A/N: Oh, my…
You guys have outdone yourselves! 20,000 hits! Thank you, mates. That's all I can say at the moment.
And now on to chapter twenty-one!
"Get back," Ian hissed as he pulled me behind him protectively.
We both ducked behind a couple of crates, and I pulled Dan down with me. Madison followed suit. A beam of light swept across the hallway as I held my breath. Before I knew it, the hallway was dark once more. I peaked up from behind the crate to see the guard walking away with his back turned.
Bad move.
Suddenly, the guard fell to the ground, his gun rattling on the tile floor. I winced and quickly glanced over to Ian who was tucking his dart gun pack into his pack.
"You didn't have to do that," I whispered, looking down at my hands.
"Yeah, he kind of needed to," Dan interjected.
"You're really giving me this argument now?" Ian asked.
I shrugged my shoulders, not meeting his eyes. "You didn't have to kill him."
Ian sighed. "He's a Vesper, Amy."
I looked up into his eyes. "So? He's still a person," I said, my voice stronger than I thought it would be.
That caught him slightly off guard.
"Two hours."
We had to move. All four of us silently crossed the floor and crept down the hallway. I stepped over the guard's body and tried to keep my mouth shut. Ian caught my eye and gave me a look that said "If you give me anymore grief about that guy, I swear…" or something along the lines of that. I rolled my eyes and we continued.
"Left," Ian instructed, and we followed orders.
A feeling began to evade my senses. The feeling that someone was following us. Oh great, not this again. I looked behind me and no one was there. I swear something was behind us though… I shook my head, turned back around, and gasped.
"What's the matter, sweetheart?"
Dan, Ian, and Madison were all being held by Vespers and gagged. The man who spoke was looking down at me with an evil smirk on his face, and I didn't like that look one bit. I decided to wipe it right off his face. My fist made contact with his face and he stumbled backwards. The man growled. He better learn not to mess with my friends.
"You shouldn't have done that, sweetheart. Don't make me angry," he said, charging me.
I rolled out of the way, spun, and kicked him flat in the back. He toppled forward and tried to catch his breath. I flattened my hand out and crashed it down on the back of his neck. His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed on the ground.
I heard a Vesper howl as Ian stomped on his foot, spun around and kicked him right under the knee. There was a loud pop and the Vesper cried out in pain and joined the other man on the ground. Madison bit down on the guy's hand and punched him in the face which knocked him out instantly.
Dan elbowed the guy in his side and attacked the hidden pressure point in the Vesper's neck which would paralyze him for a couple hours. I looked at the Vespers that lay in a heap on the ground. Dan and Madison began to shove them in a closet.
"No time," Ian said, grabbing my hand, as we started to sprint. One thing was clear…
Our cover was blown.
~One, two, three close your eyes and count to four~
Group: The Brains
Agent: Natalie
Time until the shield is moved: Two hours
I watched the screen anxiously. I could have warned him. The Vesper was right behind him, but the man was too quick. He got to Ian before I could. That could've been it. The Body could've been destroyed if I was a bit quicker. I slumped in my seat then immediately fixed my posture.
"Hey, don't blame yourself."
I looked up at Ned Starling and raised a perfectly-shaped eyebrow despite my distress.
"No one saw them coming," he said. "They practically appeared out of nowhere."
I nodded, not sure of how to respond. Just then, the Body tuned in.
"Is there anymore coming our way?" Ian's voice filled my ear.
I checked the screens and answered before anyone else could. "None so far."
"We will arrive in the heart in about fifteen minutes."
The four of us nodded.
A new voice rang through the tiny earpiece. "Mind telling us next time we get ambushed?" Madison snapped.
I clenched my fists and was about to retort, but Alistair placed a hand on my shoulder, silencing me.
"We do our job and you do yours," Ted said.
"Fine, but a warning next time would be nice." And the connection was lost.
"Fine, but a warning next time would be nice," I mimicked. "You not being born would be nice," I muttered under my breath, even though I would've loved to say it into the microphone.
Ned and Ted snickered, who had apparently caught my comment. I smirked, glanced back at the screens, and paled considerably.
"Um, boys?" I said.
"What?" Ned and Ted chorused.
