able to contact him and tell him where we were. He got to the house before the FBI team did. My mom and I were shocked to see him, to say the least. But he helped us get to the car safely, in fact, just as Ms. Kim and the FBI arrived. They immediately arrested Glen Sampson and the guy in the woods, who we’d tied up.”
The two men behind the general murmured something to each other, and the general continued. “So, your dad arrived on the scene just in time to help you and your mom get to the car.”
“He did.” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table. “But Remington was still free. When I explained to Ms. Kim and the FBI agents that Wally was still running the MITM mission, they had an idea.”
One of the suits broke in, asking what a MITM mission was, so the guy next to him quickly explained it.
When he finished, I continued. “Ms. Kim and the FBI agents recognized that this could be our only chance to get Remington to confess to his crimes, including the murder of Mr. Lando, my dad’s partner at the NSA. So they quickly devised a plan on the fly. My father would pretend to be Glen Sampson, and everything would proceed as Mr. Remington expected. It had to be my dad, because he was the closest person onsite in terms of complexion and height to Mr. Sampson. We didn’t have time to bring anyone else in, and besides, my dad was the only one who knew all the intricacies of the situation. We couldn’t risk Remington asking a question that would give away the fact that Sampson wasn’t really Sampson. We figured with the mask and a voice modulator, it would be nearly impossible for him to tell it wasn’t Sampson.”
I took a swig of Coke to ease my parched throat, setting the bottle on the table and twisting the cap back on. “Ms. Kim wanted to pretend to be my mother, but it wouldn’t have worked. She’s much taller than my mother, and she has a different hair color. There were no other female agents available to fill in, so my mom insisted she stay and play her part, too. We only had time to get my dad into Sampson’s mask and help set up some cameras and mics before Wally alerted me that Remington was on his way early.”
“And you knew that because you were tracking his car,” General Norton prompted.
“Exactly. But, at that point, Ms. Kim and the FBI insisted my team and I were to be removed from the premises, presumably for our protection. Our cars were hidden from sight and so were the FBI’s. We were taken to an FBI van that was a mile away so we could watch it all go down from a live feed.” I waved a hand. “And, well, you know the rest.”
“That I do.” General Norton shook his head in wonder. “You do realize that you kids, brand-new UTOP candidates, not there even a whole month, single-handedly brought down a faction inside the NSA that had been secretly operating for fourteen years.”
“I was just trying to help my family,” I said honestly.
He blew out a breath. “Well, I can’t wait to see what you do when you’re trying to help your country. You know, Angel, when Slash recommended you and your friends for UTOP, I wasn’t sure he knew what he was doing. I couldn’t have been more wrong. You, young lady, and your entire team, have proven yourself invaluable to our agency and our nation. I sincerely thank you. By the way, all your professors will hear about your outstanding performance. I think it’s worth at least a little extra credit.”
“Yay!” I said, and he laughed.
“Come now.” General Norton stood up. “I think you’ve had enough for one day.”
I heartily agreed, so I followed him out of the room and down a long, echoing hall. We exited into a waiting area, where my mom and dad were waiting. When my mom saw me, she gave a small cry and ran to me. I hugging her tightly and my dad joined us. We held each other, crying and laughing at the same time.
“We have so much to talk about,” my dad said.
“Yes, we do,” I said, keeping my arms around both of them. “We have to tell Gwen. She’s going to be so shocked when she gets back from her boring trip to