Operation Frozen Yoghurt

The task was simple: go to the server room, steal company secrets, check them, and give them to my MI6 brother outside. But was it easy? I had meant for my cover to make me likeable, and it did. Everyone in the office liked me enough that I couldn’t pass anyone without receiving a hello and small talk. Brilliant. Imagine needing to smile all day and pretend you have a life. Abysmal.

Dave was on the phone. So was half of everyone else. The cream wallpaper made the employees in black suits stick out like enemy pieces on the chessboard. They were all pawns. I was the white bishop making mysterious cuts across the territory without anyone knowing what I had in mind. Ambrose would text me when he took care of the security cameras. Meanwhile, I conversed with someone in Mandarin about which software was best for running multiple gaming applications. Also fun.

My pocket buzzed. I wrapped up the phone call. Operation Chameleon is go.

I smirked. Roger

And try not to get fired before you get caught.

I narrowed my eyes. You are buying the frozen yoghurt after this

I'll think about it.

Ames

Fine.

“Ha, ha.” I cleared my throat and walked down the corridor.

“Hey, Jerry!”

I stopped in my tracks. Great. The boss. What did he want?

“Hm?” I turned on my heel. “Mr Akerson. Hello.” He put way too much conditioner in his hair.

“The call with Bejing. Did you close the deal?”

The deal? “Yes. The deal with Bejing. He went with the premium package. I convinced him it was the best for his small business since it would take off in no time.”

“Ha! That’s my guy.” He punched me a little too hard in the shoulder.

“Yes. I’m your guy.” I simpered. I managed to pry myself from the situation with a quip about a well-deserved lunch break. As soon as I did, my pocket buzzed again. Fitz, mind the time, please.

Shut up. I’m almost at the server

The server room was one left and then a right away. My objective: to save some intelligence assets. I quirked my lips as I strode down the carpeted hallway. The saying should’ve been two lefts make a right. I used the keycard I forged using the IT’s real one. It worked. I kept clenching and unclenching my left hand as the data downloaded onto the memory stick. “Come on. Why does it take so long for 99 per cent to bump on more integer up?” I got it. “Whew.” My lungs stopped working as soon as the door opened, and I hid behind a sever. All I heard was a bunch of wet sounds and moaning. When I looked, it was Gina and Karl frenching. I rolled my eyes and snuck by with no problem. I texted Ambrose as soon as I cleared the hall. On my way, I picked up a water bottle and a granola bar. He brought the cameras up again. I was never so glad to get away. Romantic situations were not my area.

A few minutes in the restroom gave me enough time to check that I’d gotten the correct information. Yep. Akerserson Tech was a front for a black market merchant who sold stolen international state secrets. Well, the data was there. I made my exit. I huffed as I recalled the look my colleague gave me. I got out through the stairwell around the corner. My feet skipped down the steps so fast I might've tripped with one false move. Sure enough, Ambrose was waiting outside with impeccable posture, a hand in his pocket, and a cigarette resting loosely between his middle and index fingers.

“I didn’t know you smoked.” I coughed and swatted the grey spirals floating in the air.

“I don’t. It’s a cover. Also, I’m not inhaling the smoke. I don’t intend to damage my lungs to blend in more than I need to.” He gave a condescending smile.

“Thought so.” I clicked my tongue.

“How’d it go? Did you get it?” He chucked the cigarette in the trash.

“Yes. You know I did.” I handed him the flash drive.

“You checked the contents?” He turned it over in his fingers.

“In the loos. Took a while.”

“Well?” He tilted his chin up.

“All the information to capture Kasim is there.”

“Good.”

“And Harris thinks there’s something wrong with my bladder.”

Ambrose snorted. “Why on earth would he think that?”

“Well, I had to keep off suspicion, so I poured a big water bottle into the toilet as I checked it on the phone.”

Ambrose chuckled.

“Granola bar?” I took a bite and held it out.

“No. Thank you. You need to get fired first. Then we can go out to celebrate before catching the next flight back to London.”

“All right, then. Have the car up front?” He furrowed his brow as I passed him the granola bar.

“Yes. Will do.”

I went for the stairs again, out of breath midway but better in a few seconds. Another job well done. All left was missing a few client calls, and then I’d get to go home. I didn’t know whether two wrongs made a right or if two lefts made a right, but saving the world and eating frozen yoghurt turned out not too bad for a day’s work. Not too bad at all.