condensed master

The Reluctant Agent
A Compelling Story of Espionage
telephone workshops he had befriended two or three people and would visit them
from time to time to build amplifiers, and engage in other technical projects, which
they had in common. The forthcoming Saturday evening therefore, was no
exception for Dorothy.
On the Saturday morning as they did their usual shopping at the market Will's
mind was totally engrossed, repeatedly going over and over the technicalities. His
attention diverted, he soon found himself at cross purposes with her. The
remainder of the afternoon was not too amiable either, consequently, as the time
drew closer to leave for his appointment with Ed, he began to dread what lay
ahead.
They arrived early, giving plenty of time to set up the equipment, and also
hopefully, not to be seen by anyone going to the office in question. As they walked
through the foyer and passed the janitor's office Ed nodded to him and he
responded. I bet he is part of the organization!
Now that things were underway Will felt strangely calm, his mind was as clear
as a bell and fully tuned to what was going on. The only thing that was bugging him
was that there was no escape route if anything went wrong. It was constantly in the
back of his mind and the thought was reinforced as they settled themselves into
that tiny cupboard and latched the door behind them.
After setting up the equipment Will passed the earpiece to Ed. Sitting on the
floor with both knees pulled up to their chests they concentrated on the control
panel, waiting for the flashing amber light to tell them that the phone was ringing.
Expecting nothing to happen for at least another half an hour they were completely
surprised by an incoming call. Will switched on the recorder and Ed listened
intently. "It's someone phoning in to say that they will be ten minutes late. This is
fantastic, the voices are crystal clear!"
"The interstate call may not be that good."
Time started to drag, adding to the discomfort of the cramped conditions. It
was way past the time that the call was due to come in and Ed was getting
despondent. "Something's wrong, our source of information has screwed up."
"Have patience Ed, perhaps they had reason to put the time of the meeting
back." Will had hardly got the words out of his mouth when the light came on.
"Quick, it's flashing, turn the recorder on."
Ed's eyes were transfixed towards the ceiling, his head tilted to one side. "It's
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