The Agent Pt. 02: Rogue Nation

I knew deep down inside my mind I was looking at Carrie. Those bright green eyes of hers were the hallmark of her beauty among other traits. I looked away from her and focused my gaze to someone else. Another slim figure joined her side and it had the same built as Carrie's, but slightly shorter. Its eyes were emerald, but its stare was everything, but friendly. I suspected it was woman judging from her curves.

The woman looked at my way and squinted, but I looked away and scanned the other agents. The Trojan Horse felt heavier in my pocket by the second.

The Colonel chuckled while his gun remained pointed at Carrie. "Good morning to you, too, agent," he said, amused. "What brings you here?"

"Don't play games with us," the agent answered. "You know what we want. You give us the Trojan Horse and we'll go our separate ways without unnecessary violence." I gritted my teeth. That's Carrie's voice alright, I thought to myself. That same feminine and authoritative voice that can shake you up through intimidation or through seduction. The Colonel gave her a crooked smile as his scarred face glimmered under the dim lights.

This won't end well, I thought to myself. It's either they'll search us then lock us up or search us then kill us. If I was in their position, I wouldn't know what I would've done, but I would've been less friendly.

I needed an escape from both sides, but my mind couldn't conjure up anything. We were stuck.

"We don't have the damn thing," the Colonel gravely said. "Don't play us as fucking fools, agent. We know you have it." Carrie's eyes narrowed while the agents around her looked at each other.

"You might as well surrender," Carrie continued. "Round them up and search them."

"I'd like to see you try!" the Colonel bellowed as he took a step forward with his gun pointed directly at Carrie's head. The agents took action and pointed their guns towards the man. Don't do it, I thought to myself. Don't you fucking do it. The Colonel gave Carrie a hard stare, but I could see his grip softened around the gun. At the corner of my eye, the female agent with the emerald eyes raised her gun and casually aimed it at his head.

She pulled the trigger. The man in front of me went limp and violently fell to the ground. The rogue agents and I froze for we truly had no other options, but to surrender.

"Agent ten!" Carrie angrily cried out. "I have this under control!"

" 'Had,' agent," the other agent smoothly said. "That man was about to shoot you because he knew there was no way out of this mess. We have to go, twenty. This neighbourhood will soon be swarming with the Chinese mob. They don't like it when their business is interrupted." Carrie holstered her gun and shook her head.

"You shouldn't have don't that, ten. I'm in charge here," Carrie patiently said. "I could have you suspended. But we'll talk about that later. We need to bring them in for questioning. Handcuff them now and bring them in the vans. Move!"

The agents quickly went to us. Slowly, the rogue agents dropped their weapons to the ground and put their hands behind their heads. What's the plan, I thought myself in panic. I looked around, but saw nothing. Agent ten was going my way and ordered me to put my hand up. Gritting my teeth, I did what I was told. Once she put my hands behind my back, I felt the cold handcuffs around my wrist and I knew I was in deeper trouble.

"Up," agent Ten grunted as she pulled me up to my feet. We walked passed the dead Colonel, whose empty eyes stared at mine.

The agents rounded us up in black vans. I stared up as multiple snowflakes hit my face right before agent Ten pushed me at the back. Other agents rounded the rest of the rogue agents at the other vans. Agent Ten went after me and locked the van door from the inside. The back of the van was empty, except for me , agent Ten, and a small barred window that connected the back and the front. She looked curiously at me and knocked at the barred window up front. The engine turned on and the van started moving. Panicked thoughts went through my mind, but I willed myself to relax. There's enough room for at least three rogue agents back here, I thought to myself. Why were they isolating us?

Her emerald eyes never left mine for the entire ride, which lasted maybe two to three hours until the van came to a halt. The driver up front tapped lightly on the barred window and the agent in front of me unholstered her gun again. A sudden realisation came into my mind. They isolated us so they could dump the bodies faster in different locations. There'd be no evidence strong enough to pinpoint the Agency's involvement in our deaths. Fuck that, I thought to myself. I'm not going to die in the hands of this agent!

She unlocked the door and quickly jumped out. Pointing the gun at me, she ordered me to get out. I narrowed my eyes and hesitated. She fired a warning shot at my chest. I grunted as I felt the impact against my bulletproof vest.

