20th June 2022
Objective: No current objective
Agent Aurora location: WSC HQ, Appalachian region, USA
Dawn walked in the bathroom and stood on the footstool in front of the mirror. She pulled two tufts of hair up and pouted.
Next to the tap were brushes and scissors in a goblet.
“If mummy doesn’t come…” And she took the scissors.
Dawn clumsily positioned the scissors around her head. She moved her head too. But during her agitation, she slipped from the footstool. Just after slipping, the scissors cut her forehead above her eyebrow.
She crawled back up and saw blood dripping down from her face. Dawn inhaled excessively and started bawling.
“Mama! Mamaaaa!!!”
“Aoush!” Dawn exclaimed.
“Here you go Dawn, the bullet has been extracted,” the nurse told her, holding it in front of her, pinched between her medical clamps. She smiled behind her mask.
“You were lucky with that shot. It could have been far worse! I had a case like this once, in Shanghai. A man got shot in the streets and I had to remove the bullet. You handled it way better than him haha! Could you remove your vest?” The nurse turned around to take a bandage.
“How is Lenora?” Dawn asked while pulling down the zipper and remained with a dark tank top on.
“The bullet mostly hit the upper skin of her leg, she should be okay in some days…” The nurse said, finishing applying the bandage. Dawn looked and touched it, but the nurse blocked her hand.
“No no! Keep it there, for a couple of days. No touching, okay? It’s an order!” The nurse looked with Dawn in the eyes with a smile. Dawn looked on her side and nodded. The nurse patted her other shoulder and left.
Can go now I guess… Dawn thought. Before turning around, she heard a familiar voice, but not talking to her.
“Eh, excuse me? Do you have anything to help sleeping?” It was Arnaud.
Shit! Dawn got off the medical table and decided to wait. She crouched behind it.
“Of course, let me search for it in the storage,” the nurse replied.
Arnaud was waiting in the room next to Dawn’s. He glanced through the entrance and noticed Dawn’s foot sticking out. He grinned and approached her.
“Hello Dawn!” He enthusiastically yelled while peeking over the medical table.
Dawn looked and quickly stood up, keeping her casual bitch face.
“What were you hiding behind this table?”
Dawn looked at it, then to the ground, then back to Arnaud. “Wasn’t hiding. Just, searching—”
“I heard the mission went, well? Still got wounded….” He pointed at Dawn’s shoulder.
“It was a success! The mission was to get that briefcase, and we did,” Dawn observed her shoulder, “this is just, collateral damage. Risks of the job. You’ll have to get used to it if you wanna contribute here!”
Dawn wanted to walk away.
“Doesn’t it hurt right now? Are you sure?” Dawn frowned. Why is he worrying so much? Get lost rookie…
“No it doesn’t any more. Look how I can turn it arou— argh!” Dawn felt a deep pain while moving her shoulder. She squatted, holding the table for support and inhaled loudly.
“Dawn! It does hurt! Wait, I’ll help you up,” Arnaud worried, putting his hand on her back, but Dawn pushed it away.
“Don’t touch me! I don’t need your help!” She sternly affirmed, standing back up. Arnaud looked at his feet, a bit disappointed.
“Go get your sleep shit! And don’t annoy me for a moment!” Dawn turned around and left the room. Arnaud looked as she vanished.
“I just wanted to help…”
Dawn passed by the nurse again in the other room. She immediately turned around.
“Ah Dawn, here,” she pushed a little box in her hands, “for if the pain got out of control.”
“My mind’s getting out of control,” she mumbled to herself. The nurse frowned.
“You look a bit tense. You need something to calm down?”
“I AM, calm!!! Thank you!” Dawn replied and left. The nurse looked confused. Arnaud arrived and lifted his shoulders at her.
On her way through main hall, Dawn calmed down and came across Samur.
“Agent Aurora, I was searching you.”
Dawn stood still and looked at him.
“Mission Tarde was a success, your team deserves a reward. You can go home for two days, to recover better. A helicopter is waiting for you in hangar 1. Take your belongings, say goodbye to your team,” Samur explained. Dawn closed her eyes for a moment.
“Thank you, mister…”
“But always stay available if an emergency surfaces. Our decryption team is now busy with analysing the content of the briefcase. It contained some documents, and two empty syringes.”
