I sat in the window seat of the jet, my nose squished against the chilly glass. As we flew through the sky, I gawked at hundreds of fluffy, white clouds. They were just these heavenly puffs of air! I especially loved it when we flew through them and for a brief moment, and the plane was surrounded in delicate mist. The scene was too perfect―I'd always wanted to see clouds suspended in the sky. And we were so close to them... it made me giddy with delight. I kept imagining what it would be like to open the window of the jet, to reach out and feel the air for myself.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Ty smirking at me from across the aisle. I leaned past Dari, who sat on my right, to look at him.

"I don't see what's so funny," I declared.

Ty laughed. "I'm sorry! I've just never seen Agent X so interested in clouds."

I leaned back in my seat, a scowl settling on my face. "I'm not on the mission yet. I can do whatever I want."

Dari glanced up from her computer. "I never thought I'd ever hear Agent X say that."

I focused back on the sky, shifting my body so my back was to Ty and Dari. I knew they meant well, they were only teasing, but now was not the time to bring up the differences between the real Xara and me. I would be all business on the mission, but I just wanted to enjoy the scenery for a bit. It wasn't every day that I got to leave headquarters. This could have been a once in a lifetime opportunity.

My, what I wouldn't give to be able to relax on a cloud. I wonder what that would be like.

A few moments passed in silence, like the rest of the airplane ride had. Dari was busy checking all of her technological gear, Ty was memorizing the procedure for the mission at the last minute, like he always did, and Finn and Jax were in the cockpit.

Finally, I tore my gaze from the window to look at my watch. It was nearly 11:19. We had a little less than an hour before arriving in Brussels, Belgium.

I guess I should put my Xara make-up on. I hadn't done it yet since I didn't really enjoy the feeling of having thick creams smeared across my face. It made my pores feel like they were being suffocated.

I pulled out the makeup bag from Professor Nyryn and set it on the tray in front of me.

"You know, those trays are pretty gross. They typically aren't cleaned on airplanes."

My brow furrowed as I looked at Dari, who was engrossed in typing a complex code into her laptop.

"Really?"

Dari paused her work, figuring out what she was going to tell me. "Naw, just kidding. The people at the IIA do a good job of making sure everything is sanitary. But on commercial flights you have to be careful."

I nodded slightly before turning back to my work. I recalled a video I had once watched a number of years ago. I believe the title was 'Airplane Travel 101,' and it had discussed the procedure for packing for a trip, surviving airport security and long lines, and airplane boarding and exiting procedures. They had said the same thing that Dari had said―to be wary of anything that was on a commercial flight, including the food trays.

I turned on a tutorial video on how to make myself look like Xara. Professor Nyryn had shown me the step-by-step procedure of doing my make-up. She had filmed the entire thing so that I would have a reference on the trip. I squinted at the mirror in front of me and began applying the primer and foundation.

I don't know what I would have done without Professor Nyryn's demo. All of the different make-up creams, powders, and brushes were so confusing. Let's just say that make-up had never been an area of study for me. I constantly had to refer to a picture of the real Xara to ensure that I was doing the right contouring and blending. And if that weren't enough, my hands kept shaking from the meticulously detailed work.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally completed my transformation. I inspected my reflection in the mirror, comparing it with my target photo. I thought that the general idea was there, but my eyes gravitated to the spots that I had messed up ever so slightly. I couldn't tell if I had accurately matched her face, or not.

"How do I look?" I asked, turning to Ty and Dari.

"Well," Ty began, drawing out the word. "If I hadn't seen you before, I would think that you actually are Xara."

"You did a good job," Dari clarified.

"Phew! That's a relief," I exclaimed.

"You're becoming an impersonator, just like me," Ty said. He held up his hand for a high five. I simply looked at him with a neutral expression. Ty rolled his eyes. "Oh wow, now you decide to go into Agent X mode."

I nodded slightly. Ty flopped backwards in his seat with a groan.

