"Oh, you must be the volunteers we had on the schedule. Thank you for coming—we're really short-staffed, so having you two here to help pass out drinks and snacks while we're here in the kitchen is appreciated," the cook says with a smile.
"Wait, whaaaa…" Leon mutters.
"Don't worry, Leon," Raven cuts in through the earpiece. "Yesterday, I hacked into the school system and listed you and Axel as volunteers. Once the mission's over, I'll remove you both from the system."
"Oh, that's genius!" Leon shouts out loud.
"Umm… what's genius, exactly?" the cook asks with a confused expression.
"Oh, don't mind him," Axel says quickly. "He gets random outbursts. You know how it is. You should take a walk around the school—get some air."
"Wait, bu—"
"Go," Axel whispers, his tone dropping cold.
Wahhh! My mom gives me the same look daily! I'm dead meat! Leon thinks, eyes wide.
Leon scurries out of the room with a terrified expression.
***
Now in the hallway, Leon wanders aimlessly, looking around.
"How is he gonna shove me into my first mission and then kick me out of the kitchen? Am I on the mission or not!?" he grumbles. "Actually—great! How can someone just casually accept putting a bad person in power?"
"Leon," a voice says through the earpiece. "You know this model is made for field missions. You can whisper, and we'll still hear you perfectly."
"Oh—sorry, I just got excited for a second. Wait… Axel?"
"Yes, kid. These earpieces keep all three of us synced even when we're apart. I've got stuff to handle here in the kitchen, but for my plan to work, I'm gonna need your alley-oop."
"I'll handle it from here," Raven cuts in. "Just focus on your part, Axel. I'll guide him."
"Cool. Just make sure he finds his way back when he's done."
"Alright, Leon," Raven continues. "Your earpiece has a tracker, and I've already bypassed the school's firewalls. I can see you through the school cameras."
"Oh, that's cool! You're amazing, Raven!" Leon beams as he walks down the hall.
"Take a right."
He turns.
"I'm guessing we're heading to my part of the mission?" Leon asks.
"Yes. Axel needs everyone in the chapel to drink water before the main event. He hasn't told me why, but I've pulled the speaker's script and made edits. Take the next left into the classroom."
Leon enters the room and sees a printer already spitting out paper.
"I hacked into the school's printer too," Raven says. "Pick up those pages and place them on the chapel podium."
"Alright! Y'know, Raven, I used to live near a chapel back in the day. My best friends at the time—"
"How did someone who likes to talk so much end up in Squad…" Raven mutters to herself.
Leon keeps talking as he walks, eventually reaching the chapel on the south side of the building.
"Okay—into the chapel I go!"
"Focus. Remove the old script from the podium and place the new one."
"You know, this mission hasn't been so bad… yet."
Leon swaps the papers as instructed, but just as he finishes, the chapel doors suddenly swing open and a wave of people walk in.
Leon dives under the podium, panicking.
"Oh shit—I jinxed it! Raven! How'd you not see anyone coming?! I don't want to rot in prison or get tortured!"
Before Raven can answer, Axel cuts in.
"Chill out, dude. We're supposed to be here. Those are just early birds. You know how people be—waking up on that jump-start shit. Stuff the old script in your pants, get your ass up, and come help me with the water."
Leon peeks over the podium and sees Axel at the back of the chapel, standing next to a cart filled with water bottles and snacks.
Oh...Leon blinks slowly, dumbfounded.