Double Vision

“Fontaine … Come in Fontaine.” Agent Kelsey Bhang called.

“Shhhh...” I whispered as I put my sight on the target.

I never thought I’d be doing this again but it is what I was made for. I had no other training and the training I learned at Säkerhet Corp couldn’t be used in any other profession.

Dianne had sought me out to join her new team that consisted of I.T. Specialist Agent Kelsey Bhang, two new agents fresh from the academy Agent Zack Lee and Agent Shirlekha Bag, and myself.

Dianne had trained me so she knew I was very good at what I did.

I had been away for a while raising our son and being a wife which I struggled at a lot.

After a lot of consideration and a lot of discussion trying to convince Michael everything would be ok. We agreed it was time for me to return especially after the visit we received from who we believe was Mr. Byun years back.

“I got him. Should I take the shot?” Zack assured.

“Wait for Fontaine.” Shrilehka replied in a whisper.

“Shhhhh.” I replied again.

I took a deep breath and inched my finger on the trigger.

“Dammit! Who the hell is that?” I complained as another person entered my view finder.

“OMG just take the damn shot Fontaine!” Zack demanded.

“Its all good, Fontaine. Deep breath and try again.” Kelsey said.

“I could have taken the shot, Fontaine.” Zack complained.

“Good for you, Lee. No one asked you.” I mumbled.

“Why do I always have to wait?” Zack asked angrily.

“Because Fontaine’s your team leader Zack. Now be quiet and stop being a hot head!” Shrilehka replied.

“That’s bullshit. I hate this! She is always dragging.” Zack mumbled to himself.

As I focused again I could not believe who it was. My eyes were surely playing tricks on me.

“No way.” I whispered.

“Yes way?” Kelsey whispered back.

“No, no not you, Kelsey.” I added.

“It cant be.” I thought as I tried to get another look at the persons face.

“What’s going on, Fontaine? Take the freaken shot already.” Zack demanded.

“I have the shot, Fontaine. Should I take it?” Kelsey interrupted unsure.

“Eff This! You take the freaken shot, Bhang. Come on!” Zack commanded.

“Stand by please.” I replied.

Right then the person turned around and looked directly into my viewfinder, as if they could see me. I jolted back in surprise.

“Bunny?” I whispered confused.

“Bunny where?” Kelsey repeated.

“Huh? There’s no freaken bunny in the shot! Where the hell do you see a bunny Fontaine?” Zack added.

“Is that a code word of some kind?” Shirlekha asked confused.

“Abort! Abort!” I commanded.

“Abort, why? I’m gonna take the freaken shot!” Zack replied.

“Abort?” Shrilehka questioned.

“I said ABORT!” I commanded.

“10-4 Fontaine. Relax.” Zack replied angrily.

“What the hell is going on, Fontaine?” Dianne interrupted.

“Your chosen team leader is messing up once again.” Zack mumbled with a smirk.

“What the hell! Return to base, right now!” Dianne commanded.

“10-4 boss”. Zack confirmed.

“On our way.” Shrilehka added.

“10/4.” Kelsey ended.

I quickly packed my bag and ran to my car. I tried calling Michael on the way home but he didn’t answer.

“Where is he?” I thought as I raced home.

I quickly pulled into my driveway as Michael was exiting the house.

“Hey honey, are you done with work already?” Michael asked as he walked towards me.

I nodded as I looked at him up and down.

“Are you ok?” Michael asked.

“Where are you coming from?” I asked.

Michael looked confused.

“From the house? What’s going on baby?” He said pointing at the door.

I nodded as he kissed my head.

“Did you forget? I have that interview today with the Musical company. For the producer position?” Michael said with a concerned look on his face.

I felt as if I was in a daze. I looked around then back at him.

“What’s wrong, Kat? You look like something is bothering you.” Michael asked.

“Nothing, nothing is bothering me. I just have a lot on my mind this morning bunny.” I whispered as I wiped my face.

Michael smiled as he walked towards his car.

“Wish me luck.” Michael said as he put his bag in the car.

“Good luck bunny.” I said as I watched him drive away.

Suddenly my earpiece comes on and startles me.

“Where the hell are you, Fontaine?” Dianne said angrily.

