《Surfer Girl [Quirky Spy Adventure COMPLETE]》


 Chapter One

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    ¡°I don¡¯t have it! They took it! They took all of it! Leave me alone!¡±


    The fire shattered one back window and crept through the lab toward the student crouched in the opposite corner sobbing and screaming. More glass exploded, causing several objects to tumble across the metal tables and onto the floor. The agent panted, chancing to peek once more around the corner. Shots pummeled the wall across from him. He wanted to close his eyes, but it was too dangerous.


    The poor kid had no idea what to do, and the rest of the team were outside engaging the guards. Why they didn''t have better security on this place was a mystery. Surely they were aware of the importance of their inventions. He knelt, gun pointed at the floor,and took a deep breath. Four large interior windows surrounded the room, two around each door front and back. One back window was broken and if its partner went, he had seconds to escape the fire.


    Scuffling footsteps moved toward him, sliding rather than stepping to avoid crunching on glass. There was no time left for thought. He focused his entire concentration within the room, then spun around the corner and shot to the last location of the sound. The man went down.


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    "Come toward me! It''s alright! I''m going to get you out!" He pointed the gun away from the boy and beckoned to him with the other hand.


    The boy shook and put his arms over his head, still sobbing. Shock was keeping him from saving himself.


    Smoke from the fire was making it harder to see. The agent scuttled across the room, ducking to breathe fresher air near the floor. Broken glass littered the floor like opals, glowing in the light of the fire in the adjacent lab.


    The boy pushed himself backward under the lab table, then crawled quickly toward the back door of the lab, which earlier had been guarded by the man who now lay on the floor .


    "Wait! It''s too hot in there! We have to get out the other way!" The door swung closed. Just as the agent reached the table, he was thrown back, fire whooshing through the door.

 Chapter Two

    ¡°Get hit in the head with your board, poser?¡± The stringy blond wearing a red bikini two sizes too small shoved herself into the way, jutting her chin out over the top of Arena¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯re not from around here.¡± A group of girls gathered around her; most of them were likely still in high school.


    ¡°I¡¯m from LA; it¡¯s only a few hours away,¡± Arena planted her surfboard in the sand and tried to hide the fact she needed to lean on it.


    ¡°This is a small-time competition.¡± The smaller girl had a shrill voice and a bright pink board. ¡°A local circuit. We know you haven¡¯t surfed here before.¡± She inched toward Arena, but used her board as a shield. The group likely competed in the junior division, since she was at least five years older than the oldest in the group.


    ¡°I thought it would be fun. The swell here isn¡¯t bad.¡± Arena picked up her board. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve already competed. It¡¯s a bit too late now,¡± she said, and pushed past the girls, going forward instead of backward. Their standoff didn¡¯t offer any real threat, but it blackened her mood.


    After about a hundred feet, Arena slammed the board down into the sand. She peeled the wet suit to her waist, exposing her black bikini top. The early March breeze left goose bumps on her skin, and her left shoulder ached from where she slammed into the board on her practice run. Half a mind to collapse, she hiked across the beach, ready for the day to be over so she could go back and take a shower.


    She found Sophia talking to two tan boys by the snack tent, flipping her hair over one shoulder. Her roommate was all California girl, tall, blond, and blue-eyed. The taller one puffed out his chest more than the other, but his cheeks were puffed out like a squirrel. Arena wondered if he was holding his breath. The other tried to lean against the sign in front of the other and missed, stumbling backward. He caught himself, but recovered and spun around, winking and grinning at them both. Why did she always encourage complete idiots?


    ¡°Oh, Ari!¡± Sophia gushed to her, patting Arena¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you only placed third! What was that? A gift certificate?¡± Sophia batted her eyelashes to each boy in turn.


    Pushing back the urge to retaliate with a snide comment, Arena sank down into the sand, every muscle protesting the weight of her body in an upright position. ¡°Yes, a gift certificate for a surf shop,¡± she muttered. ¡°So much for a quick way to $1000,¡± she mused. The boon would offset a little of the loss of her secondary scholarship, but she couldn¡¯t force her mind to concentrate on the waves. Financial worries caused her to make several small but crucial errors. She needed money to finish out the school year, and it kept her from doing well.


    ¡°Boys? Would you mind grabbing my roommate a drink? I¡¯m sure she would really appreciate it after swallowing all that salt water.¡± Sophia turned and smiled at the men, which caused them both to collide into one another, then scramble to be the first in line.


    The clumsy one returned with a soda, and she accepted gratefully. Ice weighed down the foam cup, leaving little room for cola. She stood up, still exhausted, but determined to get out of this place and back to the motel.


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    ¡°Sophia, I¡¯m going to head back. If you want to stay, that¡¯s fine, but I just want a shower.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I¡¯ll come, too,¡± Sophia responded brightly. ¡°Somebody should be taking care of you. Are you sure you didn¡¯t hit your head on that fall?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just tired. And sandy.¡± They began walking off the beach in the direction of the motel, which was about three blocks away. Sophia had chosen it for its reputation as a party motel, but Arena was still surprised they were not staying in something fancier.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you forget something?¡± Sophia tilted her head toward the judging booth.


    ¡°They¡¯re emailing it.¡± $50 would maybe cover a couple of cans of wax, but it was better than nothing.


    Casting her head over her shoulder, Arena looked at the beach one last time. It seemed like an ordinary California beach, although it was quieter than some. A narrow strip of sand and larger swells meant that its popularity depended more on surfing than a family fun sort of location. The salt and sea air didn¡¯t seem as fresh here as in Hawaii though, and Arena felt a pang of homesickness for her island.


    They walked in silence for a block before Sophia burst out into chatter. ¡°Ari, is this what Hawaii was like all the time? All these boys on the beach? Of course, my family went to Hawaii once, but it was when I was a child. You should take me back with you!¡±


    Arena hated when Sophia called her ¡°Ari¡±, but every protest earned a perky ¡°But it¡¯s cute!¡± Her middle name was Noelani, since her dad insisted she have a traditional Hawaiian name. Schmidt was an ordinary, practical American last name.


    ¡°I kinda had bigger things on my mind than boys.¡± Sophia was a passable roommate. Arena had worse roommates in the past, though she wasn¡¯t quite sure why Sophia was living on campus in a dorm, since she probably had enough money to rent an apartment. Their dorm was one of the nicer ones on campus, and more than acceptable in Arena¡¯s mind, but seemed below Sophia¡¯s comfort zone.


    ¡°You really need to get out more! We should get dressed and go out to a bar tonight! C¡¯mon, it would be fun!¡± Sophia continued.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Sophia wouldn¡¯t stop until she agreed, and she wasn¡¯t planning to go anywhere until she had slept for a few hours. The bright pink and yellow motel threatened to make her headache worse, so she kept her head down and her eyes focused on Sophia¡¯s feet, trying to shut out her chatter.


    She succumbed to the bed shortly after her shower.

 Chapter Three

    ¡°It¡¯s a nice night. We¡¯ll walk there and take a taxi back,¡± Sophia pronounced when she finally relinquished the tiny hotel bathroom. ¡°I found a bar about five blocks away. Not much else in this town.¡±


    Every muscle ached, but Arena followed her roommate out of the motel and into the street. The air was too chilly to be muggy, a light mist sparkling under streetlights. Hawaii didn¡¯t have a lot of fog, and Arena was still fascinated by the amount of it in California.


    Sophia wore a pale green belted top over tight blue jeans and cream-colored tall heels. Arena wondered how she would make it five blocks, but she rarely saw Sophia in flats or sneakers even when she was running across campus to class.


    Arena caught a glimpse of herself next to Sophia in a window, her head barely passing her roommate¡¯s shoulder. She tugged at the white tank top under her brown leather jacket, and hoped she would at least be comfortable. Her knee-high leather boots over dark jeans meant that Sophia was less likely to comment about her attire, as Arena preferred flip-flops. The street lamps cast a weak orange glow over everything, even reducing Sophia to a dismal pallor. The blond streak in Arena¡¯s thick, shoulder-length black hair had fallen over one side of her face, shading her features. Others back home often commented she looked a bit more Japanese than Hawaiian, though she had a more golden complexion like her father. Years of surfing had failed to improve her puny, flat physique, though she did have some definition in her shoulders.


    They had gone about three blocks when the screeching of tires startled Arena. This small California town wasn¡¯t like LA, but it was still creepy in the dark. A dark van sped past them and whipped around a corner a few blocks ahead.


    A hissing sound preceded muffled bellows, and Sophia lunged for Arena¡¯s arm. A man in dark clothes shot around the corner. But this wasn¡¯t an ordinary man, and he wasn¡¯t running. He was--flying? He was about five feet above the ground on what appeared to be a large skateboard. That can¡¯t be possible, Arena thought. But she could see clear underneath him, and he crouched on the board clutching the sides, swaying wildly, barreling straight toward them.


    ¡°We have to get out of the way!¡± Arena tugged her roommate¡¯s wrist. Sophia tried to shake her off, and Arena let go, flattening herself against the lumpy brick wall. Sophia finally pulled herself to one side, and the man on the board shot past them, yelling something indecipherable.


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    Sophia was transfixed by the man on the hoverboard. Arena attempted to pull her into the alleyway, but it was like moving a ton of bricks. Several men in dark suits appeared around the corner and ran past the alley, intent on the man on the hoverboard. Arena didn¡¯t think they¡¯d been seen, but she pulled herself deeper into the alley, back into the shadows.


    Pulling her phone from her pocket, she began to dial 911. A hand snatched the phone from hers, and dashed it against the ground.


    The man was in his mid-thirties, stocky and fair, with a rough beard. A scar marked one eye so it drooped slightly. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that right now, sweet thing.¡± He revealed the gun in his hand and shoved Arena against the wall. ¡°Not if you would rather have your lives instead of just a few minor injuries. Of course, anything can change, and I am not sure we want any extra witnesses.¡± He had a slight accent that Arena could not place.


    ¡°Please, just leave us alone! We won¡¯t tell anyone, I promise!¡± Arena pleaded. Sophia looked at him wide-eyed, pressed against the wall next to her.


    ¡°That¡¯s what they all say before going to the cops.¡± The man gestured at them with the gun. ¡°Of course, somebody else found out about it anyway. You could be with them. Don¡¯t want to leave a mess.¡±


    The man¡¯s head whipped up and he touched his ear. ¡°But I got two¡­ Oh, alright. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± He dropped his hand and glared at the two girls. ¡°Guess you get lucky tonight, ladies. Maybe we will meet again.¡± The man turned and took off around the corner in the direction of the others.


    After he disappeared, Sophia crossed the alley to peek around the corner. The buzzing grew louder again. When the man on the hoverboard came from the other direction, he swung abruptly into the alley, ramming into Sophia. She slumped to the ground.


    ¡°Sophia!¡± Arena shouted, starting towards her.


    The men on foot came around the corner. They fit every stereotype of mafia thugs or secret government agents--big, buff, and wearing black suits and dark ties. One of them shoved Arena back into the wall, not so much out of his way as perhaps a warning to not get involved. They followed the man on the hoverboard down the alleyway, sprinting but still lagging behind.

 Chapter Four

    Panting and a bit dazed from being shoved against the wall, Arena knelt to examine her unconscious roommate. Her chest was rising and falling, but a little blood was dripping from her forehead where the board hit her. It didn¡¯t look to be too serious, but a lump was forming around the gash.


    Arena wrapped her arms around Sophia¡¯s waist and half-carried, half-dragged her to a small 24-hour laundromat across the street. Wondering how someone so thin could be that heavy, she got Sophia inside the laundromat and slouched on a bench at the far back. There was no one inside, but it was bright and felt a little bit safer than the street. The door had a round metal handle that required a key to be locked. A camera poked out from one corner of the ceiling, then she realized the glass was smashed.


    Blocking the door was a priority, but the laundromat had obviously been designed to prevent theft. A metal bench filled with ads seemed her best option, but it was bolted to the floor. Arena suspected it had been stolen from a bus stop. Folding chairs wouldn¡¯t be heavy enough, and the washers and dryers were immovable. There was a booth for a pay phone, but upon examination she found an empty booth with the phone missing.


    For now, the street appeared to be empty. The van was still parked close to the front of the laundromat, so Arena stayed as low as possible and took off across the street. Sophia¡¯s purse peeked around the corner, the contents strewn on the ground. Arena snatched the bag, and sorted through the lipsticks and compacts until she found the phone. She touched a few screens trying to figure out how to dial. The hissing sound and the sound of running feet grew louder, and Arena started. She grabbed Sophia¡¯s wallet and stuck it in her pocket, then stood. The hoverboard zipped past her, the man on it now hanging more off than on it, his feet flailing behind him.


    The men in dark suits followed, and before they could push her out of the way, Arena slipped around the corner. She scanned down the street in the direction the man on the hoverboard had flown, and the man in the T-shirt appeared around the corner at the end of the block. The flyer crossed the street and headed for the laundromat. Arena looked panicked toward her roommate, who was spotted by the man wearing the T-shirt. He said something into his earpiece, and another man appeared from a van near the laundromat. He ran into the laundromat and picked up Sophia, dragging her toward the entrance and the van.


    Another hissing noise grew louder behind her as Arena shouted ¡°NO!¡± at the men across the street. Another man, this time in a light-colored suit, appeared from the alley on a second hoverboard. Arena leaped sideways at the hoverboard, knocking the man off. The board dropped but didn¡¯t touch the ground while Arena managed to climb on, and instinctively her body shifted on the board, controlling it like a surfboard. She wasn¡¯t about to worry about how to stop the thing. She angled the board toward the van, but the men had beaten her to it, and took off.


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    The men in dark suits started running after her, shouting to give up the board, but she ignored them. They scrambled into a dark car and began to follow her, shouting out the windows and pointing guns toward her. A woman with black, curly hair in a waitress outfit ran in front the hoverboard. Arena shouted at her to move out of the way. The woman stood her ground, arms raised, and Arena shifted her weight heavily and flew around her, still aiming for the van.


    The van accelerated, and Arena tried to figure out how to go faster. Physical movement controlled the direction, but how to control speed was a mystery. She tried moving forward and back, and kneeling, but it didn¡¯t seem to help. She crouched, put one hand on the side of the board, and realized there were grooves on the side. The segment clicked upwards, and the hoverboard slowed quickly, nearly tossing her off. The car chasing her came close, so she pushed down on it, and the board sped up again. Then she stood and used her front foot to push down on the edge, and it went even faster. Ingenious, she thought. No wonder they all want it so bad. I wonder how it¡¯s powered.


    Gaining lost ground, Arena held on to one side in a low pose, urging the hoverboard faster. Light pressure applied with her toes kept the speed consistent, and transferring her weight slowly kept her balance stable. The traffic lights remained green in this tiny town, and the van remained on a straight path. Town changed into industrial outskirts, and the streetlights were scattered.


    The van made a sudden sharp left into a port area. Arena stood and turned after the van, but the arc was wide and she lost time. The car behind her missed the turn, and switched into reverse, slowing them considerably. A succession of turns made Arena feel dizzy, weaving through vehicles and giant metal boxes. She cast a quick look to the side at the sound of shouting, and saw a man aim a gun at her. Arena swerved, and ducked, crouching close to the board. The gun fired, and she felt nothing but her breath and pounding heart. She looked up to find the van had disappeared, and she raced forward, determined to find it again.


    After whipping around a stack of red containers, a dark car shot into her path. Men emerged from the car faster than she could blink. They waved guns toward her, and one fired into the air. Shifting sharply to the left, she lost her balance, and fell off the hoverboard. She hit the pavement hard, and the world went black.

 Chapter Five

    Gray filled her vision. She sat up abruptly, causing the flimsy metal cot to wobble. She steadied herself on the cement wall. An aluminum table sat in the middle of the room, with three chairs placed neatly around it. Next to the white door behind her was a giant mirror.


    ¡°Hello?¡± She scrubbed her head, and winced when her fingers found a tender lump.


    The door opened and a man entered, his spiky blond hair nearly brushing the door frame. He carried a file, and his jacket flared on one side. Arena¡¯s stomach clenched. He¡¯s armed? When he scrutinized her, Arena wondered if he wore jade-green contacts.


    ¡°Hello, Arena.¡± He pronounced it correctly as ¡°Ah-RAY-nah¡±, which was at least some points in his favor. ¡°Please sit down here, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Where am I? And where¡¯s my roommate? How did I get here?¡± She panicked and ran to the door, pounding on it and then the mirror. ¡°Please, I just want my roommate back!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t do anything about your roommate at this time. However, we do need to talk about you.¡± He gestured to one of the chairs by the table again, then sat down. ¡°Please?¡±


    ¡°Please just let me go home?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that. Not right now at least. Besides, I think you¡¯ll want to hear what I have to say, even though it might not seem like it right now. Oh! That¡¯s right, I brought something for you. I¡¯m sure you must be hungry.¡± He pulled a peach out of his jacket pocket and set it on the table. ¡°I promise it¡¯s fine. Was going to eat it myself, but I figured you needed it more than I do.¡±


    She sat carefully across from him, curling her fingers around the edges of the chair. He was right. She was starving. It had to be hours from when the chase happened. She decided that if he wanted to hurt her, he probably would have done it already, so she picked the peach up and bit into it.


    ¡°My name is Nate, by the way.¡± She was sure he was the type of guy who had women swooning all over him on a regular basis, but he held her hostage in this cement room¡ªwithout caffeine.


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    The file plunked onto the table. ¡°Arena Schmidt, age 21. Junior at UCLA, major in Atmospheric Sciences.¡± His mouth quirked as he studied her. ¡°A weather geek? Sounds interesting.¡± Arena shrugged and continued to eat the peach. ¡°Straight-A student. From Molokai, Hawaii. Parents run a Japanese restaurant.¡±


    Arena¡¯s chest tightened at the thought of her parents. The last bite of peach suddenly feeling sour and heavy in her mouth. She set the pit on the table.


    ¡°Did you know you are on a CIA recruit watch list?¡± Nate eyed her contemplatively.


    ¡°What?¡± The thought occurred to her that maybe it was a lie.


    ¡°Yes, you seem to have already attracted the attention of the CIA. They were planning to recruit you some time during your senior year.¡± He ran his finger down one of the pages of the file. ¡°Now it looks to be earlier than that.¡±


    ¡°Earlier? You mean, you¡­?¡± Arena sat back in her chair, staring him down.


    He took his ID from an inside pocket and dropped it on the table in front of her. It stated ¡°Nate Johnson¡± and looked just like the IDs on television. His hair was plastered to his forehead in the picture, and he looked distinctly like he was constipated.


    ¡°It rained that day. Not my best side. I wish I could explain, but there¡¯s a lot of paperwork before that happens. Always more paperwork.¡± Nate seemed to be really working the dimples at this point. He was pretty like the guys you see in fashion magazines, posing with their shirts crumpled, one hand on their abs. ¡°Once we go to that point, you really can¡¯t go back. At least, not easily. You might not have a lot of choice in the long run anyway.¡±


    ¡°I, uh¡­ I have to go to the bathroom.¡± Maybe it would give her a chance to get out of here, or at least a moment to process.


    ¡°Oh. Right.¡± He turned and gazed at the mirror. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be escorted, of course.¡±


    The door opened and a dark, curly-haired woman entered. Arena recognized her as the waitress who tried to stop the hoverboard. Up close, the woman had buck-teeth, and was dressed somewhat oddly in a purple-flowered dress, black newsboy hat, and green stockings under laced black boots. ¡°Please come with me. It won¡¯t help to try to run because everything down here is sealed and scans are required.¡± The woman led Arena down the cement hall to a small bathroom. She was right, everything looked sealed tight, and there were touch panels at every door except the bathroom.

 Chapter Six

    Trailing her fingers along the wall as they returned to the room, Arena asked the woman. ¡°What are they going to do to me here? Do I have to join?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad, I promise. Quite fun, actually. And this, it¡¯s better than regular ops. That¡¯s all I can really say.¡± The woman obviously wanted to say more, but ushered her back into the room. The blond man leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed. The file lay closed on the table.


    Arena sat down fast, causing the chair to wobble. Elbows on the table, she asked, ¡°So what do you want with me?¡±


    ¡°Well, right now, we¡¯d like to give you some tests. IQ, EKG, that sort of thing. The doctor looked you over while you were asleep, but mostly to see that you didn¡¯t have a concussion or other injuries. Before we can even talk further, we have to make sure you are fit for the job. There¡¯s nothing that I don¡¯t think you couldn¡¯t handle easily.¡±


    ¡°Do I have a choice?¡±


    ¡°You always have a choice, though none of the options might seem desirable. I think they want to see what you can do.¡± Slipping the file from the table, he tapped it on his other hand, eyes steady and manner mild. ¡°Though, the circumstances in which you were brought here do seem unusual. I don¡¯t know if that can be helped anymore. From what I¡¯ve seen of the vid, you¡¯re amazing on those hoverboards.¡±


    Arena didn¡¯t know what they were going to do to her or how long they would keep her here. There was no way she could go up against a bunch of people with guns. Not finishing school wasn¡¯t an option either.


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    Standing up, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± He stood, the door opened, and the woman waved her past.


    They led her through a series of doors, each activated by a touch screen, and ended the uninspiring tour in a doctor¡¯s office filled with various pieces of equipment. Nate gave her a funny bow and walked out of the room. A tall, dark female doctor examined her, asking questions about her daily routine. She ran on a treadmill while hooked up to various sensors, under the eye of the doctor and the buck-toothed woman. After a series of other mild physical tests, the buck-toothed woman led her to a conference room with a pile of booklets.


    ¡°These are just general intelligence and logical analysis exams. You¡¯ve probably had something similar in school already.¡± She left and closed the door. Arena noticed the camera set in one corner.


    One section was all logic problems, just like the graduate school test. Another test included a list of questions asking ethical questions on what she would do if faced with someone stealing or had to save someone from drowning in a pond marked ¡°No Trespassing¡±. Arena answered them as truthfully as she could, thinking if she failed it would be a bonus, but that it might be obvious if she failed it on purpose. She didn¡¯t think she was smart enough to interest them for long anyway.


    She put down the pencil and sat back. The door opened, and the buck-toothed woman came in. ¡°We have a room ready for you. I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s not very homey, but it should be alright to sleep for a night.¡±


    Arena followed the woman to a small cell with a cot, table, chair, sink, and a toilet that had a curtain to wrap around it. Exhausted, Arena sank on the cot and wrapped the blanket around her.

 Chapter Seven

    Nate stood at the door. ¡°Rise and shine. Time to face the paperwork.¡±


    She followed him groggily through several hallways until they entered the conference room where she had taken her tests, or at least one that looked much like it. He sat and gestured at her to follow suit. Papers were piled on the table at his elbow and he opened the file in front of him.


    ¡°Whether or not you intended to do so, you did quite well on the tests,¡± he said. Arena fought to keep her expression even. ¡°Relatively good IQ, good reflexes, strong ethical code. Plus a healthy dose of adventurousness. They already had their eye on you, though, so it wasn¡¯t much of a surprise from your file. The question now is how you want to proceed. You have two choices: you can either sign a document that you will remain silent or face charges of treason to the United States of America, or you can sign up with us and go through training to become a full agent.¡±


    Nate met her eyes, his expression grim. ¡°Before you think that might be an easy decision, if you choose to leave, you will lose your scholarships and your ability to transfer your credits to any other school will be blocked. If you choose to break the contract, you will be immediately arrested and a military trial will ensue. It¡¯s likely you would be prosecuted for stealing government technology as well as breaking your silence. You will be in prison the rest of your life, and probably in one of the worst ones. If you stay, you will finish your degree as planned, although mostly by extension, and be eligible for graduate school. And you get paid starting today.¡±


    Arena floundered as if hit by a massive wave, knocked to the bottom of the ocean and trapped underwater, unable to swim to the surface.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Nate closed the file. He pushed the pile of paper at her. ¡°When you¡¯re ready, sign the top packet if you wish to leave, and the others if you plan to stay.¡± He stood and walked out of the room.


    Growing up, Arena''s mom always insisted on perfect grades and the path to a top college. UCLA wasn''t Yale or Columbia, but it was one of the best for her chosen career. Too bad she could have just gone to Yale and become a spy. Mom would assume Arena was some fancy something or other and gotten what she wanted. Her dad never really cared; he was her biggest fan. "Go where you want, sweetheart," he used to tell her. "I''ll make sure your mother comes around."


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    If she declined, she would be left with her parents'' restaurant. They would be so disappointed in her--her mom for not having a successful career, and her dad would believe she never fulfilled her dream. She''d be stuck in Hawaii for the rest of her life. And if she did refuse, and something happened, would her family remain safe? Which was safer¡ªbeing a spy or turning the CIA down?


    And then there was Sophia. What happened to her? Was she alive? Sophia didn''t seem like she could survive against seedy motels, much less violent militants. Maybe Sophia wasn''t really a close friend, but they had been roommates for more than seven months, and Sophia did go out of her way to help Arena in her strange way.


    Training was scary, too. How would they train her? Would she have to immediately leave for wherever they trained spies? Arena knew that she was a capable enough surfer, and if they really wanted her to ride these hoverboards, she could manage, but carrying a gun and shooting at people was another matter entirely.


    Part of her admitted being a spy sounded exciting. When she planned out her life, she never imagined that was even a possibility. Sure, she had seen spy movies and TV shows, and all the running and the explosions surely were glamorized, but she was in the middle of the mission to recover the hoverboards, and it had been very dangerous. Exhilarating, yes, but deadly. She rubbed her shoulder unconsciously, remembering the man with the scar and the scent of cigarette smoke.


    Espionage did have a certain intellectual quotient. She liked meteorology because, in at least a little, you were trying to figure out the mysteries of the universe¡ªknowledge of hurricanes and tornadoes could save thousands of lives. She was sure that the CIA did similar things to protect the lives of others, just without the acknowledgment of the public. Being a spy was something like standing on the south shore fending off a hurricane with a $2 poncho and an umbrella.


    Trapped, the only way to redeem her reputation and discover what happened to Sophia was through the paperwork. She pushed the packet off the top and read the first page underneath. Slowly she worked her way through all the paperwork, and when she finished she sat back, tears streaming down her face.


    She¡¯d signed her life away.

 Chapter Eight

    The buck-toothed woman appeared in the door and motioned her out, collecting the paper as she went. She handed it to a big goon in a black suit, and directed Arena in the opposite direction. She took Arena to a room with a computer to muddle through her first batch of CIA homework. Arena was sure there was nothing really secret on the tutorials, which outlined basic protocol. Most of it was common sense.


    The woman reappeared and said ¡°By the way, I¡¯m Lorna. You can come with me now. Your paperwork all checks out. You¡¯re going to meet the rest of the gang.¡±


    They walked through more corridors and entered a hallway that suddenly looked very different from the cement bunker of the others. The rooms were infused with warmth, decorated in neutral colors and softly lighted panels. Some walls were burgundy or other deep, rich colors. The hallway opened to a common area with plush sofas and a plasma television, and Lorna led Arena around a corner into a large conference room filled with people.


    Nate leaned against one wall, grinning broadly at her. He was now wearing a dark-blue T-shirt and jeans. Most of the others were casually dressed.


    ¡°I think you will find you made the right choice,¡± Nate said. ¡°I know it¡¯s scary now, but it will get easier.¡±


    A woman with lurid red hair dressed in a shocking purple and fuchsia muumuu ran up to Arena and grabbed her by the shoulders. ¡°Oh, my dear! I¡¯m so glad you decided to join us! Aren¡¯t you just adorable! We get so few new people, and you seem to have so much potential!¡± Being shaken to death by a Hawaiian tourist look-alike was not how Arena imagined her death.


    ¡°I¡¯m Harriet! I want you to meet my husband George.¡± Harriet gestured toward an ordinary-looking man in a pink and yellow Hawaiian shirt, wearing a beige hat with a pink hatband. He nodded at her with a pained expression. Harriet continued almost immediately, ¡°We sort of lead this merry little band. We look forward to getting to know you better and seeing you all trained up! That hoverboard ride you took was simply marvelous!¡±


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    Harriet began guiding Arena around the room by the shoulder. Her grip was vice-like. ¡°You¡¯ve met Nate and Lorna, of course. I hope they weren¡¯t too terribly harsh on you. It¡¯s all supposed to be protocol, you know. The CIA likes that sort of stuff, and we have to vid and send your application process. Must be boring for some analyst to sit and watch!¡±


    Harriet let her to a slightly plump Hispanic girl. ¡°This is Anita. She works with all our computers and security stuff.¡± The girl looked as if she would bolt from the room at any second. Arena smiled at her, but the girl¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change except for a nearly imperceptible nod.


