Double Agent

Chapter 10: Reina

"So, how do you know Mr. Sancoy?" Allie blurted.

Reina wasn't deeply inclined to answer, but she knew that Allie, however forgiving she was, wasn't going to give her the choice to remain silent. She told Allie everything, even if it was violating every protocol she'd ever learned about remaining silent in front of Air people.

"I'm kind of mad at my mom right now, though," Reina was saying, but then, Allie tensed and grabbed Mr. Sancoy's whistle from the ground where it was laying, a few feet away. "I heard something," the Air girl hissed, yanking Reina down into the shadows of the cave.

A tiny robotic bunny then hopped past, but the machinery was so loud, it sounded like a stampede of bulls. Reina nearly laughed out loud, but then saw something clutched in its paws.

Camila's remote.

Reina had to hold herself back from lunging for it; the bunny was obviously equipped with security if it was prancing out in the open with the key to defeating all of the animals.

Instead, she tiptoed to the other end of the cave, hoping that the bunny wouldn't see her if she was hidden in the darkness. Allie, grasping what Reina was doing, followed suit. However, Allie tripped over a hole in the ground and her foot banged against the edge.

The bunny turned their way.

Allie recovered swiftly, jumping up and landing in the depths of the cave without making a sound. The bunny's ears twitched for a few seconds longer, but then it hopped onward towards some small building... or some small stage.

Reina recalled what her mother had told her when she was younger.

"I was just sitting in the crowd. Camila's technology animals were amazing," she'd said. "But for some reason, she was holding some remote. It did her no good, anyhow. When her and Melanie's animals malfunctioned or whatever, she kept pressing random buttons, but nothing worked."

Allie gave her a stare of confusion. What is that? she mouthed. It then occurred to Reina that Allie didn't even know what the remote did. "Didn't your parents tell you?" she asked, then realized she probably sounded like a know-it-all.

Allie scrunched up her face, as if she was debating whether or not to tell Reina something. Reina didn't really blame her. It had been hard enough for her to tell Allie anything of interest.

"Well, um, Melanie's sort of... my mom."

Reina stared at her in shock. "You neglected to mention that the head of the ASO is YOUR MOM!?" she shouted so loudly that Allie cringed. "Well, I haven't really had time--or courage--to tell you," the girl said defensively. "Plus, I was mad at you for SENDING ME TO PRISON!"

Ashamed, Reina lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I was only--" "Following orders," Allie finished. Then Reina realized they were getting off track. "Anyway, we're getting that remote," she said definitively.

Unfortunately, Allie was a curious girl. "You're going to tell me what it is, first, though, aren't you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Because I'm not going to unwittingly help the Underground Agency destroy the ASO if I can help it."

Reina said, "You are helping the UA--"Allie glared-- "but also the ASO. It's very powerful. Chances are, Mr. Sancoy's going to try and get it soon... and trust me, you do NOT want that to happen."

"Why?"

"Well, he's going to destroy the Underground."

"And that's a problem to the ASO how?"

"Uh..." Reina said, "I kind of thought you'd be willing to help." But Allie shook her head. "I can't disappoint my mom like that." Her voice cracked as she said this, and Reina understood the pressure Allie was under.

"Well, Mr. Sancoy is also probably out for himself," Reina continued, hoping to catch Allie's attention. "What if he ends up messing up the ASO as well?" Allie's expression didn't change, but her face paled slightly. "Do you think he'll keep us up here?" For ransom, maybe, Reina thought, but kept that to herself. Instead, she said, "It doesn't matter. We'll get back home anyway... right?"

"Right. Nothing could possibly go wrong," Allie muttered sarcastically. "That's what people say when they're looking for trouble."

Allie and Reina didn't have to look for trouble. Trouble found them. And this time, it was in the form of two genetically modified tigers, both of whom looked like they could use a meal.

"And... that's why we don't say reassuring stuff like that," Allie said.