The Unseen Trilogy

by Stephanie Erickson

  My mouth went dry as Owen took my hand and led me down the hall to the conference room. I looked back at Camden, and he gave me two thumbs-up and a goofy smile as he followed us.

  We took our seats and anxiously awaited the arrival of the committee. The sounds of people shifting in their chairs, clearing their throats, and smoothing their clothing dominated the room. No one had the nerve to speak, not even those who hadn’t volunteered. The tension in the room was taut enough to keep everyone’s mouths shut.

  Finally, Davis came in with David and two others. They took their seats at one end of the table. David looked tired and embattled, his eyes a bit sunken, his hair sticking out in directions it didn’t usually go. He’d fought hard for this decision. Had he won?

  “We’ve deliberated for hours over this choice,” Davis said. “This is quite possibly one of the most important missions the Unseen have ever undertaken. We haven’t made our decision lightly.

  “Some of you have years of experience and a long list of extensive skills you alone have mastered.” He turned his gaze to me. “Others have a natural ability the rest can only dream of.” I shifted in my seat.

  “Please know that just because you weren’t chosen, it doesn’t mean we felt you were unsuited for the task. We’ve made the selection we feel will give our team the best odds for success. If we thought you would be more useful behind the scenes, you were eliminated from the running. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  I glanced at Owen, whose face revealed no emotion whatsoever, but his grip on my hand remained tight.

  “That being said, the candidate we’ve chosen to go undercover for the Unseen to investigate Agusto Masterson is Mackenzie Day.”

  The room let out a collective breath, but I still held mine. I understood that I was to be the one to stop the Potestas, but it was in that abstract sense we all know we were going to die someday. It seemed so far off. Now, it was real, staring me in the face, and all I wanted to do in that moment was plant my hands on its shoulders and push back.

  Instead, I took a deep breath and nodded to Davis. I couldn’t look at Owen or David, whose expressions would be full of heartbreak, concern, or some other emotion I couldn’t process at the moment. No, I stared right at Davis, trying to show him I was strong enough and worthy of the cause.

  Owen squeezed my hand a little tighter, but I wasn’t sure if he was encouraging me, or trying to hold on to me.

  Davis nodded briefly to me, and then moved on. “The rest of you will be given your assignments individually. Those of you from Mackenzie’s group will stay here on location until the mission is complete. I hope you all know you’re in for a long haul. This won’t be easy for anyone.”

  Turning to address me specifically, he said, “Mackenzie, your transformation starts first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Ten

  That night, Owen and I lay awake in bed, unspoken words hanging heavy in the air between us. We both stared up at the ceiling, trying to comprehend our future—and if we would still have one after all this was over.

  As the minutes stretched on, I started to get worried that this was how we were spending our night together. Then I got irritated. I didn’t want to admit out loud that it might be one of our last nights together, but I wanted it to be special.

  Throwing caution to the wind, I rolled on top of him and kissed him with all the passion I felt for him, for the Unseen, for doing what was right, and for saving lives. I let it all flow through me, and he responded in kind.

  No, we didn’t sleep that night, but at least we didn’t spend our time staring up at the ceiling, wondering, worrying, and afraid.

  I was too keyed up in the morning to be exhausted. Davis hadn’t elaborated on what my “transformation” would entail, so I had no idea what to expect.

  David met me outside my room promptly at eight. Before I went out to meet him, I shared one last moment with Owen. “I love you.”

  He nodded as his dark eyes sparkled in that way that turned my insides to mush, and I didn’t need to hear him repeat the words to know he felt the same way. I’d never said it to anyone except Maddie before, but my inexperience didn’t make it any less true.

  David led me down the hall to an unfamiliar room. “Jeffery didn’t show us this room. What is it?”

  “It’s where you’ll become Agusto’s assistant,” David answered.

  “Agusto’s assistant? How did you manage that?” I asked, excited and nervous at the same time. This meant I would be much closer to Agusto than I would have imagined possible.

  “We haven’t managed anything yet. You still have to get the job. All we’ve gotten you is an interview with Agusto.”

  I swallowed hard. “So if I don’t get the job, the mission is done before it can even get started.”

  “You better make a good first impression then,” David said as he held the door open to what I mentally dubbed the transformation room, and a team of people met me on the other side.

  First was hair. They cut it short and dyed it platinum blonde. It was pretty trendy, but the difference was shocking to me. My hair was a tangled mess most of the time, but the pixie cut didn’t suit me. It made the angles of my face too prominent.

  David stood behind me as I gazed at myself in the mirror, and he must have gleaned my thoughts without reading them, because he asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “It…it isn’t me.”

  “That’s kind of the point, Mackenzie.”

  Frowning, I nodded. What else were they going to do to me?

  Next, I was fitted for color contacts. They gave me explicit instructions for how to put them in, take them out, and care for them. Once I was on the inside, there would be no physical contact with the Unseen, so I had to make the pairs I was given last. They offered me two pairs, but I asked for three in case I lost one. I wasn’t used to wearing contacts at all, and they burned at first, but I was assured I would get used to them.