    Then Harriet led her to a huge woman with a frightening expression. The woman eyed Arena and said flatly, ¡°I¡¯m Big Bertha.¡± Arena wasn¡¯t sure if that was a joke or her real name. Her dark, dramatic eye makeup matched her cropped black hair and black clothing.


    The last person was standing behind Bertha, leaning against a door frame. Arena was short at five feet tall, but he was at least six inches shorter. His expression challenged her to say something about it. He had dark brown, curly hair and bright blue eyes which seemed to search her for any sign of a failure. Harriet suddenly spun away to talk to her husband.


    ¡°I¡¯m Arena.¡± She didn¡¯t really know what else to say.


    ¡°Yes, everyone knows who you are.¡± His voice was rich and deep, like a radio announcer on an old-time radio show. Arena opened her mouth, but he continued, ¡°I have strong reservations to your usefulness on this team, so you should not expect lenience. None of us have spare time for indulgence.¡±


    ¡°Whoever would think this would be easy?¡± she blurted, fury blended with irritation and exhaustion. ¡°Obviously, if I¡¯m here you don¡¯t think I¡¯m too stupid. It¡¯s not like you people gave me much choice in the matter!¡±


    Arena thought he would argue more, but he simply said, ¡°Indeed.¡± As he turned and walked out the door, she heard, ¡°Welcome to the Misfits.¡±

 Chapter Nine

    Arena spent the rest of the day working through computer tutorials on more specific protocols and basic history of the CIA. Lorna brought her sandwiches, apples, and bottles of water. At the end of the day, Nate came to get her. ¡°You¡¯re in luck. You get to learn combat from me. Firearms, basic martial arts, how to protect yourself--that sort of thing.¡±


    He lead her to an open room decorated like a dojo, with tatami mats and a few weapons racks. She took off her shoes automatically before stepping on the tatami. He did the same. ¡°You probably read in your tutorials about code names. Most people choose their codename, but sometimes they are assigned. Code names shouldn¡¯t have any logical identifier in them, such as based on looks. We use them on missions to talk to one another, but so it¡¯s not always clear who is talking to whom unless you are part of the group. Mine is ¡®Atticus¡¯. I am a little bit of a Roman literature buff. George decided to assign you the codename ¡®Cyclone¡¯. Bertha¡¯s is ¡®Goldilocks¡¯.¡± That was definitely contradictory. Nate went on, ¡°Unfortunately, you are going to get the short course on training, because as far as we know, you¡¯re the only person in the CIA who can ride the hoverboards without getting tossed instantly. We¡¯re going to have to grill you on how you learned to control it later.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask a few questions first?¡± Arena sunk to the floor. The whole day was starting to wear on her, too much unsorted information in too little time.


    Nate seated himself in one swift movement. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sure this is all a bit overwhelming. Sure, go ahead. I¡¯ll answer what I can.¡±


    ¡°What do you do in the group? And why do they call it ¡®The Misfits¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I was a regular field agent, and I didn¡¯t follow orders on a particular mission. This is actually my ¡®punishment¡¯.¡± Arena was puzzled. ¡°You¡¯ll find that¡¯s not really a big secret around here, nor is it a liability. They all seem to have ended up here the same way.¡± He folded his hands, leaning toward her. ¡°The Misfits is what pretty much everybody calls this unit, although the technical name is the Special Technology Advanced Tactical Unit Service, or STATUS. Mostly, we recover technology that¡¯s been stolen from the government, or in the case of the hoverboards, developed by some college students, and stolen by another agency. As you might have noticed, most of the people in the group are a bit unusual. Despite the name, they are usually pretty effective, even if most of the CIA wouldn¡¯t like to admit it. I¡¯m honestly not where sure where the Misfits name came about, whether internally or from people in the CIA. They seem pretty proud of it, though.¡±


    Nate seemed exactly the type of person the CIA would want. She wondered what he did to earn a spot in the Misfits. ¡°What is everyone else¡¯s codenames?¡±


    ¡°Lorna is Deadeye. Harriet is Lester. Who knows why she picked that? George is Silo. Anita doesn¡¯t use one, as she usually isn¡¯t in comms on missions. Mostly they call her Homebase. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard her speak on comms when she is. She mostly types stuff on our handhelds.¡± Nate shifted in his seat. ¡°And Sterling is Catalyst.¡±


    ¡°Sterling?¡± she asked.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t introduce himself? I dunno what he said to you earlier, but don¡¯t take it personally. You get used to him. He¡¯s the analyst for the group. Amazing researcher. I dunno how he finds stuff out sometimes. He doesn¡¯t normally come on missions, but he usually runs the comms.¡±


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    ¡°What about the guys in black suits? Where are they? Aren¡¯t they part of the group? They don¡¯t really look like misfits.¡± All the questions and answers made Arena even more confused.


    Nate startled her by laughing. ¡°You mean the Decoys.¡± He tried to stifle the laughter at Arena¡¯s expression. ¡°The Decoys are somewhat equivalent to our hired help, I guess. We run the operations, and they provide backup if we need it, and sometimes we use them to fool the opposition into thinking that¡¯s who they should be chasing, hence their name.¡± He chuckled and ran a hand through his spiky blond hair. ¡°Sort of like the big dumb guy in all the spy movies. They¡¯re combat trained, but not all are real good at knowing what to do next. Mostly, we make them run around like mad.¡±


    That certainly seemed what they were doing while chasing the hoverboard. Arena realized Lorna must have been running the operation, and the Decoys were doing most of the work for her.


    ¡°Sometimes we all work together, but more often one or two of us will run an op with a group of Decoys. It depends on how big the operation is and how much we think we can get away with at the time.¡±


    ¡°So you guys have all sorts of cool gadgets?¡±


    ¡°Not as many as you might think, except what Sterling or Anita design. The CIA takes the rest, and we never see them again.¡±


    Arena had a lot more questions, but her body was starting to go to sleep without her brain. Nate seemed to recognize this. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s just call it a night, tonight. I¡¯ll take you to your room and you can get some sleep. We have a few weeks of training to get through and you can ask me questions any time you want.¡±


    He led her down a narrow hall with doors on each side. ¡°Some people live here, others don¡¯t. It¡¯s up to you after you go through official training, which for you probably won¡¯t be until this summer. I live here, but I didn¡¯t have a steady place to live before I came here. Lorna lives here. I think she just likes it too much to leave. Anita doesn¡¯t, but she stays here when something is crucial. And Sterling lives here.¡±


    Suddenly Arena realized spring break would be over in a few days. ¡°What about school? I have a paper due Monday! I need to get through the year. I can¡¯t fail now!¡±


    ¡°Sterling¡¯s taken care of that. You¡¯re on a special leave to study weather patterns in the Arctic. I know, a bit trite, right? Professors seem to like trite though. You¡¯ll have a thesis due on that in June, so not all fun and games. Sterling got you out of the rest for full credit. Let¡¯s just say we have some connections at UCLA.¡± Taking her wrist, he placed her hand on the panel. A small light on it turned green, and he pushed open the door. ¡°They plan to let you finish your senior year through extension, thesis, and intensive classes. Depends on how long you stay in training. You have to have a college degree to be a full agent, but there have been rare exceptions.¡±


    He stopped at a room marked with her name and grabbed her wrist. She let him place her hand on the panel by the door. He gestured into the room, which resembled a decent hotel room, with a bed, desk, table, big-screen TV, and small bathroom in neutral colors. ¡°Good beds. Cable is limited. Lots of news. They don¡¯t want us spending too much time watching TV, I guess. Dunno why, since we can watch nearly everything else on our netbooks. You can feed the netbook screen into the tv if you want. There should be an icon on the desktop for that. I left some books for you to start reading, mostly on covert espionage. Whether you like it or not, we¡¯ve got to work fast, so you will have to do ¡®homework¡¯.¡±


    Arena nodded. She didn¡¯t really expect anything less. ¡°Thank you. I will have them read as fast as possible. Good night?¡±


    ¡°Good night. Meet in the common area at 7:30am if you want to eat. There¡¯s a little dining room off that,¡± he said, and he pulled the door shut.


    Arena took a long shower, something she had missed in the past two days, and found her own clothing in the dresser. She read half a chapter of one of the books before falling fast asleep.

 Chapter Ten

    The bright light of the dining room startled her awake. Much like any hotel breakfast area, food was stacked on counters, as well as a microwave and toaster. Lorna sat reading a book. Three more books sat on the table, along with a couple piles of papers. She reached out an arm and swept the stack to one side so Arena could sit down.


    ¡°Tough day, yesterday, eh? I wish I could say it gets better, but it will be a few months before that happens.¡± Lorna was voraciously eating an egg on top of a piece of cantaloupe, with ketchup and peanuts sprinkled over it. It was so odd Arena felt a little ill. The meal about matched her outfit, which was a black skirt over lime-green tights and a red and white striped shirt, and long dangly red and green earrings. Arena had the impression of a Christmas elf. She flashed a giant smile. ¡°Did Nate teach you anything fun?¡±


    Arena smeared cream cheese onto a sesame bagel and bit into it, trying not to look at the cantaloupe. ¡°Not really. Mostly he just answered my dumb questions. I am still trying to understand how everything works.¡± She took a sip of coffee and her eyes watered. Tar would have been a charming description.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. There will probably be a lot of physical training. He¡¯s really good at combat ops. One of the best I¡¯ve seen. Has like three black belts and stuff. Each of us has a little different specialty, you know. Though I suspect you might take more after him with the physical stuff, what with the surfing and all.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your specialty?¡± Arena already suspected the answer.


    ¡°Covert ops,¡± Lorna said. ¡°I like spying on people. Dressing up. Wearing costumes. Playing the idiot.¡± She grinned. ¡°I really like playing the idiot. Might surprise you, but Nate¡¯s actually a pretty good master of disguise, too. He¡¯s fooled more than one person he¡¯s known for years.¡±


    Sterling entered the room, gave them both a piercing look, and grabbed a banana and a cup of yogurt from the fridge. He turned and walked out without a word. Arena swallowed slowly, uncertain what to think of him. She hoped they wouldn¡¯t have to work together very much, at least in training.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Lorna comforted. ¡°It takes him a while to warm up to people. He¡¯s protective of the group, and he gets afraid that a new person is going to mess it up. Work hard, show you can be part of the team, and you¡¯ll win him over. He still hasn¡¯t accepted Nate yet, and you might beat Nate to that task.¡±


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    ¡°Because Nate was a field agent?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he told you about that, did he?¡± Lorna looked up for a moment, wobbling back and forth on her chair. ¡°Yes, but more because of the politics of the CIA than Nate himself. There¡¯s always a good chance they will cut us just because they don¡¯t like us, or send someone in to mess it up from the inside. I think Sterling is afraid they will stick us all in dark rooms sorting through files and never let us out again.¡±


    Nate came in at that moment, flashed a smile at both of them, and grabbed a banana, apple, pear, a cereal cup, and milk carton. He sat down at the table, oblivious to everything else that was on it.


    ¡°Good morning, ladies. Sleep well?¡± he asked, winking at both of them. He took a large bite of the pear. Juice ran down through the dimple in his chin. He swiped it off with the back of his hand.


    ¡°Perfectly lovely,¡± Lorna answered.


    Arena just nodded. She had slept exceptionally well, exhausted beyond her brain¡¯s capability to worry about everything that was happening. Nate was right, the beds were amazing. Must be that expensive foam. Much better than the dorm or her futon at home.


    ¡° ¡®Fraid to tell you we start off on combat after breakfast normally, and will for a few weeks.¡± Nate managed to eat all three pieces of fruit in about a minute while speaking without appearing to chew. ¡°Then you¡¯ll do computer training simulations, then you get an hour and a half for lunch, but you¡¯re expected to do some of that reading during that time. Then more combat practice. Then dinner, then you¡¯ll work with a member of the team for an hour or two on various tasks. But today, you get an early reprieve because they need you to explain how the hoverboards work. Fun with Sterling.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t scare her too much! We need her!¡± Lorna chutted and swiped at his arm. She turned to Arena. ¡°How do they work, anyway? I¡¯ve been dying to know? It¡¯s like surfing?¡±


    Arena nodded, looking at Nate in case she wasn¡¯t supposed to say anything. But he leaned forward, also anxious to learn. ¡°Yes, very much like surfing, but it seemed a lot smoother to me. You just use your body to shift the board and turn. Then there¡¯s a section on the side you push with your foot to make it go faster or slower. It¡¯s really not complicated. Maybe there¡¯s more you can do with it, but I didn¡¯t really have a chance to find out. I--I just wanted my roommate back.¡±


    ¡°Well, the complicated part comes in that most of us don¡¯t have the ability to surf like you do,¡± Nate frowned. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are people in the CIA that can surf, but not many who know about the technology already. They don¡¯t like telling any more people than they have to. Plus, you were already on the recruit list. I wish we had a board to practice with.¡±


    ¡°What about the one I was on?¡± Arena looked confused.


    Lorna answered, ¡°The CIA snatched that one away almost immediately and sent it to the labs to be taken apart to try to figure out how it works.¡± She groaned and rolled her eyes. ¡°Probably never get it back together again.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s supposed to be two more prototype boards out there,¡± said Nate. ¡°You saw one of them. We don¡¯t know where the last one is.¡±

 Chapter Eleven

    Arena froze before the door to Sterling¡¯s office, her stomach turning somersaults. Did he intimidate her that much? It¡¯s not like she really knew him.


    A window framed a high-tech office with all sorts of monitors and a wraparound desk filled with piles of paper. There were some surprising touches, photos of what must be his parents and one of the Misfits as a group. She pushed open the door. He pointed at a chair and commanded, ¡°Sit¡±, barely glancing from the screen.


    ¡°We¡¯ve watched the vids and compared it to vids of surfers. You controlled the board with a surfer¡¯s physical vocabulary. Pressure on a side segment makes it decelerate and accelerate.¡± He stated this with a matter-of-fact tone, still looking at the screen. Arena wasn¡¯t sure why they needed her if they already knew what she did with the hoverboard.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s smoother than surfing. Probably easier than staying on a board in the water,¡± she responded, trying to add something useful.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t change elevation, though. Was there a control for that?¡± He turned toward her, his hands poised over the keyboard.


    ¡°Not that I could tell, but mostly I wanted to go forward and faster.¡± She played back the flight in her mind, trying to remember any small detail. There wasn¡¯t a ridge on the other side that indicated a control like the flap of the speed control. There was a fin on the back on the top, in a dark color. The rest of the board was smooth and white. She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything else but the fin. I don¡¯t think the fin had any purpose, though, which is a bit weird.¡±


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    ¡°I looked at the vids over and over, but they are pretty grainy. I couldn¡¯t see anything else. No one but you got a close look at it.¡± Sterling scowled. ¡°Since we are not certain how the hoverboards are powered, perhaps the fin has some significance there.¡¯


    ¡°It looked like a cheap plastic fin, like on some training surfboards, except it was on the top. Fins are for stability in the water, so they¡¯d be useless on the top. Maybe it¡¯s just to hold.¡± Shrugging, she asked, ¡°What about the lab?¡±


    His scowled deepened into a mask of rage, and she sat back in her chair, gulping in air.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to wing it,¡± he said tightly. ¡°If you can think of anything else, let me know immediately. At your first opportunity, write down everything that happened with as much detail as possible. Even small things might be important.¡±


    Arena frantically replayed the chase in her mind, then nodded. He continued, ¡°Starting next week, we will have an indoor surf simulator. I want you to give Nate and Lorna lessons on it. The more people we have trained to fly that thing, even a little, the easier chance we might have of getting another one away from the opposition.¡±


    She opened her mouth, and then shut it again. It might be easier to ask Nate all her questions. He saw, and said ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­ well, I wanted¡­ who is this opposition anyway?¡±


    Arena expected for him to snap or yell, but he took a deep breath and said, ¡°We¡¯re not sure yet. Far as we can tell, they¡¯re not any group that¡¯s already on our radar. Recovering the hoverboards is our priority as far as that is the general purpose of our unit, but this new group has become more worrisome both for us and for the CIA. It may very well be an established group that just has some new players, but it appears to be someone completely new. We need to handle both problems as quickly as possible and we need to understand what they want with the hoverboards.¡± She nodded and looked at the door.


    ¡°Go.¡± he said. ¡°Let Nathaniel beat the crap out of you. I¡¯m sure it will be a blast.¡±


    He spun back to the monitors.

 Chapter Twelve

    ¡°Again,¡± Nate said. Arena swept her foot back and tried to clip his ankle as he held her shoulders, then she tried to drop straight down through his arms. They were practicing holds and how to escape them, which was tiring and sometimes confusing. He claimed that her size had advantages, and she might be able to wriggle out of holds easier than someone taller, but he was immovable.


    That morning, she ran three miles on a treadmill, then lifted weights before he taught her a few basic holds. He told her that they would have to accelerate some of her physical training, but surfing gave her a strength advantage in the upper body that many women were lacking during physical training. Hopefully, room service included a professional masseuse, but she would settle for a bath and some ibuprofen.


    He¡¯s a good teacher, though, Arena thought. Fair, straightforward, and notices when I¡¯m not getting something quite right. He¡¯d probably be good at teaching kids.


    They did the hold one more time, and afterward she collapsed to the mat in exhaustion. Nate sat on the mat, cross-legged. He hadn¡¯t even broken a sweat. She wondered what he did to stay in shape. He was ripped, though slim like martial artists in action movies.


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    ¡°What kind of martial arts is this?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Mostly Judo,¡± he said. ¡°Judo is mostly about holds and how to get out of them. Everything is close contact. Many martial arts that deal with kicking are simply not practical in most combat situations. They look cool, but are not too helpful against people with guns. Some of the moves are traditional, and some are more modern combat variations.¡±


    ¡°Guns? How does Judo protect against guns?¡± She didn¡¯t want to face any more guns.


    ¡°When your opponent has a hold on you, they are paying more attention to you than their gun. It¡¯s easier to get it away from them, or at least the gun away from you. I¡¯ll be teaching you some of that later.¡± He stood and offered her a hand. ¡°Ready for dinner? You¡¯ve got time to shower first.¡±


    She let him pull her up. ¡°You said I would usually met with someone after dinner? Who will I meet with tonight?¡±


    ¡°Tonight, Lorna is going to teach you a little about covert operations. I think it will be Anita tomorrow night.¡± They walked through the hallways toward their rooms.


    ¡°Anita?¡± Arena was puzzled. ¡°What will Anita teach me?¡±


    ¡°They need to get you tech¡¯d up. Get your stats, teach you to use the comms, things like that. Some of that you¡¯ll need for training, and also in case we have to run out fast.¡±


    Arena hoped Anita would at least talk to her, but she¡¯d worry about that tomorrow.

 Chapter Thirteen

    ¡°The Misfits makes use of the fact that people are easily blinded by their own preconceptions and misconceptions of what spies should look like and who they think is a reasonable opponent,¡± Lorna laid out a popular fashion magazine between them on the table. She leafed through a few pages, and swept her hand over a layout with a number of people posing in a park, an ad for some clothing line. ¡°Is this real? Is what we perceive as what we should buy actually true?¡±


    ¡°Ads are never real, and even article photos in magazines are often faked. But it¡¯s not like that¡¯s a surprise to most people.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve built billion-dollar industries out of telling people what they want, and millions goes into advertising every year on how to best fool them into believing it.¡± She turned a few more pages, and pointed at a model holding a makeup compact. ¡°Much of what¡¯s advertised is also to hide our own flaws and problems. So we capitalize that on the Misfits. People who are different are considered ineffective. People who can¡¯t hide their shortcomings are not considered a threat. A lot of spies rely on being unobtrusive, but we flat out flaunt the fact that we¡¯re different, and those we try to get information from put us on an even lower level than the ones they don¡¯t notice. They don¡¯t believe we¡¯re even capable of being a threat, and they misstep more than they might with someone they simply don¡¯t know.¡±


    Many tourists and non-locals in Hawaii that believed money and expensive clothes bought them the right to trash everyone else. For that matter, college students were pretty much the same way. If you didn¡¯t have the goods, then you must be subservient.


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    ¡°So, perhaps I could pretend to not speak English, or speak it very poorly?¡± asked Arena. ¡°I speak Japanese without an accent, so if someone did know Japanese, they could speak to me easily enough.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one possibility,¡± said Lorna. ¡°It will probably depend on the situation and where the mission is located. You may even be able to just play dumb college student, too. That appears to be what your roommate was doing.¡±


    Arena jumped. ¡°Sophia? What do you mean?¡±


    Lorna was smug. ¡°You didn¡¯t see it did you? Not in the least. She was rooming with you because she was assigned to recruit you to the CIA.¡±


    ¡°Nate said they were planning to recruit me next year. She would have been graduated by then.¡± Arena was even more confused.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the plan was, but she was planning to go to grad school, wasn¡¯t she? Maybe she was going to ask you to room again. I really don¡¯t know. We believe she had a handler on campus, and it¡¯s clearly in her file that you were part of her assignment there. Unfortunately, the departments don¡¯t like to talk to each other all that much, so there¡¯s not much more we can find out. Another unit is assigned to her recovery.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in real danger, isn¡¯t she?¡± Arena was trying to work through all the pieces of information, but her heavy heart was blocking the way.


    ¡°We don¡¯t really know. They might know her background, or they might not. She may just be a bargaining chip. Or maybe they want to turn her. Make her a double agent or just recruit her entirely. Getting her back has become a top priority, but it¡¯s still not as much of a priority as recovering the other two hoverboards.¡±


    Lorna closed the magazine and dug out a flash drive. She pulled out a new netbook and pushed both toward Arena. ¡°These are to help you study. I set you up an internal email address as well, and loaded the flash drive with some videos and other resources. You might want to look them over; we¡¯ll be talking about all this again.¡±

 Chapter Fourteen

    Her learning sessions on the computer and the other agents were as intense as the physical sessions with Nate. She learned how to disarm an attacker, pick a lock, and use a range of technical equipment. On top of her other physical training, she ran five miles a day and her sessions with the computer simulations became more difficult. Flipping Nate over her shoulder made her feel better about not escaping his Judo holds, even if she could only flip him because he let her. Still, she hoped she was capable of coping with dangerous situations.


    Anita proved genuine and professional in their private session. She had a soft, melodic voice, and once she started talking about tech, she not only was an expert, but passionate about it. She fitted Arena for a custom earpiece, and explained the assortment of gadgets they used on missions for listening at far distances, planting bugs, and communicating with one another. Arena tried to pay attention, but her interest kept wandering to the screens, all flashing rapidly changing information. How did Anita kept up with all of it?


    After meeting with Anita, Arena wandered into the empty dojo. She picked up a staff from the weapons rack, and began swinging it around, not sure what to do with it. Finally, she placed it back on the rack and sank down on the tatami. The person in the mirror looked alien to anyone she knew. She was sinewy, grim, and her eyes were puffy and dark.


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    The only thing Arena was really good at was riding the hoverboards. Surely that skill can¡¯t be special for very long¡ªshe was already training Nate and Lorna, and there must be other agents in the CIA who knew how to surf. Why did they want to recruit her before she interrupted the hoverboard mission? How did they find people, or were they that desperate for new agents? The job was stable and had benefits, but it certainly wasn¡¯t going to make her rich and the danger quotient was literally unfathomable.


    The fact that she kept up with the training surprised her. She ached at night and even more the next day, but not much more than surfing. However, she hadn¡¯t even gotten to paramilitary training or shooting. Jumping from a plane didn¡¯t precisely terrify her, but it wasn¡¯t something she sought out to do, either. Nobody would let her have a gun yet. What if that made a difference in a mission? Could she keep up? Could they, if they were spending all their time trying to protect her?


    The Misfits were not what she expected spies to be. How different were other units? Was the pressure worse? Would she have a choice in going to another unit or staying with the Misfits? She genuinely liked most of them, and she felt comfortable there much more than she believed she would be. She tried to stay angry about the tactics with which she was recruited, but it became a burden more strenuous than the actual training.


    Would the undertow be stronger than her will to survive?

 Chapter Fifteen

    The next week Nate led Arena to the pool where a wave simulator had been stationed in one corner. Arena had used them before, but they didn¡¯t seem as much fun as the ocean. Not only were the mechanics different, but there was something metaphysical about confronting the magnitude of the ocean.


    Lorna waited for them, wearing a purple wetsuit. A wetsuit certainly wasn¡¯t necessary for a simulator, but Lorna liked the idea of dressing up for everything. Arena had yet to see her wear the same thing twice and most outfits she wore frequently clashed.


    Nate wore army-green board shorts and looked like a model out of a magazine. His easygoing personality and sincerity belied his profession. He also didn¡¯t seem like the type to go against an order, so her curiosity about his assignment to the Misfits grew.


    ¡°We should probably have you practice on land before the simulator.¡± After showing them how to stand and how to turn, she got into the simulator and demonstrated, yelling instructions over the sound of the water.


    Nate made his first attempt and fell spectacularly, the board flying into the air and nearly knocking Arena in the head. Lorna jumped out of the way. He landed hard, water kicking up right into his face. Climbing out, he was coughing and laughing at the same time.


    ¡°You make it look so easy!¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would fall off that fast, but I was wrong.¡±


    Lorna tried next and managed to stay up a few seconds before losing her balance and jumping off into the water. She splashed water at them before retrieving the board and trying again. This time she fell immediately. Arena told her that she was too stiff the second time, anticipating the fall. Keeping her legs softer would help her to balance and control the board.


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    After a couple of hours, both could stay up for about fifteen seconds. Arena was beginning to think that maybe the simulator wasn¡¯t the most effective replacement for the hoverboards, because it required greater movement with less effort, so she brought that up. Learning would be easier with gentle waves where the rider angled a longer board toward the shore and let the wave carry the board.


    ¡°It¡¯s sort of like driving an automatic car,¡± she explained. ¡°The car has mechanics that use less effort to create the motion. You don¡¯t have to turn the wheel as hard to get a larger effect. It just needs to be smooth. A board in the water is much more challenging to move than a hoverboard. The hoverboard takes mostly gentle movements, but it¡¯s much less likely that you will be tossed if you are going straight. Sharp turns are the most difficult thing on the hoverboards.¡±


    Nate cast a glance at Lorna. ¡°We could make it a competition? Besides, wouldn¡¯t the higher level of difficulty make riding the hoverboards easier in the long run?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. There aren¡¯t any good surfing beaches around?¡± Both of them shrugged.


    ¡°It¡¯s too cold.¡± Lorna put up her fists toward Nate. ¡°I accept your challenge!¡±


    The location of the compound was still a mystery to Arena and nobody answered her questions about it. Washington DC or nearby seemed the most likely location.


    Dinner that night was some sort of chicken and vegetable dish. Once in a while Arena saw the woman in charge of the eating area, but she kept the room immaculate and well stocked. Often, the other agents who didn¡¯t live at the compound still stayed to eat and Arena got to know some of them better. Bertha turned out to be quite a softy once Arena had spent her evening with her learning about the basic organization of the CIA. She was very direct, but her appearance made her seem more intimidating than she was.

 Chapter Sixteen

    Harriet and George returned claiming they had accomplished whatever mission they had been attempting, but did not elaborate. Harriet seemed to take a liking to Arena, but Arena thought ¡®Cyclone¡¯ was a better codename for Harriet than herself. Harriet was overwhelming in every sense. Nobody could get a word in edgewise while she was around, and Arena began to understand why George was so quiet. When he did speak, he was concise and a bit sharp, probably from years of trying to talk over her.


    This night, Arena was stabbing a spear of asparagus with her fork when she sensed someone staring at her. She figured it was Sterling. He rarely approached her unless for a specific reason. Arena spent most of her time with Nate and Lorna and was beginning to grow comfortable with both of them. They both liked to joke and tease, and eating meals with them became the highlight of her day. Sterling never sat with them, though Lorna tried to invite him on occasion.


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    ¡°So I told him I was actually the daughter of the President, and the idiot actually believed me!¡± Lorna often told them stories of her training. Arena sometimes found her stories hard to believe, but seeing as Lorna seemed to be unconcerned with any standard of normality, they were probably true.


    Lorna¡¯s handheld beeped. ¡°Oh! I''m supposed to be a on a vidcall with the CIA lab in ten minutes. I¡¯d better go! By the way, Arena, you¡¯re with Sterling tonight.¡±


    Lorna hurried off, and as Arena watched her go, she glanced over at Sterling, who was still staring at her. He abruptly got up and left.

 Chapter Seventeen

    Sterling waited for her in his office. She sat without being asked, too tired to care whether he wanted her to sit there or not. He didn¡¯t flinch.


