The Commander's Daughter

Amy

I forced myself upright, my gaze landing on Jessica. The world had stopped its dizzying spin, allowing me to focus on her. "What's happening to me?" I searched her eyes for answers, but she offered none. Instead, she looked at me as if I'd transformed before her eyes.

Confusion and fear swirled within me. I needed space. I needed solitude. I bolted towards the back of the kitchen.

Jessica's footsteps echoed behind me, but I needed to be alone. I needed to process the bizarre events that had just unfolded. "Amy, it's okay," a woman's voice whispered from behind me. I spun around, but Jessica was still far away.

I'd managed to escape the kitchen, finding myself in the back alleyway. The crippling pain had ceased, and my panic had lessened. I could think clearly again. "You shouldn't be alone," the voice spoke again, sounding as if it was right beside me, yet no one was there. "You need someone who can support you during this strange time."

For some reason, the voice calmed me. I trusted it, even though I couldn't pinpoint its origin. "Jessica," I murmured. "I need to go back to her."

I yearned to return to her side, to demand an explanation for the inexplicable events that had just occurred. "It's okay. She'll tell you," the voice reassured me. "I'm sure she was just as surprised as you were."

I chose to believe the voice. I was conversing with an unseen entity, yet I didn't feel insane. Maybe I was losing my mind. I tried to steady my trembling legs, preparing to return to Jessica.

That's when I noticed the clarity of my thoughts. The pain was gone. I felt rejuvenated, as if I'd just stepped out of a stuffy room into fresh air. My body felt strange, but I attributed it to the recent pain and disorientation.

Suddenly, my heart pounded in my chest, my hands grew clammy, and my breath hitched. A panic attack. Just what I needed after the chaos. "You're okay. Panic attacks are normal," the voice said.

There it was again. Where was this voice coming from? It wasn't Jessica's voice. "Try to keep it together."

My eyes closed, and my worries faded. I should've been panicking at the sound of a voice in my head, but instead, I trusted it. It felt like a part of me. It felt right. And I trusted my instincts.

Amy

"When will she wake up?" Jessica's voice was laced with concealed panic.

Her sweet perfume filled my nostrils, reminding me of water lilies. It was the scent I'd always associated with motherhood. "Jess."

I licked my lips and blinked. We were still outside, but darkness had fallen. "Where are you?"

I attempted to sit up. A blanket had been draped over me. My limbs felt heavy, and a chill ran down my spine. "What happened to me?" I clutched the blanket, wrapping it tightly around myself.

"Amy, do you remember what happened before you fainted?" Jessica helped me to my feet.

She adjusted the blanket around me. The white fabric contrasted sharply with my skin. She'd always told me that black was beautiful, but I didn't feel beautiful at the moment. I felt confused, scared, and like I was in deep trouble. "I thought my head was going to explode," I confessed, feeling like I was spiraling out of control. "I heard a voice in my head. But that can't be right. Another voice in my head? It's impossible."

"Don't panic." Jessica rubbed my back soothingly. "I want you to meet someone. She'll explain everything."

A petite woman in her mid-thirties stood on the sidewalk in front of the diner. She was dressed in a dark gray pantsuit with a black undershirt. Her light brown hair was cut into a short bob with a few highlights. She had an air of formality and seriousness about her.

Jessica gestured for the woman to approach. This woman wasn't one of Jessica's usual friends, but they seemed to know each other. "Hello, Amy. My name is Charlotte." The woman extended her hand towards me.

I felt a strange sense of familiarity towards her, as if I should know her, but I didn't. I shook her hand. "What's going on?" I asked. I had a sinking feeling that I'd done something wrong. Was I in trouble? Was this woman from social services? No, I was over eighteen. They couldn't do anything to me now. My heart pounded in my chest.

"Amy, have you heard of the CIA?" Charlotte asked, her gaze never leaving mine. Her odd question caught me off guard.

"Um, sure." Who asks something like that? I knew she wanted me to say yes. I waited for her to continue. Where was this going?

"Good. Now, let's talk about spies. I'm from an organization that's similar but even more secretive," Charlotte said.

