Atlas

by Alanna K Puzak

  He looked into my eyes and slowly peeled off into the moonlight. I started to walk back to the quarters just thinking about what I was going to do. I figured I had two weeks and I needed to figure something out, but now. The weekend was just so amazing I did not want to mess any of those memories up.

  The next day would not go as well. We got to work and found out horrible news. They wanted him to relocate and keep me in the “office” to control things.

  This had to be because of the CIA, it just had to be Radinson behind this. He told me two weeks, not two hours. I was heartbroken. I had to remember jobs come first in this line of work, which also killed me because I knew I would have to tell him.

  He was going back to Rio and even though I did not believe he was the bad guy, people out there did. I had lived out this lie for long enough. I needed to get back on my main mission too. Still, something felt wrong. All the sudden they want him away from me when my mission is to kill him.

  It was all downhill from there. In one night, I had to change everything. I knew this whole relocation bullshit was the CIA’s doing and if I did not get the courage to come clean he would find out another way and then I would be done for.

  That night I decided what I needed to do. I needed to tell him the truth. I called him and asked if he could meet me at my place.

  The doorbell rang, I felt as though my heart stopped.

  I dragged my bare feet across the cold floor, feeling as though I was walking to my deathbed.

  I very slowly opened the door, “Hey baby …”

  “Are you ok Mel you sounded well not like you and you look like shit.” He pushed the door open a little, grabbing me to give me a kiss.

  “Good to see you too baby,” I whispered as I hung my head and went to sit on the couch.

  He walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and threw one to me. He is in his sweatpants and white shirt looking handsome as ever with those glasses he never wears, making his eyes shine like stars in the night.

  “What is going on Mel?” He took a seat next to me and kissed my head.

  “Just give me a second please.” He wrapped his arm around me and looked deeper into my eyes.

  “Baby you are scaring me. What is going on?"

  I took a big deep breath. I crossed my legs and bundled them in my pink sweater dress to my chest. I reached into my couch cushions and handed him the original document, his file.

  He ever so gently took it from my hands staring deep into my eyes, “What the fuck is this Mel?”

  “Just read it.”

  As he was reading the reports on him I could tell he was furious. His eyes glazing over, his breath hard and deep, his face filled with regret.

  Flipping the file page by page and getting angrier with every word, “You mean to tell me this was all fake! You, me, everything!”

  “No Atlas, no! Well yes, it started off that way, but I really fell for you. You are the reason I am resigning for good from the CIA. They would not let me go. They told me I had to kill you to get out. I just couldn’t Atlas, I just couldn’t!”

  “I don’t even know what to say, Mel. I fucking trusted you! I trusted you, Mel! Fuck I even loved you!” He got up from the couch holding his head pacing back and forth. He looked at me with those eyes like the one who held his heart and just died.

  I tried reaching over for him, but he kept ripping his arm away from me.

  I finally got it. I pulled up his sleeve grasping his branded skin. “This is what they want Atlas. They think you are the man who will destroy the world because of this.”

  I threw his arm back to him as he rolled his sleeve back down. “I couldn’t do it, I love you Atlas, truly. You need to run. They will come after you. They think you are behind whatever is going on in Rio.”

  “They have no clue what the fuck is going on in Rio. And now they never will.”

  “I am sorry! They know about Harishma and they think you are the one going to end everything.”

  “You don’t even understand! I am not the one who killed Harishma! Well yes, I killed her but because she told me to!”

  He went behind the couch pacing back and forth in his place like I just cut open a wound that had healed so long ago.

  “That day we were on a mission to rescue Harishma. I was at the top of my class in algorithms and security graphics, so they had me on the mission to learn from her. That is exactly what I did.”

  He went next to me to grab a pillow and started squeezing the life out of it while pacing behind me.

  “When we got to the cell where she was being held captive, my soldiers were covering my back so I could find her and get her out and safe. When I got there she was almost beaten to death”

  He continued, “She looked at me with those gazing eyes of death, her tan skin butchered, her hair torn, she told me, ‘I need you to listen and closely, I do not have much time.’ Then she whispered to me the way of the drive. I told her I would obtain it and destroy it as she had told me how. She then looked at me, ‘Kill me … NOW!’ I turned my head and shot her.”

  “You see Mel if I didn’t kill her it could have and would have gotten to the wrong person. Who knows what they would have done to her, to me, with the weapon. Don’t sit here and think you know everything!”

  “Atlas I had no clue!”

  “Of course you didn’t! Nobody knows this! The second my general saw me standing over her with my gun, I was left for the Diablo. They took me, they beat me to try to get it out of me, they branded me so everyone would know who I was. They told me if I wouldn’t give it to them I would die.”

  He took a big gulp of water, “I decided to play the game. I decided to tell them I would obtain the drive from Rio and bring it to them and then sell it to the biggest buyer. They finally agreed and sent me back to New York.”

  I could not understand. It was so much information to obtain. He double played the bad guys to save his life and was now continuing this mission so he could destroy the one thing that almost killed him. He really did just want to do good in the world. His one mission before he could quit everything was to do right by Harishma. This is what he was always talking about. He could not rest until this was destroyed.

  “Mel, I have to go. I have to go to Rio and finish my mission. If RED or Diablo finds out about this, I am done for.”

  He stormed out and slammed the door making everything shake. I knew what had happened. It was over. Everything was done. I curled up on the floor in front of the couch, pushing the heavy table away with my cold bare feet, and balled my eyes out. Mascara covering every inch of my bare legs.

  I called Radinson.

  “I have been compromised.”

  “Well congratulations agent, you have failed me. Consider yourself done with the CIA.”

  CHAPTER NINE: CHANGE OF PLAN

  A bout a year went by without me seeing or even hearing of Atlas. I was mortified, depressed, disappointed in myself but I knew I deserved it. Why in the world would someone with such cruel intentions as me get the guy in the end? Nope, I was the one that would end up alone and always working. My new leader at RED, Chuck, came up and told me I would need to be on a mission and I was leaving that night.

  This was the most important mission because it would end up putting a big spin on everything. This mission took place in Aspen, Colorado. I knew I would be working with someone, I had no clue who, but Chuck told me to trust him, so I had no other choice.

  As I got off the plane at a private airport in Aspen I saw the car I would be getting into. A small black Mercedes Benz with tinted windows. I looked over at the driver with an eyebrow raised, “seriously guys can we not think of any other kind of car. Seriously.”

  I was told I was needed to attend a big party that all the head honchos of the weapons world would be attending. I needed to be an intel and get any information I could about anything that might be happening with this flash drive. I took a big sigh, “again with the flash drive.” Rolling my eyes, I agreed a
nd started to gaze out the window. I was informed I needed to kill the man in charge, Bradley Schuman.

  This man was the typical spoiled rotten failure to launch kind of man. Still at 45, racking up daddy’s credit cards to live the ultimate life which eventually leads him into trouble, which then leads him to a life of crime.

  Typical Type A criminal running a weapon and drug cartel wanted by the Reconnaissance Emissary Division. Too intense for the government, something they just wanted off the grid. A walk in the park mission to kill or so I thought. We think it is somehow connected to Rio, but Atlas had not checked in with RED in a long time, so I figured he was purposefully keeping his distance from me for good.

  As I pulled up to the five-million-dollar house that looks like it is a Kardashian getaway, I took a deep breath, put the last bit of my nude lipstick on, fixed my curled hair by finally just taking a hair tie and putting a ponytail on the side, pulled my dress up a little bit. The driver stopped, opened the door, as I walked out pulling my sunglasses off, putting one stiletto out of the car than the other, I saw something, something that would make me rage. It was Atlas. He had been on a mission in Rio trying to find out what his gut had been telling him all along.

