by Jack Parker
"So those victims you've captured were used as cell donors," Elvira commented.
The Phantom woman nodded. "Yes. Essentially, we were growing artificial twins."
Confusion filled me. "I vaguely remember learning about this in High School biology, but can you explain it in more detail?"
A barely visible smile formed on the woman's face. "About ten years ago, scientists were making breakthroughs in manipulating the nature of stem cells. There are different types of stem cells that can form various tissue cells. You know about the bone marrow transplant, correct?"
I nodded.
"It's the same principal. Cells from the bone marrow are injected into a patient that is in need of new cells for various reasons. Some cancer patients even remove their own stem cells, and have it frozen during the treatment, only to have it injected back into their bodies once their treatment has been completed."
"So those stem cells from the donors were used to create the clones, while the pills were used to supply them with that protein?" I asked.
"Exactly. Without cellular division, we'd die rather quickly."
I hummed quietly in thought.
I then looked at Phantom. "What criteria was there to determine on who got cloned?"
"The ones who were cloned were considered too valuable to be altered in any way. What exactly qualified them as "special", I have no idea. That knowledge was far above my ranking."
"Do you know who you were cloned off of?" I asked.
The woman shook her head. "No, clones don't have any memories. That's what makes us so useful to the Phantoms; they program us to do their tasks with no questions." She replied surprisingly bitter.
I hummed in thoughtfulness. "You certainly seem different than other agents. For one, you're not trying to escape."
The Phantom smiled wryly. "I've got nowhere to go, Seeker. Besides, I'm not stupid to try to escape when you've got a Guardian and an Assassin with you."
"You're very observant." I commented, nearly impressed.
The woman chuckled darkly. "I'm on my own. I've got enemies on both sides, so of course I've learned to be vigilant. Besides, your ranking system is very similar to that of the Phantoms."
I leaned forward in interest. "Do tell."
The woman crossed her legs. "We've got the same hierarchy system as you do. The only difference is that the ranks answer to one main authority. The leader prefers to keep his own eye on the progress of each individual agent."
Interesting, I thought.
Elvira used that moment as an opportunity to take out a data pad. "We found some Intel on the tests that were done here; care to elaborate?"
The Phantom rolled her shoulders. "I was head surgeon, so I know everything that's on that file. Our superiors ordered us to experiment on captured Seeker agents to see whether or not we could bring them over to our side without the need to clone them. That turned out to be a complete failure though."
"Explain." I said expectantly.
The woman glanced at me. "I'm not sure if you realize this, but every Seeker agent has a chip implanted in their bodies that releases Nano-bots whenever the body is affected, whether it be for reparation, or as the result from our experiment, create a brain hemorrhage."
My eyebrows shot up all the way in surprise. I wasn't aware that we had Nano-bots inside of us. "So cloning the individuals removed the risk of death."
The woman nodded. "Correct. It was ruthless, I'll admit, but my superiors wanted results."
"And then you implanted those test subjects within the Seekers," Elvira added.
"Yes…"
An awkward silence enveloped the small room.
I chuckled harshly. "You clever bastards," I commented bluntly. "You've fooled us."
A bitter smile formed on the Phantom woman's face. "Indeed we have. We've been among you for years."
I stared at her blankly, struggling to keep my cool.
The Seeker organization was in jeopardy, and it was impossible to tell who was friend or foe.
Predator grunted in frustration. "How can you sound so proud of that? Damn it Diana, I thought you were better than that."
Once again, Predator's behavior towards the Phantom confused me. How did he know her name?
Diana met Predator's gaze calmly. "I was raised by the Phantoms; how do you expect me to react?"
I narrowed my eyes at the Demolition's Expert like a predator who caught sight of its prey. "How do you two know each other?" I asked.
Predator tensed automatically, while the Phantom woman snorted at his reaction. "Grow a pair, Austin. I'm too tired to tell the story."
Predator sighed heavily, and met my gaze with a guarded look.
He coughed. "Just a fair warning: you will be shocked at what I have to say. Believe me, it was quite a slap to the face for me when I was first told about it." He exhaled shakily. "Two years ago, I was sent to a warehouse where there were reports of a bomb. As a Demolitions Expert, I was in charge of diffusing it." He paused again, and allowed Elvira and I to absorb the information before he continued. "The bomb was easily shut off, yet it didn't sit right with me. Not long afterwards, I was captured and sent to a facility similar to the one we investigated. "
Diana interrupted. "Warriors brought him in. He was one of the first we experimented on."
Predator nodded. "When I woke up, I found myself tied to an operation table where several of the Phantoms' surgeons were getting ready for the procedure."
"It was a miracle that he didn't die from a brain hemorrhage." Diana added.
I glanced at Predator who stared blankly at the woman. "Guess I was lucky." He replied quietly.
The Demolitions Expert exchanged an indecipherable message with the Phantom.
She nodded. "Indeed you were." She said.
"What was done to you?" Elvira asked after a moment.
Predator stared hard at the Combat Specialist. "They sawed off my arm and used its tissue cells to produce a clone. Once I was back in Seeker hands, I replaced it with an artificial arm that was coated in titanium alloys to give me some extra strength."
