Dance Moms - Lorelei (3) James & Hilliker

Chapter 3 : Starlight

The building setting was like any dance schools, with room after room of spacious studios and wall mirrors, inside were students dancing in all cultures.

"Are they all...?"

"No. They're outsiders, Starlight is still Starlight, and they are real students and real teachers. Our organization bought the place many years ago, and integrated into our facility."

"Starlight, Orion." Chloe said. "Not exactly creative."

"It came with the place. What better cover than one already exist?" the fat woman shrugged.

They took an elevator down to what looked like the storage floor, with closed doors labeled in numbers, went to the far end of the corridor where another elevator waited. Ms. Waltz swept her card over the sensor, the door closed and took them further down.

It stopped and opened to a different atmosphere, like an indoor sport center, with glass panels dividing the sections. High concrete foundations were mounted with giant screens, broadcasting news from all over the world.

Paige would love to see this! Chloe thought.

At one corner she could see teenagers sparring with weapons and bare hands, they looked no older than college students.

"This, is the heart of our operation." Ms. Waltz introduced.

"They're all from Madison?"

"No. Most of them were runaways, some from juvenile corrections. We have eyes everywhere recruiting potential agents."

"Kalani should come here!" Chloe thought out loud.

"Believe me, Madison tried. She couldn't stand a wild card in her operation."

"Really?" Chloe chuckled, she could already picture them fighting. "Why didn't she?"

"She wants to stay with Morris. The old man has that effect on people."

Chloe nodded quietly. Morris has opened the world to her, and now she has mix feeling working for a competitor.

Besides combat training, there were classrooms and labs, with teenagers traveling from one room to another, no different from any ordinary school.

They stopped at what looked like the armory, with racks of guns and knives and other weapons. Beyond that was a workshop, Chloe could see people assembling gears she couldn't recognize, like walking into Q's room in a James Bond movie.

"I think you recognize this?" Ms. Waltz picked up a piece from the shelf.

"Yes." Chloe recognized the bracelet that fires ultrasonic pulse, she has one, but never got to use it. "Did Madison bring you this too?"

"Oh Please!" the woman snorted. "She'll never give them the good stuff!"

"What do you mean?"

"Madison has a gift in engineering. She has a double degree in MIT!" Ms. Waltz said like a proud mother. "She makes new toys for Orion, but only shows them half the plan!"

"Keeping the best for the family?"

"Naturally!" the woman brushed her hair. "Here's something you may be interested."

She selected a baton from the rack, it looked like her retractable baton but slimmer. The woman pressed a button, it shot out a two foot length that made Chloe jumped.

A man of Indian origin came and snatched the baton from Ms. Waltz's hand.

"Please don't touch that! It's dangerous!"

"Like everything else you made isn't?" the woman didn't seem to be offended, like they do this all the time. "This is Siri, our quartermaster."

"It's Sri! As in Sri Lanka!" the Indian man checked the baton like it was damaged.

"Then you should have corrected it in your application form."

"I did! But someone kept changing the database! If only I find out who!" the man pushed his face inches from Ms. Waltz.

The Indian man was about the same age as Ms. Waltz, with a full beard and wire frame glasses. Chloe guessed they have a long history of pranking each other.

"This is Diamond-Titanium!" the Indian man explained. "Light as a feather, hard as steel, with a power spring that can break a jaw!"

He twisted the baton, from the other end shot out another three foot, turning it into a five foot pole.

"I know how it works!" Mr. Waltz snatched it back, swinging it around her hand like a martial art expert, her skill caught Chloe by surprise.

"But you don't know this!"

Sri snatched the baton back in swift movement, apparently having some skills himself. He pressed a button on the handle, the end of the stick shot out a pair of metal pins, between them bursting a bright blue spark.

"Five hundred thousand volts, can fry a bear with this thing!" Sri said proudly. "And the best thing is? It has a USB charger!"

Sri pushed the ends back and returned the baton to a short stick, tossed it to Chloe, she caught it in reflex, it was half the weight as her own baton. She handed over to Ms. Waltz, but the woman simply shook her head.

"Take it out for a field test!"

"I don't think I should take this."

"Take it. Use it. We need evaluation." Sri agreed.

"Thank you..." Chloe put it in her backpack.

"It's not like we're giving it to you. You need to bring it back." said the Quartermaster.

"Oh stop!" Ms. Waltz punched Sri gently. "Now show her the projectiles."

"Projectiles?" Chloe blinked.

"Madison said you don't use guns."

"I know how to use one. I just don't like the sound and smell."

"Then I have the perfect thing!" Sri happily turned to his racks.

"I don't need..."

Before Chloe could stop him, the man already returned with a device, it looked like a power bank. Sri unfolded a handle from one end, then uncapped the opposite side that revealed four round holes.

"Magnetic projectile, fires four rounds of point two-two explosive darts, still makes a bang but at least not on your face. Let me demonstrate."

"That won't be unnecessary..." Chloe said.

"Fire in the hole!" Sri shouted.

Pointing at a target sheet sixty feet away, the device made a pop, but the target exploded into a fire ball, leaving no trace of the paper.

"Pretty cool, eh?" Sri laughed like it was his new toy.

"I definitely won't be needing that!" Chloe said, her ears still ringing from the explosion.

"And you think this is good now? Let me show you the explosives!"

"No, thank you."

Next Sri presented a smooth white plastic box, inside were six metal caps, each the size of an Oreo cookie. Chloe was already shaking her head.

"Compressed C-4, covered by high density tungsten balls, Claymore at the palm of your hand. Oh, did I mention it also works on Bluetooth?"

"No!" Chloe backed away from her spot. "Besides, I haven't even agreed to work for you yet, and what kind of privilege do agents receive here?"

"Oh they get pay, enough to keep them happy." Ms. Waltz nodded. "But I know you're not looking for money."

"I want to help people."

"And yourself. Isn't that why you're here? To dance in our institute?"

"Only for the summer. I still want to go to college."

"You don't have to worry about that. We have connection with every college you can name!"