The Agency

XLIX. retrieval

TW: Graphic descriptions of violence

They both landed on the floor softly, trying not to make any noise. They listened in to see if they heard anyone speaking, but the entire place was quiet. It was well lit with grey walls and cement floors. Colette opened up her phone to look at the map so they could get to the media room without being caught.

They had hacked into the media system themselves, and the brilliant techs at the Agency made a unique map that showed where the guards were and where they were moving. Colette and Alex avoided them all with ease, thanks to the map.

Once they reached the media room, Colette pressed her phone's screen onto the sensor. It beeped and opened the door, where a half-asleep attendant was waiting. He seemed to be deep in his music. He had headphones in this ears, and Alex could hear the music from where he was standing, meaning that he would not hear if Alex attacked him.

The media room was filled with monitors but not a lot because the facility was not that large. Alex wanted to take a peek to see how Virginie was doing, but he knew that if he saw he was going to get distracted and do something stupid so he only glanced at them all. They were high camera quality security cameras which Alex found strange. He could see everything quite clearly like they were being recorded in 1080p or even 4K. He would have to look more into it once he took over the room.

Alex crept up behind him and clamped his hand over his mouth and put a knife to his throat with just enough pressure that the skin broke and it was bleeding but not enough to cause any real damage.

He could feel the man trembling beneath him, but his fear did not bother Alex. He nodded to Colette to speak. She yanked the headphones out of his ears.

"We're going to tell you to do some things, and you're going to do them for us, okay? If you try anything funny like alerting your sadistic boss or your friends, you all will pay with your lives. Is that understood?" Colette asked. The man nodded, looking sad.

She smiled. "Good, I'm glad that we have an understanding." She pointed to the monitors. "Please shut the entire system down."

The man complied by typing some commands on the keyboard. The monitors all immediately went black, signaling that the deed was done. Alex moved away from the man, letting go of his mouth and neck. He looked up at them expectantly as Colette leveled the gun with his forehead, firing the fatal shot.

Good thing I stepped away. I would've gotten his blood and guts all over me.

The man slumped on the keyboard. Alex and Colette began canvassing the room, trying to find any clues. He could see tons of recording equipment and DVDs.

"We should probably go to Virginie now," Colette ordered, stuffing a DVD down her shirt. "She needs us badly."

Alex wanted to ask about the disk, but he nodded and followed her out of the room. The hallway where the main room was located was deserted like everyone had gone to bed for the night. He took a deep breath and opened the door, but nothing could prepare him for what he saw next.

Virginie was on the floor, unconscious and covered in blood. She had various small cuts all over her body, and he could see bruises beginning to form. The blood from her injuries from the restaurant was dried on her forehead. Her dress had large blood stains on it, making Alex wonder what other horrors she had gone through. Her breathing was so short and shallow that she almost looked dead. He could smell vinegar in the room, and it almost made him vomit to know that her executioner had poured the foul liquid on her wounds. He could hear the words "I love you, baby" blasted all over the room and he was confused. He could see the image of a woman with a striking smile who looked a lot like Virginie. She had the same ocean blue eyes. What was the significance of those words?