The thinning moonlight illuminated the paper drawing WAOIC headquarters. Dari had drawn a detailed version of the x-ray for easy reference. I stared down at it, memorizing every last detail.
It was now or never. It was July eighth, the day of the rescue. And it was my job to ensure that everything went according to plan, or at a bare minimum, according to a back-up plan.
The diagram shook in my hand. I set it down on my lap and laced my fingers together. It's okay, Xara. Just breathe.
My eyes fell on an 'x' inked in black. X marks on the spot. That's where we have to land to rescue Agent X.
I played the scene over and over in my mind. I once heard that there is a mind-muscle connection, where if you practiced an action enough in your mind, you could actually perform it just as well as someone who has physically practiced it. That's what I was doing. I was practicing—drilling the hole in the roof of WAOIC headquarters, looking all around for enemies, dropping into the WAOIC prison, cutting the metal bars where Xara's prison cell was kept.
What if there aren't metal bars? What if the material is far more durable? Or what if there are a legion of guards waiting for us?
What if she's already dead?
That was Agent X thinking for me. She would have thought of all of the things that would have gone wrong in the plan. The only difference was that Xara would have come up with a back-up plan for all of those situations.
Me? I just sat there, pressed against the door of a car, on the verge of a mental breakdown.
I can't do this, especially not on my own. What if the double agent doesn't do his or her job right? What if the mission is a failure? It would all be my fault. I'm The Lead. I'm supposed to figure who the enemy is.
"Nervous?" a voice whispered.
So I wasn't up all by myself. I turned to face Ty.
"No," I said. I glanced at my watch. Five thirty-seven glowed up at me.
"It's not even six yet," I said. "You should go back to sleep."
"And how much sleep have you gotten?"
I wasn't sure. I probably dozed for a number of hours. I'd made us all go to bed early the night before. But I wasn't sleepy right now, so there was no point in forcing myself to sleep. Besides, Finn had brought back plenty of coffee when he got the helicopter.
"I got enough," I replied.
Ty shook his head. "Something's wrong. I've been sensing it during this whole mission. The Director said something to you that's set you on edge. What did he tell you?" His voice was soothing but insistent. I knew he wasn't going to stop pestering me about this until I gave in and told him.
There was something about him that just made him seem honest. He had this way of saying just the right thing, using the right tone, looking a certain way.
I could feel myself cracking from the pressure of the mission. It would be all too easy to spill the whole story to him. Surely I could trust him. I mean, why would he confess his love for the Xara, or care about how much pressure I was under? I just wanted to tell him the truth.
No, I corrected silently. I just want to know the truth. No matter much he prodded, I would not tell him, or anyone else, about the double agent. They would know in due time.
Ty is an actor. He knows how to put on a facade. He knows how to look perfect. He knows how to trick people.
"I'm fine," I insisted. The amount of confidence in my voice was remarkable considering my predicament.
Ty's eyebrows shot upwards. He wasn't expecting me to be so sure of myself either.
"Okay then. Just know that you can count on me. I know you have a lot of pressure on you, but you better believe that I will be the best distraction known to mankind out there."
I hope you're telling me the truth. I hope I really can count on you.
"Thanks," I mumbled. He nodded, then closed his eyes. Soon, I could hear his breathing fall in a quiet, steady rhythm.
Everything will be fine, I told myself. I am Xara. I am Agent X.
I never did go back to sleep. Instead, I busied myself getting my breakfast, reviewing the plans, and gathering the materials I needed. I had even put on my Xara make-up. The procedure was no longer a nuisance. It had become a comfort, a mask, to myself.
Fake it till you make it. If you're confident, everyone else will be too. Perhaps that was Xara's secret. She had been pretending to be confident for so long that she had convinced herself that she really was.
Now, morning rays of light streamed into the forest. The others woke and got ready, a silent, somber proceeding.
