Myriadviper42
Fulcrum Agent
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2010
- Location
- Control
Author's note: One of my biggest regrets about The Dreamscape was that I felt some of the protagonists were underdeveloped. Henry and Lia in particular didn't have much character, and Reinhart more served as a viewpoint into the world than a character. There was little to no conflict between the team. I am hoping to rectify that with this story, and I have noted that it does seem to be following a similar pattern. Person becomes in contact with organization, then is attacked and recruited by a secretive organization to fight the former one. You know. I've decided that the rest of the protagonists will have a "role" of sorts. Adamaris the Team Dad of sorts, always looking out for everyone else. Daren's a bit of a rogue, impulsive and rash but ultimately good-hearted. Madeline is extremely nervous but will eventually gain confidence. So, cheerio, enjoy.
Also, this would be a good time to note that I have planned this out as a trilogy.
Chapter 6
Daren and Adamaris lead me down the halls. They shook me out of bed at 7:00 in the morning, telling me that it was time to start training. Madeline was already up and running at the time, and was gone before I even finished my decidedly small breakfast. I'm wondering what training's going to be like. I'm going to have to fire a gun. I've used one before in self-defense, but I've never actually...killed someone before. I'm going to have to if I want to survive. If I'm truly honest with myself, I don't want to be here. I'd prefer to be at home, making pancakes for my daughter, not training for a fight against a criminal organization that seems to be everywhere and knows everything.
Daren punches in a code and a door opens, and we step inside. He hands me a pistol, and I look around. Like the rest of the place, it's gray and sleek, but its design is rigid, unlike the rest which seems more streamlined. There are targets set up on one of the walls, and Adamaris steps forward, gun in hand. He holds up the gun, and fires three times. Each time his shot finds its mark. He smiles and turns to me. "In order to defend yourself, you're going to have to learn how to use a gun with that kind of accuracy, Daniel. I understand you've used a gun before, but haven't actually, well, done anything with it." He chuckles slightly. "In any case, we're going to have to assess how much you have learned so we know how much you have to be taught. Got it?"
I nod. "Adamaris? My main concern is that...well...I don't want to kill people, and I haven't used a gun since I was in Sudan, so I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this."
Daren grunts. "If that's the case, we're going to have a lot of work to do. Just shoot at the target as accurately as you can and don't shoot either of us."
"Calm yourself, Daren," Adamaris says soothingly. "Daniel, if you don't want to do this, I understand. If you want to we can save this for another-"
"No," I say firmly, grasping the gun. "I'll do it now. No point in waiting until later." I hold the gun up, and see the target in front of me. Despite his reassuring words, I note Adamaris still moves away from me as I prepare to fire. I take a deep breath, in...out. I fire, and am surprised by the force leaving the gun, and nearly fall over. Daren snorts, and I look at the target to see that I barely grazed it. I sigh, and Adamaris claps me on the back. I fire again. This time it hits the outer rim. I keep firing, determined to keep going until my aim is accurate, until finally I'm out of bullets, and I fumble around with the thing trying to reload it. Daren grabs it from me and reloads it with ease, apparent contempt clear in his eyes. I get that he just lost a close friend, but taking out his anger on me isn't the way to go about it.
"All right," Adamaris says firmly, "I think that's enough for now. Daniel, you may proceed with your other training aspects. I think it's time that we let you know about the structure of our people. We investigate potential Prophet-related incidents posing as FBI agents-you'll be getting your badge soon enough. We try to help out the police as best we can and/or do it ourselves. Sometimes we see someone in need because of them, like you were, and we attempt to recruit them. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes...well, to be completely honest here, they die before we can reach them. We'll get you a list of all known Prophet operatives, and soon you'll be out there with us, investigating. Any questions?"
"Nope," I say. "Thank you, Adamaris."
The rest of the day proceeds as such, with training courses and the like. Stealth, hand-to-hand combat, persuasion, etc. I'm decent at some of it, downright terrible at others. So far, I'm best at persuasion, having been a businessman for years. I'm going to have a lot of training in order to become ready for the actual fight against Prophet. It'll be sure to be interesting, at any rate. At the end of the day, I return to my team's quarters to find that Madeline is there, sitting on the couch. I decide that it would be nice to try to befriend her, seeing as she seems a little nervous, a little quiet. I sit down in a chair. "Hi, Madeline."
