[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.” He paused to listen to someone reply, then he said, “Understood.We’ll meet you at the extraction point.”I reached down to grab the bag Jax had left on the ground.“Extraction point?” I asked.“Yes, your father is ordering us to bring you home immediately.”I shoved both my diary and Jane’s journal inside the bag.“I don’t want to leave.It was just a false alarm.I’m not in danger.”“Sorry,” Agent Duke said, “orders are orders.”Thirty seconds later, we were at the back side of the building, where a black SUV was waiting for us.Agent Duke rushed me to the back seat and jumped in beside me.“Let’s go,” he called to the driver.We peeled away so fast the tires made a screech across the asphalt, like we were fleeing a bank robbery.It was kind of ridiculous.I looked back as the school disappeared through the view of my dark tinted window.Apparently, this was my life now.I clutched Jax’s bag in my lap, anticipating the moment I could finish Rayne’s message and write him back in the diary.Jax’s visit may have cost me the rest of the day at school, but it was definitely worth it.My father was waiting at the front door when our car screeched into the driveway.“Is everything okay?” he asked me as the agents herded me inside.I shook my head.“Yeah, it’s fine.But just so you know…this wasn’t really necessary.I’ll be in my room if anyone needs me.” At this point, all I cared about was talking to Rayne.I made it a few steps toward the hallway when I heard Orion’s voice enter from across the room.“Lin,” he said urgently.“I think you need to see this.”I stopped to listen.“What is it?” my father asked.Orion placed the laptop in his hands down on the table.“We just received a video transmission from Border Patrol,” he said.I hurried across the room and moved in to watch as Orion opened the file on the computer screen.In the video, a female reporter was pictured in front of a crowd, with the caption Breaking News blinking below her on the screen.“I’m standing at the steps of the Court of Ambassadors,” she began, “where a mixed mob of protesters, as well as concerned citizens, have gathered outside the building.Sources have confirmed that the demonstration was rallied in response to a newscast which aired earlier this morning, claiming that the Ambassadors Council is secretly holding Water Keeper Rayne Stevens under arrest for serious allegations.”An official-looking photo of Rayne in his Academy uniform appeared on the screen as the reporter continued.“Some have called the well-known agent the face of the Keeper Program and a symbol of faithful service to Banya.”Then, a video clip began to play, showing Rayne in the same uniform, up on a stage with my father’s arm wrapped around his shoulder, smiling and waving in front of cameras.The reporter went on, “Ambassador Fairbanks himself mentored Mr.Stevens at the Academy and created an advanced Keeper curriculum specifically for Stevens, granting him the rank of a Scout while maintaining the title of a Water Keeper.However, some people say that they view Mr.Stevens as more of a puppet, who represents a ploy set forth by the Council to garner the people in favor of outdated programs and traditions.”The screen switched to a man standing amongst the crowd outside the Court.“I’m not at all surprised,” the man said, shaking his head.“Agents are given too much power by the Council.I think a lot of them are getting away with things they shouldn’t be, and it’s just a matter of time until those little things turn into serious violations.”The video cut to an older woman in the crowd.“Do you believe the allegations against Agent Stevens?” the reporter asked her.“Not at all,” the woman replied.“I love Rayne; my entire family loves Rayne.We’re here to show our support for him and all the Water Keepers he represents.Those agents sacrifice a lot to keep our city safe, to protect all of Ambrosia, and I think these accusations made against Rayne Stevens are a bunch of lies.”“What do you think?” the reporter asked a younger man standing outside the Court with a group of friends.“I haven’t really decided yet,” the young man said.“I think there are definitely groups out there who would do something like this just to slander the Keeper program, but on the other hand, nobody’s perfect, so you just never know.Maybe he did do it.”A girl standing next to the young man chimed in by saying, “I’m just upset that the Council kept the arrest a secret in the first place.I mean, we’ve been out here for hours and they still haven’t shown their faces to give us any answers.It makes you wonder what else they might be hiding from us.I’ll admit it…if they don’t make Rayne Steven’s Court hearing open to the public, I’m going to be angry.”The reporter appeared back on the screen.“The fact that the person accused is a high-ranking agent known to have strong ties to the Ambassador has stirred up a lot of issues beyond a simple arrest—issues that could also affect the Ambassador’s campaign for reelection this year.Several activist groups have already rallied this morning, including those that support the closure of all the Threshold borders indefinitely.”The camera centered on a mass of people holding up signs and chanting, “Protect our fate; close the gate.Protect our fate; close the gate.” Many of them had symbols painted on their faces that looked like a blue circle with a red X crossed over it.One woman from the circle of chanters forced her way up to the camera, calling out in a heated tone.“This is just more proof that the Keeper program risks all our lives every day! We don’t even know if we can trust these agents.If they mess up, we could all pay for their mistakes.All the agents in Banya should be taken out! Rayne Stevens needs to go down!”The reporter returned to the screen with a serious expression.“As you can see, there’s a lot of heated debate going on out here
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]