Lucas had no idea where he was going. He just knew he had to keep moving.
The black-suited agents were fast, organized, and probably had names like Agent Fang or something terrifying like that. Lucas, on the other hand, had a half-eaten pretzel in one hand and a suitcase he didn't understand in the other.
He zig-zagged through the crowd, pushing past tourists, nearly tripping over a roller bag, and apologizing to a lady who screamed when he bumped into her
"Agent Zero, your heart rate is spiking," the British voice said calmly in his ear. "I suggest running in a straight line and avoiding snacks."
"I'm not an agent! And snacks are the only thing keeping me alive right now!" Lucas yelled.
He darted into a side alley behind a vending machine and ducked behind some recycling bins. The agents ran past, shouting into their earpieces.
For a moment, everything was quiet—except for Lucas's heavy breathing and the strange glowing sphere in the suitcase.
It popped up again.
"Would you like to activate Gadget Mode?" it chirped.
"Would I like—what does that even mean?"
Before he could stop it, the suitcase began transforming. Sections clicked, folded, and shifted until it no longer looked like luggage. Now it was… a backpack with buttons, some glowing blue panels, and what looked like a cupholder.
Lucas blinked. "Okay… that's actually kind of awesome."
A small screen blinked: Gadget Menu: Select one
Smoke Bomb Gum
Grappling Hook Umbrella
Emergency Disguise Spray
Exploding Coin Set
Lucas hesitated. "Wait—Exploding coins? Is that legal?"
Suddenly, a shout rang out: "He's in the alley!"
Lucas panicked and hit the first option: Smoke Bomb Gum.
He instantly regretted it. The screen blinked: "Chew thoroughly."
He shoved the gum into his mouth, bit down—PFFFT!
A cloud of thick gray smoke exploded around him, making him cough so hard he almost passed out.
The agents ran straight into the cloud and started yelling. Lucas, eyes watering, stumbled forward and somehow climbed onto a dumpster. From there, he jumped to a fire escape.
"Who even builds this stuff?" he gasped. "Willy Wonka with a grudge?"
He climbed to the rooftop and kept running, barely able to breathe.
Then, just as he reached the edge of the building, a sleek black drone hovered in front of him.
"Agent Zero," a female voice said through a speaker. "You're late. Jump."
"WHAT?"
A hatch opened on the drone.
"I said jump."
Lucas looked behind him. The agents were already on the roof.
He didn't have a choice.
He took a deep breath, muttered, "This is the dumbest thing I've ever done," and jumped into the drone.
The hatch closed just in time.
Inside the drone, he landed on a padded seat and tried not to vomit. Across from him sat a woman in black combat gear, arms crossed, wearing dark red sunglasses. She didn't smile.
"So," she said. "This is what I've been assigned to babysit?"
Lucas blinked. "Who are you?"
She looked unimpressed. "I'm Ava Quinn. And apparently, you're Agent Zero. God help us all."
Lucas groaned. "I think I'm gonna die."
Ava leaned forward. "If you keep messing things up like that? You definitely will."