During the high-stakes spy meeting, someone’s phone went off playing the theme song from Barbie Girl—and it was the boss's ringtone.
Everyone froze.
In the dimly lit basement, only the loud voice of “I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world…” could be heard, bouncing off the bulletproof steel walls. The agents in full black glanced at each other, some holding their breath, others holding back laughter that was about to burst out.
Their boss, Colonel Larasati, a cold woman in her fifties with a reputation for silencing two espionage organizations with just a look, reached into her pocket slowly. With a granite-like expression, she pulled out a flashy pink cellphone from inside her black leather jacket.
“Excuse me,” she said firmly. She took the call as she walked to the corner of the room, staying under the spotlight of the surveillance cameras, leaving an atmosphere of tension and embarrassment at the head desk.
Agent Raka, a new recruit who was not yet used to the harsh world of espionage, whispered to the colleague next to him, “Is that a serious tone? Or… a secret code?”
“If that’s a code, it’s the craziest code I’ve ever heard,” Agent Dita replied, her eyes still on the digital map screen.
Soon, Colonel Larasati returned to the table. Everyone looked down, trying to suppress a strange mixture of curiosity and fear.
“Sorry for the interruption,” she said coldly. “It’s from… my grandson. He set my ringtone while I was asleep last week. And I let him.”
No one dared to laugh.
She looked at all the eyes that were on her, then added, “But don’t be fooled. Behind that plastic doll smile, Barbie is a very effective infiltration symbol. Smiling, looking non-threatening, then infiltrating the enemy’s core data. We’ll use that for Operation Ken.”
The agents looked at each other with frowns. Operation Ken?
Colonel Larasati grinned for the first time that night. “Welcome to the real world. It’s fantastic.”