Chapter 3 The Mission episode: 6

I sit on the floor quietly and decide to let the situation unfold instead of trying to wrap my mind around it.
"You haven't completed the mission... if you were going to let things go you shouldn't have accepted the mission in the first place. Your laziness has jeopardized the whole operation. We may have lost our window of opportunity. I have half a mind to have you pulled out."
When her lecture is done I remain quiet. I don't know what she's talking about and I'm not going to pretend like I do. Either she is authentic and has grabbed me by mistake or she is unstable, what ever the reason is working my way to the door and leaving sounds like a good plan. Almost as if she could tell I was beginning to plan my escape she turns on the light and leans on the door.

"I don't know what your talking about!" I exclaim out of exasperation and exhaustion "I don't know who you think I am, but I clearly am not them." She cuts me off with a wave of her hand and a look that could pierce steal

"I don't know what game you are playing and frankly I don't care, but if you don't complete the mission you will force me to take... uncomfortable measures." She says. it is clear from her tone of voice and body language that what ever measures she is referring to is uncomfortable enough for me to at least try to satisfy her demands even if she is crazy.

"What exactly is my mission?" I say diplomatically. Looking as though she is about to erupt like a volcano she takes a breath, sighs, clears the emotion from her face, and says:

"You were under orders to pose as one of Wagner's students until you are in a position to retrieve the plans for his dooms day weapon that sources say is on a flash drive which he keeps somewhere on his person at all times. You do this, you put into the right hands the information needed to make sure his plans don't succeed"

I get to my feet, nod and coolly respond "Well, I better get back to work then shouldn't I."
She steps out of my way and I enter the hall again. I make my way to the front office only to find that my being called to the office was the product of a clerical error and it was someone else that was needed. I walk back to class scratching my head about the lady I had met who seemed like a combination of a character from an old detective movie and a character from a spy movie. I finally make it back to class. I stand in front of the door for a split second and take a deep breath to prepare myself to fight the sedative quality of my English class.

 I open the door and step in but instead of my class room I stand in a mansion where some kind of party is going on; the kind of party I've only seen on TV, the kind where there are people who wear fancy suits with white gloves that serve food on silver trays. Needless to say I feel out of place and confused. I myself am wearing an expensive suit. with no recollection of changing my clothes or leaving the school I walk through the crowd of people, all of which seem to be very wealthy. Seated off to the side with a group of people who seem very interested in every syllable he is saying, is my teacher... Mr. Wagner though it seems odd; I have never quite seen him in this context dressed as he is. He sees me and beckons me to join them. With the words of the 'mission' going through my head I approach with plans formulating in my mind. Doomsday weapon? he didn't seem the type but then again he didn't seem the type to have people interested in the things he said but here was sitting down in a circle of people that seemed fascinated with his every word. I decide to play it by ear and see what happens as I sit down

"Jake!" Mr. Wagner shouts excitedly "its good to see one of my most promising pupils here at my home to celebrate with me"
 He stands up walks over to where I am sitting and pulls me to my feet and gesturing at me says this is Jake who wrote the paper we have been discussing on particle field shift variance. While it is clear that his writing skills are in need of work it is also clear that he has found some insight into these concepts that is quite stirring." turning to me he smiles and says "Its good to see you"
He gives me a hug and returns to his seat. I am stunned the Mr. Wagner I know is stand offish, emotionally distant, and passionately offensive, but this man who looked and sounded like Mr. Wagner was very different.

"Jake, now that your here why don't you tell us more about your paper yourself and how you got the idea of wave modulation being the reason for the variance in certain particle fields."

I need to think of something and I need to think of it quickly. Obviously I'm not the person they think I am but if I am going to complete the 'mission' I need to avoid letting down the expectations of these people especially Mr. Wagner since it would probably worked to my advantage to maintain what ever false trust I can if I don't want to be kept at a distance.

"Instead of rehashing an amateurish take on an old concept why don't you tell us the reasoning behind your paper you recently published?" I say with the best acting in my life, and though everything I have went into the performance I have no Idea if it fooled anyone for a split second before Mr. Wagner responds

"You have a new paper?" a gentlemen with a top hat and mustache asks intrigued, "You must tell us the thesis that you chose." All around the group is an echoing wave of agreement with the gentlemen's sentiment. 


