Fight to the Finish

by Shannon Greenland

  Leave it to Bruiser.

  Outside the photo shop, Bruiser handed me the picture. “Look at the guys.” She busted out laughing. “Oh, yowza, that’s funny. That’s going right on top of my dresser when we get back.”

  Cat and Beaker crowded in beside me as we looked at the black and white photo, all of us girls smiling and all the guys frowning. I glanced at David’s legs in the fish net stockings and couldn’t help but grin.

  I studied Beaker and David’s faces, like I frequently found myself doing, looking for similarities. They’d found out during the Barracuda Key mission that they were half brother and sister. It made me think of my own sister, the one I’d just found out about. I knew exactly what she looked like from the wanted picture of her that we’d obtained on my last mission.

  There was a lot about us in common, like our eyes and the shape of our faces. I wondered what kind of person she was. Funny? Serious? Quiet? Loud? And I wondered where she was. Even with my computer expertise, I had yet to nail down her current identity and location. Her aliases were too numerous, and she seemed to move around every few days. And it appeared that she’d recently become an independent agent, working for whoever hired her.

  She was a puzzle, that was for sure, but I hadn’t given up. I’d been leaving bread crumbs through cyberspace in hopes she’d find them and follow them back to me. She was my only family, and I would find her. Or she’d find me first.

  “You and David have the same nose,” Cat told Beaker, bringing me from my thoughts.

  “Food,” Wirenut announced. “I need food.”

  Cat rolled her eyes. “You’re always hungry,” she laughed, playfully tapping his belly.

  Bruiser picked an outdoor Mexican place, we all ordered, and right as our food arrived, Mystic’s cell went off.

  Every one of us turned and looked. My cell was always the one going off, not my team members.

  I unclipped my phone from my pants and checked the display. Huh. No text messages.

  David’s went off next, which was usual. Being TL’s, our team leader’s, right hand guy, David’s cell stayed more active than the rest of us.

  He checked the display, then looked at Mystic. “That’s TL’s stat code. We’re out of here.”

  I checked my phone again and gave it a little tap. Maybe I just hadn’t gotten my text yet. I glanced up at David, and he shook his head. “Only me and Mystic,” he said in answer to my unspoken question.

  I looked at Mystic, and he shrugged, clearly as perplexed as me.

  The two guys took off running, and all my team members dug in to their food. I sat at the outdoor table, idly watching them eat, listening to the ocean, completely sidetracked by what had just happened.

  What was going on? I mean, I knew that one day we would all be going off on missions at different times, but up until now, it had always been me and one of the others. I wondered why I wasn’t involved this time and more than a little curious to find out the details.

  We finished eating and spent the rest of the time doing exactly what Bruiser wanted. We rode every single ride, including the tilta whirl (barf). We ate way too much ice cream. We played nearly every video game in the arcade.

  At seven that night we pulled through the ranch’s gate and up the long driveway to our house. Wirenut and Bruiser stayed with the van for the hot wiring lesson, and the rest of us filed inside.

  The guys went off to their room and me and the girls went to ours.

  I plopped down across my bed, and Mystic strolled straight in our room.

  I sat up. “So?”

  Mystic sounded as stunned as he looked. “I’m going on my first mission.”

  “You are?”

  Cat came out of the bathroom. “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks,” Mystic responded, still not moving from his stunned spot.

  Beaker kicked her black flip flops off and shoved them under her bed. “Where you going?

  Mystic shook his head. “I can’t tell you yet.”

  The secretiveness was the worst part of being a member of The Specialists.

  “When are you leaving?” I asked.

  Mystic blinked. “Tonight.”

  Beaker and I looked at each other. “Tonight?”

  Cat sat down on her bed. “That’s weird. No training? No preparation?”

  “TL said there wasn’t any time. He and David are going with me.”

  I was dying to ask Mystic if he’d seen his special room. All of my team members who had been on a mission had been introduced to their room, complete with training items specific to their specialty. Beaker had a state of the art chemistry lab. Wirenut, an electronic warehouse. Parrot a language facility. And I, of course, had a kick butt computer lab.