“10 minutes away.” I said as I got back in my car and rushed towards the office.

As I pulled in, I see Zack and Dianne standing by the front door. As I approached, Zack walked away.

“What is going on with you, Kat? This mornings simulation was easy, especially for you. You are a seasoned professional.” Dianne exclaimed.

“Nothing Dianne, I just lost the shot. You know that happens sometimes.” I replied with attitude.

Dianne nodded with disappointment.

“Then why didn’t you let Zack or Kelsey take it? That is what you are supposed to do. They are your team.” She responded.

I shrugged my shoulders and walked passed her into the lobby.

“Did you forget what your job is? If you can’t handle this simulation, how are you supposed to handle a real life situation?” Dianne asked sternly.

I stopped quickly and turned to Dianne.

“Come on Dianne, you know me. I didn’t forget what my job is. I just lost the freaken shot, ok.” I replied in anger.

“That’s unacceptable Katya.” Dianne countered.

I walked into the conference room where Kelsey, Shrilehka and Zack were. Dianne followed me in.

Dianne stood in front of the room as I sat down. I could see the disappointment in her face.

“Ok, I’m just going to say it. What the hell happened this morning? You guys aren’t working as a team.” Dianne said addressing the room.

“Ask Fontaine who is hallucinating bunny rabbits?” Zack mocked.

“Shhhh.” Kelsey added angrily.

“Its my fault. I messed up. We all make mistakes, don’t we?” I replied without hesitation.

Kelsey looked over at me and smiled.

“I know its just a training exercise, but you are not one who makes mistakes, Fontaine. Plus you have a team. Why not use them?” Dianne said.

I looked towards Zack and he smirked.

“You know Fontaine, your team does knows what they are doing.” Zack said with a cocky tone.

“Oh my gosh Zack! Be quiet.” Shirlekha stated.

“We have one more exercise tomorrow morning. Then we take on this job. There can’t be any more mistakes. I chose you guys cause you guys are the best, remember that. 6AM, same positions.” Dianne said looking at a file.

“10-4 boss.” Zack replied with cockiness.

I remained quiet. Zack smiled and walked out the room with Dianne.

I looked over at Kelsey and Shirlekha.

“You ok Kat, what happened?” Kelsey asked.

“I heard you say bunny.” Shirlekha added.

I looked around then moved towards them.

“I swear I saw Michael there.” I whispered.

“Oh damn, that makes sense now. You call Michael, bunny. I get it now. I thought you actually saw a bunny.” Kelsey added with a giggle.

“They may have put him there to check your mental status. I’ve heard that sometime they insert people who resemble your family members to see if you’ll still take the shot.” Shrilehka added.

“I’m not sure if that’s true Shrilehka but it’s unlikely that Dianne would do that. She’s never done it before.” Kelsey countered.

“I swear I saw him clearly. He walked right into the shot then looked directly at me.” I explained.

“Maybe your mind is overworked.” Shirlekha said.

I nodded in agreement. Shrilehka tapped my shoulder and smiled.

“Don’t worry Kat. Go home and rest it off and we’ll try again tomorrow. I trust you with my life so I know this is just a fluke.” Kelsey said with a smile.

I smiled and gave her a fist bump.

“Maybe I should go home. I haven’t slept well since the baby went to stay with my mom. I feel so uneasy. I don’t know what it is though cause hes visited my mom before.” I replied.

“Maybe you just miss him. Try some meditation that might work.” Shirlekha suggested.

“Yeah or just go home and relax. Take a bubble bath. Even better, take a bubble bath with your bunny.” Kelsey said with a giggle.

Shrilehka gave Kelsey a high five in approval.

I giggled as I got up to walk away.

“Sadly he’s busy today. Plus I have a bit of research to do so maybe another time. I’ll go home as soon as I’m done though. 15 minutes tops. Promise.” I said with a sad expression.

“See you in the morning then. I’m out.” Shrilehka ended.

I waved as they walked away.

“Who could that have been?” I asked myself as I walked towards my desk.

I sat a my desk for a minute, just staring at my computer. I totally zoned out.

“Katya! KATYA!” Dianne startled me.

I looked at her with a dazed look on my face.

