Buckingham Palace
10 PM
Cammie's POV:
We stood there waiting for her to give us a cue. The R.O.F. agents surrounded Taylor. Were they suspicious or...
"Something wrong?" Taylor asks.
"If you're lying..." An agent started but Taylor laughed.
"Trust me, Reed. I'm not." She says. Reed gets close to her.
"How do I know you're not lying?" He pushes. Taylor scowls.
"She'd be here by now. I'd be dead, lying in a pool of my own blood. We all know what she's capable of." She gazes at them. "Whether you trust me or not, I'm your squad leader. Do as I say, Elliot, or else..."
I look at Zach and mouth, "Elliot Reed?"
He nods and his eyes widen. He mouths, "Yeah, the wide known English terrorist." I looked at what was going on. Hurry up, Taylor...before she gets to you.
Taylor gulps and looks at Elliot. "Why so many questions?"
"I want to know that you're still the vicious woman I love," He replies. Taylor looks at him horrified before snapping at him, "You know there is no such thing in this business!"
Elliot smiles at Taylor. "Sorry, Taylor. But I'm going to have to kill you." He raised his gun and the other agents followed. She laughed.
"Huh..." She looks at Reed. "Sorry, but I was prepared for that. Now!" Zach and I came out of the shadows and started shooting. As one of them fell, Taylor ran to get a gun from her former comrade. We had shot them all down with the help of Taylor except Elliot Reed. Elliot glanced at the three of us and smiled.
"Huh." Was all he says.
"You can't escape, Reed. We've got you. Finally." I say. "Been awhile. Remember me? Lost you in Russia. You're corned now. Lower your gun. It's over."
He laughed. "Miss Morgan...I believe you said that last time. Yet here I am. Alive."
"I wasn't gonna kill you. I want to. But I'm not gonna bother." He gazes into my eyes for a few seconds then his eyes land on Zach.
"Hello, bestie." He tells Zach with a smirk. "Remember me?" Zach flinches.
"Yup. How could I not?" Zach's voice is flat. "You killed a lot of my fellow peers. I also knew you as a child. Skip the pleasantries. What the hell do you want?"
"Nothing. Well," He looks at Taylor. "I want-"
Taylor cuts him off. "They don't know yet. Don't torment them." Her voice was low but strong. Elliot avoids eye contact with her and keeps his gaze on Zach.
"I want you dead." Is all he says. "You've interfered enough. You can't beat us, Zach. Remember dear old Catherine?" Zach looks away and bites his lip. I want to comfort him but I can't because this is his past he's facing and it's something he must do alone.
"Yes. I was raised by that woman." He nods slowly. He steps dangerously close to Elliot Reed. "And I'm gonna kill you, bud." Zach raises his gun but Elliot's quick. He grabs Zach and points the gun at his temple. My body trembles. I'm not going to submit. Yet I step forward.
"Don't." I hear myself say.
"Love my buddy here don't ya?" His accent breaks out.
I nod. "Of course I do. I need you to let him go and..."
"And what, Morgan? He's gonna die anyway." He laughs a little. "It's pathetic that this is the reason she wants you unhappy. Because you two are in love."
I look at him surprised. I look at Taylor who nods. "I'll let you go. If you don't kill Zach."
Zach struggles and Elliot presses the gun to his temple harder and Zach freezes. He looks at me. I look at him then at Elliot.
"Deal?"
"Tell your lover to stop moving and I'll consider." I give a pointed look and he stands limply in Reed's arms. He lets Zach go pushing him into my arms. He pushes Taylor out of the way. Zach trembles and looks at me. Then he looks past me, his eyes widening. That's when I heard it. The gunshot. I whirl around with Zach in my arms in time to see Elliot Reed's body hit the floor. Just by looking at his body you can tell the wound was fatal. He's dead. I look back at Taylor.
"Taylor?" I ask calmly. She looks at me stricken and falls to the floor trembling. Zach glances at me worried and I run toward Taylor.
"Taylor?" I hear Zach ask. "Are you ok?"
"Do I look ok?" She retorts. I put a hand on her shoulder. She looks at me. "I really did that didn't I?" I nod.
"You did."
"Huh."
"What do you mean by 'huh', Taylor? We don't exactly understand you..." Zach snaps.
