We followed the white Honda along highways and narrow streets; through bustling cities and empty countryside; past flat fields and towering skyscrapers; up rolling hills and down man-made tunnels; until we reached a dense forest—where we were traveling at the moment.

Trees soared overhead, casting shadows on the cracking road. There wasn't another car in sight, forcing Finn to leave a great deal of space between us and Agent Fox's car. Far away, the white sedan sped down the road, just barely in the line of sight.

Though Finn was careful, I couldn't help but worry if she had noticed us and was leading us to certain doom. We had been following her in the same car for hours.

Come on, Xara. Don't be pessimistic. Finn was smart enough to leave at least one car of space between us during the entire journey. This is the longest time we have gone without any cars between us. Besides, there's nowhere we can turn off the road. She probably just thinks you're another car traveling in a similar direction. Nothing suspicious, nothing to be concerned about.

"Jeez, there are a lot of trees," Ty said. "When is this forest ever going to end?"

"There are lots of forests in this part of the continent," I stated.

"I know, but we've been traveling through this same forest for the past two hours. Like, come on!"

I looked at the time. "Um, no, we have only been traveling through this forest for forty-eight minutes."

"Same thing," Ty complained. "I never thought I could get sick of seeing so much green."

"Please, if you're nauseous, vomit in a bag and not on me."

Ty grinned. "I can't promise anything."

"You'd better not. Or else..." I paused, trying to think of a good threat. "Or else I will tell the Director to force you to drive through a forest everyday for a week when we get back."

"Hey, depending on who's driving, that might not be so bad."

"Well it's not going to be me...or Xara...or anyone else in the car."

Ty nodded. "Okay."

My mind went blank on names of boring people at the IIA. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that they're really boring."

Ty sighed. "Fine."

I glanced out the window. The sun was turning from gold to orange with hints of pink. It's already sunset, and we have no idea where we are or how much longer Agent Fox will be driving.

"Finn, how are things looking?" I asked.

"I'm good where I am," he said. "I'm keeping my eye on the prize."

"Dari, any analytics for me?" I asked.

"We've been driving since eight-fifteen in the morning. It is currently four fifty-three in the afternoon, so we have been driving for exactly eight hours and thirty-eight minutes."

"And our location?"

"We're in Canada—"

"Oh really?" Ty interrupted. "I thought we were still in Kansas."

Dari ignored him. "We're about two hours from Greater Sudbury. It might take us longer to get there, though, since we're on a backroad."

"Any sign of a city or hotel where Agent Fox might be staying?" I asked.

"No."

I sighed. Who knew how much longer we'd be driving for. Perhaps she was even going to pull an all-nighter and drive all the way to the edge of Canada. I glanced at Finn. He was staying strong—he was used to this kind of work—but he'd been awfully quiet for most of the trip. I didn't want to exhaust him, especially when we had such an important mission ahead of us.

Come to think of it, we'd all been quiet for the most part since the highway fiasco. I suppose it would be taxing on anyone to talk and joke for eight hours straight. I looked at Ty in the corner of my eye. Except Ty.

But I was grateful for the silence. I was subconsciously mourning the loss of a friend, the rise of a traitor. Every time they spoke, I painfully remembered that one of them was a double agent.

This time had allowed me to sort through the ideas whirling in my head. I had gone through every single member of Team Summit to determine which was the traitor. I had evaluated everyone's behaviors, drawing on Xara's old memories, even ones from decades prior. At first, none seemed overtly suspicious. But the more I thought about it, they became equally suspicious. I was just working in circles.

The afternoon melted into dusk, the sunset fading into a charcoal sky, dotted with thousands of tiny, gleaming stars. I gazed up, captivated by the heavenly glitter. I had never seen so many stars before in my entire life. Back in Washington D.C., they were overpowered by the city lights. But out here, where there was no light except for the glow of our headlights and the tail lights of Agent Fox's car, I could see the stars with ease.

"Isn't it so pretty?" Ty whispered. I nodded eagerly.

"I'm okay with the forest now," he said. "I'd take this any day over the city."

At that moment, Dawn complained, "Ugh, it's so dark. Can't they put some lights on the side of the road?"

Ty and I exchanged a look and burst into quiet laughter. Dawn didn't notice, just stared at the back of Dari's seat, her hands fidgeting in her lap. I began to wonder if she was afraid of the dark.

No point in asking. She'd never admit it.

The car sped up a bit, reminding me that we were still driving down the road. It would likely be a long time before we arrived at our destination.

"Why don't you get some rest?" I whispered to her. For some reason, it seemed wrong to speak loudly while it was dark outside.

Dawn nodded reluctantly and leaned her head against the car's window. I did the same, though my eyes remained glued on the sparkles in the sky. The car accelerated at a steady pace. The engine hummed, forming a lulling rhythm. Indistinct murmurs drifted from the front seat.

"Xara?" a voice rasped from the front seat. "Xara!"

It was Finn.

