The Agent Pt. 02: Rogue Nation

I heard two pair of footsteps coming to the side. They were trying to outflank me. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine where they were. I breathed in and out slowly. The floor creaked and my eyes shot wide open.

There.

Quickly, I rolled out form my hiding place as multiple gun shots were heard. I got up with one knee and shot two agents on their legs. One of them screamed and waved their gun in the air. Multiple empty shells bounced off the ground as I sprinted towards the kitchen and dove behind the kitchen counter. Two more, I thought to myself, ignoring the sting on my wounded side.

Wounded side...shit. Images of Don and Eleanor flashed in my mind. My grip hardened around the rifle as I eyed the stairs.

"Hands up, seventy-six," a masculine voice suddenly called out. "We have you surrounded. We are taking you in." Fuck that, I thought to myself. The voice was near the doorway, which was facing the kitchen. It was either sprint up the stairs and risk getting shot or take on the remaining guys. Fuck it, I thought to myself as I peered around the corner.

A crunching sound was heard, which sounded like a broken glass. Swiftly, I pointed my gun and shot another tranquilliser towards the location of the sound. A heavy body fell to the ground.

"Aaaaaaargh!"

A body crashed into mine and my gun slid across the floor. The strong masked figure straddle my hips and shot the gun at me, but luckily I pushed its hand away from my head. My ear rang as the gun went off a couple of times beside my head. I gave a small battle cry as I raised my hips and rolled over quickly with me on top. I grabbed its gun and hit its face hard until it became unconscious.

Quickly, I sprinted up the stairs and into Eleanor's and Don's room. I slammed open the couple's bedroom door and froze.

Two bloody and lifeless bodies were on the floor. Don's body was on top of Eleanor's, as if he was shielding her away from harm. My whole body shivered as I walked towards them. I went behind them and kneeled as I rolled Don off his wife. Their torsos were bloodied, but Eleanor most likely died from the bullet at the side of her head. Don was much worse as multiple bullet wounds were found all over his back and neck.

They were still holding hands.

"Oh god..." I breathed quietly as I desperately tried to find the couple's pulses. From a faint distance, I heard a helicopter approaching, which meant more agents. However, at that moment, I couldn't move. I didn't want to move, nor did I want to abandon the innocent couple whose dangerous mistake was helping me.

Multiple footsteps were heard coming up the stairs. I pointed the gun at the open doorway as I put the other one on top of the loving couple's hands. Whatever happens, happen, I thought angrily at myself. My eyes narrowed as the footsteps became closer. As soon as a masked figure came, I pulled the trigger, but I was out of ammo. Desperately, I pulled the trigger multiple times, but the gun was useless. I gave an ironic chuckle as multiple figures swarmed in, pointing the gun at me.

I studied them and their uniforms were a tad different. The combative suits were similar, but instead of all black, there were stripes of grey on their arms and legs. Their vests were bulkier and balaclava a tad lighter. They formed a semicircle around me and the dead couple.

"Come on, fuckers," I said under my breath. "Come on!"

"No worries, seventy-six. They're not from the Agency," a familiar voice suddenly said. A masked slim figure walked towards me. It pulled its mask away, revealing a familiar face with a pair grey eyes glaring at me. "They're with me."

It was Ashley.

- - - - - - - -

"Are you fucking insane?" I asked incredulously as Ashley changed my dressings and tended my wounds. I flinched. "Ouch! Watch it!"

Ashley rolled her eyes and sarcastically said, "Nice to see you too, Seventy-six. Why, it was no trouble finding you here in this tiny cabin on this tiny island. You know, it was hard to find this place under our satellites. If it wasn't for activating your watch, I wouldn't have found you."

"Oh, you found me. But the Agency did too," I replied in frustration. "Dammit, they were bystanders. Just a innocent couple who just wanted to fucking help."

"Well, we can't bring them back from the dead, agent," she snapped as she washed the wounds She then pulled her latex gloves off and put it inside the garbage bin. "What's done is done. Now, what are you going to do about it?" Her eyes locked with mine with fire and determination.

"No! Don't do that. I know where you're going with this," I said shaking my head. I pulled my bloody long-sleeved shirt down and painfully jumped down from the kitchen counter. My eyes scanned the messy cabin and the handful of armed men and women Ashley brought with. "Are these agents gone rogue?"

