23rd June 2022
Objective: No current objective
Agent Aurora location: WSC HQ, Appalachian region, USA
“Raven 2 incoming.”
“Roger that Raven 2. Opening hangar 1, HQ, over.”
The heli’s lights disappeared inside the mountain and safely landed in the large metal room, hangar 1. Two passengers stepped out of it.
“You think your excuse of going back to your grandparents asap to help them cut wood for the winter was good enough?” Arnaud asked.
“You question my abilities?” Dawn replied sternly. Arnaud kept looking for a response. “Yes, it will work, as it always worked. During the year I need to ‘study’, and attend ‘classes’, making me unavailable to help them. Now that I have ‘time’, I go there ‘often’. Understood?”
Arnaud simply nodded. The two kept walking and entered main hall again.
“Oh yeah, before we meet the rest, tell the least about, these days. I don’t like to be, embarrassed…”
Arnaud shrugged. “Embarrassed? What do you mean?”
“Just agree!”
“You mean embarrassed because we spent two days together?”
Dawn stiffened. “Exactly! You understand something for once!”
“Was it really, embarrassing for you? I’m sorry…” Arnaud’s look saddened a bit. Dawn kept a neutral face, but got confused at seeing him like that.
She sighed deeply. “Ugh, stop saying sorry for everything! No, it wasn’t really… But I’d prefer to keep a low profile about it, people could start, thinking weird things, if you know what I mean…”
“But I just got send to you for training! There’s nothing weird about that!” Arnaud stretched his arms. Dawn looked back.
“That’s not how humans work! Whatever the truth may be, they have already decided what to think with their perverted minds.”
Arnaud nodded slowly, but clearly didn’t understand, and the two continued walking.
On their way to the quarters, the duo crossed Sergeant Flynn. He grinned.
“Still alive I see! The one physically and the other mentally, haha!”
“You couldn’t handle the horror of my mental health now…” Dawn answered. Arnaud looked a bit down, not wanting confrontation.
“Eh, I’m— quarters!” Arnaud pointed down the hall and left.
“I start to believe you didn’t send him to, train. 2 short days, without any equipment,” Dawn insinuated.
“Hehehe, maybe. But maybe not. Maybe he was there to train, as I said in my video message, or maybe I sent him to test your mental capacities!”
“I test them enough myself! And training or not, I survived, he survived, thanks to my self-control, and now I’d like to forget about it!”
Flynn looked at her with a fierce look. He pinched his eyes. “It’s clear who trained you…”
“That person is someone I am grateful towards,” Dawn looked around her. “How long will his training still last?”
Getting some practical information while he’s tender.
“Not too long. We’ve been training him before his arrival at the HQ, and his introduction to you all. The last phase would be, assisting real field missions.”
“So you send him to annoy me, after all!” Flynn grinned and crossed his arms.
“Shouldn’t be asking too many questions! Go drop your stuff at your quarters and head to the briefing room in half an hour. We got important news! And bring Froggy too!”
Flynn walked off. Dawn saw him disappear around the corner and turned back around.
This shit was getting quite complicated… But turns out to be simple. It was all to annoy me, ugh…
Dawn walked to her quarters. Josef and Lenora had already arrived and were talking to Arnaud.
“And then she did buy me food which was very nice and—”
“It is in your best, life-sustaining interest that you don’t finish that sentence!” Dawn said, firmly interrupting Arnaud.
“Dawn you’re back!” Lenora exclaimed. She approached for a hug.
“Eh, my sh—”
“It did recover well already!” Lea replied, handing over a hug. “My wounds are healed too!”
Josef waved from a distance, Arnaud grinned. Dawn approached him and tightly grabbed his arm.
“What, did I tell you, freaking 5 minutes ago?” She loudly whispered in his ear.
“I was just answering their questions, as a friend!” He smiled. Dawn let him go.
“So much to learn…”
Dawn turned to Josef and Lenora, both trying to cover their laughing at the scene.
“Sergeant told us we had a briefing in half an hour…” Dawn looked on her watch. “Still have some time… You guys know how Abby is?”
“No idea, we too just arrived,” Josef replied. Dawn rubbed her cheek and left.
Dawn was heading to the infirmary. Best bet that she’s still there…
“Oh hello Dawn! How were your days-off? How is your shoulder?” The nurse joyfully asked, turning her entire attention to the operator.
