Double Agent

Chapter 7: Allie

Allie tried to turn the handle.

She really did.

But it was locked up too much even for her to bypass it.

There was one open door farther along the hallway which led to the stage in the gym, and Allie decided that it was the only way to get in. She pulled her hood over her face.

She checked the doorway for trip wires, but there were none. All was fine, she tried to convince herself. Until she reached the two other doorways. One read Stage, and the other one said Lights. She tried to open the Stage one, but like the door that opened directly into the gym, it wouldn't budge, even with her lock-picking devices. Three doors with maximum security? This was a bit strange...

The Lights one, however, swung open soundlessly when she tried the handle. There was a staircase leading up to a platform, which Allie stepped onto. There, during plays and shows, the selected students would be able to turn the spotlights different colours or move them to a different angle using computers.

Allie grabbed her rope, which she had brought with her just in case. She tied it to the balcony overlooking the faraway gym floor, making sure that it was secure, before hoisting herself onto the rope and, slowly but surely, climbing down. As the rope swung, her hood uncovered her face, but she couldn't pull it back over her head due to her hands being occupied.

Unfortunately, Allie had only brought one rope, and she'd only gone about halfway down the gym before her rope came to an end. Allie thought about climbing back up, but her arms ached just at the thought of it.

She needed something strong that could support her weight, and that reached the gym floor. She scanned the room frantically, needing something to stand on or climb down on before her arms gave out...

Wires!

Three cables dangled down from the spotlight balcony: one yellow, one blue, and one red. One or two cables wouldn't be strong enough to support Allie, but three braided together would provide the perfect solution. She'd just have to make sure to jump off near the end of the working wires so that she wouldn't get electrocuted (in case one of them were on).

Allie heard a snapping sound from above, and quickly looked up. Her rope was fraying, so she'd have to move fast. She pulled the closest cable, the yellow one, and then tugged on the blue one, putting both in her left hand. Her right hand reached out to grab the red one, and gave it the slightest pull--

Alarms rang through Tulipton, and Allie had just enough time to think, This was a trap, before four UA agents ran into the gym.

The first one who came in was a woman. She had green eyes and dark brown hair. From her mom's description, Allie guessed that this was Camila Brand, Melanie's number one enemy. The second person was Theo, no surprise. She gave him a dry smile. Third was Jessica, whom Allie wasn't totally shocked about. She was Theo's sister, after all.

But the fourth figure that entered made Allie's jaw drop. The girl had golden-brown hair, and when she looked up, she whispered, "Maggie?"

Reina.

*****

Allie stopped functioning for a few seconds as she processed what was happening. Reina couldn't be a spy. Sure, Jessica and Theo were her friends, but Reina was just so... innocent. Why did Allie's life have to be like a maze--confusing, and full of twists?

Finally, Allie got her voice to work again. "I'm... not Maggie," she managed. "I'm Allie. I'm part of the ASO." "Yes, we assumed that," Camila muttered. "But you, young lady, are under arrest. Trespassing on Underground territory. Attempting to steal treasured UA records from as far as three hundred years ago. A life sentence in the dungeon!"

Theo and Jessica cheered, but Reina stayed quiet. "Can't we spare her?" she asked quietly. "She was sent by Melanie to--"

"Melanie!" Camila spat. "That's who you remind me of! Tell me, is Melanie part of your family?" she shouted, shoving a spiky device near the tip of Allie's foot--the only part that she could reach. "Yes," Allie mumbled, and Camila said to Jessica, "Kat, pull her down from those wires. If she resists, I'll go up to the spotlight balcony and turn them on--and remember, the wires ARE touching the ground," she said to Allie.

But Allie's mind had drifted somewhere else. "Wait--Jessica's real name is Kat?" she inquired. Now, as she looked at "Jessi-kat", the name "Kat" just seemed like it didn't fit her description. But she had bigger problems to deal with than pondering over someone's name. Kat was pulling her down from the wire, and Allie, remembering Camila's warning, didn't try to stop her. She landed in a heap at Reina's feet.

Reina looked like she wanted to say something, but she kept quiet. And she still hadn't said anything by the time Theo dragged her across the floor, reaching the exit. "This isn't Maggie," Theo said, reading Reina's expression. "It's just someone that looks like her."

But Allie saw that Reina's eyes were glassy. She had been silent for a long time, and didn't seem to want to snap out of it right then.

Allie watched as Camila tied her hands with Allie's own rope. Half a second after the knots were secured and Camila stepped back to admire her work, Allie wriggled out of the bonds. She leg-kicked Camila, who was closest, and the lady fell down--partly because of the kick, but mostly because she was so blown at how fast Allie had taken the rope off. How did Melanie coach these agents?

Then Allie took down Jessic--KAT! She tumbled onto Reina, and the two of them hit the ground. Where was Theo...? Theo came from behind her, but it was too late. He tackled her, and she banged her head on the floor with a thud.

Everything wavered, and then Allie's vision went black.