Sherry carefully read the transcript, then reread it.
Her eyes followed her red pen as she spelled out each word, checking her dictionary whenever she was unsure. When she reached the bottom of the page, she slipped it neatly on top of the growing stack of completed papers to her right, and placed another in front of her. She was grateful for the sun streaming in from her office windows, which stretched from floor to ceiling beside her.
Having to do her work by artificial light would only worsen her already dreary mood. Even worse, it was a surprisingly mild day for October and the view from her windows showcased this fact. Colorful leaves clung to the trees as people milled about in the courtyard below her window.
The Chicago branch of the Division of Security Operations was made up of multiple buildings in a secluded area just outside of the city. The layout was in a U formation. From her vantage point, Sherry could see the state-of-the-art medical wing that was adjoined to the training facilities via a series of glass covered walkways. The government base was only three stories high, but went at least three stories underground, with each deeper level requiring a higher degree of security clearance required to access.
Her desk was cluttered with folders containing documents that needed to be proofread and organized by the end of the work day. It would've helped if the files contained interesting information, but she wasn't that lucky. Monthly financial reports, applications for the janitorial staff, and other miscellaneous files were all she had come by so far, and her hope to find something eye-catching was diminishing by the second.
Sherry set her pen aside and checked her digital watch. Had it really only been three hours? She leaned back in her swivel chair and rubbed her tired eyes. This was ridiculous. She was a U.S. National Security field agent acting as a secretary. And for what? For trusting her superior officer? For following orders?
When she first got the letter notifying her that she was temporarily relieved from her duties as an agent, she had been understanding. Someone had to pay for what had happened in China, and she certainly wasn't the only one to be held accountable. Agents and officers alike who were stationed above and below her had paid a heavy price. Citations were handed down, pink slips were written, and when the dust had settled Sherry was the odd man out. The DSO still wasn't quite sure what to do with her.
Though she did feel some responsibility for the bio-terrorist attack on Lanshiang, she had thought that she would be spared harsh punishment after she had rescued Jake and retrieved his life-saving antibodies. That had not been the case. The DSO couldn't just let her leave the organization, but nor could they afford to trust her to continue working for them. So, instead of simply sending her on her way, her superiors had confined her to desk duty until further notice. Or in Sherry's mind, firing her without really firing her and keeping an eye on her at the same time.
It was a frustrating predicament to be in, to say the least. Sherry hated the uncertainty of coming to work everyday and wondering if she would find her office cleared out. If she was being honest with herself, she was to blame for that uncertainty too.
In her eagerness to be released from captivity by the U.S. government, she had signed several contracts that essentially left her at the mercy of whoever was in charge of the organization. She had even used this fact in her defense in the hearing called by the government to gain answers to the many questions left by Simmons' and his allies. Her words had fallen on deaf ears as her sentence was handed down and she was forced to turn in her badge and gun.
She had avoided jail time, unlike some of her colleagues. Her reputation was in shambles, like most of her colleagues. But she was still earning a paycheck. Albeit, the bare minimum allowed under state law, but it was better than the alternative.
Sherry turned her attention away from her thoughts and looked at her watch once again. There was another ten minutes wasted. She rolled her chair back up to her desk and continued her work with renewed determination to get it done.
oooooo
Sherry walked with slow, even steps down the hallway, balancing the finished files against her chest. She was starting to suspect that her boss office was placed the furthest away from hers by design so that she would be forced to make this trek every week. The amused glances from her coworkers made the chore even more embarrassing. She must be the only worker without an office assistant.
Don't let them get to you. They just want to see you break a sweat. Leon's encouraging words during her first week at her new job came to her mind. Her naturally optimistic attitude had changed these past four months as the job seemed less like a temporary placement and more like a permanent solution.
Sherry knew she would never be satisfied making a living like this. She just wasn't built that way. She needed to be out in the world, making a difference. If not by disrupting bio-terrorist plots, then by helping the poor souls that had to live with the aftermath. She wanted to be a volunteer, or a missionary, or...any other occupation that involved a lot of travel and fewer deadlines.
Reaching her destination, Sherry stopped at the door labeled 'Austen Andrews' with a gold plaque engraved with the word 'boss' underneath. It had taken a full 16 days for her to stop rolling her eyes at the sign upon seeing it. She bumped her shoulder against the door, her hands unavailable for knocking at the moment.
"Mr. Andrews?"
"Come in, Ms. Birkin."
"I apologize, but my hands are full." As they are every freaking Friday, she finished in her mind.
After a few moments of shuffling feet, the door opened and she was invited to enter by her new boss, Austen Andrews. Sherry wasn't sure if he knew the circumstances surrounding her sudden employment, but he never asked.
