Mystics 3-Book Collection (5 page)

“Am I going to be an operative, too?” she
asked. She knew that her eagerness showed on her face. Just the
thought sounded too good to be true. How could
she
be anyone
important? Her stomach twisted.

Tristan didn’t answer right away. “I’m not
sure exactly. Management will decide, I guess. Sorry, but I really
don’t know.”

Before Zoey could ask more questions, Agent
Lee moved towards them, holding up his cell phone.

“Just got a call from the agency,” he said,
and then he lowered his voice. “You won’t believe this—an
interloper’s
been stolen at the Boston hive. Sounds like the
thieves put up a pretty big fight, too—lots of casualties, very
violent, eight agents were killed. They’re sending
reinforcements.”

Agent Barnes’ face darkened, and he stood
silent for a moment. “There’s only one reason why
someone
or
something
would want such a dangerous device. The interloper
was securely bound. Nobody should have been able to get it. How did
they get past security?”

“I don’t know,” answered Agent Lee,
perplexed. “I’ve been asked to investigate.”

“The interloper’s location was a heavily
guarded secret,” Agent Barnes said. “It was well hidden and
protected. Whoever is behind this had inside knowledge. I’m sure of
it.”

Agent Lee looked grim but said nothing.

Zoey wondered what an interloper was. It had
to be something of great importance. She longed to know what it
was. The situation sounded really serious. People had lost their
lives because of it. She was itching to know more about this
device.

As she opened her mouth to ask Tristan, a
black SUV with tinted windows pulled up to the curb. Agent Barnes
walked up to the vehicle and opened the back door.

“In you go, Little Red,” he said and
gestured to Zoey. He still looked angry. “It’s getting late, and we
have a long drive out of the city.”

Agent Lee snapped his fingers at Tristan.
“We should go. I hate these kinds of things—now everyone’s a
suspect. Keep your eyes open for anything unusual, even if you
think it’s minor.”

Tristan got up. “See you later, Zoey,” he
said and started to walk away.

Zoey jumped to her feet. “What? You’re not
coming?”

The idea of being alone in a car with Agent
Barnes wasn’t exactly a pleasant one. She preferred the company of
someone her own age. The anxiety was choking her, she hated not
knowing where they were going or what these Sevenths were going to
do with her.

Tristan turned around, and Zoey could see he
was holding a round metal compact the size of his palm. On the top
was a ring dial with a series of engraved numbers around the edges
like the face a clock. And in its center was a needle that pointed
to locations on a map. She could see it had mirrored surfaces on
the inside.

A compass
, thought Zoey.
A very
fancy compass.

“Can’t,” answered Tristan as he continued to
manipulate the device.

“I have to go with Agent Lee to Boston—it’s
part of my training as an operative—to work with an agent out on
the field. I got lucky today.”

He smiled at her. “But don’t worry, Agent
Barnes is a big teddy bear—he doesn’t bite, not always.”

Agent Barnes cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Hey, I do bite when I have to.”

Agent Lee pulled out a similar mirrored
compass from the folds of his trench coat. He flipped it open,
stared at himself through it, and after adjusting his hair he
folded the two sides together just as Tristan had done.

Zoey watched as they both held out their
mirrors in front of themselves, angling them as though trying to
catch the best reflection. They stood still for a moment, and then
suddenly their bodies started to shimmer like a mirage until they
were no more than glowing shadows. She could see right through
their bodies to the other side of the street, as though they had
turned into translucent and eerie ghosts. Then, with a small
pop
, they disappeared.

“You can close your mouth now,” laughed
Agent Barnes, seeing the utter disbelief on Zoey’s face.

She ran to where Tristan and Agent Lee had
stood seconds before. “But…but it’s impossible! They’re gone?
Disappeared? They just vanished? People just don’t vanish? What
happened? How is this possible?”

“It’s called traveling by DSM,” said Agent
Barnes.

He pulled out an identical round compact and
flipped it open for Zoey to see.

“Feast your eyes on this baby.
This
,
my dear girl, is the only smart way to travel. Can’t leave home
without it,” he said and laughed at his own joke.

