Rogue Shadow

Prologue - In the Beginning

In the Beginning:

01:13 Saturday, 7th October 2017

Walking down the dimly light hallways, the man forced himself to continue putting one foot in front of the other.

Show no fear.

Ensuring his face showed nothing of his fears or apprehensions, he pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped into the oppressive office.

A tall man sat at the desk in the centre of the office – the only piece of furniture in the room. His hair was immaculate, pulled back and tied up at the base of his head. He wore a dark suit over a long, white, button-up shirt. He could have sworn he saw a drop of blood on his boss's sleeve, but perhaps it was his imagination.

He cursed himself for allowing his mind to wander and forced his focus back onto the desk in front of him. Papers lay in neat piles side by side, and a row of black folders lined the side.

"Report," his boss demanded, not glancing up from his work.

"She escaped, sir."

"What?" he said, his voice dangerously low.

"The Ryan family were successfully eliminated, but Experiment 13-X wasn't there. Our information was dated. Our agents spotted her leaving the scene with a government agent and followed her. He and the car were destroyed but there was no trace of the Experiment. None of our men made it back alive."

"What happened to them?" he demanded.

"We don't know, sir. 13-X was our best; it appears she took them out and vanished. We have no leads."

"Find her!"

"Sir, we have two units searching-"

"Send another. Send them all if you must. Don't let this trail run cold!"

"Yes Sir." He knew the drill by now. Don't speak out of turn, don't stuff up, don't irritate the boss and you won't get killed.

"How did she escape? How does she keep evading us? Two years! Nearly two years she has somehow remained hidden from us. Someone must be aiding her. She cannot be doing this alone. Someone outside of the government... somebody unaccounted for..."

"Forgive me sir, but there is no evidence of any involvement. ASIS was moving her from home to home under the false ID of Natasha Turner. Perhaps they have just done the same again?" He was careful to voice his opinion, not wanting to be on the receiving end of his boss's wrath.

"No... she is too well trained. She was an assassin before we took reclaimed her. She knows how to hide. She knows how to kill. She is dangerous."

"Sir, my units are hunting for her, do they have permission to shoot on sight?"

"No!"

His boss shot up, chair scraping against the metal floor in protest as it fell back, hitting the flood with a clang.

"Sir?"

"Experiment 13-X is far to valuable to kill. We have invested too much time and money in her to destroy. Bring her to me – I want her alive!"

"Yes sir."

He turned around, leaving the office in a hurry. He would not remain in that man's presence any longer than absolutely necessary. There was something off about him. Even as his boss began to shout accompanied by the rustling sounds of paper flying and folders clattering to the ground, he did not turn around.

"Find her! She cannot evade us forever. I want her found!"