The rest of that day was a bewildering mess of people and activities as Ben followed Hong to different 'classes'. Hong even taught several of these classes himself.
Lunch had been served at 12:30, but they had spent very little time eating and had seen no sign of Edinburgh, Beijing, or Quebec. After lunch, Hong took Ben to his next three classes, which lasted until dinner, by which time Ben was absolutely exhausted! All the previous night's running was catching up to him now: his legs were gradually becoming stiff and sore, his eyelids drooping, and his head was beginning to pound with one whopper headache! Yet they had one more thing to go to after dinner: Cairo had just announced an assembly in the main auditorium. Agents were to go there as soon as they were finished eating. Ben guessed it was important.
He tried to get information out of Hong about it, but apparently Hong didn't know what it was about either.
"It's probably just a surprise 'check-up' assembly telling us how we're doing, how the outside world is going, what we can do, etc. Like a pep talk. Cairo likes to surprise us with these kinds of things. Don't worry about it."
Ben didn't worry about it. He busied his aching mind on who he figured he could call his new friends and what he'd learned about them.
Hong was cool. He loved sports, especially arena fighting. His best friends were Beijing (obviously), Edinburgh, and Quebec, though he got along with most everyone he interacted with. He had a few jobs at the agency: soldier/captain, security gaurd, and a trainer to the younger kids and newbies. His favorite color was blue, his toothbrush was green, and he hated tomatoes with a fiery passion.
Ben and Hong had met up with Beijing again in one of the afternoon classes, where Ben had finally learned somethings about Hong's twin besides the fact that she seemed to hate his guts.
Beijing and Hong were very close, even if they didn't actively show it. They seemed completely in sync as the worked together on various class projects.
Despite this, Beijing was very much her own individual. She was harsher and more blunt than her twin, and stuck strictly to the rules. She was a commander, a soldier, and on the honorary rescue team. Her hobbies were helping Hong with training, keeping updated on the outside world, and working on the nearest project that needed help. Her favorite color was dark red, her toothbrush was none of Ben's business, and she would eat whatever would give her the energy and nutrition she needed to carry out her duties.
Ben liked Quebec a lot more than Beijing. The blonde girl was very open to his questions and talked to him as if she'd known him forever! She was the Head Scientist, an engineer, a strategist, and occasionally a soldier. She loved to play board games, sing karaoke, and eat s'mores. Her toothbrush was red and yellow with orange and white bristles and a squishy handle. (Yes she had been that descriptive.) Quebec didn't like most vegetables, but absolutely LOVED peaches!
Ben smiled as he remembered his little interviews. Beijing had wanted to kill him for being so annoying, but Quebec and Hong hadn't seemed to mind at all. Ben was excited to meet up with Edinburgh again and ask her the same questions. Hong had answered a lot of them so far, when they'd been talking about her on their way to his first class. But Ben was still curious. He especially wondered why Beijing and Quebec shared smug looks everytime Ben asked Hong about or brought up Edi. Hong usually turned slightly pink and defensive on the subject, which usually caused Quebec to start giggling.
Finally it was time for the assembly. Ben fought his way through the hoards of people streaming through the halls toward the assembly hall. He strained to keep up with Quebec and the others, squeazing inbetween Hong and Beijing to ensure he didn't get lost.
"Hey guys." He panted, yelling over the chattering crowd.
"Ben!" Quebec shouted, leaning towards his ear. "I thought we'd lost you back there!"
Beijing cast a mildly disappointed look Ben's way, most likely wishing he had been lost.
"There are so many people here, I never realized how big this place was!"
Blonde curls swatted his face with Quebec's emphatic nod. "There are tons of us, ranging from ages eight to mid-twenties! Obviously the little kids won't be here, but the rest of us will."
The masses stopped in a crowded gymnasium of massive proportions. Maroon colored bleachers swarmed with agents. A large stage stood raised above the crowds, sporting a podium and seven high backed chairs, backed with a massive white projector screen. Ben spotted Cairo's spiky shock of hair above the crowd. He was climbing the steps to the steps, accompanied by an urgent looking Edinburgh.
"Hong!" Ben tugged on the taller boy's sleeve. "I found Edi!" He pointed at the stage, and noticed Hong's face light up. Behind him, Quebec giggled.
Beijing rolled her eyes, then froze, her eyes locked on the stage. She pinched Hong's shoulder, gesturing towards the seats behind the podium.
"Look who showed up."
The bright mood that had lit his face moments ago dimmed and darkened. He glared at the broad, red-headed figure taking his place beside beside Edi and a small dark skinned boy.
"Sparta." Hong spat. He shook his head as the friendly looking young man shook Edinburgh's and struck up a conversation. Ben recalled Hong's warning earlier that day: "Steer clear of Sparta."
"He doesn't look that-"
"Welcome agents of the Resistance!"
A deafening cheer drowned Ben's words. Cairo grinned from the podium, waving to the enthusiastic crowd.
"Welcome, welcome! Some important business today, mostly just announcements, so bear with me. First off I would like to congratulate agent Sparta for his promotion to Council Member!"
He paused as the assembled agents exploded with cheers. Sparta stood and waved, flashing them a dazzlingly white smile. Cairo continued, cueing Sparta to sit back down.
"Yes, congrats. And we have three new agents fresh from the training grounds and recent bearers of the oath. Columbia, Astana, and Vientiane! Welcome!"
Three young kids, no older than twelve, were hoisted up by the crowd with thundering applause. Ben craned his neck to see, but found his view blocked by a group of tall, pale teenagers.
"And speaking of welcomes, we have a new rescue. Ben arrived early this morning after a daring escape from the northern sector-"
Whispers broke out across the assembly hall.
"-with the help of one of our own, Zambia, who was killed in the escape. A moment of silence for her will be held during first classes at 7 am. We welcome Ben here at Resistance HQ, and invite him to take up our training here and become an agent."
"Now on to a heavier subject. Gang violation statistics are rising. On top of that, our head strategist agent Edinburgh, has discovered a security breach. Someone has been leaking information to the enemy. We have reason to believe this has been going for a few weeks now, which explains the high violation statistics. We also have evidence as to where the information has been sent...the northern sector."
An eerie hush had fallen over the crowd. Cairo had never looked so serious.
"If this leak has occured with assistance from the inside, a warning. Any traitors found will be heavily dealt with. A serious crime as is, the punishments will be doubled and enforced. Some advice to those loyal: keep to our code. Stick to the rules as closely as you can during this trying period. Until the culprit can be identified, everyone will be watched closer than ever. Goodnight."
YOU ARE READING
The Resistance
Acción(In Progress) Eighteen years ago, twelve powerful warlords rose up against governments world wide in the hopes of obtaining more power and ruling the world. After nine years of war and endless violence, they succeeded. Once in power, many of the twe...
