CUTC-029
Barista: Zach Black
Date: Dec-17-2019
Receipt: CUTC-029
Subject: Division Zulu
Well—I wouldn’t say our new Cafe is exactly a secret. Then again—is anything ever a secret from those lunatics?
They showed up this morning.
Agents Magogo and Solomon from Division Zulu. Walked right into our new Cafe like they owned the place.
I was the first on barista duty because, honestly, who turns down eighty—yes, EIGHTY—dollars an hour to play barista? Who’s bankrolling this, anyway? Guess we don’t really get paid for the actual work we do, huh? And I suppose part of what I’m being paid for is “customer relations.” And those two? Nasty work.
[A gentle hum from an espresso machine filled the air, accompanied by the soft clinking of mugs and low morning chatter. Zach wiped down the counter as the morning rush faded, leaving a calm lull in the new Cafe on the ground floor of the Broadway Hollywood Building. Two figures entered the CaDCom Transcription Range: Agent Solomon and Agent Magogo of Division Zulu.]
Zach: Welcome to the… Cafe…
Agent Magogo: …And Diner. Lovely place you’ve got here. Cozy. Convenient.
Agent Solomon: Uncharred, for the moment. New location, new faces… You wouldn’t happen to have any new customers here, would you?
Zach: Just me and a bunch of coffee beans. Can I get you something? Latte? Americano? Or… are we just skipping the formalities today? You know—it’s hard to keep up appearances with two masked weirdos hanging around.
Agent Magogo: No coffee.
Agent Solomon: Just answers.
Agent Magogo: We know what you took from us. It was never meant to leave.
Zach: Took? We didn’t take anything—We haven’t even had a proper Cafe for more than a day.
Agent Solomon: Careful, Barista. The thing about secrets? They don’t stay secret for long.
Agent Magogo: What will you do when it gets loose, I wonder?
Agent Solomon: How will you clean up the mess it will surely cause?
Agent Magogo: We’ll be watching.
Agent Solomon: But don’t expect our aid when shit hits the fan.
[They turned and left as quietly as they came.]
Zach: Cool. Cool, cool, cool… not terrifying at all. Better take this up to the penthouse.