A Parting of the Ways - Chapter Two

Claire left the COIL offices and got into an awaiting cab.

 “4 Chelsea Square please,” she told the driver then relaxed as the cab negotiated back into London traffic barely missing a pedestrian who slammed his hand down on the hood of the cab, made a rude gesture and stomped on his way.

The ride was quiet and uneventful, Claire supposed she gave the look of not wishing to engage in the daily news or other topics to the driver which was fine with her and she supposed chancing a few stolen glances more than fine with him.  The steel and cement of the city slowly gave way to trees and green as parks and quite started to overcome the noise of the outside world as Claire entered the most expensive real estate in the UK.

 The cab drove in dappled sunlight from the large oak trees, until it pulled over at number 4.  Claire paid the cabby and included a generous tip as she always did and made the shirt walk up a cobbled path to the large Georgian red brick edifice and opened on of the two doors of the main entranceway.  The building had once been a magnificent single family home, but had long ago been converted into a barristers and accountancy offices of a very expensive clientele. 

 Claire clicked along the inlayed black marble floor toward a small alcove that would in original form led to the servant’s quarters and the back stairs, but now merely led to the water closet.  The raised dark oak paneling covered both walls, a display to all guest of the first owner of the money he spent, even if just servants used this part of the house.  The spy stopped half way along the hall, pressed herself lightly against the panels, touched a finger to a corner of the raised oak border and disappeared from site.

 The walk was a good 400 feet, but the way was well lit and she covered it in no time and soon was releasing the catch and entering into the shaft a service elevator and then out through that door and into the kitchen at number 6 Chelsea Square.

“Good afternoon Miss Baxter, it is Miss Baxter?” a smiling woman Claire guessed was maybe in her late forties asked.

 “Yes.”

 Excellent, and right on time, I do hope you had a pleasant time, not too much of a tight pinch that, but it has been expanded over time as people got taller and wider.  Lady Hamilton and her guest are in the library at the moment and request you join them there.  Tea will be served in the drawing room later.  This way please Miss Baxter,” the woman said as started off.

 “I take it that was a Priest’s Hole, although I’ve never heard of one that connected to another house?” Claire asked as they walked.

 “That is correct, it originally did not connect to anything but the woods but when the land across the way was sold the secret was in danger of being exposed and a rather prominent, but innocent family would have been arrested.  Lady Hamilton, bought the land from the first purchaser for a rather sizable surplus from what he paid and built the home you entered to keep it a secret, which it has remained for all these years known only to a few,” the woman said.

 “I take it that was your family Miss?” Claire quizzed causing the woman to stop.

 “Mrs. Compton, and yes it was my family, you are as cleaver as her Ladyship says.”

 “No so, simple logic and your words.  You must know Alice’s secret, well past secret now I suppose since you mentioned her name without even blanching given those events happened during Elizabeth I rein.

A simple nod of acknowledge was Claire’s answer as music, a pianoforte and a beautiful soprano voice began to fill the large main hall they were now walking down.

 “Trust is an important quality as are friends Miss Baxter, both need to be guarded and protected,” Mrs. Compton said as they stopped outside the library doors.

 Claire listened outside the door then grasped the handles of the pocket double doors and slid them open and stepped inside her smile turning to an alarmed frown as she reached inside her small purse and produced her Beretta 84 Cheetah.

 “What’s she doing here!” Claire demanded as she double paced over to the person in question.

 “Claire for goodness sakes put the gun away and we’ll explain everything,” Lady Alice Hamilton said in an exasperated but excited tone.

 “We’ll explain?  Great, that’s great, this traitor has been filling your head with her lies I see and you believe them!” Claire loudly demanded as she cocked the trigger and put the gun right to the woman’s forehead.

 “I told you this was a bad idea Alice, you should have broached the subject with her first in my absence,” the woman said causally.

 “Nonsense, Claire please put the gun down or at the very least back away and since you prefer I will explain all,” Alice said.

 “I must say you’re mood has changed markedly since our last meeting, at that you were quite a fan and thrilled to finally meet me Claire.”