I glanced at my watch. It was 11:47 now. Only half an hour to go.

I pulled out my radio from my backpack, which resembled a plain, black suitcase. "Jax, come in Jax."

"I read you, Agent X."

"How's the course looking?"

"Everything is in order. Smooth flight conditions ahead. We are on schedule."

"Perfect! Over and out."

I placed my radio back in my bag, reclining in my seat. It was my first mission and things were going swimmingly―not at all like the real Xara's first mission. I smiled as I recalled the chaos that had ensued after a pack of wild geese had tried to attack Xara and her crew as they tried to retrieve an important film reel from a pond.

The image of Ty screaming like a girl as a goose tried to peck at his boots will never get old.

No, everything was going according to plan, much to my relief. I had spent hours coming up with back up plans, but I really, really did not want to use one.

Because what if I made a mistake? It was far simpler to have everything work out as it should.

Suddenly, a loud pop resounded in the airplane cabin. Metal whizzed past me, inches from my face, and burst through the wall of the plane, leaving a small, circular hole in its place.

And... I think this is when everything goes awol.

I whipped out my radio. "Agent 41, come in Agent 41." I forced the panic that was rising in my throat down.

"I read you, Agent 24."

"Plane under fire. Now enacting Operation Descent."

"Got it. Over and out."

The goal of Operation Descent was to land the plan as quickly and safely as possible―without being shot down by the enemy. From there, we could rent a car and drive to Brussels.

I set my radio down and threw my make-up bag into my suitcase. I didn't want anything to be left behind in case we needed to evacuate in a rush. After overhearing my conversation, Ty and Dari packed up their stuff as well. I forced my hands to stop shaking as I zipped my suitcase.

Remember Xara. Be Xara. Always calm, always cool, always collected. Emotionless.

The three of us pulled black levers on the side of our seats. Immediately, bullet-proof, rubber shields inflated, encircling each of us with a personal cocoon of safety.

Then, the storm of pellets began. Some bounced off the bullet-proof shields and embedded themselves into other seats on the airplane. Others shattered the glass windows or penetrated the steel shell of the plane. I put on a pair of earplugs to muffle the deafening pops. I started to feel lightheaded. I tried to force myself to breath, but I could only take in tiny gulps of air at a time. Whether that was due to a decline of oxygen or my nerves, I was unsure.

"Stay calm and remain seated!" I yelled.

Even within the shield, I could feel the drop of pressure as air was sucked out of the bullet holes. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling, and I quickly put it on. That's better. Just breath. Breath. I felt my lungs expand and contract, back to normal.

Yet another shower of bullets bombarded the plane. My heart quickened it's pace, beating so hard that I thought it would explode. Calm, Xara. Stay calm.

Electricity sparked in the ceiling.

That can't be good. I grabbed my radio.

"This is Agent 24 calling Agent 41. Come in Agent 41!"

"I read you Agent 24. The bullets have hit some of the major wiring in the plane. The controls are shutting down. Finn anticipates that this plane will nose dive in the next five minutes."

Five minutes. Five minutes to vacate.

Stop stressing Xara! Focus. Focus!

"What plan do you want to call?" Jax prompted. The ancient spy's voice was completely serene, like a Grandfather comforting a child.

Breath, Xara. Breath. Inhale, exhale.

I sucked in as much air as I could from my oxygen mask and exhaled slowly.

Calm, cool, collected. Emotionless.

"Agent 24, what plan do we call?" Finn's frantic voice shouted through the radio.

"Operation Ex-L!" I declared. "We need to evacuate to the escape pod in the next two minutes."

"I read you," Jax said. "Over and out."

I clipped my radio to my belt and looked at Ty and Dari, who each gave me a thumbs up. They had heard the change of plan, and they didn't question the decision I made.

Either that, or they were trained to follow orders.

Everything will be fine, Xara. Everything will work out. This is only a slight road bump. Breath, Xara, breath!

