Aurora nervously made her way towards her boss’s door–well, her boss for now anyways, she was sure after her last mission she wouldn’t be welcome at the CIA any longer. She wondered her experience performing in all of her high college’s plays and musicals would have honed her acting skills enough so she could survive her last deep undercover mission, but her enormous failure had proven otherwise. She was plenty book clever, having graduated at the top of her class in high college and earning an acceptance to Columbia, a prestigious Ivy League school, but she–and her employers–had come to figure out that it was her book smarts that had gotten her this far and it was her lack of street smarts that was holding her back.

In her last mission, she and her partner were expected to have infiltrated a group of powerful men in one of the US’s enemy territories by befriending their wives. But one of the wives had caught on and grew suspicious of Aurora and eventually learned of her and her partner’s hidden agenda. It was only due to her partner’s astute undercover skills that the pair knew to retreat from the mission before they were entirely compromised and it was solely thanks to her partner’s investigative skills that the mission produced any kind of useful information for the CIA.

Aurora lightly knocked on CIA Director Perry’s door before she walked in.

“Hey Aurora, why don’t you take a seat and we can have a chat?” he said in a disappointed tone.

“Sure Mr. Perry, I just hope the bad news that you’re about to tell me isn’t as bad as I’m thinking it might be?” I replied after I had taken a seat.

“Well, I might as well rip off the band-aid Aurora. You’re fired,” he said in a harsh tone. Then after seeing my crestfallen expression he added with a bit more remorse “I’m sorry Rory, but the CIA can’t handle any more of your mishaps. It seems that maybe your talents would be suited to another field of work. I can see from your file that you have tried your luck at the NSA, Homeland Security, FBI, NCIS, Secret Service, and CIA?,” I nodded my head in confirmation and he continued “Well Aurora, you’re clearly a smart girl, I can see that from your education, but it just doesn’t seem like you can handle the fieldwork necessary for these types of positions. I hate to let your father down as we have been good friends for years, but it would be a danger to the CIA, the country, and most of all to you, if I kept you in as an agent for the CIA. So unfortunately, I will have to strongly suggest you resign and turn in your gun and badge to me by the end of the day.”

“But you just don’t understand Mr. Perry, I have to live up to my family legacy and the expectations put on me!” I wailed, then took a breath and calmly resumed my explanation, “My paternal grandparents worked for the CIA, my other grandparents Homeland Security, my parents work for the NSA, and even my older brothers did amazingly at the FBI Academy and have awesome careers as FBI agents.”

After a beat Mr. Perry replied, “While that is quite an impressive family legacy of public service Aurora, I’m sure your family would be proud of you regardless of your career. And hey, you could even live up to the legacy as an analyst or in computer tech or as a forensic scientist and still do a great service to your country! Would you like me to set something like that up for you?”

“Thank you for the offer Mr. Perry, but you still don’t understand,” I responded, “They still all see me as the baby, as poor ‘little Rory’ who can’t handle the real world, and can only get real jobs involving fieldwork with my parents’ connections. That’s why I NEED to be an agent and not an analyst or scientist. Isn’t there any way that you can help me, Mr. Perry?” Aurora begged.

He almost unconsciously looks down at an opened envelope and the letter sticking out of it that’s scattered among the paperwork on his desk. Then he looks back to me and scans down my body for a beat as if he’s searching for something.

After he’s done and resigned looking he tells me “Well it’s out of the question when it comes to the CIA, you’re done here,” I look down at my hands in my lap in the verge of tears, “But,” I look back up at Mr. Perry with my last shred of hope, “I did learn of a new governmental agency that is looking for new agents. The director wrote to me hoping for some new recruits. I think maybe you would be a better fit as an agent at this new agency.”

“What?!” I shriek, “Really, you think so?” I ask with new hope.

“It’s very new and very top secret, but yes, I think you would be well suited to a position at the agency,” he responds.

“Oh, thank you so much Mr. Perry, I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you, but if you ever need anything don’t hesitate to ask” I tell him with gratitude.

“Well, I’ll give them your info and put in a good word for you, but maybe just don’t mention to your father that I had anything to do with getting you this job?” he asks.

“I don’t see why you wouldn’t want your friend to know you’re doing his daughter such a big favor, but of course Mr. Perry! Whatever you say! Thank you so much for your help!” I answer gleefully.