Spy School Project X

Retrieval

Laundry Room

June 1

1630 Hours

I clicked open the door and walked out, straight out into the hall. There were lots of people around, but if there's one thing I've learned through spying, if you're somewhere you aren't supposed to be, just pretend you're doing what you're supposed to. This works when you have a thirteen-year-old kid dressed as an airport employee.

The large hall way leads to the terminals, with shops and restaurants on one side, hungry flyers from hour long flights ready to get something to eat. The floors were tile, walls blindingly white where there wasn't anything. Throngs of people were busily moving up and down the hall, trying to get to their locations while chatting with a boss or trying to corral their children to follow them. None of the people, or even the employees of the airport seemed to be suspicious of us.

I suspected that the airport's records would be stored in the main security room, so that was where we needed to go first. Luckily, Cyrus had already figured out where the security room was while he was searching for a way for us to get in. The room was nearby, only a few halls down. It branched off of the main hall to the left and towards the employee section.

"Alright," Erica spun around and halted everyone. "Split up, it'll look weird if we have five employees coming down the hall at the exact same time. Me, Ben, and Mike will be one group." Alexander had to look around the group for a second to remember how many people there were. He gulped slightly when he realized it would just be him and his father. "You two wait behind for a little bit, only about a minute." She nodded to both of her family members and turned back around, rotating on the ball of her foot gracefully, pointing both me and Mike onward.

Me and Mike gave each other a quick glance, but followed her lead. It's surprisingly easy to blend in when you have a bunch of jet-lagged and tired people around you. We probably wouldn't even get noticed if we were three kids wandering around without uniforms, though Erica is old enough to actually look like she's out of high school, so it's not unreasonable to have her working here.

We continued through the large path, finding where we were supposed to turn left. Erica remained completely neutral as we walked, though I had to mentally prepare myself for what I was about to do. I've been on lots of missions, but for some reason, when it's something as seemingly simple as this, I still freak out. I controlled my breathing and acted like this was something I was supposed to be doing. Not only does confidence fool others, but it also tricks you into feeling better about what you're doing.

"Here," Erica said, leading us to a door. It looked like any other, a blank sliding door with a small room number at the top. 4702. She paused for a second, listening through the door to try and check if someone was in there. When she determined the coast was clear, she activated the sensor and allowed the door to slide open. The second it opened Erica didn't waste any time. By the time I was inside the room, she had already made it to the computer and was clicking for something. The room was actually quite cozy, posters of movies and pictures of family members hanging from the wall, a small desk where Erica was at, and a closet of security batons and bullet-proof vests. There was a box of donuts on the desk, which Mike rushed over to, stuffing a jelly-filled in his mouth in a single bite. There was evidence that someone had been here recently, a cup of coffee still piping hot on the table.

I walked over to where Erica and Mike were, looking at what Erica was doing. She was scrolling through a list of names, trying to find Murray's. The computer looked ancient, a boxy design that looked like it was ripped straight from the eighties. I was surprised it still worked. Erica was scrolling with the mouse wheel so fast I thought it would break off. She scanned the screen intently, face close to the computer to try and find the name she was looking for.