Read The Secret War (Jack Blank Adventure) for Free Online Page A

they met in battle. The law of secrecy decreed that no direct proof of the Imagine Nation’s existence was ever to be left behind in the Real World. Real Worlders weren’t ready to know about the Imagine Nation or the extraordinary wonders and dangers within it. For more than five hundred years, the Clandestine Order of Secreteers had made certain they didn’t, usually by cleaning up messes like the one Jack and his friends currently found themselves in.
    “Don’t worry,” Midknight assured Jack. “This kind of thing comes with the territory. Besides, we’re out in the middle of nowhere right now. This is containable.”
    “It’s
quite
containable,” Ricochet said, agreeing with Midknight. “But it doesn’t really matter where we are. We don’t get to plan out the emergencies we respond to, Jack. We do our part to save lives and defend justice. That’s our job. Covering our tracks is someone else’s responsibility.”
    Jack nodded slowly, giving Ricochet a curious look. He agreed that saving lives and upholding the law had to be prioritized above all else, but her carefree attitude toward the witnesses took him by surprise. Allegra apparently felt the same way.
    “Ricochet, I don’t mean to be rude, but …” Allegra paused and looked up at her mentor, unsure if she should continue.
    Ricochet turned to her sidekick with an understanding smile. “It’s perfectly all right, Allegra. You never have to be afraid to ask me anything.”
    “In that case,” Allegra continued, “aren’t we being a little casual about all this? What about the laws of secrecy?”
    “Forgive me, I don’t mean to be so cavalier,” Ricochet replied. “The laws of secrecy are very important, and I certainly don’t wish to make more work for the Secreteers. I’m simply saying that we have to focus on our job andallow them to focus on theirs. You may think I seem overly calm about all this, but it’s only because they’re so very good at what they do.”
    “How exactly are they going to do what they do?” Jack asked. “This isn’t the kind of thing these people are going to forget anytime soon. Shouldn’t we at least call the Secreteers and tell them what’s going on here?”
    “You don’t call Secreteers, Jack. They just show up,” Blue replied. “Trust me, they know to come here. They know everything.” Blue tugged on his collar and looked around, hunching his shoulders with an uneasy look on his face. “Creeps me out, to tell you the truth.”
    “Really?” Jack asked. He was surprised to hear Blue admit that he got creeped out by anything, let alone the Secreteers, who were supposed to be good guys.
    “The Secreteers have dedicated their lives to guarding over the Imagine Nation’s secrets,” Skerren said. “Are you saying that you—”
    “I’m saying that I don’t
like
secrets,” Blue said, interrupting Skerren. “It’s hard to trust people who keep secrets. Especially people who keep as many as they do.”
    Jack froze up at Blue’s comment. He shifted from onefoot to the other, hoping that someone else would back up Skerren’s point, because he wasn’t going to touch it. Fortunately, Midknight chimed in and broke the silence.
    “Easy, big fella,” Midknight said to Blue. “You’re just not used to working with them yet. When you’ve been through as many of these Real World jobs as Ricochet and I have, you’ll see it’s no big deal. The Secreteers are harmless. We just have to take care of these people until they get here.” Midknight clapped his hands and started giving orders again. “Let’s go, team. First aid kits are on board the glider. Let’s break ’em out and make sure everyone’s okay.”
    At Midknight’s direction, Jack and the others tended to the train’s wounded passengers while they waited for the Secreteers to arrive. Everyone was pleasantly surprised to find that the train’s crash-safety measures were just as advanced as the engine Jack couldn’t talk to. A few