ii: Cold Water

Drowning is the fear that many people can relate too. When you are in open waters, the fear grows and manifests. The fear of the waves pulling you down as you struggle against the current. Your body is weak and your lungs filling with water. The more it pulls you down, the harder it is to see the light.

They placed Dakota in a tube like machine. Her heart was steadily beating and her blood pressure was low. In order for the subject to survive, they had to put her in a coma. There were many factors and risks if they were to keep her awake.

"She's stable." A woman's voice called.

"You better pray she is stable. You almost failed this mission and almost killed her." Markus and his partner felt the back lash of their bosses tongue. They were sloppy in the retrieval of the subject. He could admit to that and take the blame for the fault in their actions.

"But she is here. Alive." His partner boasts with a shit-eating grin upon his face. There was something threatening about the man. The way his eyes had a cold dark stare. A stare of a killer that held no control over his actions. Markus had to put him in place before things got too dangerous.

"She is wounded. She was supposed to be in my grasps without a scratch. You fucking idiot!" Their boss yelled. Markus flinched. His partner stood tall before the angered man. There was nothing that their boss would do to them. But, they were the best at retrieving targets. In Markus's years of being in the order, only one subject was killed. Not to the fault of his own, but by other circumstances.

"Maybe you should be out there trying to retrieve your so-called subjects. Instead of hiding away like the rest. Picking people like us to do the dirty work." His partner was ready to kill. "Rich men think they own the world. Piss off with your high and mighty fuckery!"

Markus placed his hand upon his partners shoulder. This was going to far. Time to take damage control. Pushing him aside; their boss was angered and pushed off. Markus would take the lashings for one simple mistake- this time. "Paul speaks of pure arrogance."

His partner- Paul- glared hard at Markus. Their boss had always respected Markus for his calm and cautious nature. Paul was not so lucky to receive such high honor. He was always the loose bullet who ran into situations without thought. Markus was clearly the brain is the two with ma y years of experience under his belt.

"The subject was shot accidentally by a stray bullet. If Paul was not so eager, she would be flawless. Are we able to continue the experiment? Time is being wasted and the council does not like to be waiting." Paul scoffed at Markus. Always the boy scout that followed all rules. But, Markus was a man not to be crossed. Paul was Markus's fifth partner in these types of missions.

"Don't let stupid decisions slip again. Next time, it will cost you. Taking away your pay is not a threat but something more." Their boss walked away from the two men. The room they were in had grown colder than any other area in the building.

Markus could see his own breath. His eyes shifted towards the computer screen. Dakota took in a deep gasp of air and screamed to the top of her lungs. She was violently moving within her confined space. The oxygen mask releasing bubbles at an extreme rate. Dakota's wound had opened and blood began to swirl around her in the water.

Markus ran past Paul in a hurry. Dakota was in the other room, trying to get out. This was bad. Markus had to calm the young woman down before she ended up hurting others and herself. Her eyes were closed tight. The nurse that was in the room with her tried to hold her steady, but Dakota threw the young woman to the side.

"She's unstable!" She called out.

Markus and Paul felt a sharp ringing in their ears and could not hear the nurse clearly. Paul fell hard to the floor with hands over his ears. Markus clenched his teeth as too try and pull through. But when he reached Dakota, she was pounding on the glass. Her eyes were still closed. She was fighting. Dakota was fighting while unconscious. The computers were flickering and a few moments later, Dakota was no longer there.

Just an empty tube with water sloshing around. Markus felt nauseated and threw up the contents of his stomach. How where they going to explain this to the council?

《-》

Drowning in the open waters.

Free at last.

Dakota had stopped fighting. No, if she stopped fighting, Dakota would fail. She would lose. She would never lose again. She was always the fighter. Dad taught you. Mother perfected. But, they left you to be nothing more than a mirror image of them.

She opened her eyes to the water surrounding her. Her body was being tossed and turned through the underwater current. She could see streams of blood and this awful pain jolting through every joint and muscle. Where was she? How did she get here? Her mind was racing frantically with questions. The taste of salt left a bitter taste upon her tongue. Every movement caused her to feel so much pain that she had to breathe for air. Every attempt to gasp would only fill her lungs with water. Her instincts were kicking in to swing above water. To finally breathe. But, in her dazed state, she did not know where the surface was. Her heart was racing and she knew she was running out of time.

Calm. Stay calm. She told herself. Dakota could not panic now. In these types of situations, panicking would only make things worse. Address the situation at hand. She was underwater. How she got there, was a mystery to her and maybe she'll find the answer. Right now, she was wounded and had to breath. If she stayed under while the current pulled her, she would drown.

She made bubbles through her nose to see where up was. She could that the bubbles were going in the right direction. Up was where the water shined and fish were swimming just above her. She moved steadily through the waters as her lungs burned.

Reaching the surface, she gasps in air. Her lungs expanding for their release. Oxygen was so fresh that Dakota thanked whoever was looking out for her. Getting her bearings, she looked to the sky to see that it was clear blue. Not a cloud out and the sun was shining so bright. She needed to find land fast or else her blood would attract whatever was in the water. She was lucky nothing came and nibbled on her.

Dakota moved steadily. Her body was too worn out and she was still bleeding from her wound. In the distance, she could see a beach. It looked barren, but it was better then being in open waters.

Keeping a steady rhythm in her strokes, Dakota could see that she was close to the shore. Breathing in and out, her muscles were due to fail on her. Her good arm was the only method of reaching land, while her injured one would only slow her down.

She would have laughed at the thought if she wasn't in dire need to reach land. She was a fighter. Always has been since she won her first fight. Dakota never backed down from her opponent. She would face them head on. Her mentor disciplined her into the fighter she was. The military might have shown her a few things, but once she found purpose outside of that life.

The waves pushed her body onto the land. She felt relief the moment she touched the sand. Dakota chuckled at the thought of her being so close to death. She had made it to land. She survived this strange ordeal. Then, she groaned the moment she tried to sit up. Her body was not yet ready to take on the task after being in water for- God knows how long.

She laid back with her forearm over her eyes. Dakota could feel her body beginning to shiver and her lips were quivering. She had to find shelter on this island. She had to survive and fight once more. But, something was different. She was not sure what it was that made this island so mystical. Something in the air maybe?

She placed her attention to her wound. Seeing the blood stain her shirt, she pulled it down to see that it was a pretty good size. Dakota knew she had to be stitched up. It seems that she would not die of blood lost. Nothing major was hit and everything looked intact.

"They did not want me to live." She spoke. Her voice cracked and husky.

Dakota noticed that she still had on the clothing she wore for the fight. Normally she would be wearing a sweater and sweat pants to train, but fights consisted of wrapped hands, black spandex and a black sports bra. Better for her to move her body the way she wanted it too. Her opponents could never match her skill and Dakota knew instantly that she was born with a gift.

The waves continued to soak her body. She could not move anymore and Dakota wanted to rest. To find slumber in this place. She closed her eyes, knowing no one was going to save her. She was alone. She was going to die alone and no one was there to tell her that beyond this life, maybe something better.

But the fighter in her soul told her to keep going.

Something landed on top of her chest, causing her body to jolt from the weight. The pain within her shoulder escalated, but she was too tired and worn to move. Gritting her teeth, she opened her eyes to find that a large eagle landed upon her. Looking at her with these large eyes that showed wisdom. Dakota was mesmerized by the creature for a moment, until the pain once more brought her to reality.

She found herself looking at the eagle and all became a blur. She could hear a voice of a man near by calling out. Two figures came running towards her. Dakota's world turned dark once more.

Free at last.