Double Agent

○ ten ○

A shrill ringing sound blares out at my left, distracting me from the document in front of me. I haven't seen Ezra or Anna for the past few days. He directed me to an empty office the first day and attached a folder to an email, demanding me to analyse, confirm, and write motives for all the crime bosses and relevant people he has intel on.

It's been three days and I'm so bored I'm considering running away again.

The only thing holding me back is that I'm unsure whether the exit lift we took to the wine cellar the last time would work if I said the code word in my voice. The last thing I want is for him to be suspicious of me and actually kill me, which of late I've been optimistic that they aren't going to.

Strangely, they value life here. Back home, the second someone's a liability, they die. Most people have been nice to me even though they don't know who I am. Only one agent, Sam, I believe, has been rather adamant that I'm an outsider who doesn't deserve to be in the building. I don't really blame him. The agents here have worked their whole lives to get the status and respect they do. I don't expect anything less. My only consolation is that I'm not actually an agent so they don't have to find me a threat. I'm just a helper.

ECHA's voice pierces the silence once the ringing ends. She's another problem. Ezra has tasked her to keep watch of me. And no doubt if I move a millimeter he's going to know.

"Sir has asked you to join Meeting Room 2 at Basement 3. Bring along what you've accomplished so far."

"Thank you ECHA."

I pick up the computer and make my way down, stopping outside metal double doors with a retina scanner on the outside. ECHA's faint voice can be heard from the other side and the doors open slowly, displaying a long meeting table with agents sat around it. All their eyes turn to stare at me at the same time.

Oh hell no. Normally, I wouldn't mind meeting people, but the way they're looking at me makes my stomach turn with anxiety.

Ezra doesn't look up from his computer when he tells me to sit. The only spot is right next to him, so I sit down, my hands shaking as I place the laptop down.

The room retains its pin-drop silence and I'm unsure as to whether they're waiting for me to speak or for him. Wisely, I shut up.

"This is Isadora. Ex-mafia. She works for me now. Her job is to provide us information on as many Italian crime firms as she can. She doesn't work for the Intelligence, and she definitely doesn't work for you, Agent Kobayashi."

The agent's cheeks blush and his head hangs as a hearty applause rings out through the room. Yesterday, he ordered me to bring him a glass of water, but I didn't think he was talking to me so I ignored him. Then he yelled at me and called me deaf. Offended, I insulted his mother and he hasn't looked me in the eye since.

"Since we're tracking Clark right now, I asked her to micro-analyse him first."

A few beats of heavy silence ensue before I realise that it's my moment to speak, and I turn my laptop around so that they can see what I've written.

"ECHA, display."

A projector whirrs to life and displays my work on a hologram screen in front of us. This place freaks me the fuck out.

"Riley Clark. Based on what I've gathered and the files I've been exposed to, his crime firm is a tier one. What this means is that he has the most basic level of recognition, ammunition, and connections. My first instinct is that he's just starting out, especially when, on our hidden web, he's one of the least frequently pursued, contacted and sought after. But, from the information you guys gave me, it seems like he's been there a long time, and from the pinboard over there," I nod over to the digital screen directly in front of me, "you've been pursuing his team and attempting to incarcerate him for a long time. From the evidence samples, his weapons are either tier one weapons or tier four, which is a strange jump, considering the fact that tier one mafias don't have access to such weapons. He also prioritises secrecy over getting the job done, meaning he would rather fail than reveal himself. From that I can also infer that his security team is tight, he probably has a fake business that he disguises himself under, and he doesn't have any real information because he's a scapegoat."