"In this twilight our choices seal our fate."
-Broken Crown, Mumford and Sons
Kasper's hair fans out behind her on the bed. She looks pitifully small and frail. Like a child. We're all just children really, playing at being adults.
Dante sits in a chair beside Kasper's hospital bed, stroking her hand in his own. Her chest rises and falls evenly to the beat of her heart monitor. The doctors assured us that she'll be okay. I'm positive that Dante won't be.
In the days since the attack, Dante has barely eaten and hardly slept. He also hasn't left Kasper's room, not even when the doctors performed the preliminary operation. Kasper hasn't been awake since the day of the attack. The doctors say she is in some form of self-induced coma. She's been bedridden ever since.
It's a good thing the base's infirmary wasn't damaged too badly in the attack. It was spared the destruction that befell some of the other wings of the underground complex.
Reconstruction has been surprisingly quick, even with the lack of hands. The casualties of the attack ranged somewhere in the hundreds, but one of the agents I met assures me that that isn't even a fraction of the Departments full strength. However Mr. A has called back all available agents to aid in the rebuilding.
The gym was destroyed beyond repair, along with a large portion of the agents' offices. Apparently one of the vehicle hangers also flooded, which I had a hard time comprehending. The Department has a fricken underground hanger and it flooded! How does that work?
Serik-Zauresh was released from the hospital yesterday, but was told to take it easy. She has been doing anything but; performing crunches, pull ups, and even some kind of dance in her room in the living quarters, which was also thankfully spared of damage.
Kaishi and I have been taking turns visiting in on Kasper and Dante, bringing him food and drinks, and giving him someone to talk to.
"Y'know, I thought that because this isn't a real hospital, the food would at least be sorta edible. I was so wrong," Dante jokes, pushing yet another barely touched meal away from himself. He has visibly lost weight in the past few days, his cheeks hollowing and his ribs more visible even under his muscle shirt. I don't have the heart to tell him that the old chef died in the attack, and meals have been makeshift at best.
"You should at least try to eat it. You need to keep up your strength for when Kasper wakes up," I say, pushing his plate back over to him.
"I'm fine, really. I'll get something to eat later," he lies. He probably knows I don't believe him, but I give a resigned nod anyways. No use arguing with him while he's like this.
"Well, if you want, Kaishi will be over with dinner at five. Please at least try to eat. You'll feel better."
Dante doesn't answer. Instead he refocuses on Kasper's face, her childish face pale compared to her healthy olive complexion.
I give the couple a long concerned look. "Hey, I'll be back later tonight to check on you, okay? Please try to eat and get some rest. I'm worried about you. Both of you."
"Alright man. See you then."
I bump into Kaishi in the hallway. His head is down as he walks.
"She looks like she's doing better," I remark. "Dante's still not eating."
"I don't blame him, with the crap their serving down there," Kaishi says, his voice the same serious tone it always carries.
"Was that a joke? I didn't know you were capable of humor Kai," I chuckle. Kaishi and I have grown closer over the past few days, especially with all the chaos around base.
"Well, don't expect too much of it. Humor throws my inner zen out of whack," the blind boy retorts.
"Hey, I'm going to go see if Comrade wants to train with me. When you get in there, try to get Dante to eat. Maybe he'll listen to you," I instruct, although I know Dante won't break his self-inflicted fast for any man.
"Alright. You know Comrade has been saying that you 'hit like baby squirrel', right?"
I let out an indignant snort. "I'm getting better! And not everyone can be mister super metallic arm. Well, I'll see you later," I say.
I'm not even halfway down the hall when Kaishi comes back out of Kasper's room, shouting for me to stop.
"She's awake!"
~—~—~
"Get over here!" Kasper screams.
I giver her an evil look. "Who's going to make me?"
"Me. Or her. Either way, you're outmanned," Dante says, closing in on me from the left while Kasper comes in from the right.
"Nope. You are outmanned," Kaishi says, jumping from a nearby tree limb with Comrade close behind.
"You're still in our territory, and that means we can tag you," Kasper says, staring directly at the red flag in my hands. I stole it only a few minutes ago, right after sneaking past both Kasper and Dante. I was only discovered by luck; Kasper was following a butterfly that she found particularly interesting and happened to see me with the flag in my hands.
"You'll have to catch us first," I taunt.
"Don't over-exert yourself babe," Dante warns his girlfriend. She throws him an annoyed glance, as if he has told her this at least a thousand times, and knowing Dante, he probably has.
Before anyone can say anything else, Liam crashes through the trees, sprinting full force at Kaishi. I take the opportunity to run, leaping over tree roots and brambles as I race through the forest. Someone is hot on my tail, but I don't dare turn back. Instead, I press myself to run faster still, flying through the trees. Up ahead, I can see a large clearing, the boundary between my team's territory and my opponent's. I'm almost to the clearing, mere feet away, when I see a dark figure leap out from some bushes to my left. I'm tackled to the ground, pinned by my hands and knees. When I look up, Dante is smiling over me, and behind him, Kasper. The strong boy lifts me off the ground and snatches his team's flag from my hand. I brush dead leaves off my jeans and hoodie, following my captors to their team's jail.
