Nathaniel's Espionage: Dr. Calloway's Secrets

Chapter 2: Spy and Journalist

Rain had been a storm in Nathaniel's life long before he realized it. It had been almost a year since they met, but the memory of that first encounter was as vivid as the day it happened.

It was late in the spring semester, a time when most students were gearing up for finals or already half-checked out, dreaming of summer. Nathaniel had been in the library, seated in his usual spot at one of the isolated tables near the back, his laptop open in front of him. At the time, he had just been beginning his mission, still learning the layout of the university, getting his footing as a student while quietly mapping out the places of interest for CHROME.

He remembered being so absorbed in his work that he hadn't noticed Rain at first. She had walked right up to him, as bold as anyone, and dropped into the seat across from him without so much as a greeting.

"You're Archer, right? Nathaniel Archer?" she had asked, leaning forward with an intense gaze that made it impossible to ignore her.

Nathaniel had barely glanced up from his laptop, doing his best to seem nonchalant. "Depends on who's asking."

She had laughed then, a sharp, amused sound. "Rain Tran. Journalism major. I've seen you around campus. You're always so... quiet."

Nathaniel had blinked at that, finally looking up at her properly. He had no idea why she had approached him, and at that moment, the paranoid part of his brain wondered if she was a threat—someone sent by Calloway's people. But her expression had been open, curious, and he quickly dismissed the idea.

He had shrugged, keeping his voice casual. "I guess I like to keep to myself."

"You a hacker or something?" she had asked suddenly, her eyes darting to his screen as if she could decipher what he had been working on just by looking at the code running across it.

Nathaniel had fought to keep his cool. "Excuse me?"

Rain leaned back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest with a smirk. "I've been watching you, you know. Not in a creepy way," she had added quickly when she saw his raised brow. "But you're always on your laptop, typing away, barely paying attention to anyone else. That, and you're in the library at weird hours. Most people come here to study, but you? You're always working on something. Something interesting."

Nathaniel had felt his heart skip a beat then. He wasn't a novice—he knew how to keep a low profile, and up until this point, he had been confident that no one had noticed him. But Rain had. And that was dangerous.

He had closed his laptop then, his expression carefully neutral. "I'm just working on projects. You know, for class."

"Uh-huh," Rain had said, not buying it for a second. "Come on, Archer. I'm a journalist. I can tell when someone's got a story."

"And you think I'm a story?" Nathaniel had replied, trying to keep his voice steady.

Rain had leaned forward again, her gaze sharp. "I don't know yet. But I'm good at figuring things out."

That had been the beginning. Over the next few days, Rain had popped up everywhere. She was relentless, poking and prodding at him, asking questions, trying to get him to reveal something. Nathaniel had done his best to deflect, to maintain the image of an ordinary student, but Rain was persistent in a way that few others had been. It didn't take long for her to worm her way into his life.

They eventually found themselves in the same circles—whether by fate or her relentless pursuit of the truth. Rain would pull him into debates about university politics, current events, or tech-related issues, always looking for that glint of something beneath his surface-level responses. And slowly, over time, Nathaniel began to let his guard down around her, if only just a little.

What Nathaniel found most intriguing about Rain was her curiosity. She had an insatiable hunger for the truth, and she wasn't afraid to chase it down, even if it meant ruffling a few feathers along the way. She wasn't like the other students who were content to go through the motions and graduate with a degree. Rain wanted more—she wanted to expose the corruption she believed was lurking just beneath the surface of the university, even before Nathaniel had known she was right.

One of their first real conversations had taken place in a cramped campus café late one evening. Nathaniel had been nursing a cup of black coffee, and Rain had slid into the seat across from him like she had been doing it for years.

"You know something's not right around here, don't you?" she had asked, her tone casual but her eyes sharp.

Nathaniel had shrugged, playing dumb. "What do you mean?"

"I mean this place. The university. It's not as squeaky clean as everyone thinks. There's something going on with Calloway and his administration. A few of the student organizations have been digging around, trying to find proof of it, but... it's hard. He's got everything locked down tight."

Nathaniel had been careful with his response. "I think that's a bit of a reach, Rain. Calloway's just an administrator."

"An administrator with too much power," she had shot back. "He's got his fingers in everything—funding, politics, even the student council elections. You don't find that strange?"

Nathaniel had known exactly what she was talking about, of course. CHROME had briefed him extensively on Calloway's influence, and everything Rain suspected was true, though she had barely scratched the surface. But he couldn't let on that he knew any of this.

"You've been watching too many conspiracy shows," he had said, giving her a faint smile. "Maybe you're just seeing things that aren't there."

Rain hadn't backed down. She had leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "No, I'm not. And I think you know something about it too. I don't know what, but I can feel it."

Nathaniel had managed to deflect the conversation that night, but from that moment on, he knew Rain was someone to keep an eye on. She was sharp, determined, and above all, she didn't let things go easily. He hadn't wanted her involved, hadn't wanted to drag her into the dangerous world he was operating in, but somehow, without realizing it, she had already gotten under his skin.

Now, as Nathaniel walked across campus, memories of that first encounter with Rain played in his mind. She had softened over time, become less of a persistent investigator and more of a friend—someone who had unknowingly become his lifeline to normalcy. But she hadn't lost that edge, that spark of curiosity that could very well get her killed if she dug too deep.

He checked his phone again as he approached his dorm. No new messages from Rain. He'd have to face her soon—there was no avoiding it. But for now, he had other things to focus on.

The mission came first. Always.