    ¡°So far, I could not get the CIA lab to tell me how the hoverboard operates. We know there was a vent, but it was not enough propulsion to hold itself up, much less a rider. So maybe a combination of things, like magnets?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re right, there wasn¡¯t much air, and more came from the top than the bottom. Seemed like it was more of a fan than a support.¡±


    ¡°A fan? You might very well be right. Computers use fans to cool their systems. Perhaps the air being released is part of the coolant system.¡±


    ¡°It did seem awfully stable,¡± she said. ¡°Smoother than a car¡ªvery few bumps. The turns were hard to navigate. It almost slipped on the turns. Like a kayak--it felt like it was going to flip over.¡±


    Sterling seemed like the best person to ask. ¡°I wondered what the hoverboards would be used for? Why does everyone want them?¡±


    ¡°There is admittedly quite a bit of competition to be the first with certain tech. The hover technology could be used not only in commercial projects, but in also for covert operations like avoiding sensitive pressure floors, laser defense systems, traversing water, and sneaking without being detected. We might not be able to do all those things with it yet, but it seems like a pretty workable model, as you found out. It did not have a lot of sound and suggested adequate speed, as you discovered. We¡¯re still not sure about the altitude.¡±


    ¡°What about the students that developed it?¡±


    He rubbed his face. ¡°Dead. One died in the extraction.¡± He swallowed. ¡°P-parts of the other were found. Their notes are gone. We are not just looking for the boards themselves, but the technical documents. We think that the students must have been near completion. Or maybe they felt they could do better with the documents and took them to their own scientists.¡±


    Arena¡¯s throat closed, and she sat white-knuckled on the chair, much like her initial meeting with Nate. She reminded herself to take deep breaths through her nose. ¡°Are these boards so valuable that people kill others to get them?¡± It seemed like a neat invention, but not a miracle.


    Sterling¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Who knows why people do the things they do just to get a little more ahead, if at all? Unfortunately, most of our job as technology recovery revolves around situations such as these. I wish we could be more proactive, but most of the time when chatter goes up, it¡¯s right before detonation.¡± He turned fully toward her. ¡°The hoverboard is a minor problem, though. The real question is who is the other group trying to acquire it? They are the priority over retrieving the hoverboards, but as we are going for the same piece of technology, it stands to reason we will meet them again through the process of finding the remaining hoverboards.¡±


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    Arena looked at her hands. This was so much more complicated than she realized.


    ¡°You are also meeting with me tonight to discuss basic analysis for our missions,¡± he said, pushing a button on the keyboard. The screens began to show a grainy video of a man meeting with another.


    His deep voice rumbled over the images on the screen. ¡°Many missions involve getting the trust of someone already involved in the group in which we are investigating. We also investigate physical information ourselves, but we find that information in many different ways.¡± Sterling brought up a picture of Facebook, and turned to her with a smirk. ¡°Recognize this? You¡¯d think people would use more secretive means, but the sheer amount of information that goes through social networking sites means that it¡¯s really hard to find who is saying what. We caught one group who liked to leave coded messages in netspeak to each other, disguised at fifteen-year-old students. Who knew a school dance could be a code for a drop point?¡± Then Sterling did something rather surprising--he grinned widely. ¡°Well, I did.¡±


    ¡°See, a lot of groups like to use things that don¡¯t hint of encryption. Put some heavy locks and curtains on something and everybody is going to know it¡¯s worth. It¡¯s a giant billboard screaming ¡®Hack Me!¡¯ Put it out in the open and people don¡¯t look at it twice.¡±


    He pulled up an image of a popular multiplayer video game. ¡°This is what we like to use. We¡¯ve got a guild and everything. You can play on the side if you like. We use the guild notice board to leave messages to one another. Works quite well, and with 200 other guilds on the server, nobody regards our small guild of middling characters. It¡¯s more fun than leaving notes in some classified listing, like the old-school spies used to do. Here¡¯s a list of the codes we use.¡± He pushed a flash drive toward her. ¡°Memorize them tonight, because there¡¯s a virus in it that will eat it up by tomorrow.¡±


    He tossed her a smartphone. ¡°The game is called ¡®Absolute Imperium¡¯. It should have an icon, and I already set up your account. You just have to sign in and create a character. I¡¯ll find you and give you an invite to our guild. Your handheld is linked to mine and to Anita¡¯s so we will know everything you do with it and where it is at all times.¡± Arena wasn¡¯t sure if that was a warning or a reassurance. Probably both.


    Arena was familiar with the game, since she had a former roommate that played it obsessively. Arena always wondered how she managed to keep her grades up while playing. The roommate had explained the game on occasion, and even made a character for Arena, but Arena preferred to study instead.


    ¡°Do you have any questions?¡± Sterling asked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it hard to play on a computer this small?¡± Arena examined the handheld.


    ¡°We¡¯ve made a few modifications on to make the controls smoother. You can just tilt it to move. And it is voice--enabled, so to leave a message or chat, just press that side button and talk. You can whisper. It¡¯s pretty sensitive. Anita and I tried to make the game as friendly to the use of the handhelds as possible.¡± He typed into his keyboard and brought up a desktop screen. A new icon popped into existence on it. ¡°Your netbook should have an icon for it now.¡±


    Before she realized it, she thanked him. Then she thought of another question, ¡°How will I know who everyone is in the game?¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling you will figure it out pretty fast,¡± he said. ¡°If you don¡¯t, well, you could always try asking them out of the game.¡± Suddenly, flickers of suspicion crossed his face. Arena was afraid that they were back to the way it had been. He waved her out without another word.

 Chapter Eighteen

    Later that night, Arena decided to get acquainted with the game. She made a ranger named Nayeli, resorting to the random name generator for something that hadn¡¯t been taken. The number of people that played this game must be staggering.


    When she finished the tutorial, an invite popped up from someone named Solitaire for a guild called Shattered Sodality. She accepted and a message flashed on the screen immediately in blue text from Jasmine, "Hi Nayeli! YAY! Welcome to the guild! Solitaire, send her some newbie gear," That had to be Lorna. "If you click on the tiny button on the bottom left with all the little people on it, you can see who''s in the guild." She did, and it showed that Solitaire was a level 80 human cleric (who she already guessed to be Sterling), Jasmine/Lorna was an 80 elf mage, and Theseus was a 42 bard that had to be Nate. One, Renata, was a level 80 necromancer, in a different color, and had a special GM text next to it. She supposed it must be Anita, but she wasn¡¯t sure. The others she couldn''t quite pick out, though they were all much lower in level. Theseus, Renata, and the others were offline. She carefully added each one as a friend.


    A message appeared in the middle of the screen that Jasmine was trying to summon her. She clicked "Accept" and the screen changed into a dark swamp. Solitaire and Jasmine were standing there. Solitaire wore a dark robe and had little bolts of lightning swirling around his head. He carried a large staff that glowed. Jasmine¡¯s light pink and red robe were shockingly bright, and she had a fire sprite floating next to her. Her shock pink hair matched her robe.


    "This area is way above your level, but we wanted to give you some gear," said Jasmine. Solitaire began to give her equipment, explaining in terse terms how it was used. They gave her a nice set of green armor and bow and explained how to summon her pets. Then they teleported her to a newbie zone and stayed with her while she did some quests. Solitaire healed her and put on what he called ''buffs'', which gave her extra armor and more damage.


    The blue text popped up again from Solitaire, which she now knew to be the guild chat channel. "This game is about territories fighting over one another, trying to capture one another''s castle. We''re in Aspherion territory and defend its castle. We can also exchange goods and kill monsters in our territory and in the neutral territories. We can kill monsters and even other players in other occupied territories. Originally, we intended to just use this to communicate, but it''s fun in the off-hours."


    Jasmine added, "And if we get a little bored and tired of hunting, we start dance parties in the market square!"


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    "Correction, *you* start dance parties in the market square," responded Solitaire.


    "Sometimes the party ends up in the hallway. Renata turns on the overhead music. Solly can get down. "


    ". . ."


    Arena was laughing out loud.


    "Stop laughing, Nayeli," wrote Solitaire. "I can hear you across the hall."


    That made her laugh even harder.


    Jasmine began a jig knee deep in swamp.


    He raised his staff, and suddenly both her and Lorna''s characters were running away in opposite directions. She didn''t know how to stop it. None of the keys seemed to work. She stopped in the middle of the swamp, facing a large purple slug. It moved to attack and was engulfed in a single giant ball of lightning.


    "Don''t mess with the cleric," he said in guild chat.


    Arena was still laughing.


    A yellow notice popped up that Theseus was online. Lorna teleported them all to their guild hall.


    ¡°Greetings, my lady Nayeli, welcome to our humble little band!¡± Theseus made a flourished bow. He wore a brightly colored cape and a jaunty blue hat with a feather. Following them around as Lorna showed her the guild hall, he serenaded them with a lute and really bad poetry in guild chat.


    "Theseus, if you use the word unicorn one more time, I''m going to guild kick you," wrote Solitaire.


    "There isn''t much else that rhymes with EULA form!" he retorted. Arena was afraid to ask what an EULA form was.


    "C''mon, let''s get Nayeli up to level 10 tonight. Then we can take her to the red rocks desert zone." Jasmine said. With Theseus¡¯ and Jasmine¡¯s help, Arena played her character to level 10. They took her to a desert region and she took a bunch of quests to kill scorpions and find things. She started to get some useful equipment and time was going fast.


    "Do you ever use voice on this?" she asked in guild chat, remembering her roommate always was on a headset chatting with her guild.


    "I talk to all of you enough," wrote Solitaire. "Besides, Theseus starts singing along with his lute and he won''t shut up. Takes the bard thing a little too seriously.¡±


    Theseus knelt in front of Solitaire. ¡°I am ever humbly at your service.¡± Lightning suddenly rained down from the sky, tumbling over Theseus. ¡°Brilliant! I always wanted special effects!¡±


    "It might be better if we stayed in text,¡± wrote Jasmine. ¡°Removes the possibility of being identified. They might find out I¡¯m a fourteen-year-old boy."


    ¡°What, and then you¡¯d get chased by all the fourteen-year-old girls?¡± Theseus threw his head back and laughed. ¡°That¡¯s my next alt!¡± Arena knew an alt was an additional character, and was probably what the rest of the characters in the guild list were. She would have to ask how they made their characters physically respond in the game.


    Arena was starting to get the hang of playing the game and she was finding that she was really enjoying herself. She suspected it wouldn¡¯t be as much fun alone, but with the constant ribbing and light sarcasm of the Misfits, it was a lot of fun. With their help, she got up to level 15 that night, though they all played later than they probably should have.

 Chapter Nineteen

    The breakfast room was deserted. Arena wondered how rice cereal managed to escape the bowl and stick to everything when she received a message on her handheld to report to Anita''s office.


    Anita said that Arena would be helping run comms for a mission that Nate would be running. Lorna and Bertha would be acting as backup with several Decoys, and Anita, Arena, and Sterling would be on comms.


    "On this mission, mostly we want you to see how things work, so your main job will be to listen and take notes. We might pull you in for a few things, to keep you involved." Arena was really starting to like Anita. Her long black hair fell over her face as she worked. Sometimes Arena had to lean closer to hear, but she was always clear with her instructions and encouraging when Arena got frustrated.


    They set her up in an empty office with a computer and some comms equipment. She ran through a couple of advanced simulations before the mission started, while the others were preparing for the mission. Suddenly they went live.


    This mission was at a museum gala function. Nate was supposed to meet up with a contact and get a microchip from her. Sterling called it a "standard op". Everyone seemed rather confident about it. She ran her hands over the keyboards, unsure if she could be of any help at all. Lorna was working as one of the caterers and Bertha as event security.


    "Atticus in position," she heard Nate''s soft voice on the comms.


    "Roger, Atticus," said Sterling. "Deadeye and Goldilocks, are you ready?"


    "Ready, Catalyst." said Lorna.


    "Roger," said Bertha.


    A video feed came up on her screen of the event. It seemed to be from a very high vantage point. The ballroom was filled with round tables decorated with expensive-looking platewear, and caterers rushed through the crowd carrying food or walked slowly with trays of appetizers and drinks. Elegant patrons clustered in small groups. She saw Nate strolling through the crowd towards the bottom left.


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    "The target is wearing a lavender strapless gown and should have a yellow flowered pin in her hair," said Sterling. Arena suspected it was for her benefit.


    "Roger," said Nate. "Making the drop."


    Nate strolled toward the woman who was carefully patting her hair. He bumped into her casually and said something, and they laughed. The dark haired man with her turned sharply toward Nate, who smiled at him and bowed politely. The man was swaying, a drink in his hand. Nate looked like he was going to pat him on the shoulder, then dropped his hand. He sauntered out of the reception room and into the lobby. The camera view changed. Bertha stood outside the ballroom wearing a security uniform.


    "Item acquired," said Nate on the comms.


    How did they exchange the chip? It seemed so quick. Nate was walking toward the back of the lobby toward the parking area.


    Suddenly, the man with the woman in lavender came out of the ballroom, and headed in Nate''s direction. He appeared to be yelling something. She saw Nate''s head whip over his shoulder, and then he slipped into the hallway. Bertha appeared in the doorway. The man darted and slipped out another door.


    "We have some interference," said Nate.


    Bertha came on the comms, "I''m on him."


    The vid switched through some other channels, so they must have been trying to find one that showed the area behind the doors. Nothing seemed to be quite right.


    Suddenly, a video feed popped on the screen. It showed Nate looking either way in a hallway, then going in one direction. The drunk man appeared and yelled something. Nate kept walking away. Bertha appeared, and the man turned and pulled at a gun at her. He was yelling something, which was hard to understand through Bertha''s earpiece.


    Lorna appeared with a tray of food. Then man turned toward her, and Arena could see him say "Back up¡±. She stumbled, tossing the tray toward him, food flying. He backed up, surprised, and Bertha yanked the gun out of his hand, and then knocked him out with the other hand in a single punch.


    Arena saw Lorna get up. Both her and Bertha ran after Nate.


    "We''ve taken care of him, Catalyst," said Bertha. "On the way to the rendezvous point."


    There was a pause as they ran for the vans. Arena tried some of the commands for switching the vids on her screen, which worked apart from anyone else''s screens. She never did find one for the parking deck.


    "Pickup complete. We''re on our way back," said Nate.

 Chapter Twenty

    Nate summoned Arena to the dojo after breakfast, announcing they would discuss the mission before her workout.


    As far as Arena could tell, Nate never used his office. A pencil sat on his desk that had not moved since Arena arrived at the compound, and the rest of his office was empty except a few books. Lorna had decorated his nameplate with sparkly pink bow stickers, but Arena was sure Nate left those up on purpose. Lorna claimed that she put them on Sterling and Anita¡¯s nameplates, too, but they had quickly disappeared.


    "What we did was pretty standard. Either our target has intel, or we do, and we exchange it.¡± Nate tossed her a medicine ball, then motioned for her to toss it back. ¡°Sometimes you acknowledge the person, sometimes you don''t. It depends on the situation and how you can get away with it. And sometimes it depends on the agent. I personally like to acknowledge my contacts, as I did last night. In that sort of situation, walking into somebody probably happens often, because there were so many people in the room. I like situations like that, and I tend to set up meets in that way. Some agents prefer meeting in secret, though. Some like switching it up."


    "What about Lorna?" asked Arena.


    Nate chuckled. "Well, looking at the record of the feed, I saw Lorna pull one of her favorite tricks. She likes to completely throw people off balance. They notice her, which goes against most training, but think she''s either a klutz or an idiot. I''ve only worked with the Misfits for about six months, but I''ve seen Lorna trip people, write notes on waitress tabs, and stick her foot in a bucket. I heard that one time she put a pie in someone''s face." His brow wrinkled, but his mouth turned up on one side. "I''m not sure if that''s true or a rumor. But, she does have a certain style that I''m not sure would be considered traditional. It usually works quite well for her, though."


    "Do most places you go have video feeds like that?" Arena asked.


    "No, unfortunately not. Hotels and busy public places are pretty good about that, but it''s not always feasible or possible to pull a video feed. Sometimes in those places, you can set them up ahead of time, but not always. Audio feeds are usually workable, but in crowded places like that they often have too much background noise."


    "That man following you looked drunk, but he had a gun?" Arena didn''t know quite how to ask what she was wondering.


    "Ah yes, well the contact is undercover pretending to be his girlfriend." The medicine ball slammed into her stomach, and she tried not to gasp. "You see, we think he is an information broker, and some of the information he trades in reveals intel about our agents and movements. She is trying to find out if that is true. But in this instance, I think he thought I was hitting on her. I''m not sure he really thought I was a threat otherwise."


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    "Did what she gave you help?" asked Arena, after shoving the ball as hard as she could at his chest.


    "Yes, I believe it did, but Anita was still decrypting it the last time I talked to her." He caught it easily.


    Arena decided to switch to a new topic, one she had been wondering about for some time.


    "So, do all of you play that game a lot?"


    He laughed and rested the ball on his knees. "Sterling, Lorna, and Anita seem to. I often read in the evenings or when I''m not on duty. But sometimes I get on and play with them a bit. I mostly enjoy bothering a certain guild leader, though. Did you have fun playing last night?"


    "Yeah, I did," she said. "I didn''t think I would. I had a roommate that used to play all the time and wanted me to play with her, but I never did. I always thought I needed to study. But it was kinda fun."


    "Good," he said, smiling. "It is fun. But only when everyone is online."


    "Renata--is that Anita? What is a GM?"


    "Oh, yes, Anita is Renata, and a GM stands for game master. She is actually a tech on the game, and invented some of their proprietary technologies. I don''t think they have any idea she''s a federal agent. I''m not even sure they believe she''s really female."


    Arena puzzled over that comment. The game was fun, and she really enjoyed playing. She hoped they could play a lot more as time went on. Hopefully she wouldn''t be away from the Misfits too long for training, but she didn''t really know much about training at this point, or when it was even going to happen.


    "How long does formal training last for a full agent?" asked Arena.


    "Around six months, but it can vary. People like Anita and Sterling didn''t have to go through field agent training, though Sterling does some field work only when he needs to put into place something he or Anita built. They had analyst stuff--hacking, codebreaking, emergency simulations, that sort of thing.¡± Nate tossed the medicine ball over his head like a basketball. ¡°For field agents, you do a few months of paramilitary training, which is sort of like going to boot camp, then you do a few months of covert operations training. They may exempt you from some of that since that''s what we''re training you here, but you may still have to go through the paramilitary training. Get to learn how to drive and jump out of planes. I thought it was fun, anyway. You have to pass the army fitness test before you can do that, but I plan to make sure you''ll be ready for that before you go."


    Arena felt intimidated. She knew it would be hard, but she never really envisioned herself in a military situation. She felt a little better that she had Nate to help prepare her for that training, though. No wonder he has such high standards.


    ¡°Heads up!¡± She looked up just in time to catch the ball.

 Chapter Twenty-One

    The next morning she awoke a little late. She grabbed a bagel from the breakfast room and stuffed it unceremoniously into her mouth, earning an eyebrow raise from Nate.


    "Mmimph mmlate" she said through the bagel.


    Nate started laughing. She rolled her eyes at him, grabbed a Coke out of the fridge, and headed toward Sterling''s office. Fortunately, she was only a few minutes late, and managed to swallow the rest of the bagel before she walked into his office.


    "Come over here." He stood and picked a box off the table. She walked around his desk. "Hold out your wrist," he said.


    ¡°My wrist? Does it matter which one?"


    He examined her hands for a second, then said, "Left."


    It was an odd request, but she held out her left hand. He opened the box, revealing a pretty bracelet watch. "This has a tracking device in it, as well as a communications link. In case you lose your handheld or get it taken. It''s still pretty obvious, but they''ve come in handy before." He put the bracelet on her left wrist, gently and very carefully. He suddenly looked up her and retreated as soon as it was clasped. "Ah. If you push the watch face over, you can press the communications link button, and it will go to Anita. We made sure it was extra durable to withstand your training and the hoverboards. Titanium."


    The watch had a thick chain bracelet and silver scrolls around the face. She pushed the face, and with a slight click, it swung out, revolving from a screw on the top. A plain silver knob sat to one side, with holes that she assumed were for a speaker or microphone. She pushed the face back into place with another click.


    "It''s really pretty," she said, then walked back around his desk, running her fingers over the chain. She hoped she couldn¡¯t activate it by fidgeting.


    "Yes, well Anita picked it out and set it up." He paused. "You should go do your workout with Nate. He is expecting you."


    "Right." she said. "Thanks."


    Later that evening, she logged on the game. The guild list showed Sterling and Anita online. She typed hello on the guild chat channel.


    "Hello Nayeli" wrote Renata. "How are you enjoying the game?"


    "It''s fun, but I''m still learning how to do everything."


    "Let me know if you need any help, OK?" wrote Renata. Suddenly, a hundred gold tinkled into her account.


    "I will. And¡­ thanks?"


    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure.¡±


    Arena ran around hacking at various creatures for about an hour, running quests and bringing back trinkets for more experience points. Then she spent twenty minutes shopping in the auction house with her newfound riches. A random glance at the clock told her it was past ten. No wonder people got addicted to these games.


    She was about to turn in a quest where she found a lost child and brought her back to her mother when Solitaire appeared in front of her. He offered her some new equipment and buffed her, without saying much. She thanked him, but said she wanted to study before bed.


    He vanished in a puff of smoke, most likely teleporting back to a location more his level. She played for a few minutes, then her message icon lit up. She wandered back to town and checked her message, which was sent from someone named Aeriela.


    The message was cryptic: ¡°I am looking forward to meeting the new little prot¨¦g¨¦. Hope they are training you outside of this silly game.¡±


    Startled, she forwarded it to Anita. She wrote back, ¡°You didn¡¯t meet anyone with the same name?¡± Arena responded that she did not. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll check it out. Probably just a troll or spammer.¡±


    She logged off and opened one of the espionage books Nate had given her on developing contacts and assets. She had to look up half the words in her dictionary.


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    Hungry, she wandered out into the hallway and down to the common area. The light was on in the dining room, and she found Sterling in there, making a sandwich from the fridge. He looked up at her.


    "Guess it''s that time of night," he said. "You want a turkey sandwich?"


    "Sure," she said. "That actually sounds pretty good right now."


    He brought two plates with a sandwich on each and a package of Oreos tucked under his arm. Arena tried not to scarf it down in a few seconds. She shivered, wishing she had put on a sweater.


    "Are you cold?" Sterling asked.


    "A little," she said. "It''s not a big deal, though."


    He put his sandwich down and stood. Walking over to a panel on the wall, he pushed it a few times. Immediately, the room grew warmer.


    "Wow, that was fast," she exclaimed. "What else does that panel do?"


    "I can log in to the compound''s mainframe and control just about anything from the panels in each room," he said, returning to the table and picking up his sandwich. "Not just temperature, but security, alarms, communications, and so forth."


    "Was this place already like this, or was it built for the Misfits?" asked Arena.


    "A little of both, actually," he said. "It was used as a Secret Service installation in case of emergency, but they sort of abandoned it for something a little fancier. We acquired it and did some renovations, including the security and control system. Much of the control system is Anita''s design. She still likes to tinker with it and add new features."


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that message earlier,¡± he said. ¡°Anita and I will check it out, but it¡¯s probably nothing.¡± He resumed his sandwich.


    Arena nodded and sampled the Oreos, trying to nibble slowly to not look like a hog but wanting to scarf them down. The food had caused her to completely forget about it. Since she started here, she thought she lost some weight despite Nate''s intense weight training sessions. She had always had trouble gaining weight despite the amount she ate. Since her parents ran a restaurant, there were always leftovers. She could probably eat all day if she had time to do so. Luckily, meals were always good.


    "How many people work down here, altogether?" she asked, really curious.


    "There are nine on the team, including you, and four support staff. Alice is the mechanic and night security guard, but you don''t often see her since she works nights. Sharon makes the food and takes care of the kitchen, and also manages housekeeping. Kinah is a housekeeper, and Greg is our top-level security head over the Decoys."


    "How do they get a job like this?"


    "Alice, Kinah, and Greg are CIA support staff. They''ve been through basic training, and they all act as extra security here. Kinah works part-time, but makes a full salary. Sharon is retired from the CIA and actually volunteered for this. Unfortunately, retirement pay isn''t what it used to be. But I think she likes to cook a lot more than she ever liked being a field agent." He chuckled. "I told her she should open a bed and breakfast, but she said she''d be too worried they were hacking her files at night."


    Arena decided she would get to know the support staff, especially Sharon. Sharon certainly was a marvelous cook. They finished eating in silence, but not before Arena ate five more cookies.


    "Sterling, what made you decide to work for the CIA," she asked.


    He sighed. "I was actually recruited, so my situation was somewhat similar to yours, I suppose. They didn''t exactly give me much of a choice, except well, I kinda drew their attention, and that''s my fault. When I was in college, I was attempting to get a little more information about past nuclear programs in the United States of America than perhaps was--legal."


    Arena looked at him, shocked. He broke the law just for random research?


    He saw her expression and began laughing. "I was cocky in college. I thought I was too good to get caught. Plus, I was extremely naive. I quickly found out I was wrong. I may be good, very good, but there are people much better at security systems. Anita, for one. She could have caught me in a heartbeat. I was given a choice to be recruited to the CIA, or face never graduating, which probably sounds familiar to you."


    She didn¡¯t really wanting to be reminded.


    "Sorry," he said, and he looked sincere. "It''s one of their favorite tactics for creative miscreants, and since they tend to recruit highly-driven people, it tends to be effective."


    Arena nodded rather reluctantly. "So, what did they originally recruit you to do?"


    "They placed me as an analyst pretty much right away. Some of the tests we gave you show what people are best at and where the best placement for them would be. I took similar tests, though they would already be considered outdated. Anita''s strength may be computer and security systems, but I can run rings around her in ferreting out information and determining whether it is useful."


    "So what did my tests say? Do you know?"


    The corners of his mouth twitched slightly. "Yes, well, you''re pretty well-rounded, which pretty much screams ''field agent''. Good student, decent IQ, able to analyze information quickly, and a fair physical ability. Nothing that would probably surprise you terribly. Most of those tests are common sense. They tell the CIA what you yourself could probably tell them. They just don''t know you and need the tests to find out what most of your friends could have told them."


    That did make sense, to an extent. She wasn''t sure she knew what her IQ was, but she decided not to press it.


    "Well, I should probably take a shower and go to bed. Starting to stiffen up a bit."


    He nodded at her. "I should go to bed, too. Always something new to do. See you in the morning?"


    She nodded. "Good night," she said to Sterling as she left.


    "Good night."

 Chapter Twenty-Two

    Lorna pounced on Arena when she entered the dining area, bubbling over with excitement. Arena¡¯s first live test would happen that morning. She would be allowed to leave the compound, closely supervised, and would have to complete a mock mission. Lorna would not tell her anything else, except to put on normal clothes and be in the common area in an hour.


    Not sure what to expect from her ¡®mission¡¯, Arena dressed like a regular college student in black jeans, running shoes, and a pithy T-shirt, but packed a backpack with tech gear, a dark sweatshirt, and dressy clothing, including shoes and jewelry.


    Lorna, wearing a bright-orange sweater with purple tights decorated with red party hats, waited for Arena in the common area. Lorna glanced at Arena¡¯s backpack, and cracked a slight smile, but said nothing about it.


    ¡°Ready to go?¡± she asked.


    Arena nodded, though she didn¡¯t feel ready. There was no point in delaying, though. Might as well get it over with before her worries paralyzed her, though part of Arena wanted to go for a run on the treadmill.


    For the first time since her arrival at the compound, Arena entered an elevator taking her to the rest of the world. Lorna led Arena to a parking garage, where there was a delivery van waiting. Arena could see out the front if she strained, but the two large men sitting in the front made visibility difficult. The area didn¡¯t look at all like California, and Arena wondered where she was.


    Arena could see tall buildings and patches of snow, which in late March probably meant they were in a northern state, and Arena guessed either New York or Chicago.


    Lorna turned to her and said, ¡°Your mission is to find a man with a yellow handkerchief in his pocket, sitting near a fountain in the park. He will have information for you. You will take that information to the point listed on your handheld, via taxi or other means. You may find a few obstacles on the way. Improvisation is key. This is just a practice mission, but the CIA will be watching through various means. Please put in your earpiece.¡±


    Arena pulled her earpiece from the case in her backpack. A deep, rumbling voice filled her head. ¡°Hello, Cyclone. In ten minutes you will reach the drop point. You are to progress to the center of the park.¡± Sterling¡¯s voice sounded professional, but there was a touch of something else she couldn¡¯t identify. ¡°I will be on comms with you the whole time, but too much talking to yourself will be obvious. This mission is timed, so do the best you can as fast as you can. Stand by.¡±


    Lorna smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m not coming with you. I have somewhere else to be. Good luck!¡±


    The van stopped. One of the men came around to open the door. They were tucked in an alley. Arena hopped out with her backpack and walked to the street. She was definitely in New York City. At the corner, she could see down the street at trees beyond. Central Park. She walked briskly toward the park. Nobody but street vendors gave her a second glance.


