Another chapter already? That's right! I was able to write it out on my phone during breaks at work, etc. Just for you!
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Chapter
11
He dropped to his knees and sobbed uncontrollably as the helicopter flew away with Casey still on board. It was his fault. He let her get away. He let them take her. He should've done something, anything!
Now she was gone.
"Casey!" Derek screamed through tears. "I'm sorry!"
"You're not sorry." A bitter voice spoke from behind him.
Derek spun around to see who had spoken but the figure was suddenly retreating into the abandoned airport behind him.
"Hey!" He called after the person and sprinted after them.
A blanket of darkness was draped around him the moment he stepped through the doors. Somehow though, the place he was in seemed familiar. Out of nowhere stairs appeared in front of him and a voice whispered from the top.
"Come find me, Derek."
"Who are you?" He yelled as he cautiously began the ascent upwards.
Once at the top, he turned a corner and saw a light shining from underneath the last doorway of the hall. Realization sunk in and he knew where he was.
"I'm at home... Or at least used to be my home..." He had no idea how he'd gotten to the house of his childhood but he continued forward, knowing now that the light was coming from Casey's old bedroom.
He placed his hand on the knob and opened the door just as a loud bang erupted from inside, causing him to jump back in fright.
The sight in front of him caused terror to snake down his spine as he stared at his stepsister/ex-girlfriend standing over a dead body. Her hair was darker and she had yellow eyes staring back at him.
"C-Casey...?"
"This is all your fault, Derek. You made me do it."
"What is happening, Casey? You don't like guns and you hate killing."
"No, she hated killing. I'll do anything for the mission."
"What... What are you talking about?" Derek shook his head. "This isn't like you, Case."
"Casey is gone."
"Stop talking like that! You're not gone, you're right here! I'm sorry I didn't stay by your side. I'm sorry I left you again! I love you, Casey! Please come back to me."
"If you were really sorry you wouldn't have left at all. Now she's dead because of you."
"No! It's not true!"
"See for yourself." She shrugged nonchalantly as she pointed to the bloodied body on the ground.
Derek took a step closer and gazed down at the lifeless form of his stepsister. Tears immediately filled his eyes as he dropped to the floor and pulled the body into his arms.
"Casey... No, no, no. It can't be... Please wake up!"
"You can't save her this time." The dark haired Casey grinned and began to walk out of the room.
"No, wait!" Derek cried as he dropped Casey's body to run after the live one. "Stop!"
"You can't stop me." She laughed before disappearing down the dark hall.
"Casey!"
(=)
The Swan Headquarters
Medical Wing
11:11 AM
"Casey! No, no, no! It's my entire fault! It's all my fault!"
Karma watched helplessly as Derek stirred in the hospital bed mumbling the same words over and over while he slept. She couldn't wake him up. The doctor told her to let him sleep and that it wasn't safe to wake him just yet, so she tried to busy herself by turning to the young Japanese man sitting next to her and striking up a conversation.
"How did you do it, Taiki?"
"How did I do what?"
"How did you find him?"
"I-I don't know. I already told you. I just thought about his tracker and suddenly I could somehow see his location in my mind, like I was inside the computer that tracks him."
"But that's impossible. Have you ever been able to do something like that before?"
He shook his head, "I've always been far too intelligent for the average person, but I've never been able to track someone's GPS locator with my mind. It just happened and I can't really explain it."
A thought suddenly occurred to the young agent as she sat up straighter and stared intently into Taiki's eyes, "Do you think you could possibly do it again?"
"You mean track someone else?"
"Yes."
"I don't know... Maybe..."
"Can you find Casey?"
"I... I can try."
"That's all I ask."
She stood from the chair, walked over to Derek's sleeping form and kissed his forehead. "Nothing was your fault. She loves you so much and we will find her." She whispered in his ear.
"Where are we going?" Taiki asked as Karma began to make her way out the door.
"We need to speak with Olivia Inez, plus I know Ben will be more than excited to hear about what you can do."
"Will Agent Venturi be alright?"
