A/N: As always, huge thanks to ivefoundmygoldfish(melonpanparade) for beta-reading!
Chapter Eleven: Crossroads II
Eggsy and Roxy rushed through the door, quickly taking out the three unassuming guards loitering on the other side. The room was large, walls and ceiling creating enough space to fit at least three trucks inside. But instead of vehicles, large tanks, presumably filled with liquid or gas, filled the room and obstructed their view. There was no time to stop and take it all in, as more guards alerted by the shots streamed in. The both dove for cover as bullets went flying.
"What's happening?" Merlin asked, undoubtedly hearing the turmoil.
So he still had no visual, Eggsy realised, leaving him more than a bit unsettled. He peered around the corner of the tank he'd sought cover behind, all the while listening to Roxy's status update over the comm.
"Don't hit the tanks," Merlin warned, alerted by Roxy's description. "We don't know what's in there!"
It sounded suspiciously like the warning was especially directed at him, but Eggsy didn't respond, too occupied with evaluating their options. There were three exits. Going back the way they'd come seemed like a waste of time. The other two doors looked much more promising, if the steady flow of guards barging through were any sign to go by. His thoughts were abruptly cut off as a bullet hit inches besides his head, breaking through the thick surface of the tank. He ducked back, waiting for the spray of liquid or hissing of gas escaping its confinement. Nothing happened.
Eggsy turned towards where Roxy was crouching, firing another round of bullets. "They're empty!"
"What?"
"The tanks," he yelled back over the noise. "There's nothing in them."
She nodded and readied her gun, signalling him she'd followed his line of thought. They waited for a few seconds for the assault to lessen, before moving forward and shooting without avoiding the tanks. It was a lot easier now that they didn't have to be careful anymore.
"This won't do," Eggsy muttered, crouching shoulder to shoulder beside the young Lancelot, the casing of the last tank separating them from the doors.
"I agree." Another two men went down, the number only limited by the empty magazine of Roxy's gun. She reloaded. "Let's split up?"
"Yeah," Eggsy replied.
"Be careful," Merlin added.
Eggsy chuckled. "Course, Merlin. Who do you think we are?"
A muttered 'children' could be heard from the other end of the comm, but the two agents were already splitting up and clearing their way to the exits.
Back at HQ, sitting in his chair and fingers dancing over the computer keys, Merlin sighed. Deeply. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in those two, quite the opposite in fact. But he knew it took a mission gone wrong for every young agent to understand the seriousness and risk of their job and trust the judgement of their quartermaster. And in Eggsy's case, Merlin feared that mission might put him closer to the edge of life than was good for him. That the visual feed wasn't working didn't help sooth his nerves in the slightest. The more he found out about this place, the louder the alarm bells in his mind were ringing. Something was terribly wrong. It wasn't just a warehouse, nor was it simply a subsidiary of the German institute. No, there was something more, and Merlin feared what that something might be.
The sound of gun fire had ceased slightly on Roxy's end, and Merlin shook his head to clear his thoughts. Time to concentrate. He followed her GPS dot on the digital 3D map on his computer and pulled up all the information he could access on the building before giving her directions.
"Roxy? Can you turn left next, then right, and try ascend to the next floor?"
"Yes," she answered, a bit out of breath.
His eyes followed her on the map as she carried out his orders. Merlin's directions had led her to a window with a rain pipe reaching up to the next floor, and without questioning his motives, Roxy started climbing. A pang of pride and dread settled in his stomach. She really was a fine agent. Percy would explode with pride if he could see his grown up sister, carrying James' name in honour.
The former agent's death brought up memories of another man never returned home, and Merlin quickly distracted himself by focusing back on the mission at hand. This wasn't the time. Not that there had been any yet since...since V-Day, but then again it was probably better this way. Weakness had no place in Arthur's chair, nor did regret.
Oh Merlin, is that old chap rubbing off on you after all? an all too familiar voice whispered in his ear.
"Shush," Merlin whispered back, the faintest of smiles tugging at his lips despite his best efforts, tears burning behind his eyes.
"Merlin? I'm there, what's next?"
Thank god. "Well done. I need you to plug me into the computer network." Checking a few building records and plans, he added, "The floor you're on now was some sort of central station of the building. Records show all data connections led here, probably in some sort of control room before splitting to all the different rooms."
"Control room?" Roxy asked, sceptical. "What sort of place is this? There was furniture where we came in, a huge room full of chemical containments a few steps further, and I came through what looked like a blown up library and a few air sealable quarantine rooms."
Merlin's stomach tightened even more. "The file said 'trial runs' and we are trying to prevent a chemical attack, so we were expecting some sort of institute."
