Crossing the Line (8 page)

I cocked my head to the side. “You're that embarrassed to be seen with me?”

His lips were pressed together so firmly, they practically disappeared. I was on the very last of his extremely frayed nerves. “It's bad enough we have to do this; I don't want to spend the rest of today explaining myself to everyone else. Everything doesn't have to go my
way, but this does.”

He stalked off down the hall, not bothering to wait for me. I followed him, more because not following would be seen as not cooperating, which he could use against me.

The private workout room was like a smaller, slightly less equipped version of the gym. The walls and floor were covered with padded gym mats, and an assortment of weapons hung in a case on the upper half of the wall. There was also a punching bag in the corner, as well some other training equipment scattered around the edges of the room. Scorpion had taken off his sweatshirt and thrown it in the corner by the time I had caught up to him.

He didn't say anything else, he just rounded on me and rocked up on the balls of his feet, his arms bent in front of him waiting for a fight.

I followed suit. I wasn't much for playing defense but, in this case, I wanted to see what he was going to throw at me before I committed to anything. And I knew he was too impatient to wait me out. He lasted all of ten seconds before he threw the first punch, which I dodged easily. I swung a punch of my own, knowing he would sidestep, then I swiped my leg at his knees. He recovered in enough time to jump, but just barely. He hit me hard in the stomach. Harder than Nikki had earlier, and he didn't feel even a little bit bad.

I breathed tightly through my nose, pushing away the pain. I couldn't slow down. I couldn't show any weakness. He picked up the pace and I struggled to keep up. We traded punches and kicks, dancing across the mat. I lost track of everything—time, space, and even the addiction. Nothing else mattered. He was taking out years of pent-up frustration on me, and I had to fight to find the motivation or endurance to match his pace. I have no idea how long we were going
at it before I finally got the upper hand. I grabbed Scorpion's wrist, turned so my back was to him, then flipped him over my shoulder.

But he was quick enough to grab my forearm. He slammed into the mat and used his momentum to pull me down with him, twisting me until we were both lying on our backs panting. Simmonds was right. It was the best workout I'd had since I got out of KATO.

Scorpion didn't rest for more than a moment. He popped up before I could get to my feet, and grabbed two wooden staffs that were stored on the wall with the other practice weapons. He tossed one at me as I stood, and I caught it just in time to keep it from hitting me in the face. “Let's make this a little more interesting,” he said.

I curled my fingers around the staff, shifting uneasily. I was breathing hard, feeling more winded than usual, but I refused to quit. Scorpion seemed faster than I was used to him being, but I could tell I was starting to wear him out. Still, he had caught his breath much more quickly than I had, and he didn't wait for me to recover. He spun the staff at my head and when I moved to block it, he flicked his wrist and swung at my side. I pulled my staff down, just stopping his from colliding with my ribs. I jabbed it back into Scorpion's stomach but it didn't slow him down. He retaliated quickly, striking my side, and this time I couldn't avoid it. My rib cage throbbed. He hit me so hard I wouldn't have been surprised if a rib was broken.

He cut up and chopped at my collarbone, but I dodged it just enough to lessen the impact. My breathing was more labored than ever, and the pain in my ribs was making it worse. He pulled the staff back and pushed it toward me, aimed at my throat. I caught it just in time. The two staffs pressed on each other, and the pain in my side spread through my torso.

I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood. It was the only thing keeping me from crying out. I struggled to push back as I realized my vision had started to blur.

Then something flickered in Scorpion's face and he lifted the staff. I was about to relax when he swung down, swiping at my legs and taking them out from under me. I slammed down onto my back, every muscle throbbing.

Scorpion pressed the base of the staff into the ground and leaned over me. I could barely make out his arrogant face in between the stars. “Don't you ever think for a second that I can't take you.”

He started to walk away from me, and I swung my staff, hitting his knees and bringing him down next to me. “And don't
you
ever think that means you've won.”

