by Jack Parker
I was upset about his circumstance, but I just nodded in acceptance. "Alright, but don't strain yourself anymore. The real mission hasn't even started yet."
Before my friend could reply, Agent Arrow caught our attention as he waved us over.
Gingerly, Fear got up and winced, but otherwise didn't react at all.
I gestured to help him, but he lightly slapped my hand away, so I held my hands up in surrender and walked beside him.
We all stood in front of Agent Arrow.
"Alright everyone, part one of our mission ended. Now part two will commence shortly. That was about a twenty minute swim that we all endured, so I congratulate all of you for persevering. However, we've got more work to do. Hopefully, Agent Evans was able to set up numerous explosives within that time." He then activated his ear piece. "Agent Evans, this is Agent Arrow, what is your status?"
Agent Evan's voice came through, though it was a bit distorted due to our depth within the base. "Agent Evans here. I finished placing the explosives around the anti-missile guns and I just started making my way down the levels. The suit is working perfectly. I'm actually surprised at the sloppiness of the Phantoms though. Aren't they usually thorough?"
"Very good, Evans." The Medic replied. "Keep up the good work, but don't let your guard down."
"Well do sir. Evans out." With that, the line was cut.
Agent Arrow signed out of the link, before he looked at us. "Now comes the next step. We've got to head to higher ground, where the interrogation rooms are. There, we will split into the two teams we discussed about. Watch each other's' backs."
We all nodded in understanding, however, a nagging feeling started to develop in my gut when I heard Agent Evans' news.
Ever since we came back, there were many instances where we narrowly avoided detection by the Phantoms.
As Agent Evans said so himself, they were normally thorough in their work, and hardly anybody escaped their notice.
Something was definitely wrong.
I didn't have time to dwell on my concern as my partners wrapped themselves with some cooled silver paper.
I snapped myself back to attention, and did the same thing.
If the plan went exactly how we wanted it, then Agent Arrow would successfully disable the electric board which would activate the backup generator.
As a result, the surveillance cameras would switch to thermal imagery, hence why we brought the cooled silver paper.
Once we were fully covered, we all assembled into a single line, and climbed up some steep rocks in order to reach the lowest level of Seeker HQ.
We succeeded with minimal strain and we quickly moved to the power source for the entire building.
Expertly, Arrow accessed the power system and shut it all down.
The lights automatically went out, and a low groaning sound filled the area as the backup generator kicked in.
Arrow got up and took out a simple, yet elegant silver knife. "Remember, we only have an hour guys have to fulfill our mission while the Phantoms are unaware." He said.
He then turned, and walked away.
Without question, we followed him down the dimly lit hallway, careful to make sure to avoid any patrolling Phantoms.
We arrived at an intersection of sorts that relayed several identical hallways.
Agent Arrow then turned to face us. "We'll split up here; we'll cover more ground that way." He suggested.
As dangerous as it was, there was no other way to find Rachel faster.
My teammates and I understood as we nodded and all headed off in our own direction.
The normally dimmed hallways seemed even darker, if that were possible.
Despite the fact that the paper that covered me would have rendered me practically invisible to the infrared specialized cameras, I still didn't want to take any chances, so I clung to the wall for dear life.
I did that until I reached the end of the hallway and arrived at an armored door.
Curious, I attempted to open it, however, the locks were bolted shut, yet there was an access panel beside it.
As I was fumbling with the panel, a voice resonated through the unsettling quiet from behind me. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that."
As soon as the words were spoken, a hard object was pressed on the back of my head.
"You bitch." I murmured to myself as I turned around to face the gun pointed at my face.
Chapter 39: A Painful Departure
I narrowed my eyes as I came face to face with the gun wielder. Her eyes morphed to the traditional color of the Phantoms.
"So, which side gave you more sexual pleasure?" I said mockingly.
The woman merely glared at me. "Shut up, Agent Delta." She said as she emphasized her threat by pressing the gun harder against my chest.
I grunted slightly at the force. "I take it that you were the reason why our return to New York went smoothly?"
The Phantom agent raised an eyebrow. "Wow, did you have to think hard to come to that conclusion?" She asked sarcastically.
I glared in response. "How could you have betrayed us? After everything we've been through. Did you ever care about Fear? What about your uncle?"
The woman merely stared at me blankly. "You fail to realize that the Seekers have lost. Your little rescue operation won't work. As for Fear, he would be a great asset to the Phantoms. My uncle, however, is an old man. He's past due for death."
I narrowed my eyes even further and snarled. "You bitch!" I hissed. "You turned your back against everything the Seekers have ever stood for! You've been manipulated, can't you see that?"
"Hardly." She replied. "I've been greatly improved. You see, I've always felt that the Seekers have been pulling me back from my true potential. When the Phantoms expressed their interest in me, how could I have refused such an opportunity?"
If it weren't for the gun, I would have grabbed Agent Claire by the neck and snapped it.
Instead, I willed myself to remain as calm as I possibly could. "Whoever you used to be, that person is dead. You're a traitor, and I will stop you." I said.