"Take a look at screen nine," I said, trying to control my breathing.
They turned their attention to the screen and groaned. Ned immediately tuned into the Body's signal.
"Warning, you've got a considerable amount coming towards you guys. I would take an alternative route," Ned said, speaking quickly.
We got an immediate response. "All right, thanks for the heads up," Amy said.
"I saw them first," I grumbled.
I glanced up at the screens again. No other suspicious activity except for the occasional guard here and there. Suddenly, the door busted open and I jumped about a foot in the air.
"Hey, Michelson, looks like we got lucky," a Vesper purred, flashing me a devious smile.
I stood there, frozen, which is completely out of character for me, but in the eyes of an actual Vesper… I shuddered. Alistair stepped in front of us to protect us, I suppose.
The Vesper frowned when he didn't get an answer from his acquaintance.
"Michelson?" he called out.
Silence. Then a new voice rang out.
"Sorry, Michelson's unavailable right now. Either leave a message or call back later."
A fist swung out and hit the Vesper right in the back of the head. He fell to the floor unconscious. I smiled, despite the tension in the room.
Hamilton and Jonah had arrived on the scene.
"I thought you guys needed some help," Hamilton said, grinning.
"You thought right," Ned agreed.
~My hands are clean, not yet a killer~
Group: The Body
Agent: Amy
Time until the shield is moved: One hour and forty-five minutes
"Of course they tell us we need an alternate route now!" Ian complained, searching desperately for an alternate path.
We were stuck. There were no other routes unless we backtracked, which was not the best choice.
"We can always take 'em on," Reagan suggested.
"You know, I agree with her," Dan said, jabbing his thumb towards Reagan.
"Well, you two do that, but I won't be attending your funeral," Ian said.
"Ian!" I exclaimed, and punched his arm.
"What? Even you can side with me, Amy. It's a terrible idea!" Ian shot back.
Reagan frowned at his comment. Suddenly, a shout rang down the halls.
"This way, you fool! Were you trained yesterday?" the voice snapped.
"Well, we take them on or we can stand here and talk about what we do," Dan whispered, shooting a pointed look at Ian.
Ian reached out to grab him, but I pulled him back.
"Not now," I said, using his words from earlier.
"Great, now I'm included on a suicide mission," Ian grumbled but ducked behind a wall, his gun ready.
I copied his position on the opposite wall. Dan and Reagan took similar positions. I waited, completely still. All I could hear was the sound of rushed footsteps that we're growing louder as the seconds ticked on. I shot a glance at Ian, and he nodded, clearly unhappy from our choice.
My heartbeat pounded in my ears, and my finger trembled on the trigger. I couldn't shoot them, could I?
And that's when a Vesper rounded the corner.
I held my breath and ducked so he couldn't see me.
"All clear," he reported.
I heard a quick puff of air come from Ian's gun and the bullet him right in the heart. I felt queasy when the blood started to empty from his body. One down, I thought and gulped. Then they all came pouring out. I paled. There were at least fifteen trained Vespers.
Well, here goes nothing.
I aimed at a Vesper's leg and fired. He crumpled to the ground, holding the large, bloody gash in his leg.
"Amy! You've got to eliminate them, not cripple them!" Ian shouted, shooting a Vesper straight in the heart to prove his point.
I paid him no mind and rolled out of the way of a soaring bullet and gave it right back to the man clothed in black. He joined several other dead Vespers on the ground. Madison aimed and pulled the trigger. I pulled Dan out of the way of fire and paused for a second to wipe the sweat that was running into my eyes.
Then things went bad. I'm not sure what happened first, but I suddenly heard the "crack" of an enemy's pistol and black spots filled my vision.
I had been hit.
A/N: Chapter 21, everyone! (That rhymed) …There will be a few more chapters to go until the finale. I apologize for the semi-long wait (not really :) but maybe the next one will be quicker? Hmm…who knows these days? Again! I'd like to thank all of you for wasting your time reading this story because it really does mean a lot to me, so thanks. :)
~A Very Thankful Nataliya
P.S. I saw Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (it was brilliant, saw it twice…not the point) and the first time the Kremlin was mentioned, I was like "LUCIAN STRONGHOLD!" but you know, not aloud.