14th June 2005. - Cambridge MA.
"Hurry up Dad, if we're any later you'll have to stand at the back and view will be terrible!" I called.
"Coming Bells,” He grumped, tugging on the tie that his new wife Sue had insisted he wore.
I smirked at my father as he stood uncomfortably in the hotel room, totally out of his comfort zone. Charlie was dressed in a smart dress shirt and pants, a long call from his normal Police uniform and a far stretch from his usual jeans and plaid shirt.
"You look really handsome Dad.” I smiled at him, while taking in the soft furnishings and bright decor of the small room of the hotel. "Now come on, I can't really get away with being late, what with being Valedictorian an all."
"Sure, Sure, Bells.” He smiled back, his eyes sparkling with excitement and pride.
I grabbed my purse and hooked my arm through my Dads as we excited the room. The hotel lobby was awash with many of my fellow graduates and their families. Sue stood proudly on the other side of my father, they hadn’t been married long. I knew without a doubt that she was just what he needed and for the first time in a long time I felt truly happy. I trailed my eyes around the room, feelings of warmth, joy and security filling me up and bolstering me with the verve to push through myself inflicted worries.
I was the first Swan to make it to an Ivy League College, and Dad was swelling with pride; hell, half of the guys from the station had him under orders to get lots of pictures. In fact old Mrs Cope, our school secretary, had loaned dad her video camera and demanded he film the whole event.
“Let’s do this.” I said, eager to get today’s ceremony over already.
Today I was graduating MIT Class of 2005. I’d earned degrees in computer sciences, information and communications, and languages. I was eager to get out into the world and make my mark. Just days ago there'd been a career's fair in the gym on campus, and I'd met Alfred Berty. Or should I say he'd sought me out. I'd caught the attention of the CIA, and I was due at an interview in Washington a week from Monday. Dad was overcome with excitement; his little girl was being head hunted by the CIA! The CIA! While I shared in his excitement, I was more nervous about getting through today. I disliked being centre of attention most of the time and now here I was having to stand up at a podium in front of my peers and their families and tell them how great our lives were going to be.
I straightened out my dark blue gown and fumbled with my gold tassels as I stepped up on the stage. This was it; my time to suck it up and show them that choosing me wasn't a bad choice.
"Fellow students, faculty, family and friends. My name is Isabella Swan. I have the distinct honour of being MIT graduating class of 2005 Valedictorian. Today marks the end of a journey and the beginning of what I hope will be a great adventure.
When we were younger, we wanted for little and demanded a lot. I wanted to be a librarian; I loved books. When I got older, I wanted to be a nurse, but I changed my mind because the sight of blood makes me ill.”
I straightened out my dark blue gown and fumbled with my gold tassels as I stepped up on the stage. This was it; my time to suck it up and show them that choosing me wasn't a bad choice.
"Fellow students, faculty, family and friends. My name is Isabella Swan. I have the distinct honour of being MIT graduating class of 2005 Valedictorian. Today marks the end of a journey and the beginning of what I hope will be a great adventure.
When we were younger, we wanted for little and demanded a lot. I wanted to be a librarian; I loved books. When I got older, I wanted to be a nurse, but I changed my mind because the sight of blood makes me ill.”
Everyone chuckled and I heard my dad mutter, "With the amount of time we spent at the hospital you'd think she'd get over that!"
“When I left high school, I didn't know what I wanted; I knew I wanted to learn. I wanted to experience the world and everything that it offered. I wanted to make mistakes and pick up the pieces, and I wanted to walk down the sidewalk without falling over my own feet.” The auditorium descended into laughter again.
"Now, we are graduating, and I still don't know where I'm going. But I know that because of where I've been, I'll do just fine. We all have hopes and dreams and this is our time to head out on the path to see them fulfilled. Whether you want to be a Police officer, a pilot, a doctor, a nurse, a racing driver or even a cowboy.”
"Now, we are graduating, and I still don't know where I'm going. But I know that because of where I've been, I'll do just fine. We all have hopes and dreams and this is our time to head out on the path to see them fulfilled. Whether you want to be a Police officer, a pilot, a doctor, a nurse, a racing driver or even a cowboy.”
A few more chuckles came from the crowd.