I lifted my head. "Hm?"

"You're going to kill me for this," Finn said. "But...I think I lost Agent Fox again."

I bolted upright. "What?"

"It's not his fault," Dari said. "I saw it happen too."

"What happened?" I demanded.

"We were just watching the taillights of Agent Fox's car and they just seemed to...vanish," Finn explained, panic creeping into his voice.

"Vanish?" I repeated.

"Yeah. Like, into thin air vanish."

"Well, a car doesn't just 'vanish,'" I began slowly.

"Obviously.," Dari said.

"At first, I thought that she had just sped up," Finn said. "But even when I doubled my speed, I couldn't find her. There's no way that she could have gotten away...at least I don't think so."

"What's going on?" Dawn's groggy voice came from the other side of the car. Did she already fall asleep?

"We lost the tail again," I said in a normal volume. There was no point in whispering now.

"What?" Jef exclaimed from behind.

"Look, let's not panic," I said. "We...ugh. Finn, did you see any exits to a side road?"

"No, not even one."

I thought for a moment. I was inclined to say 'stop the car right here,' but if there were any cars traveling behind us, we wouldn't want to cause an accident. I could feel the car decelerating.

"Turn the car around," I said. "There must be a pathway we missed. Drive to the area that you thought you saw the car disappear and pull over on the side of the road."

Finn pulled over on the side of the road. I leapt out of the car.

"Grab a flashlight," I said to no one in particular. Ty followed me out of the car, handing me the flashlight. Dawn pulled the backseat of the rental down so Jef and Jax could get out. Three more flashlights clicked on, one for Ty and Finn, one for Dawn, and one for Jef.

"Start looking for clues," I told them. "Except for you, Jax. I need you to stand as a lookout."

Jax gave a firm nod. "Open the trunk, Finn." Finn popped the trunk for Jax, who grabbed a briefcase from the backseat.

"Here, you can borrow my flashlight so Ty and Finn can start looking," Jef offered.

"Thanks," Jax murmured.

He opened it to reveal various pieces of metals in all shapes in sizes, neatly pressed into a velvet casing lining the suitcase. In no more than twenty seconds, Jax had transformed these odds and ends into a rifle.

"Good work," I said. "Now we need you to be our eyes and ears. If you see or hear anything suspicious, let us know."

"What are we looking for?" Dawn asked.

"Tires tracks." I turned my attention back to the ground beneath me. It looked normal, no trampled grass except where I had been standing on it.

I suddenly noticed how dark the forest was. It was foreboding, like anyone could be watching me, waiting to attack. The only comforts I had were Jax's rifle and the cold metal dagger pressing against my ankle in my boot. I felt the inside pocket of my red coat. My pistol was there, safe and sound.

Nothing's going to happen, I assured myself. Nothing can happen. Jax is standing guard, and we all have plenty of weapons to protect ourselves.

But you can't control everything.

Focus. Now is not the time to get scared.

I glanced around. Ty and Finn were inspecting the road to the right of the car. Dawn and Jef had crossed the street to inspect the forest on the other side. I started towards the left to cover all of the territory. I pointed my flashlight to the ground. Grass and shrubs dotted dry dirt. There was nothing unusual or helpful about what I was seeing.

"Xara, come here!" Finn whisper-yelled. I jogged over to where he was standing.

"What is it?" I asked.

Finn shone his light on the ground. There were two, cylindrical lines in a criss-cross pattern disappearing into the forest. I could hear Jef and Dari's boots thudding on the cement road as they hurried towards. They must be wondering what the commotion was.

"Tire tracks!" I exclaimed.

"And look where it leads," Ty said. He pointed the flashlight into the forest. The light shone on a bald spot of trees. The clearing continued, forming a winding path through the forest.

"Absolutely ingenious," I breathed. I turned to Ty. His green eyes seemed to be glowing in the dim light. "Come on, let's follow it!"

We hurried back to the car. The car inched onto the lane, barely fitting. The moon gleamed down overhead with its star companions, casting an eerie, white glow on the spaces between the trees. The shadowy trees pressed on all sides and loomed overhead like skeletons. Finn flicked his high beams. Circular streams of light dispelled the darkness in front of us. It showed just how close the dark trunks really were.

The path twisted and turned. Finn, an expert driver, drove at a crawl. He wasn't crazy enough to go barreling through here.

It felt like we had been driving along the winding road for ages. My palms began to sweat from being cooped up for so long. I tried to wipe my hands on my pants, but the leather was no good at absorbing water.

"How much longer do you think it will be?" I asked Finn.

He only shrugged. His jaw began to stretch into a yawn, but he stifled it.

"Do you want someone else to drive?" I asked.

He shook his head. I should have known he'd be stubborn. He couldn't show any signs of being tired as if that was what made an agent excellent in their work.

"What do you think about this whole situation?" Ty whispered. "Do you think we're on the right track?"

I turned to see Ty looking at me, concerned. "What do you mean?"

