My feet clicked against the white tiles as I approached his office. I was terrified. I have always tried to follow rules. Really, I have. But things happen. And I don't necessarily have the best track record.(An entertaining one, yes. But a good one, no.) So as I stared at my feet I went over every rules-optional thing I had done in the past year. Was any of it big enough for me to get fired? Fired. That word was a very bad word in my dictionary. Because when you've seen what I've seen, and worked for who I have worked for- fired involves a new makeover and major memory re modification.
Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Forgetting the things that would be amazing to forget. Being(Dare I say it), normal.
But I flashed back to about 5 years ago, and remembered that remembering was a whole lot better than forgetting. No matter how much I didn't want it to be.
"Mrs. Morgan?" I stepped into the office and smiled at Townsend. He sat looking very British. Most people would find him intimidating, scary even. But I smiled at the picture of my Aunt on his desk, and remembered who he really was.
Townsend's posture was a little off. I didn't like it. I glanced around the office to see Zach, standing off to the side. My heart dropped into my stomach. I was used to having Zach around with me, even in this same position in the office. But when Townsend spoke to me on the phone, he said we needed to 'talk'. But it didn't sound like a friendly, 'lets catch up and talk about your aunt', kind of talk. It sounded like a bad kind of talk. So the fact Zach was here, meant whatever I had done affected him to.
"Have a seat Cammie." I did as I was told and Zach took the chair next to me, resting his hand on my back.
Townsend crossed his arms leaning across the desk, staring us down, for what felt like eons.
"Seriously Townsend, what's this about?" Zach said, leaning back in his chair like he owned the place.
"I have..." He sighed. "A job for you..."
I sighed in relief and leaned in my lap, laughing. "Thank God!" I smiled and Zach sat laughing. "I thought you were firing us!"
Townsend smiled and started again. "No I..." He paused. "Wait. What have you done to deserve to get fired?" He stared daggers at us.
I bit my lip thinking. Zach answered. "It could have been anything." then started ticking things off on his hands. "Withholding information in Pakistan, letting go that teenage bomber...disabling the bomb in New Delhi..."
"OK! I do not want to know..." Townsend rolled his eyes.
"So, whats this job?" I asked.
Townsend's brow furrowed and he bit his lip. "Bullocks I hate this." He groaned.
"What?" Zach got worried.
"This is a very important job to the U.S. Very high profile and we knew you were the very best to pick." I nodded, extremely excited like a kid in a candy store. "Its dangerous. Very risky." Zach and I hung on to every word. He gave one final sigh before he spoke. "Its Hoyle."
My shoulders dropped. My heart plummeted and every red flag went off in my head as Zach leaned back in his chair, running his hands through his hair and sighing, "Well...Crap."
"Why would you pick us? Of all people? Us!?" I groaned as I paced the room.
"No one else has the credentials to pull it off!" Townsend seemed incredibly sorry, truly. But I could hear his remorse was still slightly faked.
"What do you expect us to do? Walk in there and ask him- hey your withholding information! What do you know?!" Zach mocked throwing his arms around.
"No! You will be going in as deep cover agents."
"But we worked with him!" I whined.
"Yes, but he only saw you Cammie- under a false identity in a falsified situation! Zach only worked behind closed doors. You go in there without disguises and he will never recognize you!"
"How do we know that? I never met GianCarlo before and he knew who I was!" I yelled, coming up with every excuse.
"GianCarlo was a very different situation. He works with different people and he knows very different things." Townsend stated.
"I don't like this. I do. Not. Like. This. Not at all."Zach went all protective boyfriend.
I sat down in the chair with my head down between my legs.
"What are you hesitant about?" Townsend asked. I could practically hear Zach's eyes role.
"What is she hesitant about?! Did you even read her reports?!" He yelled slamming his hands on the desk.
"Cammie?" Townsend asked and I peeked out. They stared at me awaiting a reply.
" I saw things." I whispered with tears in my eyes.
"I know..." Townsend reassured which only made me boil.
I bolted up screaming. "NO! You don't." A whimper escaped my mouth. "I saw things." I emphasized my terror. "And I couldn't do anything about it!" Pause. "No, I didn't do anything about it. Because that's what protocol said to do. Nothing. If there was ever a time to ignore orders- that was it. But I didn't. I did exactly what you said to do and they all died!" I screamed and lunged at the desk. "Don't, tell me you understand."
I sat with tears streaming down my face, avoiding both of their gazes.
"So?" Townsend asked as if I didn't just through a temper tantrum.
I bit my cheek and looked up with with fiery eyes. "Ill do it."
