Choosing Sides (closed for BeautifulDream)

[Bevatoria]

"I don't think the Chinese will back out of this trade deal. What do you think, Martin?"

"They do have a lot of leverage over us right now. Especially with the election so soon and our trade deficit still looming over us..."

It sounded like the same discussion they'd had several times already. It was just like government officials to do that, many skeptics would say. To discuss the same thing over and over again, beat it to death until they'd wasted taxpayer money enough to bring the matter to a mediocre conclusion that would make everyone equally unhappy. It's what politicians did. Compromise, lie, cheat, and in the end, make nobody happy enough to love them, but keep everyone close enough to still give them money. Just another part of the never ending cycle.

If you had to watch it every day, you'd probably get bored by it. Not notice the subtle differences in the positions of the two men. Ambassador Dale Trent, the United States' current representative to Britain, a skeptic about the deal coming together in the first place, even getting to the point where the signatories could even start discussing it. To say nothing of getting the countries to sign on to it. Ever the cynical veteran, he would do his countries' bidding despite his reservations, his thirty years in politics teaching him to value his CinC's opinion above his own, as he ran his hand through his thinning white hair.

His chief of staff, Martin Kneight. A forty five year old political dynamo, he was brought in specifically to act as a counterweight to Dale's even keel and what as often seen as lackadaisical maneuverings. Not that they didn't work in the end; more often then not Dale got the job done. It just wasn't always as fast as his bosses wanted; only his tenure and his own influence kept him in the jobs he wanted.

"It doesn't matter what I think, though." smirked Dale. "I think I can get the Prime Minister to buy in. Or at least soften him enough for the Big Boss to wear him down."

The 'Big Boss' was their code word for the President. "He'll be in Washington tomorrow, sir. I'll assume you'll want to meet him then?"

"Yes." Their afternoon briefing, for the moment, concluded, the two men stood up. To Dale's side, a young woman, Wendy Anders (his top aide), stood as well, but only as a courtesy. The man standing next to Martin, oneBrent Sellers, stood as well; having obediently taken notes the whole time, as Martin had tasked him to do. So they could go over the meeting later, to identify important tasks and prioritize what needed to be done.

The two men strode out of the office, a bemused expression on Martin's face. "Another day, another day when Dale holds back from telling the Brits how he really feels..." Brent did not respond as he let Martin continue. He was a quiet man to begin with, but as the chief of staff's aide, he knew that there was a time to talk and a time to be silent. Despite the obvious attempt at banter, he knew Martin was far from done.

"Ensure that we have a clear timetable prior to the Prime Minister's arrival tomorrow, as well as an agenda prepared for him until the President is ready to see him. He'll be one of the first heads of state to arrive and we'll want to ensure that he still feels that the United States values him as a 'special' friend."

"Okay, Martin."

They had made their way to Martin's office, with Brent's working area just outside of it. A completely open area, which made him feel like a receptionist if the real reception area wasn't just outside the main entrance. Brent went to sit down, but Martin had one last thing for him.

"I'll be leaving shortly, after I send you all the reports I need you to do...."

Brent only nodded, sitting in the comfortable,dark brown leather chair that flanked his desk. They were here barely one third of the year but still the place was immaculate; more of the country's tax dollars at work, he smirked. He opened up his email, getting to work on the assessments that his boss had left for him; almost not noticing as Martin waved at him on the way out; leaving him in relative solitude. Which was perfect for him. Another couple of clicks, a few programs opened and closed, nothing out of the ordinary, as far as anyone knew, he was just another government worker at work in the endless bureaucracy.

A few taps on his phone. Like any worker, he had a phone of his own. Unlike many workers, what he was doing on his phone right now was anything but personal. It was something else entirely. An activity that, if his employers knew the full extent of what he was really up to, would get him fired, black marked, and maybe even thrown in jail. For the moment, nobody knew anything about it.

