Carli Evans and The Bomb That Got Through Security

   When you’re an HOU agent under the age of eighteen there are certain things you must do. One of these tedious things is giving up your winter breaks to train with other under age agents in one of many undisclosed locations. In fact, they are so undisclosed, that if I were to type any location within a five mile radius of any of them, a sniper would shoot me dead from the building next to me. He doesn’t believe I know he is there because I came to a ski resort in colorado to escape the eyes of that paranoid organization so that I might be able to write in peace, but I am however aware of the standard HOU snow boots that are only available to field agents. So when I saw the branding and markings of the boot in a snowy imprint, I was immediately aware that I had been followed. Never the less, I continue to write, because the only thing that could ever stop me from writing to you, dear readers, is God himself. 

   Another chore one must accomplish as a minor employed by the most secret of secret agencies, is that every year they must assist at least one form of law enforcment or emergency dispatch in averting some sort of crisis or emergency. This is used as both a form of training, and a form of keeping the peace between the HOU and the various human governments of the world. Carli Evans had not assisted any government organization this year and so when they got an alert, Carli was the first one they called. Our heroine was in one of those “undisclosed locations” during her winter break. She always hated having to be separated from her family for the holidays, but this year she received a suprisingly heart warming christmas present from someone she met on one of her past missions. Carli was at the shooting range trying out a new gun that her friend Jefferson had created for her. The gun used technomancy, which Jefferson was experimenting with, to deliver a powerful blow. So you have to understand how starteled Carli was when, while holding an experimental weapon, she was tapped on the shoulder. She turned around and pulled the trigger, shooting a messenger bot across the room. After a moment of embarrassment, Carli laughed at what she did because if anyone had seen that it would have been really embarrassing for one of the HOU’s top agents. 

   This is a story about Carli Evans. 

Sixteen years old, Carli Evans works for an organization called the House Of the Unknown (HOU). This organization is dedicated to protecting the world from the panic and chaos of things we do not yet fully understand. Whether the threat be foreign or domestic, man made or animal, mythical or mechanical, the HOU makes sure it is taken care of, examined, and safe before anyone else knows about it. They only recruited the best. And Carli, well, she was the best of the best. 

   Carli walked over and retrieved the envelope that the now dismantled robot was carrying. The envelope stated that the FBI had just discovered that a suspicious person, on flight two thirty two coming out of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Air Port later that day, was meeting with someone else on that flight. Now, the reason why they needed help was because this person had appeared out of nowhere. There was no record of them anywhere. They knew nothing, and the FBI knows everything. The American organization tracked down the person’s contact they were meeting on the plane. However, he got into a little “accident” before they could ask him any questions. It’s almost comical, when grown men and women in one of the most feared organizations in the world need help, they call a sixteen year old girl. Now, where does Carli fit into all this? Well her job was to impersonate the contact, find out as much information as possible, and report back when the plane landed in Seattle. 

   Since the airport wasn’t too far from where she was, (Ha, see what I did there? They can’t kill me for being vague) Carli was able to arrive at the airport about two hours later because she had to arrange transportation, gather her gear, and do her hair and makeup. If you’re gonna do busy work at an airport, you might as well look good while doing it. 

   She arrived at the airport at one twenty two PM. Flight two thirty two was scheduled to takeoff at four PM. After going through airport security, Carli had one and a half hours to get to the gate. To blend in with the crowd, our Heroine wore ripped jeans, a red tee shirt, and a black jacket that matched her sneakers. In her backpack was the new gun, a few other weapons, a handful of random gadgets that have saved her life more than a few timed before, the christmas present I talked about earlier, and a parachute. That was why security took so long.

 From her ear piece, Cari heard the voice of FBI agent Glass say, “We have a problem.” 

Carli then casually walked over to a unisex bathroom and locked the door. Once she was in there with the door locked, Carli replied, “Talk to me.”

“There’s a bomb.” Said the terrified FBI agent.

Confused, Carli asked, “A bomb? Are you sure? There’s no way a bomb could get passed security.”

Glass said, “Well, it did. And according to our systems, it’s nuclear.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Listen, we don’t try to even begin to understand what you guys at the HOU deal with, but this can’t be the most impossible thing you’ve dealt with before.”

“True, but what do you want me to do?”

“Ok. I’m calling in a few more of your people. I will establish a randevou point with them for you but in the mean time you need to find that bomb!” 

   Our heroine quickly pulled her sunglasses out of her backpack, ran out of the restroom, and began searching for that bomb. What’s special about her glasses is that they’re basically a mobile cat scan in lens form. They accurately read the radiation of Carli’s surroundings in real time. 