"You're mad because you almost died and left the person you love. Might wanna calm down." Her hazel eyes pierce mine. "Cammie. I can't believe I did that. I feel..."
"Empty? Anxious?"
"No. I didn't want to do it. But I feel free yet...I feel so numb." She says. "I didn't want to shoot him. But...but if I didn't it meant certain death for you two. I...I just wanted to do what was right..." She shakes her head.
"We all want to do what's right," I say. I help her up. "But sometimes that comes at a price. We're all reluctant heroes, Taylor."
She looks at me and sucks in a breath. "I know. Let's go before the R.O.F. finds us. Or worse. Before she finds us." She shivers. Zach and I exchange a look and nod slowly. She just watches us and sighs. "I know I'm not the most reliable person but this is R.O.F. territory now. You're not at an advantage. You're at a disadvantage."
Zach and I glance at each other. "I know," I say. "But we do have an advantage." She raised an eyebrow.
"Really?" She asked skeptically. I nodded, a smile spreading across my face.
"Yup. You."
"Huh. Guess you're right Morgan." She smiles slightly.
"There are things...things that stop us from doing what's right." I slump against the wall with my arms across my chest.
"Tears, anger, compassion, cruelty, peace, chaos, faith, betrayal. This stops us from doing what's right." Taylor and Zach looked at me. "Do you know how many times I've fought against my own fate? I refuse to give in to my fate. I know what we are doing is wrong in a way but it is the only way to do what's right. With sorrow and confidence in my heart, I show the will to move on. These are the qualities I possess that make me the spy that I am. It's what gives me the reputation I have. The way I fight, what I do...all prevail because of the way I rebel against my fate. It's what makes me 'invincible'." I say. "This is the only way to survive." I walk towards the hall. "It's the only way to survive in this cruel world." I turn to look at them. Taylor starts forward.
"If I was going to turn on you before, I sure as hell am not going to do that now." She said as she walks past me. She glances at me and smiles. "No one shall willfully be deprived of their life." Zach stood next to me then begin walking forward.
"She's right, Cam." There is a look in his eye. "Everyone dies one day. Whether we are ready to die or not, that day comes certainly." I walk towards them and we walk in silence. That's when we hear footsteps. We whirl around and see Joe along with the Director running towards us.
"There are some complications..." The Director says worriedly. We all exchanged a look.
"Like what?" Zach snapped.
"Like the R.O.F. leader is here on a mass murder spree and an agent of ours is a mole. Also, the fact that our agents are dying while MI6 is desperately trying to keep the royal family safe!" Joe gritted through his teeth. I looked at the floor.
"We need to find the leader of the R.O.F," I say. "Unfortunately, I never got any intel on the leader." Taylor looks at us.
"I don't know much about the leader. I know his name and the fact that he is a wide known terrorist."
"Exactly how known?" Joe asks.
"Worldwide." She says. "His name is Charles Roux." She looks at the floor.
"Something wrong?"
"He's lethal, Cammie. He can kill you in record time and torture you to madness quickly. He's terrifying. No one dares defy him. If he finds out...I'm good as dead."
I give her an even look. "Freedom and death, the two of them are twins. Freedom or death? Our friend is but one of them! For what reason were we born? Look, I don't know the answer to such complicated questions. Even if our birth has been a mistake..." They all look at me uncertainly. "I do know for what reason we are alive. We are alive, to live in the freedom resulting from our undeniable existence." They all smile at me.
"Go to Cam if you need motivation," Joe says under his breath.
"The hidden truth will be the charging arrow. It will pierce the inner layer of darkness. With our previous beliefs crumbling away, even though we feel lost, let's march towards freedom anyway. The enemy is gruesome, we'll bring it on." Zach says.
"Nice speech. Pretty much sums up this situation and the whole someone-is-trying-to kill-me situation." Taylor says.
"With our determination tightly held in our hearts, we sever this ring of folly. Shinzou wo sasageyo!" The Director glances at us, a spark in his eyes. We smile.
"Ready?" We all nod and head toward the big battle. Towards Charles Roux.
We run through various corridors to no avail.
"The left way?" Joe says.
"The right way?" Zach asks uncertainly.
"Which way is the correct one?" Taylor looks at me lost. "I don't know where he is. I just know he's here."
