Colins Tale

Chapter 1
Colin was your average TIPster. He went to class, paid attention, treated his RC with respect, and he didnt look half-bad doing it. So it wasnt long before he caught the eye of Alex, a lovely young woman and fellow TIPster. By the end of their fourth year at TIP, Colin and Alex began seeing each other on a more intimate level. Their relationTIP was a love story for the agesand they continued to date even after TIP was over. When it came time to go away to college, Colin decided to follow his heart and enrolled in the same university as Alex. College was a magical time for both of them; they lived, they laughed, they loved. By the time they reached their senior year in college though, things became much more serious. It all happened when one day Alex knocked on Colins dorm door and said one simple sentence: Colin, I think Im pregnant. Colins mind went through all the normal emotions upon hearing this: panic, concern, joy, and back to panic again. But he knew deep down he had to man up and take charge of the situation. Alright, lets get married then. This thrilled Alex. They spent the next 4 months planning out every minute detail of an ideal wedding. Picking out the flowers, finding a dress and tux, choosing wedding bands; it all had to be done. Finally the big day came. Both Colins and Alexs families and friends arrived and packed themselves into the pews of the church. A murmur of excitement rolled through the crowd, as everyone was ecstatic that the two former TIPsters, who had now been dating for almost 5 years, were tying the knot. Colin stood next to the altar, looking uncomfortable in his tuxedo, but handsome nonetheless. The organ blared Here Comes the Bride and all attention turned to the back of the sanctuary. In entered Alex, with a slight bulge from the pregnancy showing through her immaculate white dress, yet she still walked down the aisle with grace. The priest began the typical wedding rites, but Alex and Colin paid him no attention as they were lost in each others eyes. By the time the priest asked the question: Are there any objections to this union? Both Colin and Alex were already mentally preparing for their I dos and the kiss; however, at that exact moment, there was some commotion in the back of the church. A mysterious stranger stood up and yelled, I OBJECT!!!

Chapter 2
Anger and confusion seized all the wedding attendees. The stranger walked forward and Colin instantly recognized him. Manny? From TIP? We go way back Colin, and Im sorry to do this to you, but I cant just stay quiet any longer. Confused, Colin turned to Alex, only to see tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. Manny, pleasedont do this, she pleaded. No, he has to knowknow about us. Colin, me and Alex have been seeing each other secretly, and the baby is mine. Everyone in the room let out a gasp of shockwell, everyone except Colin who just stood there speechless and dumbfounded. Alex reached out to him, Please baby, you have to understand, Ijustyou werent supposed to find out. I mean, at least not like this. Her words set off some kind of trigger in Colins head, and he became a hurricane of anger. Nothing was safe in his path. He kicked over the altar, spilling the flower vases all over the floor. He knocked over the candle holders, starting a handful of small fires across the carpet. He let out a bloodcurdling scream of anguish: AAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH No one even tried to stop him as he stormed out of the building. Many theories exist as to what Colin did immediately after that, but in reality it is impossible to say where he went. Most likely, he just disappeared in to the bottom of a bottle for a while. The next time he showed up on any records is when he appeared on an Army register of new recruits two months later. Colin was determined to get his life back on track following his heartbreak and depression, and so he signed up to become an Army Ranger. One day in the mess hall he bumped in to a familiar face. It was none other than Joseph JW Walden, who had once been in his RC group at TIP. Even though they had lost touch after TIP, Colin and JW instantly became fast friends, as they discovered they actually had a lot in common. By sheer coincidence, almost as soon as Colin and JW finished their training, the country went to war. The night before he was shipped out to the battle-zone, all of Colins friends decided to get together to throw him a huge party; both to celebrate his graduation from training and as a farewell. Everyone who was anyone was therealthough the crowd at the party was mostly former TIPsters.

Colin walked up to Jamil (who was the one responsible for organizing the party) and began to thank him for the awesome time, when a tall vision of beauty caught the corner of his eye. Colin poked Jamil and asked, Who is that? She looks familiar Who? Her? Dont you remember her from TIP? Thats Connoryou know, from Julies group. Colin became entranced. He handed his cup to Jamil, ignoring Jamils protestations. The music was loud, but he didnt care. All he could think about was Connor. Hey. Connor, right? Its me, Colin. Oh my God, Colin! I hear youre leaving sooncome here! Connor said as she pulled him in to a hug. Things only got better for Colin from that point on. He and Connor spent most of the night chatting, catching up on what theyve been up to during the past 5/6 years. Finally they realized it was already 4:00 AM, and Colins flight would leave in 4 hours. I should probably get going now, but it was great to see you againyoull keep in touch while Im over there, right? Of course! Although, it really sucks you have to go, Connor said, as she bit her lip, I really wish you didnt, and just stayed here with me. Well, maybe I can do that, Colin said. They both leaned in for a kiss

Chapter 3
At the last second, both Colin and Connor paused. They pulled back before the kiss even began. No, we might have something special here, Colin said. I just got out of a long relationship that ended terribly, and Id hate for you to just be a rebound. Yeah, I know all about Alexthat really sucked what she did. Okay, how about this: Ill wait for you, and we can see how things go once you get back. Id really like that, Colin said, with a twinge of regret in his voice. Colin boarded his plane the next day, as planned, but the entire flight his mind was stuck on Connor. He hardly noticed the 15 hours slip by. He deplaned and walked in to a desert wasteland. Colin didnt know why the U.S. had declared war on this God-forsaken country known as The Esteemed State, Saudi Arabia; all he knew was that they were the enemy.

