The Cover Up Syndrome Part 19
"Children, stay together," M shouted. She looked back to U, who was escorting those in the back. "U, did we lose anyone?"
U glanced about. "No, I think we're." His eyes widened. "Oh, d-." He stopped, remembering that he was among children. "Ambassador Tstetui's son, Jasuki. He's not here!"
Both of them looked about desperately. But there was no sign of the missing child.
M and U almost collided into the children ahead of them, who had stopped altogether.
"Kids, keep moving. We've got to get out of here before."
"Um, U," M said weakly. She beckoned for him, still staring straight ahead.
U sighed. "Now, wha." He froze.
F stood before them, with a sinister smile on his lips. In his arms, struggling, was Jasuki. F pressed his knife closer to the child's blue throat.
Something in U snapped. Before he knew it, he whipped out his Carbonizer and shot F, point-blank in the forehead. The Carbonizer shot revibrated in the hall.
Jasuki screamed as something red drizzled unto him. As his captor's arm slackened, he pulled away and ran to safety.
U gazed, staring at what he had done. His breath coming in gasp, and a constricting lump caught in his throat. It was the look on F's face. His features were caught between fear and surprise, shocked that U was capable of doing such a thing.
An eternity seemed to drift by, before what was left of F slumped and fell heavily to the ground.
The Carbonizer from U's hand clattered to the ground, and its owner dropped to his knees next to it.
"I.I," U wheezed. "I just killed.an agent." His face turned a sickly white.
M bit her lip. She knew she had to comfort him, but knew it was not the time. The gunfire will have attracted attention. They had to get out of there.
"Come on, Sweetie," M said softly to Jasuki, scooping the child up in her arms. Then she approached U. "They'll be more coming. We've got to go." She snagged one of his sleeves.
U jerked it from her. "Leave me," he said quietly.
M glared at him. "Don't be stupid. They'll kill you."
The other said nothing but sat there, broken.
"U, the children, they need you. Now are you just going to let those barbarians slaughter them?" M demanded sharply.
He blinked. The children! U looked up and saw Jasuki staring at him helplessly. Touched by the child's innocence and trust, U knew.
There were several shout down the hall and M gave him a pleading look.
U pulled himself up. He'll deal with his conscious later, the children came first. "Let's go."
The trek to the surface seemed to take forever. And U cursed at how poor the construction of the building was. Though snuggled below ground to protect MiB from aerial assault, the building also acted as a trap. And if there were armed agents at the gates on the surface level, they were bottled in.
Finally they reached the garage on the surface level.
"Come on, get in quickly," U ordered opening the door of a van. The children obeyed and clambered in.
"Hey, STOP!"
U and M turned and saw a group of agents running up to them. and they were armed.
U looked to the nun. "Get the children out of here. I'll deal with them."
"STOP!"
U looked back. Wait a minute, he thought. That's.
Jay, Kay, and Janice ran up to them.
"Agent," Kay looked to Janice. "You drive the children out to Flushing Meadows." To U and M, "We need you two here."
Janice smiled at Jay, who gave here a puppy-dog look. "Sorry, Hot- Stuff, some other time perhaps." She leaned over and pecked his on the cheek. Then she got into the car and drove it out to the tunnel to Flushing Stadium.
Jay scowled at Kay. His partner sure had a way of ruining his fun.
Kay caught his look and smirked. "Duty before pleasure, Slick."
The four of them went back down, back into the hell below.
***
Elle, X, and Frank proceeded cautiously down the corridor.
"I don't know what Kay was thinking when he put you with us," X said irritably to Frank. "You don't even have opposable thumbs."
The pug growled at X. "And it'll be a lot safer for us if you didn't come."
"What do you mean by that, mutt?"
"I mean that wherever you go, destruction follows," Frank shot back.
X fought the impulse to give the pug a swift kick.
Elle sighed. Why did she get stuck with these two? "Will you guys just stop it? Your bickering is going to attract trouble." She glanced around the corner, and seeing the coast clear, went forward.
Coming upon the kitchenette, they could hear voices within. Elle and X looked at each other. Frank gulped.
The door slammed open as they shoulder it. Guns at the ready, they looked for a target, but no one was there.
Frank sighed. "Huh, no one here."
X frowned. "I know I'm not hearing voices, pug. Big ears, you know."
Elle swept about the room slowly, when her foot stepped into a puddle of brown liquid.
Frank padded over and sniffed at it. "Hmm. Double Moucha Latte. It's the good stuff though. Must be from Zed's office."
Rolling her eyes, Elle opened a cabinet and found the culprits.
The worms yelped as they fell out.
X shook his head. "It's sad that we had to save them first."
"Elle, X!" One of the worms perked. "You're not one of them are you?"
"Let's see here," X replied sarcastically. " If we were, we would have shot you worthless coffee maggots."
The worms blinked. "Point taken."
"Okay, guys. Tell me, are there any other imprisoned?" Elle asked urgently.
"Mmmm." The worms scratched their chins.
"Don't think too hard," Frank smirked. "Don't want y'all to hurt yourselves."
"There are a few held in the gym," one said.
"And in the cells," another quipped.
"Which had the least guards," Elle asked.
"The gym!" said two. "The cells!" the other two exclaimed. They looked at each other, then "Both!" they all said.
X scowled. Damn useless invertebrates. "Well," he said to Elle. "Wanna try the the gym?"
Elle nodded. "It doesn't have defense systems. We'll burst in, liberate the agents there, then focus on the prison."
The worms looked nervously at each other. "Um, we'll stay right here."
Elle shook her head. "Oh, no. You're coming with us. Believe me," she continued seeing the worms cringe. "It would be a lot safer." Seeing X she smirked. "Maybe a little safer."
