Crossing the Line

by Meghan Rogers

  Simmonds closed my file and gave me his full attention. “You know you’re going to take a lot of abuse from the agents here until they get used to you.”

  I gave him a small smile. “I’ve been through a lot worse.” I survived the detox and I managed to get Simmonds to trust me. I could handle this.

  He grimaced. “You may need more help than you think. I’m putting Travis Elton in charge of you.”

  I shrugged, not understanding.

  “You know him as Scorpion.”

  My eyes widened. “There has to be someone else.”

  Simmonds shook his head. “No one that I trust enough to handle something this important.”

  I ran my hand through my curls. “If I had to pick a ‘biggest enemy’ it would be him.”

  Simmonds nodded. “I know. But you need someone to look out for you.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he didn’t let me. “If we really had just gotten you back, I would put someone in charge of your transition. If I didn’t, it would raise suspicion.”

  I sighed and remembered pointing that gun at Scorpion all too clearly. “But isn’t there anyone else?” I tried not to sound desperate, but I failed. Simmonds was right, this was going to be a lot harder than I had originally planned.

  “He’s the best we’ve got, and I’m not trusting someone less with this.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “And how does he feel about that?”

  Now Simmonds wavered. “He—hasn’t been told yet.” A light flashed on the desk and he pushed a button, which seemed to buzz the door open. “But he’s about to be.”

  I took a deep, helpless breath and put my game face on. The office door swung open and Scorpion walked in, his tall, broad frame filling the room. He froze when he saw me. It took all of two seconds for him to have his gun out of his holster and aimed at my chest.

  I sat back in my chair and leaned on the arm casually. “Well. That didn’t take very long, did it?”

  His shoulders were tight and squared, and his eyes locked on me. When he spoke, his voice was stiff and controlled. “How the fuck did you get in here?”

  “Agent Elton, put the gun away.” Simmonds’s voice boomed with a power that reminded me of the first time I’d met him.

  Scorpion’s eyes snapped to him, but his gun didn’t move an inch. “Sir, do you have any idea who this is?”

  “I know exactly who she is, and I’m telling you to put the gun down.”

  Scorpion faltered, but lowered the weapon. His attention was back on me. “I think you need to tell me what’s going on here, sir.”

  Simmonds stood and leaned on the front of the desk, facing the two of us. He gave Scorpion my cover story and I worked to keep my face neutral.

  “She’s been on campus for a month,” Simmonds said when he was finished. “Now it’s time to take her out of isolation and officially integrate her into the IDA.”

  Scorpion’s face contorted as if Simmonds had suggested he set himself on fire. “You have got to be kidding me.” Scorpion was still staring down at me. I wiggled my eyebrows and smiled just to irritate him. His nostrils flared.

  “You know I’ve never been one for jokes,” Simmonds said in the calmest voice he could have used.

  “You really think KATO’s Viper isn’t playing you?”

  I inhaled sharply to keep myself from flinching at my former code name.

  But Scorpion didn’t notice. “I have a bullet scar on my shoulder from her!” He pounded the front of his left shoulder to make a point.

  “Yes,” Simmonds said. “And you’re one of our best agents, which means it would take someone pretty talented to put you in that position.”

  Now it was Scorpion’s turn to glare. “That’s not the point.”

  “It’s exactly the point.” Simmonds went back behind the desk and opened the top drawer. “We have an unbelievably skilled agent with information on our enemy. We would be foolish not to use it.”

  Scorpion opened his mouth, but Simmonds kept talking. “She will live on the base and attend some of the academy’s classes.”

  A vein bulged in Scorpion’s neck. “You want to put her in a school? With kids?”

  I sat up straighter, losing my casual façade. “You know,” I said, “school was never something we discussed.”

