Just Like Him
At the topmost platform of an oil rig stood an eighteen-year-old psyche human girl, dressed in denim shorts, a black T-shirt, and roller skates. On the main platform far below her stood a rusted tow truck and an Aston Martin, both of them restrained with parking boots on their front tires. Between the girl and the vehicles: several levels of the oil rig and a small army of evil lemon cars and hulking human henchmen.
Harley took a spare shoelace from her pocket and used it to tie back her hair. She readjusted her glasses and stared down at Finn and Mater. The two cars were incarcerated and heavily surrounded. But she had to get them out how she could.
She sighed. "Oh I must be out of my mind."
She jumped.
Harley grabbed a railing to a platform below, slamming her skate wheels into the edge of the platform and crouching to lessen the blow of her landing. Quickly, she pushed up and flipped over the railing, skating away to hide behind some crates before the passing henchmen could notice her. Once they left, Harley skated out and down a ramp to the next level. As she made her way through to the next level below, she was careful to duck behind any shadowed space she found so the passing henchmen wouldn't find her.
But when she finally got to the next level down, she heard a voice shout, "Hey! Over there!" Spinning around, she saw several cars coming right for her. Harley took off, skating to another ramp nearby and leaping up to glide down the railing on her skates. As she jumped off the rail, she kicked a car's windshield to give her the chance to keep going. Three other cars surrounded her, ready to fight. Two of them charged, but Harley jumped up and the cars collided into one another while Harley landed on their hoods. She jumped off, skating away as the third car gave a chase. The car came at a high speed, so fast that he couldn't stop himself when Harley jumped over the railing of the platform. Harley grabbed the railing and swung back around, but the car went right through the railing and tumbled to the bottom floor. Harley landed on her skates, rolling off. A herd of cars followed, but Harley pulled down on a net as she skated by it and a tower of crates toppled over to block the cars' path. A car and a heavy-set human came towards her, but Harley saw a crane hook and cable nearby. She jumped up and ricocheted off the railing, grabbing the hook and swinging down to the next level.
Only two more floors to go.
As Harley landed cat-like on the platform, several human henchmen surrounded her. One of them lunged for her, but Harley took her fist and planted it right in his nose. She didn't exactly have a black belt, but she did have an Army sergeant and a police sheriff in her family who taught her all about combat. A few kicks and punches later, the men lay groaning and moaning on the ground while Harley skated off. She saw yet another lemon car driving towards her, but she grabbed a wrench off a crate and threw it at him. The metal tool bounced off the car's windshield, and his eyes shut as he yelped in pain. Harley crouched down, still skating at quite the high speed, and jumped up. She tuck-and-rolled over the car's roof and continued skating. By then, most of the henchmen had been taken care of save for the ones that surrounded Finn and Mater. By then, they were on the floor right below Harley. Now that these henchmen had seen her fight, she would need at least a somewhat good idea to get her friends out. She looked around, and her eyes fell upon three nets full of crates hanging in the open space in the middle of the rig. Harley followed the line of rope to where it tied off, and she hurried over. She grabbed the rope and swung across it like a monkey, reaching over to where the ropes connected into one pulley system and sliding down to one of the nets. She clung on tightly, staring down at her trapped friends. Then she pulled a small dagger from her belt, and she threw it at the main rope.
SNAP!
The nets suddenly fell, taking Harley with them. She jumped off as soon as she felt it safe, and the nets and their contents crashed down onto the lemon cars that surrounded Finn and Mater. Harley landed on a clear spot right in front of her friends, staying crouched down for a second before standing up straight.
"Yes!" Harley punched the air. "I can't believe that worked! How'd I do, Finn?"
The area around them flickered, and the tiles of the simulator room turned blue as the training scenario faded away. Finn's and Mater's "bonds" disappeared, and they smiled proudly at her.
"Way to go, Sis!" Mater laughed.
"Very well done, Harley." Finn agreed. "Edmund? What do you think?" He, Mater, and Harley looked to the viewing window above them, where Holley waited with a small crew of C.H.R.O.M.E. agents. The head of the agency, Edmund Revor, was a dark gray 2006 Land Rover with hazel eyes. He smiled broadly.
"Not bad at all, Miss Hudson!" Edmund laughed. He still chuckled as Finn, Mater, and Harley made their way up to him and the others. "My Dodge, you're a natural!"
