Declassified

Chapter 5: Max Gets Caught (Edited)

"To love is to destroy, and that to be loved is to be the one destroyed."

Cassandra Clare

Max Gets Caught

Don't think that it was just me who was surprised at how well we did and how we were naturals at self-defense. As far as I knew I had never taken self-defense or karate classes, but I was really good. Lena was very surprised at my quick learning, and graceful techniques. To be truthful, so was I and Max was too. I hadn't known how good he was until we started training.
There were plenty of things that I didn't know until we started training, like how to do a round-house kick, or how to potentially take down an oncoming attacker who was larger in size than you. We learned other basic techniques that could be useful, like how to find water and how to survive for a night or two in the wild. I figured it would be best if I paid attention just in case Max wasn't but he seemed highly engrossed, which surprised me slightly. He didn't normally pay attention to lessons no matter what they were about.
We trained for hours and progressed "amazingly fast" and "like no other trainees before, not even your parents". At least that's what Lena said. I didn't think much of it cause I was just focused on getting this training over with and starting the mission.
When we started training it was just punching the air, then we moved to punching bags, then dummies, then we got to face off with other trainees. Time felt like it was moving at the speed of light, it went so fast and by then end of it all, I was exhausted. Went the training was finally over I looked at Max and saw he was as tired as I was. I was ready to collapse.
I looked over at Lena, and saw that she didn't look any different.
"Why do you look so tired? Don't you do this all the time?" I asked.
"Not really. Believe it or not. I don't really do this often, but I wanted to be here because I owe it to your parents. I just ended up staying for the whole duration of the training and practicing as well instead of my original plan to watch and assess like I would normally do." She said as she gave a small laugh.
I hadn't expected her to say that. I thought it was a routine thing that she would train with everyone because she seemed so fit and so good at fighting. At some point I went off in a thinking daze and noticed that Max was again waiting in the doorway for me. He called my name and I turned. This was becoming and unhealthy habit of mine that I had to stop. I had been doing it all day. This was not something I have done before. Up until today I had never done this before. No one else was noticing it though. It was like the norm even though I had never seen anyone else do this. Of course I had only been here for 8 hours.
"Everyone else has left and we need to catch up before they all leave." Max insisted from the doorway.
I turned towards him, rolled my eyes and headed for the halls. As we turned the corner, Max bumped into this girl. When I say bumped I mean crashed. He knocked both of them over. Unfortunately for them she had been holding a bunch of weapons and a net came out of nowhere and caught Max. She jumped up and started apologizing like crazy. All while Max was sitting on the ground looking dazed, lost, and confused.
When he snapped out of his moment he looked up at the girl who muttered that her name was Stacy and got this far away look in his eyes just staring at her. She luckily didn't notice him again until after she was done frantically apologizing and Max had started trying to escape his predicament. Stacy gracefully bent down and picked up the launcher. She pressed a button and the net was reeled back in. Max stood up and brushed himself off.
"Hi, I'm Max. Nice to meet you."
"Hi! Sorry about that, I'm Stacy, Stacy Sav're. Nice to meet you."
I turned slowly, and tiptoed down the halls towards where all the noise was coming from. I could already feel the love blossoming in the air. And I may have been a teensy-weensy bit proud of him for flirting with a girl.
When Max finally caught up with me, he had a little slip of paper in his hands. And he was blushing furiously.

"She's a fox, Raina." I groaned, he knew I didn't really like that word. I smiled to myself and pretended not to see him slip the little piece of paper into his pocket.

"I didn't know you were on the make Max, but if she is here do you really want to jam with a spy?" He was always looking for a girl to have a blast with, didn't matter where he found her. We came across the doors that we had entered hours ago from the main building of the DS. I pushed them open and as we walked inside the silence swept over the crowd. There were hundreds of people all in black arguing with each other and Lena and Witherstone, who had removed his fedora and was sporting a bald head, at the front of the room. As the room fell silent the last thing Lena said was "THEY HAVE TO KNOW!".
She noticed the silent room and slowly the two adults turned their heads in our direction.
"Good." Witherstone glanced at Lena, "You two are here."
Hundreds of eyes on us at the same time. I am not looking forward to having that feeling ever again.
What happened in the room was almost surreal. The whole crowd split in two, making a path for us to walk to the front of the hall. It was like time slowed down to almost a stop. Every move we made was calculated by hundreds of eyes. All of them assessing us, sizing us up. I don't know if they were purposefully making us uncomfortable and trying to intimidate us or if that was just what it felt like. Every step of ours echoed off the walls in the large room. If I hadn't been having a heart attack then I would have been in awe. Of course I would never tell anyone that. After what seemed like an eternity, we reached some steps to go up to the platform the Director and Lena were standing on. It only raised up about a foot but it was enough to put them on the more important side of the people in the room. They waved us up and we stood awkwardly to the side. For a second the whole room stood still. All eyes on us, I was worried about what was going to happen next.