by Jack Parker
One particular video caught my attention, just like what Gizmo said would happen.
I leaned forward to get a better view.
The footage showed a cloaked figure just outside the van.
A loud bang went off, which must have been when Gizmo was shot. The figure then got smaller as the van drove off.
"That's the bugger who shot me." Gizmo commented bitterly. "Pay attention though; you'll notice it soon enough."
I nodded, and glanced through each footage that was shown.
As Gizmo replayed the video, I noticed that the figure opened the van's back door just before Gizmo drove off. The Phantom seemed to have been looking for something.
"Look!" I exclaimed. "What was he doing?"
Gizmo re-winded the clip. "I don't know," he replied. "Maybe he wanted to see if he could steal from us."
"I don't think so. Whatever he was looking for, it wasn't in the van." I said.
"Maybe he was just messing with me. The Phantoms love to mind fuck their enemies."
My brows furrowed as I thought of an explanation behind the Phantom's unusual behavior.
Suddenly, it felt like a light bulb went off in my head as the puzzle pieces came together.
"The bitch…"
Gizmo turned to face me completely, and looked at me as if I grew another head. "I beg your pardon?" He said indignantly.
I shook my head. "Not you. When Fear and I were in the tunnel, we overheard some of the Phantom agents talking about a woman."
Gizmo just stared at me, before turning his attention back to the laptop. "Could it be that they were looking for our prisoner?"
"I believe so," I replied.
The familiar beep of my phone snapped me out of my focus, and I took it out.
My heart accelerated in anticipation as I read the message. "Gizmo, tell everyone to meet in the conference room."
I was already out the door before the tech expert could reply.
________________________________________
About ten minutes later, my team and I were gathered in the conference room.
The video image of the Head Warrior was on display. "Agent Moore, your findings are being evaluated. It is extremely rare for a Phantom agent to be caught alive, and apparently willingly to cooperate from what you've told me. I'm sure you can imagine just how much the Seekers can gain by having this agent in our hands."
"Of course." I agreed. "When do you want us to hand her over?"
"A team of Warriors has already been sent to come pick her up. Also, a medical squad will be coming by as well to pick up Agent Delta's mother." Pete answered.
"Understood," John replied.
"What are we to do in the meantime?" I asked.
"Our interrogators are still busy with Mr. Hill, but we're certain that he'll crack soon enough. Until then, enjoy your brief time off-duty."
"Thank you sir." I replied respectively.
The Head Warrior nodded. "I'll contact you when I have more information. Pete out."
I leaned back as the screen went black. I turned to face my teammates, and saw mixed reactions.
Olsen seemed like he didn't know what to do with his free time, Elvira was more than pleased if the smile on her face could be trusted, Fear looked bored out of his mind, and Predator appeared distressed.
I looked at him in curiosity. "Austin, what's wrong?"
Said person seemed surprised at my usage of his real name, but didn't comment on it. "It's nothing, Agent Moore. It's just that… I don't think that the Seekers should take Diana."
I raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that she's a Phantom agent, therefore she's our enemy."
Predator gave a look of annoyance. "Yeah, yeah I know that. Everywhere I go, I'm reminded of the war. It's just that… she's not like them. You've seen her yourself. She was forced to do what she did."
I looked at him in confusion. "Austin, this is the woman that subjected you to horrific experiments. Against her will or not, she still tortured you, and she still belongs to the Phantoms. How can you try to justify what she did?"
Predator shook his head. "You don't understand, Agent Moore. I'm more than aware of what she did to me. She still saved my life, though. I at least owe that to her." He then stepped forward. "Agent Moore, if the Seekers take her, she'll be treated as a prisoner of war. Nothing good will happen to her."
I quietly reflected on what he said.
Diana was indeed different than other Phantom agents, but she still was a Phantom.
"I'm sorry Pred, it's not my call to make. We've got our orders, and we have to follow them." I gave him a stern look. "Let me remind you of something though; we are in the middle of a war. Prisoners of war are a fact, and there's nothing you can do about that. This woman is a Phantom agent through and through. I don't care that she had a change of heart. I won't allow your pity for her to cloud your judgment. As a Seeker agent, you should know where your loyalty lies."
For a moment, Predator stood speechless at my directness.
His mouth opened and closed several times before his brown eyes darkened with acceptance.
He nodded tensely. "I understand."
I hummed in acceptance. "Good. Now, go get some rest. This war won't be stopped in a day."
Predator nodded wordlessly, and brushed past me.
I watched him walk by before I turned my attention back to the others.
Fear shook his head in disapproval. "He always wore his heart on his sleeve. That's going to get him killed someday."
I sighed. "We can't blame him for that."
The Assassin shrugged. "Maybe not, but as you said, we're at war. Pity and compassion isn't going to bring the Phantoms to their knees. Instead, it'll just make it easier for them to screw us over."
That's some positive thinking right there! I thought in bitter sarcasm.
I rubbed my eyes. "Well, I'm going to get some rest. Stay alert for those two Seeker teams we're expecting."
