Chapter 11

After the confusion and excitement from Thursday evening between Zane and Jaden, Claudia had spent the next day half lecturing Zane but also telling him she understood her reasons, it had shocked her greatly that both Zane and Syrus was brothers, yeah she could have looked into the school Database to find out the connection but both of them was her friends and she didn't want to betray their trusts by doing background checks.

Zane had found out Claudia was also rather pissed by the fact that when she had collided with Alexis the day before her laptop had been completely smashed. So at lunch time he had disappeared and returned that evening bang on 5pm at the docks with a complete brand new Sony laptop. She had tried to refuse it but he insisted considering all the worry he had caused her the day before, and to try apologise for Alexis, although she had wanted to refuse the apology she knew he was trying to encourage her to be friends with Alexis.

That was easier said than done, considering the fact that Alexis hated her and she didn't have a single clue why, so now at 10am she was laid on the top of Slifer dorms roof, Dressed in a pair of blue skinnies, rips at both knee caps, long sleeve black t-shirt and black leather waist coat. Since it was Saturday they didn't have any classes so they could wear whatever they wanted, her jeans held three chains, and two belts, one to hold her jeans and the other diagonal holding her deck.

Wearing a pair of blue sunglasses, and her hair thrown up in a ponytail, one hand in front of her holding her Farnsworth, "it's good to hear that your progressing quite wonderful at the school kiddo, Professor Banners been sending me your grades and I'm pleased with the results, Although you should have informed me that you had been sick this week!"

Claudia let out a groan pushing her sunglasses on top of her head, "Chill Dino dude it wasn't that serious, it was just a cold in which…. Hows… Steve been since Monday?" he noticed the sad expression she held on her face, "he's not spoken much but I did punish him with inventory duty, he does keep sitting in your seat you need to speak with him kiddo. This silly little fight isn't good"

Taking a deep breath, "I'll try and talk to him later, how's Pete and Myka doing? I heard from Abby that H.G has come back to help while I'm here" "Their doing fine Pings keep coming in and they keep leaving to collect Artefacts, few problems with Pete getting Whammed, but the usual. Myka's been trying to test those computer skills she learned form you but complains that it's not the same when you're not here. So basically we miss you here kiddo."

Trying not to get worked up Claudia sat up knees arched and spread, "Yeah I miss you all too gramps, can't wait to come home for Halloween, hey old man, thanks for letting my friends come" He just gave her a smile and pushed up his glasses, "it's quite alright kiddo, even though these friends are boys, I'm still glad you have them. They haven't tried anything with you have they?"

Claudia couldn't help but laugh, "no they haven't, Sy has this weird fascination with Dark Magician girl and Jay is just too interested in duelling to even notice that a girl I know has a crush on him."

She looked up from the Farnsworth to see Zane walking up to the dorms, "Hey old man, since I'm still setting up my new laptop, can you do me a favour, you see I'm currently working with a friend to learn his deck and I already have a few cards to make the deck but I need two specific cards for it." Scrunching up his fuzzy grey eye brows Artie looked to her, "Cyber dragons" she pulled out the card from her deck box and showed him.

Instantly his mouth dropped "C…claudia! Where did you get that card?" She lowered it, as the bangles on her wrist jingled slightly, "I pulled it from a booster pack a few weeks ago, remember them dreams I've been having?" he nodded, "this is going to sound crazy but it was that cards voice I could hear, it was trying to call out to me, plus I'm really into wanting this deck."

Suddenly she saw the old agent typing away on his computer, "There is a prophecy about Cyber dragons in the Duelling world but I can't remember for the life of me what that is, I can do some research into it for you kiddo but it's going to take me some time."

Sigh gave a sigh, "You and your stone age brain, I want the deck not some ancient prophecy…although that may just help me understand why the Cyber Dragons are calling to me and not Zane" Artie suddenly stopped typing on his keyboard and looked back at the screen, "Zane? Who's Zan-?" he was cut off by Claudia suddenly speaking, "Just do that research and talk later bye old man!" she quickly shut her Farnsworth just as Zane reached the dorms. She stood up on the roof and waved to him, "MORNING ZANE!"

