Surprise! I don't know if this super-fast update will quench my guilt for the year-long hiatus, but I had to try, so sit back and have fun!

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues.

Natalie simply had to stop waking up like this in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, it seemed to have turned into some kind of twisted routine. She sat up groggily and was momentarily blinded by the lights, peering through her eyelashes to find a flash of auburn hair darting in and out of her closet, making quite a racket.

"Sinead! What do you think you're doing?"

Sinead reappeared with an armful of clothes and dumped them on the edge of the bed. "Good, you're awake. Get up, get dressed, and let's get going, we're running a little late."

Natalie stifled a yawn, rubbing her eyes. "What's going on now? I swear I haven't done anything-"

"It's not about you, and I have no idea," she replied briskly. "But Fiske called an emergency meeting, and since we're actually allowed to go this time, I have a feeling it's something big. I'll be waiting for you outside, so hurry up and get dressed." Without waiting for a reply, she stalked out of the room.

Natalie looked over the outfit Sinead had picked out for her, and sighed. This was going to be a long night.

Jonah Wizard sat on a wall,

Jonah Wizard had a great fall.

All of your forces and all of your men

Will never put Jonah together again.

Everyone stared at the ominous poem projected on the enormous screen of the underground arena, as Fiske took the podium. "What you are seeing is the current state of Hamilton Holt's bedroom here in the Kabra Estate," he explained in a solemn voice. "This message extends over two walls and was written in gray graffiti, as I'm sure you've all noticed. Hamilton discovered it some time around midnight and reported it straight to me. He tells me he hasn't been in his room since seven in the evening, and that there was nothing wrong with his room then, so we presume that someone must have broken into his room between those time periods."

"Why was it in Hammy's room though, of all places?" Mary-Todd demanded. "Is it some sort of warning? Does that mean that the Vespers have singled out my son as the next target?"

"Mom, I told you," Hamilton said reassuringly, although his face betrayed a shadow of uncertainty. "I think it's just because Jonah and I were sharing the place- you know, before he left with all his stuff. The message was on his side of the room, anyway. I'm sure this isn't about me."

"But we still need to be careful, just in case," Eisenhower barked. "I propose we double the security around Hamilton's room. Put up more alarms and sensors, that sort of thing. And while we're at it, we should take the same measures with Madison and Reagan's room, too. Clearly, the Holts are the Vespers' next objective."

"Eisenhower, I assure you we will do everything in our power to keep your children safe," Fiske promised. "But right now, Jonah is our top priority. Rita," he addressed one of the Janus agents, "Have you got any updates on Jonah's whereabouts?"

A young woman with dark, frizzy hair and an olive complexion stood up. "We still haven't heard from him, although Fitz and Emma are working on it as we speak. There hasn't been anything useful on the media. We've already tried calling Jonah, Broderick, his entire agency, and everyone at his hotel. We've even gone through the CCTVs of where he was last recorded to be seen, ran everybody who was in the vicinity through a facial recognition software and contacted them too, but so far, no leads. We have to assume Jonah has indeed been abducted, very possibly along with Broderick as well, and that there has been a massive security breach right under our noses." There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd.

"We're not assuming anything yet," Mr. McIntyre snapped sharply. "But I must agree with Rita and voice my concerns about the security breach, as she put it. Jonah was beyond the protection of these walls, which made him a considerably easier target, but Hamilton's room wasn't. We have to find out how the intruder found his way in, before someone else gets hurt."

Fiske turned and nodded to a man sitting three seats on the right from Mr. McIntyre. "Mikael?"

A tall, muscular man in a black turtleneck who looked around his mid-forties rose to his feet. "We've checked all the alarms, firewalls, surveillance systems, everything," he said in a deep, gravelly voice. "There were absolutely no signs of a breach whatsoever. We organized a patrol team and they're making a round both inside and outside the building, but nothing's come up yet."

"Should we be entertaining the possibility that it's the work of someone on the inside?" Alistair leaned forward on his cane.

"You mean, a double agent?" Nellie frowned. "I don't think so. The only people in this house are right here in this room. Besides that, it's the housekeepers."

