Patrol car 7-Adam-10 sped down Wilshire Avenue.
Traffic was getting heavier as the morning progressed, occasional honking, buses stopping, pedestrians hurriedly crossing.
The radio remained relatively quiet, just routine calls and administrative codes.
Angela kept a firm hand on the steering wheel, her gaze fixed on the rearview mirrors.
Harry observed everything with calculated attention: movement patterns, body language, small deviations in behavior.
He didn’t make mental notes by choice it was automatic.
“You analyze your surroundings too much,” Angela commented, without taking her eyes off the road.
“Professionally dangerous to turn that off,” Harry replied.
She nodded.
“I noticed,” she said.
“And I’m not complaining.”
They drove a few blocks in comfortable silence.
Angela broke it again.
“Can I ask you one more thing?”
Harry turned his face slightly toward her.
“You’ve asked several already,” he replied.
“But yes.”
Angela took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully.
“What exactly did you do before?” she asked.
“Not the ‘international consultant’ version.”
Harry was silent for a few seconds.
The sound of the engine and the city filled the space.
Angela didn’t press, she just waited.
“I was in college,” he began.
“Cambridge.
Second year.”
Angela glanced quickly at him, then returned her attention to the road.
“And?”
“I was recruited by MI6,” he said bluntly.
Angela didn’t react immediately.
She just absorbed it.
“How?”
“They look at certain profiles,” Harry explained.
“Languages, cognitive patterns, ability to maintain secrecy, reaction to stress.
I… ticked a lot of boxes.”
Angela let out a slow breath.
“So you weren’t just an analyst.”
“No,” he confirmed.
“I was trained as an intelligence agent.”
She made a right turn, signaling in advance.
“Field or office?”
“Both,” Harry replied.
“But it quickly became clear that I had tactical aptitude.”
Angela frowned slightly.
“Tactical as in…?”
“Operations planning.
Risk assessment.
Coordination in hostile environments.” He paused briefly.
“And execution, when necessary.”
The car stopped at a traffic light.
Angela drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, thoughtfully.
“That explains a lot,” she murmured.
“It explains why my file is inconsistent,” Harry added.
“Officially, I was never an agent.”
“Just a consultant,” Angela completed.
“Exactly.”
The light turned green.
They drove off.
“After some time,” Harry continued, “I was assigned to a hybrid unit.”
Angela looked at him now, clearly interested.
“Hybrid?”
“A cell that mixed SAS operators with MI6 agents,” she explained.
“Intelligence and action in the same space.”
Angela let out a low whistle.
“That’s not common.”
“It shouldn’t officially exist,” Harry replied.
“And yet it did,” she concluded.
He nodded.
“Missions outside traditional jurisdiction,” she continued.
“Countries where there was no flag, only interests.”
Angela clenched her jaw.
“That’s heavy.”
“It is,” Harry agreed.
“That’s why it’s not in my file.”
The radio crackled briefly with a call from another unit.
Angela answered automatically, then returned to the subject.
“You understand that if someone heard this…” she began.
“I know exactly what I’m saying,” Harry interrupted calmly.
“And to whom.”
Angela slowed down slightly, parking the vehicle in a strategic spot for observation.
She put the car in neutral and turned slightly toward him.
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked.
Harry held her gaze.
“Because you’re my training officer,” he said.
“And because, so far, you’ve been fair.”
Angela was silent.
The distant city noise seemed muffled at that moment.
“Trust isn’t something you give easily in this job,” she said finally.
“I know,” Harry replied.
“That’s why I don’t offer it lightly.”
She let out a short, almost incredulous laugh.
“You realize the weight of this, right?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“And yet you decided to speak.”
“Yes.”
Angela turned forward again, taking a deep breath.
“I’m not going to report this,” she said.
“Not until there’s an operational reason.”
Harry’s shoulders relaxed imperceptibly.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” she replied.
“This isn’t a favor.
It’s a responsibility.”
He nodded.
“Then tell me something,” Angela continued.
“Why leave all this… to become a patrol officer?”
Harry looked at the street ahead, ordinary people living ordinary lives.
“Because out there,” he said, “the decisions were abstract.
Statistics.
Targets.
Here…” he made a vague gesture with his hand, “everything is immediate.
Real.”
Angela watched a woman pushing a baby carriage along the sidewalk.
“Here you see who you’re protecting,” she finished.
“Exactly,” Harry agreed.
The radio crackled again.
“7-Adam-10, disturbance call, possible domestic dispute, no weapons reported,” announced headquarters.
Angela picked up the radio.
“7-Adam-10 en route.”
She briefly turned on the siren and accelerated again.
“Real work time,” she said, her tone shifting to absolute professionalism.
“Observe first.
Assess.
Only act if I tell you to.”
“Understood,” Harry replied.
As they drove, Angela spoke without taking her eyes off the road.
“Just to be clear…” she said.
“What you did before doesn’t give you an advantage here.”
“I know,” Harry replied.
“But it taught me to listen.”
She nodded.
“Good,” she said.
“Because listening prevents unnecessary shooting.”
The patrol car stopped in front of a small residential building.
Raised voices came from one of the windows.
Angela turned off the engine.
“Remember the protocol?” she asked.
“Verbal approach.” “Safe distance.
Continuous evaluation,” Harry recited.
Angela opened the door.
“Right,” she said.
“Let’s see how you do in the real world.”
They got out of the car.
Before closing the door, Angela looked at Harry one more time.
“And, Harry?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for trusting me,” she said sincerely.
He held her gaze.
“Trust is built,” he replied.
“Today was just the first brick.”
Angela nodded, satisfied.
“Then let’s get to work,” she said.
And together, they headed towards the building’s entrance, where the everyday chaos awaited them less silent than Harry’s past, but perhaps harder to face.
Because this time, there were no shadows to hide in.
pat/SHADOWGHOST07
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