Another nine hours have passed since the plane took off. Allison was fortunate enough to be able to order another two tickets for Swift and Tom back to Milan in such a tight schedule. Just like in their flight to Italy, it left Tom in total nausea having to travel by plane twice in a day, which is something Swift was uneager to deal with, like how Allison told Swift about Tom being his responsibility while in Italy. But thankfully, Swift didn't have to deal with it anymore since they're going back to their hometown.
Back in Philadelphia, after Swift asked what Allison was up to, she summoned Swift and Tom for a meeting at a local coffeehouse.
"So, what do you think this is gonna be?" Tom asks Swift beside him in the driver's seat.
"Hm?" Swift almost didn't hear him because of how focused he is on driving through the relatively busy road.
"Al. What does she have to say?"
Swift briefly tilted his head in response, turning to Tom before turning his attention back on the road. "Damned if I know. Maybe a new assignment? Even if it is, that can wait. I just wanna have a peaceful, full night sleep."
"Sure looks like you need one. Feel like I need to hit the hay soon too."
"So it's you and me both. Right now, let's get this over with first."
Eventually, Swift spots the coffeehouse Allison said she's in. He realized the roadside in front is much crowded with parked vehicles so he couldn't park directly in front of the shop. So Swift drives the car a little far away from the coffee shop, ending up in an unoccupied part of the roadside. His car came into a stop, the headlights turning off. Swift and Tom exits the vehicle and walks to the coffee shop. They had no trouble walking there as not a single person got in their way.Reaching the coffeehouse, Swift opens the thematically-fitting dark wooden door. He holds the door open for Tom to enter first, then Swift heads into the shop.
Their noses immediately catch the addicting aroma of coffee, along with the sight of a relatively empty shop. There's still a few people sitting in their own booths, drinking their warm and cold drinks. As a person who's obsessed with coffee, Swift himself even wanted to order a drink first. But he didn't forget why he and Tom were here. After being distracted by the smell of coffee for a moment, Tom taps on Swift's shoulder, grabbing his attention. Then he points at the corner of the coffeehouse, where he sees Allison, sitting in a booth and drinking from a coffee cup right next to the window. On her table is two more cups of coffee. The two approaches Allison. They got nearer when Allison finally noticed them.
"Hey, Al." Swift greets.
"Evening, boys. Sit down." Allison motions to the booth across the table. Swift slips into the booth first, Tom follows him and takes a seat beside him. Swift is more than eager to take a sip from the cup of coffee Allison bought him.
"So... Where's Dorian?" Asked Swift while he picked up the cup of coffee.
"I sent an extraction team to pick him up. He's in our custody now." Allison says.
"Good, good," Swift nods. Then he took a sip from the warm coffee cup. From the taste of it, Swift immediately recognized that it's cappuccino that Allison ordered for him. Sure, it's one of his favorite drinks, but one cup of cappuccino can keep him awake for at least an hour, conflicting against his wish to get a full night sleep. "Cappuccino?" Swift's face turns sour.
"I remembered your favorite." Allison smiles.
"I'm flattered that you did, but I really need to get some sleep. A cup of coffee is something I least want right now."
Tom let them exchange for the moment before he spoke up after being so long sitting in silence. He clears his throat, grabbing the two's attention. "Anyways, why'd you call?" He asks.
"Right." Allison puts her cup down, acknowledging the black-haired boy. "Obviously I've told you that we've located Edmund's son, Matthew. While we did that, I've forged a new mission for the both of you."
A new mission. That's what Swift was worrying about on the way to the coffeehouse. Why did I think of anything else? He was expecting a briefing for today's mission in Milan, but of course not. Years of keeping in contact with Allison, it's always her unpredictability that always awestrikes him.
Allison noticed how Swift rolled his eyes and scoffed at her announcement. She understood how tired he is. "I've called to tell you that I'm assigning you for a reconnaissance mission."
The term reconnaissance left Tom in wonderment. "I'm sorry, what's that?" He never heard such fancy words like it. Maybe he did, but he isn't sure.
"Recon, as in observing and reporting. Usually means taking a closer look at for example the enemy's activities, what they're up to and-" Suddenly Swift came to a halt in the middle of his explaination to the uncertain Tom. "Wait, what are we doing recon on?"
"Matthew. And it involves enrolling you two into Northview."
Enrolling? Swift isn't too sure what Allison meant by that. Formally it means signing up for something like a club membership or school. He is also confused by what Allison meant as Northview.
"'Northview?'" Asked Swift.
"It's a public high school in Los Angeles, where Edmund and Matthew is from."
"Wait a minute, so you're telling us that you're getting us into... high school?" That pause Swift took was a pause full of disbelief and denial.
"Yes."
Swift almost swallows his own throat hearing Allison's answer. Never in his life that he thought he would hear that news come out of Allison. Him? Enrolling into high school? His entire life he's been taken care of and homeschooled by Allison, Swift had never been properly introduced to the life of being a high schooler.
"Excuse me? Why?" Swift says with doubtful eyes.
"It's a way of getting close to Matthew. He's a teenager, for God's sake. Of course he spends most of his time being in school. So I need you two to infiltrate Northview to keep an eye on him because a little bird told me he's up to something."
"Something?" Swift asks.
"I don't know. The intel's pretty vague these days."
"Okay, infiltrate seems to be the correct word, I guess." Tom chuckles. "So how are you supposed to enroll the both of us without any of us having previous academic records?"
"I had to improvise. Carter constructed you two fake academic profiles, told them the both of you are transfer students from Pennsylvania."
After sipping from the coffee cup again, Swift speaks up. "Wait, wait, wait. First: There has to be another way to do this. And second: What do you mean told them?"
"First: Too late, I've sent both of your applications to Northview. And second: I already said it."
Goddamnit. Adding to Swift's vexation, it gets even worse. Allison took the liberty to sign Swift and Tom into Northview without even telling them first. "Without our permission?" He added.
"I knew you'd say no, so I thought it would be best if you didn't know. Besides, you both are practically working for me, so this is another job for you to take." Despite how Allison said it, she's not wrong, for Swift at least. But for Tom, that was insulting. He's just a homeless street kid who had nothing to do with the CIA. The only reason why he's here is because Swift needed a helping hand.
With how frustrated Swift is at the moment, he didn't realize that he started sipping his cappuccino a lot more frequently.
"After all, that's what I've trained you for, right? Ryan?" Allison stares at Swift.
"I guess..." Swift replies in defeat.
"Not me though, right? I mean, why are you involving me into this?" Tom raises his hand in question.
"You've proven yourself as a very applicable asset in the field. We could use someone like you, you know."
"Huh, I don't know whether to be flattered or worried." Tom appreciates Allison's praise for his skills.
Swift shook his head. "But anyways, um, when do we depart for California?" He asks as Allison parted her lips from the coffee cup's edge after taking another sip.
"You'll be sent to L.A. in two days time. After that, you'll have another twenty-four hours to settle in with your surroundings, get to know L.A. and then... you both will be off into Northview. Carter already filed your documentation. All under your real names. Speaking of Carter, he'll be accompanying you on your trip."
"He'll be with us in the field?" Swift raised an eyebrow.
"More or less. He'll be doing the analyst work. Your eyes and ears."
Swift nods understandingly. It was a vulnerable nod, but it was an accepting one. The amount of work he knew he had to put on the job is unsurprising. Whatever. Swift surrendered.