"What organization?" I asked.

"The Agency. It's a top-secret spy organization," she explained.

She pulled out her phone and snapped a quick picture of me. "Sorry. It's just a procedure we have to follow with everyone we discover is part of The Agency."

What kind of procedure involves taking someone's picture?

I didn't ponder her question for long. There were countless people online discussing secret agents and undercover espionage. Until now, I'd thought they were conspiracy theorists, but perhaps there was some truth to their claims.

"Yeah," I responded, unsure about the spy part but allowing her to continue.

"Okay, so you know how you heard a voice in your head tonight? Tell me everything that happened. Everything you remember."

"I think my mind might have been playing tricks on me. I'm pretty tired from college. My head felt like it was about to burst open, and then I heard a voice," I recounted the events to Charlotte, but nothing was adding up. No one had been speaking to me.

"What else?"

"I asked Jessica what happened. When she didn't explain, I felt overwhelmed and ran out the back door. I must have scared her. I ran away and had a panic attack, and I fainted. That's what happened. I thought my head would explode, and I thought I heard a voice, and I freaked out over nothing. Finals were hard. I think that's what happened."

"Is that all you remember?" Charlotte asked. "Headache, running, and hearing the voice?"

I looked to Jessica for support. She nodded.

"I swear I could hear it as clearly as if a person were speaking to me," I laughed at how absurd that must have sounded. "I think I might have just imagined it."

"No, Amy. You really did hear a voice," Charlotte told me. "I know it must sound crazy, but you didn't imagine it."

The voice was real. I was aware of how tense my body was. I felt my heart beat frantically, and I could feel Jessica and Charlotte's eyes on me.

"Amy, that voice was something we in the community refer to as The Chip - it was inserted into your brainstem a long time ago."

Charlotte searched my eyes as if she was trying to gauge my reaction to her revelation. Jessica placed her hand on my shoulder.

I glanced at both women before me and started to laugh.

"No. I don't have a chip in my brain."

"Stop," Jessica said before I could argue any more. It was her serious voice. The one she used when I was in trouble. She used the same voice to convince me to go to college. It was what others would call a mom voice.

"Amy, it's true. You come from a long line of espionage agents who work with one of the most secret organizations in the world, and I am your Chip," a voice said. It was the same female voice from before. "I was recently activated - and that's why you felt such intense pain in your head."

I spun around, searching for the source of the voice.

"Talk to her," Charlotte urged me. "I know you can hear her voice. I see your eyes glazing over when she speaks to you. Speak with your Chip. Don't be afraid."

"Ask me anything you want to know, and I will answer to the best of my abilities," the voice stated matter-of-factly. "This is often a confusing process, even for agents who prepare for it from a young age. I can't imagine what it must be like to have it happen without warning."

I looked to Jessica for help. That's when it hit me. Jessica knew about The Agency and its Agents, and she'd never mentioned it.

"It's okay," she said. "Talk to her."

"We'll give you some space," Charlotte placed her hand on Jessica's arm. They both walked to the back of the diner.

I thought about it for a second.

"So, I'm not crazy?" I asked the voice.

She laughed.

Is it weird to call the disembodied voice a she?

"Of course not. You have already gone through The Activation and talked to me. You have all the proof you need. Everything that has happened is real," my chip explained. "You just need some time to accept that this is happening."

"Why did you get activated now? How could I not know about any of this?" I asked. "Do agents get their chip activated at random? I have so many questions."

My chip sighed.

I didn't realize government spyware had a temper. Jeez.

"Generally speaking, chips are activated when an agent turns sixteen," my chip responded. "You humans need time to grow, and it can be dangerous to activate the chip before puberty. Even though you couldn't communicate with me before, I have always been here. Watching out for you, monitoring your health for the optimal Activation time."

"Does it always hurt that much to activate?" I asked. The pain was too much. I did not want to do that again. I didn't care what the perks of being a spy were, nothing could make up for that excruciating pain.

"The first Activation is painful. I'm sorry about that. Normally, this would happen in a safe setting with supervision, but you are an anomaly," my chip stated. "However, after the first time, there should be no more pain when Activating. You can also activate me whenever you want."

