AN: Sorry it took so long; I've just had so much to do. For those who have read it and like it, let me know so I can keep going with it. So yes, enjoy and review please Also it may seem a bit confusing but don't worry, it will make sense.
Chapter 1
Oscar's POV
It was windy. There were leaves everywhere and although the MI9 jackets may look nice, they really aren't very warm at all, especially in October. Frank said we had to meet him here at this old warehouse and yet no-one else was here. I kicked a pile of leaves and watched as they slowly fell to earth after their brief flight. I kicked the pile next to that, and the next one and stopped as my foot hit something solid. I knelt down and pulled out a small black box that was still covered in damp leaves. It fit snuggly into the palm of my hand. Suddenly the box was snatched from behind, and I whipped around angrily, ready to take back the box.
"You don't want that. Here, put this on." Frank dropped a black cloth thing into my hands and put the box in a pocket. "I'll keep hold of this until K…Honey gets here. Rose, Carrie, there you are." Carrie tottered over in her heels and flashed a smile at me. I felt the top of my ears go red and I shook my head. Girls are too complicated.
"Frank, what are we doing here? It's cold, we're in the middle of nowhere and I have work to do." Carrie glared at him.
"SKUL are on the move. We are here to stop them. I've called for backup. They'll be here soon. Put these on."
"But Frank…"
He turned to her and put the balaclava in her hands. "There's no time for arguing. Just put it on." He turned away and stared. "Where is she? Maybe I should call her."
A girl climbed down from behind the roof and landed lightly on the floor next to me. I flinched startled and groaned inwardly; 'I should have known she was there. How could I miss that major detail? I'm a spy, not some stupid ignorant kid.'
She coughed slightly and when Frank didn't move she said, "That won't be necessary Frank."
He turned and smiled which was odd. I don't think I've ever really seen him smile before.
"There you are. Here, you'll need this. How are you holding up? How's everyone coping? What…"
She held up her hand and smiled faintly. "Frank, we're fine. Mich-sorry, Jasper's worried about me and Jack, well he's being Jack. He's hated me most of my life. He's ready. They'll be here soon. Best places to go…"
Stark strode over to her and glared. "Frank, is everyone here? Good. Now, we shoot on sight. You kids aren't to get involved. Stay down and don't move until you're told. Positions." He turned and moved behind a sheet of iron. Next to me the girl was smirking like she knew something we didn't.
I opened my mouth to protest but Rose beat me to it.
"Frank, why? We can look after ourselves and guns never solved anything."
Frank sighed and turned towards her. "I don't like it any more than you do. But, there's no arguing with Stark. Put your masks on and get hidden. Honey, that means you too." The girl rolled her eyes.
Slowly we moved and I stared at the ground, scraping my shoes as I went before pulling the mask over my face. From behind the bin, I looked around at everyone else and prepared to wait.
Girls POV
I sat there on the ground, pulling at the grass. There was no way I was gonna sit back and watch Starky shoot him. What was his name again? Oh yeah, Jesse. That was it. From behind his hiding place, Frank started to look around, checking we were all safe. Then he looked at me sat in the middle of the space, and groaned. I smiled at him and carried on playing with the grass. Hurriedly he muttered to Stark and nodded at me. Stark sighed and ran a hand through his slimy hair before signalling to his men 'stand down'. The boy, the Dixon-Halliday boy Oscar came over to me, dragged me to my feet and shoved the mask into my hands.
"Put it on!" he hissed, looked down at our hands and let go like he'd been burnt. (I know what that looks like, someone being burnt not… never mind.) I didn't care. I rarely feel anything now, but he shocked me from his voice. I know all about who Franks 'kids' as Starky calls them. I know where they come from, who they are, who their parents are, that sort of thing. I thought Oscar was nice. He looked nice, not shouty or angry and that voice! Geez I would kill a guy to go out with someone with a voice like that. He snapped at me again and I pulled the mask over my head. "Thank you," he muttered and turned to go back. Ugh, boys. Why are they so, so dominanty?