At last, my wristwatch vibrated. I glanced down to see that it was seven ten a.m. According to Ty, the guards changed shifts at eight. We needed to get in and out of WAOIC headquarters before the new guards came, and while the old guards were exhausted. And hopefully the WAOIC agents inside might still be asleep.
"Finn, do you have the helicopter all set up?" I asked.
"It's ready to go," Finn said.
"Okay. Ty, you're taking the car. Do you need anything?"
"I'm more peaches and cream than this yogurt," he said. He was eating a peach-flavored yogurt for breakfast.
I stifled a snicker. Focus, Xara. Game face, remember? You have to be calm, cool, and collected—emotionless.
"Alright. Everything's set. Let's time our watches. It's currently 7:11." I held my wrist and watched the seconds count down. "Five, four, three, two, one."
A chorus of beeps sounded as everyone in the car set their watches to be perfectly in sync with mine.
"Perfect," I said. I looked every person in the eye. For the first time in probably the history of spy work, Dawn, Jef, Jax, and I wore matching white leather clothing, except I wore a green coat as well. I figured it would help camouflage us while we were climbing the sides of WAOIC headquarters.
"Listen up. We're about to go out there and face even a hundred WAOIC agents. We're going to be in constant danger every moment. We may be shot at, injured, or even captured. But no matter what happens, keep your head in the game, your mind on the mission, and your focus on our purpose. We are here for one reason and one reason only, and that is to rescue the real Agent X from one of the most secure prisons in the world. Remember your job, and do it well. Failure is not an option."
Did you hear that, Xara? Failure is not an option, I reminded myself.
"Are we ready?" I asked.
"Yes!" the others yelled.
"Team Summit, let's go out there and let's get Xara."
Four cars opened, six people stepped onto the forest floor. Ty crawled into the front seat and saluted me. The car rolled into the thicket of trees to the left. Finn and Dari darted to the right. The helicopter was waiting for them in a clearing about a mile away.
I strode through the forest to my post. I kept my footsteps quick and light so that the crunching leaves made less noise. My back hunched forward to avoid the low branches that occasionally barred the path. If only those were the only obstacles to my mission, I thought wistfully. I knew far worse was to come.
I found the spot of our tunnel, located right behind the wall of coniferous trees surrounding WAOIC headquarters. I lifted the blanket of false leaves that we had used to cover the entrance, just in case WAOIC agents or guards wandered into the area. I checked my watch. 7:17, right on schedule.
I stared into the narrow, pitch-black tunnel—an abyss of unknown. It was impossible to see more than a foot inside.
I hope no creatures have taken up residency in there.
"Flashlight," I whispered. Dawn placed a silver torch into my palm. I pressed the switch on. Bright light lit up a dirt path that wound its way through the Earth. Taking a deep breath, I ducked into the tunnel.
Dirt showered me as I crawled through the tunnel on my hands and knees. I glanced up, half expecting the whole thing to collapse. But the tunnel was secured by a metal grate that supported the ceiling and ground below.
My back grew tired from being hunched over. My knees hurt from the pressure of my body and from scraping against the rocky ground. But I forced myself forward. Every time I found myself slowing down, I drove myself harder. Come on Xara. Now is not the time to give up. You got this!
I resisted the urge to check my watch. It would only make me more nervous. I had given us ten minutes, but traveling seemed to be taking much, much longer.
At last, I could see the light of day streaming into the tunnel. I picked up the pace until I was right under the hole leading to the surface. My hands grasped the sides of the ground and pulled me into the bush. My green coat didn't match the exact shade of the bush's leaves, but it helped me blend in at least a little bit. Branches poked my cheeks, the only part that wasn't covered by my coat and pants.
Now you can check your watch. Much to my surprise, it had taken me eight minutes and twenty seconds to reach my current position. We were two minutes ahead of schedule.
I messaged the others that I was in position. Ty replied that he was good, and Dari had hacked into WAOIC's security and power system, but Finn needed more time. Of course my brain jumped to conclusions.
He's conspiring with WAOIC. If we are early with our plans, it will throw off WAOIC's resistance to us.