"For now he just needs to rest. He's had a rough couple of days."
"Are we going to find out who locked him up?"
"Yes, but for right now, we need to locate Casey. Let's go."
She led the way out the door after speaking to the nurse on duty to call her the minute Derek wakes up and to not let anyone else but her inside the room.
(=)
11:23 AM
To say he was stressed was an understatement as Benjamin stared at the computer screen for the thousandth time hoping for some kind of glimpse from Casey's eye tech and a signal of her whereabouts but it was blank. Nothing appeared.
He let out a sigh as he rested his elbows on the desk and rubbed his temples with worry.
"Where are you, Bluebird?"
He blamed himself for her disappearance. He knew it was dangerous to send her in but he went along with it anyway. The thought hadn't even occurred to him that The Collective could block their signal. What was even worse is that the bodies Casey "killed" would be waking up in a couple of hours (if they hadn't already been thrown into the incinerator) and no one would be there to retrieve them and make sure they don't ruin Casey's cover.
"We're screwed. Casey is going to die because of my idiocy."
"What is with you men and blaming everything on yourselves?" Karma's voice spoke from behind him.
"Kar," he breathed out with relief as he turned to look at her, "I was beginning to wonder what happened to you."
"I found Derek."
His eyes widened as he stood to his feet, "Where is he? Is he alright?"
"He's pretty banged up and disoriented at the moment. The doctor said to let him sleep. I left him in the medical wing for the time being."
"What? What do you mean? Did something happen to him?"
"He was locked up in a cell beneath us. When we found him he could barely speak, let alone walk. His knuckles were bruised and bloody from banging on the door and Dr. Singh said he may have fractured his ankle as well."
Ben was furious as he began pacing the room, "Who would do such a thing?"
"We won't know until Derek wakes up."
"I have to go see him."
"Wait!" She said and grabbed his arm before he could leave. "There's something else you need to know."
He stopped to stare at her as she continued to speak. "Derek's GPS locator was still inside of him but we couldn't turn it on without an authorization code. Then Taiki showed up and said he was able to locate Derek with his mind."
"What?" He raised an incredulous brow.
She shook her head, "I know it sounds insane; I didn't believe it myself until I opened that cell door and saw Derek."
Ben's eyes lit up instantly, "Do you know what this means?"
Karma smiled, "He may be able to track down Casey."
"We have to tell Inez!"
"I already did. She and Taiki are on their way now with Dr. Shepherd."
(=)
11:29 AM
Derek was jolted awake by a hand covering his mouth and another pressing down on his chest. He opened his eyes and fear shot through him as his gaze connected with Colonel Yemchuk's cold hard glare. He tried to yell for help but the Colonel's hand covering his lips prevented any noise from escaping. He looked around and realized that he was in a hospital bed in the medical wing. He vaguely remembered Karma finding him in the cell but everything else was a blur.
"I don't know how they found you down there but if you breathe a word about who locked you up, you will regret it." Yemchuk scowled down at him. "I have access to your personal files and I know where your family lives. I don't want to harm them, but I will if I have to. I couldn't let you jeopardize the mission. No matter how you see it, I kept you from Agent McDonald so that she could have a better chance at becoming the assassin she needs to be."
Derek glared back at him, hating the fact that he used up all his strength banging on that door and had no chance at taking Colonel Yemchuk down at the moment.
"I want you to keep your word. You won't tell anyone about me, will you?" He growled threateningly. He pressed harder on Derek's chest when he didn't nod his head. "Your brother Edwin lives in Toronto, isn't that correct? I could make his death look like an accident in seconds. Nobody will second-guess me when I send the order. You better think wisely, Venturi."
Derek struggled under his grasp, as he brought his arm up and slammed his fist into the Colonel's face, causing him to release his hold on him. It hurt like hell due to his bruised and cracked knuckles but he could really care less at the moment.
"You stay away from my family!" He yelled at him. His voice was still hoarse and the words didn't come out as threateningly as he'd hoped.