Although, unbeknownst to him when he closed down his phone, computer, locking up his desk and belongings for the long rode home, there were some people starting to suspect something. The clock read 8:23 PM, but to someone somewhere else, a timer of a different kind entirely was starting to tick.

The timer on when someone found out who he really was, and what he was doing.

 

[BeautifulDream]

When she was told the Director wanted to see her, she assumed the worst. Although she didn't think she had done anything wrong, who knows when it comes to the guys upstairs. They have been known to fire people on a whim before. She cleared her throat, stepping into the large, overly fancy office. "You wanted to see me?"

The Director was a older man who never smiled, guess that came with part of his job. "Yes, I did. Please sit..." He said in a sturdy tone, directing her to the chair with a wrinkly hand. The moment she sat down he wasted no time with small talk. "You have a new assignment. Someone is leaking information from the Britain Embassy and your goal is to find out who. You look young enough for what we need."

She nodded her head as she listened. "Do we have any suspects, at least? Anyone I should keep a close eye on?"

"Not at the moment, all we know is it has to be coming out of the office in D.C. You're going in as a intern. I don't think I need to stress how important it is you remain undercover, Agent. The information being released is of serious value and we can not let it continue." The Director pulled a large file out of his desk, tossing it on the desk before her. "All you need to know is in there. Reports are to be filed every Sunday night. Like I said, you're undercover. The only one who know's your CIA is Ambassador Trent."

She picked up the file, opening to find her new passport and driver's license paper clipped at the beginning. Christina James, age twenty-three.

"Dismissed, Agent."

--------------------​

Chris had spent a week reviewing the documents she had received. Floor plans, employee information, even her history. The history was always the hardest part to learn. Remembering who's name went with what face, where the offices sat, and different strategic plans connected easily once you were in the situation. Who your make believe family was and how you broke your left arm when you were eight was very complicated. It was like trying to forget your entire past so you didn't slip up and say the wrong thing.

She was a twenty-three year old Harvard graduate, top of her class, who received the Presidential Award for her essay on the global crisis, her parents owned a winery in Napa. She wasn't an twenty-seven year old ex-Army sniper who joined the CIA after her tours with no clue where her parents actually were.

Sighing, she dropped the folder back onto the hotel bed and turned toward her business suit. She picked up a pale blue one that was a little too small to give the illusion she was young and had never been fitted properly for a suit. Not to mention it showed off some of her curves, might as well act young too.

Sadly, it left little room from her to conceal her gun so she was forced to leave it.

 

[Bevatoria]

Brent flopped down in the easy chair next to the fireplace, rubbing his eyes. All in all, he knew he didn't have it too badly off, at least to outside appearances. A single guy with a big apartment near the government buildings; work and a suitable watering hole in walking distance. He was making a decent salary with good chances for advancement, had no huge debts left, and was entering the prime of his live at the age of twenty-eight. To anyone evaluating his life by the numbers, he was fine.

A good cover for the fact that things were not, in fact, fine. A buzzing from his phone - not his personal phone, or his work phone, but the 'other' one he carried. To all outside appearances, it was the same as his personal phone - same model, background, color, and even the ringtone. But it had only one use: for his 'handlers' to contact him and instruct him on what they needed. He had some idea of who they were, although not 'who'; only that they were to be obeyed without question.

They'd already showed him what the consequences were. And so, for the last 3 years, he'd been feeding them whatever little tidbits they asked for. He didn't even feel guilty about it now, for the notes he took, the confidential government information he had sent over to them. It all blended together, turning into a cycle of endless days and weeks with no hope of ever changing it.

A consequence of such was that once in a while, he fell asleep in the chair. The droning of the TV obediently let him do so; leaving him in a rush when he finally woke up at 7:30 AM the next morning.

Which wouldn't be a problem, except he was due at work at 7:45.

**************

Dale scoffed as he walked into the office. There were parts of the job he hated, and while this was not one of them (being as it came up so rarely), even the cynic in him wished that this was not necessary. Martin sidled up to him right as he walked in.

