Hello again! Thanks for reading! I'm having a lot of fun writing this! I'll keep this short and sweet this time, so enjoy! -Tickgrey

Plan for Operation Pasta

(By Operatives Morgan and Sutton)

Operatives Morgan and Sutton would run point in the bedroom at the Gallagher Academy. Operative Sutton would also do any technological magic that needed to be done along the way. Operatives Goode, McHenry, and Baxter would breach the building at 10:18 local time. Operatives Goode and Baxter would take care of the guards, security, and securing the escape route while Operative McHenry secured the target. An escape van would be parked a block from the embassy to be used if leaving on foot was not an option. If all went according to plan, the operative would begin at 11:52 local time when the Operatives stepped onto the train to Greece for the flight home.

"Alright, we're going to do a comms check," Liz instructed. "Bookworm, check!"

"Chameleon, check," I said with a pang of sorrow. I desperately wished I could be on the streets of Rome with my friends as I heard them check in.

"Alright, we're ready to go. Commencing Operative Pasta on your word, Duchess," Liz said clearly and calmly like a pro.

"Alright, 3…2…1…" There was a soft click as everyone set their watches together. Bex chirped, "And we're a go!"

My CoveOps homework was on my desk next to all the operation papers, but I couldn't focus on it. Even though I had absolutely nothing to do during this mission, I wanted to be completely focused just in case they needed me. "When are we going to start hearing stuff again?" I impatiently asked again.

"We're cutting off communication with them until they either need our help or are preparing their exit," Liz explained for perhaps the millionth. "The signal for the cell connection is much strong and much more easily detected than the comms units alone."

I sighed and sat back in my chair. My thoughts drifted back to our first real operation in sophomore year. I could still clearly remember Mr. Solomon telling us to find out what Mr. Smith drank with his funnel cakes. I thought that mission would be the toughest assignment I'd ever take, but I was beginning to realize that was a cake walk. Even after my comms unit was destroyed by the dunk tank water, I still was able to keep visual communication with my team, and I was walking distance from the school. The whole thing seemed so silly looking back.

"Earth to Cammie!" I heard Liz squeal. "We're live!"

"How long was I asleep for?" I groggily asked, but Liz shushed me.

"Bookworm, are we clear to leave by foot?" I heard Bex ask.

Liz scanned the cameras one last time before saying, "All clear. Proceed by foot!"

Everything seemed to be fine until I heard screeching tires. I panicked, "Duchess! What was that?"

"Looks like nothing… we're going to proceed with caution, over," Bex said cautiously through the increasing static.

Then was Zach's frantic and barely audible voice, "My position is compromised. Duchess, prepare for the back-up extraction!"

"Copy! Heading towards the van," she said calmly. How could they be so calm right now? I was beginning to realize that it was far worse listening to a mission with your friends unfold than being in one no matter how dangerous it could possible be.

"We're compromised. Peacock, take the package directly to the safe point after evasion techniques! Copy?" Bex said a few minutes later. There was no response, only the loud static. "Peacock, do you copy? Peacock?"

"No response from Peacock. I'm going to double back and do a sweep," I just barely heard Zach say.

"Be careful!" I couldn't help but say. There was nothing on the other end. "Guys?"

Liz was getting worried too. She frantically jabbed away at her keyboard. I continued to try to make connection stronger, "Duchess? Copy? Peacock!?"

"Where are they, Liz?" I screamed. She shook her head in disbelief. Liz was beginning to look like the same girl I saw in Professor Buckingham's office. I was too actually. Neither of us had ever had a mission go wrong like this. Liz frantically scanned every camera angle she had access too. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she tried to gain access to any camera within a five-mile radius of the embassy.

"Alright, ten minutes until we initiate emergency protocol," I said trying to regain my composure.

I tried to assure myself that they would be okay. I breathed heavily. Just ten minutes. How hard could it be? I flashed back to the first operation. We were compromised, done. Mr. Smith had seen Bex and Liz and was taking them back to school. All I could think about was completing the mission. I was so proud of myself for getting that bottle even after the mission seemed blown. I remember stepping into Mr. Solomon's classroom almost smiling when he began flipping through the images on the projector. As each picture flashed, I watched my friends get tortured. Crash! I felt the bottle slip from my hand and strike the cold, concrete floor. I opened my eyes breathing heavily. I couldn't let myself think the worst. I peaked at my watch, "Liz, it's been ten minutes."

Almost instantly, I heard through the static a faint, "Chameleon, you copy?"

"Yes! Yes! I copy!" I sighed with relief. A wave of cool air seemed to cover me just like when Mr. Solomon pulled back the screen revealing Bex and Liz sitting untouched in the closet of his classroom. "What's going on over there?"

"Looks like we're clean. It was probably just a false alarm. We can review the camera angles later, but we should be clean," I heard Bex explain. "Mission accomplished. We'll call you guys when we get to Greece."

"Ms. Morgan! Ms. Sutton!" I heard Professor Buckingham call. I was getting far too familiar with her snaps. Liz and I turned to see her looking even more frantic than normal. She ordered, "Follow me!"

We nearly ran to keep up with her brisk pace as we pushed through droves of hungry Gallagher girls on their way to lunch. My stomach growled too, but instead Liz and I made our way to the firing squad. When we got to her office, Mr. Solomon, Bex, Macey, and Zach were already waiting. But we stepped in, I noticed another body in the room, Aunt Abby?

"Well, now that we're all here," Professor Buckingham began as she sat down behind her desk, "What were you thinking?"

We looked at each other unaware of who should start taking the blows. Normally I stepped up to cover for us, but this was Professor Buckingham, not my mom. I looked at Bex who sighed and said, "We couldn't just leave him there!"

Macey nodded, "You guys weren't doing anything, so it was up to us!"

"And because of you five, there is now a boy sitting in the classroom next door who knows about the Gallagher Academy along with the secret list and a whole plethora of other knowledge very few spies even know," when Professor Buckingham listed everything we had done wrong, it sounded a lot worse than when I weighed the negatives of Operation Pasta before we started.

Macey added, "Technically Preston knew all that since this summer when Cammie told him."

"Thanks," I muttered sarcastically.

Mr. Solomon joined Professor Buckingham with, "And if it weren't for Abigail, it is entirely possible the four of you would be in the hands of the Circle now."

"So the mission actually was compromised?" Zach asked. I couldn't tell if he was happy to be there or upset that he hadn't realized the mission was compromised.

Abby nodded. "I managed to take out the operatives before they could get to you guys."

"But, why were they there?" I asked.

"Well, for one, you were trying to kidnap one of their heirs. They don't take that too lightly," she answered. She sighed before continuing, "And, they vowed revenge against you, Cammie. They must have thought you were with them in Rome."

I swallowed hard. "So, when Mom said-?"

Abby nodded. "We were going after some of the names on the list. In the course of our mission, we captured a mid-level operative in December who flipped a few weeks ago. He told us that one of their top priorities is killing you for destroying most of their organization."

I don't really know how we got out of there in one piece, but as we filed out of the office and towards the dining hall, I heard Aunt Abby call, "Squirt?"

I turned and walked back towards her, "Yeah?"

She smiled, "Believe it or not, I'm proud of you."

"But I didn't actually do anything," I said perplexed.

"Exactly," she said. "Sometimes the hardest part of being a spy is knowing when to sit out an operation."

"Aunt Abby?" I asked. "Where's Mom?"

She began walking away as she said, "Working."