Kaishi and Comrade have both also been tagged out of the game, presumably by Liam, which leaves me wondering how the scrawny albino boy did it.
"Looks like we loose," I call to Kaishi and Serik-Zauresh, who look at me with a mixture of amusement and disappointment that we lost the game.
"I have to say, I haven't played capture the flag since third grade, but that was pretty damn awesome!" Dante exclaims, patting Kaishi on the back. Even Liam looks like he had a fun time, which is saying something considering the boy's usual stormy demeanor.
"Did you all have fun?" Someone asks from the trees. As the newcomer steps into view, I can see that it is Agent Myra. She's Mr. A's personal assistant who came to the base a little over a week ago from some assignment in France. Myra doesn't wait for an answer. "Mr. A requires you all in the Hub for a debriefing. You may get cleaned up before you go, of course."
I give Dante a questioning look. He shrugs.
On the way back to base, we talk about the capture-the-flag game. While it was fun, it was more of tactical training than a game, monitored closely by special analysts to measure how we cooperate in a team setting. We played the game in the woods directly above the base. We've been allowed to train and exercise in the woods ever since the gym was demolished. After a only week of reconstruction, the base is already almost back to normal, all signs of destruction gone. Comrade suspects some sort of witchcraft was used getting the place back in order, but no one really takes her seriously. If you try to tell her otherwise, she keeps repeating, 'is true,' so no one tries to argue with her about it.
When we get to the living quarters, I grab fresh clothes and spray myself with some deodorant before heading off to the Hub. Liam and Dante beat me there, and Kaishi follows just behind me, but the girls are nowhere in sight; still prettying themselves up. Typical. Even if Serik-Zauresh acts all tough, she's just as much a girl as Kasper on the inside.
Mr. A is nowhere in sight either, but knowing the unpredictability of this man, I'm sure he isn't far.
Comrade is the first of the girls to enter the room, dressed in a black tank top and cargo pants, the dog tags I notice she always wears hanging from her neck. I wonder why it took her so long to change into that, but she's a girl, and therefore completely alien to me. Kasper enters the room only a few minutes after her friend, followed by Myra, who holds a stack of manila folders under a clipboard.
"So... nice talk everyone. I'm glad Mr. A called us to this meeting so we could sit here and stare at each other while actually waiting for Mr. A to show up..." Dante jokes, earning a snicker from Kasper and a glare from Myra.
Just then, Mr. A pushes through one of the newly repaired double doors that make up the entrance to the Hub. "Ah, good. Everyone is here. Myra, could you please pull up the file on F.E.A.R.?"
Myra nods in compliance, walking over to one computers, connecting the file to the giant monitor. A slide show of mugshots, security camera feeds, and profiles play across the screen, all under the title "F.E.A.R."
"Future Energy And Robotics, an organization that specializes in loans and technology, owning large shares of some of the most innovative companies in the world. F.E.A.R.'s assets also take more criminal endeavors. They harbor criminals and fugitives of the law, offering them positions as thugs and soldiers. In recent years, F.E.A.R. has moved their interests more towards mutants and super-powered individuals as part of their genome initiative. We are unsure of F.E.A.R.'s endgame as of now, but what we do know is that they are aligning themselves with some powerful global terrorist organizations. We also know that just over a week ago, F.E.A.R. dispatched some of their most highly trained operatives to infiltrate our base of operations, killing more than half of our own personnel in the process. We know that their objective was to capture you children."
"Now then. The woman that you confronted in this room was confirmed to be illusive F.E.A.R. agent Sabrina DeArgentine, a highly skilled intelligencer and master of espionage. She is one of the youngest agents we have encountered, at twenty-one years of age. She also possesses unique supernatural abilities, although what exactly these powers are remains a mystery."
When Mr. A is finished, we all stare at him in silence, tearing apart the information he has just given us.
"Today's capture the flag was a final assessment of your teamwork and compatibility. You have all passed. In two weeks time, you and a small squad of our most skilled assets will infiltrate the F.E.A.R. headquarters in Pennsylvania. Your mission will be to hack into their mainframe, steal integral files, and destroy the base once you are done. Our agents will know what to do with the technological bits, so all children you need to do is get them in the base, and out. This will be a covert mission, obviously, and it will require stealth, timing, and planning. This means you will be on a tight training regime for the next few weeks. Does anyone have any questions?"
Dante clears his throat. "Uh, so basically you're saying that we get to hit some bad guys and blow shit up?"
"In more vulgar terms, yes," Mr. A nods.
"I'm in," Dante says. There's a mischievous gleam in his eye that is haven't seen in a long time.
The rest of us nod or express our consent. All of us have been hurt by F.E.A.R. in one way or another. All of us want revenge.
