FanFic 2/12

  ''Amy, you have to tell me. It's only a month to publication for Book 3!''
"It's not important," mumbled Amy, poking at the carpet with her toe.
  Peter Lerangis waited. When she didn't speak, he threatened, "If you won't tell me I will have to get Dan's side of the story."
  "No! You can't do that! "
"Okay then, just tell me what happened in South Korea! You put the coin thing Ian gave you in the statue's mouth, the ground shook..."
  Amy remained silent. Her chin began to quiver.
"All right, there is one other thing I could do."
  Amy brightened perceptibly. "What?"
"You'll see when the book comes out."

Ian and the Author:

  Ian Kabra was startled by the ringing of his cellphone. "Hello? I'm currently trying to sleep. Please be brief."
  "Hello, Mr. Kabra. I was hoping you could contribute to a book I am-"
"No. Leave me alone."
  "Wait! It's about the Clue Hunt!"
"What about it?" Ian didn’t hang up.
  "We just need your point of view on what happened in South Korea..."
Ian's eyes shone and an evil grin began to play across his face. "Sure! What do you need to know?"

SEVERAL WEEKS LATER…

  ''No!'' wailed Amy. ''Who told you this?''
"Ian told me, of course," Peter Lerangis smiled sweetly.
  "He would never tell a Janus this!"
"Apparently he wanted you to know just how he feels. He even said he would do more if we needed him."
  Dan crashed through the door. "AMY! I read the book! I think it's just lovely!  Mwahaha!"
  Nellie rushed in behind him. "Come on, Kiddos, we’re going to miss our flight to Cairo!"
  Amy hesitated, then asked Peter in a whisper, “Can I have a copy of the book?"
He winked and gave her one.

Fiske and Brooklyn:

  ‘In book four, Beyond the Grave, Amy and Dan are trapped by Jonah Wizard, who leaves them on a deserted island on the Nile. After Jonah deserts them, they are chased by a crocodile across the island, but are saved by a local fisherman and taken to shore.’

  Brooklyn was that ‘local fisherman’. She worked for the Madrigals and had just rescued Amy and Dan from probable death, and almost certain mutilation.

  Brooklyn turned to Fiske and gave him a high-five. He smiled at her.
  "You did well on you first mission." But his mind seemed to be somewhere else.         ''I think perhaps Grace misjudged the Wizard boy. She couldn't have guessed he would do something like this."
  Brooklyn nodded. Leaving other Clue Hunters on a crocodile-infested island wasn't really Jonah's style.
  "Maybe his nasty mother had something to do with it," she suggested.
  "Perhaps so." Fiske's mind seemed to return to earth. "Oh my, we must catch your plane if you are to get to school on time tomorrow!"
  She smiled. She was tired and ready to go home. Who wouldn't be after saving Amy and Dan, spying on Jonah Wizard, and completing their first mission for the Madrigals?
  They drove in silence for some time. Then Fiske spoke.
  "Well Brooklyn, you completed your first mission. The Madrigals have decided you worthy to become one of our Agents."
  He parked the car.
  "Thank you so much!” Brooklyn gasped. She wanted to say more, but she couldn’t miss her flight.

  Brooklyn jumped out of the car and rushed into the airport terminal. "See you soon!"

Vikram Kabra:

  Fiske wasn't the only one watching her go, however. Vikram Kabra was inside the terminal.
  "Our mole was correct, then," he grunted. Then he turned to the hired thugs. “I want this one alive," he informed them.

Brooklyn:

  Brooklyn never knew what hit her. One minute she was running into the terminal, and the next she was being picked up and dumped into a soundproof box. In fifteen minutes, she was flying in Vikram Kabra's private jet, traveling at lightning speed towards Russia.
  She was very startled, but being a smart Lucian - and a Madrigal now! - she did not scream or pound, seeing that it was a soundproof box. Instead, she calmly began to form a plan of escape.

