Operation Reconnaissance

001 Defection

A shadow flashed in a black alleyway of Sangatte of Pas-de-Calais. The back of a black felt hat disappeared.

A gun clicked.

A timepiece was checked.

A man with a suitcase dashed around a corner, into a dark alleyway.

A gun stopped the man in his tracks. The man dropped his suitcase, his arms flying to shield himself.

A spy stepped out of the shadows, green eyes flashing with the light. He held the gun steady, smirking under the felt hat. He tilted his head up to give the man a better view. In the slight light, the man could only barely make out the black and blue sigil on the bottom of the boy's hat.

The man pushed aside the gun pointed at his head, relieved. He nodded to the boy.

An engine roared to life, blinding the man and the boy. The girl driving the cab yelled at the boy and the man to climb in.

The boy grabbed the suitcase and pulled the man into the car. Changing the gear, the girl sped off in the direction of London.

"Sorry for this. It wasn't called for, therefore we had to surprise you. Pardon the informality, Sir. I'm Lancelot Blavier. The driver's Jocelyn Anchoretta, and we'll be your escorts for tonight."

---

Karavine Institute was a magnificent place. With its own botanical garden and various different trees and plants, the institute gave off a serene aura. The buildings weren't at any rate Spartan. Maintained yearly by paid workers, the architecture seemed to be always gleaming with beautiful lights, the ballrooms the most embellished of all. It was a common place for rich families to send their students, and it certainly was an amazing place for the students to learn.

The large institute was built beside a beach, with the ocean beautifully placed right across from the garden. Several benches and tables littered around the garden offered sublime views of the ocean. Right behind the institute's buildings was an unexcavated forest, filled with wildlife.

The forest would be sacred to people that it didn't know of.

It would grow to be a very, very happening place.

---

A deafening flap sounded beside Alexa's ears. She peered over to Tristan from behind the newspaper and raised a questioning eyebrow. Tristan lopsidedly smiled.

"Missing: Sir Malcolm. He was last found running down Gallatin street two days ago," Tristan read. Alexa looked around the garden to check if there were anyone nearby. Her eyes lingered on the horizon. There wouldn't be anyone, however, at the crack of dawn. No one at the Karavine Institute would be allowed to go out that early, and it's no exception for the two students.

"Again? How many people have to go missing? How come we didn't know this earlier?" Alexa queried, a tiny smug gleam of her eyes reaching the boy across her. Tristan shook his head at her with a wry smile.

He closed the newspaper with another deafening flap. The sun was just about fully detached from the sea. The two stood up simultaneously as if they had been practicing. Alexa's breath hitched in a little laugh.

"Stop fooling around, Leconte."

Alexa shoved her partner and retorted, "Oh? You're one to talk."

Tristan shook his head once again. "I'm way past that already. I've been like this for a long time now. Betraying our own country isn't something to be fooling around about."

:-o