"They're going to expect us to come to the museum tonight," Mia says slowly. "So why not catch them by surprise? We should meet them where their lair is and catch them there."
Agent Santos's brows raise. "How are we going to do that?"
"Well,"—she hasn't thought that far yet—"we can still go to the museum because we know they'll be there for sure. Then we can follow them back. They won't know what's coming."
The agent doesn't seem convinced by the plan. Mia slightly shrivels, disappointed. She doesn't really know what she's doing, but she tried. Agent Santos doesn't appear judgemental, just analytical. She is probably thinking of all the things that could go wrong. If they followed, would the Manger brothers figure it out? If so, they could get into deep trouble.
The agent's watch beeps. She lifts her sleeve and looks at the screen. Her eyes widen.
"What?" Mia asks.
She shows Mia her watch. "I was just notified that a museum is being robbed."
"The same one?"
"No, a smaller one across town. Don't you think it's a coincidence that two museums are being raided in one day?"
It takes Mia a moment to understand. But once she does, she nods. The Manger brothers are trying to rally the agents over there so that they are distracted from their actual heist. Agent Santos quickly stands up. "We need to get over to that museum."
"What?" They know that it's just a diversion, so why should they be baited by the trap?
"Your plan works," she explains. "But instead of catching them after the action, we'll get them before."
An exciting feeling twists in Mia's stomach. This is it. They are going to stop criminals like agents. She's actually doing this.
The excitement changes to fear. She's actually doing this. She has pretended to be a secret agent and will now put her life at risk. How will she survive? She doesn't know how to fight. She will be dead in seconds.
"We don't have much time, so I just grabbed you a few things." Agent Santos shoved a pair of clothing and two weapons into Mia's arms. Her eyes widen when she sees the two handguns. She has never used a gun in her life.
The woman doesn't give Mia time to say anything. The agent leaves to change, nearly running. The giddiness that she illuminates makes Mia nervous. She had fun before she realized what she was doing. Now she is terrified.
Nonetheless, she puts on the black clothing that Agent Santos has given her. The pants are a little big, but she puts on the belt that she was wearing before to fix that. She slips on the vest right when Agent Santos comes back in,
"Are you ready?" Mia nods. She places her shaky hands behind her back. It's fine. Everything will be fine.
Mia notices Agent Santos's guns resting in her belt. Mia can't do the same, so she just awkwardly holds them in her hands. They feel heavy and cold in her palms. If she enters the lair, will she actually have to use them? Mia doesn't want to hurt anyone, whether they are good or bad. Why can't they all just...hug it out?
Agent Santos exits the room. Mia frantically follows. The agent darts down the hallways and outside. Mia has to run in order to catch up with her. Agent Santos doesn't notice her; her eyes are glued to her watch.
The agent gets in the car. She starts it before Mia can even close the door. Mia quickly puts on her seat belt, though it seems silly at that moment. She has two guns on her lap and she's worried about if she's buckled?
"We're running out of time," Agent Santos mutters, panicked. She presses harder on the gas. At this point, Mia would be relieved if the Manger brothers weren't there. She doesn't want the plan to be sabotaged, but she also doesn't want to be the person who sabotages it by not knowing how to use a weapon.
They reach the other side of town in record time. Agent Santos parks a block away from the museum and they walk over. They hide behind a field of bushes that are across the street from the building. There they can see six or seven men hoisting bags over their shoulders in broad daylight. Through the window, they can see the workers and other people with their knees on the floor and their hands over their heads. Surely one of them called the police. The criminals will be gone by the time they show up, though.
"That's them," Agent Santos whispers excitedly. "We need to get back in the car and follow them."
The two girls sneak back to the car. Agent Santos strategically drives a street over and parks close by. Then we sit and wait for the Manger brothers to drive away. In a few minutes, they're speeding away, and so is Agent Santos.