 “Still as cool as ever I see Lady Tara Ashton-White,” Claire smiled.

 “I’ll take that as a compliment however really Claire do you think I would have let you see me had I any intention of killing you?  Whatever you think of me Claire you know I am quite good at this game, good enough not to let personal feelings come between me and my life,” Tara said

 “Except in this instance,” Alice answered as she stepped forward toward Claire.

 “And where I’m concerned,” Claire countered.

 “There is more truth in that statement than you realise Claire, came a familiar voice from behind her and the next thing Claire realised she was on the ground, the gun out of her hand and Alice pinning her down, the result of a momentary lapse on concentration upon hearing Pushpa Advani’s voice. 

 “How could you Alice, I love you,” Claire screamed.

 “Because I love you Claire, I would let nothing harm you ever if I could prevent it and neither would your friends in this room.  Yes Claire, friends.  Now be calm child,” Alice said as she stroked Claire’s hair and kissed her cheek.

 The strange sensation of someone younger than you calling you a child may have seemed strange given that Lady Alice Hamilton was all of twenty three in human years, but it did not count the 660 years as a vampire.  However more strange to Claire was the still new sensation of Alice being warm to the touch or perhaps it was the way she enfolded Claire into her arms and held her whatever the reason Claire was soon herself again and Alice helped her to her feet.  Lady Ashton-White picked up Claire’s gun and held it out open hand for the spy to take back which she did. 

 “I think we’ll take a minute to ourselves,” Alice said as she walked Claire out of the room.

 “That was not the smartest idea I’ve every seen come up with, meeting her full on without an explanation from someone see trusts before hand, she could have killed you” Pushpa Advani, Director of Women’s Ops for South East Asia said to Tara.

 “She may have, but she never took the safety off her Beretta, she’s conflicted about something or things, that’s not Claire,” Tara answered.

 “Maybe she’s conflicted over you,” Pushpa smiled and took a seat across from the woman.

“I’d like to flatter myself with that, if only it were true,” Tara answered.

 “We are asking a lot of Claire and we don’t even know how she feeling about this, she may be all for the idea,” Pushpa said as she looked away.

 “Of that I am certain and we are asking no more of her than they do and they don’t even have the courage to tell her the truth and the one thing that woman believed in, fought for and was willing to die for, just as I was willing to when I was there was the truth and the belief that it made the world and what we were doing a better place.  Black and white issues was what every recruit was told, you live that, swallow it every day until it becomes as part of you then one day you find out that’s a lie and what do they do, they try and punish you for discovering the truth about the lie!  You tell me how you felt when you found out, something like the same feeling as having a parent tell you they never loved you, but they still feel they have the right to punish you,” Tara said coolly.

 “I’m merely pointing out not all people think the same way,” Pushpa explained.

 “They do if they’ve all been lied to the same way,” Lady Ashton White barely got the words out of her mouth when the doors slid open.

 “I have explained things in a very cursory manner.  I think they will act as a détente while we all sit down and talk, but not here, please tea is being served upstairs in the Parlour,” Alice said and motioned for all to accept her invitation.

 To Claire it seemed like a scene out of a Bergman film, she listened as the large clock on the ornate marble fireplace mantle ticked away, hearing every key while she took her tea with the others in silence.

 “All that’s missing is the wolves howling outside the door,” she thought as she glanced out onto Chelsea Park which backed onto the house. 

 Alice set down her cup and saucer and when over turned a latch on one of the built in bookcases, open it a retrieved a box that set brought and handed to Claire.

 Everything I said before is in here in much more detail, besides Tara, myself and Pushpa you are the only other to know this, Claire once you know this and if they find out,” Alice said touching Claire’s hand.

 Claire gave a smile of reassurance and opened the box.  The others watched her eyes dart and flash as she moved through papers, her world expanding while she shut them out.  The spy picked up the box and its contends and moved to a open spot on the floor as the papers came out of the box, under her eye and onto the floor, her neat piles and self made paper trails filling up the space.  Several paper paths changed along the way but after several hours she was finished with all the papers and gathered them up placed them back in the box and closed it up handing it back to Alice.

