“A drone.” Charles’s eyes grew distant, as if engaged with his precept. “It’s for us.”
Sure enough, a moment later the melon-sized drone was hovering beside our group. It looked like a standard shipping drone—a mini helicopter with blades spinning so fast it could carry packages ten times its weight.
“Good morning, folks,” said Wade’s voice from the little chopper. “Press your wrists to the drone. You each have instructions for this exercise.”
Charles reached forward without hesitation. The rest of us followed his lead. Our five arms were like spokes connecting to the drone in the middle.
Patrick is your partner. I suddenly heard the message in my mind, in V’s voice. You have seven minutes to touch Lincoln’s feet in his Memorial. Don’t let ANYTHING stop you. The words stopped.
I glanced at Patrick.
“Lincoln?” he asked. “Seven minutes?”
I nodded. “Let’s go.”
The others were still standing there as we took off running down the slight hill toward the Lincoln Memorial. I had V do a quick check for me—the Memorial was one mile away. If I’d known they were going to make me sprint a mile in under seven minutes, maybe I would’ve done some warming up.
It took everything I had to keep up with Patrick. His fast, gliding paces looked like a smooth jog. V showed we were beating the speed we needed to make it in time. We were about halfway there, just reaching the path beside the reflecting pool, when Patrick slowed slightly.
“Look!” he shouted, pointing overhead.
The drone zoomed past us with Charles and Aisha hanging from it. They flew low over the water and dropped off at the pool’s far end. I slowed my jog to watch where they’d go from there. Where was Naomi?
“Come on! Faster!” Patrick urged. “They may be trying to stop us. I’ll run ahead to make sure all’s clear.” His long legs wheeled like a cheetah’s as he raced forward. I sprinted as fast as I could, but there was no way I could equal his strides. If there was any dust on this path, he’d left me in it.
I was nearing the end of the reflecting pool, within two minutes of the Memorial, when I heard a loud splash to my right, just behind me.
Then came a scream. It sounded like Naomi.
Water was flying everywhere by the pool’s edge. Suddenly Naomi’s head sprang up out of the water. “Elijah!”
Something yanked her down again. No more splashes. She was completely underwater.
Lincoln’s feet could wait. Nothing could’ve stopped me from going to her. I charged over and saw her terrified face blurred by the churning ripples. Her body was flat against the pool’s bottom, writhing helplessly against two cords that tied her down at the legs and the chest. No one else was around.
I dashed into the shallow water and pulled at one of the cords. It was tight and strong as a chain. Don’t panic, I told myself. I jerked at the other cord. Nothing.
Naomi had stopped writhing. She looked pale and weak.
I had to do something. I took a huge gulp of air and plunged my head into the water. I pressed my open mouth against hers and blew the air in. Her eyes opened wide in surprise.
My mind flipped through options furiously as I prepared to give her another breath of air. V flashed two options: a laser to cut the cords, or some lever to rip them off.
I plunged my head again and gave Naomi another mouthful. I raised my head and scanned the surroundings. A metal bar was lying underwater, a few feet from Naomi. I didn’t even think of why it would be there. I rushed and grabbed it.
I propped the bar under the cord holding Naomi’s shoulders down. I fixed the middle of the bar against the concrete edge of the pool. I stepped out of the water and leapt into the air. I slammed my feet down as hard as I could against the end of the bar.
SNAP. The cord ripped free.
Naomi’s head surged out of the water. The look on her face was confusing—some blend of fear, relief, gratefulness, and intrigue.
“You weren’t supposed to do that,” she panted.
“Do what?” I asked. “Save your life?”
She nodded. “You weren’t supposed to let anything stop you. It was a test.”
I stared deep into her green eyes. “I’m not playing any games that put you at risk.”
“Then you’ll fail,” said Wade’s voice from behind me. “You have a lot to learn.”
I turned and saw the drone hovering before my eyes. I met its lifeless gaze and spoke with defiance, “I would do the same thing again.”