He pushed himself off the ground, still pissed, and strutted out of the room. I stayed down, trying to catch my breath and find the strength to move.

I was way more out of shape than I realized.

M
y ribs hurt for the rest of the night. I knew I should go to Dr. March—especially after my talk with Simmonds, but it was that same conversation that held me back. I needed to get into the field to get closer to my mission. To do that, I needed to be training with Scorpion, and I needed to develop some level of trust among the other agents. That was never going to happen if I went to March with something like this. There wasn't anything she could have done for me anyway. I knew enough about rib injuries to know they were only bruised.

My room came with a small fridge, which had a freezer full of ice, so I strapped several bags around my torso to ease the swelling. The afternoon wasn't a total loss. I had more power over Scorpion than he liked to think. I could push him, and I knew I could get to him enough to make him snap. I was close today. Scorpion didn't want this on Simmonds's radar any more than I did, otherwise I was sure my ribs would be broken. Getting my ass kicked wasn't exactly how I wanted to use this power, but given time, I'd find a way to make it work to my advantage.

I still had trouble sleeping in the bed, but that night it felt good to stretch out on something soft. I fell asleep propped up against the wall at an awkward angle and, when I did, I dreamed I was back at KATO.

“For some of you, this will be your last fight,” one of the other handlers said. I was thirteen and there were ten of us who had been training together. We were paired off. He circled us, barking orders, while the other handlers watched from the side. My handler, Chin Ho, stood staring at me, evenly. This was a fight designed to weed out the weaker trainees. The winners got to become field agents. The losers ended up dead.

Chin Ho held out a vial for me to see, and I understood. It was more than just my life I was fighting for. It was Gerex.

A whistle blew and the battle began. I was paired against Stinger, a girl from France. A girl who I had lived with for the past five years. We weren't close, but we weren't enemies either. At least, not until now.

She made the first move, swinging and knocking me back. I punched her in her face, stunning her for a second, before she came back with a low roundhouse kick. She swept me off my feet, then kicked me repeatedly in the stomach. I'd let her get the drop on me. I couldn't breathe and I knew this was how I was going to die.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chin Ho, still standing against the wall, shaking the vial of Gerex. I needed it. I cared about winning the drug more than I did living. And I would do whatever necessary to get it. I grabbed Stinger's foot midkick and yanked it out from under her. She hit the ground hard. I was in too much pain to get up, so instead I snaked over to her, put my forearm against her throat, and pressed all of my weight into her until she stopped breathing.

I jolted upright so fast that my side injuries ached as much as they did when I was thirteen. I wiped the tears out of my eyes and worked on leveling out my heart. That had been my first kill. And that night
I had been too high to care.

It was nearly morning, and there was no way I'd sleep after that. I pushed the negative parts of the dream out of my mind and focused on what I could do about it. By the time I was done with KATO, no one would
ever
go through what I had.

 • • • 

I was ready for Scorpion the next morning, but was surprised when I opened my door. Cody stood in front of me with his arms crossed. “What are you doing here?”

“You're mine today, Viper.” His voice was cold and aggressive. “I won't have the same restraint Travis does.”

I sighed. “The threats are starting to get a little old.” I gave him a once-over, taking him in differently from how I had before. He was smaller than Scorpion and, based on everything I'd seen in the gym, he was slower too. I could take him easily, even with a bruised rib. “Where's Scorpion?”

Cody shook his head once. “It's none of your business.”

I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorframe, doing my best impression of calm. “He's my designated sparring partner, so I think it's a little bit of my business.”

He clenched his teeth. “He's on a mission.”

“Good for him,” I said. “But what none of you seem to get is that I don't need to be guarded. Scorpion is supposed to help me. If he's not here, I can manage on my own at this point.”

His lips pressed into a line. “We don't trust you, Viper. You have to know that. And Travis said that he was supposed to guide you until your first mission. Now, if you don't come with me, I have to believe
that you have something to hide. Is that the case?”

