Look out for the <>!

"Annalise, I have the list that you wanted on my desk but the power shut off again," my grandmother said on the other side of the phone call.

I frowned, knowing where this was going. MIA was attacking again. They knew we were on to them and they were trying to buy themselves more time.

"When the power restarted about 100 names were removed from our database. Among those names were you, Auggie, Mara, and myself. We all have do not have working accounts with the CIA at the moment. Until that is worked out, I can't get in my office. I'm sorry but you might have to wait a couple days."

I frowned as I looked at Auggie who was beside me. He silently held my hand as if to tell me that he was here to support me with whatever I needed. I squeezed it lightly then ran my hands through my hair in frustration. This was never going to be easy. I should have known, but I didn't expect this.

I looked at the newly weeded garden in front of me. It looked brand new, all clean. The CIA would look like this too if we just weren't afraid to get our hands dirty. Everyone thought I was reckless, maybe it was time to live up to my rumors. I didn't need a key card to get in, I knew the CIA just as well as I knew my house. I could get in and I had to get in now. We didn't have a few days to waste. I needed to get out all the weeds before it was too late. Before long the CIA's flower garden would be overrun with MIA weeds, suffocating the flowers. "We need that list today before it's too late."

She sighed as I heard her car start up. She was in the parking lot, probably going home. "Ok. That was what I thought you would say. You have more of you father in you then you realize."

I smiled. She had always compared me to my mother. This was the first time that she thought I took after my father. The complement made me feel giddy.

"I'm not telling you go in through my open office window and get into my desk with the code 1970. Like I said, I would like to help, but I can't."

I nodded as I walked into my house with Auggie on my heals. "Thank you," I said calmly as I hung up the phone. I looked at Auggie and just felt immense gratitude towards him. He had never questioned me and had helped me from the beginning, just like Mara. My grandmother might be a piece of work, but Auggie and Mara were more like family then my grandmother ever would be.

"So are we going to Langley?" Auggie asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

I nodded. We had to get that list. We were so close to stopping them and MIA knew it. They were doing all that they could to slow us down or stop us.

"Great, let's go."

Without changing we got into my car and drove to work. I explained to Auggie what we had to do and why we were breaking in as I drove. He asked few questions, taking all my information as facts. I looked over at him a few times and he looked prepared, as if he had been ready for the all his life. I wondered deep down this was what he was made to do, because I didn't feel that way. I felt like life threw a bunch of things that most wouldn't have to even think about. It expected me to deal with it, but I was being buried alive with it all.

<>

Finally, I pulled up to the gate of the parking lot as worry took over me. I wasn't supposed to be here. My key card wouldn't work and I hadn't thought this far ahead. I frowned as I tried to come up with some idea but knew there was nothing. They wouldn't let us in even to the parking lot.

"Here, I got this," Auggie said as he handed me a card. I looked at Carter's ID badge and smiled lightly.

"How did you get this?"

Auggie shrugged as if the answer was simple. "I steal his things when he's being annoying."

I chuckled, trying to make this topic light as I scanned the card. What we were doing was beyond illegal. If we got caught for any of this, our jobs at the CIA were over.

"I always give his stuff back," he said as we drove into the parking lot.

"And that makes it better?" I asked as I parked the car.

We got out of the car and Auggie nodded. "Yes, it's not stolen if I return it. I just like to see how long he can go without noticing his things are gone."

"You are something else Auggie," I said as I looked up at Langley. It felt weird doing this but at the same time I was excited. Breaking into this building was something I've never done before and without the danger of death looming over us, it was almost going to be fun.

Auggie grabbed my hand and together we walked around the back to where my grandmother's window was. I looked up at the open window of her office on the third floor. It loomed over us with a daunting task of climbing the brick structure. However, I didn't bring any climbing gear. I would have to do this free hand.

"I'll climb up and drop down a rope for you, ok?" Auggie said looking at the window cautiously.

Normally I would be fine with that but I knew Auggie wasn't as strong of a climber as myself. It would be better if I went first and dropped a rope for him. "Do you have a rope with you?"

He thought for a second and frowned. "No." He looked at his feet shamefully, his brown hair shimmering in the sun as it fell in front of his eyes.