Agent Claire snorted. "Don't be so sure, Agent Delta. There are more enemies here than friends."
As if to prove her point, footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Immerging from the darkness was no other than Martin Hill. "Well, well. Look who's here." The balding man commented as he smiled crookedly. "You know, I've been itching to get some payback ever since you've arrested me."
He then grabbed me roughly by my collar, and slammed me hard against the stone wall. "I'm going to enjoy cutting you up." Hill then took out a sharp razor blade.
I stared at it anxiously, and when I looked back at the man, he grinned sadistically at me as his eyes were of the same color as Agent Claire's. "Let this be a lesson for you on never messing with me."
Just before he could aim the knife at my face, Agent Claire grabbed Hill by his arm, and pushed him to the side. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Hill." She simply said.
She then looked at me blankly, her glowing eyes no longer held the same warmth that I have associated with her during the length of our former mission. "The leader wants us to bring him in. Probably for some long deserved father-son time." The last part sounded sarcastic.
I narrowed my eyes at her and bit my lip to prevent myself from making a retort that I might have regretted.
I had to escape their grasp somehow.
Martin Hill reluctantly pulled away, obviously disappointed that he couldn't hurt me.
To be honest, though, I wasn't sure what was worse: getting mutilated by Hill, or having to come face to face with the monster that made me.
I was pulled from my thoughts by Hill as he grabbed me roughly by the shoulder, and began to lead me back to the darkness from which he came.
Claire followed alongside us.
All the while, I looked around me hastily for any way of escape.
I groaned as I was hit on the back of the head.
&n
bsp; I looked behind me and saw Hill smile at me. "There'll be no plans of escape coming from you. Don't want daddy to ground you, do ya?" He laughed hard.
I glared at the balding man as he continued to laugh.
He smirked at me. "Say, how's the pretty little brunette? We have some unfinished business to attend to."
Fury coursed through my veins as I tried to claw at the bastard.
He held tightly onto both of my hands, and laughed louder, before he was abruptly cut off.
I pulled my hands from his slack grip, and he fell over.
A pool of blood began to form from the bullet wound that pierced his neck.
Claire tensed up automatically, and grabbed me as a human shield while she pressed her gun against my temple. "Agent Fear, I assume. Don't do anything stupid, otherwise I'll blow your friend's brain clean out of his skull."
As expected, there was only silence as an answer.
Despite Claire's outward wariness, her heartbeat was surprisingly calm.
A whizzing noise interrupted the tense atmosphere as a bullet narrowly missed Claire's cheek.
Said person turned around just as a body collided with both of us.
We all fell to the ground.
The wind was knocked out of me, and my vision was momentarily blurry as I saw two figures struggle to gain the upper hand.
One of them pushed the other back, and fired a shot in the direction.
A silence then formed that was only interrupted by loud breathing.
My clear eyesight came back, and I saw both Claire and Fear stare at each other in a defensive stance.
Claire smirked. "Well then, I guess this'll be the sparring match that we so wanted."
Fear's face was blank, however, as he dropped his sniper rifle to the ground.
In return, Claire placed her dual pistols and all of their bullets on the ground.
Immediately, she launched herself at Fear who quickly rolled to the side and kicked her.
The woman fell, but caught her balance by pressing both of her hands on the ground.
At the same time, she managed to slide one foot through Fear's belt, and threw him over as she stretched her leg back.
Like Claire, Fear regained his balance, and narrowly missed a punch to his face.
The next little bit was them exchanging blows and blocks until Claire got tired of the repetitiveness, and jumped back.
She breathed hard, however, there was a look of amusement on her face. "Not bad. However, I don't play by the rules." She smirked.
Suddenly, she threw several small pebbles at Fear who turned away to cover his eyes.
Thick smoke enveloped the area, and I coughed at the compound.
The sound of a gun cocking forced me to turn my head to the right as I saw Claire slowly walk towards me with the gun pointed at me. "Come on, Agent Delta. I've got a delivery to make."
Just as she bent over, a gunshot went off, and a small amount of blood splattered across my face.
Claire's glowing eyes were completely wide as she stared at me in shock.
She then looked down, and saw the mass of blood that stained her blouse and continued to spread.
She looked back up at me before she fell over on her side.
Immediately, I shuffled away from her, but went still when footsteps came towards me.
Luckily, it was just Fear as he threw Claire's second pistol to the side, and adjusted his visor on his eye.
I stared at Fear in slight shock who merely looked at me blankly. "Did that hit her? It was supposed to be just a warning shot. Oh well." He shrugged carelessly. "I was never into redheads anyways. I prefer brunettes."
For a moment, all I did was blink repeatedly as I had no idea how to react.
Apparently tired of my behavior, Fear bent down and snapped his fingers in front of my eyes. "Earth to John. Is anyone in there?" He asked.
My eyes snapped to attention and I glared at him before I stood up.
Fear followed my example and stood up as well. "Once again, I saved your ass. Next time, you'll owe me a medal." He joked.
I snorted. "Yeah, well, how about you make this time on the house?"
