Unit 216

Chapter 1: "Dead or Alive"

Razma-Tokaluma. Satirio-Perualikay. Alexander whispered under tired breathing. Old legs necessarily don't fare well when you have an hour to locate a relic temple in a thick jungle, bring back the ancient relic, and return to the jet. It certainly didn't help that in a few hours, the Ascendancy would be able to track their location.

"Look out!" a voice beside him exclaimed.

Alexander shoved his anxious thoughts back to the jungle and managed to lurch away from the huge trunk standing before him. He complimented the boy with a nod, who smiled back at him. You are one of a kind, Alexander thought as he compared the cadet with others. His previous students would rush and finish tasks, solely for the purpose of getting the needed approval to graduate. But this one cared. A lot.

The boy would take small breaths and not pant when they would pause for a moment. It was to show that he wasn't tired; however, deep within, Alexander knew he was exhausted. Or perhaps how the young fellow never failed to address his instructor with respect and "Sir."

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Two weeks . . . It's been two weeks since the official report came in. Axel felt his heart and mind preparing for war, hit by a flurry of contradicting emotions and thoughts. A part of him would argue that his dad was only missing, not necessarily dead. However, another would reason that even if his father was captured, hiding, or stranded someplace, none of those scenarios would end up with a happy reunion.

Well, you always knew this was going to happen to one of the best agents ever, he reminded himself, especially after being on the Ascendancy's blacklist for years.

Groggy and groaning, Axel violently tossed the sheets aside and slammed the blaring alarm clock. A framed family picture greeted him like an old friend. It was a picture of the three of them, a decade ago, roleplaying as some sort of secret agents in the backyard. He was forced to look away.

Having just finished the school year, a wonderful relief, Axel was ready to kick back and do nothing but rest the entire summer. He dragged his feet down the steep stairs and plopped down on a chair. On cue, Mom came out of the kitchen with breakfast in both hands.

"G'morning, Mom," he greeted.

She tried for a smile; and reluctantly chose the seat on which a man, his hero, used to sit.

The news hasn't been kind to her either. She can't bear to see Dad's chair empty.

"So," Mom started, "you have a date with Kathryn at the park today."

Axel shot her a glance. "It's just a short walk, that's all."

"Ha, call it whatever you want. I like my version better," she snorted.

Kathryn was Axel's closest friend, and she thought strolling down the local park was the best way to start the long break. They've known each other for many years now, enough for him to know the possible consequences of tardiness.

Axel shoved food down and hugged his mother goodbye. He rode his bike at speeds where the effectual winds made him feel cool and chilly, his ideal weather. Not a single soul roamed the streets or bothered to step outside their houses—only a few cars noisily whizzed by.

But one peculiar limousine was driving rather slowly as cars behind honked at it. Its shiny black paint reminded Axel of how fancy cars, years ago, would every day give his father a lift to some secret base. Sometimes the transport would return at midnight; other times, a full week.