The CIA headquarters was filled with scrambling workers and papers flying. They hadn't had a code red in a long time. Katie had no idea what to do, so she just stood out of the way, mystified. A giant, flat screen TV slowly sank down from the ceiling, and on it was a live feed from Anomaly Base Camp 4.
"Drake Merwin, the juvenile who was said to have been the cause of murders in the Anomaly, has escaped Base Camp 4. I repeat, Drake Merwin has escaped Base Camp 4," the person in charge of all the Anomaly Base Camps said through the television. Katie didn't bother to learn his name.
Katie watched in awe as employees frantically talked on phones held with their shoulders as they typed on computers and rifled through papers. She felt out of place, not having anything to do.
"Miss Kimmett!" Katie turned around at the sound of her last name. It was Mr. Reynolds. He was talking on two phones at once and typing on an iPad that had a keyboard hooked to it.
"Miss Kimmett, I think you should go along with the rescue squad heading towards where we believe the Perdido Beach Anomaly Kids are. You're about the same age as them, so you would most likely understand them more," Dr. Reynolds started before he was interrupted by a beeping noise from his iPad. He started typing furiously, then let loose a sigh of relief.
"As I was saying," he continued, unfazed by an employee tripping and the mountain of paper he was holding avalanching all over the floor, "you don't have to go if you are uncomfortable. Seeing as you are only an intern, this is a big task."
"I want to go," Katie said almost immediately. Dr. Reynolds raised an eyebrow.
"Really?" he said. "Well, make sure- ah, excuse me."
Dr. Reynolds was cut off by an employee handing him another phone.
"I have to take this call," Dr. Reynolds told Katie. Katie decided not to mention he was already talking to two other people. "You're ride leaves in 15 minutes and is waiting out front."
Dr. Reynolds left, talking to three different people on phones and typing away on his iPad. Katie did not want his job any time soon.
She hurried to the front lobby and out the door. Katie wasn't exactly given a lot of time to get ready before she had to go. The other three CIA agents she would accompany were already in the van.
Her ride was meant to arrive after the FBI already secured the area and safely evacuated the 10 kids. Then, Katie would go and meet the kids, make them feel comfortable, and ask them questions about practically everything that happened to them in their life.
The drive was supposed to take one hour. Katie tried to make some chit-chat with the other three agents, but they weren't known for their conversation skills. Almost everyone that worked in the CIA's office was socially awkward and nerdy.
"So, how are you guys?" Katie asked after 10 minutes of driving. The person sitting next to her, Trevor, looked at her with his eyes wide open and made a squealing noise a trapped animal might make. He acted like Katie was standing over him with a knife instead of asking him a casual question.
"Alrighty then," Katie said with an exasperated smile. "How about some music?"
Much to Katie's dismay, the person sitting in the passenger seat turned on the Star Wars theme song.
It was going to be a long day.