espionage [h.s.]

THIRTY SEVEN

A.N. The comments & votes have been going down lately, so pls be an active reader as it can be a bit disheartening to spend hours writing a chapter and then not really getting much response. Also I need your guys' feedback to find out you're liking this story so far and the direction it's going in, or if I need to change some things!! So let me know

HARRY

I walk through the halls of the institute with a spring in my step and in a much better mood than usual, which I think is mostly to do with my morning activities with Rochelle, but obviously, I'm not going to let anyone know about that. For once, I'm actually feeling optimistic, and I'm actually quite excited to find out why Anton has called Louis and I for a meeting. However, as I stroll into the conference room, my good mood is short-lived and definitely not mutual, seeing as both Louis and Anton are sat at the glass table with unhappy expressions.

They both glance up when they hear the door swinging shut behind me. "Morning, Harry," Anton says as I pull out a chair and join them at the table.

"Morning," I reply, a little surprised at his greeting and still a bit confused about why the atmosphere is so tight. My eyes flit over to Louis in hopes for some kind of hint, but he doesn't meet my gaze, so instead I turn back to Anton at the head of the table. "What's going on?"

Cutting straight to the point, Anton looks up at me and says, "We've recently received some intel that a terrorist cell has reactivated after a few months. It was believed that they had been dismantled, but now it seems they were just laying low."

"Ok," I say, my eyes flitting between the two again. We deal with situations like this all the time, it's part of our job. To be quite honest, I don't really see what the big deal is about, and why they're both acting so strange and serious. "Are you going to send us out to collect some more intel on them then?"

"Yes, I am," Anton nods. "I'm sending a group of you out to survey the cell for a few days, to see how they operate and if they're planning anything."

I nod my head, thinking this all sounds like business as usual. "Alright. Are we going in the next few days?"

Anton looks like he was about to say something else, but he halts it to answer my question. "Yes. I was going to send you out tomorrow," he replies. "But Harry-"

"Which trainees were you thinking of sending out?" I ask him. "Because you'll need to give me the names so we can go inform them."

"Anton's chosen the trainees that expressed interest in counter-terrorism when they applied here," Louis says. "But Harry, I don't think you're really understanding the scope of this mission."

I shoot him a puzzled look. "What do you mean? We deal with terrorist groups all the time."

"Yes, we do," Anton agrees with a nod. "But what Louis and I are trying to say is that this mission may be a little.....delicate for you."