Assignment
Isabelle waited.
She had never actually seen the leader of the SEP. Rumors circulated about the Cobra's ruthlessness; a bloody ascent to the top; over a hundred successful missions and counting.
All in all, not someone she thought she would ever meet. But then again, she had not dreamed of this profession as a child. Parents in the agency guaranteed most children a spot in this elite institution, but Isabelle had dreamed of normalcy. Not a life of killing and secrecy.
The door to the waiting room opened smoothly and soundlessly. Isabelle stood immediately, her perfect posture an expression of pride in her work that she dared not deny.
The golden, too-long hair of the man who stepped in framed his smirk. "Always prepared, aren't you, Izzy?"
Isabelle huffed. "Shut it, Jace." But she relaxed her shoulders and slumped back into the leather upholstery of the waiting room seats. Jace took the seat next to her, arm draped over the arm of his chair.
"Nervous?"
"What do you think?"
Jace grinned. "You might be. I'm not."
"Of course not," Isabelle said, rolling her eyes. They lapsed into silence, their anticipation filling the air.
Finally the woman sitting at the receptionist's desk stood. "Special Agent Herondale will see you now."
Isabelle and Jace walked towards the door. Apprehension filled Isabelle as she stepped past the receptionist, one manicured hand holding open the door. She spared one involuntary glance towards Jace and wished that he had the ability to fear, so she wouldn't be the only uneasy one in the room.
A long, oval table with dark wood grain took up the majority of the room. Plush chairs ringed the conference table, and at the head of the table sat a woman.
Pale hair streaked gray and blond twisted into a bun and speared with silver chopsticks, likely lethal, followed the regulation haircut with some artistic license. Gray suit clothed narrow shoulders, the only part of her visible over the high back of the chair.
The chair turned. A grim, lined face of a pallid shade set with piercing gray eyes looked Isabelle and Jace up and down. The Cobra's reputation seemed manifest itself in that merciless face.
Her soundless examination chilled Isabelle.
Jace's clearing of his throat echoed in the room and startled Isabelle, though she smothered her reaction.
The Cobra raised a thin eyebrow. "Yes, Mr. Herondale?"
"Special Agent Herondale, why are we here?" Jace asked. The juxtaposition of their names sparked momentary confusion in Isabelle, though she had already known Jace's family connections.
"Mr. Herondale, you and Miss Lightwood have been called in for a debrief on your next assignment."
"We usually receive those from Special Agent Lightwood."
"In light of recent…events, I have decided to personally explain."
Isabelle swallowed.
The Cobra stood and moved towards them, a manila folder in her hand. "Pangborn Industries has appeared on our radar again. Shipments of unidentifiable cargo from the Nevada desert attracted attention last month when a warehouse worker was shot. It was covered up as an accident at work, but the bullet matches another found at the site of a known Pangborn hit."
"And you want us to find the shooter," Jace stated, his attention diverted as he ran through plans.
"Not quite. The shooter's whereabouts are being tracked by a separate team." The Cobra laid open the folder. The top sheet displayed a beautiful view of the Nevada desert at sunset. "You two are going to track the shipment to its destination."
"It will have arrived already," Jace objected.
The Cobra's smile was as thin and melancholy as the rest of her. "Did you think it would be that easy?"
Jace frowned slightly. "So you want us to follow the trail of a shipment that left a month ago."
"Yes, Mr. Herondale."
"Are we dismissed now?" Jace asked, turning away slightly.
"Do not leave, Mr. Herondale," the Cobra said sharply. "We are not done here."
Not for the first time, Isabelle wished for Jace's poker face as her own paled.
"The Society's board has decided that the events of March were not your fault. However, they did note your actions as negligent in some cases, and you will not be promoted to full agents."
Isabelle's heart sank, though she had hardly expected otherwise.
"However," the Cobra continued, and hope welled inside Isabelle. "The board has decided to give this wave of younger candidates one last try. But if you fail again, this experiment is over. This is your second chance."
Both Isabelle and Jace nodded once, a quick jerk of their heads.
"Now you are dismissed."
Jace turned immediately, but Isabelle held her ground as she worked up her courage. Jace shot her a pointed glance, motioning for her to leave. But Isabelle ignored her as she tried to make her voice come out strongly.
Instead, it broke as she blurted, "Wait! Special Agent Herondale, please wait."
Those gray eyes fixed on Isabelle. "Yes, Miss Lightwood?"
"Have you heard anything about my brother?"
The Cobra was still as she scrutinized Isabelle. Then: "No, there has been no contact from Mr. Lightwood."
Isabelle fought for control as she nodded once, then turned and tried to slow her pace from running out the door.
The door closed noiselessly behind them as they stood once again in the waiting room. Jace made no move to comfort Isabelle, but his silence was uncharacteristically sympathetic.
"Let's go," Isabelle managed, striding towards the exit. "We have a shipment to track."
Jace didn't respond, but his footsteps followed her out of the SEP building.
and we're back!
this story is going to be much different than my first one. i hope you'll still enjoy it. if you're reading this, then thank you for waiting for me, especially those that I spoke to about a new story-you know who you are.
i'll always love you, readers. thank you for reading!