"Good morning, Mister Ambassador. Brent hasn't showed up yet-"

"That's okay. I'll be in a private meeting for the next little while anyways. Still, please remind him that his duties include entailing that he is *not* the last one in the office every morning." Usually, he was pretty low-key as long his staff did their work but Brent always seemed to push his luck lately, as if his background gave him license to do what he pleased.

One of these days, I won't be able to protect him, he thought. A few moments later, he strode into his private office; his own chief of staff, Wendy, smiled at him as he walked in; he tried to return it as he responded to her. "Wendy, I'll need the room for a moment." She responded as any good government worker should; walking out immediately without taking any notice as to why her boss had asked for that.

Specifically, the visitor who was due to arrive in the next five minutes or so to try to solve their 'problem'. He sat back, patiently waiting.

 

[BeautifulDream]

What lead her to this? It was the thought she had on the long ride from the hotel outside of D.C. to downtown. She was just an ordinary girl only a few years back. Well, saying ordinary may not be the right way to put it. She was almost normal. Violent throughout her teenage years, disruptive, destructive, and even a little of a pyromaniac. So what lead her here? Perhaps it was the foster homes, the lack of parents. Maybe even the abusive people who the state thought she would be safe with.

One thing she did know was if not for the military she would probably be dead. Come her eighteenth birthday she got her diploma and joined up. It was the only way she really saw making money and actually having a life. Somewhere in her time in uniform she had grown into an actual person. A human being who gave a shit about her life.

"We're here..."

The build was quite hard to find, it looked like every other government building nested in D.C.. Security checks, armed guards, the whole schbang. The area was familiar to her, she had studied it enough, so finding it wasn't that difficult. But regardless of how well she knew the area, one still looked like the other.

She stepped out of the taxi, pulling a small brief case off the seat with her, a bill passed for payment. This was going to be her new place of employment. Bad water cooler talk, annoying coworkers, she honestly couldn't say she was excited by it. Being in the field made it worth it, at least a little. Her eyes scanned the building, everything was as it was suppose to be. The entrance had an guard standing by the large glass, bullet proof of course, doors. Behind those would be a check point. She'd be asked for her ID, her security card. Her finger prints would be taken, her bag checked, only then could she enter the places she needed to go.

And everything went perfectly. The guard quickly opening the door for her with a slight flirting smile. The guard at the desk, just as flustered as the one before, trying to make small talk as he barely looked over her ID. Her finger prints pulling up a picture of herself and the name. Christina James... Chris. After a quick scan of her bag she was cleared.

She gave the guard a smile, pulling her bag of the table. She was about to start walking away when she paused and thought. Think young and not that wise, at least common sense wise. Her eyes pretended to search the inner building, before going back to him. "Um, excuse me. I'm new and I'm not familiar with... well this." She said softly, gesturing around her. "Where can I find Ambassador Trent?"

 

[Bevatoria]

"He's on the second level." He grimaced as he decided to cut off any attempt at questioning. "Up the stairs, off to the right, and then if you walk to the very end of the hallway you'll find his chief of staff." He gave her a questioning look. "I could walk you there, if you'd prefer, Miss James..." It was boring out front, after all. Without really waiting for an answer, he got up to walk her in. It wasn't something he usually did for newcomers. Only pretty ones.


*************

Wendy's short blond hair moved around freely as she opened the door. "Ah. Good morning, Christina." She smiled warmly at her, motioning her inside the fairly plush, opulent room. "At least, I'm assuming that's who you are. I'm Wendy Anders, Ambassador James' chief of staff." She walked forward towards a large oak door leading to the Ambassador's office. "Do you prefer Christine? Or Chris? I'm only asking because the Ambassador told me that he'll be working with you a fair amount over the next few weeks..which likely means you and I will be seeing a lot of each other." Another pleasant look as she knocked twice before opening it.

