by Jack Parker
I stared at Fear wide-eyed, before I willed myself to snap out of my slight hysteria.
I nodded my head in agreement.
Fear appeared satisfied for he removed his hands from my shoulders and leaned back.
"So, what's the plan?" I asked.
It was Agent Arrow who answered. "We've got to lay low until Pete and the rest of the Distraction team do their job. When that's done, we'll eliminate Agent Moore's captors, and free her. Then, it's hasta la vista from here.'"
Fear nodded in approval. "I like it. It'll give us a chance to get back at the bastards."
I nodded as well, as I didn't feel like talking. My only thoughts revolved around Rachel.
With a mutual agreement, Agent Arrow activated his ear piece. "Pete, are you there?"
"I'm here." He replied. "What's your position?"
"We're in the cell block. There's no sign of Agent Moore, however, there is a chance that the Phantoms are using her as bait in order to lure us out."
"I see." Pete said. "What do you need from me?"
"Just do your job well, Pete. Also, tell Agent Cian to hurry up with his support. It should be clear for them since Agent Evans completed his task."
"Understood. We'll draw their fire from you. Good luck."
"You too." Agent Arrow replied before he ended the connection.
He looked at Fear and I carefully. "Alright, this is it. Pete will draw their attention, and we'll head up to the interrogation rooms. Hopefully, there won't be too many Phantom agents for us to take out."
Both Fear and I nodded, and with the conclusion of our brainstorming, we hurriedly made our way up through the layers of HQ's underground section.
As we arrived on the interrogation level, Agent Arrow's ear piece hummed to live, and the Medic activated it. "Agent Arrow here."
"It's Pete. Agent Cian's support just arrived. We compromised one of the Phantoms delivery trucks, and now the entire base is on alert. You should be cleared of any resistance down below." An explosion cut off Pete's voice as he grunted. "We'll try to keep them focused on us for as long as we can. But we will pull out when it becomes too much. Just don't take too long." Numerous gunshots boomed in the connection.
"Understood Pete. Arrow out." He looked up at us. "We better hurry." He said.
Without a second thought, we quickly, but carefully, proceeded through the interrogation level.
We briefly looked through each door until we reached the end of the hallway that lead to an open area.
Up ahead was a lone, hooded figure with its back towards us.
All three of us cautiously walked over until we were at the opening of the hall.
"Seeker agents, glad to see that you've listened to my message." The figure then turned around to face us.
"Where's Agent Moore?" I asked as calmly as I could.
The figured appeared uninterested for he shifted his weight onto one hip, and crossed his arms. "She took her own life." He said plainly. "Cyanide pill."
My eyes widened in shock as the horrifying news slapped me across the face. "No," I finally managed to say. "You're lying!"
The man raised an eyebrow in a mocking manner. "Am I? Agent Moore was so devastated to find out that the man she loved was the son of the man responsible for the death of her family."
My heart skipped a beat, and the blood in my veins turned to ice.
Either the Phantom agent was blind or didn't care, but he laughed nonetheless. "So shocking, isn't it? And who better to tell her that than the one person who is more like you than even you know?" As he spoke, the Phantom agent proceeded to remove his mask, and with one last look at me, he took off his hood.
Instinctively, I stepped back as I was literally taken by surprise.
It was like looking at my own reflection, although he had a distinguishable scar over his nose.
His eyes, my deformed eyes, stared back at me with amusement, yet with a hint of hatred as well.
I barely heard the sharp breath escape from Agent Arrow, nor did I notice the disturbed look that Fear gave me.
My look-alike laughed briefly. "Your reactions amuse me. Especially yours, John."
I just stared in shock as I couldn't find my voice.
I knew that my father was ruthless in his ambitions, but I never suspected that he have used me to make this abomination. "How?" I finally managed to voice.
My clone shrugged carelessly. "You're his son. I imagine it must have been easy to get a sample of your DNA. The rest of the details are too scientific for me to care about."
My entire body went slack and it felt like I was paralyzed.
Rachel was…dead? No, that couldn't have been true; he was lying.
"What do you want?" I asked after a few tense moments in silence.
The Phantom agent cocked his head. "Are you stupid? I thought you'd understand by now. You're coming with me."
Fear automatically stepped forward. "That's not going to happen." He said.
"Not you idiots, just him." The Phantom replied as he pointed at me. "Come now, Johnny. Daddy wants to see his little boy again." My clone snickered.
I narrowed my eyes at my look-alike and we just stared at each other intensely.
I analyzed all of his details that were exactly like mine: from the color of our hair, to the streak that came across his face when he frowned.
I figured that he did the same thing to me.
Alas, I spoke. "If my father wants me to join his side, he'll just toss you aside like garbage. Don't you realize that?"
"Of course I do. Do you really think I'm blind to his goals?" My clone shook his head. "No, I have much grander plans for the Phantoms. However, In order for them to work, I need to get rid of you."
Before I could have reacted, the Phantom agent swiftly brought out a shotgun and fired straight at me.
For a moment, the entire world went into slow motion: one minute the Phantom agent was in my sights, the next, another figure was in front of me and then fell down.
