Camp Wacko: The Drones of Summer Read Online Free Page A

now, hands folded in front of him on top of the table. He was still wearing dark shades to obscure his eyes, but he had ditched the black suit for a polo shirt and slacks. I guessed he had decided to try to blend in a little bit. It didn’t work very well, though. Something about him made the guy stick out like a sore thumb.
    He didn’t even flinch. This man was good at hiding his emotions. When he had shown up at our meeting place here and learned I had decided to clue my mom in on this whole thing, he hadn’t even batted an eye. He had simply introduced himself to her and made sure to discreetly flash his badge. One thing was clear: Agent Cooper knew how to roll with the punches.
    “Ma’am, your daughter will be perfectly safe, I assure you—”
    My mother wasn’t having it. She shook her head. “There’s no way you can be certain of that. We just attended the funeral of a girl who was used as a human guinea pig in that awful place. She lost her life because of the horrible things those people did to her. That will not happen to my daughter. I won’t let it.”
    The FBI agent nodded his head slowly. “I understand that, but your daughter can prevent that kind of thing from ever happening to anyone else. There are more lives at stake than just hers.” He turned his attention to me now. “With your help, we can shut this whole operation down. We just need someone on the inside. Usually we don’t use kids, but this is what we call…special circumstances.”
    I matched his grim gaze, trying to penetrate the eyes behind the shades. “I understand.”
    Mom squeezed my hand. “No, Lily is a minor. While she is still a minor, her parents have to make the big decisions for her. This counts as one of them and I am saying no. You are not letting her go back to that place.”
    Agent Cooper sighed. “I understand your husband has recently been promoted to CIO of his company.”
    I frowned. What did that have to do with anything?
    By the look on my mother’s face, I guessed she was thinking the same thing. “Yes, that’s correct.”
    “Let’s say this particular company started to see a loss in revenue. Information became corrupted. Employees working under the new CIO began to quit. I suspect he would eventually be fired. Wouldn’t he?”
    “Are you threatening us?” my mom demanded, incredulous.
    The agent shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be a threat. The job of a CIO can be very…stressful. A slight decline in management would be all it took to bring a whole company down. We need Lily to assist in this operation. Not allowing her to do so would not be a wise decision, Mrs. Mason.” He glanced at his watch, standing up. “Lily, you were given forty-eight hours. Correct?”
    I glared back at him. “Yes.” “You have five to come up with a final decision on whether you are going to help us or not. Cooperating with us is the only way we will be able to help you. Otherwise, I’m afraid you will be on your own.” He turned to leave. “You know how to contact us. I suggest you use your time wisely.”

    Six hours later, I found myself sitting in the back of a tricked-out van with an odd contraption hovering over my arm. The man holding it looked grim as he rubbed a patch of my skin with alcohol-soaked gauze, as if preparing the area for a needle. That thing in his hand sure didn’t look like the hypodermic you see when you’re about to get your everyday shot from the doctor.
    “Is this really necessary? Just what is that thing?” my mother demanded to know, arms folded as she watched the man warily.
    “It’s a tracking device. Very tiny. Nearly impossible to see with the naked eye. But it must be inserted right below the skin.” Agent Cooper leaned forward out of the shadows. “And yes, for your daughter’s safety, it is very necessary.”
    I glanced over at the two sophisticated computer systems to the right of us. As we spoke, people sat in front of them on benches built into the floor. With