"Thank you, Mr. Rover." Harley said politely. "It's kind of fun."
"Trust me, it's not the first time I've heard that." Edmund chuckled. "Listen, you go get some food and rest and in a couple hours we'll try something else if you're up for it."
"Absolutely!" Harley nodded enthusiastically, to the amusement of the other agents in the room.
After everyone had calmed down from the whole debacle with Emily Largo, Finn approached his supervisor about adding Harley to his team as a permanent member. Edmund could see a solid bond between Harley and Finn, especially when they revealed the Soul Connection. But he wanted to make sure Harley would be ready for spy work. Plus, she was still a bit too young when Finn came to Edmund with the idea. So Finn, Holley, and Siddeley brought Harley to C.H.R.O.M.E. after she turned eighteen to run some tests. Mater came along too for some training and to support Harley. Word quickly spread through the agency about Harley's unique skills, and the agents were impressed with her ability to adapt quickly to situations. While Harley didn't have formal training, she had her experiences living in Radiator Springs with a variety of folk from different backgrounds. Though unorthodox, Harley flourished and passed each test with minimal difficulty: she learned to lie well and even beat a lie detector test, she proved to have a high pain tolerance, and she did a fair job at the shooting range with a pistol. Before going into the simulator, she also had a go at a variety of weapons in C.H.R.O.M.E.'s armory and took a couple of the basic aptitude tests given to British police officers.
"I still can't believe that you can do all this without formal training." One of the agents said during a lunch break.
"Come on, tell us your secret." Another agent teased. "You're a Soviet spy, aren't you?"
"That's classified." Harley smirked, causing the other agents to laugh. Mater, Finn, and Holley parked nearby, watching the scene with amusement dancing in their eyes.
"She's a natural." Holley giggled. "She'll make a great spy."
"You as well, Mater." Finn added. "Though strange, your methods in spy work are admirable."
"Thanks!" Mater smiled broadly. "Uh, I think." Finn and Holley laughed.
"I gotta hand it to you, McMissile." An agent sighed as he passed them. "You always seem to end up with the good partners."
"Whaddya mean?" Mater asked curiously.
The agent paused. "Well, it's natural, really, for young spies to want to work with the top agents. But Turbo was top-notch, and so is Siddeley. Finn here had both of them, and now he has you and Shiftwell and that kid." The agent sighed as he departed. "Lucky."
"Always getting the good partners, hmm?" Holley raised an eye frame to Finn.
The Aston Martin chuckled. "Well, being top agent means you can't work with just anybody." Mater and Holley laughed again. Finn watched the two begin a new topic of conversation, and suddenly he felt a thousand miles away from them. Thoughts and memories of Leland popped up in his psyche, and Finn felt the weight of mourning on his engine. Two years passed since the Jaguar's death, yet thinking about him still caused Finn pain. The Aston Martin feared someone would notice his abrupt silence, and he politely excused himself to go out for air. Parked on a balcony near the dining area, Finn took a few quiet breaths to calm down. What happened in the past was meant to stay in the past, even if it was a painful event that forced Finn to say goodbye to a dear friend. Then again, he didn't really get to say goodbye to Leland. He didn't get a chance to try and save him.
There he goes thinking about it again.
Finn sighed. I do miss you, my friend. I truly do.
"McMissile! Agent McMissile!"
Finn jumped at the sound of someone shouting for him, and he turned as a young woman skidded to a halt before him. Finn hadn't met her before, so he assumed she was a recently hired intern. "What is it?"
The woman took a moment to catch her breath. "Your friend, that Hudson girl, she's going to do the obstacle course!"
Finn's eyes widened. "What? Is she mad?"
"Sh-she insisted!" the woman shrugged, clearly shocked like Finn. "Said that she wanted to truly test herself!"
"No. No, she's not ready for that!" Finn sped away, leaving the woman in the dust as he drove hurriedly towards the training arena. The obstacle course was one of the last things a spy did for his/her training, and the elder and higher-level spies used it for practice to keep their skills sharp. To put Harley in there, after only a week's worth of training…..
Finn's engine revved like the roar of a lion as he picked up speed, and in a few minutes he arrived at the arena. Edmund, Holley, and Mater parked next to the course, waiting for the show. Several other agents gathered around the edge of the course and on the platform above, excited to see how Harley would do. Finn screeched to a halt next to Mater.