  “I don’t like Agusto. How am I supposed to make a good impression?” I asked as the transformation specialists were pulling something that looked rubbery out of a mold.

  “You don’t have to like him. You just have to get him to like you. Turn on the charm. And for God’s sake, keep the snark to yourself.”

  I lowered my voice while the other members of the team were still a few feet away with their rubbery creation. “Are you sure I’m the best person for this job? I’m excited, but I’m also a little nervous. Are you worried?”

  “No matter what the mission, no matter who’s sent as our undercover agent, we are always worried,” he said as they approached with the rubber. It was a prosthetic nose. They showed me how to apply it, and then let me practice doing my makeup around it. They also advised me on how to make my makeup heavier and darker than usual. In the end, it didn’t look bad, just different.

  When they were done, I stood in front of a full-length mirror and examined the effect. I was dressed in a navy pinstripe suit with a baby-blue blouse underneath, modest navy-blue heels, my hair gelled into messy-on-purpose spikes, and a trendy little headband to hold back my bangs. Dark blue dangly earrings and a matching necklace completed the look. They’d changed my brown eyes to a soft sky-blue, with flecks of dark blue in them that complimented the blues in my outfit. The person staring back at me was startlingly attractive. But, at the same time, she made me uncomfortable. I’d already spent time looking at the world through someone else’s eyes. I wasn’t thrilled I would be doing it again.

  David walked up behind me with a file in hand. “This information details your work history, your qualifications for the position, and the background of Joyce Nye. The team worked hard to create this person, and to make all of her credentials valid, should Agusto want to check up on you. Study it like it’s your gospel. That is your life story. Believe it, and you might just get the job.” The glint in his eye told me he was teasing me, but I couldn’t smile back at him. It was all a little overwhelming.

  “You okay?”

 
; “I guess so. It just feels odd to be sort of trapped in someone else’s skin so soon.”

  He took opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it without saying anything. “I hadn’t thought of it that way,” he finally said.

  We stared at the girl in the mirror for a few minutes. I wondered if she was strong enough for the task at hand.

  “So, did the vote go your way?”

  David gave me a soft smile. “I wondered how long you’d wait to ask me that. Let’s just say, I think the decision we made will give us the best possible outcome for success.”

  “That’s not an answer,” I said, not wanting to let him off the hook so easily.

  He shook his head, a slight hint of sadness in his eyes as he put a hand on my shoulder. “The father in me is…worried, to say the least.”

  Tilting my head, I gave his reflection a half smile. “I promise to touch base with you every night through our mind-reading connection.” I chuckled. “Because that’s not weird at all.”

  The sadness drained from his face, replaced with a genuine but reserved smile. “Yes, well, you’re surrounded by weirdos now. And hopefully, those weirdos will keep you alive.”

  “Hopefully.” I whispered it to the girl standing in front of me.

  As I stared at her, I thought about the way I’d felt going into our last mission, the one that had ended with my imprisonment inside Dylan Shields. I’d been at once excited and scared, particularly after we learned what we were getting into. This time, the nerves were there, but they felt more like jitters than real fear. A calm swept over me, brought on the wings of my newfound confidence. I was confident I was capable of tackling this mission, and some pretty high-up members of the Unseen thought so too.

  We’ve got this, I thought as I stared at the unfamiliar face in the mirror, and she nodded back at me.

  Before the team showed me how to get everything off without ruining it, they let Owen come in and see the disguise. He didn’t recognize me. He stood like a lost puppy near the team of people who’d worked on me.

  “Owen, it’s me,” I said cautiously as I walked toward him from the middle of the group. I had no idea how he would react to this look, and he’d been somewhat unstable lately. The last thing I wanted was for him to turn away from me now, before I went undercover.

  He did a double take and then stared at me with wide eyes as the team dispersed to give us some time alone.

  Holding my arms out for his inspection, I shrugged. “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know.” I could tell from his tone he was being totally honest.

  “I don’t like it,” I admitted, hoping that would be an icebreaker.

  “Why not?” he said as he stepped closer, appraising the girl in front of him as he went.

  “It’s not me. I’m looking at the world through someone else’s eyes. Again.”

  He reached out for me with a pained expression on his face that quickly turned into the mischievous look I loved. “I don’t know,” he said as he took my hands. “I think she’s kind of hot.”

  I scoffed and jerked away. “You would like her.” He took me in his arms, and I playfully tried to push him away. “She wears too much makeup.”

  He honked my fake nose. “And her nose is a bit hollow.”

  Davis walked up, so we separated, stifling our laughter.

  “Mackenzie.” He held out a purse to me. It was a bit comical to see such a stiff, former military man holding a purse out at arm’s length, but Davis wasn’t the kind of man you could laugh at.

  “Inside, you’ll find your new driver’s license, various credit cards in your name, some cash, and anything else you might need for this venture. You won’t be staying here at the facility during this mission, so you’ll also find keys to your apartment. You need to have a legitimate residence in case you’re followed. This is the address.” He handed me a piece of paper. “It’s within walking distance of Agusto’s office. I think you’ll be doing a lot of walking, so I hope those shoes are comfortable.”

