A Spy's Life: Part Four

Content's of Twist's backpack:

• 1 iPod nano, 6th generation. It had some really cool mods. For one thing, there was a camera built into it, and Twist could also do something like Skype/Facetime with it, to see her fellow agent's faces and to receive messages. (and, along with the other mods, Twist had installed a few games and videos on it. Boredom kills.)
• 1 mini cooler, containing fruit, granola bars, water and vitamins.
• 1 extra change of clothes.
• 1 fold-up hang-glider.
• 1 parachute.
• 1 enormous length of rope to be disguised as a braid put up on Twist's head. The rope was lightweight but could carry maximum 2 passengers.

Twist gave the pack in her hands a glum look. Radical equipment, designed for tiny photos and jumping off cliffs. It wouldn't be any fun without White Mage by her side. To give her some more willpower, Agent Bombay had promised her the iPod if she succeeded. Twist was too tired to give her boss the necessary lecture she deserved to explain that if her best friend was killed, no music would ever compensate.

Twist took the elevator to be too slow, so she just entered the shaft and climbed up, catching wires and cables to hold her weight. If only she could be light, like a good spy should be. But no one can fight gravity. She sprung from wall to wall, using momentum to carry her upward. This was extremely challenging. You take a break from reading and try it, go on! Twist was close to the top and making good progress when she heard a whirring below her. The elevator was coming up. She knew that it was coming towards her, because the very topmost level was underground. To get aboveground unseen, a natural stone tower close to the rocky cliffs was hollowed out, and that was how you got to the roof. The elevator shaft was in stone, with nothing but wind and air all around. The roof was the tippy-top of the tower cliff.

She practically shot up the elevator shaft, bouncing off the walls, and when she reached the top she reached one of her shiny, smooth nails into the key slot at the top. Her nails weren't long enough to give her trouble but just long enough to act as lock picks. She pushed the trapdoor open with one hand while using all her other limbs to hold on to her precarious hold on her position: limbs splayed out, pressed against the walls of the elevator shaft. The elevator was rising speedily and Twist gave it a short look before dropping down the short distance to the elevator; the smooth surface of its roof rose to meet her in mid-air. "New plan," Twist whispered to herself. When it neared the square of bright light that had once been covered by the oddly-shaped trapdoor, she jumped off and into the air, and while at the peak of her jump she reached down and flipped the trapdoor back down in order to make a surface for her feet again, no matter how unstable. Twist landed unsteadily - jumping up an elevator shaft is exhausting, you know - and was suddenly facing the whole world.

The cliffs and turquoise water were spread all around her, with dark gray sky as her beloved dome roof. The surface Twist was standing on was all uneven rock, a square of granite a little less than two flutterboards strapped together in width and length. Dark clouds floated above and seabirds called to one another. Salty air filled Twist's lungs, and all at once, she knew she was home.

Her reverie only lasted a moment. Someone else was coming, after all. She must not be seen. Twist reached back into her backpack and easily pulled out something that was stored easily within reach for emergencies. After all, Twist didn't often have time to swing her backpack from her shoulder and rummage around when she needed this thing.

Twist unfolded it, spread it, grabbed the first rung with her hands and the back rung with one of her feet, using her other foot to push off the precarious rock tower.

For one angelic moment, a shaft of golden sunlight broke through the heavy clouds, alighting one young girl poised on one tiptoe on the very edge of the towering cliff, arms and one leg raised behind  her back in a magnificent arabesque. Her face was turned up to the heavens, determination etched in every feature.

Then Twist took to nothingness, skimming the wind on wings.