"Where is she?" Finn asked worriedly.
"About ta go." Mater replied, looking mildly anxious.
"Edmund, she's not ready for something like this!" Finn said. "Why are you letting her do it?"
"I wasn't exactly thrilled, but she wanted to do it!" Edmund said. "She wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."
"She'll get hurt!" Finn protested.
"We have agents standing by, several of them, to keep an eye on her." Edmund assured.
"No. Where is she? I have to stop her." Finn scanned the area for Harley. Suddenly, the mechanisms of the obstacle course activated, indicating Harley leapt into action.
"Too late." Edmund gulped.
Finn glued his eyes to Harley as she went through the obstacle course. There were five stages, each one more daunting than the last, and there was another obstacle between each stage. If Harley didn't make it through, she'd be seriously injured. Nobody had ever died on the obstacle course…at least not yet.
The first stage: a series of logs floating across a stretch of water. Harley leapt up onto one of the logs and began skating across, perfectly balanced. Her body shook as her skates ran over the bumpy texture of the log, and she almost fell over once. But she jumped to the next log and kept going. It would've been a smooth ride if she didn't have to worry about the vertical logs swinging back and forth in her path. Luckily, she managed to avoid all of them except for one that clipped her skates as she jumped off the final log to solid ground. But when she looked up, she saw a horizontal log on a set of chains swinging right towards her. The way it swung would've hit Harley's legs and she might've fallen back into the water or hit the floor. But she crouched down and jumped, leapfrogging over the log and continuing on.
The second stage: metal molds of humans and vehicles mechanically pulled back and forth across the floor. When Edmund explained the obstacle course, he told Harley that the goal was to get past all the molds as quickly as possible. If you slowed down too much, someone chasing you can catch up, he had said. So Harley did her best to not slow down. This was where playing soccer with the Radiator Springs folks came in handy; not only could Harley weave her way around the fake people with ease, but she could also slide against the hoods of the fake cars without missing a beat. She cleared the field and kept going, but she only narrowly missed the extra car mold that was set to go much faster than the other molds. Had Harley not been able to dodge it, the impact might've sent her flying out of the obstacle course.
"Git-R-Done, Sis!" Mater cheered.
"She's going to do it!" Holley said excitedly.
Finn wasn't too sure, especially with the next stage coming up. But he tried to stay optimistic.
The third stage: a series of swinging blades. Now, these were only made of foam, and—while not exactly realistic—they helped keep a spy on their toes or tires and prepare them for any life-or-death situation. Harley found some slight difficulty in the half-pipe layout of the flooring, but she skated through the blades without any of them hitting her. A couple came close, but she ducked out of the way just in time. Then came to obstacle between this one and the next: two giant foam mallets, which periodically slammed together. While getting caught between them wouldn't exactly hurt, it wouldn't be comfortable either. The mallets came together quickly, but they pulled apart at a slower pace. Harley hoped she could make it past the mallets before they came together, but as she skated closer she realized the foam mallets were at the top of their ascension. The only problem now: Harley had too much momentum to stop in time. She'd have to think quickly.
WHAM!
Everyone winced when the mallets came together and Harley disappeared, seemingly between the foam pieces. Finn stared in shock, praying Harley didn't get hurt too badly. Then, to everyone's surprise, Harley appeared as she slid like a baseball player going home, right from underneath the mallets where she had just enough room to duck down. She jumped to her feet again and continued on.
"She did it!" Holley laughed.
"Whoo-hoo!" Mater cheered.
Finn broke into smiles. "Go, Harley! Go!"
The fourth stage: similar to the simulator, in which Harley would have to battle with a couple evil vehicles and humans. This proved too easy as Harley quickly beat down her opponents and kept going. Two foam molds of cars came at her from either side, but she still had enough energy to jump up and land on their hoods when the molds crashed. Away Harley went.
The fifth and final stage: a maze-like area with car molds operated mechanically by other agents. The goal here was to get through the maze and finish the obstacle course without getting hit by the molds' paintball guns. Harley didn't waste a second and jumped into action. The maze wasn't huge, but she still had to be careful to not run into the fake cars. If the sensors in the molds picked up on her, getting through the maze would become much more difficult. The walls of the maze also had giant holes here and there, strategically placed to make getting through much harder. Harley paused as she hid from a car mold and she noticed a hole the size of her head. She peered out and discovered the large red button at the end of the obstacle course. It was just on the other side. Then Harley heard a beeping, and she realized with a start that one of the car molds found her. She ducked out of the way as paintball pellets went flying, but then she got an idea. Harley skated right towards the fake car, dodging paintball pellets the entire way, and she jumped up. She kicked off the fake car, giving herself the leverage to grab the edge of the maze wall and haul herself over it. She landed a little hard, but scrambled to her feet and practically body-slammed the red button that stopped the obstacle course.
