Interior, KLeenaGirl [best authors to read .TXT] 📗

a word the whole time walking through HQ. I could see he was clearly impressed and overstrained by the new infoformation.
Suddenly, he glanced at me with a specific look in his eyes. I quickly caught what he wanted to know. As casually as possible I asked, ‘Anything new in the Beale case?’
David was about to answer, when I heard a voice. ‘Hey, I think I’ve found an important trace!’
Dave faced the man coming in. ‘What’s it, Julian?’
Julian didn’t answer. He simply stared at Sebastian. ‘What the - ?’, he breathed out. ‘You’re their son. You’re Sebastian Beale!’
David shot me the most malicious glance I had ever received from him. This was not good.
It was a disaster.
‘You’re sure about this?’ He asked Julian who simply nodded.
‘Alright, boy, you are Sebastian Beale, is that correct?’
‘Yes, Sir’, Sebastian answered truthfully.
‘So’, David went on, ‘I guess you didn’t know of ISO, either.’
‘No, Sir’, he said almost embarrassed, ‘I just want my parents back.’
Julian smiled. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll find them. Now that you’re here, may we ask you a few questions about them?’
‘Sure.’
‘Sit down’, David answered and Sebastian took a seat. ‘I’ll explain you all we know about their disappearance in a minute. Julian‘
‘I understand’, his co-worker replied.
Then David looked at me. ‘And the two of us, Miss Thompson, are going to pay a visit to Jack. Now!’
His voice didn’t sound upset, it was quite the opposite. It was calm and he only became louder at the last word. But to be honest, that intimidated me more than him being aggressive.
I turned and headed for Jack’s office. David had his hand on my shoulders as if making running away impossible. He pushed me through the corridor, never saying a word. I sensed his anger.
Still feeling sick, I braced myself for what was yet to come. This wasn’t going to be easy. I just hoped, Anderson wouldn’t kick me out. I needed ISO, this was my family. Yet I knew, it was my entire fault for being in this situation. I shouldn’t have let him following me, I shouldn’t have misspoken at Sebastian’s and perhaps I shouldn’t even have become friends with him in the first place.
Now Bastian’s parents were kidnapped and I had lied to my friends and my comrades. I felt miserable.
And even though, a small part of me was screaming in protest. I didn’t want my life watched all the time, I wanted to live like any other person. My thoughts were wrestling with each other. Was I selfish or just fed up with all these secrets? Had I the right to live normally or hadn’t I?
Without even knocking, David pressed Jack’s door open and pulled me in.
‘She’ – The fact he didn’t use my name hurt in a way indescribable – ‘knows this Beales’ son. She knows the whole family, she’s even best friends with that kid and she hasn’t mentioned them in any report.’ David was definitely losing it. His voice was quivering with fury and – concern?
‘Mr Taylor, calm down’, Mr Anderson said in a normal tone, though his body had tensed up, ‘I’ll talk to her. You’re dismissed.’
David remained silent and left.


Chapter 8


‘Sit down, Alexandra’, Jack said sucking air in. ‘Is it true what David has told me?’
I hung my head down in shame. ‘Yes.’
Jack breathed out. ‘Do you have any idea how irresponsible that was? Not to tell us about your connections to the Beales. You brought them in serious danger with your childish and ill-considered behaviour!’
‘Jack, I…’; I whispered trying to defend myself.
‘It’s ‘Sir’ for you, Alexandra!’ He stood up and bent over the desk to shout at me. ‘You’re so disappointing. I never imagined you’d be such a fool. There are rules, you have to follow. Why didn’t you?’
He straightened up again and walked around his desk. ‘Why didn’t you tell about your link to the Beales? Not even, after Mr and Mrs Beale had been kidnapped?’
I just couldn’t reply to his question. Right, why hadn’t I? Maybe it had been the fear or had I really been reckless? I bit my lip nervously and averted my gaze to the ground. True, I was ashamed.
‘You’re a great spy and I thought you also were a good person, but it seems like I have misjudged you. What the hell were you thinking, Alex?’
My mouth didn’t open. I was biting my lip so hard by now that I could feel a thin line of blood drawing out. Though, it didn’t hurt as much as my heart did. It was strangled by humiliation and shame. But there were two sides inside of me. One was deeply struck by my own misbehaviour and drowned in self-pity. The other side kept telling me to shrug it off, since my needs mattered in the issues, as well. It weren’t Jack’s right to flip out on me because of this.
The two minds’ fighting became more and more confusing and harder for me to decide which one was right.
‘As an member of ISO, it is your first priority to save the life of others, not to enjoy your own. So quit being so egoistic and answer me!’
That was it. I just snapped.
‘How dare you, Jack?’ I fired back. ‘I’ve worked for you for five years, five hard and dangerous years! I never disregarded the rules! All I wanted was a tiny bit of privacy, of life! I have no family, no real social network, but y’know what? I am a human-being! I need at least one thing that is personal. I’m not only a weapon you can lock away, when you don’t use it! And you know what I mean, Jack!’ I shut my mouth, hot tears burning in my eyes, though I refused to let them fall. I tried to hush my inner turmoil and closed my eyes. Oh, no. Now I was in real trouble.
‘Alex’, Jack said calmly and I opened my eyes to find him sitting behind his desk again. ‘I do admit that I’ve been a little bit too harsh to you, and I’m sorry, but –‘ he emphasized his protest clearly, ‘ – I don’t appreciate you being dishonest. For this one, I’ll let it pass. I understand your complaint, although you should know, you’re not the only one who has to reveal his private life. Everyone in here has to.’
‘Sir’, I stuttered, ‘I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to burst out like that. I just…well today hasn’t been a good day for me so far…and I was feeling sick earlier…’
‘Alex’, he interrupted me. ‘It’s okay, for now. I want you to do research on the Beale case and to include that son of theirs. But I don’t want a thing like that happen again, alright?’
‘Yes, Sir.’
‘When this is all done, I want you to talk with Eileen, since this wasn’t you’re first time where you were keyed up. Deal?’
‘Yes, Sir.’ I stood up and went for the door.
‘One thing though’, Mr Anderson added.
‘Sir?’
‘Call me Jack.’ He smiled and I nodded.
Wow, this had been too easy. Had I scared him? He normally knocked the stuffing out of people till no end, so this time he had a completely changed attitude. Or had it been pity? Did he really have some sympathy for my situation?
When I arrived in the Great Hall, Julian, David and Sebastian were already waiting for me.
‘Alex’, Julian said seriously, ‘I think you should take a look at this.’
‘What’s it?’ I asked, but didn’t receive an answer. David pulled his LCD-display around.
An e-mail was opened. It said:


