Simone
Director Simone Johnson gave her husband, who was in a hospital bed, an unimpressed look.
“Elliot, that was foolish, and you know it.”
He gave her his best smolder to soften her up, but Simone stood her ground and crossed her arms.
“Don’t even bother! Why would you go without backup?”
Elliot let out a heavy sigh, his eyes locked onto hers. “Because I wanted to be sure the intel they were giving me was legit. I didn’t want to use S.A.T resources on more worthless dead ends.”
Simone’s fury consumed her, making her body shake with heated rage as she stared daggers into her husband’s eyes.
“So, you decided to just walk into a trap instead!? Why would that possibly be any better than wasting resources?”
The sound of Elliot’s hiss filled the air as he sat up, his hand tightly gripping his aching ribs. Despite her anger, Simone couldn’t help but feel concerned for him. She walked beside him and gently helped him lie down once more.
Elliot gave her a grateful look. “Sweetness, I knew the council would rather wait until a unanimous vote that would probably take a month. By then, Underland would have already moved the cargo.”
Simone sat in the seat next to his bedside, her arms crossed tightly.
“You chose to deviate from the protocol, disregarding the potential consequences of being internally investigated by the council. You know I can’t just sweep this under the rug, right?”
Elliot hardened his features and wore a look of indifference.
“Simone, they were transporting babies that they stole from women who were crossing the border who just wanted a better life. Underland has agents in Border Control. Are we supposed to just let them do it?”
Simone felt her heart ache with empathy for her husband. Carefully, she took hold of his clenched fist, feeling the tension in his muscles slowly release.
“Elliot, keep in mind that if the S.A.T. interferes with the US government, they’ll do whatever it takes, even if it means exposing our existence to the public, just to avoid any consequences. It will put every agent at risk. Attacking Underland directly is our primary concern.”
As he attempted to release his hand from her grasp, she clung tightly and persisted. S.A.T. will face the wrath of every dictator, drug lord, and human trafficker whose illegal activities we’ve thwarted. Elliot’s eyes furrowed.
“We have the resources, Simone. We train all agents to safeguard themselves and their loved ones from any potential dangers. But did you forget about the innocent people being dragged into this? The ones that can’t protect themselves? Rather than listen to a group of people that hides behind digitized avatars, try to listen to your gut for once. What you are telling me is an excuse. Do you actually care about people? With a swift motion, he yanked his hand out of her grasp and scoffed in contempt. Sometimes, I feel you are a robot; you don’t do something unless someone tells you to do it.”
Simone opened her mouth, then closed it, and she bit her bottom lip. She felt an intense, crushing pain in her chest. Contrary to her husband’s belief, she is highly invested in the situation and genuinely cares. And that’s what scares her. She stood up and backed away from him. His face, typically handsome, was marred by an unpleasant sneer.
She had no actual answer for him. She pretty much told him what she’d been taught since she was old enough to have a coherent thought. When she was a recruit, her instructors always told her the most important thing to S.A.T was to stay out of government affairs. Otherwise, the public would find out about their existence. Unlike the government, S.A.T. is not restricted by a government or a treaty. They can get into places not even the IRS can get into.
But was it really so bad if the public knew there was an organization that wasn’t tied down to any rules and regulations of any government that helps people? And Elliot was right. What about the ones who can’t fight for themselves?
The couple stared at each other, and then Simone broke the stare off by walking away. She walked out of the Med Bay and didn’t stop until she reached her office. Elliot thought she was a robot. With a fire in her eyes, she was determined to show him what she was capable of. Her cheeks grew warm as tears cascaded down them, leaving a wet trail.
Later that week, Simone was in her office waiting to give the speech she’d given to every successful recruit. She glanced at her watch: ten more minutes. She heard a knock at her door.
“Come in,” she said, not looking up from the family photo.
Luther was scowling at Alice. He was covered in pink paint. Alice was grinning and had her arm around Alicia. Alicia was smiling with her mouth closed, her cheeks blown up. Simone and Elliot stood behind them. Simone had both of her arms around her children. She was giving Alice an unamused look. And Elliot, who had his head thrown back mid-laughter, wrapped around Simone.
Alice managed to sneak in a paint-filled balloon at the photography studio and throw it at Luther mid-shot. Simone felt her lips twitch at the memory. Five minutes ago, she received coordinates on her S.A.T watch that the council provided her for the mission. She heard the door open and caught a whiff of cologne. She knew who it was. There was something placed on her desk. She looked up and saw it was a vase full of red roses. She looked at her husband.
“Take them back.”
Elliot ran his hand through his locs.
“You know I didn’t mean it.”
Simone looked at her watch. Five more minutes.
“Yes, you did. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have said it.”
She heard him sigh.
“Simone, you already know how I am. You don’t see the things I see on these missions.”
She turned her eyes at him without moving her head, “You mean the unauthorized missions you keep going on of your own accord?”
Elliot avoided her gaze and looked at her desk. Avoiding her eyes.
Simone admitted, “The council is sending me to Underland. They found a secret laboratory in Arizona.”
He looked at her, furrowing his brows. “When do you leave?”
She straightened up.
“After orientation, we have to homeschool the girls for the first semester.”
Elliot crossed his arms, “And Luther?”
Simone folded her hands underneath her chin, “He will be restricted on campus until further notice.”
Elliot’s face shifted into a blank mask. “You’re biting off more than you can chew.”
Simone got up and walked towards the door, passing him.
“I will do everything by the book. I know I can handle it better than you.”
Alice
Alice, with her left foot wrapped in a cast and resting on a small stool in front of her, sulked in the front row of the auditorium. Alicia was fiddling with her new S.A.T. watch on the left of her. And Samson was on Alice’s right. He was reassuring her.
“It’s only for one semester. You and Alicia will attend class once your mom’s mission is over.”
Alice glanced at him, and she felt her eyes stinging with tears.
“It might be more than that, and you know it. Any time a S.A.T. agent is sent on an undercover mission, their family has to go into hiding because Underland keeps finding their real identity. “
Samson lifted a hand to her cheek and wiped her tears. Holding her cheek, he smiled warmly at her.
“And I will still be here waiting for you to annoy me.”
Alice felt her heart thump. She doesn’t want to admit it, but that reassured her. Then she felt guilty, and she glanced at her sister and grabbed her hand. She would never leave Alicia behind. All they need is each other. She turned back to Samson, who wore a look of indifference.
Students were chattering excitedly in the auditorium’s university-designed classroom. They were seated in multiple rows. At the end of each row, there were stairs where older agents stood. In front of them was a big, round, black table. Hovering on the table there was a holographic projection of the earth. There were a few stoic-faced adults watching the students, making sure there weren’t any unsanctioned science projects or roughhousing.
At the beginning of every school year, the new students of S.A.T. “Secret Agent Tecs” Preparatory School had to sit through orientation. The projection of the earth disappeared, replacing it with one of a slender black woman. The students quieted down and stared at the woman.
She had her hair cornrowed in an elaborate bun and was wearing a white bodysuit outlined with blue lights. She was wearing what appeared to be light blue sunglasses. But on the glasses, information kept popping up. She touched the side of her glasses to turn off the many research projects she was doing.
“Welcome to the Secret Association of Tecs or S.A.T for short Preparatory School. I am Director Simone Johnson,” she said in a booming voice.
She pressed both of her long fingers against each other.
“All of you have captured the attention of S.A.T., and we have provided you with the opportunity to develop and refine the skills that have impressed us since your birth. We work behind the scenes on various FBI or CIA missions. However, we aren’t under the jurisdiction of any government, so people call us when the law has failed them. We basically make the government look good.”
She smiled and started pacing back and forth.
“We are spies, yes, but we are also scientists. We don’t just kick a...”
She stopped herself as if she remembered she was dealing with twelve-year-olds.
Alicia
Alicia resisted the urge to snort. Typical, her mom would censor herself even though they were literally going to be taught how to kill people. Her mom is very passionate about S.A.T.’s cause.
“We don’t just kick butt; we solve mysteries as well.”
“Plus, you are either born into S.A.T. like me, a fourth-generation TEC.” She unfolded her hands and pointed them at herself. “Or you can apply and or get recruited based on skills and interests. We are located on a private island that you will know the location of once you graduate. We can’t let you accidentally let it slip to any civilians that S.A.T exists. That means your own family. If your family are regular civilians, they think you are going to a gifted boarding school called M.I.T. Prep. M.I.T. does actually exist. It’s a building disguised as a regular school. We use that building only for Parents’ Day and a fake graduation so your family has proof you graduated. We have a fake website as a cover, so they would be none the wiser.”
Her lighthearted expression took a grim turn. “We also have a rival organization, Underland.”
There was some laughter among the recruits. But Alice, Samson, and Alicia remained silent.
“Those of you who are prodigious readers, you find humor in that.”
She took off her glasses and stared around the room. The students picked up on the heavy atmosphere and stopped fidgeting.
“I can assure you that Underland is anything but humorous. They are an evil organization that kidnaps children from all over the world. And you may have heard rumors that they have been doing human genetic experiments on their own agents.” She crosses her arms. “We cannot confirm nor deny those allegations. Take what I say with a grain of salt, but always stay ready for the unexpected.”
Director Johnson relaxed her stance. “S.A.T. begins the recruitment process at twelve years old. You won’t have to interact with Underland until you graduate, which will be when you are eighteen. By then, you’d be too old for Underland to take an interest in you. During your time here in school, you will learn the basics of being an S.A.T. agent, take combat classes, endurance classes, etc. We will place all of you on rookie-level missions. Your rookie missions are as follows: finding missing people or documents and being a bodyguard to important diplomats. Additionally, we may assign you the responsibility of investigating peculiar incidents such as a viral outbreak or unsolved mysteries. Once you all become S.A.T agents, you will be used to working behind the scenes and people taking credit for what you do.”
Alicia felt tears pool in her eyes. Her mom’s top-secret mission was so risky that she and Alice couldn’t even attend school this semester with the rest of their friends. They have to go to the safe house. She felt Alice’s hold on her hand tighten.
Their mother then wore a look of indifference.
“We’ll get Underland and get it shut down for good. I make this vow to you right now. There is a change coming.”
The students responded to her with a round of applause. She raised her hands to silence them.