Project Aries

The safe house was a shack tucked away on a hillside, so tiny that Bailey found it difficult to find the room to move around without worrying about bumping into a piece of creaky furniture or the edge of a doorway that looked as though it wouldn’t be able to take the force of her knocking into it. The laptop was completely out of place, seemingly brand new and breaking the peaceful silence with its humming. Jasmine took a seat at the desk, accidentally slamming the chair into the wall and rolling her eyes at how cramped the house was, and plugged the USB in and loaded a transfer screen to an unknown IP address.

“Where is it going to?” Bailey asked after glancing from the view out the window to the computer screen.

“Some classified location, wherever the bosses are,” Jasmine shrugged as she checked that the connection was secure.

“And then what? What do they do with that information we took?” Bailey continued but Jasmine remained silent. “Do they just expose it to the public and protests stop his plans? Do they look over the files and then send one of us agents out to kill him? Or-”

“Fern, I don’t know. It depends entirely on the situation,” Jasmine interrupted to make her quiet. Bailey nodded, accepting her answer but feeling afraid that one day she may be required to kill someone as Jasmine hadn’t denied that a murder command might be sent in return. Her eyes returned to the landscape, but then dropped, saddened by the realisation that she was supposed to be enjoying her first day at work and that that was never going to happen.

“Do you know what happens when an operative gets plucked from their ordinary life? What do their friends get told? Their employer? How about what goes on the Sphere? I don’t suppose we’re allowed to use the social network while we’re away for a year,” Bailey wondered and Jasmine rubbed her palm into her forehead.

“No one’s allowed to use the Sphere, and from what I’ve heard the bosses make up some elaborate story to cover for us,” she explained with a sigh.

“What kinds of stories?”

“No one who’s an active agent knows for sure. You apparently get told it after your debriefing, at the end of your year of service,” Jasmine shrugged before looking to the ceiling as she recalled talking about it with another agent when she had been the one just taken from her normal life and thrown into the chaos. “I’ve heard rumours that they say we had a breakdown and go into an institute for the year. And I’ve also heard a much nicer speculation that they say that we won a free trip around the world and we spent the whole time exploring and going on wonderful adventures. At least that one is somewhat true.” She gave a short snort of laughter and Bailey raised her eyebrows.

“So you have travelled the world?” she breathed in awe and a genuine smile crossed Jasmine’s lips, cracking her rough exterior.

“Yeah, I have… And it’s all just as beautiful as everything you see or hear about,” she admitted in a softer voice. Bailey broke away from the windowsill and took the seat across from Jasmine.

“Does it make it worth it? Being an agent, I mean,” Bailey asked. Air travel was one of the biggest challenges faced by the Blues. Though they had rescued Earth’s biosphere by saving the oceans, and then turning to restoring the land and making human life truly eco-friendly to stop global warming, there were some limitations. One of these unsolvable problems was making air travel pollution free, which rendered what was once a casual activity to an incredibly expensive rarity.

“It helps, yeah,” Jasmine mumbled.

“Where have you been so far?”

“All over, really. The highlights would probably be China, with its Great Wall. I have to admit that that was one hell of a sight. And Argentina. I remember learning about that country in science classes and how it has one of the most diverse ecosystems, and of course how amazing it is that the Blues managed to stop deforestation and protect the threatened species,” Jasmine said, pausing to roll her eyes at the memory of how her teacher praised the efforts of the Blues so much that Jasmine frequently mused if the teacher thought they were gods. “Have you heard of the Iguazu National Park?”

“Yeah.”

“I spent a whole week in there. I was on a mission of course, but it hardly seemed like it most of the time. And those waterfalls… they’re something I’ll never forget,” she continued, her voice trailing off and her eyes losing focus. Bailey was uncertain as to whether or not Jasmine was residing in pleasant memories, but she still found herself relaxing for the first time since she had woken up today. She opened her mouth to voice her gratitude for the reassurance that her life wasn’t going to be all downhill for a year, but Jasmine quickly shut the laptop’s lid and Bailey paused. “The transfer’s complete. Now we waste time until we receive further instructions, and I’m going to start by having a shower.” Bailey nodded as Jasmine stood and exited the room. She leaned back in her chair and exhaled slowly, feeling out of place in the safe house.

