Knight Moves

by Julie Moffett

  “It’s okay, Angel,” Frankie said quietly. “She’s right. I can be overly friendly.”

  “No. It’s not okay for her to talk to you like that.” I glared at Kira. “She can show some common decency. I’m not a people person, either, but that doesn’t give me license to be rude.”

  Hala scaled down from her bunk in a pair of blue silk pajamas and came between Kira and me, holding out her hands. “Look, guys, it’s been a long day and everyone is tired and stressed out. How about we get some sleep?”

  “Best idea I’ve heard all day.” Kira crawled into her bed and turned her back to us, facing the wall.

  I exchanged a glance with Hala, who shrugged. Frankie resumed reading, not seeming upset by the incident whatsoever. Did anything ever bother her?

  I climbed up to my bunk and lay on my back, staring at the ceiling, still fuming at Kira’s rudeness.

  What the heck was wrong with people?

  As I lay there, I realized I missed my own bed, my mom, Gwen, and even Mr. Toodles. For the first time, I seriously wondered if I was doing the right thing by trying out for UTOP.

  What am I doing here?

  What did Slash see in me that I can’t see in myself?

  Do I really have what it takes to be an operative?

  My thoughts drifted to my father. Had he been a spy, and if so, was that why he’d vanished without a word, leaving us behind? If he were alive, why wouldn’t he come home?

  I rolled over and punched my pillow. Whatever the answers to the questions, I knew one thing. I wasn’t a quitter.

  I intended to give UTOP my best shot, however far that took me.

  Chapter Twenty

  ISAAC REMINGTON

  “We’ve got a problem,” Remington fumed, his fist tightening on his burner phone. He’d have to buy stock in an expendable phone-making company if this blasted situation continued much longer. “The Justice Department and the director have agreed to all his terms. The idiots! Don’t they see how he’s trying to manipulate them?”

  “Sinclair is a dangerous loose end.”

  “I know. I wish the director had retired years ago, so that someone with the guts to defend our country could take the reins and finally whip NSA into shape.”

  “That would be hard to do without removing the ShadowCrypt patch. Now the patch is apparently within reach, along with Sinclair.”

  “It’s within Candace Kim’s reach,” he spit out. He could feel his blood pressure rising. “They’re even talking about putting the family in WITSEC, on his request.”

  There was a moment of silence before his accomplice spoke. “We need to get our hands on Sinclair soon or things could get real complicated.”

  “Don’t I know it. We need to know what he has on us in terms of proof. Do you think he can tie us to Lando’s boating accident?” That was the real sticking point, wasn’t it? If only he could be sure of what Sinclair had. “Although, if he had proof back then, he wouldn’t have vanished. He’s bluffing.”

  “It’s a risk to assume that.”

  “Perhaps, which is why we need his youngest daughter to draw him out. We know he’s already reached out to her once, so we should assume he might do it again.”

  “What about the other daughter or the wife? Can they be leveraged?” There was a noise in the background, a car honking and the squeal of tires.

  “They could, and that’s the backup plan, but neither of them appear to be actively trying to find him,” Isaac explained. “The youngest daughter is poking around places and causing trouble. She’s given us some of our best leads on him. Now he’s reached out to her and made contact for the first time in fourteen years. That’s huge. She’s the key to this thing.”

  “So, what’s our next step?”

  “Tell the others we need a two-pronged approach.” Isaac considered his words carefully. He’d thought everything out and had planned this for a long time. “On the one front, we’ve got to use the girl to bring him out of hiding. On the other front, I must discredit Sinclair with the Justice Department. It shouldn’t be hard. Once everything quiets down, we find him and make him disappear for good.”

  “How are you going to get at the daughter? She’s behind the security perimeter at UTOP.”

  “Every day except Saturday, when the candidates go into town for their weekly break.”

  There was a short pause. “Good point. I hadn’t thought of that.”

