by Jack Parker
Fear looked at each and every one of us intensely. "As far as we can tell, the base is indeed abandoned. We have had reports throughout the years of several captured civilians and Seeker agents being taken, we assume to bases like this one, and coming out changed." Fear reached a gloved hand into his back pocket and drew out a data pad. "According to my sources, it is undoubtedly a cloning facility."
My eyes widened in disbelief. "The Phantoms were performing cloning experiments? No military power has fully mastered it yet. If the Phantoms have, then this completely changes everything we thought we knew of them."
The Assassin nodded. "Indeed. This is one of several reasons why it's vital to complete our mission."
I then looked at the group of agents, and took my time to carefully read their expressions. All of them had sober-like expressions on their faces, yet hidden underneath was an unbounded determination.
I caught Predator's eye which was unusually blank. He tried to smile, but ended up looking away.
I mentally questioned his behavior before turning to look at the Assassin. "The Head Warrior said that we would be the only agents assigned to this operation. I take it that you've already scouted out the objective point?"
Agent Fear nodded. "It's clear, though that could be a completely different story once we're inside," he answered.
I bit my cheek in displeasure.
"If it is still occupied, we'll be ready," Agent Olsen stated.
Agent Predator grunted in agreement, while I nodded.
I then downed the rest of my coffee, and stood up. "Let's start this operation." I said.
The Assassin studied me thoroughly as he looked for any signs of incertitude or reluctance.
When he found none, Fear nodded his head, and gestured towards the door we came from. "I'll drive."
With that, my team and I made our way back to the van, each of us deep in our own train of thought.
Once we got inside the vehicle, the Assassin immediately set out to the main road.
For the first time since we've arrived, I finally took the time to take in the magnificent view of Rome. It was indeed a very beautiful city that held centuries' worth of human accomplishments and traditions.
I found myself smiling for a moment as I allowed myself to daydream.
All too soon, we arrived at the location of the Phantom lab. Fear parked the van in an abandoned alleyway a block away, and stopped the car.
With the hum of the engine gone, we all got out and studied our surroundings.
"Alright." I said which brought everyone's attention on me. "We know our mission parameters, so we will execute them with no delays and no hesitation. If you encounter any hostiles, do notface them alone. It's better to be safe than sorry. Gizmo will stay on the surface to maintain communications, so use his skill to your advantage. We're not alone in this."
The nodding of my teammates brought me a sense of confidence.
I rolled my shoulders subconsciously. "As we saw on the map, there was a large area several levels down. If the rumors are true, then we can now safely assume that that is the cloning facility. We will split up into small groups to investigate. If you find anything worthwhile, contact me. Any questions?"
When no one spoke up, I took that as an initiative and led the way to the abandoned building.
Once we arrived, the Assassin led us to a side door. He expertly undid the lock, and opened it wide. "Ladies first," he said in a joking manner.
I gave him a dry look before I stepped into the compact darkness within.
Inside there was no light. From the looks of it, it seemed that Fear was right about the place being abandoned, yet something didn't sit right with me.
Fear was next to come in and he made his way towards the access elevators.
One by one, we all filed in and eventually joined the Assassin.
Said person took out one sharp blade and sliced at a piece of the far side from the elevator. Not long afterwards, a decent portion of material fell to the ground and revealed a tight passageway.
A feeling of unease filled me. "It's tighter than I'd like." I commented.
The Assassin nodded as he secured his blade around his leather belt. "The power is down, so we can't use the elevator. Even if it wasn't, we don't want to go through the front door. We'll be using the ventilation ducks. As you said, it's better to be safe than sorry."
I nearly groaned at the fact.
I then looked up at the Assassin. "You owe me a drink." I remarked sarcastically.
He chuckled as I got down to my knees and began crawling through the tight hole.
Once I was securely on the other side, I was able to stand in the low ceiling, and saw a service ladder leading downwards. I shook away all remaining thoughts of doubt, and positioned myself correctly. I then expertly slid all the way down.
After what seemed like several minutes, I finally reached the bottom.
I was met with an incredibly thick darkness that I wasn't sure if even my flashlight could penetrate through it. I cautiously walked through the abyss, and felt my hand connect to a wall.
I took out my flashlight and it illuminated a small corridor. On the right side was a pair of doors with round windows in their center.
Curiously, I walked over to them and looked through. On the other side was an operating room. What caught my attention were the various body parts floating aimlessly in a clear liquid.
Violent shivers assaulted my body, and I quickly suppressed the urge to vomit.
Delta was the next person down.
He appeared to be a bit disoriented at first, but seemed to have adjusted his vision to the dominating darkness despite our combined flashlights.
Eventually, the other agents came down, followed by Fear who brought out a data pad and began looking through it. "I've got a map of the facility. We're in the south end of it. If we continue down this hallway, we will be in the main area."
We made our way towards the door and went into a large area that had posters of humanity's purification.
