by Jack Parker
I huffed. "Why the change of heart? Phantoms have always killed Seeker agents in the past."
Shadow made a gesture of impatience. "Forget about the other Seeker agents. You're the only one who's an… exception."
Even through the pain, I managed to snort in indignation. "An exception, huh? Why; because of my history with your organization? Shouldn't that make me even more of a priority to eliminate?"
The Phantom agent cocked his head almost in confusion. "That would make no sense tactical wise." He then stepped forward until he was exactly in front of me.
He grabbed a hold of my chin again, and forced me to look up. "You're the golden girl of the Seekers. What better way to shatter their morale then by taking you away from them?"
I glared at him. "So I'm just a damsel in distress being used for an egotistic stand-off. I think I rather just be executed."
Shadow's shoulders shook as he chuckled. "You certainly have quite the sadistic sense of humor. There's more to your use than you know, but that's none of your concern." He got up, and made his way towards the door.
He opened it, and stepped outside.
The other Phantom agents from earlier got in, and unshackled me.
It was then that I noticed a familiar ring on Shadow's left finger.
My eyes widened slightly at the discovery. "You lured me there, didn't you?" I stated.
The Phantom agent looked at me in approval. "Ah, for once you used that dim-witted brain of yours. I told you that we didn't want to kill you."
I narrowed my eyes in displeasure as the two guards tied my hands behind my back with thick rope and waited for their next orders.
"Take her back to her cell." Agent Shadow said. "We'll continue with her treatment another time." With that said, he turned around, and walked away.
My 'escorts' guided me back to my cell, and shoved me inside.
They tied my legs together once more, and left the tiny room.
All that was heard was my loud breathing. The area where my pinky used to be still hurt like a bitch and my muscles ached all over.
I concentrated on slowing down my breathing. Well, at least I'm alive. I thought.
Chapter 30: Risky SOS
Exhaustion and an overwhelming amount of pain made me pass out.
My dreams were more like nightmares though as they replayed my torture. I still felt the pain as the Phantom agent cut off my pinky. The worst part was when he proceeded to cut off the rest of my fingers, each of them became a bloody stub…
I abruptly woke up.
My eyes were met with the same darkness that dominated my cramped cell.
Once I realized that I was still more or less in one piece, I focused on slowing down my breathing.
After a few minutes, I accomplished my small goal and proceeded to stare blankly at the door.
I was still tied up, so there wasn't much I could have done.
Aside from my cramped muscles and the slight throb at where my pinky used to be, I felt relatively ok physically. Mentally, however, was a whole other issue.
After all that I have been through, I was surprised that I didn't have a total mental breakdown.
I was trapped in god knows where with a sadistic Phantom agent who cuts off fingers for fun. There was also the fact that two of my team members were dead, with Gizmo probably being held in another cell and tortured just like I was. Or maybe he too was dead.
I shook my head fiercely in an attempt to block out all negative thoughts. If there is a God up there, please keep Gizmo safe, I prayed.
I sighed as I stared at the door once more.
I had no idea how much time had passed.
My thoughts trailed to John. I was scared to death about him, and I hoped that he was safe, wherever he was. If what Shadow told me was true, then the Seekers were in grave danger.
The sound of multiple footsteps pulled me from my thoughts as the door opened, and invited in the aggravating bright lights.
My eyes winced in response as two figures came into my cell and cut my leg bounds.
They lifted me up, and wordlessly pushed me forward.
I nearly fell face down onto the dusty ground, however the agents were fast, and pulled me by the back of my shirt.
With my balance regained, the two figures guided me out into the narrow hallway and we walked.
Several thoughts were running rampage in my mind which nearly gave me a headache.
I closed my eyes to ease the tension, however, I opened them right away as a particular thought made itself known.
Shadow never mentioned what had happened to Olsen. Was he dead too, or did he somehow escape?
Deep down, I had hoped that the latter was true, though I tried not to have much hope. Surely, there must have been a reason for Shadow to not have mentioned Olsen unless…
I almost laughed in relief as it clicked what the most likely outcome was.
Olsen must have avoided detection when the Phantoms boarded the plane. There was no other explanation.
Shadow was a heartless son of a bitch, and he always slapped the information right at my face.
My teeth were exposed as I grinned widely. Way to go, Olsen! I thought triumphantly.
I knew that I chose to be a Scout for a reason.
Aside from scouting areas, we were also trained in avoiding detection.
I let out a breath I hadn't realized that I was holding. I really hoped that my conclusion was correct. The only question that remained was where was he? Most likely, he'd try to contact any survivors and warn them about the Phantoms' attack.
With the new-found hope, I stood up straighter, and walked with much more confidence.
Wherever I was headed, I would walk in with my head held high.