He was a middle-age man with hair so white you couldn't tell what color it had been in his youth. He had a flat nose, gray eyes, and a mouth that was always turned up on one side in a smirk. His clean white shirt, black tie and slacks, and freshly polished shoes gave him the look of a wealthy business man instead of a lower level DSO employee. He nodded a greeting before returning to his seat, picking up a newspaper he had previously been studying.
Sherry placed her burden on a side table and turned to leave, not seeing any point in starting up a conversation. She didn't have anything against the guy, but she didn't have anything for him either. Today was Friday. It was the end of the work week and the time she was obligated to be there was expiring. She closed the door behind her and headed to the lone water cooler in the corner of the office space.
As she lifted the paper cup to her lips, her phone vibrated. Pulling it out of her pocket, she read the short text message from Leon.
You out yet?
She sent a quick reply. About to be.
I'll meet you out front.
Sherry smiled at her phone before putting it away. Even though she was having a pretty crappy year, it was good to know that her friends would always back her up. Sharing a roof with her surrogate father might not have been ideal for her age, but she didn't really mind. It was good to have her friends close at hand, especially while going through this rough patch in her life.
She could and would recover from this, she vowed, or her name wasn't Sherry Ann Birkin.
She returned to her office to gather her belongings, then locked the door behind her. Straightening the collar of her light blue blouse, she made her way to the nearest elevator. In the lobby she gave a brief farewell to the receptionist before exiting the building into the chilly autumn air.
It was after ten-o-clock and the parking lot was practically empty. Sherry would have felt uneasy were it not for the armed guards that were posted 24/7 at the entrance. The honk of a car horn alerted her attention to her right where a good looking thirty-something man sat in his Cadillac CTS-V Coupe. Normally she would drive herself to work, wanting to retain some shred of independence. But Leon's apartment was only a few blocks away and more often than not, she enjoyed his accompanying her to work.
It felt right. It felt normal. She needed more normal in her life.
Leon flashed Sherry an easy smile as she opened the car door, "How was work?"
"Nothing special. The workload has been increasing lately but it's nothing I can't handle." She buckled her seat belt, "What about you? Go on any exciting new missions lately?"
He drove through the main gate, giving a small salute to the nightwatchman. "You know I wouldn't be able to tell you that even if I did."
"Oh, come on. Just a little bit? It makes me feel better to know you're out saving the world in my absence."
"Don't even worry about that. I've got it covered." Leon stopped at a stoplight. "If you miss it so much, maybe you should focus on other things."
Sherry looked at him skeptically. "Like what?"
"I don't know. Find a new hobby, go out and party or something."
"You want me to go out and party?"
"Or whatever kids these days do for fun." He glanced at her. The look in his blue eyes reflected genuine concern. "I just hate to see you acting like your life is over. Becoming an agent is a great accomplishment, no one can ever take that away from you. I'm not saying you should give up. Just be open-minded, okay?"
Sherry sighed, seeing where the conversation was going. "You want me to leave the agency."
"I didn't say that."
"Yes, but you want to. Are we really having this conversation again?"
She could see his lips tighten under the dim streetlights. "Sherry, you're too young to be doing something that makes you unhappy."
"I don't see what other choice I have."
"You always have a choice, kid." Leon slowed as they neared their neighborhood, "You could go back to school. Study something fancy like music or art. Get a degree. Put all this bio-terrorism stuff behind you."
Sherry suddenly felt tired. This subject was constantly coming up between them and she didn't like it one bit. "I don't want to."
"Because...?"
"Because I don't want them to win."
Leon gripped the wheel a little tighter. "Who is it you don't want to win? The government or the bio-terrorists?"
"Both." She said immediately.
"Sherry, there are plenty of agents and soldiers to handle the situation in China. As long as there are terrorists, there will be people willing to fight against them. You don't have to be one of them."
"And the government?"
"Just because they took your job away doesn't mean they've beaten you. There's more to you than just this job. You're a good person with a kind heart. If they can't see that, then that's their loss."
He pulled into the driveway of their apartment complex, using his magnetic entrance card to unlock the gate. The three story complex was nothing to brag about, but it was in an upper class part of the neighborhood and had an indoor pool.
Once parked in his reserved spot Leon got out of the vehicle, opening her door on the other side, ever the gentleman. Sherry took his offered hand and together they walked to apartment 307, on the top floor. Upon entering the room, Sherry immediately removed her black pumps and headed for her bedroom before the disagreement turned into a full blown argument.
Leon remained standing just inside the doorway, asking: "What, I don't even get a 'goodnight'?"
She turned and gave an apologetic smile, wrapping her arms around his trim waist with a squeeze. "Goodnight."
