor silently. I began to creep towards the ever so slightly open door when slow clapping started up behind me.

“That was eleven seconds faster than our best agent.” The woman who had been clapping said. There were two of them. The first was the woman. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and six inch heels paired with a soft charcoal grey suit. She didn't fit into the surrounding of the cell at all. She looked youngish, Mid-twenties, I guessed. She was smiling warmly at me.

The man that was with her on the other hand was scowling at me. His hands clasped behind his back in a military fashion. Even if he hadn't been doing this It would have been obvious he was military. He was dressed in all black and had all sorts or holsters and guns around his person. He was young as well, possibly younger than the woman, no more than twenty three. He had slicked back brown hair and nice brown eyes and if he hadn't have been scowling at me he would have looked quite hot. Out of the two I preferred the woman. Even though I was slowly backing towards the door.

“Don't bother” The man said still looking at me with annoyance. “There are two armed soldiers waiting outside the door. If you try to escape you will be dragged back in.”

I stopped abruptly and the woman looked at the man with mild annoyance. “Be nice, Carter” She told him. Turning to me she said. “My name is Miss. Harper. I am from MI6. I'm guessing you've heard of it.”

I nodded, looking at them both suspiciously. My eyes moving from one to the other.

“Good, Well, we've been watching you for a long time now and you seem perfect for the job” She continued.

Now I was confused, Job? Five minutes ago I had been arrested and now I was being offered a job?I looked at her. She noticed how confused I was.

“We need someone to test security in all our government facilities. You seem to be quite an expert in breaking and entering. We think you would be perfect.”

Carter spoke up. “One of my men would be perfectly legible. We don't need an arrogant child running about”

I looked at him Arrogant? I wanted to slap him, but the guns and soldiers outside were enough to stop me regretting it. I narrowed my eyes at him instead, giving him the death glare. He didn't seem to notice.

“I'm quite sure they would, Carter but as I said before she was eleven seconds faster than your best man and she had no idea of her mission.” Miss. Harper turned to me again. “So what do you say?”

“I can't do that” I managed to say. “I'm only seventeen. I can't get a job like that, I just can't”

“I told you” Carter said smugly. “She's not up for it”

“Jessica, honey” I stopped at the sound of my name. “You're nearly eighteen, once you turn eighteen you can go to prison for what you've done. This is the other option.” Miss. Harper told me this in a soft voice.

I thought I would faint at the word prison but Carter's smug smile stopped me. “I will” I told her, glancing at Carter as his smug smile was replaced by an extremely annoyed look. “Can I go home now?”

“I'm afraid not, honey.” Miss. Harper sighed. “You can only go home to collect a few belongings then you will be staying with Carter”

“What?” Carter and I said at the same time. In absolute disbelief. Carter had his eyebrow raised and his mouth slightly open, revealing straight white teeth.

“Carter, You are the head of security, she is your responsibility now” Miss. Harper said, looking slightly unhappy at the arrangement. She clearly thought that we'd kill each other.

“I am not looking after a stubborn, arrogant child, I have to ensure the safety of MI6's head quarters, I cannot have her distracting me!” Carter shouted.

“I'm not a child!” I shouted back at him. He gave me the look of absolute fury and I returned it.

“You are to me!” He shouted back. “You are nothing in this operation that I can be bothered to pay attention too.”

“Carter” Miss. Harper said, cutting him off. “The boss said it's final, She would stay with me but I can't have her with my children.”

Maybe it was her look of pity or Carter's look of fury, that caused me to storm out of the cell. I didn't get far. I was stopped by the soldiers. It was going to be a long night.