  David peeked his head in the door. “Mystic, come with me. We need to talk about a few things.”

  Without a glance in my direction, David headed off and Mystic followed.

  Cat lay back on her bed. “GiGi, is there something wrong with you and David? I know he’s been gone a month, but I figured you two would be connected at the hip since he returned. What gives?”

  I glanced across the room to Beaker, who looked right back at me, obviously curious what my response would be, too. I hadn’t told any of my team members about the Professor Quirk episode. And normally I didn’t just go around sharing my personal business. But something made me want to share and possibly get some advice.

  “I . . .” I began and then stopped. How did I say this exactly? “I,” I tried again, and then sighed. “Another guy kissed me, and David’s upset. But I don’t think it’s so much the kiss as it is that I told David this other guy ‘got me’.”

  Neither Cat nor Beaker uttered a word.

  “Oh, yeah!” Bruiser rushed into the room. “That was awesome! I can’t believe I just hot wired a car. I’m totally going out on the town tomorrow night and becoming a criminal.” She stopped and looked at each of us. “What’s wrong? Looks like someone ate your last lollipop.”

  Laughing, Wirenut came in behind her. “That was too cool. She actually got it the first time around.” He looked at each of us. “What’s wrong?”

  Parrot stuck his head in the door. “Heard the commotion. I take it you hot wired?” He looked at each of us. “Something wrong?”

  “GiGi,” Beaker and Cat said in unison, “kissed another guy.”

  Everyone turned and looked at me, and I felt about as big as my pinky toe.

  “I didn’t say I kissed another guy.” Pushing off my bed, I stood and gave Cat and Beaker a dirty look. “So glad everybody knows my personal business now.”

  Beaker shrugged. “David is my brother. I’m naturally going to take his side.”

  “Beaker,” Cat got onto her and then turned to me. “GiGi,” she softened her tone.

  I waved them off. “Never mind.” I didn’t need their disapproval on top of my already confusion over the situation. “I’ll see you guys later.” Snagging a lollipop from my dresser, I walked past Wirenut and Parrot and out the door.

  “GiGi,” Bruiser called. “Come back. Let’s talk. We were all just shocked, that’s all. And everyone knows Beaker’s an idiot.”

  Ignoring her, I strode down the hallway, past TL’s office, and came to a stop at the mural that hid our elevator. Placing my hand on the globe light fixture, I waited while it scanned my prints and the mural opened to reveal the secret elevator.

  I stepped inside, punched in my personal code, and the elevator descended. I unwrapped my lollipop and plunked it in my mouth. Mmm, pina colada. I realized then that this was one of the lollipops from the candy bouquet David had given me when I returned from my mission with Wirenut.

  David was always doing sweet things like that. Somehow that thought made me feel even worse.

  The elevator stopped at Sub Floor Four, the doors opened, and I stepped out. I chunked the wrapper in the garbage and told myself I was not going to think of David anymore.

  I headed off to the right and down the hal
l to where my lab was, along with all the other secret rooms. When I first arrived here at the ranch, these undisclosed doors had driven me absolutely insane. But now I knew what lay behind nearly every one.

  I came to a stop at my lab door and as I began punching in the code to enter the room, I heard voices coming down the hallway.

  “Oh, GiGi. Goodgood, you’re here.” Chapling, my mentor, said. “I want you to meet someone.”

  I punched in the last few code segments on the key pad and with a smile turned . . . and gasped. I stumbled back, straight through the lab door, missed the step down, and landed on my butt.

  “Ooohhh,” I groaned.

  “Kelly?” The guy used my real name.

  I looked up and straight into the eyes of, “Professor Quirk?”

  Neither one of us said a word as we stared into each other’s eyes. I was sure his brain was circling the same thought as mine.

  What the . . . ?

  Quirk’s brows lifted. “Kelly? Wh—” He glanced over his shoulder at Chapling and then back to me. “I don’t—”

  Chapling hobbled up beside him. “GiGi?” He looked between the two of us. “You two know each other?”

