The next day at school, Emma felt like she was going to burst with excitement and she couldn’t stop smiling.

‘Why the big smile, Em?’ asked Hannah at lunch. ‘You’ve been smiling all morning.’

‘I’m just happy today,’ said Emma. ‘You know—it’s Tuesday, the sun is shining …’

‘Yeah right, Em,’ replied Hannah, laughing. ‘Come on, Miss Happy, let’s go find Elle.’

‘Emma! Emma Jacks!’ called a voice from across the playground. ‘Emma!’

Emma looked across to see Ms Misions, Ms Pleh’s assistant, beckoning her.

‘What does Ms Misions want?’ asked Hannah.

‘I don’t know,’ said Emma, her smile fading. ‘I better go and find out. Wish me luck, Han.’

‘Emma,’ said Ms Misions. ‘Please report to Ms Pleh’s office.’

That wiped the smile completely from Emma’s face. Have I done something wrong? Has something happened? Emma’s mind was racing. She came to Ms Pleh’s door and knocked.

‘Come in!’

Emma tentatively opened the door and poked her head around.

‘Emma, do come in,’ said Ms Pleh.

Emma entered and shut the door behind her.

‘Please take a seat, EJ10.’

Emma started. What should she do now?

‘It’s okay, EJ,’ reassured Ms Pleh. ‘I know because I work with A1. As well as running this school I am SHINE Agent AP70.’

‘You are?’

‘I am,’ replied AP70. ‘A1 also taught here for a while. In fact, she taught your mother too.’

‘She did?’ Once again EJ’s head was spinning with new information. She couldn’t quite take it all in. Did that mean her mum was in SHINE?

‘As A1 told you,’ continued AP70, ‘SHINE contacts agents on their SHINE-issue phones when they are needed to report to HQ.’

‘Yes,’ said EJ, relieved that she finally knew something already. ‘I have it here,’ she said, taking it from her dress pocket.

‘Excellent work. Now I will take you through your first SHINE Alert.’

AP took her phone out of a drawer in her desk and keyed a message. Seconds later, Emma’s phone vibrated and there was a sound.

 

Piiingg!

 

EJ looked at her phone screen. It was flashing a lovely aqua colour. ‘What does it mean?’ she asked.

‘It means it’s time for you to go to the toilet,’ explained AP70.

EJ looked at her quizzically. ‘Oh, no, I’m fine, really. I went …’

‘No, no, EJ10,’ said AP70, smiling. ‘The girls’ toilet block is your Mission Tube access point.’

‘Mission Tube?’

‘It’s the SHINE underground transport network that allows agents everywhere to get to SHINE HQ,’ explained AP70. ‘Extra access points are created when an agent joins the agency.’

Oh, so that explains the building work over the holidays, she thought.

‘It does indeed,’ continued AP70. ‘So let’s go. Phone in pocket, EJ.’

EJ put her phone back into her dress pocket and followed AP70 out of the office. She really hoped no one saw her being taken to the toilet by the principal—that would be embarrassing. As AP70 approached the door, she stopped and turned to EJ.

‘Stay here a moment,’ she whispered. ‘I’ll check if the coast is clear.’

AP70 pushed open the door and looked around. One door was closed.

‘Yes, the new block looks excellent,’ said Ms Pleh loudly. ‘Oh, Nema Rigl, you should be in class by now,’ said Ms Pleh holding open the door. ‘Quick as you can. Emma, you’re here too? Why don’t you girls go to the toilet at recess?’

‘Sorry, Ms Pleh,’ said Nema sullenly.

‘Sorry, Ms Pleh,’ said Emma as she smiled at Nema but the girl just glared at her. Why is she so mean to me? Emma wondered, upset by her former friend.

When Nema had gone, EJ and AP walked in, the door shutting behind them.

‘We need to be quick, EJ,’ said AP70. ‘Please turn on the hand-dryers. They are excellent for masking any noise.’

EJ pushed both dryers and the air roared out.

‘Now go to the last cubicle on the right and open the door.’

EJ did what she was told. ‘It’s just an ordinary toilet,’ she said.

‘You’ll see,’ said AP70. ‘Lock the door, EJ, put the seat cover down and sit down. Tell me when you are in position.’

EJ again did as she was told but she did feel a little silly. ‘In position.’

‘Excellent,’ said AP70. ‘Flip open the toilet roll holder on your left. What do you see?’

‘Toilet paper,’ said EJ as she lifted up the guard.

‘And underneath?’ asked AP70.

EJ craned her neck and looked under the toilet roll holder. ‘There’s a small socket.’

‘Exactly,’ said AP70. ‘Take out your phone and push the top part into that socket. When you have done that tell me what you see.’

As EJ pushed the top of her phone into the socket, her phone beeped and a message appeared on her screen.

‘It’s asking for a code,’ said EJ.

