Agent 11

Chapter Eight: New Arrivals

Agent 11
It must have looked bad. The mission failed and two more responsibilities. Everyone was conversing, seated on the coaches. From the sounds of it, a meeting concerning my mission. Lucy waved at me, eyebrows raised at my companions, but the others didn't seem to notice Ash and Ryan. After being subjected to mental trauma unlike anything else, I was happy to see them, and suppressed the urge to hug each one of them. That thought was definitely out of character for me, a touch-shy person. However, as my friends had ceaselessly reminded me, I was still a human, and humans needed comfort. When I walked over to greet them, Blake went through a series of changes in expression. Complete and utter joy and relief, mixed slightly with restraint. For some reason, Blake was resisting the urge to run over and hug me. He approached, barely glancing at the downloading device. "You're alright." He murmured. I tilted my head, perplexed. "Of course I'm alright. Did you doubt me?" I asked jokingly. Blake looked down. "I just thought something was wrong. I was a little concerned." In the background no longer, Lucy laughed, and called out. "A little? Blake, you woke up at midnight, and dragged all of us out of bed because you were sure something was wrong, and that 11 was in danger." I blinked in surprise. Did Blake somehow know about the Liquid Fear? No, that was impossible. Allegiance technology couldn't reach into Counterattack territory. I smiled, and hugged him reassuringly. "It's okay. I'm alright. I'm fine. I'm safe." He stepped back, relaxed. That was when he finally saw Ash and Ryan. "11, who are they?"

"These are former Counterattack captives. Can they stay here and help? Also, I'm really sorry about the transmission device."