“Great news, Fern, we have another mission!” Jasmine called out after knocking on the bedroom door. Bailey had been resting on the hard mattress for hours, uncertain of how to pass time and too on edge of sleep, but as she stood she felt groggy and wished that she had more time to waste. When she entered the common area, Jasmine gestured for her to take a seat next to her at the table and she angled the laptop so they could both see. A document had been opened, a cream background stamped with only a few short paragraphs.

“We’re going to a volcano?” Bailey said unenthusiastically after reading the first sentence.

“Scared?” Jasmine asked Bailey glanced at her.

“How could I not be? They spit out lava!” she replied with a scowl.

“Read lower and you’ll see that even though the White Island volcano is active, it’s not expected to erupt. We’ll be fine,” Jasmine pointed out before grinning. “Besides, I bet she’ll be a beaut. Not like you get to see a volcano every day.”

“That’s true, but there’s also a reason why I don’t see one, or want to see one…” Bailey commented through gritted teeth.

“So it says here we’re to act like we’re regular customers. That shouldn’t be too difficult,” Jasmine said while pointing at the screen to distract Bailey. It worked, and her brown eyes went back to reading the words in silence until she reached the final paragraph.

“And then casually push the target into a crater of ash and steam…” she breathed in fear, eyes wide and heart pounding in her chest. “I- I can’t do that.”

“You’re going to have to,” Jasmine stated but Bailey shook her head, her dark hair flicking across her scrunched eyes before her head fell into her hands.

“No way. No, I can’t do this. It’s too much!” she declared while trying to hold back tears.

“Why? What’s stopping you?” Jasmine questioned, her voice void of emotion and proving to Bailey that she had killed before and become at least somewhat numb to it.

“My conscience, for one!”

“So you think it’s wrong to take a life?” Jasmine asked for clarification and Bailey looked up.

“Of course! I shouldn’t have the power to do that, and neither should whoever is giving out the orders!” she shouted and Jasmine crossed her arms.

“And what if I told you that by taking this one life, you would be saving more lives?” she asked, surprising Bailey by how she was maintaining her composure. “Would it become morally correct to take that opportunity? Or would you rather stand by and allow those other people to die?”

“But how could you possibly know what this person is going to do in the future?” Bailey protested and Jasmine pushed the laptop closer to her, revealing the second page of the document. Bailey gasped at what should have been a cliche from a thrilling movie; an American gang leader was holidaying in New Zealand, spending his earnings from drugs and loan sharks. If the gang’s leader was to be taken down, it was expected that his business would crumble and Bailey immediately understood how many lives could benefit from the man dying.

“What do you think now?” Jasmine wondered once Bailey’s gaze fell to her lap where her hands were twisting together. She remained silent so Jasmine decided to try to justify the actions of Project Aries. “I felt just as uncertain as you are feeling now when I first started, I truly did. But it didn’t take me long to realise that we don’t do what we do just for a thrill or for no reason whatsoever; we do it because it’s right. Iris, and whoever else sits in the big chairs, they think it all through, analyse the potential outcomes, weigh the risks and benefits, and decide on the best course of action. They don’t accept missions based on who pays the most, but on what is best for the world. And they’ve concluded that this man needs to go.” Bailey thought the words over and reconsidered her current situation, questioning if she was capable of doing it and if she honestly felt like it would be the right thing to do.

“Is there no other way? Can he not be imprisoned? Or sent to hide in another country?” she suggested and Jasmine shrugged.

“I couldn’t say with certainty, but I’m sure Iris would have taken those options into account,” she replied and Bailey sighed.

“Do I have to do it, or can you?” Her answer was provided by Jasmine pointing at the last line on the screen.

“Looks to me like it’s a test. They’ll want to see that you are capable of being an operative,” she said and Bailey’s lips parted as panic spread through her.

“If I don’t do it, will Iris make my microchip screech again? Or make me unconscious?” she blurted.

“I’ve seen the high pitch frequency technique be used on a disobeying fresh recruit before, so it’s possible,” Jasmine answered with a shrug and Bailey covered her face with her hands again, wishing that she was elsewhere. “Want to know what I honestly think?”

“Sure,” she mumbled into her palms.

“I’ll say it to you straight; you have to come to terms with it. You’ve got a whole year of being an agent, so suck it up. Justify your actions in your mind however you want or need to, and roll with it. We all have our way of coping, whether it’s seeing this as an opportunity to travel the world when we otherwise couldn’t, or being able to contribute to making the world a better place by destroying some of the evil in it. You’ll have a reason somewhere, so find it and don’t let go.”

