Convergence

Chapter 3

Allafair strolled down the rainy sidewalk of Trinity Way in Manchester, England. Buildings climbed into the cloud-covered sky above him, and he admired the complexity of the older buildings as well as the simplicity of the newer buildings. He watched passersby, but hid his face with his grey fedora when any returned the gesture. He smiled at the couples, laughed at the children, and thought fondly on the elderly people enjoying a walk in the rain. Feeling a chill, he pulled the collar of his dark grey pea coat around his neck and ears as he continued towards his destination.

He kept walking down Trinity Way until he stopped at the corner of Victoria Street. He studied a newer building across the street, and watched with a smirk as a familiar young woman entered the building. His gaze drifted up the height of the glass covered building and he studied the top floor. With a glance at the gold watch on his wrist, he started across the street, hurrying as to avoid the sudden stream of people that had appeared behind him.

Pushing the glass door of the building open, Allafair nodded to a man who glanced up from his newspaper. The man tipped his own hat in answer, then went back to the news. He made his way down a hall in which two elevators sat. By the nearest one, a group of women huddled together, chatting away without a care in the world. Allafair headed for the farthest elevator.

As he waited, one of the women, ginger-haired with shining brown eyes, turned her head and caught sight of Allafair. She smiled flirtatiously and waved. Allafair smiled in reply, and tipped his hat. The woman turned back to her friends and they all began giggling. While Allafair shook his head and rolled his eyes, the same woman left the group, being quietly teased by her friends, and walked over to him. She seemed a little shyer now as she approached Allafair.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, the woman stopped in front of him. "Hello," she said. The quiet "ding" of the elevator arriving sounded behind her and she didn't seem to notice that her friends were boarding the other elevator.

"Where are your friends going?" Allafair asked with a smirk, his arms crossed.

"Work. Same as every day," she said in a soft voice.

"Do you not work?" he questioned further.

"I had a feeling there was something calling me away," she replied, giving Allafair a glance. "When are you off?" she asked.

The elevator doors parted in front of Allafair and the woman, releasing a crowd of suited men and women. Allafair took the flood as a chance to slip away unnoticed by the woman. He watched through the closing doors as she searched for him in the crowd, confusion knitting her eye brows together.

On the trip to the top floor, Allafair felt a little guilty for leaving the woman like that, but he knew what she had been after, and he knew that he couldn't allow her to get too close to him. It was better for everyone that way. No attachments to anyone but the BRIT, meant no one was hurt and no one had to make the tough decisions the life of an agent required of you. He was happy with the life he had and intended to keep it that way.

The elevator stopped its journey a floor shy of Allafair's target, but the doors remained closed. From the wall, next to the buttons of the elevator, a slot popped out with a blinking blue light. Allafair dug through his pockets, then pulled out an ID card. A picture of himself smiled back before he slid the card into the slot, watching as his face disappeared into the blue light. After a few moments passed, the blue light turned green and Allafair drew back his card.

He rolled his eyes as the slot disappeared, and a panel opened. A computer-generated voice spoke, saying, "Please proceed for eye scan." The lengths they go to protect the BRIT was maddening at times. Allafair leaned forward, staring into the panel as a blue flash of light passed over his eyes. A small green light shone above the panel, and it disappeared just as the slot had. Allafair sighed in relief when the elevator continued its path to the next floor up. Security knew how to put a damper on a day.