I was about to click the edit button, the phone on his desk rang.
Yes, speaking.
Who's this? Mr. Turkle asked impatiently. It was the school janitor. Mr. Turkle, he said.
There are a group of people at the school gates. They claim to be from the FBI. What?
Mr. Turkle asked incredulously.
They asked for you by name, the janitor exclaimed. Okay, I'm coming, Mr. Turkle said
and hung up the phone. The FBI? He muttered to himself in disbelief.
What's going on? He didn't even put on his coat before running out the door. As he
hurried down the steps and out of the school building, he suddenly remembered what
Aiden had told him. It couldn't have been true.
Could it? Sweat was pouring down his face by the time he arrived at the school gates. A
crowd of people was already surrounding the area. They were pointing at the
camouflaged SUVs parked right outside the gate.
Oh, my God, one student remarked. That's a military Humvee. What's going on? I don't
know, another student said.
Look, you can tell it's got bulletproof glass. Several men in uniforms stood beside the
Humvee. They stood with their hands behind their backs and didn't say a word.
Directly in front of them stood a tall young man with a swollen face. Mr. Turkle's heart
was clanging in his chest. He walked up to the group and breathlessly introduced
himself.
Hello, sir. I'm Mr. Turkle, the principal of Otis High School. And you are? Seeing Mr. Turkle
appear, the young man at the head of the group took several steps forward, took out a
wallet from his coat pocket and opened it to reveal some sort of badge.
Mr. Turkle, I'm Nathan Harris, Executive Assistant Director of National Security at the FBI.
Mr. Turkle looked at the badge and suddenly felt a bit dizzy. He recalled the phone call
that Aiden had made earlier and felt a chill rush down his spine.
Harris, Director Harris, pleased to make your acquaintance, he stammered. What can I
do for you? Nathan put his badge away and said, We're looking for a student named
Aiden Dale. I'm not sure why, but we're having trouble reaching him on his phone.
Mr. Turkle blinked. And what? Why exactly do you need to speak to him? Nathan frowned impatiently. That's not your concern, sir.
Do you know where I can find him? He's... he's... Mr. Turkle kept wiping the sweat off his
forehead, thinking of what to say. Just then, a girl in the crowd yelled, He's in the cool-
down room! She pushed her way forward. It was Viola.
She looked up anxiously at Director Harris and the others. Mr. Turkle was at a loss.
Everything Aiden had said was true.
He was working for the FBI. We call it the cool-down room, but it's like a prison cell, Viola
explained. He's locked inside.
Cool-down room? Nathan asked, turning to face Mr. Turkle. What's going on here?
Director, please, hear me out. This whole thing is a big misunderstanding.
It's... it's actually a bit funny. Nathan didn't laugh. Um, yes, okay, Mr. Turkle continued.
I will take you to him right away. There was nothing else for him to do. Mr. Turkle led
Director Harris through the school gates and toward the building that housed the
seclusion room.
A number of curious teachers and students followed behind. This was all highly
entertaining for them. What would happen next? Nathan examined the dilapidated
building in front of him.
His face contorted in disgust. You lock students up in here? He asked through clenched
teeth. What kind of place is this? Open the door right now.
Mr. Turkle was so frightened that he could barely speak. He had to muster all of his
energy just to tell one of the school security guards to open the door. When he heard the
door creak open, Aiden, who had almost fallen asleep on the ground, slowly opened his
eyes and saw a crowd standing at the door.
Nathan looked at Aiden's solemn face and couldn't suppress a small smile. Serves you
right, he chuckled to himself. He had been beaten and humiliated by Aiden two days
ago.
Despite himself, he got some satisfaction from seeing the shoe on the other foot. But
Aiden was in no joking mood. Go ahead and smile, he said to Director Harris.
The firewall is ruined. The smile quickly vanished from Nathan's face. What happened?
He asked in surprise.
Nathan had already promised the senior leadership at the FBI that the firewall would be
completed soon. If something had fallen through with this plan, it was a serious matter
indeed. The group of teachers and students who were witnessing the exchange were in a state of total shock.
Were they hearing this right? Was Aiden reprimanding Director Harris? As the head of
national security, this man had a tremendous amount of power and prestige. How did
these two even know each other? The whole thing was bizarre. It was like watching a TV
show.
Many people shook their heads in disbelief. What else was Aiden hiding? Mr. Turkle was
watching as closely as everyone else. He could tell right away that this was going to turn
out badly for him.
He started to take a few slow steps backward, hoping to disappear into the crowd. But
Aiden wasn't going to let him go so easily. Mr. Turkle! Aiden yelled.
Going somewhere? Mr. Turkle feigned innocence. He tried to smile, but he was on the
verge of fainting. Keeping his eyes on the principal, Aiden said, This is the one who broke
the computer.
All the data was lost. I see, Nathan said as he stared daggers at Mr. Turkle. Do you
realize that your stupidity has majorly disrupted a joint FBI and military operation? He
yelled.
Mr. Turkle trembled but remained silent. Nathan shook his head. Somebody arrest this
guy and send him to prison for treason.
Treason? Treason? Mr. Turkle's face was completely drained of color. His heart was
beating out of his chest, and he was looking frantically around, trying to find some way
to escape. He'd just dropped a computer.
That's all. How could this be treason? Director Harris, please, Mr. Turkle begged. Please
spare my life.
I was careless and clumsy, but I didn't mean... At this point, Mr. Turkle suddenly stopped
speaking because Director Harris was squeezing his throat. Listen to me, old man,
Nathan said slowly, enunciating each word. I don't want to hear your excuses, okay?
Suddenly, Mr. Turkle's leg felt warm and damp.
He tried to breathe, but couldn't. Nathan threw the trembling body to the ground. Mr.
Turkle covered his red neck and started coughing, gasping for air.
Nathan turned his attention back to Aiden. We'll just have to start over with the firewall.
Don't worry.
We'll give you anything you need. Just say the word. The respect that Director Harris
showed Aiden shocked everyone who was watching, especially those who had never met
Aiden before.
Who would have guessed there was someone like this going to their school? As Mr.
Turkle regained his breath, he began to contemplate a situation. His life didn't seem to
be in immediate danger, but he clearly wasn't out of the woods yet. He'd have to
consider every move he made from here on out very carefully.
Aiden leaned leisurely against the gray wall of the seclusion room. I'm happy to help,
Director Harris, but I've been locked in here as punishment. I can't leave without official
authorization.