I had never seen anything like this before. A group of stern looking men in sharp black suits stood in a cluster, talking in a hushed tone beside the abandoned parking garage. I glanced at one of the men from behind the waist-high concrete wall I was using as cover. I noticed a bulge in his suit near his hip, shaped like a pistol. I knew that I was way out of my depth.


Moments ago, I, Jackson Byrne, had been casually walking back from school to my house. The polluted skies of New York had been surprisingly clear today. As the sun began peeking out from behind the clouds, I decided to take a shortcut through the buildings. The glare of the sun faded as I passed in between a dark, secluded alleyway. I had heard whispers coming from around the corner. My insatiable thirst of curiosity caused me to investigate, and that turned out to be my fatal mistake.


I had no idea who these men were, or what they could possibly be planning. Whatever it was they were discussing didn’t seem to be legal, because I noticed them frequently scanning the perimeter for intruders. This is stupid, my instincts were telling me. You’re going to get yourself killed. But my curiosity longed for me to move in closer and eavesdrop on their conversation. In the end, my instincts won over. I stood up to leave, and at that very moment my phone went off.


The high-pitched and noisy tune cut through the silence. My heart leapt into my mouth in panic as the group of men turned towards my direction. They all shouted at me in a foreign language as I turned to run. I bolted into the nearest door and slammed it shut once I was inside. I hastily clicked the lock into place and continued to sprint down the hallway. I heard the pang of bullets slamming into the door behind me. They were actually shooting at me!


My only option was to get onto the sidewalk where I could lose them in the crowds of people. As I tore through the old and musty building, I risked a glance back at my pursuers. To my dismay, I realized the metal door wouldn’t hold them for much longer. It was already loaded with bullet holes. Before I could turn back around I collided with a large metal pedestal.

My vision blurred out of focus. My head throbbed with a sharp pain. I lay on the ground for a few brief seconds before I staggered back onto my feet. When I had regained my senses, I noticed something very strange. On top of the pedestal was a small device; long, sleek, and metallic. It was about the size of a water bottle, with cords and tubes snaking through it. I had no clue what this object could be. After overcoming my bewilderment, I saw a sheet of blueprints nearby the device. They were so intricate they might as well have been hieroglyphics. But, I sensed they were important, so I tucked them into my backpack with the device and continued running.


Suddenly I realized that I couldn’t hear the sound of bullets smacking into the metal door. I turned around to see the foreigners streaming in from the exit behind me. There were probably more of them waiting for me at the other exit. I cursed out of frustration. I shouldn’t have stopped to grab the device in the first place. My chances for survival were slim unless I thought of something quick. I scanned the room for an exit. I spotted a ladder and began to climb. Sparks flew, as bullets whizzed past me. I hauled myself onto the roof miraculously unscathed. I stopped and looked around. There was nowhere to hide and nowhere to run. I was out of options, but I wasn’t ready to give up just yet. I quickly lowered myself onto a windowsill and began my descent.


I heard frantic footsteps as they scoured the rooftop searching for me. Why were they still chasing me? It’s not like I could understand any of what they were saying. What were they trying so desperately to hide? I considered the fact that maybe this device is more important than I thought. Shaking the thought from my mind, I dropped off the windowsill and fell four feet into a dumpster. Not the most elegant escape, but it would have to do. I was slightly bruised but otherwise unharmed. I clawed out of the pile of trash bags and jogged over to the sidewalk. I disappeared into the bustling crowd of people and took the bus home.


When I arrived at my house, I quickly locked my front door.
“How was your day?” my mom asked as I stepped inside.
“Fine” I said, in the most monotone expression I could muster.
I trudged into my room and collapsed onto the bed. Unzipping my backpack, I pulled out the device and placed on my wooden desk with the utmost care. I spread out the blueprints along the desk surface. Now I can get to the bottom of this, I contemplated. I turned the device over and over, I scanned through the blueprints, but I couldn't find anything. Not a clue, an engraving, nothing! Research on the internet proved fruitless. With a heavy sigh of frustration, I placed it in the hidden compartment of my backpack, and drifted off to sleep.