“What’s your reason?” Bailey asked after a short pause.

“I keep that to myself,” she said coldly. “Any idea what yours is going to be?” Bailey was quiet for a few moments, absorbing every aspect of her new environment and deciding what she was going to do about it. Fear from the unknown of disobeying was scaring her, but she refused to be backed into a corner.

“Fern is going to do what she does to keep herself alive.”

Boots crunched along the dried mud sprinkled with warm ash as the group headed along the side of a crater. At first Fern had thought the white smoke was only steam being viciously thrown to the sky, but as she neared the edge it became obvious that there was a decent amount of ash in the mixture too. Had she been on a paid for tour to the volcano, Fern would have been truly enjoying the moment. The weather was perfect, a hot summer sun in the clear sky with a cool breeze coming from the ocean, and the landscape was unlike any place she had ever visited before. The island consisted of rocks of varying colours, from rusty reds to snow whites, and around every single corner was another spectacular view of the volcano which was accompanied by a story or science fact from the guide. The group paused to look inside the crater, but Fern could barely see a thing. The smoke was thick and appeared to start far below where they were standing, so she turned her head to look at Jasmine instead.

Throughout the entire tour, Jasmine had positioned herself at the front with the tour guide, a man close to retirement who was being paid well by Project Aries to keep his mouth shut and refer to the impending event as an accident, and was constantly chatting to the gang leader’s girlfriend. She was his flavour of the month and had been all over him for the boat trip to the volcanic island, much to Fern’s displeasure. Sections of her face and body had been modified with plastic surgery and her hair had been coloured a red so bright it clashed with her tanned skin. As they stood in a line on the edge of the rocky ridge, Jasmine met Fern’s eyes and gave a subtle nod. Fern returned the gesture and Jasmine engaged the redhead in conversation once again, drawing her attention away from the gang leader.

Fern noticed her window of opportunity and paused to focus on slowing her anxious breathing. She had been building up to this moment since yesterday when she had received the news that she was to become a murderer, and despite having a lot of time to mentally prepare herself for the task, she still had reservations. As she inhaled, Fern took the scared Bailey aspect of herself and locked her away in the dark depths of her mind. While exhaling, she called upon the microchip, the agent she was supposed to be, to do the task. Fern stared at the red hair as it flicked around with animated conversation to Jasmine as she took a step behind the gang leader. Her hand reached out and gave the man a forceful shove near his hips, sending his centre of gravity flying forwards and providing him with little opportunity to counter the movement. His shoes slipped over the edge of the crater and skidded down the side as he screamed, flailing his arms in a desperate but useless attempt to stop falling.

Upon hearing his cries, the redhead spun and clasped her hands to her mouth as the body disappeared into the smoke. Steam and ash burned him alive, the man’s yells ceasing after a few seconds and being replaced by his girlfriend’s weeping. The tour guide grabbed the woman’s arms and pulled her away from the edge of the crater for her own safety. Jasmine stayed put, a strong gaze resting on Fern who had seemingly frozen. Once the guide had led the mourning woman away, Jasmine approached Fern.

“Are you okay?” she asked in a low voice and Fern’s shoulders raised into a hardly noticeable shrug.

“I’m trying to not think about it,” she admitted and Jasmine nodded, understanding.

“It was the right thing,” Jasmine said and they began walking away from the edge to join the tour guide on the path back to the boat.

“Saying that doesn’t make it so,” Fern commented before quickening her pace to leave Jasmine’s side.

Fern emerged from the bathroom, her long brown hair turned black from her shower. She had spent what seemed like an eternity in there, scrubbing the ash and salt from her skin and hair and reliving the moment at the volcano over and over again. It was her hand that had pushed the man over the edge, it was her who had had his screams echoing around her head, and it was her who had taken a life. She was a murderer. As Fern had towelled herself dry, she had managed to find a sense of comfort regarding her actions. When justifying it as being a secret agent it didn’t seem so bad. She had watched plenty of movies where the hero has to kill the bad guys, and now it had become a reality for her. And it wasn’t as though she was gaining pleasure from it. The task had disgusted her, terrified her, and was now haunting her. Fern had concluded that because she lacked the malicious intents, she wasn’t a bad person. Or at least Bailey wasn’t. That young woman, the part of her that she considered to be the most real, was what she was trying to protect. As long as Bailey was hidden for a year, there was hope that she could return somewhat unscarred from this experience.

