Thanks for reading everyone! Sorry it took me so long. You know how school is…anyway, the story is just starting to get juicy so stay tuned. Tell all your friends and please please please review!! Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Bolton. Montez. Have a seat," said Fargo pointing to the red leather upholstered chairs sitting across from her colossal black swivel chair.

"Ah, Ms. Montez, what a pleasant surprise," said Troy mockingly as he turned around to face Gabriella Montez.

"Likewise," said Gabriella through gritted teeth, desperately trying to keep her composure for the boss. Gabriella glared at Troy suspiciously as she sat down, confused about why they were forced together again. For so long, she had successfully avoided him, and she did not want anything to disturb their mutual separation peace, let alone, have Troy destroy her position at work.

"How's everything been?" Fargo asked, not really wanting to hear an answer and make small talk. If there was anything that Fargo hated more than Harrison, it was the petty attempts at small talk. Still, she always tried to be cordial.

"Well, actually I-" started Gabriella.

"So, I suppose you are wondering why you have been asked here," said Fargo cutting off Gabriella as she sat in her seat and began fiddling with numerous papers laying sporadically about her desk.

"Yeah, can we hurry this up? I have an 8 o'clock and I really can't afford to miss out on this, 'opportunity', if you know what I mean," gestured Troy anxiously with a forced chuckle.

"Of course! You are so…so obnoxious! Everything revolves around you! Troy, Troy, Troy!" shouted Gabriella, her temper rising by the second, unable to contain her emotions towards Troy any longer. Troy simply rolled his eyes.

"Please!" screamed Fargo agitatedly, trying to recapture the attention of the two. "What I have to say is much more important than your insignificant personal issues! Pull it together or I will make sure that neither of you are ever requested for such a high stakes mission again!" she said, her shoulders tensing up and her foot tapping quickly on the black marble flooring.

"Again?" asked Troy. Fargo ignored his comment and gathered her composure as she sat back down onto her chair.

"I…I'm sorry Ms. Forth. Please forgive my atrocious behavior towards this…this pig," said Gabriella shuddering in disgust. "It is inexcusable and I will make sure it does not happen again."

Troy nodded as if to agree with what Gabriella was saying, which was very unusual for him. Fargo stood up and walked to a bulletin board covered with various different items.

"Very well. As you may have recently heard, there has been a series of violent attacks on certain literary experts in the past few days," Fargo said as she pointed to pictures of the dead bodies, laying helplessly in dark empty rooms.

Gabriella trembled at the pictures, while Troy viewed them like they were just pictures of a girl at her first soccer game.

"OK, so you need me to...?" asked Gabriella.

"We need you to find the whereabouts of this murderer and blow their 'mysterious identity' before any other murders are committed. We must not waste time. Every second counts. It's a second in which he or she could've killed another innocent person," Fargo continued.

Peering over at each other, but missing each other's glances, Troy and Gabriella were trying to read the other's expressions. Gabriella began to twiddle her fingers nervously but excitedly.

"So far, we have determined that each of these people are connected to one unanimous source—the notorious Ordo Secretus," said Fargo placing her rectangular, thick black rimmed reading glasses on her delicate face.

"Ordo Secretus? What's that?" asked Troy.

"It is a secret society of literary experts and novelists that meet every year to select the year's best and worst novels. Those chosen must keep their membership confidential or they will be destined to anonymity and be cut off from the world of literature," said Fargo, reading from a thick file. "These people are probably the biggest fanatics of literature possible."

"Losers," muttered Troy under his breath.

"In addition, it will be both necessary and critical for you to find as much information as you can about this 'Ordo Secretus'. That will help you further your investigation as to why these people are being killed. Insanity? Revenge against the Ordo Secretus? Just figure it out. You are capable enough."

"Great. So, is this a friendly little competition Fargo?" Troy asked.

"I don't quite understand your point, Mr. Bolton," replied a confused Fargo.

"You know, whoever catches the killer first receives the bounty and the credit—just a reason to work harder and faster! A woman like you would understand and think of something so brilliant," said Troy jokingly flattering the rigid woman. Gabriella looked at him astonishingly; how dare he?

Fargo pressed her lips together tightly, pushing back a stray piece of hair from her perfect bun. "I hope you are joking Mr. Bolton." Troy's smile immediately faded. "Do you actually believe that I would place either of you on such a major case by yourselves? If you do, you are terribly mistaken. I have called each of you here today so that you may work together, as a team. You are the best in your fields and together you will be unstoppable," said Fargo as if they were incredibly stupid not to grasp this in the first place. "But if you can't understand a simple thing like that then I'm afraid—"

"No. It was just a joke." Troy lied.

Gabriella's eyes widened to the point where it looked they were about to fall out her head. She grasped her head in her hands and began thinking tremendously hard. The last time they were together, things did not go extremely well. Troy also did not look overjoyed as he stood up and braced himself on Fargo's desk, his contempt flooding out of him.

"With Ms. Montez's wit and cunningness and your, dare I say it, 'natural talent', Mr. Bolton, this killer doesn't stand a chance. Are we clear?" asked Fargo, expecting no answer less than, 'Yes, m' am.

He looked into her stern eyes searching for a spark of humor that would indicate that what she was saying was a lie.

"You can't seriously make me work with her." Troy said to the director.

"I work alone." Gabriella added.

"Oh, for god's sake! Stop acting like a couple of overgrown babies and suck it up!" shouted Fargo throwing her arms up in the air, shocking Troy and Gabriella, for it were the first time they had seen her loosened up. "Either you two can settle you issues or I can find two new agents who will be much easier to work with!" said Fargo waiting for an answer.

"I suppose I can do it for the good of America," said Gabriella crossing her arms and staring down at her feet immaturely.

"Not only America, Miss Montez, but for the world." Fargo said, painting a much larger picture for the two.

"Yeah, whatever." Troy agreed. Muttering under his breathe he said, "Do you always have to be so chipper and such an infernal wreck, Gaby?"

"Excuse me?" Fargo said glancing over at Troy.

"I mean, I would be delighted to work with such an amazing know-it-all!" Troy said shaking his head as he sank into the red chair.

"That is quite enough. Now, Radley here will finish your briefing and prep the two of you for your mission. You will each receive an ample supply of weapons…" Troy looked up, seeming to be cheered up at the thought. "Gadgets and other miscellaneous electronics…" At this, Gabriella's heart began pounding.

"And further instructions as to where you will begin, what your aliases are, etcetera. I am counting on you two, so don't disappoint me," said Fargo as she stood up, gave each of them a cold nod and stiffly walked towards the door, papers in hand. She opened the door for the two of them along with Radley to leave her office.

HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM

Troy and Gabriella walked into a huge room surrounded with machines and experiments beeping and fizzing. Gabriella stared up at the steel walls. It looked like a futuristic prison, but she couldn't be happier to view all of the top secret experiments of the CIA. She had spent her whole life dreaming about becoming a leader in science and mathematics. She was always known as the freaky math girl, until she met Troy…but that all soon changed.

"Welcome to my lair," said a chubby balding man in a white lab coat walking towards them. He had an extremely thick Scottish accent and was laughing like a hyena at his own lame joke.

Troy and Gabriella stared at each other, scared by the pudgy man's weird laugh.

"Ha, ha, ha?" said Troy, trying to be polite but obviously annoyed by this strange short man.

"I am Charles Radley, head of scientific operations of the CIA," said the man.

"Oh,hello! I am agent Gabriella Montez, working on the case of the Ordo Secretus. Wow, agent…that sounds so great!" said Gabriella still in awe.

"Yes, yes I know," said the Radley adjusting his glasses and waddling over to shake her hand. "And you are agent Troy Bolton."

"Yep, that's me. So, Fargo said you're gonna prep us," said Troy.

"Indeed. Now, if you'll follow me please," said Radley.

Gabriella eagerly followed him closely. "How long have you worked with the CIA?" she asked.

"Well, they recruited me in college. I went to MIT and one day they asked me to take tests and do a bunch of crazy stuff. All of a sudden I found myself a member of the CIA. Ever since I can remember I've been down here saving the world," said Radley, laughing.

"That's incredible! College? Who knew they recruited so young," said Gabriella.

Troy began fiddling with a nearby experiment.

"Stop! You are messing with the Gastron8600! One wrong button and the entire facilitation could explode!" shouted Radley grabbing Troy's hand.

"Geez, I didn't know," said Troy.

"Anyway, like I was saying prior to this unnecessary scare, you both shall be traveling to Italy tonight in the prospect of researching a Mr. Antonio Mancini," said Radley walking towards two silver briefcases in clear cases.

"Mancini…that sounds so familiar. I think I recently read a book by Antonio Mancini—"When the Grapevines Tug," said Gabriella, grateful of her amazing memory.

"Yes, that was his last published book known to the common man," said Radley pulling out a bronze key with a black ribbon attached to the top of it, from his front lab coat pocket.

"So why do we have to find this guy?" asked Troy.

"As you may or may not know, Mr. Mancini was a member of the Ordo Secretus," said Radley twirling the key around his fingers.

"Was?" asked Gabriella.

"Yes. He was a member of the Ordo Secretus for 30 years. For those years, he was a dedicated member as he loved literature more than anything in the world," said Radley.

"OK, so why did he quit, or resign, or whatever?" asked Troy.

"You see, for the first time, he submitted his own novel, "Purple Nights", as the best novel of the year. When the rest of the members read his novel and voted on it, it was voted worst novel of the year. Mancini left in a rage and vowed never to let the Ordo Secretus destroy his career and passion. According to him, they were mistaken and he would avenge his book," said Radley.

"So you think-"

"You think Mancini is back for revenge against the Ordo Secretus for not choosing his novel," said Troy cutting off Gabriella, trying to show off.

Gabriella glared at him and tried to sustain her poise.

"Precisely. We have no proof of this whatsoever which is exactly why we need you two to go in and solve the case. This is the only lead we have so hope it takes us to the conclusion of this case," said Radley turning the bronze key into the lock on the clear cases.

"Ah, here we are. Inside each of these cases you will find two armed weapons, ammunition, a radar telecommunications watch, propelling rope, a specially designed cell phone, laptop and whatever else my crew decided to equip you with. They are each self explanatory and I trust you can figure it out," said Radley.

"Good luck, and I hope to see you again soon agents," said Radley walking towards an opening elevator. As he stepped inside he gave them a stiff salute as the cast, cold metal doors shut.

Gabriella's eyes widened as she opened the metallic briefcase. Troy didn't even bother to open it. Agitated, he already knew he would have to show Gabriella how to use everything. Gabriella couldn't be more excited to go to Italy and be on such an intriguing mission, but still, something inside of her had a feeling that they were on the wrong track. Maybe it was just her natural suspicion, but she wasn't going to let it go easily.