Coded

by Kayla Bainbridge

  The team lead replied, “I can have a car in a few minutes.”

  “What about the money?”

  “We can’t give you the money,” the man said.

  Brett and Jennifer watched the scene unfold before them. While the team lead was talking, another man was advancing behind her.

  “I need that money,” Penny said.

  “Let’s talk about that after I call in the car,” the man said.

  Right then two men advanced behind her, one attempting to take the remote, the other one restraining her.

  Brett and Jennifer’s connection were lost. The camera had gone out and he lost communication with the team.

  ∆∆∆

  The doctors had finally stabilized Kennedy. She laid unconscious and intubated. Wires tracked all her vitals, and she had several IV bags attached. They were trying to get that drug out of her system as fast as they could.

  “I want a list of all the medications, and I’ll need to personally check them before anyone administers them to her.”

  “I understand, I’ll get that to you soon,” the doctor said, taking some notes. “She’ll be ok in a few days. That was close though. They have already put two guards outside. Everyone who comes in will be checked.”

  “Thank you, Doctor,” Dustin said exhausted.

  “Push the help button if you need anything. Someone will be in here to assist you. I’ll send in a nurse to look at you.”

  Dustin looked himself over, he had already forgotten about himself. He nodded.

  As soon as the doctor left, Dustin moved his chair closer to Kennedy. He held her hand and set his head on the bed, he was exhausted. Closing his eyes, he almost fell asleep when he heard running down the hallway.

  “Agent Dustin!” a nurse said.

  “In here,” Dustin said standing up.

  The nurse handed him a tablet. It was connected to a live stream of the SWAT team.

  “Sir, we are at the warehouses now. Can you point us in the right direction?”

  The screen spread across the area. There were at least a dozen warehouses. Dustin squinted to see details.

  “That one!” Dustin said, recognizing the building. His heart was racing again. What would they find inside?

  The man commanded his team forward. Reaching the entrance, the door was locked. Within a few seconds they had knocked it in. Even from the entrance, Dustin could see Taylor’s body lying on the floor. He hadn’t moved.

  Dustin could hardly watch as a man sprinted forward to Taylor. He bent down and checked his pulse.

  “He’s alive!” he shouted to the team.

  Dustin almost cried at the good news.

  “Let’s get him out of here,” the team lead said.

  “Agent Dustin, we’ll bring him to you.”

  “Thank you,” Dustin said before the screen went black.

  Dustin squeezed Kennedy’s hand, “He’s going to be ok Kennedy. Hopefully, the NSA is having as much luck as we are.”

  ∆∆∆

  “How long?” Jennifer asked impatiently as the computer team tried to reestablish communication back to the NSA headquarters.

  “The EMP shut down everything. It takes time to reboot.” the computer man reported as he typed away.

  “What did I do?” Brett said, clearly regretting his decision.

  “What did we do?” Jennifer corrected as she put her hand on Brett's shoulder.

  They waited and waited while the computer came back up and running.

  “Alright, we are almost there,” one said after two minutes had passed.

  When the screens came back on everyone cheered. The building was still there. The sprinklers had been initiated, but there was no structural damage.

  “Where is the team?” Brett asked.

  His team filtered through cameras until they found them. The team had taken Penny outside. She was currently sitting on the ground handcuffed.

  “They are ok,” Brett said, relieved.

  “What is the damage?” Jennifer asked.

  “Equipment that wasn’t properly shut down will need to be replaced. Luckily, most of the equipment was set down.”

  “Can they set the EMP off again?”

  “Yes, we will have to locate it and disarm it,” one person replied.

  “That could take some time,” another man said.

  “Why are the sprinklers on?” Brett asked.

  “There was a fire,” a man replied. “I can see which sprinklers started and locate where the fire was.”

  “Good idea, do it,” Jennifer said.

  Three minutes passed and the camera they searched for popped up.

  Jennifer and Brett looked at each other. The camera showed a hallway and an open door to a cleaning closet. Everything in the closet was scorched, but the rest of the hallway was fine.

