The Fall of KORPS, The Rise of MI9: KORPS Takedown

Chapter 1

A spy's life is never easy, but life couldn't get any worse for one particular teen. Will Liberty be able to overcome her demons, or is her career over before it has started?

Liberty Taylor couldn't be more unhappy with her life right now. To outsiders, it looked like the sixteen-year-old had everything she could ever want, but her closest friends and mentors knew this wasn't the case. She was a thriving teen spy, working for MI9 alongside her teammates and one of her triplet sisters, but even that wasn't enough to bring her joy. Her mother, Crystal, was an MI9 agent working undercover at KORPS when she gave birth but allegedly died during labour with her youngest children, twins Jackson and Charlotte. At six years old, Liberty, Madison, Cali and their siblings managed to escape from KORPS and were rescued by MI9. They were soon taken in by Frank London, a man Liberty respected and looked up to as a father figure. Over the following years, the siblings grew and matured, and they were as close as ever until one autumn evening when everything fell to pieces. Ten-year-old twins Jackson and Charlotte had gone for a walk in the park, wanting to enjoy the last of the sunshine before it got dark. Frank would never have allowed the pair to leave the base if he could've predicted the tragedy that was about to occur. Charlotte and Jackson didn't return home that night, and even five years later, Liberty still blamed herself for the strange disappearance. Unfortunately for the family, the disappearance wasn't the end of the trauma, as six months later, a drunk driver hit Cali as she crossed the road, and she subsequently died from her injuries. The past few years had been challenging for the team, but Cali's death was the final straw for Liberty, whose depression quickly spiralled out of control, and Frank was now at his wit's end with the young teen. Madison wanted nothing more than to help her sister, but Liberty was stubborn and didn't seem to want to listen to what she had to say. Liberty and Madison now fought daily, which was awful for their friends to witness. Madison had to practically walk on eggshells around her sister, which significantly saddened her and their teammates.

It was a bright summer day in July when the situation truly turned sour, and the sisters passed the point of no return. Liberty owned a stunning sapphire bracelet belonging to their mother, which she never removed from her wrist, a fact everyone knew and respected. Madison was in their shared bedroom, drawing in her sketchbook, when she saw the bracelet hanging on Liberty's bedside table drawer handle. She knew Liberty couldn't wear the bracelet at the moment, as she had her broken arm in a cast, so Madison figured that it wouldn't be so bad if she tried the bracelet on for a minute to see how it suited her. In hindsight, Madison should've undone the clasp, but instead, she tried to force the bracelet over her hand, causing the delicate gold chain to snap. Horrified, the girl picked it up and draped it back over the handle before hurrying up the stairs to the main workspace of the underground base they lived in. She sat silently at her desk for fifty minutes, unable to concentrate due to the panic coursing through her and terrified about what Liberty would say. Luckily for Madison, her sister didn't notice what had happened for a few days until she returned from getting her cast removed and immediately went to grab the bracelet. "NO! NO! NO!" Madison cringed as everyone in the base heard the horrified scream, and she slumped in her seat in anticipation of what was coming. Liberty stormed upstairs and threw open the door, tears running down her face as she showcased the bracelet for everyone to see. She glared at her twin sister, who silently wished the ground would swallow her whole at that moment. "YOU! You did this, Madi; I know you did! Whether it was an accident or not, you should've just told me! Don't ever speak to me again! I HATE YOU!" Madison opened her mouth to protest, but Liberty had already retreated from the room. She raised her voice with a growl. "Maybe if you were more approachable and less snarky, I wouldn't've been scared to tell you!" Outside the door, Liberty froze. Ouch, that hurt.

Two weeks had passed since that fateful day, and not a single word had been uttered between the pair, much to their teammates' frustration. Madison had tried to apologise to her twin many times; however, Liberty was still as stubborn as always and continued pretending that Madison didn't exist. She even went as far as moving into Keri's room and changing classes at school so she wouldn't have to see her. Madison shuddered at the memory as she continued running downstairs to the base, praying that Liberty wouldn't be there when she arrived. Taking the lift would have been much quicker and easier, especially as they worked 230 feet below the school, but she knew she needed the exercise as she was starting to get quite lazy. When she reached the ground, she opened the door to find Stella and Frank sitting at their desk whilst her friends huddled around one computer. All except for Liberty, seated at her desk with her feet on the table. "Hi, guys. You all good down here?" Stella looked up and smiled before a frown replaced it. "Good afternoon, Madison. We're all well, thank you, just working on the Reynolds case. You're late back from school. Is everything alright?" Madison didn't say anything, choosing to shrug her shoulders, an action that she knew she shouldn't have done the moment she did it. "What's wrong, Madison? You seem rather upset." Madison rubbed her face in frustration and turned around, needing to leave the room before saying something she would regret. "Nothing's wrong, Stella; I'm fine. I'm going to my room. I just need some space." Frank looked concerned and was about to say something before Liberty surprised everyone by swiftly interjecting. "Seriously, guys, lay off her, will ya? Give her space if that's what she wants." Madison was momentarily shocked but quickly recovered, smirking slightly when she saw Liberty spin her chair around to hide her smile. As Madison left the room and headed downstairs, only one thought crossed her mind. Their rocky relationship may be starting to improve finally.