Exhaustion helped me sleep for the first few hours, but after that, the nightmares began. I tossed and turned in my sleep. Images of those strange men chasing me played back through my head. It was then, that I realized something I hadn't noticed before. When I took off running after those men had spotted me, I had accidentally dropped something behind me. I hadn't noticed previously because I had been desperately trying to escape them. But I wasn't able to focus in on the object. Something was tugging at the edge of my consciousness. I could faintly hear a soft beeping sound, slowly increasing in volume. I jolted awake to find that my alarm clock was the source of the noise. I had become far too paranoid after the recent incident. There was no way they could find me, I told myself in an effort to calm down. So I headed down the steps and sat down at the breakfast table.


My dad was sitting there, but I couldn't see my mother.
“Where's mom?” I asked dad casually.
“She had a rough day yesterday, so I let her sleep in. But you look more exhausted than both of us. Did something happen yesterday?” he demanded.
My dad was the observant one of the family. He never missed a thing.
“I stayed up all night doing homework” I lied.
We usually get along well, but I didn't feel like I could tell him that some middle-age foreigners attempted to murder me, so I kept it to myself. I brought a plate out of the cabinet and scooped some fluffy scrambled eggs and crispy bacon onto my plate. Did I mention my dad was an expert cook? He could make a simple breakfast like this taste heavenly. I took my time to savor every bite.



Afterward, I walked out the door with my backpack in hand. School was nothing special, but on my way home I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. I walked alongside my girlfriend, Rebecca, hand in hand; making sure to detour around the abandoned parking garage.
Rebecca looked at me quizzically and asked, “Are you OK Jackson?”
“Yeah sure,” I replied despondently. “Can I tell you something?”
I stopped walking and looked at her. She nodded and focused her eyes on me attentively. I was one of the taller kids in my school. I had light- brown, short, hair and hazel eyes. I was never great with my grades, but I was always managed to make friends everywhere I went. I never really considered myself handsome; maybe because Rebecca was my first girlfriend and I was already a junior. But finding a girl like her on my first attempt felt like winning the lottery. There were so many things I liked about her. Like the way she was always willing to listen to me as if anything and everything I said was important.
When I asked her why she liked me, she always smiled and said, “Because you're different.”
Rebecca was certainly the nicest person I had ever met, not to mention the most beautiful. She was a tall, pretty girl with high cheekbones and a warm, bright smile. She had sunny blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She moved with a certain elegance and always wore some kind of sweater a size too big for her. I trusted her completely. She had never given me a reason not to. If I asked her to keep a secret, she would do it without hesitation. I also knew she would believe me, so I decided to tell her everything.


From start to finish, I recounted yesterday’s events while she listened attentively. Emotions of shock and terror briefly flashed on her face. She hugged me tightly.
“I’m so relieved that you didn't get yourself killed! But, it must have been terrifying,” she stated.
“It was,” I responded.
“And you said you dropped something?” she questioned.
I nodded gravely.
“Do you still have your wallet with you?” she asked.
My face turned pale. I frantically searched my pockets for my wallet, but it was nowhere to be seen. They had my wallet! That wallet had my address, my name, and all my personal information in it. We were all in grave danger. I told this to Rebecca and we dashed to my house.


I burst in the front door, only to find the house in shambles. Tables had been overturned, curtains ripped, and debris strewn all over the floor. I saw a single white sheet of paper placed on top of the pile of debris. I picked up the paper and read it aloud, my voice cracking with emotion. “We have your parents captive,” the note read. “If you ever want to see them alive again, meet us at the abandoned parking garage you stole our device from. Return with the blueprints and the device or we will take it by force.” My fists clenched in anger. I had been so stupid! I had gotten my parents into this mess. If only I had minded my own business! I felt so powerless. There was only one solution I could see.


”What are you going to do?” Rebecca looked at me with concern.
“I’m going to give them what they want,” I stated.
“Why would yo-”
“Look, just trust me OK?” I interrupted.
“Well if we're going to do this…” she said.
“We?” I asked.
“Well you're not going in alone, and my dad is close friends with the leader of the CIA.” She responded.
With a heavy sigh, I agreed. I didn't like the idea of putting her in danger, but she was persistent. Besides, I could tell we would need all the help we could get.


Later that evening, the CIA pulled up to my house in a black discreet van. They drove us to a nearby headquarters to examine the device. After searching through the database, the CIA was able to link the device with a terrorist plot known as “Project Phoenix” created by an infamous group known as The Soldiers of God. Their leader was a man named Rahk Nefar known for major acts of terrorism throughout the world. The device that I had been carrying in my backpack turned out to be a firebomb with the power to annihilate all of New York. The device could only be activated through a remote detonator that I had in my backpack. I explained to them what I planned to do, and they offered a support team during the tradeoff. I gratefully accepted their offer.


