The Pursuit

When Melanie had first decided to take up the glitches offer to spend three months in the US she had certainly pictured a more glamorous lifestyle than her current situation, squatting naked behind some stinking dumpsters near a shopping mall.

"He's heading our way," Julianne whispered after responding to an alert on her phone.

"Thank God, this smell is overwhelming me." Mel sounded funny as she spoke while continuing to pinch her nose"

"I honestly think I'm immune to it by now," Lexie responded.

It transpired Lexie had become something of an expert at getting about in public without being seen since signing up to NA. Before she had taken the trip down to Salt Lake she had spent weeks studying and memorising maps of the city so she knew every back alley and shortcut before she even arrived. One of Lexie's favourite hiding spots was large waste bins, which people tended to avoid going near, let alone looking behind. She would wait it out behind them until the coast was clear and she could dash to her next safe spot. As unpleasant as the tactic was, it was at least effective.

"Okay, that has to be him. You can smell 'em a fucking mile off!" Lexie whispered as their mark left the building.

The agent wandered close to the bins and made a call.

"Yeah, the information from BJ was correct. The place is swarming with glitches. I've had to abort."

He really wasn't sure he had needed to do that. Chantelle had requested he make a dummy call and reference BJ once he left the building. She said there would be glitches around to hear it but hot, naked women were usually pretty easy to spot and he couldn't see any. Either way his next instruction was to return to "NA HQ".

"BJ! I fucking told you!" Lexie hissed at Melanie "Okay, both of you follow me, stay low and keep my pace, like we discussed!"

Lexie scurried, at a pace it was difficult to keep up with, and made it to a nearby side alley before she could be seen. Melanie, the shortest and slowest of the group was seen by some teenage boy in a Nirvana T-shirt but smiled and made a "shush" gesture to him before catching up with her team. He looked like he was about to pass out with excitement.

"Okay, that's him getting into the silver Mercedes. Stay here until I gesture for you"

Lexie moved quickly onto the main street at the end of the alley, which was mercifully quiet at that moment. She then quickly and carefully worked her way down the line of cars, checking every door until one opened, at which point she emphatically gestured for the others to join her. Lexie had pulled a screwdriver from the small backpack she had taken with her and the engine was revving by the time the others took their seats.

"You'd be amazed how many people leave their cars unlocked," Lexie smirked as she pulled away from the curb.

"I really don't feel good about this," Melanie fretted.

"They were practically asking for it to be stolen. We're just borrowing it," Lexie shrugged.

"The ends justifies the means…" Julianne added.

"So, the rat is BJ. Barbie fuckin' Johnson. I knew it!" Lexie spoke with venom.

"Yeah, it looks like you were right," Melanie agreed sadly.

"I have to admit, it doesn't look good for her…" Julianne sighed. She still found it hard to believe Barbie could be an NA agent but she was a logical, pragmatic person and that was pretty compelling evidence. "I think we should keep this to ourselves for now though."

"Agreed. Give her enough rope to fuckin' hang herself!" Lexie replied, looking like she was out for blood at this point.

After twenty minutes or so of Lexie trailing the silver Mercedes so expertly it seemed like she had to have done it before, (and Mel couldn't help being turned on by how badass her girl really was) it pulled up and it's driver jumped out. He looked around as if checking the coast was clear before entering a nearby building.

"You've got to be shitting me!" Lexie exclaimed. "That's NA HQ?!"