"We can't be sure that the housekeepers aren't guilty."

"I've known these people all my life, Alistair," said Ian. "I sincerely doubt that any one of them is a Vesper working undercover. I can vouch for them."

"Sonny, you've known your mother all your life, and look at how things turned out," one of the Ekat agents crossed his arms. Ian's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Now, now, let's calm down a little," Fiske tapped on his microphone. "Personally, I believe the chances of a double agent are very slim. Like Nellie said, it's either us or the staff, and everyone here has been carefully selected with much deliberation."

"Yes… except those two."

All heads turned towards the speaker. A blonde woman with red cat-eye glasses was pointing a bony finger at the direction of the Johnson twins. Austin gaped in astonishment.

"Us?" Sophie leaped off her chair furiously. "You're suspecting us?"

"It could all be part of a very elaborate plan," the woman continued as if Sophie hadn't spoken. "Fiske, we'd be fools not to take this into consideration."

"We're the ones who rescued Amy! We ran away from Isabel!"

"And how would we know your claims are true? You were a prominent part of the Vesper community, after all. Do you have any substantial proof?"

On the other side of the room, Dan was having an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu. He unconsciously glanced at Natalie, whose hands had started to quiver ever so slightly."

Sophie desperately looked around the huge conference table. She had never seemed so small and powerless. "We had no part in this. Please. You have to trust us!"

"Do you have any substantial proof?"

Dan had had just about enough, and was about to give Cat-Eye Lady a piece of his mind when Austin stood up with such force his chair went flying, hitting the wall behind him with a loud clang. Everyone fell silent.

Again with the déjà vu.

"Yes, we do," Austin said quietly, and if looks could burn, Cat-Eye Lady would have burst into a sizzling tower of flames.

"I beg your pardon?"

Austin lifted his head, meeting Cat-Eye Lady's beady stare dead on. "You asked for proof. I'll prove we're innocent. You want us to be double agents? Then we'll be double agents." His voice was strong and steady, and it reverberated across the entire arena.

Sophie ogled her brother in confusion, tugging at his shirt. "What the hell are you doing?" she muttered from the corner of her mouth. He gave her a quick, comforting smile.

"I'll go back to Isabel. I'll tell her whatever you want me to tell her and buy you some time to find this Jonah guy. Mind you, I won't be able to hold her up for long, but I'm under the impression you're gonna need all the time you can get."

Sophie had already started shaking her head, her expression stone cold. "No."

"Soph-"

"Austin, she's going to kill you. In case you haven't noticed, our little deviation wasn't exactly inconspicuous! We blew up half the East Wing, for heaven's sake!"

Austin looked at her pleadingly. "Look, I've got a plan." He grabbed his sister's arm and dragged her to the corner. Dan strained his ears to overhear what was being said, but he couldn't make anything out from the hushed conversation. The rest of the assembly watched as Sophie became more and more agitated with every passing word. In the end, she drew out a long sigh of defeat, and the two of them returned to the table.

"l won't waste time mincing words. I'm going in- that's our deal. You can thank me after this is over."

"This isn't up to you, young man- and has anybody been listening to what I've been saying?" Cat-Eye Lady threw her hands up in frustration. "If these children are really working for the Vespers, the boy's words mean absolutely nothing. He could sell us out, for all we know!"

At that, several people (Well, just Dan and Natalie, but who's counting?) stood up angrily, but Sophie instantly drowned their protests out. "How dare you," she growled fiercely. "How dare you. You have no idea what he's just offered to do, do you? He's saying that he'll be your lapdog with his life on the line! If you know anything about me- and I'm sure you do, I've been quite the star since I got here- you know he's all I've got. Do you realize I'm agreeing to let my only brother walk straight to his very likely death? This could be the last time I ever see him again, and you still have the audacity question our motives. You disgust me."

She spun on her heels and stomped out of the arena, the mechanical doors slamming shut behind her. Austin's gaze lingered after his sister for a moment before he redirected his attention back to everyone else, almost apologetically. "Does this mean we're all settled?"