    ¡°Good, Cyclone. You are headed in the right direction,¡± Sterling commented. ¡°Your contact is an older man wearing a gray suit with a yellow handkerchief in his front pocket. You are to use the code word ¡®extraordinary¡¯.¡°


    Arena walked into the park, and followed the pathways toward the center. She had been to New York once before, when she was a child. She vaguely remembered visiting Central Park, but it did not seem familiar now.


    She came to the fountain in the center of the park, and spied a man in a pale gray suit sitting on a park bench, off to one side. He was bent over slightly, leaning on a cane, but she could see a lemon-yellow pocket hankie. His wrinkled face bore a very sour expression. She sat down next to him and casually nodded at him politely.


    ¡°Snow this late is rather extraordinary, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said, her stomach churning.


    The man next to her snorted and said in a gravelly voice, ¡°Some years it is and some it is not. That is just the way of the world. But you are not even wearing a jacket.¡±


    Something in his voice was oddly familiar, and she turned and looked squarely at him. He mirrored her, one tufty white eyebrow raised. Under the brows, green eyes challenged. Nate. He smirked.


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    Her eyes widened and she suppressed the urge to laugh. At least, she kept under control until Sterling said in her ear, ¡°If you manage to kick his butt now for the information, I¡¯ll give you bonus points.¡± She covered her laugh with a cough.


    ¡°I believe you¡¯ll find what you need in your pack,¡± Nate said and added in his normal voice, ¡°I don¡¯t think violence will be necessary--or effective.¡±


    Arena looked down at her pack. She hadn¡¯t even seen him move his arm. She¡¯d have to practice that later. Opening her backpack, she made a show of rummaging through it. The small manila envelope was on top. She pulled out her sweatshirt, pushing the envelope to the bottom of the sack.


    Putting on her sweatshirt as she stood, she rubbed her arms for emphasis, wishing she had some crumbs to give the few gathering pigeons. She took out her phone and glanced at the GPS. It showed a location three blocks to the west of the park. She took off in that direction, leaving Nate sitting on the bench. Suspicion of being followed flooded her senses. She stopped to get a coffee at a stand, trying to remember the simulations she did on spotting tails.


    As she walked away with her coffee, she said, ¡°I¡¯m being followed, Catalyst.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sterling replied. ¡°Your tail is from the larger organization. They are watching you.¡±


    Arena frowned. ¡°Both of them? Are they listening, too?¡±


    She heard an intake of breath. ¡°You have more than one?¡±


    ¡° I¡¯m pretty sure,¡± she responded.


    The long pause made Arena nervous. She strode out of the park and across the street. Then Sterling said, ¡°Comms are secure as far as I know, Cyclone. Proceed to the next drop point. Deadeye is on the way.¡±


    A soft female voice interrupted, ¡°Comms are not secure. Proceed with caution.¡±


    Trying not to panic at Anita¡¯s voice, Arena wanted to turn and run back to where Nate was. She hoped he was following her and that thought gave her some comfort. She swallowed and crossed the street, glancing in a shop window at the woman in a pink jogging suit close behind her. The other tail was a man in a business suit carrying a laptop case, but he was much farther behind. Arena guessed the man to be the CIA operative, and the woman to be something else entirely. She had a dark ball cap pulled down low over her face.


    ¡°You¡¯re almost there,¡± Sterling sounded very worried. ¡°I¡¯m watching you. Just keep going.¡±


    Rough hands grabbed her and dragged her into an alley. Arena struck with her elbow, her body responded to the training Nate had given her. She hit the person holding her, and dropped to the ground, rolling, trying to kick at his feet. She scraped her leg across broken glass, but did not make contact. He grabbed her feet and yanked her up, thrusting her against the wall by the neck.


    ¡°We meet again, little one. Isn¡¯t that funny?¡± Arena faced the man with the scar from the night of the competition. She tried to kick him, but his hold got tighter and the edges of Arena¡¯s vision began to turn white. ¡°So you are working for someone, are you? I thought we had a nice little chat about that last time--¡±


    Something slammed him from the side and he let go. Arena dropped to her knees, clutching her throat and gasping for air. She heard a female voice bellow, ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    She regained a little sense and found the woman in the pink jogging suit straddling him, a gun aimed at his head.


    Footsteps sounded. Lorna came around the corner, also aiming a gun at the man. The man carrying the laptop case also appeared with a gun, with Nate close behind him, missing most of his disguise.


    The woman in pink moved so Lorna could handcuff the man, but she still held the gun to his head. Once he was handcuffed, the man with the case said, ¡°Thank you, Agent Kershaw. I think we have it from here.¡±


    Agent Kershaw? Arena spun to the woman in pink. Sophia faced her with a faded black eye, but alive. She smiled thinly at Arena, who very nearly hugged her, but was pulled away and examined closely by Nate.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He touched her neck, which ached, and she suspected it would be bruised for a few days.


    ¡°Cyclone? Atticus? Report!¡± said Sterling into her ear. ¡°I can¡¯t see what happened.¡±


    ¡°Suspect apprehended and in custody, Catalyst. All accounted for,¡± responded Nate.


    Arena slumped against the wall, too overwhelmed to speak. What happened to Sophia? She wondered. How did she end up here? Was it a trick? Tears tickled her eyelashes, and she swiped her arm over her face.


    The man with the case said, ¡°We¡¯ll take him. Agent, why don¡¯t you go with them. We¡¯ll pick you up later,¡± he said to Sophia. He turned to Nate. ¡°Get her brief while she¡¯s there.¡±


    Nate nodded at the man, ¡°Yes, sir. I will send it over as soon as we finish with the vid.¡±


    The man turned to Arena, ¡°Good work, there. Sorry about the interference. It was not planned and will be taken into account.¡±


    The man with the scar leered at Arena as he was put into a car. Nate guided Arena by the shoulders to the delivery van. He had to push her inside.


    Sophia followed and sat down next to Arena. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. For everything.¡± Tears streamed down her face. ¡°I wasn¡¯t supposed to be involved, I promise.¡±


    The van door shut, and the inside went dark. She felt Nate¡¯s hand on her shoulder. Sophia grasped her arm, and fell asleep on her other shoulder for the ride back to the compound.

 Chapter Twenty-Three

    The staff doctor examined both Arena and Sophia, pronouncing them satisfactory. Lorna led them to the conference room. Trays of food covered the table. Sophia launched herself at it.


    Sterling came in with a netbook. Once everyone finished eating, he switched on the vid monitor. Nate and Lorna both sat to one side, out of the view of the camera. Arena sat next to Sophia across from Sterling.


    ¡°Agent Kershaw, please recount the events that brought you here, from the time that you last saw Agent Schmidt.¡± Sterling looked up at them expectantly.


    Sophia cleared her throat, ¡°I was assigned to recruit Arena Schmidt to the CIA. I was actually working on a postgraduate project, hopefully to earn a little rank incentive. I became a full agent last year after attending training. The plan was to ask her to move into a house for the next year and recruit her at that time. I convinced Arena to let me go with her to the surfing competition, thinking that it would help me build a relationship with her. I was planning to bring up the idea of rooming the next year.¡±


    She shifted in her chair, wincing, but continued, ¡°When I saw the man on the hoverboard, I couldn¡¯t believe that sort of technology existed, nor did I know there was already a team onsite. I thought maybe I could find out more about it, but I was careless and was knocked unconscious by the man on the board.¡±


    ¡°When I came to, I was in a warehouse, in an office chair, tied to a metal shelf. I could overheard some of the conversation outside. They realized that they had competition for the technology and were going to track this team. They said they had a contact in the CIA and would find out more. They said the Asian girl who captured the second hoverboard and chased them was an agent trained to ride it and they wanted to claim her as an asset, but the CIA interfered. They thought that I was not involved and worthless.¡± Sophia stopped, eyes darting to the side. ¡°I was shocked Arena chased after me.¡±


    ¡°Four men, including the one with the scar. He didn¡¯t stay there. They gave me a little food and water and said they weren¡¯t sure what to do with me, so they waited until they talked to their contact. It was days. Sometimes they kept me in a supply closet, but mostly they kept me in the chair. They drugged me fairly often, not sure with what. Mentioned ransoming me, but their contact insisted I might be useful. It was a point of contention between several of the men. They did try to question me about Arena, so I told them she was my roommate and we were out for a night of partying. I followed my training and they didn¡¯t seem suspicious of it, though they couldn¡¯t figure why their contact was interested in me.¡± She paused and took a sip of water. ¡°This morning, I overheard the man with the scar say they got intel of a STATUS team mission near Central Park and would be attempting to capture the agent who could use the hoverboards. I don¡¯t know how they knew Arena was with STATUS, but I assumed they found out from their contact.


    ¡°They left. I pulled over the shelf and managed to break it, which is how I got a black eye. The bonds were not very well tied, so I think they didn¡¯t expect me to escape. Or maybe they figured it didn¡¯t matter too much if I did. I stole a cashbox from the warehouse, broke into it, and used the cash to get downtown.¡± She looked down and then shrugged. ¡°And grab some new clothes--you can buy anything from a New York street vendor. I didn¡¯t have time to find a phone, and I wanted to get to Arena before they did.¡±


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    ¡°The warehouse is here in New York, and I can show you where it is on the map. But with the man with the scar in custody, they might have already moved locations anyway.¡±


    Sterling spun the netbook toward Sophia, showing a map of New York, and Sophia pointed to the location. ¡°Decoys are on the way under Bertha.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I saw Arena crossing the street toward the park, and followed her to her contact. When she walked away, I shadowed her from there. I really had no idea it was just a training exercise. I knew she had spotted me when she stopped for coffee. I didn¡¯t see the man with the scar or any of his men, so I followed as closely and as obviously as possible, hoping she would either recognize me or at least think I wasn¡¯t a threat.¡±


    Arena nodded at this point. Sophia stopped to let her speak. ¡°I did see her, but I wasn¡¯t sure who she was. Sterling said someone from the CIA was watching the exercise, and I didn¡¯t know if it was her or the man with the laptop case.¡±


    Sophia¡¯s expression was slack. ¡°When Arena passed an alley, I saw a man grab her and pull her into the alley. I ran to the alley, saw he had Arena by the throat, and tackled him, pulling his own gun on him. That¡¯s when everyone else caught up.¡±


    The briefing continued for an hour, concentrated on identifying each of the other men with the man with the scar. Nate escorted Sophia to a room to sleep. Arena wished she could have had a chance to talk to her alone, but perhaps she would have a chance the next day before Sophia went back to Virginia.


    Late that night, Arena was sitting alone in the eating area, staring at the peanut butter sandwich in front of her. She heard a soft scrape behind her, and turned to find Sterling, looking worried and very tired. He ran a hand through his hair and pulled out the chair beside her.


    ¡°Tough day, huh?¡± Sterling leaned back in the chair, tipping his head back until there was a loud pop. He flinched and rubbed his shoulder. ¡°Unfortunately, tomorrow may not be much better. You are going with Sophia to Langley. They want to talk to you about what happened, and about your future with the CIA. They are considering sending you to training immediately.¡±


    ¡°But, I don¡¯t want to go from here yet,¡± she said, realizing for the first time that it was true. ¡°Will they let me come back?¡±


    He met her eyes. ¡°I really don¡¯t know. Most people don¡¯t ask to join us. They sort of end up here.¡±


    ¡°Did you ¡®end up here¡¯?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said firmly. ¡°I chose, and still choose, to be here. I don¡¯t want to be at Langley or anywhere else. This is my home--both the compound and the people.¡± His eyes were bright. ¡°And that includes you, too.¡±


    Sterling stared at the sandwich as she had, as if it were the only real thing in the world. Then he said softly, ¡°I requested that you at least stay to help us finish recovering the hoverboards, but it may be taken out of our hands entirely. However, I also requested that I accompany you and Agent Kershaw to Langley. I have some business there anyway.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I don¡¯t think I could have done it otherwise.¡± Arena delicately pulled crumbs from her crust. ¡°I knew you couldn¡¯t say much once Anita said the comms were not secure. What happened anyway?¡±


    ¡°Anita traced the signal to the man with the scar. His handheld was capturing the signal. How he found the frequency out is a mystery, though. From what Agent Kershaw said, it seems we have a leak. I can¡¯t see that it would be anyone here, but it may be someone at Langley who has adequate access. We¡¯re not really a top secret unit.¡±


    They sat glumly, staring at the sandwich on the table for a few minutes, before Sterling stood and said, ¡°You should get some sleep. Tomorrow will not be easy.¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Four

    The next morning they left for Virginia at six in the morning. They took a commercial flight, coach class. Sophia put in headphones and closed her eyes, pillow under her neck. Sterling was buried in a huge pile of papers along with his netbook. He barely glanced up for most of the flight.


    Arena had brought her netbook, but ended up sitting and listening to the music on the complimentary headphones. She had no idea what would happen at Langley, or if she could convince them to let her stay with the Misfits, if at least until they recovered the hoverboards. She knew that eventually she would have to go to formal training, but she was hoping that wouldn¡¯t be until the late summer or fall.


    She attempted to look as professional as possible in a dark-blue pantsuit and a gray blouse. She felt extremely nervous, though, and hoped it didn¡¯t wrinkle too much during the flight.


    They arrived at Dulles airport. Arena had never been to Washington DC, and she was hoping maybe she¡¯d get a chance to see the Smithsonian but figured it was doubtful.


    Once at Langley Air Force Base, they were scanned and required to produce credentials. Arena didn¡¯t even know she had credentials until Sterling handed her a packet in the car. She attached the CIA badge to her jacket, and rifled through the rest of the papers, which were a written version of the briefing with Sophia, plus photos, a flash drive, and other documents.


    She felt a hand on her wrist when the MP stopped the car before a door. Sterling squeezed it gently, and said, ¡°Just tell the truth, and remember as much as you can. I will take care of the rest.¡± Warmth from his thumb surged into the blood vessels. She noticed he didn¡¯t say ¡®try¡¯ or ¡®if I am able¡¯ but ¡®will¡¯, and she hoped that was true. He nodded at her and let go, then turned in the opposite direction.


    The MP informed her to wait outside the room while Sophia was interviewed, which took a long time. Arena sat on a hard chair, and read all the information Sterling had given her, detailed and clearly photographed. Occasionally she heard murmurs of sound, but nothing she could clearly identify.


    Sophia finally emerged, looking worn, then said, ¡°Your turn.¡±


    The room gave the impression of a courtroom. Three people sat behind a curved table. One motioned for Arena to sit across from them. The man in the center was tall with very dark hair and a beard, but he was athletic and had very pale eyes, maybe gray. The woman on the left, dark-skinned with a perfectly coiffed chin-length bob, regarded Arena coolly. The man on the right had fair skin, white hair, and dark eyes, and looked like a military general, with a lined face and a very stern demeanor.


    ¡°I am Marilyn Gregor,¡± the woman said, ¡°This is Justin Yates,¡± she indicated the man with the beard, ¡°and this is Gerald Fieldhaven. Please recount the events of your work with STATUS, from the moment you encountered the hoverboard until today, with emphasis on the first encounter and the recent training mission,¡± The woman spoke in a clipped Northern accent. Arena noted that the woman left out their titles or positions, and she felt guilty she could not recall the tutorials on the organization of the CIA.


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    Arena began to speak, and she tried to explain as plainly as possible. The man with the beard glared intensely and pursed his lips at some points, and often took notes. He asked the most pointed questions. The woman wrote a lot, but didn¡¯t often look up. The other man was stoic and stared openly at her for most of the time. He never picked up the pencil in front of him.


    When Arena had finished, they began to ask her questions, asking her to retell a point or to remember a specific detail such as eye color or make of shoe. Arena was sure she was failing whatever test they were giving her, since she didn¡¯t remember many of the things they asked.


    ¡°Now Miss Schmidt, you have accepted assignment with the CIA, and have signed off on it,¡± said Agent Yates. ¡°You realize that it would be very difficult for us to release you from that commitment. Perhaps you should move to a unit that is more hospitable to your unique skills and talents, once you¡¯ve completed agent training and your degree, of course. In fact, I¡¯m sure we could accelerate some of your schooling as well as your training, since you seem to be so promising. Not many agents respond half as well with as little as training as you had during your recent unexpected mission.¡±


    ¡°No, sir,¡± she responded. ¡°I would like to stay with STATUS, if that is acceptable. I feel like I have much to offer them, and they have a great deal to teach me.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow at her, as did the woman. The other man cocked his head and narrowed his eyes slightly, and Arena swore she could see a faint smile.


    ¡°You do understand,¡± said the woman, ¡°that STATUS does not have much room for advancement. It would be much harder to transfer to a more demanding position than if you were, say, here at Langley.¡±


    ¡°We saw indications that you might be able to achieve much as a CIA agent. Perhaps we were mistaken?¡± said Mr. Yates. ¡°We do look for potential agents who have some amount of ambition.¡±


    The other man coughed. Loudly. He dropped a hand on the table with a thump and turned toward the other two. ¡°I don¡¯t see any reason why this has to be decided at this time. Miss Schmidt has been with STATUS for a month, and her training seems to be exceptional. STATUS has done a lot of work in attempting to recover the hoverboards, and I believe they need Miss Schmidt to finish the recovery. This particular mission is unusual and it might take unusual methods. No one else can fly the boards as well as her, and she doesn¡¯t need to go to formal training immediately, seeing as she has another year to finish school. I think she should hold provisional status until we¡¯ve seen a reasonable amount of time for them to accomplish the mission.¡±


    The other two shifted uncomfortably. Yates nodded after a moment, but he did not look happy about it.


    ¡°Yes, well, perhaps it can wait for a little while longer,¡± said the woman. ¡°All right, Miss Schmidt, you are dismissed.¡±


    Mr. Fieldhaven caught her arm down the hall and offered a gentle smile. ¡°You did a good job. Keep doing what you are doing.¡± He tilted his head back toward the room. ¡°They want to make everything much too difficult.¡±


    She smiled back at him. She couldn¡¯t express how much she appreciated his support, so she just said a quiet thank you.


    He began to walk away, then gestured at the sergeant supposed to escort her. ¡°Take her to R&D. I believe they have something she needs.¡± He turned back at her and said, ¡°I went out of my way to make sure you had it. I hope it helps.¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Five

    The sergeant led her through a checkpoint. They went to a large research office, and he shoved a paper at a man sitting behind the center desk. The man nodded and disappeared, returning with a long square box. He held out a hand scanner to her, and she pressed her palm to it curiously. It blinked green and he handed her the box.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t want to put this on a commercial flight, so Assistant Director Fieldhaven requisitioned a military flight back to New York for you and Unit Director Flynn.¡± The man behind the desk took out a clipboard and wrote something on it. ¡°You¡¯re all set. The rest of the paperwork was done ahead of time.¡±


    Arena hoped the box was what she thought. She had to balance it on her head to keep from dragging it on the ground. The sergeant led her back to a covered parking deck. Sterling waited, loaded down with two briefcases and his netbook case.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you¡­ They actually gave it to¡­¡± He lapsed into stunned silence as they were ushered into a van. He was quiet on the ride, which was quite short, mostly staring at the box. She tried not to stare at the automatic rifle of the Marine sitting across from them. They got out on a tarmac and boarded a plane. The Marine followed them with dutiful precision. She expected a military sort of plane, but found a small private jet.


    When their escort wandered out of earshot, Sterling leaned over to her. ¡°Did it go alright? What happened?¡±


    She recounted the interview, and carefully quoted everything the three had said at the end. He frowned at that part, his eyes flashing. Unconsciously, she ran her hands over the soft leather of her seat.


    ¡°Yates has been trying to close us down since the beginning,¡± Sterling growled. ¡°He just doesn¡¯t like me, since I beat the crap out of him in all the training simulators. Hear I still have some of the high scores.¡±


    Something had been playing in her mind, and glancing at the sergeant who sat in the jumpseat in the back of the plane, she decided to ask him. ¡°Why did they call you Unit Director? I thought George was Director of the Misfits.¡±


    She heard his sharp intake of breath. ¡°I suppose that was something else Yates dropped?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± she said. ¡°It was the guy in research.¡±


    He deflated. ¡°George is¡­ Well, really, he¡¯s a Decoy. Dr. Carlos was correct. I am the real director of the Misfits. But most of the unit doesn¡¯t even know that.¡±


    Arena gaped at him. ¡°But why do you need a decoy? Surely we don¡¯t need to pretend within the group?¡±


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    ¡°It wasn¡¯t to hide it from you all. It was to protect the Misfits from people like Yates, except that his advancement meant he had to be brought in. George is more like their ideal of a unit director, and so he runs interference with the CIA. He has a lot of connections there, more than you might think.¡±


    He looked at her plaintively. ¡°I¡¯m not a good leader. I¡¯m just the smart aleck who thought of the unit. Everywhere I worked, people treated me like I didn¡¯t have a clue what I was doing. I was assigned to a unit where had Yates was unit director, and he made it his mission to make my life as miserable as possible. I ended up working with Lorna on a mission, and I saw what she could do, and how her unit director didn¡¯t utilize or even listen to her. She tried to warn him in several cases, and he deliberately ignored her. Then he tried to pin the failed results on her. So I suggested the idea of the Misfits to ADD Fieldhaven, and he let me create it. It works out for him since we¡¯ve been rather effective, and I take the people that others complain about. But when Yates found out that I was going to transfer, he threatened to get me fired by any means possible. He¡¯s also after Fieldhaven¡¯s position, so Garry doesn¡¯t like him much either.¡±


    ¡°George wanted to retire and spend more time with his family, but got his pension cut severely. I offered him a position acting as director of the Misfits in exchange for a lot of time away. When they go away most of the time, they aren¡¯t on missions. They¡¯re just at home with the grandkids. Sometimes they do a little reconnaissance or dig out information from the archives. Harriet was actually an analyst, you know? A really good one, too, at one time. But technology outpaced her and her skills became obsolete. I watch for people that have amazing talent that is underestimated. I think they often have more to offer, and are easier to work with than those with reams of ambition and not enough room to wield it. Many of the CIA brass doesn¡¯t often give up anyone they think might be able to manipulate and use for their own advantage, but when they do have them, their talent just gets wasted.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°Except for me. I think I¡¯m just an accident,¡± she said, then added, ¡°And Nate.¡±


    Arena expected Sterling to frown, but he just shook his head. ¡°No, not ¡®except¡¯. You and Nate are irreplaceable. Just like Lorna, Bertha, George, Harriet, and even the Decoys.¡±


    ¡°What did Nate do to get in trouble?¡± she asked, dying to ask somebody.


    Sterling met her eyes. ¡°I think that¡¯s something he should tell you himself. But I will say that he did what he thought was right, and it made his superior look bad, and he got blackballed for it. I know it might seem that I don¡¯t like Nate very much, but I believe he¡¯s a valuable addition to the Misfits, and we¡¯ve been much better with him than we were before. I understand why he did what he did, and why he got in trouble for it. His former director is a nasty piece of work.¡± Then he regarded her sternly. ¡°But he isn¡¯t all he appears to be either.¡±


    She chewed her lip. ¡°No, but neither are you.¡±


    A grin bloomed on his face. ¡°No, that¡¯s certainly true. I need to work on that, don¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Does Lorna know? That you are director of the Misfits?¡± Arena remembered Lorna¡¯s first comment about Sterling, how protective he was of the unit.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told her, and I don¡¯t think anyone else has either, but Lorna figures out things, and I¡¯ve suspected she¡¯s known for a while.¡± He looked resigned. ¡°Perhaps I need to have that conversation with everyone. Maybe it¡¯s about time.¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Six

    They returned to the Misfits compound in the middle of the night. Arena crashed into bed exhausted. She wandered into the dining room at seven the next morning. Nate, Lorna, and Sterling greeted her.


    ¡°Arena!¡± Lorna jumped up and threw her arms around her. ¡°How did it go! What happened! Sterling won¡¯t tell us anything!¡± Arena endured the enthusiastic hug, feeling as though she was returning home after a long year at school.


    ¡°Heya, short stuff. Glad to see they didn¡¯t put you in a cell and throw away the key. ¡± Nate stood up and ruffled her hair, even though her face was smooshed against Lorna¡¯s shoulder.


    Lorna finally let her go. Arena sank into a chair, embarrassed she didn¡¯t change out of her teal tank top and black pajama bottoms.


    Sterling cleared his throat, ¡°After breakfast, I want everyone to meet me in the conference room.¡± He eyed Arena. ¡°You may go change if you need to do so. But I have something important that I need to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°You all didn¡¯t take over the CIA, did you?¡± Nate joked. ¡° ¡®Cause there¡¯s a few people that I hope you didn¡¯t miss.¡±


    Lorna feigned shock. ¡°Nate! That¡¯s not realistic. He¡¯d need our help to do that.¡±


    All three of them seemed different, now that she knew more about why they were there. Not only did the compound feel like home, but they were becoming her family as well. She didn¡¯t have as sordid of a past with the CIA as the others, but she certainly wasn¡¯t very impressed with the meeting she had with Yates. He was a shark in bloody waters.


    ¡°Arena and I will fill in the details about what happened at Langley after breakfast, so Lorna stop poking me in the ribs until then, will you?¡± Sterling swatted her hand away.


    Arena stuffed some toast in her mouth, and went to change. She met the others in the conference room. Sterling winked at her, and Nate saw it, and sort of looked suspicious.


    ¡°Our trip to Langley was both productive and revealing. For the time being, Arena retains provisional status to remain with us until we recover the hoverboards, as you might have guessed by her return. A friend who is quite high up also returned the first hoverboard to us, so we can practice with it. Anita began testing it last night, and it seems to be fully functional.¡±


    Lorna clapped her hands.


    ¡°However, it was made quite clear to Arena that they wish to transfer her as soon as possible, and could accelerate her training to do so. She has requested to remain permanently here.¡± He smiled genuinely at her. ¡°I will do everything possible to make that happen, but you know how the CIA can be.¡±


    Nate was frowning at her, something she rarely saw him do.


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    Sterling had Arena explain in detail about the meeting and the recovery of the hoverboard. Nate and Lorna, but most often Lorna, interjected questions and comments. Sterling just sat, gazing at her with a smile and saying nothing.


    Once she was finished, Sterling added, ¡°Now that we have a hoverboard, we¡¯re going to put it through its paces. R&D gave us copious notes from their tests, and I¡¯d like to have Arena test some of their theories.¡±


    ¡°Next week we will be running a full-team simulation. Anita will cause some trouble, with Nate and Lorna¡¯s help. Arena will plan the recovery mission.¡± Arena looked startled. ¡°She will be assisted by myself, Bertha, and the Decoys. Each team will have at least two field agents and an analyst. To make things fair, Anita will receive instructions for the simulation from Langley on the nature of the mission, and Arena will receive basic intel that will launch the mission.¡±


    Nate and Lorna were grinning.


    Arena¡¯s stomach dropped through the floor.


    ¡°The mission is especially designed to test the limits of the hoverboard, so Langley is very interested in the outcome.¡±


    Sterling then brought up his dilemma, his expression growing serious. ¡°I apologize for the surprise. It is classified above your level, but since I was the one who classified it, I have the right to tell you. I want you to know that I did this for you more than myself, and I hope you understand that.¡± He explained how the Misfits started, and how he had set up George as the decoy leader.


    Lorna did not seem surprised at all, but Nate was glowering by the end of it.


    ¡°I will be the first to admit that I don¡¯t like the way CIA runs things, and decisions are often based more on personal gain than the best way to do something, but it seems like this wasn¡¯t very necessary. And why are you telling us now? What happened at Langley to cause that to happen?¡± Arena had never seen Nate angry before, and it changed him.


    Sterling did not seem bothered by Nate¡¯s anger, and in fact, seemed to expect it. ¡°Arena found out, and then made me realize that keeping the secret from you all was going too far. You are my family. I¡¯ve worked really hard to keep it that way, and I was afraid that our little safety net would be broken. I am a little concerned that it seems wider knowledge in Langley than I was aware. Being in New York isolates us from HQ in many ways, but we represent something to them that bothers them at the core--that perhaps they aren¡¯t as good at their jobs as they think they are. Our greatest strength on the field is their biggest fear.¡±


    Nate swallowed and a muscle in his jaw twitched. She could tell he wanted to punch something.


    ¡°Nate,¡± Sterling said quietly. ¡°You are part of us, too, and you know I would never ask you to do anything that you felt was really wrong. I try to let you all follow your instincts, and it¡¯s worked out well for us. Better than maybe other units of our level. I don¡¯t want to be in charge-- I just want us to be together. George helps us do that.¡±


    Nate¡¯s face was stoic. ¡°Is there anything else we need to know? Otherwise, I¡¯d like to get something done.¡±


    ¡°No, go ahead.¡± Sterling crossed his arms, ¡°We can talk more about it later, if you want.¡±


    Nate stood abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor, and left. Both Lorna and Arena jumped up, trying to decide if they should follow.


