baby [h.s.]

twenty three

[note: italicized dialogue is what is said in spanish in the scene]

            "We've landed," Harry said. I opened my eyes and lifted my head from his shoulder. I had fallen asleep halfway through the flight after Harry explained what was going on. We were going to celebrate the alliance of our company with another. Harry was expected to attend, as he was an asset to the company; he had to meet with the higher-ups of the new one. Perkins asked that he brought me along.

    Besides the celebration, we would work along with members of the opposite company on a situation they had been working on resolving. Members of their company leaked information and, while they've worked to narrow it down to a certain group of people, those people aren't cracking. They'll be punished for protecting whoever it is, but Harry is there to figure out exactly who it was. As miniscule as it sounded, it was, apparently, very significant.

    "Okay," I said. We both stood.

    "There's a car waiting on the runway, someone will get our bags." he said. He placed a hand on the small of my back as he led me towards the exit. The door was open and a staircase was attached.

    "We're just getting spoiled, aren't we?" I said.

    He laughed. "Yeah, appears so. Watch your step."

    We weren't at an airport. It was a private hangar, I assumed. There was a black limousine awaiting us; a man held a door open. Once inside, I scooted towards a window.

    We were on a cliff; the ocean could be seen below us. I looked down the coast. With the electric blue skies and crashing waves, the scene looked like a painting.

"Harry, it's gorgeous." I said. He leaned over towards me.

"I know." he said. "Just wait until we get into the city."

After a few minutes, the car began to move. Within ten minutes, we were in a sea of intricate architecture. The ancient looking buildings whirred past us. People crowded the sidewalks; we passed markets and crowds that were seas of color. I was enthralled with the people. It was nothing like the dull London I was used to. Eye-popping colors, food we could smell even from inside the car, and culture seeping through every crack in the roads.

Behind the city was a landscape of mountains I could see in the distance. I studied everything we passed, and Harry did as well. He remained behind me, looking over my shoulder. I was mesmerized.

Eventually, the car stopped. The door opened and we were at a hotel. It was a more modern building.

"Sunglasses," Harry said. He slipped some into my hands and I put them on. He took my hand in his and quickly tugged me across the sidewalk and into the building. The driver was left to retrieve our bags.

The inside was cool compared to the humidity of the outdoors. Black and white decorated the lobby. Modern furniture filled the space. He approached the front desk and I stood close behind.

"Hello, I need to check in." Harry said, in Spanish, to the man. I was surprised he knew the language. I had become fluent in school.

"Welcome, may I have a last name?" the employee said.

"Adams," Harry said. It was a fake name, but I wasn't surprised. We always were to keep a low profile.

"Bienvenidos! Welcome, sir." the man said. Together, they went through the check-in process. Before long, we were informed that our bags would be brought to our room and we were given a key.