Cat-Eye Lady opened her mouth to retort, but Fiske cleared his throat. "Thank you, Agatha. Your objections have been duly noted." She sat back down unwillingly, and Fiske went on. "I, for one, do think Agatha has a point that we cannot overlook. However, I knew Frank and Brianna Johnson. They were very experienced agents and above all, good people. In honor of their memory, I am willing to heed their children's request and give them a chance to prove themselves."

"And if they do turn out to be Vesper agents?" a voice called out.

"We've kept them out of our meetings and they've only been here four days. There's only so much Austin can tell Isabel about our preparations," Fiske answered. "Any other questions?"

There was a unanimous rumble of "No"s.

Fiske straightened his back. "It appears we've reached an agreement, then. Austin Johnson will return to Isabel and attempt to stall her long enough for us to rescue Jonah and, if possible, provide us with some more information about her next step. Austin, you fill us in on this plan of yours you have, and we will do whatever is needed to assist you on your mission. You can leave whenever you feel you're ready. All clear? Good. Meeting adjourned."

Austin felt he was ready by sunrise. Sophie, however, did not.

"You're actually going."

"I have to. We have no other option, you know that."

"Really wasn't a question."

Austin turned and faced his sister. "Hey, stop crying. I'll be fine."

Sophie made no attempt to hide the tear streaks on her cheeks. "I'm not crying," she stuck her bottom lip out petulantly. Austin halfheartedly rolled his eyes.

"Austin, you do know I'm fifteen seconds older than you, right?"

"And you do know nothing you say is going to change anything, right?"

"Whatever," Sophie sniffled. "You never listened to me anyway. For the record, I'm still saying no. Not that it matters."

"You know it matters. And I'm telling you, you have nothing to worry about. This is just like any other mission we've been on. We always come back, and we always will. This isn't a goodbye, Sophie."

"Pretty much everything you say right now is gonna sound like goodbye." She pulled him into a tight hug. "Be safe, little brother."

"Will do, big sis."

And then he was gone.

Sophie sat on the front porch of the Kabra Estate staring into the distance long after Austin disappeared. It was only when she felt someone sit down next to her that she tore her gaze away from the horizon and into two fiery orbs of amber. She started violently.

"You know, that's the most emotion I've ever seen him show in the entire time I've known him," Chris commented nonchalantly.

Sophie hastily dabbed at her eyes, which were still wet. "Yeah, well, you've only known him for four days."

"Touché."

"How long have you been watching me?"

Chris slapped a hand over his heart in mock horror. "Are you accusing me of stalking you?"

Sophie raised an eyebrow, and he grinned. "Okay, okay. Caught dead in the act."

"How long?" she insisted.

Chris paused. "A while," he finally admitted.

"Guess you couldn't sleep, huh?"

"What with all the stuff that's been going on, no."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, basking together in the peaceful morning sunshine. Sophie broke the serenity first. "Funny how the world can be this calm when the past few days have been so full of turmoil."

"He's loves you a lot, you know. I could tell. He's going to come back, Sophie."

"I know," she nodded sadly. "Or at least, I try. I just have a hard time convincing myself I do until he actually does. It's been like this all the time- every task we were assigned could easily have been our last. We spent days pretending not to worry about each other, but the anxiety would be killing me inside. The only thing that made me feel better was that I knew I would know if anything ever happened to him. Thank god I never found out how."

Sophie's eyes were now glassy, looking far back into a past that had been shrouded from the world for years. "We worked for the Vespers for as long as we can remember. It wasn't long before we noticed something was off about the way everyone treated us. Besides the fact that she was responsible for our parents' murders, we discovered that Isabel was keeping us alive for quite a different purpose. She was experimenting on us, collecting data. Trying to recreate the Cahill serum from the traits imbedded in our DNA. But we lay low and waited patiently for the right opportunity. Imagine our surprise when it came in the form of Amy Cahill. Isabel was so obsessed with interrogating Amy that she let her guard down for the first time in eleven years, and gave us a chance to escape. And here we were, thinking we were finally free, until… poof. Again. The one thing I've got left that's worth fighting for, and I sent him straight back to the mouth of Hell."

"Sophie, it's like Austin said. You didn't have a choice."