Yemchuk recovered almost immediately and slammed his fist into Derek's gut, he then grabbed his face and forced him to meet his penetrating glare, "I'm not going to repeat myself again, Venturi! You better keep your mouth shut about me or you will regret it!" He snarled. "Got it?"
Tears misted in Derek's eyes from the punch as he begrudgingly nodded his head.
"Good. Keep it that way and we'll get along fine." The insane man said as he removed his hand and left the room before Derek could utter a syllable.
(=)
Unknown Location
12:00 PM
"Spitfire, wake up." A deep voice spoke into her ear and Casey could feel someone nudging her shoulder.
The agent in disguise groaned as she opened her heavy eyelids in confusion.
"W-what happened...?"
"We were drugged and transported."
She looked up to see Mutawa kneeling down next to her. He helped her sit up and she let her gaze wander the room they were in. Red brick walls surrounded them -most chipped and broken. A wooden door was off to the right, it also looked worn out and ancient, like someone could kick through with ease.
A moan from her left caused Casey to spin around where she saw Ronin lying on her side. The young girl was slowly coming to. Hane was on the other side of her, still unconscious.
"Where are we?" Casey asked as she turned back to Mutawa who was now standing up.
"I am not sure. I do not even know how long we were out." He replied while rubbing his head.
The older sister inside of Casey checked Ronin to make sure she was okay as the young Australian opened her eyes.
"You alright?" She asked with her hand on her shoulder.
Ronin looked up at her like she'd grown two heads and Casey quickly realized her mistake.
Crap! You're Phoenix now! You're a ruthless assassin, not soft and caring!
She immediately pulled her hand away and stood to her feet, averting her eyes from the suspicious girl.
There was no window in the room and it smelt of dust and dirt. She walked straight towards the door and yanked it open to find an empty hallway.
"Where are you going?" Mutawa asked.
"I'm not just going to sit around and wait for someone to show up. I want to know what the hell is going on and where we are." She replied.
"I will join you then. I want my Ida sword back."
"What?"
"They took our weapons while we were passed out."
Casey quickly checked her side and realized they indeed had taken her gun and knife. She tried not to show her panic as she began to make her way down the hall.
If they examine my weapons they are sure to discover the fake blood potion in them. I'm dead.
"How do you know you are going the right way?" Mutawa asked from behind her.
"I don't." She shrugged. "But we're bound to run into someone eventually, and when we do they better give us back our weapons."
She followed the hall until it opened up into a wide archway and a patio. She could smell trees and hear birds chirping off into the distance. As they got closer she noticed vines wrapped around pillars and a wide balcony overlooking a jungle view below.
"It's beautiful." The young agent spoke aloud as she stood on the balcony and breathed in the fresh air.
"It reminds me of home." Mutawa frowned while gripping the ancient stone railing.
"Where do you think we are?" She looked at him.
"I cannot say for sure. It seems to be an abandoned facility deep in the jungle. We are far from civilization."
"This must be their hideout."
Someone shouted from behind them and the duo spun around to see Ronin running towards them with a panicked expression on her face.
"Run!" She screamed.
"What? Why?"
"Men in masks came out of nowhere and attacked us. We tried to fight but were no match. Hane was taking on three before I managed to knock one out and escape through the door."
"It's another test." Casey frowned. "They want to see how well we fight without our weapons."
"How do you know that?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"Or... This whole thing was a set up from the beginning and we're all dead."
"Either way, it will be no use to run. We have to fight."
"Without my knife? How do we kill them?"
"What kind of assassin are you if you can't fight without a weapon?"
"I can fight, I just prefer to use my blade to do it."
"Well you better figure out something because here they come!"
Two men dressed in black were sprinting towards them. All you could see were their eyes glaring back at you as they both pulled out thin, sharp-edged swords from behind their backs. One did a back flip in the air and landed with ease as he let out a war cry.
You've got to be kidding me… Casey thought with wide eyes. They're Ninjas. If only Derek were here right now. He'd be freaking out at the chance to fight real live Ninjas.