She doesn't respond for a bit. Her finger is tapping against her leg, and her eyes, per the norm, are trained on the ground. Adamaris told me she had been affected by Prophet more so than the others, mainly because she was a child when it happened. He wouldn't tell me the specifics, but it seemed as though Prophet had been a part of her life for a long time. After a long time, she finally responds. "Hello." She does not stutter, interestingly, although she only says the one word.
"I'm sorry about your loss. I didn't know him, but...I would've liked to," I say, not knowing at all if I'm saying the right thing. She does not cry, but she nods slightly, as if acknowledging what I'm saying.
"T-thank you. S-sorry I s-seem so distant...I-I'm not very g-good at f-friendships."
"You're friends with Adamaris and Daren, right?"
"Y-Yes. B-But I've known th-them for a long t-time. I-I could t-try, I g-guess."
I smile. "Thanks. I'm sure we can be friends. I mean, anyone who's against Prophet is a friend of mine, right?"
She nods again. I still can't see her eyes, and her expression seems oddly blank. She doesn't say anything else and I figure I've made friends with Madeline enough for one day. I stand up and head to my room to find that there's a file on the desk. I open it and an FBI badge slips out. I read it to find that my fake name is agent Samuel Evans. I look at the file and am slightly startled by a picture of Joseph Slater. I realize that this must be the list of known Prophet operatives.
Joseph Slater
Businessman. Suspected involvement with Prophet for a long time due to shady business dealings, various lawsuits, and association with AlTech Industries. Recently confirmed to be Prophet and is currently at large.
Grant Aamor
Known Prophet agent. Was exposed by a team of agents. Is apparently known as the direct representative of the leader of Prophet, whose identity is unknown. Currently at large.
Theodore Malik
Prophet scientist. Known for complete lack of morals and for being a sociopath. Is responsible for some of the more grisly cases filed (see case files 2302, 2411, and 2419). At large.
Adrian Key
Low-level enforcer of Prophet's dirty work. Currently in custody.
Steven Gardner
High-level operative of Prophet. Is responsible for the destruction of one of our bases. Currently at large.
Damien Byrne
A sociopath, Byrne killed thirteen people at a party for no apparent reason. Extremely dangerous. In custody. [FILE ADDENDUM] Has escaped from jail.
I keep reading, looking at all these people, who've killed, tortured, and ruined lives without a second thought. I see those who have paid for their crimes and unfortunately most of them are still at large. I sigh, and sit down on my bed. I don't want to be here. But in the end, I have to. There's no going back to my old life, not with Slater at large and not with the knowledge of Prophet in my head. I would be constantly looking over my shoulder, paranoid that they would find me. The only way to stop this is to end Prophet. Then, just maybe, I can live a normal life. But until then...
It's time for revenge.
***
Adrian Key sat calmly in the detention cell, an amused smile on his face. So far, he'd been left to his own devices. No interrogations. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. In all honesty, he didn't understand why Malcolm wasn't dead, and his group annihilated. He had no doubt that he'd be out of the facility soon enough. It was only a matter of time. He was interrupted from his thoughts by the door opening. It was Malcolm, with his ridiculous mustache. Honestly, he amused Adrian. He was a quirky character, and didn't seem the type to be running an organization. In behind him came a woman with long auburn hair and cold eyes. Adrian sniffed in disdain.
"So, Malcolm Waters himself is here to interrogate me. I guess I should be flattered," he sneered. It was more or less just to see Malcolm's reaction.
"I prefer to get things done myself for the most part," Malcolm said cheerfully. "It would probably make things much easier if you were to just tell us everything you know about Prophet right now."
"Or what? You're gonna torture me?"
The cold woman moved closer towards him. "Permission to smash this arrogant prick's face in?"
"Permission denied," Malcolm said in the same cheerful tone. "Honestly, Astrid. You can't go around smashing everyone's face in. It's unprofessional."
Astrid crossed her arms and scoffed. "He would do the same thing in my shoes."
"The whole point," Macolm exclaimed, gesturing with his hands, "of the no-torture rule is to prove that we're not like them."
Adrian laughed. "You kill our agents all the time. So how is torture any different for you? Too slow and painful? Your lady friend here would sure like to, right? That makes you no different than us."