Now, I was really pissed off.

"Move!" she barked.

Gritting my teeth, I did what the agent wanted. With my hands handcuffed behind my back, I jumped out from the van and felt the cold winter wind seeping through my suit. The sky began to lighten and in an hour or so from now, the sun will wake from its slumber. We were in the middle of the forest. Pine trees covered with white snow hovered us. The snow underneath my boots felt like layers of soft blankets.

I felt the agent stare at the back of my head. Faintly, I heard the driver's door open and close behind me. A soft click and my body stiffened. I closed my eyes and visualised where the woman was judging from the sound of snow crunching underneath her boots. Just one or two moves and she'll go down, I thought to myself. I just had to be concise.

Silently, I counted to three and did a 360-degree kick towards the agent's face. She yelped in surprise as the agent who drove the van froze mid-stride. Agent Ten rolled away from me and got up on her feet. Her gun fell a couple of feet away from us. We sprinted after it, but we ended up fighting each other, which had me at a disadvantage since I was using my legs for my attacks and defences. She attempted a throw down, but I was quick enough to knee her across the abdomen. She groaned.

Rather than stay and fight, I sprinted away from the agents, but was tackled down a few meters away from agent Ten. It was the driver.

Half of my face hit the snow. Growling, I extended and twisted my back forcefully until the agent behind me lost their balance and fell to the side. Using my legs, I placed a death choke around their neck, their hands desperate to pull my legs away.

"I-it's me!" the agent gasped in a strained voice. "Seventy-six! I-i-it's me!" Nonetheless, I didn't stop choking them. Whoever you are, I thought to myself, you won't lay a hand on me. A movement flickered at the corner of my eye. I jerked my head to my right and saw an incoming fist going my way. I didn't have time to defend myself. Before I knew it, my vision went dark.

- - - - - - -

"You okay?"

"What do you think?" a female voice called out. "She fucking hit me! This is not a good idea!"

Slowly, I managed to open my eyes. I looked around and realised that I wasn't outside anymore. It looked like I was in a cabin. At my side, a lit fireplace warmed the atmosphere. The smell of both the smoke and freshly cut wood relaxed me. Groaning, I moved around. The couch underneath me was comfortably soft that I almost regretted waking up. Slowly, I sat up and saw the two masked agents sitting at a round table just a couple of feet away from me.

I stumbled and crashed down to the floor. Instantly, I got up on my feet, but my captors didn't react. Instead, they stared at me, waited for me to do anything else. Both agents were women judging from their built, but one agent caught my attention particularly. It was those eyes again.

Bright green eyes.

Carrie, I thought to myself. Carrie grabbed her mask and pulled it off. There were bruises around her neck. Shit, I thought to myself. Did I do that?

"Seventy-six," she breathed as she calmly stood up. "We're not here to harm you-"

"Then why the hell am I here?" I demanded.

"I should've shot you once I laid my eyes on y-"

"I got this!" Carrie interrupted the other agent. "Seventy-six, listen to me-"

"Why the fuck should I li-"

"Just fucking listen to me, god dammit!" she shouted loudly and aggressively. Both agent Ten and I kept our mouths shut. Carrie took a deep breath of air and looked at her masked comrade.

"You should go now," she said. "The Agency expects you to drive the van back. If you don't go now, they'll get suspicious. Just stick with the plan-"

"I don't trust her with you-"

"Just!" Carrie snapped. "Stick with the plan. Trust me, I can handle myself."

"It's not you who I'm worried about," agent Ten slowly said as she stood up. "It's her." She glared at me with her emerald eyes. I glared back, knowing I could beat her ass again. Carrie grabbed a pair of keys from her pocket and gave them to the other agent. Agent Ten looked at the redhead with uncertainty, grabbed her hand, and pulled her aside.

"Let's talk."

While the two women silently talked near the entrance door, I impatiently crossed my arms as I waited for them to finish. Judging from their body language, how Carrie's hand rested on her hip and agent Ten's use of hand gestures to get her points across, they were arguing presumably about me. Finally, agent Ten grabbed the keys and looked cautiously at me. She looked at Carrie once again and nodded, then walked towards the front door.

