Veritas
Part Two: When I'm Gone
Chapter Fourteen – Mission in Ireland
Sidney arrived at the headquarters of the Veritas main offices in London. She was surprised to be summoned to the main offices. She was tired from the previous night because she could not get any sleep. Her mind was distracted.
She hoped that Percy got the orders to meet in the hidden office in the Parliament building that was in a concealed sublevel. She had given his orders, but she was not going to be involved in his next mission. Sidney did what she always did: push herself forward.
The Veritas main offices were not located anywhere near the warehouses that Gizmo's labs occupied. Rather, they were located close to the Muggle government building for easy access to the Muggles' files. The clinic where the agents went for treatment, as well as medical tests, was located near St. Mungo's. There were several safe houses all over London as well as other key world capitals.
Sidney went through the security checkpoints with ease. She entered the room where they were waiting for her. Another agent was there, which made Sidney smile. She took a seat next to her. They were both dressed in business suits. Sidney was dressed in a pants suit, while the other agent in a skirt.
The other agent was a beautiful blonde woman with hair the color of young wheat. Her eyes were greenish-blue, surrounded by long eyelashes. Her skin was darker than Sidney's; her cheeks rosy, her lips had deep red lipstick on them. Sidney's features were in sharp contrast to hers. Sidney had a more curvy, hour-glass figure, while the other agent had a nearly flat chest. They were the same height.
"You have been summoned here today because there is an upcoming meeting for the Death Eaters," said the woman at the front desk. A man was seating on either side of her. Her face was timeless, leaving one wondering what her age was. Her face was oval shaped. Her eyes were dark, so dark that it seemed she had no pupils. Her hair was black, and styled in a single layer. She looked like she was carved out of ivory. This was Delphi. "Welcome Aura. Artemis."
The women nodded at the same time. "We have learned of where the meeting is going to take place. It will take place in Belfast, Ireland."
"Isn't there a military presence there already?" asked Artemis. "I mean between the terrorist groups and the shaky government, there's too many people paying attention."
"It's the type of place that Voldemort would like though," said Aura quietly. "He feeds off of that kind of horror. It energizes him."
"That is quite correct, Aura," said Delphi. "That is where the meeting will take place. Last year's meeting took place in the Moors up north. Voldemort moves the locations of the meeting to stay one step ahead of the Order of the Phoenix. That's how we also know when the meeting is going to take place."
"What is our mission?" asked Artemis.
"You are to go to Belfast to make sure that the Death Eaters stay hidden. Make sure that there are no attacks. There haven't been lately, but Voldemort is getting bolder," said Delphi.
"When do we leave?" asked Aura, eager to get out of England for a while.
"Immediately," replied Delphi. "You're dismissed."
The two women stood up as Delphi and her men walked out before them. Sidney dropped her formality the moment that Delphi's footsteps could no longer be heard. "Ophelia!" exclaimed Sidney.
"Sidney! It's great to see you," said Ophelia as they embraced. "I'm so glad to see you. I almost didn't recognized you just now. You were being so formal."
"Me? I almost didn't recognize you," said Sidney with a laugh. "You look great. You've got more color on your cheeks than I do."
"That's because I've been stationed in the Paris offices," said Ophelia. "There's nothing like a Parisian atmosphere to build the spirit. So, how've been? I heard that you're busy with the recruits here in England."
"Only one right now," said Sidney. "He's off doing something else today. Never mind me, I want to hear about you and Paris."
"Oh, Paris was so beautiful. And the food was, of course, to die for. I've been back in London for a few weeks, but I've had to take care of the usual business. I didn't get a chance to contact you. I was so worried that I'd be shipped off again before we could get together."
Sidney smiled. "I didn't even know you were in London. I've been so busy, but you can understand that."
"I still want to know what you've been up to," said Ophelia. "Anyone new in your life other than your recruit?"
Ophelia Van Winter was a Ravenclaw prefect, who was up against Sidney for Head Girl in Hogwarts. They were friends throughout their entire time in Hogwarts. Ophelia was the prototypical Ravenclaw, clever and full of wit. Her father was a wizard from England. Ophelia was recruited into the Veritas years after Sidney.
Sidney shook her head. "No. No time for that sort of thing. Anyway, do you want to go to lunch?" she asked, switching topics.
"All right, but I insist that I pay," said Ophelia.
"Then, I'll hold you to it," said Sidney with a smile.
Percy could not believe that he was in the Parliament building. It was the symbol of the country's Muggle government. He followed instructions to get to the sublevel of the building. Noticing how many guards were there, he felt a little self-conscious.
"Identification," asked one of the guards. Percy dug in his pocket for his wallet and handed it over. It was late in the afternoon. He had just gotten off of work from the Ministry of Magic. "Proceed, Mr. Weasley."
