The Venus Contract
By WarriorLoverInc
Chapter 4: Gemini and Duplicate
The cold wind of an oncoming summer squall whistled through the dry grass of the Russian lowland plain, a sweet smell wafting through the air. Somewhere in the midst of the calm natural fields a radio crackled to life.
"Gem to Dupe, in position… over."
The shifting of a coarse material could be heard, then a reply from within the grass, "Dupe to Gem, in position… over."
"Permission to proceed…? Over."
A heavy duty walkie-talkie, outfitted with a state of the art scrambler and MI6 GPS was lifted to a pair of colorless lips. "Permission granted."
Somewhere, miles away in the same plane, a tracker device and distress signal was activated. "Dupe" held his breath, not even daring to move, desperately hoping MI6 would get the signal before their pursuers found them. Thunder boomed ominously in the distance as the dark clouds of the looming storm continued rolling across the previously clear blue sky.
A sound in the distance, Dupe strained his ears… there it was again! The distinct swish of chopper blades echoed across the flat expanse of lowland. Letting a heavy sigh of breath escape his lips, Dupe smiled for the first time in what seemed like ages. Prematurely gray hair, equally gray skin and blandly colorless eyes gave Dupe the look of a man who didn't express his happiness often.
The copter began to descend as a distant figure stepped out into an open expanse of grass, waving it down. Their ride was here, they had the USB…
Dupe tensed and threw himself to the left the instant he sensed it, and not a moment too soon. A bullet whistled through the air and buried itself in the ground where he had lain seconds before. Ignoring his throbbing wounds in a way only the most elite can, Dupe began to weave his way towards the helicopter as the angry shouts of their pursuers chased his hurried steps.
The figure that had helped the copter land had turned as the first bullet's sound reached his ears, now he waved frantically, trying to urge his comrade on and reach safety faster. SAS men hustled out of the copter behind him and began to open fire on the enemy closing in.
In the heat of the battle, Dupe's mouth was dry, neck tingling, injuries twingeing painfully as he moved, ears ringing as the bullets whizzed nearby. The smell of damp air, mud—and now the tang of blood—permeated his nose. He was close now; the copter was so tantalizingly close. Then, he did the stupidest thing of which he'd berate himself for time and time again.
He tripped.
Dupe swore fluently as he tumbled down a small hill, painfully rolling over his damages as he fell. At the bottom, he was too winded to clamber up and continue running.
Weak, the demon in his mind ridiculed, you're too weak, too slow, you'll fail this mission for sure. You can't help anyone. Not even yourself, you'll be killed for sure.
His breathing hitched as a pair of strong arms clasped his middle and hauled him over the person's shoulder.
"Where would you be without me?" the person sighed in mock exasperation.
Dupe sighed shakily in relief; it was the figure that had activated the signal (risking his life greatly as it could be tracked by anyone) and flagged down the helicopter. It was his comrade in arms and beloved twin brother, codename Gem.
He was almost the exact opposite of his brother, always happy and bouncy, not cold and reserved. Shaggy white-blonde hair adorned his healthy face pink with exertion. All this framed his beautiful green eyes hidden behind long lashes. He had a lean body that was taught like a rubber band when needed, and seducing when he wanted to be. Ladies man was an understatement.
"Thanks, Gem." He breathlessly thanked his brother.
All he got in reply was a sharp nod. As they reached the copter, the SAS men began trooping back into the vehicle, firing shots over their shoulders as they went to cover the Agents' retreat. Dupe lifted his head wearily as he was bounced along, then his eyes widened in surprised dread. It seemed as though their pursuers had sent a whole battalion of their highly trained troops, and none of them looked like they were going to stop charging any time soon.
Gem hefted him roughly into the copter, foregoing all sense of caution in favor of haste. Dupe lay on the cold hard metal floor, head facing the open door, too exhausted to move. And it was from this limp position he experienced some of the most traumatizing moments of his life.
Gem had turned and was about to follow everyone else into the helicopter when he jerked foreword suddenly, as if pushed harshly from behind. Dupe's gray eyes widened at the sight of his brother's form falling to the ground as the chopper-blades began to gain speed. Peering fearfully over the edge of the copter door, he saw Gem lying painfully still on the ground.
Dupe reached a hand out, he brushed the back of his brother's neck, finger hooking around his necklace. "Gem…" he croaked.
His brother coughed, a scarlet stain spreading along his upper back. Feebly, he turned his head to eye Dupe out of the corner of his green orbs. "Alan…" he pleaded, "help me…"
Dupe wanted to get up, wanted to help his brother, he needed to! But… he couldn't. He had no more strength left. Quite clearly, he recalled the bullet in his leg, the lacerations cutting deep along his torso, and the bruise forming dangerously close to a killer pressure point. With super-human effort, he pulled himself closer to the edge, closer to his brother, and clenched his hand dimly around Gem's necklace.
Why weren't any of the SAS helping him? Why couldn't he help him?
Weak, the demon jeered again, I was right. You are weak.
And suddenly, he felt the copter lift off the ground, felt a bullet hitting the hull of the escape vehicle, felt himself becoming more distant from his brother. In desperation, he held the chain necklace tighter, as if he could pull his brother up with him if only the necklace would stay within his grasp. Dimly, he heard shouts, but his gaze was stolen by the captivating crimson stain spreading over his brother's motionless form.
Then, like the Fates cutting the Thread of Life, the chain snapped as the copter rose too high for Gem's body to follow. Dupe stared horrified at the necklace in his hand, on it was knotted the USB with the information their mission was to retrieve. He had Gem's half of the Intel, but not his brother.
"Anthony!" he called as the copter kept rising higher and higher. Gem's—or Anthony's—form stayed unmoving, not responding as he was overtaken by their pursuers.
Two hours later found Dupe—or Alan—huddled in a corner of the copter, wrapped in a rough blanket the medic had issued him after a hasty examination and patch-up job. They were flying back to an MI6 checkpoint to deliver his Intel. "Job before self" they always say.
Alan was traumatized to say the least, in pain, and they had just left his brother behind! He clutched the necklace to his heart as tears fought to spill over his eyes. In that dark corner of the world, Alan made a decision that would change his life forever.
Anything to defeat Scorpia.
And if that meant no more relationships, so be it. He was cold already; he had only to become more detached.
"Scorpia never forgives, Scorpia never forgets."
Well, neither does Alan Blunt.
. . . .
Authors Note: I'm sure you're all bored of my OC's and back stories by now. Don't worry, Gem and Dupe's stories are important in the storyline.
Gem = Gemini
Dupe = Duplicate
Anyone else get it? Hah hah, me and my lame jokes… They needed codenames, they are twins, Gemini the twins, duplicates. Get it? Whatever.
Review please! I get this wonderful warm feeling when I read a nice review, even if it's in Spanish!