Dagger ~ An AID Spy Novel

~Chapter 5~

~Chapter 5~

After showing our IDs at the gate to the private runway, Mom pulled up close to the plane. I unbuckled and reached for the door when Mom locked the doors.

“Wait,” she said as she turned toward me. “I know Ben stayed over last night. In your bed.”

“Mom,” I groaned. “Nothing happened.”

“Right, nothing ever happens. I know, I know,” she waved it off. “I still don’t appreciate that he was over and didn’t say hi to us and – I don’t know – came through the window!”

“He thinks it’s fun,” I shrugged.

“I think it’s sneaky and inappropriate.”

“Wait, how did you know?”

“You mean besides the cameras that face your windows and door?” She looked at me expectedly. I nodded. “Jack told me.”

I threw my head back and let out a sigh. I tried to stay calm; Jack never told on me what so ever. He knew when to keep quiet, like the many times Ben has been in my room before and also the one time Stephan was. I had to sneak him in because he wasn’t part of the agency, so I snuck him in twice. It was hard, getting him across the gates without them – or him – knowing. Because Stephan didn’t know anything about what I did, he didn’t even know that he was there illegally. Outsiders were only allowed in at certain times a day with constant supervision from whoever vouched for them. I had to hack into camera feeds and turn off a back entrance. Jack came in while we were talking and I shot him a look before he could run off to Mom and Dad and tell them that ‘Vanessa had a stranger in her room’.

“Vanessa?” Mom started. “You are now going to be living with Ben during this mission. Your lives may be in each other’s hands, literally. Things happen on these types of missions. You get really close to each other. Think before you waste your friendship with him. You guys have something that is really rare, it’s special, but do not go that route.”

Little did she know that we did go that route before, and nothing became of it.

“Mom. Me and Ben. Will. Never. Be. A. Thing. That’s just gross, he’s like my brother. Also, he has a girlfriend, if you remember. Her name is Hannah.”

“I was just making sure.” She surrendered, even putting up her hands. We laughed and she unlocked the car to let us out.

We grabbed my two small bags – one with the essentials, the other with my personal weapons. The agency would supply Ben and I with a new wardrobe and the larger weapons, which are already en route to whatever place we will be staying at. Weather it would be an apartment, house off campus, or (even dare I say) a dorm. We handed the bags to an attendant and turned toward each other.

“Be safe honey, I love you.” Mom said as she tucked my hair behind my ear. She pulled me into a hug. “Kick their asses,” She whispered.

I laughed, a little too hard. That’s what I said to her, every time she and Dad would go on a mission, but when I was younger I used to say butts instead. “Oh, you know I will,” I replied, which was usually her line. We smiled and she let go of me to go back to the car.

I walked to the plane and entered it to see Ben and Julian sitting down going over the open files that were piled on the tiny table in the middle of 4 chairs facing towards it. I sat next to Ben, directly across from Julian.

“You’re late,” Julian said without looking up.

I looked at my watch. “By 3 seconds.”

He glanced up from a piece of paper. “Three seconds could differ between life and death.” He handed me a file. “Just a few more things before you two head off. These files have more information on the college, IMO, and your target, Marcus Kellin. Please, do look them over in great detail.” He reached over to the bag next to his chair and takes out two cell phones. “These are for you two, programmed for your new identities. My number is filled in the contacts under the name of ‘Dad’. I want periodical updates every night, for business purposes and so I know you two are fine. Other than that, only contact me with new information, if you need help from the agency, and emergencies.” He handed them to us and we immediately turn them on and start browsing. “I also suggest that you two start calling each other your undercover names to get used to them. Even in private, call each other by your UC name.” We nodded. “Well I guess that’s it then. Be safe, Cassidy and Riley.” He got up and hugged both of us before saying goodbye. A few minutes later, the plane took off, taking us to Sicca, Ohio.

Marcus Kellin. By the look of the picture, he is cute; admittedly drop, dead, gorgeous. With shaggy dark brown hair and puppy dog, brown eyes, you just wanted to melt into him and never stop looking. I studied the picture thoroughly, and I just couldn’t my finger on it, but he did look awfully familiar. And then there were his muscles which anyone would pay to just let you hold him for a second. Lucky me.

Ben and I have been looking over the files for awhile now, shouting out random funny things, like Sicca Rosa means ‘dry pink’. I mean, what does that even mean? We also pointed out other, important stuff in the documents that was pertinent to the mission.

Marcus Kellin was the middle child of three, his older brother, Peter, was already out in the field for a few years and a younger sister named Jenny who was around nine or ten. His parents were Malcolm and Sarah Kellin, who were pretty up there in the agency, maybe even the head of it. Marcus turned 18 a few months ago and was initiated into his agency on the same day.

Reading the IMO file was a little harder to digest. What Julian started telling us yesterday was very vague. IMO is branched off of the CIA, which made sense. The CIA is already a little out there, ethics wise; their secret branch might as well be sinister. IMO is accused of false assassinations, hurting and killing innocents as “necessary casualties”, and not following standard measures, including interrogation procedures.

“Some of these deaths could’ve been prevented!” I exclaimed in outrage.

“I know right? They should really get confirmation before killing off a suspect, or at least a confession!” Ben threw down a file.

Killing off suspects before accurate, indisputable proof is given is like committing the worst sin in our business. IMO also covered up their mistakes, deleting something from their files. In one case that we caught wind of, they executed the wrong person 3 times before they caught the right one.

I picked up another file and scoffed with disgust after reading the first two sentences. “Ben, look at this. They put a bomb on a public bus filled with 27 civilians and their accused ‘target’. Their proof was circumstantial evidence and that they had a right to because they cried terrorist. Their victim, while not a terrorist, just a run of the mill drug dealer, could’ve been prosecuted without his death or the 27 innocent lives on that bus. Not to mention the injuries of the people outside of the bus and damage to federal and public property.”

“Wow. You know I was a little iffy on spying on another agency, but they are way out of line. There were children on that bus.”

I felt sick to my stomach, and not just because we were descending back down to earth. 

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^^^^The picture above is of Joe Manganiello as Julian Penn, Vanessa's godfather and handler. ^^^^

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P.S. The next chapter is going to get interesting, Vanessa finally meets their target, Marcus Kellin!