Elvira and I gasped as the shocking detail came to light.
For a man who went through all that torture, Predator really was quite a cheerful guy.
Regardless of our slight hysteria, the Demolitions Expert went on. "I don't know how or even why it happened, but Diana here nursed me back to health and eventually helped me escape. She said that with my experience at the facility, I would be a symbol of hope in this dark battle."
I raised an eyebrow as I stared at the former surgeon. "Why the change of heart? Why did you save Predator?"
The woman sighed. "Not every Phantom agent is evil as you believe. It's just that we have no choice but to follow our orders. I'm not proud of who I am, or what I've done. I participated in the creation of Predator's clone. I was in charge of his particular experiment, so I took the risk to fake Austin's death, and nursed him back to health."
Eventually Elvira gathered courage to raise the question I wanted to ask. "What happened to your clone?" Her blue eyes analyzed Predator's dark ones.
"I don't know." Predator replied, and sighed heavily. "All I know is that he's still out there, somewhere."
Diana turned to face Predator. "You've got to find him. The Phantoms have great plans in store for him."
Austin nodded and stared back gravely.
A strained silence suddenly overtook the room as we all reflected about the situation.
I eventually spoke. "Did the Phantoms ever found out about what you did?" I asked Diana.
A sad smile appeared on her face. "Of course they did, and I'm paying the price for it. However, I don't regret it one bit." She regarded me with a serious look. "I sincerely hope that you and your organization beat the Phantoms. They've caused enough suffering as it is."
I merely blinked in surprise.
"What were you doing in that lab?" Elvira asked.
A barely repressed film of emotion showe
d in the Phantom's otherwise blank eyes.
She blinked rapidly as if trying to maintain control of whatever internal reaction Elvira's question provoked. "I… had nowhere else to go," she replied hoarsely.
I nodded impatiently. "You already told us that. Why is it that you were forced to go back, though?"
For once, the former Phantom agent appeared to have been struggling with replying. Her unusual display of emotion perked my interest.
Predator knelt down in front of Diana. "You can trust us," he said in encouragement.
Raw emotion exposed itself on the frail woman's worn face as she stared at Pred. "I was trying to protect you," she responded. "I wanted to find out where Austin's clone got his storage of the protein pill."
I looked at her confused. "Don't you all get it from the same supplier?"
The Phantom woman chuckled quietly. "That would have made my task much easier if it were so. Having several suppliers lowers the possibility of all of our agents' pills of being sabotaged." A small smile came across the woman's face. "I knew I would never have been able to kill Austin's clone one-on-one, so I opted for the only possible option I had."
My eyes widened in disbelief.
Diana seemed so protective of Pred. Almost like how a mother would fret over her child's wellbeing.
Elvira seemed just as shock as I was. "Why are you protecting Predator?" She asked.
The former Phantom smiled sadly as she stared at Predator's blank face. "I don't understand the reason myself, only that I have to."
A thick silence suffocated the room then. Neither of us reacted for several minutes.
Predator finally spoke. "Come with us. We can protect you, and you'd be a great asset to the Seekers."
The woman grunted. "I bet you would, but my situation's more complicated than you know."
Predator stared at her in confusion.
Deciding that we got the information we needed, I stood up, and placed an arm on Predator's shoulder. "We've learned what we needed to know. Let's go take a break."
He nodded wordlessly, and followed Elvira out the door.
I was about to join them when the woman spoke once more. "Beware Seeker; even some of your so called "teammates" might not be who you think they are." She warned.
I turned back and stared blankly at her for a moment. Beneath the haze of her cold eyes was an emotion that I couldn't quite pinpoint. It almost appeared like… regret.
Just as quickly, it was wiped off, and a scowl appeared on her face. "Oh for God's sake, just leave me in peace!"
Her outburst snapped me from my thoughts, and I glared at her.
I then slammed the door shut, and made sure that it was locked properly. Didn't need that grumpy woman to escape.
I leaned against the nearby wall, and sighed. Just when I thought things couldn't have gotten any worse.
I realized Elvira and Predator were looking at me expectantly. I faced Predator. "You alright?" I asked.
He nodded, and gave me a small smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.
I sighed again. "Go get some rest guys."
Wordlessly, they went their own ways down the hall.
I kicked myself off the wall, and walked in the direction they took, not particularly paying attention to anything.
As if by fate, I arrived just outside the door to the room where Delta and his mother were occupying.
I decided to go in. "Hey." I greeted softly. "How's she doing?"
Delta turned his head toward me. "Her vitals are strong, but she's still out cold. I don't know when, ifshe'll wake up." He sighed at the last part, his body language displayed his hidden helplessness.
I walked over to him, and place a hand on his shoulder. "She'll wake up. We did just take her from a Phantom lab, so she probably needs more time to regain consciousness." I bit my lip as I tried to formulate what I would say next. "Just have faith, John." I whispered the last part.
The Guardian's eyes widened as I called him by his real name for the first time. "How did you…" he trailed off.