  So when the box was opened five hours later, she was ready. Springing out, she kicked her assailant so ferociously that he was knocked off his feet. Another kick ensured he wouldn't bother her for a while. Then she examined her surroundings.
  She was in a plain white room with one door and nothing else. So she tip-toed to the door and, in true Lucian style, listened for ten minutes before sneaking out.
  Sadly, she didn't realize that this caution was to be her downfall.
As she stepped out, a group of guards, who had been alerted by a camera in the cell, shot her with tranquilizer darts. She was instantly asleep.

N.R.R.:

  N.R.R. saw the whole thing on a monitor in her spotless office.
She watched impassively. There were more important things for her to do than worry about a young traitor. First of all, Dan was using her Visa Gold Card on everything. Her last report said that he had just bought a car! Well, what could one expect of an eleven year old boy?
 But this child was reportedly helping them. Maybe she could work something out to save her. Just maybe.

Vikram and Brooklyn:

  Vikram scowled at Brooklyn. They were in the Interrogation Room, and none of his tortures were working.
  "Come now, spy. If you won't tell us everything about the Madrigals, we will...um..."
  "Peel off my fingernails? That won’t work, because you’ve already tried that."
 Vikram glared at the child. She was handling this much too well.
  "We will murder your family!" exclaimed Vikram.
  "Go ahead and try." Brooklyn stuck out her tongue.
The Lucian Leader was furious. He turned to an assistant. "Where does Brooklyn's family live?"
  "Her record does not list an address, Sir."
"What do you mean, 'does not list an address'?"
  ''It is not in our database, Sir."
Vikram screamed with rage.
  Brooklyn stuck out her tongue once more.

N.R.R. and our Friends:

  N.R.R. was watching on her monitor.
This girl had spunk. Who would have thought of giving a false name at training?

  She must have been a Madrigal mole this whole time!
She looked back at the laptop on her desk and frowned. Time to get back to her secret mission. Amy and Dan had just entered the building. She hoped she would be in time to meet them.

  *"Do you know where my ancestors were massacred?"
"Yakaterinesburg," Amy said. "In a house there."
  "Where the Church of Blood now stands. A terrible name, but sadly appropriate. The church was built much later, but underneath... it was there, in the basement, where all of them were shot. Only my mother survived."
  "And you're taking us there on this thing called the Shark?" asked Dan, brightening for the first time.
  Nataliya (N.R.R.) went to the door. She opened it and peered down the long dark hallway.
  "The Shark is the quickest way. Now we go."  Nataliya paused. "There is another passenger, however."
  She turned. A confused girl was being dragged down the hall by a nervous looking guard.
  "I got her. Now give me the money before I get caught!"
The Grand Duchess' daughter calmly handed the man a pile of rubles. ''Thank you, Peterov. You may go now."
   Peterov hurried off.
"I'm glad you could join us, Brooklyn."
  "Hey! You know my name! Who are you?"
"We have no time to talk. Follow Amy and Dan."
  They arrived at an elevator and boarded. Dan had imagined some sort of high speed watercraft, so he was surprised to find the elevator went up instead of down. It opened on the roof of the State Kremlin Palace.
  "Here we are,'' said Nataliya.
  "That's the shark?" asked Amy, but Dan was already running toward it.
  "It is the fastest helicopter in Russia. She will do three hundred."

Brooklyn sighed in relief. She would be going home soon.

  *Actual text in the book The Black Circle, by Patrick Carman.