I snarled quietly as I thought of the stupidity and arrogance of the very implication.
I shook my head, and I focused my flashlight on my group which illuminated their pale faces. They all blinked as they adapted to the sudden light.
"All right, this is the part where we split up. I want to run a full sweep of this place. Our goal is to find any valuable data, and then blow this place out of existence. Remember to stay in constant communication. Move out!"
We all split up as we took different paths through the narrow lined up hallways.
I ventured into the farther one where there was a dim light that illuminated the otherwise dark area.
Where I was, there were two rows of wide containers that were filed along the walls. When I walked through, a tight knot formed in my gut. Whatever happened here, it was not pretty at all.
I placed my finger over my earpiece and activated it. "Testing out the comm. channel; can anyone read me?"
"Loud and clear boss." Gizmo replied.
"Seconded." Elvira stated.
"I hear you alright." Predator answered. "I'm with Fear in one section, can't tell which one. There's a lot of containers here."
"I'm seeing them here too. What about you Elvira; do you see any containers?" I asked.
"Affirmative." She replied. "What do you want us to do?"
"Don't touch them." I ordered. "We have no idea what is in there."
"Roger that." She confirmed.
I continued with my inspection of the area when I heard particularly loud breathing coming from Predator's mic. "Are you alright Pred?" I asked with slight concern.
"Yeah, sorry boss." He answered. He continued to breathe heavily.
A feeling of concern filled me. "Are you sure? Do you need to go back to the surface?"
"No, no, I'm good. I'm not gonna let some bad nightmares get the best of me." He replied forcefully.
Confusion took a hold of me as I wondered what he meant
by his statement. "Alright then." I simply said.
With that, I shut off my mic and resumed my inspection. I got shivers from a combination of the cold air, and the thought of what happened in here. This was a place of suffering.
I came across a table full of various papers. I picked one up, and glanced through it.
The contents were about possible changes to human anatomy that could increase a person's natural strength and resistance.
I carefully folded it and placed it inside of my jacket. I was certain that our scientists would be more than fascinated in studying it.
I then read another paper, although its content caused me to pay closer attention to it. It read: Subject 32A died early this morning. The cause was a fatal brain hemorrhage that was provoked immediately after mental manipulation attempt. The subject's death was the fourth this week. Internal workings are too strict for outside influence.
I blinked in amazement of what the paper stated. I placed it in my jacket as well.
Wanting to learn more about the Phantoms' experiments, I gathered as much as I could and placed them within the safety of my jacket.
One sheet accidently fell to the floor.
As I picked it up, I glanced through it. It read: Procedure with Subject 18G was successful. Not much mental stimulation was needed to convert ideologies. It was a first success after several attempts. Subject 18G will be placed in the Seeker ranks, and will be used to monitor their inside work.
My eyes widened at the implication. This was actual proof that Phantom spies were among the Seekers. No wonder the Head Scout and the Director's wife were assassinated so easily.
"Agent Moore, do you read me?" Elvira asked.
Her interruption caused me to jump.
I snapped myself into attention, and quickly placed the last document within my jacket. "Go ahead Elvira."
"I found some particularly interesting documents regarding the tests that were done here. I believe that our scientists will find them worthwhile to study."
I momentarily contemplated on the information. "Excellent work. Take them."
"Will do." She replied.
I once again shut off my mic, and continued to walk down the row of containers.
A certain container caught my attention as there was a red note posted on it. Curious, I lifted it to my view, but only saw numbers that held no comprehension for me.
I looked up and began to study the structure. Through the thick frost that coated the glass, I could faintly pick out the details of what appeared to be a woman with dark hair flowing through the vital water.
I heard a slight gasp from behind me which was then overpowered by a deep growl.
I turned around and saw Delta looking at the same container as me with an air of confusion.
I cautiously spoke. "Delta, what's wrong?"
The Guardian continued to stare unblinkingly at the wide container for several more minutes. "That's…that's my mother." He finally replied in complete disbelief.
Chapter 17: Unwelcomed Guest
I could only stare at Delta in shock as I took in what he said. "What?" I said as I finally managed to use my voice. "What do you mean that's your mother?"
Delta gave me a 'what do you think?' look.
I glared at him. The possibility of the woman in the tube being his mother was completely absurd.
Delta made a disarray of the various tools on the lined up tables.
"What are you doing?" I asked after I observed him for a few extra seconds.
The Guardian ignored me, and continued on with whatever he was doing, occasionally knocking over some tools.
Feeling annoyed, I placed a hand on his shoulder, and turned him around roughly. "Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked harshly.
The Guardian glared at me. "I have to free my mother. She's still alive!"
He went back to making a complete mess of the area.
"How do you intend to free her?" I inquired.
"There's a hatch on the front of the tube, but the power is out so I'll have to break it open."
Delta crouched on the floor, and picked up a thick hammer.
I raised an eyebrow. "You expect a hammer will get your mother out?"