JW walked up beside him. Hey buddy, lets get going. We have to report at the base by 0600. Colin and JW soon found out that war is a brutal and depressing affair. Their unit was gradually depleted by the fighting, as their other friends were wounded or killed in quick succession. One day their squad was given a mission to retake a part of a Saudi major city called South Bend. In short, the mission turned in to a disaster quickly. They lacked ammo, air support and basic body armor. Colin, JW, and what few survivors remained had no choice but to hole up in a bunker and pray for reinforcements. Soldiers from The Esteemed State, Saudi Arabia laid siege on their bunker for 16 days and nights. By that point Colin and JW were the only Rangers remaining alive inside. Colin threw down the empty wrapper that had held the last of their rations. He yelled in frustration, Weve been here two weeks and weve lost everyone elseI cant live like this anymore! Im going out there! Colin grabbed his weapon and what little ammo they had left, pushed aside the reinforced door, and then charged out in to the fray of battle. JW reluctantly ran out behind him. Hey wait up for me! Bullets whizzed through the air all around them. Mortar shells fell from the sky like rain, sending up explosions everywhere. Colin fired a few shots at the places where he thought the enemy was, but he doubted that he hit anything. JW screamed SNIPER!!! The next thing Colin knew he was on the ground; JW had pushed him over. Thats when he heard a single shot ring out, louder than all the others. A river of red began to flow down JWs chest as he crumpled to the ground. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! JW!!!!! Colin scrambled over to his fallen friend. JW coughed up some blood and said, Good. Youresafe. Colin. I feelsocold. With that all the light left JWs eyes and his head fell back to the ground. JW was dead. Colin shed a single tear, when he all of a sudden snapped back to reality and remembered he was in the middle of a warzone. Those responsible for killing JW were right there, he could still hurt them. All of Colins senses came in to a heightened awareness, and time seemed to slow down. He went on a rampage. Compared to before, it was now easy for Colin to see exactly where all the enemy soldiers were hiding. The enemy would peek their heads out for a vantage on the action, and Colin would react. BANG. All it took was one shot each time. BANG. Sometimes they would scream out in pain, but mostly they just fell silently. BANG. There was no stopping him.

Afterwards, a medical team came across Colin, bloodied, on his knees in the middle of the street. Somehow he had made it through the intense fighting entirely unscathed. On top of that, conservative estimates said that he had killed at least 30 enemy soldiers singlehandedly in the span of 5 minutes. By everyones standards Colin was a war hero, and it wasnt long before he found out that he was in line to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions. As part of winning the medal, Colin was pulled off of the frontlines and assigned to a new base far from the fighting. His new base was wired for communication in order to call back home. As soon as he was able to, Colin made his first call directly to Connor. The phone rang a few times, and Colin was beginning to worry that she wouldnt pick up. Then he heard a *Click*, but it was an unfamiliar voice that said, Hello? Who is this? This is Colin, I, uhhhhh, was trying to get a hold of Connor Colin? Oh! Colin! This is Richa! You remember, from TIP? Im Connors roommate now, or I mean, I was Was? You mean no ones told you? ColinConnors in a coma.

Chapter 4
As soon as the shock of Richas revelation wore off, Colin pulled himself together and began to figure out what he was going to do. He still had 3 months left on his rotation before he could go home, but Connor needed him now. Only one option made sense to him: he had to desert from the military in order to get back as soon as possible. The Esteemed State, Saudi Arabia was known all over the world for its massive criminal underground, and those were exactly the kind of people Colin had to talk to in order to get out of the country in secret. Luckily, on a previous mission his unit had busted a small restaurant that had served as a front for some black market dealers, so Colin knew exactly where he needed to go. As Colin entered the restaurant there was some cries of American! and he saw a flurry of hands reach for hidden weapons. Colin placed his hands on his head and turned around once to show that he was not there to cause trouble. Most of the people in the restaurant relaxed, but a few remained tense and ready to fight. A man that Colin recognized as the leader of the criminals motioned Colin over to speak with him. In the end, it did not take much for Colin to secure a fake ID and plane ticket home; all he had to give up was his watch, his knife and what little cash he had. Within a days time, he was on a plane home. Much like the flight heading to Saudi Arabia, his thoughts dwelled on Connor.

It was impossible for him to get any sleep on the flight as he was practically sick with worry about Connors condition. After landing Stateside, Colin immediately went and purchased some flowers and made his way to the hospital Connor was admitted to. After navigating the labyrinth of hallways, he finally found himself outside Connors door. For some reason he just froze there. How could he see her like that, like a vegetable? He sighed and took a deep breath. It was now or never. He walked in. Connor lay in the bed, looking peaceful. Sitting in the room there was also Richa and and Manny! Why on Earth was he there?! Old wounds came to the surface in an instant and next thing Colin knew he was standing over Manny, throwing all of his weight in to his right fist as he punched Manny in the jaw. Manny wiped off a trickle of blood on his chin. Yeah, I figure I deserve that for the whole wedding thing, he said. Then he saw Colin getting ready to throw another punch. Whoa! Whoa! Just wait a second; Im not the bad guy here! What did you say? I said Im not the bad guy. Just listenAlex, she played us both man. What does that even mean? What I mean is that Alex was actually seeing somebody else the whole timeI only found out when the baby was born a few months ago. The baby came out Pakistani! But the only Pakistani person we know is Jamil?! Colin couldnt believe it. Jamil had been one of his closest friends back in the day at TIP. How could Jamil have been betraying Colin this whole time without leaving any clues or suspicions? But thats not all, Richa added. Colin, I think Jamils some kind of crazy. Hes after you and anyone youre close to. Its because of him that Connor isConnor is Richa broke down sobbing, unable to finish her sentence. Manny began to console Richa, and then said, Jamil is the reason Connor is in a coma. Apparently he showed up at her door, hoping to seduce her. After she shot him down, he got angry and tried to force his way in to her apartment; when she blocked him, he pushed her over and she hit her headShes been in a coma ever since, its already been almost a week The room was quiet, except for Richas continued crying. Right at that moment the door swung open, and standing there was none other than Jamil. Richa became hysterical.

