A special shout-out to Mikaela the Cat and Hayknight! Thank you for reviewing! :D
CHAPTER SIX
The distance seemed forever as Lizzy fell through the air. The building was behind her and the stars were above, and the night wind brushed against her cheek as she raced towards the ground.
Suddenly, she hit Karr's roof with both feet, and she hit it hard. Due to the force of the landing, and because the roof was slightly curved, she lost her balance. Against her will she rolled sideways, falling off the roof. She rolled down over the windshield and was stopped only because Karr rapidly opened his hood, catching her lengthwise between the hood and the windshield.
She lay there for a few seconds, catching her breath while remaining pinned against the windshield.
"I-I'm okay," she said, and only then did Karr release her. She slipped off his hood and walked dizzily to the front seat, "Can I drive?"
As soon the door closed Karr took off, heading for either a restaurant or a grocery store.
But back in the FLAG building, Ashley stood at her second-floor window with her mouth open, dumbfounded, and a now-cold tea mug in her hand. She had seen Lizzy fall, and she had seen Karr catch her.
Lizzy stood ankle-deep in water. There was nothing but water all around her.
"You must get out," said Kitt next to her.
Strangely enough, he was floating on top of the water, and was not at all wet.
"How?" asked Lizzy.
"You must get out," was all that Kitt said.
But Lizzy just stared at the water all around her.
"They all think we're dead," she said, "And my twin sister is now ten years older than I am."
"You have to get out, Lizzy," said Kitt.
"She treats me like a stranger," said Lizzy, "And I am a stranger to her."
"Lizzy, you must come out of the water," said Kitt.
"I don't know if I can," said Lizzy, "I can't do this by myself."
"You must," said Kitt.
Lizzy attempted to step forward, but couldn't get to Kitt.
"I can't move," she said.
Just then, Karr drove up next to Kitt. But something was wrong. It was a small detail, but it made Lizzy wonder: Karr was actually driving through the water, whereas Kitt was still floating on it.
"Karr?" she asked him uncertainly, "Are you here to attack us?"
"No." answered Karr curtly, parking near her, "Do you know why there is all this water?"
"No," said Lizzy, "It is strange, though."
"No, it is not." said Karr, "You have not seen its significance, then. How do you feel?"
"What?" asked Lizzy.
"You must feel overwhelmed." said Karr.
"I guess," said Lizzy.
"You feel that your duty is too demanding," said Karr, "It is difficult for you to adjust, and because you must avoid the attention of Mr. Cooper you must avoid all contact with your family. That is a difficult burden for a human."
"I suppose," said Lizzy.
"You understand that I will not allow this type of negativity," said Karr, "You are not alone and you must remember it. I have a mutual interest in bringing Mr. Cooper to justice, and we will work together. Remember that."
"I know," said Lizzy, "But it's still hard."
"Hm," said Karr.
"What do you think, Kitt?" asked Lizzy.
"I think that cats and dogs should be considered siblings," said Kitt.
Lizzy frowned.
"A poor excuse for the production line model," said Karr, "The real thing is far superior, although not as superior as myself, of course."
"What are you talking about?" asked Lizzy.
"Your version of Kitt," said Karr, "He never seems to say anything useful."
"Huh?" asked Lizzy.
"He is merely a companion for your dreams."
"My what?" asked Lizzy.
"Your dreams," said Karr, "You are dreaming, Elizabeth."
That was when the alarm clock sounded.
Lizzy woke up gasping, her heart racing. What on earth caused that weird dream? It couldn't have been due to the take-out meal she had last night with Karr, could it?
"Elizabeth, you must get out of bed," said Karr into her ear, "Your first day of training begins in exactly half an hour."
"Okay," said Lizzy, pushing herself to roll out of bed.
"I intercepted an email for you after you came home last night," said Karr.
"You did?" asked Lizzy, pausing from lifting the clothes she was to wear that day off of the chair she had placed them on the night before.
"I did not to tell FLAG," said Karr, "But I suspect it is from Kitt."
Lizzy dropped whatever was in her hands and plunged towards the laptop that had been sitting on her desk, a gift from the Foundation.