  “There was a bomb!” Jennifer said.

  “Yes, do you think that was the plan the whole time?” Brett asked.

  “I don’t care,” Jennifer said sitting down. “It’s over.”

  ∆∆∆

  At the hospital, Dustin had arranged for Taylor to be set up in the room next to Kennedy. He was pretty beaten up. Two ribs, his leg, and his wrist were all broken. There was some internal bleeding, but it was minimal.

  Dustin went back and forth between the two of them. Both were still unconscious.

  Keeping up with all Kennedy’s medications left little time to sleep. Yet, memories of Andrew at the NSA building kept him going.

  Late in the evening, Jennifer and Brett showed up. They had already caught each other up on the phone an hour earlier.

  “How are they?” Jennifer asked as they met him in the hallway.

  “Both will recover completely. Taylor’s broken bones will take weeks, but he should be able to leave the hospital after the first week. Unless they find something else of course. For Kennedy, they are hoping she will be able to leave in three or four days. Once the drug is out of her system, she should be fine.

  “Are they both sleeping?” Brett asked.

  “They sedated Taylor, but he should be up tomorrow. Kennedy’s vitals are still in flux, so they are keeping her sedated until those are more normal.”

  “How are you doing Dustin?”

  “I’m exhausted. I haven’t slept in over 36 hours. At the same time, I can’t stop checking Kennedy’s medications after what happened with Andrew.”

  “I’ll send Wendy over,” Jennifer offered. She can take a shift. You need to sleep.”

  Dustin nodded his appreciation.

  “We’ll check in tomorrow too,” Brett said.

  They both spent a few minutes with each of them before taking off again.

  An hour later Wendy showed up.

  She checked in with the nurse, and then with Dustin.

  “They set aside a room down the hall where you can sleep. I’ll keep watch over the two of them in the night,” Wendy said.

  “Thanks Wendy,” Dustin said as he walked out.

  ∆∆∆

  Kennedy opened her eyes slowly. She was in a hospital room. Was she back with Jordan? Had they failed? Quickly she closed her eyes again, she couldn’t face him.

  “Kennedy?” she heard Dustin ask.

  Her heart rate slowed again; she was safe. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes again.

  “Dustin…” she said, her throat dry.

  “I’m here, I’ll grab you some water.”

  Kennedy looked around. She saw a big window that looked out to the city. Several monitors were hooked up to her arms. Two guards stood by the door.

  Dustin returned with the water bottle. He twisted the lid open for her. Lifting her hand to reach the water, she felt weak, but she could still manage. The water felt wonderful on her throat. Looking at Dustin again, she saw that he had a black eye, his knuckles were wrapped up, and who knows what else.

  “Thanks Dustin, you look terrible.”

  “Yes, we all have our share of battle wounds. I’m goo
d to see you awake.”

  Kennedy tried to stretch but changed her mind. Her body was so stiff.

  “How long have I been here?”

  “Today is the third day. It took longer than they thought to get the drugs out.”

  “Ryan, he saved me.”

  Dustin nodded, “He did. I don’t think you would be here without him.”

  “He’s a good guy. Taylor!” she said, instantly remembering.

  “Taylor is next door, he’s recovering too. Relax, don’t push your body too much. You have been through a lot.”

  Kennedy listened and settled back down. He was alive! She was so relieved.

  “The NSA building?” she then asked.

  Dustin then spent the next few minutes explaining what had happened.

  “Now what?” Kennedy asked.

  “The doctors said you can leave tomorrow. Let’s get you healthy, and then we’ll talk about your next steps.”

  “How long will Taylor be here? Is he awake?”

  “Yes, probably a few more days.”

  Kennedy nodded, “Can I see him?”

  Dustin smiled, “Didn’t you just hear me say you should relax? Let’s get you something to eat, and then I’ll help you walk over there.”

  “Thank you, Dustin.”

  Kennedy ate a large lunch; she had been starving.