    ¡°Let him go. He¡¯s just going to blow off steam. It was a surprise to him,¡± Sterling said.


    Lorna looked at him, obviously upset as well. ¡°I did know. But I wished you would have told me all along.¡±


    Sterling nodded, ¡°I understand and I accept that. Maybe I should have.¡± He waved them out, ¡°Might as well go back to the regular schedule.¡±


    Arena had no idea what to do or say, so she followed Lorna out the door. Lorna walked off quickly, leaving Arena behind. Instead of the gym, where she figured Nate escaped, she went back to her room and began to work on some of the simulations on her netbook.

 Chapter Twenty-Seven

    A few hours later, Arena wandered into the gym. Nate sat against the wall, arms on his knees. His hair was wet and stuck up at odd angles, and his cheeks were red.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine.¡± he said with finality. ¡°I just don¡¯t like secrets. Or surprises.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I understand, though that must be hard with this kind of job.¡± She walked over and plopped down on the floor next to him. Taking a breath, she asked, ¡°What happened that got you assigned here?¡±


    He finally cracked a smile. ¡°I had wondered when you were going to ask me that.¡± He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, making it stand up even more. ¡°I was on a mission to protect an asset who was giving us information on a biological weapons program in a particular country. He was a good asset. Risked a lot to give us the information we needed. I worked with him for over two years and developed a pretty solid friendship with him. However, somebody high up decided he was a liability, and my unit director¡­¡± He stopped and took a deep breath, ¡°..assigned me to do a hit.¡±


    Nate titled his head back against the wall and exhaled. ¡°I almost did it, but at the last minute, I couldn¡¯t and refused. It is rumored there are separate agents for that¡ªblack ops assassins. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s true. But I couldn¡¯t see any reason why he should be hit, especially since I was his main contact, and I suspect there was something political behind it. The unit director was angry I backed out, and told me nobody else was right for the job, and then tried to get me canned. Among other things. And whoever was behind it, who I am guessing called in the hit, made it happen. I almost thought I was going to prison for treason, and they were threatening to take me to trial, but I don¡¯t think they wanted the truth to come out, so they reassigned me here, thinking I would hate it.¡± He smiled grimly. ¡°It¡¯s the best thing that ever happened to me. I would really rather they didn¡¯t find that out, though.¡±


    He gripped her shoulder. ¡°Arena, the CIA isn¡¯t all fun and excitement. And sometimes it¡¯s more dangerous inside the CIA than opposing them. I thought that I wanted to be some bigshot, and that I had to jump through all the hoops to be that. I tried to be their perfect super agent, but I was turning into a monster. Promise me you won¡¯t let them change you into their kind of monster. They can see you have potential, just as we do, and they will try to make you into something as far from who you are as possible. I was so young when they recruited me that I didn¡¯t really know any different.¡±


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    Arena refused to believe it. ¡°But you aren¡¯t a monster? You stopped.¡±


    Nate shook his head. ¡°I did a lot of other things to climb the ladder that I shouldn¡¯t have. Kissed up to a lot of awful people; and hurt a lot of others who didn¡¯t deserve it. I wasn¡¯t a nice person, or an honest one. That¡¯s how many people in the CIA operate. When you lie for a living it¡¯s easier to keep the lie going the rest of the time. The Misfits have shown me I could be something different, and still be good at my job. I don¡¯t totally agree that Sterling did the right thing by hiding his position, but I understand why he did it. Covert intel on top of shady politics is landmine after landmine. And perhaps in some ways he has even more reason to do so. Our intel could help them get ahead. We come across some pretty cool stuff.¡± His face fell. ¡°We see some pretty nasty stuff, too, though.¡±


    When she just looked at him, he went on. ¡°I tried to save those college kids, you know, who made the hoverboards, and I couldn¡¯t. One was already dead when I got there, and the other--I watched him die and I couldn¡¯t do anything about it.¡±


    His face heated up again. ¡°I¡¯m just tired of the lies, and the politics, and I thought the Misfits were above that. I¡¯d get out of the CIA completely, but I¡¯m afraid that someone will decide I¡¯m a liability, too. But part of me just wants to lead a normal life, with a house and a dog in the suburbs.¡±


    ¡°Would you be happy with that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know. Never had a chance to find out.¡± Slowly, he examined Arena. ¡°I¡¯m really not sure now.¡± He turned away and didn¡¯t explain further.


    Flustered, she jumped up and starting running on the treadmill. He raised his eyebrows at her, but didn¡¯t say anything else. She tried to smile at him on the treadmill, and he just nodded and motioned to keep going. Then he left.


    When Arena finished, she hungry, so she made her way to the dining room. Lorna was buried in a book as usual. Arena dug through the fridge and came out with leftover apple pie. Pie seemed exactly what was needed today. Sharon had to be psychic with her food predictions. Arena dropped into a chair by Lorna and dug into the pie.


    ¡°Did you talk to Nate?¡± Lorna asked. ¡°Is he alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think so,¡± Arena said between bites. ¡°I think he needed to process it a bit.¡±


    Lorna nodded, but still looked troubled.


    ¡°Are you okay, too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I do have a question,¡± Lorna said. ¡°How did you find out?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. One of the people there called him ¡®Unit Director¡¯, and so I asked him.¡± Arena responded. ¡°I think it was an accident. Maybe.¡±


    Lorna looked slightly happier. ¡°Okay. I thought maybe something else had happened.¡± Arena didn¡¯t know what she meant.


    Arena finished her pie. ¡°Maybe we should all go do something fun tonight? You know, go out and leave work here for a while? It¡¯s been a really stressful week.¡±


    A grin lit Lorna¡¯s face. ¡°I think you are on to something! That would be fun!¡±

 Chapter Twenty-Eight

    Since Arena had provisional agent status, she was free to leave the compound as long as she signed out and was wearing her comm watch. And since Lorna had talked Nate and Sterling to go with them, it became a little party. Sterling dressed as he always did, in a dress shirt and dark pants. Nate wore a T-shirt from some obscure band, dark-rimmed glasses, and torn jeans. He could pass for a model for a music magazine. Lorna resembled something akin to a sparkly, lime-green fairy. Arena just wore a dark-green long tee with jeans and boots. There was something about boots that made her feel taller.


    They hadn¡¯t decided what they wanted to do, so they wandered down near Times Square. Sunset was fading over the city, and they strolled up one side of the road and came to a roadblock. Lots of people stood around watching. They pushed in to see what was going on, afraid that something bad was happening.


    It turned out there was a movie being filmed. A spy movie.


    ¡°That¡¯s TOTALLY wrong!¡± Nate pointed at a fight scene between the main character and a stunt man. ¡°All you¡¯d have to do is sweep him. What does he think he is, a flamingo? You know how many stupid movie fights are all done on one foot?¡± He started grumbling under his breath when he realized several people near them were overhearing.


    ¡°I guess they don¡¯t have a kung fu master to supervise their action scenes,¡± Sterling said dryly.


    ¡°Well, I mean, it¡¯s common sense, right?¡± Nate still looked indignant. He swung back to the scene. ¡°Dude, just HIT him!¡±


    Arena didn¡¯t notice the errors. Perhaps she should listen to him more during their practice sessions.


    ¡°Ohhhhh! That vendor has baklava! And tacos!¡± Lorna rushed off. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back!¡±


    Sterling watched the action intently. ¡°Why is the girl with the case just standing there while the guys fight? She could run away or something. Always protect the intel.¡±


    The people around them were whispering and moving away slowly, making a ring of space around them.


    ¡°Eh, guys? Perhaps we could discuss their moviemaking techniques elsewhere?¡± Arena attempted to pull Nate and Sterling away from the roadblock, where they were rooted like trees. Why was she the one with sense all of a sudden. They must not get out much. ¡°Or quieter?¡±


    She finally managed to pull them away and shrugged at the nearest group. ¡°Theater geeks.¡± They laughed. Nate grinned his approval.


    Lorna came back with a pile of food, which appeared to be sampled from every continent. ¡°We should all go do karaoke! That would be fun! There¡¯s a Japanese-style hostess karaoke bar near here.¡±


    Arena was mortified. ¡°A hostess bar?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re nice! I¡¯ve been there!¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Lorna had already taken off down the street, so they had to follow her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with a hostess bar?¡± asked Sterling.


    Arena still looked horrified. ¡°They¡¯re for¡­ lonely men!¡± She had to search for a mild term. ¡°And they¡¯re expensive!¡±


    Nate was grinning madly. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to make sure they¡¯re not lonely anymore. And money¡¯s not a problem. I¡¯ll cover it.¡±


    ¡°All of it?¡± Arena asked. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said Nate. ¡°It will be fun. I¡¯ve been to hostess bars in Tokyo. Nice places!¡±


    Arena rolled her eyes and got dragged along with them to the bar. There were a number of hostess bars in Hawaii, though mostly on the bigger islands, and Arena had never understood the fascination with them.


    The place was very modern. If the hostess was surprised to see them as a group, she didn¡¯t show it, and led them to a private room. Nate ordered drinks for all of them. Arena just drank tea.


    The hostess had smoothly accented English. She asked Arena if she was Japanese, and Arena responded in Japanese that she was half-Japanese and half-Hawaiian. The hostess proceeded to gush on how beautiful Hawaii is and how she wanted to take a trip there. Arena smiled, still feeling distinctly uncomfortable with the whole situation. Nate whispered to her and gave her what must have been a very large tip, because her face brightened and she left the room.


    ¡°I said we just wanted some time together, and to check on us every hour,¡± Nate poked Arena. ¡°Happy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure why a regular karaoke bar wouldn¡¯t have been acceptable, but yes, I suppose it will do.¡± Arena still frowned.


    Unsurprisingly, Lorna got a hold of the microphone first. Sterling looked over the box that ran the karaoke equipment, and proceeded to hack into their system using his handheld. Lorna picked The Spice Girls, and began belting out ¡°Wannabe¡± very loudly, and very off-key. Sterling started messing with both the pitch and the speed, daring her to keep up. Then he started changing the movies playing on the background screens to weird internet videos, like kittens chasing dogs. Nate was reclining on the sofa, arms behind his head, looking like he was going to fall asleep.


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    When Lorna finished, she shoved the mic at Arena. ¡°Oh, I think I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon Arena! It¡¯s fun!¡± Lorna pushed the microphone into her nose.


    Nate sat up and took the mic. ¡°I¡¯ll go next. I don¡¯t mind singing.¡±


    Bon Jovi started blaring. ¡°I couldn¡¯t take any more Spice Girls,¡± said Sterling.


    Nate grinned and began to sing. He was a talented singer, and played air guitar between verses. It would have been more impressive if unicorns and rainbows hadn¡¯t been decorating the screens behind him, and Sterling wasn¡¯t cackling manically. Lorna began dancing around in her green fairy outfit, and she matched the video on the screens more than Nate did.


    Arena found herself smiling. The tension eased between all of them.


    Sterling sang next. He had a beautiful voice, but it was very low like his speaking voice, and it didn¡¯t really match the Paul Simon song he was singing. He played falling stars in the background, and threw in an applause track at the end, bowing copiously. Lorna tried to hack the videos with her handheld, but it didn¡¯t work. He just smirked at her between verses.


    Eventually, Arena consented to sing. She was probably an average singer. She could hold pitch for the most part, but she didn¡¯t really have much of a voice. The song would have drowned her out if Sterling hadn¡¯t turned it down. They all applauded when she finished and she felt a little silly.


    Sterling commented that the hostess was on the way, and stopped messing with the system as she refreshed their drinks. Nate took the mic again and started flirting with the hostess, winking and smiling. Then he started serenading her, going down on one knee and taking her hand. She was giggling by the time she left the room again.


    ¡°So Johnson, where¡¯d you learn to sing like that?¡± Sterling taunted.


    ¡°I have some musical background,¡± Nate responded mysteriously.


    ¡°Like what? Kazoo?¡± Video of a kazoo concert filled the screen. Arena didn¡¯t even know there was such a thing.


    ¡°Actually, my mom wanted me to be a concert pianist. Took lessons from age four through high school,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not too bad, either.¡± He closed his eyes, moving his head in an exaggerated concert pianist imitation, fingers moving across an imaginary keyboard. Then he laughed. ¡°But I got recruited when I went to college at seventeen, and my mother¡¯s dreams were shattered. She still holds a grudge about it. Reminds me every Christmas that I could have been playing at Carnegie Hall. I still took lessons in college, through the music department, and ended up with a minor in music.¡±


    ¡°Where did you go to college?¡± asked Arena, realizing she didn¡¯t know that much about the past of any of the Misfits. They probably knew a lot more about her than she knew about anyone else.


    ¡°Georgetown,¡± he said. ¡°International business. It was ¡®encouraged¡¯ as a major. Double minor in music and French.¡±


    Sterling nodded. ¡°A lot of the early recruits go there. Near enough to Langley to make training easier. And the CIA has a lot of alumni.¡±


    Nate turned to Sterling, ¡°What about you, Sterling? I¡¯ve never heard where you went to school or how you ended up in the CIA.¡±


    ¡°MIT. Nuclear Science. I graduated from high school at fifteen. I was recruited in my senior year of college, when I was nineteen.¡± Nobody looked surprised. ¡°However, it seems I almost wasn¡¯t recruited because I didn¡¯t fit the ¡®image¡¯ of the CIA.¡±


    Despite the frowns of Arena and Nate, Lorna announced that she went to Yale, and dual-majored in Russian and Chinese, and that she applied to the CIA. Everyone looked at Arena.


    ¡°You all already know about me!¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s been a big secret.¡±


    ¡°So tell us something else,¡± said Lorna. ¡°Something we don¡¯t know about you.¡±


    Arena racked her brain for something interesting. ¡°Well, one time I tried extreme ironing. You take video of yourself ironing while rock climbing or something dangerous and submit it to a website.¡±


    They all burst out laughing. ¡°Extreme ironing? Is that a real sport?¡± Sterling typed on his handheld. The screens lit up with a video of Arena on the edge of volcanic lava, wearing a flowered sarong and lei while busy ironing. Arena blushed, but the others were cheering and laughing. The Arena on the video smiled and waved at the camera. Nate was laughing so hard he started coughing.


    ¡°Is that even on?¡± asked Lorna.


    ¡°No,¡± she said, ¡°I was just pretending to iron, and most people do. That¡¯s Kilauea. I¡¯m actually on a boat. It looks worse than it actually is. The tour operator was so amused by us that he found a good spot to film.¡±


    ¡°We are so going to do that sometime!¡± Lorna exclaimed.


    Sterling snorted. ¡°Speak for yourself. I¡¯d rather stay in my nice warm office, thank you. I can just monitor you.¡± Lorna rolled her eyes at him.


    ¡°I bet we could come up with a better extreme sport,¡± said Nate.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your job enough of an extreme sport?¡± Sterling asked.


    ¡°Oh no, running for Senate, now there¡¯s an extreme sport. Politicians are much scarier than the people I meet.¡± Tilting he head, he reconsidered, ¡°Nevermind. Politicians are many of the people I meet.¡±


    After a while, they all got tired of singing, and true to his word, Nate paid for the evening.


    They were walking back toward the compound, and came across an all-night diner. Sterling said he went there often, so they all went in. Arena suddenly wanted a milkshake. The waitress recognized Sterling and winked at him, and called them all ¡®darlin¡¯. Arena was going to just order some pie, but decided she wanted a hamburger, too. The others all ordered large meals as well. Arena couldn¡¯t believe Lorna ate as much as she did, since she had eaten from just about every vendor on the way to and from the hostess bar.


    ¡°We know Arena wanted to be a meteorologist. Watch the tides and all that. Sterling, what did you want to do when you ¡®grew up¡¯?¡± Lorna said between bites of meatloaf special.


    ¡°I wanted to be rich and make lots of money,¡± he said seriously.


    ¡°Truly?¡± She emptied the bottle of mustard onto her meatloaf. ¡°I mean, really, what did you want to be?¡±


    ¡°Truly,¡± he responded, twiddling his straw wrapper. ¡°I wanted to be rich and well-known. Invent some technology and retire at thirty. The CIA wasn¡¯t quite what I had imagined myself doing. I suppose it¡¯s been alright, especially since the Misfits, but it wasn¡¯t on my radar.¡±


    Arena suddenly felt wistful for the life she left behind. She loved her major and thought she would have been good at it. She never wanted to be on TV, but the person behind the scenes making the predictions.


    ¡°Oh, Arena, I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Lorna reached over and patted her arm. ¡°This is all still too new for you. We¡¯ve all been at this awhile, so we forget what it was like when we first joined.¡±


    They all looked at her silently for a moment.


    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth,¡± said Nate ¡°I don¡¯t think we could do this without you, and life¡¯s certainly been a lot more fun since you¡¯ve been around.¡±


    Sterling was silent, just staring at her.


    ¡°Maybe we should go back,¡± said Arena, feeling like she crashed the evening.


    ¡°I got it this time.¡± Lorna grabbed the checks before they had a chance to protest.

 Chapter Twenty-Nine

    Planning a mission turned out to be as overwhelming as Arena suspected. The CIA research department had done a stellar job on the hoverboard notes, so she stayed up all night reading them, jotting down ideas in the margins. She ran through several computer simulations, then made lists of possible ways to use the hoverboard. Testing was tiring, but productive, and Arena felt like she made progress.


    Sterling was unusually cool to all of them, but especially Arena. He was polite and professional, but his voice had lost all warmth, and he didn¡¯t refer to anything that happened unless it directly applied to work. They had lost more ground during their night out than had been gained.


    With the help of Bertha, Arena came up with a list of modifications for the hoverboard, and Arena sent them to Sterling. He sent a short note of approval, which stated he would get to work on them immediately. Arena was very pleased with the results, though unhappy he sent Bertha with the board.


    The first set of fictional intelligence came, informing Arena that a piece of technology would be exchanged in an industrial area outside of New York City. The tech was named an amp irradiator, which she was sure was made up. Arena sent a number of questions to Sterling, but he responded vaguely or in complicated technical speak. Bertha tried to work with her on translating Sterling''s emails and finding more information, but even she was getting irritated with Sterling''s lack of help.


    Finally, Arena got fed up with Sterling and marched into his office.


    "I can''t do this without you. This is still way out of my league, and they have Anita. Not to mention Nate and Lorna have a lot more experience than I do. I don''t know why you''re upset with me, or all of us, but this is hard enough as it is without the silent treatment."


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    He spun to face her, hurt and anger on his face, but he simply stared at her for a moment. "I haven''t given you the silent treatment. I''ve responded to all your emails."


    "With what? Stuff I can''t understand? You know I''m not familiar enough with the CIA yet to understand all the terminology! Why are you so mad?"


    He exhaled through his nose. "I''m not mad."


    "Then what is the problem?"


    Sterling sat looking at her, fumbling with a pen. "Perhaps I have been a little distant." Arena clenched her fists, forcing herself to wait for him to continue. "I¡ªI¡­ have some reservations about this exercise after the last and after the strange messages we''ve received, which indicate that someone in the CIA is leaking our actions. I''ve been throwing back with Fieldhaven on the subject, but he''s insistent you need to run this. And well, there''s some other reasons, but they''re not really important."


    Arena sank into the chair. "Why couldn''t you just tell us?"


    He looked ashamed. "I''m sorry. I thought maybe I could stop it. But I don''t think I can." Reaching across his desk, he brought out a folder. He handed it to her. "I gathered this for you last night. Whatever help you need from me, you have it."


    The folder had pages of notes in his tiny handwriting, marked by compact block letters. It included maps of the area and lists of ideas on using the hoverboard, with obvious reference to the research notes, exactly what she needed.


    "Arena, there''s something I want to say to you¡­"


    There was a knock on the door. Lorna danced in, eyes twinkling. She leaned over Arena. "Ohhh, what''s that?"


    Arena snapped the folder shut and glanced at Lorna innocently. "Well, I should go read these." She gave Lorna a wily grin and slipped past her, ignoring Lorna''s "Show me! Show me!" pleas.

 Chapter Thirty

    Nate, wearing an expensive dark suit, slid out of a silver sedan. It was the first time Arena had seen him dressed up since imprisoned. He carried a metal briefcase and strolled into the decayed warehouse without glancing around. Dusk was falling, dusting everything in orange and yellow.


    ¡°Mission is a go, Cyclone.¡±


    ¡°Confirmed,¡± she responded. ¡°Target in view.¡±


    ¡°Roger, Catalyst,¡± came Bertha¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯m positioned in the first-floor office.¡±


    Arena crouched on a darkened catwalk of the building, the board sandwiched between her and the wall. Sterling painted the hoverboard to look like an extreme sport prototype, somewhat the cross between a surfboard and a skateboard. They had added magnetic foot straps, and customized the bottom of her shoes to attract the magnets. The math of that didn''t really math for her, but whatever Sterling had done had worked in testing. The hoverboard was still much larger than a skateboard, but they were unable to change the shape of the board.


    ¡°The other target has arrived.¡± Lorna appeared from a blue convertible, wearing a red button down couture coat, black leggings and black knee-high boots. It was the most ordinary outfit Arena had seen Lorna wear. Dark sunglasses hid her face, and she carried a black leather briefcase. All she needed was a small dog.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with,¡± said Lorna in a haughty Upper East Side accent as she entered the building. ¡°I hope you have the item?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Nate turned on his full charm, smiling and leaning toward Lorna, glancing at her case. ¡°I expect you have the cash to purchase it?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said, and she opened the case to reveal what looked like real money. Arena blinked. Nate propped his case on a rickety table, but the back of the case obstructed her view of the object.


    ¡°Go, Cyclone,¡± said Bertha.


    Arena ran halfway down the ramp and leaped, the board in her hand. This better work, she thought. Slipping the board under her feet, the magnets connected to her back foot. The board rose to five feet over the ramp. She wobbled for a few seconds. When she stabilized, she pushed the accelerator and zipped toward them, snatching Nate¡¯s case from the table.


    Arena grinned. Then she zipped out the giant door with the case in hand.


    ¡°Beautiful, Cyclone.¡± Sterling let out a long breath. ¡°They weren¡¯t expecting that. Never seen Nate move that slowly.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, her heart stuck somewhere between her tonsils. She wanted him to keep talking, wrapping his voice around her.


    Bertha shouted, Arena heard a car engine. Casting a glance over her shoulder, she saw Nate and Lorna in the convertible behind her, with Lorna driving. Peering into the case, she saw there was a box of cereal pushed into foam. It wore a taped note that stated ¡®Don¡¯t spill me.¡¯ Arena laughed and snapped the case closed, trying to lock it while keeping her balance on the board.


    More engine sounds joined the fray, and Arena looked back to see Bertha on her motorcycle, parallel to Nate and Lorna. A white van swerved behind them, the Decoys. Cracks sounded, shots from the cap guns they had agreed to use for the practice mission.


    Lorna sped up, nearly behind her to the left. Bertha was on the opposite side of them.


    ¡°Give me the case!¡± yelled Nate, brandishing a cap gun. Arena crouched and placed more pressure on the speed control.


    ¡°Keep it steady,¡± said Sterling. ¡°You need to get to the next building.¡±


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    Right as she got to the building, a more modern warehouse than the first, a keening sound filled her ears and she was suddenly dizzy. The board slowed against her will. She crouched and held on the board with one hand as she pushed the release on her foot with the other, the board swimming in her vision.


    ¡°They¡¯ve got some sort of disruption device,¡± said Bertha on the comm. ¡°Cyclone is affected.¡±


    ¡°Cyclone, put in your other earphone!¡± Sterling sounded frantic. She popped her foot from the magnet, and dropped to the ground, plucking the board from the air and taking off at a run. Fumbling in the inside of her vest, she couldn¡¯t find it. Nausea started to overtake her, and she stumbled, dropping off the board and onto her knees.


    Several men stepped out in front of her, none of them recognizable.


    ¡°This might be easier than we expected, boys,¡± said one of the men.


    Bertha bellowed at them to get down.


    ¡°What, with your cap guns?¡± said another, and they all laughed. ¡°We¡¯ll just take that board and be off.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got interference, Catalyst,¡± she said.


    ¡°I see them. Practice mission over¡ªall on the same team now.¡±


    ¡°Confirmed.¡± Anita and Lorna¡¯s voices at the same time.


    A blur shot past Arena and resolved into Nate, who slammed into the man in front. Arena managed to find her other earplug and shoved it into her ear clumsily. The nausea stopped.


    ¡°Get that board back to the van, Cyclone,¡± said Sterling. She picked up the board, but several of the men were slipping around Nate and coming towards her. Bertha punched one in the face. Arena scrambled up, and dragged the board backward. She jumped on it, but nothing happened.


    ¡°Whatever they have, it¡¯s disabled the board.¡± She said on comm.


    Bertha maneuvered her way over to the man with the gadget, slipped on some sort of brass knuckles, and punched toward his hands, but missed. He tried to back away, but she grabbed his arms and made contact with the gadget. A flash of sparks rained between them, and the light on the gadget fizzled.


    Arena hopped on the board and it rose. Three men ran at her. Others ran behind the building, and engines rumbled to life. Thankfully, the board activated with the weight of a rider much faster than it dropped without one.


    Looking back, she saw a green truck and several men on motorcycles. Lorna and Nate were in the convertible behind the truck, and Bertha was on her motorcycle off to one side.


    Shots rang out. She whipped around a corner as closely as she could and across a street. The warehouse across the street had an open door. She zipped into it, crouching to avoid the top. Tires squealed and doors slammed.


    Arena flew through the warehouse, trying to get out of view. The warehouse had been empty for some time, and there was little inside but litter. She angled up a ramp and across the catwalk into an adjoining room.


    Sounds of fighting came through the comms, screams and grunts combined with loud cracks.


    ¡°I took two of them down,¡± shouted Nate. ¡°There are still four. Goldilocks is fighting one, and Deadeye another.¡±


    ¡°One more down,¡± said Bertha.


    ¡°Cyclone, do you read?¡± Sterling sounded anxious.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m in a warehouse, trying to get out of view. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s happening.¡± She flew down one ramp and toward a door. Another car pulled up and two men got out and ran toward her. There was no other entrance in the room. She whipped around and went back up the ramp. Another man was running toward her from that direction, his feet clanging on the metal.


    ¡°I¡¯m blocked in!¡±


    ¡°Hang on, Cyclone!¡± Lorna wheezed on the comm.


    ¡°Give me the board!¡± shouted the man on the catwalk. The two others were coming behind her.


    Arena snapped both feet into the magnets and angled over the railing straight off the catwalk, dropping rapidly, right next to where Nate, Bertha, and Lorna were fighting one man, the rest laying scattered on the ground.


    Nate sprinted toward her. She crouched and popped the button for the magnets, then hopped off the board. The men from the other room ran down the ramp toward them. Nate took up a position between her and them.


    ¡°Goldie is down!¡± shouted Lorna in the comm. Arena cast a glance behind her, and saw Lorna circling the man, while Bertha lay on the ground unconscious.


    One of the other men met Nate¡¯s foot in an uncongenial greeting. The other took a wide berth around them and went straight for Arena.


    She waited until he got close enough, then leaped on the board. It rose and she kicked straight out at his face. Foot contacted flesh, but he swatted her foot away. She was afraid to lock her feet to the magnets in case he gained control of the board or grabbed her, so she swung underneath the board and stomped down on his feet as he reached over it for her. He screeched. Arena planted her feet on the ground, waited for the board to drop, then used the momentum to swing it into his face. He collapsed.


    Panting, she realized only one man was left. Nate planted his foot in the man¡¯s chest and he flew back and crumpled to the ground.

 Chapter Thirty-One

    ¡°There has to be someone in the CIA who is leaking this intel, but it¡¯s not open to just anyone!¡± Lorna¡¯s voice rose.


    ¡°I agree,¡± said Bertha, holding an ice pack to her head.


    They all looked like they had been in a bar fight. Arena had a large bruise on the side of her arm, but didn¡¯t remember how she got it. Lorna had several bruises on her face, as did Bertha. Nate looked like he was fine, though he claimed his ribs were bruised.


    Sterling sat in the middle, looking defeated. ¡°We don¡¯t have any proof, and the CIA, while offering us support to find the leader, does not believe that someone gave inside information. They will not do an investigation.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t just sit here and do nothing,¡± Lorna got up and began to pace, casting angry glances at Sterling.


