Free Vortex by Julie Cross

death threat targeted at the chancellor of Germany,” Marshall
     said, pacing back and forth in the giant common room. “There’s reason to believe the
     EOTs are behind this. We have exactly two hours to prevent the murder of one of the
     most important political figures in the world.”
    “Excuse me, Chief,” Agent Freeman interrupted. “Can you tell us anything about the
     source?”
    Chief Marshall’s eyes rested on Freeman, like they were conversing silently. “I’m
     sorry, I can’t reveal that information at this time.”
    “Will all of us be in the field?” another trainee asked.
    Marshall shook his head, and I could practically hear the silent groans no one dared
     to utter aloud. Everyone was itching for a real-life assignment, even me.
    “Since we’ve never seen more than three or four EOTs at any given time and because
     this mission should be fairly simple, we don’t plan to complicate things further by
     charging in with the entire division. Agent Meyer Senior and Agent Freeman will each
     lead a team of two,” Marshall said, and a few agents did groan out loud this time.
     There were fourteen of us. Most likely my incident from earlier would eliminate my
     participation, but a lot of others would be left out, too.
    I relaxed a little, letting my heart slow down. No reason to panic if I’d just be
     sitting on my ass looking up shit in the Communications Room. I leaned back against
     the wall and Kendrick did the same, then whispered to me, “Look at the bright side,
     I saw that guitar in your room … You can entertain me while I record data. Maybe we
     can write a depressing song about secret agents who never get picked.”
    I rolled my eyes at her, but attempted to smile, since she was obviously just trying
     to be nice.
    Marshall turned to us, scanning his eyes over the group. “Agent Freeman will take
     Stewart and Parker,” Marshall said.
    More groans.
    “Shouldn’t I be going with my partner?” Mason asked. “What about the potential for
     explosives in this situation? I have the highest marks on all the deactivation tests—”
    “Not this time,” Dad said.
    Mason’s freckled face turned a little red, but he didn’t give up. “But what if—”
    “Sorry, Mason,” Dad interrupted, more firmly this time, ending the conversation.
    “Agent Meyer Senior will take Agent Kendrick…” Marshall hesitated and turned to stare
     at my partner. She straightened up immediately, her jaw practically dropping. “And
     the other Agent Meyer.”
    Now my heart had returned to pounding. More like beating its way out of my chest. Good thing we aren’t hooked up to the torture chair anymore . The first person I looked at was Dad. He didn’t even make eye contact and his face
     was completely unreadable.
    “The rest of you will remain here doing routine surveillance and monitoring the mission’s
     progress.”
    The groans came out louder this time because the decision had been made. They didn’t
     have anything to lose. I was still holding my breath and Kendrick wiped her sweaty
     hands off on her pants. Parker and Stewart, however, looked excited and confident.
     The complete polar opposite of Dad’s team. Poor Dad .
    Dad turned to the four trainees assigned to the field. “Change into something that
     blends in with typical tourists. You’ve got three minutes.”
    This was really happening. Not the fake staged missions I had participated in over
     the last three months. But the real question was, why did Marshall choose me and Kendrick
     over some of the others who had more well-rounded skills? I knew he had a very specific
     reason. I just didn’t know what that was.
    One thing I had learned after three months of training was that almost every task
     or assignment revolved around mind games. Question everything and everyone.
    *   *   *
    Kendrick and I stared at the beautiful castle in front of us, lit up for the nighttime
     crowds.
    “My first trip to Heidelberg, and of