Percy walked in front of the door that led to the House of Commons, the more powerful seat of government over the House of Lords. A guard there stopped him. Percy was not allowed into that section of the Parliament. He was not allowed into the other sections as well. Only the sublevel.
Percy found his way to the elevator and took it to the lowest level. After that, he went onto the maintenance elevator and went down further. There was a lot of security on the bottom levels as well. Percy had read the information on the government. The Muggle British Government had good reason for so many security measures, but they were nothing to a wizard like Percy.
Percy stopped in front of a door. It could only be opened by a card key. It was an enchanted door that was sealed with a powerful spell much like the doors at the Department of Mysteries. Percy took out his card that he had put the chip in the previous night. He slid it into the reader. The door slid opened.
He stepped forward and found himself behind another glass window. Percy stood still as he was scanned. It read his magical signature and confirmed his identity without the annoying voice that he had heard at Gizmo's lab. The glass window slid open to allow him inside.
"There you are, Omega," greeted Asmodeus.
"Dennis—I mean Asmodeus—it's good to see you," said Omega with a smile. "I have no idea why I was summoned here."
"This is your first time in the Parliament, isn't it?" asked Asmodeus. Omega nodded. "Alpha is never at any of the meetings. In fact, he barely sets foot in this building. Let alone this section."
"I wonder why."
"He has his reasons," said Asmodeus with a shrug. "This is the one of the hidden parts of the Veritas that holds some of the most valuable information about the organization. We picked a location that was already full of security and a place that people wouldn't suspect."
"Most people wouldn't expect us to be like this in the first place. But that still doesn't explain why I'm here," said Omega.
"You are here because of a suspected security break in," answered Asmodeus.
"But, the last one was resolved. It's not Eve," said Omega.
"No. We know that for sure. The break in happened sometime after Eve was already in custody. In fact, we've asked her. She swears she doesn't know what's happened and has offered to help us look for the culprit," said Asmodeus.
"What was taken?" asked Omega.
"That's what we're afraid of. Nothing was taken because several files were broken into," said Asmodeus. He sighed. "However, the person has also tapped into the codenames lists as well as the real names list. Luckily for us, the readings of magical signatures of all the agents are located at Gizmo's labs and the medical offices. We don't keep a full listing here because only a limited amount of agents are added to the reader."
Omega paled slightly as his eyes widened. "Can the files be copied?" he asked.
"Yes," replied Asmodeus. "You can see the problem here. Several missions are at stake right now."
"What can I do?" asked Omega. "How did this happen? How could this happen?"
"We suspect that someone in our ranks did it. Nothing like this has ever happened before. As I said, there's a possibility that it started when we went under lockdown before," replied Asmodeus. "It's not only the agents who are in danger, Omega."
"The families of the agents," said Omega grimly. "Let me guess: you want me to investigate."
"You were the reason for the last breech, so you might be able to find out who's doing this. I've got a bad feeling about this one. I don't think this person is looking for help this time."
"The information is extremely valuable, especially for certain parties," said Omega.
"The seriousness of this matter requires your time more than anything. You'll be pulled off of surveillance on the Ministry of Magic," said Asmodeus.
"What about the Order?" asked Omega. "I can't stop there. I can't turn my back on what I've started." He was thinking about his family. His family was one of the many families in danger.
"I understand that, so you won't be pulled from there," said Asmodeus. "You have to keep your cover though in the Ministry if you want to keep your cover with the Order."
Percy dropped his agent persona at that moment. He did not feel as if he was being stretched too thin, but rather tired of working so many things at once. Percy found it harder and harder to come to the Ministry of Magic and continue to pretend that he was anything, but totally obedient. He thought of his family. He had no choice, but to continue.
"The Death Eaters will be meeting in Belfast soon," said Omega. Percy slipped back into his agent persona again. "Will we be monitoring the situation there?"
"Yes, but you won't be," said Asmodeus.
"Yes, sir," said Omega with a nod.
Another moment passed before Asmodeus dropped his seriousness. "Look, this is very serious, Percy. I know how important this case is going to be for you. I am the one in charge of this mission though. I was given orders to direct the best person possible. You've got a way of getting through to people. I trust you."
Percy looked at Dennis oddly, a look that could not be described. "I'll do my best, Dennis. You know that."
Sidney and Ophelia Apparated to Ireland after they picked up their equipment. The two women were talking about old times, but they also talked about current events. They did not discuss other missions. It was against protocol to do that. They had to maintain their cover as two English women on a business trip for their company.