Stop it, Xara! Now is not the time for that. You need to focus. Whatever happens will happen. Stop unnerving yourself.
At that moment, another message popped up on my screen.
In position. Ready to proceed when ordered.
Go now! I typed. And so it began.
The air was peaceful, still. Then, a helicopter whirred overhead. I craned my neck to see through the branches. Finn's helicopter hovered close to the top of WAOIC headquarters. The guards lifted their heads to the sky, their hands shielding their eyes from the sun.
That was another thing I thought of. Finn needed to come in the East so as to ensure that initially, the guards would be staring into the sun. I curled into a ball as the guards turned in my direction.
They aren't looking at you. They are not looking at you! They're looking at the sky, at Finn. They aren't going to be paying attention to a bush of all things!
Indistinct shouts arose from the other side of the building. Guns fired, though I wasn't sure if the guards or Finn fired first. Just as I had hoped, the guards ran around the side of the building. No one would see us leaving the tunnel. We weren't in the line of sight anymore. I crawled from the bush and motioned for the others to follow.
I shed my black coat and threw it into the tunnel, exposing the white pants and t-shirt. In my peripheral, I examined the sides of the building. Huh. The shade of white actually matches our clothing.
I unclipped rope from my belt and tossed it to the top of the roof. It caught on the edge, pulling tight. I gripped the rope and began climbing.
One hand reached over the other, pulling me upwards in rapid succession. I sucked in steady breaths in sync with the motion. My biceps burned from the exertion. Energy drained from my body until I felt like I would drop to the ground below. Keep. Going.
I gritted my teeth against the pain. Left, right. Left, right. Left, right.
Before I knew it, the top was in sight. I grasped the edge of the roof and hauled my body on top. Gunfire blasted on the other side of the building. Finn shot a stream of bullets at the guards, which they returned with shots of their own.
My eyes fell on the ground below. My breath hitched in my chest. I hadn't realized how high up we would be. One false move, and we would go crashing to the ground, meaning almost certain death.
I quickly averted my attention to Dawn, Jax, and Jef standing beside me.
"Dawn, do you have the location we need to drill?" I asked.
"Yes," she panted. She pulled out a coordinate tracking device Dari had programmed. It could tell the exact coordinates of any location on Earth. All Dawn had to do was line up the coordinate tracker with the presumed location we needed to descend into.
Dawn pointed to the place they needed to dig. Jax and Jef turned on the drill IIA headquarters had given us. It buzzed, sending chunks of stone and metal flying. But the guns and Finn's helicopter masked the sound.
I crouched low on the roof and scanned the ground. Now was a good time for Ty's job. I texted him 'now.' Of course, he simply replied with a thumbs up. Ty's car inched up on the West side of the building. He was supposed to pretend to break in on the bottom floor of headquarters. He would have to be just barely in the line of sight so that the guards spotted him and assumed that he was the only one breaking in.
"He's coming up the other way!" a guard shouted below. I caught a glimpse of Ty thundering up the west side of the complex. Gunfire shifted in direction, aimed at Ty. Good luck, Ty. I almost felt sorry about being so aloof these past few days. If he died today and wasn't the double agent, I wasn't sure if I'd forgive myself.
"I got it," Jax said. He lifted a circular piece of concrete from the roof, revealing a dimly lit hole.
All thoughts of Ty dissipated. We had ten minutes. No time for emotion. Calm, cool collected. A sense of calm transcended my body. It's showtime.
"Dari now!" I whispered into my radio. That was the cue to turn off the electricity in the prison.
"Done," Dari said. The dim light streaming from the hole switched to void. If the tunnel we dug was the unknown, then this is a black hole.
The funny thing was that there wasn't any time to feel fear. I could feel the seconds ticking by.
"We gotta go," I said. "Jax, drop the line down. Hold it from up here as I go down."
"Got it." Jax dropped a thick, braided rope down. Fibers dug into my hands as I lowered myself into the darkness.
