I woke to the beeping of my alarm clock. The blinding '6:00' on the alarm clock shone in my eyes. It was time to get up.

I sat upright and yawned. It had been so long since I had been in a normal routine of sleeping and waking. It felt good to be back to normal.

You like normal. You like routine. Afterall, you are Xara.

As I stepped from my bed, I heard voices murmuring outside my room. Curious, I threw my black bathrobe on, fastening the tie at the waist, and hurried to the kitchen.

I found Xara, Director Rokmond, and the rest of Team Summit sitting around the kitchen table. I stood in the doorway, paralyzed. They all turned to look at me.

"Oh... hello," I said.

"Hey," Ty said.

"What's up?" Dari said.

"Yo," Finn mumbled, his mouth of eggs.

Jax raised his glass of orange juice like giving a toast before taking a sip. I stood in the doorway, stunned to see them there.

"Come join us," Rokmond said. He motioned to a seat across the table from him, in between Xara and Dari.

"Okay." I slid into the seat. Two plates rested in the center of the table, one piled high with scrambled eggs, the other sausages. A bunch of bananas sat in between the two plates. I glanced at the other end of the table, closer to Jax, Finn, and Dari, to see a bowl of strawberries.

"Eat," Dari said. Her elbow dug into my ribs.

"What was that for?" I asked, turning to my left to face her.

"You look like a scared little sheep," she laughed. "What's the problem? It's just us."

"No it's not that," I said. "I'm just...surprised you up so early."

Actually, I was surprised that they were here in my living quarters. Visits were rare occasions, and were only paid by Director Rokmond or a few select members of the U.L.

"Well, I have to admit, this isn't my preferred time of day," Finn said.

"What do you mean?" Ty asked. "Isn't it so energizing to wake up before the sun?"

"No." Finn chomped menacingly on eggs. "I like to sleep."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Xara said quietly.

The room fell silent. I took the opportunity to grab a banana and some eggs.

The Director cleared his throat. "We're actually here for a very special reason, Xara."

I glanced up from my meal. The Director was looking at me. Oh, right. I'm the Xara he's talking to.

"Oh really?" I said.

"Yes. We have a proposition to make you."

"We?"

Rokmond nodded at Xara, sitting opposite him.

"Given my present circumstances," she began, "I've decided to take a short break from active duty."

"A break?"

"Yes. Although my surface level injuries have been mostly cured, it's going to take a number of months, perhaps even a year, to regain the muscle and skill I've lost."

"Oh. I'm...sorry," I said. I wasn't exactly sure what to say to her. She didn't like people to pity her, but it felt awkward to remain silent.

"We've decided that in the meantime, I need a replacement. So, you're going back into active duty. Permanently."

My brain short circuited. Did I hear her right?

"D-did you say...permanently?" I stammered.

"Yes," Xara said. "You're an official agent of the IIA."

I went still. I'm... I'm going back into active duty. I'm a field agent again. I'm not going to be cooped up in the house all day. Excitement bubbled in my chest.

"Really?"

"Really," Xara said firmly. A tiny smile edged the corners of her lips. "I'm sure you'll do great."

I bit my bottom lip to keep it from trembling. I felt like I had just been handed the world. My dream, which I had since I was a little girl, had finally come true.

I was...an agent. A real one, not just a copy of one.

Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes. It took every bit of the will-power within me to keep them from overflowing. It wasn't Xara-like to cry.

"But what about you?" I asked.

"I think it's about time that we added a sixth member to Team Summit," Rokmond said. "You've proven that you deserve the position. Xara and you can co-lead the missions."

"But..." I stopped. I wasn't even sure what I was going to say.

The Director raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong? Do you not want to join Team Summit?"

"No, I do!" I exclaimed. "It's just...I'm nothing like Xara."

A single tear rolled down my cheek. I didn't know why I was crying. This should have been the happiest moment of my life.

"It's true," Xara said. "You and I are only the same in our DNA. But there's something inside all of us that's deeper than physical traits. Our essences are different; our lives are different. No two people think and react the same. Even carbon copies are different, if only in matter. You make a disastrous me, but a perfect you; just like I can't fill your shoes."

Water streamed down my cheeks. Dari reached across the table and handed me a tissue but I didn't wipe the tears away. After seventeen years, I could cry. I had permission to feel emotion.

I could be me.

Rokmond cleared his throat. "Well, that's all the news I have. I should probably head back to my office. We still have a spy agency to run here."

A laugh escaped my lips. Gosh, it felt so good to laugh. My lips pulled back in a smile to my ears, showing all my teeth.

"Xara, I expect you and the rest of Team Summit in my office first thing in the morning. We have a new mission for you to take on."

A new mission already? We had just returned from our previous!

But already the adrenaline was trickling into my blood. I was ready for the action.

"I'll be ready!" I said.

"Good."

The others stood and headed for the door. I trailed behind to walk them out. I noticed Ty was walking kind of slowly, towards the back of the group.

"Did you talk to Xara yet?" I whispered to him.

"About...how I feel? No." The corners of his mouth edged into a sad smile. "Telling her right is just going to stress her out. What she needs is a supportive, encouraging friend. And boy am I good at doing that."

I smiled. "You're probably doing the right thing...for now. Don't wait forever, otherwise you'll miss your chance."

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

I picked up my pace to catch up to everyone else, who were already filing out the door. Rokmond stopped right before exiting into the hallway.

"Oh, and Xara," he began, "We have decided that it is too confusing to call you Agent 24 sub one. So we have decided that instead of having an agent number, you will have an agent letter."

My eyebrows shot upwards. "An agent letter?"

"Yes. Actually, Xara suggested it. From now on, you will be referred to as Agent X, your official codename."

I blinked at the Director. There's no way this is happening.

"That's Xara's nickname," I blurted out.

"Yes, it is," Rokmond said. "It may take a while to adjust, but it is better this way. From this day forward, in all mission records and during assignments, you will be known as Agent X."

"T-thank you!" I stammered.

Rokmond smiled. "I'll see you bright and early in my office tomorrow, Agent X." He filed out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

A wave of emotion crashed through my body. I fell backwards against the wall.

Is this real? Am I caught in a dream?

I pinched my skin and slapped my cheeks, but I didn't wake up.

It all was real. I was an active agent. I was not a clone nor a copy, not a phony nor a fraud. I was myself, and until I took my last breath, I would strive to be the very best that I could be.

I would be Agent X.