  Simmonds dropped an envelope on the top of the desk and slammed the desk drawer shut, which effectively kept Scorpion from speaking. He put his attention on me. “Jocelyn, you are an exceptionally trained spy with a minimal and exceedingly skewed education. We have a school on campus, which trains and educates future agents so they are field ready when they turn eighteen. I don’t think practical combat or basic espionage classes are needed, but I would feel better if you weren’t limited to KATO’s tactical philosophies and worldview. Some time at the academy will do you good.” He held out the envelope to me. “This is everything you need to know about your schedule and classes.”

  I bit my lip. I hadn’t been in a true school setting since I was in third grade and I wanted to keep it that way. But I didn’t have any other choice. I took the envelope from him and slid back in my seat.

  “We also have a few other guidelines I want to go over,” Simmonds said. “Travis, you will assist with Jocelyn’s integration until she completes her first assignment. Your job is to make sure she gets where she needs to go and to minimize conflict as much as possible. You’re to act as a guide, not a security guard.”

  Scorpion’s face compressed with livid irritation, but he didn’t say a word.

  I nodded, getting more uneasy with each word, but I would never show it. I hated the idea that I would have to rely on him of all people. But this was the mission. That’s what I had to keep reminding myself. This whole thing was one big mission, and I had to earn these agents’ trust. The only people I didn’t have to pretend around were Simmonds and Dr. March.

  Simmonds turned to Scorpion. “As for her being with academy students, you can’t possibly believe that I would endanger the students of this school.”

  Scorpion ran his hand over his hair. “Right now, sir, I don’t really know what to believe.”

  Simmonds’s face went stony. “Jocelyn,” he said, “will you wait outside for a minute?”

  I hesitated, shooting him a questioning look.

  “I need to talk to Agent Elton alone.”

  I paused for another moment, and Simmonds raised his eyebrows at me. “Yeah,” I said finally. “Sure.”

  I pushed out of my chair and maneuvered around Scorpion, who made no effort to get out of my way. I went into the small hall outside of the director’s office. I couldn’t hear anything that was being said, but I had a hard time staying still. I rocked back and forth on my feet, continually pushing myself higher. They couldn’t have talked for more than five minutes before the door was yanked open and Scorpion came angrily storming out.

  “Let’s go.” I knew he was talking to me, even if he wouldn’t look in my direction or stop to see if I was following.

  I glanced at Simmonds, who gave me a small nod. “Just remember what your goal is and you’ll be fine.”

  “Right,” I said, though I didn’t completely believe him.

  “He’ll look out for you better than anyone else,” he said. “He may not be nice to you, and he may not trust you, but I made you his responsibility. He’ll take that seriously.”

  I nodded once and relaxed a fraction. “Thank you.”

  He gave me a sad smile, and I sprinted to catch up to my tour guide.

  Chapter Four

  COMFORTABLY UNCOMFORTABLE

  I barely slept my first night in my new room. It didn’t matter that it was way nicer than I was used to. I couldn’t care less that it had its own bathroom, or that the yellow paint on the wall was just bright enough to be cozy without being a distraction. It didn’t make a difference that the bed w
as the most comfortable I’d ever tried. The whole room was warm and comforting and peaceful and so unfamiliar that I could hardly stand it. Plus, I was more anxious about my first day than I cared to acknowledge. I needed to be calm, together, and tough, which I could handle. These were all things I was used to being.

  I dragged my blanket and pillow onto the floor, hoping the familiarity of a hard surface would help me sleep, but it didn’t. Instead, I stayed up replaying my conversation with Simmonds. My dad was alive. That wasn’t part of my plan. The only memories I had of my parents were at least ten years old, and I’d since come to learn that there was a lot I didn’t know about them. Now I was sitting on the base that had been their second home for years. Once I got more comfortable here, I’d make it a point to dig up whatever I could.

  But in the meantime, I was determined to stay focused on my goal. I had to stop KATO. As long as I concentrated on that, I’d be able to keep it together.