“You seem very preoccupied lately. You sure you don’t want me to put the team on the case alone.” Dianne suggested.

“No, I’m ok. I’ll be ready for tomorrow. I promise.” I replied.

“I’m putting my faith on your word Katya. I can’t have you upfront if you are not ready. You and other agents can get hurt.” Dianne scolded.

I nodded my head in agreement.

I couldn’t understand what was going on in my head. Were my eyes fooling me? Or did I see Michael there? Was my mind telling me I returned to work too early? I know it was just a simulation but he looked so real, even though no one else saw him.

“There’s no way that was him, Dianne wouldn’t do that to me.” I whispered as I logged into my computer.

I took a deep breath and began typing.

“I wonder how everything is going for Michael? I hope he gets the job.” I thought as I looked into the case file I was working on.

Right then my cell phone rang.

“Hello sweetheart.” Michael said.

“Hey whats up? I was just thinking about you.” I replied.

“I’m done with the interview. And guess what?” He said excitedly

“What?” I said with a giggle.

“I was offered the job. I can start next week if I want. I even have my own office. How about that?” He explained excitedly.

“Congrats bunny! That’s so wonderful, I knew you would get it.” I said happily.

“I was so nervous but everything went well.” Michael said proudly.

“Ah hmm.” I replied.

“Kat, are you ok? You are starting to worry me, baby.” Michael asked.

“I’m good, no need to worry. I was just reading something on my new case.” I replied.

“Ok. If you say so. Well we have to celebrate so we are going out for dinner, no excuses, ok?” Michael stated.

“Of course bunny, I’ll see you tonight.” I replied.

“6 o’clock Katya, ok?” Michael ended.

“I’ll be there bunny.” I said pensive.

“Ok, love you.” Michael ended.

“I love you more.” I replied slowly hanging up the phone.

I glanced at my screen, scanning the page.

“Lets see what we are going after.” I thought.

I read through the first files then came to an abrupt stop.

“Documents sealed? Why are they sealed? Dianne usually has them open by now.” I thought.

As I picked up the phone to call Dianne concerning the file, I glanced over my monitor to see Zack approaching me. I quickly hung up.

“Hey Katya, can I ask you something?” Zack asked.

“Yeah, sure. What’s up?” I replied.

“Did you really see a bunny in your shot? I heard you say that during the exercise.” Zack inquired.

I nodded no.

“Bunny is what I call Michael. He is my husband.” I whispered.

He laughed and looked around.

“Your husband? Why would you think your husband would be a target in our exercise?” He pondered.

“I didn’t and he wouldn’t be. It was a mistake. Weren’t you at the meeting? We talked about this.” I quickly countered.

“Then why did you think you saw see him there?” Zack pushed aggressively.

“Zack, just walk away. I’m not in the mood to argue with you.” I stated annoyed.

“Listen, you need to fix this bullshit excuse you have because next time I’m taking that shot. Even if its your bunny.” Zack threatened with a mocking voice.

I rolled my eyes and began typing. He smirked than walked away.

“I’ll be at the shooting range, in case you need me, team leader.” Zack mocked from across the room with a laugh.

I flicked him off with a smile.

“Ughhh! Stop thinking about this. It was a mistake. I imagined Michael there because I was thinking about him, that’s all.” I recited to myself.

As I prepared for the upcoming case, the day went by quick. I didn’t even notice almost everyone had gone home already.

“Hey! You’re still here? You’re not going home tonight?” Kelsey asked as she walked towards the door.

“Oh shit! What time is it?” I asked as I snapped out of it.

“6 o’clock. Duh.” Kelsey replied.

I grabbed my phone and saw 2 missed calls.

“Oh man, Michael is gonna kill me.” I said as I rushed towards the door.

Half way through my drive, my phone rang again. The number came up unavailable which was strange because no one had this number but work and family.

“Hello?” I said confused.

“Hello. Katya Fontaine?” The voice said.

“Yes speaking?” I replied.

“Did you really think you and Michael could hide from me forever?” The voice said with a laugh.

“Who is this?” I asked as I looked at the caller id again.

“Its an old friend. I’m offended that you remember me?” He added.

“Stop the games. Who the hell is this?” I said sternly.

