Outsider

Eleven

Let me tell you about the moment where I wished time stopped.  The time I wanted a fleeting moment to last forever.  It wasn't as if I was walking into the ballroom holding the gala, I felt like I was flying!  Two men opened the great big doors for Oliver, the Hydra officer posing as our parent, and I, and all of a sudden I was met with swirling colours and warmth.  There were so many people- the most people I had ever seen in my life!  The ladies were clad in gorgeous gowns in an endless assortment of colour.  Everything was brand new to me, new people, new colours, it was a whole new world.  And I didn't know what to think of it.  Overwhelmed with everything, I stood blankly in the crowd, beaming.  Maybe here I can be happy, I thought.

Then, someone grabbed my hand, and I was looking into the face of my best friend.  "Oliver-" I breathed, but my mind could find no other words.  

He smiled at me and said, "Come.  Let's dance,"

"I don't know how," I said, giggling.

"Who cares?" 

Oliver swept me across the ballroom in an elaborate waltz that he understood, but I found I had two left feet at.  He learned this type of dancing from his mother, and now he was teaching me.  Eventually, the moves began to familiarize with me and instead of Oliver guiding me, we were dancing as one.  And it was beautiful and mesmerizing.  "I wish this could last forever!" I whispered, twirling around with my arms outstretched.  Oliver laughed, but I inside knew that my friend agreed with me.

Minutes passed- or were they hours?  It was as if I was dancing for days, and my feet ached in their heels, but I didn't care.  Tonight I felt at peace.  Tonight I was happy.  Gazing into Oliver's eyes, I felt my own pool with tears.  But, they were happy tears.  "I love you, Ollie," I whispered, holding onto him tightly.

"I love you too, Liss."  

Although I didn't know it, those were the exact words I needed to hear.

Oliver and I were eventually pulled apart by the Hydra officer.  The officer posing as our parent was a nervous fellow, in his late twenties or early thirties.  Anybody could see that we weren't related at all!  At least, that's what I thought.  But, over half the people at this gala were too absorbed in their own doings to notice a man and two skinny, young children.  

Anyway, our first part of the job was locating the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents attending the gala.  Then, we would be able to gather information through them to find out what hotel they are staying at.  Then, we could hack into their computers to find out their personal information.  Then, we could find out why they're tracking us, and perhaps give them a false lead.  Then, our job for Hydra would be finished.  The last part I wasn't looking forward to, for it meant that we would have to go back to the base and stay inside its dark, tortorous walls.  Who knows how long it'll be until I see the sunshine and the great outdoors again?

Locating the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents was a daunting task at first, but once you found one you could easily spot the rest of them.  They were dressed elegantly, but not in clothes overly noticeable.  The agents hung back in the crowd, definitely not making themselves the centre of attention.  Their behaviour was normal, but repititious.  If you stared one down long enough, you would see that they would do the same cycle of moves.  A normal person wouldn't spot it, but Hydra was training me well.

"We should go have some fun with them," Oliver said, tugging my sleeve.  I giggled and we ran over to the nearest S.H.I.E.L.D. agent- a woman with dark hair in a red dress.  She was busy on her phone and didn't see us coming.  "Hello," I said to the woman, curtseying, but nearly tripping over the skirt of my dress.  Oliver tried to stifle a laugh.

"Hi," the agent said back to us, raising an eyebrow.  She continued to use her phone.  There was a long pause, but finally she asked, "Where are your parents?"

"Somewhere over... there?" Oliver replied, gesturing to a crowd of people right behind us.

The agent put her phone away and told us, "Look, kids, I'm sorry, but I'm busy.  I don't have time to babysit."

She tried to walk away from us but Oliver slid up beside her and said, "We're old enough to take care of ourselves.  My name is Elijah and this is my sister, Olivia.  What's your name?"

With a roll of her eyes the agent replied, "Maria,"

"Why are you busy?" I asked innocently.

Maria sighed and told me, "It's grown-up stuff, go back to your parents and have a couple of snacks or something."

She walked off, looking even more agitated (if that was possible) and Oliver and I snickered to ourselves.  "What was the point in that?" I asked finally.

"This,"  Oliver smiled and pulled out a small device.  He placed it gently in my hands so I could examine it.  "What is that?  Is that her phone?" I asked in awe.  My friend nodded.  I gasped, I had never seen a phone this advanced before.  Papa had an old flip-phone, but it didn't work.  My father was always worried that if we had any connection to the internet or the digital world that Hydra would find us easier.  But, that wasn't the pressing thought on my mind.  I was thinking:  How the bloody heck did Oliver manage to pickpocket a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?  Ollie shrugged and said, "Hydra's been teaching both of us well.  But, we have to act fast 'cause soon Maria will notice that she's missing her phone, and we'll be the first people she looks for when she goes to find it."

Nodding, I replied, "We have to figure out how to hack into the information on this phone.  There's ought to be a passcode meant to stop us." I turned the phone on and sure enough numbers and six empty slots appeared.  The phone was locked, hiding the information about where the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were staying, unless Oliver and I managed to hack it within the mere few minutes it takes for Maria to notice that her phone is missing.  

"How about let's take it to our pretend father?" I suggested, "The Hydra officer, see if he knows what to do with it.  Ain't that his job?"

Oliver nodded in agreement, so we scurried over as nonchalantly as possible to the Hydra officer.  Of course, he was keeping himself occupied by drinking excessive amounts of champagne and talking with some young women in revealing dresses.  The officer was suprised to see us, and snapped, "Go away, I'm busy!"

"It doesn't look like you're busy, Dad." Oliver pointed out, making the women laugh.

"I didn't know you had kids," one women exclaimed, "And that must mean you're married.  Well, we should leave you to handle your, um, children."  And so, their posse walked off, a bit disgusted with the officer's flirtatious behaviour.  Furiously, our pretend father pulled us into an empty corridor and hissed, "What the hell do you two want?"

"We want to give you this," I said, placing the phone in his angry hand.  Very quickly, the Hydra officer's demanor changed from anger and annoyance to interest and shock.  "You guys did this?" the officer asked finally.

I replied, "Yes, and we only have minutes to act before Maria finds out her phone is missing.  Can you hack into the phone and find the location of the hotel they're staying at?"  The officer nodded, but unfortunately it was too late.  Oliver opened his mouth and tapped me on the shoulder, however I had already noticed what had happened.  Our mission had failed, the plan was over.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Maria, had found us.

"I knew there was something suspicious about you two kids," Maria said, pointing a handgun at Oliver's chest.  But, the Hydra officer did something that made me scream and Oliver grow pale.

Bang!  Bang!

Maria collapsed to the floor.