i decided to put the amazing washington Mall mission here, i thought it would go better with my story line :) and yes they're in a van, this is a road trip!

sorry it took forever to update, i kinda lost motivation and needed a break. but now im back, and thanks for 1k views!

Chapter 19

The next couple days passed by in a blur, filled with homework, classes, and friends. Another town day was coming up, and that's what was on most of the students' minds. All except one however. Sure the thought had crossed Cammie's mind, but she couldn't figure out what Dillon was doing here at Blackthorne. She was on her way to Cove-Ops, heading down the staircase when Macey, Bex, and Liz caught up with her.

"What do you think we're doing today guys?" Bex asked. Macey shrugged, but Bex soon got her answer seeing as the door had a note on it.

Meet out in the field in 10 minutes. You can grab anything necessary from the change room. Pack light, other items will be provided. -Soloman

"Well, that sure answers it," Bex said, and the girls immediately turned around and rushed back to the change room, a massive space filled with disguises. Macey quickly grabbed four bags, and put in each bag an assortment of makeup, accessories, and clothes. Handing them out to the three girls, they slung them on their backs and walked out to the field. Cammie and the others were half-way to the field when they were joined by the four boys, also carrying back packs. Zach interlocked his hand with Cammie's, Bex and Grant in a similar position. Jonas was walking particularly close to Liz, each of their faces red. Macey punched Preston when he tried to get close to her.

"Where do you think Soloman's taking us today?" Zach asked, stroking Cammie's hand with his thumb. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Probably a field mission. We haven't had a lot of those in Cove-Ops this year," Cammie said. Macey nodded in agreement.

"Do you think it's somewhere we know, or somewhere new?" Liz asked, fear starting to show in her voice. Liz was never one for live operations. She preferred being behind the screen, giving information.

"Knowing him, probably somewhere we're familiar with, but not somewhere we know to well," Cammie said, readjusting her bag on her shoulders. The eight walked through the doors, almost to the field. A large van sat parallel to a helicopter, and they could see some workers doing repairs to the copter. Soloman was standing in front of the van, its doors open and waiting. In the next couple of minutes, they were joined by the other girls on the exchange, and a few of the boys. Once everyone was there, Soloman cleared his throat, collecting everyone's attention.

"Hello everyone. Today we'll be beginning a training exercise. It will last anywhere from 1-3 days. We will be driving to Washington D.C. for an important assignment. Please find a partner to sit with in the van, it's a long drive. Keep your eyes and ears open while we drive, there may be items of importance on your way there." And with that, he walked around to the drivers' side and jumped in. Everyone started to file in, finding their friends and sitting together. Cammie, Bex, Liz, and Macey walked up the stairs and into the four back rows of the bus. The guys had gotten onto the bus first, each sitting in a separate seat. Bex and Cammie made eye contact, then nudged Liz so she would recognize too. They quickly rushed to the back, and sat next to their boyfriends, leaving Macey to sit with Preston. She threw them all a glare, and sat down with a huff. Cammie could see a glimmer of happiness, hidden under Macey's annoyed facade. She shot Bex a smile, and Bex winked back, settling into Grant's shoulder. Cammie looked behind her, watching Liz and Jonas type on a computer. Even Macey looked a little happy as she adjusted herself so Preston's leg touched hers. It was subtle, but it was enough. Zach occupied the window seat, already trying to adjust it so that he could have more leg room. Cammie started to laugh at his attempts, trying hard to stay silent so he wouldn't notice. Whether she meant to or not, a giggle slipped out and Zach looked straight at her, his eyebrow raised. She tried to look around inconspicuously, but it clearly didn't work when she felt her seat shift forward, almost colliding with the one in front. She looked over to Zach who was trying to fight a smile.

"Who would dare do that?" he said, struggling to keep his face straight. Cammie stuck her tongue out at him, and bent down to fix her seat. While she was down, she nimbly untied his shoelaces, and retied them together. She pushed her seat back, sat up and smiled at Zach. He looked at her weirdly, then thought better of it. Zach leant down to quickly kiss her.

"Alright everyone! This is going to be a ten hour drive minimum. Be prepared, well-rested, and alert. I will announce when we are in D.C." Soloman said, starting the engine. He drove out of the field, and turned onto the highway. Cammie started to lean into Zach, and he shifted so that his back was against the wall of the bus, and pulled Cammie against him. Their legs were tangled on the seat, the seat belts preventing total relaxation. Cammie half-smiled, and then pulled out a book from her bag that Macey had slipped in. Zach slipped his arms around her, resting them on her stomach. She started to read, Zach trying to follow along but ultimately falling asleep from the shifting of the bus and Cammie's body against his. Cammie caught Bex's eye, and motioned for her to grab the camera. She caught on, and reached for Cammie's bag, rifling through it until she pulled out the camera. Bex counted down from three, and Cammie smiled, the book still in her hands. Bex put the camera away, and tucked her bag back under the seat. Macey and Preston were talking quietly together, and Liz and Jonas were still talking about computers. Cammie subtly pointed at Macey, mouthing the words 'She so likes him' to Bex. She nodded her head enthusiastically. Cammie started to read again, and before long, they were at their first stop. Looking out the window, she saw a small grassy area with a gas station and some snack stores. Before she could ask Bex or Macey if they could get food, Soloman used the intercom of the bus to make an announcement.

