Author's Note: I have no idea what Gretchen's last name is so I made one up for her.
…
Gretchen was working in Inspector Initials's office, sorting through papers and putting them into a filing cabinet. She was alone; Inspector Initials had gone to make a phone call. She kept twisting the golden ring on her finger. She hadn't stopped doing that since she got it; if she did, she might just think that it was all a beautiful dream.
When Ferb proposed yesterday, Gretchen thought she would either throw up or faint. Luckily, she did neither. As Ferb slipped the ring on her finger, she felt like she was floating on a cloud, soaring on a rainbow, and all with the man she loved at her side. Every time she looked at the ring, she felt the exhilaration that she had felt when Ferb gave it to her.
She remembered the first time she realised she had a crush on Ferb. It was when they were kids, that one summer, when they were doing the bi-monthly Zombie Apocalypse preparedness lecture that Candace interrupted. She had said, "There's nothing about zombies that I don't know."
To which Ferb had replied, "Did you know there's one standing behind you?"
That had made Gretchen laugh with everybody else, and it had opened her eyes to the fact that she had a crush on the British boy who barely ever talked.
"Excuse me?"
Gretchen lowered her papers and looked at the woman standing at the entrance to the office. She looked about the same age as Gretchen herself, with dark red hair in a long plait down to the small of her back. She was wearing black smart trousers, a white polo shirt, and a grey jacket.
"Can I help you?" Gretchen asked.
"Yes, I'm supposed to be meeting someone called Esther van Dyke but I don't know where I'm supposed to go."
"Ah, you're Ruth Summers, right?"
The woman nodded.
Gretchen stood up and smoothed down her orange skirt. She went to the woman and held out her hand. "I'm Gretchen Harris, Inspector Initials's personal intern."
Ruth shook her hand.
"Esther van Dyke was injured earlier today on a mission, but her partner, Agent Zero, is coming in her place."
"Is Miss van Dyke okay?" Ruth asked.
She's worried about Esther already and they haven't even met yet, Gretchen realised.
Aloud, she said, "She'll be right as rain tomorrow. Come, I'll take you to Agent Zero."
Gretchen walked out of the door, followed by an anxious Ruth. "Oh, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you…"
"It's okay. I was nearly done with my work, anyway."
Gretchen led Ruth through BOWCA's corridors, heading towards Agent Zero's office cubicle. When she reached it, she found it empty. "Ah. Maybe I can find James."
"James?"
"Sorry, James Williams. He might know where Zero is."
"Can I ask you a question?" Ruth asked as she trailed after Gretchen.
"Absolutely. How can I help?"
"How come you call Esther by her first name and Agent Zero by his title?"
Gretchen paused. "Esther's title is Agent Seven, and that's used officially by Inspector Initials in formal situations. Most agents, like Esther, prefer to be known informally as their first or last names. Some agents like Agent Zero go by just their title. In fact, I think only Inspector Initials knows Agent Zero's real name."
"If I get to be an agent, I think I'd like to be known by my first name."
"From what I've heard, you are an agent," Gretchen said.
"Not officially." Ruth made a face. "I'm on probation, technically."
They made it to James's office. Gretchen peeked inside and felt her heart jump when she saw who was inside. Suppressing a mad grin, she knocked on the door. James came to the door. "Oh, hi Gretchen. Are you here for Ferb?"
Gretchen laughed. "For once, no. Though it would be nice to talk to him at work once in a while."
Ferb came to the door and smiled. "Hi Gretchen."
Gretchen felt herself blushing like an idiot. "Hey Ferb. Sorry, I can't talk right now. I wanted to ask James where Zero is."
"Last I heard, he was in the hospital visiting Esther," James said.
All of a sudden, there sounded a shrill scream. Immediately after that, the building began to shake, making everyone stumble.
"What's happening?" Ruth shouted fearfully.
James staggered to the door. "I have to find Esther and Zero and make sure they're okay!" he shouted, before running out of the cubicle.
No sooner had he left than a powerful wind picked up in the office. Ruth dived under the desk while Ferb and Gretchen clutched hands and pressed themselves against the wall, their hair whirling round their faces in the wind.
"What's causing this?" yelled Gretchen. "There shouldn't be wind indoors!"
"I know!" Ferb yelled back. "There has to be some kind of device making it happen!"
The building shook violently, sending Ferb and Gretchen tumbling to the floor. "We have to find out what's causing these tremors!" shouted Ferb. "Before someone gets hurt!"
…
I know everything's in parts but basically part two of the emergency is going to be next chapter :)