  Carefully, Dustin helped Kennedy walk next door.

  “Kennedy!” Taylor said excitedly.

  Kennedy looked up as she entered the room. Taylor looked terrible too. His face was a rainbow of colors, his wrist, chest, and leg were all in casts, and he had more monitors than she did. Regardless, he was still smiling when he saw her.

  Dustin pulled up a chair for Kennedy to sit in and then pushed her IV pole next to her. Gently, Kennedy sat down in the chair.

  “Hey Taylor,” it was still hard for her to speak.

  Dustin handed her water bottle.

  “Thanks Dustin,” she said, taking a drink.

  “Look at the three of us,” Taylor joked.

  “Poor Dustin has been busy,” Kennedy added.

  “It’s my job, and you are both more than worth it,” Dustin said.

  “He has been here the whole time with you,” Taylor said. “He only came in here a few times.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without him, thank you Dustin” Kennedy said, taking Taylor’s hand.

  “He told me that you were the real star. You were the one who stole the gun and got Dustin free. I heard you shot Jordan.”

  Kennedy smiled, “Twice. It felt good.”

  Taylor laughed and then grunted in pain, “Good for you.”

  “Did Dustin tell you about the man I shot on accident?”

  “He’ll be fine,” Taylor assured her.

  “I want to hear about Penny,” Dustin suggested, joining the conversation. “What happened when Jordan picked you up?”

  Kennedy told her side of the story.

  “To think she was that close,” Taylor said.

  Kennedy tried to smile, “I felt sorry for her, she always seemed so bored and sick of being there.”

  “Yes, I thought the same myself,” Dustin admitted.

  Kennedy smiled, “It’s nice to talk about this all instead of living through it.”

  “I’m glad you are ok,” Taylor said squeezing her hand.

  “You gave us quite the scare yourself.”

  “We need a vacation,” Taylor said.

  “That sounds nice,” Kennedy agreed.

  They talked and caught up before Kennedy fell asleep on Taylor’s bed.

  “Knock knock!” Kennedy heard someone say.

  Getting off Taylor’s bed she looked up and saw Jennifer and Brett walking in.

  “Kennedy,” Jennifer said. “We owe you everything.”

  “For how many times you have saved my life, we’ll call it even.”

  “How are you feeling?” Brett asked.

  “Weak,” Kennedy admitted.

  “We’ll get you back up to normal in no time. Wendy will take over your care tomorrow and you can stay in your NSA apartment,” Jennifer said.

  “That sounds a lot better than the hospital,” Kennedy admitted.

  “Whenever you feel up to it, we will discuss our options,” Brett said.

  They then spent the next few minutes catching up, before Brett and Jennifer had to leave again.

  “Kennedy, they need you back for your next treatment,” Dustin said standing next to her.

  “Ok,” Kennedy said regretfully as she tried to stand.

  Dustin walked up to her, “Let me help you.”

  ∆∆∆

  Jackson, the now former undercover agent, had the privilege of telling Jordan about his failed attack plan. He stood just out of reach, outside of Jordan’s holding cell.

  “Brandon, what are you doing here?”

  “I was actually an undercover NSA agent.”

  Jordan’s face turned to shock. It was a job well done if he got that kind of reaction.

  “The NSA let me come and tell you the news. Your plan failed,” Jackson said.

  “Impossible,” Jordan said outraged.

  “We found Penny and figured out where the bombs were. You’re off to a state penitentiary now,” Jackson said, as he started to walk out.

  “Don't bother, the company will have me out in days, and I'll seek Kennedy out again” Jordan replied.

  Jackson paced in front of his cell, “If you last that long.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Accidents happen.”

  “You wouldn't do that,” Jordan said half asking.

  “We'll see,” Jackson said as he walked away.

  “Brandon, come back! Wait! I've got money!” Jordan yelled but Jackson smiled and kept walking.

  ∆∆∆

  “What is going to happen to me?” Ryan asked Jackson from inside an interrogation room. They had just finished going through everything Ryan knew, which wasn't much.

