Inferno

Chapter 2

2. Chapter 2

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Monday morning || OSP Mission Headquarters

Nell came walking in the front door of the old water reclamation building, acting as if today was no different than usual. She normally arrived at least two hours prior to any of the agents.

The first thing she usually did was to go up to Ops to start up the computers and get ready to have cyber control returned to them from the weekend crew.

Then she would start any programs that were needed to help the agents on the cases they were presently working. Or she would begin to look at the morning, and weekend news flashes, to see if there were any alerts or possible areas that needed to be looked into.

Finally, she would go back down the stairs and into the little kitchenette, to start the pot of coffee that she knew everyone would need to jump start their bodies, especially on a Monday morning.

But before she could get to the stairway leading to her inner sanctum, Hetty saw her and called out to her across the empty room.

"Ms. Jones, my office, please."

Nell knew that all her weekend deliberation had come down to this final moment. "Yes, Hetty," she said and turned to join the Operations Manager there.

Walking up the two steps that elevated Hetty's desk over the floor of the rest of the Mission, Nell stood before the older lady.

Please sit down, Ms. Jones. I've already poured you a cup of tea." Hetty indicated with her hand as well as her words.

As Nell sat in the chair opposite her boss, she wondered to herself, Why do I feel like a fat, juicy fly, being invited to land on the spider's web? The young analyst picked up the cup of tea and sipped it.

Chamomile again. Well, Hetty always knew exactly what was needed. And the answer she would give to the unasked question about this special mission, still filled her with apprehension.

Hetty just sat there, looking at her and sipping her tea.

Nell finally put her cup down on the saucer, grabbed both arms of the chair so tightly that her knuckles turned white and told Hetty. "I thought hard about this all weekend. There are so many reasons why I should turn this assignment down. But I have come to the conclusion that all my reasons are personal. And the assignment is not, at least, not for me. It is personal for all those girls that are being taken from their homeland and brought over here. They are the ones that are personally suffering pain and maybe death. Our job is to help them." The words came rushing out of the young woman's mouth, but they were completely sincere. Hetty could see that Nell was trying to contain a tear that threatened to escape the corner of her eye.

Hetty stared directly at Nell and asked, "I need to know for sure, Nell. This is your decision? You will take on this assignment?"

The pixie steeled her resolve and told her, "Yes, Hetty. I may not be able to complete it, but I will do it to the best of my ability."

Hetty got up and walked over to her. "That is one thing that I never doubted, my dear."

The old spy reached over and picked up an envelope from her desk and handed it to Nell. "You and Mr. Callen are booked into the Hollywood Hotel in East Hollywood for the next week. The two of you will have to work on your undercover personalities. If you both can work it out by Thursday evening, you will call me and Friday morning you will get the temporary tattoos as part of your makeup. The rest of the team will have no contact with the two of you until everything is in place to take the ring down."