"Gallagher Girl. You don't have to do this." Zach was holding my hand as we sat in the back of the truck.
My heart tightened and jealousy raged. "Oh, but you do?"
"No...I.." He struggled.
"Zach stop." I rolled my eyes. "Why do you think I'm willing to do this?"
"Because your stubborn." He smirked and I avoided his gaze and flirty smile.
"If you truly think that you don't know me at all. I'm doing this bec..."
"Ok..." Townsend sat in front of us, interrupting, rifling through some papers like he forgot we were there, than looked up. "Ready?" He smiled.
"Shut up." Zach scowled. "This isn't some fun mission, Its not a game."
"Hate to tell you this son," Zach flinched. "but If you aren't having fun with this than..."
"Oh shut up!" Zach buried his face in his palms and I stifled a laugh remembering what he had told me so many years ago. Then I bit my cheek, cursing myself for never piecing together the family resemblance.
"Anyway..." I sighed and Townsend started.
"Ok. So lets go over it again." Townsend never seemed to believe we memorized the material.
"Who is this?" Townsend picked up a photo and put it in our faces and dozens of less than unsavory memories haunted me.
Hoyle. I had met some bad guys in my years of spy work, but nobody like Hoyle. On my so far biggest deep cover assignment I was sent in to be one of Hoyle's comrades. He was the baddest of the bad. Any crime you could ever think of, I promise he had done it. Extortion, fraud, trading of information, murder, attempted murder, kidnapping...the list goes on. But Hoyle didn't just get what he wanted. He took what he wanted. By brutal force. When I worked undercover as one of the links in his never ending chain, I saw how he worked. And I am haunted down to this day. The murders I witnessed, and tried but failed to stop, haunt my every thought. I thank God everyday he never found out who I was when I worked with him. Because I know for certain I would be dead.
So I let Zach rattle off the facts we were required to memorize and I just sat staring, trembling. Trying to forget everything I had ever known, just to calm down.
"You'll have to be careful." Townsend seemed to focus on me as he said the words. I was considered the unstable one in our group. I groaned and nodded at him. He continued. "Tread lightly. Befriend him- one of you at least. Somehow get that info out of him."
"We know." Zach spat.
"Now listen." Townsend leaned forward glaring at Zach. "This is serious. I dont need you going in there with your shenanigans and screwing it up ok?! We need this information."
"This is Cammie's life!" Zach lunged forward in Townsend's face. "I would never screw this up!"
I sat there staring, tears coming into my eyes. I was scared out of my wits. Zach and I were going into probably one of the most dangerous situations we had ever been in. And the danger was weighing on everyone I could see.
"Zach." I put my hand on his arm, which seemed to calm him. "Its fine." I looked him in the eyes, silently communicating how we did, and he sat down. "Townsend's right. This isn't the time to get cocky. We really don't know what we're getting into."
Zach rung his hands and looked at the floor. "Well..." He sighed. "I'm ready." I nodded in agreement.
"First of all..." Townsend sighed and Zach stood up, pulling me with him.
"No more lectures ok?"Zach sighed. "I want to get us in and out of there as fast as possible."
"Hey!" Townsend gripped his arm, and I could feel the tension rise. "This isn't some quicky kind of job ok? You cant just ask him and he cough it up!" Townsend's accent seemed to thicken in his rage. "I..." He seemed to choke on the words. "I want you to be safe...ok?" He looked us each in the eyes and I felt like he was going to cry. It seemed like his first fatherly gesture to Zach. "So take your time."
Zach didn't answer, just stared at him. I wondered if he would hug him in the moment. But then I heard whispers out the back of the van.
"Whose that?" I asked, and Townsend smiled.
"That's what I was going to tell you before the butt head spoke up." Zach clenched his jaw and Townsend continued. "I brought in some extra help."
Then the doors flew open.
"Shut up Townsend." I tried to shield my face from the light streaming in to focus on the face that fit the voice I knew so well.
"Ya, you didn't bring in anybody." The more timid of the voices said.
And then the strength of an insanely gorgeous Brit's voice flooded the cab. "We volunteered." My vision cleared and I saw my three best friends standing there looking like they were having the time of their lives.
"What are you doing here?" I squeaked as the three of them squeeze me so tight I thought my guts were going to sliver up my throat.
"Apparently Townsend needed our help." Macey cocked a hip.
"No..." Townsend scolded. "You heard about the mission from God knows who, and didnt feel I was capable of protecting her."
I laughed out loud and narrowed my eyes at them. "Gallagher Girls stick together." Liz smiled, holding up her all time favorite computer that had somehow survived since 7th grade.
