Agent (Book 1)

Chapter 27-Lynn

27

Lynn Kramer

Agent: 53

Mission: Rescue Agent Hood and return to HQ

Location: Bakery, Quarter 7

Date: September 4th, 2089

Time: 1120

         I inhale sharply, though I've tried to remain silent. Before I can see the figure in its full form, a single word rings out in the dusty air. All the pressure on my chest seems to fade. "Fifty-three?"

My hand is clenched in a fist, but I release it almost immediately. Slivinski appears out of the smoke, leading her team of agents at her back. Her eyes are wide, like she's just seen something horrific, but she does not speak a word. Her eyes flit from me to Hood, who by now has collapsed against the wall in exhaustion. Sweat is pouring down his face.

"Take him," Slivinski commands, and at once Kamal and a young man that I don't recognize step out of the mass and support him under each arm. It's a good thing too because had one more moment passed, I'm sure he would've fallen to the floor. I can just hear his sigh of relief, thankful he doesn't have to make an effort any longer.

Agent Hood is not well. Bloody scratches mark up the sides of his face, surrounding the black circle over his left eye and the tilt to his broken nose. His whites are bloodshot, and he's started into one of those awful coughing fits, where I'm convinced he's going to hack up a lung or a heart. That's not to mention the awful stench coming off him, the smell of blood mixed with sweat and urine. But he's alive, and though he'd found the strength to argue with me for coming, I'm glad to see him. He can argue all he wants, but deep down he has to know I've done the right thing.

Slivinski has taken a quizzical look to her face, and I open my mouth to explain. Why the halls are crumbling, why there has to be a mass of dead bodies in that large room. She only raises a hand to stop me. "It's time to focus on phase two," she says. "That's all that matters." She turns to Tori now and looks to the wound in her shoulder. "You'll be able to continue, Agent Thirty-two?" She asks.

"Yes, ma'am," Tori answers, raising her arm in salute. Unfortunately, it is the injured one, and she winces. Slivinski turns away before she can notice. She quickly checks her watch for the time and beckons us forward.

"Let's not just stand around. We're on a tight schedule."

-v-

 I clutch my gun tight to my chest, ducking my head as I blend into the mass of agents around me. Our feet work in unison, hitting the ground with the slightest of sound. We are in uniform, made one by the ACA. I couldn't imagine belonging anywhere else.

Without words, we pause periodically to make sure it's all clear ahead, though it's been quiet since I'd set off those explosives. I have a hard time believing this is The Phantom's actual Headquarters. Under a bakery? They're way too clever for this. And their numbers? How could they have the guts to attack our base with this few?

While the other agents move with caution, I don't stay halted for long. Rey just buzzed in a few minutes ago with Slivinski and ordered an immediate evacuation of the facility. Typical Rey behavior, always playing the safe side. But Slivinski didn't reject, nor did she accept, she just muttered our coordinates and hung up. Right after the burst of static that ended the call, she announced a search of the building's lower level. Every agent must be on the lookout for signs of life down here.

"But why aren't we leaving, like the Commander instructed?" an agent demanded, raising a hand in salute when Slivinski's eyes fell upon her. She studied the girl with a sweep of her gaze, noting the hesitation behind her willowy posture. One of the first things we learn at training in the ACA—to always keep your chin high. To be proud, no matter how unsure.

"The last time I checked, I was in command of this operation. Therefore, you take orders from me," Slivinski said, whipping her gun around. She turned the opposite way and took charge.

I could just barely hear the agent's mutter of, "Yes, ma'am," before we continued through the crumbling hallways.

Normally, I think I would be on edge right now, pumped with adrenaline, ready to encounter an enemy. I've been waiting weeks for this kind of an opportunity, and now that I'm here, I should be taking the lead. But all I keep coming back to is my sleeping quarters. A nice warm shower. The option to ring out my hair with a towel and crawl under clean sheets. I try to push the comforting thoughts aside, but they remain.

Though I'm running on empty, I refuse to let it faze me. I hold my chin up as high as possible, like I'm in complete control. At one point (many, actually) when I feel like stopping, I have to tell myself to suck it up. To pull through, like Tori is, even with a bullet in her shoulder.

Now Hood, that's a completely different story. No matter how much I try to restrain myself, I keep looking back at him. He's completely surrounded in agents now, which is a good thing, because he's basically dead weight. His face is a ghostly pale and he's breathing through his mouth, like he's just run laps. Slivinski had considered giving him something more to hold on to, but it's clear that's not going to happen. He can barely keep his grip on the dagger I gave him.

Our group moves soundlessly through the corridors, awaiting any possible intruders, though none come. We pass several doors along the walls, but they're all locked and made of thick metal. The only option is to blow them up, but no one's real thrilled with that idea.

We eventually come to a dead end. And then another. We've met the edge of my wreckage by now, and I can get a clearer idea of the area without all the debris. I lay out a map in my head.

The underground portion is in the shape of a triangle. The tip is the large room of beams that we entered through, with the halls spread out in diagonal lines, connecting to more rooms at the back (with locked doors). The tip of the triangle has been destroyed, as well as a few of the connecting hallways. Most areas were able to contain the force of the blast, so naturally, these are Slivinski's main concern. However, she soon turns back and suggests we head to the Flat; that there's nothing more for us to find.

Good. I can't take one more second down here.

We make our way back to the head room without any disturbances, although we're all on high alert. The agents standing guard at the vent announce that they've found a new route back to the main level, and a large man with a straggly beard leads us down a connecting hallway. There we find an elevator (nearly identical to the one Tori fixed upstairs) and a flight of stairs off of an open doorway. The man insists that both lead up to the main level.

"We'll fit as many as we can in the elevator," Slivinski decides, beckoning to .the open doors. The light flickers slightly, making the small space appear ominous. I study Slivinski's face for a moment, calculating the slight furrow of her eyebrows, the pressure of her lips. Caution.

Somehow I've managed to move to the front, so I'm ushered into the elevator with a handful of other agents. It was different when Tori and I had gone down, just the two of us. Now that there is a hoard of others, I can't find the space to breathe.

We end up walking straight into the bakery area, and I just now realize how the elevator has completely blended into the wall, keeping it hidden. I silently scold myself for missing such a small detail.

While we wait on the upper floor, I pass the time studying the menu board again, though I've no idea what it reads. I glance up periodically to see if Slivinski and the others have returned from the staircase yet. Nothing. My eyes flit to the window, settling on the Flat waiting outside.

There's something else there. I double take, sure a look of horror has taken my face. Tori's standing on my other side and she narrows her eyes curiously, hand still clutching her shoulder. Her face has drained of even more color, nearly white now.

"Something wrong?" she asks. She's gentle, like she doesn't want to accept what I'm seeing.

My voice is nothing but a whisper. "We need to get to the Flat. Now."