Double Crossed: Marionette

Chapter 1

"Must you always disintegrate the furniture?"

The man who had asked me the question was standing off to the side. My own attention was focused on crushing the small metal rose, which I had broken off my decorative bed, to dust in my palm. Lips pursed, I was slowly compacting the metal ash into a sphere.

"Ash was the beginning, ash will be the end. Why not also put it in the middle?" My words were quiet, but I could tell my visitor heard them. I looked up from my project and turned my eyes to the doorway. "What do you want?"

He didn't respond with words. Instead, his hand moved up the wall. In an instant, light flooded my chambers. Without my permission, a low hiss escaped my lips. The light was never my friend. I only allowed fire, and only in scented candles or burning wood. Now that I think about it, fire burning anything was allowed in my presence.

"It's three a.m. and you're sitting in here crushing iron. Doesn't that seem a little odd?"

"I don't see your point. You're telling me it's odd I'm up in the early morning yet you're standing here at the same time I am, wide awake. You're not even in your own room," I said this as my eyes drifted back to my iron creation. A minute passed before the man decided he had lost the argument. It dawned on me that I didn't even know his name.

"What's your name, sir?" I didn't need to use such formalities, since it was more than likely he was below my ranking, but it was my nature to sound as uninterested as possible. If there is any way to to that best, it was to throw in formal titles at random.

When he didn't respond, I turned around again. My crimson eyes flicked over to the doorway. Instead of standing, like a normal human being, my visitor was passed out on the ground. A faint snoring came from his direction and he rolled over. I simply rolled my eyes, got up, and pushed him out of my door and into the hallway. Before shutting my door, I sprinkled the iron sand next to his face. Humans are the most awkward creatures.
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That night I crushed three metal roses and a candle. I should probably find a better hobby to do in the darkness hours. When the sun rose and spread hated light about the courtyard, I decided to change out of my nightgown and into something more appropriate for a military base. Before I stood up, my divine hearing caught footsteps stomping down the hall outside my door. A smirk spread across my face as they approached the passed out visitor at my doorstep.

"Well wouldya look at that! Agent Barnes back to his ol' confident self! Always tryna pick up the powerful ladies. Though I can't say I blame 'em." His voice had southern accent written all over it. His companion spoke next, "Barnes never was a respectable one. And Marionette was never one to play around. Don't know why he even tried."

The men didn't stop at my door to acknowledge Barnes' failure for very long. They kept stompin' down the hallway with little hesitation. I refocused on my task, getting dressed.

I stepped through the already open doors to my walk-in closet. Designer dresses and shoes lined the back wall, also the smallest wall. I was never one for fancy things. My military uniforms jackets and combat boots were on the right wall and casual clothing on the left. A single mirror hung on the back of one of the doors. Quickly, I grabbed my combat boots, black skinny jeans, ebony t-shirt and my black and gray camo jacket. Before you could say I want to start a fire, I was changed and out the door.

All of the hallways in my building were a dark brown with maroon accents. The floor was black marble that matched my room floors. No decorations hung on the walls of stood at corners. The money was better spent elsewhere. Every twelve feet on the right was a plain wooden door leading to a three man room. On the left, a door every now and then marked a high ranked chamber. I was on the left.

I left the hallway and entered a small lounge by the elevator and stairs. Thinking of my hair, I took the elevator.

Two minutes later, I sat at a long, wooden table in a white room. The wall behind me was completely made of glass, letting the sunlight shine through. And no, the sun doesn't burn me, your information on vampires is almost completely incorrect. Actually, probably all wrong. Besides ivory skin, your folklore has nothing on me.

Five men came in and took their seats. That left three open. We waited another minute, and two more came in. One seat was open to my left. "Well we can't wait for Agent Barnes any longer. We must start now."

The man who spoke sat at the head of the table with gray hairs and a receding hairline. General Patton was his name, and the only one ranked higher than I was. Everyone in the room knew that, so I didn't have adorn myself with hundreds of badges like Patton did. A man as dull as him could be over taken easily. He needed something to stand out it the crowd. Something to prove himself since his physique was anything but intimidating or the image of power.

Patton continued, "As we all know, we are still at war with Maeryn and our Operation Hydra is almost complete. At the moment, the Virus is finicky and hard to predict. Releasing it would wreak havoc on Phoenix and on our own lines." It was true. I was in the lab when they tested Operation Hydra for the first time. It seeped through the gas mask the test subject was wearing. Not an illness we want spreading in Parallax. Luckily, I am immune.

At that moment, my midnight visitor ambled through the door. His hair was disheveled and purple bruises under his eyes gave evidence of a sleepless night.

"You're late," Patton stated the obvious, something he was quite good at. I scoffed as Barnes took his seat at my left.

"Anyway," the general continued, " we have found the solution to our minor problem. Off in the land of the Wasteland, there is a scepter of health. Our historians and artifact experts did some research on this scepter. Results came back yesterday, and this artifact is capable of controlling even the deadliest illnesses and diseases. This scepter will be the solution to our, erm, problem."

The room was silent for a minute. I cracked my knuckles, earning a flinch from Barnes and the other man on my right. I smiled wickedly at their reaction. Patton's next words angered me, "Ms. West, you, with the coming of any team of your choice, will fly down to the tip of Wasteland to retrieve our Scepter of Health. You will begin your packing and preparation within the hour."

At this point, I was glaring at Patton which made him visibly uncomfortable, though he tried to hide it. The others at the table shifted in the silence. They knew if they interrupted my glares, they would become my new target. I was commonly known as one to be feared.

General Patton croaked out one last sentence, barely louder than a whisper, "Failure will result in a demotion." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, I shot out of my chair and narrowed my eyes. So mister here wants to play boss while I'm gone. He won't need my second opinion or my intimidation to make decisions.

"You have no power to do that. The Superior promoted me, you will not be able to get rid of me that easily." My voice was ice. To add tension, I snarled. Sweat gleamed on his forehead as my crimson eyes bore down. He stood up to be at my level.

"That was a direct order from the Superior. Not me."

"We know full well you made that decision. The Superior would not waste his second-in-command on such a trip. You want me out of the territory so you can give yourself more powerful. Heck, you even hope I would die on this mission. Then you could have a servant promoted to second so you could have the military to your grasp."

"Ms. West, this is not appropriate for the current situation." His eyes were squeezed shut and his fingers were crossed behind his back.

"No, General Patton," I was whispering now, so only he could hear me, "I just hit a mark. Your cards are now known by all players. I'll retrieve your scepter, and I'll be back within a week. Guess you'll have to work fast."

I stormed out of the room and felt each of their hearts slow down from their race. I went straight to the artifact museum/research facility. I will know as much as possible about this scepter before I choose my team.

Wasteland, here I come

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Hope you liked the first chapter!! Go check out the other Double Crossed books!!