Tom, Janus, and Alex stood in the corner of the room. Tom was recording Mr Flatley, attempting to do a card magic trick. That's when the screen on the camera changed to Dan and Zoe's tracker, showing that they had made it inside SNARL.
"You're coming up on the maintenance room." Janus told Dan and Zoe. The three just stood there watching the red dot on the camera. That was until Aneisha came over and closed the screen of the camera. Tom turned to Aneisha.
"'Neesh, what's gotten into you?" Tom trailed off as he saw that Olga had come over to them.
"How is the documentary coming?" Olga asked Tom.
"Really good, thanks. In fact, I think we're going to get some great stuff tonight." Tom said continuing with the lie from earlier.
"I look forward to seeing the results when you are finished. If you will excuse me." Olga smiled at all of them but looked towards Janus for a split second longer than the others. This didn't go unnoticed by Alex as she subtly looked between Olga and Janus. Something just happened but Alex didn't know what. Once Olga walked away and was out of hearing distance Aneisha started to talk.
"Was it just me, or was that weird?"
"You think she's on to us?" Tom asked.
"No way. But she's dangerous. Don't let her out of your sight." Janus said aiming the last sentence at Aneisha as she was the one in charge of distracting Olga if anything happened. Tom, Alex, and Janice went back to watching the tracker on the camera. It showed that Dan and Zoe were now inside the vent. However, Alex noticed they had stopped moving and spoke into her headpiece.
"What's the hold-up you guys?"
"We've run into a little problem." Tom changed the screen so that they could see what Dan saw as he had a camera attached to his earpiece.
"That's not little, that's a RAT." Tom said to Dan not explaining that he didn't mean the actual animal.
"Tell me something I don't know." Dan said sarcastically.
"He means a Remote Anti-Intruder Tactical device. It's like an autonomous robotic guard." Alex told them. Alex decided that she needed to have a conversation with Tom about his lack of explanation.
"Don't let it see you. That thing can chew through solid steel." Frank told the team. However, that information was a little too late as the RAT had spotted them and started to move towards the two.
"Now you tell me."
"Get out of there, now!" Frank yelled in panic.
"Zoe, you still have your stick of Cheese Rock?" Dan asked. Tom and Alex saw that Dan was aiming the cheese at the RAT. He flicked it at the RAT and by some miracle it nailed the RAT to the wall.
"What do you know? Rats don't like cheese." Dan said laughing. Tom and Janus fist bumped, and Alex just watch Tom with her eyebrows raised. Nice to see Tom making a new adult friend.
"You're nearly their guys. Make a left then you should be right on top of the Aardvark" Alex told Dan and Zoe.
"OK. I see laser beams and the floor looks pressure sensitive. The usual stuff" Dan said. The group was interrupted by Melissa, who stood on stage and started a speech. Tom then started to record, after all they needed something to give to Olga and Mr Flatly as he wanted the documentary as well.
"Welcome everyone. Tonight marks the beginning of an era of friendship between the people of Boldovia and Great Britain. We are pleased to present a celebration of the finest music and art from both our countries. And for our first act tonight, please, welcome to the stage Roly!"
Roly walks onto the stage.
"Thank you, Boldovia." he then starts to play the spoons, there is an awkward silence between the whole room as they watched him play.
"Nice and smooth, Dan." When Alex and Tom heard Franks voice, they switch the cameras view so they could see what Zoe was seeing. They've watched as she got lowered closer to the Aardvark.
"Uh-oh. The bus is on the move." Aneisha said as she spotted Olga get up from her seat.
"It's way too soon!" Tom said.
"'Neesh, we need a roadblock." Dan said seeing as they haven't actually gotten the Aardvark yet.
"I'm on it." Aneisha said, Alex and Tom watched as Aneisha got up from her seat and followed Olga. They were too far away to hear what was being said so they went back to watching Zoe's camera.
"Sorry guys, I did my best, but the bus is heading your way" they heard Aneisha's voice on the earpiece. This meant that Dan and Zoe only had so much time left. Aneisha made her way back and stood with Alex and Tom and watched the rest of the show as there was nothing much they could do now.
"The earrings are armed." Zoe said. Melissa was back on stage and was now introducing Janus.
"And now I'd like to present Boldovia's most famous folk singer, Janus!" Melissa walked off, and everyone gave Janus a round of applause. Tom went back to recording the show as it would be pretty suspicious if there wasn't a recording of a famous folk singer in their documentary.
"Thank you, Melissa. This song is dedicated to friends from overseas."
# When I look in your eyes #
"Janus is great, isn't he?" Tom said to Alex and Aneisha.
"He's alright" Aneisha said to Tom.
# I am fooled by your disguise #
"You don't like him?" Tom asked being slightly surprised.
"He seems a bit pleased with himself" Aneisha told them.
"Did you see how he looked earlier when Olga was talking to us. Yes, it may have been because she's a SNRAL agent, but even we kept a better composure than he did." Alex continued "and did you see the way Olga looked at him earlier before she walked off. It's just a bit weird that's all".
"How are the others getting on?" Aneisha said changing the subject.
"Zoe's taking ages" Tom said while looking at the tracker.
"Funny, I never hear you volunteering for the dangerous stuff" Aneisha slightly snapped at Tom, however Alex wasn't having any of it.
"We're not trained for that type of stuff."
