Spy School: The Rise of Gama

Chapter 13: Missing

“Mic test, team Beta can you hear me?” Lyndley pushes a few buttons on the control panel in front of her. She and the rest of the students are situated in a surveillance van a block away from the building in which the terrorist cell is taking refuge.

“Loud and clear.” Liz’s voice crackles through the headsets.

“Yes. Do you have a visual?” Naomi asks. She and Liz are standing at a bus stop across the street from their target, both wearing civilian clothing over their vests to avoid suspicion.

“You’re clear to enter whenever ready, Beta.” Lyndley focuses on the screens in front of her.

One screen has a view of the entrance to the alleyway between the office building they’re trying to enter and another building, the edge of a fire escape barely visible from this angle. A second screen is live view from a traffic camera at the opposite intersection where the armored transport vehicle that holds team Omega is parked. The third and final screen shows the back entrance to the office building.

“Mic test for Omega, everything working?” Ahara speaks clearly into her headset.

“We’re good on this end. Let’s get this over with.” Nico responds.

“Alright everyone, stay focused. This isn’t some simulation, this is the real deal. There’s no room to mess up.”

~

Ahara’s words echo in Liz’s ears as she turns to look at Naomi. “No messing up. Nothing like a little pressure as motivation. Have you done anything like this before?”

Naomi nods as she stands up from the bus stop bench. “Yeah, just follow my lead.” Naomi crosses the street and slips into the alleyway, not turning to see if Liz is following.

Naomi jumps up toward the ladder of the fire escape. She catches the bottom rung and pulls herself up. Once on the first platform she pauses to look down at Liz who is still attempting to jump to the fire escape.

“Hurry up.”

“It’s not my fault I’m short.” Liz says with a huff as she jumps again. Her fingers brush against the rung but she slips off, falling to the pavement once again. “I can’t catch it.”

“Just a little higher, you can do this Liz. Focus.” Naomi encourages, preparing to climb higher.

Liz takes a few steps back then makes a running sleep toward the fire escape. Her hands hit against the cold metal and she tightly wraps her fingers around it. Rust chips off the rungs and dig into her palms as she struggles to pull herself up. Finally she reaches the platform with Naomi.

The two girls silently climb the rest of the way up the fire escape until they reach the roof. Each window they pass on the way up they peek into, counting the people they see inside while avoiding being detected. They walk over to the doorway that leads into the building. Pulling on it, they aren’t surprised to find it locked.

“Naomi speaking. Twelve men and three women seen inside. The only weapons spotted are small caliber pistols and small knives. Possibility of other weapons is rather high. Upper floors more heavily populated than lower floors. Six floors total. Roof entrance locked.” Naomi rapidly whispers into her headset while Liz keeps her eyes on the door, watching to see if anyone opens it to come after them.

“That information will be passed on, Naomi. Pick the lock on the door if you can, if not then stay put, wait for Omega.” Lyndley responds, in the background the sound of Ahara relaying the information to the other team is faintly heard.

~

“Is there anything else you can tell us?” Otaru questions.

“No, that’s all I was given. Good luck.” Ahara’s voice crackles through the headsets before going silent.