Chapter 1: Introductions
Ariana Faucault was a half-English, half-Indonesian, fifteen-year-old girl, who, at the moment, lives in Indonesia. She stands at 5'3" and is usually taller than most Indonesians her age, which is unusual and her English features does not help her popularity level. She has dark brown hair and hazel eyes, despite her mother's Indonesian features. Ari often gets teased because of her foreign appearance, undeterred by the fact that she was born in Indonesia.
Her mother was a fine young lady of thirty-nine, a beautiful black-haired Indonesian woman by the name of Helena Soeboyo. Some parents like to call their children by English names and so comes the reason behind Helena's first name. Now Helena was an expert on languages, knowing seven fluently. That being English, Indonesian, Spanish, French, Mandarin, Japanese and German.
And that was what she taught Ari the moment she was born. Now, Ariana knows four of them and can speak them fluently, listen with attentive ears, write and read them.
Ari's father, Matthew Faucault, aged forty, was a handsome, light-brown haired, Englishman from England.
He and Helena met at the Oxford University, where Helena had been schooled at because to develop her vast knowledge of language and Matthew because he had excelled in Science and Mathematics. Together, they came to Indonesia to get married and they had lived there ever since, Helena having had Ariana at the age of twenty-five.
Matthew now, was an expert on Martial Arts and the reason behind his fit muscles. As work, he teaches kids self-defence and at those free times in Ari's childhood, the times she was not spending learning languages, she stole into these classes and learns martial arts through there. And because of her eagerness to Martial Arts, Matthew decided to give her private lessons at the age of eight.
Now, she is a blue belt in karate, but no more as yet.
Even through all these achievements, Ariana always seem to never stop being shy and timid. Although she never blushes, her hair is usually on half her face and her embarrassment hidden. Aria is always cold when she meets someone and very timid. But once you become friends with her, she sticks to you like glue and will never stop being your friend, all timidness and coldness gone.
Mona Kurniawan was an active, fifteen-year-old. With her short, thick black hair, her fringe always neatly pushed to the left and clipped on with a red clip. Always a red headband on her head and her face clean of hair. Her slight Chinese-like features defined her of Chinese ancestry and Mona's petite figure, standing at only 4'9", defined her good-natured attitude to sport and martial arts.
Excelling at, both, Karate and Taekwondo, Mona is quite the girl. More of a tomboy than a proper girl, she never wears a skirt and fears the colour pink. Always wearing simple, loose t-shirts, making her looks thinner than she already was, jeans and always a black jacket, when she is wearing these, Mona is herself.
She is an Indonesian girl of Chinese ancestry, born to Ami Soenatta and Gari Kurniawan. She has learnt English fluently and can speak, write and listen to it, understanding its full meaning.
Mona and Ariana are schooled in Jubilee School and were the best of friends. Complete with lifts and around 9 floors high, blue and yellow were their colours, its walls and its uniform. On the notice board, a poster was pinned to it, saying 'Student Exchange Programme'. Underneath it, was the same words, translated into Indonesian. The rest of the poster told readers about the programme, how to apply and those who are exchanging for this two month period, starting Monday.
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The Fergusons had always been a rich family and one well-known only to the Australian Intelligence.
Sophia and Oliver Ferguson was a happy couple, until Calum came along and ruined Oliver's fun. That was when the family broke up. Oliver tried to kill Calum when he was 2 years old, and just an innocent little child. So that was when Sophia left with Calum, hating Oliver's guts. She sent her little fair-haired child to be raised by the best boarding school in Australia, the one she trusted completely. ASIS Academy.
It receives infants until they are eighteen and of age to choose their place in the world, letting spies resume their job without the burden of a baby.
Various subjects are studied in ASIS Academy; children aged 4 and up learn more in a one year period than most schools learn in two. From the basic school subjects of mathematics, SOSE (Society and Environment), physics, English, science and a LOTE (Language other than English), to the intimate subjects of Weaponry, Martial Arts, more LOTE and Logical Thinking, to help them if they decide to become spies.
Now if you do not recognise the organisation mentioned a few times now, there's only one vital explanation this book will give you: Australian Secret Intelligence Service, ASIS. Look it up, or as some people say these days, 'Google' it. Here's the link: .com/
Sophia Felloy-Ferguson is a member of this service. A 'spy', in their terms. Oliver did not know this, neither would he ever knows this as Sophia had left him and dated his brother, Peter, a much more handsome man of fair-hair and muscled body. They soon married, but unknown to Sophia, was Peter's secret life. Peter, too, was an agent of ASIS. They discovered each other's secret life when they bumped into each other at the ASIS Headquarters, a shock for both of them.
Calum, meanwhile, had a studious time in ASIS Academy, learning all sorts of important information and remembering them as he was a quick learner of nearly anything other than any sport. He has a little too much knowledge of the general subjects learnt there, and this annoys teachers especially. Because of this, he often makes smart comments, correcting them on incorrect or imprecise information, irritating them and if he can't help himself, by the end of the class, he'll be tied to the chair with his mouth covered in cloth, his teacher steaming mad at him and very ready to shout.
In the area of sport, he fails miserably. It has been four years since he started doing karate, and today, he has only achieved the yellow belt, next up from the white, while most people have reached the blue, the fourth level of karate. That was how bad he was at fighting with his own limbs.
With a gun, however, he was inseparable. Calum loved weaponry of all sorts and learns a lot about them in the weaponry class. Now, he can disassemble and assemble back a Beretta 92 with one eye closed. He also recognises various bombs and knows how to defuse them, with a little investigating first.