"Good. Myra will be giving you each the mission layout and any accompanying information that you will require for your tasks. You are doing a great service to this nation and to the world children. The Department expresses it's utmost gratitude at your sacrifice," Mr. A says. "Oh, and one more thing. Ms. Chase, you may enter now."
A girl steps through the doors of the Hub. Short and slender, she wears her blonde hair back in a ponytail which swings back and forth as she walks down the aisle between rows of computer desks. I turn back to my friends to see both Kaishi and Liam's jaws drop at the newcomer.
"Children, this is Miss Emmalyn Chase. She will be training with you from now on, and will accompany you on your mission. Get to know her well, as she will be a great addition to your team. You see, she carries F.E.A.R. technology in her very blood which allows her to run at speeds impossible for the normal man. She is a bit of an expert on our enemies, so utilize her knowledge while you train. If there are no more questions, then you are all dismissed."
Liam's hand shoots up. "I have a question. Is the new girl single?"
Mr. A gives Liam a mortified look before gathering his belongings. He leaves the room without another word, followed closely by Myra.
"Well, I believe introductions are in order," Dante says. "My name is Dante, and I can proudly say that every article of clothing I am wearing is stolen. The grouchy albino boy to my right is Liam. The girl giving you the death stare over there is Serik-Zauresh, but you can call her Comrade because that's so much easier. The redhead to my left is Kasper, my gorgeous girlfriend. The boy to her left is Kyle. He's socially awkward. Finally, the blind Asian boy with the metal arm is Kaishi. He doesn't like outsiders." Dante finishes with a grin, and the newcomer returns it.
"My name is Emmalyn Chase, but you can call me Emma. It's a pleasure to be working with all of you, and I hope I can be of assistance in any way possible," the girl, Emma, states.
It's a pleasure?, I mouth to Kasper, who gives me an equally confused look. Who even talks like that?
"Well then Emma, I think you are going to like it here," Dante says ominously.
~—~—~
"What do you want from me?" I scream at the girl standing in front of me. She stares at the floor, her head twitching ever so slightly. Her cherry-red hair is disheveled and falls across her face so that it cannot be seen.
"What do you want?" I cry at the top of my lungs.
"You like it, don't you? The fear? The ability to make minds melt in your hands? Tell me, was it fun to make Dante scream? To make him claw at himself until he bled? I bet you loved every second of it."
"I- I don't want to hear anymore," I whimper at the girl.
"Do you think you will be able to save your friends when the bullets start to fly and their strength fails? You couldn't even save me. You saved yourself, just like you'll always save yourself first. You're a coward Kyle. And do you know what cowards do best? They run. When their friends are in need, they run. When your new friends' bodies hit the floor and they scream out in pain, you will run."
"Or you'll hurt them yourself. If you can't run, you'll make the fear go away. And you know how you'll do that too, don't you. You'll make them feel your fear, your anguish, your terror. What's worse Kyle? Leaving your friends to die, or killing them yourself?"
"Shut up! Shut up Amy!" I shriek, hugging my arms to my body.
Amy laughs a terrible laugh. Her shoulders bounce with her mirth and she throws back her head, revealing her face in the dim light. Blood trickles from countless cuts across her cheeks, cuts made from glass. Cuts that will never heal.
Then she stops. Everything is silent, still, deathly. Amy slowly tilts her head to look at me, her eyes smoldering with hate.
"What are you going to do? Run away?"
As she says that last words, her green eyes fade to a milky grey. The pale flesh of her face begins to whither and tear, showing the bones of her cheeks and eye sockets. Her hair dries and becomes brittle as hay. She stumbles towards me, and I let out the loudest, most blood-curdling cry I can muster.
The lights in the bedroom turn on, but Amy keeps lurching towards me, skeletal arms outstretched like gnarled tree limbs.
"What's wrong? Kyle, talk to me!" Kaishi commands, gripping my shoulder and shaking me vigorously.
I can't tear my eyes away from her.
"You can't see her?" I cry, my voice hoarse from screaming. I wipe a tear before it can make its way down my cheek.
"See who? Kyle, who's there?"
Amy is almost to my bed; I latch onto Kaishi's arm and let out another shriek. The tears flow freely.
"Kyle, look at my face. Kyle, it's ok, I don't think anyone is here. It's just a nightmare, Kyle!"
Amy leans right up behind Kaishi's ear.
"Yeah Kyle. I'm just a nightmare."
XxXxXxX
I'm proud of that little ending Haha. So as you can see, there was a lot of info in that chapter, so I hope you all understood it. Next chapter we will see more of the backstory on our characters, as well as learn about our new character, Emma! She was submitted by RockAngel2642.
On a side note, out of all the people involved in this story, only two are consistently reviewing the chapters (thanks you two!). While I will never require my readers to review, it makes me sad when I write stories with your OCs and receive no feedback or critiques on how I'm doing so far. Well, that's just me ranting.
Finally, if you haven't, check out AsgardianGrizzly's story Children of Hydra. It's based off of Agents of Shield, and it is AMAZING. I highly recommend reading it! Anyways, thanks for reading!