Eda: So... you are a secret agent?
Harlan: In a way, yeah. I am an agent of T.H.E.P.A.
Eda: T.H.E.P.A.?
Harlan: Yeah... The Human Endangerment Prevention Agency.
Eda laughs.
Harlan: What?
Eda: Someone really wanted your initials to spell out T.H.E.P.A. huh?
Harlan: What do you mean?
Eda: You know, your agency could use a name-job.
Harlan nods.
Harlan: True.
Eda continued driving.
Eda: So... where are we going?
Harlan: My safehouse.
Eda: Why would I want to go to your safehouse?
Harlan: Because, I got all the answers to your questions there.
Eda: Questions? What questions?
Harlan: Who are those people, what did you just see and why were they trying to kill us. Well, me... us. Us.
Eda nodded.
Eda: Alright, give me the directions, Mister Bond.
Eda drove away from the city and somewhere isolated. There they found an abandoned house. Eda followed Harlan out the truck and to the house. Harlan got a key, unlocked the door and held it open for Eda to enter. Eda went in and Harlan turned on the lights to reveal a damage, but cozy enough home. She looked at the ceilings and walls to see cobwebs and damaged wallpapers on the ceilings and walls.
Eda: Yeah, definitely not creepy at all.
Eda follows Harlan to a room, where he has pictures, newspaper articles, documents, writings, leads, clues taped to the wall. Eda slowly walks to the wall, but as she walks, she bumps into a table. Eda looks at the table to see files in portfolios with dates on them like May 1999 and April 2011. Some pictures of people, a logo with a snake with "S.E.R.P.E.N.T." written under, and criminal record of some people. Eda picks the portfolio on the top, labeled May 1999, and opens it to see interrogation documents, and a mugshot photo of a dark-blond woman. As she looks at them, her eyes notice something. On the table was a framed photo of a woman, but not a photo evidence or mugshot. Eda takes the photo of a woman with a white poodle and looks at it, admiring the beauty of the woman.
Eda (whisper): Cute dog.
As Eda puts down the photograph, she notices a pocket watch lying on the table. Curious, she picks it up and opens it, to see a photo of the same woman in the pocket watch.
Harlan: So... shall we?
Eda puts down the watch.
Eda: Alright, who were they?
Harlan: The organization is called SERPENT.
Eda: SERPENT?
Harlan: You watch Bond movies?
Eda: Yeah.
Harlan: If I am Bond, and I work for MI6... think of SERPENT as our SPECTRE. Tonight, you just witnessed a meeting with the top SERPENT agents.
Eda: Like in Thunderball. So who's the Blofeld?
Harlan: You met her tonight.
Harlan hands Eda a folder with very little documents and a photo of a brown haired woman, who Eda recognized as the Directress.
Harlan: Chase Delvey. Directress of SERPENT.
Eda looked at the photo of Chase. There was something about her... something familiar.
Harlan: You got anything on her?
Eda shook the feeling off and nodded no.
Eda: I got nothing. Sorry.
Eda hands the picture back to Harlan.
Eda: So... what's the grand plan to stop SERPENT?
Harlan: For eight months, I have just tried following the only lead I had, which was her. However with you now... maybe you can help me. Do you recognize any of these people?
Harlan turns on a TV, and the screen starts playing a slideshow of the people in attendance of the meeting earlier that night.
Eda: This was from tonight. How did you-?
Harlan: Do you recognize anyone?
Eda looks at them one by one... then she she recognizes someone.
Eda: Him.
Harlan pauses the slideshow to show a middle-aged man.
Eda: But it can't be...
Harlan: Can't be who?
Eda: Lila's dad.
Harlan: Lila?
Eda: She's my friend. Lila Troughton. That... is her father, Baxter Troughton.
Harlan: Is Lila tied to this organization in any way?
Eda: No. She's my classmate. And friend. Classmate and friend. That's all.
Harlan: And what about the father? Baxter?
Eda chuckles.
Eda: Nothing special about him. He's just some scientist. Owns a science firm that's all. It bores me honestly.
Eda chuckles as she looks at the photo of Baxter, then back at Harlan, who is coldly thinking.
Eda: You think something's up, don't you?
Harlan: I'm confident.
Eda: Damn.
Eda nods.
Eda: Alright, what's the plan?
Harlan: I say we pay Mister Troughton a visit. Tomorrow. Come on, I'll bring you to a room where you can stay.
Harlan stands up, and leaves the room. Eda watches as Harlan walks out, leaves her, then she turns back to the picture of Baxter Troughton, wondering if Harlan could be wrong.
Or if Harlan could be right.
Eda took one last look at Baxter before walking out the room and following Harlan.
YOU ARE READING
For Love and Eternity
Action|| ONE LAST TIME || Harlan goes on one last mission while going on a journey for closure and self-forgiveness as his past actions come back to haunt him