Dead silence, save for the mechanical sounds of the obstacle course powering down.
Harley panted heavily, rising to stand up straight. Her eyes were wild and her muscles shook. "That…..was…." Her lips developed an ear-to-ear smile. "AWESOME!" She whooped and laughed, punching the air. "That was so cool! Absolutely dangerous and insane, but so awesome! Yeah! Can I do that again?" Silence answered her, and she looked around to see every single agent in the area staring at her slack-jawed. She blinked a few times, readjusting her glasses. "What?"
"Dad gum!" Mater laughed, speeding over to nuzzle his sister. "That was flat-out awesome!"
"Harley, that was incredible!" Finn agreed, hurrying over with Holley by his side. The other agents began making their way towards Harley as well.
"Amazing!" Holley breathed. "Unorthodox, per the usual, but absolutely brilliant!"
"I've never seen anything like it!" Edmund said, his expression a mix of shock and amazement.
Harley suddenly felt self-conscious, and she nervously made a motion of tucking hair behind her ear even when all of her hair was still tied back. "Well, I mean, it wasn't that impressive."
"Kid, only the higher-level agents can get through this." Edmund corrected. "Some of them do this in the morning just for a warm-up!"
"He's right." Finn confirmed. He too enjoyed going through the course in his down time.
"What you have is raw, natural talent, kid." Edmund said. "That's absolutely impressive. Hey! Who has her time?" About three different agents shouted "I do!" and they sped over to show Edmund their stopwatches. Edmund did a perfect double take. "See what I mean?"
One of the agents showed his stopwatch to everyone else, and several of the agents went slack-jawed again. Harley's time: one minute, forty-five seconds, dead even.
Harley looked around at everyone's shocked expressions. "So, is that a good time?"
"Is it a good time?" Edmund repeated incredulously. "You beat Agent Turbo's score!"
"Oh." Harley said. "And…that's good?"
"Is it good?" Edmund laughed. "Kid, Agent Turbo did this course better than anyone! The only guy who could beat his score was Finn! And now, you've beaten Turbo's score by a full two seconds!"
"Oh, I see." Harley cast a playful smirk to Finn. "So what do I have to do to beat your score?"
"Don't get your hopes up." Finn chuckled.
"I've said it once, I'll say it again." An agent sighed. "You always get the good partners, McMissile." At once, the other agents came closer to Harley to congratulate her and express their admiration at how she completed the course. Harley's cheeks turned rosy, but she accepted the praise modestly. Holley and Mater looked very proud.
Finn, however, stared at the scene as though he were far away from it. You always get the good partners. Suddenly, it appeared that Finn wasn't staring at Harley. Instead, he visualized Leland in the girl's place. There were so many similarities between Harley and Leland, yet also a few differences.
Like their difference in scores?
No. No, there has to be more than that. Finn thought. It's not like I'm trying to replace Leland. I just wanted to work with Harley because of the bond we have. It's different. Not better, just different. But it's also not worse, I mean… Finn suddenly felt like he was trying to defend himself in front of Leland, as though forgetting the spy car was dead. A new fear creeped up in his mind: was he really trying to replace Leland with Harley, even unintentionally?
Finn couldn't take it anymore. He had to get away for a few minutes. So he quietly reversed and drove off, hoping nobody would notice. Unfortunately, Harley did notice her Soul Connect partner driving off, and she stared after him worriedly.
Did I do something wrong? Harley wondered.
Edmund decided any more tests Harley needed to take should be more mental than physical, and he gave her the rest of the day and tomorrow off to rest from her training. Harley and Mater spent more time with the spies of C.H.R.O.M.E., amazed by the close-knit bonds of the agents.
But in that time, Harley noticed Finn avoiding everyone else. He constantly isolated himself, appearing to be deep in thought. When he didn't do that, he went off to train. Harley wasn't sure how to approach Finn about it, but she didn't want him to be upset. She had a feeling it had something to do with the obstacle course. But she wanted a third party opinion, and she knew only one other person she could talk to: Siddeley.
