Secret Agent - A Short Story

When they opened the cabin door, the heat rushed in from outside. She stepped off the plane at 12:57pm local time, into the sun. She stared off into the horizon as if she could see the 6 miles off the coast of Acapulco. She couldn’t. She knew it. But she squinted and tried anyways. She knew that was where she had to go, to find him.

Six hours later she was crouched behind terra-cotta wall, wet from her long swim, determined. She was listening as she stared at her watch, counting the amount of time it would take the guard to make it from one side of the wall to the other, figuring out that it took him 1.14 minutes to walk to one side, before turning around to head back to the other, figuring out that her best opportunity to flee was when he was almost at the other side. She quietly thanked James Bond, Jason Bourne and Ethan Hunt for her savvy, and held her breath for the final count.

Gracefully, stealthily, she scaled the wall, and paused when she reached the top to make sure that her calculations had not led her astray, math never being her strong suit. She was clear, and let out the quietest sigh of relief as to her surprise, the guard lit up a cigarette, with his back turned to her, the thick black outline of his body the only thing she could make of him against the setting sun.

She ran towards the prison’s outer wall, low to the ground, trying her best not be seen, and turned to face the ocean once she hit it, making sure the guard remained aloof. She walked along the jagged wall, touching its rough sandpaper façade as she crept towards the window, eyes darting in every possible direction, so far, still invisible, unnoticed.

Inside the window she can hear faint voices, but is unsure of where inside the building they are coming from. She weighs her options, and decides that if she looks into the window and is seen that it could ruin her entire plan. Wondering for the first time if it was worth it, she closes her eyes for a moment and thinks of that meeting with Pali, where he told her his secret, confessed to her of his family’s involvement with the transport of military equipment into the Middle East. He told her that he didn’t want any part of it, and she knew she had to go on.

With all her strength and all her speed, she looked quickly into the room, and her heart almost sank. There he was, on the floor of a dirty, damp cell, head between his knees, praying. She wanted to call to him, to yell to him that she was there and that she was going to save him. But she couldn’t. She would be heard. Quietly she tapped her fingernail on the bars of the window. He didn’t budge. She did it again, and this time, he shifted and lifted his head to her. She put her finger to her lips, urging him to be quiet, and nodded, letting him know to be ready, she had already armed the c-4. She stepped back, and held her breath and waiting for the explosion, she knew that once it went off, she would a mere seconds to get him out.

Even though she had been waiting for it, it still took her by surprise. But she quickly shook off the dust and started moving, her senses heightened with the smell of explosives and burnt stone. She Grabbed Pali, and lifted him to his feet. He was weak, but she knew that he could make it. Together they ran for the wall again and dove over it. She had a boat anchored a short swim from the wall, but far enough that the guards couldn’t see her. They swam quickly and quietly and threw themselves over the edge of the raft. She pulled on the motor, it choked at first but then kicked on, and they quickly made their escape.

By the time she could see land the sun was already rising, and she watched as its warm rays slowly bathed his face with warmth, kissed his lips with light. Pali blinked his eyes open. He smiled at her as he took her free hand into his, and softly said “you didn’t have to do that”.

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This story is based on a prompt written by a classmate.