Agent 9

Chapter 9: Dinner With The Enemy

I tap my foot impatiently and glance at my wrist where my watch once was. Instead of finding the time, I find my bandaged arm. Groaning, I look around for any sign of him.

2095 East Kingson Street is an old abandoned warehouse building on the edge of town. The street lights ended a few meters away so most of the light is coming from my headlights.

While I wait for 9:00 to roll around I get to work on how I'll kill Archer as soon as I see him.

I unclip my cufflinks and twirl them around in my hands. Though they are about the size of paperclips now, with a twist, I can make them expand to the size of a small dagger. I expand one of them and continue to make it dance through my fingers while my other hand is occupied holding a decoy safe.

By using the illusion capabilities of my car I simply took out the radio and made it appear to be the safe containing the azidoazide azide. It should fool Archer Burns very nicely. Now onto more important matters.

How shall I kill you?

As the steel of the blade slides through my palm, I fantasize of running it across Archer's throat.

But would doing this satisfy my thirst for revenge? Or shall I make him suffer more for his actions?

I contemplate this for a bit. My phone buzzes in my pocket so I put the safe down next to my leg and grab it and see what it was. I rest my foot on the safe just to be secure.

A message notification from Ephriam, or more likely, Archer, taunts me on the screen. I open the message.

This is Archer Burns. I'm inside.

I put my phone away and turn to my vehicle. With a hand signal, my lights turn off and the car morphs to take the shape of a smelly old dumpster. I downsize my dagger and clip it back onto my wrist.

I've already decided that I won't listen to what Archer has to say to me. Though I am curious about his motivation, I must kill him before it's too late. Then I'll find Ephriam without his help. I'm not letting go of this safe. Or, the real safe, for that matter. I tap it and smile to myself.

I swear, sometimes, I think I might be a genius.

I walk around the building looking for the entrance and eventually find it after my second turn. It's a big barnyard door that I have to slide it with all of my strength to get the dang thing open. When I peer inside cautiously, attempting to get a location on Burns, I'm dumbfounded by what I see.

Candlelight bounces around and reflects off the faux safe in my hand. I struggle to make out what I'm viewing. He is here. He's sitting down, relaxed yet formally, he stands when he sees me and walks over.

I take an instinctive fighting stance. Archer stops a few feet away, keeping a safe distance and measuring me up. His head is tilted almost all the way down just to look me in the eyes. My hand twitches with excitement, waiting to be used as the weapon it is. Now I know what I can do when I look into his blue orbs, I can tear his heart right of his chest. Just like he did to me when he stole Ephriam.

"Where is he?" I demand, "Where. Is. Ephriam?"

Archer chuckles, rubbing his hands together then gesturing to the elaborate set up in the middle of the room: A square table with a stark white table cloth draped over it. Three candles of varying heights are lit in the center surrounded by awful purple flowers. Two chairs across from each other and two plates lay covered by silver half- domes. Though I can't see what's under them, the smell of steak fills my nostrils and makes my stomach twist into a knot. I'm famished.