Special Agent | ✓

Twenty-Eight

TWENTY-EIGHT

—————

Director Irene Kimmel, the ever-watchful head of The Agency, called all Chiefs to an emergency meet later on the same day she'd spoken with Chief Adina Tibble. Tibble attended, of course, and had had her nerves more than a little calmed by speaking to her protege. Of course, if she brought up the course of events Quinn had told her of, she might risk starting another riot in the hall of the Chiefs

— especially, Adina thought, as that stiff-neck, flappy-limbed moron is sitting in on the meet.

Despite his miserable track record thus far, Chief Havas — co-Chief Havas — had been called to the meet, as he had been the one to receive the call from Special Agent Davidson in regards to the kill order. Seeing his co-Chief present, Chief Sanders looked ready to fall to his knees. It seemed he'd gotten used to the life without the pathetic, suited lump he called a co-Chief, and had been forced into a position of unwilling cooperation once again.

Adina thought it was pure cowardice that had made Special Agent Davidson contact Chief Havas, as he was well aware of what had transpired between that moron and Quinn at the previous meeting.

Either complete cowardice, or he's more stupid than I'd first pegged him to be.

Tibble also suspected that Chief Sanders never would have let the suggestion fly as far as Havas had done. This theory held substantially more weight as it was, in essence, completely moronic.

Yet, there they were. All the Chiefs had gathered once more, for this regarded the upper levels of The Agency only. Putting a kill order on one of their own employees was not something to be taken lightly, as The Agency's screening process for all employees ought to have made sure no traitors could get in.

Doesn't mean traitors can't be made.

It was a rough business — both for administrators and workers. When your contracts essentially were kill orders, well, nothing ever came easy.

"What the bloody hell are we doing back here?" Tibble heard one of her colleagues mutter, as the Chiefs sat down around the oval table on the top floor of the Knightsbridge HQ. Most of them had their mind on the previous meet, where they'd discussed the warning beacon set off by Kent. Few of them had any idea this pertained to that same case.

Eyes shifting across the room, Adina met Kimmel's flat stare. They exchanged a frosty glance. Since their meet, Tibble had not managed to slip Kimmel any further information. Quinn hadn't been able to give her anything more than speculation, though Adina was more than willing to believe in her best intelligence analyst.

Doesn't matter, since the rest of the Chiefs won't see it my way.

In that regard, Tibble knew she was right.

"Take a seat, everyone." Kimmel's voice was clear, strong, " — and we'll get started in a moment."

As they sat down, chairs creaking softly, one of the Chiefs cleared their throat before speaking up. Adina's head shifted, watched the figure stand up from the chair. It was Chief Eylem Vahid, of Technology, one of the few Chiefs that Tibble considered properly qualified.

"I apologize for speaking out of turn, Director Kimmel, but I have to ask — where's the meeting brief?"

Kimmel nodded at the words, eyes cold.

"This meeting is of the utmost importance, Chief Vahid, in that we will be discussing internal affairs."

A murmur ran through the room, the temperature dropping swiftly.