“Shoulder feels better. Can move it properly again,” Dawn searched in her back-pocket and took a box, “here the pills, against the pain. Didn’t use them so…”
“Ahh, thank you. I’ll store them in the back,” the nurse said.
“Eh wait!” The nurse turned around at Dawn. “Is Abby available?”
“More like disabled now!” Abby replied. Dawn turned around and saw her ebony friend in a special wheelchair.
“Abby! You look so much better in shape!” Dawn approached her friend. The two went for a little walk in the halls.
“Never felt better since days indeed! Did you get my message?” Abby asked. Dawn gulped.
“Not the kind of person to check your messages, are you?” Abby added with a smile.
“Never felt comfortable with this social media shit… Let’s see then…” Dawn took her phone and went to her contacts. She read Abby’s message.
“And a certain Frenchy would perhaps come your way, in the days to come…” Dawn looked at Abby. “How did you know?!”
“I have my techniques…”
Dawn facepalmed. “If only I had read that message earlier! Argh!”
Abby grinned at her friend. “So, how, were those two days?”
“It was horrible! I never thought someone could talk this much, this long, and this annoyingly!! Sigh, it was traumatising!”
Abby rolled her eyes. “You didn’t look too traumatised when arriving here?”
Dawn was confused. “B-because I was happy to see you again!”
Abby lifted an eyebrow, looking Dawn straight in the eyes. “You sure?”
“Abby, why would I lie to you?”
“There’s a million reasons to lie. It’s part of our profession. Are you sure your thoughts align with what you say?”
Dawn was silent and looked at her feet. She checked her watch again.
“My briefing is soon. Gotta go now.”
“You’re running away from my questions, Dawn!”
Dawn looked over her shoulder and grinned. “For the greater good, Abb!”
“Don’t worry, we’ll have this conversation later. I’ll read your thoughts, soon or late!”
“Haven’t invented mind-reading devices yet!” And Dawn wanted to walk again.
“Hey Dawn!” Abby yelled again. Dawn purposely turned around slowly.
“What now Abby?”
Abby smiled. “I can feel when you lie, you know that!”
“Alas, my feelings are pretty hard to decrypt, and misleading…”
“Depends on whom!”
Dawn stared at her. Abby turned around herself, being amused. Dawn scratched the back of her head and proceeded to the briefing room.
At her arrival, Dawn saw her colleagues and Arnaud already seated. Samur, Flynn and Miller were present too.
“Good timing Aurora! Good timing!” Flynn yelled across the room, clapping his hands.
“Take a seat, and let us begin. There is important news to be discussed…” Samur explained. Dawn sat down.
“Mission Tarde was a success. We discovered some valuable information about ‘der Arzt’, but there’s more. We found out that the NWO uses so-called ‘info chains’,” Samur started.
“Info chains. Passing documents between important NWO members via one or more messengers. They use this technique as it is safer than transmitting a message via radio or satellite, which can be intercepted easily. The info chain on the other hand, requires a bit more of effort.
“Luckily for us, we found this one, transmitting documents, all in Mandarin. Our professionals translated them and showed us it was a contract between Isermann and the CEO of ‘SinoMed’, Lu Pujang.”
The holographic projector went on and showed a Chinese man with glasses and a little moustache.
“That’s not all! In the briefcase were also two syringes, both manufactured only by SinoMed. We ignore with certainty what they were used for, but our experts believe the NWO is using SinoMed to invent and produce new medications.
“On the documents and the contract, we found several references to ‘project 12B’. We searched in our databanks but couldn’t find anything about it…”
“I feel like this, project, is nothing less than a weapon!” Flynn exclaimed.
“Listen attentively now. Isermann and Pujang will have a meeting at the SinoMed head office. Our priority is to eliminate them, but if the situation allows it, find a maximum amount of data about this project 12B. It could turn in our favour…”
The young operators all nodded, except for Dawn. She put her hands on the table.
“Good, the head office is in Guangzhou, China, and their meeting will be at 7pm tomorrow. It will be a top-down infiltration via the air. Land on the roof of the skyscraper and find Pujang’s office.”
“Yes sir,” the agents mumbled.
“And this will also be the first field mission of agent Eiffel here…”
Could’ve expected it… Ugh!
Arnaud looked flattered. “M-me? With you?”
Josef and Lenora smiled while nodded. Dawn crossed her arms.
“Ohh finally! Now I can call you guys, agent this, agent that! Amazing, haha!” Dawn sighed in silence.
