Ivy and the Fluorescent Lightbulb

Chapter 10 - The Agent

"See?" Uncle Taner's voice cut through as the hatch opened. "There's nothing down here."

Oak stared, his eyes wide as he watched the crack of light grow larger. "Run!" Syndria whispered, ducking behind some boxes. Ivy joined Carbon and Kronalia, who dove behind a large shelving unit. Oak dashed under a nearby table, joining Augaley. He ignored the group's reproachful stares.

From her vantage point, Ivy spotted Uncle Taner striding confidently into the space. "Look, Xiayne," he said, "It's just an empty room. I was down here for storage, that's why I never heard you!"

His voice sounded confident, but Ivy noticed his movements and speech were tense. She shifted uncomfortably. I can't shake the feeling this is my fault... she thought.

The government agent stayed planted on the stairs, her eyes darting around the room. "Hm," she said. "Look, Taner, I've flagged you enough times to know not to take what you tell me at credit-value." She crossed her arms. "I should have never let you leave the City Bureau when I saw you earlier this evening. It's only natural that you'd be connected with the System's anomaly from this afternoon."

"Don't be like that, Xi," Uncle Taner said, nervously laughing and rubbing his hands. "How about you just let me wrap up what I'm doing and we can sort this out...I don't know, maybe tomorrow, when it's not nighttime?" He approached her, trying to move her to walk up the stairs. Xiayne didn't move, a small smirk on her face.

"Why should I leave?" she said.

"What?" he blankly replied.

"The kids," she said, her smile dropping. "Where are the kids?"

Uncle Taner froze.

"What do you mean, 'where're the kids'?" he chuckled. "Asleep at my place." His smirk dropped, and he assumed a worried face. "At least they should be," he said. "Why?"

"Oh...just wondering where they went in between the time I saw you at the City Bureau and followed you here." She leaned forward, the smirk growing once more. "Because the times aren't adding up. You catch my circuits, Taner, right?"

Uncle Taner stifled a sigh. "I have some stuff to wrap up here," he finally said. "Why don't you stop at my place...like I said, tomorrow morning, and we can talk this out then?"

"I'm not sure what game you're trying to play, Taner—" she started. The agent froze, her eyes slowly drifting from Uncle Taner's to the large shelving unit Ivy hid behind. Her eyes seemed to lock with Ivy's.

Ivy stifled a gasp.

"Why does it feel like we're being watched?" she slowly said, her eyes flitting from the shelving to the table, to the boxes.

She didn't see me, did she? Ivy thought.

"It's a strange feeling, feeling as if you were being watched, but seeing no one watching you," Xiyane continued, casting a cool gaze on him. "Care to explain that one, Taner?"

"Probably because you're nervous with dark, creepy places like this, and because we're long overdue to go back up and finish this little visit of yours?" he said, resting an arm on the wall and stepping forward. Xiayne stepped back with a frown.

"Why are you trying so hard to get me out of here?"

"She's onto us!" Kronalia mouthed to Carbon.

"What do we do?" Carbon mouthed back, looking between Ivy and Kronalia.

Ivy glanced between Carbon and Kronalia, scanning the room. There was nothing much other than a few boxes and a large metal box against the center back wall. On the opposite wall were the stairs, blocked by Uncle Taner. We need some kind of distraction! she thought, her mind racing. But how can we slip past the agent without her seeing us go up the stairs?