 “If you’ll excuse me I have to be getting back to the office they worry when I’m away too long,” Claire said as she made for the door then stopped.

 “That most assuredly doubly applies to you as well Pushpa.  Oh and if you see or hear people about number 4 you’ll know it has something to do with me, I was followed today.  Your penchant for security and anonymity is well founded,” Claire said and disappeared.

“I told you she was conflicted about something,” Tara said in a worried tone.

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 'Where did you disappear too for so long?” Wendy Schiller wanted to know in an annoyed tone.

 “What are you my overseer?” Claire answered.

 “No, but when an agent makes a promise to speak to new recruits I expect her to complete the task not just the initial first meeting.  You have four very anxious and I’m sure more than a more than a little dazed recruits to speak to and hopefully reassure that they made the tight choice,” Wendy answered.

 “I take it you showed them THE DVD,” Claire smiled.

 THE DVD referred to vignettes of some mission perils agents had filmed, opponents COIL faced and the use of some of the weapons DOOM and others used as well as some of COIL’s own.  By the end of it most recruits stunned beyond words, it was the job current agents to assure them of things; Claire had had her pep talk, now it was her turn to impart words of wisdom.  She took the file, scanned the names and pictures, handed it back then headed down the hall toward the suite the three agents she’d been assigned.   

 Three floors in the building were occupied by recruits one for each floor and year.  The suites were large and extremely well appointed just like high end luxury condos which in reality they were.  The other floors and certain sub floors in the basement were all COIL, to the outside world it masqueraded as a business that demanded high security to enter or exit.  The everyday work a world never paid it attention, just as most people pay little attention to things that do not concern them, those that did venture in, the curious or otherwise were turned away and made to feel the heat for it.

 Claire pushed the door bell and smiled as Sita Ruperjee opened the door and smiled as she finally recognized a familiar face from the morning even if it was the face she’d yelled at that morning.  Claire smiled and stepped inside and was quickly greeted by Maria Sanchez and Lana Duke, the final member of the trio. 

 Nice to meet you again.  Look this is the first time I’ve done this, so bear with me, mine was done in a group session, we can do that if you want, but other agents have told me one on one is the best, but I’ll leave it to each of you as to how we should proceed,” Claire said in a slightly nervous and distracted tone.

 “What do you mean first time, we heard that you were one of COIL’s best agents, doesn’t that mean you do it all the time,” Maria said her voice nervous and concerned.

“Yes that is true, we did hear that,” added Sita.

Claire could feel what little control or sway she had over the group given her position quickly evaporating before her eyes. 

 “Look, Look,” she said raising her hands to calm them.  “I don’t know about the top agent part, I do my best, just like all the others, just as you will do someday.  What I do know is don’t believe everything you hear from others unless you trust then completely, a little scepticism and paranoia is a required asset in this business.  Truthfully, this is my first time, why, there are many reasons, but you are the lucky first!”  Claire said as she spun away from them and into the spacious living room turning around to face them again after many steps.  “So having seen the video and I’m sure thoroughly thinking you just feel down some rabbit hole, you must have questions that I hope I can answer,” Claire smiled as she scanned the faces and decided to make a decision for them as they stilled seemed reluctant to talk as a group.

 “Or perhaps, their just reluctant to want to talk to me, well tough,” she thought.

 “I think its best we do this one on one, you’ll have plenty of time to talk to each other starting I’m sure right after I leave.  Lana, you’re first, your wing of the place will do just nicely, lead the way,” Claire offered/commanded.

 “Anything more, as long as you want to ask, no matter what?” Claire asked and watched Lana shake her head.

“Ok, then I just have a couple of things I’m going to mention, that, and please don’t take this the wrong way, that will be pointed out to you by some of your teachers.  First of all, dyed, bleached whatever you want to call it, blonde hair is not going to go over well.  Personally, that’s your choice, but as an agent, for the majority of your missions and the rather exclusive nature and locales, it does not present a sophisticated worldly look that you want to portray especially if trying to attract the attention of another.  Same goes for the nails, a little too long and a little to, I’ll be blunt, because I’m told I’m an expert at that, garish.  Please don’t be upset, you’re a very attractive young woman, even more so with just those two small changes.  Do that and you’re the whole package,” Claire explained.

