Chapter One
Maxine Smart smiled as she slid from the large chair and looked at her new hairdo in the mirror. "It looks great!"
"Nicely layered so it will either flip under or flip out, just like you asked for. I also took the liberty of tapering it slightly so that it frames your face somewhat." The hairdresser returned Maxine's smile as she set down the blow dryer and walked over to the desk where Maxine would be paying. "I wish I had hair like yours, Maxine. I love the rich, brown color. All I get stuck with is dull blonde. I hope you like what I've done with yours."
"Yes, thanks! It looks perfect." Maxine reached into her small purse and quickly wrote out a check before handing it to the hairdresser. "I'm not going to schedule another appointment right now, but I'll make sure I give you a call when I need to come back in."
She nodded a farewell to the lady and walked outside. Maxine loved beautiful summer days like this one. The cool breeze felt good on her face as she opened the door of her father's red convertible and got inside. The seventeen-year-old girl could hardly believe she was allowed to drive the car at all. Maxwell Smart wasn't usually very strict with his children, but Maxine knew he would kill her if she let anything happen to his car. She slid the key into place and started the car, letting the sound of the revving engine linger for a while before she pulled away from the curb.
Maxine glanced at her watch, suddenly realizing that it was already 2:00 in the afternoon. She had to be back at Control headquarters in fifteen minutes to meet with the Chief and the rest of her family about an important issue that she and her brother had brought up.
"Alright, Dad." She said, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. "Don't worry about your car, I'm on my way." -
She walked into the meeting five minutes late, causing everyone in the room to look up at her with slight frustration. Maxine grinned sheepishly as she pulled up a chair and sat down as quietly as possible.
"As I was saying," The Chief leaned back in his chair and folded his hands on top of his desk, "I'm not so sure that the twins' idea is such a good one. Having teenage agents could pose a very dangerous situation. I'm not sure they're ready to handle all the responsibilities of an adult agent."
"But we won't be calling ourselves adult agents, Chief." Zachary Smart interrupted the Chief's train of thought with caution. "Maxine and I thought of a name for the special group. TIWC…Teenagers Involved With Control. You could give us our own special missions Chief."
Maxwell Smart nodded with slight agreement. "Yes, after all, Chief, we have to keep up with KAOS. They've had a teenage organization for three years. We're falling a little behind. I heard they just started TOE - Toddlers of Evil."
Mrs. Maxwell Smart (Agent 99) rolled her eyes slightly at the ridiculous organization, but a slight smirk of amusement pulled at the corners of her mouth. "Max."
"No, he's right, Mom." Maxine was finally putting her two cents into the conversation as she set her purse on the ground. "I don't see why the Chief thinks we're so incapable of being good, quality agents. We already help you on some of your cases, why not have our own?"
The Chief let out a brief sigh as he thought over everyone's comments. "Somehow I knew you would win this argument-"
"Oh, don't think of it as an argument, Chief. Think of it as a discussion." Max butted in.
A glare was given to Max for interrupting before the Chief finished his sentence, "-so I took the liberty of arranging a special assignment for Zack and Maxine." The Chief glanced at the both of them as smiles formed on their faces. "Actually, you two are the only ones I can use for this assignment. I would rather send an adult because of its danger, but anyone older than a teen could ruin this perfect opportunity to gather information." The Chief paused to let his words sink in before he began speaking again. "Control just got word in that there is a teenage terrorist group forming somewhere in New York City. We have the actual location, but I'm not permitted to say it in such a low security meeting - I'll give you two the details later on. Anyway, we need you two to go to New York City and join this group. You'll have to change your names, of course, or someone in the group might recognize you; but I don't think they will. Once your on the inside, you can relay information back to Control so that we can learn more about this anonymous group and prevent its attacks."
Max and 99 exchanged worried glances before returning their attention to the Chief. Their twins had never been on a mission on their own, especially not one that could prove so dangerous.