   Carli ran through the terminals, trying to find a nuclear bomb. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy, but she wasn’t. Then, she found it. From across the airport she could see a bright heat and radiation signature. She ran and ran but when she got to the place where the signature was strongest, there was no bomb in sight. She put her glasses on again to make sure she was in the right place and she was. It seemed to be coming from a middle aged man eating a burger. 

   Carli touched her earpiece and said, “I found the bomb, and it’s a man.”

   Glass replied, “What?! You know what, I’m not gonna question it. The other HOU agents are at the first aid center about five hundred yards from where you are right now. I’ll inform them of this new information, all you gotta do is get that man-bomb to the first aid station.”

   Carli thought for a minute. How was she going to get a middle aged man, who was about to go nuclear, into a first aid center? Then, she saw that the man had two carry on bags with him. Perfect. 

   Carli ran up to the man, pretending to be out of breath, and said, “excuse me sir, are you traveling with someone?”

   “Yes, my grandson,” the man replied, “why do you ask?”

   “He sent me here to come get you! He slipped in the bathroom and broke his collar bone! He’s in the first aid center now!”

   The man’s eyes went wide and without another word he ran out of the terminal and into the crowd of people. Carli was just hoping that this panic wouldn’t make him blow up. 

   Then, moments later,

   “We got him.” Said agent Glass, “the atomic anomaly has been contained. Now you have a flight to catch.”

   Carli looked down at her watch, she had fifteen minutes till the plane took off! In a panic, Carli started running through the air port, dodging sleazy salesmen, lost children, and the occasional blind guy standing in the middle of the hall wacking people with his stick just for the heck of it! Man, those guys are annoying yet hilarious at the same time. 

   Carli made it to the gate with seven minutes to spare. She quickly found her seat in first class, stored her backpack in the over head bin, sat down, and finally took a deep breath. About two minutes later, the target sat down in the seat next to her. I have no idea how they were even later than Carli, but that’s what happened. 

   The target was a girl who looked to be around Carli’s age. She had stitches going all around her neck, which Carli found peculiar. What was also peculiar about this girl was her attire. Even though she was sitting in first class, she had dirt all over her, she wore clothes that seemed to be from Good Will, and her hair was wild and a mess. The only thing semi-sophisticated about her was the blue ribbons in her hair. 

   “I was told you could help me to find my beloved,” said the girl, “please, I need to find him!”

   Carli was surprised, she was expecting an illegal immigrant or a criminal on the run but this girl was just lost and looking for the person she cared about. 

   The girl started crying at the thought of the one she was seeking, and Carli pulled out a small thing if tissues from her pocket. 

She helped wipe away the girl’s tears and said, “Hey, I’m really good at finding people, I’ll help you find him. My name is Carli by the way. Now what can you tell me about this man you’re trying to find.”

The girl sniffled as the plane took off and she said, “A thousand thank yous, Carli, I am called Tania, and I was told that whoever I met here could help me find the man called ‘Shatter’. I was told that he knew my lover, Aldway Woottone, who used to go by a similar name. I thought he was dead but I have been told that he is alive so I must find him! Please tell me you know Shatter, please!”

Carli smiled, and said, “You couldn’t have come to a better person.”

When the plane landed in Seattle, Carli and Tania walked out into the falling snow with Carli’s backpack. Carli pulled out her christmas present from a special someone, which was a radio with a switch on it, and she turned it on. Seconds later, Shatter appeared a few feet away from the two lovely young ladies. 

“Carli!” He shouted to get her attention. 

But when Shatter said that, Tania looked over at him and even though Shatter was wearing a mask, Tania knew that face and she knew that voice. 

“ALDWAY!” Tania cried as she ran through through the Seattle snow towards the mysterious Shatter.

“Wolfie? What ar-”, Shatter couldn’t finish his words because Tania had interrupted him with a passionate kiss as if he was a lover that she had waited lifetimes to be with. 

Shatter broke off the kiss, feeling very confused and in need of breath, and then he saw Carli fighting back tears with her jaw to the floor as she saw the boy she kissed atop the Eiffel Tower, the boy who saved her life, the boy who she loved but she didn’t know it yet, kiss another girl..

“Carli,” Shatter said, “this is Wolfie, and I have a lot of explaining to do.”

Carli just starred in tears. After a moment, she just couldn’t look at him anymore so she turned and ran off into the night, leaving Shatter wondering what just happened, and what can he do to make it right.