Second Mission-Skull in Control
Chapter 1
The music played, the guests schmoozed, young lovers danced, and the mood was festive. The 23rd Annual Summerdream Costume Ball was going splendidly.
Of course, it helped that their security guards made sure that only the invited guests got in.
The figure making her way up the stairs was not one of those invited guests.
When you have the connections that the SIA has, you can find yourself in all sorts of places where you’re not actually invited.
In her young career with the agency, Babs has played lots of roles, but her role on this mission was to be a distraction.
“My earring,” Barbara exclaimed, making sure she was within hearing range of the lone guard blocking off the hallway. Seeing that he wasn’t immediately responding, Babs turned to him channeling all sorts of feminine drama and looked on the verge of tears as she said, “It was my grandma’s…she…she left them to me when she…” and then she started sobbing as convincingly as possible.
“Might I be of assistance, ma’am?” the guard asked mere seconds later. Young Barbara Pleasant-Mithrilen is not a helpless damsel in distress. She is, however, a pretty young lady and a well-trained agent.
As the guard fell hook, line, and sinker for her ploy, her fellow agent slipped into the hallway.
The hallway had several rooms off of it, but Perstephanie knew exactly which one mattered.
Locked. Of course it would be locked. Reaching into one of the pockets hidden in the folds of her skirts, Steph pulled out what appeared to be a pistol handle with electric wires where the barrel should be. Inserting these wires into the key hole and pulling the trigger quickly undid the lock.
Perstephanie whirled into the room and quickly shut the door behind her. She had to move quickly. Babs is good, but she wouldn’t be able to buy too much time with the earring ruse.
Steph grabbed her thumbdrive, plugged it into the machine, and began scanning for the file she wanted.
Encryted. Of course it was. Fortunately, Perstephanie’s technical savvy is second to none. She’d broken through the encryption easily and had the file downloaded in under a minute.
She came walking out of the hallway even as Barbara was throwing lavish amounts of thanks on the guard and showering him with praise, which conveniently kept him looking away from the hallway.
“There you are, sis,” Perstephanie said, approaching them. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Babs replied, “I had lost one of Nanna’s earrings, but this handsome gentleman was my knight in shining armor.”
“It was nothing, ma’am,” he replied, seeming to blush a bit.
“Well, maybe you could find me after you finish your shift,” Barbara said, “and I can show my appreciation a bit more.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the guard said with a delighted smile, then returned to his post.
As the fictitious sisters set off for the staircase, Barbara leaned in and whispered to Perstephanie, “Did you get it?”
“But of course,” came the reply, “and are you going to head out now and ditch that poor schmuck you just promised a date?”
“But of course,” Babs replied. “After all, I can’t wait to get away from these freaks and their fairy costumes.”
“I’m not sure all of these are costumes,” Perstephanie said, a bit hesitantly.
“Aw, somebody still believes in fairy tales,” Barbara teased.
“I just think,” Perstephanie clarified, “that there are things in this world that the world as a whole prefers not to know.”
Barbara replied with, “You must mean things like where our tax dollars really go.”
Perstephanie just smiled and shook her head.