My body relaxed once the other agent closed the door behind her. Carrie sighed and leaned against the wall. Even if she had her gear on, she still looked like the desk agent I knew a couple of months back. She still had that vulnerable look in her eyes that were hidden behind authority. There were dark bags underneath her eyes as if she hasn't been sleeping regularly.Other than that, she still looked stunning. It was hard for me to look at her because the more I did, the urge to walk up and comfort her increased. If anything, she needed a good night's rest.

There were conflicting emotions inside my mind. Sure, I was glad to see Carrie. This beautiful goddess can brighten any room. I'll always be attracted to her no doubt. Even after she rejected my kiss a couple of months before, my overwhelming need and desire to touch her were still there. Nevertheless, those emotions were being dominated over my distrust towards her.

I had so many questions and so little patience left. Even if she tried explaining herself, I'd doubt her intentions. She is and will always be an agent from the Agency and I neither belong there nor Ashley's little rogue nation. I just wanted to finish what I started. I pursed my lips together, remembering that the Trojan Horse was still inside my pocket.

"Talk," I said. Carrie looked up and locked eyes with mine. She walked my way and took a seat on a couch. I took a step back.

"I see you still don't trust me, Seventy-six," she said as she leaned back against the couch and crossed her legs. I leaned back against the wall near the fireplace and crossed my arms.

"It's nothing personal," I answered. "I'm just a cautious person. You did put a bullet in my back that one time, though."

"Yes, I remember," she smiled, shaking her head. "I know it might be a little too late, but I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay. You had your orders. And speaking of orders, what am I doing here?"

She gave me a small smile that almost made my knees wobble.

"There's no orders," she answered. "Agent Ten and I acted outside the Agency to save you."

"Save me from what?"

She sighed and tapped the space beside her. "Just sit next to me. I'll explain everything, but it'll take a while."

I shifted my weight to the other foot and shook my head.

"No, I'm fine where I am."

A thin line appeared from her lips and a cloud of sadness spread in her eyes. I dropped my gaze from her face and waited. She quietly said," fine."

Agent Ten and Carrie have been planning this escape plan for weeks. Carrie already knew where the Trojan Horse was before Ashley or the Agency did, but she wasn't particularly interested in the program itself. She wanted to help me escape from both the Agency and the rogue nation. Since agent Ten was interested in tracking the Trojan Horse down and Carrie tracking me down, they decided to work together since she knew I'd cross paths with the program again. She gathered a small group of agents to come with her to Chinatown. She hacked the Agency's database to make her seem like a ghost. Technically, she wasn't suppose to be there and agent Ten was suppose to lead the group, but with the help from her friend, they pulled off the escape plan.

Carrie and I were dropped off at an isolated cabin, which she bought a couple of weeks before. She made sure it was invisible under the Agency's and Ashley's radars.

"Like I said, I've studied how you think and move, agent," she smirked. "I knew you were going to go after it again. It wasn't easy, but with the right timing and hacking, I pinpointed your location."

"That seemed like a lot of trouble tracking me down," I quietly said. "Why would you want to help me in the first place?" She opened her mouth and hesitated. A couple of seconds passed by. She cleared her throat.

"You're innocent," she answered as she shrugged her shoulders. "The Agency still wanted you dead and the rogue agents has their own agenda. I figured Ashley and her own little groupie wanted you by their side. It might not seem like it, but they are dangerous, Seventy-six. They have a grudge towards the Agency and you and I know they'll do everything in their power to bring it down."

"Who says I'm not with them already?"

"It's not your style."

I gave her a little smile. She thinks she knows you well enough, I thought to myself. But she was right: I'm not with Ashley's rogue group and I was running from the Agency. I scratched my neck and asked," what's the plan? You have me and we've isolated ourselves."

"Well," she sighed. "We stay here for a little while until this obsessive Trojan Horse hunt has died down from the rogue agents and keep you away from the Agency's manhunt for you. These rogue agents know you were the last one that actually saw the program and they'd want more information from you. And, of course, the Agency still wants you dead."

"But I don't know anything else!"

"They won't care for that," she answered. "Their mentality is if you're not with them, then technically you're against them. They're bloodthirsty for revenge and I'm pretty sure they'd want to use the program to attack the Agency. Then who knows what they'd do with the program afterwards, but I'm pretty sure they'll still use it for something else."