She smiled innocently and flipped her ponytail from one side to the other. She nodded, "Yes. Personally recruited by me. We are free men and women fighting the good fight without the Agency's eyes on us. We're not in a leash and we're our own masters." She walked up by my side and put a hand on my shoulder. "Fight with us-"

I whipped my head around and gave her a cold stare. She stopped talking, but her hand remained on my shoulder. She sighed. "Alright, listen. I'm not going to push you into something that you're not comfortable with, but the cold truth is the Agency wants you dead. You need allies and they," she waved her hand towards the agents, "and I are your allies."

Ashley and I stared at each other.

She shrugged and gave me an innocent smirk as she walked passed me. The other rogue agents stopped what they were doing and followed her outside while I leaned against the counter. I stared after her and sighed, unaware I was rubbing my sore side to lessen the pain. Little bits of snow started to come down from the dark skies, making the cabin colder as it seems. I looked towards the stairs and decided to bid a solemn goodbye to Eleanor and Don.

The couple's room was now the coldest in the house, not because it was facing north, but due to the fact that it reeked of death. I stood at the bedroom door and stared at the massacred bodied once again. My fingers ran through my long raven hair and exhaled slowly. They killed them like they were nothing, but collateral damage, I thought to myself. I slammed my fist against the cold wooden door. My mind searched for answers as my ears pricked to the sound of the helicopter's engine outside, but found none. The Agency murdered an innocent couple, period. There were no explanations that justified their actions and because of that, my blood boiled in anger.

I shook my head and quickly walked outside. Once I stood in front of the helicopter, I knocked at the side door. After a couple of knocks, the slide door opened and a smiling Ashley came into view. She reached a hand out for me, which I took without hesitation.

"I knew you'd come," she said, grinning as she closed the door. She tapped the the pilot's shoulder and shouted," get us up!"

I sat next to a tall masculine figure, whose peering eyes glistened under the faint moonlight. Multiple eyes stared at mine as I comfortably settled on my spot. Ashley looked back at me while holding a small device in her hand. I knew what it was, but my heart dropped as I recognised the detonator.

"No traces behind, agent," she whispered as she handed me the device. Gritting my teeth, I took it thinking how a little thing can weigh so much. I leaned forward and rolled the cylinder material up and down my palm. I grasped it fully and silently willed it to vanish. No way out of it, I thought to myself.

"No traces behind," I whispered and pressed the button.

Behind us, a large explosion was heard. The little cabin was no more.

- - - - - - - - -

We landed at an abandoned airstrip just a couple of miles away from Chicago. It took three hours to fly there, but the skies were clear and the sun began to rise. Once we got out from the helicopter, Ashley lead us to an abandoned building. The eight of us ran through it and immediately went inside the basement. As soon as Ashley closed the door behind us, the rogue agents waited while I looked around the small windowless room. Ashley rejoined us and pressed a couple of buttons on her watch. She winked at my confused expression

A whirring sound was heard like the whole room was made up of multiple machines. The ground beneath my feet rumbled and the walls vibrated. I stumbled a bit as the other agents stood gracefully. The whole room felt like it was falling, descending into a big unknown. It feels like my insides are falling, I thought to myself.

The whole basement was one big elevator.

Suddenly, the whole room stopped moving, but the whirring sound didn't. I felt the wall behind me move as I composed myself. Like a garage door, the wall opened itself up to a whole new world

"Welcome, Seventy-six," Ashley grinned as she put a hand on my shoulder. The remaining agents pulled their masks off and went through.

"Welcome to rogue nation."

- - - - - - -

The rogue agents' base was a lot bigger and spacious than I thought, but their equipments were a lot more impressive: their guns and computers were similar to the Agency's, but highly modified. Confused, I took a step forward and began walking towards the groups of uniformed people roaming around.

"How the-"

"Questions later," Ashley interrupted as she held my hand and lead me through the maze of corridors and crowds of people. "Right now, you need medical attention. Those wounds of yours," she looked back and eyed my side in concern," need to be checked out by a doctor. Right through here." We stumbled upon a clean, white and black coloured room filled with people in white coats. The strong smell of antiseptic and disinfectant solutions irritated my nose.

