Forever Fighting | ✔️ | [previously Espionage: double-cross]

Chapter 33

"Aren't you supposed to be handing out pieces of glass as awards right now?"

This time, her sarcasm wasn't enough to lighten the tense atmosphere. "This takes precedence."

"I'm not that important."

"What you're about to do is. I clearly remember you telling me you weren't going to go looking for your mother."

"I'm not."

There were a few moments Julie's brows furrowed in contemplation before Alex saw her face morph as realisation dawned. "The boy, the person you were following. You want to know where he comes from."

"A possibility."

"Why didn't you just ask?"

"Would you have told me?"

Julie's silence was answer enough.

"It has to do with my mother, doesn't it?"

A slight, almost imperceptible nod was her only reply but it was enough.

"Look, even though it's about my mother, even though I said I wasn't going to go looking I can't ignore it! This is a part of my life now. Three times I've seen him. One is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times means something is going on! This is important and even if it has something to do with my mother I deserve to know now, I need to know."

"You can't. There is a reason you cannot know, a bloody good one." Alex cringed at the word, not used to such vulgar language come out of Julie's mouth.

"Why did you send me out there in the first place then?"

"We needed to see something."

And then it all made sense. Alex laughed mockingly. "You used me as bait, didn't you? You wanted to see if whoever those people are really wanted me, didn't you?" She ran a hand through her hair angrily, messing up the little styling she had attempted. "Did you get what you wanted, was it worth it?" Her tone was expressionless, carrying more weight than a scream of agitation. That wasn't really Alex's style though.

Julie sighed, seeming more tired now than what her make-up masked face had let on earlier. "We didn't handle it right. You should have never gone."

"Doesn't matter now though, does it. You always said I was too curious for my own good. Guess you were right." She looked at the wall then back at her mentor, face hard with determination. "Don't stop me."

"I must!" There was a fire in Julie's eyes, one that was mirrored in Alex's.

"I've beaten you once, I will do it again."

Julie laughed, a harsh humourless sound. "Do you really think you won? That you could beat me? It was supposed to be a test, not a massacre! I needed to see if you passed a certain level and you did. Right now, even hindered by this blasted dress, I can still win." There was no arrogance in her voice, just sterile objectivity that made sure Alex knew it was true.

It stung, to know made her success feel less. As much as she wanted to secure her pride, there wasn't enough time. 

"You're right, you would beat me and without contest, no doubt. But you don't understand the lengths I will go to. Whatever my mother was doing is affecting me, I'm already in this."

"Not properly you're not. Whatever you see will ensure your place in the chaos we're fighting against."

"Then I guess I'll be stuck in the middle."

Julie growled. "You're as stubborn as your mother."

Alex smiled slightly at that. "Thanks for the compliment."

Calmly, she took the clip from her hair and pointed on end at Julie. It didn't take her long to recognise the gadget Alex held in her hand and she was moving towards her in seconds, hand outstretched. But Alex had already got a hold on the button and was pressing it without a second thought.

Past the point of no return now.

A thin shimmer shot out from the clip, the almost invisible line wrapping itself around Julie in a vice-like grip. As soon as it made contact with her body, it solidified and tightened, the strength of steel embedded into its thin fibres. 

Julie groaned. Not in pain or anger but annoyance. "Alex, stop this right now. If you see something, there is nothing I can do to help you! I know you, what you will do and the results will not be pleasant, for anyone." She blew a lock of dark hair from her eyes, staring at Alex with such an intensity Alex found it difficult not to flinch backwards.

"Well hey, I might not even be able to crack the code." Her sarcasm was her defence, hiding her fear of what would happen if she found out what she needed to and her hopelessness if she couldn't.

She turned away from Julie, ignoring her continued attempts at persuasion. She lifted up the keycard, flashing it several times, letting the Denied turn into Manual Access.

At least Auxilium had been nice enough to make it intuitive.

At the instruction of 'present DNA', she took the hair out of the ziplock and placed it on the tray that had slid out of the wall. Seemingly satisfied, it asked for the next piece of required data. Holding out her phone, she pressed play on the high-quality audio file, listening to Mr Vasquez's droning voice exit the speaker. 

There was a pause then, a moment of complete silence as even Julie stopped shouting to hold her breath.

A new message flashed onto the screen. "Invalid, try again."

A creative string of curses left Alex's mouth to the relived chuckles of Julie.

Alex's ears perked up at Julie's muttered comment, hearing the low 'At least that idiot can do his job'. 

"You changed it, didn't you, the way to get in?" There was no need to ask it as a question, Alex already knew the answer. "Julie please. I cannot be left in the dark any longer. She was my mother! A person that played such a big part in my life and I can barely remember her face, her voice! Can you tell me anything, anything else, anything more?"

Julie shook her head sadly, hanging it. "I can't Alex, I really can't. What your mother was involved in, what she spent almost her entire life at the agency doing, you cannot know. I have no doubt you will find out eventually but if I can prolong that moment I will do so until I have no words left, no fight in me."

Alex understood. There was always a need for confidentiality, especially in their line of work. But her mother had died for this and if she could find out who murdered her, she would spend her life avenging Aliza Pierce.

For the second time that night, the sliding of a wall snapped Alex out of a daze. She turned towards the entrance, expecting to see armed agents swarm in but that wall remained closed. The door to the room however, was inching open to reveal the wall of screens. 

Alex gasped and rushed forwards, drowning out Julie's shouts with the pounding of her heart. 

Before she let herself rethink the decision, she walked in, pressing the button that closed the door behind her.

Definitely no turning back now.