"We don't ruin people's lives, Key," Malcolm said, although he didn't sound too sure of himself.
"Bonum commune communitatis," Key said calmly. Malcolm looked around in slight confusion, but Key did not translate. Astrid moved close to Adrian, eyes boring a hole into him.
"You will tell us several things, Key. Who is your boss? What is your organization's agenda? And are there any plans for the future that you know of?"
Adrian looked around a bit, and then sighed. He perked up a bit, and smiled. "Well, I don't have anything to lose, and I'll be out of this mudhole you call a base soon enough, so why not? I mainly answer to Joseph Slater, but of course you already know he's involved. As for our agenda...in all honesty, I just do what I'm told and I get paid for it. No idea what the hell our agenda is. And as for future Prophet plans? Well, I'll have to mull that over a bit. I think there was something about a robbery...in all honesty I'm not that much use to you."
"Do you know anything about the robbery, like where it's going to happen, who's involved, what the target is?" Malcolm asked.
Adrian shrugged. "No idea. I was supposed to be a part of it but I hadn't gotten the full debriefing yet. You guys snatched me up before that happened. By the way, thanks for that. I was needing a break from routine," he said, sarcasm dripping from his voice like honey.
Astrid sniffed in disdain, arms still crossed. "If that's all you have to offer us, we'll be going now. If it turns out you're hiding something..." She dragged a finger across her throat. Adrian smiled peacefully at her, not scared of her one bit. Okay, maybe he was a little scared of her, but she didn't need to know that.
"I'll be sure to remember that," Adrian said calmly. Malcolm nodded, and the two left the room. What idiots. It was true that Adrian was a simple enforcer, but he knew a lot more than he was letting on. Their complete agenda...he'd always been a talented liar. His one slip-up had gotten him kicked out of high school and kicked into life in Prophet. This wasn't the first time he'd been captured by someone. He didn't just think that someone would come rescue him. He knew someone would come rescue him. Because that was the way Prophet worked. They would never leave a man behind. Could Malcolm say the same?
***
The police stood around, talking, comparing notes. A supposed satellite crash had occurred in the suburban neighborhood, and the area had been cleared out until they could extract it. Yellow tape had been set up, and there was chatter about it, signals were being interfered with. A team was looking at the satellite, and found that it was a little unusual-looking, but other than that pretty normal. Two guards stood by the line, talking about it.
"I mean, it's a little unusual to have a satellite crash, but it can happen right?"
"I'm telling you, I think there's something fishy going on here."
"Oh for god's sake Brian, please don't talk about your damn conspiracy theories again, not now."
"Why not? Satellite crash? Interference with the radio?"
"What? Do you think this is an alien artifact or something?"
"You never know, John. You never know."
A woman in civilian clothes walked up to them. She was pretty, with long brown hair and a small face. "Excuse me, I'd like to get through please."
Brian shrugged. "Sorry, ma'am. No one's allowed in unless you've got security clearance. I don't suppose you have security clearance."
"You don't understand," the woman said, sounding a bit nervous, "I need to get through. It's very important, and I don't want to do things the hard way."
John quirked an eyebrow. "Do things the hard way? Pardon me, ma'am, but is that a threat?"
"No," she said calmly, "it's a fact."
The two cops looked at each other, and then looked back at the woman. "No."
The woman growled. "You don't get it, do you? I need to get through! There are lives at stake here, and you are going to mess it up!" Brian moved forward to calm her down and got a judo kick to the face, knocking him to the ground. John stood there in awe, and then reacted just in time, catching the woman's punch easily. The two fought against each other, each being about evenly matched. Finally, John managed to knock her to the ground and aimed his gun at her. "Sorry, ma'am, we're gonna have a few questions for you. Get in the car."
"You don't understand! If you don't let me go-"
"Get in the car!"
"But-"
"GET IN THE CAR!"
The woman grudgingly slipped inside the car. Brian got up with a moan. "Wha....what happened?"
"She judo kicked you in the face. Come on. She's a good fighter. We need to find out why she was here." The two men got in the car and started driving. John called in to explain where they were going. The woman hung around in the back, twiddling her thumbs, eyes cast downwards. She was resigned to the inevitable, now that the fools had stopped her from going to see the crash.
