Sorry guys, exams and stuff... I'm sure you guys understand. Thank you everyone for putting up for my irregular updates. Here's the next chapter for you, and this basically explains everything, unlike my last chapter which was purely characterisation. Hope you all like it xx
Jasmine xoxo
The familiar ring of the lift doors sounded through HQ as they opened to reveal Dan, Aneisha and Keri in their spy gear. Tom and Frank were already in the base, weaving in and out between computers and electronics of all sorts. Frank walked around them in order to get to the three spies.
"Hello again, agents. I hope you're ready for your first mission for the school year." Frank greeted them, although he didn't seem too happy. Tom also had a grave expression on his face.
"So, Frank, what's the mission?" Asked Keri who, more than Tom and Frank, was thrilled to be back again as a spy. Her usual cheerfulness brought up the spirits of the agents beside her.
"Actually, I'm going to allow Tom to explain this one." He walked back to a lone computer and sat down, his fingers flying across the keyboard and his eyes stuck to the screen. This reminded Aneisha much of Tom when he was concentrating hard on a game he was about to win, and she had a silent chuckle to herself.
"Right, so as you all know KORPS is dead" - The three agents cheered and hi-fived each other - "but it doesn't mean that we've caught everyone. As soon as we breached the main KORPS base last year, many of the agents bolted. I've only been able to view the footage from the base from the time when they left, but it's like they vanished into thin air. There was no CCTV or any cameras around that area."
"Right, so our mission is to find them." Aneisha stated.
"Not exactly, let me start from the beginning. After we saved Keri from the Mastermind last year, something didn't quite sit right with me. I followed my gut and I did some digging. According to my research, Keri would have never made it as the Mastermind for more than half an hour. The Mastermind was still growing weak, so it needed two bodies for its brain to grow properly." The other agents grew worried at this news.
"But we already know that Zoe isn't a match, and we altered Libi's DNA so that she can't be the match either," Dan said. Aneisha and Keri nodded in agreement.
"It turns out that the Mastermind needed a 'perfect' match. Only clones that have the same code could be transferred into two different Masterminds. Since Keri is J.4.5.K.3.R.1 and Libi is J.6.3.L.1.B.1, the process wouldn't have worked even if we hadn't altered Libi's DNA."
"Wait, I thought that each clone had different codes on their arms," Keri gulped, wincing as she called herself a clone.
"It turns out that, with the help of Zoe's old research and my newfound knowledge, there is another girl out there with the exact same code as Keri's." Keri's jaw dropped and she frowned.
"There is no way that there are going to be two people called Keri! I'm going to get so confused!" Dan rolled his eyes at Keri's exclaimed outburst.
"Imagine how hard it's going to be for us 'Non-Keri's' now there are going to be two of you." Keri stuck her tongue out at Dan while he smirked and turned his attention back to Tom.
"Well, you're in luck. She isn't called Keri. Her name is Jasmine, but I found out that everyone calls her Jas, like the first part of your code." Keri rolled up her sleeve to look at the code across her radial tuberosity more carefully, Aneisha looking over her to grab a better look as well.
"J - 4 - 5. Oh yeah! You'd think after sixteen years I would have noticed that."
"So our real mission is to rescue her and protect her from the rogue KORPS agents." Tom nodded at Dan.
"Wow, I'm having some serious déjà vu from last year." Dan and Tom nodded in agreement with Aneisha. Keri looked very confused.
"You did this last year? - Oh yeah, for me. Duh!" Dan pictured a lightbulb going off above Keri's head and tried to stifle a laugh. Instead, he rolled his eyes again.
"So I'm guessing you're running off the power from inside the school then?" Aneisha asked Tom.
"I've learned from that mistake. I've run a few cords through the old KORPS base, up the ladder and through the main power board outside of the school." Tom looked pleased with himself.
"Okay, we'd better go and find her then." The three field agents turned for the lift, but were stopped by Frank.
"Wait, agents! I've just found out that she's transferred here from her old school a few suburbs away." All agents were wide-eyed.
"What are the chances that out of all the schools in the area, she transferred to ours?" Dan asked, bewildered.
"Yeah, I know. It's like fate!" Keri exclaimed.
"Sure, or a really cheesy TV show or story..." Dan guessed.
"According to the school records, she's just arrived. You should all go - yes, Tom, even you - and welcome her. Become close to her and make sure that you protect her at all costs. Good luck, agents." All four junior spies turned and walked into the lift.
"So what did Tom mean when he said that he'd 'learned from that mistake'? What happened?" Aneisha chuckled at Keri's question. Tom overheard and rolled his eyes, but then laughed remembering how the situation went down.
"Well, just after we saved you and Libi, Preston, being a new student and as enthusiastic as he is, roped Mr Flatley into being environmentally-friendly. When Mr Flatley saw the cords and switches all turned on on the inside power board, he took them all out and turned them all off. But before he could get to the biggest cord, Frank grabbed it and they had a tug-of-war. It was honestly the funniest thing ever." Both of the girls giggled.
"Funnier than the time when I used 'The Voice' on Stella?"
"Well, it's definitely up there." The girls burst into hysterics and the lift doors closed, leaving a very confused Frank behind.