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Chapter
14
The Swan Headquarters
9:34 PM
"Where could they be?" Derek stared intently at the screen through the tech in Casey's eyes. At the moment, she was fighting and shooting people that seemed to resemble secret agents as she headed towards an unknown destination -at least unknown to them. She obviously knew where she was going though and was getting directions from somewhere because she hardly hesitated while running through halls and down stairwells.
"I'm not sure. I can't seem to recognize any signs or details to give us a clue." Karma replied from where she sat next to him, equally mesmerized by the action on the screen.
"Those have got to be government agents she keeps taking down though. I just don't know which kind, or where they're from." She speculated with a frown.
"Man, that tech sure makes the killing look real." Derek commented as they watched Casey take down another agent while rounding a corner. She shot him right in the head as the fake blood splattered everywhere and he dropped to the ground appearing dead.
"Do you think there's another bomb threat like the last time she was rushing like this?" Karma asked with concern.
"I hope not." Derek gulped nervously at the thought.
They watched with curiosity as Casey finally stopped at a door and smashed the handle open with the butt-end of her gun. It looked like she was searching for something as she frantically surveyed the room she'd entered. It was definitely some kind of office with a bunch of computer monitors and screens.
She suddenly spun around and Derek's eyes almost burst from their sockets when he recognized the secret agent aiming a gun at Casey.
"Lizzie?!" He exclaimed while jumping to his feet in shock. Pain immediately jolted through his ankle from putting pressure on it and he sat back down with a curse.
"Who is Lizzie?" Karma asked him with a baffled expression. "Do you know that secret agent?"
"Yeah... I mean... I think... I mean..." He stumbled for words as he stared at his youngest stepsister on the screen. "But how...?"
"Who is she, Derek?"
"She's my sister..." He shook his head. "My other stepsister, Casey's sister."
"What?" Karma shouted in alarm. "Why didn't you ever mention that Casey's sister was a spy as well?"
"I didn't know! And judging by Casey's hesitance to take her out, she didn't know either. I can't imagine what she's thinking right now."
"Derek, this is not good! She could ruin Casey's cover! We need to call Inez!" Karma said as she grabbed for her phone and began to dial."
"Wait!" Derek spoke while grabbing her phone before the call could be sent. "Let's just see how she handles this first. Casey is a professional and is most likely thinking the exact same thing as us. Plus it doesn't seem like Liz recognizes her through the makeover... We may just be in luck."
They both stared intently at the screen with abated breaths while praying to God that Derek was right.
(=)
Unknown Location
9:39 PM
"I said to drop your weapon!" Lizzie shouted once again as she took a step closer, trying to intimidate the woman she had no idea was actually her beloved older sister.
Relief flooded Casey's mind that her sister hadn't recognized her and thanked Mela's amazing skills at the makeover she'd received. Unfortunately, she knew it wouldn't last long; besides Derek, Lizzie knew her better than anyone, some kind of recognition was bound to kick in. The undercover agent knew she needed to act now and take her sister out before she realized who she was and ended up blowing her cover.
"I'm not afraid of a tranquilizer dart." Casey took on the role of Phoenix and smirked at her sister while aiming her gun right back at her.
"Obviously you're familiar with our past weapons," Lizzie speculated with an equal smirk back, "but this is not just a tranq gun anymore. It won't only put you to sleep but will shoot a thousand Volts of electricity throughout your body on contact, so you should be afraid."
Casey was impressed. R.E.D. had really stepped up their game since she worked for them.
"Phoenix! You're right there! Grab the device! What are you doing?" Ronin's voice shouted in her ear, startling her slightly. "Quit fooling around and shoot that agent! We're running out of time!"
"Look, I don't have time for games, so just hold still while I shoot you." Casey said to her sister. She didn't want to shoot her with The Swan gun because she didn't like the thought of her lying here for twelve hours at the risk of The Collection blowing the place up once they left; but what else was she to do?
"You're not going to get past me that easy." Lizzie glared at her.
Casey noticed her finger begin to tighten on the trigger and knew she needed to act fast, especially if she was to rescue Ronin in time.
"We'll see about that." Casey grinned just as Lizzie fired the weapon.