Elvira and Fear both nodded, and I took that as my cue to find a nice quiet place to take a nap.
________________________________________
True to Pete's word, a team of four Warriors arrived within an hour.
The leader of the group approached me. "Agent Moore? We've come to escort your prisoner to a secure location."
I nodded, and led him to the room where Diana was kept. It was strange associating a name with a Phantom agent.
We arrived at the door, and the guard on site unlocked it for us.
The Warriors and I stepped inside the cramped room.
The Phantom woman looked up blankly, apparently not at all intimidated by the muscular men that surrounded her.
I spoke out. "Diana, you are to be sent to a secure location where you will assist the Seekers in any way they need. I'll pass on the message for you to be treated well."
The older woman merely raised a thin eyebrow, but didn't say anything.
I looked over at the Warrior. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have five minutes with her alone."
The lead Warrior nodded, before he and his team stepped out of the room.
Once the door was shut, I knelt in front of the woman. She observed me with cool calculation.
"Those Phantom agents were after you, weren't they?" I commented after a moment.
The Phantom woman nodded. "They knew of my intentions."
I hesitated. "What would they have done with you if you were captured?"
"Kill me on the spot," the woman replied bluntly.
My brows furrowed as I stayed quiet.
A small smile wrinkled the Phantom's worn face. "You don't have to force yourself to feel pity for me. I did what I did, and I cannot change who I am. I just hope to redeem myself this once before I let fate play its role on me."
I nodded, and then walked over to the door, and opened it.
I gestured my head towards the Phantom woman. "She's all yours."
The lead Warrior nodded, and then stepped forward. "Please com
e with us." He said politely, but with a stern tone.
Wordlessly, the Phantom woman stood up, and allowed the Warriors to put on another set of hand-cuffs to her slender wrists.
I mentally made a note to remind the Seekers to feed her properly.
As they walked out of the room, the Phantom woman turned to glance at me. "I wish you luck on your mission, Seeker." She said hoarsely.
With that, the Warriors escorted her down the narrow hallway.
I felt a bit confused as mixed emotions swirled within me. I almost felt… sad that she was gone.
I could understand Predator's reservations. Diana was indeed different than the others of her kind. It was a pity that things turned out the way they did.
I shook my head. There was no point in feeling upset about something that I couldn't control.
I turned around, and made my way to my room. I needed time to think things over.
Chapter 22: Bittersweet Connection
It was well past 10pm when I finished my personal chores.
I got up, and stretched my rather stiff muscles.
Once I deemed myself ready, I walked out of the room, and made my way down the hallway.
As clumsy as ever, I nearly bumped into John's firm chest.
I stumbled back slightly. "John." I said once I regained my balance. "What's up?"
The Guardian stepped back. "The medical team arrived an hour ago. They took my mother to a secure location."
My eyes softened. "John, I'm so sorry." I said sincerely.
He nodded, though his eyes portrayed his sadness of the situation. "Yeah… It's ironic; for seven years I believed she was dead, and now that I actually found her, she's taken away from me again."
I snorted, and crossed my arms. "Life can be quite a bitch."
John hummed in agreement. "Simple, yet that pretty much sums it up."
I laughed a bit. "That's me; I like to get straight to the point."
John chuckled in return, before his face turned serious. "I hate to be such a kill-joy, but the Head Warrior is on, and he's requesting your audience."
Automatically I adopted a serious attitude, and stared at John in wonder. "What is it?" I asked.
John shrugged. "I don't know, Rachel. He simply requested everyone's presence before he would say anything."
My eyebrows furrowed in concern. Whatever Pete had to say, it was probably not good news.
"Alright, let's go." I said.
Wordlessly, I followed John to the conference room where everyone else were already waiting.
They all had solemn looks on their faces which only deepened the tightening inside me.
I stepped to the middle where Pete's face was portrayed.
He watched me approach with a grim expression. "Hello, Agent Moore. Now that you're here, I can get started with HQ's update."
The room's air thickened in anticipation.
"Mr. Hill provided us with more information." Pete started. "He has revealed that the Phantoms are after the Shroud."
Gasps were heard all around.
My own eyes widened at the seriousness of the situation.
The Shroud was built in Switzerland as a symbol of peace. It was the official capital of the Seeker organization, yet it more for show. The main Seeker power was focused in New York.
I breathed deeply, and urged myself to be calm.
The Head Warrior continued. "A decision has been made of what the next course of action will be: agents Fear and Delta are to relocate to Switzerland along with every other high-ranked Seeker agent. The rest of you will regroup back in America."
My eyes widened in shock. "But sir…" I started.
"The decision is final, Agent Moore. I'm sorry, but we all have our orders." Pete replied sternly.
I could only nod back slightly as I felt a heavy weight pit in my gut.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
I turned around and saw John staring at me, his eyes portrayed the same dislike of the situation as I felt.
I only gave him a small smile before I turned my head to face the Head Warrior.
