As much as a voice was telling him that he should consult with ECHO first, the risk taker within Lucas was wanting to take a chance on Amber's plan. He always had liked a challenge and the thought of rushing into this was making a shiver of excitement rush through him. Yes, maybe it was crazy and dangerous, but he had been playing on the safe side for too long. He missed the action.

A smiled spread across the boy's face.

Amber cocked her head to the side. "I take that as a yes?"

"When do we begin?"

"Now." The girl didn't even hesitate as she turned to the vent.

"Ah..." Lucas' voice made her pause. He watched her turn, eyes rolling.

"What now?"

"Um..." The ECHO agent nodded to the door. "Nathan's still waiting in the hallway..."

"You...!" Amber aimed a high-kick but Lucas blocked it.

While firmly holding the girl's leg he smiled across at her. "Should I let him wait or send him home?"

"What do you think?" Amber glared.

Lucas responded by letting go of her leg. "I'll be a minute." With that he turned and cracked the door. A quick peep out confirmed there was a camera.

"It's disabled," Amber's voice informed him.

Lucas didn't ask as he exited the room. He found himself in the hallway near the locker rooms. There were voices coming from the rink. Someone skating?

It didn't even take him a second to figure out what way to go. Without hesitation he was off. The way was short and with Nathan being near the other camera to distort its signal, Lucas was sure nothing could see him. Then again, if he was really going ahead with this plan then if he was seen it didn't matter.

He found Nathan right where he had left him. The boy was pressed up against the wall, stomach first while humming something that suspiciously sounded like the Mission Impossible theme song. He was sliding along, arms stretched to either side.

Lucas stayed where he was, watching the scene. The other boy turned his head, as though searching for an enemy. When his eyes landed on Lucas he jumped back from the wall as though it had shocked him.

"Dude!" Nathan hurried over, head turning left and right. "Where did you come from?"

"Having fun?" Lucas couldn't hide the amusement in his voice.

Nathan lifted a hand and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I was getting a bit bored..." The rubbing stopped as an excited glint entered his eyes. "Find anything? Stab anyone?"

"Hmm..." The close call with Amber flashed through Lucas' mind. "Nah...it was pretty uneventful..." He paused. How to get him to go back to the dorm alone... The idea came to him. "Listen..." He shot a glance behind him before getting closer to Nathan. "I think I'm being suspected," he whispered.

Nathan's eyes widened.

"I hear someone mention they would go by our room and check on us."

"Shoot! Dude, we have to get back!"

Lucas nodded. This was way too easy. "There's one more thing I need to see though...could you go ahead and cover?"

Nathan cocked his head in a way that creepily similar to that of his sister. Lucas reacted by clearing his throat.

"I could set things up so they look like you're already sleeping...I'll make something up if they try wake you," Nathan decided.

"Sounds like a plan," Lucas agreed.

Nathan nodded. "Better hurry. Don't come back too late." He pressed the jammer into Lucas' hand. "I'll only be able to cover for so long." With that he turned and scurried down the hallway to the exit.

As Lucas watched him disappear he let out a relieved sigh. In a way he was glad that his friend was so gullible. He would make a terrible ECHO operative. He chuckled at the thought. With a shake of his head he turned and headed back to the location where he hoped Amber was still waiting. She was.

"You send him back?" the girl asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yup."

"He better not get into any trouble."

"I'd feel extremely sorry for anyone that tried to mess with him," Lucas replied calmly. "With a protective sister like you on their tails I'm sure they would wish they had died a thousand deaths first."

Amber grunted in response.

"Though I must say," Lucas added with a grin. "I may be a bit jealous."

"Just get in the vent." Amber jabbed a thumb to it.

Lucas stayed where he was. "Ladies first."

The response was a suspicious stare.

"Hey, I'm just being a gentleman." With that the ECHO agent cupped his hands and held them out. "Want a leg up?" He hoped the offer would be taken.

"Don't need it." With two steps Amber bounded forward. She launched herself into the air, grabbed the edge of the vent, and in a smooth motion pulled herself up. Once in the vent she turned around the peer down, her brown eyes holding back laughter as she held out a hand. "Need a hand?"