“Very, mysterious…”
“Normally we should get more clues in the coming days. That’s when the operation will resume. Now, enjoy your free time,” Samur concluded and continued his way.
Should get my bag in the quarters. Also alert Joe and Lea, least I can tell them… And Abby too perhaps. Hmm, back where that fucker’s still hanging around. Gonna be a text message this time, again…
Dawn walked through the HQ and shortly after entered her quarters. Her two colleagues were present, sitting on their beds, also packing their stuff.
“Oh, hey Dawn. How’s your shoulder?” Lea softly said.
“Still functioning. And your leg?”
“Kinda hurts, but nothing too concerning, I hope…”
Dawn grinned slightly and stared at Lea’s feet. “Good…”
She looked back up and around. “Gotta, take my stuff. Leaving too, two days. I see they gave you also some time off?”
“Yeps, totally,” Josef replied, throwing his bag off his bed before jumping off himself, “only Arnaud’s gonna stay behind I believe.”
Dawn’s face darkened, but a sardonic smile appeared. Good luck talking to no one other than the Sergeant…
It didn’t take long for Dawn to pack her bag, as she never really brought any stuff with her. Mostly clothing. She stood in front of her colleagues, behind the door.
“Well… See you, in two days then…”
“Hope to see you back soon!” Lea replied, and she walked over for a hug, but Dawn took a step back, then gulped.
“Eh, my shoulder…”
“Oh sorry, I forgot…” Lea nodded, but still gave her a careful hug.
For once that I had an excuse…
Dawn left for the hangar. Lenora looked down and sighed. She turned to Josef.
“Will she ever—”
“I don’t know, Lea. I don’t know…”
As Dawn arrived, the helicopter was ready. She made a sign to the pilot, entered the vehicle and took a seat in the back.
“Agent Aurora? What will the destination be?” The pilot asked.
“Wanna go home. Tired after this long journey…”
“As if I’m supposed to know the address of ‘home’,” the pilot mumbled to himself.
The large hangar doors opened up. Dawn looked on her side and her sleepy eyes widened.
“Dawn, wait!” Arnaud shouted, running towards her.
“Take-off quickly!”
“What, we’re not under attack?” Dawn looked again. Arnaud came closer.
“And shut the doors, now!”
“Dawn, I apologize! I didn’t mean to—”
And just on time (for Dawn), the helicopter went up and flew away. Arnaud sighed of disappointment, Dawn of relief.
“At least she knows you tried…” Josef said to Arnaud, appearing behind him.
How can a person annoy one so much? Sigh…
Don’t forget that text, or Abby’s gonna ‘feel upset’…
“Hey Abb, heli had to take off soon, and I couldn’t go back to see you, or else a certain Frenchy would’ve had landed in a bed next to you, and I’m not that cruel… Will see you back on Wednesday…”
Voilà, done…
The helicopter flew away and disappeared amongst all the stars.
21st June 2022
Agent Aurora location: Dawn’s residence, Washington DC, USA
Dawn’s alarm clock went off from the bedside table. Dawn lifted her head from a pillow, half-blinded by the sunlight. She deactivated the clock and stood up, stretching her arms.
“Aoush! Right, damn shoulder,” Dawn complained.
She walked out her room into the up hall. She turned right into the bathroom and observed herself in the mirror.
Should cut my hair these days. Getting kinda long again… But for now, Dawn put her hair in a ponytail and refreshed her face with some water before walking downstairs.
It was already late when she arrived home. So late she fell asleep directly, without changing clothes. Dawn was still in her dark tank top and grey WSC pants. She approached her coffee machine.
Finally a decent beverage. She yawned. Dawn looked at the clock on the wall. 2pm already? Gosh, how late did I go to sleep?
Her coffee was ready, but when Dawn was about to take it, someone knocked on the door. Dawn turned around.
She slowly approached the window and tried to look outside. Her shoulder still hurt.
“Dawn? Are you there?” A familiar voice asked after knocking again. Dawn sighed of relief and approached the door.
“You do are there! I saw some lights going on this night from my room across the street. Shouldn’t you only return in the weekend? And how my! What happened to your shoulder?”