"He's waiting in there." While Wendy's office was very well furnished, it was still just the greeting area before the main event, which was Ambassador Trent's office. It was no office of the president, but the two elegantly polished chairs in front of it, a tasteful blue carpet adorning the floor. At the back, a lean, comfortable couch with throw pillows for more casual conversation. Well stocked bookshelves off to the side, with the material on it clearly showing that it wasn't there just to look pretty.

And in the center of it all, rising to his feet, Ambassador Dale Trent. He rose to his feet slowly, nodding politely at the new arrival.

"Good morning. I'm Dale Trent." With a harder then usual look, he met the gaze of his chief of staff. "That will be all for now, Wendy." As soon as they had privacy, he sighed, motioning to the seat in front of his large oak desk.

"Thank god." He sighed, stepping forward only to shake the younger woman's hand before letting her sit down. "I might work in politics, but I hate having to keep up appearances...just because I'm good at putting a new face on a lie doesn't mean I have to like doing it." He smirked. "In a way, you might be the only person I'm completely truthful with over the next little while...until we get to the bottom of this."

He nodded at her. "Or until you do, I suppose." Dale shuffled some papers on his desk uneasily; Christina looked trustworthy, and she was here to help him..but she was still not one of them. "You know the details of your assignment, so I won't bore you with that...and it goes without saying that you'll have considerable leeway, although I would ask that you at least let me know of what you're doing beyond general observing, if not have me approve it entirely." Another long, drawn in sigh. "Although the embarrassment of having something like this happen on my way has limited my leeway considerably..."

Dale took a moment before shaking his head. "Anyways, as an 'intern'...." He stifled a laugh at that. "...you'll be helping out, in one way or another, almost everyone who works under me." He looked around briefly. "Although you'll officially be assigned to Heather, if anyone asks. One of the benefits of being in charge."

 

[BeautifulDream]

Christina smiled big as she nodded her head toward the security guard. “Oh, I would really appreciate that! I tend to get so lost.”

Her eyes stayed on him as he walked around to lead the way, her footsteps falling sync with his only a foot or so behind. Dave Holmes, age twenty-seven. He’s been at this building for three years now. No criminal history other than a few parking tickets. No ties to anyone who would matter. He was not who she was looking for.

As they reached the office - upstairs, off to the right, and last one down as he stated - she was greeted by a blonde haired girl. Wendy Anders, Ambassador Trent’s chief of staff, age thirty-five. No criminal history. Possible.

Chris nodded, holding her hand out to shake Wendy’s. “Chris or Christina works fine.” She turned quickly offering thanks to Dave before he retreated back to his post, before turning back to watch Wendy lead the way, knocking on the door.

“He’s in there.”

She smiled, her eyes locked on the open door and the man inside the office. “Thank you, Wendy.”

--------------------------------​

Dale Trent shook her hand as she glanced around the room, her eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary. She didn’t see anything notable, but she did unplug the phone line before sitting down in the plush chair. He went straight into business. Details of the assignment, who she’s ‘working’ with. Heather Lockhart, her ‘official’ supervisor.

She waited patiently till he was finished before she leaned forward in her chair, her elbows resting on her knees.

“Look Ambassador, as you may already know, the information that is being leaked is very important. I am prepared to do whatever is necessary to find out who is selling this information and to take him down. I do not plan to be a problem while here. I will keep to the shadows as much as I possibly can, but if something doesn’t seem right, I will do what is needed.”

She paused momentarily, folding her hands together as her eyes traveled over his desk, taking in all the paperwork. “I understand this is stressful for you, and no very good for your seat as a Ambassador. But, lease note that this is not my first undercover assignment. All of my priors have been successful. I plan for this one to be as well. I am going to need a few things from you. I have a list of all your employees and their positions, but I need to know who all has access to your office and who you feel is untrustworthy. I will also need a key to your office so I can… well arrange different things. I will be bugging your office with a camera and recorder later, I need to know anyone who stays late or is here at night.”