She managed to swiftly dodge the tranq/taser dart aimed for her and winked at the young agent opposite her. Lizzie tried shooting again but Casey twisted away from the several shots fired and finally kicked the gun from her sister's grip.
Just like her sister, Lizzie was stubborn and lunged at her assailant full force. She swung her fist, which Casey blocked from hitting her face and then shoved her against a wall behind her. She went to jab at her midsection but Casey suddenly had her in a chokehold as she spun around and shoved the R.E.D. agent into a row of monitors. The machines crashed to the ground with a loud clatter as the sisters continued to fight.
Casey didn't want to harm Lizzie but the girl wouldn't let up. She definitely had more than martial arts training from when she was a kid. She even recognized some of the same moves she'd been taught while training at R.E.D. years ago. Lizzie was taken aback when Casey predicted some of her moves as she stumbled back from a kick to the gut and stared back at her assailant with bewilderment.
"You give up yet?" Casey grinned wickedly even though she felt tortured on the inside for hurting her sister and taunting her for more.
"How did you...?" Lizzie questioned aloud. She didn't bother to finish the sentence as she did a back flip in the air and then punched Casey in the jaw. She suddenly grabbed her by the neck and forced her to the ground while straddling her hips.
The agent undercover struggled against her younger sister's tight grip around her neck. There were many ways of getting out of this hold but each one required breaking a bone or seriously injuring Lizzie, which she wasn't about to do, secret mission or not.
"You put up a good fight." Lizzie commented with a smirk. "But they didn't advance me as an agent for no reason."
Lizzie had been advanced in her training? Wow. Casey thought to herself. I thought I'd been the only one. She definitely took after her older sister in more ways than one.
Tears were beginning to form in Casey's eyes from the pressure on her esophagus and she could feel her strength fading. She stared intently into her sister's eyes and suddenly something familiar about her registered to Lizzie as her grip loosened and her eyes widened in surprise.
"C-Casey?" She whispered in shock.
"Phoenix, we have less than 12 minutes! Where are you?" Ronin screamed in Casey's ear.
She couldn't waste anymore time as she gripped her gun in her hand and looked into Lizzie's bewildered eyes and spoke, "I'm sorry." Before bashing her over the head with the weapon. She quickly caught her sister in her arms as she slumped over unconscious.
The young agent hated to do it but she had no choice as she laid Lizzie down on the floor and stood to her feet.
"I got a little held up, Ronin. Where is the device?" Casey spoke to her assassin teammate through a hoarse voice due to being choked.
"How come you could take down all the other agents no problem but this one gave you a struggle?" The Aussie asked.
"She was stronger than you think. Now forget about her and tell me where the device is if you still want to live." Casey snapped at the young woman irritably.
"It's directly in front of you. Please make haste!"
Casey noticed a metal briefcase sitting on the counter in front of her and picked it up.
"Do I have it?" She asked Ronin.
"Yes! Mutawa is almost to the room I'm being held in. You still need to ascend the stairs again and go left. I'm in the third room on the right!"
"I'm on my way." She replied.
Casey took one last glance at her younger sister with remorse as Lizzie slept soundly on the floor. She felt guilty for the headache she was sure to have when she awoke, plus the fact that she'd recognized her right before being knocked out. If Lizzie blew her cover it was all over. She prayed to God that it wouldn't come down to that. She'd come too far to have it ruined by none other than her own sister -who had somehow become a spy at R.E.D. in the time she'd left for The Swan. They were definitely having a talk when this was all over.
Everything has become so much more complicated. The agent undercover sighed as she quickly exited the room in the direction Ronin had told her to take.
(=)
The Swan Headquarters
9:45 PM
"She's just going to leave Lizzie like that?" Derek exclaimed with fury as he watched Casey glance back at her unconscious sister and run out of the room with some kind of case in her hand.
"She can't just hoist her over her should and take her with her, Derek. Casey had no choice." Karma replied.
"There's always a choice." He gritted through clenched teeth.
"It's not like she's dead."
"What if The Collective decides to blow up this place as well?" He shouted furiously.