Alexandra,

I really miss you. Why don’t you visit me?
Well, you should do that if you’re interested in
saving your little friend’s parents. And you are, aren’t you?
You probably ask yourself what I want.
I don’t want any money or any exemption time.
No, I want you, my little princess.

Daddy’s waiting for you


Sebastian looked at me shocked. I quickly went into my professional mode, even though my fingers were nervously playing at my pendant. ‘Any information about the sender yet? As where this was written and when?’
I sat down beside Julian. ‘Not much’, he answered. ‘The mail IP couldn’t be tracked down to an exact point, but it was in London.’
David spoke up. ‘Do you know any person who could stand behind this all?’
‘I…have no idea’, I finished honestly. I really hadn’t.
‘So this is not your real…?’Sebastian began.
‘No’, I said firmly, I had never told him anything about my family background. Actually, I didn’t know much about it myself.
‘Well, at least we know this one’s a sick psycho. Do we know anyone who fits in this schema?’ Julian asked around.
‘We do know a lot psychos’, I replied, ‘but all of them were flung into prison by us.’
‘It can’t be helped’, David sighed, ‘We have to do something. Julian, I want you to answer that mail. And try to include an IP persecutor, we must know where this damn freak sits. Alex, this is your mission. We’re gonna arrange a transfer. You’re alright with that?’
‘Sure’, I answered. I had made the mistake and I was going to correct it. ‘But I probably will need some support members.’
‘Of course’, Dave agreed, ‘Take as many as you’ll need. This is gonna be a though mission.’
‘Can I help, too?’ Sebastian chimed in looking at me carefully. He looked like a little child asking for a lollipop – I almost laughed.
‘Yeah’, I told him and his eyes lit up. ‘Come with me.’
The two of us headed towards the gym. I wanted to explain him a little bit more about ISO, since he had now seen it anyway. Besides, I really needed to talk to him in private.
Though, the word of that e-mail didn’t leave my head. I couldn’t imagine the person who had written this.
Daddy’s waiting for you. My real father has been dead for a long time, so it couldn’t be any relative of me. Hell, I didn’t even have a real family. Or was it just a sick, sadistic pervert?
I want you, my little princess. I shuddered.
Who was that person who obviously knew about my friendship to Bastian. Did I know him? Had I seen him? I recalled the memories of the last weeks. I never mentioned anything suspicious, but then again I had been too occupied with drowning in negativity.
I really miss you.
So, I had to know him or at least he knew me.
But…who the hell was he?


Chapter 9


When Sebastian I reached the gym, I first showed him the changing rooms. By now I had forgotten my worries and explained him how ISO worked.
‘So this is where we change. This is the boys’ room and over there is the girls’ room. Are you sure you want to help me with a mission?’
‘I am’, he answered confidently.
‘Sebastian’, I said, ‘this won’t be easy.’ Sighing I added, ‘I’m worried about you.’
‘Come on he joked I can do it and I want to help to!
‘Alright’, I replied. ‘Take these and then we’ll do some easy exercises. Sounds good?’
‘You’ll help me?’, Bastian looked at me as if searching for something in them.
‘Of course’, I smiled, ‘It’s my job. See you in a few minutes.’ I turned and went into the girls’ changing room. Having closed the door I kneeled down and opened my locker fetching a fresh top and shorts. It didn’t take me long to dress,