"Holy long time without an update, Batman!" Lol! It's funny because my name is Robin... ;)
Seriously though, I am so sorry it took so long for chapter 28 to get uploaded... I apologize!
Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and for continuing to read my story. It means a lot to me!
I want to thank Leanaplumz again for being such a great friend and helping me figure out where I wanted to go with this chapter. Without her, I don't know how this chap would've turned out... You Rock my socks like no one ever has!
Ok, now I hope you enjoy this chapter. You have a good mix of present timeline and past. :D
Chapter 28
Russia
Akatuy Katorga Abandoned Prison
7:28 PM
Casey paced the concrete floor of the ancient 4x4 cell with her hands running through her tangled and grimy hair constantly. The image of that poor Russian man was still embedded in her mind and she couldn't escape it.
How does something like that even happen? She wondered with a grimace.
If what Haldega said about her friends being on their way with Nicolas Walls was true, then that meant he'd somehow contacted them and knew they wouldn't be able to leave her behind, so he'd offered a trade instead. Knowing Haldega however, Casey highly doubted he would just let them walk away even if they handed over the German scientist. This man was pure evil and unless Casey figured out a way to get free, she knew he would kill her himself.
She still couldn't get over the fact that Haldega had been a part of Potion X four years ago. How did he manage to stay under their radar? She thought they'd put a stop to that deadly infection years ago and now here it was, deadlier than ever.
I obviously escaped his clutches once before, so I can do it again. Casey convinced herself as she stood in the middle of the room. She suddenly winced from the pain in her body and let out a defeated sigh. Except, back then I wasn't in so much pain and I had my partner by my side...
Her thoughts drifted to Ben and she realized that he had to be alive. There was no way that Karma would be able to bring Nicolas Walls on her own and Haldgea would've gone to Ben with the offer, not Karma, which mean one thing...
Ben is alive! She grinned widely.
Then another thought occurred to her. Will Derek be with them as well? Her heart beat sped up as she pondered that question. There's no way that he would've sat back and let them come after me alone. Her eyes widened with fear. But this is too dangerous for Derek! Haldega already has plans to kill him and now they're bringing him right into his snare! Oh Derek...
With a new determination, Casey sucked in a breath and marched towards the rusted bars fencing her in and gripped them in her hands.
I have to get out of here before Haldega realizes who Derek is!
(=)
Four Years Ago
Location unknown
Time Unknown
"How long do you think we've been in here?" Casey asked from where she sat perched against the cold brick wall with her knees pulled up to her chest.
Ben let out a sigh as he slammed his palm against the thick door adjacent to him with a loud smack.
"I don't know but I'm getting tired of waiting around. If they plan to kill us, then I wish they'd just get it over with!"
"Ben!" Casey snapped at him with a frown. "You can't just give up!"
Her partner whirled around to face her with an incredulous scowl gracing his handsome features, "I'm not giving up, Casey... I just..." His shoulders sagged as he dropped his head with a deep sigh of remorse. "I'm sorry." He said when his emerald eyes made contact with her sapphire blues. "I stayed up all night trying to think of some way that we could escape, but I've got nothing. We're alone in this. There is no one out there waiting to hear back from us because we're the only ones left in R.E.D."
"You say it as if they're dead." Casey glared at him as she slowly got to her feet and took a step towards him. "They're still alive, Ben, and we're going to find a way out of here and get that antidote back; just like you said."
Benjamin ran a hand through his messy blonde locks and started pacing the cement floor beneath them. The bags under his eyes were proof that he hadn't slept a wink the night before. Even Casey had only gotten a couple hours of shut eye due to the lack of comfort, warmth, and safety that surrounded them. She wasn't even sure if it had been night when they'd fallen asleep... Their time table was really jumbled at the moment.
Ben finally stopped pacing and turned to look at her, "I really am sorry, Casey. This whole thing is just starting to get to me. Being locked up is definitely not one of my strong suits. I tend to lose my mind."
"Well you better find it again because I can't do this without you."
He nodded his head as he rested his arm against the door and let his head fall onto his bicep with another sigh. Suddenly his head perked up and he pressed his ear against the metal trapping them in.
"What are you do..."
"Sshhh!" Ben hissed at her and indicated towards the door. "I don't hear anything."
"So...?"
"So... for the past few hours, I could hear the muffled voices of the two guards keeping watch outside but now I hear nothing. They're not there."
"They're probably on a break." Casey shrugged. "What does it matter?"
He ran another hand through his hair and made his 'thinking face' as Casey liked to call it.
"If we're locked in here, why do they need to have the door guarded?" Ben asked with a forefinger tapping against his chin.
"More insurance?" The young agent shrugged with a guess, not sure what her partner was getting at.
"Did you hear a lock click when Carlson made his last visit?"
