Chapter 14: Q-branch IT-department

Mandi was having real doubts about what to do. In the back of her mind, she knew she shouldn't sign this. She was only 17 for crying out loud. This wasn't some employment contract for a side job at the local supermarket. This contract had some real consequences attached to it. Suddenly it made her feel like she wouldn't be able to cope with this. It made her feel small and young and left her wondering how the hell she was going to survive if this was what it meant to be a grown-up.

The lawyer, Mr. Trenga, was very patient with her. Explaining very clearly what was expected of her if she signed it. Patiently answering all her stupid questions that she asked three times just to be sure she understood. However, the choice was clear. Sign and learn more and who knew, she might even get to meet GH0ST, her idol. The one she wanted to be when she grew up. Or not sign and walk away. And go back home not knowing. That was the part that was tempting her. Her idol was practically in touching distance. She could ask him questions about everything. She only had to sign.

There was a knock at the door before it opened and Jordan stepped into the room.

"How's it going in here?" He asked.

"Ugh, I can't decide." She whined putting her head in her hands. Jordan chuckled and walked into the room.

"Hi, Jordan Bruskin, Q-branch IT-department." Jordan introduced himself to Mr Trenga, shaking his hand. "So, talk me through it. I had to sign it too when I first started. Maybe I can help you decide while not influencing your decision." He said to prevent the lawyer from objecting.

"I just don't know. It's just such a big decision." She groaned. "I mean, this changes everything." Jordan frowned.

"It isn't that bad. You make it sound like you're signing your life away." Jordan asked. Mandi looked at him thinking he'd just lost him mind.

"Aren't I? I mean have you read that thing? If you break it you could be sentenced to life in prison for treason." She said panicky.

"Are you?" He asked her, suddenly looking serious.

Excuse me?" She asked wondering what he was talking about.

"Are you going to spill these secrets that are vital to national security?" Jordan asked again.

"Are you crazy? Of course not! But I might spill something accidentally." She protested.

"Do you? Have you done that before? With secrets your friends asked you to keep for example? Things you wanted to keep from your parents. Because if you've done that before then I won't let you sign this." Jordan said his voice still serious. Mandi looked at him and then at Mr Trenga, panicking slightly. Jordan smiled slightly

"Relax, Mandi. I'm not asking you these things to confront you. I'm trying to help you make the right decision for you." Jordan said before he thought about it or a moment. "Let me give you an example. I wouldn't let my mom sign because she's the worst gossip ever. I love her to bits but whenever she finds out something, she feels the need to share it with everyone. Once her friend came to her in tears because she found out her husband was cheating on her. My mom was a real sweetheart comforting her and everything. But the next day the whole neighbourhood knew."

Mandi burst out into laughter. "Brilliant." She crowed. "Is she really like that? Or were you just bullshitting me to make me laugh?"

"She really is." Jordan chuckled and even Mr Trenga was hiding his smile in his hand. Mandi snorted and then sat back wiping tears from her eyes. If Jordan had only told that story to relax her it really helped. But the story did get her thinking. Was she like that? Had she ever told a secret, her own or someone else's, to anyone? No, she hadn't. Not that she'd had many friends who's secrets she kept. But she never told anyone about the hacking, had she? And that hadn't been such a heartache. So, why wouldn't she able to keep national secrets. With a smile on her face, she picked up the pen and signed before handing the pen over to Mr Trenga. He signed and Jordan smiled widely and stood.

"Oh, thank god, I thought we were going to miss it all. Come on, hurry before it's over." He tugged her to her feet and started dragging her to the door.

"What? Where are we going?" She asked as she followed him out the door.

"GH0ST is hacking. Come on!" Jordan said speeding up.

"What?! Why didn't you say so? Run!" Mandi said and together they ran through the corridor.

She entered what looked like a viewing gallery behind Jordan. Three men were at the front plastered to the glass, one was the paranoid dude that she'd met before, while behind them a man in a posh suit and a business woman were sitting in chairs having a quiet conversation. She looked through the large window and her mouth dropped open. The room beyond looked like one of those control rooms you usually see in films. There were screens everywhere. Though not a lot were being used. A movie was being played on one of them, some female action hero she didn't recognize, some other screens showed other camera's and some other screens were filled with code, some stationary some were being worked on and one just scrolled by.

"You see that fast moving one?" Jordan asked as he came to stand beside her. "That's GH0ST."

"GH0ST is actually in there?" She breathlessly asked.

"Yep." Jordan simply said. She looked at him frowning in question.

"What is this place?" She asked suspiciously.

"This is the Q-branch IT-department. Q-branch is the technological department of MI6." Jordan said and her mouth just dropped. Holy shit. No wonder they'd had her sign that document. But then another coin dropped and she looked at Jordan eyes widening. Q-branch IT department. That was how Jordan had introduced himself to the lawyer.

"Wait… You work here?" She asked incredulous.

"Yep." He answered dryly.

"You work with GH0ST." Mandi turned on him accusingly poking him in the chest. "You said GH0ST wasn't like that. You know GH0ST. You're mean." She finished pouting crossing her arms. Jordan burst out laughing along with the others in the room. Mandi smiled. She knew she was acting like a child but she couldn't help it. It was either this or completely freak out because holy shit this was MI6 and GH0ST was in the room next to her. Realisation hit her again and she turned to peer at the screen that Jordan was pointing out to her. The code was scrolling by at an amazing speed. She tried to read along but all she really got was that he was hacking into some video database.

"What's he doing?" She asked Jordan. The other three men gathered around wanting to know the answer as well.

"See that woman on the big screen?" Jordan asked pointing to the screen where the movie was playing. The woman was sneaking in somewhere. She nodded. "That's 001. Her current mission is to sneak into a research facility in Russia that is suspected of developing biological weapons. She called in because she discovered the building has CCTV. Q is currently hacked in and guiding her to the place where the evidence is kept that she needs to collect as well as deleting the footage of her actually being there." Mandi's mouth dropped open. She looked at the screen where the now very real spy expertly sneaked around.

"You mean that's real. Spies really do that shit you see in movies?" She exclaimed. Jordan chuckled.

"Well, not all of them. Only the double-0's get those types of missions." Jordan answered and then explained further. "You see there are four levels of agents. You have the junior agents. They've just finished the basic training course and are hired but they need further training before they can go out into the field. Once they pass that training, they become B-level agents and get a number that they use instead of their names in reports. B-level agents get low risk missions. Making contact with allies, delivering information, transporting goods to agents in the field, that sort of thing. They reach A-level once they have enough experience or specialist skills to be able to run higher level missions. Body guarding officials, tailing people and the like. Now double-0 agents are to spies what the special forces are to soldiers. They have a licence to kill, get the dangerous missions or the missions where there are many unknowns and use whatever means necessary to get the job done. There are only ten of them at the most, 001 to 0010. Currently there are 8. 008 died over a year ago from acute radiation sickness after keeping some radioactive waste out of the hands of terrorists who were going to build a dirty bomb with it. 004 died the day of the explosion in the old headquarters a few months ago. She belonged to an international team that didn't exist officially. They died as they were freeing the ambassador to Georgia." Mandi swallowed convulsively.

"They sound dangerous." She commented with a tight voice. Jordan shrugged his shoulders.

"They can be. They know how to kill and have done so countless times. But they also know how not to kill. Unless you give them a reason, they will treat you as any other. Besides, unless specifically introduced as such, I can assure you, you wouldn't know if you were dealing with one. They are undercover experts after all. They can pretend to be anyone, from the hooker on the corner of the street and the millionaire playboy wasting his money in a casino right down to the businessman lounging in the back of the room. Isn't that right, 0010?"