She runs and vaults herself over the cobblestone wall, landing with both feet planted firmly on the other side. She doesn't waste any time and continues to run from her chasers, sprinting right into a scrap disposal yard. Her feet slam against the dirt and gravel as she runs at a remarkably fast pace. All of those parkour training sessions were really paying off.
"Shoot!"
She stops short when she reaches a fence wrapped in barbed wire. She can climb, but climbing barbed wire would hurt like hell. She turns around as the men in black suits approach, a pair of handcuffs in one of their hands.
I've got to try and talk my way out of this one.
"Hello, gentlemen." She motions up to the grey sky, "Not the best weather today, is it? What would you expect though, am I right? It is England we live in."
The men stare back at her blankly, not one of them saying something back in response. She lets out a steady laugh, making sure that they can't sense her uneasiness.
"Well, I guess I should get going. It's been nice talking to you, gentlemen."
She makes a move to walk past them when one of them latches onto her arm; she sighs, "Not gonna lie, I should have saw that one coming."
She swings her free arm around and smashes it into the side of her captors neck, causing him to release his grip on her and allow her to take a few steps back. She does and, instead of running, she raises her fists and moves into a fighting stance. The first man charges at her and swings his fist for her head. She quickly ducks out of the way of his attack and punches at his stomach as hard as she can; it doesn't do much, but it holds him back for a few seconds. The third man begins to approach her so she kicks her right leg out, but he grabs onto her foot and keeps a firm grip on it. She panics for a few moments, but she takes her chances and kicks forwards as hard as she can. The man drops her foot and stumbles back slightly, causing him to knock into one of the men, who is stood directly behind him. She's about to take her opportunity and make a break for it when she feels something press into the side of her neck. It doesn't hurt, but it makes her feel very sleepy. That's the last thing she feels before she passes out.
"Maddie. Maddie, wake up."
She groans. She recognises that voice. She's heard it her entire life. She tries to say his name, but it just comes out as another groan.
"Hey, it's okay. You're fine. You're safe." He reassures in a soft voice, letting out a small laugh, "In fact, I think you're gonna find this really cool."
She slowly opens her eyes, thankful that there is not much light where she is. Wherever that may be, it is dim and smells faintly of old toilet. She puts that aside and slowly pushes herself up off of the metallic surface she is laying upon, shifting around until she is in a comfortable sitting position.
"You okay?"
She looks over at him and nods, but becomes cautious again when she sees another girl and boy, who look around his age, stood behind him. The girl speaks up first with a strong accent, although she's not exactly sure where it's from. Scotland, perhaps?
"How do you know her?"
Dan looks over at the girl, "She's my little sister."
Maddie groans and rolls her eyes, "You know that I hate it when you call me little."
"Well, he's not wrong." The other boy chimes in, Madison shooting a glare over in his direction, "What year are you in? Eight?"
"Nine, actually. I'll be fourteen this year." She switches her attention over to her brother, lightly shoving his shoulder, "Which is why I don't want you to call me little."
Dan smiles and opens his mouth to respond when a lady, possibly in her mid 30's to early 40's, walks over and speaks up instead.
"Madison Morgan?"
Maddie looks at her cautiously, "Who wants to know?"
"My name is Stella Knight. I work for a division called MI9. Have you ever heard of it?" Madison nods back, Stella seemingly happy that she has knowledge of her division, "The 21st century faces a new kind of threat. Old school spies have had their day, and MI9 must form a new team of skilled undercover agents."
"Okay...and what does all of that have to do with me, exactly? Or my brother," She motions to the boy and the girl stood behind Dan, "Or these two random kids?"
"Random?!"
Stella ignores the other girl and opens up a file in her hands, looking down at it and reading it aloud, "Madison Morgan. Trained in Parkour and Freerunning. Self taught in five martial arts styles. Multilingual and proficient in problem solving." Stella closes the file and looks back at Madison, "It sounds like you have quite the skill set."
Maddie shrugs, "Don't you have adults that can do all of those things?"