"Where do you think you're going?" came a voice from above. We both looked up at the Grand Master, the evil bad-lady-turncoat and… Jesse, flanked by several SKUL guards. "Stay where you are. You're surrounded. The rest of you, come out. There's no need to play hide and seek with us. Jesse, General Flopsy." Jesse handed over the rabbit. I smirked. That stupid white rabbit that the loony leader of SKUL carried around.
"…Now General Stark, your little soldiers will be fine, provided you do what I say."
Hang on, when did he start speaking? Damn the stupid white rabbit. Wait, was he addressing me?
"You don't need a mask on girly. We've already seen your face."
"If it's any concellation, I'd rather keep it on." I stared back up at them, my gaze steady.
The Grand Master shrugged. "Suit yourself. So you're a scholar then? My my, you really do want the best don't you? So what are you here for? Not us surely?"
Nobody moved. Stark's gaze broke and he stared at the floor. I can't believe he's an agent. What a wuss.
"Well your little plan backfired. With any concellation, you'll be glad to know you've made up my mind about what to do with the kid. Jesse, get the kid." He clicked his fingers back at Jesse and he stepped forward hesitantly.
"Bring the child! Jesse, do not keep me waiting!" he snapped exasperatedly and Jesse hurried forward flanked by two guards holding a small bundle of blue blanket. Behind me, Stark laughed. "It's just a rolled up blanket Grand Master. Stop playing games, I've called your bluff." Meh, that's a bit more agent-y but too confident and cocky.
The Grand Master smiled smugly back at him. "I think not. Drop him."
Stark's smile faded and I can see why. No bad guy ever smiles like that about a bad thing. The bundle was held off the roof. And then I saw what it was, who it was. It was a baby. It was…
Oscars POV
The girl moved forward towards the roof and screamed loudly in my ear. Jeez she can scream. I looked up and shaded my eyes from the sun, trying to see what the problem was. The SKUL officer was holding a baby in the thin blanket. There was a baby dangling off the room and of course, the bad guys didn't care. I was furious. How could they stoop so low? Threatening us with a kid, not even that. It was more of a 'look, here's what you've made me do' thing. I moved forward and touched the girls arm, ignoring the sparks that flashed when I touched her and the butterflies in my stomach. I wasn't nervous, why would I be? I mean she's just a girl, a girl I barely know.
She shrugged me off and muttered something under her breath. I thought I saw movement on the roof but it was probably the SKUL guys shifting nervously, I mean everyone has a conscience.
"What do you want? What do we have to do to stop you from killing the kid? What's your price?"
I'd never known Frank to be this nervous about anything. Rule 1: never give in, never bargain, never compromise. So why wasn't he following this?
The GM gave the stupid rabbit (well actually its kinda sweet) to the Jesse-guy and flicked dirt out from underneath his nails as if he couldn't care less.
"I don't want anything from you. The kid will die, just like the rest of his family. It's better he dies now. With his parents already dead and his older sister in hospital… he's practically dead already. Enough talk, drop him,"
Frank paled or maybe that was during the GM's speech. I wouldn't really know, I wasn't paying much attention to everyone else. I was shaking. Why drop a little kid? So what if his sister's in hospital and his parents are dead? I'm sure someone else could care for him. The GM's a monster but then we knew that already, I mean come on, he keeps trying to take over the world.
"No!" The girl ran forward away from Frank who tried to grab hold of her. I smiled slightly. I'm glad I'm not the only one who cares about children. Maybe she has younger family, even a proper family like Rose and Carrie have. Hopefully she isn't alone like me.
"You can't do this, he's just a baby."
"Oh, scholar girl likes little children. Well, sorry but I'm not going to let him grow up to become like you. You're next." He pulled a gun out from his robe. Seriously, it's like he's wearing a dressing gown or something.