What are you here to finish the job?! Jamil started to explain, I just when he noticed Colin by Connors bed. Colin? I thought you were at warWhat are you doing here? I could ask the same of you, you son of a -----, Colin said. Jamil realized that Colin knew everything, and he took off down the hospital hallway. Colin went sprinting after him, but Jamil had already built a large lead. Jamil reached the stairwell, but instead of running down them, he leapt down and landed on a pile of laundry in the center of the well 3 floors down. Colin was about to jump down after him when an orderly wheeled a patient on a gurney out of the last room in front of him. Excuse me! You there! This is a hospital, no running! Colin had lost Jamil. There was no telling where Jamil was going to run to, so Colin just headed back to Connors room. As he walked in, he noticed there was an extra person in the room with Manny and Richa. Even though it had been years, Colin could recognize that hair anywhere. It was Vince from TIP. Vince was wearing a crisp, black suit and a pair of reflecting sunglasses. Vince dramatically pulled off the sunglasses and said: Colin. Colin Knight. I work for the government, and we know that you deserted your post. Youre going to need to come with me.

Chapter 5
Vinces demand made Colin a bit nervous. For a second he considered making a break for it down the hospital hall like Jamil just did. Come with you? Am I under arrest? Vince glanced at the others in the room. This is a classified matter. Im going to have to ask the rest of you to leave. Manny and Richa slowly got up and walked out. Colin, were just going to be in the hallway Richa said to him as she passed by. All the while Vince just stood there silently, watching them. Once the door to the room snapped shut Vince began to talk. Like I said, Im here on government business. I work for an organization that is referred to only as The Agency. We handle cases that are too sensitive for the FBI or CIA. Top Secret stuff that I dont see what any of that has to do with me, Colin interrupted. I was just about to get to that. You see, youve caused a lot of problems for us, Colin. Do you realize how terrible you would make the United States military look if the press is tipped

off to the fact that a person we just gave the Medal of Honor to last week has now deserted? Normal policy would be to make you disappear entirelybut, I know you from TIP. Youre a friend, so I couldnt let that happen to you. Then why are you here, Vince? Just to give me a warning that some secret agency is going to try to kill me? Nah, I came here to offer you a way out. I can offer you a pardon for your desertion, but in exchange you are going to need to go on a special mission for The Agency. Interested? Colin looked at Connor one last time, sighed, and said, Do I really have a choice? Vince escorted Colin out of the hospital and walked him over to a black Chevy Tahoe with government plates in the parking lot. A woman wearing a black suit-skirt and sunglasses similar to Vinces was leaning against the car. So hes coming with? she asked. Colin, you might remember Kelly, from TIP; shes your new partner for this mission. Colin nodded politely as he climbed in to the passenger side seat. Kelly took her place behind the steering wheel. Colin rolled down his window, What? Youre not coming with us Vince? Nah, I have business to take care of down at the Agencybut you will be seeing me again. The location of the mission has already been programmed in to the cars GPS; all you have to do is follow it. With that they pulled out of the lot and started their trek. After driving for a few hours it became obvious that their journey was going to be a long one. Colin and Kelly spent most of their time bonding, as they made small talk and played a few road games like I Spy. About 12 hours in, the GPS finally began to near the end of its directions...and brought them to a rundown warehouse in the middle-of-nowhere Texas. Alright, Kelly said. This is the place. Youre going to go in alone, but Ill secure the perimeter and support you from outside. Open the glove compartment; youre going to need that. Colin opened the compartment and found a fully loaded Glock sitting there. Colin knew exactly how to handle it from his Army training, he cocked it, checked the barrel for obstructions. So what exactly am I looking for in there? Whats the mission? Right now all you have to do is some recon, and then well assess what were going to do. Colin got out of the car and started towards the warehouse. They had parked the car about a mile away so he had to stealthily make his way across the desert wasteland in between.