  I stopped pretending to sleep at six, assuming Scorpion would be by for me early. He hadn’t been too forthcoming with information the night before. I considered myself lucky that he got me to my room without cutting my head off, no matter what Simmonds said. I wore the workout clothes I found stacked on top of the dresser, which I assumed were for me. I was never more grateful for my dark, thick, curly hair than I was that morning. I had it tightly secured in a ponytail over my left shoulder, designed to hide the ugly circular burn scar below my ear.

  I was still in my room at seven and I was starting to get impatient. By seven thirty I was pacing in circles, and fighting the urge to snap something in half. When Scorpion finally knocked on my door at eight, I was ready to pounce. I pulled the door open so fast that his eyebrows shot up. His surprise lasted only a few seconds before he covered it with an aggravated scowl. He glared at me, then took in the room—my bed pulled apart and reassembled on the floor—before refocusing on me.

  “You ready?” His gruff, agitated demeanor hadn’t changed.

  I slipped into the casual, confident persona I needed for this mission and tossed my head to the side. “What, no gun today?”

  He turned and walked down the hall, completely unamused. I jogged to catch up and fell into step next to him. “You know, I kind of thought you’d be dragging me out of bed as early as you possibly could,” I said.

  His jaw tightened, and I knew I was on to something.

  “Oh, I get it,” I said when it hit me. “The morning schedule starts at eight, right?” He stared straight ahead, ignoring me. I couldn’t help but find the whole thing mildly amusing. “So if everyone else is already training or in class, no one will be in the cafeteria to see you with me.”

  He rounded on me, bringing us both to a stop. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, Viper.” I forced a cocky smile to keep myself from flinching. “And I don’t know how you managed to snowball Simmonds, but there is no way you’re not KATO controlled. Simmonds may have asked me to be your guide, but as far as you and I are concerned, I’m in charge of you. You don’t go anywhere without me.”

  I arched an eyebrow, completely unfazed. “Your name’s Travis, right?”

  His eyes narrowed and filled with an anger and fierceness I’d only seen when I had fought him. “You don’t get to call me that.” His voice was quiet, but just barely in control. “And you’re going to listen to me. I won’t let you compromise this agency. The people here have worked too hard and done too much good for you to turn everything over to KATO. If you don’t listen to me, I’m going consider you a double agent, and no one will ever give you a chance here.”

  “It’s not like they will anyway,” I said, then dropped my smile. “But that’s not why I’m here.”

  Scorpion let out a sardonic laugh. “Yeah, right. I don’t believe for a second you could be on our side. Not after everything you’ve done. Someone as cold and ruthless as you doesn’t just switch sides like that. You may have belonged to us at one point, but they raised you.”

  Anger ignited in my chest as every drug injection and broken bone flashed in my mind. I steeled myself and let my overconfident act slip. “You don’t know the first thing about being raised by them.” I stared him down. If we were going to be stuck together, I wasn’t going to let him get to me. “Actually, when I think about it, you don’t know much of anything.” I stepped closer, purposely invading his personal space, making the narrow hall feel smaller. “All you know are your orders.”

  Every inch of him was visibly contracted. “You have no idea what I know.”

  “No.” I shook my head and stepped back. “You have no idea what you don’t.”

  His jaw clenched, but he stayed quiet. I started walking again, even though I didn’t know where I was going. I was sure he would take the lead again quickly, which he did.

  I never had a lot of information about the agents I’d faced in the past. In fact, I made it a point to know only what I needed to beat them. But Scorpion was different. He was easily my biggest challenge, so I’d learned a little more about him. He was twenty-one years old. He’d been with the IDA since he was fourteen and spent four years training in their academy before going on his first mission when he was eighteen. I was eighteen and I’d been a field agent for four years. The other thing I knew about Scorpion was that he was most comfortable when he had control of a situation. And if I had to guess, the reason he was so quiet on the walk down to the cafeteria was because he knew when it came to me he’d never have the control he wanted.