I nodded. That was fine. I could free climb. I knew I could. "It's fine, don't worry about it. We'll just do this the hard way." I put my blonde hair into a pony tail then cracked my fingers. I took a deep breath and walked to the brick. I felt the rough warmth of them on my hands as I started to climb. With each move, I fit my feet precisely in the cracks of the bricks.

After about another 10 more minutes, I managed to pull myself through the open office window. I fell on the ground and looked at the ceiling as I tried to catch my breath. My muscles already ached and I had to go back down the way I came. I pushed myself up from the ground and looked out the window to see Auggie claiming up the wall as well. By now, he was close enough to grab my hand.

I looked at him with a small smirk. "Come on slow poke."

"Just give me a minute," he huffed, struggling. Suddenly, he lost his footing and started to fall.

Without waiting a second, I threw my hand out for him to grab. He grabbed onto it before he fell three stories. With some difficulty, I was able to help him up into the window. "Goodness, Auggie, how much do you weigh?" I asked as I brushed the dirt from my hands once he was safely inside.

"Enough. But thank you for saving me."

I wiped my hand on my pants and nodded. I walked over to her desk. I looked over at Auggie and smiled. "Any time."

"I HATE climbing, with a passion." He sat down on a bright red velvet chair that I had sat in far too many times. He hand his shaking hands through his hair as he tried to regain himself.

"That's why you have me," I said and smiled as I turned back to the desk as I looked for the code panel.

"You're always here to catch me when I fall."

"Not always, but I try my best. AH found it," I said to Auggie as I removed a photo of me and her from four years ago on vacation to Spain, underneath was the control panel for the safe. I took a second to look at the photo in front of me. I was so much younger then. I was looking for anything to grab onto in forms of support but I think that the was first time I realized that my grandmother was more committed to her job when her own granddaughter.

As I entered the code she provided me, I realized that was my dad's birthday. I hit enter and a small door in her desk swung open. In it had sheets of paper I quickly searched the stack of them and found a list with names on it. I took it then shut the door. "Got it, let's leave."

"Ok cool, and guess what I found, rope!" Auggie said happily as he held a coil of rope in his hands.

I had no idea how he got it but I didn't care to ask. We had to get out of here as quick as we could. "Sweet," I said and put the paper in my pocket.

Auggie tied the rope to the window seal and said, "I'll go."

I could see the nervousness in his eyes. He didn't want to go first so I spoke up. "I'll go, it's no big deal for me."

"Are you sure?"

But by time he asked, I was already out the window. I went slow so I wouldn't get rope burn but in about 10 minutes my feet hit the grassy ground. I tugged on the rope and looked up at Auggie. "You're good to go."

He nodded then started to make his way down the rope. By time Auggie got to the ground, I knew we were out of time. I took lead and started to the car. When we got into the vehicle I realized that Auggie's forearm was bleeding.

I turned on my car and frowned. "Auggie, your arm," I said looking at him.

"I know, it was that fall, the brick isn't as soft as it looks." He said jokingly as he rubbed the blood off with his hand. 

I chuckled at his humor but I was still worried about him.

"I'll fix it later. I want to look over the paper first."

"Ok, how about over ice cream?" I asked as I drove out of Langley.

"Great. Sounds good."

I drove quickly to our destination, a spot that I knew well. We parked the car and walked to the stand. After we ordered Auggie took a seat at a small table and I followed his lead.

"So lets see this list," Auggie said with a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone in his hands.

I got it out the small list from pocket and we looked over it for a good 20 minutes while we ate our ice cream. "We have the evidence to accuse Smith for MIA," I stated with a small smile. Finally I thought I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. This was starting to come to a close. We just had to get to General Smith before it was too late. I started to feel jittery. This gave me hope, with Smith down, we had a shot to bring down MIA as a whole.

Auggie smiled as he bit into his cone. "Ok, how about if I'll drop you off at home and I'll give all the information to your grandmother since she lives closer to me," Auggie said and out up from the seat excitedly.

I looked at the setting sun and knew it was time to call it a night. "That sounds fine with me," I said and got up with him.

Be time we drove back to my house the sun was completely gone. That was the sad part of summer ending, the days got shorter.

I kissed Auggie goodnight and watched him drive off into the sun set to give the list to my grandmother. With a smile, I walked into my house and into the kitchen. However, when I looked at the kitchen table, I let out a scream because someone was sitting there as if nothing was wrong.