I'm about to respond when a voice speaks up, sending chills down my spine.
"Well. No need to search anymore is there? Looking for me?" A French accent remarks. We all turn around to look at him. I take him in. Light brown hair, gray eyes, white, 5' 8", and he's a rightie. He examines me. A slow smile appears on his face. "Cameron. Ann. Morgan. What a nice surprise." He turns to look at Taylor.
He laughs. Taylor fidgets uncomfortably. "Charles Roux. What a...pleasant...surprise. I think..."
He just raises an eyebrow smiling like a maniac. "Taylor Burnette right? Heard a lot about you. Skilled fighter. Gifted really. Now..." He glares at her. "You were going to double-cross them, correct? Or were you..." Taylor gulped. "Betraying me? I want to hear it from you. Now Burnette. You're roaming around with the CIA. Surely you know how this looks." His lips part and his glare intensified. God...that glare might be more intense than the Morgan Glare. Taylor looks away.
She slowly shakes her head and meets his gaze. "I was getting information out of them..." He raises an eyebrow.
He walks ever so slowly towards us. "Really? Because according to my sources..." He trails off. Taylor leans in towards him and I see surprise flicker in his eyes.
"Let me guess. You're still getting your sources from her. I'm going to say this once and once only. She is only looking out for herself. You know what she wants. It's petty. although killing them is a once in a lifetime opportunity, we know she'll eliminate us once she's done."
His expression changes to a sour one. "Huh. Didn't think you'd know so much. Underestimated you."
"Don't care. The deal with her is off. It will only hurt the Ring Of Fire!" Taylor argued fiercely.
"Maybe. But she gave me a deal. And I intend to keep it. What she's offering is...a once in a lifetime opportunity. This could change everything."
"Or be the very death of this organization!"
"She offered a good deal. It's too good. I refuse to lose it." His eyes narrow. Taylor shakes her head. "Plus..."
Taylor raises an eyebrow and snickers. "Plus what? You've doomed the R.O.F."
"Maybe. But you have in fact betrayed me." He growls menacingly. Taylor tilts her head to the right and snorts.
"I did not!" She says indignantly.
"Yes, you did. Or how else would I have gotten this?" He plays a recording. We all hold in a breath. Suddenly enemy agents trap us. I swear in Japanese.
"I know. Let's go before the R.O.F. finds us. Or worse. Before she finds us."
"I know I'm not the most reliable person but this is R.O.F. territory now. You're not at an advantage. You're at a disadvantage."
"I know, but we do have an advantage."
"Really?"
"Yup. You."
"If I was going to turn on you before, I sure as hell am not going to do that now. No one shall willfully be deprived of their life."
Taylor stands still and raises her head to face Charles Roux. She studies him and starts laughing. "Oh. That's nice. She set me up."
Roux stands confused then turns red. "Are you laughing at me!?" He cries indignantly, his accent thicker.
She chuckles. She touches his cheek. "Oh no. I wouldn't dare. I just can't believe" She pauses to catch her breath. "that you believed her. Gosh. How naive are you?"
At this point, Charles looks like a damn tomato. He huffs indignantly. "I'm not naive!" He snaps furiously. "I just...wait...how'd you know it was her?"
"Wasn't hard to figure out. That woman turned my squad against me. Tried to kill me. Almost blew my cover. Had to kill them all."
"What? That's not what they reported back to me."
"They had the wrong intel and the wrong person."
He shook his head. "You're trying to convince me. It's not working. She's a trustworthy source. And I won't let you interfere in my affairs nor eliminate my allies. Kill her!" The enemy agents took out their guns. We're outnumbered.
"Not so fast! I'm sure we can arrange something." The Director said calmly. Roux turns his gaze to the Director.
"Huh!" He huffs out. "You're reckless, Callahan. I mean the leader risking death!" The Director laughs.
"Was that supposed to be an insult? Honestly. You're the leader of the Ring Of Fire. Here. Risking death as well." He turns red at the irony of the situation.