"This new team will consist of young agents. Madison, we want you to be a part of that team."
"Are you being serious?" She looks over at her brother for reassurance, "Dan?"
"It's all true, Maddie."
Madison looks back to Stella, taking a few moments to think everything through. Is this whole situation confusing? Yes. Is it slightly terrifying? Definitely. But is it all pretty awesome? Without a shadow of doubt. And that's another for her to make her decision.
"Okay. Yeah, I'm in."
"Dan, I'm serious. I had to look after a goldfish once and the cat ate it. What if we have to look after the Prime Minister?" Aneisha says as the four spies in training walk towards the front entrance to the school, worry evident in her voice.
"Well, then I guess the Prime Minister is stuffed, Neish." Madison attempt at a joke only seems to worry Aneisha more. She decides to switch to a more solemn and comforting response, "We'll be fine, Aneisha. We've been training all summer. Besides, if anything, I think we deserve a mission already. We haven't had a single one yet."
"Yeah, maybe keep all of that stuff to yourself, sis." Dan pipes in, "Remember, we can't let anyone know about any of this. Not even Mum and Dad."
"Yeah, yeah. I know, Dan."
"Yeah, and don't tell anyone we're friends either." Tom adds, not looking up from the handheld game system in his hand.
"Yeah. Might keep that to myself."
The four kids pause at the sight of the Deputy Principal, McNab, walking out of the front door to the school, leading a band of marching students. They halt on his command, and Madison can't help but feel unnerved at the sight of the strict Deputy Principal. Boy, he sure is mean.
"As some of you may know, Bleakwood is getting a new headmaster today. Given that they never gave that job to me...I can only imagine how strict and exacting he must be."
Maddie watches in shock and slight amusement as a kindly looking man runs over with his bike, slightly out of breath but smily all the same. It's definitely an...interesting contrast in comparison to the harshness of McNab. She can't deny that she's confused as to why this man has been hired. She figured that the school board would choose someone as strict, if not stricter, than McNab. This guy's not even on the same level as McNab. He's far too nice.
"MI9 arranged for someone I know."
Maddie looks over at Frank, who is stood beside Aneisha, "How do you know him?"
"Let's just say that he's an old acquaintance."
Maddie looks over at Aneisha, who just shrugs back in response. She sighs before turning back to the strange man, who is telling all of the students about a dream where he turned up to school wearing only his underpants or something along those lines.
"Flatley?"
The kindly man nods to McNab's question, "Kenneth Flatley, headmaster."
"Mr McNab. Deputy headmaster." McNab says bluntly. It's clear to everyone that he is not happy that Mr Flatley is here, "And if I may be quite frank..."
"Frank?" Mr Flatley gasps at the sight of Frank, ignoring McNab and walking over to the ersatz caretaker instead, "I don't believe it! You've got a job here too! What were the chances?"
"Mr F, good to see you. And like you say, what were the chances?" Frank says, putting on his caretaker accent.
Maddie stifles a laugh at the sound of the ridiculous accent, causing everyone to look at her, some in confusion, some scrutinisingly. Frank glares over at her, making her shrink back slightly and mouth an apology in his direction. McNab says a few things to Flatley before heading back inside, leading Flatley and the students inside with him.
"Well, that went well."
Later that day, Maddie is just walking out of the girls toilet when her communicator begins to beep from within her pocket, signalling that she is needed in HQ. It's likely just a drill, but she's excited all the same. She's training to be a spy! Who wouldn't be excited by that? Well, maybe McNab, but that's besides the point. She makes sure that her communicator is secure in her pocket before running down the hall, making her way for the entrance to HQ. When she gets there she finds the others already waiting there for her, looks of excitement on their faces too. Dan slides open the switch panel and presses his thumb against the ID panel, granting them access to the closet. The four of them step inside and Maddie pulls on the broom, activating the lift and sending them deep underground into HQ.
The four of them step out of the lift, now dressed in their spy gear, and make their way to the centre conference table. Dan is the first one to voice his excitement, and Maddie can tel that he is trying hard to keep his cool.