"Children, stay together," M shouted. She looked back to U, who was escorting those in the back. "U, did we lose anyone?"
U glanced about. "No, I think we're." His eyes widened. "Oh, d-." He stopped, remembering that he was among children. "Ambassador Tstetui's son, Jasuki. He's not here!"
Both of them looked about desperately. But there was no sign of the missing child.
M and U almost collided into the children ahead of them, who had stopped altogether.
"Kids, keep moving. We've got to get out of here before."
"Um, U," M said weakly. She beckoned for him, still staring straight ahead.
U sighed. "Now, wha." He froze.
F stood before them, with a sinister smile on his lips. In his arms, struggling, was Jasuki. F pressed his knife closer to the child's blue throat.
Something in U snapped. Before he knew it, he whipped out his Carbonizer and shot F, point-blank in the forehead. The Carbonizer shot revibrated in the hall.
Jasuki screamed as something red drizzled unto him. As his captor's arm slackened, he pulled away and ran to safety.
U gazed, staring at what he had done. His breath coming in gasp, and a constricting lump caught in his throat. It was the look on F's face. His features were caught between fear and surprise, shocked that U was capable of doing such a thing.
An eternity seemed to drift by, before what was left of F slumped and fell heavily to the ground.
The Carbonizer from U's hand clattered to the ground, and its owner dropped to his knees next to it.
"I.I," U wheezed. "I just killed.an agent." His face turned a sickly white.
M bit her lip. She knew she had to comfort him, but knew it was not the time. The gunfire will have attracted attention. They had to get out of there.
"Come on, Sweetie," M said softly to Jasuki, scooping the child up in her arms. Then she approached U. "They'll be more coming. We've got to go." She snagged one of his sleeves.
U jerked it from her. "Leave me," he said quietly.
M glared at him. "Don't be stupid. They'll kill you."
The other said nothing but sat there, broken.
"U, the children, they need you. Now are you just going to let those barbarians slaughter them?" M demanded sharply.
He blinked. The children! U looked up and saw Jasuki staring at him helplessly. Touched by the child's innocence and trust, U knew.
There were several shout down the hall and M gave him a pleading look.
U pulled himself up. He'll deal with his conscious later, the children came first. "Let's go."
The trek to the surface seemed to take forever. And U cursed at how poor the construction of the building was. Though snuggled below ground to protect MiB from aerial assault, the building also acted as a trap. And if there were armed agents at the gates on the surface level, they were bottled in.
Finally they reached the garage on the surface level.
"Come on, get in quickly," U ordered opening the door of a van. The children obeyed and clambered in.
"Hey, STOP!"
U and M turned and saw a group of agents running up to them. and they were armed.
U looked to the nun. "Get the children out of here. I'll deal with them."
"STOP!"
U looked back. Wait a minute, he thought. That's.
Jay, Kay, and Janice ran up to them.
"Agent," Kay looked to Janice. "You drive the children out to Flushing Meadows." To U and M, "We need you two here."
Janice smiled at Jay, who gave here a puppy-dog look. "Sorry, Hot- Stuff, some other time perhaps." She leaned over and pecked his on the cheek. Then she got into the car and drove it out to the tunnel to Flushing Stadium.
Jay scowled at Kay. His partner sure had a way of ruining his fun.
Kay caught his look and smirked. "Duty before pleasure, Slick."
The four of them went back down, back into the hell below.
***
Elle, X, and Frank proceeded cautiously down the corridor.
"I don't know what Kay was thinking when he put you with us," X said irritably to Frank. "You don't even have opposable thumbs."
The pug growled at X. "And it'll be a lot safer for us if you didn't come."
"What do you mean by that, mutt?"
"I mean that wherever you go, destruction follows," Frank shot back.
X fought the impulse to give the pug a swift kick.
Elle sighed. Why did she get stuck with these two? "Will you guys just stop it? Your bickering is going to attract trouble." She glanced around the corner, and seeing the coast clear, went forward.
Coming upon the kitchenette, they could hear voices within. Elle and X looked at each other. Frank gulped.
The door slammed open as they shoulder it. Guns at the ready, they looked for a target, but no one was there.
Frank sighed. "Huh, no one here."
X frowned. "I know I'm not hearing voices, pug. Big ears, you know."
Elle swept about the room slowly, when her foot stepped into a puddle of brown liquid.
Frank padded over and sniffed at it. "Hmm. Double Moucha Latte. It's the good stuff though. Must be from Zed's office."
Rolling her eyes, Elle opened a cabinet and found the culprits.
The worms yelped as they fell out.
X shook his head. "It's sad that we had to save them first."
"Elle, X!" One of the worms perked. "You're not one of them are you?"
"Let's see here," X replied sarcastically. " If we were, we would have shot you worthless coffee maggots."
The worms blinked. "Point taken."
"Okay, guys. Tell me, are there any other imprisoned?" Elle asked urgently.
"Mmmm." The worms scratched their chins.
"Don't think too hard," Frank smirked. "Don't want y'all to hurt yourselves."
"There are a few held in the gym," one said.
"And in the cells," another quipped.
"Which had the least guards," Elle asked.
"The gym!" said two. "The cells!" the other two exclaimed. They looked at each other, then "Both!" they all said.
X scowled. Damn useless invertebrates. "Well," he said to Elle. "Wanna try the the gym?"
Elle nodded. "It doesn't have defense systems. We'll burst in, liberate the agents there, then focus on the prison."
The worms looked nervously at each other. "Um, we'll stay right here."
Elle shook her head. "Oh, no. You're coming with us. Believe me," she continued seeing the worms cringe. "It would be a lot safer." Seeing X she smirked. "Maybe a little safer."