The phone suddenly went dead. I hit the steering wheel in frustration. I immediately called Kelsey.

“Hey Kat.” Kelsey answered.

“Hey Kelsey, Question. Is my phone constantly monitored?” I asked confused.

“Monitored?” Kelsey responded.

“Yeah, like I just received a weird call from who knows who. Can you track it?” I said quickly.

“Ummm, I might be able to. Let me connect to your phone. Give me a minute while I pull over.” Kelsey said.

I took a deep breath as I waited.

“Please hurry.” I replied as I waited.

“Umm Katya, that last call on your phone came from your house.” Kelsey said.

“My house?” How?” I replied.

“Yeah, the coordinates from my trace end up there.” Kelsey explained.

“Really? Shit! Michael!” I said as I began to rushed home.

“Is everything ok?” Kelsey asked concerned.

“I hope so. I’ll get back to you.” I replied.

“Keep me posted please.” Kelsey ended.

“Who was that? What the hell is going on?” I thought.

I quickly tried dialing Michael’s phone.

“Ughh! No answer. Dammit!” I said outloud.

As I drove I began preparing my gun. I pulled onto our driveway like a bat out of hell. I quickly ran in with my gun drawn.

“Michael?” I yelled from downstairs.

To my left I heard our kitchen door slam. I quickly went in that direction to find the door open but no one in sight.

“Oh what the hell? Bunny! Is that you? Where are you?” I shouted from the kitchen.

I crept up the stairs and through the hallway slowly. Pushing every door open. Just then Michael stumbled out of the bathroom.

“FREEZE!” I yelled.

“What the hell! KATYA!” Michael yelled.

“Are you ok? Did you leave the backdoor open?” I responded.

“Of course I’m ok. What the hell! I was taking a shower. Put down your gun. Oh my god!” Michael yelled angrily.

“Did you leave the back door open?” I continued angrily.

“Yes, I left it cracked cause it was stuffy downstairs. I always do that. Whats the problem Katya?” Michael argued.

“I’m sorry bunny. I thought someone had broken in and you were hurt.” I said in a low voice but still scanning around the room.

“Why would you think that?” Michael questioned.

I shrugged my shoulders. Michael nodded his head in disagreement.

“Are you sure it was a good idea for you to return to work? What if the baby was here? You would have scared him to death.” Michael said in a stern voice.

I suddenly had an awful feeling in my stomach.

“Mom and the baby?” I said as I turned around and ran for the phone.

“What’s happening? Katya. KATYA!” Michael yelled.

As I dialed out, the phone kept going to voicemail.

“Come on. Answer the phone Mom?” I said.

“Katya, what is going on? Talk to me baby. What is happening!” Michael yelled grabbing my arm.

“On my way home I received a weird call and I thought you were in trouble.” I explained.

“A weird call from who?” Michael asked upset.

“I don’t know who it was. It was just creepy. Kelsey traced it to here.” I explained.

He pulled me close and hugged me tight. Suddenly my phone rang.

“Hello, Mom?” I said anxiously.

“Hi Kat, I saw you called me a few times. Is everything ok? We were at the park.” My mom said.

“It was a mistake, mom. How are you guys?” I said calmly.

“We’re good. We’re home now. He’s having a snack. No need to worry. You know that.” My mother stated.

“I know Mom! Give him a kiss from us. I’ll call you guys back in a bit. I want to read him a bedtime story. Ok?” I said with a giggle.

“Ok. We’ll talk with you then sweetheart. Say hi to Michael from us.” My mom replied.

“I will.” I ended.

As I hung up I looked at Michael and smiled awkwardly.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered.

“I don’t know Katya but I don’t like how you’re acting. Maybe you should take more time. No one will fault you if you did. Plus that call could have been that team member guy who doesn’t like you. You know, like a prank call.” Michael suggested.

“I don’t know. Maybe I should take some more time.” I said confused.

“I know you are great at your job honey. I just don’t want you to get hurt.” Michael said concerned.

I nodded my head.

“Do you still want to go out? I can order in. Cozy night at home.” Michael suggested.

“No no let’s go out. Today is your day! We are celebrating you bunny.” I said with a smile.

Michael smiled shyly.