  Isaac suppressed a sharp retort. It shouldn’t be this hard. Did he have to spell everything out? Didn’t anyone else share his forward-thinking vision? He kept his voice even, patient. “Yes. So, if we need to do something, we do it then. She’s the leverage we need. Then, after a family accident, there’ll be no more problems or witnesses left to worry about.”

  “Oh. Do you think they could connect his disappearance back to us? After all, you’ve been pretty vocal about your dislike for him.”

  He hated the weak spirit of his compatriots. Fixing that would be a priority when he became director. “Please. Sinclair has been backdooring terrorists for years. I don’t think it would be too difficult to imagine a scenario where certain factions weren’t happy with him when he’s found out. A sudden, permanent disappearance shouldn’t be any surprise at all. We simply blame it on the terrorists, and that’s the end of that.”

  A longer pause and then a laugh. “Wow, that’s ingenious.”

  Isaac smiled. At last they were seeing what he was capable of doing for the nation. “And that’s exactly why I’ll be a formidable director.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  ANGEL SINCLAIR

  The rest of the week was essentially the same as the first day. More group sessions with grueling questions, psychological testing, exercising in the gym, and classes with homework. To say it was brutal would be an understatement. Added to the mix were written tests, which I assumed were IQ tests. Those I didn’t worry about. I’d always tested well, so that was one concern I felt I could put to rest.

  I spent what little downtime I had gaming in the gaming room, doing my homework, washing my clothes, or hanging out with Frankie and Wally. There wasn’t much free time to be had, and when we were together, it was obvious we were all becoming increasingly nervous about Friday and the first trial.

  On Thursday morning, during the group session with Jax and Bo, Mr. Kingston told us today our session would consist of only one question and we’d have free time until our next class. That was good news to me, because the group session was the hardest for me to manage every day. One question would be a walk in the park.

  “So, Mr. Coleman, I have a scenario for you,” Mr. Kingston said, adjusting his tie. “Your mother is desperately ill. A pharmaceutical company, located two blocks from your house, has a cure to your mother’s illness. The medicine is too expensive for you to afford. If you could break into the company building and steal the medicine without the slightest fear of repercussion, would you do it?”

  “No repercussions?” he asked.

  “None. You would get away with it completely, and your mother would be cured.”

  “Oh, man.” Bo sighed, rubbed his forehead. “It would be tempting, but I wouldn’t do it. It wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be honorable. It’s not the way my mom raised me. She wouldn’t want me to steal.”

  “So, is that a no?” Mr. Kingston asked.

  “It’s a no.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Coleman. Ms. Sinclair. How about you?”

  I considered. “Is it a terminal illness?”

  Mr. Kingston shrugged. “That’s unknown.”

  My mind went through a number of scenarios, none with a clean answer. “I have mixed feelings about this,” I finally said. “Legally and morally, it’s wrong. But we’re talking about helping someone I love. I honestly don’t know what I’d do unless I was in the situation, at that very moment. But I have to say I’m leaning toward stealing the medicine, especially if there are no repercussions.”

  “So, is that a yes or a no?” Mr
. Kingston tapped his pencil on the table. “I’m afraid I can’t take ambiguity as an answer.”

  I sighed. “It’s a yes.”

  “Okay. What about you, Mr. Drummond?”

  “Seriously?” Jax looked in astonishment at Bo and me. “You guys have to think about your answer? It’s a dilemma for you people? I’d take the medicine in a heartbeat. No repercussions, a life saved. The wealthy pharmaceutical company wouldn’t even notice.”

  “That’s not the point,” Bo said. “You’re stealing.”

  “For a good cause,” Jax countered.

  Bo shook his head. “It’s not honorable.”

  “Who cares about honor?” Jax’s eyes gleamed. “It’s about survival. Either you’re willing to play to live…or you die.”

  He had a point, but it was a cold, hard one. Jax remained a mystery to me. Tough, smart, sardonic, yet…I saw a sadness in his eyes. I knew his mother had died, but I wondered about the circumstances.