Suddenly, a red text appeared as a hologram.
“Emergency message entry,” the device said.
“An emergency?” Lenora questioned.
“It’s coming from the Aceh region, Indonesia,” Samur pointed at the map next to it. He pressed a button to play the message.
“Captain Fayar speaking, cough! The NWO ignited an uprising in the city! Our reports say it’s all over the Aceh region! The second Acehnese insurgency has started! The rebels found our outposts, requesting immediate evacuation and support, or we’ll get massacred! Message out!”
The red alert disappeared. Everyone stared in confusion at what just happened. Samur looked up.
“We miscalculated this, we must send backup to help our personnel!”
“I’ll go talk with the authorities on the field immediately!” Miller added, and he left. Samur sighed.
“That will take too long. The Indonesian authorities won’t solve this on time!” Samur looked at Flynn and approached him. “Adrian, mobilise Echo squad and go to that damn region. Evac plan alpha. Secure Banda Aceh, and bring our agents back!”
Flynn stood up. “Got it boss.”
“We’re coming too!” Dawn added, already standing up, ready to join.
“Denied, Aurora. You have a much more important mission to concentrate on. This evac plan could take days, even weeks!” Samur replied.
“You have a cruel lack of capacities to execute that evac properly. I saw half of the helis and transport planes under maintenance. Several Echo squad members are still recovering in the medbay. This plan is insane! Without our help, you won’t make it!” Dawn snapped back.
“Watch how you talk Moody!” Flynn replied fiercely. Samur lifted his hand.
“This is a rather unexpected event, but we learned how to deal with them. And in this world, we must make sacrifices.”
“Bullshit! We can prevent dozens of deaths if you allow us to go!”
“And how many people will die more if we don’t stop Isermann? Have you thought about that?!” Samur raised his voice. Dawn looked down. “I thought you had more self-control, Aurora…”
Dawn looked back up. “I do! But it’s the umpteenth time I get confronted with human stupidity!”
Everyone was silent. Dawn’s colleagues all looked to their feet, not seeking confrontation. Samur looked at Flynn who shrugged slightly. Samur looked over to the rest, and sighed softly.
“Opera, Lichten, get your equipment, and follow Sergeant Flynn.”
Dawn looked up at the director. Lenora, Josef, and Flynn left the room. Samur slowly retook his seat.
“You, do seem to have humanity in you… Very well hidden…” Dawn looked away. Samur put his hands against each other. Dawn also sat down again.
“You have a lot of great skills, and I admire your care for people…”
“I’m not a people’s person, I just don’t want innocents to get massacred…” Samur grinned, but stopped when looking at the two young-adults.
“I hope that splitting you four up wasn’t a mistake, leading to two fiascos instead of one. Concentrating forces is often the best response…”
“I’m a concentrated force by myself. Lea and Joe will be of great use there, they are skilled…”
Samur smirked slightly and leaned backwards. “You know why I trusted you on this one? Because I’m convinced you can deal with the mission together.”
“I’m flattered to— together?” Dawn glared to her side. Arnaud smiled at her.
Freaking forgot about him! Now I’m stuck with him again, and for a mission!
“Something wrong, Aurora?” Samur asked, seeing Dawn having a mental bug.
“I-I don’t think it’s responsible to have, a recruit-in-formation participate in such a crucial operation, under the supervision of, just one operator…”
Samur leaned forward. “You should have thought about it. I’m not recalling my, your, decision! It’s the sacrifice you’ll have to make for splitting up your squad. And agent, Eiffel isn’t a recruit any more.”
Dawn looked at her watch and sighed. Social battery almost empty. No more discussing Dawn…
“May we hope on few civilian casualties…” Dawn stood up, greeted Samur and left. Arnaud hesitated for a moment, but quickly did the same, and followed her.
“So you do care about people, deep down!” Arnaud exclaimed. Dawn didn’t pay too much attention.
“But you still struggle to say it!”
“I will pretend I didn’t hear anything…” Dawn replied dryly.
“You should open up a bit more…”
“For your own safety, neither that…”
“Really, what’s w—” Dawn stopped and looked irritated.
“Arnaud! Stop, please! I don’t like people, but they don’t need to die either!”
Arnaud was thinking as Dawn had resumed her walk. “So it’s kinda a paradox!”
“Everything you want as long as you just shut up!” Dawn mumbled to herself. Arnaud had joined her again. They arrived at the quarters.