“Let me shower real quick and we’ll go, ok?” I said.

“Are you positive?” Michael asked again.

“Of course.” I said as I kissed him.

We hadn’t had an evening together in a long time and it was perfect. I couldn’t even remember the last time I saw Michael really smile. His laugh and happy demeanor made our evening complete. For a moment, we were back to how we used to be. We had been so wrapped up in our own separate lives we hadn’t had time to love each other like we used to. But tonight our fairy tale love was back.

The next day, I arrived to morning briefing a bit late. As usual, nobody really noticed but Zack.

“Its about time you arrived, team leader. Dianne said 6am not 6:15 slacker.” Zack said out-loud.

“Yeah good morning to you too, jerk.” I replied annoyed.

“Looks like you had a really nice night.” Kelsey said with a smirk.

I smiled and winked.

Just then Dianne entered the room.

“Good morning agents.” She said in a cheery mood.

She smiled as she opened a file on her desk.

“I have good news. We are going to skip this mornings exercises.” Dianne began saying.

“Do you think we should with Katya’s constant mistakes?” Zack interrupted.

Dianne motioned with her hand for him to be quiet.

“We have been given the go ahead on the assignment. And I trust we all will do well. Katya, you and your team will fly out Friday, early morning. Shrilehka and I will stay behind with intelligence from here.” Dianne added.

“Are you sure you trust the entire team?” Zack asked looking towards me.

“You know what Zack, you are the one that’s not trusted in this team.” Kelsey argued.

Zack laughed out loud.

Kelsey mocked his laugh.

“Stop it Zack, it’s too early. I have trust that this team will get the job done. If you don’t think so I can replace you with another agent.” Dianne replied.

He nodded his head no as he looked towards me.

“This assignment is confidential. No spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends etc. You know the drill. No contact.” Dianne stated.

“You hear that Katya. You can’t tell your bunny.” Zack mocked.

“Shut up Zack! What the hell is your problem.” Kelsey said annoyed.

I rolled my eyes and smiled.

“You’re so annoying.” Shirlekha added.

“You guys will be briefed Thursday night with an early flight on Friday to return Monday morning. Understood? Easy, short case. The complete files have been transferred to everyone’s cell for review, if needed.” Dianne ended.

“Oh damn Dianne, I forgot to tell you, part of the file is locked. I couldn’t get into it.” I said.

“I didn’t even get the file. Did you add me to the email list.” Zack asked.

“Wait! What? That’s weird. Shirlekha, can you check into that?” Dianne instructed.

“Sure.” Shirlekha replied.

As she typed we all talked amongst ourselves.

“Umm Dianne, it says file is corrupt.” Shirlekha said.

“Let me get back to my desk and I’ll look into it. You all have the original file follow that for now. Ok.” Dianne said as she walked away.

We all agreed.

I was excited to get back into work. Strange to understand but I missed working. I know its not your usual job but its a job. And I knew I could do it very well.

As I approached my desk I saw I had a message on my phone. I sat down and dialed to hear the message. At first I thought it was a hangup call but then I heard that voice again.

“Katya Fontaine, Remember me? I just wanted to welcome you back to work.” The voice said with a laugh.

I recognized that voice as the one who called me the other day. Was this Byun? Was he back to torment us? I tried to dial back the call but the call couldn’t be completed. Quickly I called Shrilehka. I could have called Kelsey but I didn’t want her to know Byun might be back.

“Hey Kat, whats up?” Shrilehka answered.

“Hey, could you do me a quick favor?” I asked.

“Sure, what can I do for you?” Shrilehka responded.

“Can you run my desk phone for recent calls received?” I asked.

“Of course. What are you looking for? Anything specific?” Shrilehka asked.

“All incoming call from last night until now.” I explained.

“Ok. That’s easy. Your phone received only 3 calls and all were in house.” Shrilehka searched.

“In house, Really?” I said confused.

“Yes weird huh? All calls came from Zack’s office. He’s probably making prank calls. Geez, he’s so damn annoying.” Shrilehka added.

“Probably. Thanks Shrilehka. That’s all I needed. You are awesome!” I said.

As I hung up, I looked up towards Zack’s office. He looked back at me and then closed his blinds.

