The first box comes easy and reveals the scarlet bloom

The rest is easy. It doesn't take much to persuade Abs to give you some time alone, after having removed your deposit box from the wall with your keys: a quick request and she's out the door, pointing to a buzzer to contact her when you're ready to leave. The second she's walked out the door you cross the room, pull out Bob's cards, and get to work on the next box over. It takes a little work, but you manage to pick the locks and open the box. And there, gleaming in the hard metal, is your prize.

The Scarlet Bloom. The real, genuine gem. It sparkles even more than its fake versions, the deep red tint inside catching the vault's harsh lighting perfectly. quickly, you take the fake Bloom and slip it inside. Then all you need to do is gather up the Bloom, place it in your pocket, and close up Bob's box. A quick buzz later and Abs is ready to lead you out of the vault again.

You can't help but grin wildly as Robert Foxworth walks out of the bank, or when you hit the rendezvous and leave him in the safety of his own car, your handler providing you with a new set of clothes.

*****

"So," you can't help but ask, "How did I do?"

"This was a test," your handler reports back. "So we through you a curveball. In fact, we through you a lot of curveballs. The test wasn't so much about this trinket" - the Bloom is held out on its chain - " as whether you could navigate a particularly difficult social situation. The Vincent-Parry wedding was always going to be full of strong, deeply unpleasant characters. And yet you managed to get through it without being noticed."

"The wedding was called off, though," you say.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. Alexandra Vincent did that; after she came to, she continued to try and run, hysterically calling for Carma Hamilton. Who, as you failed to note, was a little trap we set. Carma was caught by a pen yesterday, and we deliberately set her up as a potential greener." This seems to be slang for a trap suit. "You didn't see that. But, when her thoughts started to come through, you didn't panic. You stayed calm and dealt with the situation."

"So I didn't fail?"

"Let me finish. You realized the Bloom wasn't being kept at the wedding, so you went to get it. That showed initiative. And your decisions to switch made it very hard for us to track you - and near-impossible for anyone else. It left a spate of 'fainting' attacks in the hotel. You could have used the white pen function to explain their missing 10 minutes: it would have been neater. However, the hotel is now testing its rooms for carbon monoxide, and it hasn't raised an eyebrow. So it's hard to fault you on that."

"Go on?"

"Your switches were in character and trying to lead you to a goal. You switched far more than most agents would even attempt: six different skins. And you pulled it off. Nobody is questioning what happened at the hotel. In short, we're very impressed. Very impressed."

"So I passed?"

"You did. The only thing damaging your grade is that you didn't spot Carma Hamilton was a greener. But, when you realized the situation you were in, you adjusted beautifully. Taking the bride was a good touch."

"She was the only option available," you report.

"Regardless. It gave you the information you needed. Which is why we're offering you a choice. You can continue as a Type 2. Get some rest and relaxation, but we've got a range of field missions that require someone with your abilities. A little corporate espionage at a high-tech lab, framing a playboy in Las Vegas, manipulating an entire small town council to grant land rights to a particular company. But we're also going to offer you a bigger role. If you are interested, you will be upgraded to a Type 1. You'd still be required to keep your identity fluid, as you would a Type 2. But the missions will be more final: assassinate a corrupt businessman disguised as a particular person, or making it appear an accident; clean up someone else's mess by erasing evidence of the Organization. Arrange a bank account to siphon us money to us from inside a multinational. Alter the path of a satellite from a military base. It won't be a quick mission, either. You might have to stay in situ for a week, impersonating someone or switching identities as required, constantly studying a developing situation. Or you might have less than an hour to solve a problem.