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'Target located,' Agent Sofia whispered into the special watch around her wrist (which may or may not have been a toy intended for eight year olds). 'I am now approaching the target with utmost professional caution. Target has not yet noticed me, for I am stealthy yet quick, and melt into the shadows like dark butter.'
She tiptoed towards the door and stood with her back to the wall. She peered around the doorframe. Then she saw it: a tall and perfectly rounded bush of tightly-curled black hair, which was clearly visible above the back of a sofa, and appeared to be watching television.
Then a telephone rang. The bush of hair turned, revealing a face, which gasped as it saw Agent Sofia, who hadn't been quick enough to hide herself again. The owner of the tall and perfectly round hair got up out of the sofa and looked around madly for a way out.
Sofia now began to approach her, inching forward, assuming a fighting stance, ready for combat. She attempted a kick. Her target ducked with a yelp, and Sofia's foot impacted with the afro, making noise like someone treading on a thin layer of leaves. The girl then made successfully for the door.
'The target named Snails has escaped!' Sofia shouted into her watch. 'I shall pursue her at once!'
Snails ran determinedly through rooms and down short corridors, her hair brushing against the various doorframes. Sofia was never far behind. It wasn't long before they were out of the building and sprinting down the street.
'Back-up!' cried Sofia, breathlessly. 'I require back-up immediately!'
Early-morning people watched them with mild amusement, forgetting about them as soon as they were out of sight. Those in the way only caught a glimpse of the approaching hair before they were pushed over or knocked aside.
The street continued straight ahead, and all that mattered now to Snails was that she made her way down it. But when she reached an intersection, she noticed two more people from the roads on either side running towards her. She began to panic. With all her will, she urged the world around her to slow down so that she could get away. She felt herself become dissociated with it, with time itself. She broke free from its boundaries...
...and the world sped up.
After a minute or two, the agents caught up. Sofia was almost bent double, her hands on her knees, trying to get her breath back. 'You'd think she'd know by now that it doesn't work,' she managed.
Snails was currently in mid-air, in that stage of running where both feet have left the ground. She appeared to be advancing in extremely slow motion, her body moving forwards mere millimetres every second.
'Give her a minute,' said Sofia. 'She'll be back with us shortly.'
* * *
Holly felt something nudge her. She groaned, and it continued to nudge. She opened her eyes, and saw a black-shoed foot, which evidently wanted her to get up. Her left arm, which she had been leaning on for the past few hours, ached. With some effort, she dragged herself up to a standing position.
'Which company do you work for?' asked Garner. 'And who owns it?'
'Impassionate Deliveries,' said Holly, her voice hardly present. 'The manager is Eu Sou.'
'Can't say I've heard of either of them,' said Garner.
'It's only a small company. But that makes it more personal, and customers value that.'
'Hm. A small company...' he said, thinking aloud. 'More likely that it's directly involved, then. An owner of a small company would appreciate a little bit of extra cash for aiding someone in their dirty work.'
Holly's eyes widened.
'I have decided I am going to let you go,' Garner said, bringing his thoughts back to her. 'However, I have a little job for you. You must find out as much as you can about this Eu Sou and his company you are so...loyal to.' He smirked, and Holly hated him. 'You are to look for evidence of any dirty dealings, listen into conversations, gather as much information as you can. They will not suspect a thing.'
'You want me to spy,? I can't do that!'
'You are to report to me at eight PM every evening,' said Garner. 'If I find that you have prematurely revealed our suspicions to Mr Sou, I will have reason to suspect that you are involved. Things will not go well for you if this happens.'
'But-'
'You begin today, going to work, as far as they are aware, as normal.'
A rectangle of light appeared as a door was opened. Holly had to shield her eyes. Her scooter was dropped from its bounds without care, and they were both escorted out of the building.
* * *
'I haven't done anything wrong!' moaned Snails. 'Leave me be!'
'Tell me,' said Agent SOfia, standing before her with her hands behind her back, 'what kind of person who's done nothing wrong attempts to escape when all we want is to have a little chat?'
