[center][h1] Erin [/h1]

___________________[/center]

Erin had begun riffling through the files in front of her. She’d already read them front to back multiple times, committing even the most seemingly insignificant details to memory. These files, packed full of progress reports, incident reports, assignment reports, they were the hardback book covers for actual [i]people[/i]. And as her eyes scanned each page, her inner voice mumbling each sentence out loud, she reminded herself that these agents were more than just a sum of their parts. MI5 had cast them aside, ostracised them, black listed them, just as they had with Erin herself. Tutting at the exit reports, the Rogue Row Director lowered the file she had gripped in her hands, papers rustling in protest. The sound of London traffic rumbled outside the office walls and a train passing overhead rattled the office’s meager infrastructure. Erin watched the walls tremble, dust pluming from the brickwork. This place was a desolate contrast to her old office at MI5. She pictured the sleek black interiors, the matte finish on the walls, the monitors sparkling with efficient promise. Closing her eyes and leaning back in the creaky office chair, Erin’s nose stung with the stale air around her and she breathed a sigh that fluttered the paperwork strewed across her desk.

[quote] “[i]Oh… Good morning,[/i]” came an unassuming voice from in front of her. [/quote]

Erin, with one eye open, took in the woman who stood in front of her desk. She stood, slightly bent over the dying desk plant, fingers hovering above the dried leaves. 

[quote] “[i]I’m Ellie- Dr. Price. Sorry, I know I’m early.”

She gestured faintly to the plant, almost apologetic. “Just needs a bit of water. Might come back, given time.”[/i] [/quote]

Erin let silence fill the box office, her eyes scanning Dr Ellie’s face quietly. She’d taken a slow step back, lingering in the door frame. Erin let out a slow exhale and gestured at the pair’s grim surroundings.

[quote] [i]“This whole place ‘needs a bit of water’, Dr Price”[/i] she quipped.[/quote]

Erin adjusted her posture so she filled the office chair. Her arms rested over each side, legs elegantly folded one over the other. Slowly, she swung her Prada-clad foot back and forth. Cocking her head to one side, she fixed the new arrival with a confident, unwavering gaze. 

[quote] [i]“The pathologist,”[/i] she stated, punctuating with a slight nod. [i] “There wasn’t a major case in MI5 that didn’t have your eyes on it, few years back.”[/i][/quote]

The infamous, critical gaze slid from Ellie to the pile of paperwork fanned out in front of her. Scanning quickly, her fingers delicately removed one page in particular. Holding it low so she could keep Ellie in her sights, Erin read from the report between her fingertips. She read in a tone that lacked emotion. Factual. Unbiased. 

[quote] “[i]Dr Price, when challenged to review her Post-Mortem conclusion, was incapable of accepting supplementary evidence. She denied its relevance, stating her conclusion would remain unchanged despite the blatant evidenced contradiction. When warned that failure to acknowledge the need for a review would result in reasonable grounds for the termination of her contract, Dr Price vehemently refused, insistent that her findings were absolute-“ [/i] Erin faltered, arching a perfectly preened brow at the woman that stood before her. A bemused smile tugged at her lips as she awaited Ellie’s response. [/quote]

It was hard to believe that this mild-mannered, softly spoken woman was the same impassioned agent outlined in the report. The following paragraphs depicted the details of heated conversations upon Ellie’s exit. Erin decidedly avoided reading those. Instead, she directed her gaze back to Dr Price and tossed the report to one side. 

[quote] [i]“You’re here because I don’t believe in the denial of absolutes,”[/i] Erin stated. Her tone was final. Stern. [i]“I’m familiar with the case that’s referenced here-“[/i] a lazy flick of Erin’s hand gestured at the discarded report. [i]“And I happen to believe that MI5, once again, tried to bend the rules to absolve themselves of crimes. You didn’t sell out. You didn’t accept the bribes. You didn’t relent. That’s the kind of agent Rogue Row is in dire need of.”[/i] [/quote]

Rising from her office chair, Director Rayner circled her desk, the heels of her Prada’s thudding against the worn carpet. She perched on the edge of the desk, wood creaking beneath her weight, and crossed her arms. Lifting a chin defiantly, she levelled Ellie with another watchful gaze.

[quote] [i]“You’ve done your research, I’m sure. Like any good agent. You know who I am and how I operate. Rogue Row, though funded and fed by MI5, is under my watch. [b]Mine[/b]. You won’t be put in that position again, Doctor Price-“[/i] Erin pointed a finger emphatically first at Ellie, then at the report that lay rejected atop the desk. [i]“I want [b]that[/b] agent. The very one MI5 fired. I want her. Bigger and better than ever.” [/i] [/quote]

Another train thundered overhead and the officer walls trembled again. It broke the spell, diverting Erin’s attention as she glanced at the clouds of dust that plumed once more. She gestured to the door, signalling that this conversation was over.

[quote] [i]“I need another coffee before I expire - Shall we?”[/i] [/quote]

Erin breezed past Ellie, so close their shoulders brushed, and she strode across the deserted office floor towards the coffee machine. Opening an overhead cupboard whose hinges desperately needed oiling, she snatched a dusty mug from the shelf and inspected it with a sneer. Quickly rinsing it under a spluttering faucet, Erin slid the mug under the coffee machine, flicking the button impatiently. She’d followed Ellie’s advice from her interview. The descaler. Lo and behold the machine choked to life, leaking steaming black espresso into the damp cup beneath. She stole a glance at the watch on her right-hand wrist, smirking at the few minutes that remained for the next agent to arrive. She was cutting it fine. Not technically late, but not early either. Erin swirled the espresso in her mug, turning to face the desks that lined the office. So vacant, so empty. She hoped they’d soon be buzzing with activity, life breathed back into this haunted space. Rogue Row had a long way to go. But Erin was determined. Success was her only option.