A hand suddenly reached out from below the balcony and grabbed Ronin's arm. She shrieked and tried to pry the hand off of her. It began trying pull her over. Mutawa was taking on the two ninjas that had been running towards them. He managed to get a hold of one of their swords and stab one of them just as the other slashed his weapon across the large man's arm. Casey wanted to help but knew it wouldn't be wise. She had to let Ronin and Mutawa fight by themselves. This wasn't her team. They were killers.
A figure suddenly jumped down from the roof and slashed at her with his sword. Casey dodged the blade with perfect precision, then jumped up and kicked him in the chest. Another came at her from the side and another on her left. She was surrounded.
You can do this. You are Phoenix. Show them what you got.
(=)
The Swan Headquarters
12:12 PM
"Do whatever it is you did when you turned on Derek's tracker. Just think of Casey, Taiki. We know you can do it." Karma urged as she bit her lip in apprehension.
She, Ben, Olivia Inez, and Dr. Shepherd all stood around the young Japanese man hoping for a miracle as he closed his eyes and tried to focus.
"I-I can't get a definite signal. Something is blocking her GPS from being tracked. All I know is that it's nowhere near here."
Benjamin sighed as he ran his hands through his hair with frustration, "Well that doesn't really help much."
"What about the trackers we placed in the fake blood Casey was using? Can you track those?"
"I'll try."
He closed his eyes again and the room was silent.
"I've got something!" He exclaimed. "I'm getting about thirteen signals from somewhere underneath Boston."
"Boston?"
"Yeah. It seems to be some underground tunnel system or something."
"Can you write out the coordinates?"
"I can do even better. I'll draw a map to every spot that is blinking."
"We have about four hours before the drugs wear off, so we need to assemble a team to head there immediately on the swan shuttle before they wake up, or worse, get thrown into the incinerator."
Olivia headed out the door to organize a couple of agents just as Derek walked through it.
"Derek?" Ben exclaimed as he took in his friend's haggard appearance. His face was unshaven and pale, his hands were bandaged up and he was limping, trying to keep pressure off of his right leg. "What are you doing here?"
"I need to know what's going on. Where's Casey? Can I speak to her?"
"Derek, the doctor insisted that you rest. You shouldn't be here." Karma said.
"Just tell me where Casey is!"
The room was silent.
"If she's gone on the mission, I know you must have some way of keeping contact with her, so just let me send her message. I need to."
Ben approached his roommate and good friend with a sympathetic look and placed his hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry, Derek, but we... Uh... We lost her signal last night and haven't been able to pinpoint her exact location."
"What?" His face whitened even more as he stared at them in bewilderment. "What do you mean you lost her signal? How is that possible?"
"Something is blocking it." Taiki spoke up.
"No; you have to find her! What if something has happened?"
"What do you think we've been doing, Derek? You're not the only person that cares for her here!" Ben snapped irritably.
"Yet you still let her go!" Derek growled back.
"Enough!" Karma raised her voice. "You two are being ridiculous!"
"Uh... Guys..."
"We need to work as a team, not play the blame game!"
"Excuse me… Agent Hesston..."
"What is it, Taiki?"
"You guys may want to look at the screen... I don't know what I did... I just kept thinking about Agent McDonald and... Well that appeared..."
Ben jumped towards the screen as an image of what appeared to be men dressed all in black were getting their butts kicked.
"Is that...?" Karma started to say.
"It's Casey! I don't know how it's working but the tech in her eyes suddenly turned on again! We can see what she is seeing!" Ben exclaimed excitedly. "There doesn't seem to be any sound but at least she's transmitting something. We may even be able to spot something that could give away her location."
"Well it already seems like some old abandoned building with some kind of forest or jungle surrounding it." Karma examined the background while her friend knocked out two men.
"I've got to call Inez!" Ben said and grabbed the cell phone from his back pocket.
"Ok... Is nobody going to point out the fact that Casey is fighting ninjas?" Derek looked at them with wide eyes. "Freaking Ninjas, guys! Casey is kicking Ninja ass!"
Yeah... I went there. I brought in Ninjas! You know you love it! ;)
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