"Casey wouldn't let her sister be killed, Derek! I can't believe you're even doubting her loyalty right now! We both know that if it came down to it, she would much rather save her sister than continue with the mission." Karma snapped at him with anger.
Derek was silent for a moment and then his eyes lit up, "Where's that Japanese kid?"
"Taiki?"
"Yeah!"
"I don't..."
"We need to find him! He could trace the GPS trackers of the guys Casey shot again! Maybe they're nearby and we could get Lizzie out ourselves!"
"We can try, Derek, but..."
"Can you call for him now?"
"Would you just calm your shorts and be patient?" Karma snapped again as she picked up her phone and began to dial.
Derek continued to watch the screen as Casey approached a stairwell and ran up. He felt anything but patient at the moment, especially when both of his stepsister's lives were in danger.
(=)
Unknown Location
9:46 PM
Casey raced up the metal stairs and over the unconscious bodies that she'd shot. As she turned the corner she tried to hold in a gasp when she saw the bloodied bodies of the unfortunate agents who had encountered Mutawa and his Ida sword.
"Spitfire!" The large man shouted to her and Casey looked up to see him covered in blood standing outside of the door across the hall.
She hurried towards him trying again not to dwell on the lives she couldn't save and forced her mind to focus on the task at hand.
"Is this where she is?" Casey asked while eyeing up the closed door.
"Yes. It is locked. Step back. I will break it down." He said.
Casey did as instructed as he turned to the side and rammed his shoulder into the door with a loud slam. The door burst open and Casey ran ahead of him to see Ronin sitting on the floor handcuffed to a set of pipes embedded into the walls and ceiling.
"Phoenix!" The young girl cried out. Casey noticed the bomb strapped to her feet and exhaled loudly. It was counting down and they had 6 minutes left.
She not only had to think of saving herself or Ronin, but now Lizzie too. If this bomb went off, the whole second floor could collapse right on top of her.
I will not let that happen.
While Mutawa got to work on freeing the young girl from her restraints, Casey knelt down and began figuring out how to defuse the bomb. Thankfully she'd been trained years ago and had even stopped a few bomb threats in the past. Of course, she always had Ben there to lend a hand since he was the one that could remember every step precisely as they'd learned.
I really wish that tech in my ears was working right now and Ben could talk me through this. The agent undercover thought with a frown as she began to survey the complex device.
"What are you doing?" Ronin asked with concern when Casey pulled out her knife and grabbed at the various colored wires.
"What's it look like?" She snapped, knowing Phoenix would have. "I'm trying to defuse the bomb."
"You can't possibly know how to do that!"
"I guess we'll find out in a couple seconds won't we then?" She smirked sarcastically.
"How can you be so calm right now?" Ronin exclaimed just as Mutawa cut the cuffs off with his sword.
"I was trained not to freak out in tight situations, especially when dealing with a bomb." The words fell out of her mouth before she realized what she'd said.
"Trained?" Ronin quirked a suspicious brow at her.
"I..." She stared back at the both of them, realizing her mistake and knew she needed to think quickly. "You don't think I just learned to kill on my own, do you?" She asked them with a cocked brow. "I was trained at a young age to master many skills and techniques, including creating and defusing bombs."
Mutawa gave her a sympathetic look as he placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke, "I believe you. I too was trained to kill from a young age."
"Alright, we don't have time for sob stories from the past, just hurry up and get this thing off of me." The Aussie girl snapped irritably with a frightened glare.
Casey nodded and tried to concentrate on the wires. Only three minutes remained. She tried to remember what they had been taught in training years ago.
(=)
The Swan Headquarters
9:48 PM
"What did I miss?" Benjamin asked as he entered the room where Derek, Karma, Agent Morvis, Olivia Inez and Taiki were all gathered around watching the screen intently.
"Where have you been?" Karma spun to look at him. "I don't even know where to start on what you've missed!"
"Sshh!" Derek hissed. "He can get filled in later! Right now, I'm more concerned at the fact that my girlfriend is about to attempt to defuse a bomb!"
"Ex-girlfriend." Ben pointed out and Derek glared menacingly at him. The blonde held up his hands in surrender, sensing he'd gone too far and decided to turn his attention the screen. He stared at the bomb Casey was currently engaged in stopping and knew right away how to defuse it.