The jet currently lounged in his hanger, watching some sort of British cartoon. But he greeted Harley with a warm smile. "Hey there, Harley. I heard you almost destroyed the obstacle course."
"Ha-ha, very funny." Harley giggled. "I'm not interrupting anything important, am I?" She cast a look to the cartoon right before Siddeley turned it off.
"I'm always available for a talk." Siddeley said. Harley found a scissor lift in the corner and used it to lift herself up to Siddeley's eye level, making it easier for both of them to converse. "So what do you want to talk about?" Siddeley asked.
"I just want to know if I'm really doing well in all this spy stuff." Harley said, sitting cross-legged on the scissor lift.
"You haven't picked that up from all the praise you're getting?" Siddeley joked.
Harley laughed. "Well, the praise doesn't mean much unless it comes from Finn. He's the one I'm going to be working with, after all."
"He seems to be proud." Siddeley pointed out.
"I know." Harley nodded aimlessly. "It's just that…."
Siddeley stared at her worriedly. "Just what?"
Harley shrugged. "I dunno. After the obstacle course, he looked really happy for me. Then he slipped away like something was bothering him. I think I might've done something wrong."
"I doubt that." Siddeley said. "You're doing very well for someone so young. Can't even call you a rookie anymore."
"Are you sure?" Harley asked.
"Why are you so worried about this?" Siddeley asked.
"Because Finn asked me to be his partner." Harley said. "He wants me to work with him and you and Holley on real-life missions. I don't want to fail him. I want to be the best spy for Finn. You know, so he doesn't regret asking me to work with him."
"I highly doubt he would ever regret asking you to join our little team." Siddeley said. "And I'm sure you're doing great."
"So why does Finn seem so…sad?" Harley asked.
Siddeley thought for a moment. Why did Finn appear this way, even after expressing his pride in Harley's good work? "I'm not sure. But I'll tell you what: I'll talk to Finn myself and get to the bottom of this. You just worry about your training."
Harley smiled. "Thanks, Siddeley. Really."
The next day, while Harley did some weaponry practice with Holley and Mater, Siddeley pulled Finn aside to talk over tea. Finn accepted, going with a hot cup of a traditional British blend. Siddeley, on the other wing, decided on a chilled glass of tea Harley gifted to him last Christmas. It was the same peach iced tea that Flo served in her café, and Siddeley found he rather enjoyed it.
But he had a serious matter to discuss right now. "So, Finn, what do you think of Harley's progress?"
"Very exceptional." Finn said. "I've never seen someone advance so quickly."
"She's something else, that's for sure." Siddeley agreed. "But you haven't noticed anything about her during this process?"
Finn raised an eye frame at his friend. "Is she bothered by something and asked you to talk to me?"
Dang, he's good at that. Siddeley sighed. "She's concerned that her training is not going as well as you'd like."
"Rest assured, I am very proud." Finn said.
"You left right after her run through the obstacle course." Siddeley reminded him. "Why? If she's making you so proud, what's bothering you?"
Why does he have to be good at that? Finn stared at the ground, silent for a long moment. Siddeley waited patiently, but still became surprised at Finn's answer. "She's just like him."
"She's just like who?" Siddeley asked.
"Leland. Harley acts just like him." Finn sighed, pain returning. But he could feel some of the pain dulling as he talked to Siddeley. "The way she performs and works and even the way she talks. It reminds me so much of Leland's work when he was alive. She even beat his time in the obstacle course. I suppose I'm….just afraid that people will think I'm trying to replace Leland with Harley. But I'm not." He sighed again. "That sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?"
"You kidding?" Siddeley chuckled. "Even I can't believe how much that kid reminds me of Leland. She's such a little goof, but she takes her job seriously. She's full of life and love. There are so many times when she does the littlest things that make me think of Leland. And every time I do…..well, that's all I can think about. Believe me, it does hurt sometimes. Harley reminds me of all the things I miss about having Leland on the team." Siddeley took in a breath, and it came out shaky. "Dear Dodge, do I miss him."
