The Elton Agency

It's The Little Things

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"I honestly don't know why I have to deal with this bullshit again." Madeline Anderson stretched on her chair as she went through the data of the new bunch of agents she had to reshape into working under cover in a school environment. 

The Andersons were CIA agents for generations, from the time the organization was found. And as a person who did under cover work ever since she was a child, Madeline knew exactly how to behave in any given environment. She switched personalities like chameleons changed colors. It was almost impossible to know which one of it her real personality. 

In fact, it was hard for even the said agent. She didn't really know what her real personality was because she was always changing it. 

"Braxton Samuels, Lindsay Hill and Connor Adams." Eric listed out the names as he leaned on Madeline's chair, peering over at the screen. "Aren't they going to be directly working with you on that Bridgeport case as soon as their training is over?"

"Yep." Madeline was not very happy with the news she had received.

"This Braxton dude is way too hot that he is making me question my sexuality." He said. 

Madeline rolled her eyes. In her eyes, he was nothing but just another pretty boy and it was obvious from the way he stared at the camera when the picture was taken that he was fully aware of how good looking he was. "He is going to be our jock." She said. 

Without doubt, she was not at all pleased with what she was given to work with but that didn't mean that she was going to sit back and brood. 

She had a job to do and she did it better than anyone. And that was exactly what she was going to do with this particular case as well. 

"What about Lindsay?" 

"Got a scholarship into the school because she is so f*****g smart." Madeline shrugged. "Comes from a dirt poor family with a alcoholic dad and a mom with gambling issues."

"The whole package huh?" It had always been a wonder to Eric how his colleague came up with the most believable story out of everyone she ever met. 

Madeline just shrugged. She had way too much work on her shoulders these days. Sometimes she wondered if it was the Director's way of keeping her busy so that she didn't have much time to think about what had happened two months ago. But that was her plan, she was failing miserably in it because Madeline thought about the incident every day and every hour and every minute.

"We are ready for you." Sandra, one of the masterminds at the backstage of the Elton Agency said as she opened the door to the room.

"I will be there in a minute." Madeline sighed. This better be good because she was not in the mood for some mediocre s**t.

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"Ready to breach. " Madeline breathed out as she aimed her grappling hook gun at the roof of the abandoned building.

"Alright." The gruff said in her ear. "We have hostiles at seven yards east of landing."

"Am I in their frame?" Madeline asked.

"Not if you don't make a sound." The man chuckled while a smile formed on Madeline's face. She was as quiet as death and lethal as venom.

"Alright Medusa, breach." The man barked into the earpiece as soon as he saw that their targets were distracted by the diversion they had set up.

She pressed the trigger at the same time as the explosion a few blocks away. "I don't think I will have to deal with them."  She said as she jumped off the building, swinging her body through a glass window of the target building.

"How are we holding up?" Madeline asked as she bit and pulled out a shard of glass which had pierced her forearm.

"No thermal images." He said. "Almost too safe if you ask me."

"Are they hunting the hunter?" A smirk formed on Madeline's face. There was nothing she loved more than danger.

"Over and out." She clicked her tongue and turned the ear piece off.

"What?-" The operator could not finish what he was saying.

Madeline walked to a corner of a room where she would be hidden from everything and then called Eric.

"Is it already over?" She could hear music in the background. The asshole was chilling in a club while his partner worked her ass off.

"Nope. I was just bored." She said as she loaded her grappling hook gun because she didn't know when she would need it next. And then she put it back on the slot on her vest and took out her already silenced hang guns, unlocking them.

"Okay..." Eric was confused. And him being tipsy didn't help the situation.

"You know the Connor guy?"

"Yeah?"

"I think he would do great as a Math teacher or something."

Eric raised a brow. "Why the hell would he come to TEA for training then? I am sure he is more than capable of carrying out that role."

Madeline rolled her eyes. As if it was not enough that their organization had such a cringey name, her best friend had to make it even worse by calling it TEA rather than T-E-A.

"Yeah but it would be kind of suspicious if the teacher hung out with these three new kids." She scrunched up her face as she crouched and took strides to the corridor. It had an open half wall on the other side.

She looked between the two sides and crawled to the wall, pressing her back against it.

"So that's their play..." She hummed.

"What is?" Eric asked.

"Nothing." She huffed as she crawled to the end of the corridor. She had to reach the basement because she knew that it was where what she looking for was.

"You know, if you people just kept the distance, I think it would be alright." Eric said thoughtfully, completely oblivious to the fact that his best friend and partner was in grave danger. "Having someone in the faculty may come handy."

"I am not saying you will have any disadvantage even if you don't have anyone." He quickly added. "I know you are more than capable of getting anything you want and making anything happen."

Madeline smiled to herself as she leaned against the railing at the stairways.

"Is he dead?" The voice sounded hurried and they were coming from downstairs.

