Author's Note: After two LONG months, I've finally been able to update! I'm really sorry for the delay, extensive writers block and a crazy schedule have prevented me from writing in quite a while. I make no promises for this chapter seeing as how its been a while. However the next few promise to be amazing! Read and Review, and again my deepest apologizes for neglecting my job as a writer.
The four of us were sitting, relatively calmly in the bathtub when we started to hear Ms. Goode's mumbling. We all started to shake in fear, what was going to happen! We couldn't get caught in here, or else she would know we were up to something. Bex was mentally preparing herself for what she assumed would be an upcoming battle. Grant sat there trying to get a piece of gum off his shoe, Zach fiddled with the "to do" list we were handed at the beginning of the day. Me, I just sat there, what was I supposed to do when the woman who was out to get me was right outside just beyond this sliver of wall. So we sat and we waited, and we heard Ms. Goode looking around for god knows what, and we thought we were going to make it out alive until all of a sudden Grant started to sniff, and wrinkle his nose.
"Grant don't do it, keep it in!" Bex demanded.
"I don't think I can" Grant started to inhale deeply as we all awaited the blow.
The next moment happened in a blur. Zach went to hold his finger under Grant's nose while Bex tried to cover his mouth, but they were useless against the power of Grant. His arms were silently flailing and I watched in horror as Grant somehow mangaged to inhale deeply and release a long, loud, obnoxious sneeze. I watched in horror as everyone in the bathtub gasped.
"What was that?" Ms. Goode said storming toward the center point of Grant's atrocious sneeze.
Zach quickly finished scribbling something profusely on the "to do" list just as the door creaked open.
"What are you children doing in here?" Ms. Goode shrieked out in horror. "Last I checked you were getting my Starbucks."
Oh shoot, I knew we had forgotten something.
"Starbucks was closed, some international coffee conference" Zach lied smoothly in his Nicholas Gregory voice. "So we continued with the list, we've made it to number 33," Zach motioned to the new number he had added that looked exactly like Ms. Goode's writing "clean the bathroom in the detainment room. It was difficult getting in at first though you seemed to have forgotten to leave us the code. By the way who is Zach?" Zach suppressed a smirk and gave a look of genuine curiosity.
"No one who you need to worry about Mr. Gregory" Ms. Goode nodded. "Anyway I was just looking for the four of you. Luckily someone else has just screwed up their assignment and you're off office duty. You're next assignment will take you to Nebraska for some minor missions"
It's a good thing I've had years of spy experience because right then and there I wanted to hug Ms. Goode and kiss her! She had just inadvertently sent me to my dad.
"That sounds good, when do we leave" Bex asked in her perfect American as apple pie voice.
"You will depart tomorrow." She said leaving, but then quickly turned her head "oh and don't screw this one up" and I swore she gave me this sickening smile that made me lose my appetite for the rest of the day.
We all headed to our rooms to get ready to leave for Nebraska.
The Circle gave us four train tickets and we were on our way the next morning. However we should have known this would not be a cake walk; the train ride was where we were given our first mission on the Nebraska route. On board the train were two CIA agents carrying files with whereabouts of Circle Agents. So of course, being our mission we needed those files, but before destroying them Bex planned on getting photos of them to forward to Liz. So we would accomplish two missions in one. Seemed great to me, especially because once we were in Nebraska Zach wanted to find a chance to meet my grandparents and we would need all the time we could get so Grandpa Morgan could interrogate Zach.
As we boarded the train we looked around for our targets, they weren't hard to spot, one forgot to conceal his watch/ com unit and the other had "top secret file" written on the folder that he was carrying. They must have been new; they were making our assignment way too easy.
We had a plan, Bex, of course would be the distraction, she would probably end up flirting with the guys and then Grant would play the jealous boyfriend (which trust me wouldn't have been hard to do), then as the four of them would probably end up fighting Zach and I would swoop in replace their files with our phony ones and be on our way.
With a unanimous nod the plan was set in motion. I watched as Bex swiftly moved toward the two men. One was short and stocky with black cropped hair and a huge mole on his chin. The other was tall and gangly with what looked to be a failed attempt at mustache forming on his upper lip.
"Well Hello, how are you today?" I heard Bex ask the two men who, within two seconds of seeing Bex, were now drooling.
"We're fine, how about yourself?" The shorter of the two men asked Bex.
"Actually I'm really, really thirsty." Bex said motioning to her throat as though to indicate she were dying.
"I'll get you a drink." The tall one said lunging toward the man walking with the drink cart
"No that's fine I'll get" said the short one jumping out of his chair.
Within two minutes Bex had her drink. She continued to humor herself by entertaining the men. Watching Bex tell her "life story" to these two men was fascinating; no wonder she was the first non American student ever admitted to the Gallagher Academy. And the Oscar for best performance while performing an undercover operation for the CIA goes to: Rebecca Baxter. Things were going great, so of course it was time to cue in Grant.
"Well hello Francine" Grant said lumbering his way over toward the trio. Note to self: never park a dessert cart next to Grant; he'll eat the WHOLE thing.
See earlier chapter for Bex and Grant's names during the mission.
"Hello Timothy" Bex said with an all too innocent smile.
"What are you doing with these too morons?" Grant said now sizing himself up to the two men. He would definitely be able to handle them.
"Just making friends, that's all" Bex said with a glamorous flip of her hair.
