Spy High

People were still coming in and out of the restaurant by the dozens when Warren left early. Giving Draven some hurried and off-handed instructions before walking out, which she barely caught over her insane multi-tasking.

"-needs water. And don't forget to turn off the back light like you did last night." Warren flipped on his jacket.

'Oh yeah...' She nodded at him to show she had heard him, unable to speak due to the pen between her teeth.

"See ya." He mumbled.

"Blaader." She rolled her eyes at how incredibly stupid that sounded and continued on with her work. With every thought pre-occupied, and her back turned to the window, she didn't notice Will, Ethan, and Zach running passed in an attempt to be inconspicuous.

As Warren went out the door he signalled at the others to meet him around the corner in the alleyway. Getting there before them he leant against the only part of the wall not to be lined with garbage.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Will asked as they turned the corner.

"We need to know."

"Know WHAT, exactly?" Ethan enquired. Zach moved from being right behind Ethan to right beside him, pointing his index finger skyward as if to make a point.

"Yeah. Will didn't really tell us anything." Will stared at Warren, ready to take his cues from him. Warren sighed and ruffled his hair.

"Alright, the deal is that Crossmyr might be a villain. I don't trust her so I looked her up in Information Retrieval. All I know is that things don't seem right. Plus there's the fact that she and Lash are in a secret relationship." Zach's eyes went wide.

"LASH?! But if she's with Lash and the goons we're all doomed!"

"Which is why we need to stop whatever they're doing. She's a spy of some sort, from the looks of things." Will pitched in.

"And where do we come in?" Ethan asked, obviously intrigued in their new mission.

"Normally I'd do it myself, but... I need you guys."

"Aw, Warren. I knew you cared about us somewhere in your molten lava interior!" Zach smiled and slapped his hand down on Warren's shoulder. An awkward silence passed as Warren glared at Zach, causing him to retract his hand.

"Don't touch me." Warren said, his voice low and annoyed.

"What – umm-" Ethan coughed to break the tension. "What would you be needing us for?"

"We need to break into the school to use the computer system."

"But why not use Will's secret sanctum?" Suggested Ethan.

"Knowing my parents they'll find out what I was doing and ground me. Besides, they're only really ever gone during school hours, so..." He ended in a shrug.

"I'm only allowed in mine when I turn eighteen in a month and a half. If I'm in there without one of my parents the computer locks the place down and goes ahead with an automated ground program." Ethan said.

"I don't know where mine is yet." Zach said with a pout. The three of them looked at Warren expectedly.

"Mine was destroyed while my father was being arrested."

"So... what do we do now?" Zach twitched nervously as he noted a bit of smoke emanating from the tip of Warren's right index finger.

"Stronghold flies us up to the school. Popsicle, we need your smarts in this field. And Nightlight, we need your glow. You did pass that specialized power course last year, right?" Zach lit up the tip of his pinkie proudly.

"Yes, sir, I did."

"Good, because if you glow all at once we might get caught by the night time caretakers."

"We should get going." Will edged to the end of the alley wall to see if anyone was there. "Okay guys, come here and hold tight."

They all linked together and took off into the sky. Leaving a shocked Draven at the back entrance of the Paper Lantern.

"Well, have fun." She whispered bitterly as she dropped the garbage bags and want back inside. "While I'm stuck closing. Again."

'I wonder where they were going. And why meet in the gross alleyway? Maybe it's a boy thing. I really didn't expect to see them when I opened that door. I wonder where they're flying off to..'
Filling a glass with ice water she pondered the feeling of flight. Chugging it down she closed her eyes at the cool sensation against her overheated and exhausted insides. 'I mean, I can sort of hover. But that's not the same thing as just flying.'

Setting the glass back down she went back to work, doing her best to look peppy and wide awake. Pinching herself subtlely whenever she would start daydreaming about having the night off.

'I wonder what Warren is doing on his-' PINCH. 'No, you don't. Go back to work.'

As Draven didn't wonder about Warren, Warren wasn't wondering about Draven.

'I did just leave her there with all those customers..' CREAK. 'I got it!'

"Guys, I got the door open." He whispered as he pulled the pin out. "Okay, lets get one of these computers powered up."

"And hurry up. School grounds after hours is creepy."

"Oh, suck it up Zach. Ethan, you're more experienced in this than the rest of us. You do it." Will pulled the chair out for Ethan as he spoke.

They all huddled around and read as Ethan set to work.

"What is she playing at?" Zach asked, totally confused.

"I don't know. But I'm gonna ask her." Warren whispered, shoving at Ethans shoulder to draw his attention. "Print me some of this."