"And you think they..." Bex looked Zach and Townsend up and down, "could do a better job of protecting you than me?" Bex flexed her muscles and im pretty sure all the guys in the truck, even some random, buff security guard shivered. (I think the story of the damage Bex had done to a Russian spy she came in contact with that had tried to honeypot her, had gotten around.)
"So..." All three of them climbed into the back of the truck as Macey spoke. "Where are we at?"
"We were just briefing again." Townsend jumped in and Zach rolled his eyes.
"No! We were just leaving!"
"You are about to go out there and you dont even know the material?" Bex spat out and I sware Liz's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
"No, Townsend just doesn't trust us enough to let us go."
"Why not?" Liz whimpered.
"They know the material, Ed." Macey rolled her eyes and examined her nails.
"Bullocks they're professionals after all..." Bex threw her arms out.
"Its not about that! Its that..." Townsend started but his voice was drowned out.
"What it about then huh? You font think I'm capable of taking care of her?" Zach asked.
"We are the most qualified to..."
I couldn't hear a word any of them were saying anymore. It all turned into babbling until a big guy sitting at a computer lining the wall looked up and tried to speak over the noise. But no one could hear him.
"Guys." I said, still shivering. No one heard. "Guys!" I yelled. "Hey!"
Finally they all shut up and let me speak, looking me in the eyes, waiting for whatever was coming out of my mouth.
"Its Time."
We all walked down the long, gray hallway leading into the prison. I was jittery and Zach saw it.
He bit his lip, trying to decide what to say since he knew I was on edge.
"I'm fine." I said, before he could ask.
"You sure? Because we don't have to do this if you aren't up to it. I would totally under..."
"Zach!" Macey, I and Bex all spat out.
"She wouldn't be here if she wasn't sure." Macey almost laughed at him.
"Its kind of adorable how he's all protective." Liz said through our comms.
"No, its kind of pussy." Bex rolled her eyes cocking a hip.
Zach took my arm and pulled me to the side and I heard Macey groan.
"This is our last chance to back out." Zach spoke slow. He really cared. Of course he did, he always did.
"I'm not backing out." I shook my head and walked away.
"You done with your little love fest now?" Macey asked as Townsend came up into the group.
"Ready?" He asked.
Zach gave me one last reassuring glance and I nodded.
"Ok." Bex sighed, suddenly serious.
I turned around, my back to her. Zach did the same. Macey and Bex came up behind us and snapped a pair of handcuffs on each of us. I knew there was no turning back now.
"We will be in there with you, as guards." Bex said.
"And Liz can get you in and out whenever needed." Macey said.
Townsend stood in front of us, and sighed, looking me straight in the eyes, gripping my shoulders. "I'm sorry Cammie."
I didn't know if he meant for asking me to do this in the first place, or for not understanding how scary this was for me, or for not thinking we were prepared. But I assumed it was for all of the above.
The giant steel doors in front of us came to life. It felt like centuries before it opened with a mechanical screech.
I held my breath as Bex pushed my forward and I morphed into character. Aria Olivas. My head swam with the backstory that had been engraved in my memory. My mother had been shot by a dirty cop when I was 9, making me have a personal vendetta against any and all law enforcement. My father was good to me, and I tried to hide my personal life from him as he would have nothing to do with me if he knew. I was involved in practically all underground operations. Whether it be drug, weaponry or information. I was the baddest of the bad.
"She doesn't really fit the whole, bad girl thing." Macey had said.
"Ya! Why can't Macey do this? It wouldn't even be a cover!" I whined as I prepared for Bex to punch me in the jaw to give me a good bruise.
"This isnt her field." Townsend said,and I shivered as Bex slipped on her glove.
"Lying is totally her field!"
"Shut up Cam." Bex said and took a step toward me. "Your doing this and your doing this all the way, ok?" I nodded knowing arguing with her when she was in punching mood was a bad idea. "Ready?" She asked and I braced myself.
"Whats wrong Gallagher Girl? You've been hit by her plenty of times." Zach said, shrugging.
"Yes..." I agreed. "But I've always been fighting back. Now im forced to stand here, defenseless. I have a feeling it will hurt a lot worse."
Bex grinned. "Its been a while since I've gotten to punch you Cam."
She was having way too much fun. "God Im glad I'm on your good list."
I clenched my jaw and Zach held me still as I prepared for whatever Bex was going to throw my way, and closed my eyes.
Then it came. "Ow! Bex!" I yelled at her, "I thought I was on your good list!"