Brianna Acero and the Second One's Return

43. Who the heck is Merry Poppins?

Kalen still won't talk to me.

We've been driving for so long that I don't even bother checking the time, but the silence is starting to get to me. I glare at him one last time and look out the window, having had enough of him and his mind games. Ash watches us from his seat, uncomfortable, so Cassie tries to start some casual conversation with him. I half-listen while I watch the buildings blur by. We are getting closer to the capital. I can tell by how many skyscrapers and newer buildings we pass by. Giant billboards flicker all kinds of adds, projecting them onto the digital screens, and cars of every make and model speed past us. I spot a group of teenagers hanging out in one of the parks, and I remember when it used to be just me and Cassie, chilling in our little meadow.

How far we've come.

Jayson makes a left turn down one of the side roads and I make out the silhouette of a tall white building off in the distance.

The Mar, our target.

The White House had been remodeled in 2072 to fit council meetings and esteemed Elite guests, and was renamed the Mar after the architect that redesigned it, Mar Gomez. Like the Pentagon it still resembled its old self, but parts had been changed to fit into this day and age. It had been expanded and now another building, 15 stories high, is connected to it, making room for offices. Members of the council work there, while the president and his daughter live in the original building.

"Here we are," says Jayson, pulling up to one of the many buildings lining the street.

He drives up to a large gate, where the SYLVIA system asks for identification. Jayson rolls down his window and takes out the fake IDs that Leti made for us before we left. We had countless more in the trunk, just to be safe. I wonder if Asher and the rest of his team had their own as well. If they didn't we would probably need to have Leti make them some, just like we need her to create some documentation to convince the council that we are a part of it. It isn't safe to use our real names. If anyone from the council found out and tracked us back to the compound they might find out about our mission, then our only chance at getting the President would be blown.

"Wayne Darken, renting room 503."

A moment of silence follows before the gate starts to slide open, allowing us access to the underground parking.

"Welcome Mr. Darken."

Jayson rolls up his window and drives us into the parking lot, turning off the van and stuffing the keys in his pocket before hopping out and opening the doors for the rest of us. I stretch and rub my legs, trying to get the feeling back into them after such a long drive.

"Nice place," Says Asher, jumping out of the van, pulling a small rucksack out with him.

"Is that all you brought with you?" I ask.

The bag only seems big enough for a couple of sets of clothes, let alone weapons or equipment. We had brought a suitcase each and our mission packs.

Asher smiles and puts the bag on the ground. It takes my brain a moment to process when he pulls a fully functioning stun gun, one larger than any of the ones at our compound, out of the bag. That is followed by camo suits like our own, a dart watch, and lots of other gizmos.

"We call it the Merry Poppins bag," says Asher, putting all the stuff back inside. "In honor of that super old movie. Our tech guy loves all sorts of old-world entertainment."

Jayson smiles, crouching down to inspect the bag closer.

"Sounds just like our guy. He would love to take a closer look at this, I've never seen anything like it before. How does it work?"