"We've arrived at our first stop. You may all get out to order some food or get some snacks. Be back in 15 minutes."

The crackling intercom had woken Zach up, and he was rubbing at his eyes. Cammie stood up, stretching out her legs. She walked out into the aisle. and held out her hand for Zach to pull himself up with. Because everyone was slowly moving off the bus, he hadn't noticed the predicament with his shoes. They walked down the steps, hand in hand, finally reaching the bottom. Zach took a step towards the direction of the stores and immediately fell flat on his face. He sat up, dusting dirt off of his jeans, and looked at his shoes. Zach stared at them, the looked at Cammie with a knowing glance. She was too busy trying to hold back a laugh. He rolled his eyes, and untied his laces. Retying them, he stood up, glaring at Cammie. He walked away without her, and when she called his name, he pretended like he couldn't hear her. He is so dramatic sometimes, Cammie thought to herself, shaking her head as she watched him walk away. Macey walked over to her, holding out her arm.

"Shall we walk?" Macey asked.

"We shall," Cammie replied, and the two walked into the station. They walked in, looking through the shelves, finally picking out some drinks and chips. Macey also got some gum, and a mini American flag. Cammie got a small blanket as well, the bus didn't have very good heat circulation.

"Macey, what's the flag for?" Cammie asked, once they had checked out at the register.

"It's for Preston. You know how much he loves politics and America," she laughed. As they walked back to the bus, they put away their food and did one last stretch outside, cracking their backs and doing some quick yoga to release tension. Feeling refreshed, Cammie and Macey met back up with Bex and the others. Zach was still pretending to ignore Cammie, looking around, and not listening. As everyone loaded back onto the bus, Macey gave Preston his little flag.

"Mace, what is this?" he asked, looking flustered.

"Well you know how your dad always wants you to be more patriotic?" Macey asked. "Problem solved!" She started laughing, and Preston just looked at her weird. Eventually he just shook it off, and sat down with his little flag. Everyone else was already seated when Cammie arrived at her and Zach's row. He was looking out the window, taking in all of the trees. She rolled her eyes, and went back to reading. Soloman started up the bus, and pulled out of the station. Thirty minutes passed by with not a word from Zach until Cammie felt a weight on her legs. She looked down from her book to see Zach asleep. Cammie sighed, but got out her new blanket and put it over him. He shifted when he felt the new material, but settled back down after a couple minutes. Cammie eventually finished her book, making a mental note to grab another one at their upcoming break. Looking down, a faint smile appeared on her lips, as she traced his face. He was very peaceful when he slept, the arrogance gone from his face with the result similar to a carved angel. Though everyone knew he definitely wasn't an angel. While absentmindedly toying with his hair, Cammie and Bex started estimating how much longer was left in the trip.

"It's already been about four hours since our last stop, and we're supposed to be at D.C. in ten right? So I think that the upcoming stop will be the eight-hour mark. Then the other two hours will be no stops and just straight there, right?" Bex asked.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. I'm definitely sleeping those last two hours, I've really only been reading this whole time," Cammie said. Bex laughed.

"I don't know how you do it, I get nauseous from carsickness," Bex said, a hand reaching for her stomach.

"Trust me Bex, we all know. We all saw what happened on our trip to Florida. You didn't stop throwing up," Cammie said, wrinkling her nose. "I still have nightmares about it."

Bex laughed, reminiscing about the time she threw up on the side of a freeway on the way to Florida. Not very glamourous. Within the next forty-five minutes, Soloman had pulled over to the gas station that was approaching up the road. As he parked, Cammie started to shake Zach to wake him up. He moved around, trying to shake off Cammie's hands. She eventually got him to sit up, when he started rubbing his eyes.

"Where are we?" he asked, his voice cracking with sleep.

"We're at the next stop. Are you finally done ignoring me?" Cammie asked, her arms crossed on her chest.

"Maybe. Can I have a kiss?" Zach replied, a cheeky smile on his face. Cammie sighed, and gave him a little peck. He pouted. "That wasn't a kiss. I want another."

"And I want to go outside and stretch. We all don't get what we want," Cammie said, getting up from the bench and starting to walk down the aisle and out the door. She made it as far as five feet away from the stairs before arms swept her into a dip, and lips were touching hers. Zach had managed to dip her in the middle of the station. I've got to admit, I may not like him sometimes, but he is truly amazing, Cammie thought.

"Are you done Romeo?" Cammie asked, her fingers trailing down his chest. He nodded.

"See Juliet, that was a kiss. Not what you gave me earlier," Zach said, smirking. Cammie lightly punched him, then entwined her hand with his and walked towards the minimart. Grabbing a drink, she walked to the cash register and paid. As they reentered the bus, Cammie downed her drink and started to settle back for the final leg of the journey. Once everyone was seated and buckled in, Soloman started the bus and pulled out, heading back onto the freeway. Cammie pulled the blanket up her body, trying to stay warm. Zach noticed a small shiver, and pulled her against him, keeping his arm around her shoulders. He ran his fingers through her hair, running through curls and retwisting them. She tried to stay awake longer, but lost to the pull of warmth and Zach's cologne.

It had only seemed like seconds before Zach was waking her up, pointing out the Capitol building, and the Washington Monument. Even a glimpse of the Reflection Pool was visible. Soloman parked the bus, and motioned for everyone to meet outside. The mission was about to begin.