Double Agent

Chapter 15: Allie

"So, I was thinking, they're probably still going to be in that cave," Theo said, "because they don't know that we saw them when we got sent to capture Allie... and maybe Reina, too." Here, his voice was slightly tinged with sadness.

She could hear Reina's breath catch in her throat.

Allie didn't know why Theo thought that was a good plan. It wasn't safe for Air spies, or ANY spies, to stay stationary on the mainland! Had the UA spies not been taught that? Really?

Amazingly, Jess--no, Kat, told him, "I absolutely agree with you." HONESTLY, WHAT WAS THIS PLAN!?

Everything was quiet as Kat and Theo pondered the smaller details of their idea, save for the sound of the creaking ceiling and floor.

There was a sudden splash of water. Allie swung her head around to face Reina. Did you do that? she mouthed. Reina shook her head.

"There's three of them!" Theo exclaimed. "Chelonia mydas! Green sea turtles! REGULAR sea turtles!"

"And... they're wearing headphones," Kat commented.

Theo suddenly became very suspicious. "Hold on. This wouldn't have fallen over on its own." He showed Kat how the basin was tilted. "This huge bowl is too heavy for the turtles to have knocked over. So, somebody or something else must have--" his voice was suddenly cut off as a figure lunged at him from behind.

Theo was not a bad fighter. He dove, but instead of going for his attacker, he sprung straight at Allie.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked, shocked, as Theo tried to punch her in the face. "We knew the whole time!" Kat called from across the room. She was engaged in combat with another fighter, this one much smaller. "Did you really think we were that stupid?"

Allie could now see the faces of the two other people. It was Maeve and Sophie! She wanted to cry with relief, but she wasn't about to distract them--or herself, for that matter.

She dodged Theo again, but this time, she wasn't fast enough. "Ow!" she yelled at him, putting a hand to her stinging cheek. "Sorry," he replied, "but you're working for the ASO..."

"I am, but I'm not doing anything wrong..."

"You still want the data?"

Well... yes."

"You also want Mr. Sancoy's remote?"

"Um... yep."

"Then technically, you are doing something wrong in the eyes of the UA," Theo said.

On the other side of the room, there was a groan from Kat.

It looked like Maeve, Reina, and Sophie had teamed up on her. Although Kat was obviously a formidable fighter, so were the others... but Reina didn't seem to be trying her best. Kat was sprawled on the floor.

Theo gasped. Allie whirled towards the sound, and realized that he was also lying down. Allie didn't understand. Was this a ploy...?

Next, Reina cried out and crumpled. Okay. This probably wasn't planned.

"Did you guys do that?" Allie accused, whipping to face Maeve and Sophie, who were still standing. "No!" they exclaimed at the same time, sounding offended. "We'd never hurt one of your friends without permission," Sophie added.

"Sorry, I had to do that," Mr. Sancoy said, emerging from behind the upturned turtles' basin. He tried to walk over to where they were standing but tripped over one of the turtles--the one with the gaming headset.

"What do you want?" Sophie demanded.

"I want the whistle," he told her. "Nope," Maeve said, taking the whistle from Allie's pocket. "How did you even know I had it in there?" Allie started. Maeve shrugged. "You kept fidgeting and tapping your right pocket when you were talking to Reina and when you were hiding."

Allie was flabbergasted now. "YOU KNEW WHERE WE WERE?"

"BE QUIET!" Mr. Sancoy thundered. Sophie scowled at him, but Maeve and Allie jumped, having forgotten he was there.

He took advantage of their surprise to take the whistle from Maeve's hand. Maeve attempted to take it back, but Mr. Sancoy was older and had more experience. She couldn't grab it, no matter how hard she tried.

So, instead, Maeve improvised. She blew into the whistle from a distance.

The three turtles wandered to their side of the room. One raised its foot and shot out a blast of fire that decimated about twenty pipes.

"Not regular sea turtles," Maeve gulped.

Before the others could do anything, Sophie scooped them up and hauled them into a rusty sink. She turned on the water to stop them from causing any more fires, but the substance seemed to be more mud than water.

With the turtles trapped in the tall sink, Maeve, Allie, and Sophie were safe, but Mr. Sancoy had moved the whistle out of blowing range from the girls and there were no other factors that could help them. Allie didn't know what to do... or what Mr. Sancoy would do. Why was he talking to them?