The small clinic was a little busy treating numerous agents who looked like they were involved in a war. A young man in a ripped up uniform was brought in with half of his face bloodied. The medical team rushed him and pushed his stretcher to another room. "You guys look like you're busy," I said as I observed my surroundings.

Ashley shook her head and narrowed her eyebrows. "You have no idea, Seventy-six."

An elderly asian doctor, whose gentle hands inspected my wounds, gave me a small frown as soon as Ashley handed me under his care. His small office was messy, but his desk was neat and tidy. I sat on top of a table with nothing on, but my underwear. With Ashley observing in the room, I felt self-conscious. I cleared my throat.

"How bad is it, doc?"

"Oh, it's bad alright," he answered as his eyes focused on my side. "You didn't give yourself an ample amount of time to heal. Some of these sutures of yours had signs of mechanical ripping due to the fact that you've been moving around and twisting your body a lot. However, these bruises of yours are healing quite nicely, but I'd have to request a chest x-ray just to be sure that there are no fractures involved. Just try to take it easy, okay?"

At the corner of my eye, I saw Ashley smile ironically while her arms crossed her chest.

"The handiwork of these sutures are pretty nice, as though they were done professionally. But I will advise you to put some adhesive-type of ointment on them as well as some medications for your pain. Your vital signs are within normal, but your blood count is a little bit on the borderline. Other than that, you're a walking miracle, agent. It's like your body is made from steel." He wrote on his prescription pad, ripped the paper, and gave it to me. Eyeing Ashley, I grabbed it and crossed my arm across my chest as I hopped down the table.

"Oh, please," she said rolling her eyes. "I've seen better. Here, I got you some clothes," she handed me a bundle of dark coloured clothing.

"Come," she said after I dressed up. "I'll show you where you can stay."

After turning at different corridors, I stumbled across a medium sized room with a king sized bed, desk, cabinet, and bookshelf filled with books. Like the hallways, the room was kept clean and well-lit. As soon as my back hit the bed, I felt like I could sleep forever.

"Sweet mother-of-god," I sighed as I glide my hand across the smooth bedsheets. "Thank you for this."

"Don't get too comfortable," she replied as she closed the door behind her. "This is my room. There's not a lot of extra rooms here for new guests. Just leave space for me at the other side of the bed, will ya?" She went to her closet and rummaged through her clothes as her hand started to unhook her vest. One by one, she took off her clothes and started changing.

"I hope you don't snore," I mumbled. She looked and walked my way, then sat down gently beside me. Deep down inside, I knew she was going to ask something either about Jason, Carrie or Alfonso. Don't ask me, I thought to myself as my eyes stayed glued towards the ceiling. I felt her body lay down.

"What are you going to do about Alfonso?" she asked quietly as she turned to me, using her arm to prop her head up.

"Get him, of course," I answered back, but not as confidently as I hoped. "I don't know how, but I'll get him one day." I turned my head towards the grey-eyed woman. She gave me a small frown in return.

"You know, we can help you," she said slowly. "The Agency wants you dead. You witnessed that yourself a couple of times, Seventy-six. They won't help you, not even Carrie." I flinched once I heard Carries name. Ashley, who noticed my reaction, raised an eyebrow.

"I sense that your relationship with Carrie was already quite tense even before the Agency labeled you as a criminal," she continued. Strangely, I looked angrily at Ashley. She was taken aback, then composed herself as the corners of her mouth turned into an amused smile. "Why, I never thought you of all people can develop some type of emotional attachment, agent!"

"Leave it alone, Ashley," I gravely said. She shrugged.

"Just stating the obvious," she laughed. "She hasn't told you everything, you know. Like I said before, she's not who you thought she was. I've been tracking her for the past couple of weeks and last time I checked, she was in New York City. She didn't even bothered to check if your body was floating in the middle of Lake Michigan. She's an Agency's loyal dog and her leash is a lot tighter than yours."

"Who was she tracking?"

"Who cares? Do you honestly believe she'll help you especially if she knew you were tracking her? Or kill you?"