"Hey John," Brian said, still a little woozy from the blow, and holding an ice pack to his face, "she was here for the crash. See? That means there must be a conspiracy going on!"
John groaned. "No, Brian, please not now. I would've thought a blow to the head would've knocked some sense into you."
The woman checked her watch and sighed. Thirty seconds.
"I have more sense than you ever will. I mean, when the aliens come down and start killing us, you'll be sorry."
Twenty seconds.
"Brian, please stop. You're giving me a headache. Do me a favor and be quiet."
Ten seconds.
"I'm telling you, something's not right here! I'm sure that-"
Boom. The explosion rocked the entire neighborhood, flipping the car fender over fender. Brian and John screamed, and the woman saw Brian's head crack as it hit the ceiling (he hadn't been wearing a seat belt) and John get smashed by the airbag, which did nothing. Soon, it was over, and the woman looked up fearfully, blood trailing down from her temple. Brian stared lifelessly ahead, blood pouring down into the seat below him. John on the other hand was bloodied to the point of being barely recognizable and barely breathing, but not dead. The woman climbed out of the car and took Brian's gun, looking at John in his pitiful state. She fired out of pity. She stood, wobbling, and moved towards the epicenter of the explosion. Apart from a few pieces of metal, the "satellite" was all but destroyed. She sighed.
Her phone rang, startling her. She answered it. Grant Aamor's nasally voice came through. "Agent Hunt, what the hell just happened? You were supposed to diffuse it!"
"I tried, sir. Security stopped me. I didn't have time to-"
"Agent Hunt, we've trained you for this eventuality. Why the hell didn't you kill the guards as soon as you saw them?"
"I didn't think it was prudent to kill them."
"So while you were trying to reason with the two buffoons, you allowed both them and everyone else in the area to be killed! Without completing the objective! Well excuuuussseee me about what's prudent around here, Hunt!"
Natalie Hunt rolled her eyes, although she knew Aamor couldn't see her. "I don't think you're exactly the right one to be talking to me about the value of human life, sir."
Aamor growled. "Just...get it done next time."
"I will. Don't worry." Hunt hung up and sighed, a saddened look on her face. These people weren't meant to die like this. It was a cruel trick of fate. Hunt's compassion for other people caused her to fail the objective, and therefore killed everyone around her. She sighed, looking around at the carnage. She could hear sirens in the distance. She turned and walked away. She didn't realize she walked past what remained of a security camera, and if she'd known, she wouldn't have cared.
It would all be downhill from there.
Also, this would be a good time to note that I have planned this out as a trilogy.
Chapter 6
Daren and Adamaris lead me down the halls. They shook me out of bed at 7:00 in the morning, telling me that it was time to start training. Madeline was already up and running at the time, and was gone before I even finished my decidedly small breakfast. I'm wondering what training's going to be like. I'm going to have to fire a gun. I've used one before in self-defense, but I've never actually...killed someone before. I'm going to have to if I want to survive. If I'm truly honest with myself, I don't want to be here. I'd prefer to be at home, making pancakes for my daughter, not training for a fight against a criminal organization that seems to be everywhere and knows everything.
Daren punches in a code and a door opens, and we step inside. He hands me a pistol, and I look around. Like the rest of the place, it's gray and sleek, but its design is rigid, unlike the rest which seems more streamlined. There are targets set up on one of the walls, and Adamaris steps forward, gun in hand. He holds up the gun, and fires three times. Each time his shot finds its mark. He smiles and turns to me. "In order to defend yourself, you're going to have to learn how to use a gun with that kind of accuracy, Daniel. I understand you've used a gun before, but haven't actually, well, done anything with it." He chuckles slightly. "In any case, we're going to have to assess how much you have learned so we know how much you have to be taught. Got it?"
I nod. "Adamaris? My main concern is that...well...I don't want to kill people, and I haven't used a gun since I was in Sudan, so I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this."
Daren grunts. "If that's the case, we're going to have a lot of work to do. Just shoot at the target as accurately as you can and don't shoot either of us."