"Well, your friends and I should probably have a little conversation then." Grant said cracking his knuckles and neck, showing it was time for me and Zach to get into position.
"Oh Timothy, you know you're not good with words" Bex said batting her eyelashes.
"Well no need to worry babe, there won't be much talking" Grant said.
"Well we were just talking no need for violence" The short one stammered.
"yea, we didn't know she was your girlfriend or anything" The tall one meekly replied.
"Well its too late, isn't it guys" Grant said, and with one clean swoop who was dragging them into the other room.
Bex followed Grant and the two CIA agents while Zach and I went to swap out the files they had carelessly left behind.
We didn't bother reading them though, we decided to wait until Bex and Grant came back, there wouldn't be anything extremely important in the files anyway.
"So are you excited to meet my grandparents" I asked Zach as nonchalantly as possible, Zach may know how to kill a man with a pair of chopsticks, but Grandpa Morgan didn't leave the house with out his shotgun in his pocket and his rifle in the back of the truck.
"I guess" Zach said shrugging.
"I thought you'd be excited?" I said, trying hard to hide the fact that I was a little hurt.
"Well no offense Cammie, but your Grandparents aren't really going to get meet me they'll get to meet cover me. When they ask where I went to school I'll have to lie and say an 'elite boarding school for boys' and when they ask me what my parents do I'll have to say my mother is 'the CEO of a major corporation' and that my father is dead. They'll think I'm a nice guy, but they won't know the half." Zach said, as nonchalantly as possible.
"But you are a nice guy Zach, and so what they won't know your mom's the head of a terrorist organization? All the character stuff will shine through. They'll see that your kind and caring." I said giving him a hug.
"Am I really kind and caring Gallagher Girl?" Zach said staring at me.
"Oh please Zach not this speech again." I said rolling my eyes.
"Well its true, I've obviously killed people, more than you'd like to think. I've lied and hurt people I care about, am I really a nice guy?" Zach said staring at me more intently than before.
"You know what Zach; I don't think I really want to get into this now." I said realizing how loud our argument had become.
"It's going to have to come up eventually Gallagher Girl."
"And when I'm ready to talk about your past I'll let you know Zach, but let me live in my fantasy world for just a little while. OK?"
"Alright Gallagher Girl, but when you're ready for some answers let me know." Zach said giving me one last look. "SO turning tables are you excited to finally meet your dad?" Zach asked me.
"I don't know." I said thinking over Zach's question. "I guess I won't be able to tell him who I am, it'd be too risky, so I'm ready to see him, but I don't think I'll be able to meet him until the circle is shut down."
"Good point Cammie." Zach said with an approving nod.
Even I knew that we were getting too far in the mission to have my feelings compromise it.
Before the conversation could carry anymore Bex and Grant came back in, a devious look in their eyes.
"The two bozos are in a supply closet" Grant said wiping his hands together.
"They were actually really nice Grant" Bex said trying to look as sincere as possible.
"Yea, I'm sure they were." Grant scowled.
"Anyway, do you guys have the file?" Bex asked.
"you betcha'" I replied pulling out from my bag.
"Well then, let's get ourselves a little nerd on the phone so we can enjoy the rest of the trip, shall we?" Bex said pulling out her communication device.
"Lizzy we got some names for you!" Bex said delightedly as Liz tuned in on the other line.
In the background we could hear Macey telling Tina Walters that the reason I wasn't in school was not because Zach had impregnated me and the CIA was using some new techniques to see if the baby could become the ultimate spy.
"Oh goodie!" Liz squealed.
"Alright ready for the names Liz" Bex said clearing her throat.
"Yep, give me one second" Liz said and we heard a bunch of beeps and boops on the other end. "Okay hit me" Liz said probably poised and ready to type.
However just as Bex was about to read the train pulled through huge patch of farmland, and everywhere we looked there were cows galore. "Oh fish and chips" Bex said he American accent slipping.
"What? Is something wrong? Is everything okay?" Liz sounded freaked on the other end.
"Everything's fine, except for now I'm short a million bucks" Bex groaned as the mass of cows drew on and on.
"A flink? You guys have seen a flink! It's my lucky day!" Liz squealed, it's a good think she has a good memory because I forgot all about the bet the two of them had made on the car ride back from Delaware.
"Alright moving on with our lives" Zach grumbled.
"Oh yea, the names" Liz said, hardly able to contain herself, she definitely had that look on her face she got when she was right, a face she wore constantly for that matter.
"Alright here we go, you ready Lizzy" Bex said.
"Yes ma'am." Liz said on the other end.
"Alright, the names are as follows. Steve Greens, Mary Trap…oh bloody hell? This must be a typo!" Liz exclaimed as she scanned the list of names.
"What, what's wrong." Liz said, sounding panicked.
"There's a name on here that definitely doesn't belong." Bex said.
She blankly handed the paper to Zach and Grant. I reached for it and began to read, what I read shocked me. There was no way, it wasn't possible… the name I read didn't even make sense.
I was trying to figure out how on earth the name of one my idols had gotten to the roll call of the top terrorist organization in the world, when all of a sudden we were pulling into the Nebraska train station and my questions would have to wait until later to be answered as Mrs. Goode stepped off of the platform, smiling and waving at the four of us. Bex snapped her phone shut, and we all mindlessly walked off of the train.