"Do you think we're following the right tracks?" Ty questioned. "I mean, what if WAOIC left a trail that led nowhere just to throw people off their scent?"

That was true. I glanced at Finn. What if he pointed out the tracks just to make sure that we went down the wrong trail?

I suddenly realized that I didn't know who first pointed out the tracks. Was it Ty or Finn? It could make a difference.

I opened my mouth to ask him but stopped. What if Ty is the WAOIC agent?

I didn't want to give away my suspicions. But why would he be concerned if we were heading down the wrong path?

Of course! Because he knows we're on the right trail and he wants to keep us from getting to headquarters!

"Xara?" Ty said. I snapped back to Ty.

"What?"

"What were you about to say?" Ty asked.

"Nothing," I mumbled. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

I should've known that he would ask that question. Ugh! Why does Ty have to be so curious about other people's problems?

"How...uh...boring it is sitting in the car," I said. His eyes narrowed.

"Really?"

Why does he have to be so good at reading people?

"Yup," I said, feigning confidence.

"Really?"

"I already told you," I said, exasperation creeping into my voice.

"I'm not convinced," Ty said.

"Well isn't that terrible," I said. "You'll just have to live with it. Just because you doubt what I say doesn't make it untrue."

Ty pursed his lips but knew it was a losing battle. I relaxed, thinking that he would finally leave me alone. Then, a smile cracked his face.

"Wait, you weren't thinking about how handsome I look, right?"

I kept my face completely solemn, not an ounce of amusement.

"No, of course not." I sounded completely apathetic towards him. For a moment, I feared that I might have hurt his feelings. But his jollity didn't waver for even a second.

"I see you've been practicing your straight face. You look very convincing."

"I'm not faking it."

"I'm joking," Ty said.

"I know."

"Why are you so solemn these days?"

I sighed. "I'm tired. We have a big mission ahead of us."

One of you is a traitor, I added.

"You're stressed and running on caffeine, instead of sleep," Ty continued. "As your older brother, I'm telling you that you need to get some rest."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Ty continued.

"No, the real Xara wouldn't have listened to me. Not in a million years. But I'm hoping you will have more sense to take care of yourself than she does. Everyone at the IIA thinks that I'm the reckless one, but for Xara to be on the go so much, she's destroying herself. She isn't made of stone, only her mental will and determination."

"So—"

"So you think you need to have a mental will and determination of stone too?" Ty laughed. "Stone can crack, Xara. We're still human."

"Am I?"

Ty froze. It was a good pep talk, I thought. Until you said that.

Ty rubbed the back of his neck. He cleared his throat. "Uh, well, biologically speaking, you're...well...you have her DNA..." He looked me in the eye. "Can I get a definition for human?"

"A bipedal primate mammal, a homo sapien," I recited.

"So that's you," he said confidently. "You are a human."

"I'm a clone."

"You're a clone of a human."

"So I'm a copy of a human. Am I a real human too?"

"Stop," Ty said, clutching his head. "You're giving me a headache."

I chuckled. Ty snapped upright.

"Ha! Got you to laugh."

"Is that your new goal in life?" I asked.

"Yes, it is. I need to make sure my baby sister is happy. Which means that I get to make you go to bed. You'll feel better in the morning. I'll wake you if anything important happens."

I didn't like the way Ty was trying to get me to go to sleep. I glanced around the car. Jef and Dawn were conked out. Jax's eyes were closed, though he periodically opened one of them to look around. Dari was lightly snoring in the front seat. Finally, my eyes fell on Finn. He and Ty were the only two people who were awake. They also were the people I suspected most to be the double agent.

A new thought crossed my mind. What if they were both WAOIC agents, working together? What if they were planning to capture the rest of us while we were sleeping?

Ty must have seen me looking towards Finn, since he said, "I'll let you know when we arrive at WAOIC headquarters, if that's what you're concerned about."

The thought of sleep was tempting, but I forced myself to shake my head. "I'm sorry, but baby sister is going to overrule this time."

"But—"

"I know, I need to be well rested to perform at the level required of me. But I am the lead. I knew what was required of me when I agreed to fill Xara's shoes. As long as we are on the road, I need to be awake. It's only fair. Why don't you get some rest?"

Ty sighed. "Well, if you're going to give up the chance, then I guess I won't be foolish enough to reject it."

His eyes shut. His breathing slowed into a rhythmic sleep.

We continued in the darkness. I felt alone in so many more ways than one. I was the only one awake, we seemed to be the only people in this part of the universe, and I was the only person I could trust. How could I sleep at night knowing that I could be betrayed?

I felt my eyelids growing heavy in spite of my fears. No! Must stay awake! Must keep watch! I forced my eyes open. They settled on Finn, who was bleary eyed and nearly asleep at the wheel. If for no other reason, I need to be awake to make sure that he doesn't fall asleep and kill us all.

The weight of my eyelids overpowered any will I had to keep them open. I felt myself melt into a subconscious void.