The building was massive, but looked like it hadnt been used in over 30 years. Outside there were only two lookouts, both of whom were sleeping in the shade of the building with their AK47s propped against the wall beside them. Colin quickly darted around the corner, out of sight from the napping guards, in case one should wake. All of the windows were over 20 feet above his head, so they were out of reach; however, there was one air vent that was accessible. Colin climbed up and in to the vent and began to shimmy his way down the air duct with his pistol clenched between his teeth. Colin made his way down the duct until he reached some slats that he was able to look down from and that was when he finally understood what this mission was all about. The vent overlooked a massive factory floor filled with pallets and barrels full of CocaCola. Coke had been an illegal substance for a few years now; ever since the government banned it in 2012Coke is an illegal drug. Colin also saw some people busy at work while some kind of boss barked out orders. This was a recon mission, so Colin decided it would be important to know who the leader of this operation was. He quietly loosened the screws on the slats and dropped down. Hiding behind a couple of barrels, Colin was able to see that there were in fact three people overseeing the workers, but only one was standing in the light. It was a large muscular man, wearing athletic shorts and a shirt that only said LACROSSE across the front. Colin realized the man was yet another former TIPsterit was Miles. Colin still couldnt tell who the other two were, but it was obvious that Miles was only the muscle and that he took his orders from them too. Colin tried to peek out a little bit more so that he could see the mystery two betterand now he could see that the drug lords were two more TIPsters, Travis and Hailey. That was strangeback in their TIP days, both of them had seemed so nice. How could they have possibly ended up running a massive drug operation? However, the second the thought crossed Colins mind, he heard the *click* of a gun cocking. He felt the cold metal circle of a gun barrel press against the back of his head

Chapter 6
(As told by the illustrious John Slack)
The muzzle of the gun was pressed firmly against Colins head. A voice arose from behind him, "What's going on here?" Hal pushed Colin out into the light in front of Travis and Hailey, and forced Colin to his knees. "I found him lurking in the shadows over there!" said Hal.

"Good work Hal," said Travis, "it's nice to see that anti-spying course you took at TIP finally paying off." "Let's get rid of him, once and for all," said Hailey with a sneer, "take him out back Hal! You know what to do." Miles grabbed Colin roughly by the arm as Hal loaded his gun. They walked behind the Coke... a cola factory in silence. When they reached a clear area near a shed, Miles grunted and pointed at a shovel lying in the dust. Colin picked it up, and drove it into the ground. He began to dig his own grave with Hal's gun pointed at his head. After he had dug 5 feet into the earth, Hal yelled, "Stop! Thats deep enough! It's time for you to die. But before I kill you Colin- you have to do one thing... Pushups!!! HAHAHAHA---" Hal's maniacal laugher ended suddenly, as a small dart appeared in his neck. He collapsed, falling into the grave. Another dart materialized in Mile's neck, and he too slumped to the ground, fast asleep. Kelly poked her head around the edge of shed. "I thought you could use some help," she said with a wink, "let's get you out of there." She pulled Colin out of the grave. After dusting himself off, there was only one thing Colin could say to his partner. "Lets go take out some bad guys." Kelly smiled. As they ran into the factory, Kelly handed Colin a fully loaded gun. After they turned a corner, they saw two goons standing at the end of hallway, enjoying a cup of coffee. One of the goons dropped his cup as he pulled out his gun. Colin reacted and fired off two shots in rapid succession. Both goons were dead before the coffee hit the ground. Unfortunately, the blast from the gun reverberated throughout the concrete factory. Four other guards appeared behind them. "Run!" yelled Kelly as the bullets ricocheted off the walls. Colin rushed through the door at the end of the hallway, only to find himself face to face with three other rather large guards, who appeared to have been enjoying a box of donuts. He pushed the table with the donuts into them, making a path through the room for himself and Kelly. Moments later they were out the exit of the room as more angry yells erupted from the room they had just left. Moments later, bullets flew around them. The labyrinth of hallways seemed neverending. Colin was breathing heavily after what felt like hours of running. On their way through a large storeroom, Colin tripped and fell, banging his knee against a shelf on the way down. He cried out in pain and Kelly stopped. She could hear the fat guards moments behind them. It looked like a dead end, until she noticed the thin pipe-filled hallway coming out of a corner of the room, hidden by a crate. She grabbed Colin and threw him over her shoulder in a fireman's carry, running towards their small exit. Just as she entered the hallway, the guards made it into the room. Colin could

hear their confused muttering, as they checked behind shelves and under tables for Colin and Kelly. After they were three quarters the way through the hallway, one of the guards yelled, and his body appeared behind them. Kelly ran faster; the exit seemed so close. The guard pulled out his gun, and began to fire at them. Bam. The first bullet hit the wall to the left of Kelly. Bam. The second made a path through Colin's hair, just inches from his skull. BOOM. The third shot hit a gas line halfway down the hallway. The huge explosion threw Colin and Kelly to the ground just outside the hallway. After they picked themselves off the ground, they noticed two shocked people staring at them in awe. Colin pulled out his gun and walked towards Travis. He wasn't about to miss this shot. "No stop! Don't shoot," cried Travis, "I'm just the fall guy! I'm only taking orders from them!" He let out a little sob. "Whos them," asked Colin, his gun calmly pointed at Travis's head. "You S.O.B.," yelled Hailey in raging hysterics. "Don't tell them anything you'll doom us all!" But she quieted down when Kelly stuck a gun against her head. Travis wordlessly reached over and grabbed a bag of Coke. He threw it across the floor at Colin. On it was a label that read Product of: Marxist Anarchist Germ Growing International Eco-terrorists. "They're going to release a super virus through the Coke!!!" said Travis.

Chapter 7
Finding out that Travis and Hailey were only mid-level crime lords made Colin feel uneasy. Obviously there was something bigger at stake here. Who knew what these ecoterrorists might be up to? Colin knew he had to find out. Before Colin could question Travis some more about his orders, a sound of sirens came from outside. Sounds like the FBI and local police are here already, Kelly said. Well leave it to them to clean up here, but we cant linger around anymorethey might start asking questions. Questions we cant answer because they are top secret.

