Stuck

Chapter 3: "Speeding Cars"

Monday, September 14th, 2020 - 0545

5 days before the disappearance of Sybil Shaw

***

Sybil drummed her pen against the chrome-covered table top, watching the minute hand like a hawk. Tetsuya and Perenna—her team's scientist and mathematician—were already there. They sat at the unofficial tech-team table, hunched over an array of papers and chatting quietly with one another, leaving Sybil to her own thoughts. It was better that way. Sybil spoke seven languages fluently and could get by in roughly a dozen others, but their mathematical mumbo jumbo and scientific shoptalk was lost on her.

The door to the debriefing room opened, and the other half of her warrior team—Audrey and Khali—entered, followed closely by Varen. Together, all three silently made their way over to Sybil's table. The only noise they made as they sat down was the scraping of metal stools against linoleum. Sybil knew better than to attempt a conversation with these three this early. Varen wasn't typically loquacious, regardless of the time, and neither was Khali. Sybil could normally count on Audrey for chatting, but the wild-haired warrior was downright lethal before her morning coffee.

Sybil glanced back at the clock. Where was Ezra with the coffee?

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the door opened once more and her brother, Ezra Shaw, walked in, accompanied by the team's cultural preservationist, Astrid. Thankfully, they came bearing the much-needed coffee. Audrey, who's forehead was resting against the cool, chrome countertop, only grunted when the aroma reached her. It was Khali who fetched the coffee. She brought one back for her near-comatose girlfriend and the other for Sybil, who accepted it graciously. Neither Khali nor Varen drank coffee—a character trait that left Sybil dumbfounded.

From his table on the other side of the room, Ezra waved but didn't bother coming over. Sybil watched as he seemed to stutter and stumble over his words while talking to Astrid. Sybil made a mental note to keep an eye on that development. Audrey and Khali's relationship was one thing; Khali was the epitome of professionalism, while Audrey was at least capable of keeping her romantic life from interfering with her missions. Ezra, on the other hand, was an idiot. Astrid was the newest member of the team, having only been there for about a year. Reading people was essential in Sybil's position, but even after a year, she still knew very little about the quiet culture expert except that she liked to wear black and lots of it. Ezra, the team's historian, had little skill with anything and anyone not in one of his history books. If he had a thing for Astrid, it was sure to be a hilarious disaster.

The time was nearly 0600, and the door opened again for Dante, the team's engineer, as he rushed in.

"Vili and...Horatia are...coming up," he announced, clearly winded. Dante paused to slick back his overly-gelled, blond hair and tug at his crushed velvet, orange blazer before sitting with the others at the tech-table. Shortly thereafter, Vili appeared, holding the door open for Horatia to walk through.

Upon Horatia's entrance, all nine team members stood as she made her way to the podium at the front of the room. Vili closed the door, locking it from the inside, before making his way over to Sybil's table and taking his place next to her. He'd also brought coffee, the good kind from her favorite café, and she was cautiously surprised when he passed her a second cup. Happy to set aside what passed for coffee from the DFAC, she accepted the drink with curt head nod.

"You may be seated," Horatia announced, her refined, English accent cutting through the silence.

Together, all ten team members—complete with the arrival of the team supervisor—took their seats, moving as one. With a flip of a switch, Horatia activated the blackout coverings on all windows and turned off the lights. For a moment, the room plunged into darkness before the projector lights buzzed to life. Another switch activated the miniature lights fixed on each of the two tables.

Vili had momentarily abandoned his coffee to fetch the briefing packets from Horatia and pass them to everyone. With only two lights on each table, and stuck between Varen and Vili, Sybil had to share a light with one of them. While she'd prefer Varen, he was slightly wider than Vili, and she needed to be sure that she got everything this time; she wouldn't be able to rely on Varen to fill any informational gaps during the mission. Reluctantly, Sybil pushed her packet towards Vili's light and scooched her stool closer to his. She was glad when he conceded a bit of room for her. Still, their proximity to one another was unavoidable, and she flinched when his thigh brushed against hers. Instead of moving, Vili stayed put, forcing Sybil to angle her lower half away from him, until that proved to be too uncomfortable and moved back.

By the time Horatia had flipped on the podium's own miniature light, the projector was up and running.

"Agents, this is a very special occasion. Today marks the assignment of Agent Shaw's 100th mission. Please join me in congratulating her."

Ten sets of hands drummed against the table tops. When Vili stopped, he caught Sybil's eye and winked, his blue eyes reflecting the screen's light. Sybil's eyebrows knit together, and her head whipped forward.

What's his deal, lately?

"Thank you," Horatia continued. "Such a monumental mission for Agent Shaw, it's a shame it isn't more vital."

While most of her was shrouded in darkness due to the lit screen behind her, the miniature lamp on the podium showed enough of the Head Timekeeper's face for Sybil to catch a playful gleam in her superior's eyes and a twitch at the corner of her mouth. Between Horatia's comment and the sudden stillness of Vili beside her, Sybil felt her stomach turn, wondering if she'd missed anything in the extended mission packet she'd received on Friday.

Horatia continued on, and though Sybil knew her team was just as confused as she had been about the solo status of the mission, not one of them made a peep when it was mentioned.

Soon, the lights were flicked back on and tasks were dolled out. Alpha team was excused from physical training in favor of mission preparation.

Fully expecting to dive right in with her team, Sybil had almost made it down the hall when Vili poked his head out of the conference room and called out to her.

"Agent Shaw!" His voice, while low, carried easily down the hall.

Sybil turned. Varen—who had been walking beside her—stopped, as well. Vili glanced briefly at Sybil's second-in-command, then back at her.

"A moment, please?" He motioned for her return.

Sybil stared after him as he ducked back into the classroom. She turned to Varen, "I'll catch up with you all in the lab, 'kay?"

Varen nodded and disappeared around the corner without a word.

Sybil sighed, taking a moment to collect herself prior to a one-on-one with her supervisor; however, a one-on-one with Vili wasn't on the menu. No sooner had she'd re-entered the conference room, then Vili was directing her to follow him without explanation. Still, it didn't take long to figure out where they were going. Silently, they climbed the stairs that led to the top floor: Horatia's private workspace and family dwellings. It felt like eons since Sybil had last made this trek with Vili, only the time before was decidedly less quiet. Without the darkness to hide her, Sybil was thankful for the years of emotional-suppression training that kept her blush at bay. She shook the distant memory from her mind before it could take root.

As more time and floors were passed, however, Sybil found she couldn't help herself and risked a sideways glance at Vili, who—to her surprise—appeared to be doing the same, with the corner of his mouth twitching up in a way that reminded Sybil of Horatia. Sometimes, the resemblance between the two was uncanny.

Apples and trees...

When they reached the top, made their way through the corridor, and came to a stop in front of a large, wooden door—the entrance to Horatia's private office—Vili raised his hand to knock at the door, then lowered it. He turned to Sybil, staring hard at her, till she invariably shifted with unease. Vili smirked.

"Ready for the real briefing, then?"