"Look, if this is just a drill, that's totally cool. We're totally professional."
"Actually, it's your first mission."
"Woo! First mission!" Maddie hi-fives Aneisha, Frank shooting a stern look in her direction, "Sorry, Frank. Continue. I am totally professional."
"But it's not all good news." Frank continues, turning back to address the team as a whole, "An hour ago, a SKUL agent was arrested not far from here. You won't believe what he told MI9."
Frank flicks his hand towards one of the monitors, making video feed of an interrogation room pop up on it's transparent screen. The guy who is being interrogated sounds desperate as he speaks, something that makes Maddie flinch as she listens to it. Yes, it's cool to be training to be a spy, but some parts of it definitely can make a person uncomfortable.
"Look, I swear...For the last 10 years, SKUL have been working on the ultimate weapon. Something called the V95. Look, whatever it is, they're moving it across town today. But please don't send me to jail. Me mum'll kill me!
The video feed disappears from the screen and Frank turns back to the kids, "We don't know what the weapon is, or what SKUL are planning. But MI9 have put the city on maximum alert."
The five of them walk over to the computer station, Tom sitting down at the desk with a broad smile on his face, "Birds in the air, people, birds in the air!"
"We had this all summer." Aneisha says to Frank.
"Helicopters are looking for the weapon from above. On the ground, MI9 are blocking all routes out of town. Dan, Aneisha, your job is to set up a roadblock near here." Frank orders, turning over to Maddie, "You stay here with Tom and let us know if anything changes."
"But why? I've been training to be a field agent all summer. Tom is our geek. We don't need another." She looks over at Tom apologetically, "No offence."
"None taken."
"Maddie, you're staying here, and that's an order!" Frank turns to Dan and Aneisha, "Dan. Aneisha. Let's go."
Frank and Aneisha both head for the lift immediately whilst Dan turns back to look at his sister, seemingly conflicted on what to do. He looks at her sympathetically, looking even more conflicted when Frank calls his name.
"Dan, come on."
Dan sighs, "I'll be back soon, alright? Stay with Tom."
Dan turns and runs into the lift, Maddie shouting his name until the lift door closes in front of him. She listens as the lift shoots up from down in HQ before slumping down into a chair by the monitors, grabbing a rubber ball from Frank's desk and tossing it around in her hands. Tom and Maddie sit in silence for a few minutes before Maddie suddenly yells, tossing the ball across the room so it bounces against the closed lift doors.
"I train for weeks to be a field agent and on the first real mission we get, I get stuck in the nerd lair!" She looks at Tom apologetically once again, "Again, no offence."
"None taken, again. But if you keep making nerd insults, I will start to take offence."
"Sorry. I'm just angry. But you have to agree with me on this that this is so unfair!"
"Maybe I do, but that won't change the outcome of the situation. An order is an order." Tom replies, glancing over at her from the computers, "You can help me out by monitoring the surveillance footage if you want to do something."
"Is there anything else I can do?"
"Uh, I think Frank got some new equipment in. The box is over by the armoury. You can unpack that if you don't want to help with the mission."
"I want to help with th...oh, forget it!" She crosses the room and walks into the small armoury of the base, grumbling as she goes, "Anything's got to be better than just sitting around whilst the others do all the cool stuff."
She finds a considerably large cardboard box in the corner of the room and moves over to grab it, opening it up to find an array of gadgets inside. She smirks, "Cool." She begins to sift through the stuff inside of the box, quickly moving past the boring stuff. Yes, spy gadgets can be boring. She pauses when something noteworthy catches her eyes.
"Magnet pucks and gloves? Oh, I am so keeping these!" She pulls the gloves and pucks from their wrapping and begins to recite the instructions, "Gloves and pucks (to be attached to shoes) with magnetic traction. To active magnetic traction clap hands or stomp feet twice when stationary, respectively."
"Maddie, get in here!"
