Being Positive

If I were to say “I am positive” today, people may assume that I am referring to my conditions vis-a-vis the corona virus, whereas what I mean is that I believe that I am absolutely sure that accepting the invitation to join the ranks of the Secret Service was the right thing to do. Even if it was at the bottom of the scale. Higher perhaps than a PA like 'Moneypenny' but not in the exalted position of 'C', the big cheese. Not yet but given time...

I am now back to base in England. I got out of Italy by the skin of my teeth before they went into lockdown with strict restrictions about movements and when airlines were still in operation. Now that door is firmly shut and even in our country all the planes have been grounded. This corona virus has put a spanner in the works everywhere.

Apart from reporting to Gideon (code name Bible), my head of section, I re-established contact with uncle Jeremy and Lottie by phone. They are relatively young – he is 61 and she 43 - and so it should be safe to visit them as they are below the critical age. We agreed due to the uncertain circumstances we should respect the emergency protocol and communicate remotely.

We spooks are not officially considered 'essential workers' - even though we believe we are vital for the security of the realm - so we feel obliged to follow the medical advice of 'social distancing'. Therefore all group meeting are cancelled until the crisis is over. In the meantime all communication is conducted by video conferences on secure lines.

When trailing someone we work as a team to avoid being spotted. The agents will regularly replace one another in the chase should the individual being followed become suspicious.
During one of my, allowed, constitutional walks I tried to test the effectiveness of a solo surveillance and came to the conclusion that my intentions were too obvious and destined to fail despite all the disguises at my disposal.

I am disappointed that I am precluded by the current epidemic from improving my detecting skills and miss the personal contact with my colleagues, especially Gideon who, if I read the signs correctly, was starting to show some interest in me.

I look forward to normal service being resumed as soon as possible for everyone's sake.

© Luigi Pagano 2020

See also https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/top-secret