"Do you know for sure?" she asked.
"Negative," said Karr, "The email is highly-encrypted. However, it is for that very reason that I suspect it is from none other than Kitt."
Lizzy turned on the computer and went to her email. There was one new message, and she opened it. It really was from Kitt.
Lizzy, it read, congrats on getting into FLAG. Your parents would be proud; keep up the good work. I have discovered that Mr. Cooper is part of an organization that has been after the Miles key for years, intending to sell it to the highest bidder. It has a vast network of spies, so do not tell anyone of your identity unless absolutely necessary. In emergencies or to signal that the mission is complete, text me. I can be there within minutes. Know, however, that technology is compromised. Please delete this email as soon as you receive it. Wishing you all the best, Kitt.
Lizzy smiled as she deleted the email, and then emptied her deleted mail folder.
"It was from Kitt," she told Karr, "I will tell you what it said later, when I can't be overheard."
"Wise decision," said Karr, "You now have twenty minutes to get ready for training."
"Karr," asked Lizzy, "Can I ask you something?"
"You just did," Karr responded.
"How can we go about bringing down Cooper?" asked Lizzy.
"We can discuss this further at a later time," said Karr, "Training comes first. Once you are through with training, you will have greater access to files and rooms. Needless to say, once training is accomplished it will be far easier to discover inconsistencies on Cooper's record."
"Kitt once mentioned he had a criminal background," said Lizzy.
"I will look into it," said Karr, "Although he has doubtless covered it up by now. Concentrate on getting ready. Your sister will be arriving to check on your progress in about fifteen minutes. I am not supposed to tell you this, but being prepared for training is the first test."
"What?" asked Lizzy, startled, "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"
"I did not wake you," said Karr, "Your alarm clock did."
"Actually, you did wake me, kind of," said Lizzy, frantically brushing her hair, "You were in my dream, and you told me I was dreaming."
"And that woke you?"
"Well, yes," said Lizzy, "As soon as I knew I was dreaming I woke up."
"Interesting," said Karr.
"What is interesting?" asked Lizzy.
"We will talk later," said Karr, "Your sister will be there in approximately 13 minutes."
Lizzy's eyes opened wide, and she abandoned talking with Karr to finish getting ready.
Exactly 13 minutes later, Ashley knocked on the door.
"Come in," said Lizzy, readjusting her shirt.
"Are you all ready, Sarah?" asked Ashley, coming in the door.
"Yes," said Lizzy, although she wasn't all that sure if she really was ready.
"Good," said Ashley, "I trust you had a good sleep last night,"
"Yes," said Lizzy truthfully, "I woke up once, though."
"Yes, to jump out the window. I saw," said Ashley.
Lizzy gulped. "I'm not in any trouble, am I?"
"Nope," said Ashley, sitting on the bed, "But I have to warn you about something, Sarah."
Lizzy politely sat down in a chair, waiting.
"It's about Karr," said Ashley, "He was built by FLAG, but has his own mind. You've probably noticed that some people here don't like him very much."
Lizzy nodded.
"There are…reasons," said Ashley, "Reasons for their dislike. And I really hope you don't find out about them, but…well, be on your guard. You've developed a fast friendship with him, but it is almost too fast. You might not actually be the right person to be his driver. What I mean to say, is this: don't get too excited about this job, and don't put too much trust in Karr."
"Um," said Lizzy, "No offense, but why are you telling me this on the first day of training?"
"I know for a fact that several agents will hint at this throughout the day," said Ashley, "And I want you to get the real story before they get to you. Don't give up your friendship with Karr, by any means. But go at it slower, and get to know him better."
"Alright," said Lizzy, "Thanks."
"Great, now that that is done," said Ashley, "It's time to introduce you to the agent in charge of your training."
"It's not you?" asked Lizzy.
Ashley laughed.
"Goodness no," she said, "You get to be trained by one of our longest-running agents, besides Karr, that is. Come with me, I'll introduce you."
Ashley led Lizzy out the room and down the stairs.
"The window would be faster, but I don't want to ruin my image as the boss by jumping out of it." Ashley explained, leading Lizzy out the door.