The hall was deathly quiet. I couldn't see anything around me, though I heard rope thud on the floor below so that Dawn could climb down, too. Jef was probably supporting it from the roof.
An odd sense of anticipation built in my chest. I was about to meet my predecessor, the person who created me. Would she be scared? Would she scream at the sight of her living, breathing reflection?
No, I decided. She wouldn't do that. She couldn't do that. She was always calm, always cool, and always collected. No matter how disturbed she was by the sight of me, she couldn't show any emotion.
The smell of must and mildew surrounded me. I wrinkled my nose and snorted, a feeble attempt to clear the scent. As I went further down, faint groans echoed off the walls. Is that Xara?
My feet made contact with the hard floor. I released the rope and tapped my watch on. The light was blinding in the dim lighting, but I typed a quick message to Jax saying that I was down.
"Xara?" a voice whispered.
"Right here," I said. Dawn dropped to the floor beside me. Jef shimmied down after her.
"Do you have the flashlight?" I asked.
"Yes," Dawn replied. She flipped the switch on. The darkness immediately dissipated.
I gasped.
No.
This can't be happening.
I stared into the hallway from behind metal bars. The flashlight fell on ten guards, all with guns trained on us.
Don't panic! Everything will be fine. I just need to figure out a way to get out of here.
Dawn yanked on the rope from above, where Jax was stationed to help us out when we got done rescuing Xara. Jax cried out from above. He fell through the hole in the roof, landing with a thud on a cot below.
My mind reeled. All I could think was, thank goodness that cot was here.
Realization set in. I whipped around to look at Dawn. A grin etched across her face.
"So, X. The jig is up."
The double agent.
"Y-you're the double agent?" I breathed.
"Yes, indeed I am. I figured you knew. That's why you've been acting so strange, isn't it?"
I hated that she had me figured out. The real Xara would've kept people guessing as to what she knew and what she didn't know. Xara seems like she knows everything, yet she keeps quiet so you don't suspect that she does. She makes you feel guilty about something, regardless of whether you did something wrong or are innocent. And most importantly, Xara keeps her mouth shut. And yet when I kept my mouth shut, it spoke louder than any amount of joking and talking I ever did.
I wasn't going to let my mouth get the better of me this time. Think Xara, there's got to be a way out. A plan quickly began to align in my mind. It was a shot in the dark, but it was my only hope. I pressed the one-way transmit button on my radio.
"Then you arranged everything," I said. "You're the one who programmed Xara's radio so the message was lost in transmission."
"The whole exchange was set-up by WAOIC," Dawn gloated. "The file only had useful information so that we could lead you right into our trap. I specially arranged for that."
"You can't go back to the IIA now," I said. "Your whole cover is blown."
"No, actually it isn't," Dawn said. "Since you're captured, you can't tell anyone. I'll be 'captured' too, except I'll figure out a way to escape, along with Ty, Dari, and Finn once we capture them, too. They'll never know."
"You think the IIA is as dumb as WAOIC?" I demanded. Tears threatened to flood my eyes, but I kept them at bay. I couldn't show any emotion or weakness—not now. Inside, I pleaded with Dari and Finn. Please, get the message. Get the message!
"Are we really the dumb ones? We captured you, didn't we?" She nodded to the prison guards. "You can take them now." I heard the keys outside our cage jingling as a guard reached down to unlock the door. I forced my eyes to not turn to the hole in the ceiling.
Don't give it away. I was beginning to wonder if they were coming at all. Had they gotten the message? Could they get here in time?
It seemed that all hope was lost...
Suddenly, a rope dropped down from the hole. I kicked Dawn in the stomach as hard as I could. She sailed backwards, her back crashing into the stone wall.
"Grab hold!" I yelled to Jax and Jef.
We all grabbed the rope at once, and it immediately ascended into the air. Bullets zinged where we had just been. Pain shot in my chest as metal capsules hit my bulletproof vest.
