Pre-fic Ramblings: I wrote this in May because a class I was taking required me to write a short story. I was really into Perfect Dark at the time, so I wrote this little thingy and changed all the names and stuff. I found this again the other day and decided it had better things to do than sit around in my hard drive collecting dust, so I went back, re-changed the names, and figured I'd at least post it. If the names, places, etc are screwed up, just ignore them and pretend this is an AU or something. If you want it to be continued, LET ME KNOW because chances are, otherwise it won't be. The more feedback, the better! I'm at itsflp@cheatcc.com, or just leave a review. Ok, I'm done babbling now.
Disclaimer: I don't own the stuff, the big N does. Long live Nintendo! It'd be greatly appreciated if you didn't sue.
* * * * * * * * * *
The facility was dark and cold, with walls of icy steel lining the hallways, floors, and ceiling. The entire vicinity smelled of metallic scents, and also of cleaning solutions and bare steel. He walked slowly and silently, pausing every now and then to take a deep breath and to secure the area. As he approached an intersection in the corridor, he stopped dead in his tracks and sucked in his breath. He could feel the sweat trickle down the back of his neck, his heart pounding through his chest as he stood frozen there, and then he heard them. Footsteps. And he was unarmed.
The sounds were slow and evenly paced, each one echoing, making it impossible to tell which direction they were coming from. He flattened his back against the wall, pressed his palms and spread his fingers against the cool surface behind him, and closed his eyes. His heart was racing to the point of near explosion, he couldn't breathe, and his mind, although flurrying thoughts rapidly through it, had shut down. He was scared. Terrified even. He wasn't supposed to be scared. He hadn't gone through six months of training to be scared like this.
The footsteps suddenly intensified in volume before stopping. He forced his eyes open to keep watch. There was nothing around him but steel walls. He told himself to calm down. Maybe he was imagining things. He swallowed hard before shifting his weight to his left foot and taking a single step forward. The movement was too much, too far. He heard a click off in the distance that sent red lights and sirens roaring through his brain that blinded his senses. The gentle whir of three silenced PP7 shots rang through the room and silenced him forever.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jennifer Dark closed her eyes for a moment before shutting the laptop that contained the video of her brother's only failed mission. The same mission she was to complete tomorrow night. Dark checked her watch. No, make that tonight. It was 12:44 A.M. She sighed before crossing the room and sitting down on her bed. She lay back and stared at the ceiling as she tried to organize her scrambled thoughts.
She quickly found her eyes wandering around the rather small bedroom she called her own. In reality it wasn't. It belonged to the Agency. Everything belonged to the Agency. She belonged to the Agency. Technically she could leave or desert whenever she wanted—God knew she had the technology and the skill. But for as long as she could remember, the Agency training complex was all she had to call home—and the people there were her substitute family.
Her brother had been the Agency's top agent—just one mission failed, but that single mission had cost him his life. The failure was seldom discussed, and any information that had leaked its way to Jennifer's ears was completely illogical. Not really much help to her, given the fact that she was to make up for the error.
Her mother had been named Joanna Dark—the Agency's other top agent. She had been sent from a rival corporation many years ago, and upon arriving broke countless training and achievement records. It was then that she disappeared, leaving no trace. Eighteen years ago, just a year after her brother's death. Had it really been eighteen years since she had been left in the care of the Agency? To Jennifer it didn't seem possible.
She stood up and stretched. The time was well past one by now. She wandered over to the window and lightly rested her fingertips against the cool panes of glass before turning and walking out her door into the complex hallway. She trekked briskly towards the back exit of the huge training complex. As she reached the door, she burst through it and strolled outside. The cool night air was welcome on her flushed skin, and she enjoyed the sensation of being free as a gentle breeze rustled her short dark hair.
Dark was tall and slender, with chestnut hair and deep blue eyes. She had exceptional speed, agility, stealth, and reflexes. She was extremely accurate with a weapon of any sort, and had very high levels of intelligence and understanding for her twenty-three years of age. She had inherited more than just physical traits from her mother.
A quick shake of her head brought her back to the real world and she realized she had reached the edge of the complex grounds. Jennifer climbed the tall chain-link fence with ease and hopped down before running to her own private place. It wasn't much—just an old hollow log on top of a hill that overlooked a tiny lake—but still she loved it and whenever something bothered her, it was where she went to sort out her problems.
That particular night, the sky was at its best—the rich blue background was the perfect contrast to the stars that twinkled incessantly—until the early daylight hours caused the shining sun to awake from a deep rest. The serene sky stretched all the way to the dark green forest across shore before melting into the mirror-like surface of the lake.
A sudden hand on her shoulder caused Dark to leap up and whirl around to face the intruder. She was reaching automatically for the gun resting on her hip before realizing who the hand belonged to and dropping her hand back to her side.