Dawn looked at her wound and realised she didn’t cover it up. An excuse, fast. You got trained for that!
“Well eh, grandpa and I went in the woods to cut a tree for the winter. He’s getting old so every time I go there, I help him…”
“Yes, and your shoulder? You got shot, a hunter? What happened!?” Alex panicked a bit. Dawn stared at him.
“Calm down, please. Just got out of bed…” Alex crossed his arms.
“Long story short, tree cut, fell next to me, pointy branch, in my shoulder.”
Alex looked quite horrified. “That sounds horrible!”
“Could’ve been worse. Just stings and can’t move it too much at the moment…”
“And so your grandparents brought you home early, to recover better here? I can imagine there aren’t a lot of doctors in the forests…”
Dawn nodded. You know when you’re a good liar when the person you’re lying to can predict the rest of your story.
“Gonna, get my coffee…” Dawn walked back inside. Alex followed her and sat at the kitchen island.
“Want some too?” Dawn asked.
“Eh, no, thanks. It’s a bit late…”
“Shame. Such a good product… Could drink it all day,” Dawn waited next to the machine.
“Does it still have any effect on you?”
Dawn grinned. “Doubt it… I kinda got used to it…”
“So, now that you’re here. Wanna hang out with the rest at my place, this evening?” He proposed. Dawn hesitated a bit.
“Look, Alex… Just woke up, just got home. I’m still kinda tired…”
“We can come to your place if you prefer.”
“I think I’m gonna pass this time, okay?”
Alex nodded. Dawn yawned while taking her coffee.
“Cool pants you got there. W, S, C. Never heard of that brand.”
Dawn looked too before sitting in front of Alex. “Ah, yeah. Bought in Paris, from a little artisan shop. WSC are the vendor’s initials, like other brands do. Giving their own name to it, you know. Man claimed his business will boom soon…”
Alex grinned. “And besides your accident, how are you?”
Dawn sipped from her hot drink. “Still functioning…”
“As usual,” Alex comically added. Dawn nodded while taking another sip. He looked around a bit.
And again, someone knocked on the door.
“Who could this be again?” Dawn asked herself. Alex shrugged. Dawn approached the door and opened it.
“Dawn! Finally!” Dawn’s eyes widened. Her blood boiled again, seeing Arnaud again.
“What the fuck are you doing here? How, even!?” Dawn whispered with the usual anger.
“Well I—” but Dawn covered his mouth.
“Shut up! A friend might hear you!”
“Everything alright Dawn?” Alex asked, appearing behind the two. “Who is this?”
Here we go again…
“He’s a—”
“I’m her cousin! Arnaud, nice to meet you.”
“Alexander, a good friend,” the two shacked hands.
“So you’re on a visit?” Alex asked. Dawn wanted to jump in again.
“Oh yeah. I just arrived from New Orleans yesterday!”
“You never told me you had family from there,” Alex said to Dawn. She pointed her finger up and was about to speak.
“Oh when you don’t ask her, she won’t say it, hehe!” Arnaud added, wanting to punch her shoulder playfully, but Dawn grabbed his fist firmly instead. Her eye had some spasms.
“Haha, you sure are family, if you know that! And thinking about it, your name sounds a bit, Frenchy, so having family in Louisiana isn’t surprising.”
Dawn looked at Alex and let go Arnaud’s fist. “My ancestors indeed, migrated there. Or that’s what grandpa told me…”
Arnaud raised an eyebrow combined with a smile. Dawn felt it, but didn’t turn around.
Alex looked at the two and rubbed his hands. “Well, I’m gonna leave then. You probably have a lot to catch up with.”
“A pleasure,” Arnaud replied.
Alex walked across the street. Arnaud was still looking at him. Dawn then slowly approached Arnaud from behind.
“Get, inside…” She said in a severe tone. Arnaud grinned and passed the doorway. Dawn slammed the door.
“I knew you were of French ancestry! Makes us even more alike!”
“Listen to me!” Dawn started, pointing at him, “first, we are not alike at all! And second, you almost screwed our cover! Alex is already noticing that I’m hiding something, and I don’t need an incompetent recruit to come and fuck things up!”
“He didn’t notice, did he?” Arnaud asked, lifting his arms. Dawn remained silent for a moment.
