The Espionage and The Enigma

Chapter 6- NOT VALID

A.N: Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I had a huge writers block, and listening to Teegan and Sara's "I Was A Fool." provided me with much needed inspiration. This is a relatively short chapter, but it really does set up a big chunk of the plot line that comes into play at a later time in the story. Hope you guys like it! xx

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1725 HOURS. FRIDAY. //

LACHLAN DORM HOUSE. THE PHILLIPS ANDERSON CAMPUS.//

0735 HOURS UNTIL THE DRAFT. //

                 I took two steps up at a time. 42, 44, 46. It seemed as if all my life consisted of numbers now. The amount of stairs it took to reach the top of the building. Statistics about my shootings. Numbers of days I was to stay impersonating Daenaryis. Percentages of Michael and I's survival rate.

                  58, 60, 62. My lungs burned for air and my legs ached, but still, I kept on going. It seemed to be all I was doing now. Pushing myself past my limits, trying to reach the end. Keeping on going.

                76, 78, 80. I reached the last step for the 7th time in the past 30 minutes. I had been running up the flights of stairs in Lachlan house to try and calm myself. Even though I had been training for the Draft for the past 3 years of my life, especially the last 2 days, running had always provided me with an adrenaline that silenced down my mind. When I was running, it was as if my mind disconnected from the world and all its problems. Or at least, I thought it did. It wasn't doing anything to help me now.

               I decided that it was enough for the day, since it wasn't doing me any good except wear me out for tomorrow’s flight. I inhaled and exhaled as if my life depended on it and walked over to my dorm that was only a few steps away from the stairs. There were 8 other dorms on the 6th floor of the Lachlan house. Vanessa and mine was the second to the right. I pushed the door open and slipped inside. I leaned my forehead against the door. It didn't hurt though, the cut on my forehead that I'd gotten during training yesterday was gone less than an hour after the bullet grazed my forehead- thanks to our country's medicines. Instead, it was replaced by sweat that drenched my body now. All I wanted to do now was to go to sleep. It would seem normal too, since I never studied the night before the Ranking exam. Today during class, hardly anyone was paying attention since they were all so concentrated on their textbooks and oral skills for the upcoming test. The day Michael and I left for the Soviet States was the day the Ranking was being held. Right now, I had less than 7 hours until I became I completely different person. The thought wasn't quite wrapped around my mind, even then.

                 I had spent the last few days pouring over the black folder the Council gave me. There wasn't much inside- just a portfolio on Daenaryis Virtanen, one on her husband, another on Viktor Kovostrac, the country's dictator. Other than that there was a page containing flight arrangements, cultural background, and a slip of paper outlining the Draft, its purpose, and its rules. The rules kept repeating over and over in my mind the past 4 days, the bold print wouldn't leave my mind. They were the most important aspect, and if they weren't followed, I could already tell the consequences were grave.

1. NO PEOPLE NOT INVOLVED DIRECTLY IN THE COUNCIL OR IN THE PROCESS OF SAID DRAFT SHALL HAVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE PURPOSE, DETAILS, OR OUTCOME OF THE ASSINGMENT.

2. THE DRAFTED SHALL FOLLOW ORDERS ONLY GIVEN BY THOSE DIRECTLY IN COUNCIL.

3. THE DRAFTED, IF SUCCESFUL, WILL NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DISCUSS THE DRAFT AFTER IT HAS BEEN COMPLETED, NOR WILL THEY BE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE WHETHER IT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL OR NOT.