Chapter 3

• Everly's POV
• I waited until we were high enough in the air and far enough away from the mercenaries before I turned my attention off the forest below and to the girl with the neon green hair who had now taken a seat across from me, laid a rifle across her lap and stuck a lollipop in her mouth.
• Agent 57. Lillianna Marshal, but she preferred to be called Lily. Her hair was always some bright shade of one color or another, Her eyes full of mischief, and her smile full of devilish intent. She was wild, crazy, had a knack for explosives, and was an all-around happy person. Somehow, she was my best friend. She was also one of six of the agents that made up Delta team 2.
• I had first worked with Delta team 2 almost two years ago now and had since joined them on a few missions over the last year or so. We'd kept in touch, but I hadn't seen them since before this mission had started. Seemed like Zero had sent them to come to my aid.
• "Just a thought," I said as she removed her sunglasses and tucked them into a pocket in her jacket. "but maybe next time you come to rescue someone from a top-secret undercover mission, you don't show up with neon green hair."
• She rolled her emerald green eyes. "I wore camouflage," She said as she gestured to the cargo pants and jacket she was wearing. "It cancels out the hair."
• "Then what cancels out the shoes?" A voice shouted from the cockpit of the helicopter.
• I looked down at the shining gold boots on her feet with spikes all over the end. It didn't surprise me. Personally, the only part of the shoes that did surprise me, was that they weren't heels. She was usually always wearing heels.
• Lily scowled and reached her arm into the cockpit so he could see that she was flipping him off. He returned the gesture.
• There was a laugh from beside me and I turned to the man with curly blond hair falling into his blue eyes. He brushed it back and smiled at me. "Good to see you," He said.
• I couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah, it's been a while."
• Agent 22. Devin Kessler. Another member of Delta 2 and Chief Zero's son. A fact known to only a few. In fact, the rest of his team members-with the exception of Lily-had no idea that Zero was his father and he wanted to keep it that way despite my telling him that they were all going to find out eventually. He had a personality a lot like Lily's but not quite to her extreme. And to everyone's horror and many protests, the two of them had started dating and had been for nearly a year now.
• "Are you going to help me out in here?" The familiar voice called from the cockpit. "I could use a co-pilot who's not determined to try and make the helicopter do Loops like a rollercoaster."
• I laughed and Lily just shrugged innocently. "What other way is there to fly a helicopter?" She asked.
• I shook my head with a smile and climbed into the cockpit, taking the empty seat beside Jason.
• "Since when do you know how to pilot a helicopter?" I asked him.
• "Since this morning," He replied with a straight face. "And already I'm a better pilot than Lily." Lily shouted her protests. Jason's lips twitched as he tried to continue to keep a straight face.
• Yet another member of Delta 2. Agent 65. Jason Smith. Darkbrown eyes, black hair, and nowhere near the extremes of Devin or Lily thankfully, but he could be just as mischievous as either one of them. Though, more often than not, he and Zack-another member of Delta 2-were the targets of Lily and Devin's shenanigans.
• I shook my head with a smile. "We heading to the nearest airport?" I asked him.
• He nodded. "Zack's waiting there with Agent Ninety-One and the plane. We had Ninety-One fly us out, none of us wanted Lily to fly us . . . with good reason."
• "You're all just wimps," Lily shouted.
• Agent 91 was one of the few designated pilots the agency had. He'd been a part of a team once but was no longer for reasons I didn't know. But he was a hell of a pilot and Zero had assigned him to fly agents out to their missions and then picking up others. Out of all our pilots, Agent 91 was the one used the most and also the best.
• I frowned. "What about Chase?" I questioned.
• Agent 80. Chase Golding was another member of Delta team 2 and the team's leader. He was in charge-a fact Devin and Lily especially chose to often ignore-and always accompanied his team to supervise, so far however, I had not seen him nor had he been mentioned.
• Devin suddenly started laughing loudly at my question.
• I turned and peered out of the cockpit to look at him. "What?" I asked.
• Devin just smiled widely at me. "He's mad at you."
• "I believe his exact words were . . . Why should I bother showing up to save someone who clearly didn't care enough to show up-"
• "That was not my fault and he damn well knows it." I cut Lily off.
• She shrugged. "He doesn't care. Also, it probably doesn't help your case that you have also missed-"
• "I have been undercover, living with trigger happy mercenaries, dealing with our vengeful chief, and just trying to stay alive," I interjected.
• Devin just laughed. "Yeah, he still doesn't care."
• I glared at Devin before turning back in my seat so I was facing forward. "I didn't think Zero was going to send anyone my way once I completed the mission," I said after some silence.
• Jason frowned. "You completed the mission?"
• I stared at him for a second. "You didn't know that?"
• Jason shook his head. "Zero sent us to get you out regardless. He didn't know whether or not you'd completed the mission. We were supposed to get you out no matter what."
• "Why?" I questioned.
