"Lies," Joe said as he walked into the CoveOp's classroom. "We tell them to our friends. We tell them to our enemies. And eventually…" I knew what was coming next. "We tell them to ourselves."
Then I breathed a sigh of relief. Joe, unlike the teachers at Blackthorne, didn't stop to glance or shake their head slightly at me and turned to write something on the blackboard.
"A lie is typically accompanied by what physical symptoms, Ms. Lee?" Joe asked.
"Dilated pupils, increased pulse and atypical mannerisms." As Kim recited, Cammie's gaze lowered until she was staring at the tabletop. It didn't take professional training to know she was thinking about last night.
"Spies tell lies, ladies and gentlemen, but that's not what today is about." Joe continued. "Today is about how to spot them. Now, a seasoned operative will know how to control their pulse and voice." Freshman year spring break. Blackthorne's basement. I had wires taped to every pulse point of my body with a mic pressed up to my face. "But for the purpose of today's lesson, I think these will come in handy."
The Gallagher Academy had invented some pretty impressive and useful gadgets (duct tape and pillow cases doubling as parachutes takes a real genius to produce even the blueprints.) But I'm sure that the best weapon/gadget they've ever invented for our business was sitting right in Joe's hand and he was passing it around.
"Dr. Fibs has been kind enough to share these prototypes of a new portable voice-stress analyzer he's developing." Joe explained. "It's equipped with a microchip that will monitor a person's voice, and if they are lying, it was vibrate very softly, alerting the wearer to the lie."
I watched Cammie turn the plastic ring in her hand as Joe walked up to Tina Walter's desk and said, "And the rings can be fooled, with training." I half-smiled as I remembered the time I convinced Jonas that I had stayed at campus for the whole winter break when I was actually in Switzerland and nearly got shot. He believed me. I was sure I could do the same with the ring.
"For example, ask me a question, Ms. Waters- any question." Joe said.
Tina stopped to think for a second before asking, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
Some people giggled (I'm ashamed to say it but yes, Grant was one of them…) Joe just bit back a smile and said, "No."
"Nothing. It didn't do anything. So it's true?" Tina stared at the ring.
"Ask me again." Joe said.
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Yes." Then Tina waved her hand and was frowning at it.
"It's not broken, Ms. Walters." Joe said and I swear I could hear some smugness in his voice. "It's just not as good as detecting lies as I am at telling them." Something tells me that Joe also knew how it felt to be wired to Truth Master 3000 in the middle of freezing winter.
I felt familiar eyes on me. I turned my head and caught Cammie looking at me. I wondered if she had seen through any of my lies.
"Partner with the person across from you. Watch their eyes, pay attention to their voice. And see if you can guess who's lying." Joe instructed.
"Oh," I said, I raised my eyes at the irony of the whole situation. She wanted to know so badly about me and the opportunity was practically walking up to her in plain sight. "This should be fun." For her, that is.
"What's your name?" I sighed mentally, was this going to be a déjà vu of last night? Hopefully I didn't have to prompt her this time.
"Zach." I stated plainly.
"What's you're full name?"
"That's a pretty boring question, Gallagher Girl." Degrading was also a powerful weapon to increase motivation.
"Zach!" Cammie said sharply.
"Yes, that's correct." I said sarcastically and I held up her right hand. (A rather large part of my mind turned into slush at the contact.) "See- not lying."
"Where were you during the Code Black?"
I broke out into a grin. Finally, she was actually getting somewhere close to her mission objective. "That's better."
"Answer the-"
I cut her off. "I was with you, remember?" I made sure that I kept my voice and pulse in check (which is a lot easier said than done since Cammie was sitting right next to me) so the ring wouldn't detect my lie. She didn't respond and I knew she believed me because the ring didn't move. Her suspicions of me were gone and my Blackthorne Burden was safe. In Dr. Steve's words: Excellent.
Without suspicions, it kind of let me be available to actually act like a normal guy for once and maybe ask her to eat dinner with me or-
Okay, that's enough. I shouldn't get ahead of myself too much. But that didn't stop the goofy grin that I could feel growing on my face. "My turn. Did you have fun last night?"
"Zach, I really don't think that's what Mr. Solomon is going for this particular exercise."