Finn didn't look to the jet. Siddeley and Leland had something in common in that they didn't always get so somber. To see Siddeley close to tears made Finn want to cry along with him. His tea had since been forgotten. "I miss him too. So much." Finn sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. "I hate thinking about what I saw, about how I was too late to help him. Every time I go back to that memory, I can't stop thinking about how badly I wanted to save him. How I wish I could've taken his place."
Siddeley gave Finn a small glare. "Would Leland have wanted you to do that?"
Finn opened his eyes. "No."
"And you know he wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over his death." Siddeley said. "He would be happy that you found someone to help heal you. You and Harley both lost someone dear: you lost Leland and she lost her father. But isn't it enough that you two can make up for those losses with the bond you share?"
Finn cracked a smile. "When did you get so wise?"
Siddeley chuckled. "Hey, don't get me wrong. It hurts when Harley makes me remember Leland. But I still enjoy it when she makes me remember. If she reminds you of Leland, maybe you ought to just accept it. Be happy about it. Because we really can't just forget about him."
Finn's smile grew. "Well, there are certainly things about Harley that are different from Leland, and I do appreciate everything Harley does for me."
"You mean the several times she's saved your life?" Siddeley smirked.
"She hasn't saved my life that many times." Finn protested.
Siddeley raised an eye frame. "The back alleys in Tokyo?"
"That's only one time." Finn said.
"Big Bentley?"
"All right, twice."
"Almost getting blown up by an armored ship?"
"Thrice."
"The time Largo car-napped you?"
"All right, you've made your point."
"And Harley had to use her Soul Connection with you to pull you from death?"
"You're pushing your luck, Siddeley."
The jet laughed, and Finn rolled his eyes with a grin. Siddeley noticed the grin, and he knew at once he accomplished his mission. Leland, wherever you are, I wish you could see this. Harley's one special kid.
"Finn! Siddeley!" Edmund called as he approached the pair. "Just the two I wanted to see."
"What do you need?" Finn asked.
"Well, Miss Hudson's training has been going very well." Edmund explained. "I figured the best way to truly test her abilities would be to send her on a real mission. If you're up for it, I'd like to send you two and her on a new mission in Greece. What do you say?"
"Sounds good to me." Siddeley agreed. "Finn?"
Finn thought about it. "I think Harley is ready for it. When do we leave?"
"Whenever you're ready." Edmund said. "Hudson is getting suited up in the weapons department. Bring along Shiftwell and Mater."
"I'll get fueled up!" Siddeley announced.
"I'll go find Holley and Mater." Finn offered.
Holley, Mater, and Finn met Siddeley out on the runway, ready to go. Mater was especially excited to work another mission with his friends.
"What happened ta Harley?" Mater wondered.
"Still getting her gear, I suppose." Holley guessed.
"Well she better hurry up!" Siddeley laughed. "I'm ready to go!"
"Patience, old boy." Finn chuckled.
"Hey guys! Wait up!"
The spies turned at the sound of Harley's voice, and they saw her roll right up and stop in front of them. She had all the gear she would need for the mission, and she also had a slight change in outfit. She kept her short hair loose, but kept a hair band around her wrist in case she needed it. She wore black leggings under her denim shorts, and she still had on her roller skates. She wore a black T-shirt, and she had a belt of spy gear strapped around her hips. To finish off her look, she wore a fashionable blood red jacket.
The jacket was the exact same color as Leland's old paintjob.
If Harley noticed Finn's eyes widening a little, she didn't show. She glanced down at her outfit and shrugged. "How do I look?"
"Awesome!" Mater said. "Like a real spy!"
"Very lovely, Harley." Holley agreed.
Siddeley glanced to Finn, wondering what his reaction would be. But the Aston Martin also smiled broadly. "It's a good color on you, Harley."
"Lookin' good, kid." Siddeley nodded.
"Thanks." Harley blushed a little, readjusting her glasses. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Mater whooped in agreement and drove off to load into Siddeley. Holley laughed as she followed him. Harley skated alongside Finn as they trailed behind. "Is this really a good color on me?"
"Very much so." Finn said truthfully. "Goes beautifully with the blue in your hair."
Harley laughed. She tugged on the cuff of her jacket sleeve. "Hey Finn?"
"Hmm?"
"Will I ever be as good a spy as Leland?"
"Nobody could be a spy like Leland. It's just as well. I don't want you to be like Leland."
"Oh?"
"I want you to be the best spy that you can be. Make a unique name for yourself."
A pause.
"I think I can do that."