I frowned at her, but kept my mouth shut. Carrie was a complicated matter. Back at Helen of Troy, she helped me escape and attempted to save me from Jason, but the gestures weren't good enough to confirm if she acted outside the Agency's primary plans for me. If she did save you, I thought to myself, she probably would handcuff you and either kill me herself or delivery you to the Agency.

My train of thoughts turned into a migraine. Instead of answering Ashley's question, I turned my back against her and slept within minutes.

- - - - - - - -

Carrie panted as the masked agent before her kneeled and groaned in pain.

"Come on. Again!"

Under the dim lights of the Agency's gym, Carrie has been sparring for the past three hours in the middle of the boxing ring. Multiple agents with their sweaty clothes lifted weights and trained during their limited free time, but Carrie took her training to the next level. She was a unique agent where she is both a field and a desk agent. Her I.Q. and hacking skills were beyond excellent, but her combat and weaponry skills were average. A couple of weeks after the Helen of Troy incident, she hacked and looked non-stop for agent Seventy-six without the Agency's consent, but the organisation's security team was strict. After finding out that the wounded agent was possibly hiding on one of Lake Michigan's small islands, the Agency gave her direct order to stop looking. Furious, she attempted to hack with her laptop, but she was unsuccessful.

She found out too late that the agent's watch was activated on the same island she suspected and before she could go there herself, the small cabin on the lone island was destroyed. The redhead knew she needed help and because of that she decided to go to New York City to find her trusted friend and colleague. She refused to believe that Seventy-six didn't survive the blast and because of that, she's been training and hacking non-stop.

"We've been at this for three hours, Carrie," the female agent said tiredly. "Can't we take a break?"

Carrie tightened her ponytail and took a couple of deep breaths. She was tired, but she was too stubborn to say so. The last meal she ate consisted of an apple and an omelette, which was ten hours ago. Her stomach grumbled in despair as the agent prepared her body for another round.

"Last one," she said, putting her hands up in a defensive position. "Last one and we're done for today." The tired agent in front of her grumbled and slowly stood up. Carrie looked intensively at her green-eyed friend and reflexively moved to the side once she saw a punch come her way. She counterattacked after she blocked the attack with her forearm. From one attack to the next, the two female agents went at it for ten minutes until Carrie swooped in and took down the agent.

Carrie straddled the agent and prepared for another attack, but the exhausted green-eyed agent tapped the mat underneath her.

"Damn, I'm good," Carrie said happily as she rolled off her friend. "I don't know why we didn't do this often before, you and I."

"Well, I'm busy and you're busy," her friend replied as she looked up to the ceiling," and agents are not suppose to mingle outside the Agency unless they're working on a case together or in the base. Am I missing something here?"

"You know what I mean. Thank you for letting me convince you to fly to Chicago with me next week. I really need your help."

The agent shrugged and pulled her mask off. She stood up and readjusted her dirty blond ponytail.

"No problemo, agent twenty," she smirked as she reached out a hand towards Carrie. "I just wished you contacted me earlier. I was itching for more action after my mission in New York City."

"I hate it when you call me that. It's Carrie, agent ten," Carrie corrected as she grabbed the hand and pulled herself up. "Or may I say 'agent X.' "

"Oh, come on. No need to be formal," she smirked, "You know I love my name."

"Fine, Charlie," Carrie answered. "Let's eat. I'm starved."

The two women walked through the gym and headed towards the locker room. Afterwards, they went to the base's cafeteria for dinner and chatted. Carrie and Charlie had a simple yet close and long-term friendship. They were partners in a couple of cases during their teenage years, but the dangerous nature of those missions didn't change the fact that the two young agents became close like sisters. They seldom get together, but if they did they acted like nothing changed between them and continued their friendship without conflict.

Charlie was the only person Carrie could turn to if she ever had a dilemma. At that moment, Carrie's dilemma was the Agency's obsession of killing Seventy-six and disregarded the immense evidence that the poor woman was innocent. Even though the redhead was off the case and was warned not to look for Seventy-six by her superiors, she was determined to find her before Ashley could. She knew that the rogue agent would try to convince anyone that was wronged by the Agency to join her cause, which was to fight for justice freely without the military organisation. Ashley and her rogue agents were labeled as traitors by the Agency. If any were caught, they'd either be jailed or killed.

She needed Charlie now more than ever.