My Chip's voice had a calming effect on me, despite its holier-than-thou tone. "It doesn't have to be when you're relaxed."

"So, like I can talk to you even when I am stressed out? And my head won't really explode, will it?" I asked.

I had no idea whether or not this chip was dangerous. My heart started to race. "Next you're going to tell me that my brains will be all over the floor."

"No, your head will never explode because of me," my chip told me. "And no, your brains won't be scattered all over the floor. I am not a threat to you."

"But what if I talk to you too much?" I began wondering if our interaction would have consequences.

I could tell my chip was losing patience with me. "You can talk to me as much as you want, and nothing bad will come from it."

At least I was learning something. I guess there really was a chip in my mind to guide me. I guess I was an agent. Or at least, I was supposed to be.

A new, more important question popped into my head.

"Okay, tell me this. Where are my parents? Why did I not grow up with others like me? Did they not want me?"

Asking those questions hurt my soul. I've always wanted to know about my parents. The foster system wasn't going to tell me a damn thing. Maybe this was my chance to find them.

"I'm afraid I don't know. I'm part of you. Only The Intelligence, an organization that works the darkest shadows of the world of espionage, knows where they are," her voice softened. "If you do happen to come into contact with them though, I would pick up on it through my analysis of facial features and be able to distinguish likely parental figures."

"Charlotte, is there a way for me to find out who my biological parents are?" I said, loud enough for her to hear me.

Jessica looked to Charlotte. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but she always knew that I wanted to know. She had even helped me look, after I turned eighteen. But we never came up with anything.

"Yes, I'll have to speak with Admiral Nicholas. More than likely, he will help you. His daughter Ramona is around your age. Give me a moment."

Charlotte took her cell phone out again. She walked away from us but I could still hear what they said.

"She survived the attack. Yes. She's activated. I know."

She spoke in the clipped manner that government agents always seem to in movies.

"Eavesdropping is rude," my chip said to me, pulling my attention away. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Already it was trying to control my behavior.

"So? They're the ones talking about me behind my back. If anything, that's rude," I retorted.

It was too late. My chip had taken enough of my attention that I had missed the rest of Charlotte's conversation.

Charlotte walked back over to where I was standing.

"Go home and pack some bags. He'll send a car for you. Since you now have your chip activated, it's too dangerous for you to stay with civilians out in the open. Admiral Nicholas has invited you to our compound for the time being. You'll stay at the Agency Headquarters."

I felt both excited and devastated. What about me was so dangerous that I couldn't be around Jessica?

I turned to Jessica, still searching for answers from her. How much of this did she already know?

"Is that okay?" I didn't want her to feel as if I were abandoning her. But it didn't seem like she was invited, either. "I don't want to leave you alone."

"I'm going to miss you, but I think this is for the best. They can teach you things about yourself that I can't. You need to learn who you are, and maybe the Admiral can find your parents." Jessica took a seat beside me. "You've been wanting to find your parents for a long time. You have a right to know."

Charlotte handed a business card to Jessica.

"This is the Agency Headquarters' number, my number, and the Admiral's and Commander's numbers are on there as well. Do not hesitate to call, but keep in mind, these are confidential numbers. I'm doing this as a courtesy to you Jessica, don't forget that."

I looked at Jessica with concern. I couldn't just leave her. Not like this. We had just started our summer together, and I could tell she wanted time with me before college was over. We both knew my life would change. I guess we hadn't thought it would change like this.

I know she said I could go, but I still didn't want to. With all of this new weird stuff happening, deep down, I wanted my mother.

"It's for your own good, Amy" Jessica held my hand. "I know you don't want to leave me. But I need you to go. I don't want you to miss this opportunity."

I bit the inside of my lip.

"You can call me any time, and it's not like I'm going to be a million miles away from you. You're in good hands."

"Jessica also has clearance to come visit us whenever she wants. She always has," Charlotte added.

"Jess, I need you to tell me how you got into all of this," I said.

"Later."

I didn't want to leave the only home I knew. But it looked like I had to.