‘Very good. Now listen carefully EJ,’ said AP70. ‘After this you won’t be able to hear me anymore. Once you enter your PIN code remove your phone and the Mission Tube activation process will commence. The toilet and the wall behind it will rotate and you will be at the top of your Mission Tube access point. When prompted on your phone, answer “GO” and you will be on your way to SHINE. Any questions?’

‘Won’t I get into trouble for missing class?’ asked EJ, who hated getting into trouble for even the slightest thing.

‘That’s what I’m here for, EJ10’ said AP70, smiling. ‘Don’t you worry, you’ll be back before the final bell. Now enter your code and hold on tight. Good luck, EJ10. I think you will enjoy the ride.’

EJ entered her PIN code. There was another beep and another message appeared on her screen.

EJ quickly removed her phone and put it back in her pocket. She held onto the edge of the toilet seat, tightening her grip nervously as she felt it begin to move. The wall spun around, with the toilet and EJ still attached, and EJ found herself at the top of what looked like a long, winding stainless-steel super-slide. The toilet tilted downwards and EJ slipped off the seat and onto an aqua beanbag waiting below. The wall spun back around and EJ heard the click of the toilet door unlocking as a protective shield lowered into place at the base of the beanbag. There was another beep on her phone. EJ checked the screen.

EJ typed the word ‘GO’ into her phone.

The beanbag and EJ were tilted up and then pushed forward. EJ was off down the Mission Tube.

‘Gee whizz, lemonfizz!’ she cried. ‘This is awesome!’

EJ laughed as the beanbag sped down and around the tube. She held on tight as it swerved around corners and then sped through long sections of straight. After about ten minutes EJ came to a complete stop beside a platform. The protective shield slid back and EJ stood up. She looked around. There was a door with the sign ‘CODE ROOM’ and a keypad and screen on the wall. EJ tried the door but it was locked. She looked at the screen as it flashed and then went black. EJ wondered what was happening. A few seconds later, she jumped a little when she heard a digital voice.

‘Welcome to SHINE Code Room. Standby for Agent Security Check.’

A panel she hadn’t noticed before next to the keypad slid open and a digital note pad and computer stylus slid out.

‘Please write the numbers 1 to 10 on the pad, using stylus provided,’ instructed the voice. ‘Replace stylus on pad when finished and return to beanbag.’

EJ did and watched as the pad withdrew into the hole in the wall and the panel slid back into place. The keypad screen flashed again.

‘Number writing matches maths test sample,’ said the voice. ‘Agent identity confirmed. Please drop in, EJ10!’

Drop in? wondered EJ just as there was a loud beep. Suddenly the floor beneath her opened and both EJ and the beanbag dropped gently down into a small room with nothing in it except a table and chair and, above the table, a clear plastic tube protruding from the ceiling. EJ10 had entered the SHINE Agency Code Room.

EJ hadn’t been sitting on the chair long when she heard a whizzing noise from above. She watched, open-mouthed, as a small clear capsule popped out of the tube and onto the table.

What’s this? she wondered as she opened the capsule and took out a small piece of paper and a little pencil. EJ unfolded the paper.

EJ opened the drawer under the desk. Inside was another piece of paper.

Again? thought EJ. As she gripped the sides of the chair, a seatbelt-like band ejected from the back of the chair and strapped her in. The large floor tile under the chair began to vibrate and then the tile, the chair and EJ were lowered to the floor below, to another Mission Tube platform.

A different digital voice spoke. ‘Welcome to Mission Tube 3, EJ10. Please stand up from chair and press button for transport to Uniform Centre.’

EJ stood up and moved away from the chair, which then returned up to the Code Room floor. An aqua beanbag whizzed down the tube and stopped next to EJ. She climbed on, waited for the protective shield to lower then took out her phone and pressed ‘GO’ again.

EJ was off again but this time it was only a short trip. A few turns and a straight and the beanbag slowed at another platform where an elderly lady with grey hair and thick black glasses stood holding some clothes.

‘Right on time, EJ10,’ said SO60. ‘Excellent! Now, here’s your uniform.’

SO60 passed EJ a pair of grey tracksuit pants, a white t-shirt with the SHINE logo and the words ‘Agent-in-Training’ underneath, a grey hoodie, also with the agency logo, and a pair of white trainers.

‘Pop these on, leave your school uniform on the chair in the cubicle and, when you are ready, just go through the door at the back of the cubicle to the Operations Room.’

EJ did as she was told and, when she opened the door, found herself in the same room where she had been when she first came to SHINE, the SHINE Operations Room.

‘You look good, EJ10,’ said a familiar voice.

EJ turned around and saw A1. ‘Thank you,’ she replied, blushing slightly.

‘And you’re ready for basic training,’ said A1.

EJ gulped, her tummy tightening. She hoped she was.