Life on the Edge
Chapter Three
Once everyone was piled into the bus they began the drive to Belgium's capital; Brussels. Elisabeth was seated with one of the men, Edwin Aller. The same man she had knocked out in training the day before. Sofie sat in the seat in front of her, probably dozing off while Nicoline sat beside her without speaking. The dark haired woman was turned in her seat, facing Edwin as he went on and on about something. She had stopped listening a few minutes before.
Elisabeth's eyes flickered over the rest of the bus. They were sitting as far back as you could go so that she could see all the other trainees. They had been warned before leaving the mansion that the people they would meet at the Bureau would be much different than the agents that had raised them. Elisabeth had already seen that with Agent Arbeit who had been the one to pick them up. He was cold and detached compared to Van Houtem's warm and friendly personality.
Suddenly a hand on her shoulder broke Elisabeth from her train of thought. Blue-green eyes snapped back to Edwin whose eyebrows were raised at her. Elisabeth smiled sheepishly before turning back to her friend.
"Sorry, what were you saying?"
Edwin shook his head and smiled a bit. She knew that he wouldn't take offence at it, she often got lost in thought. He was the tallest on the bus, standing at six foot five. His body was covered in lean muscle and dashes of freckles all over his tan skin. His dark blond hair was slightly shaggy from months of not cutting it and light stubble covered the lower half of his face. Edwin had dark green, deep set eyes that were almost the colour of pine. He was a very attractive fellow but to Elisabeth he was more like a brother.
"I was saying that I hope we're able to explore Brussels. It would be absolute torture if we were put under lock down at Headquarters with a whole city just outside the walls."
He chuckled when light sparked in his friend's eyes. She straightened and nodded her head.
"If they put us under lock down I think I'd have to use my new title to start a riot," Elisabeth grinned and leaned back again the window behind her.
There wasn't much to look at on the road other than cars that she had only seen on the internet and grassland that stretched out farther than cared for. She may have grown up in a secluded house surrounded by forest but she craved city life.
"I'd be right beside you in that. And I'm sure you'd have Sofie and Nicoline's votes as well. And we know that you'd have Steffen's vote," he gave her a wink which made her laugh.
No matter the situation Edwin could always get a smile from her. That was one of the reasons Elisabeth thought of him as one of her best friends, even higher on the list than Sofie.
"Oh, I'm sure he would and thinking that he'd get laid later too," she retorted, a smirk on her lips.
Steffen Verboom was your classic 'tough guy'. He thought that he could get anyone he wanted and that they all wanted him just as much. He had been Elisabeth's assignment when the women had gone through their 'flirt and desert' course. She had him in bed before dinner and had knocked him out; 'borrowing' his prized baseball to prove that she had succeeded. Of course, she wasn't a virgin anymore, but doing the deed with Steffen really wasn't high on her list of priorities.
"And I'm sure that he'd probably get kicked where the sun don't shine if he ever tried," Edwin grinned and leaned back in his seat.
"Ah well, I'll talk to the Director when we get there," Elisabeth promised before shifting so that she was copying Edwin.
With her back pressed against the comfortable seat and the sounds of her would-be family around her the brunette drifted to sleep.
The bus parked outside a large warehouse just outside Brussels. It looked abandoned but Elisabeth knew better than that when it came to any branches of the Bureau. Agent Arbeit led them inside without saying a word. Without being asked each of the trainees followed the man inside. It was dark and had a rotting smell, probably from the mold infested wood above them. Agent Arbeit led them straight through until he stopped at an elevator. It didn't look like it would work but once he pressed down on the arrow button it lit up.
Elisabeth glanced over at Sofie who had joined her and Edwin and raised an eyebrow. She could barely see the other woman through the darkness but her blond hair stood out a bit more in the shadows. Suddenly a murky yellow light washed over the group. Elisabeth and Sofie looked forward again to see Agent Arbeit stepping into the elevator.
"Four of you at a time," his gruff, cold voice cut over them.
The brunette looked over the group and pushed her way to the front. She signaled for the four adults closest to her to go in. They went in without hesitation. The elevator doors closed and she saw the light blink off on the floor numbers above the doors. She turned and hit the arrow button again, waiting patiently until it lit up once more. Agent Arbeit was once again in the elevator car but this time he nodded to her.
This repeated until all but Elisabeth, Sofie, Edwin and another of the trainees named Rupert Zeeger were the only ones left. They stepped into the elevator together with the agent and the metal doors closed behind them. The air inside the car was tense as they went farther and father underground. It felt like all those typical spy movies that some of the agents at the mansion would bring in for them to watch. A hidden base that no one could find them in and ran for hundreds of miles under the earth.
The doors opened and the five of them stepped out into the crowded hall. The lights above them were bright florescent, stinging Elisabeth's eyes. There were automatic sliding door directly across from the elevator and two halls on either side.
"Now that you are all here," the voice of Agent Arbeit startled her.
He pushed by to get to the front of the group.
"There are going to be a number of trials ahead of you starting tomorrow. First off there will be a physical to get a basis of how well you can carry out missions. After that will be a mental examination. These will be the two most common tests you will go through while working for the Bureau. After you have finished those trails your blood will be tested. I'm sure no one told you but not even one of you were picked up out of the goodness in our hearts. Each of you has… something in your blood that will work on our behalf."
Elisabeth frowned. Never had it been mentioned to any of them that they had been chosen for a reason. They had all thought they had been pulled from their former lives to be given a better one. Not because of something in their blood! Someone up front, closer to the agent, voiced her thoughts. Agent Arbeit chuckled darkly, shaking his head.