She was right. The rogue agents were unpredictable, but so was the Agency. I had an ethical dilemma whether or not to tell her that the Trojan Horse was in my pocket. I guess we'll need to wait it out, I thought to myself. Destroying it physically wasn't enough. The program can't be activated without the USB, but it already caused a lot of damage. I needed to hack into it and dismantle it fully, possibly even reversing its damages, but I needed help due to my insufficient computer skills.

"So, let's say you retrieved the Trojan Horse," I said carefully," what would you do with it?"

She looked at me thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure," she truthfully said. "It's not really my call to make. That's up to the Head of the Agency whether or not the program can be modified and be used in our advantage. It's a powerful piece of technology, but with the right tweaks, it can be used for good."

"And how would you know the organisation is using it on moral grounds?"

"Faith, agent."

"Faith can be skewed. These days, I don't have much faith in the Agency."

Carrie nodded as her green eyes bore into mine. "I understand, but our missions and everything we've done up to this point is for the citizens of the United States of America. We've prevented and fought against enemies of this country. Regardless of its flaws and its violent ways to fight threats and terrors, I still have faith in the Agency's main mission: to protect and serve this country."

"Well, if you're so patriotic about it, why are you helping a fugitive of the organisation?"

Her mouth slightly opened, then shut tight as she looked at me uncomfortably.

"Like I said," she softly said as the flames reflected off her eyes," the organisation isn't perfect and I know you're innocent. You're my friend. Even if I'm still with the Agency, that doesn't mean I want you dead."

"Ah, that's right," I taunted. "You won't let me die."

The air was filled with heavy silence that awkwardly lingered for a couple of minutes. Carrie looked hurt and looked at her hands. There was a tiny piece inside me that wanted to take back what I said, but it won't change the fact that an agent from the Agency was in front of me. Sooner or later, she had to pick a side. She and I knew that she can't help me and remain loyal to the organisation at the same time. We weren't brought up and trained like that.

We both knew the consequence of helping a fugitive, which was death. Friendship wasn't a good enough reason to do this, I thought to myself. No one in the right mind would risk their lives and throw their lifetime career away for cases like mine.

Perhaps she didn't really plan this through or maybe she cared for my well-being. Or maybe she had other plans she hasn't told me about. Just relax and wait it out, I thought to myself, and judge her if she's trustworthy or not.

"We're both pretty tired," she suddenly said, breaking up the silence. She rubbed her eye with one hand and stood up. Casually, she unholstered her gun and gave it to me. Surprised, I grabbed it. She took one good look at me with her tired yet beautiful eyes. It looked like she was in deep conflicting thoughts, like she hesitated doing something. Then, I held my breath once she took a couple of steps towards me. I could see every details of her face that was a mixture of youthful beauty and maturity.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me close, her forehead rested on my shoulder. My mind was too shocked to react immediately, but I managed to hug her back by pulling her hips to mine. We hugged each other longer than I expected, but I didn't mind. I didn't want her to push away, it just felt too damn good to have her body against mine.

Frustratingly, she pulled away and gave me a light smile, but an arm stayed around my neck. She cupped the side of my face with it. I shivered under her touch.

"For comfort," she softly said as she eyed the gun in my hand. "Good night, Seventy-six. Have a pleasant sleep." She broke contact and walked away as I dumbly gawked after her. My eyes glued to the way she walked, how her hip swayed back and forth. I realised I was specifically looking at her bum. Stop, I thought to myself as I forced my body to turn towards the fireplace. I willed my heart to relax. It felt like my chest could burst anytime soon.

The bedroom door faintly closed and a sudden surge of disappointment flowed through my body. I put my hand inside my pocket and grabbed the USB out of it. I looked around the room, trying to find a safe place I can hide it in. I scanned the bookcase and found a small bible. Quickly, I fast walked to the kitchen with the book in hand and grabbed a knife. I'm sorry about this, I thought to myself as I opened the bible. I started to cut the pages in the middle until the USB can fit perfectly inside it.

I closed it with the USB inside, but it looked like any normal bible. After I threw away the little bits of cut paper, I returned the bible where it originally was. In a haze, I returned back to the couch, still feeling Carrie's impromptu hug.