“I’ve got mac and cheese for dinner. It’s not much, but it’ll do,” Jasmine said with a gesture to the steaming bowl that sat across the table from her. She was already digging into her own serving, a glass of water within arm’s reach. They both now wore similar clothes, having changed into the items provided by the agency in the safe house’s drawers. Jasmine had found an olive green tank top that complimented her skin and hair as well as the pair of black shorts, while Fern had selected a blue top and paired it with white shorts. She felt far more comfortable in the clothes as they were light and didn’t hinder any movements, making it clear why they had been provided for the operatives in a range of colours and sizes. Fern had also discovered a set of men’s clothes in a drawer and wondered if she would ever cross paths with more agents from Project Aries.

“I don’t feel hungry,” Fern remarked, taking note that she had lost her appetite since the trip to the volcano.

“Which is understandable, but your body still needs fuel,” Jasmine reasoned as Fern walked past the coffee table, noticing a deck of cards hidden among the clutter of magazines, a tissue box, and a couple of rose tea candles that had gathered dust. Fern scooped up the packet of cards and slid the deck into her hands, shuffling it as she walked over to the table and sat in the hard chair.

“What do you like to play?” she asked and Jasmine glared at her from beneath her thin eyebrows. “Oh come on, don’t give me that look. Everyone can enjoy a card game.”

“I’m not a fan,” Jasmine stated in a monotonous tone and Fern tilted her head with a short sigh.

“I need a distraction,” she said quietly. “Please?” Jasmine gave in to her pleading eyes and looked back down at her food.

“Fine. But it has to be Go Fish,” she demanded and Fern’s eyebrows shot up with interest. “It’s the only one I actually have a chance at winning.”

“You can’t be that bad at other games!”

“I am. Poker is the worst; I must have an easy tell,” Jasmine groaned and Fern dealt five cards to them each. As Jasmine looked over her hand, Fern shovelled a good portion of the mac and cheese into her mouth and was surprised at how pleasant it tasted. “Do you have a three?”

“Go fish,” she grinned. “The food is nice. Did you make it?” Jasmine snorted as she picked up a card from the remaining deck.

“No way. It’s from a packet and it went in the microwave. If I would have been able to actually cook something, it would have been a fresh salad with a decent portion of meat,” she replied.

“Got any tens?” Fern asked as she swiftly scanned Jasmine’s torso, noticing for the first time since meeting her that her slender figure was partly due to having an athletic build. Her arms were defined, not overly muscular but well toned, and Fern didn’t doubt that the shirt was covering a six pack.

“Nope,” Jasmine answered and Fern drew a card from the deck as she pondered if it was healthy eating that gave Jasmine a fit body or performing missions that had physically trained her.

“So do you like to cook? Or… liked to, I suppose,” Fern said with a wince. She was uncertain of how to refer to Jasmine, if she was one person with her past non-agent self or if she too had separated herself.

“I do,” she nodded as she scanned her hand. “Do you have a Jack?”

“Sure do,” Fern grinned and passed over her Jack, the two then pausing to eat more of their food.

“I enjoyed creating new dishes with fresh ingredients. The town I used to live in had such a nice farmer’s market, and ever since I moved out of home I was always in search of new and cheap ways to create delicious meals,” Jasmine continued, giving Fern a surprise as she opened up.

“Have you got a five?”

“Go fish.”

“You know, I hope you get to cook for me. I’m awful at it, I swear. I can only make the simplest of dishes and I’m far better off getting takeout instead of attempting something a bit more complicated,” Fern said with a chuckle. Her smile lingered afterwards, glad that her day wasn’t all gloomy. There was something good awaiting her on the horizon after all. Her thoughts were interrupted by a shrill ring from the laptop that sat on the kitchen bench. Jasmine set aside the cards and brought the computer over before clicking on the accept call button. An image of a purple iris flower appeared on the screen.

“Iris,” Jasmine said with a short sigh.

“Jasmine, Fern, how are you?” Iris asked, her voice lacking sincerity.

“Fine,” Jasmine replied and there was a pause, so Fern leaned towards the computer.

“I’m okay,” she said loudly to ensure that Iris could hear her.

“No need to shout; I can hear your well enough from the safe house’s microphones,” Iris stated and Fern’s eyes enlarged as she glanced over to Jasmine, her stomach dropping with dismay that they were being spied on during their downtime.

“Why did you call, Iris?” Jasmine questioned to distract Fern from the small detail she had quickly gotten used to.

