Before reaching Agent Nebula, I waited for Leonid to leave, because he may eavesdrop on us if he gets suspicious. Luckily for me, he didn't stick around for long. He gazed back at the cockpit before walking away to an unknown room.
With him gone, Nebula was now in reach. I made my way to her, but before I could even peep, she turned around, having noticed me.
- Why are you following me? - she asked, her sudden reaction making me jump.
- Leonid is creeping me out. Are there any hopes of ditching his evil crew? - I asked quietly, not wanting the Perseids to hear us.
- For now, we must stay, because Rill and Alia are ready to shoot our pilots if we change course, so no escaping that way. Plus, I need to find out what happened to Icebreaker-5 and this is may be our only chance - Agent Nebula whispered.
- But once we find the ship, our contract is complete and we're free to be good again, right? - I whispered back.
- While I doubt they'll want to let us go, they won't be calling the shots anymore once we leave the submarine, so we should be fine. I have no will of being evil if we don't have to - Agent Nebula assured, leading us further away from the cockpit.
- Uhh, that's great... - I breathed a sigh of relief.
- For the time being, don't blow our cover and act as if you're willing to be a villain. I have a little job for you while we're at it: keep watch over Leonid, but be subtle; I want to have an eye on him - Agent Nebula gave me a task.
- Okay, I'll make sure that he's properly supervised - I agreed in an instant.
Nebula led me into the cloakroom. She walked into the boys sector without minding the sign above the entrance. She opened one of the already half-opened lockers.
- In case you see or hear anything strange, jot it down in Star Cipher and leave me a message in this dead drop. I'll check this spot every now and then, so I will pick up whatever you leave here fairly quickly - Agent Nebula instructed me.
- Okay - I nodded.
Dead drops are a common practice in espionage. Two spies choose a certain spot, usually well hidden, but sometimes it can be hidden in plain sight. One of them leaves a note with the information and leaves it in the spot. Some time later, once the second agent checks the spot, they'll find the message and read it, leaving a reply if necessary. As long as the exchange location is kept secret, this is a reliable way of safely transmitting information between team members.
- And remember, don't freak out. You can do this, I believe in you - Agent Nebula left as to not seem suspicious, leaving me alone in the cloakroom.
As I left shortly after, I wondered: why did Nebula choose me of all people? Wouldn't Anthony be more reliable? Maybe she believes that I'm as good as my father... Who knows...
Whilst trying to locate Leonid, I passed by Claudius, who was ordered to keep watch over the turbines. He was perfectly keeping his cover, since Einstein or Nigel would have probably assigned him the same task, given Claudius's expertise.
Claudius didn't mind me, focused on his job. If he's here, that means Leonid should be nearby. I was pretty slow and cautious, making sure that my actions won't attract any unwanted attention.
It wasn't long before I found Leonid. I stopped behind a corner and peeked, ready to slip back if he turned around. This was a good instinct, as he was also very cautious. Nearing the end of the hallway, which branched off the crossroad, he looked back. I hid behind the corner and luckily wasn't seen. I made sure that he turned around by listening to his footsteps. As they became more distant, I started following him once again.
I tried my best to be quiet, which was easier said than done. My soggy shoes squelched with every step taken and I had to tiptoe so that Leonid wouldn't hear me.
Fortunately, my stealthiness finally paid off once Leonid reached a metal, seemingly armored door. The floor was made of several metal plates of various shapes, like puzzle pieces. One of them was slightly loose. Leonid lifted it up and slipped a note beneath the plate befor lowering it again. Afterwards, he made his way through the door, locking it.
I waited for a bit to see if he'll come back. He didn't, which meant that it was time for the next stage of my plan to commence.
I sneaked up to the loose panel and tried to pull it up. I struggled, but it eventually gave in, unveiling the note. I knew that taking it would be unwise, as whoever was meant to receive the message would come here sooner or later. Instead, I whipped up my smartphone and took a picture. The message was written in Star Cipher, which wasn't surprising. The Perseids like it and maybe even made it, after all.