He stood on the ground arms crossed wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans with some black converse, "CLAUDIA DONOVAN, GET DOWN FROM THERE IT'S DANGEROUS!" quickly she climbed off the roof and once her feet was safely on the ground she rushed up to him smiling, the chains on her belt clanked together.

"Sorry dude, it's just a quite spot up there to call my old man on a Saturday morning and chat with him, he wanted to check in to see how I was doing here." She spoke thrusting her hands inside her leather jacket, "You look nice today, never would peg you for jeans dude." He couldn't help but give off a smirk smile "And I never pegged you for large blue sunglasses. Ready for today's less-"

He was cut off by Claudia's Farnsworth buzzing, she let out a groan and answered it, "Artie what?"

"Don't what me young lady! We have an emergency and I'm low on agents! Steve Myka and H.G just received an emergency ping in Canada, and we have a second one in California I can't send Pete alone and since you don't have school today you're up!"

"Dude are you serious? But I have pla-" "YES! I AM QUITE SERIOUS! You will get your gothic but on that chopper I'm sending you and you will be in California to meet Pete at the airport, Pete has the file on the case now go! This is not Snag, Bag and Nag!"

He shut off his Farnsworth and Claudia groaned gripping at her head, "I swear the old man just wants to run me ragged!" Zane couldn't help but laugh, as he looked to her, "so you're like some double agent or something?" she nodded going over to the dorms, "something like that yes I'm really sorry about this Zane I don't mean to just ditch you…" "You're not ditching… because I'm coming with you"

The teenagers mouth suddenly dropped, if it was possible hit the floor "What? No… you can't… these pings… they can be rather d..dangerous sometimes…" she opened her bottom desk draw taking out what looked like a cross between a gun and a needle that glowed, "And that's why your taking that thing with you? We can run through the Cyber Dragons on the way I'm still coming with you." He stepped up closer to her placing a hand under her chin and leaning forward into her ear.

"Because… I'm not going to let anything happen to you" with that he let go, taking her bag that held her Tesla and laptop, placing it over his shoulder. Her face was rather flushed but she quickly shook it off, "Craptastic…Artie's so going to kill me…. Actually Mrs F is going to kill me…"

"Actually Agent Donovan I'm not going to kill you, in fact I think it would be good for Mr Trusdale to come with you" both teenagers jumped out of their skins turning around to the door, Claudia placed a hand over her heart, "Mrs F! I wish you would not do that! Or at least teach me!" The African woman just walked closer "All in due time Agent Donovan, now as I was saying, Mr Trusdale I believe that you may be of help on this case that Agent Donovan will be on. There is hidden potential inside you so for this I'm asking that you shadow Agent Donovan and her partner." Zane's eye's hardened at them words, he didn't quite understand what this woman was asking of him but he was going with Claudia whether he was allowed to or not.

"I wasn't going to let her go alone anyway, Me and Agent Donovan had a date to keep with today and I'm making sure our plans isn't interrupted" Claudia didn't catch onto what he had said but Mrs Fredrick did, she turned her head to Claudia, "Do you mind giving me and Mr Trusdale a moment?"

Claudia just held up her hands, "Sure Mrs F," and with that the red haired teenager walked out of the room, but Zane kept his eye's on the woman in front of him.

"As I was saying Mr Trusdale, there is potential inside you to be in our line of work and when that time comes I am hoping you will accept my offer to a world of endless wonder." He crossed his arms, narrowing his eye's to her, "And what potential would that be?"

"A potential to join a growing secret organisation to protect the world from dangerous things in this world Mr Trusdale, some that can cause serious harm, things that you can't possibly imagine. I can see the connection between you and Agent Donovan, but like I said there is potential but at this current moment in time there is a darkness that is deep inside trying to fight through the light in you, but….. when you was stood next to Agent Donovan the lightness began to shine bright."

He looked passed the woman to the door, then eye's landing back onto the woman, "that's because she doesn't realise it at this moment in time but she is the light. I know she's had something bad happen to her in the past that she doesn't want to talk about, but she is the one that keeps the darkness away."