“Ughhh I cant stand him.” I thought.

I couldn’t believe this was Byun. I really thought he was actually done with us. But then, knowing Byun’s character, I’m sure he’s been searching for us since the day we moved. But now, how was he calling from Zack’s office. This building is secure.

“Could Zack be involved with Byun? No, hes not that cunning.” I thought to myself.

Right then my phone rang and the call was coming from Zack’s office.

“Fontaine.” I answered.

“Fontaine, Katya Fontaine?” The voice said.

“Who is this?” I asked.

I looked towards Zack’s office.

“Oh I’m so hurt. You don’t recognize my voice.” The person said.

I softly put down the phone and walked quietly to Zack’s door. I quickly opened the door to find Zack sitting at his desk working on his computer.

“What the hell Katya!” He said startled.

“Are you on your phone?” I asked in a soft voice.

“Does it look like I’m on my phone.” He replied with an attitude.

I pointed to his phone and motioned for him to pick it up. He slowly raised the receiver to his ear.

“Hello.” He said.

“Zack? Oh damn, how strange. My line didn’t even ring. Can you come to my office real quick?” Dianne said.

He hung up the phone then looked at me suspiciously.

“Are you psychic now? How did you know Dianne was on the line?” He asked confused.

“I didn’t know. I just had a call from your office to my phone but it wasn’t you.” I said.

“Maybe lines got crossed, that happens sometimes. We are all wireless. Who was it though?” He responded confused.

I nodded as he walked passed me.

“I’m not sure.” I replied.

“Maybe you are just going crazy Kat. Maybe it was Bunny calling, oohh go save him.” He added with a laugh.

I slowly walk to my desk. I was actually spooked by this. I needed to tell Michael. As I reach for my cell I saw I had a text message waiting.

“I hope to see you again soon.” The message read.

It came from a private number so there was no use in tracing it. As I worked, I constantly kept checking my cell. I couldn’t wait for this day to end.

As I arrived home I decided not to tell Michael. I felt it would be safer for him not to know.

But was it safer?

Was I putting him in a dire situation?

This could be just a bad joke.

Morning came quick.

“Ughhh.” I said in a groggy voice as I reached for my cell phone to turn off the alarm.

I turned over and smiled as I watched Michael sleep for a few minutes.

“Sweet Bunny.” I whispered as I caressed his face.

He smiled and slowly opened his eyes. His smile always makes my heart flutter.

“Bunny, I have to get ready to go.” I said as I cuddled into him.

“I miss you already.” He said with a smile.

“Yeah, me too.” I said with a giggle.

I turned around and cuddled closer to him. He felt so warm as he wrapped his arms around me.

“Promise me, you’ll be careful.” I whispered.

“I think I should be saying that to you. Don’t you think?” He replied.

“You know what I mean.” I replied holding him tight.

“I know, I know baby.” He replied as I peeled myself away from his warmth.

I got up and prepared myself to go. While taking a sip of coffee my cell phone beeped.

“Ok its too early for this.” I mumbled as I grabbed my cell.

I noticed my cell was updating.

“An Update? Now?” I said as I walked over to Michael who was still in bed.

“I love you bunny.” I said as I kissed him.

“I love you too baby.” He whispered.

“Ahhh you are so warm. I don’t want to leave.” I said hugging him.

“Yeah yeah but you have to go. I know, I know.” He replied in a joking tone.

I smiled and kissed him again.

“See you Monday.” I said as I walked towards the door.

“Stay safe baby.” Michael said as he waved with a kiss.

Quickly the car taking us to the airport arrived. I shivered as I walked down my driveway to the car. It was so cold out.

“Hey.” I said as I got into the car.

“Hey.” Kelsey said in a nervous voice.

“Where’s Zack?” I asked.

“He requested to be picked up last.” Kelsey replied with an attitude.

“What a diva.” I said with a giggle.

Kelsey giggled in response then stared off into the distance. As we pulled up we could see Zack waiting outside.

“He looks anxious.” I said.

“He’s such a fake. A hot head. You know, he has been waiting for a job like this all his miserable life.” Kelsey replied rolling her eyes.

I giggled.

“Hello Agents.” He said upon entering the car.