My eyes narrowed. I grabbed my notebook and pen and headed down the hall, not giving Cody the satisfaction of an answer.

 • • • 

Cody glared at me through my entire breakfast, and I very pointedly ignored him. When we got to the gym for the morning training session, Nikki tried to grab me but Cody stopped her. “Oh no,” he said. “She's mine.”

Nikki stepped closer, getting in his face. Rachel stood a step behind, her anger visibly growing by the minute. “Just because Travis isn't here to keep an eye on her doesn't mean you get to be in charge,” Nikki said.

He let out a heavy, irritated grunt. “Look, Nikki, I know she's your latest lost cause, but you don't get to protect her. She hasn't earned it.”

Nikki tried to argue, but Rachel tugged on her arm. “He's right,” she said. “None of us were told we had to be nice to her, and Travis isn't here to enforce anything.”

Nikki's eyes widened. It was a safe bet she'd never met quite this much resistance before.

“It's fine,” I said to her. “I can handle him.” There was a doubtful glint in her eye, but I blew it off. “Don't worry about me.”

She didn't seem convinced, but she let Rachel pull her away, leaving Cody and me alone. He stalked off past other agents who had already claimed the more spacious areas, and came to a stop close to the center of the room. It would seem that this was this best chance he was going to get to make a show of putting me in my place. Cody must have talked to Scorpion, because his first hits were to my side, which nearly made me see stars. He took the time to give me a cocky,
condescending smirk, which gave me just enough time to recover. Cody was good, but not as good as Scorpion. Even injured, I was able to take him down.

The biggest surprise of my morning came when I was told that
Rachel
of all people would be escorting me to my classes.

“You must have lost a bet or something,” I said, once we had made it to the courtyard.

She glared at me, giving me a look so piercing it made my heart skip. “I
hate
you.”

“You're not the only one.” I couldn't keep the light laugh out of my voice.

“Am I the only person who you gutted and left with two broken legs?” she asked. “Or is there some club I can join?”

“I was only doing a job.”

She stopped walking and I turned to look at her. The rage radiated off her. “Are you saying I should just get over it?” Her voice hit a pitch that was clearly out of her control. I stayed quiet. “You don't know what it was like coming back from that. What you did—” She cut herself off and visibly swallowed the emotion. “You don't get to speak to me.” She started walking again. “Not a single word.”

I wasn't in any position to argue, not that I even wanted to.

 • • • 

I snuck away in between classes to check for KATO's message. They hadn't questioned the information I'd sent them, but they did ask if that was truly everything the IDA had. It made my stomach turn. Not only because I felt like they were questioning me, but also because it seemed as if they wanted to be sure. As if there
was
something for the IDA to know, but KATO wanted to be positive they
were in the dark. I told them I'd sent them everything I'd found, but I'd keep looking.

The message stayed in my mind the rest of the day, but I had other problems to deal with more directly. Fortunately, Nikki stole me from Cody when I got to the gym that afternoon. Cody, who was looking for revenge from earlier, wasn't happy about it, but Nikki had let him have his way that morning and she wasn't about to give in twice. She took me outside and spent the rest of the workout time taking me through yoga, which I knew about but had never practiced. It was slow and methodical and didn't strain my side too badly. In fact, when we were done, I felt so relaxed it was as if I had gotten an acupuncture treatment. After, she walked me back to my room, most likely to make sure no one else did, which I was grateful for.

“I'm sorry about Cody,” she said as I unlocked my door.

“It's not your fault.” I looked everywhere but at her, hoping she'd get the hint to change the subject.

“Still,” she said, then she broke off. I looked up at her. She slowly scanned my room, taking everything in, before coming back around to me. “You haven't changed it.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Your room.” She turned her attention back inside. “It's exactly the same as it was when Simmonds assigned it to you. And I know because I used to live in a room identical to this when I was in school. You didn't change a thing.”