  • • •

  The cafeteria was in the basement of the student housing building, which was where my room was now. When we got there, a tall, light-haired, wiry guy, who seemed a little older than Scorpion, stood by the door. He looked up at us and gave Scorpion a nod. His eyes were a fierce, honest emerald green. And they weren’t happy to see me.

  “Cody, what are you doing here?” Scorpion asked.

  “Dude, what do you think?” Cody tilted his head to the side as if he had just been asked a very stupid question. “I’d leave you to deal with this alone?” He scrutinized me with a look of disgust on his face. I narrowed my eyes at him, but stayed quiet.

  Scorpion shook his head. “This isn’t your responsibility.”

  Cody rolled his eyes. “Well, it shouldn’t be yours either.”

  “And who are you?” I asked, looking from one to the other.

  Scorpion ground his teeth together. “We need to eat before it’s gone.”

  I tried to ask more questions, but Scorpion pushed the swinging door open before I could. It snapped shut in my face. I put my palm on the door, channeling my patience, then opened it. Cody glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, like he was daring me to say something. But since that was what he wanted, I went out of my way to do the opposite. Instead I just followed them to the breakfast buffet without a word. I walked a few paces behind them, studying their dynamic. I could tell they were close, and seemed to relax slightly once I got quiet. They kept glancing back at me, but they had fallen into a comfortable banter.

  I froze when I got to the table, forgetting about Cody and Scorpion completely. I hadn’t eaten a real breakfast since I was eight. Even during the past month, the withdrawal made it hard to keep food down, and when I could, I just ate what was put in front of me. Now the scent of meat and grease assaulted my nose and I found myself staring at an entire spread of food, not knowing where to start.

  “Let’s go, make up your mind,” Scorpion said, sliding a plate in my direction. “I’ve got a lot to do today, and I’m not wasting an hour while you make a breakfast decision.”

  “Right,” I said, still distracted by the food.

  I watched him out of the corner of my eye, piling scrambled eggs onto his plate. I hadn’t had eggs quite like this since before I was taken. I took some after him and added a piece of toast. I knew I couldn’t eat too much. I was used to KATO’s portion sizes, which were basica
lly just enough to keep me strong and alive.

  Scorpion and Cody sat themselves down at a table. I chose the seat across from them, and took a bite. It reminded me of the breakfasts I ate as a kid—warm and full of flavor. Scorpion kept his focus on his food. Cody, on the other hand, didn’t take his eyes off me. “So you’re KATO’s amateur attempt at a double agent,” he said. “You have to know we would never trust you enough to tell you anything useful.”

  I squinted my eyes into a tight glare. I didn’t have to defend myself to anyone here, let alone this nobody.

  “It’s funny that you’re so quiet now,” Scorpion said, glancing up. “You couldn’t shut up on the way down.”

  “Well, Travis, you weren’t nearly as confident on your own as you are now that you have a friend.”

  His hand balled into a fist when I said his name, and I smiled.

  “Let’s review how things are going to work here,” Scorpion said. He launched into the same set of rules he’d gone over on the way down, but ended his lecture with orders he seemed to think I should follow. “If I tell you to do something, you do it. No questions. If I tell you to stand in the hall, you stand in the hall. If I tell you to jump off a roof, you jump off the goddamn roof. Got it?”

  I arched my eyebrow. “This sounds a little more like a guard than a guide,” I said. “And I didn’t make it this far just to jump off a roof because you told me to.”

  Cody rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure you’ve been through a lot. It must have been so hard when KATO dropped you in the U.S. and sent you to infiltrate our base.”

  I gripped my fork tightly, but barely felt the metal edge digging deeply into my skin. My lips thinned and I turned away from Cody, giving Scorpion my full attention. “There are two things you’re going to have to accept.” His eyes tightened and he opened his mouth, ready to snap at me, but I plowed on before he could. “First, as we’ve been over, you don’t know as much as you think you do. Your job is to do what Simmonds asks you without putting your own spin on it. Stop giving me empty orders and do your job.”