 Lana smiled and seemed to take it will, Claire made a few other notes and handed them to her to keep then left the room found Sita and moved to her wing of the suite.

 “I think impressive would be an understatement Sita.  Accomplishment after accomplishment, but tell me was this done because you pushed yourself or because it came naturally and easy to you?” Claire asked, as she watched Sita blush a little.

 “I tend to like to accumulate things for the result.  To be totally honest I have never been truly pushed in my studies in any endeavour it seems to just come to me,” Sita answered looking a little embarrassed thinking she’d just blown her chance with that answer.

 “I think I can guarantee you’ll be pushed here, but I will tell you this, you take that attitude out into the field and you may be the best agent in the world, you’ll be dead inside a year.  There is no end to grasp when your and agent, no diploma at the end of each mission, or medal or whatever.  That comes during the mission, you focus on each moment, learn from that, apply that, then you’ll accumulate the real knowledge of what it takes to be a good agent.  Just do me a favour, if and when you find yourself not being pushed hard enough by your studies at COIL, demand to be, you have the making of a fine agent, how fine is up to you,” Claire said as she wrote out notes for Sita.

“These notes are for you to help you along, just a little, read them over and tell me if you understand them all,” Claire stated as she handed over the parchment.

 Sita scanned the notes over and looked up at Claire, her soft brown eyes held firm by Claire’s.

 “Yes, completely,” the trainee answered.

“Excellent, now last by not least Maria,” Claire said as she and Sita left the room.

“Now looking at me what can you tell me about myself,” Claire asked.

 “I’m not sure I totally understand, we just met, I barely know you,” Maria offered.

“Nonsense, you’ve been making value judgements about me since the moment we first met and for the last 25 minutes we’ve spent in your den.  You have quick eyes Maria, they dance about, I’ve watched them from the moment I came in.  You watched how I reacted to the others, how they did to me.  This is a vital and so very hard skill to teach a recruit, most only partially get it, you seem to already have it, go on give it a try,’ Claire smiled.

 Reassured by the words Maria Sanchez gathered her mind and organised her thoughts.

 “You don’t like to wear pants, by the way you’ve been pulling at them since we started taking, you can’t wait to be rid of them.  You have a very strong sense of duty, you don’t like doing this much, not because you don’t think we’re worth it, but I think because you’re afraid you’ll say something out of turn or not within the COIL boundaries.  I got that when you walked away from us in the hallway and into the living room at the start and your use of ‘many reasons’ as to why you’ve never spoke before, I get the impression you play your own game within the game, that works for you, but it might not work for others, and your terrified of imparting that on new impressionable minds,” Maria said.

 “You keep that up you’ll make an excellent agent, that was remarkable, I know agents who don’t have half of that talent,” Claire said as she made notes quickly for the trainee and handed them to her.

“I hope you can make out everything I wrote down,” Claire smiled.

“Yes, its all clear,” Maria answered and they left her den to join the others.

 “It was a pleasure meeting you all and I think we can call it a night, I get to sleep in tomorrow, but you three start a full day and a new life,” Claire offered then said her goodbyes and left.

 “Scare the crap out of them Claire,” Wendy quipped as Claire went into her office to say goodnight.

 “You never can tell,” Claire smiled.

 “I’m sure their in there right now tying bed sheets together to escape out the window.  That comment is precisely why I will never let you do this again, ever,” Wendy said in an equally smart assed tone.

“Promises, promises,” Claire muttered under her breath.  

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          

“LEG seems to be keeping you busy these days,” a voice in the darkness said as Paige Worthington dove and rolled removing her Walther PPK from her thigh holster in a seamless motion and pointing it at the voice.

 “Put the gun away Paige, although the motion was nice to watch, by the way your out of OJ, I drank the last.”

 “Bloody hell Claire, I could have killed you,” Paige said re holstering the gun and getting up.

 “You could have but then you would have had to clean up the mess or I might have been Eric and you could have killed him,” Claire added.

Paige switched on the light next to Claire and slapped her hard across the face.

“Some things are out of bounds, even to you,” Paige spat.

 “What LEG or Eric or both,” Claire smiled then grabbed Paige’s raised hand as it came towards her, tripped her to the floor and pinned her there only just barely as the powerhouse young agent strained to get free.

“Now you listen to me girl.  I don’t care that you and Eric are involved, he’s a great guy and you’re a great gal and you probably make a great couple, that is your affair and whatever the consequences that come from it.  But LEG is my concern!  I didn’t bring you into COIL, stick up for, introduce you to my mentor, have her train you and turn you into the top agent you are today so you could fuck COIL up the ass just because you have some crazy adrenaline junkie habit and LEG is your dealer.  You work for us, your loyalty is to COIL and if you can’t understand that you need to leave before you get a partner hurt or killed because you get so tired you make a mistake on a mission,” Claire threatened in a tone Paige had never heard before.

“That’s the pot calling to kettle black.  Little Miss daredevil gets herself torn apart on a mission, then all her friends have to come a bail her out!” Paige yelled and threw Claire off of her with malice.

 “The difference was I was working for COIL at the time and I never asked to be rescued, my loyalties are clear,” Claire retorted as she stood up.

 “So are mine, think whatever you like.  I came for you willingly and I stood in that woman’s office and took 2 hours of screaming because of it, as did Alex, a woman you never met before you recovered, she volunteered to go as well.  We were all willing to die for you Claire and still are, so don’t come in here telling me about loyalty, mine is to my friends, not some organisation, I thought we were of one mind on that, but I see times have changed,” Paige said in disgust as she looked at Claire. 

The two glared at each other for what seemed an eternity before Paige started up again.

Things changed for everyone on that mission Claire, you know that.  Sylvia and Nancy retired after it and seem to have found peace and happiness.  My god Aki Eto left the Poison Geisha and has founded her own Tea House near Sapporo and Alex and she, well I can’t begin to explain it.  Kiko is pregnant which a little girl and Lady Alice, lets not even go there!” Paige said.

“And you Paige, still running from the fat girl, is that why you went to LEG?” Claire asked then continued before Paige could reply.  “How many times am I going to have to say this, that Paige is gone, this is the Paige that always was, always will be,” Claire said softly.

“You never had to live with her for 18 years, I did.  I know its wrong, but I can’t escape it, I love this business, I can’t get enough of it.  I don’t ever want to be the best agent, I just love the life, if that makes me a drug addict, then so be it and FYI, LEG recruited me not the other way around,” Paige answered.

'Where does that leave you and Eric?” Claire asked.

“You just put the ball into touch!” Paige said signifying that line of questioning was out of bounds.  “There now that you know all my dirty little secrets, how you got them I don’t care you can run off and tell our boss, that’s what loyal agents do you know.”

“I’m sure they do, but I came here as a friend first last and always and I see I have similar thinking friend.  My concern, as you stated, is always for my friends.  We both know we’re expendable Paige, pretty grist girls for the mill, I just took longer to come to that conclusion our only difference is that I still want to think the best of COIL,”

They’ll use you up, spit you out and toss you away Claire, we both know that now, and they won’t think twice about it.  Sharon has my loyalty as a person, my life as a friend, but it ends there, COIL does not control me anymore and I don’t let myself be controlled by them,” Paige stated for the record.

“Your secret is safe with me and now I need to ask if you can find an alleged secret for me?” Claire asked.

“Only if you replace my OJ,” Paige smiled, Claire laughed and they embraced. 

“Remember what I said, stay hidden in the system, if things go wrong make it point to me, keep yourself out of it,” Claire stated for the umpteenth time as Paige’s fingers flashed across the keypad.

 “It’s your laptop, of course you’ll be blamed, but as I said before, it’s not going to come to that.  I know my way around, all that time as Sharon’s Admin. Do you think I just sat at my desk; I was in and out of this system and all around it.  When I found security breaches I reported them and was assigned to help fix them.  I took that opportunity to put a few better backdoors into system. Someone once told me to keep all my options open, remember?” Paige said as she glanced at Claire who smiled.

“How come you only follow certain things I say?” Claire snapped back in a happy voice.

 “Ok, here we go, wow this is deep in the system and firewalled to the hilt.  I need you to go away Claire, get some sleep in the spare bedroom, I work best alone on matters like this,” Paige said and Claire fighting sleep acquiesced. 

 A pillow bounced of her head and Claire came to full alert sitting up in bed gazing at a smiling Paige who held out a tea cup.

 “What was that for?” Claire said reaching for the cup.

 “Last time I tried to wake you with a touch of your shoulder I ended up on my ass half way across the floor, I have no desire to repeat that experience,” Paige said with a crinkle of a smile.

 “Anything?” Claire asked.

 “Plenty, come with me,” Paige answered.  “I printed it all out along with schematics and location’s you will need,” she added.

“They used the regular check up we all got as the means to get the DNA, our blood is the best way, it arouses no suspicion and can be stored well indefinitely so long as its cytogenetically kept, as this is,” Paige explained.

“Where is it stored within COIL?” Claire said not looking up from the mound of papers Paige had printed out and she was leafing through. 

 “Its not, it’s stored at a commercial facility, you know along with eggs and sperm and packages of fish fillets you find at Tesco’s,” Paige wryly answered and Claire suppressed a laugh. 

'Seems kind of strange they’d store something like that way from a more secure environment?” Claire mused.

“I think just the opposite, I mean why go to all the expense of setting up a place within COIL with all kinds of curious people,” she gave Claire a nudge.  “Asking questions, besides who ever breaks into one of these places, if indeed you could ever find one, discreet Claire, remember?” Paige explained. 

“So where’s the one I want?” Claire asked looking up.

 “That is really the question in so many ways isn’t it Claire, you want.  Did it ever occur to you that some agents may be in favour of this?”  Paige said.

“You?”  Claire stopped what she was doing and looked up.

“No, but maybe others.”

“Then once I have all the samples in my procession, if they so want they can volunteer to give another sample if they like, it’s their choice as you say, but it still has to be a choice.  This action just rebalances things,” Claire answered.

 “There are dead agents DNA in there as well, who speaks for them?” Paige mentioned quietly.

 Claire had considered this, they had no voice, and certainly no second chance, once the sample was destroyed.  It clearly involved playing God to a certain extent, but she had reasoned that once cloned the person would be raised to do nothing else but be an agent, trained and trained to do nothing else, they would not be the person they duplicated, that person made a free choice, this one had none, no she had decided they would be destroyed to. 

 “I guess I have to,” Claire finally answered.  “Now about the facility?”

 Paige explained everything, including how she’d hacked into the facilities computer from a hidden backdoor in the COIL mainframe she’d found. The young agent briefed her on how to remove the samples she wanted from the tanks and keep the ones of innocent people whom they were stored with. 

 “I can disable the alarm to get you inside then reset it after you leave, it’s all very simple, but there’s one thing that stands out about this whole thing.  That backdoor I found into the labs computer works both ways, that’s a huge security risk for COIL, I can’t see them ever allowing it which leads me to believe they knew nothing about it,” Paige said, worry in her voice.

“Feel so bad about destroying the samples now Paige?”  Claire asked.  “That just helps the case that many people at COIL are perhaps in the dark about this.  Look I find this whole thing hard to believe as well, but I must follow it through, even if that means I look like some kind of traitor in the end,  You however will deny everything regarding this do you understand Paige, this is on me, I’ve had a good run in the game, if it ends here, it ends, but you, you have it Paige to be a special agent when its all over and I won’t ruin that for you and I won’t let you ruin it either.  For my sake, please promise,” Claire asked.

 “If it was anyone else but you Claire, I promise, besides I want my OJ replaced.  Now let’s start planning this operation out,” Paige finished and they got down to business.

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *               

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen, it seems we encountered a situation last night, hence the special Alpha Alert call summoning you.  Our lab was penetrated and vials have gone missing, our work for many of these years has been by now I’m sure destroyed,” a stern looking main, very thin in a black business suit said as he sat down.