"Hmm..." Lucas made a show of stretching. It was tempting to take the offer just to hold that hand. But then again... "Can't have you up stage me." He was off. Running for the corner of the room, he didn't slow down at all. At the last moment he pushed off with his right leg. His left knee bended, absorbing the impact as it hit the wall. In the next moment he pushed off, right foot landing on the other side. Not missing a beat, he twisted in the air while pushing off. His hands latched onto the edge of the vent and he pulled himself up. He knew he could have just jumped straight up, but somehow he was feeling the need to be flashier than usual.

Amber was waiting, looking anything but impressed. Lucas shot her a grin upon which she simply pulled out her mask and laced it over her face. The girl turned and crawled along the vent. Wordlessly, Lucas followed.

They stopped along the way and Lucas watched as the girl worked a panel in the wall loose. She pulled a small bag from a hole behind.

She's got to have known the location of the target for a while to be this prepared, the ECHO agent noted instantly. Yet she hasn't yet made a move...it makes sense as she needs a partner in order to proceed...but if she's known for a while, couldn't she have contacted someone?

"You came quite prepared," Lucas whispered his thoughts.

"Don't you?" came the reply.

"I like to improvise."

Amber turned, eyes questioning. "And you say you haven't failed a job yet?"

"What can I say?" Lucas scratched his head as he avoided eye contact. He didn't want to get lost in those brown pools and loose concentration. "I'm good improviser."

"Great." Amber continued along the vent. "You're going to need it."

They rounded the corner, approaching the vent that lead to the room Lucas would be infiltrating.

Amber paused to pull out something small from the bag. Lucas recognized it at once. He watched her toss dust to light up the lasers. A moment later she put the small device nearby and the lasers spluttered and died.

The girl took care to carefully cross the welded vent. Only when she was over did she turn to face Lucas. A hand went back into the bag and she pulled out a small capsule of green liquid.

That'll eat through any metal...even concrete, Lucas recognized. "I'm impressed. You've been planning this part for a while."

"Yup," Amber whispered in reply. She carefully placed the capsule to the side. "You know where the target is?"

"The safe."

"Most likely. Possibly not."

Lucas knew as much. If it wasn't in the safe, he would be screwed. Time would be of the essence in the following moments and he had only one chance to get to the target. His eyes scanned the room below once again.

"Here." Amber handed him something.

Lucas glanced at it. He knew what it was right away. A small microchip sized device the ECHO agents called the Wonder Box. It copies electronic data within seconds. The only drawback is it has to be touching the source of data directly to work.

"You'll have five seconds plus as long as you can hold your breath against the gas. In the case that that's longer than a minute, agents will be in the room by then," Amber informed him. She picked up the capsule and popped the lid off it. "I'm in luck." She stared right at Lucas. "I just needed someone gullible like you to come and do the hard part."

Lucas eyed the liquid. "Your charming prince is at your disposal."

"Hmm..." sill holding the capsule, Amber reached into the bag and pulled something else out. She handed it over.

Lucas took it and eyed the small pill. It didn't look familiar. "You're not going to ask me to commit suicide or something like that during captivity, are you?"

"Ha!" Amber's eyes twinkled from behind her mask. "It's a tracker, genius. So I can find wherever they take you."

Lucas rolled the pill between a thumb and a finger. "Won't work if they take me deep underground."

"Let me worry about that." Amber's fingers probed at the vent. "Swallow it. Don't go to the bathroom until I come for you."

"Seriously?"

"You go, I can't trace you."

"What if it takes you a week?"

"A day, a week, a month...just don't go or you're on your own."

"Wow." Lucas had a feeling he was going to regret that. Well...here goes nothing. He popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed in one gulp. If it's poison, you'll be dead in a few minutes... a voice warned him. He ignored it.

"Ready?" Amber asked.

Lucas nodded.

He watched the girl pour the liquid. Though it was only a small capsule, as soon as the limited content hit the vent, it began to stretch out and seemingly multiply.

Both operatives watched as the metal began to dissolve.

"Guess this is it." Lucas knew that what was coming next was going to be both critical and unpleasant. He made a move when Amber's hand shot out. She pulled him close. Lucas could feel the warmth of her breath tickle his ear through her mask.

