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

Chapter 30

Alex smiled at the piece of paper, cherishing the poor thing in her hand with all the satisfaction of actually having some good luck. 

Sure the reason it was happening was probably Auxilium's assurance of having every single person in the same room to prevent anything else from happening while fulfilling a tradition but this was Alex's chance and she was going to make the most of it.

Auxilium held a 'gala' annually to celebrate the highest achieving agents, something to keep moral high. Of course the top agents got a bonus because what was a company without a little incentivising. It was a formal affair, something Alex was dreading, but the little note at the bottom of the invitation made her smile.

"Every person must attend, no exceptions."

Rather than having a few people out and making the most of the lowered security, why not have everyone in the same room. At least there they could keep any eye on everyone, right?

Not if your a teenage spy willing to go to extreme lengths to make the most of zero security. 

The agency hadn't given much time before the day event would take place, reducing the time a potential thief had for preparation. But if you knew the building well enough and had already memorised the blueprints of the place, a lot of preparation was unnecessary. 

All she needed was a little bit of ingenuity, something she had in abundance. Alex was also counting her luck that she had something of the formal kind already in her wardrobe and thanking her past self for having the foresight to pack it. 

The black jumpsuit hung tauntingly on its hanger, ignoring the disgusted look Alex sent its way. At least it wasn't a dress and gave her the mobility of running, jumping and climbing. For an item of clothing that had to be formal, it wasn't the worst but Alex wasn't looking forward to wearing it either way. 

With a plan already laid out in her mind, a plan she wasn't stupid enough to put on paper or document, she went out to get the last thing she needed: a piece of DNA.

It turned out that getting into the room wasn't going to be as impossible as Alex had originally thought. After overriding the entrance with a junior agent card, all you had to do was present DNA from a senior agent, along with voice recognition, as the manual override. Since the Junior Agent keycards didn't have the self-destruct feature, they made the perfect tool for breaking and entering. 

All that was left now was getting the DNA and the voice recording of a certain phrase.

Alex had immediately thought of Julie but it would have been too obvious as soon as she attempted to get Julie's voice recording. Julie was most likely behind the security measures to begin with and probably knew about Alex's affiliation with the break-in, not thinking for a second someone outside the agency managed to get as far as she did. 

Julie wasn't stupid enough to believe otherwise.

Finding someone dumb enough to give her what she needed would be difficult. You don't hear people just saying 'descendit cum Potentia' in everyday conversation. 

It didn't take a genius to figure out it was latin and happily for Alex, all that time in the library had paid off.

She gathered the sheets she had printed off and tucked them in her pocket, covering them further with the baggy sweatshirt she had donned this morning. She left her bedroom and walked through the hallways. Any conversation around her was full of the buzz about this evening's gala and how lucky the junior agents were to be able to attend the most highly anticipated traditions for the first time in the agency's shorter than expected history.

Alex scoffed at their lack of insight. The agency's reasoning behind everyone's sudden invitation was so obvious it was practically slapping them in the face while tap dancing on their noses. They were too busy discussing their dresses, suits, accessories to notice that which seemed so clear to her. There was even a glimmer of joy among the usually blank-faced senior agents which said something about the event.

That it was important and something that many people were looking forward to.

Alex winced as she thought about her actions having an impact on the festivities and just hoped that if she was discovered, everything would be sorted out quietly. She had already caused enough of a disturbance within the agency and would hate to be the cause of any more problems.

She continued on her way to the library, swirling out of sight of many keen eyed agents, ones Alex had spotted too many times for it to be purely coincidental, in an intricate dance of illusion - the only one she could do without tripping over her feet or swaying to the wrong beat. 

The library was her safe space and the extended periods of time in its halls of knowledge hadn't just provided her with information but a source.

While researching more on the agency's use of latin, Alex had come across an old man who happily introduced himself as Terry Velasquez. The name rang a bell and Alex could now match the old wrinkled face to it. 

Everyone knew about Mr Velasquez's analytical exploits, being renowned for inter-lingual encryption and decryption. His fascination with ancient languages was not common knowledge but was perfect for what Alex needed. 

After faking an appreciation for the finer art of latin, she had gotten Mr Vasquez's assurance that he would be available to help her anytime with this newfound hobby. Alex had a feeling his partiality towards helping her had something to do with the resemblance to his granddaughter's picture he kept in his wallet. She wasn't complaining though.

Terry Vasquez kept a tight schedule, something he said helped him get through life in his old age, so Alex knew for certain he would be flipping through a very old and dusty book when she walked through the library doors. 

"Mr Vasquez?"

The man in question looked up, eyes crinkling around the corner in a smile when he noticed Alex standing off to the side.

"Ms Pierce! I was wondering when I would be seeing you again."

She chuckled. "Well, you know Julie, likes to keep me busy."

He tutted and pulled out a chair for her which she happily accepted.

"These agents working you young-ins too hard. You know, back when I was your age, I would spend the day at home locked in my room. Not that much as changed of course."

"I'm sure you had lots of excitement in your youth, I can't imagine you living life with no thrill!" 

Her sarcasm was taken well. "Of course, diving with sharks, skydiving from a concord, all the usual activities of course!" He smiled at Alex, making her almost feel bad with how she was using him. Almost.

"I did need your help with something, though."

"Yes yes, I thought you might."

Alex pulled out the papers, smoothing them down on the table and positioning them right in Mr Vasquez's eye-line. 

"I was having a look at some of these passages," she started while gesturing to the blown up images of stone inscribed with latin. "I was struggling to make out the words, not being as well versed with the language."

"Understandable. It's unfortunate that these pieces of history are not as well preserved as they could be, a shame really."

"Yes, yes, of course." She pointed to certain sentences. "How would these sound?"

And so it began. Alex would point out certain phrases, fisting the phone tightly in her hand and checking it now and then to make sure it was still recording. Some of sentences contained the words she needed, others just there to hopefully put him off her trail. 

The whole thing didn't take too long and she almost had everything she needed.

As she stood up to leave, she knocked the pile of books Terry had collected onto the floor. They both leant down to pick the up again, Alex muttering apologies all the while. As he reached for the final book, Alex stood behind him and pulled out one of the few hairs on his balding head, gently to make sure he didn't feel a thing.

When everything was back in its place, she waved goodbye to the old man with a silly smile on her face, off to her room where her laptop was already set up with the audio editing software. 

Everything was almost ready.