"But I did have a choice." Her tears were starting to flow again, but this time she didn't seem to notice. "I could have volunteered instead. I should have volunteered instead. And yet I sat there doing nothing. I am such a coward."

"Huh. Well, that's a little strange, because I think you're the bravest girl I've ever met."

This time, a real laugh escaped from her lips, surprised but obviously pleased. Chris couldn't help thinking it was adorable.

Sophie tucked a lock of hazelnut hair behind her ears. "But that's quite enough about me. How about you, though, what brought you here? What's your side of the story, Mr. Kabra?"

"It's really not something I use to brighten up the atmosphere."

She propped her chin up on her hands eagerly. "I'm listening."

"My childhood... wasn't exactly all fun and games, either," Chris began. "Nothing on you, of course, but still. My mother married my father with no prior knowledge of the legacy of the Cahill family. He used to disappear without a single warning for weeks on end, leaving her alone. She hoped that my birth would put a stop to his absence, but to her dismay it only got worse. She began suspecting that he was being unfaithful and threatened him with a divorce. He ended up telling her the truth- that was when I was four. She realized that the Cahill affair was a dangerous one and wanted me to have no part in it, but I was a natural Lucian from the very beginning and my father didn't want my talents to go to waste. He trained me for three years behind my mother's back, but secrets like that never last long. One day my mother came into my room and announced that we weren't going to live with Dad any longer. She'd already packed our stuff and told me to get in the car. But on the way to her parents' house, there was an accident. A huge truck illegally crossed lanes and crashed into us. I was strapped firmly to the back seat and all I felt was a huge jolt and nothing more, but one of the steel rods on the back of the truck fell loose and went right through our windshield. It pierced my mother's stomach and came out the other side of her seat."

"Chris, I... you don't have to tell me this if you don't want to. This was probably a bad idea, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he chuckled darkly. "It's not even the best part. My mom was still conscious, but barely. She said it wasn't safe and that I had to get out and away from here as quickly as possible. The doors were jammed, so in desperation I broke one of the windows and climbed out. I ran a couple yards trying to get help when I heard the sound of a car door opening and closing, and made the mistake of looking back. The driver of the truck was standing next to the wreckage. I don't think he saw me. Gasoline was pouring out of both vehicles, and something was smoking. The guy lit a cigarette, took a long drag from it and tossed it into the broken window I'd escaped from, and my mom exploded into flames. That was when I knew it was no accident. I turned around and started running for my life, and didn't stop until I got to a police station. I stayed there until my father came to pick me up. When we got back to the site, the driver was nowhere to be found and all that was left of my mom's car were charred metal frames. I learned later that my dad had gotten himself involved in something dangerous, and to keep me and my mother safe he faked a divorce and sent both of us away. Ever since my mom's death, I've been working as an agent full-time and trying to find that driver."

"And you're here because..."

"Because I think the Vespers are responsible, and it's about time I found some answers."

Sophie exhaled heavily, and gently put her head on his shoulder. The warmth felt oddly relaxing. "I guess we all have our dark sides."

"I like a girl with a dark side," he joked, trying to lift the mood. It seemed to work, and he felt Sophie smiling against the crook of his neck. Chris reached over to brush her hair to the side, when he caught something odd out of the corner of his eye.

"Sophie?"

"Hmm?"

"Why is your watch blinking?"

Sophie glanced at her wrist and bolted upright. She twisted the dial and put it to her ear. After a short while she jumped up and started striding to the door, a new spring of determination in her steps.

"Chris, I need you to get everyone to the arena in fifteen minutes, max. Tell them it's urgent."

"Um, okay, I can do that, but why? What is it?"

She yelled one word: Austin. She didn't even look back.

It took exactly eleven minutes for everyone to show up and fill the seats of the conference table. Sophie stood at the podium tapping her fingers impatiently while waiting for the last of them to arrive. Finally, the doors whirred closed.

