Disclaimer: All standard disclaimers apply—I do not own Covert Affairs, I had no hand in its creation, blah blah blah.
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Auggie, though a dear friend of Annie's, had at first befriended her out of a few reasons, not altogether altruistic. Partially he had heard her heels clicking, those delicious kitten heels, and knew that she both had to be fresh meat to the CIA—he had definitely never heard the footsteps of whoever wore those heels before—and very beautiful. It was always interesting to meet the fresh meat, see if they fit the profile. He had also wanted to meet her because he had heard the story; they pulled in a girl, a trainee. Something felt wrong there. And finally, he knew how it felt to feel so lost in the CIA: after he lost his sight everything was a maze to him, and he knew how a trainee must feel. And thus, he mostly met with Annie to satisfy his own curiosity about the beautiful trainee suddenly shoved into the CIA, and slightly out of a sense of compassion.
During the course of their first day, and the following weeks he had learned that in some ways she was exactly what he expected, and in other ways not at all. Auggie knew very well that she was beautiful, that she was at her most insecure in her relationships, and that she, like so many other operatives, had been burned by love and was closed off in some ways. Mostly he learned this: Annie was a great operative, but why had they pulled her in before finishing training? And why was Jai sent to watch Annie?
That was another thing he knew: Jai could not have been transferred, so close to Annie's joining the team, without his brain screaming that it was more than a coincidence. Further, Jai was a more highly ranked operative: to be lowered to the DPD would be a demotion. Having his fingers in the databanks, Auggie knew that Jai had done nothing wrong to earn a demotion. He had also noticed that Conrad wasn't around—why would the higher ups send 2 agents away without something big going on? So, with such a huge 'coincidence' and no other reason: Jai was following Annie.
Why Annie though? Why was Jai Annie's shadow? Sure Annie wasn't the typical agent—unlike so many other's she sweet and sensitive, and not at all the ambitious, power-hungry type. Although Joan had some element of that in her personality, Auggie knew she was so much more—but that certainly couldn't describe a lot of the other women in the boys' club. Annie was…she was Annie, and that had grown on Auggie.
Their being such close friends didn't eliminate his curiosity, and his eagerness to try to learn about her, about why the CIA brought her in so green, behind her back. And now he may have finally found the answer to all of his questions about her that he'd never really gotten a good answer to.
Why was Annie brought in green?
Why was Jai assigned to watch Annie?
Where was Conrad?
And why was Annie unable to let go of that man from the beach nearly three years ago?
The answer to all of the above, Auggie found as he read his Braille screen, had to do with a CIA agent who went rogue and turned into an assassin; A top-notch assassin by the name of Ben Mercer.
Annie had been the bait to lure out her ex-boyfriend, Mercer.
Jai was watching her trying to learn more about the quarry, see if he made any contact. He was also protection.
Conrad had been assigned to tail Mercer.
And Auggie? He wasn't to know any of this. The file indicated that Joan was against the situation, against Annie being used as chum in a pool of sharks. Arthur's file, (which Auggie definitely wasn't supposed to have access to) mentioned that Annie was not to be allowed near Ben, if the situation could be prevented.
Agent Walker has an impulsive streak. It is uncertain whether she would go rogue with Mercer, or shoot him if the situation was presented. Tests needed.
Reading that final note, Auggie felt unsetteled. She wouldn't really….would she?