“This is our time. Our time to stand up, be counted, shine and say, ‘Hey, look at me, see what I can do, believe in what I know; like me, love me, trust me.’ The only thing stopping us from achieving anything is ourselves. We hold our own destiny in our hands and today I say, go and get it, grasp it and hang on with everything you have. The ride will be bumpy, but wow, what an adventure it will be. Graduating Class of 2005, it's been a pleasure to walk this path with you!"
The room erupted in cheers and whoops. I stood back from the podium blushing furiously. I glanced at my dad, who had a proud smile on his face, and my blush brightened. My friend Angela sat in the front row giving me a thumbs up and smiling widely. It was worth it. If I never had to stand up and do this kind of thing again, I would die happy, but I'm glad I had done it.
The room erupted in cheers and whoops. I stood back from the podium blushing furiously. I glanced at my dad, who had a proud smile on his face, and my blush brightened. My friend Angela sat in the front row giving me a thumbs up and smiling widely. It was worth it. If I never had to stand up and do this kind of thing again, I would die happy, but I'm glad I had done it.
*****
14th June 2010
CIA Headquarters - Mclean VA.
I'd been sitting at my desk for hours, or maybe it was days; all concept of time had gone once I'd started focussing on my work. I'd been watching a data stream for days now. Something felt off about the 'Embassy Star’, a container ship bound for San Francisco. According to the manifest, it was carrying weapons-grade plutonium for the military and was travelling under the guise of carrying car parts, so it was normal procedure for us to keep tabs on Fleet AIS to ensure it stayed on the assigned course. What caught my eye was the apparent shadowing of the container ship by another ship, 'Bella Principessa'. I snorted at the name; my line manager and good friend Al would get a hoot out of that.
I'd also been catching whispers in cyberspace and on phone logs of a cell operating in the Seattle area of Washington. All signs led to a plot to do something big and possibly terrifying here in the capitol. We'd been keeping tabs on Washington for the past six months after I stumbled across a cell procuring biological matter from hobos and raiding blood banks while on vacation in Seattle. One of the cell, a large African American by the name of Laurent, had been taken into custody and had proved to be quite helpful on the information front. Of course now he was being held in Guantanamo, so I doubt we'd get anything else out of him that would be particularly useful.
I leant back in my chair, scrubbing my face, my eyes stung from spending so much time scouring over communications chatter, ship manifests and web transcripts. I was tired and cranky and I really wanted to just go home, crawl into bed and sleep for a hundred years. Instead I settled for taking a time out and headed to lunch. I left the data stream running on my computer, but locked the monitor so nothing could be seen, before grabbing my sandwich and heading out to meet Angela.
14th June 2010
CIA Headquarters - Mclean VA.
I'd been sitting at my desk for hours, or maybe it was days; all concept of time had gone once I'd started focussing on my work. I'd been watching a data stream for days now. Something felt off about the 'Embassy Star’, a container ship bound for San Francisco. According to the manifest, it was carrying weapons-grade plutonium for the military and was travelling under the guise of carrying car parts, so it was normal procedure for us to keep tabs on Fleet AIS to ensure it stayed on the assigned course. What caught my eye was the apparent shadowing of the container ship by another ship, 'Bella Principessa'. I snorted at the name; my line manager and good friend Al would get a hoot out of that.
I'd also been catching whispers in cyberspace and on phone logs of a cell operating in the Seattle area of Washington. All signs led to a plot to do something big and possibly terrifying here in the capitol. We'd been keeping tabs on Washington for the past six months after I stumbled across a cell procuring biological matter from hobos and raiding blood banks while on vacation in Seattle. One of the cell, a large African American by the name of Laurent, had been taken into custody and had proved to be quite helpful on the information front. Of course now he was being held in Guantanamo, so I doubt we'd get anything else out of him that would be particularly useful.
I leant back in my chair, scrubbing my face, my eyes stung from spending so much time scouring over communications chatter, ship manifests and web transcripts. I was tired and cranky and I really wanted to just go home, crawl into bed and sleep for a hundred years. Instead I settled for taking a time out and headed to lunch. I left the data stream running on my computer, but locked the monitor so nothing could be seen, before grabbing my sandwich and heading out to meet Angela.
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