  Slowly, we nodded, still staring at each other.

  What would Quirk be doing here?

  I realized my mouth was open and closed it. And then I realized I was still on the floor where I’d stumbled and fell. Quirk must have realized it, too, because he reached forward to help me up.

  I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet. “Randy,” I said, using his real name.

  He smiled, and it shot butterflies right through my stomach.

  “You’re GiGi?” Randy realized. “Chapling’s told me all about you.”

  Chapling stepped up beside us. “I didn’t realize you knew Randy.”

  I looked down at him. “How do you know Randy?”

  Chapling bobbed his bushy brows. “Couple of years ago we worked on something together for the IPNC.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah, he’s my bro,” Randy commented, elbowing Chapling.

  Chapling giggled. “Yeahyeah, that’s right. Everybody joked we were brothers.”

  Smiling, I looked between the two of them, finding that absurdly funny. They looked nothing like brothers. Chapling was a little person with frizzy red hair, freckles, and lots of chub. Randy stood six feet of in shape leanness with dark hair, adorable green eyes, and way too cute wire rimmed glasses.

  Wait a minute. Why was I thinking of him as adorable and cute? He was a klutzy nerd.

  Well, so was I.

  Chapling waddled off and over to his coffee station in the corner of the computer lab. “How funny. Funnyfunny. You two know each other.”

  Randy and I smiled at each other.

  Chapling dumped old coffee into the sink. “Where’d you all meet?”

  “Junoesque Jungle,” we answered in unison, referring to my last mission.

  “The Junoesque?” Chapling poured water into the coffee maker. “Hm.” He glanced across the lab at Randy. “What were you doing in the jungle?”

  “He was the glyph expert,” I answered for him.

  “Well, what do you know?” Chapling dumped the old grounds and piled in new ones.

  “You didn’t know?” I asked.

  Chapling shook his head. “Nope.”

  This organization continued to amaze me. Chapling was fairly high up in The Specialists and yet he hadn’t had clearance to know his friend Randy was on my last mission.

  TL walked in the open door, pressed the button to close it, and it made a suction noise as it slid together. He looked up at me and Randy, and I got the distinct impression he was in a bad mood.

  “Did you show Randy around?” TL asked Chapling, and he nodded. “You two know each other, of course, from the Junoesque mission,” TL continued. “I was very impressed with Randy’s work. I’ve asked him to come on board for a few weeks as a historian consult on a few things I have going on.”

  “What?”

  Chapling and Randy jumped, and TL just looked at me.

  I cleared my throat. “I mean, what?” Holy crap. Joining The Specialists? This wasn’t good. This so wasn’t good. I know it was only for a few weeks, but this so wasn’t good.

  The lab door opened and in walked David.

  I swallowed.

  TL gave him a brusque nod, and my thoughts went back to wondering why TL seemed so upset. “David meet Randy. He’ll be here for a few weeks as a historian consult. He comes to us from the IPNC.”

  David stepped forward and shook Randy’s hand.

  I watched it all in a sort of slow motion. My boyfriend meeting the guy that kissed me.

  Chapling grabbed the still brewing coffee and poured himself a mug. “Isn’t it weird that GiGi and Randy already know each other?”

  David glanced between the two of us. “You two know each other?”

  I tried to swallow, but the huge lump in my throat prohibited me.

  “Yep,” Chapling went on. “From GiGi’s last mission. Randy was the glyph expert.”

  David didn’t respond for a second, and I watched as it slowly dawned on him. He turned and stared right into Randy’s eyes. “You’re the professor?” You’re the guy that ‘gets’ my girlfriend? I imagined him saying.

  Randy nodded, clearly not picking up on things.

  “David,” TL said, “Randy will be staying in the guest room. Take care of getting him settled.” With that, TL walked from the room.

  Everyone stood in silence. David staring at Randy. Me looking between the two of them. And Randy looking between me and David.

  “Yes!” Chapling smacked his lips. “Nothing like caffeine straight to the veins.” Carrying his coffee mug, he waddled over and climbed up into his computer chair and started clicking away, completely oblivious to the three of us.

  “Um,” Randy pushed his glasses up his nose. “Wanna show me to my room?”

  Without a glance in my direction, David turned and strode from the computer lab. “Yeah, let’s go.”

  Randy gave me a what’s-going-on? look to which I sort of smiled and shrugged.

  In silence I watched the two of them leave the computer lab. I was in trouble. Big trouble.

  ***

  Later that night, TL, Mystic, and David left for the mission. No one had a clue where they were going, but all of us were dying to know. Never, in the time I’d been here, had a mission occurred so quickly. Usually there were weeks of preparation before someone left.

  Whatever it was, it had to be really important.

  David hadn’t even had a chance to said goodbye.

  And Mystic hadn’t even received his going away party, tradition for all first missions.

  “Did you meet the new guy?” Cat asked.

  I glanced up from where I sat in the corner of the rec room, idly watching Bruiser and Parrot across the room playing air hockey while Wirenut cheered.

  I nodded. “Yes.” And went back to watching Bruiser and Parrot.

  Cat sat down in the oversized, leather chair beside me. “Cute, huh?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  Beaker plopped down in the other leather chair. “Wonder how old he is.”

  “Twenty three,” I answered.

  Cat snuggled further down in her chair. “Wonder where he came from.”

  “IPNC.” The same organization we used to belong to before going private.

  Beaker kicked her legs up on the table in front of us. “I heard he’s a historian.”

  I nodded, still watching the air hockey. “Yes.”

  “Suppose he has a girlfriend?” Beaker asked.

  I shook my head. “He doesn’t.”

  No one said anything for a few minutes, and then Cat looked over at me. “You sure know a lot about him.”

  “Yes,” I agreed.

  They didn’t reply, obviously waiting for me to continue.

  I sighed, resigned to the inevitable. “He’s the guy that kissed
me.”

  Beaker coughed. “What?”

  I finally took my eyes off of the air hockey match and drug them over to Beaker and Cat. “He was on the mission with Parrot and I.”

  Cat sat up in her chair. “Does David know?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “What did he say?” Beaker asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing.”

  Cat blinked. “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know.” It wasn’t like I had a lot of experience with this sort of thing. “I don’t suppose either of you have any words of wisdom.”

  Beaker shrugged. “Sorry. I’ve never had a boyfriend. Can’t help you.”

  Cat shrugged, too. “I’ve never cheated on a boyfriend.”

  “I didn’t cheat,” I defended myself.

  Beaker narrowed her eyes. “You kissed another guy.”

  “No. He kissed me.”

  They just looked at me.

  I rolled my eyes. “I guess this is the time when an older sister or mom would come in handy, huh?”

  They both nodded.

  “Oh and what I said earlier about David being my brother . . .” Beaker waved her hand in the air. “Whatever. You know I’m here for both of you and all that crap.”

  I let out a humorless laugh. “Gee, thanks.” Leave it to Beaker to be reluctantly supportive. Which, actually, was tons better than what she was before.

  Randy appeared in the doorway. “Kelly? Can I see you?”

  Beaker and Cat exchanged a look. Kelly? They mouthed in unison.

  The truth was I sort of liked that he called me Kelly instead of GiGi. It had been a long time since my real name had been used.

  Slowly, I got to my feet and crossed the rec room to where he stood in the door. I followed him across the hall and into the cafeteria that sat empty at the late hour. He slid into one of the aluminum, picnic type tables, and I sat down across from him.

  Quietly, we looked over the table at each other, and the more staring seconds that passed, the more anxious I became.

  “You all settled in?” I struck up a conversation.

  He nodded.

  And then we fell back into the silently-staring-at-each-other thing.

  Honestly, conversation was so not my strong point.

  “I can’t . . .” he let out a nervous chuckle. “I can’t believe you’re here. I’m here. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”