Avoiding the questing, eh? "I'll take that as a yes. We should really do it again sometime." Cammie glanced at the ring. I have to admit- I was kind of hurt because that line was actually sincere. Just then, a part of me registered that I sort-of asked her out. And that part of me had also registered that I got turned down.
"Where are you from?" she asked.
"The Blackthorne Institute for Boys." That wasn't a lie. But I couldn't exactly add 'Detention Facility for Juvenile Delinquents.'
"What do your parents do?" Cammie asked again. The smile on my face fell. Mom. For the first time in a long while, I remembered that I was literally looking at a reflection of Mom. Just that she was younger.
"What do you think they do?" I couldn't conjure up a brilliant lie yet so my reflex reactions took over. I unconsciously straightened my notebook as I mentally panicked about what to say if Cammie asked more about them. Or her since I don't have a Dad.
"They were CIA?" she whispered. Well, that saved me a lot of thinking.
"Used to be." Fortunately, I had already controlled my pulse and voice.
I know I'm heartless. Cammie probably thought I had lost both of my parents to CIA missions. She was probably relating her situation to mine's. She was probably feeling sad for me. She might even want to comfort me.
But I barely have parents. Or family, for that matter. I'm not that close to Mom. I don't have a Dad. The closest person I have is Joe. My friendship with Grant and Jonas was temporary since I was sure that I had to break contact with them as soon as I was out of Blackthorne.
I know I was trained to tell lies. No matter how ridiculous, no matter how impossible. But I don't know if it's because I like Cammie or something but for some reason, I didn't want to take advantage of her feelings. I couldn't have that on my conscience. (And this is coming from someone who nearly stabbed a security guard. I was stopped because Joe purposely set off the fire alarm.)
And that's why I found myself walking down to one of the entrances to Cammie's observation post. I guessed she use the 'fireplace exit' since it was the closest to her dorm.
I was right. "So the tour is closed, huh?"
Cammie jumped at the sound of my voice and accidentally bumped her head against the marble mantelpiece. "Ow! What are you doing here?" Comforting my conscience.
"Come on." I didn't feel like answering the question out loud yet and I reached out to rub the bump on her scalp. I could feel a swollen bruise growing there already. "You live."
"You're being nice." Cammie stated, sounding shocked. I wanted to grimace at that. It wasn't exactly…suitable for someone like me.
"Don't tell anyone." It was supposed to be sarcastic but I don't think it sounded like it. I changed the subject. "So…did your bugs hear anything interesting?"
When she didn't say anything, I couldn't resist but jump at the opportunity to tease her, "What? No snappy comebacks? Nonexistent cat named Suzie got your tongue?"
"How do you know about Suzie?"
I smiled as I remembered one clandestine visit to Roseville. "Spy." And I pointed to myself.
Then it felt like someone had pressed the mute button on the universe. Silver moonlight shone into the room, there was absolute silence around us and none of us said anything. The silence was almost fragile. I was too afraid to speak- I felt like if I spoke too loudly, the whole mansion would split into two.
I noticed a stray strand of hazel colored hair falling across Cammie's face. Almost on impulse, I slowly lifted my hand towards her face and brushed it away. Then I jerked away. This was a mission.
But at that moment, Joe's words came back to me. This wasn't just a mission anymore.
"Why don't you ask me about it. About them?" My reflexes asked her automatically. I know she had lost a parent as well but when you grew up with Grant and Jonas bombarding you with questions ever since you mentioned your mother for the first time, you don't really get used to the fact that someone might be like you. Even if they were only like you in the teeniest of ways.
"I'll tell you mine's if you tell me yours." I don't know why I said that when there was a big part of me that was screaming at me to stop and backtrack. But maybe it was because of my mission. Or maybe it was because I liked Cammie. Or maybe I was staring at the physical reflection of my mother and the mental reflection of…myself.
"It was a mission." Cammie said, her voice slightly choked. "Four years ago my dad went on a mission. He didn't come home. Nobody knows what…happened." I could tell that she hadn't said this before- the emotions in her voice was still raw like she had just received the news four years ago.
"Somebody knows." 'Never assume. Always anticipate.' It goes the same for answers.
"What? What are you saying?" Cammie whispered.
