Book 3 | Agent 34 and the Storm of Darkness

Chapter 16 | Her Secret

"What the hell is up with you, Arenia?" Agent 34 asked in their hotel room. Sercon and Marque had decided to share a room together during their stay in Sehope while Arenia and Agent 34 were going to share one. "You leave in the middle of the speech and go off into a random alleyway and come back and jump higher than the city! What the hell!" Agent 34 was practically shouting.

Arenia looked down at her ice boots and flinched slightly when she looked back up and saw Agent 34 glaring at her. "Well?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"I don't know, okay?" Arenia said. She pressed her back against the wall and slowly lowered herself down to the floor and threw her face into her arms. 

"Is it those boots?" Agent 34 asked. 

Arenia quickly shook her head. She knew if she took them off and then showed her strength to him again Agent 34 would know something else had happened to her. "It isn't the boots,"

"What else could it be?" He asked. "I think you should take those off–" 

"No," Arenia jumped up quickly. "No. I'm fine. I just need to be alone,"

Agent 34 wasn't convinced but respectfully nodded and left the hotel room with suspicion. Arenia threw herself onto the only bed in the room and began to cry. If Agent 34 ever found out about her second gem he would take her as a traitor and a selfish bastard that only wanted power.

Then he'd lose all hope for her. She didn't want that. 

~ ~ ~

"Guys, she's hiding something from us," Agent 34 said as he paced Marque and Sercon's hotel room. "There's no way she can come back with that much strength."

"Maybe she really isn't feeling that good?" Marque suggested. "You know how the illnesses are here. Maybe she got one that increases strength,"

"Doubt it," Sercon said. "Of course, she could be taking some sort of steroid,"

"Arenia wouldn't do that," Agent 34 said. "She's not like that. Arenia isn't powerhungry. Even if she was, she knows steroids aren't the right option,"

"He's right," Marque said. "but I think it's those boots she found in the pond." 

"That's what I said and that's when she snapped at me," Agent 34 explained. "I feel like they are corrupting her,"

"We might need to take them from her then," Marque said.

"No, no. Not any of your daring and childish plans to make a difference. Remember what happened last time? You two nearly died here a month ago because of it and became the Zena's number one most wanted enemies, excluding Braunick," Sercon crossed his arms and stood up from the bed.

"What other ideas do you have?" The semi-injured Destigem said.

"Anything better than yours, every time you get a bright idea you nearly die. 'Thad, let's go chase after Ismara!','Thad, let's go to Urania and get the cure and break my curse!'" Sercon's face was getting red from anger. "I'm not contributing to your idiotic ideas,"

"You don't have to," Marque said. "Me and 34 can do it alone," He stood up quickly and hobbled over to the door. "And just so you know, in the end, our plans worked perfectly. Braunick is defeated because of us,"

"Braunick's defeated? Braunick's defeated? He is far from it! He, Vrängr, and Agent X all lived! Not one of their bodies were recovered from the wreckage! Braunick is out there, plotting his next move! He might already be back in Urania and have it back under his control! This war isn't over and I don't even know why we came on this mission!"

This was the first time Agent 34 had witnessed Sercon with an aggressive side. "Everyone, let's just chill out. We aren't the enemies here. The reason we are here is to gain dominance before Braunick can regain his throne, and that's if he is alive. If he truly is dead, then Renya is ours."

Marque huffed and left the room. Agent 34 followed as Sercon climbed into his bed with anger. 

"We have to find out!" Marque said in the hotel hallway.

"Find our what?" Agent 34 asked. "What the hell were you thinking? We can't have Sercon as an enemy!"

"Don't you get it?" Marque cried, and placed himself in front of Agent 34. He placed both hands on Agent 34's shoulders and leaned in closer. "She's hiding something. Arenia has a secret, and it isn't good."