"Now that we're all accounted for, I have some important news," Sophie's voice rang through the room. "I've received a message from Austin briefing us on his current situation. He says he's managed to successfully infiltrate the Vesper ranks, and so far Isabel doesn't doubt a word of his alibi. He's seen Jonah and Broderick, and he thinks they're fine. Jonah's already been interrogated and Isabel was quick to conclude that he doesn't know anything useful, which means there's little chance of the Vespers physically hurting him. But this poses another problem, because Jonah becomes disposable. Isabel's keeping him locked up for the time being, and I reckon it's safe to say that Isabel considers him merely as bait. Of course, Jonah's face is too well-known, which makes him the worst choice for a hostage from a captor's point of view, but Isabel's decided that he'll have to do for now."

"You mean she's using him as bait to get to us," said Mr. McIntyre.

"Precisely."

"Anything else?"

"Since we blew their cover at Stonehenge, they've retreated to a second base. Isabel's been gathering Vespers from around the world, just like us, and Austin estimates that their final forces will outnumber us, but not by much. He also mentioned that the Vespers have been working on a secret weapon to use against the Cahills, and the prototype is almost ready. He's not sure how effective it will be, but the results are expected to be devastating."

"Does Austin know where exactly this base is?" Fiske inquired.

"He's not entirely sure. Unfortunately, they were careful enough to blindfold him before moving him anywhere. But he did say something about Hadrian's Wall."

There was a collective groan from the grown-up party. The kids looked confused.

"Hadrian's Wall? What does Hadrian's Wall have to do with anything?" questioned Ned.

"What's Hadrian's Wall anyway?" Madison muttered to herself.

Alistair cleared his throat. "We have been conducting our own research, and two days ago we found some subtle signs of a massive underground structure in Newcastle upon Tyne. That's one of the regions Hadrian's Wall passes through. We weren't sure if it meant anything, though... that is, until now."

"What is it with Vespers and World Heritage Sites?" Amy grumbled. She looked personally offended.

"The rhyme. In Jonah's room," Sinead sat up suddenly. "It said something about a wall, remember? Jonah Wizard sat on a wall, Jonah Wizard had a great fall..."

Nellie's eyes widened. "So Austin must be right! That's where Isabel's keeping Jonah!"

Hamilton's mouth popped open, flabbergasted. "She's going to kill Jonah by pushing him off this wall?"

"Don't be stupid, that's just a silly rhyme," scoffed Natalie. "Most of Hadrian's Wall spans between one and three meters high. The worst Jonah can get is a broken appendage- unless, you know, he lands on his head."

It was Dan's turn to express absolute horror. "Oh my God, Isabel's gonna drop Jonah on his head?"

"I hear Jonah's head is insured for five million dollars," Reagan piped up.

The burly Lucian agent that had kicked Sinead out earlier from that very conference room slammed his fists down on the table. "ORDER!" he roared, and the hubbub died down. He glared around the arena once before slumping back onto his chair with a grunt. "See, Fiske, this is why we don't tolerate children in secret ops."

"They have a right to know," Fiske said quietly. "Sophie, would you mind telling us how you got in contact with your brother?"

Sophie held up her wrist. "I took the liberty of having this made during a covert assignment in Switzerland. Austin has an identical one. Sure, it tells really good time, but it also functions as a long-distance telecommunication device on a transatlantic scale. We've used it to keep in touch whenever we were out on separate missions ever since we were ten. Isabel never knew about it."

"So basically it's a watch that doubles as a tiny cell phone," Madison rephrased.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"But how in the world did he pull it off?" exclaimed Mary-Todd. "Better yet, how did he even manage to find Isabel? I thought you said that the Stonehenge base was history."

Sophie huffed exasperatedly, but Amy was sure she'd seen a hint of pride in her eyes. "Right. That. Well, he hacked into the Vesper operative network and discovered there was a small job to be taken care of just outside London, and that a couple of agents relatively new to the roster were being dispatched to deal with it. So he tracked them to the site, tied himself up with duct tape before rolling around in a ditch and placing himself in a subtle location where he knew they'd find him. He made it look like he had no idea what he was getting himself into when he helped me out, and said he was under the assumption I was acting under Isabel's orders. According to Austin, I bound, gagged, and dumped him in the middle of nowhere when I felt he was no longer of use, and he's been trying to find his way back to civilization ever since."