"Fair warning," Karr said in Lizzy's ear, "You might not like what you see."
Outside, Karr stood waiting about fifty feet from the door, facing it. With one foot on Karr's hood and the other on the ground, the agent who was in charge of training Lizzy and Karr turned to face those coming out the door.
Lizzy stopped in her tracks. It was Cooper.
"Keep moving," Karr cautioned, and Lizzy started walking again, a fake smile plastered on her face. It wouldn't do for anyone to notice that she didn't like Cooper.
"Sarah Brown," said Mr. Cooper, extending his hand to her, "My name is Mr. Cooper. A pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," Lizzy lied, shaking his hand, "So. I hear you're going to train us."
"Us?" asked Cooper, frowning, "Oh, you mean you and the vehicle. You're already that close to Karr?"
"Excuse me?" asked Lizzy, confused.
"Mr. Cooper," said Ashley, "You are to train both of them to work together, specifically in areas of battle tactics. My father specifically asked you to perform this task."
Lizzy turned towards her sister. So her father knew that Karr had a driver. That meant that he knew she existed! Well, as Sarah Brown, but it still meant a lot to her. Where was her father, anyway?
"Yes, naturally," said Cooper, "Of course I will train them both, Ashley."
"That is Ms. Knight, Mr. Cooper," said Ashley, crossing her arms, "At least in front of my employees."
"Yeah, sure. I knew her when she was just a little tyke," said Cooper aside to Lizzy, "She thinks she is so grown up, what with her fiancé and all."
Ashley's only movement was to purse her lips.
"So," said Ashley, "Karr."
"Yes, Ms. Knight?" asked Karr. It was the first time Lizzy had seen Karr address her sister.
"I know you and Mr. Cooper have your differences, but I hope that you can both work together to get through this period of training," Ashley said.
"Yes, Ms. Knight." said Karr.
"Now Sarah, would you please get inside Karr?" asked Ashley, "I need to have a talk with Mr. Cooper in private."
Lizzy obediently got into Karr.
"Fiancé?" she asked.
"She has been engaged for several months," said Karr, "His name is Kevin Valentine."
Lizzy sighed. "I wish I was there when he proposed," she said, "Is he nice?"
"If by nice you mean considerate, kind, handsome and generous, then yes," said Karr, "His fault is that he is too generous. He does not see other people's faults."
Lizzy sighed again. "I wonder what I will be like when I'm her age?" she asked, watching her sister through the window.
Her sister wore a skirt and blouse suit with heels, letting her hair flow, and her arms were crossed as she talked to Cooper.
"You will look exactly like she does," said Karr, "You two are identical twins, remember?"
"Yeah," said Lizzy, sighing, "That does kind of spoil the surprise."
"Back to business," said Karr, "While your sister is busy reprimanding Cooper for his insubordination, we should come up with a battle plan."
"You mean how we are going to train under Cooper?" asked Lizzy.
"Affirmative," said Karr, "He will likely place us in a situation of extreme duress and then fail us nonetheless."
"It seems as if my sister doesn't like him," said Lizzy, "That should be an advantage, right?"
"In theory," said Karr, "But not in reality. While your sister is in charge, there are checks and balances preventing her from forcefully controlling all of FLAG. And while your sister may see through Cooper's scheme, the rest of FLAG might not be so understanding."
Lizzy frowned.
"Well then, let's just do the best we can," she said, "My father never actually trained with Kitt, and together they performed all kinds of feats. We can survive whatever Cooper throws at us, as long as we figure out how to prevent him from failing us."
"That is sound logic," said Karr, "Very well."
At that moment, Ashley walked away from Cooper, who turned scowling towards Karr. His scowl quickly turned into a smile, albeit a fake one, as he walked towards Lizzy, signaling her to roll down the window.
Karr rolled it down for her-he didn't seem to like her touching any of his buttons-and Cooper leaned his head in and began to speak.
"Alright, so here's the deal," he said, "We are going to test your friendship."
"Huh?" asked Lizzy.
"I'm going to send you guys off on a mission to see how well you work together," said Cooper, "Ashley will not approve, so I'm going to send you off without telling her. Alright?"