“Soooo… Our first mission together tomorrow…” He said, sitting on his bed. Dawn removed her vest and threw it on hers.
“If only I could do it solo. With you, it’ll be much harder,” she mumbled to herself. Arnaud stretched his ear.
“Ah, can’t hear you clearly!”
“You better didn’t…”
Dawn turned around. She put her hands on her hip. Both stared at each other in silence. Arnaud had his usual smile, Dawn her casual bitch face, but it turned less impersonal.
“And eh, when do we discuss the mission plans? Dawn?” Arnaud asked.
What is g— Dawn shook her head. “Later… Can you leave now, I want to shower!”
“Oh, eh sorry… I-I’ll be in t-the training room,” and he left. Dawn let go a sigh.
Still a weird guy…
After a refreshing, cold shower, Dawn dried her hair and left the quarters, planning to go train too.
Out heading to the training room, Dawn again came across her friend Abby. She was noting something down on the tablet on the side of her wheelchair.
“Who we have here,” Dawn mumbled. Abby looked up and smiled.
“Heyy Dawn, how was your briefing? Got your mission?” She asked, retracting the tablet to see her friend better.
“Y-yeah, but it’s with the other idiot…”
“Other, idiot?” Abby raised an eyebrow. Dawn grinned.
“Who isn’t an idiot sometimes… Ehem, Lea and Joe were sent to an emergency evac operation…”
“Oh I see… Well, good luck for it!”
Dawn followed her friend. “And what do you do now, here?”
Abby looked up. “I work at the decryption department and radio-communications.”
Dawn looked down. “So your only presence during a mission will be in my ear…”
“Talking about it, I want to show you something there, follow me,” and Abby accelerated. Dawn ran behind her.
“Hey not too quick!”
After some moments, the two arrived at the right place.
“That thing is fast!” Dawn mentioned. Abby laughed, and they both entered the room Dawn got to.
“What is this place Abby?” Dawn asked, looking around.
“Orion lab, or the robotics lab…” Abby explained.
The lab was completely white with light-blue lights. Several scientists were busy working at command panels or monitors.
In the middle of the rectangular room was a round platform with robotic arms attached to the roof. Abby approached the panel behind the platform. Dawn stood behind her.
“Looks, surreal! Such technology in this world…”
“And well-hidden, or it could fall in dangerous hands,” Abby said, pressing some buttons, “now watch what they are working on.”
The platform went into the ground, and moments later reappeared with something on it. Abby approached it.
“A prototype, exoskeleton.”
Dawn joined her friend next to the metallic gadget. She touched the shoulder protection delicately.
“It’s not an armour suit, is it? Or else there would be protection everywhere,” Dawn theorised. The exoskeleton only had minor protection plates.
“This tool, when finished, will allow me to walk, and hopefully do missions again.”
Dawn was astonished from the inside. She grinned at Abby.
“First good news of the day…”
“And your duo mission then?” Abby smiled.
Dawn looked neutral again and glared up. “Him getting killed in action perhaps… For the rest it’s not positive at all…”
“Oh come on Dawn. You’re not that cruel. You should open up a bit more…”
You should open up a bit more… Echoed in her head. She then shook it.
“I’m predicting a disaster already. We land, he breaks his ankle, mission called off, we head back, deal goes on, NWO becomes too powerful, we lose.”
“All for a broken ankle, you predicted?” Abby crossed her arms as the two walked out again.
“I just want you back Abb… You in your wheelchair could perform better than him!”
“What, you’ve already seen him on a mission? Is he that bad at the trainings?”
“No, but—”
From behind the girls came another voice, interrupting Dawn.
“D-Dawn? Do you really believe that?” Arnaud asked, sounding disappointed.
The girls turned around. Abby gulped. Dawn stayed normal. Arnaud walked away before they could reply. Abby was mad and turned to her friend.
“You go apologise to him immediately!” Dawn looked surprised.
“Oh come on Abby, let me thicken his skin. I’m being helpful here.”
“You’re hurting him with your insults! You have a mission to cooperate in!”
“He’s clearly not fit for the mission, as you saw…”
“You’ve already decided for yourself that he isn’t fit, so you worsen the situation to prove your point!”
“If he’s hurt by words, how will he handle bullets?!”
“Your words cut deeper than any weapon, and you don’t realise it!”
“Jeez Abby! What’s the matter with everyone defending him! Hell, the only one agreeing with me is Sergeant Flynn!”