Ned snorted incredulously. "And they actually bought that? With no reservations whatsoever?"

The corners of Sophie's lips twitched upward into a wry smirk. "We are pretty well known within the organization."

"What is Austin planning to do next?" someone asked.

"The Vespers took him to Isabel, and she ate up the cover story. He's currently pretending that he knows something about my ulterior motives. He can't come back anytime soon, because it'll look too suspicious. He's going to try and keep Isabel off our tracks by feeding her false info while finding out as much as he can about this weapon."

"Good idea," Fiske bobbed his head in approval. There was a brief pause as he waited for everyone absorbed the overload of information. "Well, then. This is certainly a stroke of good luck. We've gained a slight upper hand in discovering what Isabel's been up to all this time. We now have a picture of what we're dealing with, at the very least."

Alistair stood up. "We should coordinate an investigation and see if all the facts fit before moving into direct assault. Joshua, will you please organize a recon team and send them out immediately?"

A thin, wiry Lucian agent nodded once and left the room. Sophie stepped down from the podium and yielded the floor to Fiske.

"Now that we know where our opponent stands, we must assume the offensive," he declared. "Speed is of the essence, and I believe that the sooner we attack, the better. We cannot allow the Vespers to mobilize any more troops, and we certainly cannot afford for them to finish building this secret weapon. As soon as Joshua's team returns, we will move beyond perimeter and position ourselves in formation around Newcastle upon Tyne. It is a lot ahead of schedule than we initially expected, but our plans are more or less complete and I say it's time to take the fight to them and maximize the element of surprise."

"Hear, hear!" Eisenhower boomed excitedly. Shouts of agreement went around the table.

"Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for battle. We have work to do."

The reconnaissance squad came back a little over five in the afternoon with confirmation that the Vesper base was indeed situated in Newcastle upon Tyne, right along Hadrian's Wall. The adults decided that sundown would be the optimum moment to leave if they intended to fully utilize the cover of the night. Everyone acknowledged that the first and foremost priority was to keep things as quiet as possible and limit the amount of civilian casualties to a minimum. Their goal was to rescue Jonah, destroy the weapon and take the Vespers down once and for all. Not surprisingly, the "children" were once again denied permission to participate in the mission, but since Ian had been a major contributor to the plan the adults agreed he was an integral part of the unit and proceeded to take him along.

Amy watched wordlessly as Ian inspected his equipment one last time before he joined the rest of the troops. "I don't like the idea of you going along with them all by yourself," she complained. "It's dangerous."

Ian slung an arm through a Kevlar vest. "Don't worry, love. Everything's going to be alright."

Amy pursed her lips. "Jonah has a concert at the O2 Arena in three days," she said after a moment. "You better get him back before then."

"Wouldn't want to disappoint the fans," agreed Ian.

"They're a dangerous bunch," she added seriously, struggling to keep a straight face. "The alternative consequences would be catastrophic- maybe even apocalyptic. Think about what would happen to all the unsold Pez dispensers!"

Their eyes met and they burst out laughing, but the happiness quickly subsided as the thought of the impending war loomed over their heads. Ian took one step closer to Amy, taking her hand.

"Amy, I..." he swallowed, unsure of what to say. "Whatever happens... if I don't make it..."

"Shh," Amy put a finger to his lips. "Don't say that. You will." She stood lightly on the tip of her toes, snaking an arm around his neck to pull him closer. She could almost feel the blood surging in her veins, her heart pounding with anticipation as she inched her face toward his.

"IAN!"

Amy quickly broke away. Ian let out a strangled moan at the loss of her heat, and cursed in all the colors of the rainbow under his breath. A Tomas agent with sandy brown skin who barely looked over twenty-five appeared around the doorway.

"Dude, we're up, we have to go!"

"I'm coming!" Ian called out, and reluctantly let go of Amy's hand. "Why does this keep happening to me?" he mumbled wistfully.

"At least now there'll be one more thing to look forward to," Amy halfheartedly stepped back, making an effort to smile in encouragement. "One more thing to come back for."

He leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. "I'll be back before you know it," he vowed.

God, I feel so evil, but it had to be done. What did you think? R&R!