Kelly pulled out her tranquilizer gun and shot a dart in to Travis and Hailey each. Their two captives slumped to the floor unconscious. Cmon, we gotta run. Out the fire escape. Colin followed Kelly, briskly jogging back to their car. When they reached the barricade the FBI set up, Kelly flashed a badge and sped through. Mind explaining all of that, Colin asked, Why couldnt we help them with all the arrests? There are too many variables when you involve in the FBI or any other law enforcement, Kelly replied. Technically our entire Agency is classified up to the highest level; even other government departments are unaware of our existence. Besides, these eco-terrorists seem to be well connected and organized; its entirely possible they have placed moles in the FBI or some other agency, this could be a massive conspiracy were dealing with. The drive back to the Agency was a long and quiet one. Neither Kelly nor Colin felt like talking much after all they had witnessed at the Coke factory. As soon as they arrived at headquarters they went directly to Vinces office for their debriefing and to report about the new eco-terrorist threat. I see, Vince said, after they finished their report. Yes, I was afraid that something like this might be the case. I knew someone else was behind that factory, but I just didnt know who. Good work, you two, you are dismissed. Kelly and Colin got up and were just about to walk out the door when Vince said, Hold up. On second thought, you guys make an excellent teamIm going to give this case to you. Sir? Kelly asked. I want you to follow up on who these Marxist-whatever-Eco-terrorists are. From this point forward, your and Colins mission is to hunt these guys down and bring them to justice. Naturally youll report to me on all that you find. Colin, I assume youre willing to become a full time agentbelieve me, the pay is good. I cant just sit by while the world is in danger, Colin said. Im in. From that point on, Colin and Kelly became an inseparable duo, constantly traveling around the world following up on any and all clues they got concerning the eco-terrorists. One moment they would be in the rainforests of Venezuela raiding safe-houses; the next, theyd be in Egypt chasing down rogue molecular biologists; or maybe they would be following the money trail to offshore banks in the Cayman Islands. They may have dismantled the eco-terrorists global crime network, but Colin and Kelly were still no closer to figuring out what the terrorists ultimate evil plans might be. After a year of searching and detective work, Colin and Kelly finally had a breakthrough when they deciphered an eco-terrorist message saying that one terrorist cell would be meeting in

Paris, France. They arrived early and set up a stake-out down the road from the caf the meeting was to take place in. When the meeting time came, they noted 4 men walk up and sit at the same table together. Colin recognized three of the four men, as they were former TIPsters too. They were only second years when Colin was at TIP, so he never paid much attention to them then; but now Kyle, Patrick and Cha were international eco-terrorists. There was no time to wait around and identify the fourth man, Colin and Kelly had to make their move now. Kelly, you flank around from the other side, hopefully well catch them off guard. However, their plan fell apart before it even could start. Kyle noticed them approaching, yelled out in alarm and reached for his gun. I got him! Kelly said as she fired two quick shots and dropped Kyle. The entire caf broke in to a wild panic with the sound of the gunshots. Cha jumped out of his seat and started running. He bumped in to a few chairs, tripped and fell, while knocking over a nearby table. Cha scrambled back up and sprinted in to the cafs interior. Ill go after him, you hold down the other two, Colin said, as he took off after Cha. Cha was running frantically inside. He shoved a bus boy aside, sending a stack of plates crashing to the ground. Colin yelled out Freeze! but that only made Cha panic more. Cha ran down a narrow hallway towards the back entrance and kicked open the back door. He exited in to the alley behind the caf and turned right, ready to runwhen all of a sudden there was a loud SCREEEEEEEECH of tires, and a car smashed in to Cha. Aggggghhh, moaned Cha, both of his legs broken. He wasnt going anywhere. Colin turned and headed back to the front of the caf. By the time he got there, Kelly was pinned down behind the overturned table, as Patrick had an Uzi and was laying down a constant stream of bullets. The mystery man was sneaking around the side and was going to catch Kelly by surprise. Colin fired a single shot and took down Patrick. Look out! Behind you! He yelled to Kelly. Thanks, partner, Kelly said. She pivoted and pistol-whipped the mystery man in the face, bringing him to the ground. Colin rushed over and looked down; the man was none other than Brian from TIP. Brian was rolling around in pain and bleeding from a broken nose. Colin dragged Brian over to their car and threw him in the trunk. They drove back to their local safe-house and tied Brian to a chair for interrogation. Kelly began beating Brian without mercy while Colin would occasionally ask a question. It went on like that for over 2 hours until, finally, Brian cracked.

No more, he said. Im going to pass out from blood loss! Ill talk! Okay, Colin said. Tell us everything you know. What is your groups goal? An attack. Theres going to be a biological attackon New YorkNew Years Eve And with that, Brian passed out. Colin and Kelly exchanged glances. Both of them knew this was huge, so they gathered their things and returned to America to report in as quickly as they could. When they were done with their report, Vince shook his head in disgust. Why cant you two ever bring me good news? He said. Luckily some of our other agents were able to pick up Cha, and he told us where the main terrorist base is: a small island in the PacificColin and Kelly, your next mission is to infiltrate that base and eliminate this group before their attack. Make no mistake, this is going to be a suicide mission; so you might as well say goodbye to your loved ones before this one. For Colin, that meant there was only one place to go: to Connors bedside. He had visited Connor regularly over the past year, but this time felt different. This really could be his last time seeing her. He gently took Connors hand and sat by her side. Colin heard the sound of the door open behind him. He turned and saw Kelly standing there. Kelly slowly walked over. I just wanted to say thank you, againfor saving my life back there in Paris, I mean. Dont mention it, but Im kind of in the middle of something here, Kelly. I know, I justneeded to see you, she said. Kelly walked over, leaned in and kissed Colin on the lips. At that exact moment, Connors eyes fluttered open

