I opened my eyes to street lights shining above. I stretched, grateful that they had been the ones to wake me, not Cougar. I wonder where we are. I hoped that we were pretty far away from the Capitol. I felt like I could sleep for days.

Falcon eased the car around a corner. The white dome of the Capitol building loomed ahead, glowing lights in the windows. Darn it! I would have to catch up on rest later.

Dread filled me as we got closer, and closer, and closer. I was not looking forward to this.

You have to sneak away and tell the detective agency. That was the only thing running through my head. I needed to expose this gang, put them behind bars.

And not end up behind bars with them.

Based on the number of illegal things that I had done so far, that was highly unlikely. Everytime I thought about it, I just wanted to curl up in a ball and sob. So I didn't think about it. Instead I searched for a window of opportunity to get away.

Falcon turned into an empty parking lot. I don't know why I was surprised that he parked in the back. I mean, what criminal in his right mind would park in the front of a building? It was too conspicuous. Still, I was used to my philosophy of parking as close to the front as possible so I didn't have to walk as far.

I guess it's a good thing that I'm not thinking like a criminal.

"We all know our positions, right?" Cougar said. A chorus of 'yeses' rang in the car. "Good. Let's go."

The four doors of the car opened in sync. For a moment, I didn't move from my seat in the middle of the backseat. I wanted to remain in the comfort of the car.

This is a living nightmare. I can't believe this is happening to me. For the thousandth time, I pinched myself, desperately hoping to wake up.

I didn't.

A hand clamped around my arm. "Come on, Jordan. We don't have all day. We're running short on time as is." Cougar yanked me out of the car. It was like my arm was being torn off.

When will I learn not to pause when going places? I was sick of being pulled to and fro like a piece of tear-and-share bread.

Cougar dashed to catch up with the others. The rubber roles of my shoes caught on the pavement, making me stumble. I stared at the ground, trying to pick up my feet.

A huge square of luscious, green grass lay ahead, encased by a cement curb. Surely he'll stop for that.

Nope. Cougar hopped over the curb and into the virant lawn. My feet smacked the curb, but my body kept going forward. Blood rushed in my ears as my face planted into mud. Ew! This is absolutely disgusting.

I kept moving full-steam ahead. Twigs and the rough ground scraped me. Mud and water droplets from the grass latched onto my arms and face, making my skin crawl. Worse yet, I felt ants, flies, and other critters crawling all over me. That alone made me want to scream.

Don't worry, Claude. There are no critters crawling on you.

An even more terrifying thought struck me. There are no critters, because I'm being pulled through pesticides and weed killers—all sorts of chemicals that can poison a human.

I didn't know which was worse. All I knew was that I was dirty and toxic with chemicals. I wrapped my free elbow over my face to provide some sort of protection.

"Dude, what are you doing?" a faint voice said from above.

I realized that I had stopped moving. I pried my arm from my head to see Cougar, Calico, and Falcon standing over me. My body shook involuntarily to get rid of the muck caked on me.

"What happened?" Falcon asked.

"I don't know," Cougar said, brow furrowed. "One moment he was running behind me, the next he was on the ground."

Falcon shook his head. "Seriously Jordan, you've got to stop this weakling facade. We're running out of time."

I might not survive long enough to see the time run out.

Calico reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack of tissues. "Here, wipe your face with this. We don't want to be conspicuous."

"Thanks," I muttered, though it bothered me that 'being conspicuous' was her main reason for giving me the tissues. Would she have bothered to help me out otherwise? Would she have made me continue the job with dirt on my face and my skin crawling with toxins and insects?

I decided to focus on the task of pulling out a tissue and wiping my face.

"Why do you have tissues?" Cougar questioned.

"I never leave home without them," Calico responded with a shrug. "You never know when they'll come in handy."

It's a smart practice everyone should do. You never know when you'll need to wipe mud off.

I got as much grime off my face as I could. I glanced down to see that my dry clean only suit was soiled with grass stains, discolored from water droplets.

"Oh great," I muttered. "My nice, blue suit is now ruined."

"We'll buy a replacement," Cougar sighed. "But for goodness sake, come on!"

I actually didn't want a replacement suit. Afterall, this was a gang. They would probably steal a suit from a store or buy it with stolen money. And there was no way in heck that I would go around in stolen merchandise. This was the first and last night of my criminal record.

I followed him, forcing my legs to move as fast as they could. I didn't want Cougar to drag me across the ground again.

We ran right up to the front of the Capitol building. I gazed up at the white stone building that stretched in front of me. It was far bigger than I would have imagined. I was ashamed that today was the first time I was seeing Capitol Hill. The building would forever have a humiliating association in my mind.

The others went right up the front steps. I picked up each foot carefully, forming a calculated rhythm to climb upwards. These people are gutsy. They break into someone's home using the front entrance, hold up a diner in the middle of the day, and walk up the front steps of the Capitol building.

By the time I reached the top, my calves burned from exertion. I leaned against one of the colossal columns stretching to the top of the portico. I sucked in ragged breaths to stabilize my breathing.

"Come on, Jordan," Cougar said. I looked up to see that the others had joined Parrot in the front entrance.

Given the warning in Cougar's voice, I joined them immediately.

As I passed by, I noticed that four security agents were standing in the doorway. Yet, they didn't stop us from entering. In fact, they were even holding the door open for us! What did Parrot do to get into the Capitol building? They must have bribed the officials or done some other illegal stuff.

"Come on," Cougar whispered. He pointed down the hall to the right. "Senator Nelson's office is this way."

