Newly recruited Agent Scarlett Pierce was a determined woman - just waiting for the chance to take on her first true mission. She had worked alongside sexist men for almost a year now, wanting only to be considered an equal.
And as America turns up...
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"THESE ARE THE PROTESTORS," her boss, Chris, told them, pointing angrily at the projection screen behind him with his finger. Chris shook his head, his face turning a light pink. "They are violent, they are ruthless. How many law enforcement officers have died at the hands of these monsters?"
The screen showcased a picture of a crowd, signs held high in their hands. Black Lives Matter. Justice For George Floyd. I Can't Breathe. F12. ACAB. The image made her shiver.
The next few minutes of the meeting was spent with Chris flipping the slides, showing all of the Agents the pure chaos that had sparked in cities across America. Stores were being looted and burned down to their foundations. Innocent protestors were being hit, pepper sprayed and arrested for speaking out loud. People running in the empty streets as the cops chased after them.
Scarlett found herself conflicted. What side was the woman supposed to take? But she had already known the answer from the beginning — siding with the government was the only way to not lose her job, no matter how much she wanted to protest and fight for her rights.
"They have ransacked businesses, robbed countless homes in peaceful neighborhoods and attacked the police men trying to protect them," Chris informed them, pacing around the front of the room. Sweat trickled down his forehead, the suit area around his armpits wet. Scarlett scrunched her nose, disgusted at the sight. "And yet they continue to call themselves protestors. Protestors? No. More like criminals."
Men around the room nodded their heads in agreement, and the woman found herself following their actions. Not that she agreed, anyway.
"Sir," William interjected, "what do you expect us to do about these protestors?"
"Good question, Agent. I expect you to stop them."
Hands popped up around the dark room, endless questions being asked. How will we stop them, sir? How will we know that we won't die? Are we being sent in groups or alone, sir?
Chris raised his hand, quieting everyone effectively. "None of you will be on the front lines. We can not afford to lose more Agents. Your job will be to identify and track down the protestors both on social media platforms and in person. If any of you are to go into the crowds, you will be required to wear either white wristbands or wraps around your arms to alert the police to not shoot you. I will assign groups of three. Stay with your group."
Her boss pulled a box out from under the table, throwing wraps and wristbands to each Agent. When it got to her, he didn't throw one.
"Sir," Scarlett called out, raising her hand. "I didn't receive one of your wristbands."
"Scarlett, dear, you are not qualified to go out into the field," Chris told her with a smirk, quiet laughs erupting from the men around her. "We send our strongest and most trained Agents out there, not our personal assistant. I assure you in maybe five to ten years, you will be ready to take on a task of this caliber."
"I am more than ready, sir," Scarlett fought back, a blush coming up on her face in pure embarrassment. "I have been trained by the most qualified men in this building and passed all of my tests first try. I've taken down countless criminals and proved—"
"Quiet," Chris interrupted her, his eyebrows raised. "Go make a cup of coffee for me, sweetheart. Don't be such a trouble."
The woman got up from her chair, quickly exiting the conference room. She made her way to the kitchen, swallowing down the confidence she had once had a minute ago. She could easily lose her job having outbursts like that — which would leave her broke.
Scarlett masked her emotions, pulling a cup out of the counter and putting it underneath the coffee maker. She pressed a couple of buttons, watching as it sputtered out into the mug.
How long would her life have to be like this before they realized she was ready?
•••
The next week had been hell. While her other colleagues had been sent out on their assignments, Scarlett was stuck at her desk — a huge pile of paperwork in front of her. The woman spent her days reading through and stamping them, knowing that eventually they would have to be sorted in alphabetical order to go into the Archives. During her breaks, the men around her sent her on errands.
America was burning down — and she was running errands and signing papers. It made her beyond angry to know that if she was a man, she would be out with them. She would've already gone on her first mission, she would've already gained respect from the other Agents.
The only upside of this situationwas that Scarlett was a very good eavesdropper. She knew secrets about every single one of the Agents. Chris was cheating on his wife with a woman he had met at a strip club. William liked to watch romance movies. According to one of the men who had seen Peter naked in the dressing room, Peter had nothing to show. There was so much more she could name.
There was also a downside to eavesdropping. While men in her building talked of their lives, they talked of ongoing events that Scarlett had already heard of. Businesses being burned, cops being killed, protesters being arrested.
The newest topic she had heard of? Some international hacking group. Rumors were going around that they were going to make a comeback. The woman didn't believe it at first, as she hadn't even heard of them before. Why help the world and then proceed to disappear for years? It didn't make sense.
For days she had wondered if they would — and they did.
"Officers who kill people and commit other crimes need to be held accountable just like the rest of us. Otherwise, they will believe that they have a license to do whatever they want. You will claim that this is the work of a 'few bad apples', but what of the officers who stand by and do nothing while they commit offenses against the people that they encounter?"
And despite this comeback of a hacker group that posed a huge threat to their government, the paperwork load on Scarlett only grew.
"Agent Pierce, I need to see you in my office," Chris told her, looming over her as she sat reading a packet of paper.
She only nodded her head, following him through the building.
"Take a seat, Scarlett." It wasn't a request. It was a demand.
She didn't say anything in response, and sat down with no questions. A sense of worry came across her. Was she going to be fired?
"Why— why do you request my presence, sir?" Scarlett asked, biting her lip. "Am I being fired?"
Chris didn't answer her question, and instead leaned forward so they were face to face. She gulped. "You've heard of Anonymous, have you not?" The man asked her, raising an eyebrow in question.
"I— I have, sir."
"Good. I have a job for you."
She almost sighed. More paperwork?
He slapped down a folder in front of the woman, sliding it forward. Her lips parted in shock. "Your first mission," Chris explained. "Don't screw this up."