"I'm saying somebody knows." I said sharply. There were always two sides to a story. The good side- CIA, MI6, KGB… And the bad side- the Circle of Cavan. Someone always knew- it was only a matter if it was on the good or the bad side. Cammie was too protected, too naïve and too…fragile to go look on the bad side. But I couldn't say it like that. "I'm saying you shouldn't act like there aren't any answers just because you haven't taken the time to look for them."
"What am I supposed to do, Zach? I'm just-" NO. No. She was giving up to grief, to misery. That's one of the worst thing any human being could do because if allowed, grief and misery could eat you up. And I promised Joe that I'd get her out of there alive.
"Just a girl?" I shrugged and sighed. "I thought you were a Gallagher Girl." Then I walked away.
"Catherine's coming." Dr. Steve told me after classes the next day.
Professional training or not, all I could say was, "What?"
"I said your mother's coming to check on you." Dr. Steve's eyes were steel now. He was expressionless and looked exactly like the crazy evil genius I knew he was. "She wants to know how you're getting on with your mission."
"How?" I asked. Was she going to sneak into my dorm to check on me?
"There's a town outing in two weeks. I don't know and don't care how you do it but get Cameron Morgan to go with you. If you did your mission properly, you should be able to do it. That's what she wants to see." Dr. Steve said. "You know what to do."
"Fine."
The Operative understood that it was crucial that he got to ask the Subject out for the town outing. Fortunately, the Operative had studied Advanced Sociology.
'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.' This saying is 90% true. I had to stay away from Cammie for some time, make her feel lonely and when I asked her out, it was most likely she would say yes.
So I did what I was necessary and I felt terrible. I didn't even say hi when we passed in the corridors, I didn't smile at her, I didn't look at her in classes and I was completely miserable.
Because every time I saw her and acted like she didn't exist, I could see something in her eyes. Maybe it was confusion, maybe it was disappointment or maybe it was…sadness? Or maybe it was wishful thinking but I think Cammie might be feeling the same as well.
But I couldn't do anything about it. So I didn't.
The one and a half week passed excruciatingly slow and finally, I had salvation and wrote the note.
It was an ironic place to do the brush pass. Since the bottom of the Grand Stairs reminded me of the ball, which led to the Code Black, which led to…
So I hear we get to go to town this weekend. Want to catch a movie or something?
-Z
P.S. That is, if Jimmy doesn't mind.
But we didn't necessary that had to go watch a movie, we could go an- what? Jimmy was a pathetic guy.
I've read and watched enough romances that first dates were supposed to unnerving. It was supposed to be a bit awkward and someone should be hyperventilating. (Fine, I was a bit nervous on the inside.) And I was supposed to appreciate Cammie's clothing choice or something. (Liz did her hair, I could see from the way her hair was combed. Macey did her make-up, I could see from the choice of eye shadow. And Bex chose the jacket because it was a bit too…low cut?)
But I never expected that on my first date, I was memorizing every face that was within a five-mile radius, observing for any suspicious tailing movement or check the skies were clear from any suspicious airborne mechanisms (I knew for a fact that the Circle owned at least 3 stealth planes because I was taught how to fly one).
I kind of got distracted with my own security protocol for Mom until Cammie said, "Do you want to do something?"
"We could go to the movie." I suggested. "Or get something to eat." It was a normal date, after all. Mom was only…checking up. Well, that and the fact that Bex was on the opposite side of the street tailing us, Liz was a little way behind us and checking something out in a shop's display store and Macey was ten feet away and sitting on a bench with some eight graders.
"Okay."
"Or we could just…walk."
"Okay." Cammie said again and I got a bit annoyed about her lack of response.
So I said something that would definitely get her to say something, "Or we could have that clown over there paint our faces and then go rob the bank." Technically, I had tried something like that before in my eight-grade spring break.
"No way. Last October they installed a Stockholm Series 360- it'd take us at least forty-five minutes to crack it."
"Good to know." I laughed. I looked around and I spotted…my mother.
Well, I didn't really spot my mother. I spotted my mother wearing a red jacket, a body suit, a fake nose and mustache. I could only recognize her from her eyes and the ring she wore on her hand.
The operative in me reminded me that I was on a mission and the guy in me told me that I was on a date so I took Cammie's hand and pulled her around a corner onto a quieter street. Hopefully that was enough to prove to Mom that my mission was running smoothly.