So Rebecca, her father, a team of CIA agents and I piled into the huge van. One of the agents handed me a black box and a walkie talkie.
“Just in case things don't go as planned,” he assured me.
I nodded to him and placed the box in my backpack. I tucked the walkie talkie into my pocket and unlocked my seat belt. The driver pulled up a block away from the garage. The CIA team spread out to cover every exit.
“Are you ready?” Rebecca inquired.
“As ready as I'll ever be,” I joked.
We entered the building slowly. Every step filled with tension.


Suddenly, I stood face to face with Rahk Nefar. He was a dark skinned man around the age of 50. His hair was closely cropped short. His expression was sinister as he smiled maliciously at me. His henchman held my parents at gunpoint. “The device,” he barked at me in harsh broken English. I held out the black box. He reached out for it, as I reached out for my parent’s hands. Rahk's eyes darkened as he drew out a pistol and aimed it towards me. Before his finger could pull the trigger, I threw the case at him, momentarily stunning him. I pushed my parents behind cover and dived next to Rebecca as a hail of bullets flew by. I frantically yelled at the CIA agents for back up through the walkie talkie. They burst through every entrance with their guns blazing. I saw a few of the terrorists drop to the ground clutching at their wounds. I popped out from cover, fired two rounds and dropped back down. Both men fell down without making a noise. One of my favorite hobbies was shooting. I had practiced at a shooting range since the age of 10. Finally, my practice had paid off. I visualized each enemy as just another target and squeezed the trigger. As most of Rahk's henchman began to go down, he saw his imminent defeat. So he grabbed the black box and dashed to his helicopter hidden just outside.


He jumped onto the helicopter with the box in hand. I wasn't going to allow him get away so easily. I chased after him and made a desperate attempt to grab onto the chopper. But Rahk stomped on my fingers and I fell to the ground with a grunt of pain. He smiled spitefully, knowing that he had beaten us. There was no way to stop him as he flew away. We watched as he landed on the top of a skyscraper and planted the bomb. It was too far away for us to get to it in time.


The pilot flew up high enough so that the helicopter would be unaffected by the explosion. It was barely visible from the ground when Rahk detonated the bomb. Unexpectedly, his helicopter burst into an enormous plume of flames. The explosion glowed with such an intensity it was almost blinding. Rahk thought that he had foiled our plans. In fact, it was quite the opposite. In the CIA headquarters, I had asked them to duplicate the bomb but instead I had made a decoy without the capability to explode. So when I attempted to jump onto the helicopter, I had also secretly placed the real bomb underneath his helicopter. Meanwhile, Rahk had placed the harmless decoy that I had thrown at him on top of the skyscraper, completely oblivious to the switch.


In the end he had caused his own demise. We stood and watched as the flaming debris of the helicopter plummeted back to Earth. I hugged both my parents as I apologized for getting them into this mess.
“We're just glad you two are safe,” they responded in unison.
I turned to Rebecca. She was smiling broadly, in total awe at my ingenious plan.
“I should trust you more often,” she joked.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and brushed her lips against mine gently. My heart skipped a beat. I felt warmth surging through my body.
She pulled away and said with a smile, “I'm going to go check on my dad.”
One of the CIA agents approached me.
“We could use more people like you,” he stated as he handed me some forms. “Think about it.” he suggested.
They all climbed back into their van and drove off. I stood there for a while thinking about how everything had turned out. I had gone from being an average school boy to a potential CIA operative in less than a day. Talk about change.
“I'm proud of you,” my dad told me.
“And why is that?” I wondered aloud.
“Because you made the right choice,” he explained.
“Did I have any other option?” I questioned.
“Of course,” he responded. “You could have given them the bomb; you could have run away...” “But instead you risked your own life for the lives of innocent strangers.”
Rebecca and her dad walked up to me as my dad left.
With a solemn expression her dad stated, “There's something I think you two should see. We salvaged what we could from their hideout in the abandoned building.”
He spread a map of the U.S on the table. It was riddled with red X's.
“We thought we had their whole plan figured out,” he continued. “But it seems that we were only scratching the surface.”