"This is highly extraordinary," a man was saying as Julia came into her mother's office. She thought she recognized the voice, and she was correct.
"Grandpa!" she said excitedly.
Jack Bristow stood and stiffly embraced his granddaughter. "Hello, sweetheart," he said awkwardly.
Julia took a seat next to Jack's and across from her mother. Sydney's face was pale and she nervously pressed her fingertips together, steepled on the desk. "It may be extraordinary, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a dangerous op. Pyoter Ovganova is a dangerous man. And Julia is sixteen, and still recovering from the fire."
Jack shifted in his chair. "She's a smart, responsible girl, Sydney. If you and Dixon keep an eye on her –…"
"That's not the point! She is not an agent, and this seems to be a stupid move to me! Why involve a child in this?" Sydney asked.
"She is the only one besides Gregor Waters who can hack this system. I asked Sloane."
"And? Where is Gregor Waters?"
"Dead," Jack said, sharply. "India, last year."
Sydney sighed. Julia glanced from her mother to her grandfather, hoping her grandfather was right. She had no aspirations to be an agent, but even hacking a computer system had to be more exciting than being stared at by Agent Hemingway. "Mom?"
"Julia, not a word," Sydney said sharply. She was staring dead on at Jack. "This isn't Dixon's operation, Dad. It's Weiss's. Dixon and Marshall are going on the op strictly for op-tech and backup."
"Weiss is fully capable," Jack said. "If you don't allow Julia to do this, you will lose your chance at Ovganova's system and your chance at the Kaplon Archives. You've been planning this for six months. This is your one shot."
Sydney sighed and leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling. She said nothing for awhile. Julia picked at her thumbnail and stared at her Teletubbies shoelaces. Then her mother said, "Well, against my better judgment, I guess we have no choice."
Julia forced herself to stay in the chair, despite the excitement exploding inside her. She smiled at Jack.
"We have a briefing in twenty minutes," Jack said, not returning her smile. "I'm going to get some coffee."
He left the office, and Sydney stared at Julia. "I hope you're ready for this," her mother said. "It's not going to be a cakewalk."
Julia couldn't think of anything else to say. She had always wanted her mother's approval. She was desperate for it. Now she had a chance to get it. No matter how dangerous it was, she was going to try her best.