"So, plant any good bugs lately?" I asked. But I didn't really pay attention to Cammie's response because I just spotted a walking cloud of cotton candy about to appear around the corner in the reflection of a store's display window. And walking cotton candy meant…Jimmy. This was something I couldn't miss.
"Just so you know, Gallagher Girl." I whispered. "I'm going to kiss you now." I used my hand to support the back of her neck, I laced my fingers through her dishwater blonde hair and I tilted my head as I leaned forwards. At that moment, I knew that this wasn't a reflex reaction. Nor was it arrogance or to prove to Jimmy that I was on a date with Cammie. This was genuine. Cammie closed her eyes and I also knew that she felt it too. (Then for the first time that day, I wasn't thinking about my mother dropping in disguised as a man.)
Then "Oh my gosh! Cammie, is that you?" The worst word I could think of slipped out of me in Farsi. I hadn't kissed Cammie. I hadn't kissed Cammie.
"Hi, Cammie." DeeDee said brightly and hugged Cammie. She smiled at me, "I'm so glad you two are here!" I nodded back at DeeDee (it took a lot of self-control to not yell at her). My glance fell on Cammie. She was looking at Jimmy, whose face clearly screamed 'heart break'. Then she quickly stepped away from me and something jolted through me. Jealousy? Hurt? Hatred? Whatever it was, it was painful.
But I didn't have time to think about what pain stabbed me because I saw Cammie…seeing Mom. I could see it in Cammie's eyes as clearly as I could see the Gallagher stance in my mother's eyes.
As Jimmy, DeeDee, Cammie and I started to walk down the street, Cammie whispered to me, "Hey, you're gonna think I'm crazy."
I smirked, "A little late for that, Gallagher Girl."
"You haven't seen anyone following us, have you?" she asked.
"You mean besides your roommates?" I laughed. I glanced into the reflection of a store window- Bex was eyeing us from a sidewalk café, Liz was behind a magazine stand and Macey was lining up to buy lemonade but glancing at us all the same. But for a split second, my gaze fell a little way behind them and I saw faces.
Faces that I only saw during intensive training during breaks. Mom. Dr. Steve. Faces. Joe.
The whole cell I belonged to was here.
Everyone I knew involved in the Circle of Cavan was here.
In Roseville. Tailing Gallagher Girls.
The Operative is highly aware of the threat surrounding them and is running security protocols in his head.
Cammie rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Besides them."
"No. I haven't seen anyone on our tail. Why?" I lied. It took all self-control to stop my eyes from flickering to Mom.
"The guy. The blue jacket." Cammie started to say but paused as DeeDee turned her head to glance at us. "Don't you think he's toasty in that heavy coat?" Spy-slang for an operative that's about to get caught. Cammie didn't know that I knew exactly who was the 'man' so I swiveled my head and I saw my mother in a blue jacket.
"What about him?" I wondered if Cammie saw anything about him…I mean her.
"The jacket's reversible. Ten minutes ago he-" her, I corrected her in my head. "-Was wearing it the other way. Do you think a lot of regular guys in Roseville take the time to reverse their jackets?" I mentally breathed a sigh of relief- Cammie didn't know anything.
We stopped to look in a store window's reflection.
"Look at that guy, Gallagher Girl." I said as Mom bought a corn dog. Yeah, my mom did kind of like corn dogs. "He's a mustard disaster looking for a place to happen. I bet you anything he's got a big stain on the other side." I laughed out loud because one, DeeDee and Jimmy were looking at us and two, Mom had said almost the same words when she bought my first corn dog.
"Now what are you two chatting about?" DeeDee asked playfully.
"Oh, Cammie was trying to convince me that I should recognize that guy in the blue jacket." I casually said and looked straight at Cammie. "But I've never seen him before in my life." The last line would have been a good lie. Cammie would have believed me. She wouldn't have suspected a thing as I said it.
But I completely forgot my training because for the first time, two pairs of identical eyes were on me. Just that one was hot chocolate and one was iced coffee. And because Cammie was still wearing the truth ring on her hand and it was vibrating.
And Cammie noticed.
"I've got to go to the bathroom." She suddenly said.
"I'll walk with you." I replied automatically. With Mom and with what could be half of the Circle walking free around Roseville, no way I was going to let Cammie out of my sight.