“He could have! Now, I don’t even want to know what you’re doing here, but you’re gonna get back, the way you came!! Be grateful that I give you a chance to leave in one piece! Don’t waist it!”
“What’s it with you and being so tough and wanting to kill?” Arnaud simply asked. Dawn’s brain had a little error. A couple of unorganised sounds left her mouth, but no words at first.
“Have you ever killed someone then?” Dawn continued the silence.
She then sighed, and went back to her seat. The coffee had cooled down, and she drank it all at once.
Sigh, too tired for this. Or he’s a mastermind, or a total dumbass. In both cases, he’s slowly killing me… She stood up again and made her a second one.
“How were you even allowed to leave the HQ? Recruits in formation can’t leave. Did you steal a heli? Or perhaps they already fired you?”
Arnaud grinned. “You’re funny you know!”
Dawn pinched her eyes extra hard. She felt a finger having spasms.
“Actually, Sergeant Flynn sent me here to train for the ‘lying ability’ part of the training…”
“Should’ve known. That guy also wants me dead… And he used the best weapon…” Dawn mumbled to herself.
“Sorry you said something? Or was it your ‘talking-to-yourself’ ravings?” Dawn turned around and looked quite mad.
“You’re in dangerous waters, and you’re sinking your own raft…”
“I like metaphors too! You invented the second part, right?” Arnaud asked with a smile. Dawn started to smile too, but forced it away. Not a normal smile, but one meaning ‘I can’t believe what I just heard’.
“Flynn probably told you that I was gonna be happy to see you?” Dawn replied, turning back around.
“Eh, yeah kinda. About that—”
“Well he was being sarcastic!” And she took a sip of her coffee, ”second lesson, predict what others said or will say…”
“Quite fascinating! So did you also know he said you will have to train me?”
Dawn spit out the coffee in her mouth. “HE WHAT!?”
Arnaud took his phone and showed her a video message.
“Greetings Moody! Hope you enjoyed the little gift I send you, haha! Can imagine your face from here! Ehem, but because you’re wounded, you have no excuse to refuse assisting Froggy in his training. And even if you have an excuse, this is an order!
“Don’t worry, you’ll just have to order him around to do things while you watch him not die! You’ll have to support him till we come pick you up from your holidays! Good luck, have fun, Flynn out!” And the message stopped.
Dawn stared at her reflection in the dark screen of the phone. Arnaud raised an eyebrow.
Now that I get vacations, they fucking ruin it in the worst way possible! And now I have to take care of this… of this… Argh! No insults are good enough to describe him! Stay calm, Dawn, for the love of God, stay calm! Think, clearly!
“Eh, you’re okay?” Arnaud looked at Dawn who was staring in front of her during her trance.
Dawn looked up at him, then to his side. “I feel like I got shot three times more… Gosh, how cruel is that man!?”
Arnaud was thinking of what to say. “Well… They can’t send me back across the Atlantic, it’s a bit too far. So eh, they send me here…”
Dawn scratched her face. “I don’t like leadership stuff! Why won’t they let me do my job alone?”
“But, will you, like, help me for these days, with training?” Arnaud asked with soft eyes. Dawn wasn’t impressed and looked away. She sighed deeply.
“You won’t force me to say it!” Arnaud nodded and smiled widely.
“Ohh you’re the best!” Arnaud’s spontaneity wanted to hug Dawn, but she pulled her knife out of her holster.
“Don’t even think about it!” Arnaud lowered his arms.
“Sorry, it’s a reflex…”
“This is mine. Not, compatible!”
Arnaud giggled a bit. Dawn kept a straight face and raised her hand again.
“I won’t allow misinterpretations of this! Respecting orders, and discipline, it flows through my body. I shall, do, what they ordered me to… Keeping you, alive…”
“Wait, you’re interpreting it yourself! It said, train me!”
“You can certainly survive without food for two days, right?” Dawn was now the one grinning, and Arnaud the one to look down.
Dawn looked around the room. The kitchen, the hall to the backyard, the stairway, the living room, all in one.
“Go to Hell.”
“Pardon? But you were gonna tr—”
“It’s a cupcake shop on Connecticut avenue. Bring me two strawberry ones.”
