[HIATUS] The Tide Rises

Chapter 3

It had been a couple weeks since The Authority had been finished, and though it was a huge success for SHADOW, Jules found herself to be the only one of their agents who wasn't absolutely thrilled with their new powerful status.

She would have loved to build it in any other circumstance. The blueprints gave for a grand, imposing structure in the center of the island where their enemies once had a hold. Giving up those blueprints for SHADOW's usage, however, was one of Jules' biggest regrets.

Seeing SHADOW's symbol painted at every corner left a dull ache in her stomach. They had tried to kill her in February, for damn sake! Filling SHADOW's ego with a base such as this would do nothing but harm, so how could she be happy about it? Causing harm seemed to be a recurring theme in her works nowadays, and she hated it.

Jules couldn't help but feel selfish. When given the choice between her life or GHOST's safety, she had chosen the former: one life over the lives of hundreds of agents and innocent henchmen. By drafting and giving up her blueprints for The Authority, she had allowed for SHADOW to further impose their newfound superiority and let them walk all over her family.

She longed to return to the organization that was home for her. If only she could visit The Fortilla for even just a day to at least repair some of the damage she had done. In times like these, she would attempt to find solace by tinkering on inventions or confiding in her brother, but alas, she could do neither. Midas and her freedom were gone.

It had been just over a month since Midas had fled, and Jules was left to fend for herself. He had left nothing behind but his drum gun and a letter swearing to set things right. Telling her to hold tight. Her patience was wearing thin; how could she hold tight for a month when the possibility of death threatened her every day? Had he thought at all about the consequences leaving would have caused?

Or do I just mean that little to him? She asked herself constantly. Does Midas care so little about me that he'd leave me to die...?

SHADOW's threat from the day they had first taken over The Agency occupied her mind with every waking moment. If one sibling failed to comply with their rules, the other would perish. Had Midas forgotten that threat, or had he completely ignored it, on accident or on purpose? His prideful self liked to convince him he was immune to such coercion, so either option was possible. Not everyone was as "immune" as he liked to think.

Jules still held onto the tiniest sparks of hope that Midas had learned a lesson from this war that had taken over their entire lives: always be several steps ahead of the enemy. She had to hold onto this hope so she wouldn't go mad, the hope that while she remained wandering the building in fear, he was planning his way to reclaim control. Maybe he was at The Fortilla, rallying up GHOST for a fight. He was already on his way to pull her out of the deep end!

But, if that were the case, SHADOW would be well aware of that fact. Midas, the golden ghost, had mastered the art of the shadows and hidden himself so well that even Chaos Agent, who claimed to see all and know all, couldn't find him. Even in the former days of espionage, he would leave behind some sort of golden trail for someone to find, but now, he had seemingly disappeared without a trace. And that's when Jules's sparks began to die.

He could be dead, and know one would know. It scared her to think that... but if he doesn't care about me, then why should I care about him...?

Clutching his drum gun tightly, Jules ran her hands over its smooth gold and sighed as her reflection gleamed against the weapon's surface. It was one of his most prized possessions, and he had left it specifically in her care. The least she could do until he returned—if he returned—was watch over it.