"Maddy..." Eric said her name but she was too busy crawling to a room to reply.

"I think he might have been knocked out cold when he went through that window."

Madeline had to suppress her snicker. Poor idiots those she was a guy. Typical. But that just made her life a whole lot easier right? Men let down their guard around women like her - five feet nothing and a baby face - and she made sure to make them regret that moment of misconception for the few seconds of life they had left before she shot through their brains.

Madeline had light steps, not to mention swift speed so she hurried down the staircase the others had come in through. She decided she needed to hang up with the best friend and get in contact with the technical team.

"We have seven men on the upper floor and two at the basement." He said as soon as he was connected. 

"Alright, that's a fair deal." Madeline whispered. 

"I think you will be just fine." He let go of his professional side to say those words of encouragement to the kid about his own son's age. 

"Thanks." She breathed out before rolling on to the front of the basement door, shooting the man who was at the base of the stairs. Like an i***t, the second one came unprepared to check on his friend and was shot in the head too. 

"They are on their way back down, and they are fast. Oh wait, someone else just entered and landed right in front of them." 

Madeline's eye brows knitted together. 

"Who is this new character?" She asked out loud. And then she was surprised to hear the sound of gunshots.

"I am sending in drones but they have engaged in a scuffle so I think this new person is an ally, and he or she is taking them down real quick." 

Madeline narrowed her eyes. This was supposed to be her solo mission and she was supposed to have all the fun by herself. Then who the hell was this party pooper who decided to take away all the fun from its rightful owner. 

"Get the hard disk please." The operator said flatly when he realized that Madeline was going to leave the very reason for the breach.

Madeline sighed and quickly grabbed it from the locker, the pin code to which had been found out a while  ago. She pocketed the hard disk which was going to come in handy and quickly climbed up the stairs. 

And the wave of disappointment that hit her in the face when she saw the sight in front of her would never be forgotten. 

Seven lives. Seven human lives which were supposed to be taken by her had been taken by someone else. 

Madeline narrowed her eyes. She didn't know if this man was ally or rival. She was prepared for both the situation but she was not prepared to what he said next as he turned around.

"YOU!" She shrieked, recognizing the man at once. 

"Nice to meet you Ms. Anderson. I hope you have good first impression of your student for the next four months." He smiled and then held out his bloodied hand. "Connor. Connor Adams." 

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"Nice to meet you Ms. Anderson. I hope you have good first impression of your student for the next four months." He smiled and then held out his bloodied hand. "Connor. Connor Adams." 

Madeline looked at his outstretched hand and then at the stupid grin on his face. 

"Whatever Ginger." She said after a moment of analyzing him and then continued down the stairs, knowing that the coast was clear. 

"It's Connor." He said. 

Madeline rolled her eyes. "You are a CIA agent, right?"

"Yep, the best in the business if you ask around."

"If you are the best in the business, I shouldn't have to ask around to know that." Madeline yawned. She was sleepy now. The adrenaline rush had passed due to a certain s**t who stole all the heads she wanted to practice her aim on. 

"Well, I have heard a lot about you." Connor said enthusiastically. "You have been an agent since you were eight. You are said to single handedly carry the Elton Agency on your shoulders and they call you-" He stopped immediately.

"Medusa." Madeline stopped in her tracks and turned to the agent who would be working under her for the next four months. "They call me Medusa."

"I hope you are informed why so."

"Nope." 

"You will know soon enough then." A smirk appeared on her face, one that the agent mirrored. He was not disappointed with how the person from all the legends turned out. She really was a walking unpinned grenade. And he could come to that conclusion from the short while he had observed her in action and the shorter while he had conversed with her. 

Madeline sniffed as she tied her loosen hair in a tight top knot. She was done with  work for the day and now she wanted to cuddle her pup in her couch and watch K-dramas on Netflix. 

"So how about we go get a drink. Get acquainted with each other?" Connor asked as he turned around and walked backward, his eyes set on her. 

Madeline was not at all amused by this little s**t but if he wanted to play, she was ready for the play. 

"I don't drink." She shrugged. "How about we go out for dinner instead?" She quirked a brow and tilted her head, seeming so genuinely in to the idea that Connor couldn't help but be impressed. She was such a fantastic actress. 

Connor laughed out loud. "I will see you at training tomorrow."

Madeline's façade dropped immediately and she nodded with a firm look on her face. "I am looking forward to see your capabilities as a spy, Mr. Adams. After all, it is when undercover we have to use our brain cells." 

Connor nodded but then Madeline didn't stay for any more conversation. She needed to get one more night of well rested sleep before jumping in to the busy schedule and then the mission four months after. 

The amount of time and preparation required prior and during missions were just too much and it sucked out the lives out of the agents and the backstage workers, but they had no choice did they? They had to take down as many bad guys as they could because evil was never going to stop and they were not going to stop terminating as much of them as possible. 