"No!" Jesse dropped the rabbit, hit the gun out of the GM's hand and tried to grab the bundle.
"What?" GM looked down at his empty hands. Nice work for a SKUL guy. "General Flopsy! Don't go too near the edge, you'll fall off." Geez, the evil criminal mastermind is more concerned about his stupid rabbit rather than what he'd planned on doing. I looked over at the girl who grinned and stood with her hands on her hips.
"See? You don't like it when something small and innocent is in danger even if it is your rabbit. I don't like little kids dy… Hey! Look out!"
Jesse was grabbed from behind by a SKUL agent who grinned in a manianic evil way.
"Now the kid die," he laughed, throwing his head back and the guy holding the baby dropped it.
As this happened, I stared at them shocked. SKUL really recruited the wackiest people on the planet but then you kinda need the… oh wait, hang on nope, they're all a bunch of loonies. No wonder she wanted to join them. I looked at the girl with real shock on my face but she didn't look bothered. Come on, all this fuss about the kid whilst it was up on the roof and now she was standing there doing nothing whilst he (I presume it's a he) was falling rather quickly towards the ground. Then it was like it was all in slow motion. She turned and looked at me as if to say 'I am going to do something' like she knew what I was thinking, but she couldn't, right? That's impossible. Slowly she stretched out her arms and looked up as the baby fell through the sky. Then time caught up and everything seemed to be at normal speed, whatever that is. She caught the baby as Frank grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back, making her harder to hit.
The GM coughed and everyone looked up at him except the girl who was watching the baby, and well me as I was watching her. He stood there stroking that stupid rabbit as the Jesse-guy was pushed roughly to his knees by the SKUL guards holding him. My … no The General (AN: I think that was what his mother was called but correct me if I'm wrong) pulled his hair, jerking his head back. A knife was held at his throat, the blade slightly touching his skin and sunlight bounced off the blade and the gems in the handle. My, SKUL had taste, too bad they probably stole it.
"Excuse me."
The girl continued to look at the baby, cooing at it weirdly, but then I suppose girls are weird although the baby was kinda sweet. I need to give the girl a name. I can't just keep calling her 'the girl', or maybe I can. Wait, I think Frank said her name was Honey. GM glared at her and mu… The General pulled back on Jesse's hair causing the knife to blood as he screwed up his eyes. I sympathy winced. Why would I do that? The guy's a stupid SKUL guy for goodness sake; they're bad, so what if they're suffering. Oh wait, I am supposed to care, that's what makes me good.
"Excuse me!" Stark looked around at the... Honey and glared as Frank patted her shoulder but she didn't do anything. I can't believe she was ignoring him. They were holding her um, wait does she actually know him? Was he the guy she meant when she said 'he's ready. He'll be here soon,'? Urgh I don't know. It can't be can it? I mean we would know if we had a double agent but then again Stark wouldn't tell us anything, he hates us.
They pressed the knife harder onto his skin drawing more blood, leaving a scarlet line across his neck.
"Looks like your friend doesn't even care about you," sneered my mo… my moth… my mother. There I said it but she's nothing like me. We all know that. I'm not related to her in anyway. I will not be like her ever. The guy looked at Honey, tears filling his eyes; such a crybaby. I know I'm being harsh but he's SKUL, he's evil. The girl turned away from the baby and looked up at him as if she'd only just realised what was happening.
"Frank, do something!" she shouted at him, well no, it was quiet so maybe said, her eyes large and scared. He shook his head and stepped back, his hand falling to his side.
"I'm sorry; I can't, not without backup. Why don't you ask him?" He pointed to the GM and she looked up again. The GM had caught General Flopsy and was stroking him soothingly.
"Finally I have your attention girly." He stood there smirking, at least I think he was smirking under the scarf, and kept stroking the stupid rabbit.
She handed the baby to Frank and strode forward angrily, presumably not caring about the danger.