I put the panel back in its place and made it back to the crossroad. I thought about seeing what lies behind the armored door, but firstly, it was locked by Leonid and more importantly, it was too risky. Upon reaching the crossroad, I realized that I can't decrypt Star Cipher.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFMIdk9QID
I don't have access to the Arika's measuring app and I don't know where to download it. Thus, if I wanted to decipher the intercepted message and encrypt my answer to Agent Nebula, I had to find Arika.
The first obvious place to check was the cockpit. Einstein, Anthony, Nigel and Rill Gomana were there, but Arika was nowhere to be seen. Alia was also absent, but that wasn't relevant at the moment.
I decided to inspect the surrounding rooms and see if Arika's in there. Eventually, I found what appeared to be the crew quarters. One of the doors was left partially open, so I chose to check it. Aproaching the door, I remained stealthy, in case an enemy was in there.
To my relief, Arika was in the room. I actually caught her by surprise, as she was busy typing something on her laptop. She was sitting on her bed in a cross-legged position and only noticed me when I peeked into the room to determine if it's safe to enter.
- Ah! - Arika finally saw me - What are you doing in here? This is my room!
- Sorry for sneaking in here, but I need your help - I explained myself.
- What's the matter? - she sighed, indicating that I should sit down by her.
- I intercepted an encrypted message from Leonid to... some unknown person. The problem is that it's written in Star Cipher and I can't decipher it without your app. May I borrow it for a bit? - I asked nicely.
- Can you show me this message? I can decrypt it for you - I caught her interest.
- Sure - I showed her the photo I took. I made sure that it isn't blurry, so it was easy for her to unravel the hidden message. It seemed like she was waiting for some action, because with her curiosity ignited, she was very quick and eager to see what Leonid wrote.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5CAFYB5PY
- Meet me at midnight sharp - Arika translated - Who was this sent too and where did you find it?
- I don't know who was meant to receive the message, but I found it underneath a loose floor panel. It seems like Leonid and his mysterious ally have a dead drop aboard - I briefed her.
- Looks like there's a secret meeting that will occur at midnight. I say we secretely attend - Arika grinned.
- Yeah, but first I need to notify Agent Nebula. She's the one who told me to look after Leonid - I remembered about our dead drop.
- Well, let's do that then - Arika shrugged in response.
- She wanted me to bring her a message written in Star Cipher to our dead drop spot - I recalled, realising that I still need Arika's support.
- Okay, I'll help you write it - Arika got up and found a small piece of paper - What do we tell her?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiH4Y7a2SK
- Leonid's planning a midnight meeting with someone. I found a message hidden in front of a metal door in a corridor branching off the crossroad - I dictated. I hoped to be concise, but it ended up being a long message.
- That's a long one, but we can handle it - Arika reopened her app - The first letter is L, so a twelve-milimeter long line is needed.
I drew one and she measured it. It took a few attempts and a lot of erasing to get it right, but after that, the rest went by fairly quickly and it wasn't long before we had our full message.
- Where's your dead drop spot? - Arika asked me.
- In the cloakroom, I'll show you - I responded. We both got up and made our way there.
Along the way, I remembered that I was supposed to keep a secret and I just revealed it to Arika. I'm not sure if Nebula will be angry with me for bringing in a third person, but it was necessary and Arika's trustworthy, so it shouldn't be that bad. Time will tell.
I found our spot and opened up the locker.
- Hidden in plain sight. Sneaky - Arika commented.
I slipped our note into the locker, specifically a barely visible gap between the back of the locker and a shelf for added protection. Promptly, I closed the locker and we left, as Arika found it awkward to be in the boys section as a girl.
- Now we wait for Agent Nebula to pick up our note - I told her.
- Let's come back to the cockpit. That way, we won't raise any suspicions and it'll make sense for us to be there - Arika suggested and I agreed.
We made our way to the cockpit and picked the seats we've been assigned. Neither Einstein nor Anthony said anything, focused on navigating the dark ocean ahead. Captain Nigel was gone, probably to contemplate his predicament in peace.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WpW0MfYuV
- Time Skip, again -13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5WurbqHaPO
After a while, I saw a reflection of Agent Nebula in the window. Arika noticed it as well. Nebula signed me to get up and come to her. Arika, having been mixed into this by me, also came over. I'm not sure how Nebula will react to a third team member, but I was almost certain that she read my message.
ns216.73.216.187da2
and then Add to home screen.