"Alright, while I don't agree with my students reference to his paper being amateurish I will concede and explain my thesis to you all." Mr. Wagner says. A waiter comes by with a tray full of drinks. I grab one.


"Before you do may I interject for one moment?" I ask with a hopeful expression on my face. He pauses then responds simply:


"By all means, what is it that you have to say?"


"I propose a toast" I announce fearlessly. Everyone response favorable and raises their own glasses.
"I propose a toast to professor Wagner for all he has offered to the field of physics in his long career." I walk over to where he is sitting and face the group with my hand on his back "To the professor and all the benefits the world has yet to see from his work!"  


"Here here!" they all say loudly. 


An over whelming tickle explodes out of my nose in a loud sneeze. In an awkward spasm I spill my drink on Mr. Wagner.


"I am so sorry!" I quickly say. He brushes at his coat as though the accident were a minor annoyance and smiles.


"Excuse me while I go change." he says to everyone in the group then he turns to me and says "Thank you for the toast, it was lovely." 


I follow him and continue to apologize "I'm so sorry I don't know where the sneeze came from I don't even have allergies I..."


"Its fine its fine really don't think twice about it" he says cutting my off in my apologetic rambling "its really fine I take no offence"


"I Just don't want you to think poorly of me for being so clumsy and careless" I say.


"Of course I don't think poorly of you for a simple accident. I am not so harsh as to hold such a minor thing against you, really go back to the party and enjoy yourself" he responds carefully. 
By this point we are half way up the stairs heading to his room where I am sure he is going to change. If what the lady said was right the flash drive with the weapon plans is somewhere on his person then him changing would be the perfect opportunity to get it from him with out him noticing. I just need to stay by his side until he gets to his door so I know which room is his but how much longer can a draw out my apology?


"I hope you don't think of me as insecure for pursuing  this apology as I have done I guess I just value your opinion of me." I say the words having a funny taste in my mouth as I remember what Mr. Wagner usually is like and how under any other circumstances I would never have said those words.


"Jake you should place greater value on how you see yourself than on how others see you. how do you see yourself?" he asks 


"I guess I see myself as a good student" I say trying my best to say things that would make sense in this context


"A good student? you are a brilliant student! With the potential of being one of the greatest minds of our time! I think you have some reason to think more highly of yourself. It makes sense now why you referred to your paper as being amateurish." He says stopping halfway across the upper landing at the top of the stairs on the second floor. "You need to see yourself as you are and when you do it won't matter what anyone thinks of you because you'll like what you see or you won't and nothing anyone says can change that. Shakespeare said it best 'to thine own self be true' words to live by so chin up, be happy, and be true."


"That's great advice I say." I say trying to show a hopeful positive expression on my face when all I am thinking is keep walking. He was still stopped half way across the second floor landing and if he doesn't keep walking I won't know which room is his and I don't know how on earth to continue the conversation; especially since I don't need the cheering up he is giving me. I decide to walk forward to see if he follows and continues toward his room but he stays where he is and I now must turn to face him to avoid the awkwardness of him talking to my back. I am now blocking him with nothing to say but


"Well I am grateful for the advice professor and I will try to follow it, I'm sorry again about spilling my drink on you." I turn away and head toward the stairs. I here him sigh and mumble something and then start heading down one of the hallways. I peek over my shoulder just as he disappears around a corner. I turn and rush in that direction as quietly as I can and look down the hallway. I see a pair of large double doors close and I assume it is Mr. Wagner going through them. I run down the hallway and open a much smaller door next to what I imagine is the door to Mr. Wagner's  bedroom I find myself in a small office with a table covered in papers next to some filing cabinets and some other miscellaneous objects of which I pay no attention to because I found what I am looking for: the window. 


