The library was as silent as ever. It was easily the most normal place to be, constantly crowded by studious pupils. A man soundlessly sat down in front of a bookcase, grabbing a book and eyeing it.
"I've arrived," a solemn voice whispered. The owner of the voice slipped out the only blue book from the selection of red Cartography studies. She silently took the note hidden inside it. Through the hole created by the missing book, the man swiftly slipped a picture to the girl.
"Alexandra Leconte, I expected nothing less of you. They said you would come a half hour later." To this, Alexa responded with a curt bow of the head.
"Why the special occasion? Rarely would a General present less come to spy, much less risk getting caught."
"It'd be even more risk taking for you to leave the school. See the man in the picture," the man paused, giving Alexa some time to skim over the photo, "That's one of the French officials. He has important information that we need. Intel on our country."
"Who's been giving him information?"
"We don't know, and that's why we're asking for your help. Central had their meeting plans figured out already. They take turns going to each other, alternating between Fréthun and London. That's all we could get from monitoring the two. They've been taking precautions, knowing that they'd be found out sooner or later; they've simply been biding time, doing as much as they can in between. The spies positioned in France were notified as well, ensuring that we'll catch them. As for now, we still haven't been able to identify who, so we'd like you to help us tail them."
"No. Tailing him would be dangerous. Whoever's been giving him intel is probably a spy like us. They'll notice."
"Considerate."
Alexa pocketed the picture, turning away. She stopped when the man called her again.
"Not just yet. Listen closely, for you shouldn't know this. Even more, I want Bray to know it as well."
---
Lancelot tailed the suspect closely. The supposed double-crosser who was feeding France information about England's plans climbed into a car just outside the market. The green-eyed boy shook his head.
His partner sidled up with him from in the crowd. Jocelyn's eyes followed the cab as it drove away. "Lost him again."
The boy nodded, turning away to retreat back to the hotel that they stayed in, conveniently placed right across the suspect's room. He sat down on his bed, fidgeting with his pistol. Jocelyn leaned against the window, her paintbrush in hand. For a cover, she pretended to be a professional painter who would go to the top of a hill every evening to paint. Lancelot had found it funny when she earned some money by simply showing off her skill.
"I'm off now," she spoke, turning away from the window.
---
The hand on the canvas paused, for the eyes had drifted elsewhere. If one followed the sight of the spy's eyes, they would come across a little girl failing to pickpocket a rich man. The girl had stumbled onto the tip of the hill, crying. Jocelyn put down her paintbrush.
"You there," she called to the little girl, "Come over."
The little girl timidly stepped towards the spy, hands behind her back. Jocelyn crouched down to the little girl's height, offering a small smile.
"When you pickpocket someone, you want to be as sneaky as possible. Use a cover, or direct the person's attention elsewhere. Create a blind spot." The spy stopped talking when she noticed that the girl didn't seem to understand anything. "Watch, now," Jocelyn finally said.
The older girl stood up, finished up the painting, then ripped it off the canvas. She walked to a random person on the hill, offering to sell her painting. The man marveled at the painting, offering to buy it immediately. Jocelyn turned to see if the little girl was watching.
Just as the man started to take out his money, Jocelyn slipped her hand behind the man's back and quickly yanked his timepiece out of his back pocket. The spy made sure to flash it at the little girl's direction before putting it in her own pocket. Jocelyn thanked the man and took the money.
She crouched down in front of the girl once again. "How's that?"
The little girl blinked. Although she didn't utter a word, her eyes showed as much as Jocelyn needed to know to tell that the little girl wanted to learn.
Jocelyn looked over to the front of the hotel, catching the London official entering. She shook her head at the little girl. "That's a conversation for another day. For now, take the money and the timepiece. Use it well."
A smile crept onto the spy's lips as the little girl ran off the hill, glancing back curiously at the older girl.
---
The intelligent boy didn't fail to notice his partner's hand casually flying up to her head to smooth down her hair as they passed in the hallway. She patted her head twice, the second time with her index finger raised just a centimeter. His eyes trailed a long way after her, frowning. Roof?
Tristan knew the bell was going to ring just a few minutes later. It wouldn't hurt to miss just a tad bit of the class he couldn't care less about.
---
As expected, Alexa was waiting for him right next to the stairway. She pushed open the door to the roof for them both. The red-haired girl stuck her hands in her skirt pockets, brushing her palms against the fabric in an attempt to rid her perspiration.
Tristan didn't fail to catch that either. He grabbed Alexa's arm, turning her around hastily. An extremely worried frown seemed to be slapped sternly on his face.
"What? You'd never act this way. What is it?" The boy interrogated, "Are we under investigation?"
"No," came the curt reply. The girl took a deep breath before continuing, "The people that we gave the key to the other day - they're not who they said they were."
"Then who were they, actually? Come to think of it, Central never actually told who the key was for. They just said that it was for the spies positioned in France."
"That's what I'm talking about. The General came today. He said he wanted us to know who received the key, even when Central kept this from us. The spies were Lance and Jocelyn, Tristan. Lance and Jocelyn."
WHOOOOOAH what is going on?
three tests on the same day?
i swear people are mad
:-I
YOU ARE READING
Operation Reconnaissance
ActionPrior to war was a serene time of peace, and peace was hallow. In the course of the war was a tumultuous time of chaos, and chaos was a tornado that whirled in innocents into the eye of the storm. War was a curse put upon the two quarrellin...
