Under the Radar

The UJAA Way

UJAA only had four rules; no unnecessary violence, do not blow your cover, don't get emotionally attached, and get the job done. UJAA stands for Universal Junior Agents Association. I was recruited when I was only three; I've been training and taking missions ever since. UJAA is one of the most secretive and secure places in the United States. It's almost as secure as Area 51, the only difference being that UJAA is one of the best kept secrets. Not many people find out about the program unless they are joining or being protected by the UJAA. Every year, junior agents, and potential agents, from around the world are flown in on to the top secret UJAA facility just a hundred miles outside of Seattle, Washington. Normally it was the 11th graders' job to run newbie orientation. This year, I am sixteen. I was an early bloomer, so I would be a junior this year. I was also one of the five people chosen to run orientation.

I straightened my black leather jacket and put my golden hair up into a neat ponytail. I smiled and added a layer of red lip stick over my lips. I took one last look at myself in the mirror and walked out of my bathroom. My friend and roommate, Vy, combed through her bangs and put the rest of her hair up in a bun and secured it with her chopsticks. Vy Wang was brought here from Japan when she was five. We practically grew up together. She had been my roommate ever since we were given dorms. All of the agents seven and up were given dorms so that we were available 24/7.

"Ready Marissa?" my other friend and roommate, Katy, smiled from across the room. I pulled out my watch and looked at the time. We had exactly two minutes to be downstairs. Katy was one of the newest members of UJAA. She got here only last year when she was 15. She was always peppy, but she got the job done. She bounced across the room to us. Her chocolate brown hair hung in curls down her shoulders. She only had a layer of gloss across her smiling lips. She was wearing her black leather jacket though. It was kind of an 'us' thing. We all grabbed our packs and headed out the door. UJAA also ran a school. It's where all the agents went for education. Our level was always two grades above what it was supposed to be. That was just the UJAA way. After we went through the school, we headed to the Runway Six. I stood with Headmaster Freeman and the four other hosts as we waited for the new recruits to land. Katy was having a hard time standing still. I laughed softly and stood with my hands in my back pockets. Finally the plane landed. Vy stood still with a concentrated look on her face. I touched her arm gently, giving her a knowing look. She looked at me smiling.

"More recruits are our age. There are some younger, but it looks like most are older," Vy said quietly. Vy had a very unnatural ability to look past things and see heat. Almost like a x-ray heat radar. Nobody at UJAA was recruited for nothing. I had the ability to read minds, which really came in handy. I didn't like to invade people's privacy unnecessarily, but Vy exercised her ability all the time. Once the steps were placed on the door, the new recruits spilled out of the plane excitedly. I looked at my feet and chuckled. I saw Katy do the same. The new recruits stood in a front of us. Headmaster said a few words explaining the institution to the newbies before he passes the floor to me. I had been chosen to be the main hostess. I smiled and stepped forward.

"Hello and welcome to UJAA Institute. Here you will learn control and concentration. You'll also learn how to kick some butt," I added. The newbies laughed at my little joke. "My name is Marissa, and I'll be your hostess. These are your other hosts, Vy, Katy, Fernando, and Ally. So if you'll follow me, we can get started." We all walked through the school. I showed them the abilities room, core class rooms, gyms, etc. When I was about to start splitting them into groups for the rest of the tour, the callers came to get me. Callers were people who came to get you if you were assigned a mission. They were not a rare sight here.

"You're needed in the assignment room immediately," one whispered to me. I noticed some going to Katy and Vy as well. We all went to the assignment room to find out what our next assignment would be. We waited in the room until a caller came to stand in front of us.

"We had a possible threat to Matt Jason," the caller started.

"Matt Jason?!" Katy squealed, interrupting the caller. "I love his new CD." Katy bounced in place smiling.

"Yes, as I was saying. There is a possible threat to Matt Jason, and the threat is threatening the nation as well. If we can get the person before he becomes a problem, we can eliminate a... problem before it starts. We're using Mr. Jason as bait, I guess you can say. We need you three to protect Mr. Jason and find the culprit," the caller continued. I nodded and so did Katy.

"So you want us to babysit a teen pop star?" Vy asked a bit disgusted. She puffed and crossed her arms.

"No, I'm asking you to protect him," the caller corrected. "We are putting him into hiding as well. He'll be attending James Hughes High School in Texas, and so will you."

"Like, an actual public school?" Katy asked. The caller nodded.

"Exactly," he confirmed. This was going to be interesting. The caller handed us each a paper with our assignment on it in more detail. He turned to me. "So no one gets curious about three new girls coming in at the same time, Vy is from New York, Katy is going to be from Utah, and Marissa, you are from Australia." The caller smiled at me, chuckling slightly. I smiled to myself. I really was from Australia before I was recruited, so this was going to be a blast. I didn't really stay long enough to pick up a lot, but Australian ran through my blood. This was going to be a breeze.