Madeline got back onto her motorcycle she had parked a few blocks away and rode back home, picking up ice cream for herself and dog-friendly ones for her Satan's spawn chihuahua, r****h, as she did. Today really was going to be the last day of peace until who knows when. 

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"Connor Adams."

"Braxton Samuels"

"Lindsay  Hill" 

"At ease." Lieutenant Janet Hughes, the director of the Elton Agency paced around in front of the three agents. "I know all of you are professionals but things are very different here at the Elton Agency."  

She turned around to face Madeline and Eric. "I assume you have their schedule ready?"

Madeline nodded while Eric tapped on his phone, all of the phones buzzed. "And sent." He shrugged. 

"Good." Janet didn't have to ask separately for the schedule to be send to her because she had felt her own buzz too. These two were the best trainers of the Elton Agency and the new three agents were the best in their fields. it was safe to say that the five of them made a dream team but she didn't know how it was going to turn out. After all, there could only be one Alpha in a pack. 

Looking at the steely gaze Madeline had on the three older agents, Janet couldn't help but place her bet on this particular grenade.

"Grenade.." The director called out to her ace agent and the daughter of her best friend. "Come to my office after the orientation."

Madeline gave her a firm, professional nod.

The five agents didn't move from their position until the director was out of the room.

Connor's serious gait changed instantly and a lazy grin settled over his face. 

"So how is it all planned out, captain?" He turned to Madeline. 

Lindsay and Braxton looked at him weirdly. Did these two know each other?

"You will know when you know." She rolled her eyes. "But let me make some things clear."

"Rule number one, you do not ask unnecessary questions." Eric said before Madeline could say it. 

She turned to her best friend and gave him her death glare before turning back to them. "Rule number two, NEVER cut me off." She said that pointedly, stealing a glance at Eric who bit his tongue, understanding that it was meant towards him and him alone. 

Lindsay threw her hand in the air. "I have a question."

"Is it a necessary one?" Madeline asked. 

"Do  you assign us personalities or do we have to figure it out?"

Madeline scratched the side of her face. Stupid CIA agents and their stupid questions.

"I know that you are allowed to do as you please in the limits of the identity you are given in the CIA, but here we take on a completely different approach." Madeline spoke. "Every single step is planned and we don't have the liberty or luxury to stray from it, though yes, under very critical and special conditions, you will get to improvise." 

Lindsay gave her a nod, noting everything that had been said into her genius brain. 

"Now all of you please move ahead to the conference hall.  We will meet you there in ten." Eric said suddenly after he received a text on his phone.

"What about the rest of the rules?" Braxton asked for the first time after he introduced himself.

"We will let you know soon." Eric said in a hurry and took Madeline's hand, and dragged her away while she kept asking him what the hell was going on.

"Hey I am Connor, what's up?" Connor turned to the other two agents. 

"I am Lindsay." Lindsay smiled. "It's nice to meet you Connor."  And she turned to the other agent. "And you, Braxton."

Braxton turned to face the two agents who were looking expectantly at him.

"Whatever." Was all he said before he made his way out of the room. 

"Who stuck a stick up his ass?" Connor wondered out loud.

"Both this Braxton dude and that Medusa dudette seem to be pieces of work." Lindsay nodded to herself as she rocked back and forth on her heels. 

Connor smiled and looked at the five feet nothing baby faced agent. She couldn't have been more than twenty.

"Say Lindsay, didn't they say younger agents will not be recruited? How did you manage to get in?" 

"I am thirty, dummy." Lindsay rolled her eyes before walking away, leaving behind  a completely shocked Connor. 

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"What's the emergency?" Madeline asked as they walked into the reception of the agency. 

"Oh  oh, so since today is the first day, the department decided that a class will be taken by some legend." Eric let her know. 

Madeline nodded, not knowing why he was getting so excited over something like that because it was not like it was the first time this was done. 

And then the bulb in her head  lit up.

"Mom's coming?" She whisper yelled.

And Eric nodded, his eyes trained on the front double doors; it was going to be flung open any second now.

"Who are you waiting for?" Another person joined them.

"The great Erin Anderson." Eric shrugged, not taking his eyes off from the door.

Madeline raised a brow and turned to face the older woman. She looked over at Eric and rolled her eyes before saying, "Mom."

"Yeah, she also happens to be Madeline's mom." Eric said.

"Oh, last time I checked I was her mom." This had Eric's attention and he turned around, his eyes widening when he realized that it was the woman in the flesh. "And Erin Anderson." She shrugged while Madeline let out a chuckle.

"H-hello ma'am." He stuttered, his eyes wide.

"Hello Eric, I am in bit of a hurry so can you please lead the way?"

"Sure." 

The two walked in the front while Madeline rolled her eyes and followed them. Eric was such a brown noser.

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