They were staying in a suite with two separate rooms connected by one common room. It had a kitchenette. The first thing they did when they arrived in the suite was to look for listening and viewing devices. They looked behind pictures, under the beds and chairs, even the tables and nightstands. Sidney checked the telephones carefully, while Ophelia looked through the electronic devices around the room, including the television and lamps. Ophelia and Sidney did a thorough check of the room before they started talking.
"Of all the places in the world to meet," said Ophelia. "There's too much security around here, Sidney."
"I know, but it's mostly Muggles. Our kind has managed to stay out of the conflicts here. We've got bigger problems," said Sidney grimly. "A problem that is just as big as theirs."
"He wants to exterminate more than ninety percent of the world population," said Ophelia. "I think the problem we're having concerns everyone."
Sidney did not disagree. She started to unpack the equipment. Ophelia started looking around the room again. She turned the thermostat up because she was feeling a bit cold. "I never asked you what you've been really up to. I bet the men in Paris were to die for," said Sidney with a small smile.
"I had my nose too close to the grind to pay attention to anything. By the way, did you hear about the latest breech?" asked Ophelia.
Sidney looked at her blankly before she could respond, "We're not supposed to talk about it."
Ophelia laughed. "Oh, come on, Sidney. When are you going to just take things easy? You're always so serious," she said.
"One of us has to take things serious between the two of us. You can't reduce things to office gossip."
Ophelia rolled her eyes at Sidney. "Just because we are what we are doesn't mean that we stop living life, Sidney. You need to loosen up. There are people like us dating and getting married."
It was Sidney's turn to roll her eyes at Ophelia. "A woman doesn't have to have a man to be complete," she disagreed. "I refuse to be that kind of woman."
"That's narrow minded of you," said Ophelia. "I mean you had the perfect boyfriend before. Even you would have to admit that. I don't understand why you broke it off."
Sidney pursed her lips together. Ophelia was always good at cutting her to the core. She knew how to do it in a way that did not appear threatening. She was the type of person who could read another's weaknesses very well. Sidney had almost forgotten Ophelia's tactics; she was not above exploiting other people's weaknesses.
Sidney was glad she did not mention exactly who her charge was. She knew that Ophelia would have a lot to say about Percy Weasley. No doubt Ophelia would ask all kinds of uncomfortable questions that Sidney would not feel like answering. Percy was not going to be a topic of their conversations, if Sidney could help it.
"Let's get down to business," said Sidney, and before Ophelia could interrupt her, she added, "That's what we're here for. The Death Eaters. We have to monitor them."
"You're just avoiding the subject. Same old Sidney. You need to get a life outside of the Veritas," said Ophelia. "Nonetheless, I suppose your right."
Sidney clutched her jaw. She reminded herself that not only was Ophelia a friend, but a competitor. They had competed in almost every facet of their lives. At least that was how things seemed to Ophelia. Sidney just naturally excelled in everything, while Ophelia always seemed one step behind her.
"Where did they say that they were meeting?" asked Ophelia, deciding by herself to finally change topics.
"At a part of the city that very few of the Muggles venture into," said Sidney. "Obviously. We'll have to find out by going into the wizarding community here."
"I doubt they would be keen on outsiders, coming in and asking around. Couldn't the agent who found it tell us more?"
"No. The source that the Order has told them which city the meeting would take place. But, Voldemort isn't enough of a fool to say the exact location until they all gathered here."
"This would be one of the ideal places to attack. They could simply say that it was another outbreak and get away with it. That's what the Muggle authorities are expecting."
"They wouldn't be able to figure it out. Do you honestly think that they would stoop to using Muggle weaponry?"
"Dead is dead, isn't it?" said Ophelia with a shrug. "We know how to use it."
Sidney was about to argue with her and correct her. They did use Muggle weaponry, but only in dealing with Muggles. Sidney doubted that Voldemort would ever even consider using Muggle weaponry. She decided to not waste her energy.
The two women had arrived in Belfast early because they did not know the exact location of the meeting, only the time and day. They had to find out where the meeting was going to take place. They only had forty-eight hours to find out when the meeting was to take place.
On the first day, they stuck together, inquiring in and around certain circles. They were not able to get anything, but red herrings. The false leads were very frustrating for both of them. They talked about what had happened. Ophelia had thought long and hard about the problem. She came to the conclusion that the problem was them traveling together. She said that it probably made people not take them seriously or frightened them off all together. Her suggestion was that they were to split up on the next day, if they had any hope of trying to figure out when the meeting was to take place.
Sidney was reluctant for them to split up. What if one of them needed assistance? Ophelia told her it was the only way, so Sidney agreed. On the next morning, they went to look at different resources. Ophelia had decided to go into the parts of wizarding community in Belfast that were less than safe to listen to any rumors and look at the hotel registries at lesser known places.