Irena in Indonesia:

  Irena Spasky was resigned to her fate. Then she heard a scream as part of the roof collapsed.
   I just did my good deed for the year, she thought. And now I have to do more?
She sighed and hurried toward the source of the noise.
  When she got there, she saw a kid. He was sitting on the corner of the building. He had brown hair and glasses and was wearing that strange yellow   footwear...what were they called? Alligators?
  "What are you doing here?" she asked.
  "Trying to save Amy and Dan, but I can't find them!" He seemed worried, which was normal if you were on the roof of a tall, flaming building.
  "I think they went this way," she told him, pointing to a metal drainpipe. "Do you have gloves?"
  Ben nodded.
"Good. Just hang on to the drainpipe and slide down."
  He obeyed, and Irena followed him.
When they reached the ground, Ben spotted Amy, Dan and Alistair, watching the fire in shock. He tried to run toward them, but Irena pulled him back.
  "Hey! What are you-"
"Be quiet! They are safe! Now what is your name?"
  "Ben, or BreakingAggressive124, Madr-" he stopped. "Why am I telling you?"
"I'm a friend."
  He peered at her skeptically, then continued. "I’m a Madrigal agent-in-training."

His eyes filled with tears. "This was my first mission, and I blew it."
  She considered for a moment, then said, "Come with me to my helicopter. This island will be swarming with cops in a little while." Her face tightened. "Isabel will have alerted them."
  "I'm supposed to go with-"
"Quit talking right now. We have to be quiet!"
  Irena pulled him to the helicopter and shoved him inside.
"I will explain later." She stopped. ''Oh dear. I left my purse in the boat. Well, there's no helping it, I suppose."
  She got into the pilot's seat and started the engine. Soon they were in the air, flying away from Indonesia.

Hamilton Holt and Family:

  Hamilton leaned his head on the car's window and tried to block out the sounds of his Dad ranting in the front seat of the minivan.
  "Those darn kids! They are making us look like dolts!"
Madison poked Hamilton. "Hey, Hamburger, what's wrong? Are you missing those twerps?"

   "Of course not. And don’t call me Hamburger!"
Reagan broke in. "Dan is not a twerp!"
  "Yes he is!"
"No he's not!"
  "You have a CRUSH on him!''
"I DO NOT!" screamed Reagan.
  "YOU HAD BETTER NOT OR I WILL STOP THIS CAR!" roared Eisenhower.
Everyone shut up. Hamilton looked out the window again.
  If they had not been busy fighting, the Holts might have noticed a strangely familiar figure on the South African sidewalk.
 

Irena and Ben:

   Irena Spasky quickly ran into a shop, pulling a boy behind her.
"I hope they didn't see us!" cried Ben.
  "Me too. I must keep them thinking I am dead." She looked around the store. "Now that we’re here, I do believe you need some new shoes?"
  "NO!" Ben shouted, "I like these ones."
  "You are so silly. When the shoes are worn out, you get new ones. We are not starving; I can get you new shoes."
  "Please don't?"
Irena sighed and said again, "So silly. But if you like to wear old shoes, okay."
  I can't believe I'm giving in to this child, she thought. Perhaps I'm getting soft.
She knew that she was becoming slightly attached to Ben.
  I am getting foolish in my old age.
"I see a food booth. Let's eat."
  "Okay!" replied Ben, glad that he could keep his beloved crocs.

Ian and a Spy:

  Ian Kabra was lying on top of Mount Everest, thinking about relationships.
Especially his relationship with Amy Cahill.
  When she had chosen to save him from falling down the mountain instead of the Janus serum, she had turned his world upside down.
  While he pondered this, his Sherpas helped him up and practically carried him down the mountain.
  One of them seemed a bit out of shape for guiding tourists up mountains every day. But Ian was too busy thinking to really notice.
  The madrigals had convinced Namitha that she would fit right in with her black hair and brown skin. They must have not realized that she was not in Sherpa shape!

Irena and Ben:

  Meanwhile, Irena Spasky and Ben were waiting and watching in a cozy lodge.

  Sipping their hot cocoa in companionable silence, they gazed at the famous mountain, looking for their targets.

  Ben saw them coming first.
"Irena! Give me the binoculars quick!"
  Irena ignored him and looked through them herself. She saw the Holts making their way down the mountain, with Ian being carried down another slope.
  "Irena! I saw them first!'' Ben complained.
"All right, you can quit whining."
   Ben had only a few seconds to look before Irena told him to get into position.
One of them stood on each side of the door into the lodge, and waited.