I felt my heart slow ever so slightly. Given the circumstances, I'd call that a win. How on Earth does the real Xara do it?

I was grateful for the escape pod aboard every IIA aircraft. In a pinch, we could enter the high-power capsule and zoom to safety. It moved at unbelievable high speeds, but it also meant that the quarters would be extremely cramped.

A raucous clatter crackled behind me. I twisted in my seat to see orange sparks fly.

There was a fire in the plane.

I could feel every single muscle within my body tensing. We needed to vacate the jet as quickly as possible. I snatched my radio off my belt.

"This Agent 24 calling Agent 41. Come in Agent 41."

"I read you Agent 24."

"There is a fire in the cabin. Is the escape pod ready?"

"No!" Finn yelled from the pilot's seat.

"When will we be ready?"

"We can't use the escape pod. The electrical wiring has gotten damaged beyond the point of usage. I am locked out of any of the controls. This plane is going down in the next minute."

I could feel the adrenaline pulsing faster and faster. The plane was being shot at, there was a fire in the cabin, and the escape pod wasn't working.

I didn't want to have to do this, but once again, I was forced to pivot in the Operation. It was the most dangerous and risky choice of all.

But then again, what choice did we have? We couldn't be anywhere near this aircraft when it went down, or worse, if it exploded. We needed to evacuate ASAP.

"Agent 41, the Operation is now Ex-Par. We need to eject now!"

"Got it!"

I turned to Dari and Ty. "We are ejecting. Grab your stuff and prepare for the fall. Also, we need to switch oxygen masks."

"On it," Dari said.

"Yes ma'am," Ty said.

I grabbed the oxygen mask from my backpack—the one that was kept in reserves for emergency situations only. There was only enough oxygen to last us ten minutes, but in a pinch, it could save a life.

"Agent 41, this Agent 24," I said into my radio.

"The seats are ready to eject."

"Get your oxygen masks on. We need to be ready to go down as soon as this plane starts falling. I think that when WAOIC sees the plane's descent, they'll stop their fire. But if we eject before the plane goes down, we'll become the new targets."

Jax grunted in approval of my logic.

"Tell me the second the plane starts dropping."

"Copy that."

"Over and out."

I slung my suitcase over my back and fastened the straps across my chest. The only things in hand were my radio and oxygen mask. I glanced at Ty and Dari to make sure that they were just as ready as I was.

"Remember, stay buckled into your seat," I said. "When the airplane drops, we don't want any injuries."

The other two nodded emphatically.

My brain raced through the checklist of details to do. It appeared that everything was in order—that is, relatively in order. We were ready to be thrown from the airplane into the mercy of the winds in the sky. I couldn't help but remember my wistful thoughts of sitting on clouds. This is not what I was intending!

But there was nothing I could do. At the moment, all that was left was to wait.

I sat at the edge of my seat, willing myself to stay calm. Somehow, I found my muscles starting to relax, the tension starting to flee. My mind fixated on one thing: exiting the jet.

I jolted in my seat as the plane began its rickety descent.

"The plane is heading down!" Finn yelled.

One, two, three!

"Masks on!" I bellowed into the radio. Dari and Ty threw their masks on, and I assumed that Jax and Finn did the same.

"EJECT!" I threw my mask over my face just before the ground dropped beneath me.

I was released to the heavens. The wind knocked from my lungs; I couldn't breath. The seats that we were in fell off, and for a moment, I was alone, free falling to the ground below. I felt numb to the world, except for the crisp wind that enveloped me.

Time reduced to a crawl. The air funneled past in slow motion as I soared, suspended in the sky.

The initial ecstasy wore off. The atmosphere began to pass rapidly. My stomach plummeted. I was zooming at lightning speed through the air, and for a second, I thought I was going to crash onto the Earth below.

Like a flag unfurling, the transparent parachute attached to my suitcase expanded above me. Straps dug into my chest as my fall was halted mid-air. Slowly, like a feather, I began to drift to the ground below.