"Calm yourself, Daren," Adamaris says soothingly. "Daniel, if you don't want to do this, I understand. If you want to we can save this for another-"
"No," I say firmly, grasping the gun. "I'll do it now. No point in waiting until later." I hold the gun up, and see the target in front of me. Despite his reassuring words, I note Adamaris still moves away from me as I prepare to fire. I take a deep breath, in...out. I fire, and am surprised by the force leaving the gun, and nearly fall over. Daren snorts, and I look at the target to see that I barely grazed it. I sigh, and Adamaris claps me on the back. I fire again. This time it hits the outer rim. I keep firing, determined to keep going until my aim is accurate, until finally I'm out of bullets, and I fumble around with the thing trying to reload it. Daren grabs it from me and reloads it with ease, apparent contempt clear in his eyes. I get that he just lost a close friend, but taking out his anger on me isn't the way to go about it.
"All right," Adamaris says firmly, "I think that's enough for now. Daniel, you may proceed with your other training aspects. I think it's time that we let you know about the structure of our people. We investigate potential Prophet-related incidents posing as FBI agents-you'll be getting your badge soon enough. We try to help out the police as best we can and/or do it ourselves. Sometimes we see someone in need because of them, like you were, and we attempt to recruit them. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes...well, to be completely honest here, they die before we can reach them. We'll get you a list of all known Prophet operatives, and soon you'll be out there with us, investigating. Any questions?"
"Nope," I say. "Thank you, Adamaris."
The rest of the day proceeds as such, with training courses and the like. Stealth, hand-to-hand combat, persuasion, etc. I'm decent at some of it, downright terrible at others. So far, I'm best at persuasion, having been a businessman for years. I'm going to have a lot of training in order to become ready for the actual fight against Prophet. It'll be sure to be interesting, at any rate. At the end of the day, I return to my team's quarters to find that Madeline is there, sitting on the couch. I decide that it would be nice to try to befriend her, seeing as she seems a little nervous, a little quiet. I sit down in a chair. "Hi, Madeline."
She doesn't respond for a bit. Her finger is tapping against her leg, and her eyes, per the norm, are trained on the ground. Adamaris told me she had been affected by Prophet more so than the others, mainly because she was a child when it happened. He wouldn't tell me the specifics, but it seemed as though Prophet had been a part of her life for a long time. After a long time, she finally responds. "Hello." She does not stutter, interestingly, although she only says the one word.
"I'm sorry about your loss. I didn't know him, but...I would've liked to," I say, not knowing at all if I'm saying the right thing. She does not cry, but she nods slightly, as if acknowledging what I'm saying.
"T-thank you. S-sorry I s-seem so distant...I-I'm not very g-good at f-friendships."
"You're friends with Adamaris and Daren, right?"
"Y-Yes. B-But I've known th-them for a long t-time. I-I could t-try, I g-guess."
I smile. "Thanks. I'm sure we can be friends. I mean, anyone who's against Prophet is a friend of mine, right?"
She nods again. I still can't see her eyes, and her expression seems oddly blank. She doesn't say anything else and I figure I've made friends with Madeline enough for one day. I stand up and head to my room to find that there's a file on the desk. I open it and an FBI badge slips out. I read it to find that my fake name is agent Samuel Evans. I look at the file and am slightly startled by a picture of Joseph Slater. I realize that this must be the list of known Prophet operatives.
Joseph Slater
Businessman. Suspected involvement with Prophet for a long time due to shady business dealings, various lawsuits, and association with AlTech Industries. Recently confirmed to be Prophet and is currently at large.
Grant Aamor
Known Prophet agent. Was exposed by a team of agents. Is apparently known as the direct representative of the leader of Prophet, whose identity is unknown. Currently at large.
Theodore Malik
Prophet scientist. Known for complete lack of morals and for being a sociopath. Is responsible for some of the more grisly cases filed (see case files 2302, 2411, and 2419). At large.
Adrian Key
Low-level enforcer of Prophet's dirty work. Currently in custody.
Steven Gardner
High-level operative of Prophet. Is responsible for the destruction of one of our bases. Currently at large.
Damien Byrne
A sociopath, Byrne killed thirteen people at a party for no apparent reason. Extremely dangerous. In custody. [FILE ADDENDUM] Has escaped from jail.
