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

Chapter 44

Again, things were changing. Nothing was really constant in her life, not anymore. One second she was basically ignored by every soul in the Potentia building and the next, everyone wanted to know the first junior agent, the legacy. 

Practically seconds after she got that card, word most likely went out and spread like bloody wildfire. She was one of them now. She heard more about her mother in 9 days than her dad talked about it in 9 years, albeit she had no idea how much of it was the truth or was even remotely close to the truth. 

But that wasn't all that had changed, her access had as well. She was able to get into places like the gadget and training rooms, both of which were worse than their anti-government counterpart's, leave and go outside wherever she wanted instead of being locked up in her room (no more climbing out of the window, she hoped). 

Her dry humour and dark comments, all taken as jokes even when she was deadly serious, made her a hit with the agents who no longer acted like she didn't exist. Why the sudden change? She had no idea.

She hadn't seen James in a while, she had so much pushed onto her shoulders in an extremely short amount of time: coding, decoding, training, attack and defence classes, surveillance more than anti-surveillance and not to mention the many analyst missions. She was forbidden from the field. Why? Well it wasn't too hard to figure out.

One afternoon, she was working on a coding mission. They had come to her in the hourly hours of the morning with a small slip of crisp white paper with no more instructions than to decode, ASAP. Now she was sat at her desk, staring at what should be an inconsequential piece of paper. But it wasn't. Alex had decoded quickly, the first few words already making her breath hitch and her brain tick with possibilities.

Let her go

So there she was, staring at the words that she knew could only be directed to her. Why Potentia gave her this, she didn't know, thinking that there were obviously other analysts who could decode this message is minutes so why give it to her? 

What are they playing at? 

Alex was at a complete and total loss on what to do. Should she finish decoding it? Stop and say it was too difficult and she just couldn't do it?  No, that wouldn't be believable enough. This little piece of paper would cause a lot of drama, more than her overwhelmed being could take. The was only just settling into a rhythm and even though she was literally plotting against the government, she thought she should take a little break.

But that wasn't how her brain worked. Alex would over analyse everything, her brain not letting her forget. Anxiety became her dominant emotion.

So, as usual, she was panicking, her mind hamster wheeling round and round and round through all of the possibilities, her options and their consequences when there was a small tap at her window. She knew better than to assume that it was simply an insect at this point. 

Letting out an exasperated sigh, she went over to her window, ducking as she opened it, not wanting a repeat of last time. 

Just as she expected, a little pebble entered the room, flying fast at the height her head would've been had she not expected what was coming. She bobbed her head up to an apology whispered from metres below. She made him cower under a dark glare as she looked to the heavens for help.

"What, is the point. You'd think you would have learnt over the past few weeks."

"Yeah, sorry. Even though you have some freedom, I think we needed a little fun. Your schedule would even make me cower under my duvet." Alex scoffed at the image he painted, knowing despite his childish tendencies, he had too much pride to ever even think about doing something like that. "What better way to take a break than acting like action movie-agents?"

He made valid point.

Then she looked back to the desk, the paper waiting patiently for her. 

"I'm busy."

"You don't want a break?" His disbelieving voice made her laugh.

"No you're right." Maybe she needed a distraction, something to clear her mind from worrying thoughts. "But I need more incentive."

"Uh, I have more information?"

Alex rolled her eyes. 

I thought this was supposed to be a break.

"Eh, try again."

James huffed. "Fine, we'll spar."

Alex grinned and flung herself out of the window after locking the door.

This time, she knew how to get down and lightly stepping onto the windowsill, closing the window behind her, she lightly dug into the brick work and scaled down the wall, light and quick - like a monkey. As soon as her feet touched solid ground, there was a long whistle.

It helped she hadn't fallen and pulled greenery from the disgustingly yellow brick. The building needed it more than her. 

"Damn, totally not showing off." Alex just shrugged and began walking in the direction of the park. She didn't hear any footsteps behind her so turned around to see James, still as a statue with his mouth hanging open in amazement.

"You coming?" She carried on walking as he caught up, happily knowing that she had repaired her dignity concerning her climbing skills.