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The sound of his phone ringing dragged Tiago out of sleep and left him staring at the ceiling. Only a few hours passed since Tiago finally decided to call it a night after three days of continuous work, although reluctantly; if he had his way he wouldn’t sleep, at least not until the job was done and everything he’d been tasked with was finished, but the work never ended and Tiago could only push his body so far before it decided it had other ideas and forced him into bed.
He rolled out of bed and stumbled to his feet, crossing the room to the phone and holding it to his ear.
Whatever this was, it had better be good.
“Can this really not wait until tomorrow?” Tiago asked.
“I can assure you, this is the highest priority,” Olivia said down the line.
Tiago sighed; there was only so angry he could get at Olivia, and nothing she asked of him would ever come close to crossing that unspoken boundary. She knew this, of course; it was why she called him at these late hours, well aware that he’d do anything she asked of him without so much as a second thought.
“You need to leave your flat and get to safety,” Olivia said, and then clarified: “In a few moments there will be someone at your door. They’ll be looking to bring you in. There’s no point fighting them; they’re authorised to do it, so even if you get away there will be a bloody lot of work getting away with this.”
“Who are they?” Tiago asked. He glanced towards the door in the faded light emitting from his computers, as if he could reasonably expect to see them.
“They’re with the Chinese government,” Olivia said. “They won’t waste any time bringing you in, and if they get their hands on you I can only imagine what they’ll do.”
Tiago could imagine; he’d seen enough of the reports of what they did to prisoners, particularly political prisoners. He didn’t imagine they’d have anything friendly to say to him if they were coming now, of all times.
“Tiago?”
“Mum.”
“Do hurry,” she said, not bothering to correct him. “You don’t have all night, now.”
There was a note of urgency in her voice now, Tiago realised – one that had been there since she first began speaking when he picked up the phone.
“Where do I go?”
“I’m sure you’ve made some arrangements,” Olivia said. “God knows all you agents do.”
“The only arrangements I have are for if I’m compromised on a mission,” Tiago said. “They’re for if I'm stranded.”
“Then consider yourself compromised,” Olivia said. “Now start moving, Tiago. There isn’t much time.”
“Am I on my own, Mum?” he asked.
“You must hurry,” Olivia said. “Take what you can and leave. Get as far away as possible.”
Before he could continue, Tiago heard a noise coming from the other side of the door. He whipped his head up, fixating back towards the door. There was no way to tell how many people were standing on the other side, but he could make a reasonable guess based on the sound of the creaky floors in the hallway, and how many people it would take to bring him in at all.
“I have to go,” he murmured. Quietly he returned the phone to the receiver, and then slipped through the flat to where he kept his things.
There wasn’t time to change into anything more presentable, so he’d have to make do in his sweatpants and t-shirt, all while barefoot to boot. Most of what he needed was packed in a bag specifically for emergencies like this; Tiago slipped through to his bedroom and snatched up the bag, tossing it over one shoulder. The only other thing he really had to worry about was his computer, and everything he still had on them; anyone who was even the slightest bit interested in Tiago would be interested in his computers. He could take care of that remotely once he got away, and in the meantime there wasn’t anyone alive who could get through his security. It would be a shame to leave them behind, but he would be able to come back to them.
The thought left too bitter a taste in his mouth for him to think about. If he wanted to even consider how he’d get back to his computers, he’d first need to get away from here first, ideally without being seen.
The door was out of the question, with left only the balcony. It wasn’t his first choice, of course, being so high off the ground, but out of everything that wasn’t a worry. Tiago slipped through the doors of the balcony and cautiously closed the glass behind him, then hooked a leg over the railing and carefully shimmied down until no part of him was visible from his flat. If anyone came out to look for him and thought to look down, they might be able to see him. Tiago didn’t find this likely, but there was no sense in taking chances with it; even if the people coming for him didn’t see him, there was always the chance that someone in one of the neighbouring buildings would look outside to see him scaling the side of the building.
He didn’t waste any time, slipping down from foothold to foothold and from balcony to balcony. The whole process was tedious, especially as he neared closer to the ground floor. By then his arms were beginning to ache from the sudden exertion they found themselves under after having not had to do much more for seventy-two hours or so that he’d just spent awake on a hacking binge.
When his feet finally touched the ground, he spared only a brief moment to look back up to where his balcony was and marvel at how quickly he’d managed to slip down the side of the building, before he took off. Tiago was still barefoot, and still in his sweatpants, with only a bag to carry with him. Anyone who cared too much about such things would have a lot of questions, but there were many people he could get lost in as he made his way to safety.
Olivia had been right when she said he had back-up plans in case things go wrong. She didn’t know what they were, of course, or else that would completely go against why he made those plans to begin with. At the time, when he first took out a lease for the second flat, Tiago had been overcome by an incredible guilt, like somehow he was going back and betraying Olivia. The guilt was slightly lessened now that he knew that she knew about the second flat, at least in theory.
It wasn’t a long walk, but barefoot and with no money for a bus it seemed to take ages. When he finally got inside he was wrecked and exhausted, tired but unsure whether sleep was a good idea. His feet were torn to shreds from walking barefoot (something he’d need to sort out as soon as he had the time) and even all this excitement didn’t change the fact that Tiago’s body was still exhausted.
One thing didn’t sit right, of course, and that was quite literally everything about this. There was no reason for Olivia to warn him like that, and no reason for anyone to stop by for a friendly visit – at least, no reason that Olivia knew about. What he’d been doing for those seventy-two hours hadn’t strictly been allowed, despite what he’d led Olivia to believe.
Tiago dropped down in his couch and tilted his head back, scarcely able to believe that this flat was really his despite knowing it was his name on the lease. This place was, in its own way, his dirty little secret. His just in case. He’d never wanted to use it, but not making necessary alternative arrangements all in the name of not wanting to believe they’d ever be needed was a stupid thing, and Tiago was not a stupid man.
There was a lot he needed to do, but for now, at least, he was safe.
He sat up, reaching for the phone he kept next to the sofa. Tiago dialled Olivia’s memory off by heart, sat back, and waited.
When she picked up, he’d ask for an explanation, and ask what the hell she knew that he didn’t. There had to be something; she always knew something he didn’t. More pressingly, though, he’d confirm to her that he was alive. They’d discuss where he’d go from here, and what he’d have to do. If he’d need to go back to England or be reassigned. If there was anyone he could kill to save her the mess of having to deal with whatever the bloody hell this was.
With each ring of the phone Tiago found his stomach becoming even more twisted around itself in knots, tensing and seemingly unable to release itself. He sat back, fidgeting a bit – she had to answer, surely? He couldn’t fathom leaving such an urgent message with someone and then not wanting to check up on them as soon as possible, and to confirm their safety.
Am I on my own, Mum?
The answering machine picked up, but there was nothing from Olivia.
Tiago had half a mind to leave something for her, but thought better of it; he’d find a way to get back to her, and to let her know that he was safe and alive.
For now, though, it seemed, he had only himself.