He always had such an annoying condescending voice.

“Hey Zack.” Kelsey said.

I raised my eyebrows in acknowledgment.

Luckily we quickly arrived at the airport because the silence in our car was deafening.

“Ahh man, I hate flying.” I said anxiously as I walked towards the gate.

“Don’t worry Kat, it’s a short flight.” Kelsey assured with a smile.

“Yeah, I know but I feel uneasy as usual. I’ve always felt weird about flying.” I replied.

“You’ll be fine. You’re a big girl. Don’t be a scaredy Kat.” Zack interrupted.

“Oh no, don’t start with the lame jokes Zack.” Kelsey warned as she playfully punched him.

My eyes scanned the airport gate as we approached. The flight was a special one so only agents were scheduled on it. Strangely I didn’t know any of them but then I had been out of work for a bit.

“Agent Fontaine & team.” A man called out.

“Agent Fontaine & team.” Zack mocked in a deep mans voice.

I gave Zack a dirty look, raised my hand and approached the man.

“Yes,” I replied.

“You can board. The plane is ready for take off. We are only waiting for the crew.” He stated.

We boarded the plane and prepared for takeoff.

I glanced around. Zack sat near the back which wasn’t normal but he wasn’t normal.

Kelsey sat a few rows over. I saw her turn on her Ipad then I saw a woman approach her and tell her to turn it off during take off. Kelsey looked over at me and shrugged her shoulders.

“Hello Agents, I’m Captain Jackson. We are expecting a smooth quick flight. 1 hour flight time. No extreme bad weather just a few raindrops on the radar. So sit back and enjoy the flight.” The voice said that came over the intercom.

I couldn’t help but check out my surroundings again. I don’t know if it was my nerves but something kept making me do it. There were 2 agents to my left and 1 to my right. They seemed preoccupied but then my mind was in overload so I might have been overreacting. As the plane took off, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I could picture the flight where I met Michael and how he calmed me down. I imagined his soft sweet voice whispering in my ear.

“Ughhh. I still hate flying. Deep long breath Katya. Deep long breaths.” I whispered to myself.

Five minutes in, I was already checking my watch for landing time. I tried to keep my mind busy so I wouldn’t freak out. The turbulence wasn’t bad but I squeezed the armrest at every little bump. I remembered Michael holding my hand and smiling as a calming tactic. As I came out of my daydream my eyes caught Kelsey’s Ipad screen. I could see she was looking at a map. Quickly Kelsey turned off her Ipad and came over to me.

“Hey whats up?” I asked nervously.

“Kat, something is wrong.” She whispered trying not to get attention.

“What do you mean?” I whispered.

She turned on her Ipad and pointed at the screen.

“What are you showing me Kelsey?” I asked.

“This is our plane flight route and this is our plane.” She explained.

Our plane was going in a different direction.

“What the hell? Are you sure that’s us?” I replied.

She nodded yes and turned off her IPad.

“Don’t react. Let me see what I can see around us.” I whispered as I got up to stretch and look around.

Zack was asleep in back and the other agents were doing their own thing. Nothing seems out of place.

“Kat, we’re down now. No service what so ever on our phones.” Kelsey whispered as she tugged on my jacket.

“Maybe we are going through a black zone. Give it a minute.” I replied.

“Ok but I don’t think so. It’s so strange.” Kelsey said concerned.

Zack’s phone suddenly rang with a no service tone which immediately woke him up. I heard him move but then I heard a scuffle.

“Kat, I think we’re being skyjacked.” Kelsey yelled.

Suddenly we were surrounded by men and women with guns.

“What the hell is going on?” I said.

Suddenly over the intercom I heard a very familiar voice.

“Hello Agent Fontaine and fellow agents, please fasten your seat belts. This flight is going on a slight detour.” The voice said.

“Byun.” My mind immediately thought.

“Can you take your gun out of my face, it’s not like I can run away.” I said to the man in front of me.

Suddenly Zack sees an opportunity and runs towards the cockpit.

“I got this!” he yelled as he passed us.

“Don’t even think about it.” The agent holding the gun to my face said.

There was nothing I could really do because I was unarmed upon boarding the flight.

As the scuffle in the cockpit became more intense suddenly the plane started to descend quickly.