He walked briskly in that direction, Calico, Parrot, and Falcon on his heels. I glanced over my shoulder. I wanted to ask for their help, to scream and turn the gang in. After all, I had a window of opportunity.

But I also didn't want to get in trouble with the gang. My legs started forward of their own volition. What are you doing? Turn around! Get help! I looked behind again. The gap was widening between the officers and myself. But I kept following the group down the hallway.

It was too late to turn back. I jogged to catch up to the others. Maybe I can talk to the officials on the way out...

But by then I will have hacked into the Senator's computer, and I'll be sent to jail. Ugh, Claude! Why didn't you just turn them in before?

Cougar leaned over to Parrot. "Did you take care of security?"

A shiver ran down my spine. Did he kill someone? Tie someone up? I thought about the security at the front who had held the door open for us. Had they seen someone be murdered in cold blood and decided to comply instead of die too? You would think they would have better security at the Capitol building in the United States.

"Yup. No one should be bothering us. Unless, of course, we run into any Senators..."

"We'll just have to silence them before they send the whole Capitol in a tizzy," Calico said quietly. "You know what Raven wants, just a nice quiet job that doesn't take a lot of time."

I wanted to cry. The death count was increasing exponentially by the minute. Would they actually kill a Congressman? I wouldn't put it past them.

The open foyer turned to a corridor lined with paintings, statues, and doors to the Senator's offices.

"We're looking for room S-121," Falcon said. "That's where Nelson's office is. Keep your eyes open for it."

Looking for a room number was the least of my worries. I wanted to tear my hair out. My anxiety was through the roof. I could feel someone creeping up behind me, gun pointed on my back.

Put your hands in the air!

I whipped around. All I saw were the empty halls.

There's no one behind you. No one is chasing you.

But I couldn't shake the feeling of handcuffs clamping on my wrists, gunshots echoing through the empty halls, a helicopter overhead, and a news reporter broadcasting my arrest.

A twenty-nine-year-old programmer named Claude Wintsor was arrested yesterday for the involvement of gang violence and crime, involving the entry of a private property, assisting in the kidnapping of an entire diner, and hacking into a Senator's computer. He is receiving a lifelong sentence in the Federal Penitentiary...

"Yo, Jordan," Cougar whispered hoarsely from down the hall. I snapped to look at him. He stood in an open doorway. I gulped, but dutifully hurried over.

My life is over.

The office was smaller than I would have expected for a Senator in the Capitol building. There were a few bookcases on either side of the room. A large desk sat in the back of the room with a clunky computer. Parrot stood in front of an open window, closing the blinds.

I guess I won't be able to signal for help.

"Get to work, Jordan. It's already half past eight."

I sighed. There was no avoiding this. I walked across the room, my heart hammering in my chest so hard that I feared I might faint. I gritted my teeth against the mounting pain in my head and sat down in the Senator's chair. The four others clustered over me. They stared down at me with an uncomfortable intensity, faces of stone. I shrank in the chair, biting my lip.

This is ten times worse than high school peer pressure.

At least teenagers didn't hold a gun at your head.

Parrot shifted on his feet. "Hey guys, let's give the man some space. He'll do the job."

Slowly, the others backed away. I felt like I could breathe again. Come on, Claude. Just do it really fast, like ripping off a bandaid.

I powered the computer on. The brightness blinded me in the dark room, then faded into a navy blue screen. And then came the crucial moment. Password. I set to work.

I could feel the seconds ticking down. The adrenaline pumping through my veins made my hands shake as my fingers pecked at the keyboard.

At last, I hacked into the computer. For a moment, the screen displayed the painful, unrelenting loading symbol that seemed to circle forever. But after a minute, it dissolved to a blue desktop.

"I got it," I said. I rose from my seat. "I unlocked his computer. Now can we go?" My eyes fell on the time in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. "It's already 8:54 at night. It's getting kind of late."

I was hoping to use their own pressed for time issue against them. My palms were sticky with sweat, and my nerves prickled.

Cougar shook his head. "Jordan, you really are something else. I understand now why you worked alone for so long. I don't think very many people could keep up with your chaotic demeanor."

"Me? I'm the one who's chaotic?" I scoffed. They're the ones who are chaotic! I had always been told that I had an above average IQ and a high aptitude for deep concentration, at least by my mom and my kindergarten teacher.

"Yeah man, come on," Falcon said. "We have to look at the files in Senator Nelson's computer before we go."

"We do?" I sank back in the Senator's chair.

"Um, yeah," Falcon said. "Why else would we have you hack into his computer? Just for kicks and giggles?"

Maybe?

"Look, get out of the chair so we can look at the computer. We'll let you know if we need anymore help," Calico said. I gladly gave up the chair for them. The others crowded around, whispering and opening random files. They reminded me of kids trying to find the teacher's answer key to a test.

That's what they are. They behave like children, very naughty children to be precise. They wouldn't have made Santa's nice list...ever.

I leaned against a bookcase lining the side of the room. A wave of exhaustion hit me all at once. Pressure constricted my head. I hadn't slept properly in twenty-four hours, and no amount of caffeine or sugar was going to solve that problem.

I can't even imagine how many problems my body is going to have in the future due to this. What are some of the health risks of not getting enough sleep? Depression? Alzhymers? A stroke? A heart attack?

All because of twenty-four hours, my health, sanity, and life were ruined.

I felt my eyelids growing heavy. I wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep...

The bookcase supporting my weight suddenly gave way. I fell forward. My eyes popped open as the ground rapidly approached my face. Oh dear. This is going to hurt. Something hard smacked my head, and everything went dark.