Agent S 2.0

Chapter Seven

I enter my code for my locker in my Changing Room and as I do it all I could think about was what Dominic did to qualify as an agent. The criteria for an agent is simple. The kid has to be in a hole so deep that they're eager to become an agent. They're eager to risk their lives everyday. However while they're in this hole they must also show that they have what it takes to be an agent, like maybe in order to get food they stole from a store and slipped the system well enough to get the Agency's attention. They might also have exhibited some amazing parkour to get away from someone they pickpocketed. They have to be pretty young, too, sixteen the youngest and twenty-five the oldest. There's a catch though. While you're in this hole you can't do anything that is illegal and unnecessary. You can pickpocket because you need money for your next meal, but you can't pickpocket if you're looking for a joint to smoke. What did Dominic do to get himself into the hole he got himself into?

I nod my head and go into my bathroom to change. Right when I scan my Transmitter, though I hear a knock on my door. "Dominic just give me a second." I tell the door.

"It's Leo." A deep voice replies from the door. I widen my eyes and open the door by scanning my Transmitter again, dropping my clothes on the bubble chair beforehand.

"Hi." I tell him going back to my clothes. He closes the door and it automatically clicks, locking it. Every door here has a scanner on both sides of a door so that only one person can go in and let people in. They automatically lock after the door shuts.

"Who's Dominic?" He asks a little more coldly then his usual standoffish tone.

"My Charge." I tell him. He sits on the bubble chair. I sit next to him. "Is something wrong?"

"Why are you expecting him to come into your room?" He asks in his usual tone of disinterest.

"Well I just thought a friend would be nice, you know? It's scary being an agent," I lean my head on his shoulder. "Not all agents are as lucky as I am." I say looking at him. I see him smile and look down at his hands. Leo is a friend I met two years ago.

An agent who just wanted to get rid of his Charge as fast as possible gave me a tour when everyone was still where he was showing me around. We were in the Cafeteria and everyone looked at me with a disgusted look, everyone except one person who was at the farthest table possible. My Plug, the person introducing me to the Agency asked what table I wanted to get assigned to and I pointed at the lone boy at the secluded table. My Plug gave me a look of warning but shrugged his shoulders and from then on I had to erode the stone that was Leo.

"It took a while for you to like me, huh?" I asked Leo teasingly.

"No, you are just hard to like." He says playfully and nudges me off his shoulder. I giggle and I see him smile.

"Me? Hard to like?" I asked with an exaggerated sigh. I touch my hand to my chest in mock surprise and hurt. Leo lets out a small chuckle while he looks to the ground. He rests his elbows on his thighs and rubs his hands together. He then looks down. "Hey is something wrong?" I ask him becoming serious again. I run a hand down and up his back comfortingly.

"No. I'm fine. Now go get changed." He says with a laugh as he pushes me off the seat. I quickly grab my clothes.

"You sure Leo?" I ask him one more time, already scanning my Transmitter at the mirror.

"Yes." He says looking at me with a small smile. "Now you have to get changed before we both get in    trouble." I smile as I walk into the bathroom with the mirror clicking back in place. I take off my leather jacket and grab the clear resin stone from the breast pocket. It's such a simple thing, a clear resin stone dyed ombré blue, but it means the world to me. I lay it on the sink's counter. I fold up my bullet proof jacket and lay it on the other side of the sink. I take off my bullet proof long sleeved shirt. Then unlace my ankle high combat boots. I hate lacing them up in the morning and how they drag my feet, especially during training but they protect. I then take off my bullet proof leggings. The graphene is what makes all my clothes bullet proof and it's only about half a millimeter thick plus it works better while weighing less than Kevlar. I don't really care about the science of what makes my clothes bullet proof, just as long as they are. I take off my leg gear which has a handgun, a combat knife and a flash grenade. This is all strapped to my thigh everyday just in case something happens.

I take off my almost fingerless gloves. The thumb, index and middle finger are all fully covered because those are the fingers most used in combat and they need to be protected. The index and sometimes middle finder are used to pull the trigger on a gun. All of our fingers are used to weild a knife, but a lot more stress is put on the thumb. Some of us arch on a regular basis and the most stress is put on the three protected fingers. Throwing knives also use those three fingers. The leather gloves have some sort of grip on the tip of those fingers, though so we don't drop a throwng knife mid-throw.

I put on some pajamas that are a lot looser but still end at my ankles and wrists because they're made of the bullet proof graphene too. I strap my leg gear back onto my thigh. I look at the mirror and redo my ponytail. I take my dark brown hair that arrives to my shoulders into a high ponytail. I look at the mirror into the girl with the hazel eyes. I look at her light skin. I look at those bangs that swoop to one side. Who knew that this girl could kill?

I take all my folded black attire and put my boots on top of them. I open the mirror and see Leo still sitting there. I see him pull a small smile. I smile back and head to my lockers. I put the boots in one locker and the clothes in another. One locker has a gigantic hole in the back so those clothes get washed if you push them in far enough. Another locker has the same hole but just closed because everything in that locker is clean. One locker doesn't have a hole at all and that's for shoes. I open my locker for my shoes and put on a pair of sneakers. The Agency makes us put on shoes at night so if we have to run at night we can.

"Fifteen." Leo states. I let out a sigh.

"Only fifteen minutes. I thought we had at least thirty." I tell him.

"You had a charge, I guess." He says as I sit next to him and lean my head on his shoulder. "How is he, the Charge I mean." He asks.

"His name is Dominic and he seems really nice." I tell him easily. "Actually I thought he'd swing by right about now." I say getting off his shoulder and looking at the time. "Yeah he should be here." I say, frowning at the door.

Leo pulls my head back to his shoulder, "What makes him so nice?" He asks with that same indifference.

"He just seems... nice." I tell Leo. I feel him shift under me and I look at him just to see him looking at me. He shifts his eyes to his watch.

"Ten." He says. I lay my head back on his shoulder. I then wrap my arms around his waist.

"Sam," He says surprised.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier, ok? It's just you've been off ever since I said it." I tell him.

"Hey it's ok. I know you didn't mean it." I look up and see a gentle smile tug on his lips. I feel his arms slither around me. "Plus I'd hate it if we left on bad terms so close to Debriefing." He says with a sigh.

"Don't remind me," I tell him sadly. "Debriefing is now six days away and I have a Charge too." I say exasperated. I lay my nose onto his shoulder.

"Hey I know you're getting tired and I promise it'll be ok." He says stroking my hair. He tugs me closer to him with his other hand.

"Promise?" I ask him hopefully. I look at him.

"Promise."