Mrs Fredrick nodded and turned around, "Then I can count on you to join her on this mission? When half term comes I expect you to go with Agent Donovan back to South Dakota, You will understand more there" he closed his eyes for a moment, "Endless Wonder huh? What exa-" he stopped speaking as he opened his eyes and the woman wasn't there anymore, the front door was closed so she couldn't have walked out. He would ask Claudia later on this but he remembered that they had to get to California.

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A few hours later, in the beautiful sun of California, Claudia and Zane stepped outside the Airport, "Now where is that man?" she looked around but couldn't see Pete anywhere, it had been weird on the chopper as Zane didn't speak much to her, and she had tried to avoid eye contact with him. She knew Mrs Fredrick mentioned to him something about the Warehouse but she wasn't sure how much she had said about it.

She let out a groan as Zane spoke his first words in hours, "what does he look like? Maybe if we go over there with slightly higher ground we can spot him?" she was about to agree when suddenly she was picked up and spun around. "Claud! it's so good to see you!" she couldn't help but laugh while trying to get out of the man's arms. Zane on the other hand took matters into his own hands, grabbing the teenager out of the mystery arms and stood in front protectively. "Who are you?"

The man stood and looked too Claudia and from the kid, "Who am i? who are you?" suddenly Claudia stepped in between both of them, "Pete this is my friend Zane, Zane this is my co-worker Pete, this is who we are working with on this case."

"Whoa wait a minute, back up Claudia you brought a kid from the Academy?" She held up her hands in defence, "Hey wasn't my choice, He refused to let me come alone and also Mrs F would have glared me to death if I didn't agree with her." Running a hand through his shaggy bangs Pete sighed, "Alright well then, let's just go, Artie is going to be so pissed when he finds out I assume the genius has her laptop?"

Giving a thumbs up and a nod, "Sure do Although I'm not quite finished yet setting up the system on it due to it's still brand new, and I thank you again for that Zane." The teenage boy just gave a smile as they all made their way to the local coffee shop, Pete had flashed his badge at the counter so they could get a secluded table near the back.

"Alright, from what I've found out is that we are meant to be searching for a dagger that was made back in the 1800's, quite similar to the one Artie was obsessed with." Claudia let out a groan and ran a hand through her bangs, "Please don't remind me of that Pete…. I still have nightmares about it." Giving her a sympathetic look, "I know Claud, but in any case, this dagger was made by the same man, so I'm guessing it has similar effect to that Dagger you … you know with… it's just a simple retrieval mission as it's being held at the local California museum."

Claudia just groaned hitting her head on the table, while Zane watched the two interact, "Can I ask why we are going after this dagger from the 1800's? if I'm going to be involved with whatever Mrs F wants me to be involved in I think it's best I know."

Pete looked to both kids, and noticed something in Zane's eye's, a sort of glimmer of protection and deep emotions for the girl next to him, he also gave off a look of concern. "Alright, basically kid what the dagger is, is an Artefact, what we do is hunt Artefacts and then take them back to South Dakota to the Warehouse so they can be protected."

At hearing this, Claudia groaned even more until she felt Pete's hand on her head, she slapped it away but he kept annoying her until she tried to bite his hand, "Hey! No to the biting!"

Zane took a sip of his black coffee processing the information in his head, he then turned to Claudia "i believe you both, if this thing is that dangerous then we should retrieve it quickly," Taking a deep breath Claudia sat up right "Alright but there is no way I'm touching that dagger… i swear Artie's trying to get revenge on me for the last Dagger I touched." Zane just smiled to her, "He's your father right? He's bound to try and get revenge on you for something you did, now his some homework while we do this, Name off all the Cyber Dragon Fusion monsters" Letting out another Groan, Pete couldn't help but laugh at the girl and sat back drinking his own coffee thinking on how cute the teenagers looked together.

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Well I'm leaving it there for now I hope you enjoyed this chapter, So Zane's been taken out on a warehouse mission because Mrs F ordered it?

What's going to happen?

Will Zane find out why Claudia doesn't want to touch the dagger?

Curedream90 and ArticDragonSlayer over and out