|Prologue & Chapter 1|
"Agent Bennet… Agent Bennet can you hear me?"
As I try to open my eyes, pain sears through my head from the sudden bright, white light. White. That's the only thing I can see. Needles that pierce my body all over, causes my body to flush with heat.
"Where is he – Darcy and – where's Charlotte?" I manage to choke out as I attempt to bring life back into my stiff limbs. The aching pain in my shoulders throbs, my voice hoarse. I attempt to move my head first. I groan a loud as a sharp pain in the back of my head causes my ears to begin ringing again. I struggle to keep my eyes open because of the painful glare of the sterile while lights and instead settle on letting them flutter shut. My body burns and the painful pressure in my head slowly drains away as I patiently wait for someone to answer me.
As sudden heaviness in my chest begins to cause me to become short of breath. Charlotte, where is she? And Darcy – he…
I feel myself begin to tear up as the horrible memories surge my mind at once causing a wave of pain to wash over me once more. "Charlotte, Charlotte" I rasp. I jerk forward out of the bed, my arms flailing in a futile attempt to find her, to know she's alive. Bright lights flash before my eyes, the sterile white room closing in.
Deliriously, I quickly rip out of iv drip from my arm and begin the painful climb out of the bed. Several pairs of hands suddenly gently push me back on the bed but I resist. I feel sharp pricks in my arms and suddenly my body is once again heavy as it makes its slow descent back onto the bed.
"Oh for goodness sake Lizzie, don't be stupid". Dad? "Bingley! What state is she at? Any little piece of information will stop Mrs Bennet ` squawking at me"
"I just injected morphine into her blood system. The pain should slowly begin to leave her body and her bruises as you see, are already beginning to fade. Her recovery will be a slow process but she'll be fine. For the time being she just has to rest. The morphine has numbed her nerves system but it won't last for long. Her blood pressure is..."
Charlotte.
"Restrain her, now please. I don't want her leaving this hospital bed until I clear her, understood?" I heard my father sigh. Why strap me down? Does he not see that I need to finish my mission? To save my best friend?
As I try to break free, my arms begin to flail around frantically. My eyes burn as the vivid lights behind my eyes continually flicker, my heart racing.
And all within a moment, I once again feel a small pinch in my arm and begin to fade into the dark oblivion once again.
"Darcy, he died to save Charlotte – he died and I didn't get to say goodbye." I whimper quietly while feeling myself being drawn away from reality again into a vortex of darkness.
"Agent Bennet, report to the head office" rang the overhead speaker system. Lizzie sighed in exasperation and looked directly into the blinking camera hidden amongst the books Germany's Most Wanted Serial Killers and Gemma's Special recipes.
Lizzie was yet again hiding in her Father's personal library, also known as Commander Bennett also known as Papa. The overhead speaker began to crackle back to life again as Lizzie peered into the camera, cross-eyed and cheeks squished. "Now Lizzie" sighed the tired voice that rang through the hallways of the institute. Chuckling to herself, Lizzie jumped from the window seat, tucked behind the World History archive. Tucking her worn, rolled up paperback of the Bell Jar, Lizzie began a slow trail to her father is office. She didn't expect anything more than a simple fatherly scold for hacking into the security system for fun again or even for hiding Collin's latest report on chemically enhancing the – whatever.
Walking down the lengthy hall, Lizzie's fingers began to trace the deeply engraved and embellished names of all the previous spies who worked for P.R.I.D.E, Pemberley's Renowned Intelligence and Discreet Espionage. P.R.I.D.E was founded in Pemberley Derbyshire centuries before and still remains today as one of the largest, most successful spy institutes in the world (even though technically they don't exist).
P.R.I.D.E has divisions and covert cells amongst some of the most remote areas in the world, automatically becoming one of the most clandestine active institutes in the world; the best part of it being its non-existency.
Drawing closer to her father's office, Lizzie discretely crossed her fingers hoping for her father to announce the urgency of a new mission and quickly send her off in a super jet with a bunch of explosives and deadly weapons. Of course, each time he summoned her to his office, is was more than often for her to speak to her mother about how her day has been and if mission "find Lizzie a husband before I die so I can have lots of grandbaby's" was accomplished. And each time Lizzie would say no. And each time her mother would email her a new list of possibilities.
Reaching the broad brazilian rosewood door, Lizzie turned the stiff brass handle and with a gentle push, entered her father's office. The wooden-panelled walls had been freshly polished as there was still a lingering lemon aurora that seemed to overwhelm Lizzie as her eyes suddenly started watering. Her eyes widened at the surprisingly ordered and clean office.
"It'll wear off in a minute Lizzie" her father smirked as he gestured to the empty couch on the far wall. "Hilda decided my office needed a spring clean even though I insisted that –
"It needed a spring clean two springs ago Papa, I don't even know how you were able to work in that mess" marvelled Lizzie. She quickly swiped two fingers across the top of the fireplace appreciating the lack of dust. "If anything she needed to bleach the whole room".
Plopping herself down on the worn sofa, Lizzie observed her father. He was once again absorbed not in paperwork or a good novel but with his train collection. With a little girl's fascination, she watched her father's gentle brush strokes as he painted a carriage royal blue. As a child Lizzie would sit down for hours watching her father as he absorbed himself into his favourite pass time. "Even after all these years, I still don't understand how you manage to sustain such patience and ease."
"Patience is an art that this generation lacks. As I've always said, a spy's patience will always achieve more than force. " Chuckled her father is response. He gently set down his paint brush and removed his glasses, resting his tired old blue eyes on her expectant face. Clearing his throat, he pulled open a draw with a freshly filed stack of papers that caused Lizzie to squeal with excitement before he could even properly take them out. "Now Lizzie" started her father. "I mean Agent Bennet, P.R.I.D.E is in need of two agents who are qualified to undertake this important assignment. This is an eyes-only file agent that you must burn as soon as you have finished reading it. What you are about to read will shock you that I advise you read it twice.
Sobering quickly, Lizzie grabbed the file from her father's. Her eyes quickly scanned through the file and as advised read again. Her face betrayed no signs of shock or excitement but instead she gently placed the file into the burn box beside her father's desk.
Even though Lizzie betrayed no sign of emotion, inside her heart was breaking and her stomach twisting tightly in angst. "Who am I assigned with Commander? Who am I assigned with to save my best friend?" Her eyes burned hot with tears but her voice carried strong throughout the quietness of the room. With a pitying glance, her father lightly tapped her hand. With a quick clearing of his throat Commander Bennet sat up straighter while slipping his spectacles carefully back onto his face. " Elizabeth, let me introduce you to the son of an old aliase of mine…"
Elizabeth sensed the broad door gently being pushed open with ease and with the cool breeze, was the strong smell of coffee. Elizabeth swiveled in her seat to meet a pair of emotionless forest-green eyes and a carefully formed smirk. He casually leaned against the door frame while sporting a freshly pressed black suit.
"… Mr. William Darcy".
AN:/ So I wrote this a while back and I still think it has potential, but i'll leave this here to see if it gains interest so please R&R.