He stomps his foot and I roll my eyes. "Kill them! Spare none of them. Make sure to kill Cameron Morgan and Zachary Goode." Liam Callahan runs towards Roux who grunts startled. He tries to get him off him and struggles. The enemy agents stop and stare and race towards Roux. I glance at my squad and nod. Knocking the guns out of 3 agents, I fight them. All we have to do now is use physical combat. They reach a gun and we shoot them. I knock them all out in record time. We knocked 20 agents out in total. 20 more agents to go. Joe and Zach pair up and take on ten of the enemy agents. Taylor and I take the other ten on. Eventually we're back to back with 2 agents on either side. She grabs one of the agents and flips her on her back. She kicks her head and she falls unconscious. The other agents charges and she roundhouse kicks him, sending him flying towards the wall were he crumbles. Meanwhile, I run towards an agent then knock them to the floor. Their head hits the floor resulting in their unconsciousness. The other agent charges and I grip her hand flip her on her back but she quickly stands up again and attempts to kick me. I spin in the air and kick their head which hits the wall. Their body lays still. I wince. I look at Taylor then glance over my shoulder at the Director who was still fighting the Director. Both had incredible fighting skills and abilities. The Director soared through the air and kicked Roux to the floor. He landed with a thud and Liam Callahan landed gracefully. He started to stand up and the Director pulled his gun out. We all did the same.
"It's over, Roux. Call off your agents." Liam said.
"Never!" He spat.
"Then I'll have to kill you instead," The Director said in a menacing tone. We all glanced at each other. Roux just shook his head and chuckled.
"This is just the beginning for you, Goode." Zach looked at him.
"What?"
"Not just you. I'm talking to you and-"
"Shut the fuck up!" Taylor yelled.
"Huh. Too much of a burden for them? This is just the beginning!" He laughs. The Director shots him and his body goes limp. We stare at the dead body then Zach turns red.
"Why'd you shut him up!? What did he mean he wasn't only talking to me!?" Zach ranted angrily while glaring at Taylor. She shook her head
"Look at you, Zachary. You're anything but ready to hear the truth. The reality of the situation is..."
"Is what?" He says furiously. Taylor shakes her head.
"You don't want to live in pain do you?" Zach slowly shakes his head. "Then it's best if you don't know. For know. You must know. Just not know. You're not ready and it will take a toll on you."
"Do you believe that we can conquer this?" Joe says. We all look at him. I shook my head. "Why not Cameron?"
"Can't delete all the mess I've seen. I'm not saying we can't win. I'm saying that this is always going to be engraved in our memories. What is true is that this is for me and you. For innocent lives. For freedom." I say. I sigh, tired. I shake my head. "We can conquer this. We'll just have to live with the horrible memories and things that happened in the process. But..." I lean against the wall and watch various Secret Service, MI6, and CIA agents run by.
The Director looks down, blood splattered on his face and clothes. "But what?"
"But this is over. Roux is dead. All we have to do know is wait until the R.O.F finds out their leader is gone then they'll be forced to surrender." I glance at Taylor. "Something wrong? You don't look relieved." I cock an eyebrow.
"This is far from over." She says shakily. Her hair covering her features. Her body trembles. "You're not safe nor free. Not by a long shot."
We all suck in a breath. "Damn it." I hear someone say. I can't place the voice.
"You should be asking yourselves this question," She says, her voice dangerously low. "The friend? Or the enemy?"
Joe looks up at her. "Which one are you?"
Taylor raises an eyebrow. "I'm not your enemy. I'm a friend. We must find her before she finds us."
"What difference does it make? We'll still need to face her." Zach retorts angrily.
"Huh." She scoffs. "Yes. That's true. Except she wants revenge. Her hatred is strong." We all glance at her. She doesn't meet our gaze. She looks up as we hear a gunshot in the distance. She lets in a breath. "She's nearby. This is our chance. We can defeat her."
We follow Taylor down the hall. "What if we don't defeat her?" Zach asks quietly.
"Then she still holds all the cards. She still has control over you. You just don't know it." Taylor says. "She's strong. Don't underestimate her." We all remain quiet.
"Ok. We'll do our best."
"Of course you will. But Zachary. Promise me one thing. You won't do anything reckless."
"What?"
"Don't do anything reckless. Because honestly...you won't believe who she is." Zach sucks in a breath. "And before you say anything, it's not your mother."
We walk towards the gunshots. Zach's pale and I force myself to look ahead. If we don't defeat her...
What happens then?
Thank you for reading this chapter. A Dangerous Game is coming to an end. Shocking revelations. The truth is anything but painless.