“If you are uncomfortable with having you office bugged, please know the only person listening will be me. No one else. And I have no intention of letting any information that is overheard being let out.”

Christina stood slowly, holding her briefcase in front of her with both hands. Her face was straight, calm as she pinned the Ambassador with a hard look. “If you object to any of this, let me know so I can call the CIA agency and get pulled out.”

 

[Bevatoria]

Dale kept a canny look on her as she responded; this woman clearly knew her stuff. Even if he hadn't asked for her identity, he could damn well tell she was older then twenty-three just by how she carried herself.

“Look Ambassador, as you may already know, the information that is being leaked is very important. I am prepared to do whatever is necessary to find out who is selling this information and to take him down. I do not plan to be a problem while here. I will keep to the shadows as much as I possibly can, but if something doesn’t seem right, I will do what is needed.”

A nod. "I'd expect nothing less, Miss James." Another heavy sigh as he shuffled some papers on his desk; a nervous habit. "And should 'push come to shove', so to speak, I would want you to favor necessity over discretion. I'll deal with the repercussions when necessary." He looked away from her, not in nervousness, but in frustration. "I just hate that this has become necessary." Being a political lifer didn't make this any easier for Dale to endure; it was one thing to lose something, another to find out that something had been taken for some time.

She paused again; seeming deliberate in her words “I understand this is stressful for you, and no very good for your seat as a Ambassador. But, please note that this is not my first undercover assignment. All of my priors have been successful. I plan for this one to be as well. I am going to need a few things from you. I have a list of all your employees and their positions, but I need to know who all has access to your office and who you feel is untrustworthy. I will also need a key to your office so I can… well arrange different things. I will be bugging your office with a camera and recorder later, I need to know anyone who stays late or is here at night.”

“If you are uncomfortable with having you office bugged, please know the only person listening will be me. No one else. And I have no intention of letting any information that is overheard being let out.”

Despite the situation, an ever-present smirk left Dale's face. "Oh, the only thing my conversations and videos would cause is extreme boredom." He knew full well that the comment would be suspicious, and he inclined his head. "I'll have the information you've requested about my employees by the end of the day. Although...you may have difficulty in one area." He paused, folding his hands. "If I don't trust an employee, I get them transferred, Miss James. Everyone is here precisely because I trust them to some degree." Another small smile. "Not that I really trust anyone in politics. But you get the idea."

The agent stood slowly, her briefcase held in front of her. “If you object to any of this, let me know so I can call the CIA agency and get pulled out.”

A laugh. "Hell, I object to all of it." At this point, he had a feeling his wry sense of humor had likely run its course on the beautiful agent, so he settled back into his chair, fixing her with a hard look of his own. "But you'll be permitted to have whatever access you need...including bugging my office." He looked down. "I'll see to it that you have some 'alone' time in my office later this afternoon. Heather will assign you to the retention area to do some cleanup and I'll be at the White House greeting the Prime Minister."

He gave her another look. "Just so you're aware, Wendy is aware that you're a 'special' hire, although she won't know exactly what you're doing. So don't feel like you need to hide that you're doing something...odd...from her." He frowned as he thought about his phrasing; it wasn't precisely how he'd wanted to put it but he shrugged it off. "So if you need anything from me and I'm not available, you can go to her and feel free to bring her in as much or as little as you see fit. I haven't told her anything as I wanted to leave that choice up to you."

With that, Dale stood up. "Well, it's about time for the morning briefing, and you're welcome to join me..." He took a moment to look for a piece of paper before finding it, slipping it across. "This is a list of the 'main' players in the consulate, including myself, Martin Kneight, your boss Heather, Wendy..." He frowned as he trailed off. "Which reminds me." His hand went for the speaker phone on his desk. "If you don't mind playing silent for a moment...."

Another button hit, and a couple of rings later, a voice from the other end.