Casey's eyes widened in realization, "No, I didn't."
A wry grin made its way across Ben's mouth as he approached the door and gripped the handle. He looked back at her with hesitance, praying that they weren't setting themselves up for false hope and then his hand slowly began to twist the latch and the door squealed open.
"I can't believe we didn't think of this sooner." Casey whispered in awe as she looked back at her partner who was peeking out into the freedom awaiting them.
"Let's go before those guards return." Ben said, motioning for her to follow him as he eased the door open and they slipped through, making sure to close it behind them.
"Which way do we go?" Casey asked, surveying their surroundings.
They were in some kind of underground structure. Cement walls ran along the dimly lit hall and they could just make out two tunnels leading in opposite directions at the end of it.
"Eni, mini, myni, moe...?" Ben glanced at her with a smirk.
Casey rolled her eyes and began approaching the tunnel on the right. She dropped to her knee and inspected the ground. She then got up and made her way towards the other tunnel and did the same thing while her partner gave her a curious raised brow.
"Do you want to take the tunnel with less footprints or the one with more?" The blue eyed agent asked as she folded her arms across her chest.
"I'd say, our safest bet would be the road less travelled."
"Then the tunnel on the right it is." Casey nodded and began to make her way towards the passage. "Let's just hope we don't get lost."
"Casey, I have photographic memory; remember?" Ben grinned as he tapped the side of his head. "We won't get lost."
(=)
An hour and a half later
"We're definitely lost." Ben sighed with a shake of his head as he glanced back at the dark tunnel behind them.
"Great going, Mr. Photographic memory." Casey hissed with sarcasm as she glared at her partner. "Now what are we supposed to do?"
"I didn't know these tunnels would be so complex..." Her partner shrugged. "I guess we should just keep walking straight ahead."
"Maybe we should head down that other tunnel we saw a few feet back?" Casey suggested.
"That was like thirty minutes ago."
"And your point is?"
"My gut is telling me that we should continue down this path."
"Yeah, well hopefully your gut doesn't get us caught." Casey grumbled under her breath as Ben began leading the way down the tunnel again.
(=)
Two and a half hours later
The secret agent duo let out equal breaths of relief when they finally managed to spot a pair of stairs leading up out of the shadowed passageways.
"I wonder where those lead...?" Ben grinned back at Casey as he quickened his exhausted pace and reached the first step.
"Ben, be careful. We need to ascend them cautiously." Casey whispered harshly. "What if a couple bad guys happen to be walking down as we're walking up? There will be no where to run."
"Then I hope you've got your dancing shoes on because we'll be fighting them." He winked at her and took another step up.
Casey let out a sigh and didn't even bother responding as they both began to climb the cement stairs one at a time, while keeping their ears alert for any trouble they might encounter.
"What do you think this place is anyway?" Ben whispered after a few minutes of silence.
"I don't know but I just want to get out of it already."
"How much water do we have left?" He asked, indicating to the bottle of liquid in her left hand.
Casey glanced down at the bottle with a frown, "Maybe a couple more sips each."
"Man, I'm thirsty." Ben moaned.
"I know but we need to save it for an emergency." Casey advised, dropping her hand with the bottle back to her side.
"Maybe we'll stumble upon the kitchen and can take all the food and water we want." He grinned at her with a dreamy sigh.
"That's exactly something Derek would say." Casey chuckled with a smile and a shake of the head.
Ben stopped on the step above her and Casey ended up with his butt in her face.
"Uh, do you mind?" She raised her voice as she took a step back.
"Sorry." Her partner mumbled before moving again.
"What was that about? Did you hear something?"
"No. It was nothing."
"Ok..."
"You know, Derek is probably worried sick about you right now." Ben suddenly spoke and Casey thought she detected a bit of animosity in his voice.
"I doubt it." She scoffed. "He probably hasn't even realized I'm gone."
"Isn't this the same guy who called you in France because he didn't know where you were?" Ben looked back at her with a raised brow.
"So...?" Casey shrugged. "What's your point?"
The male secret agent let out a sigh as he turned back around, "Never mind."
Casey was about to retort when they suddenly hit the top step and stood in another hallway extending to the left; this one was a bit more well lit than the tunnels below.
Ben started jogging down the corridor when he noticed a door ahead of them on the right. He stopped in front of it and pressed his ear against the cold metal.
"Anything?" Casey asked from behind him while glancing warily in each direction.
He shook his head and twisted the handle, causing it to squeak open and eliciting a nervous grimace from both agents.
Ben found a light switch on the wall beside them and flicked it on; the room immediately lit up showcasing at least a dozen or so crates filled with tiny vials containing what they guessed to be the dreaded Potion X.
"Be careful!" Casey hissed as Ben approached one of the crates and examined the virus inside.
