Code Name: Rose

Chapter 6: Code Name Rose

Previous chapter:

Ha. Haha. Hahahaha. Now I burst out laughing. This is crazy. Insane. I finally get it. No other agent wants to go. But the ministers think I will. No. They know I will. Because, yes, I'm an agent. Yes I can hide my emotions. Yes I can fake my own existance if I want to. But I can't turn down a cry for help. No matter how hard my armour is. No matter how bulletproof, heatproof, emotion-proof it is, I am still soft. I am still weak. And this weakness is pushing me to accept this life-risky offer, to save the shitty people of this shitty world. And you know what? This, this makes me the most shittiest of them all. I am the most shittiest one of all.

Chapter 6:

Keith.

What is it? A top secret document? About who? About what? Where is it? Is it a weapon? What kind of weapon? A gun? A knife? A bomb? All dangerous weapons combined to make a superweapon? Who made it? A scientist?  Who knows about it? The president? Who is involved? Are non-government organisations part of this? Why does it exist? To destroy? To save? To threaten? To blackmail? 

What is Keith?

What is Keith?!

WHAT IS KEITH?!

I'm up. All of a sudden I don't know how to breathe. Where are my lungs? Why aren't they working? My back is soaked in sweat. My blankets suddenly feel like they weigh a ton. Blankets...

I'm in bed. I'm not falling in a black hole of questions. 

Oxygen has never tasted sweeter as it fills my starving lungs and burning throat, bringing my sanity with it.

A nightmare. 

God, it's only been a day since I got the limited information. I haven't even begun the mission yet and I'm already regretting it. How can I leave? How can I leave Ria? Ria...

I turn my head to find her sleeping soundly in the parallel bed. 

Her chocolate hair surround her fragile, round face. Her long, dark lashes kiss her cheeks and her rosy lips are parted in slumber. Beautiful. 

But then... there are millions of beautiful people who's lives are at risk if I don't go. One of them will be Ria. 

No. I have to. I might die but there's no way I'm dying in vain. I will never die in vain. Not again. Never again. 

The motivation to live out my second chance at life thrums in my bones. I'm up and out of the house within 5 minutes, making my way to a very, very familiar building. A building I've visited twice in the last 48 hours. 

It's only 8 a.m but New York's streets are filled with people. I quietly walk through with my hands in the pockets of my cargos and my head down, letting my blonde hair cover my face. It's best to not look so confident in public.

I knock into a shoulder, standing in front of a small street stall. 

"Oh, I'm sorry," I turn around to find a man in his mid-thirties. 

"That's okay!" He replies with a manly voice and a smile that easily reaches his obsidian eyes. His perfectly aligned teeth glow against the darkness of his skin. Another beautiful person. 

He turns back around to a woman, probably his wife, judging by the matching wedding rings. Her dark brown hair frizzes around her perfectly round face. Beautiful round eyes, filled with brown irises and topped off with rosy lips. In her arms is a baby boy, perhaps 3 months old with beauty clearly inherited from his parents. 

Both parents feed him some type of mush of fruits and vegetables and their cheerful laughter seems to echo over the clamor of other public. Lucky little bastard.

A pang of jealousy hits me hard and fast. Lonliness settles in around the curves of my heart and it starts to ache. God, I hate this feeling. 

I walk away quickly before anyone notices the tears in the corners of my eyes.

Back in unit 25, I'm sitting on a chair, at a desk, in front of Joseph White. The stress of this mission is getting to him, forming threatening dark circles under his eyes, making his grey hair more visible than ever and the wrinkles more pronounced. I notice there are many more sheets of paper on his desk than there were before. I suppose there are a lot of formalities to this mission.

"So... Keira. Have you made your decision?"

"I'll do it." 

He doesn't try to hide the slump of the shoulders or the relieved sigh. He drops his head and lets it hang in the air with his hands covering his face. 

"Thank you so much Keira. You have no idea what a relief it is to hear that." His smile easily reaches his eyes and suddenly, he doesn't look so tired anymore.

A cheeky smile tugs at my lips as I say, "Yes, I can see that. I think your title of 'old man' will become 'ancient man' soon if you don't stop worrying over tiny, little problems."

"Haha," His laugh lightens his face even more and he could've been 10 years younger. "Millions of lives at stake isn't exactly a tiny, little problem you know."

That's right. Millions. Millions of lives are in my hands. And to be honest, I'd rather sacrifice my life, my soon-to-be-team's lives, and even Ria's life if it will save millions of others.

"Yeah whatever. Take it easy grandpa" I say as I stand up to leave.

"Grandpa?!" The unseriousness is evident in his tone as he stands as well. "I'll have you know, I'd be more like an older brother to you."

"Yeah.... no thanks. I'd rather not have a 48 year old brother."

Our laughter fills the room and all of a sudden the boring grey walls are painted bright blue and the single desk is transformed into a massive study table, complete with shelves. The boring room seems brighter, prettier, and very unboring with laughter. And for the first time, I finally understand what people mean when they say that laughter is the best medicine.

As I open the door, Joseph's voice stops me.

"Oh, Keira! By the way, your code name will no longer be Angel for this mission. Your code name is Rose."