    ¡°We¡¯re not doing nothing. We just need to do it on our own.¡±


    ¡°Surely there¡¯s some way we can convince them. There¡¯s too many of these guys for us, and this is out of our specialty. Get the boards¡ªfine. That¡¯s not what¡¯s really going on, though.¡±


    ¡°Something else is going on. This isn¡¯t just about the hoverboards. This group is up to something else.¡± Nate shifted, then took a quick breath and touched his side. Arena realized he must be more injured than he looked.


    ¡°It could just be money,¡± said Sterling. ¡°Whatever these hoverboards are¡ªthey¡¯re worth a lot of money. Their powering system is complicated, and it may be that is what this group is after. Maybe they need to power something else with the hoverboard motor. We don¡¯t know.¡±


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    ¡°Has anyone even tried to figure that out?¡± Lorna¡¯s voice was nearing panic level.


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± said Sterling. ¡°They think it can have all sorts of applications, from powering vehicles, to selling the hoverboards themselves, to even making completely unrelated machines.¡±


    ¡°Not that.¡± Bertha cut in. ¡°Why does this group want them? Who are they, and what do they want?¡±


    ¡°Anita and I have tried to find as much as possible.¡± Veins were popping out on Sterling¡¯s forehead. ¡°Whoever they are, they are professionals, and they know the CIA well. Maybe not the goons we keep meeting¡ªthey seem to be hired, from the ones we¡¯ve captured, but whoever is behind it knows what they are doing. Our traces come up blank.¡±


    Lorna¡¯s pacing increased speed, until Nate stood and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°We will figure it out. They can¡¯t keep ninja stalking us for long. Sooner or later they will slip up. Or they will run out of mercenaries to send after us.¡± He looked pensive. ¡°We do need to be careful, though. If there is someone on the inside, then we¡¯re in real danger. Since right now there¡¯s no way to tell who that might be, we have to keep as much under wraps as possible.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve still got to send reports, and we have no idea what happens to those when they get to Washington.¡± Sterling rubbed his forehead.


    ¡°So leave stuff out, and keep more detailed reports offline,¡± Nate said. ¡°Do whatever you have to do.¡±


    Bertha shook her head. ¡°They still got the guys they captured. They can find out what happened from them.¡±


    Lorna stood rooted, horror on her face.


    ¡°Lorna, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Arena felt like there wasn¡¯t much she could contribute to the discussion but moral support.


    ¡°What if the leak is in this room? In STATUS?¡± Lorna stared them all down.


    Sterling¡¯s eyes flashed. Anita swallowed and acquired her impression of a startled deer. Nate shook his head.


    ¡°Trust.¡± Sterling said. ¡°That¡¯s all we can do.¡±

 Chapter Thirty-Two

    Toward the end of the week, Sterling called them all into his office. The tension had cooled, but everyone had been subdued toward one another.


    ¡°We¡¯ve received intelligence that a group out of Finland is looking for a buyer for human flying tech. I think we may have found our other two boards.¡± Sterling brought a map up on his screens that showed Helsinki. ¡°We¡¯ve planted a bid. Nate will act as the buyer, and Lorna and Arena will back him up. Arena will act as his personal assistant, in case we need a flyer, and so she will be close to a full agent, and we¡¯ll put Lorna in the hotel staff where we¡¯ve set up the exchange where she will have mobility to monitor the situation and provide backup. Bertha will also act as a hotel guest as backup.¡±


    Sterling outlined the mission. Arena would be a mousy personal assistant, and Nate, who was fluent in Finnish and Dutch, would buy the tech from them. If Nate had to speak to her, he would do so in Japanese. Arena had no idea Nate spoke Japanese, much less Finnish and Dutch. Suddenly, being bilingual seemed inconsequential. She knew a little Hawaiian, but she doubted it would be useful as a spy.


    Sterling continued, ¡°Our priority according to the CIA is to identify the opposing group. Recovering the hoverboards is nearly as important, but the way I see it, we have to make both happen. There are people looking for us to fail, and we can¡¯t afford to let that happen.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to take the hoverboard?¡± Arena wasn¡¯t sure it¡¯d be useful.


    ¡°No, the hoverboard stays here.¡± Sterling paged through the file in his hand. ¡°But gaining control of the other boards will allow us to use them if we need to do so.¡±


    They spent several hours working on it. Nate and Sterling remained for a while after Lorna and Arena went to eat dinner. They would be flying out the next evening, which wasn¡¯t much time to prepare, and Sterling had said they wanted to take extra precautions because Arena was part of the mission.


    The flight to Helsinki dragged. Arena wore a gray suit and red-rimmed glasses, trying to look the part of an efficient, yet inconsequential, personal assistant. She sat next to Nate on the flight and passed the time by testing his Japanese skills. His grammar and elocution were understandable, though he did have a pretty strong accent. He said that his mother was Finnish, and he was also bilingual from childhood like her, which surprised her. When he found out he was to be assigned to the U.N. and all its surrounding politics he added Dutch, Russian, and Arabic, along with the French he took in college. She was astounded someone could learn so many languages, but he said the CIA had a language school and any agent could attend. This left Arena thoughtful on what languages she should learn.


    Arena felt a little bad that Lorna and Bertha were back in coach, but they said it would draw less attention. When they disembarked, she followed Nate to a waiting limo. The hotel was massive, like the casinos in Las Vegas, and their accommodations were spectacular. They had a large suite with adjoining rooms. Arena didn¡¯t know where Lorna and Bertha were staying.


    The exchange was supposed to take place at 9:00 that night in a random room. Sterling had said that they tried to control the room, but the request was refused, and they didn¡¯t want to push the matter too much.


    At five minutes til, Arena followed Nate to the assigned room. They knocked, but no one answered. Nate¡¯s disposable cell phone rang, set up for the purpose of the other group to contact them. He answered, and said, ¡°Yes. I was not notified of the changes ahead of time. I see. Fine,¡± and he hung up.


    ¡°They want us to meet in a conference room on the main floor,¡± He told her in Japanese.


    ¡°On my way.¡± Bertha said on the comms.


    ¡°Change noted,¡± came Sterling¡¯s voice.


    Lorna did not respond.


    ¡°Deadeye, do you read?¡± said Sterling.


    No answer.


    Nate began walking very fast toward the elevator. It opened, and a man with dark hair and eyes held Lorna with a gun to her head. He pushed her out of the elevator. She whimpered. Arena didn¡¯t know if it was real or if Lorna was still pretending to be an ordinary housekeeper.


    ¡°Missing someone?¡± he said menacingly an Australian accent. Arena stepped back behind Nate, as she was instructed to do if a problem arose. Hands grabbed her, and something sharp bit into her neck.


    ¡°This one is cute, Len. Can I keep her?¡± The man jerked her backward by her hair. She couldn¡¯t place his accent, but it wasn¡¯t American. His breath smelled heavily of alcohol.


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    Nate spun around, fear in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure there has been a misunderstanding, gentlemen. We just came to buy some special furniture.¡± He spoke in heavily-accented English, what Arena assumed was a Finnish or Dutch accent.


    The man holding Lorna laughed. ¡°Nice try, mate! But you got our buddy in your camp, so we thought maybe we should take a few of yours. Tit for tat and all that.¡±


    ¡°See if you can keep them busy, Atticus. Backup is on the way,¡± Sterling sounded panicked.


    Nate began to talk, trying to persuade them to let Lorna and Arena go. The man holding Arena started pulling her back, away from Nate. She didn¡¯t think she could get out of this hold, even if Nate had taught her about holds with knives instead of guns. He wasn¡¯t as tall as Nate, and the knife scraped her throat a few times. Blood was running down her suit jacket.


    ¡°In position behind Cyclone¡¯s captor,¡± said Bertha in her ear, in a whisper. Nate lowered his hands and flared them slightly, starting a count of three. Suddenly, he was a flurry of kicks and punches, and the man holding Arena dropped the knife. Arena managed to duck out of the way, although she was trapped between Nate and Bertha and her attacker, who was gray-haired with a beard. Lorna had managed to slip out of her captor¡¯s arms and twisted the gun out of his hand while Nate grabbed for his other arm.


    Once Bertha had gotten the man¡¯s attention, she punched him and he collapsed onto the floor. Arena thought the fight was over, but several other men appeared from another room on the floor and charged them. Arena tried to dart past Nate and Lorna and the struggling man. A woman came out of the elevator, holding a gun. She aimed it at Lorna, and said to Nate, ¡°Stop or she dies.¡± She was beautiful--exotic and feminine, but Arena could not determine her age.


    Nate went rigid. ¡°Don¡¯t! Celeste, please. Don¡¯t.¡± He had dropped into his normal voice.


    ¡°I expected better of you, Nathaniel,¡± she said to him. ¡°Hardly a challenge at all. You¡¯ve gone soft with all these¡­ misfits.¡±


    Arena felt like hyperventilating. She was crouched on the floor behind Nate. Someone grabbed her shirt and dragged her into a standing position, a gun pointed at her head.


    ¡°So you are the leak,¡± he said. ¡°I should have guessed. Smelled like your handiwork. Like rotten perfume. Been dumpster diving again?¡± Nate held up his hands, watching her every move.


    ¡°Same charmer as ever. I don¡¯t plan to have a trash can upended on me again without recourse; that was a fluke.¡± She looked around at them. ¡°But you couldn¡¯t talk your way out this time, could you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t the last time,¡± he said. ¡°If you remember?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, I still wish I would have just killed you instead of sending you to this mess,¡± she sneered. ¡°Is that your new little girlfriend?¡± The woman gestured at Arena with her gun. ¡°You always did like the Asian ones.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s just a bystander, Celeste,¡± he said. ¡°Let her go.¡±


    Celeste laughed. ¡°Oh really? I hear she flies those hoverboards rather well. A bystander indeed.¡± Celeste regarded her. ¡°Well, little prot¨¦g¨¦,¡± she said to Arena. ¡°I hope he trained you well, or he will shame his own teacher.¡±


    Teacher? He learned from her?


    ¡°Yes, see, we knew that if we put out the word, you would come running,¡± she said. ¡°I could deal with you once and for all. And maybe find out about those lovely flying boards in the process.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have them?¡± Nate said.


    She smiled. ¡°I plan to very soon. With your help.¡± She grabbed Lorna¡¯s hair, pushing the gun into her face. ¡°Here¡¯s the deal--you and one of these three lovely ladies comes with me, and you help me find the boards, Nathaniel. Then I won¡¯t kill her.¡±


    Sterling¡¯s voice came into her head for the first time since the fight started. ¡°You might as well agree, Atticus. We¡¯ll track wherever they take you all.¡±


    The woman named Celeste laughed. ¡°You think we don¡¯t know all about the procedures, Flynn?¡± Arena¡¯s eyes widened, as did Nate and Lorna¡¯s. The woman was on comms with them. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to track them, I promise you that.¡±


    Lorna whispered, ¡°Take me. She¡­¡± Lorna pointed to Arena. ¡°She taught me to ride the hoverboard. And I have a much higher clearance.¡±


    The woman looked over Arena. ¡°It¡¯s not that hard, really. To ride them. Anybody can do it if they managed to get on one.¡± Arena hoped she was believable.


    ¡°You all didn¡¯t happen to bring that board with you, did you now?¡± She asked.


    All four of them shook their heads at the same time. Celeste smirked.


    ¡°I can ride them, too,¡± said Nate. The shock had worn off, and anger was replacing it. He matched her predatory tone, though more wolf than feline. ¡°The only one you need is me. Let them all go.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. I know you all too well,¡± Celeste looked between Lorna and Arena. ¡°We¡¯ll take her,¡± she motioned to Lorna, and two of the men grabbed her. ¡°The other one isn¡¯t worth it yet.¡± She gestured at Arena, then Lorna. ¡°I¡¯d take both of you, but there¡¯s not enough room. Surprising you¡¯re all telling the truth this time. Especially since Nathaniel is so good at telling stories.¡± Then she pointed the gun at Nate, ¡°And you, too. Let¡¯s go.¡± She smiled lazily.


    She motioned to the two men, who dragged Lorna away, then followed Nate into the elevator with the gun. She turned to Arena before the elevator closed. ¡°Too bad, little prot¨¦g¨¦. Perhaps next time I¡¯ll have to manage your training.¡± She yelled at the other men to meet downstairs, and they all rushed down the stairwell as the elevator closed.


    Arena sat on the floor shaking, tears streaming down her face. Bertha pulled her up. ¡°We''ve got to go, honey. We''ve gotta get out of here.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re going up. There¡¯s a helicopter on the roof,¡± said Sterling. ¡°There¡¯s a van waiting for you down in the parking deck. Get to it.¡±


    Bertha dragged her to the other stairwell, and they went down eleven flights of stairs to the parking deck. Arena barely remembered it. Some of the Decoys were waiting there.


    ¡°We couldn¡¯t get up there,¡± one said. ¡°They had it blocked off. We tried to find another way, and kept getting stopped by the hotel staff. They must have had a full backup.¡±


    Bertha half-dragged Arena into the van, and they took off. Arena was completely numb. She still didn¡¯t believe what happened. Bertha managed to find a blanket and wrapped it around Arena¡¯s shoulders. Arena hardly noticed as one of the Decoys bandaged the cuts on her neck. They were ushered into a private plane and gave Arena some juice to drink. Sleep took Arena immediately.

 Chapter Thirty-Three

    When Arena woke up, she was in her room at the compound. The room was dark. She rose and turned on the light, feeling rather groggy. Somehow she ended up in her pajamas. She tried to focus on the numbers of her clock, but they swam before her. She changed as quickly as she could without getting woozy, and went down to the commons, but everything was dark. It must have been the middle of the night. So she went back and knocked on Sterling¡¯s door.


    He opened the door wearing a navy robe, hair stuck up on one side. He didn¡¯t look like he had been asleep, though. He reached out and caught her arm. ¡°There was nothing you or I could have done. Nate and Lorna are professionals, and Celeste needs them for whatever she¡¯s planning. We¡¯ll get to them before that happens. They will be okay.¡±


    Gently, he pulled her into his room and led her to a small sofa. ¡°Do you want some tea? Peppermint or green?¡±


    She shrugged. He went over to a coffeemaker, filled with water that must have been already warm. He handed her a cup of green tea. She sipped. It was expensive tea. He held a cup for himself, and sat down in the chair next to the sofa.


    ¡°You all gave me something to sleep?¡± She wanted to be mad, but her mind was too muddled.


    He nodded. ¡°Bertha thought you needed to rest. She did what she thought was best at the time. I don¡¯t think I would have, but she said you were really upset. She brought you back and put you to bed.¡±


    Arena¡¯s heart ached. ¡°Who is Celeste? Why did she want Nate? She was his boss, right?¡±


    He nodded again. ¡°Yes, she was the one who got him sent to the Misfits. Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t know that we were up against someone who knew everything we were doing and all the CIA procedures. However, she didn¡¯t claim to have the boards, and I think she was telling the truth.¡±


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    ¡°Celeste Baker was the former Assistant Director of Covert Operations.¡± He took a sip of tea. She mirrored him, thinking that maybe the caffeine would clear her head a little bit. ¡°There¡¯s not many people above her, which means that the list of people who could have ordered the hit on Nate¡¯s asset was short.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Yates, isn¡¯t it?¡± Arena asked.


    ¡°I am honestly not sure,¡± said Sterling. ¡°Yates is ambitious and ruthless. But he was also moved to Director after the incident with the asset, right ahead of Celeste. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any love lost between them. There¡¯s not many other people with that kind of power, though. Looks like we need to start chasing that trail.¡±


    ¡°How are we going to get them back?¡± Arena was starting to panic, but her head remained foggy. ¡°How will we get them back--without them?¡±


    ¡°Listen to me, Arena,¡± he moved over to the couch, and took her hand. ¡°We didn¡¯t know what was going to happen, and she knew exactly who she was meeting. But her cover has slipped now, and she no longer has adequate access to the CIA files. She can¡¯t surprise us again. Even if we have to get help, we will get them back. I promise you. I¡¯m only glad she didn¡¯t decide to just shoot all of you right there.¡±


    Tears began to spill down her face again. She put the cup down on the side table, unable to drink any more, partly afraid she was going to spill it. He put his cup down and gripped her hand with both of his.


    ¡°They underestimate us,¡± he said, anger rising in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m betting she wants revenge on Nate, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s also because she thinks that he¡¯s the only one on our team who is really useful. I think she¡¯s hoping to turn him, and maybe Lorna, and without them we can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± He whispered vehemently. ¡°She¡¯s wrong.¡±


    Slowly, he reached a hand up, and wiped some of the tears off her face. His hand was warm and gentle. Without really thinking about it, she put her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes. She felt his hand brush some of the hair off her forehead. That¡¯s the last thing she remembered before drifting back off to sleep.

 Chapter Thirty-Four

    Arena awoke on Sterling¡¯s sofa, wrapped in a blanket. The room was empty. She got up, and went back to her own room to shower and change. Her stomach rumbled. She wasn¡¯t even sure what day it was.


    The breakfast room was lit and stocked, but no one was in it. She picked up a bagel and a packet of cream cheese, but had to force herself to eat despite her hunger. The room seemed like a prison without Lorna and Nate, and she didn¡¯t know where Sterling was. She managed to get most of the bagel down, and took a cup of coffee with her.


    She found Sterling in his office. He held up a finger. Red rimmed his eyes and he looked like he hadn¡¯t slept at all. He typed a little bit, then sighed.


    ¡°She was right,¡± he said, looking frustrated and sounding half dead. ¡°She knew how to disable all our ways to track them. Everything I have tried has been a dead end.¡± He rubbed his forehead vehemently.


    He abruptly stopped and turned toward her. He opened his mouth several times before speaking. ¡°Arena, I want you to know that if you ever want out of this, all you have to do is say when and I will make it happen. I don¡¯t care what they say. I will make sure you¡¯re free to do whatever you want.¡± He grew quieter. ¡°Be free, if that¡¯s what you want.¡± Spinning a flash drive on his desk, he continued, ¡°I was going to tell you before Helsinki, but I don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t. I want you to know now.¡±


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    Arena was speechless. ¡°Sterling, you can¡¯t get rid of me that easily.¡±


    ¡°No, I could have stopped your entry into the CIA before all this or at least made the choice easier for you. I don¡¯t want to see you hurt anymore.¡±


    She walked around the desk and wrapped her arms around him. ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered. ¡°You don¡¯t know how much that means to me.¡± He stiffened slightly, then sagged. She suddenly felt awkward and let go.


    Arena sat with him for a while as he continued to work. She didn¡¯t know what she could do to help. He started to rub his face.


    ¡°Sterling,¡± she said softly. ¡°You need rest, too. You¡¯re probably the only one that can find them, and you can¡¯t if you can hardly stay upright.¡±


    ¡°I just need one more hour¡­¡± He yawned, then grunted. ¡°Maybe you are right.¡±


    ¡°Is Anita here?¡± she asked. ¡°Maybe I can help her while you get some sleep?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°But she¡¯s been here all night, too. However, I managed to pull in the assistance of another agent, but just temporarily. She should be here this morning. Maybe you could get her up to speed when she gets here. Also, give her a basic lesson on the hoverboard.¡±

 Chapter Thirty-Five

    Arena went back to her room and dove into tutorials about recovering agents. There was a knock on her door. When she opened it, George was there.


    ¡°The agents from Langley are here,¡± he said quietly, his face passive. ¡°They want to see you.¡±


    Arena nodded. She walked with him toward the common area. She really didn¡¯t know what to say to George, since she had never had a conversation with him before.


    ¡°Wait, agents? There¡¯s more than one?¡±


    ¡°Two,¡± he said. ¡°But I think you¡¯ll recognize both of them.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°I sent Anita home and Sterling is asleep,¡± he said. ¡°But I thought we needed all the help we could get, so Harriet is working on tracing Lorna and Nate. I will be doing the same while you brief the other agents.¡±


    He led her to the conference room and nothing could have prepared her to see not only Sophia, but Justin Yates. Sophia rushed over and hugged Arena.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you are okay!¡± She noticed the bandage on Arena¡¯s neck, and frowned. ¡°I hope that¡¯s not too serious.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m alright,¡± Arena said.


    Yates walked toward her and held out his hand. She cautiously accepted it. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind that I came along. It seems that I have a vested interest in what has happened with Celeste. This is one of the highest level breaches we¡¯ve had in recent years.¡± Arena was still very skeptical. ¡°George, if you would bring Bertha in here, too? I think we could use your advice as well. Let Harriet keep working on finding Celeste¡¯s group.¡±


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    George nodded at him, but there were flickers of suspicion in his eyes as well. They could hardly ignore him as a direct supervisor. Yates whispered something to George, then handed him something.


    When they gathered in the room, Arena recounted what had happened. When she had finished, she sat down. Yates said, ¡°I think I have more information to add.¡± He paused, drawing his mouth into a thin line. ¡°I¡¯ve been gathering intel for some time that there¡¯s a rogue black ops group operating within the CIA, and I believe there¡¯s someone at least as high as me directing it. I think they know I am getting close, and have been setting me up for a fall.¡± He opened his briefcase and pulled out a handful of flash drives. ¡°This is all the intel I have collected.¡± He gave them each a flash drive. Arena plugged hers into her netbook, and information began to scroll across the screen, mostly of financial data. Much of it was above her head, but she could see it was extensive and carefully researched, with footnotes for footnotes.


    ¡°Recently, I began to find larger amounts of money being diverted through a number of accounts,¡± Yates said. ¡°When I traced them, there were subtle signs that they directed back to my accounts.¡± He grimaced. ¡°I couldn¡¯t trace them after that. Whoever is doing this has done a very good job of it.¡± He sat on one of the tables and folded his arms. ¡°There¡¯s not many people who I could trust, and especially not many with the ability to track the information farther. There was only one that came to mind, in fact.¡± And he is not going to be very happy about this, Arena thought. ¡°So I am here, and though I wish that I didn¡¯t have to involve you all further, I¡¯m fairly certain you are the only group I can trust right now.¡±


    The atmosphere around the room was grim as they studied the information. Arena pulled up a chart of the organization of the CIA, and she studied the names. She was sure Yates, Sterling, and George knew who the top candidates were, but it was probably something she should know already. There were about five people directly above Yates, and around a dozen with the same level of authority. Some did not deal with operations, and she moved those to the bottom of the list as less likely candidates. The list of top candidates included Assistant Deputy Director Fieldhaven and Marilyn Gregor, who was the Director of Foreign Intelligence. She didn¡¯t recognize the other names.

 Chapter Thirty-Six

    George touched Arena¡¯s shoulder. It had been at least two hours since the meeting started. He held out a flash drive.


    ¡°I think you might want to go wake him,¡± George said. ¡°It might be easier if he knew before he got here.¡±


    Arena could see his point. She accepted the flash drive, spinning it in her fingers. Yates nodded calmly at her.


    She heard the shower running when she got to Sterling¡¯s room. Waiting until she he was moving around, she knocked.


    ¡°Give me a moment, Arena,¡± he said through the intercom. Arena unconsciously looked for cameras planted in the hallway.


    He opened the door, dressed in a light blue button-down shirt and black pants, but his dark hair was wet and curling around the edges of his forehead. He motioned her inside. The blue in his shirt intensified the blue in his eyes. The room was still humid from the shower.


    ¡°It must be really bad, judging by the expression on your face. What did you find?¡±


    She held out the flash drive to him. He took it and plugged it into a netbook. His face paled as he began to read through it. ¡°How did you get this?¡¯


    Arena sighed. ¡°Yates is here, with Sophia. He¡¯s been tracking a rogue group for a while, and he thinks Celeste is a part of it.¡±


    She could see him gritting his teeth, but as he paged through it, his jaw relaxed. ¡°They¡¯re pinning him. And he knows it.¡±


    ¡°He said he thought there was only one person he could trust who could trace the information farther.¡±


    His head whipped toward her, and then he smirked. ¡°Of course he did.¡±


    Walking over to him, Arena put her hand on his shoulder. ¡°Even if we can¡¯t trust him completely, he did bring all of this to us. It¡¯s enough to severely damage him and his reputation. I think he trusts us, even if we don¡¯t trust him.¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re probably right. It doesn¡¯t make sense, otherwise. And I was already pretty sure he wasn¡¯t involved.¡± He started collecting gear, including his netbook and the flash drive.


    When they got to the conference room, George was gone and Sophia was taking notes while Yates spoke. Yates stood up and offered his hand to Sterling. She saw Sterling hesitate, but then he shifted his gear to his left hand, and shook Yates¡¯ hand.


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    ¡°I realize I¡¯m not your favorite person, Flynn,¡± he said. ¡°But you¡¯re the best, and I have no hesitation in admitting that. You always have been.¡±


    Sterling seemed to be speechless. He put his stuff down in an attempt to cover his surprise, then cleared his throat.


    ¡°Yes, well, it seems we have a common enemy this time,¡± Sterling responded.


    A flash of something passed over Yates¡¯ face. He opened his mouth, then closed it. Then he turned to Sophia. ¡°Agent Kershaw, would you mind checking to see if the computer expert is here yet? Acevedo?¡± He turned to Sterling with his eyebrows raised.


    ¡°Correct. Anita Acevedo.¡±


    He turned back to Sophia. ¡°Take a flash drive and the notes with you.¡±


    Yates turned to gesture at Arena. ¡°Does she know what happened to create the Misfits?¡±


    Sterling nodded. ¡°She does.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± he said. He sat down in a chair. ¡°I know you must hate me, and you probably won¡¯t believe me, but none of that was real.¡±


    Sterling said nothing, but looked like he might ship Yates out to the crazy farm in a large box with a COD.


    ¡°I was already finding evidence of the rogue group. I needed someone to help me find out more, and you were always the best person for the job.¡± Yates grimaced at Sterling. ¡°I tried to cause a scene, thinking you might give in so you could keep your job, and then I would bring you in later and make you understand it was just a cover. Some of that ¡®extra¡¯ work I had you do was research for that group. I wanted to make it look like we didn¡¯t get along, so nobody would suspect we were tracking the group.¡±


    Sterling¡¯s expression changed from shock to suspicion to disbelief.


    ¡°I never hated you, Flynn.¡± Yates said. ¡°Quite the opposite. You have always been one of the few people I truly respected. When ADD Flinthaven told me he created a new unit for you, and it would be in New York, I tried to stop it because I needed you in D. C. I couldn¡¯t afford to let you leave. I¡¯ve spent two years trying to determine how to pull you back to D. C. or at least involve your unit here. It seems that fate did that for me.¡±


    Sterling stumbled backward until he found a chair, then he slowly sat down, gripping the side of the chair. After a moment, he finally said, ¡°Strangely enough, I believe you. That explains some of those bizarre assignments.¡± He still looked a little suspicious, but also relieved. ¡°I think I can trace your financial data to the real source. I didn¡¯t look at it in detail, but I saw a few discrepancies.¡±


    ¡°I never doubted you couldn¡¯t,¡± Yates said. ¡°I¡¯ve spent hours poring over the data, but I know I¡¯m overlooking something.¡± He turned to Arena and winked, ¡°By the way, I hope you weren¡¯t too intimidated by that meeting. I have a reputation to protect. Being known as the ambitious, power-hungry guy is harder to maintain than it looks.¡±


    Arena turned from him to Sterling and back and didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad I got some sleep,¡± said Sterling, standing up and gathering his gear. ¡°Let me get to work.¡± Sterling turned to Arena. ¡°Teach Agent Kershaw to ride that thing, as much as possible.¡± Arena nodded at him.


    Sterling turned to Yates, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you are staying through the mission?¡±


    ¡°I plan to be on it,¡± Yates said. ¡°With your permission, of course.¡±


    ¡°It might not work without you,¡± said Sterling. ¡°We don¡¯t have a tank.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, I think I can manage to be your warrior. Though Agent Kershaw is quite talented as well.¡±

 Chapter Thirty-Seven

    Arena spent most of the rest of the day teaching Sophia and Yates how to ride the board. Yates turned out to be pretty good.


    ¡°I like snowboarding,¡± he said at one point. ¡°It feels like that.¡± He looked at Arena. ¡°Ever try snowboarding?¡±


    She didn¡¯t look amused. ¡°There¡¯s not a lot of snow in Hawaii. Or LA. And I¡¯ve never exactly had a lot of cash to go off on random trips.¡±


    Yates actually grinned at her. ¡°Well, maybe after this we ought to change that. You know there¡¯s an indoor skiing mountain in L. A., right?¡±


    Arena shrugged, because truthfully, she hadn¡¯t heard about it. She probably couldn¡¯t have afforded it anyway.


    Sophia had more trouble staying on the board, but she seemed to be having so much fun falling off that it didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Did they ever find out how it worked,¡± Arena asked Yates. They were sitting in the common area while Sophia flew back and forth down the hallway.


    ¡°They have a theory, but R&D was very angry that Fieldhaven took the board out of their hands after so little time.¡± He folded his hands primly. ¡°It seems that it mostly operates magnetically, repelling underground pipes. You could float it over a car, I suppose, too. So it wouldn¡¯t work everywhere, but on most city streets it would work just fine. Wouldn¡¯t work over water or land with no subterranean systems. Not as sophisticated as they had hoped, but still a landmark invention. Could have numerous applications. And now with the technology, we can develop it further.¡±


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    This didn¡¯t seem surprising to Arena. Sophia buzzed past them hanging off the board, screaming with laughter. He raised an eyebrow at her, a flicker of something else on his face.


    Their handhelds buzzed. Yates turned grim. ¡°Conference room,¡± he ordered.


    ¡°Adam Rignall escaped,¡± he said when the others arrived. Some of them looked at him blankly, including Arena. ¡°The man with the scar? Anyway, the only way we think he could have escaped was if someone internal let him out. This is going pretty far, even for them.¡±


    Sterling nodded. ¡°They are getting reckless, and are bound to make a mistake. They must be desperate. What did we know about Rignall anyway?¡±


    ¡°He showed up on a few alerts, mostly for middle-level theft. We thought he was a mercenary or hired muscle, but either he is important, or he knows something important. We didn¡¯t really get anything out of him, though--nothing we didn¡¯t already know.¡± Yates grimaced.


    Sterling pulled his netbook around, ¡°I¡¯ve been looking at the data Yates gave us, and I think I found a lead. There¡¯s a couple of these numbers that don¡¯t quite add up. When I started looking deeper into them, they seemed to originate from an IP address in Sydney, Australia.¡±


    Arena suddenly perked up. ¡°The guy who was at the hotel had an Australian accent. The one Bertha took out.¡±


    Sterling rubbed his chin. ¡°I think I can trace it to an exact location. It may not lead us anywhere, but it would be a start.¡±


    ¡°Good, keep working on it. Kershaw, Schmidt, and I will get on a plane to Australia. By the time we get there, maybe you¡¯ll have a better lead.¡±


    Sterling looked up at Arena, shocked. ¡°I¡¯m going, too.¡± he said. ¡°I can do this on the flight, and I will tie in to Anita as we go.¡±


    Yates seemed uneasy. ¡°I really don¡¯t think...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± There was no talking him out of it.


    ¡°Fine. Pack up, and let¡¯s go, then.¡±

 Chapter Thirty-Eight

    After stowing the hoverboard and helping Yates with his equipment, Arena maneuvered to Sterling. He sat in the back of the private jet, surrounded by equipment. He seemed absorbed into whatever his was doing, so she sat quietly for a while, studying the data they had been given about Sydney in preparation.


    ¡°Before you say it, I think I could do this better from there. You will need someone who can do local traces.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I was going to say, Sterling.¡± She frowned at him. ¡°But if any of this is about me, then you¡¯re right, I can sit out. Yates and Sophia can go in.¡±


    His head whipped up.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m not ready. I don¡¯t feel ready. Or prepared.¡± She fiddled with the strap of her seat belt. ¡°I need more training before I start doing this. I¡¯m hoping that I can convince Yates to let me stay with you and help you track everything.¡±


    His shoulders slumped in relief.


    ¡°But, before you say anything else, I¡¯ve decided to pursue training. I want to be a CIA agent. I want to be in the Misfits.¡±


    Sterling let out a long breath. ¡°Fair enough. But I think you should stay on the sidelines until you¡¯ve gone through formal training.¡±


    Arena nodded, agreeing. ¡°I think so, too. Yates is good enough at flying the hoverboards. Sophia isn¡¯t too bad at it either. They don¡¯t need me to do that anymore.¡± Then, she hesitated. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯d be a good agent?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯d make a very good agent. A brilliant one.¡± Then, almost under his breath, he added, ¡°That¡¯s what really worries me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    She could tell he really didn¡¯t want to answer that question. He typed a few words on his netbook and rearranged some of the equipment sitting around him.


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    ¡°Because a really good agent has to create some separation between themselves and the people around them, or they won¡¯t be able to deal with the things that happen.¡± He grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to see that happen to you.¡±


    ¡°Has it happened to you?¡±


    He laughed bitterly. ¡°No, I¡¯m not sure it has. I¡¯m not a very good agent. I¡¯m a good analyst. But I am way too attached to the Misfits.¡±


    Arena sat for a while, thinking. When Sterling stopped to eat the dinner left next to him by the flight attendant, she decided to share her thoughts with him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you have to separate yourself to be a good agent,¡± she said. ¡°I think maybe that¡¯s what they tell you, but just because that¡¯s the way it¡¯s always been done, or the way the most ruthless agents work doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s the only way, or even the best way. And I think you¡¯ve proved that with the Misfits. The Misfits work, even though they do things differently. The Misfits believe in this, ADD Fieldhaven believes in it, and I think Yates does, now, too. You¡¯ve shown them a different model, one that works as well as the one they believe is right. ¡°


    As she spoke, he picked at the green beans on the plate with his fork, not looking at her, just listening. He put down the fork, carefully, and dotted his mouth with the napkin.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right,¡± he said softly. ¡°Because I believe in them, too. Not ¡®it¡¯--¡®them¡¯.¡± He regarded her fully. ¡°The Misfits doesn¡¯t work because of the model. It works because of the people in it. It was never about starting a new model for a spy unit. I just wanted to keep doing what I was good at, and let Lorna and the others do what they were good at. It started with Lorna, because I could see nobody valued what she could really do, and in fact, they hindered her. But everyone else who has come to the Misfits has been the same way.¡± He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yes, even you. And Nate. And strangely enough, even Sophia and Yates, even if they are just temporary.¡±


    Arena nodded. ¡°Maybe all along the CIA needed to stop looking at their agents as agents, and needed to start looking at them as people. With unique talents and strengths, and how they could put those together to do what needs to be done.¡± She smiled, lighting up her face. ¡°The Misfits are misnamed, though.¡±


    He smirked, ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°If the Misfits are the only unit that really works together as a team, then wouldn¡¯t that make everyone else the misfits? Not really fitting in anywhere. Always going it alone? Never knowing who they could trust?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. ¡° His smile lasted the rest of the flight.

 Chapter Thirty-Nine

    When they arrived in Sydney, a black van came to pick them up at the airport. They all squished into the van with about five hundred pounds of extra equipment, including all of Sterling¡¯s tech gear and the hoverboard. Sophia chattered on for most of the trip on the best way to subdue an assailant with a knife, mostly for Arena¡¯s benefit, she guessed. Yates was quiet, his gray eyes dissecting everyone in the van. Sterling typed into his netbook, humming a song she did not recognize.


    The van took them to a townhouse on the west side of the city. Sophia and Arena were sent to one of the three bedrooms, and Sterling and Yates each chose the other two. Arena dropped her bag in her room, and then walked down the hall and stopped in Sterling¡¯s doorway, watching him set up some sort of satellite antenna. He completely focused on the task, unaware of her presence. She leaned against the door for some time, watching him work. Strength, his own strength, exuded from him. This was the first time he seemed to be at peace--doing what he knew best.


    Arena wanted to be like that. Everyone in the Misfits had their strength, but she didn¡¯t know what her talent was yet. She didn¡¯t know quite how she fit into the group or how her talents could best suit them. They kept mentioning physical ability, but she felt a bit late in learning self-defense. There wasn¡¯t always going to be a hoverboard around for her to fly.


    Maybe it was that she could pass herself off as a foreigner? Lorna and even Nate were way beyond her in languages, but she could pass for a native Japanese person, despite her half-Hawaiian side. Everyone always said she looked just like her mother. She would have to start learning some other languages, maybe Korean and other Asian languages.


    Or maybe she hadn¡¯t learned what she was really good at yet? Maybe she would find that out in formal CIA training. Covert ops? Pretending to be other people? Research like Sterling? Something more administrative? There were so many directions, and they all looked a bit overwhelming.


    Sterling¡¯s voice startled her out of her thoughts. ¡°If you¡¯re going to just stand there, you might as well give me a hand,¡± he said dryly. She walked over to him and he handed her a cord. ¡°Loop that over the top of the antenna for me?¡± She jumped up to get it to slip over the top. It landed, but her foot caught a case on the way back down. She stumbled backwards and fell over the arm of the sofa, feet over head. ¡°Maybe I should have brought the shorter antenna?¡± he said, and then he started laughing.


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    ¡°I don¡¯t think either of us are going to win any basketball trophies,¡± she said sarcastically, trying to turn herself upright. He walked over and pulled her up by her hands. They were warm, and he gripped her hands for a moment before letting them go. He turned away. ¡°I think I¡¯m almost set up. I sent Yates a message about you staying with me while they went to the point where it looks like the data originated. He hasn¡¯t responded yet.¡± He was still looking away from her and his tone was odd. He sat down, back toward her, and began to type. After a moment, she turned and left the room.


    Yates was down in the kitchen area, and he looked up when Arena came down the stairs.


    ¡°You told Sterling you wanted to stand down on this mission?¡± Yates said. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°You and Sophia don¡¯t need me, and I¡¯d probably be a hindrance,¡± she said. ¡°It might work better if I stayed here. You all can move faster without me, and you don¡¯t need me to ride the hoverboard for you. I can help Sterling--he can track the data, and I can track you, Sophia, and the location.¡±


    Yates regarded her for a moment. ¡°I can¡¯t say I disagree with that plan. It is logical. I just wondered if Sterling had other reasons for wanting you to stay behind.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t his idea,¡± she said. ¡°It was mine. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready to do this yet. I think he agrees, though.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Yates folded his arms. ¡°You will run comms with Anita, tracking visuals. Sterling will follow the data. Hopefully, we can find a point of origin.¡±


    Arena felt a little more relaxed after that. She was not only afraid that something else would happen to her, but she might be a liability, like she was at the hotel. And Sterling wouldn¡¯t worry quite so much.


    Her stomach growled. She got up to make herself a sandwich from the cooler of food they had brought with them. She found herself staring at the sandwich, missing her meals with Nate and Lorna, hoping they were okay. She missed Lorna¡¯s laughter and bright outfits, and Nate¡¯s wry humor and goofy grin. Arena realized she didn¡¯t really miss anyone at UCLA, which seemed odd. Of course, she had Sophia right there with her, but there wasn¡¯t anyone else at school that she really wanted to be around. Perhaps she had found her calling.


    They had to get Nate and Lorna back. They had to find some trace of them.


    Her handheld went off with a message in Absolute Imperium. Hopeful, she logged in, but it was another cryptic message. ¡°Don¡¯t bother coming to the dance, darlin. Your skills are outmatched and your style is outclassed. Go back to the baby pool before you drown.¡± Arena frowned. She immediately forwarded it to Anita, who was online.


    ¡°She sent you this?¡± Renata wrote back. ¡°I will see where it came from, if I can. Go tell the others.¡±

 Chapter Forty

    A few hours later Arena was sitting in Sterling¡¯s office, arranging gear inside her own little desk area set up for monitoring comms. Anita tested her with various scenarios similar to the first mission she monitored. Anita would ask her a question, and Arena would run through the best ways to learn the information. Sometimes a video flashed on the screen, and Arena had to connect the right information or type in certain commands. It wasn¡¯t as hard as she remembered from the first time.


    Sterling was next to her, his hands flying over the keyboard. Arena didn¡¯t think anyone could type that fast. She didn¡¯t know exactly what he was working on at the moment, but they were to go live in less than an hour. Sophia and Yates had just walked out the door, on their way to the location Sterling gave them.


    ¡°Centurion,¡± Sterling said in the comms to Yates, ¡°You are coming upon the drop point. The building should look like a business complex, with offices.¡±


    ¡°Roger, Catalyst,¡± said Yates. ¡°Willow and I are ready. We have three Decoys with us as well. Cyclone, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± said Arena. A message popped up on her screen from Anita. ¡°Good luck, Cyclone.¡± it said. She typed a thank you to her.


    ¡°We¡¯ve reached the drop point,¡± said Yates. ¡°Mission is a go.¡±


    ¡°Roger, Centurion,¡± said Arena.


    They heard some shuffling, and a click that sounded like a door opening. ¡°Homebase, this is some type of business office, as you said. Doesn¡¯t seem to be anyone here, though. We¡¯re going to proceed inside through the back. Willow is attaching the surveillance feed to the outgoing line.¡±


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    ¡°Roger that Centurion, connection established,¡± said Sterling. He was still typing very fast.


    ¡°We¡¯ve entered the building. So far it appears to be completely empty. Empty rooms, no furniture at all,¡± said Yates. ¡°Seems they¡¯ve cleared out completely.¡±


    Sterling grumbled next to her. She looked over at him, ¡°Everything okay?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a message on the guild message board,¡± he said, frowning. ¡°Can you log in and check it out?¡¯


    ¡°Sure,¡± she said. She opened the game, and ported herself back to the guild hall. She walked over to the message board, and clicked on the blinking page that signified a new message.


    It read, ¡°Will be at the Red and Gold tavern in half an hour. Theseus is still stuck in the festering swamp. PvP players after me, need help getting rid of them. -Jasmine¡±


    ¡°Sterling!¡± Arena shrieked. He jumped and turned toward her. She copied it and sent it to him.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± said Yates.


    ¡°We¡¯ve had contact from our operatives. Trying to decipher.¡± He paused and then sighed. ¡°Pickup point is across town from you, and I don¡¯t want to say where in case we¡¯re compromised. Cyclone and I will have to go¡ªwe¡¯re closer. We have two operatives left here. One will have to stay and secure the building, but we¡¯ll take the other one.¡± He looked at her. ¡°Homebase, you¡¯ll have to follow through the trace.¡±


    ¡°Roger, taking over the transmission,¡± said Anita.


    He switched off the comms and pulled her out of her chair. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time to get there. Chapman! You¡¯re with us. Richards--you secure this location.¡±


    They raced to the extra van. The Decoy named Chapman slid into the driver¡¯s seat. Sterling tapped something into his handheld, and the location popped up into the GPS of the vehicle. They set off through Sydney, which was a beautiful, modern city.


    ¡°Unfortunately, the location of the bar, the ¡®Scarlet Lion¡¯, is a good twenty-two miles away, and it might take us more than a half-hour to get there depending on traffic. If Lorna is being followed, she might not have extra minutes. I¡¯m not sure how she managed to log in, but I¡¯m glad she found some way to do so.¡±

 Chapter Forty-One

    They paced their way through the congested traffic, as it was late evening and people were getting off work. Arena yawned, suffering considerable jet lag. The bar was on the edge of town and looked a bit seedy. They didn¡¯t see Lorna outside, but there were a number of cars in the parking lot.


    They rushed inside. Most of the patrons gave them flat stares. Several TVs played an Australian football match.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see her,¡± said Arena.


    ¡°No, go look in the ladies room. Maybe she¡¯s in there,¡± said Sterling.


    Arena headed for the bathroom. She pushed on the door, and it stopped partway open.


    ¡°Watch where your¡­¡± snarled a male voice. Thick fingers clamped onto the door from the inside.


    There was a croak, then a thump on the ground. She pushed the door opened wider to see Lorna snatch the gun from his hand and point it at him. He slid to the floor, dazed, but not unconscious, and weakly held up his hands.


    ¡°Lorna!¡± Arena leaped over the man, but didn¡¯t hug Lorna while she held the gun. A large bruise covered the left side of her face. Arena could see other bruises and cuts on her arms, and it looked like she had needle marks on the inside of her elbow.


    The Decoy pushed open the door behind her and took the gun over from Lorna. ¡°I¡¯ve got him.¡±


    Sterling followed. ¡°We can¡¯t really do much here outside of jurisdiction, so I¡¯ll just do this.¡± He pulled out a taser and gave him a shock. He shook a little bit. ¡°It¡¯s just a mild dose, but should knock him out for a while. They should get here before he wakes up. I¡¯ll send a tip to some contacts here, and I¡¯m sure they can take care of him.¡± Sterling handed Arena the taser, and started whispering into his handheld. They slipped out the side door.


    ¡°Hey!¡± A man in sunglasses came running at them from a white van, still running and with the driver¡¯s side door open. He tried to grab Lorna, but she kicked him in the knee. He grunted, but didn¡¯t let go. Arena tased him, and he fell on the ground, seizing. Vibration shot up her arm, and she stared at the taser.


    Sterling pushed Arena into the van, then got in next to her. Lorna threw herself into the front seat. The van took off out of the parking lot, wheels squealing. Arena gingerly handed the taser to Sterling. He took it absently as he whispered into his handheld, then cast his eyes back to the parking lot.


    ¡°That should do it," Sterling muttered.


    ¡°Do what?¡± said Lorna.


    ¡°Oh, I just hacked his GPS to take him to the middle of the outback, no matter what address he tries to put in it. All roads lead to nowhere.¡±


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    ¡°You inspire country songs,¡± said Lorna, who smiled faintly. ¡°I missed you guys.¡±


    "We''re so glad you''re okay! What happened to Nate?" asked Arena.


    "We were taken to some sort of office building. They tried a few different things, but they didn''t seem to interested in me. It was Nate that Celeste wanted. And by ''wanted'', I think she has more interest in him than just professional. Apparently, one of the other guys said she stalked Nate when he worked with her and he rejected her. She threatened to have him fired and a number of other things if he didn''t give into her. He even tried filing a sexual harassment complaint after his request to transfer was denied. Apparently, it just disappeared. This group might have more influence than we think. They had us separated for most of it, but I overheard some things. Then they got word that someone was after them, and moved everything. I was in the back of a van, and Nate wasn''t in it. I''m not sure where he was. I managed to kick the door open at a stop and get away, but the driver and that guy from the bathroom were following me. I got away from them used a computer in an internet cafe to send the message, but they found me shortly after and followed me to the bar, where you found me."


    Sterling put a hand on her shoulder over the seat, "We are glad you are alright. We''ll find Nate, I promise. And we''ll take care of Celeste, and whatever group she is representing." Lorna smiled at them weakly.


    The Decoy named Richards seemed relieved to see them when they got out of the car at the townhouse.


    "They''re asking a lot of questions, but I don''t know what to tell them,¡± Richards said.


    Yates and Sophia did indeed have many questions. Lorna took one look at Yates and about turned and went back out the door. Sterling stopped her with a hand on her arm. "It''s okay, we''ve got it worked out." She gawked open-mouthed for a moment, but reluctantly turned back into the room.


    Sterling explained what happened while they found Lorna, and Sophia and Yates said there wasn''t much after the search of the office building. Sophia did offer a trash bag found in the men''s bathroom. She got out plastic gloves and began to sort through it. Most of it was paper towels, but a flyer about an Australian surfing competition seemed wildly out of place.


    "You think they might trade the hoverboards at this competition?" asked Yates. "It would be a logical cover."


    ¡°That¡¯s probably why they were in California at that tiny surfing competition?¡± asked Arena.


    "Seems like a silly cover knowing we have a surfer on our team," said Sterling.


    Yates shook his head. "That''s not in her file, intentionally. We didn''t want to give any reason for this project to be assigned to¡­" He hesitated. "..STATUS."


    "You can say the Misfits," said Sterling. "It''s sort of a badge of honor."


    "The Misfits." Yates stumbled over the words. "At any rate, we should check it out." He turned to Arena, "I know you wanted to sit out, but we should have a reason for being there. Care to enter for us? It might let us have someone closer to the competitors."


    Arena hesitated, and looked at Sterling. His eyes pleaded with her to say "no". But she couldn''t think of a better way.


    "I will enter," she said. "It''s not like I haven''t done that before, even though it looks like this competition is higher-level than I normally go for. But if it''s just about getting access, then I can do that."


    Yates nodded. Sterling crossed his arms and looked angry. Lorna put a hand on her arm, "You don''t have to, Arena."


    "I know, but I want to," she said. "But won''t they recognize me? And all of you?"


    Sterling smiled grimly, "We''ll do what we do best--stick out to the point of being unnoticed."

 Chapter Forty-Two

    Arena spent the several days before the competition at the beach surfing. Lorna often went with her to watch, along with the Decoy assigned to them for the day. She felt rusty after spending all that time underground, but she knew she didn¡¯t have to win, just look proficient. Most of the group tried to dissuade Lorna from coming, so she could rest, but Lorna sedately refused and came anyway. She was subdued since her return, and although Arena was glad she was okay, she missed Lorna¡¯s bubbly spirit. Yates and Sterling tried to get as much information from her as possible, since the office building had turned up little other information.


    Australia was in its fall nearing winter, and breezy enough that Arena needed a full wet suit most of the time. Hawaii was entering the summer months, but it was rarely cold. The water was clear and bright tropical fish swam underneath the waves.


    Arena had entered the amateur intermediate adult level, which was about on target for her ability, but she really couldn¡¯t compete against professional or even amateur full-time surfers. It was a hobby but never her first love. Sometimes in Hawaii it was the only thing to do on a tiny island, and there was much less to do on Molokai than the larger islands. She wasn¡¯t qualified to work as a surf guide in the minds of many of the islanders. She was a local and allowed to surf in local spots without hindrance but not considered top-notch by any means.


    She stopped to rest and returned to where Lorna and the Decoy named Allen were sitting on the beach on beach chairs under an umbrella. Allen looked cheerfully awkward in a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and black socks and tennis shoes. Lorna was engrossed in fantasy novels with elaborately painted covers. Arena plopped down on a towel next to them, dropping her surf board next to her. She didn¡¯t care if sand covered the board so much anymore, since her muscles were telling her it was time to stop.


    ¡°Having any luck?¡± asked Lorna, putting down her book.


    Arena shrugged, ¡°Not so much about luck. Surf is pretty consistent here today, at least. Much more predictable than where I¡¯m from. But the water is still pretty warm, so that¡¯s good.¡±


    Lorna nodded absently. Allen was smiling with an odd expression, but didn¡¯t seem to really be paying attention to them. ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± said Arena. ¡°See what¡¯s for dinner.¡±


    Lorna nodded, and her and Allen began picking up the gear. Arena stripped off her wetsuit down to her bikini, and put some clothes on over it. The wind whipped her black hair around her face, and she kept pushing it out of the way so she could see what she was doing. They managed to stuff all the gear into the van, and started to head back to the townhouse when Arena noticed that Lorna seemed puzzled.


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    ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked, reaching out and touching Lorna¡¯s shoulder. Lorna jerked, and looked up at her sharply, which startled Arena, too.


    ¡°Oh, yes, I was just remembering something,¡± she said. ¡°One of the men with Celeste made a comment that when they got back to Washington D. C.--their boss wanted to see the hoverboards. And something about ¡®the organization¡¯, and then he mumbled something. I had been asleep and had just woken up, so I think they thought I didn¡¯t hear them, and I wasn¡¯t sure I heard them right either. But, I thought when he was whispering that he mentioned something about a torchbearer. Torchbearer for what? How is that related?¡±


    Arena shook her head. Maybe Lorna misheard or it just wasn¡¯t important. ¡°We probably should bring it to Sterling anyway,¡± Arena said. Lorna nodded, somewhat hesitantly.


    They got back to the townhouse, and Lorna related her memory to Sterling and Yates. Sterling said he had heard the use of the term in several secret societies, but it could mean a number of things, and that he would do more research. Yates said nothing, but looked like he was considering various possibilities. Finally, Yates just said, ¡°Certainly look that up, but I¡¯m not sure we can get anything from just that without knowing what else he said. See if you can try to remember.¡± Lorna said she would do her best to remember, but she seemed doubtful.


    Sterling was already off to research the mysterious torchbearer. Yates pulled Arena aside. ¡°I know we¡¯ve asked a lot of you, but do you think you are ready to do this?¡±


    ¡°The surfing competition I can handle,¡± she said. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure what I could do if something happens and no one is nearby.¡±


    Yates folded his arms, his posture upright and planted on both feet. ¡°Sterling and I have been contemplating just that, and the problem of being recognizable to Celeste and anyone else who may be affiliated with the CIA. Now that Lorna is back, we can utilize her expertise in disguises, and I think we¡¯ll put several full agents near you who can best protect you. Bertha is too easily recognizable, since she was with you when Lorna and Nate were taken, but Lorna and Sophia have both agreed to stay near you. They are both easier to disguise than Bertha or Sterling. I will also stay nearby. Celeste knows me fairly well, but I can¡¯t believe she¡¯ll be expecting me to be here since we cut off her access to the CIA as soon as we found out she was colluding with the group. We¡¯ve installed Sterling in the announcer¡¯s booth as a technician, so he should be able to see everything without being seen, and several of the Decoys will be scattered through the crowd. Bertha will be driving the van and advising on comms.¡±


    It sounded like a reasonable plan, but so far not a single mission had gone according to plan, not even the practice mission. ¡°Are you sure Lorna is ready to be back on the field? She¡¯s been awfully different since she came back.¡±


    Yates sighed. ¡°We have to take that chance. And she is a longtime professional and knows what is at stake. I think maybe getting back into a mission might help.¡±


    Arena knew there was nothing really she could do to talk anyone out of Lorna participating, but it still really bothered her. ¡°Well, I am about as ready as I can be, all things considered. I don¡¯t really know what else I could learn before tomorrow,¡± she said.

 Chapter Forty-Three

    The day dawned not bright and clear, but rainy and windy, much to the team¡¯s consternation. Sterling was worried the competition would be canceled, but Arena told them that it was unlikely unless there was lightning, since waves would still be waves in the rain as well as sun. Arena gathered up all her gear and systematically went through it, checking and indexing everything several times. She was really only responsible for the surfing equipment, but it calmed her down to make sure she had everything.


    Sterling seemed agitated, snapping at them during breakfast and casting worried glances at Arena when he thought she wasn¡¯t looking. She wanted to say something to reassure him, but she didn¡¯t think it would help, and she was afraid he¡¯d bite her head off for it anyway. Lorna disappeared with Sophia into one of the bathrooms to don their disguises, and Yates had come to eat a bagel and then disappear as well.


    An hour later, Yates emerged. He had shaved off his beard and bleached his hair blond. He also put in light brown contacts. Arena knew she probably wouldn¡¯t have recognized him out on the street. He wore jeans and a sweatshirt and carried a rain jacket.


    She gawked at him. He grinned. Sterling¡¯s voice came from behind her ¡°We need to leave in¡­¡± and she turned to find him staring as well.


    ¡°Desperate times call for desperate beauty treatments,¡± Yates joked.


    About ten minutes later Lorna and Sophia came out of the bathroom. Lorna emerged as a middle-aged man, with ash-blonde hair, green eyes, an overbite, and a slight paunch. She was dressed in a hot dog vendor¡¯s outfit. But Arena was even more stunned by Sophia¡¯s transformation. She looked vaguely like a lumberjack in her mid 40s, including a plaid shirt over a long-sleeved long john top, loose jeans and work boots. Over all of it was a brown trench coat and hat that seemed very outback. Her hair was dyed red, and she sported considerable latex facial parts.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe how amazing you all look!¡± said Arena. ¡°Now I wish I had more of a disguise. Although, with the full wetsuit on, I probably won¡¯t look too much like myself, I guess.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much else we can do with you, but if you draw their attention then we will be able to catch them. I¡¯m going to put the extra gear in the hot dog stand. I can keep it near to wherever you are on the beach,¡± said Lorna. ¡°Sophia is going to have a camera and be taking pictures, but she¡¯s got her weapons under some of that flannel.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get a move on,¡± Sterling growled. ¡°Get the gear in the van.¡± He started grabbing stuff and pointing at cases to be loaded. Lorna rolled her eyes behind Sterling¡¯s back, flashing Arena her first truly bright smile since her capture. Maybe Yates is right, thought Arena. She just needs to get back in the game. This is what she loves to do. Arena was relieved to see her personality returning to normal.


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    Arena, Yates, and Sophia drove in a separate car so they wouldn¡¯t draw as much attention to themselves. Sophia was acting as an acquaintance of Arena¡¯s who was photographing her surfing for a magazine. Arena didn¡¯t think she was worthy of that sort of story, but Sophia said she would just claim it was a small-town human interest piece. It seemed to make a big difference to Sophia, so Arena shrugged and decided not to argue about it. Yates was claiming to be a friend. She found it interesting that despite the rest of the Misfits¡¯ disguises, Yates still decided to look like a model.


    Arena made sure the hood to her wetsuit was zipped before she got out of the car, which would have been unusual in most circumstances, but the cold, dreary weather was a good excuse. She hoped it made her much less recognizable.


    She glanced over at the van, and saw Sterling get out, stuffing his handheld in his pocket. He unloaded gear with efficient organization, but she could see that he was visibly distracted. He had chosen just to wear dark colors and a poncho, which concealed his face and features unless you were looking at him directly, and from behind he could easily have been mistaken for a child.


    Butterflies were doing the hula in Arena¡¯s stomach as she scanned the beach for anything familiar. She wished they knew where Nate had been taken or anything more about what Celeste¡¯s plan could be. They might not even be here, and this was just a rabbit trail, but it was worth a shot.


    She carried her board up to the registration table, and checked in to the proper category. Everything seemed to be in place, so whoever had registered her had done a good job. There were a surprising number of competitors, and about 12 in her division. There were over 20 in the men¡¯s intermediate division, which was always how it seemed to be. She also ended up nearly dead last on the division roster, so she guessed that was also some fancy computer work, and she guessed it to be Anita¡¯s. That gave her a reason to stay near the other contestants until they had already gone.


    The person at the table gave her number and she had Sophia pin it to her back. Then Sophia proceeded to make a big show of photographing Arena and some of the other surfers who wanted to be in the pictures. Sophia¡¯s Australian accent sounded pretty good to Arena. Not being from Australia, she certainly wasn¡¯t an expert, but no one else seemed to notice.


    One woman looking to be in her early twenties came up to Arena and asked her what division she was competing. The woman said she was in a higher division, and seemed to be a little disappointed. She did ask about Arena¡¯s American accent, and Arena nodded and said she was a student and overseas for a semester, and just thought it would be fun to try the tournament. The woman blinked at her, and Arena realized it must be because they must get more native Japanese surfers than Japanese nationals from other countries.

 Chapter Forty-Four

    The kids¡¯ division led off the competition. Arena found herself forgetting about the mission as she watched them compete. One little girl was amazing and looked to be several years younger than the rest in her division. She seemed totally fearless and Arena wished she had the fearlessness she had as a child.


    Even in the wetsuit, the cold and the damp were starting to get to her, and her face was chilled. She had a blue fleece blanket printed with fluffy white clouds wrapped around her, and decided to wander up to the snack bar for something hot to drink. Sophia followed her, examining her camera and trying to wipe some of the wet from it. She passed a group of older surfers, and overheard one say something about ¡°the package¡±. She froze. Sophia faltered, but then grabbed her arm and dragged her around the group to the snack bar.


    ¡°Coffee, please,¡± Sophia said, rather loudly.


    ¡°Me too,¡± said Arena, and she put money on the counter for both of them. Sophia turned and began snapping photos of Arena at the snack bar, but it was obvious she was looking at the group behind Arena.


    ¡°My editor is not going to like these much,¡± she said. ¡°Such a nasty day today.¡± The man at the bar seemed sympathetic, said he was an amateur photographer, and started rattling off the best time of year for weather at the beach.


    Arena strained her ears, but she couldn¡¯t hear much over the chatter. She inched back a little bit from the snack bar and pretended to let the person behind her go ahead while she drank her coffee.


    ¡°Keep an eye out for anybody trying to intercept it¡­¡± she barely heard one man say. ¡°The agent for the buyer is supposed to be in the men¡¯s advanced amateur division, wearing a--¡± Arena couldn¡¯t hear that part, and tried not to inch closer or make them aware she was listening. She looked at Sophia, smiled, and blew on her coffee. Sophia continued to engage the man at the snack bar in photography talk.


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    ¡°What about the person waiting in the van?¡± said another man.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be okay until we finish this. She said we were supposed to keep an eye on him, but I dunno why he¡¯s so important anyway,¡± said the first man. Arena tried not to choke on her coffee.


    ¡°Maybe we should go check on ¡®im, jus¡¯ to make sure?¡± said another one. ¡°I wanna go get some real coffee anyway. You all have the other van.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± the first man said, ¡°Just make sure you get to the drop point, but give me your board. I don¡¯t want you walkin¡¯ off with it.¡±


    Arena¡¯s eyes widened. She saw two of the men stalk off in one direction.


    ¡°I heard it,¡± Sterling suddenly said in her ear, and she flinched, forgetting she had the earphone. ¡°Cyclone, you and Willow and Centurion need to get that board, and you should stay by the wa¡­¡±


    Sophia lunged past Arena, launching herself at the three remaining men. They yelped in surprise, and as Arena spun around, she realized that Yates was on the other side. Yates used his surfboard to knock one of the men to the ground. His board tumbled onto the ground a few feet away. Arena ran over and snatched it up. She pulled it behind the snack bar, out of the way of the fight. It wasn¡¯t as large as a surfboard. This is it!


    She scanned the parking lot and saw Bertha laying on the ground, with the two men standing over her. Sterling was creeping toward them. They turned away from Bertha and walked toward a dirty maroon van. Without thinking, Arena dropped the board on the ground and jumped on it. Immediately it rose about five feet. She crouched, pressed her foot down on the side, and the board took off. She stood and slowed, so she wouldn¡¯t overtake the men too fast.


    ¡°Cyclone, NO!¡± she heard Sophia behind her.


    ¡°Cyclone, wait for the others!¡± said Sterling. ¡°You can¡¯t take them alone!¡±

 Chapter Forty-Five

    I have to save Nate before they take off with him in the van, she thought.


    They stopped to open the back of the van and were saying something into it. Arena crouched, adjusted her direction, and ran straight into them from the side. The impact knocked both to the ground. She tumbled off the board and it dropped to the ground. Impact knocked the air out of her, but she had been prepared for the fall and staggered to her feet. Thankfully, the thick wetsuit had protected her from too much injury or scrapes.


    One man sprawled on the ground, unconscious, but the other was lurching to his feet. She snatched up the board just as the other man did, and he tossed her against a car like she was a towel. Pain shot through her back, and she cried out. Scrambling back to her feet anyway, Arena launched herself at the man, who tried to close the van doors while holding the board.


    Leaping onto his back, she tightened her arms against his neck. He spun in circles several times. Her feet were hanging more than a foot off the ground, so he slammed her backward against the van. The door swung back open and they both tumbled into the van. She unconsciously dropped her arms from his neck. His weight was nearly unbearable.


    He rolled over and pushed up, but suddenly two feet swung out and caught him in the nose, right over her face. Blood dripped onto Arena¡¯s wetsuit, but she took the pause to kick up and out at him, and caught him in the knee. He cried out in pain, and then slumped to the ground. She sat up weakly and saw Sterling with a needle in his hand.


    ¡°Nice kick,¡± he said. ¡°Both of you.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± she sat up fully, and turned to Nate, who was bound hands, feet, and mouth. Her fingers were very stiff, but she managed to pull off his gag. He coughed a few times, then smiled weakly.


    ¡°Nice goin¡¯, short stuff,¡± he said faintly. ¡°I liked how you took them out with the board.¡± Arena looked up at him, but continued to work at the knots until she pulled them all off. ¡°You must have had a good teacher.¡±


    ¡°Obviously not one who told her to always follow orders,¡± said Sterling dryly at the door of the van. Yates and Sophia appeared behind Sterling. Yates had a bloody gash on his chest, and half of Sophia¡¯s facial latex was hanging off, giving her the look of a mutated outback zombie.


    ¡°You all already replaced me?¡± Nate said weakly as Arena helped him out of the van. She tried to support his weight, but crumpled. Yates caught Nate while Sterling caught her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s pull this party behind the van, shall we?¡± said Yates, and he sort of half-carried, half-dragged Nate around the side of the van. ¡°We¡¯ve already drawn some attention from the fight on the beach.¡± Arena was able to walk well enough, but Sterling held onto her tightly anyway. Sophia closed the van doors and picked up the surfboard as they rounded the side of the van.


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    Yates had given Nate a water bottle, from which he was drinking thirstily. Arena slumped to a kneeling position on the ground, a position she soon found uncomfortable due to the wetsuit, so she pushed her feet out in front of her. Sterling kneeled next to her, with his hand on her shoulder. Sophia peeled the remaining latex off her face.


    Bertha came limping around the side of the van. ¡°Lorna pulled the van over here. Did you get the boards?¡± Then she smiled. ¡°Hiya, Atticus. Glad to see you¡¯re not too bloody.¡±


    Nate just nodded at her, still drinking from the bottle.


    ¡°We got both of their boards, and Arena used one, but I don¡¯t know if the other one is the item,¡± said Sterling. He stood up reluctantly, went over to where two of the boards were sitting next to Sophia. Sterling picked one up and brought it over to her. Arena ran her hands over the other board.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have the top fin,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is it.¡±


    ¡°Do we still have the other hoverboard?¡± said Sophia.


    Sterling nodded. ¡°We left it in the van, and Allen stayed with it when Bertha went to investigate this van.¡±


    Lorna pulled the van right up behind them and got out. Allen was in the front seat.


    ¡°What are we going to do about Celeste?¡± said Sophia.


    Yates frowned, as did most of the others. ¡°We don¡¯t know where she is. From the way these guys acted, I would say they are hired and not directly part of her team, although I¡¯m not sure why she trusted them.¡±


    One of the men on the ground stirred, and most of the team reacted, pulling out guns. It was Lorna who leveled her pistol at the man¡¯s face as he sat up, rubbing his bald spot. He turned and looked at the gun, jumped, and then cowered. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you anything! I dunno a lot; I just came as a replacement!¡±


    Yates walked over to him, ¡°Where is the woman that hired you?¡±


    ¡°Her?¡± he whimpered. ¡°She was supposed to take a private jet back to the States while we did all the dirty work. I dunno where exactly she was going, but we were supposed to wire the money to some account, and he was taking the boards to the airport before she left.¡± He swept his hand over the other man. ¡°She¡¯s probably going to the airport right now. But I found out she paid me half of what she paid them. We knocked out the guys who sold the boards and took both the money and the boards. I thought we should try to break the boards open and see what they were transferrin¡¯. Probably worth more than what she paid us. I needed the money.¡±


    Yates turned to the rest of them. ¡°We need to stop her before she suspects something is wrong and disappears.¡±


    They pulled the guy up and handcuffed him, and pushed him into the red van, then dragged the other man into the van. ¡°We¡¯ll take both vans,¡± Yates said.


    Yates found out from the handcuffed man which airport Celeste chose, and they raced there. Arena crouched next to Lorna, who was still holding her gun and eying the man who was awake and tied up. He kept looking at them nervously and seemed like a big baby more than a hired mercenary. Arena wondered if he would cry if she poked him, then immediately felt bad for thinking it.


    Nate sat across from them, looking weary, but happy. He seemed thinner and more gaunt, and he had some slashes and bruises on his face and arms, though he looked better than Lorna when they had rescued her. Arena thought maybe Celeste had treated him better in hopes that he would agree to whatever she had planned. He said little, but kept looking uncomfortably at the captives.

 Chapter Forty-Six

    The van pulled into a small regional airport outside of Sydney. There seemed to be a lot of smaller planes, but Arena saw a private jet sitting out on the side of the runway, waiting for their prize. Yates called in backup from some Australian covert authorities who were apparently delaying the plane in red tape. Their preliminary investigation found some other crimes that marked Celeste as a logical suspect so Celeste would be turned over to them after her capture. Yates conceded to insure their help.


    The team leaped out of the vans. Allen, Sophia, and Nate stayed with the vans, as well as a few of their Australian counterparts. They tried to convince Lorna and Arena to stay with Nate, but she was determined to go with them, as was Lorna. Sterling sighed, handed Arena a taser, and told her to be careful with it. She noticed he stayed very close to her, though.


    They rounded the side of the airport building, securing it as Arena had practiced in simulations. It was a little surreal like she was watching it on TV. She and Sterling were in the back of the group. Arena wished for the security of the hoverboard, but Yates had insisted they leave them in the vans. They paused before running out into the open, and Arena could see Celeste standing by the plane surrounded by several men. She furiously dialed her phone, her face a dark cloud.


    Then they were off and running across the tarmac. Yates was bellowing for Celeste and the men to freeze and get down on the ground. The men reached for their guns, but put their hands up when they saw they were severely outnumbered. Arena could hear Celeste¡¯s shrill voice ordering them to do something, and she started running for the plane. However, as she got to the steps, the pilot and co-pilot came down with their hands in the air, and she yelled at them as well. She spun around a few times, trying to find someone who would obey her.


    Yates reached her first, but grabbed a gun from one of her body guards. She spun and aimed it back at Yates.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer!¡± she shouted loudly. ¡°I will shoot! I have more to lose than you do!¡± She sounded nearly hysterical. Sterling grabbed Arena¡¯s wrist and dragged her over to the side of the group, close to the plane. His grip hurt, and she pulled out of it, but took a step behind him.


    ¡°Put down the gun, Celeste,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s over. You lose more by not giving in. At least help us, and it won¡¯t be quite so bad for you.¡±


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    ¡°You can¡¯t promise that, Yates!¡± she shrieked. ¡°They have people on the inside. There¡¯s nowhere that is safe!¡±


    He inched toward her. ¡°Drop it, Celeste. It¡¯s not worth it. I can protect you.¡±


    She darted to the side. Yates kept his gun on her, but she grabbed the pilot, and put the gun to his head. He whimpered and said weakly, ¡°I¡¯m just hired. I didn¡¯t know anything about this!¡±


    Jerking his head back, she hissed, ¡°You¡¯re going to fly me back to America. I¡¯m not getting caught by them.¡± The co-pilot, who had inched near Arena and Sterling, still holding his hands up. Suddenly, he grabbed for Arena, pulling a gun on her. He had a fistful of her hair. Her scalp burned like fire.


    ¡°Stop it, Celeste!¡± Yates yelled. ¡°Let them go!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting on the plane,¡± said Celeste, now eerily calm, her gun pressed to the pilot¡¯s forehead. ¡°I am going back to the States, and you will never find me again.¡± She tipped her head to the co-pilot. ¡°He can fly the plane. You don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t plan for any contingency, did you? And I¡¯ll take your little prot¨¦g¨¦. I¡¯m sure I can find something interesting for her to do.¡±


    Using the pilot as a shield, Celeste pulled him up the steps of the plane and into the doorway. The co-pilot dragged Arena in the same way, whispering roughly that she better do what he said. He tightened his arm around her neck for effect. She tried to brace her feet against his legs, but she couldn¡¯t breathe and everything started to go white.


    A shot, and then another. The grip on her neck loosened, and the co-pilot sunk to the ground. Arena tumbled to her knees, gasping for breath. She felt gentle hands on her arms, pulling her up to a sitting position. As her vision cleared, she saw Sterling in front of her, a gun in his hand. Celeste lay at the top of the steps, blood trailing out of her head. The pilot was pressed against the door of the plane, covered with blood and looking stunned. Arena looked down at the co-pilot, who had blood coming out of his shoulder.


    Sterling shrugged at her. ¡°I¡¯m not quite as good of a shot as Yates.¡± She hugged him, and he hugged her back with one arm, his face pressed into her shoulder.


    Yates came up to them, and inspected the co-pilot, checking his pulse. ¡°Not bad, Flynn. Not great either, but at least you hit him. He¡¯s still alive, though. Thankfully, they were too wound up to be careful.¡± He climbed the steps and examined Celeste. ¡°She wasn¡¯t quite as lucky. I wish I didn¡¯t have to kill her, but wasn¡¯t enough time to come up with a better plan.¡±


    Sterling nodded grimly, still holding onto Arena. ¡°You alright?¡± he asked. His hand tightened around her waist.


    She tried to say, ¡°Just a bit shaken up,¡± but her voice cracked. His eyes softened, and she put her head on his shoulder.

 Chapter Forty-Seven

    Eventually they were taken to a quiet room in the airport. They got their bumps and scrapes treated, and the co-pilot was taken to the hospital under guard. Celeste¡¯s body was taken away under a sheet. The pilot was blubbering and loudly exclaiming that he had a family. They eventually took him out of the room to somewhere else.


    Nate slid over to Arena. ¡°We still gotta work on those escapes from people with guns,¡± he joked. ¡°But pretty soon you¡¯ll go to real training and at least you¡¯ll have a gun of your own.¡± Arena was still too raw to joke back, so she just smiled at him weakly. Sterling had stayed right next to her, though he issued orders from his commset to various people within the room and outside as well.


    They tried to take Nate to the hospital, but he refused. He did allow the medics to examine him. They pronounced him dehydrated, but otherwise ok. She saw one medic force a paper cup and a jug of yellow electrolyte drink into his hands and motioned for him to drink it. He shrugged at the medic, and poured himself a cup. About ten minutes later she looked back up at him, and he was about halfway through the bottle and beginning to turn green. He tried to put it aside, so the medic threatened to put an IV in him instead. He looked from the bottle to the IV and pointed at the IV.


    The flight back to New York City was long, but Arena slept through most of it. They got back to the compound in the middle of the morning, and everyone ended up in the dining room without discussion. The staff had been apprised of their return, and there was something akin to a Thanksgiving banquet waiting for them. They all dug in, and there was little noise except silverware clinking and chewing.


    Arena sat with Sterling, Lorna, and Nate. Lorna and Nate were quiet, but Arena didn¡¯t think either of them had gotten much sleep on the plane. When lunch was finished, the retreated to the conference room and each had to record an interviewed briefing, run by Yates. Nate seemed still a little stunned at Yates¡¯ participation in the mission, but she suspected somebody must have filled him in at some point, because Nate wasn¡¯t regarding Yates with outright suspicion.


    Nate went first. Most of the group gathered around, wanting to hear what happened. He waited patiently for everyone to sit down and get comfortable, although Yates was somewhat impatient to get started. Nate seemed calm, and Arena thought he looked better with some food and enough fluid. Lorna brought him a glass of water, then sat down and watched him intently.


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    ¡°After we got out of the elevator, Celeste dragged me into a helicopter on the roof. She had one of her goons tie me up, then she injected me with something. The next thing I remember, I was in some sort of room that looked like an interior empty office. They still had me handcuffed, and my feet tied. After awhile, she showed up and began to tell me how I needed to work with her or I¡¯d be making a big mistake. She also said that those she worked for would reward me well if I agreed to join them. She didn¡¯t give me much so far as intel on them, just that they did have high contacts in the CIA and they would be watching me no matter what.¡± He stopped and shifted his weight, then took a sip of water. Arena could tell he was still stiff and still in pain.


    ¡°I tried to figure out if Lorna was in the next room, but I knocked with my elbow and didn¡¯t hear anything.¡± Lorna shook her head and shrugged. ¡°Oh, well. Anyway, her goons spoon fed me some oatmeal, which at least was better than nothing. Then I heard a lot of noise, and one of the other ones rushed in and said they had to move me out. They put me in that van, and we went to another building which looked like a warehouse. I was there for a day or two, I think, locked in some sort of storage closet. They did give me a little food and water, but not much. I think they were trying to weaken me into agreeing, although it probably would have taken a lot more than that. Celeste seemed to think it was only a matter of time before I agreed to switch to her side, but she¡¯s never been big on self-doubt.¡± He laughed bitterly. ¡°The others just seemed completely uninterested in me, which made me think they weren¡¯t really part of her little organization, just hired to help. Then, this morning, they retied everything, gagged me, and put me in that van. One of them said they had to ¡®deliver me to her after they did a little job first¡¯.¡± He altered his voice to sound just like the first goon Arena had overheard. They put me in the back of that red van, and left me there in the parking lot, tied around one of the bars in the back.¡±


    He raised his eyebrows comically. ¡°I was trying to wriggle free when they came back. They opened the back doors, and were telling me to behave or they¡¯d sedate me when Agent Schmidt plowed into them with the board.¡± He grinned at her. ¡°Just like a bowling ball. When Arena and one of them dropped into the van, I decided to give her a little help.¡±


    Yates asked some questions, most which reiterated things Nate already said or that had already been confirmed by Lorna. Several of the others went next, and then Arena told her side of the story and how she had overheard the men at the snack bar and taken out the men by the van. She did feel rather uncomfortable when he asked her to confirm that she disobeyed a direct order, but she told the truth. Yates was impassive, but Sterling scowled behind him.

 Chapter Forty-Eight

    Arena was released and went back to her room to take a shower. She sat in her room awhile, exhausted by everything, but unable to truly relax. Finally, she wandered back out into the common room. Nate and Lorna were sitting there, just talking.


    ¡°I¡¯m really happy both of you are alright,¡± she said, sitting down next to Lorna. ¡°We were really worried about you.¡±


    Lorna smiled. Nate said, ¡°I never had any doubts I¡¯d be rescued by a surfboard-wielding college student.¡± Then he pursed his lips and waggled a finger at her. ¡°Though I¡¯m not done with your training yet. We¡¯ve got a few more holds to cover.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of Arena¡¯s training, I need to speak with her.¡± Arena turned around to see Yates. He was still blond, but showered and dressed in a sharp black suit. Sophia was standing behind him, looking much more like a professional agent than a lumberjack in a black skirt suit and blue silk blouse, her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. Sterling stood silently in the hallway.


    He handed her a yellow manila envelope. ¡°Those are the details and arrangements for your formal training. We thought we¡¯d wait until the fall session, but according to Johnson, you should be ready to take the fit test, so if you pass that you will accelerate into paramilitary training, which starts in three weeks. We¡¯ll streamline some of your covert ops training, since you¡¯ve done all the simulations and some training already, and you should be done by September.¡± He paused and gave her a meaningful look. ¡°And I would hope by then you will have learned to take orders when directed.¡± She gulped and nodded.


    ¡°You might want to hurry and finish your thesis in the next few weeks.¡± She had totally forgotten about school and the thesis, but tried not to let that show on her face. ¡°Luckily, you should be able to access any and all research you might need for that, and I¡¯ve instructed Anita to help you in any way possible. When you return, you will be enrolled in part-time classes and independent studies, so you can continue to work with the Misfits, which is where you will be permanently assigned.¡± Arena felt her heart jump, which was echoed with a whoop from Lorna behind her. She tried not to giggle.


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    ¡°Furthermore,¡± he said, turning to everyone in the room, ¡°Assistant Deputy Director Fieldhaven and I have upgraded the security clearance of STATUS to top secret, and you all will begin helping us find out who is behind this secret organization. You will work directly for me. Unfortunately, I must return to Washington D. C. and take the hoverboards with me, but I¡¯ve assigned Agent Kershaw as my assistant and your permanent liaison. She will be traveling back and forth personally, and working for both myself and STATUS. We have to fly back out tonight, but I¡¯m sure you will be seeing much more of her in the future.¡± Sophia smiled, almost shyly, and cast a look at Yates out of the corner of her eyes.


    He went around and shook all of their hands. He stopped at Arena, ¡°I hope you¡¯ll come see me during some of your covert operations training. And I¡¯m sure Sophia would be happy to see you as well.¡± He cast a glance over his shoulder, and Sophia nodded energetically. Last of all, he stopped at Sterling and they shook hands, if not as friends, then at least as equal colleagues. He and Sophia left.


    They all looked awkwardly at each other for a moment before Lorna screamed, ¡°PARTY! Anita, turn up the music!¡± and made them all laugh. They laughed even harder when ABBA suddenly came on over the loudspeakers, blaring the first notes of ¡®Dancing Queen¡¯.


    Lorna turned and pulled Nate up to dance, and Arena went over to Sterling. He gave her a mock stern look. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t intend to pull anything like that again, Agent Schmidt.¡±


    Arena shook her head, and said, ¡°No, sir, I plan to behave.¡± He took her hand. They joined Nate and Lorna, who were doing a complicated version of the swing. Nate tossed Lorna up into the air and caught her. Anita appeared and began to dance like a ballerina on the side of the room. She was surprisingly good.


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t expect me to do that,¡± said Sterling dryly, then casting a glance at Anita, ¡°Or that¡­¡±


    ¡°I would be happy if we just stayed on the ground,¡± said Arena. ¡°No more flying for a while.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll dance to that.¡±

 Epilogue

    Arena sat in the airport waiting for whoever was supposed to pick her up. She fidgeted with her hair, which she had cut into a short style before training, at Nate¡¯s suggestion, which she found to be sound advice. She still thought she might grow it back out again. Most of the bleached stripes had been cut off, and she kinda missed the blonde pieces. She didn¡¯t miss having helmet hair every night though, and with her thick hair and the Farm¡¯s infamous five-minute showers, sometimes washing it didn¡¯t completely help.


    Shifting one of her bags over, she felt relieved to be wearing normal clothes again. Arena decided she was never going to be a big fan of army fatigues. She did have a couple outfits with her, and wore slacks and a nice top on the off chance she¡¯d get bumped up to first class, but it was coach all the way. It was only a two-hour plane ride, though and tolerable. She just wished she could get home and see everyone faster. She adjusted the green top, which hung loosely on her now. The pants kept sliding down, so she had to roll the tops to keep them from falling off on the flight. She had a few safety pins, but she figured she¡¯d be less obtrusive on the flight if she avoided using them, though she did now have a regular CIA badge she could use if she needed to do so. She sighed. Like I needed to lose more weight, she thought. At least there will be time to eat again. She did however have some pretty nice shoulder muscles, for once, and felt like she was finally started to look more like a CIA agent instead of a skinny tween girl.


    Arena had gone to the CIA building at Langley once during the latter part of her training. Sophia had taken her out to lunch, but Yates had just shaken her hand and handed her a packet with her official badge and orders with a few concise words on the progress of her training. Sophia seemed genuinely happy to see her, and told her that her and Yates had begun seeing each other. She tried to press similar information out of Arena, but Arena managed to use all her covert training to teasingly ignore her hints. They had fun anyway, and Arena finally got to see the Smithsonian. She was impressed by the giant airplanes and the pieces of rocket ships, but wasn¡¯t as impressed as she thought she would have been if she had visited before joining the CIA.


    She dialed Anita. ¡°Sterling had a meeting with some bigwig in town. He was actually quite put out by it. Lorna went to pick you up about a half-hour ago. I¡¯ll call her now.¡± There was a pause. ¡°She said she got stuck in traffic on the bridge. I guess she¡¯ll just be a few minutes then.¡±


    Arena thanked Anita and hung up. She was glad to be done with the Farm. Paramilitary training was hard, and she didn¡¯t really care much for jumping out of planes, but she enjoyed her covert ops training immensely. She decided to log into the game on her handheld and play a little bit. She hadn¡¯t been able to play much while at training, but she had managed to get her character up into the 40s at least, with the help of Sterling and the other Misfits. Anita sent her a greeting, and some mail which she assumed was some sort of equipment. Nobody else was online. She had just started bashing a giant spider, when Lorna rushed up to her in the airport. She earned amused looks for her bright-yellow sweater with black skull leggings.


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    ¡°Sorry! Sorry!¡± Lorna picked up one of Arena¡¯s bags. ¡°There were three accidents on the way! Stupid New York drivers! Nearly as bad as D. C.¡± They walked out to the no-parking zone, where Lorna had parked a black armored car with a government tag. ¡°Comes in handy at airports,¡± she grinned. They got in the car, and Lorna wheedled her into stories about her training.


    Everything seemed the same, and it felt really good to be home. She took her bags back to her room and came back out into the common room where Lorna was waiting for her. Nate and Anita appeared. She hugged all of them, and they started harassing her for a detailed report of her time at the Farm. She was telling them about the time she mistakenly believed her teammate was planted to betray the team, and Sterling appeared in the hallway. Her heart fluttered a little bit. They had been emailing nearly every day since she left. She went over and hugged him.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back,¡± he said softly, gripping her waist. He didn¡¯t seem very happy, though, and cleared his throat and let her go, but kept his hand on the small of her back.


    ¡°Is everything alright,¡± asked Lorna. The others looked worried as well. Lorna came toward them, but Sterling beckoned her away and let go of Arena completely.


    ¡°I wish I could say it was, but it¡¯s not,¡± he said gruffly. ¡°I just met with Assistant Deputy Director Fieldhaven. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ve encountered a problem.¡± He sat down on one of the sofas. ¡°We¡¯ve received intel there¡¯s a heavy movement of agents in Europe, as well as some financial discrepancies. Something is up, but we don¡¯t know what it is. They¡¯ve been doing some background research, but are afraid it will be noticed. Someone seems to be directing it from the main office. We¡¯ve been assigned to dig deeper and see if we can undercover what they are doing and who is behind it.¡±


    ¡°How are we going to find out without anyone noticing?¡± asked Nate. He looked more thoughtful than puzzled.


    ¡°Between Anita and I, and the fact that we aren¡¯t in D. C., we should be able to make more headway than them, but it¡¯s still going to be hard, there¡¯s no doubt.¡± Sterling openly stared at Arena, fidgeting with his watch. Anita nodded, but was silent as usual. Arena looked around the room at the faces of her unit. She felt a rush of pride to be part of such a group, and was glad her training was over. This was her home now and this was where she really wanted to be. She knew this was where she could make the most difference in the world--not as a college student, or at a weather station, or announcing the weather on TV, or even surfing, but protecting the world from the dangers it contained.


    ¡°We can do it!¡± said Lorna enthusiastically, as she always was. ¡°We can do anything! We¡¯re the Misfits!¡±