The rising sun struggled through the thick fog, it's intermittent beams reaching through the glass windows of the Academy and hitting the desk before me. I stood and stretched, taking stock of my rumpled shirt and undone tie, and realizing that I had spent yet another night in this seat.
Well, I can't say that exactly….I could almost feel the Agency pulse beneath me with a new-found increase in morale. For a moment, even I was swept up in their excitement - but this emotion was fleeting as the talk turned into theories. Not one to indulge myself publicly in ACME's favorite topic of debate, I retreated to my office, finding a distraction in the sudden amount of paperwork garnered from our latest arrest.
There was light knock at the door. Knowing it was my intern, I called for her to come in.
"Morning, boss." she greeted, hair still damp and piled attractively on top of her head. Her crisply pressed outfit and polished shoes further reminded me of my fatigue.
"Good morning, Detective." I replied. My causal use of the title caused the girl to beam and I chuckled inwardly. I was becoming rather fond of the doe-eyed trainee that I was given to mentor - ACME had decided to cut it's recruiting intake to about thirty students, the idea being that this would attract a higher skilled recruit by increasing competition for the program. It also allowed the ability for more individualized instruction, so the Agency decided to implement a three week mandatory fieldwork internship, hoping to give our trainees a taste of the real world before their swearing in. Unfortunately, I was not exempt from this duty, and was assigned Ellie, the young teen who stood before me waiting for instruction.
"I brought this for you." she said almost shyly, placing a warm cup on my desk. "I figured you must have had a long night…with the press and all."
I thanked her and offered her a seat, figuring out how I could best keep her out of my hair. An anxious expression was clear on her features, catching my attention.
"All right, Detective. What is it?"
"Well, you know how I've been doing this internship, and you're supposed to be like a mentor, right?"
"Yes, I'm aware of the fact."
"Well…no disrespect meant but…" she trailed off, now choosing her words carefully.
I held back another chuckle. "It's fine Detective, I've heard it all. What can I do for you?"
"It's just that I haven't done much fieldwork with you, and I know you're going to question Sandiego in a little while…and I was wondering if I could watch."
I raised an eyebrow, and a pink flush appeared in her caramel cheeks.
"And how exactly would that be useful to you?" I inquired, humoring her.
"Well we've just learned Reid technique. I think it'd be pretty interesting to see it in practice."
It 's a valid request, I finally decided - I did have her unfairly doing mundane tasks.
"That's not what we'd typically use in a case like this. But, I don't see why not."
"Really?" she squeaked, before composing herself.
"There are conditions, of course. The fact that I'm even allowing this is strictly confidential, considering you are nowhere near having the proper clearances. Understood?"
"Of course." she breathed, still in disbelief.
"Good." I checked my watch. "Now's a good time as any to get that done. Are you ready?"
She nodded eagerly, and I rose, redoing my tie as we both exited my office and made our way down to the interrogation rooms.