"Yes, but...this place really creeps me out, Merlin."
"Try focus on the mission, Lancelot. There is a reason this exact building was mentioned in the records Bedivere retrieved."
Morgana might have been able to steal a sample from the German laboratory, but they wouldn't know how useful those vials proved until she'd landed. It was important that they found out as much as possible, and as fast as possible. Time waited for no one, especially them.
"If I have access to the system, I'll be able to download the camera footage, protocols and staff files, and we can find out what's happened here and how this is all connected to Valentine and the Manhofer Institute."
Roxy nodded, and then remembered that Merlin couldn't hear her. "Okay. Lead the way."
Meanwhile, the young Galahad had ventured further into the building and thus far had avoided having to spend his last two magazines. The door had led to a long corridor which had ended in a second room with tanks, all empty. Without being targeted by bullets this time and with his tail still quite a bit behind him, he had examined them in closer detail this time. It looked like they'd been emptied in a rush, as if someone had been trying to erase any evidence of what had been inside by splashing the tanks and floor with water.
A long corridor and a few rooms further, Eggsy now stood in a staircase without windows. He hadn't yet found anything truly significant, and approaching footsteps told him to hurry.
"Merlin?" he whispered, not daring to raise his voice. "Up or down?"
"Down one floor. If the blueprints I have are correct, you should find smaller storage rooms down there."
Eggsy obeyed and ran down the stairs. The first floor was even darker and gloomier without any windows and he shivered in the cool air. Hands steady on his gun he navigated through the maze of corridors and rooms, all vacant of any furniture. He could see the faint change of colour on the damp walls where frames had once decorated the grey surface, though, just like other small traces that a once buzzing work place had left behind.
"Almost there," Merlin said. "There should be a storage space not far from you. It's got a cooling aggregate, thick fireproof doors."
"Sounds like a death trap." Eggsy remarked sarcastically.
"I was thinking more about a chemical containment."
The young agent chuckled. "Well, that too."
He found the door in question, but had to duck for cover as he heard footsteps approaching. The guards ran by, reporting and receiving heated reports over walkie-talkies. Immediately, Eggsy was reminded of his fellow agent.
"Roxy?" he whispered over the comm.
"About to grant me access to the main computer system."
Relieved, Eggsy nodded and left his hiding spot. "Good girl."
It took a bit of effort, but finally the thick, heavy door gave way to reveal the room behind. At the side of what was in said room, however, Eggsy froze and stared.
"Fuck, Merlin, do you see this?" There was glass all over the floor, littering the surface of the work benches and glistening in the cold fluorescent light from the ceiling. Parts of metal could be found between the shards, almost all covered in a dark liquid.
"I'm afraid not," Merlin commented dryly.
"There's glass smashed everywhere," Eggsy explained. A piece of glass caught his eye and he moved to pick it up. Shards crushed and crunched beneath his feet as he held it up against the light.
It wasn't just any dark liquid, no. "Merlin," Eggsy said, voice alert and tight. "There's blood here. Lots of blood."
There was a moment of unsettling silence before Merlin finally said, "I think we've got this all wrong."
"How so?"
"This isn't just a warehouse or institute."
"No? Coz it looks suspiciously like someone's been trying to hide their activities and has done a fucking good job of erasing any evidence of whatever they've stored here."
"I'm afraid the records I just accessed and the state of this laboratory show otherwise."
"Merlin..."
"It is - or was - an experimenting facility run by Valentine to test the neurotoxin he'd developed in Germany on living tissue. Whatever happened here on V-Day, I doubt anyone has left this place alive."
Living tissue. Living, breathing beings.
Horrified, Eggsy jumped back from the working bench, instantly dropping the shard. "Woah, shit. I touched that stuff, Merlin."
"I want you to retreat immediately," the quartermaster ordered.
"But," Eggsy objected, nonetheless making a run to the exit. "We haven't got what we came for yet!"
"Galahad, you will retreat now, this is an order. Lancelot will meet you in the woods."
If not for the edge to Merlin's voice, Eggsy might have disobeyed. But whatever the quartermaster had discovered in the files and data of the main computer had shaken him to the core. The thought made the young agent run even faster.
The staircase was already in sight when a noise to his right caught Eggsy's attention and he skidded to a halt. It hadn't been the familiar clicking of a gun or boots against metal, but a weak cough followed by a deep and pained groan. Instead of rushing up the stairs, he slowly moved towards the source of the noise until he stood before an open door.
"Eggsy, what are you doing?" Merlin hissed.
