Agent X

xx| 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙵𝚒𝚟𝚎 |xx

I inhaled and exhaled, each movement highly rhythmic in order to stabilize myself. I pushed my emotions away, forcing myself to be calm.

I turned around, though I didn't smile. That wasn't something Xara would do very often. Instead, I gave a slight nod of my head.

"I'm ready," I declared. My voice sounded more confident than I had expected. Perhaps saying it aloud was a way of convincing myself that it was true.

The Professors smiled encouragely, like parents sending their child to kindergarten for the first time.

"Alright, off you go," Professor Endals told me. I nodded, and before I could think twice about it, I had opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

I almost froze in the corridor. I'd only seen pictures of the huge, one-way glass windows covering the walls, the green carpeting that stretched across the floor, the wooden doors on the opposite end of the hall leading to the U.L. conference room.

But I forced my limbs to walk past it all. I headed straight for the elevator on the right side of the hall. The two guards, Agents 10 and 11, nodded when they saw me. Director Rokmond had instructed them to let me out of the top floor for training.

I clasped my hands loosely together to keep from shaking. I held my head high and my back straight. Otherwise, I might have collapsed from the nerves.

Agent 11 punched a few buttons into the elevator. After a few tense moments of waiting, the elevator doors opened. Without a word, I stepped inside. The doors shut and automatically, the number "five" on the left panel of the contraption lit up, preprogrammed by the guards. It was the floor where I would complete my final training session before leaving on my mission.

Then, I felt the floor drop from beneath my feet. It was only for a second, but the unexpected jolt was enough to destabilize me. I stumbled, grabbing the metal rail in the elevator for stabilization. My head spun slightly, though I quickly forced myself to my feet and regained my composure.

So this is an elevator, I thought. I always wondered what one would be like.

I watched the number at the top of the elevator countdown. Nine, eight, seven, six...

There was a 'ding' that sounded, and the contraption jolted to a halt. If I hadn't been holding onto the railing, I would have lost my balance again.

The doors of the elevator opened, and I left swiftly. I did not want to get stuck in one of those, not when I was almost late for training. I peered down the right side of the empty hallway, only to see the restrooms. My gaze swept to the other side of the hall, where there was a wooden door. A rectangular window at the top of the door spewed fluorescent light.

I guess I'm supposed to go there.

I strolled to the door and wrapped my fingers around the cold, metal handle. Though the window enabled light to stream out, my view of the interior was obscured by its one-way glass. I inhaled, though by now, I had grown used to the butterflies in my stomach.

Ready Xara? It's showtime.

I flung open the door to reveal a room as big as the colosseum, though there were no stands for watching spy training. In front of me were three rings equally spaced on the left, middle, and right sides of the room, two of which were in use. Behind the rings were various targets where spies practiced shooting guns or throwing knives.

My head tilted to the ceiling to find a maze of ropes. It was the tightrope training. Spies had to walk on the ropes from one end of the ceiling to the other. Whoever was the fastest at navigating the ropes would be the winner. I'd done it many times with Professor Nyryn.