"Ah Agent Dark. So we meet again."
"Hello Nicholas. Sorry about the gun."
Of all the "employees" at the Agency, Nicholas knew her the best. He had raised her for most of her life, and had overseen her training procedures, always making sure she was two steps ahead of all her peers. His height was average and he had a heavy build. He was sixty-three, but even in his youth, he never had the speed, stealth, and desire to work missions successfully. Instead, he was a strategical genius, and also directed the rookie trainee programs. He was well respected everywhere around the Agency, and the handful of rookies that were fortunate enough to be trained by him were in a class all their own.
"'Tis forgotten. But may I ask you what you are doing outside the grounds at such an odd hour?"
"Can't sleep—third night in a row."
"Oh," he nodded and gestured to the log. "Do you mind if I sit down?"
"Not at all."
"Thank you." He sank down and gazed across the water. "Now then, tell me what's wrong."
She looked up, obviously surprised. "Why?"
"Because you have a highly important mission coming up, because you haven't slept for three nights, and because you seem distant. Missions always generate wild fear and stress, but you appear to be especially unnerved by this one. Why is that?"
"I don't know. I've never felt like this before."
"And how is it that you feel?"
"Sad. And alone. And scared."
"Could it be something in the mission briefing? An objective, something we've forgotten?"
"There are no objectives. If there's anything specific doing this to me, it's the lack of information."
Nicholas chose his next words carefully. "This is a very…trying mission,"
She looked at him carefully. "You know something. Tell me."
He suddenly refused to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry Agent Dark, but it's really not my information to discuss." He stood and stretched for a minute. "Let me take you back to your ro-"
"Nicholas, if you know something, tell me. Now."
"I can't."
She desperately searched his face.
"So in other words, I'm supposed to go on a suicide mission to God knows where and figure out what I'm supposed to do once I get there. Then, in my spare time, I'm supposed to pray I'm not going to get killed while doing something I despise? Nicholas, you know damn well I hate doing this—it's just not for me. It's not my fault I was born into this! It's not my fault I was good at this!"
Her voice dropped from shouting to just above a whisper.
"I don't want to die before I have a life of my own."
An icy breeze blew across the lake. The empty sound of rustling leaves disturbed the silence.
"Come Agent Dark, let me take you back to your room."
She stood up and left.
* * * * * * * * * *
Back in her room, Dark sank into an armchair. 3:06 A.M. She closed her eyes for a quick rest.
She opened them again at 8:43 that evening. There was a knock on her door. It swung open before she could get up and answer it. Behind it was one of Nicholas's rookies.
"Sorry to disturb you Miss Dark, but Nicholas has requested that you report to the main building to prepare for your mission."
Disclaimer: I don't own the stuff, the big N does. Long live Nintendo! It'd be greatly appreciated if you didn't sue.
* * * * * * * * * *
The facility was dark and cold, with walls of icy steel lining the hallways, floors, and ceiling. The entire vicinity smelled of metallic scents, and also of cleaning solutions and bare steel. He walked slowly and silently, pausing every now and then to take a deep breath and to secure the area. As he approached an intersection in the corridor, he stopped dead in his tracks and sucked in his breath. He could feel the sweat trickle down the back of his neck, his heart pounding through his chest as he stood frozen there, and then he heard them. Footsteps. And he was unarmed.
The sounds were slow and evenly paced, each one echoing, making it impossible to tell which direction they were coming from. He flattened his back against the wall, pressed his palms and spread his fingers against the cool surface behind him, and closed his eyes. His heart was racing to the point of near explosion, he couldn't breathe, and his mind, although flurrying thoughts rapidly through it, had shut down. He was scared. Terrified even. He wasn't supposed to be scared. He hadn't gone through six months of training to be scared like this.
The footsteps suddenly intensified in volume before stopping. He forced his eyes open to keep watch. There was nothing around him but steel walls. He told himself to calm down. Maybe he was imagining things. He swallowed hard before shifting his weight to his left foot and taking a single step forward. The movement was too much, too far. He heard a click off in the distance that sent red lights and sirens roaring through his brain that blinded his senses. The gentle whir of three silenced PP7 shots rang through the room and silenced him forever.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jennifer Dark closed her eyes for a moment before shutting the laptop that contained the video of her brother's only failed mission. The same mission she was to complete tomorrow night. Dark checked her watch. No, make that tonight. It was 12:44 A.M. She sighed before crossing the room and sitting down on her bed. She lay back and stared at the ceiling as she tried to organize her scrambled thoughts.
She quickly found her eyes wandering around the rather small bedroom she called her own. In reality it wasn't. It belonged to the Agency. Everything belonged to the Agency. She belonged to the Agency. Technically she could leave or desert whenever she wanted—God knew she had the technology and the skill. But for as long as she could remember, the Agency training complex was all she had to call home—and the people there were her substitute family.
