Hey, all! Yeah...it's been a long while...REALLY LONG. I'm honestly sorry. My life got so crazy over the past (omgsh) five (whole entire) months that I barely had time for electronics at all! I also got reminded that I kept switching the names for Nick/John's character. So, from now on he is called Nick (Sorry for the unoriginality, but I already have a character named John). If I make the mistake again please someone tell me! Thanks! Oh, also, I've never really been to Athens, so if anyone can help me out with it, that would be great!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Gallagher Girls series, I do own everything else.

Day 2

Time: 7:33 pm

Location: Small diner in Athens, Greece

Bex POV

My foot silently idles while Grant and I wait for the insider that would hopefully guide us in the right direction. Grant cautiously sips his espresso while I watch my hot tea chill in my hands. My eyes are scanning the streets for anything, anyone, that might look...different. Each time the bell hanging over the door rang, I have to fight myself to keep from wincing. The noise isn't annoying, more sudden and jolting. I want to go over there and rip the stupid bell right off the wall.

"Be-, I mean, Shauna?"

I looked over at Grant, whose giving me a curious look, hardly noticing he messed up.

"Are you alright? You're really tense. I think even the old lady across the street can notice."

Elderly, my mind automatically corrects. Shut up, I argue with it. You're mad at him. "Yeah, I'm fine, Tyler."

Grant sighs and fingers a chip on his espresso cup. "Shauna," he enunciates my cover name, "two things. One, I know you better than that. You're obviously upset about something and I think it's Cammie. Two, I'm trained to notice this, Shauna. You're entire body screams annoyed, paranoid, and upset."

I hate it when he reads me so well.

"I'm just a little tense over this meeting, Tyler. That's all."

Grant gives me that look that says whatever-you-say-but-I-know-better.

I mentally stick my tongue out at him.

"Tyler Quivers and Shauna Frederick?"

I turn to find a medium sized woman, maybe in her 30's, with dark brown hair and green eyes staring down at us. She has on a suede business suit and is carrying a briefcase. I silently note how inconspicuous (sarcasm) it is. Oh well. I stand up and greet her politely. She introduces herself as Rhonda Willis. I offer her a chair, which she takes.

"I assume you both know that I am going to have to explain this in a code right?" Rhonda whispers, barely moving her lips.

Grant and I nod subtly.

"Good. Now, I don't have much time. My husband and I have a date tonight."

Translation: She needs to get back to her boss, soon.

"What exactly are you looking for in my tutoring business?"

Translation: What information do you need?

Grant answered. "Ms. Willis, my friend and I (I still don't understand why Macey and Nick got to be brother and sister and Grant and I are supposed to be best friends who are secretly in love. I'm going to kill whoever made these covers) just need the basic layouts for some courses that we're taking. Our teachers don't seem to know much and we are very confused."

Translation: We need the layouts of all major bases in Athens. Our intel back home doesn't know much and we are in the dark.

"Right, right. Here are three basic materials to help. What subjects do you need help in specifically?"

Don't need to translate that one.

I answer this question. "We need to learn the outside details. Our evil substitute likes to test on the little details." I roll my eyes for effect.

Translation: We need the outside perimeter for each. (The substitute thing was thrown in there for effect.)

"You'll find all you need in there. Thanks for your business, give me a call if you need anymore information." Rhonda hands me a business card and walks away. I look at the card. It has the basics, nothing immediately out of the ordinary. I know better though. Grant and I pay, then walk out of the diner with the plans. I say into my comms, "Alright, gang, wrap it up, we've got what we need.

Day 2

Time: 1:02 pm

Place: Gallagher Infirmary

Abby POV

It had been only a day since the Rebecca, Zachary, Nick, Grant, Liz, and Jonas had left for Athens, but it felt like decades.

Cameron got moved to the Gallagher Infirmary soon after the mission had been decided. The room beside Joe's was empty, so she was put there. Her unmoving body had me more unnerved than I would like to say. I want to slap her, yell at her, coax her, something just to make her wake up. I want to stop sitting here and do something. Rachel is sitting beside Cammie's bed 24/7. She makes sure Cammie's hydrated and fed, though not really herself much. I often have to remind her to eat, like I am now.

"Rachel, you have to eat. Sitting and worrying over Cammie isn't going to do much."

"I know, Abby, but how come I didn't know about this sooner? Why was I kept out of this? I could have protected her, helped her. I sent her to the farm to be safe with you. Why did this happen?"

I rubbed my sister's shoulder as calming as I could. "Rachel...things happen in the spy world that we can't even comprehend for the wildest of reasons. With all our technology and equipment, some things happen out of our control."

"This wasn't out of my control! She is my daughter, Abigail! You would understand if you had a child of your own!"

I'm too stunned to reply, but Rachel keeps going on.

