"The name's Agent S of the People in Black."

From somewhere amongst the crowded tables a man shouted, "Isn't it Men in Black?"

Agent S sighed. "Yes, yes. Men go around believing they own everything and name it after themselves. Humankind, mankind, the race of men... But where are the women? Are they just to be ignored like some lurking, unwanted, unneeded shadow? No!" Agent S had her voice raised now. "We have the right to give ourselves the same equality as anybody else, which is why we have officially changed the name to People in Black as our agents consist of men and women just as much as we are aliens and humans." Agent S gave the man who had stubbornly questioned her a satisfied smirk after getting her breath back.

The breath of the bar seemed to have been held throughout the argument.

Olivia clapped awkwardly but stopped when she realized she was the only one. I myself was satisfied with the name change. I just thought now, in a bar full of men and only a few women, would have been a bad time to shout my approval. Although, the men didn't put up much of a protest to the name change. They seemed almost intimidated by Agent S' personality.

"Anywho," she continued. "The purpose of this meeting is to train you to face the most recent challenge, which, this year, would be the A.F.J. We have tricked them into thinking that they are the ones who have set up this little ball and are in control. We'll have cameras and bugs placed throughout the building so we can keep a constant eye on them.

"You'll be given a script so that they won't suspect anything out of the ordinary going on with us. Weapons training will, of course, be held again because our engineers at the People in Black have developed some new goodies." There was a mischevious spark in her eyes when she said this, along with a whisper of oos and ahhs.

"First, let's get some info from the Custodes' scouts. I now call up Brighton Rose, Olivia Walker, Anne Arlington, Agent V, and Agent Escucharia."

I hadn't noticed until now that Brighton, Olivia, Anne the other two agents had snuck into the back room and climbed onto the band balcony. Ava didn't seem very interested, as she was self-refilling her cup from an emptying bottle.

As always, Anne was the first one to speak up. "So, Olivia and I have been on the road for a while now going from suspicious location to suspicious location, cuz, ya' know, that is our job."

I started blanking out after that. Anne has that effect on people sometimes. Ava didn't seem to be interested in anything but finishing off her bottle.

I observed her quizzically. She'd never been that invested in a drink before.

I picked the bottle and examined it. There was no alcahol or anything like that.

"Hey, Ava," I whispered. "Can I try some of this?" I held the bottle up.

Ava nodded enthusiastically.

I stared at her. "You seem a bit...loopy."

"Well, what can I say? I got the best job in the world, I got the best friends, and I got the best friends who  serve the best drinks!" She raised her glass and shouted for all to hear, "Cheers to me!"

The occupants of Brighton's Bar turned their eyes on her.

I felt myself grow uncomfortable under the gazes of so many. Ava, on the other hand seemed to take it as an advantage.

"Oh, hey! Why was did people like the banana?" She didn't wait for a response. Not like she was going to get one from this stiff crowd. "Because people thought he was appealing! Get it? Banana? A-peal-ing?"

The agents exchanged confused glances amongst themselves. Anne snickered on the band balcony while Olivia and Agent S gave her the "oh, grow up" glance. Brighton mouthed to me, What's up with her?

I couldn't figure out how to reply to that. Maybe with a She lost it? Or She's drank too much of a drink that's kid-friendly? I stuck with a simple shrug to wrap it up. 

"You know what?" Ava continued obnoxiously. Agent S glared at me like, Get her to shut the heck up! I felt my skin prickling with embarrassment.

"I have my own speech to give, whoever you are." Ava stood up shakily with a now-empty bottle of non-booze. "Let me just..." She took a step forward and would have collapsed face-first if I hadn't pulled her back.

"What is wrong with you?" I asked again. "Are you drunk? I mean, I know you can't be, but still. Have you lost it?!"

Ava turned to face me with a great swing of her arms, as if her whole body was a loose pile of stringy ligaments. I had to lean back in order to ovoid a blow to the neck. (Yeah, Ava only reached my forehead. Then again, I was taller than most people.)

"Lost what?" she asked. "Lost my stiffness? Yes. Lost my sense of humor, luster, admirableness? Never." Ava gave a grand bow before the occupancy of Brighton's, in return for stares. "Now, where do I start?"

I vaguely recall Ava going into some loopy speech about herself and a few of the agents trying to get her to sit down so they could examine her, but my focus narrowed to the empty bottle. It hung loosely in her hand, which made it easy to pry if from her hand.

I examined the sides, picking around for...well, I don't know what. I knew I had to be looking for something out of the ordinary, but how out of the ordinary I didn't know—something that would be enough to drug Ava, for sure.

Speaking of Ava, she was making her knowledge known. "Oh, and then there's that idiotic 'All for Justice' crowd. What are they, the rip-off of Justice?" She burst out laughing. "On a side note, don't shop there. The sequenceces...or whatever they call them," slurring of words: not a good sign, "are soooooooo bright and blinding."

"Bright," she mused. "Brighten....Brighton! Hey, Brighton!" Ava waved at Brighton, Olivia, Anne, and the other agents in a wide, not-specific-to-one-person wave. Brighton's cheeks reddened underneath a layer of freckles. Anne blankly waved back.

As I continued listening, it hit me: Ava wouldn't and couldn't stop talking. Something in the drink must've drugged her enough into loosening her default mental barriers, making her information come out easier.

But why would anyone want her to do that?

Well, for one, Ava makes enemies quite easily. Second, the Custodes aren't exactly friends with everybody....

I could feel impending doom spread down my spine like a lightning bolt. A theory anchored itself somewhere in the corner of my mind, but I hoped it was just a silly theory. 

I continued to feel along the bottom of the bottle, and there it was: a small, round lump stuck to the center at the bottom. I pried it off.

A bug!

No, not the insect kind of bug. A bug as in the kind of tiny, easy-to-miss listening device that was usually used to get information and snoop around up in someone else's business. I closed my fist around it. In a matter of seconds, the bug was cracked and flattened. No longer working, I presumed.

Ava turned on her stool to face me. "Watchya got there, Lola?"

I stammered, "Uhh...pretty sure my name is not Lola."

"Maddi?"

"Nope," I told her.

"Jordan?"

"Uh-uh."

"Caaarrroooline?"

"Oh,  come on! You know what," I took a breath. "you're still on cray-cray mode. I'll cut you some slack."

From the band balcony, Agent S shouted, "Now, if I could continue and make this as short as possible now that Agent Seneca has, um, of sorts, interrupted. Let's continue with Agent Arlington. So, Ms. Arlington, you—"

Agent S was abruptly cut off by...oh...me. I hadn't realized a "Hey!" had escaped my lips, but it did.

The look Agent S gave me was scary enough for me to slouch, and I never slouched when talking to a crowd.

"I, uh, found the, er,  bug," I stumbled. "The bug under Ava's drink, that is."

The air in the bar was sucked in and never breathed out. The tension became as tight as the strongest piece of twine. Agents exchanged looks with each other, glancing from Agent S to Ava to me.

Agent S concluded, "I think we can start with addressing other matters now, such as the fact that our security has just been breached, our meeting location stolen, and our element of surprise broken."