“We’ll see,” said Wade’s voice. “Come on, both of you, grab hold. We’re going back to the Pentagon.”
Naomi stepped out of the pool to my side.
“What happened to the other cord?” I asked. “The one that bound your legs?”
She shrugged. “I had controls to release it. It was a ploy to divert you.”
“The other cord, too, the one on your chest?”
“No.” The fear was back in her eyes. “That was a surprise. It sprang out of the pool’s bottom and tied me down.”
“Wow.” Would they really put her life at risk for some test? I shuddered at the thought. “Let’s try to stick together,” I said.
“Okay,” she smiled. “Thank you.”
“That’s enough,” Wade demanded. “We’re going to be late, and the Captain hates that. Grab on.”
Naomi and I took hold of the loops under the drone. Our bodies could not help but touch as we soared into the air. I didn’t try to pull away, and neither did she. We flew together over the Potomac River, to the Pentagon.
“ORDERS, ORDERS, ORDERS. Anyone care to guess why ISA-7 agents must obey their orders?” The Captain was pacing in front of us. He’d been lecturing our group for an hour about the morning’s exercise—with me as his pincushion. We were in the same room as yesterday. At least this time they hadn’t tied us to our chairs.
“Agents lack complete information,” Patrick volunteered, “so they must do their part for the team.”
“That’s true,” said the Captain, “but it must be understood in context. What is our context?”
“Secrecy,” answered Aisha.
The Captain nodded. “And?”
“And protecting the world,” added Charles.
The Captain studied Charles. “What are we protecting the world from?”
“Attacks of all kinds, I guess,” Charles said. “We spy on every threat to mankind, so that means we monitor political leaders, terrorists, and hackers with potential to bring destruction.”
The Captain began pacing again as he spoke. “That is a fair description of the ISA, but we are more than that. ISA-7 operates within the ISA shroud, protecting the world from the most hidden and serious threats. We watch every nation. We watch every world leader. We even watch our other ISA agents. Why do you think you’ll be spending the rest of the day going through ISA orientation in that classroom with Wade and the incoming bureaucrats?”
“You want us to pretend to be normal ISA student fellows,” Naomi answered. “No one questions ISA’s practice of recruiting agents with our pedigree from a young age. We’ll go back to our schools and no one will expect us to take any missions from there. It’s a good cover.”
The Captain had stopped pacing and locked eyes with Naomi. “At least someone in this room knows what’s going on,” he said. “Naomi’s right. If you meet our standards, we can’t afford to hold you back from the field. But if you don’t, you’re better off leaving now. Anyone?”
His gaze swung to me, boring into me with his blue eyes. The room fell quiet. I met his stare and stayed calm, while my insides turned in circles. If this guy thought he was going to scare me away now, he was wrong. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of backing down, especially not with Naomi and the others watching.
“Good,” the Captain said as he finally looked away from me. I considered it a battle won. “All of you will need that commitment in the days ahead. If you do not obey your orders, you will fail. And if you
fail in the field, the mission of ISA-7 will be compromised. No one can know what we do. The safety of the world depends on it.” He paused and looked past our group. “Wade?”
“Yes, Captain,” said Wade. This time it was actually him, not a drone. “I’ll take them back. We finish HR this morning and will spend the afternoon with an overview of international politics.”
“Very well.” The Captain saluted and bowed slightly to us. “Remember, there is no greater service than ISA-7. You have much to learn in the exercises to come. Obey your orders and together we will protect the world from itself. See you tonight.”
After the Captain left, Wade escorted us towards the classroom. We traced our steps on the underground path we’d taken from the training center to the Pentagon the day before. Each of us stayed quiet and focused, ready for whatever they’d throw at us this time. But nothing happened.
