"Yo, Kelvin! Would you catch up? We're running late. You know how Leader gets when we're late for a briefing."
Kelvin ignores his teammate, fishing instead for some change in his pocket. He pulls out some money and passes it to the roadside vendor, receiving a paper bag packed with snacks in exchange. He takes a good look at the bag's content, nods in appreciation, thanks the vendor, and then gets back on the road.
Just a few feet away, Jessica, the girl who had spoken earlier, waits impatiently. Kelvin walks past her without as much as a glance at her, simply tossing one of the snacks to his other teammate, who snatches it out of the air with a raised eyebrow.
"Thanks," he says simply. Kelvin liked that about him. He was quiet and pretty chill, all things considered. If only his other teammate had been blessed with a similar temperament.
"You're ignoring me now, uhn?" Barks out Jessica.
Kelvin turns around as if just noticing her for the first time. "Oh, you are finally here. Great. Now we can get going. We don't want to be late. Leader would definitely not like that."
"Are you kidding me?" Jessica fires back, but Kelvin was already walking away, heading in the direction of The Institute. She turns to their other teammate, Ogun, incredulous, but he simply shrugs, splits the buns Kevin had tossed him in two, and offers her one half. Jessica stares at Ogun, then the buns, then back at him and simply storms off after Kelvin, hurling insults at him every step of the way.
Ogun simply chuckles before following his two teammates. He tosses the half he had initially offered to Jessica to a stray dog on the road, then stuffs his half in his mouth before jogging to catch up with the two.
***
"You're late," Leader says.
Jessica clenches her teeth, glaring daggers at Kelvin with a discreet side eye. She doesn't say a word, however, and both Kelvin and Ogun remain quiet as well.
Leader shakes his head, but his expression softens.
"You kids need to take this more seriously, you know? I don't think I have to remind you that you're no longer students. You're full-fledged members of the Planetary Defence Force, now. That comes with a new level of responsibility. No more slacking off."
"Yes, sir!" The three respond in unison.
"Now, let's get back to business," Leader says as he sits up straight, resting his elbows on the desk.
"Your team has been selected to undertake a classified mission. From here on, every word I say is classified. Not a single word of this should be uttered to anyone outside this room. Failure to maintain this secrecy would lead to the culprit's immediate dismissal from the Defence Force. It'd be a dishonourable discharge and would incur heavy penalties."
The last words were said with all seriousness. Leader's eyes sweep over the three teammates to gauge their reaction, but before he can come to a conclusion, Jessica shouts with joy.
"Finally! Some REAL action! What do you need us to do, boss?!" She's practically beaming.
Leader chuckles.
"You don't speak for us all, Jessica. I don't know about you, but I'd rather know what the mission is before I agree to something potentially dangerous," Kelvin interjects.
Jessica groans in complaint, but Kelvin ignores her.
Leader chuckles again, but this time, there is something challenging in his voice.
"You make it sound like you have a choice. You were assigned this mission. It wasn't a suggestion."
"Yes!" Jessica can barely contain her joy. On seeing the sour look on Kelvin's face, her face breaks into a big grin, and she sticks a tongue out at him.
"How about you?" Leader asks Ogun, who had stayed quiet for most of the conversation.
"I await your orders, sir," Ogun simply replies.
"That's more like it. Now with that out of the way, here's your mission. Your team has been selected to guard the children of a foreign delegate. Your job is to act as their bodyguards."
"Wait," Jessica cuts Leader off. "That's the classified mission? Glorified bodyguard duty? Really?!"
Leader shoots her a look, and she quickly covers her mouth with her hands, mouthing an apology.
"As I was saying. Your job is to guard the children of the delegate. But that's just the official story. Here's what's classified. You are to report ANYTHING of note that goes on during your time with your charge. And when I say anything, I mean ANYthing. Where they visit, who they get in contact with, if they get in contact with anyone, and what they talk about in private. When in doubt whether or not a thing is noteworthy, that's your sign that it should be noted. The more we can learn about them, the better."
Leader reclines in his seat and waits for the three to absorb the information they had just been given.
"Any questions?"
"Just one. Why us?" Kelvin asks.
Leader's face turns simple.
"Well, that is simple. The delegate had specific requirements that only your team seems to meet. He requested a Nigerian."
Everyone in the room turns to stare at Ogun, who is now staring wide-eyed at Leader.
"That's not possible. There hasn't been any contact between that country and the rest of the world since the invasion 10 years ago," Ogun replied. He looked rattled for some reason.
"And now you know why the mission is classified. You have now become a part of the handful of people in this country, probably the world, with this information. You understand the importance of maintaining secrecy on this mission, yes?"
All three respond in unison.
"Yes, sir!"
"Good," Leader responds. "Your mission starts now. Report to the Doll House to get your gear. You'd also get a detailed mission brief there. You're to report to me, and only me, after today's assignment. And Ogun, I am sure I don't need to remind you of your training."
Ogun's face is the perfect picture of determination.
"No, sir. You have nothing to worry about."