  He thought that the CIA had been compromised. He did not know why but he had a feeling. He had created a post down in Rio, a name, a life working with the Diablo cartel. He was making an even bigger name for himself down there. He wanted answers. Apparently being the carrier of the drive was not enough for him. He wanted answers before he reported back about why he was taking his damn sweet time “selling” it to anyone.

  The second I saw him all I wanted to do was cry, punch him, run away, and kiss him, so many emotions at once I couldn’t remember how to control them. He walked up to me in his dark grey vest, white shirt, black tie, and grey pants, looking better than I had pictured him look in a long time. He tipped the driver, grabbed my coat, kissed me on my forehead and so subtlety said, “I am so happy you could make it darling.” I just smiled and walked with him to the front door, again I needed to push emotions to the side and focus on my job first.

  The fact that RED would partner me with him just blows my mind. I did not think they knew what I was doing when I first joined, but now I was unsure. And why in the world was Atlas being so nice! I could not tell if it was because of the mission or if maybe he found something out and figured he could not blame me anymore.

  The more I pondered the more lost I looked. Atlas blatantly hit my ass, “Look alive sweetie.” I smirked a smart ass smile and got back into character.

  Atlas and I walked in noticing Bradley’s cartel was like no other we had seen before. Atlas jaw dropped. He recognized this cartel. It was Radinson’s.

  He leaned over slowly, “You need to follow my lead all night, got it? James is up to something here.”

  “You got it.” I gazed at him wondering why in the world would he know James.

  Atlas was already known as Konnor in this cartel since it was apparently James Radinson’s cartel who we thought was Bradley’s cartel. He had to use a different name as James thought Atlas was dead. Faking his death, Rio helped Atlas create the new identity and make people he thought he could not trust think he was off the grid. He must trust RED because I never got a death report on him.

  Atlas leaned over, “Long story short, after you failed to kill me James sent others. I played it off as if they succeeded in Rio as I knew he was up to no good. I then came up with the name Konnor to go by. I have been trying to follow him ever since. I discovered that he has ears everywhere. I do not know how or when he developed this cartel or even why but he has this cartel doing all the dirty work that we won’t do for him. I am guessing Schuman must have been his alias.”

  He leaned back up and greeted what looked like a known friend.

  I was having a hard time adjusting to this. All this time I was contemplating if what I did was right, questioning literally everything I did. And for who, the bad guy?

  This one was the one working with the one in Rio. That is why we were here. They were responsible for illegal drugs and weapons being smuggled into the US from Rio and vice versa.

  We were here to find out why. We were here to find out who was behind everything. We were here to make sure nothing would be compromised. But the thought was both in our minds, how was James actually Bradley? How is everything connected?

  We were both on a mission but little did we know the agency had interfered with this mission to put us together to possibly end us for good, or at least that is how it seemed. Both of us high rated central intelligence, we knew too much, and we were about to know more. The past training had made us ready for this.

  A few hours in I asked him to meet me outside to the back porch on the top floor. Something fishy was going on. Everyone was being too compliant with us, no questions were being asked, I mean how you can just trust strangers coming into your cartel with no questions. It just did not seem right.

  Atlas recognized a few folks and they asked him to provide some entertainment. He made his way over to the piano and started playing that very song we first danced to. Key by key it killed me. My heart hurt with regret and I had to turn away. Was this his way of accepting my apology?

  I walked out to the balcony on the top floor where I had told him to meet me. I could still hear him playing the song and all I could do was swallow the tears and take in the trees and birds chirping around me to try to forget.

  I tried to focus on the trees among trees in the beautiful mountains surrounding your every move. The sun starting to set and the amazing breeze on your skin followed by the kiss of birds to your ear. Sitting there finally gave me a sense of peace before remembering what we were about to do.

  He met me on the balcony like I had asked him to do. I took one large breath, took my hands off of the banister, stood up straight, and turned to him as I saw him walking outside. I put my head down, you have to look somewhat dramatic to make it seem like you are a real couple, and plus I knew something was up and did not know who I could trust. He came in with two glasses of champagne and put his arm around me. Just like old times.

  He handed me a glass of champagne with a blackberry, “this is what you like right?”

  We could not tell what was going on. He put his hand on my ear and kissed me. Acting like what he just did had no meaning behind it at all.

  “Do you think this is a setup?” I asked. As he was kissing me back.

  “I am not sure, I mean why would they already trust us, they have no reason to. You betrayed them with betraying me and I betrayed them by faking my death. It is like they have another plan.”

  He continued, “Do you see the guy right below us, 11 o’clock?” I acted like I was going to whisper in his ear, putting my hands on his shoulder so I could see.

  “Yes,” as I took another sip of my drink, coming off of his ear smiling.

  “Well he has been following us all night; he hasn’t left us alone for one minute.”

  “We need to get out of here,” I explained quietly. Running my finger up his arm looking down.

  “Do you trust me,” he whispered. I had no choice but to look into his eyes and reply, “Yes”.

  At that moment he grabbed my hip with his left hand and as I looked down at it he took his hand and rained it above my ear into my hair so I could look into his eyes. He pulled me into him so fast it made me drop my drink. He kissed me. At first, I did not know what to expect, but I just went with it putting my arms around his neck.

  Something about him made me feel complete and maybe I did not know why he had been gone, maybe this was all meant to be in some weird twisted way. I know it sounds crazy, I mean I had only fucked the man over big time but something about him just made me know everything would be ok.

  He looked at me and said, “I have been wanting to do that all night,” he gave me a big smile while biting his lip, reached for his gun under his suit and whispered, “are you ready?” I reached for mine in my dress and
replied, “Bring it.”

  Atlas pulled me to his back and started shooting. I pushed my shoulders on his and started going the other way.

  I ran into the room leading out into the balcony. Three men were scattered in as if they were waiting for me. Shots were starting to be fired. I turned my head to the left looking for cover in the vast master bedroom, causing my ponytail to whip my face. I jumped to take shield behind the massive dresser that I swear a couple kids could comfortably sleep in.

  I started moving back expecting to hit a wall when I hit another door. I opened it abruptly. I jumped up to take a couple of shots at the man now taking cover on the other side of the bed what seemed like miles away from me.

  I look out the wall of windows to see a gentleman running at Atlas. He runs up the side of the wall, tackles the older man and headbutts him to knock him out. He checks for any kind of weapon. He grabs a gun out of the man's holster and heads for the next one.

  I am being chased now into what looks as though it is an office. I fly over the desk making the papers scatter into a sea of white. He keeps firing shots at me as his friends follow. One shot flies right next to my ear hitting the computer screen right behind me. I shoot back and aim for the TV as that is where he takes cover. I see a pool of blood canvassing the wall and make my way out.

  The next room is what seems to be another bedroom. Just one bed and a wall of windows. Shot after shot being taken at me, I quickly take cover to reload. I grab the magazine out of my garter and reload. I sit up and aim right for the bed causing a cloud of feathers to fill the room. I run at him and kick him right in the groin. I grab his hair and smash his face into my knee, I can feel his teeth breaking.

  I stand up realizing that Atlas is still on the balcony. One man runs up and tries to choke him. He puts his hand on the wall and reverses the man. He smashes his face into the wall so many times it looks like a bad brick wall painting.

  The next guy comes at him with a 720 kick. Atlas ducks. He stands up with the guy to take him out but that man was too fast. His gun is knocked out of his hands. The man grabs a knife out of his pants pocket. Atlas comes at him, grabs the wrist the man has the knife in. He grabs his wrist and snaps his hand back like a piece of wood you break over your knee. He grabs the falling knife and cuts the man in the throat.