Along the way I began to notice the cameras. They were tiny dots on the ceiling and the walls, like specks of dirt. Once we entered the training building, Charles and I started pointing out a few flies buzzing around. There were enough to be suspicious. They were probably drones with cameras installed. Nothing like the feeling of constantly being watched to make you walk straighter.
We were the first to arrive in the ISA classroom, but the others joined us soon afterwards. The rest of the day was a boring blur of orientation talks, followed by an evening of lectures from the Captain about ISA-7. No more action, no more tests, but I was exhausted all the same when they finally let us go after midnight. I tried two different dream pills back in my hotel room and fell asleep. It was a dreamless night. Maybe the pills worked this time, or maybe I was too tired to dream.
The next morning came early. We were back in the classroom. Wade was explaining a bunch of org charts and acronyms. The UN liaison glared over the room with a scowl. Occasionally he’d jot down notes. His beady eyes caught mine more than a few times. It made me feel like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. Or maybe it was just an awkward coincidence. The liaison was probably bored, too. Question everyone, the Captain had warned. Right. So maybe the liaison was planning to kill me. I was ISA-7 after all, sneaking off to learn how to monitor anything and anyone, even the UN. Nah, I was just bored.
When classes finally ended, I hurried back to my hotel room and changed. I threw on the most casual outfit I had—jeans and a button-down shirt. It was closer to Naomi’s style than my designer suits. My hair was a curly mess, but there was never any helping that.
I made it to the bench five minutes before 8. Naomi was already waiting for me, as graceful as the swooning willow beside her.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Promise it’ll be more exciting than today?” I said.
“Oh yeah. Probably too exciting.”
“Perfect. Lead on.”
We walked to the line of auto-taxis by the edge of the park. We jumped into one the size of an overgrown pea.
“Washington National Cathedral,” she said. The taxi blinked on a green light and zoomed off.
“The Cathedral?” I asked. I’d never been there before. I’d never wanted to.
“There’s a service, and I want to introduce you to some friends.”
“A service?” I asked. She had to drag me to something religious already? “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
“Why not?” she said. Sitting so close, I could feel her breath. It smelled fresh, like strawberry mint.
“You know I’m Jewish,” I said.
She nodded. “That makes it easier. We believe in the same God. Jehovah.”
“Well…I guess, but,” I began to question her logic just as the Cathedral came into view. I figured it was better not to say more if I could avoid it. This was one area where we’d have to agree to disagree. The taxi raced up to the curb, Naomi held her wrist to the scanner to pay, and then we climbed out.
“Come on,” she said, “we’re late.”
I followed her along a stone path towards the Cathedral. Its gothic spires and arches shone against the night sky. The spotlights made the massive building look like a fortress on a hill. There was so much stone, and so little glass, like a place for hiding what’s inside. No wonder they didn’t build like this anymore. We entered through the ancient wooden doors at the front.
The inside was like an ornate cavern. Giant columns framed a stretch of long, empty pews. There were no more than a handful of sporadically seated people. It would have been serene if not for the dozen or so live screens. They showed an overweight preacher I’d seen on the news before.
“God loves everyone!” the preacher’s voice boomed across the vacant space. “He doesn’t care what you believe, as long as you believe in him and tolerate everyone.” The smile on the man’s face looked permanent, as did the sheen of sweat. He droned on about more religious stuff.
I tried to ignore his echoing speech as Naomi led us down the center aisle. She stopped at the end.
“Notice anything missing?” she asked, pointing up and toward the back of the cathedral.
“A screen?” I guessed. “They’re everywhere else in here.” I gestured to the glowing rectangles around us.
“You’re funny,” she said. “No, not screens. How about a cross?” She fingered the one dangling from her necklace. “Churches used to have crosses, you know. These days, to keep government funds flowing, they remove the crosses. Everyone agrees the cross has become a symbol of intolerance.”
“Seems right,” I said. “How’s a cross supposed to make someone like me feel?”
“Well, you’re putting up with me so far. Let’s see what else.” She grabbed my hand and turned down a side aisle with a bounce in her step.