Chapter 8
Colin and Kelly froze, stunned at Connors unlikely awakening. Neither of them knew what to do. Did Connor see their kiss? Uhhhhwhats going on? Connor muttered. Oh, hi Colin! Kelly looked to Colin for him to say something. Colin thought it best to pretend nothing happened. Hey baby, youve been asleep a long time, he said, patting Connors hand. Do you know where you are? Do you remember anything? All I remember is Connor froze in terror, her memory coming back. Jamil!

Its okay! Youre safe now. Jamil cant hurt you anymore, now that Im here. Colin moved in and hugged Connor. Oh wow, look at the time, Kelly said. I really should be goingafter all one of us should go turn in our mission report from France. Kelly opened the door, but found her path blocked. Standing there was Richa, who had come for her daily visit to Connor. Kelly fidgeted, trying to figure out a way to get of that room without making things anymore awkward. Somehow Richa sensed Kellys discomfort and grew suspicious. Uh, hey Kellywhere are you going? Kelly tried to deflect the question. Look, Richa! Connor woke up! Yeah, I know. She actually woke up last night. She was just sleeping before I take her home later today. Kelly and Colin glanced at each other, shocked at the news. Yet again Richa seemed to have a sixth sense that picked up on the tension in the room. Whats your problem, Kelly? This is the first time Connors been awake in over a year and youre trying to get out of here as soon as you can. Kelly bit her lip in silence and averted her eyes. Connor looked around the room confused. Whats going on? Whys everybody sooo upset? Be happy! It was obvious that Connor was completely lost in a different world, due to the drugs the doctors had been pumping in to her. Richa started getting angry. Whats your problem, Kelly? I see the way youre looking at Colin. Connor just woke up from a freaking coma, and youre thinking about stealing her boyfriend?! Get out of my way! Kelly tried to shove her way past Richa, knocking both of them in to the hallway. Who do you think you are, you b----- The room door slammed shut behind them. Colin paused for a second as the chaos continued on out in the hall. He turned to Connor and asked, Are you sure youre feeling fine? Ive never felt better! This stuff theyre giving me is gooood.

Okay, well I should probably go break up the fight out there, and after that I do need to head back to the Agency...but Ill be back as soon as Im done there. Okey dokey. Bye bye. Colin really wished he didnt have to go, but he still had to do his job. With a heavy heart, he left the room. Once he got in the hallway, he saw no sign of Kelly or Richa, but there were signs that their fight had continued; hospital carts were overturned, some streaks of blood on the floor and holes punched in the walls. Well, if they werent here anymore, he might as well head on back to the Agency. When Colin arrived at the Agency, everything seemed pretty ordinary. Walking through the maze of cubicles on his way to Vinces office, he suddenly got a strange feeling. Something was wrong here. He had never noticed it before, but almost half of the workers at the Agency he knew from TIP. Looking over some papers at a desk were both OliviasLeland was making some copiesthere were some second- and third-years too (but Colin had never bothered remembering their names)...and leaning against the water cooler was JQ, who was talking to Jamil. Jamil?! The man who had cuckolded Colin, stole Alex from him and attacked Connor. By every measure he was Colins worst enemy. And he was just standing there in the middle of the Agency casually talking. Anger took over Colin. Jamil had to pay.

Chapter 9
By the time Colin calmed down, he was on top of Jamil. Jamils face was already bruised and bloodied. Jamil threw up his hands to shield his face, Colin! Colin! Stop it man! Tell me why I should spare you, after what you did to me. I know I hurt youbut trust me I had to do it. I was under orders. If I didnt go after Alex and Connor they might have killed me. Im sorry...just please, let me go, Jamil pleaded. Who? Who ordered you to do all that? I cantI cant say Colin! You idiot. What are you doing, picking fights in the middle of the office? Colin turned to see Schareir standing there. He remembered that she worked here at the Agency as Vinces assistant. Vince is waiting to see you now.

Colin got up and wiped the blood off of his fists. Jamil stayed on the ground, whimpering in pain. Colin followed Schareir down the hallway to Vinces office. Vince was standing in front of his window with his hands crossed behind his back. So I heard about your exploits in Paris, maybe you can give me your report on what you and Kelly discovered Sorry, I dont mean to cut you off, but can you tell me what the hell is going on here? I dont know what you mean. I mean, Jamil is out there in the hallway I just pounded his face in. Surely my personnel file tells you what he did to me in the pastbut here he was. So I ask again, whats going on with that? Vince cursed under his breath. He moved away from the window and sat down at his chair behind his desk. You werent supposed to know about any of this. At least, not yet. I dont know who made the mistake of letting Jamil be visible, but whoever is responsible is going to pay dearly. What was I not supposed to know? Oh wake up already Colin! Surely youve noticed how everyone who works here is from TIP? Obviously we were wrong to put our faith in you if you didnt even recognize that Thats a shame, because now my bosses will probably just dispose of you like they did the others. Colin panicked, pulled out his gun and aimed it at Vince. What are you talking about? Youre going to kill me now, is that it? Vince shook his head. Ive already said too much Colin. Theres no way youre going to get any more info from me! In a swift motion Vince reached in a drawer in his desk and grabbed something. Just as Colin was about to pull the guns trigger in defense, Vince threw back his head and placed the mystery item in his mouth. Vince collapsed to the floor, shaking violently. White foam began to form around his mouth. He must have taken some kind of suicide pill; choosing to take his own life instead of giving up any more information. Colin cradled Vinces head as the poison made Vince become delirious. Salt! Salt! Blegggghhhh were Vinces final words. Colin had no idea what to do next. Vince left too many unanswered questions; not to mention it would probably look bad once he came out of Vinces office with Vince dead. Colin

