Josh ran fast out onto the busy streets of New York. He knocked past random people on the street with his bassoon. He didn't dare look back at the two men following him, though he could hear the sounds of people yelling after he pushed passed and then once more after the mysterious pursuers shoved through. Josh crossed past traffic without waiting for the light to change, he needed to get to the church. He nearly was hit by a taxi but kept going. Adrenaline seemed to be pushing him to move faster than he had ever ran before. It was only a few blocks away, but it felt like forever. The men behind him were starting to fall back with every turn. Joshua ran impressively well in high school track, but this was more high stakes. As he approached the large church, Josh decided to look back to see if the goons following him were still close enough to see which building he entered. No one was visible. He made his way up the steps of the landmark and entered.
Josh's family had never really been that religious. He knew other Asian Americans were Christian and in China Buddhism was another denomination. As he entered the grand building he couldn't help but notice the grandeur of the tall ceilings and religious symbols. They made it feel like this place was sacred and safe, but he knew those doors couldn't hold anything back. Focusing on the task at hand, Josh made his way to the main podium, looking around for anyone that could be the man from the phone. The building looked completely empty. Just as he was about to give up hope, he turned around to find someone not but a foot from his face. This man was of Asian descent; he was short and was just above 5 feet tall. His hairline was receding but that didn't stop him from looking menacing. Josh asked if he was the man from the phone. He introduced himself as Yi Wong once more and immediately Josh questioned him about everything that had transpired. The man simply ushered him to a back room. Once inside Josh found both of his parents. His father was leaning against a wall while his mother paced nervously. When they saw him they ran in for a hug that seemed long awaited. His parents then sat him down as they explained everything.
His father started. "I know this all must be so confusing for you, son, but I need you try to understand." His father spoke in his usual calm, but almost angry tone. He always did look threatening; probably due to his natural scowl. "Do you remember how I told you I met your mother while working in Hong Kong?" Joshua simply nodded his head waiting for the finish. "That part is true, but what wasn't true is that we weren't working for a marketing business there. Your mother and I were actually working for the Chinese government as part of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau."
Josh just stared at them. Trying to take in the sudden change to his parent's story. "So you mean you're spy cops?" He stated sarcastically in hopes of it being a joke.
His mother then took over while ignoring her son's tone. "Yes. Sort of. We were paired together for the task of taking down a secret society bent on crime. The only problem was that the gang leader we were tracking managed to get away. A few years after that, he showed up again with his crew, only this time in America. The CIA then decided to perform a joint task mission with us as the Chinese operatives. That's the real reason we came here."
"So what does this all have to do with me?" Josh said. He was taking this surprisingly well for just finding out his parents are international spies who were probably licensed to kill.
Yi stepped forward and explained his part. "Every operative keeps a log of every missions they have ever done: aliases and other info. They're kept in the last place anyone would look. The guy your parents were tracking found you and their information."
Josh suddenly looked down at his bassoon. The thing that Yi had told him to bring with him in the beginning. The instrument that he had possessed since he was in 7th grade. "You kept all of your secrets in my bassoon?" He was confused and somehow defiled. They had been storing their secrets in his instrument. Then another thought crossed his mind. "Where is this information? I've never seen it."
"The information is hidden underneath one of your keys. Inside of that key is a small microchip containing our information?" His mother said softly. She pointed to the specific key and after looking closely, Joshua noticed that the key had a top that could be screwed on and off. He couldn't understand how he missed that before. "We were able to put it in your bassoon by having an associate come by, borrow your instrument, and then exchange information on the chip. Then he would return the bassoon before you ever realized."
Josh came back to reality. "Let me get this straight: You all are spies, my bassoon holds all of your secrets, and now a crime boss is coming after me for it."
"The Believe it or not, everything we have done was to protect you." His father stated plainly. "We sent you as far away as possible from us in the hopes that we could keep you from this part of our lives."
"Wait, wait, wait. So are you telling me the only reason I got into Manhattan was because of you guys? I'm basically just someone who got in, not because of skill, but because of their parents."
"Actually, you got into USC, but we had to make you think you didn't so you would leave California." His dad must have been hoping that would make him feel better, but it didn't have the desired effects.
Yi stepped forward and brought the family back into the present. "Guys, I'm really happy we're having this family reunion but we need to move." Everyone suddenly remembered what was happening. Yi then directed himself to Joshua's parents. "You two need to take the instrument with you to DC."
Just then as his mother took the bassoon from Joshua and started to put it in a duffel bag, Joshua looked out the window of the church and saw a reflection of light off of something. Before he even knew what had happened his mother was lying on the floor, blood starting to seep from behind her stomach. His throat tightened and he felt the air begin to leave his lungs. Everyone fell to the floor instinctively, except for Josh who was pushed to the ground by Yi. Josh covered his head and looked on as his father failed to move out of the way. Joshua found himself looking at his father lying on the ground in front of him, motionless. Now there was no air left.