Crown Of Hearts

Chapter 4

I woke up to a bang and I jerked upright. My elbow snagging against the armrest. I grimaced.

" We're here," Peter muttered.

Ian was creating a very nice pool of saliva and Peter made a face.

" Rise and shine sleeping beauties. We're here." Zak was so happy, it almost hurt.

" Weird. I gave you the tablet later and you're up before Ian. Maybe I should talk to Lindsey about that."

" I'll grab him. Stay close to Zak and don't get lost okay?"

I nod and follow Zak out of the jet. I almost gasped out loud. We had landed in a warehouse surrounded by tens if not hundreds of jets. I could hear the loud chatter of voices everywhere.

We were a large enclosed area, the walls were faded and torn, the ceiling was nothing more than panels of glass. Some of the panels had been broken, others cracked. I wondered if I was going to get struck with broken glass this evening.

There were kids pushing around carts and teens in mechanical gear and aprons. There were adults welding and directing and shouting.

Zak seemed accustomed to the chaos and easily found his way around things. I, however, was not. I struggled in the crowd and was pushed back and forth like a doll.

" I'm sorry." I stuttered when teenager tugging a cart along glared at me.

" Come on." Peter nudged me, He was carrying Ian like a sack of potatoes and I could still hear Ian snoring softly.

I followed them through mazes of turns and hallways until we entered through an unmarked room. Inside was a TV, a small table stacked with snacks, various chairs places around the small area randomly and a large couch that took up a good half of the room, there were two girls currently lounging on it when we walked in. They perked up at the sight of Zak.

" There's been a flu going about that has around 30% of the workers coughing, another 40% of the worker are most likely contaminated. There's a 15% increase in girls who want to date you and yes I did tell them you were unavailable-" She paused, " Oh hi. You must be the new recruit. Nice to meet you I'm Nadia."

" Lindsey, mind getting him." Peter set Ian down.

" Oh damn. Let me see what I can do." The girl with dyed blue hair disappeared outside. She appeared moments later with various bottles and began to experiment.

" Hi. I'm Clara." I said.

Nadia turned back to Zak, " We have meetings with group managers in ten minutes."

" Peter shows Clara around and introduce her to the art of undercover work. Take her home before the end of the second shift." Zak offered a smile before disappearing with Nadia.

Ian shot up like an arrow. He started gasping, and Linsey handed him a bottle of water.

" Go to hell." Ian threw the empty bottle at Peter.

" You guys didn't take the pill did you?" He accused.

" I didn't need to. Zak gave Clara one. Which now reminds me. Clara, I have some homework to give you before Ian takes you home."

Linsey put a hand on his shoulder, " You need to rest. The pill took a big toll on you."

Peter led me into yet another unmarked room. This time, there was desks, laptops, and papers scattered everywhere. I stepped over a particularly large pile of handwritten notes.

" Zak wants you to have your first mission next week. We need to prepare you for that. Usually, he has more experience with this but I'll do for now. Take a seat. We only have half an hour before Ian needs to take you back."

" How dangerous is the nine?" I asked softly.

He stops his speech, " It's very dangerous. If we're caught," he hesitated, " We could be killed."

I bit the inside of my cheeks, " I know that you killed someone last week. He was a husband, a father."

Peter made a face, " Last week? I don't know where you got that information. But that is impossible. We received messages from division one to not even show up at the warehouses. There was no scheduled activity."

" So you guys don't kill innocent people?" I felt the pressure release from my chest.

" There's always going to be death, but no, our division mainly handles intelligence and undercover."

Peter lectured me on the importance of undercover work and where it originated from. He explained how it was important that the nine had girls like me willing to participate and assume the role of the quiet maid and boys who would become the invisible workers.

" I would give you a C in today's lesson."

" Wait why? I thought I did so well."

" You did. Your answers are a bit spotty and your backstory had holes it in. It's a common mistake but you'll get better," Peter held the door open, " You coming?"

Ian met us in front of the jet, looking rather pale. he ruffled his hair before turning to face us.

" Hi Clara, and death seeker." He glared at Peter.

Peter touched his ear, " Sorry I gotta go. Wireless calls." He explained once he saw my expression.

" Let's go." Ian helped me into the jet.

I settled into the seat and before the jet took off. I remembered Peter's words and fastened the seatbelt taut against my stomach.

Ian sat across from me, fingers messaging his temples. I flinched when the jet swooped down before pulling up again.

" Are you okay?" I asked for the second time of the night.

He laughs, " First you leaving that fire poker on the floor, then Peter's attempt to poison me. I have to admit. Such deadly partners." His eyes sparkled with amusement. " I'll be fine. The first time was worse."

Still, he winched when he said that.

" Is Zak really the leader of all those people?" I asked.

Ian laughs, " No, that was the home base for divisions six through nine. Our division is the teen division. Within the division, there is also subdivision which Nadia manages and each subdivision has its own group leader."

" Hi, nice to meet you, Clara. I'm Ian Jady. Leader of the subdivision of intelligence."