Operation Infiltration (Kotlc Fanfic)

Chapter 16 • Silent Mission

«◈･ ｡ ˚ ° ⋆✦【 Sophie 】✦⋆ ° ˚ ｡ ･◈»

This morning, I woke up to find a note slipped under my door. It ordered me to report to Gisela's office immediately. The neat handwriting provided specific instructions on how to get there. I wondered if she finally discovered my true identity and decided to eliminate me discreetly.

As I approached a corner, I paused, hearing footsteps echoing down the passageway. I was almost relieved when it was Fintan. His sharp eyes fell on the note in my hand.

"Phoenix, you got one as well?" The pyrokinetic held up a similar paper.

"Yes, I did." I said, and before I could react, he snatched it from my grasp and compared the two. "Hmm... let's go."

While we walked, I saw two people being intimate down another hallway. Fintan heard my gasp and stopped to glare at them. They still hadn't noticed our presence.

"Ugh, stupid Gisela, letting Gethen do whatever he pleases. Members should not be fraternizing on duty."

"That's Gethen?" How did he recognize him in his cloak? "Who's the other person?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. Let's get going." Fintan sighed and continued on. He eventually stopped at a door and knocked a secret code. There was a long pause, filled with tension, before a muffled voice came from within. "Come in."

I strode inside, and Gisela sat behind her sleek desk. The office was overly orderly, with meaningless paintings on the wall serving purely for decoration. A geometric red rug covered most of the wooden floor. The air smelled stale and lifeless.

Tam stood off to the left, his surprise mirroring my own at finding him here. He raised an eyebrow at me. I transmitted back, I have no idea what's going on either. Fintan closed the door behind us.

Gisela finished organizing her papers and scrutinized each of us, her eyes boring into us as if testing our resolve. The silence thick with unspoken expectations. Nobody moved for what felt like an eternity. Every breath felt thick with tension.

Finally, Gisela sighed, breaking the silence. "We're assigning you three on a mission."

When she didn't elaborate, I asked, "To where?"

"A new thirteenth Councillor is being elected. The Council is hosting a party at Atlantis to find candidates and to celebrate their successes." Gisela sneered. "The mission is to infiltrate this party, identify those who support the Council, and, more importantly, those who oppose them." To find new spies, maybe even get one of their own elected, I thought, shivering mentally.

Gisela abruptly stood up. From the closet behind her, Gisela took out a dress studded with rubies, shoving them into my hands. She handed Tam a blue outfit and Fintan a green one, along with a pathfinder.

"Couldn't you have given me red? And why are you sending me on this pitiful mission?" Fintan grumbled.

Gisela ignored his tone, smiling slightly. "It was on short notice, and it was very difficult to get enough invitations. And you were demoted, remember? This should be an honor, being assigned a mission at all."

Fintan glared before muttering, "Demoted or not, this feels beneath me."

"You say that about everything," Gisela said, her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Why send us?" I couldn't resist asking.

"Because you need to prove your loyalty. Hurry and change; there will be disguise elixirs for you here." Gisela tapped a black box on her desk. "Then come to the courtyard so I can inspect how well it fits. The party starts in under two hours."