Dawn walked towards the staircase again.
“Wait you’re not coming?”
Dawn turned around. “An operator has to find his way. Don’t worry, I’ll call child focus if you’re not back in a week or so, if I don’t forget…”
“Eh, okay? Do you have a car, or a bike perhaps?”
“You’ll have to go by foot, or else it wouldn’t be a training!” Dawn snapped back. Arnaud looked down and turned around.
“Okay, see you soon…”
Do you realise? You talked with him for a good 20 minutes! How did you survive? Probably not for long, maybe I’m already dead?
Dawn got in her bathroom and wanted to take a shower.
I can despise him as much as I want, I must admit, he is persevering… Every average human would have already been dead-scared of my behaviour… None of it seems to work on him…
Or he’s just, very stupid, and obeying. He’s not even protesting on giving him no food for the coming days. Oh, sarcasm…
Ugh and now I have to stick with him till overmorrow morning! Got me this time Sergeant, got me this time… He should be happy I’m not causing any form of permanent damage on his newest recruit, for now…
Hours passed, it was already getting darker outside. Arnaud appeared back on the doorsteps, completely exhausted. Dawn was sitting at the kitchen island, reading a book.
“How was DC? Enjoyed it?”
Arnaud half-crawled to her and reached for the sink without hesitation and started drinking from it. After he was done, he took a seat across Dawn.
“A cupcake shop named ‘Hell’ doesn’t exist, right?” Arnaud exhaustedly insinuated.
Dawn put off her glasses and looked at him. “Lesson three, do your research. And lesson four, don’t trust anybody…”
“That wasn’t written in the manual! Lesson four is—”
“Who needs a manual to become a secret spy?”
The doorbell rang and Dawn went to it. The door opened and got closed directly after. Dawn turned around with two pizza boxes.
“You said I wasn’t gonna get food from you!” Arnaud put his hands on his hips.
“Lesson four, again. And I don’t want complaints from the Sergeant…”
“Good to hear that…”
The two started eating their foods while having a conversation. Arnaud did all the talking, Dawn stared, dreamt, thought, half-listened, sighed and nodded.
It was already dark outside and Dawn had made herself another coffee while heading to the stairway.
“You know coffee is bad in the evening?”
“Caffeine doesn’t affect me any more. Getting tired, so I’m heading up. Don’t you dare to fuck up the couch, or else you’ll sleep on the floor…”
“I like how you always find funny ways to warn people. Does it come up spontaneously?”
“Night, Arnaud,” and she walked up. Arnaud looked down.
Later that night, Dawn was still awake, staring at the roof of her chamber.
Ugh, coffee in the evening, are you stupid or what?
She moved around and laid in all possible positions, but couldn’t fall asleep.
Dawn looked at her ajar door. The guy you hate the most is in your house, sleeping, somewhere… Guess his chitchat didn’t drain me enough.
Perhaps, Dawn, you should grow up a bit… Hard to admit, I’m stubborn, but I might have been wrong…
He couldn’t know he was replacing Abby. I, shouldn’t be hating so much on him… When you get to know people better, they are different…
But he’ll stay at a safe distance from me. I don’t feel the particular need to befriend him more than needed for this job…
Ooh Dawn! Could you ever imagine changing your mind on him? I still can’t believe it now! Ugh, maybe I should apologise and, treat him, slightly, better… Meh, only the last part for now… Dawn laughed a bit in her bed.
Her bedroom door then creaked a bit, and a silhouette appeared.
“Eh Dawn, you aw—”
Dawn turned around, grabbed for her knife on her bedside table, and threw it right next to Arnaud, in the wall.
“Woah! Another reflex of you?”
“I’m trying to sleep, dammit! And what you’re doing is kinda, weird…”
Arnaud stayed in the door frame. “Eh well, I-I came to apologise, for yesterday, in the infirmary. I know it’s not the right moment, but I couldn’t sleep. It stuck in my head. I just want you to know I just wanted to help…”
“Ugh, I already forgot that happened. Sigh, apologies accepted. Now get out!”
Arnaud smiled in the dark. “Never thought you would! Thank you, and, sleep well!”
Me neither Arnaud, me neither
ns 15.158.61.40da2
