[Section 31] [Section31] "The Way Things Work"
- From: isabeauwilson@xxxxxxx
- To: section31@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 01:41:47 -0400
The Way Things Work
The Director and Sylfaen
Two years ago...
She had been an agent with Section 31 long enough to have realized that
almost no one personally met with their cell director (also known as the
Agent-in-Charge, or AiC). And nobody ever met with the Section Director. Not
one agent she had worked with in her tenure even knew who the Director was, or
if it was a man or a woman.
Yet here she was, a woman known only by the codename Sylfaen (as any
association with her given identity had been lost years ago), striding down the
corridor of Cell 79's base of operations, having been summoned to the AiC's
office by said AiC himself. She was curious indeed as to the nature of the
man's request, but she hid it well. She was also on her guard, for she knew it
was certainly possible she'd been called in so he could eliminate her
personally for whatever perceived wrong she had committed.
Stopping outside the only black office door in the hallway, she knocked
sharply three times and waited, as she had been instructed to do. Sylfaen had
time for just one deep, slow breath before a voice on the other side rang out.
"Come in."
Sylfaen entered slowly, shutting the door behind her. Taking a swift look
around per her training, she didn't see anyone in the room---no one at all,
save herself. She saw only a large wooden desk, on top of which sat a computer
terminal. Behind the desk was a chair. There were shelves in the room but they
were bare, as were the walls. She looked around again.
There was no one there.
"Hullo?" she called out cautiously.
"Do come in, Sylfaen," said the same voice that had spoken before. It was
slightly tinny, Sylfaen noticed, something which told her it was either being
fabricated or disguised. Either way, the job of concealing the speaker's
identity was well done, for she couldn't even tell if the speaker was male or
female. Nor could she determine where it was coming from.
"Sit in the chair behind the desk. I'm certain you'll find it comfortable."
Slowly, Sylfaen moved away from the door, walking across the room and
slowly lowering herself into the chair. It was, as the speaker had said, quite
comfortable.
"Now that you're settled, I think we had best get down to business, don't
you agree?"
"Of course," Sylfaen replied. Then she decided to be bold. "Where are you?
Who are you? And were is the AiC? I was supposed to meet him here."
The speaker chuckled. "The Agent-in-Charge of Cell 79 will not be joining
you... for the rest of his life. I'm afraid he committed one too many errors
during his time in office, and thus needed to be replaced. Congratulations,
Sylfaen."
Stunned was the only word she could think of to describe how she felt in
that moment, as two things dawned on her: One, she had just been put in charge
of Cell 79. Never in her life would she have been able to guess that was the
reason for this meeting. And two, she was talking to the Section Director...
The Section Director.
She sat back. "Well, this is an occasion indeed," she said.
"Well done, Sylfaen. It didn't take you quite as long as I thought it
would."
She knew the voice meant it's true identity, so she didn't comment. She
also did not comment on knowing her predecessor hadn't been merely replaced. If
she was now Director of Cell 79, then he was dead. It was they way things
worked in Section---when you screwed up major, you paid a heavy price. And if
she didn't want to join him, she would have to do a much better job of running
this cell than he had.
"I'm not certain whether or not I ought to say 'thank you' with sarcasm or
true gratitude," she said finally.
"Caution is a virtue in this business. Now, normally I don't involve
myself in the affairs of individual cells---I've far more important matters to
attend to---but your predecessor has made rather a mess of things. Your job is
to clean up his mess and make sure his mistakes are not repeated."
"Am I to eliminate anyone?"
"If you think it's necessary. I told you there's something of a mess for
you to clean up---I suggest you get started."
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