"Yes, Mister Ambassador?"

"Martin? Could you send me that report you promised me? The one Brent was working on?"

"I will as soon as I can, sir."

For as even keel as Dale usually was, a hint of fire showed behind his aged expression. "And why precisely is 'as soon as I can' not 'now'?"

"Brent's not in yet. He finished it last night but I wanted to run over a couple of things with him."

An exasperated sigh. "All right. You know what, let's postpone the staff brief until I have a chance to look at it."

"Very good." The line cut off, and Dale shook his head.

"That Brent Sellers." He shook his head. "Fine kid, but...."

 

[BeautifulDream]

"I'd expect nothing less, Miss James. And should 'push come to shove', so to speak, I would want you to favor necessity over discretion. I'll deal with the repercussions when necessary. I just hate that this has become necessary."

Christina nodded only once, crossing her legs before her. "I understand how you must feel. Sadly, isn't that to be expected with a job like yours? Always looking over your shoulders to see how's following?"

She did that more that he most likely did, but hers for different reasons. She had to keep her life a secret with a job like hers, just as he did, but she did so to keep those in her life safe. Which was easier when she had very people who she actually had to keep safe. That was part of the reason why she didn't waste time with dating or relationships. They could be someone who wanted to do her arm or even disrupt her work. Besides, she had to always forget about her life to remember another. Boyfriends didn't seem to understand why she was gone for so long without a single call.

She wanted to chuckle as he brought up how his conversations would be boring. To her, maybe. To someone who can use the information for other purposes, they would find the conversations very interesting. "The reason for the bugging is not so much of listening into your conversations but more of seeing if your phone is being used for other means. We have caught many just by looking into phone records. You'd be surprised at how many of these people are using that phone line right there," she nodded her head toward his office phone, "for calling their buyers."

Christina gave a small smile. "Do not worry about providing alone time for the bugging. I can assure you that I will be in and out without anyone even noticing. I could easily pick the lock as well, but I assumed I'd ask for the key."

The smile quickly faded, Wendy? She cleared her throat, her eye brow perking slightly. What was this guy thinking? "Sir, if you don't mind me saying, the whole point of being undercover is no one knowing I'm here. You obviously can, but no others. You could have jeopardized the entire operation by telling her anything. Regardless of the fact that you did not tell her exactly who I am, she now knows I am not like everyone else. Some people are smart, Ambassador, they can easily put two and two together. For now one, no one, and I mean no one can know I am anything but an intern."

Christina took the paper, folding in into a half then placing it in her briefcase. Her eyes moving about the desk before back to him. She should attend the meeting, make her first appearance, but honestly she just wanted to get the first days work done. A simple shake was returned as he then proceeded to press the intercom.

"That Brent Sellers."

Christina just gave a sort of shrug, picking up her briefcase, stepping toward the door. "I'm sure I'll meet him soon enough. In the mean time, I'd like to get started."

 

[Bevatoria]

"Sir, if you don't mind me saying, the whole point of being undercover is no one knowing I'm here. You obviously can, but no others. You could have jeopardized the entire operation by telling her anything. Regardless of the fact that you did not tell her exactly who I am, she now knows I am not like everyone else. Some people are smart, Ambassador, they can easily put two and two together. For now one, no one, and I mean no one can know I am anything but an intern."

Dale looked down for a second, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Oh. Let me clarify, Miss James, to at least try to allay your fears." The casual smile disappeared for a moment. "Obviously, as a new hire you'll have more eyes on you during tasks then most, at least initially. My clarifying you as a 'special' hire is meant to say that you are in this office as a favor - say, a friend of a senator who's daughter needs co-op experience. Meaning, your internship will include more tasks directly assigned by me then most." He looked seriously at her. "We have interns pass through here all the time and I only learn their name, and nothing else. Rest assured that all people will know about you, other then what you tell them, is that you're an intern." A small bow of his head. "All I did was to let Wendy know you'll be around my office more then most. Assignments like that are...far too common for my taste." He gave her a determined look. "At least your work will more then likely be justified, although you'll forgive me for still hoping it's not." He knew spies made their work not being detected, but knowing that one was even suspected under his watch made Dale shake his head.