“And even he is not as pessimistic as you! Your dislike for him turned into hate!” Both looked down and stopped arguing for a moment.
“I thought those two days with him would have had a good effect on you. Apparently I was wrong…”
Dawn raised an eyebrow. “Wait, it was your idea then!”
Abby slowly nodded. Dawn’s face turned back to neutral. Abby grabbed her arms and looked in her eyes.
“Dawn! You’re blinded by your hate! You don’t see reality any more!” Dawn rolled her eyes, but Abby shook her arms quickly.
“Listen to me! Seriously! Yes, he kinda replaced me, but… Shit happens, and we must live with it. You can’t always get what you want, how hard you try…”
“I have quite high standards…”
Abby sighed. “I’m sure you’ll realise your wrongs here. You are good at self-reflection.”
Abby moved a bit away and turned her head one last time. “I don’t even want an apology. The one that deserves it is Arnaud… Don’t forget your mission with him is tomorrow.”
Dawn sighed again and stood there. She started thinking. Abby noticed.
“Oh Dawn!” Dawn looked up. “Apologise for your mistakes, not because I forced you to. Think about it.”
Dawn looked at the ground again. Abby suddenly smiled a bit. “How hard you try, you won’t be able to hold your emotions any longer…”
Abby now ultimately left. Dawn walked the other way, slowly.
How hard it is for me to convert it in words, Abby was right, I’m being blinded. I’m not even mad at her for coming up with that monstrous idea…
I must convince myself, find the words… I need to restore this relation to the bare minimum, not for me, not for Abby, but for that mission to go well. I indeed, don’t know how he will perform. Could be bad, or good…
But he obeyed me well back at home… Hmm… Dawn looked up. She arrived at the cafeteria. At a bench in the back, she saw her saddened colleague, alone, looking down into his mug.
Dawn hid behind the corner and took a deep breath. Remember, your words must apologise for my insult, your thoughts can stay different. No one will read them…
Dawn entered the room and subtly approached Arnaud. When she stood in front of him, he looked up, then back down. Dawn didn’t sit down and kept a neutral look.
“Arnaud I—”
“You didn’t, mean it, right?”
Dawn looked confused. “Yeah, so I ca—”
“But I don’t know if I should trust you…”
Dawn felt slightly uncomfortable. “Well, perhaps you sh—”
“I think… I think you don’t like me, at all!”
Dawn looked down at the table and blinked several times, feeling more uncomfortable. Arnaud’s eyes became wet, but no tears rolled out.
“Abby told me you… you… what’s the word again? Reprocher.”
“Blame…” Dawn helped him.
“Blame, yes… Abby told me you blamed me for replacing her.”
“It-it’s not personal Arnaud…”
“No, you would’ve been mean to anyone that replaced her! It’s not me, you’re the problem in this then… I’m sorry, but it’s the truth…”
Arnaud took a tissue and blew in it. “Do you know, how that hurts me? Being laughed at, lied at, insulted? Tell me…”
“I try my best to get integrated, meet people, become friends! But only from you did I feel constant rejection! I, I just wanna get along…”
Dawn and Arnaud were silent, avoiding eye contact. Dawn then looked up a bit.
“I… do know what you mean…” Arnaud looked up too, making Dawn look down again. “All during my childhood, I got rejected by others… I got laughed at, lied at, insulted… It turned me hard, indifferent, and wary of people…”
Arnaud listened attentively. “That’s why, I am who I am now. But Life got better last years. Got friends, normal people, who don’t judge me… I still can’t change, in fear that it happens again…
“And thinking back, about that feeling, I can imagine, it hurts for you, as it hurt for me…”
Arnaud blew another time in his tissue. “You do have feelings then.”
Dawn grinned. “I, apologise, for earlier…”
Arnaud started smiling again. “Do you, mean it?”
Ugh come on, don’t make me say it twice. Dawn thought while nodding. Arnaud stood up and hugged Dawn.
Dawn got surprised and almost stabbed Arnaud, but she could subtly glide her knife back in its holster. She just waited, but started feeling dizzy.
“Let’s start on new bases!” Arnaud exclaimed happily, releasing the hug. “When do we discuss the mission?”
“Later, I am not, feeling too good…” Dawn rushed away. Arnaud looked confused.
“Probably the stress…” He said to himself. “Oh my, I talk to myself now! Dawn really affects me…232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLbChZYQrs
