Riley woke up the next morning with high spirits. Initially she did not want to go to the office that day and wanted to call in sick, but when she remembered the mission she rushed there.
"Good morning, Mrs Miller," she greeted as she entered Mrs Miller's office. "I've gone through the file you gave me yesterday. I also did some research on the job. It has only bad reviews, but people still apply…"
Mrs Miller (probably still angry about the previous day's incompetence) gave her a blank, bored stare and only spoke after Riley paused.
"Can I have the file back?"
Riley handed it to her.
"You can go and start packing your things from your desk. Remember, you're starting a new job tomorrow. D.S Henderson and the Authorizing Officer, Zachary, are going to have a meeting with you by 12 noon. Come on time, will you?"
"Ok ma'am, I'll make sure to be there."
Mrs Miller slightly rolled her eyes as Riley left and sighed.
---
Riley was more than happy to leave this toxic environment. She joyfully packed her things while envisioning her co-workers' faces when she came back from the undercover mission and landed another promotion.
"Finally realised you have no place here, or were you fired?"
An annoying voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
Her haters had shown their faces, and as she packed her belongings they didn't waste time taunting her.
"She was fired, obviously. Pride comes before a fall. She thought she was better than us, but now look at her."
They all laughed at her.
Riley so wanted to brag about the mission, but that would only cause more hate. They could make all the jests they wanted, but when she came back she'd be the one laughing.
Bit by bit she cleared all her items out of the office and packed the boxes outside. She had already called a moving van to help pick them up. It seemed over-exaggerated, but with the kind of co-workers she had, her boxes wouldn't be safe outside.
As she waited for the van, some colleagues passed. She had expected them to mock her or make fun of her, but instead they asked whether she needed help with the boxes and offered a hand.
Riley was shocked.
She had really thought everyone in the office hated her.
After putting her things in the van, she went back into the building. She was already ten minutes late for her meeting with her bosses.
---
Minutes before the commencement of the meeting, the D.S. was already seated alongside Mrs Miller. They seemed to be discussing a very important issue.
"I hope we're not making any mistake in choosing this lady for the mission, Mrs Miller. Our jobs are on the line here," the D.S. said.
"The lady is very competent. The stats don't lie. She got to grade 7 in the space of five years. Now that's… exceptional," Mrs Miller responded.
"I know, but you could've recommended an actual police officer for this job. Instead you chose a civilian specialist."
"We needed a tech-inclined individual, sir. Someone who can spot digital traces and act as a solid witness. Surprisingly, it fell on her. A civilian specialist."
"With the way you speak, I feel like you're showing favouritism to this girl."
"Pardon me, sir, but I'm not favouring anyone. She met the description and she got the job. I feel you don't want this lady to do this because she's female, and females don't usually go undercover."
"There's much more to consider besides that…"
"Is she smart? Yes. Tech-inclined? Yes. Capable? Yes. There's nothing else to consider, sir. She's the person for the job. Besides, we've already started the process."
The door opened before anyone else could say anything.
"Are we interrupting something?" Mr Zachary, the AO, said as he walked in, Riley trailing behind him.
"Not at all," the D.S. said, shaking hands with Mr Zachary. "Please sit."
Riley gave a small greeting to everyone in the room and sat down.
"Since we're all here, let's start the meeting," Mr Zachary said.
---
Nathaniel looked at the documents before him. His assistant had done a great job summarising the list containing all the buyers of the old versions of tech devices they had sold.
Now came the hardest part. Reviewing them.
He really didn't have time for all this. He could've easily paid someone to do the job for him, but this was very important. He needed to do this himself.
He picked up the first paper and scanned through it.
Nothing odd.
The first batch of these products had been sold personally by him. The company was just starting then.
He picked up the next one and recorded the numbers of some customers he was not familiar with.
"This is going to take a while."
---
"Miss Knox, immediately I sign these papers you'll no longer be a civilian specialist but a Confidential Human Intelligence Source (CHIS)," Mr Zachary said, pen in his hand and the document beneath it.
Riley turned to Mrs Miller, and when Mrs Miller gave a nod, she nodded too.
Mr Zachary scribbled his signature down and passed the papers to the D.S., who also signed. Mrs Miller signed as the witness and handed the paper to Riley.
"You don't have to read it now. We have a limited time frame. There is a second copy which you can take home," Mrs Miller interrupted when she saw Riley reading the contents of the document.
Riley nodded and signed the paper.
"Congratulations on the job, Miss Knox. Please be careful on this mission. And don't engage in any physical violence. Remember, you're just confirming a connection," the D.S. spoke.
"You'll start your new work as a waitress in a restaurant called The Verdant Plate tomorrow. Remember to constantly check the website I forwarded to you and go through the details of the résumé we created. When you see a job opportunity on the website I gave you, apply," Mrs Miller continued.
"And don't communicate through normal phone calls. I'm sure the both of you have already mapped out a means of communication," Mr Zachary said.
The duo in question nodded.
"Then it's settled. Don't fail us, Miss Knox."
---
Nathaniel gave a silent yawn before checking the time on his wristwatch. It was thirty minutes to midnight.
He might as well sleep in his office. It was a good thing he had a mini apartment there.
With sleepy eyes, Nathaniel went through the next list of buyers. The list seemed endless, but he paused when he came across a name.
Amell D'Oro.
His grandfather?
But when did he…
Then he remembered. His grandfather had bought a lot of gadgets to donate to upcoming universities in Italy.
How had he been so naïve to let his grandfather lay hands on company goods?
Even if it was legally bought, he knew his grandfather always had evil intentions.
No wonder the D.S. visited his company.
He wanted to overlook it since it was only laptops that were bought, but why did he keep having the feeling that his grandfather was behind all this?
---
Mrs Miller took a long sniff of the evening air.
Today was an amazing day. Even the smell of the street could testify to it.
Mrs Miller smiled all the way home and even sang along to her favourite band on the way.
"How was your day, honey?" her husband greeted her with a kiss.
Mrs Miller took a glance at Riley's termination letter in her bag before responding.
"It was great!"