The Mission

When the world is in danger, only two people can save the day. Clint stoots and Justin Thurston. AKA, Team Astounding.

 

The Mission

 

 

Agent Clint and I, the incredibly handsome agent Josh, were returning to our hotel room after a long day at the beach, unprepared for the horrible scene that awaited us. Clint’s mother lay huddled on the bed, crying hysterically. It turns out that she had brought a snow cone maker with her, and when she tried to get ice, discovered that the machine was broken. We couldn’t allow the vacation to be ruined. We knew what had to be done.

Without missing a beat we sprinted to the other side of the room and catapulted ourselves through the sliding glass door that led to our balcony. As shards of shattered glass rained down upon us we lowered ourselves from one balcony to another until we reached the boardwalk. Twenty floors in ten seconds. Damn we’re good.
         Now all that was left was to infiltrate a rival hotel to obtain the ice. It was night; the boardwalk that was normally overflowing with people looked like a ghost town. We devised a plan as we walked down the aging planks. Mister Foley, a friend of ours, was staying at a hotel only two miles from our own. Surely they would have ice. If only we could make it there in time.

The boardwalk was an incredibly treacherous place. It was lined with games and attractions, all of them super fun. That was our one weakness. Team Astounding was easily distracted. It was our single flaw, the only obstacle that stood between us and perfection.
         We passed the arcade without incident. The carnival rides didn’t faze us. We were even able to resist the enchanting aroma of funnel cakes that was wafting in our direction. However, there was one thing that we, or rather Clint, could not resist.

Giant stuffed pythons. All he had to do was knock over a tower of milk bottles, and the prize would be his. I struggled to pull him away, but to no avail. He was determined to win the snake for Amanda.
         Clint took aim with his first ball. The hit was dead center, with enough force to shake the small gaming booth to its rickety foundations. The milk bottles however, were left untouched. The vendor whistled innocently as my friend’s face turned red and steam began to pour from his ears. Clint took the second ball and started winding his arm in circles to build up speed. On the tenth revolution he let it fly. I could hear the sonic boom as I watched pieces of dust that used to be milk bottles float slowly to the ground.
        Clint had won. He had out-foxed the crooked street vendors. As he reached to claim his prize he heard a strange hissing noise. He jerked his hand back the moment it touched the spongy animal. It was moving. All of them were. A crimson glow began to emanate from the eyes of the manufactured serpents.
         “No one wins. No one ever wins,” they chanted in unison.
         It looked like we had a fight on our hands. Luckily, we were prepared. We had Tessa, Clint’s pet ferret. She was three solid pounds of muscle, teeth, and fury. Even the strongest mongooses were nothing compared to that beast. As Tessa pounced to defend us the booth was engulfed in a cloud of fangs, claws, and polyester scales. When the dust cleared, Tessa stood victorious and proud over her fallen enemies.
         Clint threw one of the defeated animals around his neck as a token of his accomplishment, and of course as a gift for his beautiful Amanda. By this time we were famished from our adventures. We were forced to stop to buy an oversized bucket of the famous boardwalk fries. Showing off my secret agent charm, I responded, “Shaken, not stirred” when the attractive cashier asked if we wanted salt.
         The fries were excellent, and we were far from stingy with our bountiful meal. We shared with the poor, pitiful, hungry seagulls. During the day, seagulls are cute, loveable creatures. The beach just wouldn’t be the same without them. But at night, with less people and under the protection of darkness, they lose all inhibitions. Soon our entire gallon of French fried potatoes was gone, and we had only whetted their appetites.
         As we walked we began to notice that we were being followed. We must have looked rather comical with an entire flock of seagulls waddling behind us. That is, if who ever was watching didn’t look into the eyes of the beasts. They had a blood thirsty look that could strike terror into even the bravest of hearts. As the horrid creatures went for the kill we saw Mister Foley’s hotel in the distance. We broke into a full sprint. We were running for our lives. I could hear the flapping of wings and feel a seagull’s breath on my neck as we dove through the double doors and into the lobby.
         We were safe, but we had lost the element of surprise. We slipped into a nearby janitor’s closet as discreetly and quickly as possible. From there we found a ventilation shaft that would surely lead us to the ice machine. We never even saw the pair of eyes watching us from the corner.
         I could hear the humming of the fans in the background and feel the cold surface of the vents on my skin as we crawled to the second floor. Hopefully no one would expect us there, so deep within the belly of the beast. We exited into another janitor’s closet and silently moved into the hallway. As we were sneaking past the hotel rooms I spied the ice machine out of the corner of my eye.
         We filled two bags with the treasured cargo and turned to leave. There, blocking the doorway, was Mister Foley.
         “Can I offer you gentleman anything? Gingerbread cookies? Milk?”
         He was trying to distract us. The temptation was unbearable. Judging from Mister Foley’s scarlet locks and freckled face, he knew a thing or two about gingerbread. My will was faltering. I reached for a cookie.
        “NOOOO!!!!” Clint screamed as he knocked the cookie from my hand. Time seemed to stand still as I watched the beautiful treat fly through the air, eventually crashing into the harsh, unforgiving floor of the hotel and crumbling into a million different pieces. While I was still recovering from my stupor Clint pushed Foley to the side and pulled me through the doorway. We had to think fast. It was only a matter of time before Foley followed us into the hallway. A fire escape. We crashed through the door, and used a conveniently located clothesline to swing to safety.
        Several minutes later we arrived at our own hotel, tired, but whole. Mission accomplished. We traded high fives as we rode the elevator to our floor. Clint’s mom got the snow cones she so desperately needed, and for a time, all was right with the world. Team Astounding had saved the day.

 

Reviews

[Heretic]

I loved this. May I ask if this is an exaggeration, at all, of a real life event that took place? Professionally written, flowed beautifully, and the obstacles were hysterical. Good job, once again.

There is really nothing I can find to critique. To me it was flawlessly written. Good job.