Chapter 57: Break away part 1

He was getting the hang of being agent 53. Jordan felt his anxiety slowly settle all day and for the first time in a couple of days he actually had room to breathe. He still had to run through the rules of being an agent constantly though, reminding himself that they applied to him at the moment. Last night, while lying in the hospital bed designing his Agent A53 persona, he came to the conclusion he had actually forgotten a lot of the rules he had been taught. He came to the conclusion he had been thinking like a Q-brancher pretending to be an agent instead of the other way around. When he started thinking like an agent instead and started remembering the rules that 001 had taught him during his training in Dagobah, it all became much easier.

One of the most important rules, he was still ignoring though. Trust your gut. Because now that he was listening to it, he knew he shouldn't have accepted this assignment. His gut was screaming at him that he wasn't ready for this. That he was in over his head. That he should abort this mission ASAP. But it wasn't like he could just walk out, at least not until the end of his shift. So, here he was using the other rules to make the most of things. And already he noticed a lot more than he had in the previous days.

Like the mood of his colleagues. They were usually a happy bunch, but today it had an extra shine to it. A sort of jubilation accompanied with anticipation. The kind you would get at graduation. They seemed to want to hide it, but weren't very good at it. It reminded him a little of the way Mandy had sat on her hands to hide her excitement when she first came into Q-branch to meet GH0ST. He had asked them at lunch what was going on. It was the best question he'd ever asked. They had told him about all the effort they had put in getting here and how it all was finally coming to fruition. A bit of prodding had revealed they had been preparing for this for a long time, following a lot of courses which had asked a lot of financial and personal commitment. A lot more than had actually been asked of him to join Q-branch. It was information he definitely was going to share when he made contact.

Talbot's behavior was also interesting. Reviewing what he had seen over the last week, Jordan had come to realize that he too was behaving differently. In Q-branch the man had been trying to be ever helpful. It had been a bit invasive, like he was trying to get into your business. Here though the effort had been a lot more subtle and far more effective. Talbot liked to walk the floor and check in with everyone regularly. He was always there, always a reassuring word. And the others clung to his every word. Jordan wondered just how long Talbot had known the others. Today though Talbot seemed a bit smug and was talking more than usual. The phrases he used were a bit odd, which was something else he should mention to his contacts.

"Mr. Bruskin." He suddenly heard softly at his shoulder. Jordan looked up to Talbot startled, having been too deep in his thoughts and work.

"Yes, sir?"

"Sorry to interrupt your flow but you have a phone call in my office. The director of your mother's care home is on the line." Talbot answered with a look of sympathy.

Jordan immediately knew he was screwed. He knew he had been disobeying orders when he refused to acknowledge the message the Wig had dropped but he didn't think they would go this far to contact him here. He wondered what they wanted from him. How pissed they were going to be. How

"Mr. Bruskin."

Jordan startled out of his thoughts to look up to Talbot again while quickly thinking up an excuse.

"Sorry, sir. I was just really into the work. You said my mother's care home called? Did they say why? They know not to call here."

"Unfortunately they said your mother is taking a turn for the worse. And that they want you to come over. I get that you might need to go immediately but try to find out if you can go in the evening. We could really use you." Talbot answered while gesturing to his office and walking with him.

Play the game. He thought as he ruthlessly suppressed the urge to feel the relief at the thought of being extracted. He had to play the game. His mother was taking a turn. He let the dread of remembering those instances wash over him like the Wig had taught him. Using it to fuel his cover.

"I'll try, sir. But if they're calling here it's bound to be serious." He replied, relaying serious doubt in his voice. Talbot nodded and left the office after gesturing to his phone.

"Hello, Bruskin speaking."

"Mr. Bruskin, This is Thompson speaking, the Director of your mother's care home. I apologize for disturbing you. I'm sorry to say your mother has had a nasty relapse of her MS. I was informed we need you to come immediately." The polite, strict voice of the Director left no room for argument. Not that Jordan was complaining, he wanted to leave, but he put up a token protest for Talbot's sake.

"Oh… uhm… Is that really necessary? It's a really important day at the office and I'm not in a position to leave…" He answered, trying his best to sound insecure. He glanced back to the door only to see Talbot standing in the door opening, his expression hopeful.

"Yes, Mr. Bruskin, I'm afraid it is very necessary. Your mother's condition is deteriorating rapidly and decisions need to be made about her continued care. Decisions only you can make as her next of kin. Please make your way to us as soon as possible and contact my assistant as soon as you've reached your phone so she can discuss your travel arrangements with you." Jordan didn't bother to hide the shock and anxiety flooding his system. They weren't extracting him because he had disobeyed orders. They were pulling him out because things had taken a turn for the worst, because he was in danger. Pulling himself together, he looked up at Talbot in the door opening, shook his head and mouthed: "Sorry, I've got to go." Talbot grimaced but nodded reluctantly.

"I'll be there as soon as possible, sir." He answered, trying not to sound like he was obeying orders.

"Good." The Director answered. "Don't forget to contact my assistant. We'll see you soon." And he rang off. Jordan put the phone down and looked apologetically to Talbot.

"I'm sorry, Sir." He said, "I really need to go."

"Of course." The man answered "I'll inform the others, that way you can leave immediately. Good luck."

"Thank you, Sir." Jordan answered before he almost bolted out of the office and hurried towards the exit, ignoring his colleagues questioning gazes.