He responded to the hug with one of his own, burying his chin in her short blonde locks, "Promise me you'll think about what I said, alright?"
"Okay." She mumbled into his chest.
Leon loosened his grip on her petite frame. "What was that?"
Sherry sighed a little, but then smiled up at him, "Okay, I promise."
"Good." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, unlocked the embrace, and headed for his room down the hall.
The two-bedroom, two-bath apartment was sparsely furnished with only the essentials. One black leather couch and the matching love seat sat adjacent to a flat screen TV in one corner of the living room, looming in front of the entryway. In another corner sat a dark, stained wood bookshelf and desk, on top of which were positioned various knick knacks. The small yet quaint kitchen shared the same gray, black, and white color palette as the rest of the apartment.
Sherry stood in the area between the kitchen and the living room, debating whether to make a late dinner, but eventually decided to skip and have a big breakfast to compensate. She followed the grey carpeted hallway, entering the first door on her right; her bedroom. Here, the carpet changed from gray to white to match everything else in her room. Aside from a few decorative throw pillows, the room was barren of any color.
Tossing her keys and purse on her nightstand, Sherry fell sideways onto her bed, letting her legs dangle over the side. A sudden wave of exhaustion overtook her as she felt her eyelids begin to droop. Pushing herself off of the bed, Sherry quickly changed into a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and an oversized t-shirt. After going through her nightly routine of washing her face and brushing her teeth, she fell onto her clean sheets and immediately fell asleep.
ooo
Beep! Beep!
Sharp bell sounds interrupted Sherry's peaceful slumber. Grumbling, she stretched her arm out from beneath the warmth of her covers for the alarm. Knocking her keys, purse, and cell phone onto the floor, she finally managed to hit the snooze button on her fourth try. The red numbers on the clock read 9:00. Rubbing a hand over her face, she sat up on her elbows. Her eyes stung at the sunlight flooding through the blinds she had forgotten to close the night before.
Pushing her blanket aside, she swung her legs over the side and took a sharp intake of breath as her bare feet touched the floor. The carpet did little to ease the autumn chill seeping into the apartment. Sherry rubbed the goosebumps on her arms as she padded down the hallway to the kitchen. The apartment was unusually silent for a Saturday morning. Leon's normal routine of making coffee, watching ESPN, and Skyping with fellow agents always made the place feel more lived in. But today the coffee pot was empty, the TV was off, and Leon's black laptop was missing from its usual place on the coffee table.
On weekends she would usually sleep in late or get a head start on Monday's paperwork, but today she was feeling restless. Heading back to her bedroom to pick up her phone, Sherry scrolled through her messages and missed calls. One text was from Leon informing her that he had gotten a call late last night and would be back in a few days. Another was from Claire asking her to call back so they could catch up. The rest were work related, and Sherry didn't bother to read them.
Sherry slid her phone into her purse and opened her closet. Hearing about the exciting things happening in her friend's lives just made her feel even more dejected about her current predicament. It seemed that her life was at a standstill and she had no idea how to give it a kick-start. Throwing on a dark green blouse and jeans, she decided to eat out for breakfast. Hopefully the fresh air would help lift her spirits. Grabbing her keys, purse, and Kindle, she headed out of the door.
oooo
The Dulce Casa Cafe was the most adorable restaurant Sherry had ever seen. She had accidentally stumbled across it on her first day in the city. Its creaky wood floors, brickwork, and fireplace gave it a rustic appearance that she couldn't resist, and it had quickly become one of her favorite hangouts. Plus, their free Wifi and 'endless' coffee mug made it a go-to spot for college students and overworked-underpaid office employees.
Sitting near the front windows with her Panini breakfast sandwich and coffee, Sherry took out the tablet and opened her book. Halfway through her meal she felt a presence and lifted her eyes to find a young man standing next to her table. His hazel eyes flashed with recognition as they met hers.
"Long time, no see." He took the seat opposite her with a wide smile on his face, setting a black attache case on the floor beside him.
"Piers?!" Sherry said, shocked as she took in the soldier's appearance. It was astonishing what a difference a few months had made. The somber, bed-ridden man he had once been was no more. His chiseled face was tan and youthful, his posture was relaxed and confident. It was like night and day. "You're back on your feet already?"
"The doctors finally allowed me to complete my rehab at home." Piers rested his elbows on the table. He was dressed in jeans and a gray sweater that had the sleeves rolled up to show his muscled forearms. "Glad we can meet on more pleasant circumstances."
She offered a small smile. "Me too. What are you doing here?"
"Enjoying some time off."
"So you're here to get some R&R?"
"Not quite." Piers cast his eyes around the cozy interior. "I actually came here looking for you."