As it collapsed to the ground, I finally snapped out of my haze, and looked down in horror. "Fear!" I cried out.
I dropped to my knees, and gently brought Fear's head onto my lap.
He grunted in pain, and coughed out a rather large pulp of blood.
My eyes widened at the amount of blood he was losing, and I desperately applied pressure to his wound.
I then looked up at the bastard of my clone and glared at him fiercely. "You son of a bitch!" I yelled. "You'll pay for this!"
The freak of nature merely snorted. "Promises, promises." He replied.
Abruptly, an explosion rattled the area.
Pieces of the wall flew at us, and I immediately covered Fear's face with my body.
When the rumbling stopped, I looked back up and saw my clone roll his hands into fists as his glowing eyes flared up even more. "We'll continue this later." He growled before he disappeared into the darkness.
I looked at the area where he used to be, before another terrible cough from Fear brought my attention back to him.
Desperate, I looked up at Agent Arrow. "He needs medical attention!" I stated.
The older man looked at me sadly. "Indeed he does, but that is something we don't have here."
I narrowed my eyes at the older man. "We can't just leave him down here; he'll die!"
"He'll die either way, whether we take him with us or not. His wound is too severe to treat here, and he already lost too much blood to move properly. I'm sorry, but there's no hope for him."
I looked at the man in disbelief before I snarled at him. "I'm not leaving him behind!"
Suddenly, a hand grabbed my arm, and pulled me slightly down. I looked in surprise.
Fear looked back at me in desperation. "He's right John. There's nothing you can do for me." He shivered violently, and my heart beat escalated.
Fear slowly regained his composure, and looked at me once more. "Take care of my sisters, and make sure that you beat the Phantoms, otherwise I'
ll come back from the grave and kick your ass!" He then coughed harshly as more blood spurted from his mouth.
Right away, I held his head up higher to prevent him from chocking on his blood.
To my surprise, Fear did something I never thought I'd see him do.
For the first time ever since I've known him, my friend cried. Not just one tear, but thick wet steaks that went down both of his cheeks.
I froze as I had no idea what to do.
"They were wrong." He finally whispered. "There's absolutely….nothing…" And just like that, I lost my best friend.
At first, I remained frozen for I refused to accept what had happened.
His normally clear blue eyes were dull from the lack of life and energy.
I barely registered the fact that my body was shaking uncontrollably.
I winched violently as Agent Arrow placed a hand on my shoulder.
I looked at the man's rare green eyes that portrayed his sympathy.
I stared at them blankly, before I looked back at the body in my lap that was rapidly getting colder.
"We have to go." Agent Arrow said gently.
Without a word, I tenderly rolled Fear's eyelids over his eyes, and placed his head carefully on the ground.
To allow his body to have some form of dignity, I took out one of his swords and placed it in his slack hands before I positioned his hands in the same posture as that of a dead king.
I leaned my head down slightly as I took one last look at my friend. "Rest in peace." I whispered.
Once I paid my respect, I got up and nodded at Agent Arrow for us to move on.
The Medic led the way to the back area where there were boxes that spewed out tons of paper.
I looked at the scene in confusion. "How will we reach the main level? The armored elevator is slow, not to mention that it has a camera right in front which can easily alert the Phantoms."
Agent Arrow nodded his head in agreement. "Indeed." He replied. "Which is exactly why we're taking the service elevator. It was only used for transporting materials. Hopefully the Phantoms won't suspect us to use them."
Not at all in the mood to argue, I helped the Medic open the metal door, and stepped inside.
The elevator's power was cut, however, Agent Arrow brought out the same device that he used underwater, and gave the circuit an electrical charge.
The machinery came to life, and we took the one functioning service elevator back to the surface.
The ride was relatively quick, and all too soon the door opened.
We were met by the sight of smoke, debris, and bodies; some those of Phantom agents, others of Seeker agents.
Cautiously, Agent Arrow and I got out of the elevator that was located behind the main lobby area of HQ.
Out of respect, we stepped over the bodies that were sprawled over the floor all the while keeping an eye out for any enemies.
So far, the coast was clear.
As such, Agent Arrow activated his ear piece once more. "Pete? My team and I are at the back. Meet us at my location."
"Roger that. Cian's air drones have managed to create substantial damage before they were shot out of the sky." He then grunted as an explosion was heard in the background.
He breathed harshly. "Cian and I are the only survivors of our team. We'll meet up with you soon. Pete out." Came the curt reply.
As always, Agent Arrow and I carefully made our way outside the building, and hid behind the walls that provided some cover.
Not long afterwards, Pete ran over to us.
His eyes widened as he took in all the blood that I was covered in. "Where's the rest of your team?" The Head Warrior asked.
My throat tightened up on the indirect mention of my dead friend.
I self-consciously swallowed and answered. "Agent Fear died protecting me. As for Rachel, there's a rumor that she's dead as well." I said quietly.
Pete gave me a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry. For both of them" He replied softly. "We'll make sure that their deaths won't be in vain."
The Irish Warrior then came forward. "What about my niece?" He asked roughly.
