What's a Kid to do? [ON HOLD]

What's a Kid to do? [1]

My name is Zoe and I'm an Interpol. At 19, I'm obviously the youngest in my sector. People sometimes ask how a kid like me got into Interpol, but those people don't know what I'm capable of.  

I am fluent in 5 languages. I can dismantle and reassemble most guns blindfolded. I can disarm a bomb, hit a moving target with any weapon you care to name, and throw a man three times my size out a window. I have a black belt in karate, I can blend in almost anywhere and operate most kinds of machinery. My small frame makes me fast and agile, and I can fit into small places.  

I'm Indian, and I'm getting kind of fed up of living here. I'm hoping my next mission takes me somewhere far away.  

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I was just slapping handcuffs on an infamous druglord when my phone rang. I stepped aside, flipping open my phone, and let the other officer deal with him.  

"Mrs Hunter." I greeted the woman, my boss, who was on the other line.  

"Yes, Mr Browne. I have an assignment for you. first you have to pick up an officer from the airport. She'll be arriving in Heathrow in 2 hours. Her name is Zoe Hosein, she's arriving from India. She's about 1metre 60cm (5ft 3in) tall, has brown skin and black hair, and was told to wear a red hat. Find her, bring her back to headquarters and you will both be briefed there."  

"Yes ma'am. Brown skin, black hair, red hat. I'll go right away."  

"And also..." Mrs Hunter added, "I was told to tell you that she is a very capable officer."  

By the way, my name is Jonothan Browne. I am an English Interpol officer, and I'm 27 years old. My specialties are strategy and technology. I'm also an expert marksman. I wasn't particularly excited or worried about the mission because I was usually sent on the more mundane assignments.  

I scanned the crowd of arriving passengers from India. I was looking for a brown skinned woman with black hair and a red hat. Then I saw a flash of red among the sea of people. It was unmistakably a hat.  

"Miss Hosein!" I called out. She fought her way over to meet me, and finally emerged from behind chattering tourists.  

No, no, no. This had to be a mistake. I was looking at a kid. I double checked all of the criteria. A metre 60cm- she looked about that size. Brown skin- she had that. Black hair- definitely there, curling to the middle of her back, and even the red cap. Nonetheless, I waited a few minutes for another Zoe Hosein. As expected, none was forthcoming.I stepped away and motioned for the girl to follow me. She did so and I took her to where there were less people.  

"You are Zoe Hosein?" I asked her. She nodded, a bit uncertainly.  

"And that's your only bag?"  

She didn't reply.  

"Is that your only bag?" I repeated.  

The girl stared at me dumbly.  

"Do you understand me?" I said slowly. The girl kept watching me intently. This was just perfect. They sent me a little girl who didn't even speak English. I mean, honestly, I didn't expect Queen's English, but she could have at least learned the basics. I took her bag from her and walked toward my car. She followed me, and hopped into the passenger seat as soon as I unlocked the door. When I sat down in the driver's seat, she was staring at the dashboard as if she had never seen a car before.  

I drove slowly, passing fields and buildings. We were driving along my favourite route, and I wanted to see the sights as much as she did. Zoe, in fact, was gazing out her window with the spellbound curiosity of a five-year-old shining in her eyes. I wasn't surprised. i doubt she had ever seen anything like England, with it's old-fashioned brick houses, huge, haystack-covered fields, and quaint little cottages scattered around everywhere. All of a sudden, a loud growling sound pervaded the air. Zoe looked at me, then at her stomach, faintly embarrased. She was hungry.  

I stopped at the first place that was selling food. "What do you want?" I asked. She stared at me blankly. Then I remembered that she didn't speak English. I turned off the ignition, got out of the car and locked it, hoping that she had the common sense to stay in the car. I just bought her a plain box of chips, because I didn't know if she was a vegetarian. I thought that she had to like chips.  

The rest of the ride passed without incident, but I was relieved to finally arrive at headquarters. The silence in the car was a bit unnerving. Zoe walked out of the car confidently. Taking her bag back from me, she marched up to the guards and pulled out her badge.  

"Zoe Hosein. I'm the officer from India."  

I was dumbstruck.. "I thought you didn't speak English!" I spluttered. "You didn't say a word for the whole trip home!"  

She smiled at me, with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Mister, there's a big difference between inability and refusal."  

Without another word, she turned on her heel and strolled into the building, leaving me to recover my senses and follow her.