Silhouettes of America - Book 1 of The ARMOR Series [Completed]

21: Keep Watch | Avery

Current time: Friday, 19:00 EST
Current Location: Aspen, Colorado, USA - 39.1911*N, 106.8175*W

"I'm not a spy!" Colbie yelled. I took a step back, gazing into her eyes. I saw the anger and fear in it. "I mean, I am but not like the one you see in movies," Colbie added in contrast to what she said earlier.

I quirked an eyebrow. "You tellin' us you're not our enemy? You're a liar. How can we trust you?"

"Chill, Avery. Let's hear her explanation. Don't make judgements too early. Science says to seek truth one must be open-minded," Dino schooled.

"Yeah. Don't strain yourself too much. You're injured," Luke said.

"Alright. Speak," I demanded, holding my rage.

Colbie bit her lips in anxiety. "Okay, I'll tell you everything; first off, my age," she said. "Although I looked like a 17 year old, I'm actually 27."

"What?" The three of us were astonished. Colbie does look younger than her real age, but her behavior - she's like a youngster. She really knew how to pull on a drama.

Colbie told us further that Jacob Collins tracked me in San Francisco living in a big house with the family who adopted me. He assigned Colbie to keep a close watch on me - checking on me every now and then. He made her swear to protect me in the face of danger.

I sighed. "So he didn't abandon me to die afterall." Through the years, I thought Jacob Collins was evil.

"Aren't you gonna ask me how I got to San Francisco at the day of bombing?" Colbie asked.

"Oh, that. Spill it out."

"When ARMOR bombed San Francisco, Jacob Collins sent me to protect you, Avery. I sighted a man getting inside his car and I hopped into the backseat discreetly. The man was shot by ARMOR and coincidence as could be, the car swerved to where you and Dino were hiding. That's how I found you," Colbie said. "Your dad truly cared for you, Avery."

But still, he left me and didn't know what happened to me afterwards, I wanted to say but held it back. "How did you and my dad meet?" I asked instead.

"I'm a psychologist in a small town of Arizona. Many of my patients were Native Americans and Hispanics suffering trauma from the terrorist attacks. I hated ARMOR since the day I knew them and my hate intensified considering the huge amount of innocent civilians that died from the bombing and a number of survivors who were left to live a dying soul," Colbie stated.

"Wow, deep," Dino commented.

A middle-aged man visited Colbie's clinic one day. She thought he'd want to have a checkup but he surprised her by hauling a piece of paper from his pocket and read it.

"Trained karate at a young age and persevered to get a black belt. Got a driver's license from a driving school in Washington. Trained airsoft and archery. . Got a silver medal in swimming from Harvard," Jacob Collins said, announcing her achievements.

"Hey, that's -"

"There's no one as fit as you are, Miss Stone. Not to mention your talent in reading people like a book," he cut her off.

"Reading people is not a talent, mister. It's a gift," she corrected.

"Whatever you say, Miss."

Jacob Collins brought up the topic about terrorism and asked her to join his group that fought against terrorists. He gave her a week to decide. Colbie pondered about it. She loved treating depressed and ill people, but also thought there are more people she can save when she faced the terrorists head on.

"Wait," I uttered. "My dad quitted ARMOR only to destroy them?"

"Yeah he turned his back on them and left without a trace. He was sleek."

Hearing Colbie's claim, I suddenly remembered the first man who stained my innocence: "Looking for Jacob Collins? He's gone. He left you here with me as an act of repentance."

I also remembered the man who killed Rob: "When someone turned his back on the guild, all his secrets will be dug out and his weak spots will be targeted."

Then the Japanese man: "Your dad's a traitor, poor girl. ARMOR is after his head. He pretended to be ARMOR's disciple but in the end, he only joined the group to infiltrate our plans!"

Now it all made sense to me.

"Jacob Collins joined the terrorist group for a reason he doesn't share with anyone. When he left, he created a group that will protect USA and destroy ARMOR," Colbie said.

**

At night, Colbie went on with the truth. "If I didn't forget to hide my headphones, you wouldn't know I was just acting 'til now," Colbie said, taking a sip from her bowl. We were having chicken soup for dinner.

"You're not just a skilled spy, also an award-winning actress," Dino deadpanned. We laughed on the dining table, but it was still gloomy. After eating dinner, we settled down in the living room and ate the chocolate chip cookies Colbie prepared.

"I still can't believe you're 27, Colbie," Luke said, trying to tease her. Colbie smacked him in the chest. "And I doubt you're still 23 when you look like a 30 year old Canadian man," she bit back.

"I'm curious, how does a 27 year old views life?" Dino asked.

Colbie munched a cookie. "Life is hard. As you age, it gets harder."

The room grew quiet for a while. Everyone pondered on Colbie's words which spoke of the truth about life.

Colbie broke the silence. "As a child, you receive protection from your parents and ended up crying in your room because they won't let you play outside. You grow up to be a gradeschool kid who often breaks the rules and is slapped with a belt. You enter highschool and became the subject of bullying. You came to College and met bad influenced friends who taught you to drink alcohol and do nasty things. You moved up and faced the real world on your own. Who will protect you now? Who will scold you? Who will make fun of you? Who will influence you? Who will stand by your side?"

Colbie was a good speaker. No doubt, she's a psychologist.

"Only YOU," Colbie said with such emphasis.

I cleared my throat. "You said a child receives protection from his parents. Can you tell me why my dad left me when I was only 11?" I asked, looking straight into her eyes.

"Oh, I don't know, really. You should ask Jacob when you see him," she answered indifferently.

"Can't I talk to him using your headphones?"

Colbie shook her head. "That's a big NO. First off, I gotta explain to him what happened or his trust on me will turn to dust."

I waved off. "Okay, I get it. Rules of fidelity."

Luke yawned. "Now that everything's clear, let's go to sleep."

**

That's it guys! Colbie is a Secret Agent afterall :)

[ Vote. Comment. Share. ]