The Search and Rescue Project

                                        The Search and Rescue Project

"Look out behind you!" Caleb yelled, as if we were in some cheesy horror movie. I spun around just in time to see a fist flashing toward my face. I ducked, but not fast enough to avoid the jarring impact of the man's knuckles against my jaw. I tasted blood as I lashed out with my elbow. I felt it sink into the softer flesh of the man's stomach and he stumbled back with a grunt. I grabbed Caleb's arm and began to sprint through the throngs of people, muttering excuses every time I brushed off of someone. I glanced back to see how close the man was and gasped. He was only a few steps behind us, shoving people roughly as he fought his way through.

                I tugged Caleb's sleeve and turned sharply to the right. As I reached a corner, I disappeared. At least, that would have been what anyone watching me would have thought. In reality, I had slipped into an extremely obscure alleyway and stepped into a doorway disguised as a dumpster. I tapped out the code on the door, and it swung open. I glanced around one last time before I entered the dimly lit room.

                Meanwhile, Caleb was perched on a ledge in the shadow of an overhang, directly over our pursuer. He took a small cube out of his pocket and fiddled with the switches. Once he was satisfied with their positions, he dropped the cube onto the man. With a small click, the cube detonated. The man was flung off his feet into the wall of the building so hard the supports shook. With a small smile, Caleb climbed down from the ledge and walked over to the alleyway. He stepped into the dumpster and disappeared.

                The man would not wake up until the next day, with absolutely no idea where he was. All memories he had attained within the past 3 years would be gone, and he would not remember the two children he had been chasing. All he would want to do now is go to the home in the rural area he had never before seen and go back to work as a carpenter, all he ever remembered doing.

                Once inside I found my chair and took a seat. A minute later Caleb joined me, and by the smile on his face I could tell all had gone well. "Mission accomplished, Mr. Bond?" I teased. He punched me on the arm and grinned. "Obviously, otherwise our friend would have taken me with him, wherever he was going." His grin disappeared as he examined my face. I could feel a bruise blossoming across my cheek.

"I'm fine." I said.

"He's still out there." Caleb said pensively. "But I'm pretty sure he's out cold, so he wouldn't feel it." He frowned.

"Caleb, its fine." I said. I looked around to see everyone staring at us expectantly. "And I think they might be waiting." Caleb flushed and turned to face everyone.

 Jason, the man in the middle of the circle, rubbed his hands together briskly. "Well, now that we have all settled down", he said, glancing pointedly at Caleb, "Let's begin our meeting. As many of you know, the Secrah Ecruse has been on the rise." Although this was news to virtually no one, the air in the room seemed to thicken with despair and fear. "The level of activity has risen considerably in the past few months, which naturally caused more work for us." An agreeing murmur echoed throughout the room. "A very recent event was only minutes ago involving 2 of our younger agents. Caleb, Kolbe, would you please come up?"

                I glanced over at Caleb and shrugged. We stood and walked toward the middle of everyone. "A man, probably from Secrah, attempted to stop us from reaching the meeting. We handled him and he's now unconscious in an alley." Caleb shifted uncomfortably. "Well," he began, "he's actually out on the street. I was in a rush to get here and kind of left him where he fell."

Jason nodded at Chris and David, and they stood and stalked toward the door, presumably to hide the man.

"So, did this man hurt either of you?" Jason asked. I shook my head, but Caleb pointed at my face and said, "He punched her before we realized who he was. He hit her pretty hard." I rolled my eyes as Jason tilted my head to study my bruise. "Does it hurt?" he asked.

"I'm fine." I said, swatting his hand away. We had more important things to worry about than a bruise. I walked back to my chair and sat, glaring fiercely at Caleb until he reluctantly joined me.

"As you can see, their resources have not shrunken since our last encounter. Though they have many men, most of them are brutes that will do any job once they are paid enough, including capturing children."

                I raised my eyebrow. Caleb and I were among the more seasoned agents, and we were not kids. Seeing my reaction, Jason sighed and said, "I meant young adults." I sat back with a satisfied nod.

                Jason went on to describe more recent missions, and several others rose to elaborate on the stories. The most disturbing involved an incident in which four of our agents had managed to gain access to the database of the Secrah for a short time. They had several attacks planned in the next month, and it would take many of us to subdue and control them. Some seemed to be planned to happen as a result of the primary operation, so we might be able to "kill 2 birds with 1 stone"as Jason put it.

                After, everyone said The Pact, our vow of silence about what had been discussed in the meeting.

The Pact

I swear on my life and those around me that all topics of this meeting will not be shared with anyone who does not serve The Search and Rescue Project. Any conversation pertaining will be done only with complete assurance no others will overhear. I will not give any hints and or clues to what occurred today. Any violation will result in Termination.

                Everybody left in a different way, some through windows, others through underground passages designated for that purpose. Caleb and I waited with Jason until the room was clear. We pulled some chairs together in a loose triangle and prepared everything for the meeting. Laptop, check. Spiral notebook and E-pen, check. (The E-pen is a seemingly normal pen which writes in a special ink, that only shows when the light each one of us owns is shone on it.) Tape recorder, check. Doughnuts, check.

                The atmosphere had relaxed drastically now that only the three of us were here. Jason and Caleb messed around while I set up the laptop and handed them their doughnuts. As usual, Jason grabbed the notebook and Caleb the tape recorder. Caleb's handwriting is atrocious, and neither of them can type as fast as I can.

                "October 23, 3:22 pm." Caleb said into the small recorder. I typed in the heading, and Jason wrote it down.  Over the next hour we recorded everything that had been discussed, with short breaks for snacks. We finished and stretched.

"Good job, guys." Jason said.

"No problem. Thanks for not, um, making a big deal over the guy. Sorry."

Jason smiled easily. "No problem. Just try not to do it again."

"'Kay." Caleb mumbled.

I walked over to the door. Caleb did his handshake with Jason then followed. We waited a moment outside the door, then melted out of the shadows onto the sidewalk. We quickly blended into the crowds of people that were on their way home. We were nothing but a pair of kids now, on our way home from school. We smiled at anyone who noticed us, and they continued on, content. They had no idea how big of a role we were playing in protecting them, but I really don't mind. I'd rather not be some hero plastered on the newspapers hanging from the stalls around us.

We walked until we reached a seemingly random street corner, where we hailed a taxi. Once inside, we took off our disguises. A brown wig and glasses for me, a beat-up cap and dark sunglasses for Caleb. I rolled my eyes as Caleb ran his hand over his hair and said, "I hate that hat."

"Try wearing a wig for an hour, not to mention glasses that make me feel like a dork."

"Trust me, you don't just feel it."

I kicked out at Caleb, not really meaning to hit him. I was surprised when I did. I looked up to see him staring intently out the window. I was tempted to ask what was up, but he would tell me in a minute. He looked confused and a little hurt. I looked out the window and saw what he did.