The Blacklist (sequel to The Reluctant Spy)

Making New Friends

While Lucas was in the office with Harry, Nyssa coordinated with Malcolm on what she needed with this operation. The computers in the consulate were connected to the main server, so any computer in the main offices would do. The trouble was getting to those offices which Nyssa assured Malcolm that she had it covered. Once inside the consulate, Nyssa worked out a plan with Malcolm on how to get the files from the computer.

"So, I just plug this thing into a USB port, and you do the rest?" she asked while holding the flash drive in her hand.

"Yes, the wifi chip is inserted in here, and once you plug it in, I will be able to connect my computer with theirs. Once I've copied the files, you need to destroy the device before they get their hands on that chip," Malcolm explained as he demonstrated how it worked.

Nyssa handed the flash drive back to Malcolm.

"Ok. Let me worry about how to get in and out. You worry about the computer stuff. Alright?"

Malcolm nodded in agreement but was not totally convinced. He always worried when an operation was going on. This team was like his family. Each operation, no matter how trivial, had the potential to end with someone getting hurt, captured or dead. And, when that happened, a piece of him would die too.

He still remembered when the call came that Lucas had been captured. At the time, they did not know whether he was alive or dead. He spent months worrying about his friend until they discovered he was still alive but in prison. Then, he spent years worrying about what kind of torturous experience he was enduring. From that moment on, Malcolm was always ready to step in and help in any way he could.

Nyssa could sense that in Malcolm as she spoke with him. It was admirable, but she worked differently than the others. She had people as tactical backup, but the operations were executed alone. She felt that it was the only way to accomplish her mission without worrying about anybody else getting in the way. She knew what she was doing. She preferred it that way.

Nyssa glanced up at Harry's office and saw that Lucas was still in an intense discussion with his boss. She had appointments of her own to get to that afternoon and decided not to disturb them. She would catch a cab and leave on her own.

"I'll get back with you about when we can do this. Tell Lucas good bye for me. I've got a lot of work to do today," she said as she turned to leave the grid.

Nyssa called Lucy to update her and Jack about the new assignment then took a cab to her mother's house. Because of the excitement of the past couple of days, she had forgotten to ask Marilyn about her father's 1968 Ford Mustang. Lucy said that the car had been sitting in the garage for years, ever since their grandfather died.

Nyssa loved her Indian motorcycle, but there were times when she needed a car. Stealing, or borrowing as she liked to call it, was too high a risk. She knew that if she kept it up, she would wind up in jail. Harry might not help her out of that one.

Nyssa walked into her mother's house to find Marilyn chopping up vegetables in the kitchen with a cigarette hanging between her teeth. She looked up and smiled.

"Sweetheart, I didn't expect to see you today," Marilyn mumbled with her cigarette still clutched between her teeth.

"Yeah, well..... I'm in between projects at the moment, and I remembered something I've wanted to ask you." Nyssa walked further into the house toward the kitchen and was suddenly distracted by what her mother was doing. Her brow furrowed in curiosity as she got closer to the counter. Her mother never cooked vegetables before. "What are you doing?"

"I watched a yoga program on the telly and decided to get healthy. I'm making a salad for lunch. Would you like some?"

Nyssa glanced at the bowl full of sliced vegetables then looked at the ashes hanging from her cigarette. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head.