"Why are you doing this? He's just what 16 at most? All he's guilty of is having a conscience; you do know what one is right? Let's just say you do, and you're gonna kill him for having one?"
He smiled and continued stroking the rabbit. "What a good idea. So, he's not one of yours then, so it won't matter if we kill him then will it? We're criminals' sweetheart; we're not supposed to have feelings or consciousnesses."
She laughed slightly then rolled her eyes. "Well that's stupid. For a start, it's 'consciences' not 'consciousnesses'; that's something completely different. Secondly, would you really kill one of your own kind?"
"Yes, if they were defective like him. We have things to do so say goodbye to the boy. Kill him." He turned to the guards and waved at them. The SKUL people holding the guy tightened their grip and the knife was brought away from his throat. Wait what? Surely they would cut his throat. The girl looked like she was going to scream. Why did she care? Oh yeah double agent thing.
"No!" Why are you doing this?" Correction, she sounded like she was going to cry.
"Because, you called me stupid. No-one calls me stupid and gets away with it," he drawled in reply. There was a hard tone to his voice and I could sense he was more that slightly annoyed.
"But I didn't. And, if you think about it logically, you do have emotions; negative ones like anger so therefore you're not stupid. I only said it was stupid if you lacked emotions, not the person," she babbled, her hands flapping wildly.
"Yes well, I'm an evil genius. What is going on? Stay where you are, all of you!"
I turned around and saw what the problem was. Carrie and Rose were juggling the baby who was now crying, Stark was stood there with an idiotic look on his face like he didn't know whether to admit he was wrong or explode and Frank, oh. Frank was talking on his phone. The girl spun around and glared at him as she took the baby and sorted him out before placing him in Carrie's arms.
"Frank, stop it!" she hissed as she fiddled with the blanket.
Frank pulled the phone away from his ear. "I'm telling them to back down. If the backup come, we'll all be dead, including Ch… the baby. These guys will shoot on sight, you know that. Look, you take the phone and tell them, they'll listen to you."
He offered her then phone and she shook her head, backing away from it. Stark looked like he was going to explode.
"I can't, Frank. I just can't. It's not… No."
Stark strode over and knocked the girl to the side. She glared at him.
"This is an outrage Frank. We are here on a mission not a little tea party with your friends. No social calls. Put the phone away before they shoot us all."
Frank looked flustered and ran a hand through his hair. "That's not true Horatio and you know it. I was, look, she can explain, she knows them, not me." Stark stared at her like a fish out of water.
"What is going on down there? Put the phone down or you will all get shot, starting with the baby!"
I smirked. I can't believe how frazzled the GM was getting and it was hilarious. I looked over at Honey and stopped. She looked really scared, more scared than when the gun was pointed at her or when the Jesse-guy had the knife to his throat. That one call scared her a lot. I looked up as I saw movement in the corner of my eye. My mother was standing by the GM her hand on his shoulder and whispering poison into his ear, very right-hand person-y. He dropped the gun and stroked the stupid rabbit again. Wait, how did he get the gun? Urgh I missed it, stupid girl being so…so urgh!
"You win this time MI9 but we'll be back." He turned and left, whispering nonsense to the rabbit about carrots and lettuce. I thought you weren't supposed to give rabbits lettuce.
Stark stared confused before barking orders at his men. "Go on, after him. Arrest them!"
Frank glared at him. "No. He's left everyone alive. Just leave it. It's better to let him get away and live than die and end up with a bunch of criminals in jail." The two glared at each other, nose to nose.
"Not quite everyone." We looked up, startled. My mother was holding the knife in front of the SKUL guy. I frowned. This wasn't typical behaviour of her but maybe my turning down her offer had turned her mean and well cold. The girl jumped and moved forward slightly away from…. Wait. Where had these guys come from? Behind me stood six or seven young spy's I guess wearing black, most of them looked like they could kill a man easily. I hoped they were on our side.