"There's someone there."
"Yes, and that someone probably wants to cut your throat, so will you bloody hell get out of there?!"
Eggsy ignored the warning and entered the room. It was dark, the lightbulb on the ceiling smashed and failing to fully illuminate the chair and desk in the room. He swept the room and, finding nothing out of place, lowered his gun. Just then, a reflection of light in his peripheral vision caught his eye, but before he could react, a heavy weight crashed into him.
Eggsy was tackled to the floor. "What the -"
A fist connected with his chin and he tasted blood in his mouth. Remembering his training, he deflected two more hits and threw his attacker off with a kick to the stomach. To his surprise, the man was back on his feet in an instant and charging again. Eggsy reached for his gun, but realised it had slid across the floor as he'd hit the ground.
"Eggsy!"
"Not now, Merlin!"
Readying himself, Eggsy took on his fighting stance. Hands and feet it was then. His attacker did the same and for a moment they remained like that, watching and estimating each other.
The man was tall, older than Eggsy and looking quite wrecked. Blood covered his too thin body and matted his unkempt hair, and he was taking shallow, painful sounding breaths. His jaw and posture however were set, his stance sure and his hands completely still. The sight woke something familiar, like seeing the blurred reflection of a well-known face in a passing window. On the stranger's face, confusion and indecision battled for dominance until the familiar instinct of survival made his opponent's face darken. The man leaped forward.
They fought, Eggsy clearly gaining the upper hand. The man's agility and strength despite his obvious injury was amazing, however, and showed long experience seldom found in the burly guards they commonly encountered.
With more effort than he'd anticipated Eggsy finally managed to get a grip on the other man's throat and squeeze his airway shut with his arm. His opponent struggled against his grip and succeeded to kick his feed out under him, causing them to crush to the floor.
In one fluid motion, using the memento of the fall, the man bent his arms over his head to sling a damp rope around his neck. Without time to wonder where that had come from and unable to loosen it without letting go himself, Eggsy covered the man's mouth with his free hand to speed up the process.
They struggled, neither loosening his grip and holding on tight, but Eggsy could feel the trembling in the man's hands indicating his waning strength. Stars started to dance before his eyes. The sound of Merlin's breathing in his ear and his own blood rushing through his head in a desperate attempt to provide the brain with as much oxygen as possible deafened Eggsy's ears, drowning out every rational thought.
"Eggsy!" Roxy's voice penetrated the fog.
He blinked, confused, and let go of the man's throat who gone limp at hearing Roxy's voice. Immediately, the stranger stumbled back and they both coughed as they desperately tried to suck air back into their burning lungs. Roxy rushed over to him, gun ready and aimed.
She handed him back his weapon without taking her eyes off the haggard form curled up on the floor, facing away from them. "You alright?"
"Yeah..." Eggsy rasped, voice only a whisper.
Nodding towards the wall, Roxy added, "Who's this?"
"Dunno, came out of nowhere. Doesn't look like one of them though."
Hands griping her gun tightly and careful observing the stranger's every move, Roxy took a step towards the man. If he tried to run or charge again, he'd catch a bullet in the head faster than he could see, anyway.
Doubled over on the cold floor and face still turned away from them, the man began to cough again, this time spitting blood. His hands were now shaking badly, although whether it was from their fight or prior treatment, Eggsy couldn't tell. Judging from the state of the man's clothing and whole attire, he guessed he'd been in a pretty bad shape already.
He watched as Roxy approached the still coughing stranger. Whether to calm or render him harmless, Eggsy wasn't sure.
"Yes, just let me -" She said, extending her hand. It was then that the stranger turned his head and Roxy froze mid-gesture, eyes huge and quickly filling with tears. "Oh my god."
"Roxy?"
"Oh my god," she repeated, voice so small Eggsy's barely heard her. She covered her mouth, a sob escaping her nonetheless. "This can't be..." She shook her head, first slowly, then with more force, tears now freely streaming down her face. "But-" she said, her voice breaking and falling to her knees. "- you're dead."
The man looked at her, blood still covering his face and dripping down his chin. Something seemed to click then, and his eyes were flooded with life, remembrance changing his features into lines so soft and living, Eggsy felt the need to weep.
Roxy flung herself at him and clawed at his clothes like a long lost child, face buried in his shoulder. The man just smiled, and stroked her hair soothingly while she whispered the same words again and again. The name that left her lips made Eggsy's jaw drop and Merlin smash his coffee cup.
"You're dead...James...you're... god, James..."
The man smiled and closed his eyes. Finally, he had a name again, and there'd be nothing able to take it from him again.
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