• Lily poked her head into the cockpit. "He said he needs you for another mission. He wouldn't say what though, but I guess it's a pretty big deal if he wanted you to abandon this mission altogether."
• I drummed my fingers against my thigh as I thought over what they'd said. What was so important that he needed me back now? What mess did he need me to clean up?
• ***
• "It's about time," Zack shouted as we disembarked the helicopter one at a time. "I've got places to go, people to see and you all are taking your damn sweet time."
• Jason shook his head before turning to me. "He's just cranky we interrupted his slumber party." He turned back to Zack. "Who was it this time? That bartender?"
• Zack glared daggers at Jason. "Can't you pull another disappearing act?"
• It was Jason's turn to glare at Zack. "Can't you go back to being the bad guy so I can shoot you . . . again?"
• Agent 1. Zack Martin. Agency numbers have no ranking system, they are simply just whatever number we pick, so long as another agent doesn't already have it. Zack chose his because he's and I quote, "the best, obviously. Number one." And that just about sums up his personality. It's a miracle his ego fits through any doorway. He was never truly one of the bad guys, but he came from a very bad family. In the end though, he helped us take down not only his father but his own brother as well. So, he's reformed.
• "How about I just shoot all of you and solve everyone's problems?" Agent 91 called from the door of the plane.
• I smiled and walked up the steps to him. "I take it the flight over was pleasant," I said to him.
• He shook his head. "I'm tempted to leave them all stranded here."
• I shrugged. "So long as that doesn't include me I'm all for it," I replied.
• Ninety-One laughed. "Nice to see you still in one piece."
• I just nodded before looking down at Zack, Jason, Lily, and Devin as they all began arguing about the best way to reload their equipment back into the plane.
• Ninety-One stared down at them for a moment before letting out a long sigh and shaking his head. "I can't understand how any of them have lasted as long as they have as agents," He said. "But, I prefer this to their karaoke contest on the way over."
• I laughed before letting out a sharp whistle to get their attention. "Jason and Devin, pack up the plane. Do it Jason's way," I said as Devin opened his mouth to further argue why his way was better. "Lily, Zack, get on board and try not to make trouble."
• Lily cackled. "No promises," She said in a sing-song voice.
• Zack rolled his eyes before grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling her up the steps to board the plane. "Come on, little lunatic," He muttered.
• Ninety-One swore before shaking his head as we both ducked inside the plane and moved into the cockpit so Lily and Zack could get by.
• "I try to give them orders and none of them take me seriously. You do and they listen. Why is that?" He asked me.
• I leaned back against the wall behind me. "They somewhat respect me, but most of all, they fear retaliation from me."
• He raised his eyebrows. "Do I even want to know how you retaliate?
• I shrugged and looked over my shoulder out the open cockpit door as Devin and Jason boarded the plane. Devin tripping Jason as they went. I couldn't help but smile.
• "Eventually," I said. "you just get used to them."
• Ninety-One shook his head. "No thank you." He started powering up the plane. "I've dealt with them too much already. And all I do is occasionally pick them up and drop them off for missions."
• I took the empty seat next to him and began looking over the controls on my side. "Ready when you are," I told him.
• He nodded as he continued to fiddle with the controls. "I need to double-check a couple things before we take off," He told me.
• I leaned back in my seat. "Take your time."
• Devin poked his head into the cockpit. "Am I going to need my rolls of duct tape?" He asked me. "Cause if so I need a minute to get them out of my suitcase."
• I rolled my eyes. "You overexaggerate, my flying skills are perfect."
• "Oh, I'm well aware," He replied. "It's only when you decide to screw with us that your flying skills become questionable."
• I swung my arm around to hit him, but he'd already ducked out of the cockpit, laughing.
• "I suggest you fasten your seatbelt," I shouted at him.
• He just laughed louder while Zack swore a blue streak at him for getting everyone in trouble. Jason, who I could see once I turned around, let out a long sigh, grumbled something under his breath and tightened his seatbelt until it would go no tighter. Lily just pulled out a tube of lipstick and a mirror and began touching up her make-up without a care in the world.
• Zack came walking over after he saw my watching all of them. "What?" He asked me as he leaned against the open cockpit door.
• I shook my head. "Nothing," I replied. "I guess I just kind of missed all of you."
• He smirked. "Well, of course you missed me." He pushed his hair back dramatically. "Who wouldn't?"
• I rolled my eyes and reached over, punching him in the arm. He started acting like I shot him instead. Behind him, I could hear Lily and Devin singing along to whatever song was playing from their phones. Jason was yelling at them to shut the hell up.
• Zack shook his head but smiled at me none the less. He looked back at Devin and Lily who were both trying to belt out the words to whatever song was playing louder than the other. "You sure you missed us?" He asked me.
• I smiled back at him before turning my attention back to the controls. "Yeah, actually. I did." I shot him a wicked look over my shoulder. "You really should fasten your seatbelt."
• He let out a loud groan. "Please no."
• I just laughed.