Our Friends Among Enemies

The Agent wiped the sweat off his brow and adjusted his attire as he exited the vehicle. He checked his watch and saw he was an hour early as planned. Extending the handle on his suitcase, he strolled towards the train station. The Agent cleared the checkpoint on his side and headed to the second floor, where he found a nice spot with a vantage point over the entire place. Much of the train station were shut down except for the two-story central terminal, where trains bound towards the east and west converged. He could see processing checkpoints flanking the sides of the ground floor, and a vast crowd lined at one in contrast to the other.

Security was tight at the checkpoints but not in the central platform, a neutral zone which technically did not belong to either side. Passengers dotted everywhere in the terminal, most hung anxious looks on their faces. The Agent unwrapped a sandwich he bought from the cafeteria, took a bite and looked around for others like him. Some were not hard to spot; they had no luggage, wore a wide coat and tried really hard to convince others they were busy reading their newspaper. Always a newspaper.

The Agent knew these were probably the support staff, new agents or goons capable of running and shooting in the direction they were told. The Agent clocked seven of them, which meant at least one other professional was somewhere in the terminal. Those were almost impossible to spot but he decided to try anyway, even pros slip up every now and then.

It was not standard procedure for the Agent to extract his contact, a blown source was simply discarded. The seemingly heartless protocol was a necessity to avoid being fed bad intelligence or worse. The Agent was forced to make an exception after his source left an urgent note on the last drop about a mole within his organization. The source claimed to have documents to prove it but was concerned he had been discovered. He adamantly refused to provide further details without meeting the Agent in person.

The Agent finished the last of his sandwich and checked his watch, it was almost time for the meet. He gathered his things and made his way towards the meeting location. By sheer luck, he caught a glimpse of a familiar face, someone he knew to be one of the most effective operative among his enemies. The Agent smiled to himself, they sent their best for him, a good sign this was not a waste of time. 

As he approached the meet, the Agent spied a slender figure walking towards the giant clock face in the middle of the platform. She removed her black fedora to unfurl a gorgeous set of wavy blonde hair and dropped the hat on the floor. A lascivious smile appeared on the Agent’s face as he quickened his steps towards her. 

“You are not what I expected.” The Agent said, in the straightest tone he could muster.

The Defector studied the Agent for a moment, “And you are exactly what I expected.” She teased. “And you came alone.”

“A gesture of goodwill. I figure a bunch of us would look like we were about to abduct you.” The Agent joked before directing her towards an empty bench where they took their seats.

The Defector took a deep breath and looked around the terminal with nostalgia. She reminisce how she used to visit the station with her father every weekend when she was a little girl. Her father was an architect who would expound on the station’s design features and history, a resplendent example of Beaux-Arts architecture. It was the busiest train station in the whole country, packed with not only passengers but tourists and visitors who came to simply admire the place. The Defector’s face then turn dour when she discussed its current state as a military checkpoint for a divided city, a sad reflection of its former glory.

The Agent tried to break the deep silence that followed, “Maybe this place will see better days ahead.”

The Defector flashed a look of gratitude at his attempt, “Sorry for indulging me, let’s get to why you are here.”

The Agent nodded and rolled over his suitcase to her. She opened it to spot a passport, a few wads of cash, a single ticket for the west bound train and a pile of neatly folded clothes at the bottom. She retrieve a piece of the clothing and extended it, it was a men’s shirt. She shot a look of amusement at the Agent.

The Agent gave an awkward chuckle, “Sorry, you might need to buy new clothes when you are there. But everything else as promised is there, a new identity and a little cash to get you settled.”

“Just one ticket? You’re not coming?” The Defector asked.

“There are some things I need to take care of first, it’ll buy you some time. My people will be waiting for you when you alight.” The Agent said as he adjusted his coat, the Defector caught a brief glint of metal as he did so. “You know you did good work for us and who knows, we might even offer you a job.”

The Defector smiled, “I have a job.”

“Had one you mean.”

“You are sure you don’t need any help? My people would have found out I’m gone by now and might even be here.” The Defector said as she surveyed around.

“Oh, they are here. But I’ll handle it.”

“How many?” The Defector asked.

“Just one, shouldn’t be a problem.” The Agent said and flashed a reassuring smile.

“Before we go, can I admit something?”

The Agent nodded for her to continue.

“I’m a little nervous, I’ve never done anything like this before.”

The Agent leaned forward and held her hand, “It’s going to be alright, we always take care of our friends among enemies.”

“You are actually very convincing, I must say.” The Defector chuckled as she retrieved a stack of documents and handed them to him, “Here, as promised.”

The Agent leaf through them before grimacing, “These documents are ours, how did...”

The Defector interrupted him by placing her finger on her lips and urged him to read on. They were his organization’s internal investigations of several failed operations, most were concluded. But the Agent paused as he reached the remaining few documents, he looked up to the Defector to see her nodding towards him. As if she had read his mind, she continued, “I’m afraid so, I believe as of yesterday their suspicions just turned into a conviction.”

She rolled over her suitcase to the Agent, who opened it to see a passport, a few wads of cash, a pile of neatly folded clothes and two tickets for the east bound train. The Agent realized it was not her extraction that she was here for.

“My superiors were very impressed with the work you had done for us so far. We believe you are more valuable with us than in a hole somewhere or worse. Besides, we too look after, what is it you called it? Ah yes, our friends among enemies.” She said with a warm smile.

She stood up and put on her coat, “I have people here to help secure things in case your former employers decided to show up. But I recommend that we don’t stay here longer than we have to.”

She looked ahead of the tracks to see their train was approaching, “Perfect timing! Shall we?” She beckoned.

It was hardly a tough decision to make, the Mole stood up as she wrapped her arm around his and they boarded the east bound train together.