I looked down, and clenched my fists together. I knew that if I told her the truth of Agent Claire, then he'd go mad, so I opted to take Fear's suggestion. "The Phantoms killed her too." I replied quietly.
For a moment, there was a tense silence as the information was taken in, before the Irish brute yelled out in anger and punched the nearest wall which created a deep indent.
I got the feeling that I was being watched, so I turned to my side, and saw Agent Arrow look at me in relief.
I simply nodded before I focused my attention on Pete. "What do we do?" I ask.
It wasn't Pete who answered my question as we all turned to face Agent Cian. "We kill every single one of those Phantom bastards." The Irish man then turned to face us, his hawk-like eyes flashed with a barely contained fury. "They just made this personal." He growled ferociously.
Chapter 41: Torn Apart Once More
~ Rachel's POV ~
I huffed exasperatedly to myself for perhaps the millionth time ever since that asshole locked me up in one of the conference rooms in the higher levels of Seeker HQ with those two grunts from the cell block.
I swore that they still held a grudge against me after I locked them up in my old cell.
The mere memory brought a brief smile to my face, but it was quickly wiped off when my thoughts traced back to Shadow.
I couldn't believe that the sly bastard managed to take control of Seeker HQ.
All throughout Seeker Basic, we trainees were constantly told that HQ was the most protected place in the world.
How in the hell did the Phantoms successfully take it as if it were a candy bar freely laying around just waiting for a kid to pick it up?
I let out a dramatic sigh, which caused a twitch from one of my "guards."
I smirked as my simple action irritated the man. If I was going to be held against my will, then I may as well have attempted to have some fun with it; at the expense of my captors, of course.
A fierce rumbling came out of nowhere. The room shook violently, and some of the windows shattered.
I instinctively took cover under the long and elegant wooden table, and waited until the rumbling stopped.
My guards were surprised as well, which led me to believe that there was a resistance. Hopefully, it's the Seekers fighting back, I thought.
The rumbling stopped quickly, however, from what I could have seen, the damage was extensive.
As I stood from my hiding place, I cautiously walked towards the cool breeze that freely came in from the broken windows, and looked down.
I immediately regretted my decision for it was then that I realized just how high we were. Oh God, I thought, I hope those brutes don't push me out!
For my safety, I stepped away from the exposed area, and casually sat on the conference table.
The two Phantom agents' initial confusion was replaced with their usual stoic expressions.
A thought came into mind and I smiled at the implication.
I stuck two fingers in my mouth, and stretched the skin so that it looked like the Cheshire Cat.
Of course, they ignored me, however, I was persistent.
I stuck my tongue out and rolled my eyeballs inward.
One of the agents shivered slightly at the sight, which caused me to smirk in return.
The door then opened, which ended my childish scheme, and at the doorway stood no other than the Phantom leader himself. "Hello Agent Moore, a pleasure to see you again."
I snorted. "Whatever, just skip the pleasantries." I replied.
The Phantom leader chuckled in response.
Instead of entering the room, he stood outside and gestured to the two guards. "Bring her out." He simply said.
As obedient as ever, the two brutes approached me, and attempted to grab my arms.
I felt like a child who had to be guided by adults because I couldn't
find my way around. I crossed my arms, and looked at them in defiance.
Unsure, they looked over to the Phantom leader who merely chuckled at my reaction. "Leave her." He replied. "I don't think our guest will be any trouble whatsoever, will she?"
"That depends on you." I answered as I leaned back.
"No," Shadow then said as he peaked from behind, "it depends on this." He then took out a serrated shotgun, and pointed it at me.
He looked me in the eye, and then gestured towards the open door.
I merely blinked as I took in the sight of the shotgun before I glanced up at the agent who looked pissed.
I still couldn't get over the fact of how he looked exactly like John, aside from a long scar that went over his nose. "You're a self-absorbed bastard, you know that?"
Shadow's upset demeanor switched 180⁰ as he grinned. "Why thank you. I'll take that as a compliment."
I rolled my eyes.
Not wanting to have a new hole put into me, I walked towards the door, and was followed by the four men.
We walked down the grey hallway until we reached the elevators.
Shadow stepped in front of me, and pressed the call button.
A minute later, the elevator door opened, and we all stepped inside.
The ride down was awkward for me: it wasn't everyday where one was in a confined space with their worst enemy without some type of violence occurring.
I breathed in deeply to calm my increasing nerves.
"So, Agent Moore," Shadow casually started, "have you finally accepted to join us?"
I looked at the man in annoyance. "Hell no. I'd rather die for what I believe in, than live a life without meaning. Your organization is a disease that needs to be purged." I said defiantly as I placed my hands on my hips.
Shadow merely raised an eyebrow at my behavior. "How poetic." He replied mockingly.
Just as I was about to reply, the elevator door then opened, and revealed a chaotic sight.
I quietly gasped at the number of bodies, both belonging to the Seekers and the Phantoms, which were all over the place.
Shadow coughed, which snapped me out of my distraction. "Ladies first." He said almost politely, while he kicked me forward.
I stumbled a bit, but once I regained my balance, I glared at the Phantom agent in indignation.