"You're all very naive if that is what you thought. No, you were chosen from an early age because you could be trained as weapons. You each have something locked in your blood that will help us in the end. You will be trained for the next two years, driving your emotions out and integrating you back into society. You will become the spies that you've been training to be."
He smirked and shook his head before turning to the automatic doors behind him.
A chilling silence fell over the trainees. Not one word left the group as they followed Agent Arbeit into the large room. They stood on a platform in a dark room lit only by the screens of the many computers running in rows a little below them. Directly across from the platform was a large wall with multiple screens on it. A man stood on the stretch of clear space under said screens. He turned and stared coolly at the group.
"Welcome to Headquarters, group twelve," he started.
Elisabeth guessed that this was Agent Zef Gelens, the Director in control of the rest of their lives. He was a tall, built man wearing nothing but dark colours. She couldn't see his features clearly from the lack of light but she guessed that he had thick and wavy dark brown hair. It was short, only falling above his ears. His eyes looked very dark, like the colour had sucked up all his emotions. His face was angular and he had a cleft chin. He crossed through the middle of the room where aisle had been made. On either side were computers and the agents behind them working furiously.
"My name is Zef Gelens and I am the head Director for this branch of the Bureau. You will refer to me as Director Gelens. There will be no questions asked. You are the twelfth group to come here and be trained. We have trained spies, agents and soldiers and every one of them has worked up their line of work, becoming someone great. I'm hoping that you will be just as valuable." he paused, looking over each other the trainees with dark eyes.
"You will be coming to this base every day for the next two years during your final round of training. We have agents who have volunteered to help train you."
This they all already knew.
"Now, once your two years are up each of you will be paired up according to your leader and each team will be sent out on a mission. Those who come back will have earned their place in this base."
Elisabeth stared, wide eyes at the man. There was no way that she just heard that clearly. He would be sending them on suicide missions? Just to prove themselves? It seemed wrong and immoral in the woman's eyes but as she looked around she also noticed that some of her would-be family liked the idea. Even a few of them were eyeing each other carefully. A shutter rippled through Elisabeth's body. So much for talking to the Director. She didn't even want to be within ten feet of the man. She shook her head and let her head drop. There wasn't anything she could do. The Director had said it, so that made it law for them. Break that law and who knows what would happen.
A woman led them back out into the hall once Director Gelens was finished his little speech. She walked down the right hall, leading them to some unknown room. The hall went on for a while until she turned into a large conference room. The walls were cement painted white with more florescent lights above them and a large table in the middle.
"Take a seat," the woman ordered.
They each found a seat but Elisabeth waited until everyone was seated before taking her spot between Sofie and Edwin.
The door behind them opened again and in walked Agent Arbeit. The two agents walked to the head of the table and while Arbeit leaned again the painted wall the woman stood at the head of the table.
"Which one of you is group twelve's leader?" Arbeit asked, his glaring eyes going around the table.
Elisabeth straightened and raised her hand. Both agents' eyes flicked to her before they looked at each other. A silence communication traveled between the two and everyone else in the room could see it. Finally the woman turned back to the group, her blue eyes trained on Elisabeth.
She beckoned her over and immediately Elisabeth stood, going over to the woman.
"My name is Debora Janssen and I am in charge of getting you each comfortable here in the city. My partner is Agent Gerhard Arbeit as you may have guessed," she introduced.
Elisabeth looked between the two and noticed something. They both had the same skin tones, same hair colour and their eyes were the same shape and colour. Siblings then. Both were shorter in stature and where Janssen had a soft look to her Arbeit looked mean and cold. Both had blond hair only the woman grew hers out while her brother cut it very short. Both had almond shaped eyes the colour of sapphires but they were both icy.
"You will be paired here and given the address of where you will be living for a long while. Your leader will pair you and I will hand out each address and set of keys," Janssen finished and looked over at Elisabeth.
The brunette nodded her head, her curls bouncing over her shoulder, and looked around the table. She'd have to pick carefully so to not cause any problems for herself or for her 'siblings'.
"Steffen Verboom and Antonie Richard will be paired together," Janssen nodded her head and looked around the room.
The two men stood on opposite ends of the table, huge grins on their faces. Elisabeth rolled her eyes and knew that she had picked right for those two.
"Nicoline Anker and Vera Abrams can be paired."
Elisabeth paired those two because she knew Vera's strong attitude might help or even wear off on Nicoline. And that woman would definitely need to grow a back bone.
It continued on like that for a bit longer. Elisabeth paired everyone off, making sure to put the more… active people together. Maybe they'd cancel each other out. She'd put Edwin and a woman named Katja together and put Sofie and herself together.
"That will be all then. Each and every one of you are to report back here tomorrow at eight o'clock sharp. No sooner and no later. Understood?" the trainees nodded.
"Good, a car will be at each apartment to pick you up." And with that the woman and her partner left.
"Well wasn't that pleasant?" Nico, the class clown piped up.
A few chuckles sounded but everyone was more concerned about the upcoming future to be giving the man attention. Elisabeth sank back down in her chair and bit her lip. This was going to be a long two years.
Hello Everyone!
I am so glad to see that so many people have been reading my story! Seriously guys, ninety-three views for this story for today only. Thanks you guys so much for reading my story.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel characters. Though, the Dutch spies are all mine and I am proud of my babies!
I'm hoping that after chapter four I can do a time skip. No, I won't make you guys suffer through two years of basic training and some city life. But I'll make sure to continue introducing the other trainees as the story continues.
Anyhow, I really hope you guys continue to read. And maybe even a review every now and then would be nice as well. I'd love to hear what you guys think about Elisabeth.
LOVE YA!