Maddie quickly slips the gloves onto her hands and connects the pucks to the bottom of her shoes, ensuring that both won't be noticeable upon first glance, before packing up the rest of the box and running out of the armoury.
"What's going on, Tom?"
"They found the V95, and it's no firearm or girl." He points to the computer screen, "Look."
Maddie directs her attention towards the computer screen, shocked and confused at what the V95 is. There's an image of a girl who looks around Dan's age with tied up red hair and blank clothes on, similar to the blank clothing that a prisoner might wear.
"This is the V95? Why would SKUL's secret weapon be some teenage girl? She sure doesn't look dangerous."
"Neither do you and you're a spy." Tom notes, Maddie giving him a pointed look which he ignores, "The others are bringing the girl to a secure location. Frank already sent me the coordinates. We're going to go and meet them there."
Tom stands up from his desk and runs over to the lift, stood ready to head up. Maddie follows after him, grumbling once again as she goes, "As if they need us."
"Ah, team." Frank turns to address the team as they enter the secure location, where he is stood beside Stella, "You remember Stella? Stella Knight. Chief Agent Knight."
Frank stands there awkwardly for a few moments before turning around and walking away, making the whole situation all the more awkward. Maddie looks over at Stella in confusion, "What was that all about?"
"Look after him, will you? Somebody has to." Stella says before following after Frank.
"Whoa! Tension alert!"
The four kids walk over to the main table where the other spies are stood, Tom taking his position at the lie detector. Maddie looks at the girl on the other side of the desk and instantly recognises her through her red hair. It's the V95.
"Now, why don't we start by you telling us your name." Stella addresses the V95 in a stern yet calm voice, "You do have a name?"
"V95." The girl pulls back her shirt sleeve and shows Stella her arm, where a code of some sorts in written in bright green, "Full name, V95 ZOE6."
"And your parents? How do we contact them?"
"I never knew my parents. Spent my whole life at SKUL, training to be a SKUL agent." The girl's voices begins to become more panicked, "But I didn't want to be there, I hated it!"
"Really?" Stella begins to address Tom without taking her eyes off of the girl, "What does the lie detector say?"
"Er...Big squiggle, little squiggle... Yeah, she's telling the truth."
"You can cheat lie detectors!" Dan says harshly, leaning over Tom's chair and looking over at the girl harshly.
"Dan!" Maddie grabs her brother's arm and pulls him to the side as the girl and Stella continue to talk, "There's no need to be so harsh."
"Maddie, she's a part of SKUL. She's dangerous!"
"I don't think she is. I know that looks can be deceiving but she really doesn't seem dangerous. She seems afraid. She's sorta stoic but I can still tell that she's scared." Maddie walks away from Dan and back towards the girl, looking over at Frank and Stella as she goes, "Can I try and talk to her?"
"Maddie, I-."
"Trust me, Frank. She's scared and I don't think that being surrounded by Stella and her intimidating entourage is helping matters." She glances over at the blank-faced agents stood behind the girl, "No offence."
Frank looks over at Stella for her consent, something that makes Maddie smile, but Stella seems completely against the idea, "No way. I cannot allow a newly appointed agent to handle something of this kind of importance. What if she tries to escape?"
"The only way out of here is right through that door, where you and the other agents will be waiting if she tries anything. Besides, I don't think that she will."
Stella looks over at Frank who shrugs back, "It won't hurt to try."
Stella sighs, which Maddie takes as a sign of giving in. She turns to the agents behind Stella and points to the door, the agents nodding back and walking out through the door. She turns back to address Maddie as Frank begins to lead Dan, Aneisha and Tom out after the agents, "You have five minutes, Maddie. No more. If you can't get anything out of her by then, we'll have to come back in and continue to interrogate her like before."
Maddie nods, "I understand. Thank you, Stella."
Stella nods back and follows everyone else out of the room, closing the door shut behind her, leaving Maddie alone with the K95. She moves to sit in the room that Tom had occupied and takes a deep breath, facing the girl with a small smile.
"Hi, I'm Maddie."