Call it What You Want

25 - Really Knows Me

September 2017

Taylor's POV

On the way into the office, I picked up lunch just in case anyone decided to ask questions. Shifting my take away bag into my left hand, I pressed my right palm against the cold biometric scanner. The bolt clicked, and I pushed the door open with my side. Our office in London looked like a regular business office. It was mostly meeting rooms and a few work stations. I rarely visited this office, but when I did it was usually to drop off reports or pick up supplies.

Finding James in the small office wasn't difficult. His voice carried through the hallways. I followed the sound of his voice to a meeting room and waited outside the door.

A few moments later he came out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He looked like he wanted to punch someone. My best guess was that Joe or Natalie were in the room, and they weren't telling him anything.

"Anything?" I asked to annoy him.

James shook his head no. "These two haven't said a word since we picked them up. They did not even talk to each other on the way over."

I shrugged. I'm not sure what the CIA expected two highly trained intelligence agents to do in this sort of situation. If you couldn't talk your way out of a situation, silence was always the best option. Stepping closer to James, I leaned in to ask a question. "Did Rebecca give you orders to interrogate?"

"Yes," he answered.

"You're going about this all wrong. Well I guess the agency is," I told him. "They're not going to answer any of your questions until you give them something solid to bargain with. That is priority number one: give them a reason to talk. You need to establish your leverage. Holding them in an office is not a sufficient reason to talk. Second, they don't know what we know or don't know about their involvement with the data breach right? We cannot reveal that to them in questioning otherwise this is over."

James looked like he was following my train of thought. I had to convince him that I was still on the CIA's side by feeding him some seemingly helpful but actually useless interrogation tips. James was a case manager who had been in operation on minor jobs for a few years. Nothing remotely close to international security breaches. Neither Natalie nor Joe would give him the answers he wanted under these circumstances. We all had been trained to withhold information even when being tortured.

"How about you go review their files again and see what personal information we can use to get them talking. Find your bargaining chip," I suggested.

"Okay, great idea Taylor. I'll run downstairs and grab the files," he told me, sounding all to eager about this lead.

"Before you go, what if I talk to each of them for a few minutes. You know, while you're grabbing the files. I have the best relationship with Joe out of anyone here. I can get him talking," I suggested. My involvement with Joe was the reason I wasn't supposed to be interrogating, but I thought I'd try this angle.

"Rebecca specifically told me not to let you in," James said.

"I'm sure she did," I grumbled. "It would only be a few minutes. No one has to know. I'll be in and out before anyone notices. I can even loop the video feeds if that makes you feel better. James, you trust me as an agent right? I get results. That doesn't always happen by following the rules," I persuaded. Even he had sent me into operations where obtaining information took priority over ethical standards.

I saw him give me an eye roll before reaching deep into his pocket to grab the key. With his arm outstretched he said, "if anyone catches you, I'll tell them that you stole the key from me. Got it?"

"Got it," I agreed. That would be a small price to pay.

As soon as I heard James enter the stairwell, I accessed the video feeds to loop some footage. Then, I pressed the key into a piece of soft wax to make a copy later in case I needed it. I didn't know who was in which room, so I chose the door closest to me.

"You're such a snake," Natalie snarled at me as I removed the key from the door. She sat behind a metal table with her ankle cuffed to a table leg that was bolted into the ground.

"Very original," I replied sarcastically. "That's also a nice way to say 'thanks Taylor for saving my daughter.'"

Natalie sat up straighter and gave a sideway glance to the camera.

"It's off. I'm not allowed in here, so you're fine," I told her.

She began firing off questions. "Is she okay? Where did you leave her? The CIA doesn't know about her right?"

"Chill Natalie, she is fine. I made you a promise," I told her.

She looked at me with skepticism.
"You think I would believe your word?"

Natalie had a point. So far, I hadn't proven to be trustworthy. "I took her to her Dad's after the CIA drove here. I know this all looks terrible now, but I have a plan. I don't have much time to explain. You must know that the CIA is only suspicious of your involvement. They still do not have any real evidence so don't give them any. We should all be out of here by next morning. Keep doing what you're doing."

Before she had time to ask questions, I left that room and entered the next. Like Natalie, Joe sat with his ankle cuffed to a metal table. He didn't even lift his head when I entered.

"Hey," I said.

His head lifted slightly at the familiar sound of my voice. "Are you okay?" I instinctively asked.

Joe kept his gaze fixed on the center of the table. "I don't know. Are we okay? You said no more lies."

I wished I had more time to explain myself but the longer I spent with him the closer I got to being caught. "Listen, we can talk about that later. I want to. I only have a few more minutes before someone realizes I'm in here with you. This is all part of my plan," I explained.

"I know. Thanks for the heads up by the way," Joe told me finally making eye contact.

"Thank goodness you understood!" I exclaimed excitedly. "I was worried you wouldn't or that my message would be too late." Right before my team got Joe and Natalie, I sent Joe a warning text. Joe and I came up with coded messages for emergencies like this. "Wait, when I looked at you leaving the garden, you looked pissed at me."

Joe chuckled. "Babe, sometimes you forget that I'm an actor. It was all a show for the people I assume are your bosses. I guess I did well."

"Wow, very good Mr. Alwyn," I praised him. "I really have to go, but I wanted to let you know I'm in talks with your agency to negotiate the deal we want. The CIA does not know even though I may have said I'm their representative. Hopefully, they won't find out until the terms a finalized. We'll be free of this mess soon enough."

"Sneaky, but I trust you to handle the situation," Joe commented after hearing my plan. "I knew I proposed to you for a reason. You make a damn fine rogue agent." He gave me a wink as I slipped out the door.