"First it's Matthew, then Joe, and now Cammie! Why does this always happen? Why did Matthew have to join that stupid Circle anyways? He could've stayed with me! Raised Cammie! And now look what's happened!"

I sigh and try to calm Rachel. "We all have a little part to play in this, Rachel. Matthew may have started this, but it's not all his fault. He was just trying to make the spy world a better place."

Rachel laughs at my weak attempt at humor. She wipes the tears from her eyes and looks at Cammie again. Cammie's skin is pale and her lips are chapped. Rachel buzzes the nurse in so that she can get more water. We wait while the nurse does her job and then resume into silence.

"Do you think the group will succeed?" Rachel asks softly.

I think about it for a minute, then reply with, "Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Macey have been in this with Cammie since nearly the beginning. Macey more than the other two because she was a target for a while. Zach knows the Circle better than anyone, since his mother is the leader. Grant, Nick, and Jonas are all good at what they do. They'll make it. They're all smart. They'll figure it out."

Rachel doesn't reply for a while. Instead, she rubs her thumbs in circles on Cammie's hands. She looks at her daughter that can only be described as longing. Then,

"I hope and pray you're right, Abby. I hope and pray, for Cammie's sake, that you're right."

Day 2

Time: 8:17 pm

Place: Hotel in Athens, Greece

Zach POV

We survey the maps that Grant and Bex brought back with an eye for detail. We need to figure out which base Mr. Morgan would have stolen the information from. Then we need to survey the area to see where he would have hidden it. It's not such an easy task. At the moment, Liz, Nick, and Macey are fighting about the bases.

"We should go for the biggest base! It will be where all the information is," Liz shouts and points to the largest of the three bases. "We should focus on this one!"

"But what if they put all this important information in a smaller base that better concealed like this one?" Nick counters, pointing to the smallest of the three bases.

"I agree with Nick," Macey puts in, "they'll put it in the smaller bases to keep the information on the down low."

Grant joins in. "Liz has a point though. The leaders will be centered in the larger bases. They'll want to keep the information close to them. Plus, they have more people who can guard it."

"Technically, Grant," Jonas pipes up, "more security doesn't mean a higher level of safety."

"Right, Jonas," Macey says. "Therefore they'll put it in a base that makes it harder to get to."

The fighting becomes too intense for my head and I step out of the room for a minute. I take a deep breath and try to analyze the situation.

The bigger bases are the ones where all the leaders are centered, true, but they don't want the information with them. The reason is because people target the bases because of the fact that the leaders are there. So, the information wouldn't have been in the larger base. A smaller, well hidden base, though, might provide the security the information needs. It's small, easy to protect, and more apt in concealment. However, smaller bases are easy to penetrate because of the lack of personnel in the base. Sure, there are traps, but the Circle will rather have human back up.

That's when it clicks.

The third base.

That's where the information would be stolen from.

It all makes sense. It's slightly bigger than the smaller base, but not so much that it's a large base. It's normal, unnoticed because of it's regularity. The third base would hold the information purely for the reasons that the others have been arguing about!

I rush into the room and am almost killed as Macey throws a coffee cup at my head. I duck just in time though, giving her a strange look.

She blushes. "Sorry, Zach. I thought you were an intruder. We hadn't noticed that you slipped out."

I wave her off. "You're fine. Guys, listen, you're all wrong. It's not the first or second base. It's the third."

"Why? How?" Bex asks, skeptical. "Why not the larger or the smaller base?"

"Think about it."

The others take a few minutes before Macey says, "It's normal."

"Bingo," I say, smiling. "The base is perfect because while everyone else is targeting the bigger or smaller bases, the third base gets completely glazed over because of it's normality."

"Just like a pavement artist," Bex comments.

"Exactly. It's perfect."

The others slowly come to terms with what I'm saying. They all nod and smile. We put aside the other two base layouts and focus on the third one. It looks normal. The building isn't anything fancy or compact. The land around it is civilian/tourist area. There seems to be nothing interesting about it. Except it's exactly what we're looking for.

"Who's up for a little surveillance tomorrow?" I say, grinning wildly, happy we're finally getting somewhere.

Hang on Cammie, we'll find it. We'll solve the mystery of your dad.

Just hang on.

Have you ever gone into one of those trances where you see the scene in your head and your fingers move, but you really don't know what you're writing? Then you go back and read it and say, "I really wrote that?" (Good or bad)

I just had one of those moments. It was awesome.

Anyways, thank you all my wonderful reviewers (for this story and The Best Cover is No Cover)! You all are amazing and I love to hear praise and constructive criticism! I love you I love you I love you all! I should be able to get the next chapter out SOONER than five months...sorry about that. Please review and tell me if you like it, hate it, or see any errors or want to give some advice!

Spy on,

Sorrel 14