decided that there was only one choice: he had to go directly to Vinces nameless superiors on the 6th floor. He didnt know who they were, but surely they had the answers he was looking for and he could explain to them directly about Vinces death. As soon as Colin opened the door to exit Vinces office, a bullet whizzed by his head. Then a second one, and now there was a constant stream of bullets aimed at him. Someone wanted him dead. Colin jumped out and took cover behind Schareirs empty desk in front of Vinces door. Colin peeked his head over the desk when the mystery assailants stopped to reload and he saw both Olivias standing there packing Uzis. Colin! Olivia A. yelled out. They heard everything that happened in Vinces office. We have our orders to kill you. Dont make this more difficult than it has to be; just come out and take a quick, clean death! You cant fight the whole Agency! So everyone in the Agency, including all his former TIP friends, was his enemy now. The odds seemed stacked against him, but somewhere in the back of his mind his survival instinct was still working strong. He was going to fight his way out. Things might get a little messy here The bullets still flying over his head, Colin took Schareirs roller-chair and positioned his body on it. He kicked himself off the wall, sending the chair in to a rolling skid out of cover. The sudden movement caught both Olivias off-guard, and all it took was one shot each to drop the both of them. Colin got off the chair to check Olivia C.s pulse and gather up her ammo. While he was crouched over her, someone darted out from one of the cubicles firing at Colin. Colin instinctively rolled on the ground out of the way, and kicked the roller chair at the mystery assailant. The chair hit the person in the legs knocking them over face first, and as they were falling Colin emptied his clip at him. Now that he was in the light, Colin looked at who attacked himand the cold, dead face of Aris looked back. But Colin had no time to reflect on Ariss death before more machine-gun fire brought him back to reality. He was completely exposed in the office hallway, so Colin ducked in to a nearby broom closet to escape immediate harm. Once he was inside, Colin noticed that it was no ordinary janitors closet; in reality, the door opened up to a larger room and there was an entire arsenal of weaponry and explosives lining the walls. Colin could hear voices outside the door talking about what they should do. Colin ran over to the weapon racks and started loading up on guns and ammo. Right then Colin decided that there was one last thing for him to dohe had to bring the entire Agency down, no matter what. Colin grabbed some bricks of C4 and a timer; he then set the timer for 30 minutes.

The voices were right outside the door now, and it sounded like they were setting up explosives of their own to break in. Colin wasnt just going to sit around and wait for them though; he grabbed one of the automatic shotguns and in three quick shots in a row he blew out the hinges on the door. As soon as the hinges were gone he kicked the door and jumped out in to the hallway on top of it. Colin felt a weight land under the door beneath him, and standing there stunned in the hall was Judith. Lee! She yelled. Lelands under there! Colin swung the shotgun around and hit Judith in the face with the butt of the gun. She dropped to the floor, knocked out. Colin then sprinted towards the elevator, ducking under the random gunfire coming at him from all directions. When he reached the elevator doors, he hesitated for a second and then hit the UP button. Even though this place was going to blow in less than 25 minutes, Colin still wanted to confront Vinces boss and get some answers. Out of nowhere Colin heard a bloodcurdling war-cry, HI-YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAA. He turned back around and saw Schareir running at him at full speed, swinging a massive long sword. Colin, Im going to KIIIILLLL YOOOOUUUU! Colin fired his pistols at her, trying to bring her down, but nothing was working. Bullets didnt affect her; Schareir seemed unstoppable. She was almost within range to slice Colin with her sword when Colin jumped and rolled out of the way. Schareir had enough time to say, Huh?! but it was too late for her to come to a stop, and her momentum carried her headfirst in to the wall right next to the elevator. The elevator door dinged and opened almost simultaneous with Schareirs head colliding with the wall. Colin kicked her once to make sure she was out cold, and then said Going down? Colin entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 6th floor. As the elevator lurched upwards, Colin took the time to reload his weapons and prepare himself. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open; the next thing Colin knew he was on the ground and his shoulder hurt. Hed been shotbut he hadnt even heard the gunshot. Colin rolled over to look out and see who shot him. The elevator opened directly to a single, short hallway that ended with a massive set of double doors. Standing in front of the doors were none other than Richa and Kelly. The barrel of Kellys gun was smoking. Nice shot, Kelly. You brought him down without even having to kill him, Richa said as she moved forward cautiously to secure Colin. Kelly fell to her knees, tears running down her cheek. Colin thought he heard her sob something like What have I done?