"You know what I meant" Tom said to Aneisha and then he looked at Alex silently saying 'thank you' for sticking up for him.
"Sorry, I'll be glad when they're safe too" Aneisha said to Alex and Tom. They then went back to watching the camera.
"Now swap the fake Aardvark for the real one" Alex, Tom and Aneisha watched as Zoe switched the Aardvarks. Somehow, it slipped from her hands and started to fall towards the floor. Everyone let out a gasp as they watched it happen, but somehow Zoe managed to catch it, and everyone let out a sigh of relief.
"That girl is a freak" Aneisha then quickly added "In a good way" they watched as Janus fished up his song and everyone applauded him, they went back to watching the screen.
"Okay Dan, let's get out of here" Zoe said and Dan started to lift her up back into the vent. Tom and Alex just smiled at each other as the mission was coming to an end, but the mission was not over yet and anything could still happen.
"Let's go meet them" Aneisha said, just as they started to walk away Melissa came rushing up to them.
"Dan and Zoe are on in 10 minutes" Alex just smiled.
"We will go let them know right away" Melissa seemed happy with Alex's answer and walked away. Aneisha just looked at Alex and laughed lightly and they all make their way over to meet Dan and Zoe. As they were waiting Dans voice came through the earpiece.
"Tom. You need to reconfigure the hand scanner so it opens to my touch" Dan said urgently.
"I'll give it a shot" Tom said but Alex turned to him.
"I don't think the camera is pow-" Alex sentence was interrupted by beeping coming from the camera.
"Dan, Alex is right it's no use. The computer in the camera isn't powerful enough to access the SNARL systems".
"Keep trying!" Dan shouts not listening properly as the panic of getting caught starts to set in.
"I am but I can't help from this side. You're going to have to do it manually" Tom told Dan calmly.
"Olga is going to discover the fake aardvark soon. You need to hurry." Aneisha told Dan.
"Let me concentrate!" Dan snapped back. Not long goes by before the door opens. Their heads snapped towards the door to see who will come through it, and luckily it was Dan and Zoe.
"Thanks Tom, but next time try not to cut it so fine".
"It wasn't me you must've done it."
"Guess I'm more techie than I thought" Dan said feeling proud of himself. Tom took the 'chocolate' from his blazer pocket and gave it to Zoe as she took the Aardvark from her pocket. However, it turns out that Tom gave them the wrong chocolate bar as inside was actual chocolate. Zoe and Dan had a peace as Tom got the real computer out. Alex gave Zoe the wire and she plugged the Aardvark in. Alex, then plugged the other wire into the hand scanner.
Alex and Tom collected SNRALs data and Aneisha helped Zoe and Dan get ready for their performance. The transaction was complete in under two minutes. Alex and Tom unplugged everything and gave the chocolate back but not before Alex had a piece of the real chocolate which she reluctantly gave back to Tom who put it in his blazer, and they all walked out the room like nothing happened.
They made their way back to the stage where Melissa was waiting for Dan and Zoe to arrive. They watched the end of Mr Flatley's performance and gave him a round of applause when he successfully did his card trick.
"And for our last act this evening, Dan and Zoe are going to perform a scene from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet" Alex noticed how Melissa was hesitant to say Zoe's name. It was obvious that Melissa had a crush on Dan.
"Where is Janus? He's going to miss it" Aneisha said to Tom and Alex. He was here before they left, and they haven't been gone that long.
"See how she lays her cheek upon her hand. O, that I were a glove that I might touch that cheek" Alex just zoned out for the rest of the performance, Shakespeare was not her favourite. However, she was brought back to reality by the sound of a fire alarm. Everyone just looked around in confusion before they started to stand up.
"Alright, don't panic. Don't panic everyone just stay calm" Mr Flatley said whilst panicking. Everyone started to make their way out of the building.
"This way please, this way everybody"
"Stay calm and let me through, let me through" Mr Flatley said whilst pushing people out the way to get past.
The team were outside when Janus comes rushing over to them.
"Olga raised the alarm, she's on to us. We've got to get out of here." As soon as Janus finished his sentence the team ran down the road whilst Olga ran after them. The team ran back to where Stella and Frank had been. As soon as they burst through the door, they were met by Stella.
"The mission has been compromised this is an emergency evacuation." The team ran into a lorry and started to climb inside. This will smuggle them out of the country. Janus rushed over to Frank.
"My cover has been blown. I'll be arrested if I stay here." Frank held out his hand.
"You too then old friend"
"Hurry" Stella tells Janus hurrying him along.
"We'll smuggle you and the Aardvark back to the UK" Frank tells the team and Janus.
"It will take a few days. These will make the journey bearable" Frank then gave them each a tablet.
"What are they?" Zoe asks.
"Knockout pills" Stella answers. "You'll wake up in St Hearts safe and sound" The team just looked at Frank, all were worried about not seeing them again.
"I will be there. I promise."
"I'll hold you to that" Alex told Frank as she put the tablet into her mouth and swallows it. They went behind the boxes that were in the lorry and Frank closes the door.
There were sleeping bags and pillows on the floor for each person to lay in so that when they woke up, they won't be in pain from the hard floor.
Alex goes to lay in one of the sleeping bags which was conveniently next to Tom and began to close her eyes as the knockout pills started to take effect.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Word count: 2117
A/N:
Happy Easter to those who celebrate it