“There has to be someone in the CIA who is leaking this intel, but it’s not open to just anyone!” Lorna’s voice rose.

  “I agree,” said Bertha, holding an ice pack to her head.

  They all looked like they had been in a bar fight. Arena had a large bruise on the side of her arm, but didn’t remember how she got it. Lorna had several bruises on her face, as did Bertha. Nate looked like he was fine, though he claimed his ribs were bruised.

  Sterling sat in the middle, looking defeated. “We don’t have any proof, and the CIA, while offering us support to find the leader, does not believe that someone gave inside information. They will not do an investigation.”

  “We can’t just sit here and do nothing,” Lorna got up and began to pace, casting angry glances at Sterling.

  “We’re not doing nothing. We just need to do it on our own.”

  “Surely there’s some way we can convince them. There’s too many of these guys for us, and this is out of our specialty. Get the boards—fine. That’s not what’s really going on, though.”

  “Something else is going on. This isn’t just about the hoverboards. This group is up to something else.” Nate shifted, then took a quick breath and touched his side. Arena realized he must be more injured than he looked.

  “It could just be money,” said Sterling. “Whatever these hoverboards are—they’re worth a lot of money. Their powering system is complicated, and it may be that is what this group is after. Maybe they need to power something else with the hoverboard motor. We don’t know.”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Has anyone even tried to figure that out?” Lorna’s voice was nearing panic level.

  “Yes, of course,” said Sterling. “They think it can have all sorts of applications, from powering vehicles, to selling the hoverboards themselves, to even making completely unrelated machines.”

  “Not that.” Bertha cut in. “Why does this group want them? Who are they, and what do they want?”

  “Anita and I have tried to find as much as possible.” Veins were popping out on Sterling’s forehead. “Whoever they are, they are professionals, and they know the CIA well. Maybe not the goons we keep meeting—they seem to be hired, from the ones we’ve captured, but whoever is behind it knows what they are doing. Our traces come up blank.”

  Lorna’s pacing increased speed, until Nate stood and put a hand on her shoulder. “We will figure it out. They can’t keep ninja stalking us for long. Sooner or later they will slip up. Or they will run out of mercenaries to send after us.” He looked pensive. “We do need to be careful, though. If there is someone on the inside, then we’re in real danger. Since right now there’s no way to tell who that might be, we have to keep as much under wraps as possible.”

  “We’ve still got to send reports, and we have no idea what happens to those when they get to Washington.” Sterling rubbed his forehead.

  “So leave stuff out, and keep more detailed reports offline,” Nate said. “Do whatever you have to do.”

  Bertha shook her head. “They still got the guys they captured. They can find out what happened from them.”

  Lorna stood rooted, horror on her face.

  “Lorna, what’s wrong?” Arena felt like there wasn’t much she could contribute to the discussion but moral support.

  “What if the leak is in this room? In STATUS?” Lorna stared them all down.

  Sterling’s eyes flashed. Anita swallowed and acquired her impression of a startled deer. Nate shook his head.

  “Trust.” Sterling said. “That’s all we can do.”