"No." Cammie shook her head and smiled at DeeDee. "It's a girl thing." Then I remembered Cammie had her friends on us.
As Cammie started to walk in front with Cammie, she also was leaving me alone with Jimmy.
"So," he started. "You go to school with Cammie." Yes, Captain Obvious. Thank you for that brilliant observation.
"Yeah, for this semester." I replied shortly. I was more distracted with how I was going to deal with Mom.
"You've started dating her ever since? I mean, you just clicked and…?" You know, Jimmy boy? I'm amazed that you can talk about these things because with almost the entire terrorist cell tailing us and/or Gallagher Girls, dating kind of fades into utter insignificance.
"Kind of. We met quite early in the semester and with close proximity and all that." I tried to be as vague as he was, as I looked frantically around for Grant and Jonas or Joe.
"Erm…yeah." Jimmy coughed and cleared his throat.
"Do you need a cough drop?" I said. "I hear you run a pharmacy." Okay, I deserved a pat on the back for that.
"How did you know that?" Jimmy asked immediately. "Did Cammie say anything about me?"
Maybe it was the fact that the Circle had members infiltrating Roseville, or maybe it was because I liked Cammie, or maybe it was because I saw Jonas and Grant across the street and was quickly losing my temper so I stopped walking abruptly and said coldly, "Occasionally."
And I swear I saw Jimmy smirk smugly.
Possible case scenarios:
1) Sock Jimmy in his smug face.
2) Throw another taunt. Right in the heartache.
3) Grab Jonas and Grant and leave.
As tempting as Option 1 and 2 sounded, I knew Option 3 was the best so I-
The Operative is suddenly aware that the Subject is nowhere in his line of sight. He also did not see Rebecca Baxter, Elizabeth Sutton and/or Macey McHenry around. Or any other Gallagher Girls. They were all...gone.
"Where's Cammie?" I prayed my voice didn't start screaming or start slipping out Japanese cuss words.
"She left with a friend." DeeDee said, confused. "They had to go back to school. Shouldn't you be going back as well?" Yes, I should've gone back. Or wherever Cammie went because there were seven full hours until we had to return to school.
"Erm, yeah." I said. "I should be going as well. Bye, DeeDee…Jimmy."
"Jimmy?" I could hear Jimmy exclaim but I had no time to deal with him because I was already jogging towards Jonas and Grant.
"Mossad. Libris." I gasped, going into full Blackthorne Boy mode. "I need your help. Now."
"What's the matter, Zach? Or am I supposed to use code names as well?" Jonas asked.
"It's about the tails, right?" Grant said, ignoring Jonas. "I saw a couple on Bex and Liz."
I nodded. "Jonas, I need you to tap into a tracking signal."
Jonas' jaw dropped. "T-t-that's impossible! There might be hundreds of tracking signals around Roseville!"
"It's not official. It's something covert." I said quickly. I looked at Grant. "Find everyone and get them back to school." I turned to Jonas. "Come on. We've got to get to the school computers."
Jonas and Grant still looked hesitant. "Why?"
I wanted to yell in frustration. "Where are the girls? Look around. They're gone!"
Grant was the first one to snap back into reality. "You put a tracking signal on them?"
"No." I explained as we started to walk back to school with Grant darting around, telling other Blackthorne Boys to join us. "They put a signal on us. We need to tweak the signal around to make sure they're following him. And I need to tap into a signal to know where they're heading because he's leading them to wherever they're going."
"And whose tracker is that?" Jonas asked and I could literally see the gears spinning and turning in his genius brain.
"Dr. Steve."
A/N: Okay, this is the second last chapter of 'Zach In Shining Armor'! And I would like to thank all of you because this story has over 1000 views and more than 20 reviews! I feel so loved/blessed because this is the most successful story I've ever wrote so thank you!
Fun fact: 'Mossad', Grant's code name, is actually the name of Israel's foreign intelligence service. And 'Libris', Jonas' code name, is Latin for 'books'.
So, I hoped you like this chapter (it's eleven pages long!) and can I ask for a teensy, tiny favor? If it's not too much trouble, I'd love it if you could recommend this fanfic to your friends or something. Thank you! :)
Cheers,
AwesomePP
