Agent Rogue

Chapter 13

No-one noticed as we climbed through the window of a vacant deck of the ship. It was a restaurant not yet open to passengers, the only sign of life being our pairs of footsteps and the streaks of light from the chaotic kitchen next door, where metal clanged, chef's yelled and stoves roared.

            Barnes was strolling between the tables a few aisles away from me, head held high as though the two of us hadn't just escaped a violent standoff at the docks. His hands stayed loosely in his pockets, shoulders slumped in a carefree manner.

            "Are you alright now, agent?"
I tore my eyes away from his hands. "Of course. Why do you ask?"
The corner of his mouth curled into a playful smile and my stomach flipped with anticipation. "Because you seemed a little hesitant up on that roof."
"Of course I was hesitant," I replied. "Not everyone is too thrilled at the concept of throwing themselves off a roof."
A chuckle. "I think you're afraid of heights."
Even for Barnes, it was a pathetic attempt at tugging my tolerance. The fear I had on the roof did not reside within something so simple as a phobia of heights. "I'm not afraid of heights," I argued. "Just not a fan of falling to my death."
"Liar," he cooed.
I frowned. "And I would lie about that because...?"
"Because you're embarrassed."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"I'm—!" Falling for the trap. I even managed to recognise it beforehand. "You do this on purpose"
"Because you're so easy to rile up!"
I sped up my walk, letting out a scoff. "A literal child."
"Pfft. Child," Barnes grumbled, trailing behind me with a pout. "I'm not a child."
"Keep telling yourself that," I whistled. "Maybe one day someone might believe you."
"Look at me, Knight." He gestured to his body, halting his feet on the ground. "Is this the physique of a child?"

            I spun around, looking him up and down with a contemplative frown while walking backwards.
He lifted the base of his shirt with two fingers, fully aware of how his jacket casted sculpting shadows over his torso. "I mean, really?"
He laughed at the eye roll as I turned around to hide my blush. "I will agree with you on that, but it's hard to take in you physically when I'm fully aware you possess the brain of a twelve-year-old schoolboy."
Barnes snorted. I caught his shadow tailing behind me. "Did you hide an insult in a compliment or a compliment in an insult?"
"I think I'll let you decide that for yourself."

            His shadow paused behind me before hurrying to catch up.

            "Alright, Agent I know you're not really afraid of heights," he said. "So tell me: what are you really scared of?"
I shrugged, glancing over my shoulder. "Nothing."
"Everyone's afraid of something. Come on, agent." He stopped in his tracks, brows raising to challenge me. "Let it out."

            Turning away, I released a long breath, finding some other focus. I ran my palm over the cotton table cloth as I passed the final row of dining tables, sweeping it off the end.

            "Snakes," said Barnes.
I rotated around. "Snakes?"
"Snakes. Bloody hate those things."
A shallow choice. My lip quirked, not in a mocking way, but in surprise. "What did snakes ever do to you?"
"Nothing at all! But some people are just born with senseless fears, aren't they? I just find them weird. Like... tails with eyes. They're just—" He shuddered. "Horrible!"

            It was so mundane. So simple. The humiliation of confessing my own – of being controlled, of losing the power I held over my own life – was too much for me to admit it to him.

            I was not entirely lying when I chose a different answer. "Needles," I replied, stopping in front of the door to turn and face Barnes. "I... have a fear of needles."
He frowned. "Why?"
"I think I've confessed enough today."
"No, sorry! I'm not trying to push you. It's just that... you break through the boundaries the human body sets all the time. I expected something less invasive, I suppose. No offence, of course."
"None taken." I crossed my arms. "But what do you mean when you say I 'break the boundaries?' Give me an example."
"The Agent Riley incident back in 2012. From what I heard, that poison should have killed you, Knight."
He must have noticed my gaping mouth, as his shut promptly when we locked eyes for a second. "You know about the case."
"A lot of agents lower down the levels do." He wrung his hands together, looking from me to the door. "We talk a lot about the bigger cases and your name has cropped up a fair bit."
"Oh." I was unsure of how much I cared for that knowledge, and decided against asking for how others received it. "How much do you know about it?"
"Agent Riley was a traitor," he replied. "I don't know who she was to you, but her treachery shook the agency. I was lucky to not be fired for it."
I frowned. "Why would you be fired for something Annabelle Riley did?"
"Because we're the disposable agents." He huffed a laugh. "Numbers were cut to root out potential traitors. If I wasn't recruited directly, I would have most likely lost my job in the aftermath of that case."