[v2] Chapter 25: Chaos

Friday, April 28th

Location: YMPA (location may vary)

Operation: Survive

Time: Unknown

I couldn’t believe it.

Here I was, running for my life from four adult agents while students around me shouted and recorded the whole thing, probably planning to post it on social media. This wasn’t the kind of audience I imagined I’d be sprinting in front of.

I bolted up the stairs, students scattering out of my way as the agents closed in behind me. I darted left, weaving through the hall as students yelled things that could probably make even a sailor blush. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw one of the agents—a bald white guy—flanked by a Black cop with short, wavy hair. Behind them, two other agents, both Hispanic with straight black hair, were still on my tail.

These weren’t the movie agents in sharp suits; they were in SWAT-style gear—minus the helmets and extra equipment.

I charged through a door at the end of the hall and stumbled into what used to be Mr. Drails's office. The room was under renovation, and I saw the workers’ faces twist in frustration as I crashed through the glass window on the other side.

Luckily, I activated my Perk just in time, so the impact wasn’t as bad as slamming into a semi-truck. I doubted the agents would follow me down from this height, so I had at least a solid thirty seconds to a minute to find a hiding spot.

Now, I was on agency grounds—the real deal. I could feel the shift from school to the agency. Full-grown agents walked around with purpose. They noticed me immediately, their brows raised, watching me run, alert but curious.

Where could I hide?

There were a few black military-style vehicles with yellow stripes around, so I ducked behind one, gasping for air. My cover didn’t last long, though. People, agents and truck drivers alike, gawked at me, their eyes narrowing in confusion.

Like a pack of lions spotting prey, they charged at me, some even firing shots. The bullets thudded into the truck—thankfully missing me. I scrambled onto the vehicle, but as a few agents climbed onto the hood, I realized I was trapped.

Then, my eyes caught the towering glass building ahead—easily over a hundred floors. Thinking fast, I activated my Perk again, leaping thirty feet into the air and crashing through one of the building’s windows. I landed in an office, probably on the thirty-second floor if I had to guess.

I didn’t stop running. Agents appeared from every corner, trying to grab me, but I managed to dodge most of them. As I hit the stairs, an agent blocked my path. I kicked him down the flight, but it only led to more trouble—another agent lassoed me and dragged me down, my head hitting the steps with a painful thud.

When I looked up, everything was a blur, but I could still make out the figure standing before me—Principal Renner.

“Alpha, we’ve got him,” she said, her voice echoing through the haze as my vision burned. The light was too bright, and I closed my eyes, unable to open them for what felt like forever.

***

For a moment, I thought I was at a water park—a distant memory from a vacation with my mom years ago. But then reality hit when I opened my eyes to a gallon of cold water being dumped on me. I gasped and sputtered as water splashed on the floor, which, to my surprise, was tiled. The bathroom floor.

Was this really where they planned to interrogate me? Interrogation rooms could be unconventional, but a bathroom? Really? It felt like they were trying to break me with the setting itself. The place didn’t smell terrible, though, just damp and sticky with humidity.

“Yes, you’re in the bathroom,” a man’s voice said.

I looked up and focused on Agent White, who was sitting across from me, while Principal Renner stood by, arms folded.

“Figured that out,” I muttered, trying to sound unbothered. “Why are you both here?”

Agent White leaned forward, his voice darkening. “We both have questions for you.” He paused, his tone lowering menacingly. “I know child abuse is a sensitive issue these days, but I won’t hesitate to break you until you tell me what I need to know.”

I gulped, the air thick with tension. Renner’s gaze pierced me, a mix of annoyance and twisted satisfaction.

“So, can I say—” I started, but Renner cut me off.

“According to intel from a reliable student, you allegedly tried to assassinate Mari French,” Renner said coldly.

My jaw dropped. “No, no, no! I didn’t try to assassinate anyone!”

Renner sneered. “That’s a tough sell, considering what our witness reported. Apparently, you were on the academy’s grounds, Mari saw you, and you attacked her using our own system.”

"Okay... it looks bad," I admitted, my frustration boiling.

“It is bad,” Renner agreed, voice low.

I took a deep breath, trying to find a sliver of reason. “Look, I get how it looks, but situations aren’t always as they seem.” White tilted his head, considering.

He nodded slowly. “You’ve got one minute to explain. Start talking.”

I stammered, the seconds ticking away. “So, Jamal was there, trying to steal pastries. I wasn’t following him for that; we had suspicions about…”

Before I could finish, the bathroom door swung open. Mr. Drails entered, dressed in a sharp black-and-brown tuxedo, followed by two older men in gray suits. His eyes scanned the room, his face tightening in disdain.

“What’s going on here?” he demanded. “And why is Connor here?”

Agent White spoke up. “Because he allegedly tried to assassinate Mari French. She’s a second-year agent.”

Mr. Drails raised an eyebrow. “I highly doubt he tried to assassinate anyone. What’s with all this questioning?”

Renner stepped forward, her voice dripping with false certainty. “Because he might be the mole we’ve been looking for.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. “Hold on—no! I didn’t do anything like that!”

White turned his piercing gaze on me. “For a suspect, you talk a lot. Isn’t it convenient that you took the mission where the objective was to capture Lowman?”

“But Principal Renner assigned me that mission!” I protested, desperate for a lifeline.

“Quiet,” White snapped. “We launched the MP system only days ago, and they already knew about it. But I’m betting it wasn’t Malachi who was the target. It was Mari.”

I shook my head. “No, no! If Mari were the issue, she’d be at the top of the leaderboard!”

White smirked. “Or so you’d want us to think. It’s a perfect distraction, isn’t it? While everyone’s focused on Malachi, you’d eliminate Mari without anyone noticing.”

Mr. Drails’s patience was running thin. “Are you seriously suggesting that my son is a TSA assassin? I personally recruited him.”

“Just because you recruited him doesn’t mean he hasn’t switched sides,” White countered smoothly.

“But the mission was assigned randomly by Principal Renner,” Mr. Drails argued.

Renner raised her hand, attempting to regain control. “Captain Drails, let’s keep personal feelings out of this.”

Mr. Drails sighed and stepped forward, looking me dead in the eye. “Connor. Talk.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and recounted everything—how I’d tailed Jamal because he was one of Malachi’s allies, how I found him stealing pastries, and how Mari mistakenly thought I was a thief. I explained that in a panic, I’d accidentally struck her with a mallet to keep her from blowing my cover.

Renner exchanged glances with White, Mr. Drails, and the men behind him.

“So, what info do you have?” Renner asked, her tone slightly softer but still laced with suspicion.