  They dug into my ankles as if to tease me. Maybe I just needed to break them in.

  “You’re to report to Agusto’s office first thing in the morning, so this will be your last night with us until the mission is either aborted or completed. Before you go, you need to be certain you understand how to apply your disguise without our aid. Please take advantage of the team while you have them.

  “As you know, one of our members has already been implanted within Agusto’s company. She’s been able to tell us that Agusto is heavily guarded at all times, which is why it was vital to get you a position so close to him. Obviously, being that close is not without risks, but we need to know what he knows, what his motivations are, and who he is.”

  I nodded and peeked into the purse. My new driver’s license had a picture of the new me, taken no more than an hour ago. Seeing a different name next to a picture of the new me was a lot to take in.

  You’ll help me along the way, right? I thought to Owen.

  Of course, Joyce. You know, I like dating two women. It’s exciting.

  I returned his smile with a glare, but Davis was still in front of us, so neither of us did any more.

  “David told us about your talent for communicating over long distances, which we think will aid this mission’s success tremendously. Keep us as informed as possible. Any tiny detail you manage to uncover could be the key to unlocking the source for Zero, where the Potestas plan to attack next, or who Agusto really is.”

  “Of course, we’re assuming I’ll get past the interview,” I said, unsure of how I felt about facing such high stakes right out of the gate. Davis only stared at me in response, as if what I’d said didn’t deserve any kind of acknowledgement. Of course I would get past the interview. Why would I even say something like that?

  Good thing all they want me to do is save the world.

  You’ve got this, Owen thought back to me.

  I could only assure myself he was right. There was no other option.

  There was only one last detail to master before I left for my—or, rather, Joyce’s—interview in the morning—how I would stay hidden from Agusto’s security.

  My transformation had been exhausting, but I knew my time undercover would be over before it began if I didn’t learn how to protect myself, so I doubled down to listen to Davis’s explanation.

  “Our mole in Agusto’s company tells us that each new employee goes through basic mind screenings. If the subject is not a reader, he or she won’t even notice, but you will. You’ll need to hide your defenses. Of course, you’ll still need to let stray thoughts out to reinforce the impression that you’re not a reader, but this goes beyond that.”

  “But what if I’m legitimately attacked?” I asked, not comfortable with the thought of burying my defenses.

  “The cloak doesn’t work for attacks, only probes. If someone goes in with the intent to muck around, your defenses will activate.” He pulled up a chair, and one of the transformation crewmembers brought me one too, so we could sit down facing each other.

  “It’s almost like placing a giant, black cloth over your whole mind,” he said, trying to explain the abstract concept to me. “Give it a go.”

  I shut my eyes and visualized a huge cloak coming down over everything, my defenses, my memories, my subconscious, everything. I didn’t know what was supposed to happen once it had settled into place, but I didn’t feel any different. Opening my eyes, I shrugged at Davis.

  “Now what?”

  “Now I see if your cloak is effective.” He shut his eyes, and I sat uncomfortably as one of the highest-ranking members of the Unseen tried to probe my head. It felt like a light push on the outskirts of my mind, and it was unsettling to say the least.

  After only a few moments, he opened his eyes again and smiled. “Good. Just make sure you study Joyce’s file to the fullest. You need to place some of her memories outside the cloak, so they find something when they probe you. If you’re not a reader
, they’d be bombarded with the things that make up Joyce. You need to put those things into place.”

  “Sure,” I said, even though I was anything but sure.

  He nodded succinctly at me. “You’ll be ready. Try to get some rest, and we’ll see you in the morning.”

  I nodded at his instruction, but somehow, I didn’t think I’d be getting much rest at all.

  That night, after spending hours absorbed in memorizing all things Joyce Nye, I showered and took off the removable portions of my disguise, then slipped into bed and laid my head on Owen’s chest. He ran his hand through my closely cropped, now-blonde hair. “I kind of like it. It’s soft.”

  “Like petting a dog or something?” I teased.

  He laughed. “Maybe. But at least you don’t smell like one.”

  “Yes, that is a plus.”

  We were quiet for a few moments as I played connect the dots with the freckles on his chest. He didn’t have many, so it made for a short game, but it kept my hands occupied while I thought about the coming days. After not sleeping the night before, I should’ve been exhausted, but my mind wouldn’t turn off.

  “I don’t think I have to tell you that I’m not thrilled about this, Mac.”

  “I know.”

  “Just don’t do anything stupid, like getting yourself turned into a robot. Oh wait…”

  I swatted him, and he laughed.

  “Seriously though. Come back to me.”

  “I will,” I said.

  One way or another, I knew it was true.

  Eleven

  Long before the sun came up, Owen and I said our quiet goodbyes. He wanted to say goodbye to me, not Joyce Nye, despite the fact that he planned to stay with me for most of the morning. The conversation was silent, carried on through tender looks and gentle touches. We’d said everything that needed to be said the night before. All that was left was to move forward.

  He walked me to the transformation room, where I worked as quickly as I could to become my alter ego.