Fear chuckled before he turned his attention to the figure of Claire.
From my angle, I could see her chest rise and fall, although it was very weak.
I walked over towards her and leaned down so that I could see her face.
Her eye color was back to hazel, and through the haze of pain, I saw sorrow expressed as well. "I'm so sorry." She whispered, before she shuddered and relaxed into the pavement.
I continued to stare at her for several minutes as I reflected that the girl always had the best intentions, however, the Phantoms were master manipulators.
I sighed in pity for the dead body and stood up.
I didn't realize that Fear was already beside me.
I gave him a questioning gaze, which he ignored.
Instead, he too leaned down and gently ran his fingers through Claire's short hair.
He held his hand over her blank eyes, before he closed the eyelids.
He then stood up, and stared at me with an unrecognizable look.
"Are you alright?" I asked softly.
My friend continued to stare at me for several minutes, before he looked away and grabbed his weapons.
He then looked back at me. "Come on, we've got a mission to complete." He said.
I knew that I wouldn't get any answer out of him, so I nodded and together we hurriedly made our way down the hallway.
Chapter 40: Goodbye, My Friend
Fear and I spent a good couple of minutes sneaking down numerous hallways once we got the armored door open.
We were in the prison cell block.
I anxiously, and rather impatiently, slammed each cell door open, only to be disappointed by the lack of occupants.
With Fear's help, we divided the side of the walls and the task went by faster.
I was immensely disappointed when we reached the end of the hallway with still no sign of Rachel. "Where is she?" I asked frantically.
"I don't know John." Fear replied. "She should be close by. Maybe they're keeping her in an interrogation room?"
That news gave me a new sliver of hope as I nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, the echo of barely muted footsteps reached us, and we tensed up in anticipation.
To my relief, the Medic's figure quickly made its way towards us. "Where the hell have you two been?" He started once he reached us.
He glanced at both of us, and a questioning look appeared on his face. "Where's Agent Claire?"
I glanced at Fear and saw that he too was looking at me.
I gave him a sympathetic look before I turned to face Agent Arrow. "She was a Phantom agent; she didn't leave us any choice." I answered as I slightly bent my head down.
The older man's eyes widened slightly as he understood my meaning.
He sighed tiredly as he paced around. "Agent Cian is not going to be happy." He commented.
"He'll have to understand." I said.
Agent Arrow stopped in his track, and turned to face me. "Easier said than done kid. Who's going to tell him that his only niece was a traitor to our organization?"
Fear stepped forward. "We won't tell him the truth. We'll say that she gave up her life for use to complete the mission."
Both Agent Arrow and I looked at him in disbelief as he stared back blankly.
"Fear," I started, "you don't have to do this. You don't owe her anything."
"I'm not asking for your permission, John," he replied. "I was aware of Agent Claire's 'feelings' for me. Despite her betrayal, she still had a good heart. I owe that to her, at least."
I was about to retort when each of our ear pieces abruptly beeped simultaneously.
Curious, I activated it.
A muffled voice came through. "Hello there, Seeker agents!" It said excitedly. "I'm so glad that you answered my call. No one likes being ignored." The voice then sn
ickered.
In the background, there were noises that sounded like there was a struggle.
"So sorry about that, my guest is not at all well-mannered."
"Oh yeah? Screw you!" Came the second voice.
I recognized it as Gizmo's.
"Yikes, no need to be sassy lad! I'm going to have to teach you manners." The first voice replied.
For a moment, there was silence, before the voice returned. "I've got a question for you, Seeker agents. What do you reckon will happen if I place an active grenade in his hand?"
At first, there was nothing, but then Gizmo's agonizing screams echoed like thunder through the pager's speakers.
I winced at the intensity of his reaction.
"Oh what do you know? His whole bloody hand explodes! Hah, get it? Bloody." The dominant voice laughed.
I narrowed my eyes in fury, but the voice resumed speaking before I could have taken any course of action. "Alright, I've had my fun. Now, it's time to get to business. I know all about your little rescue operation, so I'll make you a deal: surrender yourselves over to the Phantoms, and Agent Moore will be given back unharmed. However, if you fail to cooperate, we will not hesitate to kill her. You've got thirty minutes." With that, the connection was cut.
I looked up at Fear and Agent Arrow.
Both had a serious look on their faces as they reflected over the demand.
Alas, Fear spoke. "John, there's no way we're doing what he said."
I stared at Fear in confusion. "What are you talking about? That's the only way to get Rachel back!"
Fear shook his head. "What if it's a trap to kill us all in one spot? We have to assess the situation before we make a move."
"I agree." Agent Arrow added in. "We can't make a move until Pete and the rest of his team draw the attention of the bulk of the Phantom forces. Once we have a safe passage, then we'll focus on getting Agent Moore."
I stubbornly refused their answers. "You two heard what the voice said; if we don't surrender ourselves soon, they'll kill Rachel!"
Fear placed his hands on my shoulders and shook me. "Get a hold of yourself, John! We're not suggesting to abandon the mission. We just need a better alternative."