The Clue Hunters:

  Thirty minutes later, the Holts and Ian Kabra (and Namitha, dressed like a Sherpa, and VERY out of breath) came stomping through that same door.
  "I AM SO TORQUED!" bellowed Eisenhower.
"Now honey bun, I know you are disappointed, but you really must calm-''
  "I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!'' He collapsed into a chair by the fire. ''Reagan, please go get me some coffee."
  "And me too,'' commanded Ian. “I would like a caramel cream latte with-''
''MY DAUGHTER IS NOT YOUR SLAVE, LUCIAN!''
  ''Never mind. You can get it," he said, handing Namitha some money.
  Irena and Ben stepped out of the shadows, pulling their ski masks over their faces.
  ''Go ahead, Ben,'' whispered Irena.
He nodded.
  It was time for a showdown.

Irena and Ben:

  ''Okay, everybody! Quiet down!'' Ben commanded.
Eisenhower and Ian stopped bickering.
  "Who do you think you are?" demanded Ian.
''I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you.''
  Madison rolled her eyes. She had heard that expression far too many times.
''All right, tell us what you want. Now." demanded Eisenhower.
  "First of all, you can't tell the authors about this."
"Tell us what it is first." Hamilton said warily. Hamilton told the authors everything. Even when his family broke the law. It was a good thing the rest of his family wasn’t really into literature.
  Ben looked at Irena for approval. She nodded, but didn't speak. She was taking great pains to hide her identity.
  "Listen. You guys need to be really careful. There are these guys called the Vesp-''
  But he didn't get to finish before dart shot out from behind a comfy armchair and stabbed into his neck.
  The sniper stood up.
"Everyone, stay right where you are!"
  Nobody disobeyed. They all sat frozen in their chairs, waiting for what this strange person would say next.
  Except for Namitha, who began slowly drawing her own dart gun.
Until it got snagged in her yak-hair cloak.

Ben and the Sniper:

  Ben's eyes fluttered open.
Nobody had moved in the short time he had been unconscious.
  He looked around and spotted Namitha, who was dressed in a furry cloak and was struggling with something.
  "Hey! What are you doing here, Nam?"
She froze.
  The sniper slowly turned their head.
"Who is 'Nam'?" they asked, even more deliberately.
  Ben remembered what was happening.
"Oh, I was just... these packing people look sort of Vietnamese, so... like, you know, 'Nam? I was over in ‘Nam once-"
  The sniper clearly did not believe a word he said.
"Or perhaps like the Madrigal agent Namitha?"
  The sniper spun quickly.
"How did you know my-" was all Nami could say before a dart jabbed into her arm.

Irena and the Sniper:

  At that instant, Irena took the disturbance to lunge at the mysterious shooter. Ben recognized the sniper the instant Irena launched towards her.
  "Brooklyn!''
  Irena flattened the mystery person and pulled off her mask.
"Who are you?" she demanded coolly.
  Brooklyn grimaced. "Ben's right. It's me."
"'Brooklyn' doesn't mean anything to me," snarled Irena. "Start talking!"
  "Okay,'' she began. "Ben knows me from Madrigal training and-"

"Shoot her with the dart gun! She's a Madrigal!" bellowed Eisenhower.
  "Calm down, Sugar Cakes, let's see what she has to say,'' Mary-Todd said softly.
"And I am a double spy. Not just to the Madrigals, but to the Vespers too."
  "How could you do this, Brook?" Ben asked dazedly.
''Well, I'm not really bad. The Vespers are mostly nice people-"
  "Do nice people shoot their friends with dart guns?"
"Oh come on. It was just a sedative. Quit interrupting me!" She looked around.

