Page 2 of Knight Moves

I didn’t have to ask him how he would hold me to my assurance. He was the NSA, after all. A part of me felt a tiny flicker of concern, but curiosity and interest roared to life in my brain.

“Of course, I give you my assurance.” My voice held a little catch of excitement. “Tell me more.”

We stopped under a large oak that cast long shadows. Slash stood in the shade watching the street while I faced him, staying in the sun and enjoying the warmth.

“The school is called the Underage Training Operative Program, or UTOP,” he said. “It’s a joint program funded by the CIA, NSA, and DIA.”

“What’s the DIA?” I asked.

“The Defense Intelligence Agency.”

“Oh. What kind of school is sponsored by three government intelligence agencies?”

“A very sensitive one. It’s a normal school in many ways. Students are required to take regular coursework in math, science, English, history, and foreign languages. It does, however, have an additional, and significant, curriculum that won’t be discussed at this point.”

That only piqued my interest further. “Does it include classes in computer science and cybersecurity?”

“Of course. The best in the country. I assure you, Angel, the curriculum is quite advanced. The student body is made up of American citizens aged sixteen to twenty-one from all over the US and corresponding territories—all of whom are carefully vetted and who must meet specific intelligence and skill parameters.”

“Such as?”

“In your case, we are, naturally, interested in your hacking skills, both offensive and defensive. But that’s not all. Your innovation and creativity intrigue us, as well as your IQ scores, which are high across the board. You show unique promise.”

I didn’t have to ask him how he knew my IQ scores. But I had a lot of questions. “You said UTOP. The wordoperativewas in there. Are we talking about a spy school?”

He lifted his hands. “Some people might call it that. I like to think of it as a specialized training academy. Because of the sensitive nature of the material that will be covered, students must live on campus in dormitories. It’s essentially four years of a specialized college, courtesy of Uncle Sam.”

That certainly sweetened the deal, but the cautious part of me wanted to know more. “So, what’s the catch?”

“The catch is a commitment of at least of four years of work in whichever intelligence agency we decide to place you with after graduation.”

“Wait. You place us? We don’t get a say where we work?”

“You can express a preference, but ultimately, the decision is made by a committee, based on a number of factors, including jobs where we may have a shortage of skills. But make no mistake. UTOP trains operatives. If selected to the program, that would be your primary function.”

It was a lot for me to take in. My thoughts were jumping around so much, it made me dizzy. “Does this have anything to do with me, Frankie, and Wally taking down Omar Haider?” Haider was the Iraqi hacker who had been targeting US veterans. The three of us had managed to track him down and deliver him to the NSA. Not as quite so neatly as that implied, but that was another story.

Slash nodded. “All of you caught the attention of certain individuals at the NSA and CIA.”

“Wow, that is so cool.” Suddenly, my mouth caught up with my brain. “Wait. Are Wally and Frankie invited, too?”

“They are.”

“No way!” I almost pumped my fist in excitement, but stopped myself, figuring it probably wasn’t something a suave operative would do. “That’s great.”

Slash seemed amused by my reaction. I wondered if he knew how thrilled I was that my only two friends in the world had a chance to do this with me. “Okay, so theoretically, let’s say I want to go to this school, college, training academy, or whatever you want to call it. I just tell my mom and sister I’m going to a spy school, pack up, leave Excalibur, and move into a dorm to begin a new life?”

“Not exactly.” He glanced around as if making sure we couldn’t be overheard. “You tell your mother and sister you have been selected as the recipient of a special government scholarship to attend an exclusive four-year university program with a focus in science and technology and a guaranteed job when you exit.”

“Oh. What about finishing this year of high school? And I’m not sixteen for another couple of weeks.”

“I know. You’re close enough to meet the age deadline, and I’m confident you’re more than capable, intellectually, to handle the academics at UTOP.”

He’d placed an emphasis onintellectually, which made me wonder what other parts he might worry about me being able to handle. Still, I couldn’t deny it was an amazing offer. I’d planned on going to Georgetown University. I was already taking college classes online there and had applied for a full-ride scholarship. I had a good shot at it, but it wasn’t guaranteed. Neither was a job after graduation.

Technically, Iwantedto work for the government after graduation. While I would certainly make more money in the private sector, the government is where I would see the real action. This school, UTOP, would guarantee me a job in intelligence and provide me with specialized training for exactly what I wanted to do…at no cost to myself or my family. It seemed like a win-win situation, although with the government, I knew better. There was always a price to pay, perhaps one I couldn’t see at this point.

Still, I was intrigued. I regarded Slash thoughtfully, foreseeing a potential problem. “My mom has to sign off on it?”

---