She finds a way to stay far enough away to make it look like the two girls are not following them. Agent Santos also turns onto other streets, yet U-turns and gets back on course before they can lose the cars. Mia can't tell if they're following discreetly, but they manage to make it to a pair of woods without any intervention.
Agent Santos parks the car and looks down the dirt path that the criminals have just driven down. "We should walk now. Their hide-out is probably close, meaning we shouldn't have our car if we want to be sneaky."
The agent hops out of the car. Mia feels frozen in place. Her fear has crept back into her body, making her feel paralyzed. This is it. What is she going to do when they get to their hide-out? There's no way that she can keep this facade up for any longer.
"Agent White." Agent Santos extends her hand for Mia to grab. "Please, we need to hurry."
Sucking in a deep breath, Mia nods and slides out of the car. Agent Santos closes the passenger door behind her. This is it. She can't hide in the car anymore.
The path that they walk down seems to stretch on for miles. They walk in silence. Mia's mind is spinning into mush. She feels as if her body is moving on auto-pilot, as if she isn't even there. She keeps asking herself the same question, What am I going to do? What am I going to do?
At one point, Mia can't take it anymore. The lie has burdened her for far too long. She confesses. "I'm not Agent White."
Agent Santos stops walking. "Excuse me?"
"My name is Mia Summers. I work at an office, not as an agent. I'm not Agent White."
The agent doesn't say anything. Mia's stomach sinks. It feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders, though. No matter what happens next, she's happy that she told her.
Agent Santos keeps walking. Startled, Mia runs to catch up with the agent. "Agent Santos—"
"Why did you tell me that you're Agent White?" she demands. Mia can't help but look at the woman's fists clenching and unclenching. "You don't understand the seriousness of this mission. You could have completely sabotaged it by replacing her. And the fact that I didn't notice! How could I be so clueless..."
Mia looks down at her feet. Her cheeks grow hot. She didn't realize how serious her decision had been until now. Agent Santos is right, she could have ruined the mission. Mia shouldn't be here. Agent White should be.
They reach a stone building. Three cars are parked in front of it. Agent Santos hides behind a large tree, pulling Mia beside her.
"I'm going in," she mutters.
"I can—"
"No," the agent interjects firmly. "Stay here. Better yet, start walking to the car. I'll meet you there."
Mia wants to argue, but she can't. What can she say? She genuinely doesn't want to go into the hide-out herself. It's best if she leaves.
She watches Agent Santos sneak her way into the building. She starts walking down the path. Mia shoves her hands into her pockets and kicks a rock. Sure, this will be a fun story to tell her co-workers one day, but was it worth it? Did she really miss work today for this?
A sudden realization causes her heart to stop. Will Agent Santos rat her out to the other agents? If so, will they imprison her for what she has done? Tears well in her eyes. Mia doesn't deserve to go to jail. What she did is wrong, but didn't she make up for it by telling the truth?
Mia reaches the car. She tries to open the door, but it doesn't budge. She sits next to the vehicle, waiting for Agent Santos. Mia doesn't want the agent to come back, though. She doesn't want her hurt, she just wishes that Agent Santos could steal one of the criminals' cars and leave. The intervention that will come once she returns is too much for Mia to bear.
After an hour, Mia does think that Agent Santos is gone. Is she in trouble? Does Mia need to go back and save her? What good would that do? Mia couldn't do anything to save her.
Agent Santos comes back ten minutes later. Mia scrambles to her feet. The agent has one gun twirling in her left hand and she's talking into her watch on the other hand. There are a few cuts and bruises on her arms and face, but besides that, she looks fine.
The agent unlocks the car. Mia slips into the passenger seat. Agent Santos stays outside awhile longer, still talking into her watch. Once she's done, she goes into the car.
An awkward silence lingers in the air. Mia shifts her weight uncomfortably. Finally, Agent Santos speaks. "Give me your address, I'll take you home."
Mia doesn't expect that. She blinks, surprised. After a moment, Mia recollects herself and tells her the address. She starts the car and they drive away.