 “It then appears she has made good on her threat,” a woman in her mid forties answered from the far end of the table.

 “Lady Tara Ashton-White I take it you mean.  Yes we have all heard the rumours that she is still alive, but I repeat just rumours of her and her SNARE Organisation.  We still have no proof of that nor has there been a picture of her seen since elements of COIL captured her.  I need not remind you all it was five days out of that encampment she was held in, impenetrable jungle for five days, the woman was good but even she had her limited and she was hardly in the best condition when she escaped,” the first speaker answered.

 “Then where does that leave us, a cold trail?” a small round man who’s head barely can above the boardroom table asked.

 “No it leaves us back before we caught the lady in question and speculation from that point on to her capture, by reasoned speculation,” a sharp dressed and beautiful woman said from across the table directly from the little man.

 “Precisely and to enlighten the others, who did Lady Tara confide in and from there who did that person confide it, this is certainly a job that requires a multitude of skills, one agent would be hard pressed to put it off,” the thin man explained it a laboured tone as if he was explaining some basic problem to a class full of stupid children. 

 “How did all this happen, perhaps a more detailed explanation of the event might yield some answers,” a woman at the opposite end of the table said in a stern voice, clearly she was not cowed by her opposite number. 

He looked at her with grey eyes for a second then delivered the line item details.

 “If they got in through the backdoor in the COIL system it should be easy enough to trace their path,” yet another man stated.

“They covered themselves very well, as yet our people have not been able to find out who it was,” another answered with a little fear in his voice.

  “Then perhaps that is our starting point, computer skills and someone with a connection to Lady Tara and the audacity to try a mission like this knowing it could backfire on them and expose and ruin their career,” the beautiful woman said.

“The connection would be Claire Baxter, but she doesn’t have the requisite computer skills that we are aware of, those however can be learned,” the short round man said.

“I agree with the connection, it is the logical conclusion for several reasons.  Miss Baxter certainly rivals and in some opinions exceeds Lady Ashton-White in skills, if she was going to pass along the Intel it would be to an agent who had the chance to succeed and the daring to try. There is also the maverick defiant streak in Miss Baxter as there was in Lady Tara but Claire Baxter has one other asset Lady Tara did not, friends.  Her recent rescue would attest to that, a cadre of women one of whom has the skills possible for such a job,” the thin old man said.

 “Paige Worthington, funny another connection to Miss Baxter, who recruited her, yes loyalty, would certainly be high.  We must however not overlook the fact that Miss Baxter could have hired outside help, she is fantastically wealthy,” the woman at the far end of the table answered.

“I think we are then in conclusion that Miss Baxter is our prime suspect with the use of periphery assets. I think we should concentrate efforts on her and perhaps on those closest to her to draw this game to a conclusion before we are completely undone in this matter.  Immediately we need to obtain new DNA samples from all agents, I trust you will take care of that,” the man at the head of the table said looking toward the computer expert who had spoken early.

 “That is going to present a problem.  I hesitated to bring this up but right after the lab was broken into an Omega Six email was sent to all active COIL agents and retired ones as well as all recruits informing them of the theft, the reasons behind it.  I think we may have a hard time getting what we desire,” he said his voice stammering as he did.

“So we have been undone on two fronts as a consequence, but only on a tertiary level, our real purpose and intentions are still unknown, I am correct in assuming that I hope?” the thin man asked.

 “Yes,” came the voice from the computer man.

 “Well I value everyone’s input at this table, how should we proceed to restructure our plan,” he asked.

 “I think a change of management at the top end is needed at COIL, I have a few pliable candidates in mind who are in complete agreement with our objectives and can be trusted once in place.  A word in the ear of the right bureaucrats who slide them into place once the current head is well lets just use the word terminated with cause,” the beautiful woman smiled.

“I will leave those arrangements up to you.  About Claire and the others?” he asked.

 “For the right price we can procure all the resources we will need, should one fail, another takes its place.  COIL agents, especially these ones are good, but even they have limits,” the round little man answered with an evil smarmy grin.

 “They I think we are adjourned to set the wheels in motion,” he said.