xxxxv. HUSBAND AND WIFE

Before every fallout from the mistakes you made, there's a span of time: one second, one day, or even one year, in which you can see the collapse before anyone else can. The reality to come seconds, days, or years later feels tangible in that moment, forcing you to live with irreconcilable guilt.

This moment, for me, was undoubtedly the millisecond those dangerous forest eyes first made contact with mine. They were breathtakingly beautiful. Not in the way of mundane perfection, but in the sort of way a hurricane could be beautiful—powerful.

Ace and the Director were arguing with one another. They were speaking, but I didn't hear anything. The last couple of days have been like this. Numb.

An entire SWAT team surrounded me with military grade weapons. I was handcuffed to the chair. Imagine me, a perpetually hungry teenage girl, having the balls to fight an entire SWAT team. I needed to take a nap after doing ten push ups.

Ace's suit jacket was wrapped around me. Right beside the chair was a small coffee table where a cup of warm camomile waited for me. Every time I wanted a sip, I'd have to ask one of the guards to bring it up to my face like a goddamn child.

All this, of course, was just a precaution. I rode back from the ferry last night and dragged myself back to the penthouse. I told the team everything—even the fact that my father was Agent 009. Now that I was a danger to the CIA, I had to be handcuffed.

"She had no choice!" Banana Bread yells. "Tell me you would have not done the same thing."

"We value the life of many above the life of one," the Director gritted. "You knew this when you joined."

There was a cold feeling inside me. Not just the fact that another human being had been slaughtered before my eyes, but because of what Thirteen had said about Ace and this Agency. Who determined who was good and evil? More concerningly, if someone was evil, did they deserve to die for their sins? Ethan surely didn't; at least, not in that way.

"Agent 009, who was he?" Ace states. "What exactly did he do for the CIA? At the academy, we were told he was a myth."

The Director sighs, shooing the SWAT agents out of the room. "Agent 009 was an anonymous programmer and hacker—the best. He had helped us in encrypting data for Project Philomena."

I raise an eyebrow. "Philomena. What was that? Don't tell me my father did some MK Ultra mind control bullshit."

The Director folds his arms across his chest. "What happened in 1953 stays in 1953. Philomena was research into advancement itself. It was a database of technological advancement, and which inventions and world events could one day be plausible."

Ace gives a poignant look. "Including weapons?"

"Weapons, international economies, diplomatic ties—everything."

I frown. "Then the DNA on the hard drive. Who was that?"

The Director looks at me expressionlessly, as if he knows there's no point in trying to defeat Thirteen. "My guess is that the genome is of the lead scientist herself."

My eyes roll themselves. "How romantic. Some girl is about to get kidnapped by a psycho who wants access to all the predictions about the future."

I beckon my finger, and Ace gently brings the tea up to my face as I take a sip. "Thanks Banana Bread," I smirk.

"You're welcome trash can," Ace retorts.

"Aren't you just so kind. You should star in My Little Pony."

"That insult was as bland as a LL Bean magazine."

"Wouldn't you know, hobbledehoy?"

Ace frowns. "You trying to use a big word is like watching a newborn calf trying to swim in lava."

I glare at him. "At least I don't watch MTV and think it's a documentary."

The Director opens his wallet and slaps Ace in the chest with a hundred dollar bill. We both look at him with confusion. The Director sighs, "I'll brief everyone tomorrow on next steps. In the meantime, this hundred dollars is all yours if you shut up. So here's your raise."

~

One by one, manila folders are handed to the entire team. Except this time, Daniel is here too. The folders each have the CIA seal printed onto the front along with our name. The first page shows a picture of a man and a woman. He's in a suit, and she's in a gold dress.

They both look like that picturesque couple on facebook you kinda wanna punch.

Xavier and Ace are both glaring at the smug Daniel, who's found a seat next to me. Since Daniel's here, it was now Xavier's turn to wear the handcuffs for his attempt at assassination.

"Why the shih tzu is Dr Pedo Bear here?" Ace spits. "On such a sensitive mission, do we really need an Interpol agent to mess it up?"

Daniel crinkles a blue-eyed amused look. "Well, Blackwell, since you used such kind language, the CIA doesn't have much jurisdiction abroad, so you're going to need Interpol for this one."

Xavier's fists are balled together. "Interpol can go suck my—"

Chase presses against his temples. "—You guys are actually impossible to deal with. I've never wanted to get run over by an Exxon Mobil truck more than when I'm with you people."

Skye narrows her eyes. "Could we all just please hear what the Director has to say?"

The Director proceeds, "Thank you Miss Antar. You're my favorite—"

"—Hey!" I grin. "I thought we were getting close."

The Director ignores me, his favorite child. "This is Nathan Vega and Charlene Cho, billionaires who have made their fortune off of biotech. In a week they will be attending an expo celebrating a new invention in Hong Kong. Each of you will be posing as someone important, and you will all infiltrate the expo. We need you to steal their wedding rings."

"Why?" Ace interjects. "Why exactly are we stealing their wedding rings? While marriage is horrifying, that's not exactly the most sinister thing in the world."

The Director smiles. "That's not just a wedding ring. Each contain a microchip with important information. Each include half of a database for alleles and their genotypes, so we can find Thirteen's quote unquote Queen before he can."

Skye frowns. "How exactly is that done?"

Ace folds his arms across his chest. "I'm assuming we can use the database to narrow down phenotypes, or physical traits, until we find something distinctive."

"This is some James Bond shit," Chase mumbles.

"Can't we just kill them?" Questions Xavier.

"Mr. Legion," the Director sighs. "They aren't doing anything illegal. But they are refusing to turn over the information, so we need to take it without harming them."

"That's no fun," Xavier complains.

"You're an idiot," Daniel says.

"Why don't you come here, pretty boy, and my fist will show you just how stupid you really are."

Pretty soon the testosterone has brewed up once again. "Enough, you nimrods," Skye seethes.

The Director rolls his eyes. "Okay, assignments. Chase, you're an oil magnate who has adopted three orphaned children. Xavier, you're a professor starting a relief project in Louisiana. Skye, you're a pro-bono lawyer working on trafficking cases. Daniel, you're an engineer working out of early retirement. I need you four to keep Vega and Cho safe tonight. We won't be the only ones trying to steal the ring."

"Wait," I say. "Who here can speak Mandarin?"

All the hands in the room go up. Screw these intelligent people. Ace smirks. "What other language can you speak, Cupcake?"

"Un peu de... French."

"Ace and Octavia," the Director continues. "You are now both investors in tech companies. I need you two to steal the rings."

My lips tugged with adrenaline. In a way, I'd begun to enjoy the rush of adrenaline accompanying an assignment. It also wouldn't hurt to beat Banana Bread in stealing the ring first.

"Hold on," the Director says while scanning the bottom of his clipboard. "I forgot to add. For the duration of that night, I pronounce you husband and wife."

Ace: "Vote and I'll marry Cupcake."