"Don't worry; they're sealed shut."
"How many more do you think they have of these?" Casey asked from where she stood with her back against the wall.
"I don't know... and honestly, I'd prefer not to know."
"We should keep moving." The young agent advised as she glanced out the doorway to make sure the coast was clear. "We're looking for the opposite of those anyway."
Ben nodded and started to make his way out the door but stopped and turned back around. He carefully picked up two vials of the red potion and gripped them in his hand before continuing out the door and turning off the light.
As they carried on through the narrow hallway after passing by a couple more rooms containing the same scene, Casey came to a halt in front of Ben when she heard voices approaching them and saw two men with guns headed their way.
"Crap!" She cursed under her breath and glanced back at her partner who had an equally alarmed face.
"There's nowhere to hide." Ben stated with a grim expression.
"Let's just hope it's only the two of them then." Casey said as she dropped the water bottle to the ground and clenched her fists.
The men hadn't noticed them yet, which gave them the advantage as the duo leaped into action and started running towards their enemies at full pace.
"Wha..." One of the men started to say with wide eyes before Casey jumped up and kicked him in the side. He lost the grip on his gun from the unexpected blow and the weapon clattered to the ground, the sound echoing off the stone walls.
Ben took on the other guard with an upper cut to his jaw and a right jab into his gut. This guard managed to keep his grip on the gun, however, and held onto it while throwing a punch back at Benjamin's face.
Casey ducked from her attackers fists and spun around, using the wall as support as she jumped off of it with her right foot and sent a hard hit to the man's face with her fist. He fell to the floor with a cry of pain as blood began gushing from his now broken nose.
"Casey!" Ben shouted just as she turned around to see the other guard pointing his gun at her head.
"Don't move, or I pull the trigger and your girlfriend dies." The man sneered through a bloody lip.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Ben said as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the two vials of Potion X that he'd confiscated from the room fifteen minutes back.
The man's eyes widened when he registered what the secret agent was holding.
"Where did you get those?" He snapped and Ben could hear the fear in his voice.
"Drop your gun and step away from my partner or I will drop this vial and we'll all be infected."
"You wouldn't do that." He growled and pressed the gun further into Casey's head as she winced in pain.
"I have nothing to lose. You and your people weren't planning on letting us get of here alive anyway." Ben shrugged, challenging the man with narrowed eyes. "Now let go of her and drop your gun." He gritted through his teeth as he began twisting the cap on one of the vials.
Sweat began to trickle down the man's forehead as he stared at the threatening substance about to be exposed and just before Ben was about to fully twist the cap off; he shoved Casey away from him and raised his hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright! I let her go, now put that thing away!"
"Drop your gun."
He dropped the heavy metal towards the ground with a loud clack and kicked it away from him as he stared at Ben with pleading eyes.
"I want both of you against the wall." Ben said as he picked up one of the discarded guns and pointed it at the two men.
The man on the floor got to his feet, still clutching his bleeding nose and glaring at Casey as he stepped beside his partner and they placed their backs to the wall.
"Don't shoot. We won't cause you any trouble." The other guy said with his hands raised in the air.
"Tell us where we can find the antidote for Potion X." Casey demanded as she picked up the second gun from the floor.
"We won't know!" Broken nose guy snapped.
"I don't believe you."
"Tell us what we want to know!" Ben shouted as he shoved the gun against the other guard's chest.
"We're telling you the truth," he growled at the secret agent. "The only ones that know that kind of information are among the leaders. We're just the workers. We only do what they tell us, no questions asked."
"Do you even realize what they're doing to people?" Casey exclaimed with anger.
Broken nose guy shrugged with a sneer, "It's not like they're killing them. Plus we get paid double the amount that any secret agency pays and even more once their plan succeeds."
Casey couldn't believe what she was hearing. These men cared more about the money they were making than the multiple lives that they were harming. Money really was the root of all evil.
"You're despicable." She glowered at the men in disgust.
"At least we make more money than you, baby." He arched his brows suggestively and winked.
"Not anymore because we're closing down this operation once and for all."
"You and what army?" He laughed out loud. "As I seem to recall, you two are the only agents remaining from R.E.D. and soon to be the only agents in the world."
"What?" Casey's eyes widened.
The other guard shoved his partner with a glare and hissed at him to keep his mouth shut.
"I thought you didn't know anything?" Ben smirked.
"We don't."
"Tell me what you know or I will throw you into the room down the hall and remove the lid from the vial of Potion X." He threatened the man as he pulled the tiny vial from his pocket and held it up to the man's face.
The guard stared at the red liquid encased in the glass with horror stricken eyes. He'd seen what that stuff did to a person and he did not want to experience it, so he let out a groan and spoke, "All we know is that they want to get rid of every secret agency in the world and they've almost succeeded. Only a few countries remain to be hit by the infection and then the leaders will be in control."
