January 19th, 9:13 AM - HYENA HQ - Chicago, IL Azura's POV

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After the short and uninformative debrief, Azura was seated with Ms. Jordan, Johnny and Amir at a table in front of Starbucks.

"I fucking hate Mano sometimes. That prick loves keeping me in the dark."

"It's not just you. All of us are on a need to know basis."

Azura threw the napkin she had been taking her frustration out on, but Amir deflected it with the case file. "Yeah, well, unlike you, I like to know what stupid shit I'm getting into and if I could die in the process."

Johnny, who was munching away on the chocolate chip cookie Amir had bought for her, offered her own two cents. "What about Noble? If anyone can hack into a server and get you information, it's him."

She was right, and Azura had initially thought of that. But to her dismay, her long time friend was away on another mission with no return date on file. "He's not in town," she whined as Johnny patted her sympathetically.

"I still have some old connections. I could ask around if you need a hacker."

Her offer had Azura perk up with excitement. But before any details could be given, Amir shut it down. "That's not happening."

"Well, what if we -"

"No, we are not going to hold Goodwill hostage and threaten him for the information."

Johnny frowned before giving Azura an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I tried."

She waved her hand, dismissing the failed attempt. "Don't worry about it; I'll figure something out."

She sat in silence, her mind trying to pinpoint ways to get more information. As she stared off into space, her eyes briefly focused on the sloppy movements of the older woman in front of her. The bags and sullen cheeks were another give away to how exhausted this woman was.

That asshole can't even see how overworked she is. That's her second cup of coffee in the span of ...

And a brilliant idea was born. Taking out her phone, her thumbs quickly typed away.

As the recipient's phone vibrated, Azura glanced at Amir, who was preoccupied with his phone.

My Fav Arsonist

A - Do you still have that truth serum?

J - Yup, never returned it to Henry lol

Her heart swelled with pride when her friend had used the shorthand text lingo. She was slowly learning the ways of the modern world.

A - Can I steal some?

From her peripheral vision, she saw Johnny look up at her. Her lip tugged to the corner before she quickly typed a reply.

J - Why, though? That so much work. I can just give you mine.

And just as her proudness hit its peaked, it started its fast descent down. She shared a smile with the adorably, confused girl. She still had a long way to go.

A - That would great; you're the best! Meet me near the bathroom in 10.

With that, she quickly jumped into character, placing her best non-threatening friendly smile.

"Ms. Jordan, right, I don't think we met before today."

The lady looked a little startled but quickly accepted her outstretched hand. "That's right. I never really get to meet Mano's agents. I just do the paperwork for your files."

"Well, your work doesn't go unnoticed. I just wanted to say thank you. Without you, we would not be able to complete our missions."

The praise was foreign to Jordan because she stuttered her response to downplay the work she did.

If this woman had an ounce of ego, she might have been able to sense the uncanny sweet talk being supplied. But from what Azura could gather, the woman never received praise and merely bowed her head to everything and anything. It made her mad, but then again, some temperaments can never be changed.

What she had planned to do triggered her guilt meter, but she convinced herself that it was both harmless and necessary.

"I know it's not much, and maybe when you have some time, I can buy you a proper thank you meal. But for now, let me get you a coffee."

"Oh! Oh no, please, I can't have you buying me that. Besides, I'm your senior; I should be treating you."

Azura was already on her feet, ready to place her order at the Starbucks across from them. "Please, I insist." As she moved away, she called back, "I'll get you something strong."

Placing her order for a venti dark roast coffee with three shots of espresso, she moved away from the waiting area and headed to the bathroom.

True to her request, Johnny was waiting with a small vial in hand. "You never fail to be creative," she remarked, clearly a fan of the plan that was in motion.

"And you never fail to disappoint." Slipping the vial in her sleeve, she exited first, leaving Johnny to come out later.

Just in time, her order number was called. As she moved the steaming cup to the condiments table, she slipped in no more than two drops of the secret ingredient before adding a dash of cream. Putting the vial back in her pocket, she capped the drink tightly, so that nothing spilled out.

"Here you are, let me know if it's to your liking."

Ms. Jordan thanked her before taking a tentative sip of the piping hot liquid. "Oh! It's perfect."

Azua smiled as she sat down. "Three shots of espresso, but the real trick is adding one shot of vanilla."

She watched as the innocent woman guzzled the drink down. At the halfway mark, she slowed down and started to blink uncontrollably.

Ms. Jordan laughed lightly as she gave herself a shake. "Goodness, I think I've drunk so much coffee that I'm immune to it."

But in reality, it was the side effects of the truth serum. Within the next 30 minutes, she would be fast asleep and with no recollection of the conversation they were about to have.

"Ms. Jordan, why is Preston Andrews under HYENA's protection?"

She stared at her, the wrinkles on her forehead prominent as she thought. "He's a condition created by the third party that's involved in the mission."

The information didn't only come as a surprise to Azura since Amir had also looked up from his phone.

Which third-party organization would be of use to the FBI aside from us?

"Who is this third party, and what purpose do they serve?"

The woman's eyes started to flutter, which made Azura slightly concerned. "Ms.Jordan? Hello."

She gave the lady a shake, enough to momentarily arouse her. "An informant. She's vital to the success of capturing the leader but would only cooperate if her conditions were met."

"What? Who is the informant, what's her relation to Preston Andrews?"

But this time, as her eyelids fluttered closed, they remained close. Before long, the lady fell forward onto the table, unmoving.

"Ms. Jordans? ... Ms. Jordans!" But only a soft snore came in response. "Fuck!" Slumping back in her seat, she crossed arms mulling over the new information.

"Is she dead?" Johnny asked as she poked the lady's cheek.

"No, she just asleep, but I was supposed to have 23 more minutes," she grumbled in frustration. She was so close to getting more.

"Your first mistake was mixing the serum with expresso and no taking into account that she was already severely sleep-deprived."  Amir was well versed in drugs and their interactions. He probably was also aware of their scheme yet didn't do anything to stop them.

"Your information is useless right now. Next time offer our chemistry knowledge before I drug the victim," she snapped, her well-known temper starting to show its flare.

Amir merely shrugged, unbothered that her plan was soiled. "You didn't ask."

Johnny scoffed, her expression telling him that she knew him better than that. "Right, because if we asked, you would have told us."

The pair silently stared at each other before the ghost of a smile appeared on Amir's lips. "True."

While the inner fangirl screamed, the little green monster also spoke. She felt slightly envious of what the two had, only hoping that she too could find that something special one day too.

Word Count: 1368