I shrugged. “I've never thought about it.”

“You've never decorated a room before, have you?” she asked.

I shifted uncomfortably. “It's been a long time since I actually
had
a
room.”

Nikki's eyes flicked to mine for a half a second, then back to the room. “Okay, then. It looks like we have some work to do.”

“You don't have to.” I shook my head, feeling anxious at the prospect.

“Oh no,” she said, still absorbing every detail of my room. “This is my project now.” She smiled at me. “Don't you worry about a thing.”

“Nikki, really—”

She started to down the hall, still smiling. “Good night, Jocelyn.”

 • • • 

Later that night, I was stretched out on my bed with another round of ice packs strapped to my side. I was almost about to fall asleep when there was a sharp knock at the door. I didn't move, hoping that whoever it was would think I was sleeping and leave. They knocked again. “Viper!” Cody's voice went right through me. “Get your ass to this door or I will break it down!”

I struggled to get up while Cody pounded like he was trying to knock the door off its hinges.

“Give me a minute!” I ripped off the ice packs and pulled on a shirt. Cody's fist never stopped.

I yanked the door open but held on to it, ready to slam it in his face if I had to.

Cody's demeanor changed. He rocked back and forth on his feet, seeming a little shifty. “You need to come with me.”

I tightened my fingers around the knob. “I think I've had enough of you today.”

He had a biting comment sitting on his tongue, but decided against it. He took a deep breath, and when he spoke it was extremely controlled. “This isn't me asking. Simmonds wants to see you.”

I squinted at him, looking for some sign that he was lying.

“You
need
to come with me. Now.” He was getting frustrated. “This isn't a trick.”

I tilted my head, considering for another second, then looked him in the eye. “It better not be.” I started down the hall, with Cody right behind me.

He stayed quiet the entire walk to the director's office, and his muscles were coiled and tight. It couldn't have been more obvious that something was wrong, and a part of me enjoyed it. Every step he took was heavy and purposeful. When we got to the office, he opened the door without knocking. The second he did, we were hit with a wall of yelling.

“You can't possibly be considering this!” an older man shouted. The room was full of people—at least twenty—and I recognized only a handful of them.

“I'm more than considering it,” Simmonds shot back. “It's the closest thing we're going to get to a test without risking an agent or assignment. If this works, she'll prove that she can be trusted in the field and we'll get back one of our best agents.”

“And if it doesn't?” the first guy asked. “You're willing to risk letting someone that dangerous loose in the world?”

“If that happens, she'll have two spy agencies after her. She won't get far,” Simmonds said.

My heart skipped a beat. They were talking about me.

“She's an expertly trained spy,” Simmonds continued. “And now she works for us. It's ridiculous to have her here if we're not going to use her. And if it doesn't work out, then we won't have any less than we would have if we'd followed procedure.”

“She spent ten years working for KATO,” the man said. “I don't care how she got there. She can't be trusted!”

“I happen to know she can be.” Simmonds voice was deep and powerful. “I would have had her on active missions a week ago, but
you
want her to prove herself. This is the best way.”

Cody cleared his throat, cutting off the argument, and every eye in the room trained itself on me.

Simmonds straightened up. “Jocelyn. Excellent, you have your first assignment.”

“Roy—” the man started, but Simmonds cut him off with a glare.

Excitement swirled inside me, like it had been caged and cooped up as much as I had. This was my chance to get back in the field. Simmonds's eyes came back to me. “Agent Elton has been compromised,” he said. “He was on an assignment in China and he's been out of contact for over twelve hours.”

I stood up straighter, falling into the comfort and exhilaration of a mission. “What do you need from me?”

He looked directly at me. “It's agency policy not to stage rescue missions, as we rarely have enough intel to pull them off successfully. But in this case we're making an exception. We're sending you to China to retrieve Agent Elton.”