  “There are a few options for you Ryan,” Jackson stated, sitting across from Ryan. “We can send you to prison for five years, or you can work in one of our labs and serve your time there.”

  “Work for you,” Ryan said almost too quickly.

  “Good choice, I figured you would. I'll start setting things up,” Jackson said as he started to get up to leave.

  “Did Kennedy make it?” Ryan asked.

  “Yes, thanks to you. The NSA owes you for that.”

  “Thanks,” Ryan said.

  “You'll do great things Ryan,” Jackson said before closing the door and leaving.

  The information Ryan and Jackson told the NSA was enough to chip away the company to the bare bones over the next few months.

  ∆∆∆

  Kennedy easily transitioned to the NSA apartment. Wendy took great care of her, although it was difficult for her to leave Taylor at the hospital.

  She spent her days contemplating what she wanted to do, deciphering easy codes, and catching up her friends and family. This life was so simple, it was so easy. Was this what life at the NSA could offer her? Now that Jordan was locked up, no one knew of her ability. She was safe, for now.

  One day at lunch, she was sitting with Dustin when a man walked in. Kennedy suddenly froze.

  “Dustin!” Kennedy said alarmingly.

  He looked up too.

  Brandon from the company had just walked in.

  “That man...he...they...the company.”

  Brandon scanned the room and stopped when he saw Kennedy. He then walked over to where Kennedy was sitting.

  “He was undercover there; he really is NSA. His name is Jackson.”

  “Brandon?” Kennedy said shocked.

  “Hey Kennedy,” Brandon said. “Can I sit with you?”

  Kennedy nodded hesitantly.

  “You are Strong Bones?” Kennedy asked.

  “That is right.”

  “You treated me horribly!” Kennedy said.

 
“Kennedy!” Dustin accused.

  Brandon laughed, “No, no, she was right. I was a jerk. I apologize.”

  “I thought Ryan was the undercover agent.”

  “Nope, he is genuinely a nice guy. Just signed up to work for the wrong company. Oh, by the way my name really is Jackson.”

  “Well I owe you my thanks,” Kennedy said, stretching out her hand. “Thanks for watching over me.”

  “Of course,” he said, shaking her hand. “I wanted to come over and make sure there were no hard feelings. Anything I might have said or did, it was just part of my cover.”

  “I get it,” Kennedy said.

  “Thanks, Dustin, always good to see you.”

  “You too Jackson,” Dustin replied.

  With that, Jackson got up and resumed getting his lunch.

  “That is going to take me awhile,” Kennedy admitted.

  “Don’t worry, he’ll probably be resigned out to the field soon.”

  The next morning Kennedy had Dustin set up the meeting. Despite being good friends with Jennifer in Brett, she was still nervous about this. Dustin walked with her and his presence made her feel more confident. Kennedy knew what she wanted, but she didn't know what they would offer.

  They walked into the conference room and Kennedy gave Jennifer and Brett a hug, it was good to see them.

  “It’s good to see you up and about,” Jennifer said as they all sat down.

  “Yes,” Kennedy replied.

  “Well, let's get down to business,” Brett directed.

  “Have you thought about what you want to do?” Jennifer asked.

  “What are my choices?” Kennedy asked, testing the waters.

  “I hope you know you are always welcome here. You could stay here and work full time,” Brett suggested.

  “Or you could go back to school and work for us part time. We can set up a security detail and work out a salary,” Jennifer said.

  “Or” Dustin interrupted. “You could quit working with the NSA and go back to the life you had before. As far as we know, only Jordan’s company and the NSA are the only ones who know of your ability. Jordan’s company is crumbling as we speak. We can also put you in the witness protection program.”

  Kennedy nodded as they talked. All of these things she had already considered.

  Jennifer confirmed, “Yes if you didn't want to work with us, that is your choice too. But there is literally no one else that can do what you can. You are unique, special. Also, I would like to add, I’ve become quite fond of you.”