It's quiet the entire trip. Agent Santos doesn't tell her if she had successfully taken down the criminals or not. She doesn't scold Mia or talk about the repercussions that would come with lying. She's just quiet.
Mia considers apologizing but doesn't know how to bring it up. Should she just randomly break the silence? She's too scared to. Agent Santos doesn't seem in the mood to accept apologies.
When they reach her house, Agent Santos presses on the brake but doesn't park. Mia puts her hand on the door handle. She looks at the agent.
"I'm really, really sorry for what I did," she says.
Agent Santos gives her a side look and raises a brow. Then she sighs. "You know? For someone who isn't an agent, I'm impressed with the plan you presented. Because of it, I located their hide-out. Other agents should be going over and arresting them as we speak."
Mia lets out a long breath, relieved. At least the plan worked.
"You're not," Mia hesitates, "you're not going to tell anyone, are you?"
"I was going to," the agent admitted. "But you did help me with my case. I think we can keep this a secret."
A smile spreads across Mia's face. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
Mia gets out of the car. Agent Santos rolls down the window. "Also, you must swear that you won't tell anyone about what happened today. It's confidential."
Mia nods. "I promise." It's the least she can do.
Agent Santos gives Mia a small wave and drives away. Mia lets out a heavy sigh. What a relief. Not only did the plan work out, but she is also off the hook. She has never felt so lucky.
She goes inside and falls limply on the bed. Benjamin hops onto the mattress, and licks her face.
"Oh, Benjamin." Mia laughs. She sits up and sets the small dog in her lap. "I have to tell you everything."
Hey, the agent said that she can't tell other people, not her dog.
***
"Seriously?!" you exclaim. You stare at Mia as she retells her entire day to her dog. "I didn't get the option to not confess the truth?"
"It was an unnecessary option," the A.I. replies. "The only way to ensure her safety was to have her tell the truth."
"But I wanted to see what the lair looked like!" You sigh and sink into the chair. It would have been far more interesting if Mia would have fought a few bad guys. An underdog conveniently getting herself out of an unlikely situation? Though predictable, you eat that kind of stuff up every time.
"Where do I put my recommendations for improvement?" you ask, looking around the large desk. "Because I think it needs way more choices."
"Why is that?"
"Well, first off, there are more than three coffee options at a coffee shop."
"But—"
"And there were so many cool opportunities! Mia would have been a sick agent."
"No. Mia must maintain her mundane lifestyle."
You throw your hands in the air. "Why does it matter if Mia's life is boring or interesting? If you want a compelling game, you need the objective to be a little better than that."
Grace doesn't reply. You stare at the screen, surprised by yourself. You haven't gone off like that since...ever. You can't tell whether to be embarrassed or impressed.
"If you have concerns, please report them to the front desk," Grace finally tells you. "Have a nice day."
The last part startles you. Is the computer kicking you out? From the look of it, the game is still going. Mia is still spilling her story to Benjamin as you speak. The A.I. made it clear what it wants, though.
You slowly get up. "Fine, I will." You walk out and close the door. You don't go any further, though. You look back at the door, wondering if you made the right decision. The actual replacement doesn't seem to be coming any time soon, so you're worried about leaving the room vacant. Changing your mind, you turn the knob to go back inside. The door's locked.
Huh, that's weird, you think. Maybe it's just a sign. I should go back to the tour, anyway.
Dismissing the locked door, you go back up to the main floor. A large group of people is staring at the different models of a computer. You find your friend in the center of it. You squeeze back into the tour.
"Where have you been?" your friend asks.
"Long, long bathroom break," you reply. If the staff hears what you did, you may get kicked out right away. "But I'll tell you what I bumped into along the way later."
Your friend gives you a skeptical look, but shrugs it off. You tune back into what the tour guide is saying and eventually find interest in what he's talking about. You almost forget the interesting game you had played hours ago.
Congratulations! You just got the REVEALED SPY ending! Go back to "1. Morning" in order to try again!
Ending: 15/19