Her brother had been the Agency's top agent—just one mission failed, but that single mission had cost him his life. The failure was seldom discussed, and any information that had leaked its way to Jennifer's ears was completely illogical. Not really much help to her, given the fact that she was to make up for the error.
Her mother had been named Joanna Dark—the Agency's other top agent. She had been sent from a rival corporation many years ago, and upon arriving broke countless training and achievement records. It was then that she disappeared, leaving no trace. Eighteen years ago, just a year after her brother's death. Had it really been eighteen years since she had been left in the care of the Agency? To Jennifer it didn't seem possible.
She stood up and stretched. The time was well past one by now. She wandered over to the window and lightly rested her fingertips against the cool panes of glass before turning and walking out her door into the complex hallway. She trekked briskly towards the back exit of the huge training complex. As she reached the door, she burst through it and strolled outside. The cool night air was welcome on her flushed skin, and she enjoyed the sensation of being free as a gentle breeze rustled her short dark hair.
Dark was tall and slender, with chestnut hair and deep blue eyes. She had exceptional speed, agility, stealth, and reflexes. She was extremely accurate with a weapon of any sort, and had very high levels of intelligence and understanding for her twenty-three years of age. She had inherited more than just physical traits from her mother.
A quick shake of her head brought her back to the real world and she realized she had reached the edge of the complex grounds. Jennifer climbed the tall chain-link fence with ease and hopped down before running to her own private place. It wasn't much—just an old hollow log on top of a hill that overlooked a tiny lake—but still she loved it and whenever something bothered her, it was where she went to sort out her problems.
That particular night, the sky was at its best—the rich blue background was the perfect contrast to the stars that twinkled incessantly—until the early daylight hours caused the shining sun to awake from a deep rest. The serene sky stretched all the way to the dark green forest across shore before melting into the mirror-like surface of the lake.
A sudden hand on her shoulder caused Dark to leap up and whirl around to face the intruder. She was reaching automatically for the gun resting on her hip before realizing who the hand belonged to and dropping her hand back to her side.
"Ah Agent Dark. So we meet again."
"Hello Nicholas. Sorry about the gun."
Of all the "employees" at the Agency, Nicholas knew her the best. He had raised her for most of her life, and had overseen her training procedures, always making sure she was two steps ahead of all her peers. His height was average and he had a heavy build. He was sixty-three, but even in his youth, he never had the speed, stealth, and desire to work missions successfully. Instead, he was a strategical genius, and also directed the rookie trainee programs. He was well respected everywhere around the Agency, and the handful of rookies that were fortunate enough to be trained by him were in a class all their own.
"'Tis forgotten. But may I ask you what you are doing outside the grounds at such an odd hour?"
"Can't sleep—third night in a row."
"Oh," he nodded and gestured to the log. "Do you mind if I sit down?"
"Not at all."
"Thank you." He sank down and gazed across the water. "Now then, tell me what's wrong."
She looked up, obviously surprised. "Why?"
"Because you have a highly important mission coming up, because you haven't slept for three nights, and because you seem distant. Missions always generate wild fear and stress, but you appear to be especially unnerved by this one. Why is that?"
"I don't know. I've never felt like this before."
"And how is it that you feel?"
"Sad. And alone. And scared."
"Could it be something in the mission briefing? An objective, something we've forgotten?"
"There are no objectives. If there's anything specific doing this to me, it's the lack of information."
Nicholas chose his next words carefully. "This is a very…trying mission,"
She looked at him carefully. "You know something. Tell me."
He suddenly refused to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry Agent Dark, but it's really not my information to discuss." He stood and stretched for a minute. "Let me take you back to your ro-"
"Nicholas, if you know something, tell me. Now."
"I can't."
She desperately searched his face.
"So in other words, I'm supposed to go on a suicide mission to God knows where and figure out what I'm supposed to do once I get there. Then, in my spare time, I'm supposed to pray I'm not going to get killed while doing something I despise? Nicholas, you know damn well I hate doing this—it's just not for me. It's not my fault I was born into this! It's not my fault I was good at this!"
Her voice dropped from shouting to just above a whisper.
"I don't want to die before I have a life of my own."
An icy breeze blew across the lake. The empty sound of rustling leaves disturbed the silence.
"Come Agent Dark, let me take you back to your room."
She stood up and left.
* * * * * * * * * *
Back in her room, Dark sank into an armchair. 3:06 A.M. She closed her eyes for a quick rest.
She opened them again at 8:43 that evening. There was a knock on her door. It swung open before she could get up and answer it. Behind it was one of Nicholas's rookies.
"Sorry to disturb you Miss Dark, but Nicholas has requested that you report to the main building to prepare for your mission."