A Mission To The Past
Susie came to a standstill at the sight of the professors. The one Faith was hugging seemed strangely familiar to her.
Zephyrus opened his eyes slowly, groaning. "Oww. . ."
As Jack tried to speak, Dean Norton shoved his way into the building.
He smiled, his dark eyes flashing worriedly. "Oh, good. You're all ok. I have to say, though, that your peers were less than fortunate. The entire Academy and Agency are under lockdown."
Romana slowly stood up. "Jack, Gwen, I'm glad you're ok….Er, Dean Norton? What's going on?"
Faith buried herself deeper into Jack's chest, a bad feeling building in her stomach.
Susie glared at the Dean suspiciously. She was getting tired of the drop-ins. "Dean, not to be rude or anything…but what the hell are you doing here?"
He chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Miss Olivier, you don't think I keep tabs on all my students? I've known about this place for years. Don't panic. I'm not here to shut you down. Though I do wish you'd come to classes more often. Especially you, Zephyrus."
He smiled at the boy, who grimaced.
He smirked back, continuing. "No, I'm here to ask you for help. With every other available unit trapped in the school, I need you to go to Ancient Egypt for me. There's an artifact there, a very powerful one. I believe it's what's causing this attack on the school. You need to get it and prevent this from happening. Are you up for it?"
Faith lifted her head from Jack's chest and looked at Norton. "What artifact?"
Romana stared at him. "Of course, Dean… but the kids?"
He nodded. "Romana, I expect you to go along as a chaperone. If anything happens, I trust that you'll protect the children."
He turned to Jack and Gwen. "You two will stay here and help me keep the other students safe."
To Faith, he said simply, "Cadet Harkness, as far as the artifact, I'm counting on you to find it. The Agency's records aren't perfect. But I trust you to make the right decisions."
He walked out the door, pulling a protective helmet on.
Susie turned to Tobias, giving him a determined look. "What say you honey? You up for a little fossicking?"
"Always." He pulled her in close.
Jack smiled enigmatically down at his daughter. "Before you go, Faith, we need to have a talk. It's important."
Faith looked up at Jack. "Ok."
They walked into the upstairs bedroom.
Mira stared in shock at Susie's hand. "Uh, Susie? What's that?"
Susie looked at Mira, a sappy grin making its way across her face. "That, my dear, is an engagement ring!" She leaned into Tobias, resting her head against his shoulder in contentment. "This amazingly wonderful man finally made me an offer I couldn't refuse!"
Mira looked away silently. When she looked back, she was smiling, but her eyes didn't look all that happy. "That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you."
She turned to Zephyrus. "Luci went to go find Violet. He has a tracker on my manipulator, so they'll join us later. Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah. . ." he replied. He looked anxiously at the room where Jack and Faith have gone.
Romana gave him a small smile, then looked to the door as well. "It'll be ok, Zephyrus… trust me. Ok, I don't think we'll need anything besides what we have. So as soon as Faith comes back, we're leaving. Be ready."
Completely oblivious to what the others were doing, Susie leaned in and playfully nipped Tobias' collarbone. "Wonder if Egypt has any marriage celebrants handy. . ."
He grabbed her gently by the chin and kissed her. "I'm sure something can be arranged. Let's go get packed!"
Neither of them noticed the grim look Mira shot at them, or the way her lower lip quivered as she watched them kiss.