She was fairly serious, but all in all Dale found himself thinking that she could get the job done professionally, quickly, and - most important - quietly. He found himself wondering if the traits that made him a quality ambassador in the service of the United States would make him ill suited for her line of work.

"I'm sure I'll meet him soon enough. In the mean time, I'd like to get started."

"Very well." Dale rummaged around in his desk, pulling out a keycard, walking over and handing it to her. "Your access card, which includes the codes to my office, and everywhere else in the building." A sly smirk. "You can thank your handlers for that, by the way. You can probably get into more places in here then I can...including any maintenance or back areas as necessary."

The older man paused, frowning. "Hmm. I guess I said staff meeting and then work for you, but I just delayed it..." He shrugged, heading back to his desk and hitting the speakerphone. "Time to fix that. Martin?"

"Yes, sir?"

"We're doing the staff meeting at the planned time." He scowled ever so slightly. "Brent can damn well walk in with his head down if he wants to hide his sleeping in."

"Very good. I took the liberty of not telling anyone about the proposed change in time. We're all waiting, sir."

With a theatrical clap of his hands, Dale turned the speaker off, turning to 'Christina'. "Ah, the benefits of being in charge." He inclined his head to the door, opening it and waving her in behind him. Dale was normally inclined to chivalry but letting her go into the meeting in front of him might...give the wrong idea.

The staff room, a long boardroom table with enough room for twenty, but normally only sitting anywhere between twelve and eighteen depending on the day, had eleven people sitting around it; the seat at the head, of course, was for him, even if he rarely indulged in it. The room was elegantly furnished, comfortable chairs around ad large oak table; built for function and form. Martin to his direct left, an empty seat next to him. Wendy had echoed the same idea to his right as she quickly met Christina's gaze and indicating the chair next to her.

"Good morning, everyone." Several nods met Dale as he made his statement. "As you all know, with the Prime Minister's arrival today, and the summit and gala upcoming, we've become a rather busy place. So, in the interest of letting you all get to the business of actually doing work, and not listening to me talk, I'll try to keep this brief."

"I will seeing the Prime Minister upon his arrival. We have his exact agenda, but after my visit with him and the President, I will be sending the department chiefs updated task list and priorities, which will be this afternoon sometime. A lot is depending on what happens here over the next few days..." He paused, as if forgetting something, when everyone in the room (save for one person) knew exactly what he was doing. The same thing he did when introducing any new person.

"Oh, how rude of me." He motioned towards Christina's seat. "I'd like to introduce you all to Christina James..she's the newest addition to the consulate's staff, as yet another intern." As there were a few small waves and nods, he continued. "She apparently comes from money, so do go out of your way to..."

Even in the relative quite and bustle of the room, Dale could still hear the door at the back of the room opening, and a rather red faced Brent Sellers walking through it. Without pausing, Dale continued even as he turned towards his young aide.

"...give Christina a hard time about that!" He was fairly even keel, but if anything that made Dale's anger more focused when it came out. "Now, Mister Sellers, I don't know what school *you* went to but apparently Miss James here at least had the courtesy to go to one where they show up for staff meetings, and work on time."

For his part, Brent slunk into his seat, somewhat disheveled even as many around the table knew they'd seen worse from him lately. His eyes darted between people as he walked in, lingering a little on the new intern before he focused back on their leader.

"Now, as I was saying. Our focus is on Britain, and on what value we can bring to it, as well as it can bring to us during these negotiations..."

Brent listened as Dale talked, trying to settle in from the humiliation of being talked down in front of his coworkers, finding his eyes unfocusing, during tired moments, on the new arrival into the Consulate's staff.