  Everyone was deathly silent. "Anyway, they are mostly nice, except Casper and   Cheyenne. And they have cookies!"
  "What do you do for them?" whispered Ben.
''I just collect information. And I help the Madrigals too, so I'm really a Vahill."
  ''Isn't that sort of pointless, helping both sides?" asked Ian.
"I'm sort of getting a taste for both, seeing where my future really lies."
   Eisenhower snorted.
"Well, I suppose you have a choice," remarked Irena. "Just promise you will never harm another Cahill for the Vespers."
  "I promise.'' Brooklyn looked over at Namitha, who was starting to stir. "But please don't tell Nam. She was- well, is- one of my best friends."
  "Agreed," said Ben and Irena together.
Irena let her up and she pulled on her mask and rushed from the lodge.

The Clue Hunters:
 

  "What in the world was that about?'' questioned Reagan.
Irena sighed. "We are losing so many..." she murmured. Then she straightened.

  "Just what I got you all here to talk about, fellow Cahills!

"IT'S IRENA!" Ian shrieked like a little girl.
  "So it is," Irena replied. "Sit down and let's get down to business."

   Ian was completely confused. ''You're alive, Irena?! "
"Very much so."
  "Why did you pretend you were dead?"
"Because your mother would have killed me again!"
  "She tried to kill you?''
  "Yes. But I must get to the point." Irena checked to make sure they were listening. Ben was too dazed to care and Namitha was just waking up, but the rest were paying attention. "You are probably still upset about Amy and Dan getting the Janus serum before you-"
  "The sneaking teeny-boppers stole it!" exclaimed Eisenhower.
"No interruptions, please," Irena responded coldly. "You must forgive them. Soon you will have to band together to defeat the real enemy; the Vespers."
  "Who are they?" inquired Regan.
"That girl with the dart gun was one,'' said Irena. "They are a secret organization who are also searching for the clues. Nobody knows much about them, not even the Lucians."
  "So what are we supposed to do?" asked Ian.
"You will have to stop fighting and work together."
  There was a collective groan from around the room.
"Alright, maybe not right now, but get ready to. Your survival, no, everyone's survival, may depend on it."
  The room was silent now, everyone digesting this information.
And then the door opened.

A Clueless Author:

  "Hello, everybody!"
They collectively jumped as Gordon Korman entered the lodge. Irena grabbed Ben and the nonchalantly slipped out.
  "Are you ready to tell me about what happened to you up on the highest mountain in the world?"
  He looked around, not seeing the Clue hunter's exited, eager faces he was accustomed to. They seemed nervous and shifty.
  "Well? Anybody want to start?" Now he was getting nervous.
"Sure," agreed Ian, breaking the tension. "We will tell you about what happened on the mountain." He looked furtively around him at the others.
  Eisenhower and Mary-Todd looked at each other, and then nodded to Ian. Hamilton hesitated, then did the same.
  The Authors would not learn about Irena, the Vespers, or fact that the branches would have to band together soon.

Irena:

  Irena sat on her hotel bed.
She had been doing research on a suspicious individual in the United States.

  However, she had been doing that for an hour, and she was just about sick of it.
So instead of typing the suspect's name into the Lucian database yet again, she opened the book on her bedside table. It had just come out. The title was The Emperor’s Code, and the author was Gordon Korman.
  Oooh, She thought to herself. Some cards! I wonder if I'm on any of them?
She heard footsteps in the hall.
  Ben must have been swimming. That's good. The poor boy has been through so much, he deserves to relax.
  Then she opened the book and began to read.
If only she could have known the footsteps were not Ben's. 

Ben and the Evil People:
 
  Ben slumped into a comfy chair in his hotel suite. It had been almost a week since he had learned the truth about Brooklyn, but he still felt dazed and confused. He heard his door click open.
  "Aunt Irena?"
   He had taken to calling her Aunt Irena after the episode on Mount Everest. They had grown very close. His parents, unknown to Ben, had received a document 'confirming' his death in a fire in Jamaica, supposedly from the authorities there. Of course, it was really from high-up friends of Irena.