Fascinated at all these, he finds himself always carrying a sleeping dart in his pocket at all times. He had made it himself as a school project and designed it so that it looked similar to a gun made of stainless steel. In it, he designed small, thick and hollow needles, containing as much sleeping drugs as could be possible, which was only about a teaspoon's worth. Enough to keep one asleep for an hour.
For LOTE, he excels only little, learning various languages at one go wasn't the best technique they used at ASIS Academy. Calum has scattered knowledge of five different languages, with more difficulty in listening than in reading and writing. Indonesian, Spanish, French, English and Japanese.
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A notice was finally put up on the ASIS Academy Notice board. It has been a while since any notices was put up on any notice board in the Academy. Naturally, the students got excited and crowds quickly formed around each notice board around the school.
On it, a poster was pinned and it read,
Student Exchange Programme
The following students will be exchanged with students from Jubilee School. (Names shall be modified. Modified names are shown in brackets.)
Calum Ferguson. (Cody Hayes)
Ayla Torrestal. (Anna Hayes)
Kevin Leuttenegger. (Kolbe Hayes)
Jubilee Schoolers to be exchanged:
Kori Wahyu
Amanda Olsen
Erik Widjaja
Will Calum Ferguson please meet Director Faber in his office. Ayla Torrestal and Kevin Leuttenegger will be called in afterwards to meet Professor Callaway for their briefing.
Calum was instantly pulled out of the crowd by none other than Ayla Torrestal, soon joined by Kevin. He smiled nervously at them, but only Ayla smiled back, only because of her happy personality. There was no doubt that somewhere in his expression, there was a slight bit petrified and shocked; with excitement, more than fear. Ayla and Kevin weren't as excited, as this was their third mission already and Calum was by far the youngest in the group. Most students don't get offered for a mission until the age of sixteen. Calum was an exception, by the looks of it.
"What have you done to Director Faber, Calum?" Kevin asked, harshly. "The Head of ASIS wouldn't send for you, but not for us. You're fifteen. We, on the other hand, are seventeen."
"What are you trying to say? That I'm no good because of my age?" Calum retorted.
Kevin gripped his shoulders and pushed him to the wall.
"Listen clearly, Ferguson. You will tell us exactly what he said and you will not ever make smart comments with me again, am I understood?"
Calum was silent.
"Understood!?" he cried, louder in his ear.
"I understand." he said, slyly.
Kevin let him go and left with Ayla who gave him a smile, before going with him.
Calum smirked while rubbing his shoulders. Kevin was tricked by his own words. That pleased him as he left towards Director Faber's office. He arrived at the dark oak doors and stopped there, admiring the moment. He's never been inside Director Faber's office. In fact, he's never met the Head of ASIS Academy. As he thought about that, he came up of an idea to why he had chosen him and not the other two. Because if there was an impostor in ASIS and he was pretending to be Director Faber, he wouldn't have to alter his appearance to see someone he hasn't met before.
Calum chuckled at that, though. There was no way someone could be doing that.
He knocked on the brilliant oak doors lightly and it opened to reveal a flustered man with greying hair. He smiled at Calum invitingly.
"Ah, you must be Ferguson's son." he said, ruffling Calum's fair hair.
"Yes, sir." he replied, gruffly, wrenching his hair out of Faber's reach.
Faber's face contorted.
"Of course, you're his type too." he said, the smile off his face. "Come in, Calum."
Faber walked swiftly to his seat, behind his desk as Calum swept upon a chair in front and sat there. Faber eyed him with disgust.
"I see you haven't learnt common courtesy." he said, coldly, waving his hand upwards to indicate that Calum was to stand up.
"Excuse me, sir, but what does 'common courtesy' have anything to do with this meeting?" he enquired, not at all making a move to stand up.
"It is to do with every formal meeting you shall attend from now on, Ferguson." he said, calmly. "Stand up."
Calum did as he ordered. After two seconds of standing up, Faber sat down and nodded at him, showing his approval. "That was your cue to sit down, Ferguson." he snapped, when Calum was still standing up.
Calum sat down and bowed his head slightly.
"Why thank you, sir. You are most kind." he said, in mocking praise. Faber's eyes showed a look of pure annoyance.
"I shall consider that respect, for now. Normally, it would be the utmost disrespect. Fortunately, for you this time, I've let it go." he said, and then got out a silver coin, the size of an Australian ten-cent-coin.
"This, is the ASIS coin. It is the greatest gadget one can give to a member of the ASIS Academy. It shall be given to Kassia Castella."
Calum slumped back. He had thought and hoped it was for him, but no, of course not.
"Your mission is to give this to Kassia, who is currently a pupil in Jubilee School, spying our targeted students, who we have thought are capable of a mission we have in store later.
"This is strictly confidential and you shall not tell this to anyone. You shall tell your team mates that you will be looking for recruits and your objective is also to investigate the targeted students at a closer range than Kassia had been able to get into. As you see she is 16 and two of the targeted students, Ariana Faucault and Mona Kurniawan, are fifteen years of age. The same age as you, if I remember correctly."
He got out a folder marked, 'Mission #6405: Jubilee School Recruitment Program' with the ASIS crest on top.
"I hope you can speak Indonesian well. They're not going to think you're from there if you can't and we need them to think you've been living there all your life." he said. "Our stylist will manage your fair hair because that'll attract too much attention.
"Also, you are only allowed to use the gadgets you've made. I understand you haven't made quite a lot of devices for communicating. You should start on it or try to buy one." Faber said.
It was like Faber was mocking him. He couldn't afford so much as a Nokia banana phone without his mother, who at the moment was away on a mission. Then, tossed Faber a coin over to Calum and handed him the folder. "Read the folder and memorise it. You have 24 hours until the mission, Calum. You better be ready by then. Dismissed."
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