Agent X

xx| 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢-𝚂𝚒𝚡 |xx

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady my shaky nerves. It was three minutes to eight, almost time for our grand and possibly final performance. I peeked through the branches of the coniferous trees surrounding WAOIC headquarters. The guards' blank stares seemed directed at me. My fingers lifted to the sides of my mask, subconsciously pressing on the edges to ensure it was in place. The last thing I wanted was to be discovered by the enemy agents.

The door to WAOIC headquarters opened. A line of guards marched out of the building in sync, machine guns in hand. The previous guards stepped forward from the building to allow the new one to take their place.

"Now!" I whispered.

Ty and I strutted out from the bushes. Jax brought up the rear, carrying the sleeping Agent Fox. It was scary how much she looked like me, her black bob, icy blue eyes, and youthful skin matched what I had stared at everyday for the past eighteen years.

The heels of my boots sunk into mud. Tall grasses brushed my leather-cloaked thighs. I was grateful to the knees length boots and thick pants Agent Fox had worn yesterday. It was a comforting barrier between my skin and whatever lurked in the grasses. The only weird part about it was that I was wearing some else's clothes...but what could we do? It would be strange if we showed up in different attire than the agents left in.

The electric fence drew closer with each stride. My pulse quickened, nervous energy flooding my veins. Remember Xara. Be Xara. Always calm, always cool, always collected—emotionless.

That meant no fear. After all, I was Agent X's clone. I could be her, I was her.

Then why do I feel so small?

I forced air into my lungs. Just because you're small doesn't mean you can't pretend to be big.

My back straightened, my head high in the air. The corners of my lips curled into a smirk.

We reached the electric gate standing in the center of the clearing. The line of guards marched past, inches away from us. I resisted the urge to tense my muscles. They aren't going to suspect a thing.

The last of the guards passed, leaving the gate door to swing shut. Ty caught it at the last moment and held it open for Jax and me. For a moment, I questioned whether a WAOIC agent would show that much chivalry, even to his colleagues. But then again, Smog was one of the more dangerous agents since he was so good at pretending to be kind. In reality, he was rotten to the core. It just was undetectable until it was too late.

The three of us stepped in front of the building. A small, black camera on the side of the building angled down at us. I summoned an icy, smug gaze. My lungs inhaled and exhaled as normal, easing the nerves from my body.

"Names," a robotic voice said.

"Agent Smog," Ty said.

"Agent Fox," I said.

"Agent Bone."

"Fingerprints."

A small pad shot out from the iron door with the outline of a thumb in the center. In turn, we pressed the mimicry thumbprints that Dari had made for us on the glass.

"Please state countersign."

Oh shoot. I didn't know any password. Our interrogation of Smog and Bone had been useless.

"Countersign," Ty said.

I realized the mistake I had made. The robot said 'please state countersign.' It wanted us to merely say the word 'countersign' for voice identification.