Well well, looks like the little rogue agents story ends here, Richa was standing right over Colin now. Its almost a pity you didnt put up more of a fight. Colin reached his hand out. Kelly he pleaded. Ha! Sure, Kelly might have gone off script when she kissed you back in Connors room, but youd have to be an idiot to think that she actually cares A gunshot rang out. I do care about him, Kelly said with defiance in her voice. She fired another shot, this time the bullet hit Richa in the stomach. GAAAI really do hate you Kelly, Richa pulled up her gun and with one last effort pulled the trigger twice. Both shots hit Kelly. With that, Richa fell down while Kelly slumped over. Colin lay on the ground, stunned at what just happened. He managed to get to his feet and stumble over to where Kelly was. He whispered Im sorry, and shed a single tear for her. More than ever, Colin had to know who the monster was that manipulated all of the TIPsters to this point where they were killing each other. He found his resolve again and marched through the massive doors. The office was just as massive as the doors were. One side of the room was dominated by multiple monitor screens and computers; the other side was lined with bookcases. In the middle of the room was a black desk, but the chair at the desk was turned facing the other direction, cigar smoke trailing out from behind it. The chair slowly swiveled around, revealing the head of the Agency. Agent Colin, I have been expecting you. Uhhhwho are you? You look familiar You dont remember me?! Im George! You know, the Asian RC from TIP. How could you have forgotten me? Sorry, Colin said. I guess I just never had that much contact with you at TIP. So youre the one behind all this? Of course Im the one thats in charge here, George smashed his cigar down in frustration. This was supposed to be a dramatic meeting, but you didnt even remember who I was. Im really disappointed in you Colin. I dont care your opinion of me. Why have you been messing around with my life?

Colin, Colin, Colin, George sighed. You dont even realize what this is all about. It all comes down to this simple fact: ever since you went to camp all those years ago, TIP has controlled your life. Thatsimpossible. Is it? Im guessing your parents never actually read all the papers they signed when they sent you off to gifted camp. Paragraph 8, Clause C: We hereby authorize TIP to train and recruit our son or daughter in to its paramilitary force, George laughed. Youd be surprised how many parents miss that part. Is that what this Agency is, and why everyone here is from TIP? Of course! Think about it: with a just little training, gifted students can be made in to excellent secret agents. The average TIPster is recruited immediately after they leave TIPbut you Colin, you are special. What do you mean? Even compared to other TIPsters, your scores were off the chart in everything. So our Agency has been shaping your life to make you not just excellent, but a perfect secret agent for our goals. Thats why weve controlled everything youve done since TIP, including your relationships. Wait. You mean that whole Alex pregnancy thing was you guys? Yup, that was us. Agent Alex took one for the team, and of course both Manny and Jamil worked for us too. You see, we had to devastate you and set you on the path to joining the military. And Connor? Was she just following orders too? George chuckled and nodded his head. How can you play with peoples lives like that? I assume you even sent JW to die in the war? Uhhhh, actuallyJW was the only thing that wasnt us. That was just pure coincidence that he ended up in your unit. Small world, huh? What about the drugs and the terrorists? Kelly and I spent a year tracking all of them down. Travis, Hailey, Hal, Brian Again, they were all agents on our payroll. Of course, weve covered up all evidence tying them to us. We had to provide a threat on world security for you to stop in order for you to reach your full potential.

Thats probably the first good thing youve said so farso that means the whole New York eco-terrorist attack was only a ploy. Actually, no. The attack is still going to happen. You have to stop it for TIPs master plan to take effect. You keep mentioning this plan for me. What is it? Like I said earlier, weve made you perfect. Youre talented and gifted to an extreme, youre a war hero, and once you publicly stop this massive eco-terrorist attack, youll become a national hero. From there it will be easy for you to win political officemaybe a Senate seat to start with, and then it wont be long before youd become president. TIP will have an inside agent sitting in the Oval Office! Then there will be no end to the funding for talented and gifted programs! Muahahahaha! Colin had heard enough. I refuse. What did you say? I said I refuse. Im not going to play your sick little game. Im stopping you, this Agency, and TIP right here, right now. Thats impossible. down Youre good, but youre not good enough to bring all of this

Well, you see, I set up a bomb downstairs. Enough C4 to destroy this whole building and its going off in... Colin checked his watch. Two minutes. And unfortunately for you, you cant walk out of here. Colin shot George in both his legs. Colin calmly walked back towards the elevator. Behind him George was hysterical, yelling, Colin! You can have everything! Stop it! COLIN!!! Colin pretended not to hear as he got in the elevator and hit the button for the first floor. The elevator reached the ground floor; Colin exited it and walked out through the buildings lobby. As he walked away from the Agency, he saw a familiar face running towards him. His hand moved towards one of his pistols out of reflex. She might be an enemy. Connor ran and hugged Colin. She was out of breath, but she managed to say, I heard you found outI justwanted to tell youI know theyre evil. They ordered me to be with you, but they didnt order me to feel the way I do about you. If youll have me, I still want to be with you Colin hugged her back. All he said was, Youre just in time for the fireworks.

As if on cue, the Agency exploded behind them. Colin and Connor didnt care; they walked off in to the sunset, hand in hand, smiling.

Moral of the story:

The friendships you make and people you meet at TIP will be a part of the rest of your lifewhether you want them to be or not

Epilogue
About 10 years later a new organization appeared across the nation. It was called the Program for the Intelligent and Talented (PIT for short). PIT was run by a nice couple named Colin and Connor. The mission of PIT was to be the opposite of TIP, by providing a welcoming academic atmosphere for gifted studentsbut without being a massive evil shadow conspiracy.