Without delay I open the window and climb out on the ledge. Without thinking I jump and grab unto a drainpipe and jump again farther then I can ever remember jumping but I miss the balcony to which I was aiming and land on the balcony below. I climb up as fast as I can urge my muscles to climb to the balcony above me and pear in through an open window between a crack where two curtains part and I see Mr. Wagner carefully pull something out of the inside breast pocket of his jacket and set it on a table. I can't see clearly through the gap in the curtains but I am convinced that it is the flash drive. But how do I get him away from it long enough for me to grab it? 


A narrow ledge beneath an adjacent window provides a surface just big enough for a toe hold. Before I have time to think about the distance below or the likely hood of my falling I have already jumped and am clinging to the frame of the window. I slide the unlocked window open and enter a bathroom. I open the door a crack and see that this bathroom is connected to the bedroom, and I need to create a diversion big enough to cause Mr. Wagner to leave his room without the flash drive. I grab some rubbing alcohol out of the medicine cabinet and stuff a rag in it I find under the sink. There is a lamp on a little table near the sink. I unplug the lamp and pull the wires out of the back. I strip the ends and then plug it back in I touch the ends of the bare wires together and get a large spark I hold them to the rag and touch them together there is a pop and it bursts into flames I put it in the sink and climb out the window jump back to the balcony and look through the curtains into his bedroom.

 The flash drive is still on the table and he seems to be texting someone. He stops and sniffs the air and looks around the room he sees a glow in the bathroom and then runs to see what it is. There is a crash and some rustling. I dive through the window like the balcony is trying to bite me, I roll across the floor and tumble almost knocking into the table but  I stop just before. I snatch the flash drive and slither under the bed before he emerges from the bathroom, his eyebrows slightly singed and a very confused look is on his face. He sees that the flash drive is missing and he freezes before sitting in a chair and burying his face in his hands.

He leaves the room and I am left in outstanding silence. I don't really know what I've done, I only know that it's the mission I've been given to take the flash drive. Do I really know whats on here? I think as I hold the flash drive in front of my face. All I know is that when that man put his face in his hands I felt a lack in conviction In what I was doing and here in the silence I twinge with sympathy and regret. I move from under my bed to my feet and leave through the bedroom door. Before I get more then a few steps down the hallway a hand is placed on my shoulder. My spirit shrinks as I here a familiar voice.

"I never would have guessed that my pupil would be the one they would send." The voice of Mr. Wagner wafts painfully to my ears in the tone of a disappointed old friend. I don't say anything. there is nothing to say. I'm not who he thinks I am, I'm sure he is not the teacher that I know, and what I'm sure he thinks I did I have done. I cannot think of any words that would not butcher the situation or offend him but for some reason I turn to look at him and say the only true thing I can.


"I am sorry"


"I want you to have something" he says holding out a strange object. It's spherical and metallic with small circular windows. A faint glow and a low hum emit from the center of the object. "This is what is on those plans, I don't know what they told you it does but I guarantee it was not true." He says  pushing it into my hands "look at the plans you are my best student you will understand them then see for yourself what it does before you decide who you give this to or what you do with it." I take the device look down and away and then nod. I walk away and down the stairs. As I continue towards the exit everything becomes very dark and I start to ache all over rather severely. When things become completely dark I open my eyes I didn't know were closed. My head is on my desk in my English class and Mr. Wagner is back to his obnoxious old self attempting to teach minor grammar rules in the worst way possible. 


I am back and my whole body aches as a reminder of how distant my dreams are and how real what happened in the park was. I strain my body and sit up straight. The clock indicates that class is almost over. I stair at my teacher and only see the contrast from how he was in my dream. Why can't he be like that? Why can't he be caring, intelligent, helpful, kind, or even remotely useful. It seemed to me that that if the two Mr. Wagner's were connected then there must be something holding this one back. I brush the thought away realizing how ridiculous to think my dream has any reflection on reality. 


The bell rings. I grab my stuff and shove it into my backpack, but there is something taking up a lot of room I can barely fit my things in there. I put my backpack on my desk so I can more easily see inside. There inside my backpack staring me in the face is something spherical and metallic with small circular windows. A faint glow and a low hum emit from the center of the object. I can't believe my eyes. I blink and sputter before zipping up my backpack and following the herd of students outside of the classroom. I am blank faced and confused more confused than I have ever been. The device from my dream is in my backpack.