"Fear told me. A slip of the tongue, I suppose." I said, and smiled slightly while I withdrew my hand.
The Guardian had a dazed look on his face.
He quickly recovered, and looked at me with the unique intensity that made my stomach do backflips. "What else did he tell you?"
I shrugged, and leaned on the nearby counter. "That was all. We were running for our lives after all."
That seemed to have gotten John out of his trance as he shook his head. "I see." He finally replied. "So what's the verdict?" He asked as he stood beside me, and crossed his arms.
"We're basically on standby until the Head Warrior gives us our next orders."
"Ah."
A long, yet comfortable silence overcame the room as the two of us enjoyed each other's company.
I absentmindedly kicked at my boots as I paid unnecessarily close attention to the specks of dirt on them.
As I slipped my hands into my coat pocket, a foreign weight grazed my fingers.
Curious, I grabbed the object and brought it out.
Once exposed, I realized that it was the ring I had found at the ruins of what was once Madison Square Garden.
I twirled it in my hands, and studied it under the bright light.
Curiously, John looked at my hands. "What's that?" He asked.
"It's a ring I found during my last mission. Not sure who it belongs to, but there's some Latin inscriptions on it. I can't read it though." I replied.
"May I see it?"
Seeing no harm in doing that, I placed the ring in his open palm, and watched him study it under the light.
His eyes narrowed as he focused on the tiny writing.
"Can you read it?" I asked.
"I believe I can." He replied. "If I'm reading this properly, it says: 'The day personal identity is lost is the day when man no longer lives.'"
Oddly enough, I felt a déjà-vu coming about. "That's a weird saying." I commented.
John nodded, and continued to twirl the ring in his gloved hand.
Apparently satisfied, he gave it back to me.
I slid the ring back into the black hole that was my pocket.
"Things are going to get tougher." John finally said. "After our latest mission, it just makes me sick as I think about what other experiments the Phantoms must have done. I just want this war to be over."
I glanced at him. "I do too." I agreed. "After spending six years hunting down possible leads that might have brought us one step closer to stopping the Phantoms, I've had just about enough." I sighed dramatically. "This isn't how I pictured spending my young, single years."
At that, John chuckled. "Single years huh? Haven't you ever gone out or something?"
I pouted my lips at him playfully. "I've had one boyfriend in high school, but that was too immature to be considered something real. Flings don't count either. I want to be in a committed relationship with the right guy, not be forced to do whatever he wants."
John raised a delicate eyebrow. "Is that so? Maybe the right guy has been with you all along."
His statement made me stare at him intently as I looked for any signs of what were his thoughts.
Slowly, John lowered his face to my level, and steadily brought his face closer to mine.
My mouth parted slightly, as my eyes began to droop lower.
Giddiness gripped my insides as butterflies flew in my stomach.
Our noses were barely touching when the sound of my phone going off ruined the moment.
I jumped as a result, and swiftly took it out. "I should probably go; I've got some things to check on."
John's eyes widened slightly, and he leaned back. "Yes, of course." He replied, and sounded a bit abashed.
"I'll see you later." I said as I lightly brushed my hand against his.
The Guardian finally turned around to look at our touching hands before he focused his gaze on me, a strange, yet welcoming look in his eyes.
&nbs
p; After a moment of inner debate, I leaned my face toward him, and lightly kissed his cheek.
His breath halted abruptly.
I felt my heart speed up from the simple gesture.
I quickly leaned back and gave John a small smile, before I sped walked out of the room.
When I walked out, an unfamiliar, yet strong emotion took place within me.
As I turned around to look back at a still dazed John, reality slapped me across the face as I realized that I was in love with him.
Chapter 21: A Solemn Goodbye
I checked the pager, and was all too aware of my rapidly beating heart.
I was in love with my Guardian, and I didn't know how it happened.
I willed myself to push the thought aside, and instead focused on the text message.
It was sent by Gizmo who asked me to meet up with him about something.
Curious as to what he wanted to discuss, I placed the phone in my pocket, and walked down the hall.
A million thoughts sped through my mind like cars driving down a highway.
With all of the difficulties from the present mission and my inner turmoil that pressed down on me, I was surprised that I was still able to hold my shit together.
I stepped inside what was the make-shift medical bay. Gizmo was lying on a bed, and busily typed away on his laptop.
I couldn't help but chuckle at his frantic movement.
As I paid close attention to his movement, I noticed that his right arm was bandaged up in thick white cloths.
A slight ping in my chest reminded me of our close encounter with the Phantoms. "Hey." I said in greeting. "How are you feeling?"
The Tech Expert didn't even look up when he replied. "The wound is just superficial. Bloody Phantoms shot me as I drove away."
I winced a bit, but otherwise didn't react. "Well, what have you got for me, Gizmo?" I asked, wanting to change the subject.
It snapped him out of his frantic haze for he looked up at me solemnly. "I was just checking out our camera feeds, and something interesting came up. Look." He turned his laptop screen to face me.
As I knelt down, Gizmo pressed play, and various camera footages played simultaneously.
