The Classified Cleaning and a Curious Clue

Ellie's "Chief Clarity Strategist" role now officially extended to international espionage. Her daily routine remained a facade of cheerful cleaning, but every mop stroke, every dusting motion, was now imbued with a new, covert purpose. Her direct contacts were President Sterling, Agent Miller, and the surprisingly genial Ambassador Li Mei. The Ambassador, it turned out, possessed a dry wit and an unexpected fondness for American breakfast cereals, which she'd often discuss with Ellie during their "classified cleaning briefings."

Their immediate goal was to find more detailed information on the caves from within the White House archives, specifically any Xanadu-related documents that might mention geological surveys, mining operations, or even old property deeds that overlapped with the locations marked on Ellie's newly discovered maps.

"The archives are vast, Miss Chen," Ambassador Li Mei had explained. "Minister Chen is cunning. Any relevant documents will be deeply buried, perhaps disguised as something mundane. You will need to rely on your 'unique cleaning intuition' to spot what others would miss."

Ellie accepted the challenge with gusto. She spent her days in the dusty attic and library archives, armed with her cleaning supplies and a magnifying glass. She carefully examined every document that passed through her hands, looking for odd annotations, unusual paper, or anything that subtly screamed "Xanadu." She continued her charade of being the slightly eccentric cleaner, occasionally muttering to herself about "very stubborn historical dust" or "the surprising amount of lint that ancient treaties accumulate."

One particularly tedious afternoon, she was sifting through a box marked "Miscellaneous Diplomatic Correspondence - 1980s." It was filled with boring letters, dry reports, and forgotten invitations. She was about to give up on it when she noticed a thick, official-looking document at the very bottom. It was a property deed, detailing a land transfer in a remote, mountainous region of Xanadu.

Her heart skipped a beat. This region was perilously close to the areas marked with "caves" on her maps. The deed itself was unremarkable, but its edges felt rougher than normal, almost as if it had been folded and unfolded countless times. And as she ran her finger along the edge, she felt a subtle rigidity. It felt almost... double-layered.

Ellie, with the precision of a seasoned spy (or a very meticulous cleaner), carefully peeled apart the edge of the deed. Her breath hitched. Tucked almost invisibly inside the folded layers of the paper was a thin, highly detailed microfilm cartridge. It was tiny, barely the size of her fingernail, and perfectly concealed within the paper. This wasn't just a deed; it was a clever, old-school form of hidden message.

She carefully extracted the microfilm, her hands trembling. This was it. A direct, intentional hiding place. Someone had risked a great deal to hide this here, perhaps decades ago. Was it her father? A desperate attempt to leave behind a clue?

Just as she secured the microfilm, she heard footsteps approaching. Not Agent Miller's familiar, measured steps, but lighter, quicker ones. Her blood ran cold. She quickly hid the microfilm in her cleaning apron pocket and pretended to be engrossed in dusting a shelf.

"Miss Chen?"

It was "Gary," the new cleaner. He stood in the aisle, his sharp eyes sweeping the area, lingering on her. "You're very dedicated, aren't you? Spending all this time with the old papers." His voice was too smooth, his smile too tight. "You from Xanadu, right? I heard it's a very... traditional place. Lots of old secrets, perhaps?"

Ellie's heart hammered. He was fishing. He was connected. "Oh, yes!" she chirped, trying to sound cheerful and oblivious. "Very traditional! And very dusty! You wouldn't believe the amount of dust these old secrets accumulate, Gary! You need a special touch, you know? Like... like me!" She brandished her duster with a flourish, almost hitting him with it.

Gary took a step back, his smile faltering slightly. "Right. Well, keep up the good work, Miss Chen. Wouldn't want any 'secrets' getting too dusty." He lingered for a moment longer, his gaze sharp, then turned and walked away.

Ellie let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She had the microfilm. But she knew that "Gary" suspected something. The "shadows" were closing in. Her small, mundane cleaning routine was becoming a deadly game of hide-and-seek.