Agent: A Collection Of Short Stories

Episode One: Part One

Most people would love to see their face in the newspaper, above the fold for everyone in New York to see. Margaret Powers, however, was not most people. She strode into the office that morning, her heels making a sharp click with every determined step. The workers around her gave wide berth, backing away as she glared from under her thick fringe of lashes.
"Who is responsible for this?" She could not hide the fury in her accented voice. She slapped the paper onto the desk of Charles Longson, the head of her department. A photo of her, NYPD bulletproof vest and all, running into a building front and center. "You know as well as I do that this is not only brings scrutiny to me and the Department, but it sets back all the work I've been focusing on for the last six months." Her eyes scanned the paper, noting at least two occasions where it mentioned her name in specific.
"Now Margie," He drawled, rolling his eyes as his soft New-Yorker accent slurred his words around, "You know from experience that it's not going to float easy, you being in the force. You do some good work, we all know that, but we've got plenty of guys who can handle it. A break from the line of duty will do you good. This stuff is practically gossip, it'll be gone in a few weeks, tops."
"It's not up to you to decide whether or not I need a break. Quite frankly, I don't want one and I most definitely wouldn't consider it seeing as I'm about to break the Samson's case wide open, and this will set me back what, three months? If I'm lucky enough to be granted that amount of time?"
He held his hands up in surrender. "I don't know who published this, but you should just relax. I'll talk to the press about the importance of not having our workers under scrutiny."
​"That's all well and good, Chief." She took a deep breath, calming herself down enough that she didn't feel like smashing everything in sight. "What will we do about the fact that now my cover is blown for the Samson case, which I was inches away from solving until this..."
​Chief Longson held up a hand, stopping her mid-sentence. "Agent Powers, we've already got a man undercover at the Samson's. The S.I.T.F. has a lot more to worry about than one woman's face in the paper, when we've got a hundred guys who could take her place in a heartbeat."
​It to all Peggy's willpower to keep from smashing a paperweight into his skull.
​"Report over the Agent Dooley, you'll be working the phones and files till we get stuff sorted out and make sure no one suspects anything about the Departments' cover work with the NYPD."
​"Chief, I respect your position, but I really do think I should be on the Sampson case, still. There's-"
​"Good day, Agent Powers, I'll get back to you when I have more info on your... Situation with the paper." He turned and began reading through a file, fully ignoring her.​
​With nothing else she could do, she turned and headed back to the main room of the Strategic Investigations Task Force headquarters, trying to prepare herself for a long day of running errands, arranging shelves of case files, and doing nothing important whatsoever.
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​"Agent Dooly, the Chief told me to report to you while we wait to see what happens with this." She handed the newspaper to him, waiting as he read the headline.
​"Margaret Powers, A Woman in Man's Shoes." He struggled to hold back a smile as he kept reading. "Margaret 'Peggy' Powers is not your average woman. Often found working alongside the men of the police department, we wonder if she should be allowed such an outgoing role in our new, growing society."
​"That's enough, Dooley." Peggy snapped, struggling to keep her annoyance in check.
​"This should be in the gossips column, not the front page."
​"I do realize that, Agent, now unless you want this gossip to spread even further I suggest you stop talking about it and we get to work on what's actually important." She snatched the paper from him, folding it up to cover her picture, still there in black and white. "What are we working on currently?"
​"I am now working on the Sampson case, you're now working on getting the lunch orders and how about you put these files away for me, while you're on your way?" He set a stack of case files into her arms.
​"Because you can't do it yourself?" She asked, her British voice dripping with sarcasm. "I guess it would be difficult if you only had an elementary level education."
​The officer next to Dooley snorted, trying to cover it up far too late. Peggy turned and hurried away, not waiting to see the ridiculed agent's reaction.
​For the rest of the Agent's days, everything went on as usual. No one even seemed to notice that Peggy was out of the active-duty picture for the near future. All Peggy could do was run scenario after scenario through her head on how she could have come into the media's attention. She had done everything she could to, from the outside, look like any other woman. She dressed respectably, had a sensible group of girls she hung out with on the weekends. She was normal, aside from the fact that she worked as a secret government agent, but nobody aside from her fellow agents and a few policemen even knew that side of her life.
​After hours of menial tasks and lack of answers, she sighed and gave up. "Just get through the next few weeks," She whispered to herself, surrounded by bookshelves full of casefiles and not a soul. "Then it will all be behind you, and you can go back to actually doing something."
​"Agent Powers." She was interrupted, jolted out of her thoughts.
​Dropping the file in her hand, she hastened back out to where Agent Dooley stood waiting. "What, Agent Dooley?"
​"The Chief just called a meeting, you'd better be there."
​"What for?"
​"There's been a blip on the Simpson Case, you'll want to take a look at this."
​Without hesitation they both walked across the room to the Chief's office. There was the head of the police department already waiting there.
​"Agents, so glad you could join us," The Chief drawled, shifting in his chair. "Let's begin."