"Um, where are you sending us?" asked Lizzy, feeling very uncomfortable.
"Oh, it's all perfectly safe," said Cooper, "This is just to test how well you work together. Drive out towards the obstacle course, and I'll call in a favor with a friend. You'll see his transport airplane land near the obstacle course. Simply drive on in, and I'll have your instructions waiting for you."
"Um, if we're leaving somewhere," said Lizzy, "Shouldn't Ms. Knight know?"
Cooper laughed.
"Oh no," he said, "Ashley won't mind a bit."
"But you just said that she wouldn't like it," said Lizzy.
"Quiet," said Cooper, "Just perform this mission. This itty-bitty mission. Once done, you will have passed my course. Got it?"
"Um," said Lizzy.
"What's the matter, are you chicken?" asked Cooper, "Get to it. I need to make that call to my friend."
Lizzy opened her mouth, but shut it again. She turned the vehicle on, and she and Karr drove towards the obstacle course.
"He finds you a threat," Karr remarked.
"Why?" asked Lizzy.
"Because you are so friendly with me," said Karr, "You are more likely to trust me, in his eyes. There is a reason I do not get along with Cooper, and up until now, no one has believed me when I mention the true nature of his actions. But someone might believe you."
Lizzy frowned as she drove around the bend.
"What do you think he has planned for us?" she asked.
"Nothing easy," said Karr, "Just now I sent your sister an email explaining the situation. If we do not return, she will know who to blame."
"Please don't scare me," said Lizzy, shivering at the thought that Cooper might do something to them.
"There is the cargo carrier," said Karr, "I will take over the driving now to enter the cargo bay."
"Not yet," said Lizzy, "I'd like to try first."
"Very well," said Karr, watching as Lizzy drove him into the aircraft.
As soon as they had entered, the cargo doors closed and the aircraft began taking off.
"Wait, where are our instructions?" asked Lizzy, attempting to open Karr's door.
"Do not leave yet," said Karr, locking the doors, "I am not sure there is a suitable supply of air in here."
"Why wouldn't there be?" asked Lizzy.
"My scanners detect something mixed in with the air," said Karr, "Stay here until I ascertain the situation."
"Fine," said Lizzy, settling down.
But after an hour or two of flying without no one giving them their instructions, Lizzy started getting worried.
"Why haven't they given us instructions yet?" she asked.
"Be patient," said Karr.
Suddenly, a snap of electricity lit up the dark interior of the aircraft.
"What was that?" asked Lizzy.
Before Karr could answer, the snap was followed by a burst of electricity, flowing throughout the entire interior of the moving aircraft.
There was a sudden burst of light, and all of Karr's instruments began moving in various directions. Some instruments such as the radio and the windshield wipers turned on, and various lights all over his dashboard starting flashing.
"Malfunction," Karr said, before his voice started speaking incoherently, spouting off letters, numbers and random phrases in differing languages.
Lizzy pulled her feet up on the seat, trying to get as far away as possible from the various instruments in case they could electrocute her. Suddenly, to her horror, she noticed the cargo doors opening-while they were in midair.
There was only one reason someone would open the cargo doors at that moment.
"Karr," she said, "Karr! Snap out of it! They're dropping us out of the airplane!"
Karr did not respond out loud, but he began trying to speak to her through the earpiece. Unfortunately, it was the same gibberish that he had been speaking throughout the vehicle.
"Karr," said Lizzy, grabbing her head in between her hands, "I can't understand you!"
Karr's voice in her head started getting louder, as the vehicle started to drift backwards towards the open doors.
"Karr, stop talking, please! You're hurting me!" said Lizzy, grabbing her head.
But his voice only got louder, and suddenly changed from incoherent gibberish into noises.
"Stop it!" said Lizzy, her eyes wide as she noticed the vehicle halfway out the door.
But the noises all became louder, until they all blended together into one annoying squeal.
"KARR!" shouted Lizzy, in pain, "STOP!"
Just as Lizzy watched them fall out of the airplane, and just as she began screaming, the noise increased in pitch. The last thing she felt was a sense of weightlessness as they fell through the air, and the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was the cargo plane, closing its cargo doors as it flew away.