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There was both danger and adventure in being a spy, especially one that was embedded in the field. There were also spells of extreme boredom, which was what Nadine was experiencing that day in the Fast Travel Department.
She tried not to let this boredom get to her, but every now and then, she would find herself sitting at her desk wishing she could be taking part in some sort of mission, even though she was already taking part in an operation.
Though she longed to be doing something else, Nadine was good at her job, and as soon as a stack of paperwork came to her desk regarding a group of S Visas for a squad of teleporter trainees from the Southern Alliance, she got to work.
It was hard to see all these innocent faces, to know that they, like most other exemplars with teleportation powers, Class Bs, would find government jobs spending eight hours a day handling teleportation needs, from goods to people.
Lisa Painstake, Nadine’s newest asset, was nothing like the teleporters.
It was a wonder that the Southern Alliance hadn’t picked up on the numerous ways they could exploit her power. Notorious for their exclusiveness and their vast wealth, the Southern Alliance’s actions were always unpredictable. They weren’t isolationists like the Northern Alliance, but if Centralia’s immigration process was hard to navigate through, the Southern Alliance was a maze with no end.
Always one to work her hardest, Nadine powered through lunch, deciding she would just eat at her desk.
Since Sarah wasn’t in the cubicle next to her, she decided to go all out and order something. Normally, this would have been a drawn-out process she would have somehow had to loop Sarah into, or Sarah would have made her feel guilty for not asking her if she wanted anything. That sort of thing.
But Nadine was solo today, and since she was solo, she mentally ordered a delivery of Eastern Province homestyle food. Thirty minutes later, a teleporter appeared with a bag of Nadine’s favorite: a large baked potato with stewed meat inside that had been covered in cheese and fermented spinach.
It was an hour or so later when she received the mental message from Roman, who was only a floor away but had decided to send a message instead.
Hey. Something came up and I need to cancel for tonight. I figured I’d let you know before you showed up and I wasn’t there. Kidding, I’m not bitter about it. Anyway, you owed me and now I owe you, so let’s settle this tomorrow evening. What do you say? It’s getting closer to the end of the week, so if there wasn’t something to celebrate before, there is now.
“Asshole,” she whispered, knowing exactly what it was he was trying to do. If Roman was busy tonight, then she could go ahead and move forward with her plans regarding Lisa Painstake.
We need to quit canceling on each other, she finally thought to him. So sure, tomorrow night. Let’s both try not to cancel this one.
Roman’s message came about a minute later. I promise. And believe me, I’m looking forward to it.
“I’ll bet you are,” Nadine said as she returned her focus to her work.