I glanced up. The hole wasn't wide enough for the three of us to fit through in a cluster.
"Jax, climb up!"
"What's going on?" Jef cried.
I allowed myself to drop down the rope, forming a single file line of bodies with Jef in the middle. We lifted into the open air, flying further and further from the top of headquarters. I squinted into the sun to see a helicopter—our helicopter—carrying us upward. The back doors opened, and the rope pulled us right inside.
I collapsed on the floor. My heart thudded in my chest, lungs gasping for air. The doors slammed shut, and the helicopter zoomed away.
"What happened?" Dari exclaimed. She turned in the front seat to look at us.
"Dawn," I panted. "She's a double agent."
Dari gaped at me. "What? But she's been with the IIA for, like, an eternity!"
"I was stunned too," I said. But probably not as much as you are. I had known that there was a double agent, while the others hadn't. But it was still a shock. I had been told by the Director that the double agent would be in Team Summit. Dawn was not.
The sound of gunfire proliferated. Bullets pinged as they struck the metal sides of the helicopter.
"We need to get out of here," Finn said. "Everyone needs to buckle up."
I took the seat next to the left window. Jax sat on the right, putting Jef in the middle. We ascended, the gunfire fading into the distance. Soon, we were soaring in the clouds, where the air was still. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"What happened down there?" Finn asked.
"Other than the fact that Dari betrayed us?" I said. I didn't even bother to hide the bitterness in my voice.
"Like what specifically occurred," Finn clarified.
"Dawn is working with WAOIC. She must have found out where to direct us so that the hole we dug in the ceiling landed us directly inside a prison cell. There were a bunch of guards waiting for us, guns pointed at us."
"Why weren't they waiting inside the cell?" Dari asked.
"I don't know," I said. "Maybe they didn't want to be trapped in case Dawn messed up and we didn't land in the WAOIC prison cell."
Dari shrugged. "I mean, if they had an expert navigating, that wouldn't be an issue..."
"Anyways," I continued. "When we landed inside the cell, I thought to turn my radio on one-way transmission. That way, you heard that we were in danger and came to rescue us, but didn't accidentally make any noise that would give away our plan."
"Smart," Dari said. "I have to admit, we did talk for a few moments before we figured out what was going on. It would have been a dead give away."
"But it wasn't," I reminded her. "After that, I just crossed my fingers and hoped you'd come."
Dari nodded. "I actually saw Jax fall into the hole. Finn had already been making his way to hover over WAOIC headquarters. As soon as we heard Dawn talking, I pressed the button on the control panel to lower the rope. It's a pretty handy feature."
"I'll say," I murmured. It saved my life.
The radio crackled from the front. "This is Agent 52 calling Agent 27. Come in Agent 27."
It was Ty. He sounded strained. I could hear the accelerator revving in the background.
"I read you, Agent 52. Now listen: abort mission. Do you hear me? We are canceling the mission."
"What? Why?" Ty exclaimed.
"We had a hick-up and had to pull out from headquarters."
"You didn't get Xara?" Panic rose in his voice.
"No, there wasn't time nor opportunity," Finn said.
"What went wrong?"
"We'll fill you in on the details later."
I leaned forward in my seat. "Ty, this is Agent 24, the fake 24." I had to clarify that last part just in case he got confused. "Do you have any agents on your tail?"
"Yes."
"How many?"
"Four."
That was not good. How could we regroup if the WAOIC agents knew our location? They couldn't have any advantages.
"We need to get out of the area. Drive as far as you need to get away. We need to drop this helicopter off at the Appleton International Airport. Dari will find a midpoint where we can meet up. And for goodness sake, lose those tails!" I said.
Tires screeched in the background. Ty was not the safest driver, nor the most experienced. He needed to drive fast to escape the enemy agents, but I hoped that he wouldn't do anything stupid.
"What do you think I've been doing? Clowning around?" he said.
"I don't know, just get rid of them."
"Fine. Over and out." The radio fell silent.