Author's note: Let the fun and games begin...

Maria:   

James was dragged away in cuffs by the government agents.

"You're lucky we're not pressing assault charges on you. Now you'll come with us whether you want to or not", an agent told him as he took him away from my sight.

I attempted to intervene, alas my dad stepped in my way.

"Dad, they can't do this! He's done nothing wrong and they're already convinced of his guilt.", I pleaded.

"I know, Maria. However, you trying to speak with the agents won't work. They're aggravated and he just hit several of their compatriots trying to flee. Right now, his innocence in all of this is not confirmed and the best thing to do is let them do their job."

I was having mixed emotions right now and needed to sort them out. Unfortunately, I also had questions to answer and it seemed like James would be the only one who could answer them.

"Can you make sure he's not hurt, Dad? He's not a criminal, just a kid like me who's probably freaking out like I am."

"Sure can, pumpkin.", he kissed my head, ruffled my curly hair and headed off to talk with the agents.

What to do now? I could have a breakdown or try to break in to their interrogation room.

Hmm. Which one sounds like it will lead to less trouble? Which one is the logical option though?

Going with my gut instinct, I decided to follow my dad deeper into the school in a previously unused wing that seemed a little spooky.

A door he had just passed through said 'Employee Only Access', but how did my dad get in then?

Was he keeping stuff from me as well? What was going on here?

It was up to me to find out.

Peeking around the next corner, I gathered my resolve, electrified the lock and managed to wedge the door open.

"Dad?", I called out in the darkness. How did the agents see without a light?

"You're not supposed to be here."

I jumped into the air 6 feet and took a martial arts stance I had learned from a movie when I landed.

"I see you're pretty excitable, Maria.", my dad flicked a switch and grinned back at me.

"Where are we? How come you got through the door even though it was locked?", I asked.

"My superpowers are invisibility and intangibility.", he replied.

"You can go ghost like Danny Phantom?", I squeaked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but my special force comrades nicknamed me, 'The Chameleon'."

"Quick, duck down. Don't ask why!", he told me and I did as I was ordered. Two agents came round the hallway with flashlights and looked around before going back.

"What's going on?", I inquired.

"I don't know, but I've lost contact with my connections at the government. Someone has tapped the phone lines and these agents have commandeered the entire school. I overheard pretty soon they'll have the school on lockdown."

"But why?"

"The AoE is a menace and you and James just attracted attention from one of their best hitmen-Rush. They're questioning James on why."

"What do they think he knows?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out. Want to permeate into the interrogation room?"

"Would I?"

I felt a tingling sensation and suddenly I was in a room facing a glass surface with agents.

"Don't make a sound or the agents will find out we're here. Stay with me and you won't be visible."

Observing the scene inside the other room, I braced myself for the truth, not knowing the truth was about to come crashing down on me.

"Now, I'm going to count to ten and you're going to tell me all you know about Rush.", an African American agent commanded.

James glared back, his eyes appeared menacing. The thought of James being a possible supervillain occurred.

"I know my rights and haven't been Mirandized. Am I being charged with something? If not, I'm free to go."

"Not just yet boy! We're on threat level Bravo facing an unknown murderer and you're our only link to figuring out why."

"You seem pretty angry right now. Maybe you should calm down and rest for a while?"

"Don't humor me boy. I can do this all day. Tell us why Rush is after you and another kid from GEAR."

"I plead the fifth then."

"You have something that would incriminate you?"

"No, I learned from my father to never answer questions without a lawyer present. As I'm a minor, I would also need my parents to show up."

"You are a ward of the state as you stated your parents were abusive."

"So I need a social worker. Is there one here perchance?"

"I don't need one if I call the Patriot Act on you."

"I'm not a terrorist!"

"Oh, but AoE is classified as a terrorist organization and we seem to have no information on you. Even your name James McGregor is an alias! We took the liberty of going through your things and you have several fake IDs."

He slapped the IDs on the table and started going through them, "Jim Benson, Jaime Rodriguez, Jimmy Stuart, really a different spelling of Stewart? James MacWhillan, Jacques Beauchamps..."

James winced at that one.

"That's one of your family names, isn't it? You use several variations of James so I'm going to assume that's your real first name. What part of you is real? From what I see, you're as much a ghost as Rush. How do you know him?", he growled and pressed his hands against the table.

James grimaced. "You have nothing on me, an assassin's about to come and you're threatening a kid? Seems like a lawsuit to me."

"How would you know that?"

"My father's a lawyer...****."

"Look up a kid about his age named James, one of his last names, Beauchamps. We'll be back to discuss further, son."

I needed to talk with James like right now.

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Author's note: James is in a pickle right about now.