Sapphire of Espionage

Chapter 7: Surviving without money

Back in the city, the trio navigated the bustling streets with a mix of determination and trepidation. Ian clutched the white spider lilies, a symbol of his mother's survival. "I knew she was alive," he said, the flowers a tangible link to his past and a beacon for his future.

Kaida, ever practical, voiced the question that hung in the air, "Where could she be?" The uncertainty of their situation was a shadow they couldn't shake.

Ian, fueled by a newfound purpose, declared his intentions. "I have no idea, but I'm going to find her after becoming a spy." His friends' support was unwavering, Alvis affirming, "We support you, buddy."

Kaida expressed her frustration at their fugitive status, "I hate that we're on the run in this free country." But Alvis, with a characteristic smirk, hinted at a plan brewing in his mind.

Recognizing the familiar expression, Kaida teased, "I know that cringe smirk; it's a sign of a brilliant idea." Alvis confirmed her suspicion, "You got that right, Kaida. I have an idea."

He proposed a daring ruse: faking their own deaths to throw the SPA off their trail. "The SPA members are looking for us because they know we're still alive in this city, but what if... we actually 'died'?" he suggested.

Kaida was incredulous, "What the hell? That's your idea? To die?" Alvis clarified, "To die only for appearances."

Ian embraced the concept, "Faking our own deaths." The plan began to take shape, involving a staged explosion at sea.

"Why the sea?" Kaida questioned. The answer was simple yet chilling, "Because that's where the sharks live."

The plan was audacious: rent a car, drive recklessly, crash into a bridge, and escape unseen as the vehicle plunged into the ocean depths, followed by a controlled explosion.

Kaida's concern was practical, "Where are we going to get a bomb?" Ian's confidence didn't waver, "We'll figure it out."

Alvis outlined the final act of their deception, "And that's not the end of the plan. We're going to have to broadcast our faces in the news as dead."

Kaida was stunned, "What?! Just how are we going to do that?!" Alvis, ever the strategist, had already considered this, "You know me. I'll disguise myself as a person who happens to have gotten a picture of the dead, and their identities too."

The plan was set, their fates hanging in the balance. "I hope this works," Kaida said, a mix of hope and fear in her voice.

"It will," Ian assured, his determination a steady flame in the face of their uncertain future.
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The Special Power Agency (SPA) agents arrived at Ian's former residence with a sense of urgency. Greeting the woman who answered the door with a curt "Hi," they wasted no time in presenting a picture of the trio they were desperately seeking.

"Hello, can I help?" the woman responded, unaware of the gravity of the situation unfolding on her doorstep.

The agents inquired if the three individuals in the photo had visited her home. "No," she replied, her answer truthful as the trio's clever disguises had rendered them unrecognizable.

"Who came here recently?" the agents pressed, their investigation intensifying.

"Well, three boys came here looking for a woman named Marie Hunter," the woman recounted, her memory clear on the recent visitors.

"Three boys? Not even one girl?" the agents probed, their confusion evident.

"No," she affirmed, her commitment to the safety of minors preventing her from disclosing further details to the strangers before her.