He smiled. "Who cares about the downloading device? We'll launch another mission once things have settled down. They can stay for a while. Anything else?" He must have been so relieved to see me, if he was disregarding the mission. I looked over at Ash, who was pleading with her eyes. "Could they stay here as Allegiance agents?" Finally, a shadow of doubt crossed his face. "Blake, they each saved my life." His sceptic expression fell in shock, and he blinked in surprise. Then his deep blue eyes softened as he took a closer look at my condition, scrapes and bruises. Luckily, I had covered my bandage on my shin. We all looked battered, Ash was unconsciously rubbing her head again. Ryan was standing oddly, favoring his non-injured leg. After a seemingly endless silence, he spoke again. "Your life was put in danger from this mission. From me." I shook my head quickly. "No! I was overconfident in myself, and underestimated my enemy again." But he wasn't listening. He turned to Ash and Ryan. "Thank you for saving her. You are welcome to stay here as long as you want. I'll hold a meeting in a few days to finalize your place here, once you are settled in." I smiled brightly at Blake, and threw my arms around him. "Thank you, Blake. I promise I'll make it up to you." Blake shook his head. "Why should you have to make it up to me? 11, if I hadn't asked you to go on that mission, you wouldn't have almost died twice." "Three times. I saved her twice, and Ash saved her once." Ryan mumbled, stopping at the glare I shot him, but it was too late. His eyes widened with alarm. "What?" I sighed, confirming the truth. "Three times. But the last time was completely my fault, and Ryan saved me." Blake's face was full of guilt. "Blake, do not blame yourself. Okay?" He nodded, a hesitant action, but his eyes were filled with warmth. "Blake, Ash also might have a concussion, and Ryan fell pretty hard. Can I bring them to the medic building?" Another nod, this time paired with a smile. I hugged him tighter, burying my head in his cinnamon-apple smell that always seemed to make me feel better. He was still smiling when I pulled away. As I was walking out, accompanied by both new companions, Blake stopped me. "How far would you say Ryan fell?" I turned back to him and the others, and suppressed a grin. "About one story." Blake raised an eyebrow, and I turned to leave again. "11, are you limping?" His voice, full of concern again, caught the attention of the others. I sighed. "Yeah, a stupid dart hit me." I decided not to tell him about the traumatic images the dart induced, and that I had firsthand experienced the effects of Counterattacks newest creation, Liquid Fear, even as Ryan scoffed at my use of the word stupid. Blake walked over to me, and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You go to the doctor as well. Take care of yourself first for once." An embarrassed blush lit my face. "Yes sir." I once again reached for the doors, but someone was already pushing it open for me. I smiled at Ryan, but was surprised. The doors were made to be heavy, and while every person on the A-Team could open it easily, Ryan didn't look very strong. Then again, neither did I. "Thanks." I muttered, wanting to ask how he did that. But I was in for more surprise when Ash opened the other for herself to walk out. Deciding to file away the interrogation for another day, I continued to the doctors. They each had Ash and Ryan sit down. Since I refused to tell them about the paralysis and intensified pain effect, I was given a simple ointment to put on the wounded area. Again, I withheld knowledge about the darts effects. After careful analysis, they told me Ash was fine, and just needed rest. Ryan was somewhat malnourished. I told them that he was captured by Counterattack and Ash had stolen him during the trial. The main doctor recommended he eat healthy and exercise well, the usual medical diagnosis when nothing was really wrong. I nodded, and told my companions that there was no serious damage. The doctors let me take them again, and I led the way to the apartments. Along the way, I tried to explain the building setup and locations to Ash and Ryan, but they didn't seem to get it. I made a mental plan to show them around as soon as I could. Finally, we arrived, and entered the building for buying apartments.We didn't make anyone pay rent in our society, you just payed once. That was because some people only got paid after/before missions. If money was inconsistent, or we didn't have any missions because of a peace spell, we didn't want anyone getting evicted. So I approached the desk, and dropped a small pile of bills on its surface. The person sitting there looked up at me and his eyes widened. "Agent 11? Do you want a room? I thought you lived in the A-Team building! And who-" I gently cut him off. "I'm actually not here for a room for myself. I met these two on my last mission, and Blake says they can stay for a while." The boy nodded overenthusiastically. "We have several rooms open. I just can't believe it's you. People say you're Blake's favorite, and that's why he made you his second in command! Is that true? I mean, he's letting these two stay because you brought them. I wish-" A clear, familiar voice interrupted him, as it was the only way to kindly shut him up. "Christoffer! Stop bothering the celebrity." I turned around to see a pair of blue-green eyes almost covered by the bangs of her brown hair. It was my closest friend outside the A-Team. "Casey! How are you?" Casey Hilton has gone on a mission with me before I became second in command. It was a snowy mission, and we both were separated for the group. I was alone at first, but I found her curled up, trying to preserve body heat. I lit a flare instantly, waiting nervously for a rescue. What no one knew was that Casey hated snow, ice, and all sorts of cold, and only went as a replacement for another, who had gotten sick. I talked to her for hours to keep her calm, telling stories of every event that had happened in Allegiance. Eventually, I ran out of stories, as I had only been there a little while. She asked me about my home life, and after much prompting, I told her about my amnesia, and how I found Allegiance. She was the only one who knew except for the A-Team and now Ryan. When we were found, she gave me all the credit for her being alive, and I joined the A-Team the next day. Now Casey was standing in front of the doorway, holding a woven basket full of fruit. She had just come from the market, I guessed. I noticed that the edges of her hair were dyed the same aqua color as her eyes. "Sorry, he can get a bit talky. My younger brother has idolized you since you saved my life." I laughed. "Did you ever tell him that I was just as lost as you?" Casey walked over to the desk, and typed a code into it. "I tell him, but he never believes it. Here, two joined rooms. To help you adjust to the new location." A beep sounded, and two almost identical key cards were printed out. I took them, and passed one to Ash and Ryan at random. "Now, lets go check these rooms out." I instructed casually. We walked up a flight of stairs to the rooms listed on the cards. We went into Ash's first, and she let out a gasping sound. It was a room with pure white walls, a small kitchen, a couch facing a TV, one large bed with golden spirals on the bedspread, and a large glass door balcony. Ash walked around, taking in everything. "It's so beautiful." I smiled in agreement. "Casey has a first rate hotel, and the Allegiance colors are rather attractive." Both looked around again, seeing that everything is in fact those colors. I waited, judging their reaction. Ryan smiled, and comically hugged a wall. "We're finally free!" He shouted, but it's muffled, as his face was pressed against the wall. I smiled at the humorous scene, with two lighthearted people. It was so much like being with the A-Team, in a way that left you with a warmth in your heart. "This isn't even your room." Ash pushed him towards the white wooden door with a lock she assumed was the joining door. I, knowing the layout of the rooms, smiled to myself as she opened it to see a bathroom. I coughed, and pushed open a door slightly to her left. It revealed an almost identical room, aside from a few tiny differences, and one large detail.