I keep reading, looking at all these people, who've killed, tortured, and ruined lives without a second thought. I see those who have paid for their crimes and unfortunately most of them are still at large. I sigh, and sit down on my bed. I don't want to be here. But in the end, I have to. There's no going back to my old life, not with Slater at large and not with the knowledge of Prophet in my head. I would be constantly looking over my shoulder, paranoid that they would find me. The only way to stop this is to end Prophet. Then, just maybe, I can live a normal life. But until then...
It's time for revenge.
***
Adrian Key sat calmly in the detention cell, an amused smile on his face. So far, he'd been left to his own devices. No interrogations. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. In all honesty, he didn't understand why Malcolm wasn't dead, and his group annihilated. He had no doubt that he'd be out of the facility soon enough. It was only a matter of time. He was interrupted from his thoughts by the door opening. It was Malcolm, with his ridiculous mustache. Honestly, he amused Adrian. He was a quirky character, and didn't seem the type to be running an organization. In behind him came a woman with long auburn hair and cold eyes. Adrian sniffed in disdain.
"So, Malcolm Waters himself is here to interrogate me. I guess I should be flattered," he sneered. It was more or less just to see Malcolm's reaction.
"I prefer to get things done myself for the most part," Malcolm said cheerfully. "It would probably make things much easier if you were to just tell us everything you know about Prophet right now."
"Or what? You're gonna torture me?"
The cold woman moved closer towards him. "Permission to smash this arrogant prick's face in?"
"Permission denied," Malcolm said in the same cheerful tone. "Honestly, Astrid. You can't go around smashing everyone's face in. It's unprofessional."
Astrid crossed her arms and scoffed. "He would do the same thing in my shoes."
"The whole point," Macolm exclaimed, gesturing with his hands, "of the no-torture rule is to prove that we're not like them."
Adrian laughed. "You kill our agents all the time. So how is torture any different for you? Too slow and painful? Your lady friend here would sure like to, right? That makes you no different than us."
"We don't ruin people's lives, Key," Malcolm said, although he didn't sound too sure of himself.
"Bonum commune communitatis," Key said calmly. Malcolm looked around in slight confusion, but Key did not translate. Astrid moved close to Adrian, eyes boring a hole into him.
"You will tell us several things, Key. Who is your boss? What is your organization's agenda? And are there any plans for the future that you know of?"
Adrian looked around a bit, and then sighed. He perked up a bit, and smiled. "Well, I don't have anything to lose, and I'll be out of this mudhole you call a base soon enough, so why not? I mainly answer to Joseph Slater, but of course you already know he's involved. As for our agenda...in all honesty, I just do what I'm told and I get paid for it. No idea what the hell our agenda is. And as for future Prophet plans? Well, I'll have to mull that over a bit. I think there was something about a robbery...in all honesty I'm not that much use to you."
"Do you know anything about the robbery, like where it's going to happen, who's involved, what the target is?" Malcolm asked.
Adrian shrugged. "No idea. I was supposed to be a part of it but I hadn't gotten the full debriefing yet. You guys snatched me up before that happened. By the way, thanks for that. I was needing a break from routine," he said, sarcasm dripping from his voice like honey.
Astrid sniffed in disdain, arms still crossed. "If that's all you have to offer us, we'll be going now. If it turns out you're hiding something..." She dragged a finger across her throat. Adrian smiled peacefully at her, not scared of her one bit. Okay, maybe he was a little scared of her, but she didn't need to know that.
"I'll be sure to remember that," Adrian said calmly. Malcolm nodded, and the two left the room. What idiots. It was true that Adrian was a simple enforcer, but he knew a lot more than he was letting on. Their complete agenda...he'd always been a talented liar. His one slip-up had gotten him kicked out of high school and kicked into life in Prophet. This wasn't the first time he'd been captured by someone. He didn't just think that someone would come rescue him. He knew someone would come rescue him. Because that was the way Prophet worked. They would never leave a man behind. Could Malcolm say the same?
***
The police stood around, talking, comparing notes. A supposed satellite crash had occurred in the suburban neighborhood, and the area had been cleared out until they could extract it. Yellow tape had been set up, and there was chatter about it, signals were being interfered with. A team was looking at the satellite, and found that it was a little unusual-looking, but other than that pretty normal. Two guards stood by the line, talking about it.
"I mean, it's a little unusual to have a satellite crash, but it can happen right?"
"I'm telling you, I think there's something fishy going on here."