  The room fell silent, and Mr. Kingston stood. “Well, thank you, students. That’s it for today. I won’t see you until next week. Good luck to each of you with the trial tomorrow.”

  We were silent as we filed out. These tests were showing us how different we were from each other. I didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing. How were we being scored? Was I meeting the criteria for an operative? It was hard to say when you didn’t even know exactly what they were looking for.

  I didn’t feel like going back to the room, and it was drizzling outside, so I decided to go to the small library. Two comfortable-looking armchairs, three circular tables, and a couple of floor lamps were arranged near the bookshelves. The library was empty, except for a young woman sitting behind the circulation desk who looked up from her laptop when I strolled in.

  “Hello, Angel,” she said cheerfully. “Let me know if I can help you find anything.”

  “You know my name?” I asked. I was sure I’d never seen her before.

  “Of course. There are only eight of you this session. What are you looking for?”

  “Can I check out any book I want?” I asked.

  “Sure. It’s just like a normal library.”

  “Cool. Do you have any books on coding?”

  “We sure do. Those shelves over there,” she said, pointing. “You’ll find everything computer-related in that area.”

  I thanked her and perused the titles in the area she’d mentioned. When I came out holding a book, Mike was sitting at one of the tables. He looked up when he saw me. He was dressed in the same white T-shirt and camouflage as I was, but the bling on his fingers and the studs in his ears were missing. The nose ring was still in place, however. Maybe that wasn’t removable.

  “Hey, Mike,” I said awkwardly, noting he was reading a manual called Advanced Lockpicking Secrets. “How are you?”

  “I’m okay,” he answered, equally awkward. “Are you, um, doing okay with the chemistry homework?”

  “Yeah, it’s easy so far.”

  “I noticed you’re really good at chemistry. Me too. Wonder when they’re going to start challenging us.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe we’re challenged enough on other fronts.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Well, I’ll see you around.” I started to pass him.

  He put out a hand, and I stopped. “Hey, Angel, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Do you have a class by yourself? I mean, we’re in chemistry together, and I’m in another class with some of the other kids, but do you have one just by yourself?”

  “Yes. I think we all do. I’ve got cryptology, Frankie has graphic design, Wally is focusing on malware, and Hala has acting, of all things. I don’t know about Kira, Jax, or Bo. What do you have?”

  “Circuit design with a side of laser and optical engineering. It’s awesome.”

  “Wow,” I said, my eyes widening. “That’s…different.”

  “I know, right? You guys all seem to be experts in computers and math, and I’m all about circuits, fuses, and superconductors.”

  I looked down at the book on the table. “And lockpicking.”

  He followed my gaze and laughed. “Nah, that’s just for fun. You know, I may not be an expert in computers, but I love to play chess and I can navigate a mean game of Hidden Realm, if you want a challenge sometime. You’re quite the gamer.”

  I stared at him. “How did you know that?”

  “I’ve watched you play.” It suddenly occurred to him that maybe that sounded more than just a little creepy. His face turned a shade of scarlet. “I mean, I wasn’t stalking you or anything. I was headed to the gaming room once, but you were already there playing. So, I watched you play through the window without interrupting you…and okay, and that does sound stalkerish. But I swear, there was no creep factor involved. I just didn’t want to break your concentration, that’s all. You’re really good.”

  “Thanks. Next time, if you want to play, just come in and let me know.”

  “Deal.”

  I left him, thinking he wasn’t anything like I’d expected when I first saw him, and went to my next class. The rest of the day passed without incident. After dinner, Wally talked Frankie and me into going to the gym to work out, which in itself was a shock. Wally convincing us to go to the gym. Would miracles never cease?

  When we got to the gym, Bo and Jax were wrestling each other again. Both guys were in muscle shirts and soft shorts. It looked like they’d been at it awhile, because they were both sweating heavily.

  Kira was running on the treadmill with earbuds in. Wally stopped to watch her. It occurred to me that this was why Wally had wanted to go to the gym—to watch Kira. Apparently this was where she spent most of her free time, driving herself to physical perfection.