"What exactly are they planning? Who are these so-called 'leaders'?"
The man shook his head, "That's seriously all I know. I swear!"
Ben stared into the man's dark hazel eyes and knew he was telling the truth. He let out a groan and took a step back while meeting his partner's gaze.
"What should we do with them?" Casey asked, gesturing to the two men with the gun in her hand.
"We'll lock them in the other room we just passed." Ben replied and turned back to the guards. "You have keys, right?"
They nodded hesitantly, "Yes... but you're not really going to release the poison on us are you?"
"Only if you don't cooperate; now get moving." Ben ordered and gestured down the hall with his gun.
The men did as they were told and Ben led them to one of the rooms containing crates of Potion X. He took their keys and ordered them to take off their shirts and to sit against the far wall.
"Now tell us how to get out of this maze." Ben said as he handed one of the guard shirts to Casey and she began pulling it on over top of her own clothes while tucking the gun into the back of her denims.
The guards didn't reply as they stared down at the floor.
"There is a whole room here full of Potion X. If you don't answer me, I will knock over one of those crates right now..." Ben started to say, gesturing with wide arms around the enclosure.
Broken nose spoke up quickly with a frown, "Continue down the hall until you reach a T, then go left. It will lead you out a back door and into the forest."
"Where does the other hall lead to?" Casey asked.
"The lab." The other man spoke. "If you go that way then you're sure to get caught."
"You were a lot of help, guys." Ben smirked as he and Casey made their way to the exit. "I hope you'll realize what a huge mistake you've made in choosing the wrong side."
"You're the ones on the losing side, and soon you will see that." Broken nose spat with a fierce scowl.
Ben just shook his head and ushered his partner out the door, then he closed it and locked it with the guard's keys that he'd confiscated.
"You ready to get out of here?" He arched a brow at the young woman at is side while he put on the other guard shirt over his clothes.
Casey didn't reply because she knew that they couldn't just leave yet, not when they were so close to getting the antidote and saving the rest of their colleagues and friends... This was the only chance they had...
"Let's go, Bluebird." Benjamin Blake said as he grabbed her arm, forcing her to break from her thoughts, and began leading the way down the hallway, towards their determined fate, whether they chose to go left or right.
(=)
Present Day
Russia
Akatuy Katorga Abandoned Prison
11:42 PM
"How did you know where this place was?" Derek asked the mysterious man named Phillip Greenwood as they stood out of sight behind an abandoned shack and stared up at the ancient looking structure with awe.
Amidst the starry night sky, the abandoned prison stood tall and stretched across half the land they were standing on. It would be like finding a needle in a hay stack once they started searching for Casey inside, but even after travelling across Russia for a day and half, Derek knew that he would do whatever it took to get Casey back in his arms again.
"I have my ways." Phil replied as he wiped the sweat forming on his brow.
"So how exactly do you propose we get into the place, oh mysterious one?" Derek mocked. "There are at least a dozen men with guns patrolling these grounds, and unless you have some sort of invisibility cloak hidden under your hat, we're not getting past them."
"Oh ye of little faith." Phil tsked with his tongue as a grin spread across his face.
Just then they heard a commotion across the yard as guards began shouting and running towards the front of the building.
"What's going on?" Derek asked with wide eyes.
"Does it matter? We've just been given our opening, so get moving!" Phil hissed urgently and began running out of their hiding spot with a terrified hockey player on his tail.
(=)
Present Day
Russia
Akatuy Katorga Abandoned Prison
11:42 PM
"Are you sure there isn't another way we could do this?" Karma asked hesitantly as she stared up at the Old Russian prison that caused a shiver to run down her spine.
"I wish there was, Kar, but if we want to get into this place, the only way is to go right through the front door." Ben replied and Karma couldn't help but smile at the nickname he'd unintentionally given her.
"You promise to keep your word and not let them harm me, correct?" Nicolas Walls asked with trepidation lining his thick accent.
"Just stick to the plan and you'll be fine." Ben assured him with a pat on the back.
The German scientist nodded with gulp.
"Let's go get our agent back." Ben said with a grin as he stood up out of the shadows that they'd been hiding amongst with his hands raised in surrender and was immediately met with shouts and cries of protest from the guards as at least six uniformed men started running towards them with guns extended.
"We're here to see Haldega! Don't shoot!"
INTENSE!
Please don't forget to leave a review. Even if you have any suggestions or theories or questions... I'd LOVE to hear from you!
On another note... Life is about to get super crazy and exciting for me! My band has finally finished our first full CD and it will be released by the end of this month! I am super stoked but also a bit nervous for what the future brings... It will be interesting that is for sure!
Thanks again! I will really, really try to update ASAP! You guys are Awesome! 3