But he stopped laughing when he saw Zoey’s
confused expression. “This baby is a DSM—double-sided-mirror. It
can take you anywhere in the world. I’m sure you’ll have your
chance at it, too—once we figure out what to do with you. It’ll all
make sense once we get to the hive. In you go, come on now.”

Reluctantly, Zoey climbed into the back seat
of the SUV. Tristan had said they’d meet up back at the hive, and
she was curious to see if he’d still be in one piece, or if his
legs had stayed in Boston.

Agent Barnes sat in the front passenger’s
seat and whispered something to the driver, a man with white hair
and glasses that covered most of his face. As they drove away, the
orphan district disappeared, and Zoey’s stomach gave a lurch. But
it wasn’t from leaving her old life behind—it was from excitement
of the unknown that lay ahead.

Zoey was quiet during the drive out of the
city. Agent Barnes and the driver were deep in conversion, keeping
their voices low, but she caught the word
interloper
at
least five times. It was clear that this device was on everyone’s
mind, whatever it was.

After about an hour’s drive the SUV pulled
onto a dirt road.

“Cold Creek,” announced Agent Barnes, and he
turned around in his seat. “It’s a wildlife and forest conservation
area, nobody around for miles. It’s the perfect location for a
hive. It’s always best to be away from prying eyes—wouldn’t want
any Mutes in our backyard—if you know what I mean?”

No?
Zoey wanted to say, but she
didn’t. She had no idea what Mutes where.

“I was around your age when I first came
here. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the best day of
my life. I’d always wanted to be an agent, you know. My parents are
retired now, but they both worked for the agency. Ah, enough about
me. I’m sure you’ll like it here. For one thing, the air’s a lot
better than that filth you were breathing before in the city.”

Green forests ran for miles on the opposite
sides of the narrow road. Rolling hills loomed in the distance, and
she could see a river snaking through acres of swamp. Zoey had
never been in the country or so far north. She had lived surrounded
by dirty concrete buildings and smelly paved streets for as long as
she could remember. She had never seen anything so beautiful. It
was like stepping into a National Geographic magazine.

The SUV climbed a short rise and then
descended into a circular valley surrounded by mountains. A giant
building made of metal and glass rested in the middle of the
valley. As they got closer , Zoey could see it was made in the
shape of a capital
A
, lying flat.
A
for
Agency
, she realized. It sparkled in the moonlight, and
yellow light seeped out through rows of windows. It stood alone and
proud—set back from the forest—keeping the wilderness at a
respectable distance. It looked out of place in the rough country,
like an alien spacecraft that had just landed.

They drove around a circular driveway and
parked the SUV in front of the building. The driver kept the motor
running.

“Let’s go, Little Red,” said Agent Barnes
cheerfully as he clambered out of the car.

He opened Zoey’s door for her. “There’s a
boardroom filled with important people waiting to see you. I think
they’re still in shock, to tell you the truth. It’s been a while
since anyone’s seen a Drifter. You’re quite the mystery to all of
us. I can’t wait to see the look on Director Martin’s face when he
sees you. I just might take a picture.”

Zoey climbed out of the back seat and stood
on a stone walkway at the entrance of the building.

They were all a mystery to her as well. She
clenched her trembling fingers into fists so that Agent Barnes
wouldn’t see how nervous she felt. The building looked like a
research facility or a giant laboratory, imposing yet cold and
probably super clean—nothing like the foster homes she’d lived in
before, with her friends the cockroaches and Mr. and Mrs. Rat.

Grand double glass doors stood at the
entrance, like the gateway to some other world. She could see
shapes moving inside, and her stomach did a summersault. The ground
began to waver, and when she realized she was holding her breath,
she exhaled and did her best to breathe normally, even though she
could feel a panic attack on its way. She couldn’t decide it if was
from the excitement or the fear in the back of her mind. This was
still new territory. Agent Barnes was nice enough, but he was a
stranger. This whole thing could still be a trap.

Agent Barnes drew himself up proudly and
said with a smile, “Welcome to the hive number 416, the best darn
place on earth, if you ask me. It is the only place where mystics
and humans work together…and don’t
kill
one another.” He
tapped his gun, and Zoey could see a glint of mischief in his
eyes.