  Still keeping an eye on Kira, Wally and Frankie went to check out the hand weights, while I stayed to watch Jax and Bo go at it for a few more minutes.

  Bo was bigger and stronger, but Jax was fast. A couple of moves later, Bo had Jax nearly pinned to the ground. Jax reached up and yanked hard on Bo’s ear.

  “Ouch,” Bo roared, his grip loosening. Jax was able to slip out of his hold. “That’s cheating.”

  Jax laughed and tossed his dark hair out of his eyes. “Only if we were playing a legal match. That’s not what we’re at this school for. If I’m an operative and I’m wrestling someone, I’m trying to survive. You need to learn how to play dirty, Bo. I’m not playing by your or anyone else’s rules.”

  Bo shook his head indignantly and grabbed a towel before leaving the mat and heading over to the weights.

  I thought about what Jax had said. Survival at all cost—wasn’t that an important thing for all of us to learn? But just what would he be willing to sacrifice for that? It was a question to which I didn’t have an answer.

  Jax saw me watching and crooked the fingers on one hand at me in a come-hither motion. “Hey, Red, want to give it a go?”

  I crossed my arms against my chest. “No.”

  “Too bad. I could teach you some helpful self-defense moves, you know.”

  When I stood my ground, he shrugged, grabbed a towel, and headed for the men’s locker room.

  Did he want to help me or learn my weaknesses? He had to have seen me at work with the weights and know I couldn’t wrestle my way out of a paper bag. Why couldn’t I figure out what he wanted from me?

  After a moment of contemplation, I looked around the gym and decided to jog on the treadmill. I chose the one the farthest away from Kira, who didn’t even glance my way when I got started.

  An hour later, I was soaked in sweat and dead tired. My legs were shaking. Frankie and Wally looked worse than me. They’d lifted weights for a while and then spent time on the treadmill and elliptical machine. Kira had disappeared, probably to take her shower before we got back to the room, so she could get in bed and safely ignore us.

  When the gym closed, we walked back to our rooms, groaning and complaining the entire way.


  “They’re going to dump me,” Wally said, wiping his beet-red face. “Frankie can lift more than me.”

  “No one cares about that,” Frankie said.

  “I care!” Wally protested.

  I rubbed the back of my neck. “Look, guys, I sincerely doubt tomorrow will be a weight-lifting exercise.”

  “It better not be.” Wally swung his arms around. “Or I’m toast. On the upside, I’m so exhausted, I shouldn’t have any trouble falling asleep tonight, despite my crippling insecurity about my physical prowess. Waking up may be a problem, though.”

  “You’ll both do fine,” Frankie said. “We all will. You’re worrying too much. Whatever comes, we’ll figure it out. We always do.”

  I wanted to contradict her, but the truth was, I liked her optimism. I needed her faith in me, now more than ever.

  We were the White Knights. Together we could conquer all.

  “Thanks, Frankie,” I said. “What would we do without you?”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  ANGEL SINCLAIR

  Despite my exhaustion, I didn’t sleep well Thursday night. Kira and Hala were both tossing and turning, too, so I suspected they were also anxious. Only Frankie slept blissfully. When she woke, she was her useful cheerful self, although she mentioned her muscles were a bit sore.

  We ate breakfast, although most of us could barely choke anything down, then assembled in Room 101 for orientation.

  Once we were present and seated, Mr. Donovan entered the room. “Good morning, candidates. Today will be your first trial. We wish you the best of luck. Now, I ask you to please rise and remain still while we prepare you.”

  I stood up hesitantly, not sure what he meant by “prepare.” Jonas, the student who had pretended to be the assassin in the active-shooter scenario, came up behind each one of us and arranged blacked-out goggles tightly over our eyes.

  “From this moment until we reach our destination, you’re not to remove the goggles or speak to each other,” Mr. Donovan instructed us. “If you’re caught doing either, you’re immediately disqualified.”