"Try put up a realistic fight," the girl whispered.

A smile spread across Lucas' face. "Is that your way of saying good luck?"

"Tch." He was pushed away as the last of the liquid sizzled up, leaving a good sized hole.

"See you soon," Lucas winked. Then, without letting himself dwell on how stupid and against protocol his next actions were, he slipped through the hole and into the trap below.

The moment his feet touched the floor the alarm blared. Cameras whirled from the safe to face the intruder. Metal panels slid down the walls, blocking off all escape with a clang.

Amber had no doubt already left, but Lucas didn't even hesitate to look and see. He was on the move, the safe his target. However, he had taken only two steps towards it when his eyes caught sight of the bookcase to the side.

One scan informed him that it was filled with historical books. All but one that looked somewhat out of place. It was a novel.

Why keep something precious in an obvious place like a safe? The question flashed through him mind. Unless that's what they want you to think...is it part of the trap? His eyes darted back to the safe.

Smoke began to pour into the room and Lucas instantly took a deep breath then held it. Safe or not... the choice flashed through his mind. His eyes darted from one to other while he was painfully aware that a wrong choice would cost him everything. Not! He made the decision.

The smoke began to fill the area around him. Smoke... The idea hit him. It would work both for and against him. For while it would knock him out once he inhaled it, it would also block the cameras view of where exactly he was going next.

The alarms screeched as he sprinted for the bookcase. Still holding his breath he went for the one book that didn't belong. He grabbed it.

Footsteps and shouts echoed in the hallway as the ECHO agent worked on the task at hand. Smoke obscured the view in the room, making it hard to pick out what he was doing.

Lucas' lungs were beginning to burn but he kept at it, mind counting down the seconds. He was almost there. A few more seconds, lungs that wanted air. The book was snapped shut and returned. The ECHO agent stumbled to the safe. He grabbed onto the edge when he was forced to take a breath.

Almost instantly his mind began to swim. He let out a cough as his vision blurred.

Here comes the unpleasant part, he warned himself as he sank to his knees. Man...this is crazy, a voice added.

A door burst open, voices sounded and masked figures poured in.

Lucas was already fading when he was tackled. The last thing he remembered was his hands being pulled behind his back before everything went dark.

**************

Burning lungs.

Voices.

A throat that felt as dry as sandpaper.

A dull throbbing pain.

He was aware of it and yet Lucas didn't want to be, because he knew worse was to come. His senses were slowly returning and yet he kept his eyes closed as he tried to gather his jumbled thoughts.

First he counted the different voices. Two...three people. Then he tried to become aware of his own situation. Sitting...hands tied behind my back. The texture felt like... Handcuffs.

"It's got to be a misunderstanding..."

That voice. Lucas knew it.

Brian? His roommate's face flashed before his eyes. Government always has issues with its agents and feelings, Amber's voice echoed. It was true. Especially since they tended to stick to the humane route. If he's here that can work in my favor.

"We'll find out when he comes around." Another voice he knew. One he had suspected. Jim...the school doctor. "For now we follow protocol. Let's wait and see what our system brings up on his identity."

Lucas took a moment to gather his thoughts. He kept his breathing low and head tipped forward, not making any different moves. As far as the others in the room knew he was still out cold. However, he knew he couldn't keep them thinking so, for they would know how soon intruders usually came around after breathing in the smoke.

Alright, The ECHO operative told himself. Decision time. He needed to make up his mind then and there on how he would react in the following moments. I can go the silent route and not speak a word...or the innocent high schooler that has no idea what he got himself into...say I thought it was a game...or... The last thought made him hesitate. I could try hit them unexpectedly and tell them truth...or something close to it... The options flashed through his mind. Each one would no doubt gain a different reaction from his captors.

Whichever one he chose, he would have to make it as believable as possible until Amber got him out. If she comes... The thought was shoved aside as he returned his attention to the current choices.

Options:

a) Try persuade his captors that he's an innocent student who somehow got dragged into this through a dare.

b) Lucas should keep his silence. Saying nothing gives nothing away.

c) Spill the beans and try catch his captors off guard.