What happens when your name is on a hit list? Or even worse a spy hit list? The best of the best are slowly being hunted down one by one and the tables are turned when Charlee and her team of agents are being targeted by an unknown enemy.
Charlee w...
My head was pounding as we arrived through the north entrance that lead to the Vatican Museum. Our bags were checked, we were given maps, and told to have a good day. It was already one o'clock so that gave us approximately three hours.
"Ok guys, we need to choose a place," I sighed.
"Well there's one place I can think of," Lavender began and we all looked at her expectantly.
"Well you said that there are probably a lot of files so the one place I can think of to store that many files and keep them hidden is in the Vatican Secret Archives. They're kept separate from the Vatican Library," Lavender explained.
"That sounds promising, maybe a little too easy," Blaire mused.
"Well the issue is that only scholars from institutions of higher education pursuing scientific researches, with a knowledge of archival research, may apply for an entry card. Scholars need an introductory letter by either a recognized research school or by a suitably qualified person in the field of historical research," she explained.
"God dammit," Blaire said and a lady walking past us shook her head.
"What if we just pretend to be coming from a posh, well known school? Would they let us in?"
"Not likely, they require ID's and the letters of recommendation, remember?" Lavender asked.
"Didn't Bianca graduate from Cambridge or something?" I asked.
"Yeah, how's that going to help us? She's not a professor," Blaire pointed out.
"No, but she might know one who would be willing to vouch for Elizabeth Smith, Riley Taylor, and Lily Jones. Three doctorate students on a last minute trip to finish their research papers in order to graduate," I smiled.
"Who?"
"Us, in a couple of minutes," I told them.
"Alright then, this is really the most half assed plan we've ever attempted. Let's hope Bianca comes through," Lavender said and I got on the phone with Bianca.
"Hey, sorry Bianca is talking with her boyfriend. The results just got back from the lab," Jacob said answering the phone.
"Did anything come up?" I asked him in a whisper. We were already walking towards the Vatican Library. We didn't have time to lose.
"Not much, like we predicted there were no fingerprints but the ink from the address and most of the materials from the chip were from Santarem, Brazil. It's a popular tourist attraction because it's so close to the Amazon River and the rainforest," Jacob informed me.
"Wait, Santarem?" I asked for clarification.
"Um, yeah?" he replied.
"Jacob, I brought my files with me to Florence. They're in the guest room. Go find the file with the ID code #1590778," I instructed, biting my lips in anticipation. My stomach churned, as I waited to see if I was right.
"I got it, what do you want me to find?" he asked.
"Just check if Santarem is mentioned anywhere in the file," I told him. It was one of the files my parents had. The one that had been used the most by them. I had memorized the ID code number.
"Yeah, apparently the girl that died in the accident your parents were investigating, Gabriela Maldonado, she was from Santarem,"
"Oh god, he wants her file," my voice shakes.
"Why does he want Gabriela's file?" Jacob asked.
"I don't know, but listen, I need you to start making fake student ID's and letters of recommendation from Cambridge. We're going to need them very very soon," I told him.
"Do I even want to know?" he asked and I could practically hear him shaking his head at me over the phone.
"No, I don't really have the time so just hand the phone over to Bianca, please," I told him.
It took a lot of convincing but eventually Bianca agreed to get in touch with her old history professor, Professor Langley, from Cambridge. Luckily he knew her, er job description, and would hopefully be on board without asking any questions.
"It's beautiful," Lavender said in awe, interrupting my thoughts. For a second we stopped in our tracks as we entered the library and admired a piece of history. Shelves upon shelves were neatly stacked with books in all types of languages. The beautiful desks almost seemed to glow with the light coming in from large windows. The ceilings themselves were a work of art.
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"The entrance to the archives is adjacent to the Vatican Library at the Porta di S. Anna in via di Porta Angelica," I told them reading one of our maps.
"Remember, British accents," I reminded them as we approached a huge reception table that stood between us and the Secret Archives.
"Hello, can you state your reason for accessing the files please?" a middle aged woman sitting behind the desk asked.
"Hi, yes. We're students from Cambridge and we're working on our research papers for our doctorate degrees. We need to access some of the files to finish our thesis," I explained in British accent that, thankfully, wasn't too phony.
"May I see your school ID's and letters of recommendation?" she asked with a smile.
"Well you see," I began but her smile dropped from her face and she shook her head.
"There are no exceptions, young ladies," she told us with a grim expression.
"Please, this is our final day to get this research for our papers. Without it we will not graduate," I begged.
"We cannot believe you without the proper documentation," she shook her head once more.
"We have the proper documentation. We left it at our hotel room and we realized that when we got here but if we went back to get it, the Vatican would have been closed," Lavender explained, her accent much better than my own.
"You can talk to our professor. He's the head of the history department at Cambridge," I offered.
"I'll call him myself. Professor Langley is a dear friend of mine," she smiled and we looked at each other nervously. After being on the phone for what seemed like forever, she finally called us back up to the desk.
"Alright ladies, your entrance is credible. We're just waiting for your documents to be faxed in," she informed us. I hope Jacob finished them in time. Minutes later the machine on her desk started whirring and she picked them up and stamped all of them.
"You're all very lucky," she tsked as she filed away the papers. I secretly agreed.
"No electronics allowed inside the archives so please leave them behind here at the desk. You can retrieve them on your way out. No food or beverages permitted. Do not occupy a reading space for longer than necessary. Do not touch the manuscript with soiled hands or write on them," she said and continued with an even longer list of rules for us. When she was finally done, she took our bags from us and placed them aside in a cupboard at the desk.
"Oh wait. I need my reading glasses," Blaire spoke up, reaching for her bag. She quickly grabbed a pair of glasses I had never seen her use in her life. With a slight smile she placed them on her head.
"Are you all ready?" the lady asked us and we silently nodded our heads. As the doors open I felt my heart beat loudly in my chest. We had two hours left to find anything related to the Continuum Files in the Secret Archive of the Vatican.