Sidney decided to search in a different way. She knew that Voldemort was a half-blood. She wondered if he would take the chance and meet in a more Muggle place. So, she made her way to the public offices and looked through public records. She even went up to parts that were out of the city, but her searches garnered nothing.
She returned back to the hotel, utterly dejected and reeking of failure. Sidney wondered where the meeting would take place. Sidney immediately noticed that Ophelia had not returned to their suite when she came back. Sidney began to pace up and down the room, wondering if anything had happened.
The whole mission was bothering her a lot. Sidney's track record was perfect. She had never failed a mission. Ever. She did not want to fail this one. She could not.
Ophelia walked in hours later to find Sidney looking out the window. "Sidney!" she exclaimed, looking like a cat that had swallowed a large canary. She looked extremely pleased with herself. "I know where the meeting is taking place."
"You do? That's great," said Sidney. "How?"
"I looked up the wizarding properties around Belfast. It seems that there's a house owned by a reputed Dark Arts wizard in the area. A lot of the wizards here are even afraid to go near it. It's outside the city. It's far away from prying eyes and curious souls."
"Then, we better find a way inside," said Sidney. "The meeting will take place tomorrow night at eight."
"That won't be a problem for us. The magic we use is not known to them," said Ophelia.
Sidney said nothing as she prepared for the rest of the mission. She did not voice her doubts or worries to Ophelia because they would be merely dismissed. There were many times when Sidney wondered what Ophelia thought of her. Ophelia was an abrupt person and at times had little to no regard for others' feelings. Sidney was on her guard.
Percy was looking through the computers in the hidden room. He wished that Jason was not at Hogwarts. Jason would have had an easier time, and Percy wondered why Dennis just did not turn over the work to someone who had more experience. Dennis wanted someone he could trust.
Percy found out that less than a dozen people had access to the room. However, it was unknown just how many people knew about the room and its contents. Percy had to look through the files, which included records of where and when an agent was at almost any given time. These files were not always accurate. Percy found out that there were several agents who could have done it.
There were too many suspects, even narrowing the list down to just wizards was not enough. Wizards could Apparate and Disapparate easily. Furthermore, they were all professional liars. They could lie about where they were and what they were doing. It was very simple.
The search was getting no where fast. He had spent several hours looking through the list of the names. There were hundreds of agents out there. Percy decided to make a profile of the person who would break in and steal data from them, but there was not enough information.
A noise startled Percy from behind, Dennis had returned. He looked grim and a little pale. He took a deep breath. Percy had never seen Dennis in such a state before. "What's wrong?" asked Percy.
"There's been an attack," whispered Dennis.
Percy's eyes widened. "Where? When? Who was attacked?" he muttered, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"It was a Veritas family in Ireland," replied Dennis. "The Dark Mark was hovering over the house. A team has been sent there. They're investigating before the Irish authorities ask too many questions. It took place in a Muggle neighborhood. The team has to use memory charms on all of the Muggles."
"Which family?" asked Percy, feeling sick to his stomach.
"O'Connor," replied Dennis. "His codename is Baldur."
"I'll take him off the suspect list. I have to get back to work," said Percy, trying to keep his serious, business-like composure. "How many?" he added, unable to stop himself.
"His parents," replied Dennis. "I have to go and see him. He's currently in the Hong Kong offices. I have to go in person. It's the least I can do. I don't want him to get a call from the Muggle authorities. Keep me posted."
"Yes, sir," said Percy without looking at him. Dennis left again. Percy looked at the screen. He had just brought up the profile of Baldur, whose real name was Grant O'Connor. Percy brought up O'Connor's family information and changed the status to "parents deceased." He started the report on the deaths of the O'Connors and waited for the information from the team that had gone down there.
Afterwards, Percy went back to work and started a profile on the theft, but changed it to murderer. He was not sure if the theft had anything to do with the murders, but later on he would be proven right. He did not want to be right.
AN: Terrible, isn't it? The Veritas is about to take a large hit. They are vulnerable because of their connections to Muggles. This is not the first death, and there will be more. Percy will continue his work as he tries to protect his family from himself.
There is also a secret to Sidney's past that will be revealed later on, and it has something to do with Bill. There's loads of drama coming up. This whole part may very well be about her and her demons. Sidney's an interesting character because she is mysterious. There are times when even I don't understand her. Another character that is hard to understand is Dennis "Asmodeus" Ahmed. I like him a lot because he is wise, even though I haven't had an opportunity to show that yet.
I'm sorry for the lack of updates because I've been very busy with school this term. I'm down to my final term. I've already sent some of the next chapters to the beta reader, IvyDragon, so have no fear there will be more soon.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.