"Come on, Bluebird; cut the red wire." He spoke aloud.
"How do you know it's the red wire?" Taiki asked inquisitively.
"I was top of the class when it came to bomb defusing. Plus I have a photographic memory. It comes in handy when learning things like that." He replied nonchalantly before glancing back at the screen. "Casey, however, wasn't as great when it came to bomb defusing. I usually had to talk her through it or just do it myself. She could never remember the right sequence." He frowned apprehensively.
"Its too bad Taiki can't get the sound between us and her working again." Karma spoke.
Everyone glanced at the young man with expectant expressions.
"I... You saw what happened last time we tried..." Taiki spoke hesitantly. "It was my
fault she almost got left behind and blown up."
"Something happened, we know that." Ben said. "It wouldn't hurt to try. Besides, Casey still made it out alive."
"It's too risky." Agent Morvis cut in with a shake of his head. "It could blow her cover if you start talking to her."
"It's more risky letting her take that bomb apart herself. I know how she thinks and she's going to go for the wrong wire."
Just as he said that Karma let out a gasp when Casey grabbed the white wire and held her knife up to it.
"Taiki, you have to try!" Derek shouted. "Please! I can't lose both of my stepsisters!"
"Both?" Ben raised a baffled brow at him.
"We'll explain that later," Karma assured. She then looked at the young Japanese man desperately pleading. "Can you at least give it a shot, Taiki?"
Taiki dropped his head and let out a sigh, "Fine, but please do not blame me if it doesn't work. I have no control over this blasted chip in my head."
The agents nodded and watched while he closed his eyes and began to focus.
"Just say something into the microphone." He instructed.
Ben nodded and leaned forward into the mic on the computer, "Bluebird, if you can hear me, don't cut the white one. It's the red wire. Cut the red wire, Bluebird."
(=)
Unknown Location
9:49 PM
Casey stared at the white wire she was about to cut and second-guessed her choice. Something about it didn't feel right.
"What are you doing?" Ronin snapped at her. "Just cut it already!"
"I..." She hesitated. If she cut the wrong wire they were all dead, including her little sister and the rest of the secret agents she'd knocked unconscious inside the building.
"We only have a minute, Spitfire." Mutawa spoke, not bothering to hide his concern this time as he glanced at the door like he was about to bolt out of there and leave them behind.
"Do you even know what you're doing?" Ronin asked.
"Yes! Just shut up and let me think!" Casey snapped irritably at the both of them. Her alias was really taking over.
Suddenly there was a buzzing sound in her ear. She tried to ignore it, thinking it was just from the comms device that Blaize had inserted in her ear when she was passed out.
"... Don't... White..." A familiar voice spoke in her ear and it wasn't Blaize. Her eyes widened as she tried to listen more clearly. "... Red wire... Cut the red wire, Bluebird."
Only one person still called her Bluebird… Ben!
She gasped out loud as Mutawa and Ronin stared at her like she was crazy. She ignored their looks and immediately grabbed the red wire. They had twenty seconds left on the clock.
"Why did you switch wires? You're going to get us killed!" Ronin exclaimed.
Casey ignored her. She knew what she heard. It was Ben's voice. Somehow the tech in her ear was working... Sort of... And he told her to cut the red wire, which means the tech in her eyes was working as well. She trusted Ben to know which wire to cut. He knew more about defusing bombs than anyone else.
Ten seconds.
"What are you waiting for, Spitfire?" Mutawa asked, again glancing at the doorway like he was about to bolt.
Casey sucked in a deep breath and held it in as she glanced at the clock again.
5 seconds.
"Cut it now, Casey!" Derek's voice suddenly screamed in her ear and she didn't even hesitate as she gripped her knife and sliced it through the red wire.
The clock suddenly stopped at two seconds and she let out the breath she'd been holding.
"That was way too close." Ronin glared while rubbing her chafed wrist from the cuffs she'd been struggling against. "You almost got us killed!"
"She just saved your life." Mutawa snapped at the young Aussie girl. "Show some appreciation." He nodded his head towards Casey. "I most definitely underestimated you, Phoenix. It will not happen again." He winked as he headed towards the door and glanced out to make sure there were no secret agents waiting to attack.