“Come along, Red. They’re waiting for us. Be
prepared to be amazed.” He strolled up to the front entrance with a
hop in his step and held the doors open.

Bracing herself, Zoey walked through the
front doors and stepped into a vast marble hall.

At first it looked like the normal lobby of
a government building with high ceilings, windows, and a
comfortable seating area with brown leather sofas and plush chairs.
But the further she went, the more obvious it became that this was
no ordinary government establishment. She had never imagined such a
peculiar and wonderful place.

Tall mirrors lined the walls on either side
of the great hall in the same way that important portraits of past
officials lined the walls of government buildings. The mirrors were
round, square, rectangle, some were even triangle shaped, and they
all hung low to the ground. They were made of gold, silver,
bronze—every metal imaginable. Some were even dressed with
multicolored jewels and looked as though they belonged in some
make-believe castle. Some of the mirrors were old fashioned, with
brass frames and blackened mirrors—marked with age as though they
were hundreds of years old. Others looked new, with no traces of
wear. They reflected the light like a river catching the rays from
the sun in the early morning.

Two men in green uniforms were delicately
removing a large cracked mirror and leaving a large rectangular
stain on the wall as though the mirror had been there for ages.
Another man with a broom was sweeping up the pieces.

As she strolled past, Zoey leaned forward
for a better look. Above each mirror were two light bulbs, a red
one and a green one. Most of the red lights were on—all except for
one.

She could hear a low humming, and a sudden
draft brushed her cheek as though a gust of wind had rolled by. But
there were no open windows nearby. Then the only mirror without a
red light shimmered as though the mirror itself was made of water.
The green light bulb flickered on, and a man in a yellow rain coat
stepped out, leaving a wet trail behind him.

Zoey’s jaw dropped.

The man smiled as he passed Zoey and said,
“The rain is really coming down in Bangkok.” She closed her mouth,
embarrassed when she realized she had been staring at him.

Did he just say that he just came from
Bangkok
?

There was a sudden loud buzzing from the
opposite side of the hall. The light bulb on another golden mirror
flashed green, and a woman walked out. Her body covered in orange
smoke like she had just stepped out of a volcano. The woman dusted
herself off and walked calmly away with her chin in the air, as
though everything were normal.

“Keep moving, Little Red,” said Agent Barnes
with a smirk. Zoey moved along, but she kept turning around, trying
not to miss anything.

And then she saw something that made her
gawk even more.

An impressive glass panel on the right wall
was a directory for the building. The large black lettering
read:

THE AGENCY

North American Branch No. 416

SUPERNATURAL AFFAIRS,
Room 4A

MYSTICS LAWS AND REGULATIONS,
Room
3B

CREATURE CONTROL, Room 2C

INTER-DIMENSION TRADE, COMMINUCATIONS &
TRANSPORTATION, Room 2A

MILITIA AND DEFENSE, Room 1B

SEVENTHS’ ACADEMY, Room 1D

ILLEGALS, DETAINEES, OR ANY UNLAWFUL AND
HOSTILE MYSTICS,
Basement level

A small note at the bottom added:

For all other matters, please see Ms.
Andrews at the front desk.

Zoey was mesmerized. As she passed, she
could see her own astonished face reflected in the countless
mirrors that lead off the main hall. It reminded her of the one
time she had sneaked into the circus’s fun house, where the mirrors
distorted your face and body. But these weren’t
ordinary
carnival mirrors, these were much more unusual.

Suddenly the entire hall buzzed, and masses
of people stepped out of mirrors all around her—people and
monsters.

Blood pounded in Zoey’s ears. A
kangaroo-like creature with a flat, human-like face and a very long
feathery tail hopped along the corridor. A dog with the face of an
axe trotted alongside a man with four legs in a navy suit. A woman
with thick green and orange striped skin and red eyes like burning
coals carried a pile of important looking papers. Striding next to
her was an enormous man with bulging muscles, a pronounced
forehead, and a single piercing blue eye. Zoey’s creeps stung her
skin like a nuclear goose-bump attack. The sensation wasn’t cold
this time, though—it was unusually
warm
. Subconsciously, she
reached for her backpack, but let it go when she caught Agent
Barnes’ warning scowl.