Snails frowned, not saying anything to this. She was bound to a metallic chair, with a small, equally metallic table in between her and the agent, specifically there for Sofia to thump with her fist when she grew impatient.
Sofia gripped the sides of the table and leaned forward. 'You have some very special abilities, Snails.'
'I wish you wouldn't call me that,' said Snails. 'It's so unnecessarily derogatory.'
'And your hair is so unnecessarily theatrical!'shouted Sofia, thumping the table.
'How dare you!' screamed Snails.
'I have questions, Snails!' Thump. 'And I want answers'--thump--'to these questions! And if I don't find your answers adequate'--thump--'my final question will be in the form of a FIST!' This time the table received a generous dent.
Snails sulked.
'Now... how did you obtain your unnatural abilities?'
'I was born with them and they were revealed to me on my sixteenth birthday,' sneered Snails.
'LIAR!' screamed Mynona. This last thump threatened to break the table in two. 'The Facility has something to do with it! Tell me what!'
It was at that moment that the door opened and Agent Avgi, wearing her white labcoat and a frighteningly pleasant expression, entered the room with her hands behind her back.
'Is everything alright, Agent Sofia?'
'She knows but she's not telling,' said Sofia, glaring at the captive.
'I see,' said Avgi. 'I also see you've almost made your way through another table. That'll be the fifth one this month. This is really going to have to start coming out of your pay. Tables are expensive.'
Sofia just shrugged.
'Speaking of necessary purchases,' continued the agent, 'I went to the shops today and bought myself a little treat.'
'Oh? What was it?'
Avgi's hands appeared from behind her back, clutching a large, mechanical monstrosity which was irrefutably... 'A chainsaw.'
* * *
The city's sky was pale and bright. Holly was tired, sore and unhappy, and found herself shielding her eyes from the daylight, having become so accustomed to the darkness.
She looked back at the police building. It was a tall, dominant building of glass and metal, the white sky reflecting off its surface. It was ironic, thought Holly, that such a proud structure was home to such shifty characters.
Garner reappeared, standing behind one of the lower windows, his eyes fixed on the delivery girl. He suddenly shot upwards, cruising towards a higher floor before disappearing once again. Holly knew it was just an elevator, but she still found it creepy.
Sighing, she turned in the direction she now had to travel. She climbed onto her scooter and rode off.
* * *
The chainsaw cut through the curvilineal curliness at an angle, and a large portion of it tumbled to the floor.
Snails hadn't stopped screaming since the chain had started to move, and Agent Sofia thought that Avgi was having altogether too much fun.
'READY TO TALK?' shouted Avgi over the noise of the engine.
Snails tried to catch her breath, having had it stolen away by utter shock. 'NEVER!' she choked. 'YOU CAN TAKE MY HAIR, BUT YOU WILL NEVER TAKE MY DIGNITY!'
'I DISAGREE,' said Avgi. 'ONCE MY TOPIARY WORK IS COMPLETE, YOU WILL LOOK EXCEEDINGLY COMICAL!'
Snails let out a long, painful wail. 'YOU JUST PICK ON ME BECAUSE I'M DIFFERENT!'
The chainsaw hovered mere inches from her remainding hair. 'Talk to us, Snails,' said Avgi. 'Make it easier for all of us.'
'No!'
The chainsaw passed through with ease, and another chunk departed forever.
'He said I couldn't tell anyone!' cried Snails.
The chainsaw paused on its return journey.
Snails began to sob. 'He said he'd use me as a lightning rod if I did!'
* * *
The scooter came to a stop outside a small, brick building inconspicuously tucked away amongst a lot of other small, brick buildings, but revealed as Holly's workplace by the lopsided sign, 'IMPASSIONATE DELIVERIES'. She climbed off her scooter and walked up to the unlocked door.
This was it. She would be spying on a great, great man, one whom she admired and adored, for a man she truly loathed. She pushed open the door...
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