Sarah sat outside of Director Graham's office and surveying her surroundings with a wary eye.
"Agent Walker, the director will now see you." The receptionist addressed her in clipped tone and gave a slight nod in respect.
Straightening off her skirt, she stood up and strode purposely towards the office. She stopped in front of the door and let out a steadying breath- just like what she was taught at The Farm. Don't Freak Out, she told herself. She poised her hand to knock but Graham's voice boomed behind the door.
"Come in, Agent Walker."
Sarah opened the door and her attention immediately went to the tall, authoritative man sitting behind the oak desk-a sign of their distance and of where they stand. A boss and an employee. For once, she noticed that he had the look of utmost seriousness on his face. Putting on her game face, she strode to chair in front of his desk and addressed him.
She gave him a slight nod and answered, "Director."
"Have a seat, Agent." He glanced to the chair. "How's your recuperation going?"
Her hand drifted to her midriff, which was wrapped in gauze underneath her blouse. "It's been going well, thank you." Resting both hands in her thighs, she looked at him in curiosity. "But that's not why you called me, isn't it?"
Sarah looked on as the normally stoic man used his left hand to massage his temples. He looked tired, frustrated and pissed.
"Sir? What's wrong?" Sarah asked slowly.
Sighing in despair and straightening his posture, he looked at her dead in the eye. "Sarah, Daniel escaped."
Daniel Shaw.
Graham noticed that the color of her irises darkened considerably. She tightened her muscles as a way to restrain herself from screaming out loud in frustration.
"How?" She spat out with barely hidden contempt. "I thought you had him locked in a high security prison? Sir, he killed a warehouse-full of our best agents!"
"Agent Walker… Sarah. He was in a high security prison. Turns out The Ring have roots from way down. A security guard aided his escape." Graham looked at her.
"Sir, I mean no disrespect but what about the other guards? It's supposed to be a high security prison, not a jail. What about the other precautions?"
"Sarah, when I said: "A security guard", I meant the warden himself helped Shaw." Graham looked at her with what looked like despair in his eyes.
"What? Is there no one we can trust in this Agency anymore?" Sarah asked in frustration.
Her question gave Graham the opening he needed. "Which is why I called you. Sarah, there is no one else in this Agency I trust more than you. You know how The Ring operates and you are the best agent we have."
Sarah looked at him and paying close attention to what he's saying.
"My sources told me that Daniel Shaw made contact with his wife and son discretely, telling them to run away and I assume that they're going to be reconvening sometime in the future. Your mission is to find out where they're going to meet. My source is in Burbank and says that he knows some people that can help you. Which is why, Sarah Walker, you're going to Burbank, help John Casey—a former marine and NSA's ghost killer, and hunt down Daniel Shaw."
This is different from all the stories I have published before and I wanted to give this genre a go. So, yay or nay?