After what seemed like an eternally, my "escorts" and I arrived at a med bay.
A look of confusion passed over my face as I wondered what we were doing there.
A tugging sensation pulled me back to my senses as one of the guards cut through the tough cord and at last freed my hands.
I rubbed them vigorously as I attempted to bring back the blood flow to the area, as well as sooth the sore muscles.
Once again, the guards pushed me towards the center of the room, and immediately I was surrounded by various medical staff members as they pushed me onto a simple bed.
Instinctively, I tried to fight them off, however, there were too many of them, and I was pressed against the mattress.
One doctor took out a rather long needle, and filled it a quarter full with a clear fluid.
My eyes widened, and I resumed my struggle to escape.
My effort was futile as I was held down by the other staff members while the one with the needle stuck the needle in my left arm and injected the fluid.
Immediately, I felt the effects of the drug course through my veins, and my whole body went slack. My vision became blurry, and whatever speech I wanted to let out was slurred and barely comprehensible. I felt very drowsy, as if I was light years away from my body.
The doctors realized that I would not have been able to fight, so they brought out a tray of various tools, and placed my right arm on a support.
I leaned my head to the right to try to see what they were going to do, yet the doctors had set up one of those blue sleets over my head to block my view.
I cursed weakly.
The doctors ignored my comment, and focused on their task.
I couldn't tell what they were doing, however, I later realized that they were fixing my injury.
I wasn't sure how long it took. Despite my drowsiness, I still forced myself to look around wherever I could to evaluate a, (hopefully successful), escape plan.
A sharp stinging sensation snapped me out of my dilemma, and caused me to turn towards the source.
The person whom I assumed was the chief doctor stuck another needle into my flesh from the feeling of it. I suppose it was to numb the area and do whatever they had to do.
I paid the medica
l staff no further attention, and instead focused on the two guards.
They were the same ones from before, still big and buff as usual, yet they had guns on them.
It was going be tough to escape from them, especially since I was out of it.
Even with the reality pressed against me, I still refused to give into the hopelessness.
A bonus for me was that Shadow wasn't there, so that would have only left me with the two guards.
The issue was that the medical team was still there, and they outnumbered me. They also had various surgical tools that could be used as weapons, and I wasn't willing to go up against them.
If I wanted to go up against just the two guards, then I'd have to take them out on the way back to my cell, preferably before they tied me up again.
That was easier said than done.
My mind may have been rolling the dice, but my body was useless at that point. The damn drug had handicapped me so much that I'd be as slow as a snail.
I cursed inwardly once more. Just how was I going to do this?
An abrupt murmuring sound interrupted my chaotic screams within, and brought me back to reality.
I realized that the medical team was done patching me up, and were cleaning up their tools.
One nurse took another needle filled with yet another clear fluid. She effortlessly took my arm and injected the substance.
Within a couple of minutes, I started to feel like I had regained some motor control over my body.
I experimented with flexing some joints, and was satisfied when they reacted.
All too soon, the two guards lifted me off the bed and guided me towards the door.
The fact that they didn't bother to tie my hands worked in my favor though. They probably assumed that I was too weak to do much.
I started to walk forward before the guards could push me again.
I smirked inwardly at my mini victory, but sobered immediately as I prepared myself for my task.
Silently, we went down the hall, and my body tensed up in alertness.
We approached what I recognized to be the door to my cell.
Butterflies flew all around in my stomach, and I had to fight back the urge to puke.
Dreadfully, we arrived at my cell door, and one the guards unlocked it.
At that point, my eyes were wide, and my heartbeat accelerated. I had to try.
Just as the door fully opened, I stomped on the toes of the guard beside me, and with a grunt I kicked the one closest to the door into the cell.
The guard who remained howled loudly which made me wary of it possibly attracting more of his friends.
I kicked him where it really hurt, grabbed one of his guns, and shoved him into the cell as well.
I slammed the door shut, and locked it all the way.
Once that was done, I pressed my back against the metal, and slid down.
I panted heavily, and sighed in a momentary relief. Guess not every Phantom agent was bright.
I let out a harsh laugh, but was startled as the two guards pounded on the door, and yelled at me to release them.
I stood up and stepped away, but then I smirked, and placed one hand on my hips in a mocking way. "Eat my dust, assholes." I said as I gave them the finger.
I ignored the ever persistent guards, and carefully walked down the corridor.
My balance was not at 100%, so I guided myself by placing a hand against the wall while I held the gun in the other.
I passed by the empty med lab, and continued on my way. At every sound, I froze and attempted to find its source, but then shook my head, and continued forward.
Surprisingly, there was no activity going on. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. Were the Phantoms that oblivious to what went on inside their bases, or were they setting me up? I continued on with caution just in case.