My heart felt like I was going to explode. I flew up out of my seat and fell over onto the man holding me hostage. We both slid down the aisle. In my own scuffle, I didn’t notice what everyone else were doing. All I heard were screams. Then nothing. No sounds at all.

At headquarters, Shrilehka received a general distress signal on her laptop. She quickly called Dianne.

“Dianne, something has gone wrong. I just got a distress signal from Kelsey’s Ipad.” She said in a worried tone.

“Can you track the plane?” Dianne asked.

“Yeah, I’m on it.” Shirlekha said.

Shirlekha quickly typed to track the plane. She gasped as she noticed her tracking software remained blank. As if the flight didn’t exist.

“Umm, it says tracking unavailable. But the flight was there a few minutes ago. I saw it.” Shirlekha explained.

“Track Kelsey’s Ipad or their phones.” Dianne instructed.

“I tried tracking through her Ipad and Katya’s cell too, and nothing. It’s as if they have them turned off.” Shrilehka replied.

“That’s impossible. How about Zack?” Dianne asked.

“Ok? Weird thing happening, Zack’s cell isn’t pinging at all. I’ve tried it twice and same thing came up.” She replied confused.

“What the hell is going on?” Dianne whispered as she typed and watched her screen flash with no plane info.

Shrilehka nodded as she tried to track the plane again and again.

“Ughh still nothing. Come on.” Shirlekha murmured.

“I’ll be right there.” Dianne said.

Shrilehka called the airport while still trying to track the plane. They claim to have no current info on the flight.

Dianne ran through the lobby into intelligence headquarters.

“Anything new?” Dianne asked as she entered Shirlekha’s office.

Shirlekha nodded as she continuously typed.

“I called the airport. All they said was that the plane was in the air for 15 minutes then disappeared off their radar. They said they didn’t think anything of it since it was a routine flight and during storms they flash in and out of radar. I explained to them they needed to find this flight immediately. Now I’m on standby while they were working on tracking the flights black box. At this point, there is no malfunction or outage of their equipment.” Shrilehka reported.

“What the hell? This is insane! That plane could not have disappeared into thin air.” Dianne said upset.

Dianne paced back and forth.

“Everyone on that flight was authorized for this case. I don’t get it.” Dianne said concerned looking through the file.

“Unless someone snuck in.” Shrilehka added.

“That would be impossible. Security is super tight on these missions. Plus no one but the agents knew about this flight.” Dianne said as she dialed the private airlines emergency number.

She paced back and forth fiercely.

“Come on, you have to have some kind of info on that plane. How can you tell me you have nothing when it left from the airport less than 20 minutes ago. It was supposed to be a secure flight. Who do you have on the flight list?” Dianne said frustrated.

Dianne remained quiet as the person on the phone explained.

“According to our gate attendant the flight crew was 6 instead of 5. They had an extra unlisted pilot for that flight. Then all the agents.” The lady said.

“Extra pilot? For a 1 hour flight? That would be your first clue something wasn’t right. No one else was cleared for that flight, not even last minute. Do you have a name on who the extra pilot was?” Dianne asked.

“No, we figured he was cleared since he boarded the flight with the crew so we didn’t check his I.D.” The lady added.

Dianne hit her desk.

“Are you serious? This flight was not a regular flight like you all assume. This flight was an assigned mission secured flight.” Dianne explained.

“I understand. I apologize for this inconvenience.” The lady replied nervous.

“Inconvenience? A missing plane is not an inconvenience.” Dianne yelled.

The lady remained quiet. Dianne took a deep breath.

“Ok. So what happens now? How do I know where my agents are?” Dianne asked furiously.

“I have contacted our supervisor. He is looking into the matter as we speak. All we could do is wait for his findings.” The lady replied.

“Wait?! We have to wait? For his findings? Our agents were on that flight! And that flight is missing, what are we waiting for? You are kidding me right?” Dianne yelled into the phone.

She hung up frustrated.

“What they say?” Shirlekha asked nervously.

“Nothing. Nothing at all.” Dianne said.

“What do we do now?” Shirlekha asked.

“Wait. That’s what they said to do. Just wait.” Dianne said upset.