For the first time, I questioned my decision to come along without asking her more. I never signed up for a conversion experience. I was a bad candidate anyway. The faith of my childhood died an early death, right when my mom did. Still, curiosity kept my feet moving as Naomi tugged me along.
At the side of the cathedral, near the back, we came to stairs leading down. After a couple flights my precept lost its network connection. Great—because things went so well last time that happened. We eventually arrived at a long hallway that felt like a tomb. Halfway down the hall, Naomi knocked on a simple, brown door. After three knocks on the other side, Naomi responded with another quick series of knocks, seven, I thought.
The door opened to a warmly-lit room stuffed with books and people. It looked like an office with the desk shoved up against the far wall, under a cross.
A sharply dressed middle-aged man was leaning back against the desk and holding a book, probably a Bible. About twenty people sat close together on the rug-covered stone floor. They looked nice enough, but the whole thing gave me the chills. It was like one of those dreams where you show up somewhere naked, only this time I had clothes on and the pretty girl had led me to some cult’s meeting.
It was not a good start to our date.
“NAOMI, YOU MADE it just in time!” welcomed the sharp-looking man, as everyone in the room turned to stare at us. “We were wrapping up, but it wouldn’t have been right to finish without one of your songs. Who’s your friend?”
“This is Elijah,” Naomi said. Her soft tone gave me more comfort than I cared to admit. “He is one of the other ISA student fellows.”
“Impressive,” said the man. He suddenly looked wary as he sized me up. “Is he one of us?”
Naomi shook her head. “Not yet,” her voice lowered, “but he has seen things to come.” The way she said that made me shiver. Naomi added, “I want him to talk to Bartholomew.”
“And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” The rumbling voice came from a large man sitting nearby. He wore a brown robe and a long gray goatee. The excitement filling his broad features and pale eyes pushed me a step back, against the door. “I’ve been waiting a long time for you to come,” he said.
“Elijah, don’t mind Bart,” interrupted the man who had welcomed us. His face
tugged at my memory. I felt sure I’d seen him on the news or something. “You must have had some dreams,” he said. “Bart can help you with that. But please, come, sit with us. We have just a few minutes left. If you haven’t heard Naomi sing, you’re in for a treat. Oh, and if you don’t mind, could you shut down your precept?”
Shutdown? That was going too far. I looked to Naomi. She smiled at me, a perfect smile. It had to be perfect to keep me from running out of the room—that, plus the chance to hear to her sing again.
“Please?” she asked. “We’re safe in here.” She gently pulled on my arm to sit beside her near the closed door. She wouldn’t lie to my face, would she?
I sighed. “Fine, V, shut down.” And then she was gone, leaving my mind bland. It always made me feel alone, even now, sitting in a room of people, with Naomi at my side. None of them could be as close as V.
“Thank you,” Naomi said. “We just don’t like these meetings recorded.”
I nodded, but that wasn’t much comfort. What about it didn’t they want to record? Still, my breathing calmed slightly as we leaned back against the wall and the room’s attention turned again to the leader.
“As I was asking,” he said, “based on what we’ve studied tonight.” He held up the book again. Now I felt sure it was a Bible. “Who is our neighbor? Is it the person who lives beside us or is it everyone in the world?”
A tall man in the front stood and turned to the room. He looked very familiar.
“That’s my dad,” Naomi whispered in my ear. My eyes opened wide. Great, so I could meet her pastor and her father at the same time. What had this girl dragged me into?
His skin was darker than Naomi’s, but they had the same athletic poise, the same wide-set eyes. Their faces had a leanness that made it look like they were always running with a breeze on their face.
“As with most things,” her dad was saying, “our Lord shows the way.” He smiled wide, like Naomi. “So our neighbor is anyone in our path in need.” He was looking at me. I tried to stay calm but I felt sweat beading on my face.
Unbound Page 4