"Please don't. I know I shouldn't say this as he's one of yours but don't kill him. What's he ever done to you? He's just a kid."
Mum nodded at the baby who I think was asleep much to Carrie's relief.
"So? Everyone has a conscience as I mentioned before, even bad guys. Don't you care? What about your son? Would you kill him if this was him?"
"What son? I have no son," she snapped coldly.
I flinched. Thanks mum, love you too. Okay maybe I did push her too far last time but she's never been there for me. Quickly, she stuck the knife in the Jesse-guy and pushed him off the roof, before legging it across the roof. Frank stared dumbfounded like most of the others, even Stark. Honey screamed and tried to run forward but was stopped by the dark haired guy behind her.
Girls POV
I ran forward, or tried to, pulling off the mask as I moved. Stupid Alex holding me and not letting go. Geez he has a grip like a … what are those metal things called? Oh yeah, a vice.
"It's too late, he's gone," he whispered into my hair, in that cute not quite English accent that made most girls swoon and go weak at the knees. I say most. I turned around and cried into his shirt.
"No, no. He can't be dead. He promised me, he promised me he wouldn't leave me! No, he can't be dead. Not again, please not again." I just stood there and cried, ignoring the fact that Oscar was staring at me like most people. Alex looked a little shocked but continued to hold me close to him as huge sobs shook my body. I couldn't believe it. One thing you should know is that I don't cry, I never cry, not since I was very little. I haven't cried when I've hurt myself, I didn't cry when I fell three storeys worth of hill though trees and thorns, not when I fell off the roof or the back of the fence and hit my head, not when I burnt myself so badly I was in hospital for three weeks, or even when I ended up scraping enough skin off my arms, legs and back that I could have made another person (well almost). Not even when… not even with all that has happened, so why was I crying now?
I heard Frank walk over to me in his shuffle-tap footsteppy walk and touch my shoulder, causing me to jump slightly. I sniffled and looked up at him, glad Alex was wearing a black shirt, not white.
"We need to uh move him. What do you want us to do with the body? Do you want us to burn it?"
I shook my head, scattering tears everywhere. "No. He deserves a proper funeral. Just say it was a street fight or something. Leave it until later to tell his parents, please. I can't tell them, you know that. They can't know I was here when… They still deserve normal lives."
He nodded. "Alright. Take good care of her. Agents, we'll leave Starks men to clear this up. Come on, back to… school. And Honey, you were brilliant as ever, thank you. I'm sorry about … Alan."
I nodded and turned to face everyone else (who had now gathered in front of me and Alex), ignoring the confused look on Oscar's face at the mention of Alan's name. One of the girls, not the one who I had given the baby to, so uh Rose I think, walked over to me holding Charlie.
"Here," she said slowly, her eyes transfixed on the bundle in her hands like she was scared she was going to drop him at any moment. "Do you want to take him seeing as you know how to hold him and stopped him crying. You do know where he comes from, right?"
I nodded and took him into my arms, glad he was asleep and didn't know anything that was going on. I brushed his small blond curls out of his eyes and smiled. Alex steered me off to the side.
"Come on Honey, let's go home." All our lot smiled and mumbled sorry wishes for Alan. I knew they didn't want to be here and I didn't blame them. I just wanted to go home. From the corner of my eye I saw the Oscar-guy start to approach me, obviously dying to ask one or maybe many questions that were plaguing his mind. Frank stopped him and shook his head slightly, universal signal for 'not now' and we walked away in opposite directions, them to school, St Hopes I think and me to… home or what I had left of one. Overhead the gathering storm clouds broke, dampening my mood even more as my hair was plastered to my face and I hugged Charlie to my chest, sighing. Now I had to tell everyone.
Really really sorry for the delay but the third chapter is written and should go up this week too. So sorry and have virtual cookies as compensation. R&R please, even if it is to complain about the delay but I have had so much work and stuff and studying for my A levels. Hope you enjoyed and I really will try to get the next chapter up this week.
