Amaryllis

Chapter Eleven: A Perspective From An Outsider [Part 1]

Amaryllis

Chapter Eleven: A perspective from an outsider/ PART ONE

 

Agent Bates, despite having the guise of a man who thought of nothing other than his position, was actually a really good thinker. He needed to be one if he was to command his men in a specialised way. His position meant that not only did he have authority, but he was also responsible for all wrongdoings. His façade of a rather simple man worked on many, making them think that he was a weak man who they have easily underestimated. Chancellor Black had seen through some fragments of the façade that Bates wore, but it would be a great surprise to him if he knew just how intellectual Bates actually was.

Bates remained quite in his seat of the car, gazing out of the window and finding solitude with his own mind. He was worried. He had read the message that was delivered to Ascelin and couldn’t help but ponder over the little details. Why is everything so specific? Was the first thought that sprung to his mind. Why would the Chancellor want to address Ascelin specifically? Which was the second thought and also then the first words to have come out of his mouth.

 “Why would the Chancellor want to address Ascelin specifically?” Agent Bates thought aloud. Red who was watching him read the letter made a noise of disapproval.

“I don’t know,” she replied, making direct eye contact with Bates, “And that makes it all the more dangerous.”

“He is your father,” Bates said, moving away from Red and keeping his gaze somewhere else. There was something about her that intimidated him, but he could not guess what. “You could talk him,” he continued, “Find out his intentions. That would make our job a whole lot easier if you ask me.” He turned around and watched Red’s facial expression harden.

“Life isn’t that simple,” she retorted, “And if you ever question me like that again, I swear you will regret it.” She then made her way to her desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a gun and handing it to Bates as she made her way out. Bates gripped the gun in his hand, careful not to pull the trigger accidentally. He was tense and their last conversation before he left was a very deadly one.

*

 “Are we there yet?” Ascelin asked from the backseat. The driver mumbled incoherently in reply at the first time Ascelin had asked, but after another couple of annoying outbursts from Ascelin, the driver chose to ignore him.

“That boy should shut up before I shoot him myself.” Bates suppressed a grin when the driver muttered those words, loud enough for Bates to hear. A glance to the backseat showed Ascelin trying to make do with his own company, tapping the soles of his shoes to the floor of car, and seemingly oblivious to the jokes being shared about him.

They reached their destination soon enough, and Bates climbed out of his seat quickly and made his way to Ascelin’s door. He waited for Ascelin to clamber out and then quickly handed him the handheld gun that Red had given him before.

“Here,” Bates said, staring intently at Ascelin to study his reaction. Ascelin’s features clouded over with a dark expression for a brief moment, before he looked back up at Bates with a confused expression. “Precautions,” Bates found himself saying, he took out a couple of bullets and tossed them over to Ascelin, who then placed them in. Bates stood awkwardly as he watched Ascelin wander into his own little world, inspecting the gun and holding his breath.

He looked up at Bates, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I’m ready,” he announced, before turning around and facing the building that they were soon to break into. Bates imitated him, scanning the building and comparing it to what Wynston Black had mentioned in the letter. His mind wandered back to its details. A shiver ran down his spine.

He then proceeded to watch Ascelin silently, ignoring the way that the crew had managed to get out of the vans and stood behind him in their positions. Ascelin made his way towards one of the smaller windows that were situated towards the lower ends of the building, which were low enough to climb into without assistance. It also meant that it was easy for the security cameras to capture the image of Ascelin, but they trusted the Chancellor’s words. The cameras were meant to be down.

Ascelin opened the window, doing so in a way to make sure that it wasn’t loud enough to be detected. Bates refused to allow a smile to form on his face, despite the pride that he felt whenever one of his former students applied his teachings to their tasks. Bates turned away from Ascelin, letting his eyes flit about to his comrades. They all remained nonchalant, but Bates guessed that they were as nervous as he felt. It was a common practice for them to not appear weak in the eyes of others.

Ascelin clambered through. The game had begun…

 ***

A/N: I was unable to update for the longest time and I am sorry for that. This is extremely short but I hope that you understand that a change from schools and a big jump in education had been really hectic for me. I shall try to update soon with longer chapters and more consistently. Leave a comment and a vote for support! Thank you