Connecting

Chapter 25

A warehouse without any signs of suspicions. That is where they are right now. The cars are parked at a safe distance away from their target.

Chris looked at Melissa, who is studying the warehouse they're about to enter. "Hey, I know we could do this."

"I know," Melissa smiled, removing her seatbelt. "I just don't know what to expect once we're inside. I don't want any of you to get hurt."

"I don't want you to get hurt, too, Melissa." Chris smiled sincerely and held her hand.

They both went out of the car and nodded at the three other agents that will be entering with them. The five of them slowly entered the warehouse.

Once inside, Melissa quietly instructed, "Agents, don't show any weapon to show that we're not here to attack."

"Will we fight?" One agent asked.

"If we need to." Melissa replied. They found the room where they all are, including Melissa's father. Chris looked at her, he's currently nervous because he doesn't know what to do once they're inside, he's just acting to be brave so that Melissa will have confidence in herself.

Melissa nodded, signalling the agents that they will enter and approach. They entered peacefully, the agents are waiting for Melissa to shout, "FBI" but she didn't. Then, they noticed them and panicked, good thing they didn't attack them.

"Who are you?" One of the people asked.

Melissa moved a little closer but with a lot of distance away from them. "We didn't come here to hurt you or to attack."

They saw Jim, who's not saying any word and still pretending to be on their side.

"How are we so sure of that? How did you know this place?" They questioned.

It's now time for Chris to talk. "That doesn't matter, sir. Please just cooperate with us."

This time, no one answered because the boss went out. "Cooperate? What do you mean?" He asked them.

"Listen, everyone," Melissa spoke with hope and softness but still with confidence in her voice. "Yes, we came here to do what you think we'll do. But we aren't here to hurt any of you. All we seek is peace in this country, and what you're doing is breaking that. You're cutting the lives of other people, don't you feel bad and guilty for that? Those people that doesn't have anything to do with you or us, those people who doesn't even know what you're doing in here, those people who were just living their lives and minding their own business but you thought that they know something and they might stop you. Those people in the government that you murdered just because they work in the government doesn't mean whatever the government did to you, they are a part of that, too. They were just doing their jobs." Melissa stopped for a while.

All the people, including the agents, Jim, and Chris looked at her. Her hope of changing people's hearts into good is really different; it hits different. Even the boss was taken away by his thoughts and listened to her.

When Melissa noticed everyone listening to her, she continued. "I know that you're doing this for a reason. Maybe because the government did something that you felt like you were betrayed or you're not enough. Trust me, I know that feeling, too. I was betrayed, was treated like I was nothing even when I do my best in everything. I know, everyone knows, the feeling of hurt. If this is for revenge, it's not right. There are people getting hurt because of what you're doing, I know you don't want that. I know all you want is to feel good and to avenge for yourself, I did want to do that before. But thinking about it, it won't make me better than them. Revenge will make me stoop down to their level. All we can do now is to show them that we are worth it, we are better than what they see us."

Once she was done talking, she looked at everyone's faces and reactions; she saw some of them softened. Chris immediately pull her towards him when he saw the boss smiling sheepishly.

"You're funny," he said when he finally calmed down. "Do you think you'll be able to talk to us like that? Do you think you'll be able to change us and just arrest us like that? We may not be prepared that you would come but I can just kill you, you know?"

"But we are. We are prepared." Chris replied, signalling the three agents to get ready. Melissa, on the other hand, signalled the other agents and police who were still outside to prepare and go inside the warehouse.

"Sure, you are," The boss replied, pulling a gun out of his pocket. "I'm sorry but I think I'm kinda more prepared that you. I know your plan, you sent this agent to us because you know we need him. You used him to stall, didn't you? Well, it worked but if his daughter is here, wouldn't it be cool if she see her father die? Oh, yeah. So cool."

"You won't do that," Melissa replied, her face is not showing any kind of emotion but her voice is threatening, unlike before which is full of hope. "You can't."

"Why can't I? You mentioned earlier that all of us were murderers and I wonder why you know that. Have you seen someone kill someone? Of course, you did. You're an agent. But wouldn't it be cool if it's your father?" The boss replied pointing the gun at her father.

Melissa signalled all the back-up to enter. They were all pointing their guns out.

"Oh, I see you indeed are ready." The boss replied.

Melissa stepped forward. "Let's do this properly. We are the FBI, with us are the police. We are here to arrest each one of you. I am arresting you on suspicion of murder, hacking other people's computer systems including the government's without authority and or consent, and hurting or killing them afterwards.. you do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence."

"Well," the boss replied, suddenly putting his gun down. "I'm not getting arrested."

The agents and the police started to come closer to them, while they walk backwards. Once they can't move anymore backwards, the boss grabbed his gun once again, pointed it towards Jim.

"I know you're the boss, Benoist," the boss grinned. "Stop them and don't arrest me, or I'll shoot."

Melissa stood there, in front of him. She signalled the agents and the police to arrest everyone, which they did, peacefully. Then, they transported them to their car and went to the secret station first for questioning and more investigation. Now it's just the boss they have to deal with.

The boss is still pointing the gun towards Jim. "You may be able to arrest them but I'm still here; you can't arrest me."

Melissa forwarded one step. "Then just surrender."

"Surrender," the boss scoffed. "Do you think that's on my vocabulary? If I could hurt a thousand people, I could also hurt your father."

"You could, but you don't want to." Melissa stated. Her eyes piercing through the boss' soul.

"You don't know me. You don't know why I'm doing all of these. You don't know what I can do."

"I know what you can do," Melissa replied, her arms crossed. "I am an agent, I know things. I don't know you but I know what you're capable of and not capable of."

The boss smiled. "Then," a gunshot was heard.

---

Note:
I am proofreading as fast as I could in order for this fic to be completed already since I have another fic to write. It has 50 chapters in total so hopefully the fic would be published completely by this month :))