"Oh for god's sake Brian, please don't talk about your damn conspiracy theories again, not now."
"Why not? Satellite crash? Interference with the radio?"
"What? Do you think this is an alien artifact or something?"
"You never know, John. You never know."
A woman in civilian clothes walked up to them. She was pretty, with long brown hair and a small face. "Excuse me, I'd like to get through please."
Brian shrugged. "Sorry, ma'am. No one's allowed in unless you've got security clearance. I don't suppose you have security clearance."
"You don't understand," the woman said, sounding a bit nervous, "I need to get through. It's very important, and I don't want to do things the hard way."
John quirked an eyebrow. "Do things the hard way? Pardon me, ma'am, but is that a threat?"
"No," she said calmly, "it's a fact."
The two cops looked at each other, and then looked back at the woman. "No."
The woman growled. "You don't get it, do you? I need to get through! There are lives at stake here, and you are going to mess it up!" Brian moved forward to calm her down and got a judo kick to the face, knocking him to the ground. John stood there in awe, and then reacted just in time, catching the woman's punch easily. The two fought against each other, each being about evenly matched. Finally, John managed to knock her to the ground and aimed his gun at her. "Sorry, ma'am, we're gonna have a few questions for you. Get in the car."
"You don't understand! If you don't let me go-"
"Get in the car!"
"But-"
"GET IN THE CAR!"
The woman grudgingly slipped inside the car. Brian got up with a moan. "Wha....what happened?"
"She judo kicked you in the face. Come on. She's a good fighter. We need to find out why she was here." The two men got in the car and started driving. John called in to explain where they were going. The woman hung around in the back, twiddling her thumbs, eyes cast downwards. She was resigned to the inevitable, now that the fools had stopped her from going to see the crash.
"Hey John," Brian said, still a little woozy from the blow, and holding an ice pack to his face, "she was here for the crash. See? That means there must be a conspiracy going on!"
John groaned. "No, Brian, please not now. I would've thought a blow to the head would've knocked some sense into you."
The woman checked her watch and sighed. Thirty seconds.
"I have more sense than you ever will. I mean, when the aliens come down and start killing us, you'll be sorry."
Twenty seconds.
"Brian, please stop. You're giving me a headache. Do me a favor and be quiet."
Ten seconds.
"I'm telling you, something's not right here! I'm sure that-"
Boom. The explosion rocked the entire neighborhood, flipping the car fender over fender. Brian and John screamed, and the woman saw Brian's head crack as it hit the ceiling (he hadn't been wearing a seat belt) and John get smashed by the airbag, which did nothing. Soon, it was over, and the woman looked up fearfully, blood trailing down from her temple. Brian stared lifelessly ahead, blood pouring down into the seat below him. John on the other hand was bloodied to the point of being barely recognizable and barely breathing, but not dead. The woman climbed out of the car and took Brian's gun, looking at John in his pitiful state. She fired out of pity. She stood, wobbling, and moved towards the epicenter of the explosion. Apart from a few pieces of metal, the "satellite" was all but destroyed. She sighed.
Her phone rang, startling her. She answered it. Grant Aamor's nasally voice came through. "Agent Hunt, what the hell just happened? You were supposed to diffuse it!"
"I tried, sir. Security stopped me. I didn't have time to-"
"Agent Hunt, we've trained you for this eventuality. Why the hell didn't you kill the guards as soon as you saw them?"
"I didn't think it was prudent to kill them."
"So while you were trying to reason with the two buffoons, you allowed both them and everyone else in the area to be killed! Without completing the objective! Well excuuuussseee me about what's prudent around here, Hunt!"
Natalie Hunt rolled her eyes, although she knew Aamor couldn't see her. "I don't think you're exactly the right one to be talking to me about the value of human life, sir."
Aamor growled. "Just...get it done next time."
"I will. Don't worry." Hunt hung up and sighed, a saddened look on her face. These people weren't meant to die like this. It was a cruel trick of fate. Hunt's compassion for other people caused her to fail the objective, and therefore killed everyone around her. She sighed, looking around at the carnage. She could hear sirens in the distance. She turned and walked away. She didn't realize she walked past what remained of a security camera, and if she'd known, she wouldn't have cared.
It would all be downhill from there.
Last edited: