Operation: M.I.A

XIII // Water

I lost them.

Zander probably thinks that I'm freaking out right now. He's probably right. I filter through ideas in my brain deciding what the best thing to do is. I have to do something!

I sit back against the leather sit for a moment and close my eyes. I let the deafening static from the earpiece laying on my lap fill my empty head. There is a part of me that just wants to sit here and wait for the boys to get out of whatever predicament there are in on their one. I am not used to being the field agent, the hero, or the 'inside' man like Zander calls himself. I lift my head and take another crack at getting the GPS signal back on my computer.

But all I get is 'Error' notifications.

Maybe this whole thing - this whole situation and plan to fix it - is wrong. We are blindly grasping at threads of information and slivers of knowledge, hoping that it will be the key that breaks this case wide open. But I think I'm the one who needs to know. I need to know why Karina is putting us through hell. There has to be a reason. There must be a plausible reason why Zander and his long-lost BFF are running through the halls of a Russian's home. I need to find them because we need to keep moving.

I do the only thing that makes sense but is completely illogical at the same time. I put my comms unit back in my ear, pull my black mask down over my face, and get out of the car.

I don't know what I'm doing but I stick a small pistol in my boot and carry one in my hand. I have shot a gun before - many times, actually. It' part of our weekly training to hit the shooting range. However, I've never had to use one on a mission. I hope this isn't initiation time.

I run towards the glorious mansion before me. The streets lights look out of place in a front yard, but add a mystifying effect to the aura. I can tell the hedges are impeccably trimmed, even in the dark. This is what money looks like. I make a mental note to find out where Alexander X gets his money. We need to find the source.

I try to trace Zander and Rylan's steps in my mind and then with my feet. I sneak along the edge of the building and fix my eyes on the rope that is still hanging from the balcony, ready for use. I pocket my gun and place my hands firmly around the rope and climb.

I try not to huff too loudly, but climbing a rope this tall is hard work. I finally latch onto the railing and swing my leg up. Thank god I've been religiously working on my flexibility these last couple of months. I easily push myself up so I am balancing stealthily on the cement railing. If only Zander could see this he might credit me with some spy skills.

I jump down without a sound and my quick strides lead me into the mansion. Nervous energy starts to fill my veins and it focuses my mind. Find Zander. And Rylan.

I realize that somehow I just don't feel as great of a need to rescue the shorter boy. But I need Zander. I need his plans and I need his confidence. I need him.

Because he is my partner.

The room and the hall before me are empty. I run to the left and scurry around the corner. The hallways are much more lavish in person and I try to ignore the decorations and expensive furnishings. I take the same set of stairs that my crew did, but I stop before I reach the bottom step. 

I can feel my heavy heart beat in my chest, ears, and every surface of my body. I can tell my nerves are increasing, but I try to not let them control me. I switch the gun I am holding to my left hand for a moment to wipe the moisture off of my right one.

I recall that I told my team to go to the ballroom, but they had to turn and run the other way. That is what I do. I head in the opposite direction of the massive room I had been in the previous night in my silk dress. That was the most confident I had felt in a really long time. I know I should stop before I get distracted.