Code Name X

8-Famous last words

"The trials of life will not wait for us. They come at their own time, not caring much to inquire how ready we are."
- James Anthony Froude

4/1/01

Esme

Veronika didn't mention the firework incident again, and I think she soon forgot about it. I nearly did too, in the days that followed.

That day, the first of January, Pierre announced that Ben, Cameron and I were going on a recon mission. All we had to do was:
a) Check the escape route for Maya, Joshua and whoever was going with them as watchman.
b) Get 6 different files, with stupidly long code numbers, which Pierre refused to tell us anything about. He claimed that we didn't need to know anything. Bloody elitist.

To me, it had sounded perfectly easy. Then I saw the building plan, and I realised just how wrong I had been.

It was a maze of underground passages and corridors branching off. There were two basements below it, all stuffed with files on everything from food to top security plans. According to Pierre, we needed to get down there and in the first one find two of the files, and get the other four in the second.

"Hacker will have overridden the main security systems, so you won't be seen on the cameras, but still be wary, it is absolutely essential that you remain unseen by any personnel working there. It doesn't matter who. If even one person sees you, it's game over for all of us," Veronika said. "Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Cameron said, with a mock salute.

"This isn't a game, Johnson," she said, glaring at him.

"Sorry."

"We will guide you through individual comms units. These will be fitted with trackers so we can see your movements in the building. You must listen to exactly what we say, and follow our instructions to the letter. If you don't, you might throw this entire operation into jeopardy and you may well also die."

She really was laying on the drama.

"You must also stick together at all times."

"What?" Ben asked in disbelief. "We're way more likely to get caught if we don't split up."

"Trust us. We wouldn't be telling you to do something that makes this even more dangerous than it already is," Veronika told him.

He shrugged, but still looked annoyed.

"Oh and the operation should take no more than half an hour. Any more questions?"

~

We left early the next morning.

The streets were as busy as I remembered, and the air was cold. There were ominous looking grey clouds in the sky, and I shivered. All my instincts were telling me that this was a terrible idea, but my brain reasoned that it was perfectly achievable. I'd done this sort of thing before. But never in half an hour. It would all be fine. Nothing was ever just fine.

I quietened the little voice in my head.

We approached the Ministry of International and Domestic Military Affairs. The crowds had thinned out by the time we got there, because no one went there. It was an ugly, dark stone building plonked in the middle of the huge square, utterly out of place. It was a place to be avoided at all costs, and before all of this happened, I'd never have even thought of coming here.

How times have changed, I thought bitterly to myself.

Hacker spoke in my ear. "Are you there yet?"