Delta simply looked at me with a serious expression.
I felt my eyebrow twitch in annoyance.
I couldn't help but feel suspicious. It seemed too much to be a coincidence that Delta's lost mother was kept in this specific enemy lab. If the rumors about the experiments were true, then the woman in the tube could have been a clone of Delta's mother.
"Delta, you need to put that down." I said as I pointed to the hammer.
The Guardian did not pay attention to me. Instead, he positioned himself in front of the tube, and raised his arms up.
Without a second thought, I tackled him to the cold ground, and pinned him down with my knees.
He looked up at me with eyes narrowed in frustration. "Get off of me, Agent Moore!" He hissed through clenched teeth.
I glared at him. "And let you do a stupid mistake that could put our lives at risk? I don't think so," I replied.
Delta started to struggle, his movements became more violent and aggressive. One of his legs managed to free itself to kick me in the guts.
I let out a grunt, but I kept my firm hold on him.
Eventually, Delta realized that I would not budge from our questionable position.
It only occurred to me at that moment just how close we were: the tips of our noses were nearly touching, and I straddled him in a rather provocative way.
I forced myself to ignore the rather provocative physical contact, and maintained a collected attitude.
I stared down at the Guardian as I made an effort to breathe normally.
After what seemed like an eternity, I spoke. "Put that hammer down. I won't allow you to put our lives and our mission in jeopardy."
The Guardian looked at me with desperation evident in his grey eyes. "I need to know whether that woman is my mother or not. I've spent the last seven years believing that she was dead." His eyes visibly molted into a lighter shade. "Please, Rachel," he whispered tenderly.
My eyes widened in surprise as my heart momentarily fluttered.
Over the past few months, my relationship with Delta had dramatically changed.
We had come a long way from me being annoyed by his very presence to what we became, though I had no bloody idea what changed.
We already established that we were friends back on the plane, yet for some reason I felt that wasn't right. It was like I wanted more, but wasn't sure if that would have been appropriate. I barely knew anything about the Guardian, but that only seemed to draw me in.
As I looked down at Delta's saddened face, I saw the eyes of a man who was desperate to hold on to the one thing that made him whole in an otherwise empty world.
My eyes softened. It was a huge risk to let him carry out his wish, but I knew that I already cared about him too much to see him suffer like that.
I carefully got off of him, and awkwardly stretched my upper body.
Delta immediately got up, and wiped off some imaginary dust from his cloaks.
A stiff silence took over as we both momentarily tried to avoid looking at one another. Luckily Delta grew some balls and spoke out first. "Thank you, Agent Moore."
I turned my head towards him, and was met with the intense gaze of the Guardian. I felt heat creep up my neck and face, so I nodded and quickly looked away to avoid further embarrassment.
Delta's footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, the noise was amplified by the stillness of the atmosphere.
I shivered slightly at the spooky effect, but pushed the feeling away.
I activated my ear piece. "Fear, are you there?"
"Yeah, what's the situation?" He replied.
"I want you to scout out for any entry ways that may have been overlooked."
"And what accomplishment do you have in mind by me doing that?" He asked dr
yly.
I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes at the Assassin's attitude. "Because, Agent Fear, we are in a location where we have no idea what to expect. I don't want to be caught by surprise if we end up being ambushed." I answered as if explaining something obvious to a child.
There was a brief silence.
"… Of course, I'll get on it right away." He answered stiffly.
"Contact Gizmo for an infrared scan of the building. Also, tell him to scan for any activity around the neighboring areas. Get Elvira, Olsen and Predator to help you out as well."
"Yes ma'am." He said, and the line was cut.
I sighed quietly before I turned my attention back to Delta.
The Guardian had managed to leave a long crack on the hard glass, but nothing of significant damage.
Irritated, he dropped the useless hammer to the ground and kicked the glass.
I stared in shock at his continually careless behavior.
I mentally debated on whether or not I should have scolded his actions, but knew that it would have been useless as he had proved earlier.
After a few kicks, he delivered a powerful blow that shattered the glass. Bits of them flew out, and the liquid poured down.
I covered my head and face with my arms as some of the pieces had hit me.
When the glass shards all fell to the ground, I looked up.
The lack of the material caused the woman to tilt forward as her barely clothed torso stuck out.
Instantly, Delta caught the woman before she could fall any further. He grabbed her by the waist, and lifted the rest of her body from the tube before he set her down on the ground.
She was still out cold, her body completely relied on Delta for balance.
Gently, he set the woman in a sitting position. He placed some of her hair strands behind her ear, and studied every detail of her face as if he were confirming his belief.
He let out a small sigh, and turned his attention towards me.
I stared back at him as I waited for his move.
Delta got up and walked over until he was in front of me.
I leaned my head back to stare directly at his face.
The way he was looking at me with those intense eyes of his made a pleasurable heat flow within me. For a moment, I was tempted to press my lips against his and see just how soft they would be….
