Spy School - Nemesis [1]

09: Acquisition of Information- Introduction

The Queen Anne

Deck 10

Suite 63

April 26

1000 hours

The next day, I was mentally preparing myself for the day to come inside the suite shared by Mike, Alexander and me. Even though I didn't want to, I remembered the time Zoe quizzed me during Operation Snowbunny, back when things weren't so awkward, and our friendship was still the way it was before.

>><<

"According to Ostby's Manual of Practical Undercover Work, there are four steps to proper acquisition of information," Zoe said. "What are they?"

"Introduction, ingratiation, inquisition, and deflection," I rattled off.

"Meaning. . . ?"

"Introduction is making the first connection with the target. Ingratiation is making them want to be friends with you. Inquisition is subtly getting them to tell you what you need to know. And deflection is convincing them that you've never done any inquisition at all."

Zoe beamed at me. "That's exactly right!"

>><<

I felt tears gathering before my eyes. I hated remembering the better times, when Zoe and I were still amazing friends and had each others' backs. Before I realized she liked me. Before she betrayed Erica and me.

"Hey Ben," Mike said, with his hair wet from the pool, interrupting my thoughts and memory. I didn't come to the pool, because I was too busy thinking about the mission. Sometimes, I wondered how Mike could be so carefree.

"Hi. So how'd everything go at the pool with Trixie?" I asked.

"Pretty good. Trixie is in Erica and Cyrus's room right now, that'll be her room for the duration of the trip. Anyways, while we were at the pool, we got sight of the targets," Mike informed me.

"You did? Who?" I said in surprise.

"All of the Mogilevsky's, except for the twins' dad, Gilbert," Mike replied. He showed me a surveillance photo he took at the pool, under the disguise of taking a selfie with Trixie, who was holding the peace sign in the photo. Mike zoomed in to some people in the background.

There were three people there. There was a beautiful, middle-aged woman in a bathrobe that covered her bathing suit with two teenagers in front of her that were obviously her children. The girl was laughing good-naturedly in her bathing suit, while the wet boy was waving his hands around, as if reenacting a funny scene or telling a story. "That's Anne, Nico, and Bianca, right?" I questioned.

"Yes," Mike agreed. "I already showed it to Erica and Cyrus. They told me to show it to you as well."

"Thanks. It'll be time to go tutor them soon, so I recommend you get ready," I told Mike.

"Right, thanks Ben."

Soon enough, it was time go to the Mogilefskys' suite to tutor. Before we went, Mike asked Cyrus if we would be getting any bugs to place in their suite. Cyrus told Mike, "No, because on the first day, they might be on guard around you. You're meeting them for the first time, and might get casually searched-"

"Casually?" Mike muttered under his breath.

"-but after some time, they will become less guarded, and then we will give you some bugs to place. It will be a Bombay Boomerang," Cyrus finished. I, having learned what a Bombay Boomerang was from Erica, nodded, while Mike proceeded to asking me what it was. After I told him, Erica, Mike and I grabbed our tutoring briefcases, and went to elevator with Trixie. She didn't have a briefcase, but Cyrus allowed her to help us with tutoring, much to Erica's annoyance. She tried to mask it, but I knew she was furious that Trixie got to help us with the mission when Cyrus didn't let Erica be the primary agent for Operation Snowbunny, or be part of Operation Pungent Muskrat.

We went down to deck seven, and then to the starboard side of the ship where the Mogilefskys' suites were. We got to their suite and I gripped my briefcase while Trixie knocked on the door. The door was answered by a tall man in a tuxedo, which had a telltale bulge of gun. To my surprise, he greeted us warmly, "Hello! You three must be the tutors, correct?" he asked, nodding toward the three of us with briefcases.

"Actually, it will be four of us, sir." Mike explained. "Trixie here was a last minute edition, she's new so we're teaching her the ropes."

"Ahh, I see. No need to call me sir, call me Eric instead. I'm the Mogilevsky family assistant," Eric revealed. Apparently that included security for them.

"Good to meet you," I jumped in. "This is Mike Cooper, and here is Trixie and Samantha Francis. I'm Ben Brook." All of us have been given fake last names, but Erica was the only person trusted enough to be given a fake first name as well.

"Hi," Trixie said, while Erica said shyly in a quite voice, "Um, hello." Mike and I, having seen Erica change character before managed to get our faces under control. Unfortunately, Trixie never saw Erica transform like that before, so she had an expression of surprise etched across her face, but luckily Eric didn't seem to notice Trixie, as he was ushering us inside. The inside was enormous. We were in a long hallway with many doors that lead to other rooms. At the end of the hall, there was a sliding glass door that led to a huge balcony. There were huge chandeliers, and a small side table to the right of every other door with purple roses, and the walls were a deep light green.

"Let's now go to the study hall," Eric said, and we all followed without protest. I took the opportunity to look at Erica in her new character. Her back was perfectly straight until her neck, which was looking at the ground. The hand that wasn't holding her briefcase was in the pocket of her puffy jacket, which she was wearing despite the fact that we were sailing to central America in the middle of spring. She wore simple jeans and sneakers, looking overall like a shy, average everyday kid.

We got close to the end of the hallway, and Eric opened a door to his right.

"Meet Bianca and Nico," Eric said.

Yesterday, during Thanksgiving, my story was #17 in the category CIA out of 1.8K stories:

Thanks so much for reading my story! I guess I left you off at a kind-off cliffhanger. You'll have to wait until the next chapter to see what happens!

1007 words.