Casey couldn't even focus on the two assassins in the room or what would happen next; her mind was only spinning with one thought. That was Derek's voice in my ear. Maybe he does care after all…
"Good job, team." Blaize's voice suddenly spoke in their ears, alerting their attentions. "That was quite the close call but you successfully pulled it off and you're all still alive."
"You tried to kill me, you son of a…" Ronin started to say but Casey cut her off.
"Don't tell me there's another bomb in this building, Blaize." She spat in a bitter tone, even though on the inside she was pleading for her sister's life and for her mission to remain uninterrupted by another bomb threat, which would ultimately result in her choosing to save Lizzie instead of her cover.
"There isn't. This building is scheduled for a demolition within the next twenty-four hours though; so don't worry about the dead secret agents littering the halls. Their deaths will go unnoticed soon enough."
Twenty-four hours. That was more than enough time for Lizzie to wake up and vacate the premises. It had to be.
"And, Ronin," Blaize said. "Just be glad you survived. You are the weakest link after all. You're lucky Phoenix gave a crap to save you in the first place."
Ronin glared daggers at Casey. Instead of the girl showing any appreciation towards her, she now hated her for making her look bad.
"Looks like we're not going to be friends any time soon." Casey quipped with sarcasm as the girl spun away from her with clenched fists.
"How do we get out of here, Blaize?" Mutawa asked.
"Just follow the yellow brick road of course." The man spoke in a munchkin voice.
"We're not in the mood for games here!" Casey yelled at him. "Just tell us the way out!"
The man laughed on the other end, obviously not bothered by her irritation and the fact that he was clearly pissing them off.
"He wasn't kidding." Mutawa said as he stared out the door with a baffled expression.
Both women hurried to the door and looked out into the hall to see a trail of yellow paint leading towards a room ahead of them.
"Now don't delay." Blaize said in their ears. "The wizard is waiting."
"Yeah, well don't expect us to start singing while we link arms and skip along your trail." Casey bit back with an eye roll as they headed out the door together.
"This is a reference that I am sadly not understanding." Mutawa muttered with a scratch of his head and Casey couldn't help but chuckle.
(=)
The Swan Headquarters
9:58 PM
"Taiki, where are they?" Derek immediately spun towards the young Japanese man when he knew Casey was safe –for now at least.
The sound had once again failed but they knew Casey heard something because she immediately switched to the correct wire just in time.
"I-I tracked the GPS of the bullets to an old scientific lab outside of Toronto, Ontario. It is apparently scheduled for demolition within the next twenty-four hours."
The former hockey star stood to his feet, using the crutches for support and began hobbling towards the exit.
"Where are you going, Derek?" Karma asked.
"I'm going with them to retrieve the bodies that Casey shot. Lizzie might still be there when we arrive. I need to make sure she gets out safely and doesn't reveal Casey's secret."
"Is anyone going to explain who Lizzie is?" Ben asked with confusion.
"Agent Venturi, I am afraid you can't tell your stepsister about the mission." Inez spoke up with a serious tone.
Derek stopped and turned to look at her. "But she's a secret agent as well… and she's family."
"It still goes against the rules. No outsiders can know about this facility or it's agents involved, family or not."
"But… She recognized Casey's face. I saw it in her eyes. What am I supposed to tell Liz if she asks about her sister?"
"Whatever it is, you leave The Swan Agency out of it. Am I clear, Agent Venturi?"
Derek glowered at her with a nod of his head and replied, "Fine, but I can't guarantee she won't find out the truth on her own eventually. Lizzie's no idiot. You saw how she fought in there; she's like a Casey number two."
"Wait a minute… Am I hearing this correctly?" Ben cut in with wide eyes. "Casey's younger sister, Lizzie, is a spy and they ran into each other?" Karma nodded at him before gesturing for him to shut up.
Olivia Inez took a step towards Derek and let out a sigh. "If you cannot convince Casey's sister that what she saw was nothing, then it will be your job to erase her memory when you see her."
"Wait… Say what?"
Wow... kind of intense... What is Derek going to do?
Please Review! Your comments and theories keep me going! Thanks!