All of a sudden, my veins began to glow. I stared at my arms in open shock as I tried to find a justifiable explanation amidst my raging thoughts.
I accidentally tripped over a small pebble, and cursed in my breath, but quickly shut up as I heard footsteps coming towards me.
I looked around me anxiously, and found a simple door a couple of meters behind me.
I backtracked and opened it, and hid inside.
The footsteps intensified as it walked by the door and then faded away.
I waited for a few minutes before I allowed myself to somewhat relax and take in my situation.
As I stepped back, I collided with something and immediately jumped away.
Once I realized that it was just a harmless chair, I took a better look at the room.
There were two rows of computers lined up against the walls.
I sat down at one, and looked at the machinery in curiosity.
I pressed the start button and the machine came to life. I placed my gun on the far edge of the counter, and leaned my elbows near the center as I studied the computer.
Confusion filled me as I was met by a familiar screen. The Seeker network popped up, and was asking for the login information.
How did the Phantoms get access to the Seeker network?
Determined to find out, I punched in my personal login information, purposely ignoring the unnatural effect of my glowing arms.
A browser popped up, and a list of unimportant Seeker market ads appeared. I skimmed through the list until a file in particular caught my attention.
I pressed it, and a series of videos popped up, the latest one was recorded six hours earlier.
I clicked it, yet I felt a sense of dread. Whatever the video would show me, I wouldn't like it.
________________________________________
Seeker HQ's entrance was a mess. Large shards of glass littered the once impeccably clean area, and occasional blood stains added crimson color to the boring grey tones.
Various Phantom units monitored the area. It seemed like a sick joke of the former glory and usage of HQ.
An unfamiliar team came in through the damaged entrance doors, dragging two unconscious Seeker agents. One of them was eerily familiar…
________________________________________
My eyes widened in shock. The Phantoms took over HQ? How?
I quickly selected the next video, desperate to find out what happened.
________________________________________
Seeker HQ was its old proper self.
Various Seeker members walked back and forth through the area towards their specific destinations.
Like a stone splashing through a pond, chaos followed.
Squads of Phantom agents burst through the front doors, started shooting at everyone in sight.
Poor victims tried to run, but were gunned down without mercy.
Shockingly, more Phantoms came from the elevators, and escorted a group of three men and one woman.
They stopped in the center of the area, and lined up the men and woman.
The group was executed in front of whatever Seeker agent whom managed to witness it.
The Phantoms left the bodies where they fell, and gestured to various areas before splitting up.
________________________________________
My body shook uncontrollably as I re-watched the videos. It was obvious that the Phantoms had inside help.
Again, deja-vu filled me as I recalled the contact's warning. We realized the severity too late.
Taking a closer look at the people executed, something twisted within my gut.
I had a strong feeling that they were the directors. It was suspicious that they were only four bodies instead of five.
Someone had to have allowed the Phantoms in, and who knew would have had the authority and clearance to let them pass?
I gritted my teeth in fury at the betrayal. The Seeker's foundations on which it was formed completely crumpled.
With HQ in Phantom hands, they practically had our organization nailed to the wall.
They would have access to our files, our mission reports, classifi
ed information, and so on.
We were so screwed.
I shook my head to clear my senses, and proceeded to try to send a message to Pete.
Suddenly, a beep sound came from the computer as well as a message stating that I didn't have the authority to proceed with my request.
Confused, I ignored the warning, and continued with my task.
Another message popped up, and stated that the server analyst would be informed if I continued with my task.
Hesitantly, I ignored the message again, and continued to type my message.
A tight knot curled in my stomach as I continued.
At that point, I knew that my cover was blown, but all that mattered was warning Pete about what happened, if he didn't already know.
An alarm went off, and I winced as I heard doors open and slam shut as well as numerous voices barked at each other.
The voices got louder, and eventually were right outside my door. It slammed open, and revealed several Phantom agents entering the room.
I looked back in desperation and fear as I vainly tried to find a way out.
Abruptly, an electric shock coursed through me.
I yelped in surprise, before I fell to the ground.
"No!" I screamed as a pair of strong arms grabbed me from behind, and dragged me away from the computer.
I was about to fight back, until I felt something hit the back of my head and the world went dark.
Chapter 31: A Long Awaited Meeting
The sound of low murmuring was what freed me from the dream world. The more awake I became, the more aware I was of the fact that all of my muscles felt like they were on fire. I could barely move without having a sharp sting go up my spine that left me momentarily paralyzed. The damn collar was pulsing electricity through me.
I gritted my teeth to prevent a hiss of pain from escaping.
Once the uncomfortable sensation passed, I concentrated my energy that remained on opening my eyes. It took a lot more effort than it should have as each eyelid felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each.
After a few minutes of trial and error, I was finally able to open my eyes, yet my sight was met with darkness.