“To let you both know that your mission was a success. Congratulations,” the robotic English voice answered and Fern’s gaze dropped as she was reminded of what she had done. “We apologise for throwing you into such a mission so soon, Fern. You are supposed to be eased into the routine, but we could not miss the opportunity. If you have any difficulties coping with being an operative of Project Aries, you will have a monthly check up with one of the agency’s doctors. They will assess your mental and physical health and provide any appropriate measures to keep you healthy.” The words took Fern by surprise, briefly thinking that it would be best if the agency simply did not pluck young adults from their normal lives and throw them into chaotic secret missions.

“Well it’s good to know you people care about my well-being,” Fern said with a hint of sarcasm and Jasmine smirked.

“We truly do. It is well understood that what we ask of our agents is no easy task. With our technology, we have created the microchips that take a considerable amount of hassle out of the process; no longer do recruits need to train for many difficult years to gain skills, as we can now simply press a button and activate that knowledge,” Iris explained and Fern gave a small shrug, seeing how that would be beneficial. Money, time and effort were no doubt saved, but at least those people wanted that way of life. She never asked for it. “We have not, however, found an efficient method of tackling the emotional side to Project Aries. Rest assured, we have done research and have put procedures in place to help our operatives as much as possible, but our system has not yet been perfected. Do not forget that we are here to help you. We do not wish to cause you any harm.”

“Duly noted,” Fern nodded.

“Good. You are coping well with the accountability for killing the gang leader?” Iris enquired and Fern exchanged a glance with Jasmine, noticing that she too was interested in hearing what Fern had to say.

“I’m okay,” she repeated and both Iris and Jasmine remained silent. “He was a criminal, and many lives will be changed for the better by his absence. I did what I had to do.” Fern paused again, hoping that that would be sufficient for the other two women.

“Very well,” Iris said and Fern exhaled slowly and silently with relief. “I have your next mission prepared. You will be travelling south to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. A Blue by the name of Kristopher Pedersen is visiting parliament to discuss his suggested modifications to New Zealand’s alpine ecosystems.”

“Is there a price on his head? He has only ever been portrayed in the media as a good man, a scientist with out of the box ideas that typically work,” Fern protested and Jasmine shook her head.

“Not every second mission is a death sentence,” she said to set Fern at ease, but hesitated when Iris failed to confirm that their next mission didn’t include murder. “Right, Iris?”

“Correct, Jasmine. And this one does not involve death. It does, however, involve a sniper rifle.”

“Well this has to be good…” Jasmine muttered to herself. Fern’s forehead creased, unable to imagine what the task could be.

“We have been hired by Kristopher to pretend to assassinate him as he is greeted at the Beehive before his first meeting,” Iris described and Fern frowned with confusion.

“Why would someone want people to pretend to try to kill them?” she asked and Iris paused, Jasmine sensing the irritation over the dead air.

“Fern asks a lot of questions,” she remarked and Fern shrugged, well aware that she possessed that trait. She had annoyed numerous people in the past, but it was also how she had been able to make plenty of friends.

“He wishes to signify his importance. A scare like this will not only show the world that he is vital to the science community, but also give local police and international law enforcers reason to crack down on those who rebel against environmental conservation,” Iris justified. “There will be further information in the files in your hotel room when you arrive. You will have the night to prepare and the event will happen at 0900 hours the following morning. Is that understood?” Fern met Jasmine’s eyes and nodded.

“Yup, should be a piece of cake,” Jasmine replied.

“Good. Drive there tomorrow in the provided car and enjoy the scenery. I will be in contact with you later. Good luck,” Iris said and then the image of the flower disappeared from the computer screen.

“Well, a road trip should be fun,” Jasmine commented as she closed the laptop and Fern snorted at the dishonest tone that Jasmine hadn’t attempted to hide.

“Stuck in a car with me and my never-ending questions?” she teased and Jasmine chuckled, standing to put the laptop back on the bench.

“Like I said, a lot of fun,” she groaned. Fern looked away and poked her fork into her bowl of mac and cheese, disappointed that it was no longer steaming hot as she was finally starting to feel hungry. She gave it a stir, contemplating whether or not she should throw it back in the microwave when Jasmine sat down in front of her and scooped up her hand of cards. “Do you have an ace?” Fern looked up with hope and her lips broke into a tiny smile, pleased that she hadn’t scared Jasmine off with her persistence questions.

“Go fish.”