I bit my lip as I contemplated on whether or not I really wanted to ask. "If the Phantoms do manage to take control of the Shroud…then what will be our outcome?" I asked carefully, dreading the answer.
Pete stared at me very hard, his brown eyes molted in contained fury. "Then God forbid, the whole world will be in a full scale war. The Shroud houses many sensitive documents that will only lead to global disaster if they fall into the Phantoms' hands."
I felt my face go white as I swallowed hard.
The Head Warrior leaned back into his chair, and sighed heavily. He rubbed his head as if soothing an oncoming headache.
He stopped the gesture, and looked at me again. "You have eight hours to get yourselves prepared. Agent Moore; I expect to see you and the others back in New York completely ready in 36 hours."
I nodded. "Yes sir."
"Good." He replied simply.
The Head Warrior then focused his attention on all of us again. "Be careful agents. These are dark days ahead of us. Keep each other safe. Pete out."
With that, the connection was cut.
I let out a long breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
There was a couple of light gasps, and heaving breathing.
Predator let out a loud exhale, and paced around the room as he tried to wrap his head around the situation.
I turned to face him as I was slightly annoyed by his movement.
He looked at me, and stopped when he saw my face.
He let out an aggravated sound, and then stood in the middle of the room. "Alright, I'll be the one to say this: this is all a bunch of bullshit."
My right eye twitched at his outburst, but I realized that Predator was right.
"I mean come on! They send you guys all the way out here for a critical mission, and then they just send you back home? And even better, they're relocating every high ranked Seeker agent to the Shroud all on a hunch from some gambler who can't even get a score with a hooker?!" He shouted the last part.
We all stared at him in stunned silence while he stared back in challenge.
As he was the one who knew the Demolitions Expert best, Fear moved to Predator's side and placed a hand on his shoulder companionably.
Immediately, Predator flinched, and moved away.
The Assassin stared at him in momentary shock before he regained his composure.
Predator looked back at Fear, and realized what he did. He looked away in shame, and walked towards the door.
As he was almost out of the room, he turned towards us. "I'll be packing my stuff," he said quietly, and then left the room.
A heavy silence fell upon us like a thick blanket. None of us knew what to say.
Movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention, and I saw Fear make his way towards the door.
I sped walk to him which caught his attention in return.
He turned around slightly, and waited for me to say whatever I needed to say.
"He's stressed." I said. "We all are."
The Assassin merely nodded. "Yes, I know that."
He then turned around completely, worry was hidden deep in his eyes.
I gave Fear a sympathetic look, and rubbed his shoulder in reassurance.
The outline in his mask ruffled slightly which allowed me to assume that he was slightly smiling.
I smiled back, and surprised everyone, even myself, by hugging him tightly.
He let out a quick gasp as he obviously didn't expect my gesture.
As usual, he got over his initial shock and wrapped his arms around me, patting my back.
I pulled away, and stepped back to give the Assassin some room.
Said person crossed his arms, and acted like nothing happen, but I knew that my gesture touched him.
I smiled again, and winked.
He chuckled in return.
I coughed as I attempted to get rid
of any awkwardness. "You take care out there Fear. Better live up to your name's meaning." I grinned.
He smirked. "Oh please, Agent Moore. That is hardly a challenge." He then took on a more serious tone. "You take care as well. I don't want to have to save your ass again."
I raised an eyebrow, and placed my hands on my hips. "Is that so?" I replied as I dared him to contradict me. "As I recall, you were trying to play hero, and I had to use my wits to not get you killed."
The Assassin just rolled his eyes, but his eyes twinkled in amusement.
After a moment, he turned towards the door and waved at me. "Until we meet again, Agent Moore." With that, he was out the door.
I shook my head as I was unable to keep the smile off of my face.
I turned around, and saw John staring at me in confusion.
I merely grinned.
John shook his head in reply.
The other agents stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do.
I sighed and gave them a reassuring smile. "You guys should probably pack your things as we'll be leaving in the morning."
Both Elvira and Olsen nodded, and politely made their way past me.
It was just me and John…
"John." I said.
"Yeah, Rachel?" He answered as he turned towards me.
"I…uh…" The words died out in my throat.
I couldn't tell him.
Said person quirked his head, waiting to hear what I had to say.
I looked down, took a deep breath and looked back at him as I smiled sadly. "I wish you all the best." I said softly.
John's eyes dimmed slightly, as if his hope was extinguished.
The slight hurt on his face made me feel like a part of me died on the inside. I wanted to tell him how I felt so much, but I couldn't.
I internally cursed myself for that.
John rubbed his head, and let out a loud sigh. He then turned to face me. "Care to join me for a drink?" He asked almost timidly.
I smiled gently at his shyness. I was also relieved at the dissipation of the awkwardness. "Sure, friend, if you're buying."
My Guardian seemed to have felt relieved as well for he regarded me in amusement. "Well it'll be free, but sure thing, my lady."
I huffed in indignation. "Cheap bastard," I muttered.
He merely laughed in response.
I rolled my eyes, and followed John to wherever the booze was kept.