"I love working at ARCHER and all, but it gets tiring sometimes," Emerald said from the kitchen to Storm 01 who was laying on the bed. She walked into the bedroom with a cup of water and handed one to him.
"One time we had to chase down some assholes down the sewers in the Underground. I got all dirty and beat up before we managed to get them... During the chase, a trap grenade went off right in my face, took out my partner," she narrated. "After the mission was over, I just sat there thinking; why don't I do something else with my life? I'm not being paid much to risk my life every day trying to catch some crazy bastard."
Storm 01 took a long gulp of the water. "How long have you been working in ARCHER?" He questioned.
"About eight years. Started when I was eighteen," she replied. "I just want a rest, maybe a vacation to the Medi forest. Have you seen that place? It's the only place that's warm in Winter Weir." She smiled.
"Why are you still here then? You said the thought started a month ago."
"I don't know. I feel like I'd be letting a lot of people down if I stop working at ARCHER." Emerald buried her face in her palms.
The sound of glass shattering made her jolt up quickly. She quickly took out a gun and started towards the door. "Stay here," she ordered.
"Sure." He dropped the cup on the nightstand and sat up, keeping his eyes on the door. Storm 01 remained quiet as he paid attention to Emerald's footsteps. The footsteps stopped and a thud followed.
He quickly stood up from the bed and headed the same way Emerald went to the second part of the room. Storm 01 stopped as he reached the door. "Emerald?" He called out but no reply. The Storm agent looked around the room and picked up a mop from the ground. He used his leg and break the head off. "Emerald, I'm coming out," he said out loud before taking some steps backward.
Storm 01 held his head and groaned as he felt a slight ache. "Not now." He swallowed the pain down and tightened his grip on the stick. He swiftly charged towards the door. As he reached close enough, he went down and slide through the door. He quickly turned and faced the door. One of the same masked assailants that attacked Chief and Miss Havishma was standing near the door with a chain wrapped around his left hand.
"Who are you?"
"Your doom." The man charged forward. He threw a left jab at Storm 01 who managed to dodge the attack. Storm 01's vision was still blurry and he wasn't moving as fast as he used to.
The man launched an uppercut that meet Storm 01's jaw. He staggered backward and the man stepped forward again, smashing the agent's face with the side of his hand. "You are weak, haha!" He laughed wickedly.
The man pinned Storm 01 to a wall and rocked his face with his fist. Storm 01 fell to the ground and coughed out blood. His eyes were shutting and he could barely move his body.
"Come on guys, I got him!" The man yelled to his companions outside the house.
Storm 01 outstretched his hand and managed to reach the mop stick. He dragged himself up and drive the stick into the man's thigh. The assailant yelled and pushed for a right hook but Storm 01 hits the man's hand away.
Storm 01 used the wall behind him to propel himself as he leaped over the man. Now behind, he sweep the man off his feet and sat on top of him. The man grabbed Storm 01 by the neck and turned it over, now pinning the agent to the ground. He raised his left fist and brought it back down with a thunderous punch that lands on Storm 01's face.
He was going for another but the dark-haired boy grabbed the hand and punched the man in his face with sparks of electricity flying all around.
Storm 01 grinned through his bloody mouth as he realized his powers were still there. He kicked the man off and got up on his feet. Storm 01 pulled some part of the chain and wrapped it around the assailant's neck, choking him.
The other assailant entered the room. They all stopped in their tracks as they saw Storm 01 holding the chain around their partner's neck. "One more step and I'll snap his neck," he threatened.
The men put the gun on the ground and raised their hands up. "Goodnight."
Storm 01 felt a cold piercing pain in the back of his neck and then everything went pitch black.
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*DEPARTMENT H*
Ishary rushed into the room where the captured assailant was kept with Ace and some Electro agents. She quickly knelt beside him to check his pulse. The man's skin had completely turned pale, his face around his jaw region has shrunk in and his eyes were covered in blood.
"He is dead," she stated out loud. She turned the man's body and pressed the back of her palm on his neck. "It was done not long ago."
"Can you still save him?" Ace questioned.
"No. The killer used the syrup we use to detain Storm 01 when his powers overload," Ishary explained.
Miss Havishma rushed into the room. She looked down at the body and her jaw tightened in rage. "Ace, stop every ship from leaving this place!" Havishma ordered. "What are you waiting for? Go now!" She barked.
Ace nodded and stormed out of the room quickly. "Aix, lock every door on this ship. No one leaves wherever they are." The alarm went off and the door to the room Miss Havishma was in shut closed. Miss Havishma take out a card from her pocket and toss it over to Ishary. "Get to the lab, and check if the other syrups are present. Use that to override Aix and get through the doors. Now"
Miss Havishma used a different card and walk out of the room. She headed to the control room quickly. The agents in the control room were all passed out on the ground, having the same features as the assailant.
Miss Havishma cussed before sitting on a chair. She rapidly typed into a computer and surprisingly, the recordings weren't altered. She clicked on the video and watched as a hooded figure walked into the control room. The person exit the room moments later and continued forward. Miss Havishma switched to a different camera. The figure approached the room the assailant was kept in.
The person took out a dagger and smashed the passcode screen before sticking a drive from their pocket into an opening. After a few seconds, the door opened.
Miss Havishma puts on a headphone and tunes on the volume.
"Did Xin send you?… I swear, I haven't told them anything. We can both get out of here alive."
The intruder pulled out a syringe and stepped closer to the cuffed man who was begging for his life.
Meanwhile, Ishary unlocked the lab with the card and quickly stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. Ishary's hands were trembling. After seeing the body, she's been having some weird thoughts that she tried to shake off but couldn't. She pulled open a drawer. Instead of finding the stash of syrup Miss Havishma asked her to check, the drawer was empty. "No," she whispered to herself.
Ishary turned to the squeaking noise that came from behind. Her fear immediately vanished and her face turned cold. "Asuncion," she mumbled.
Asuncion finished wrapping her nails with some bandages and raised her head to look at Ishary. "You are here. What's happening out there?"
Ishary narrowed her eyes at Asuncion. "I know what you did," she uttered.
"What?"
"I know you killed the captive. You used the syrup that was supposed to be used on Storm 01 to temporarily neutralize his powers. I know it was you, Asuncion."
Asuncion unzipped her bag and take out a right-hand glove. "I wasn't hiding it, Ishary." She slowly put the glove on and turned to Ishary taking a few steps closer.
"What are you going to do with all the syrups you took? They are not…"
"I know exactly what they do. And I know what I want to use them for," Asuncion chipped.
Ishary shifted her eyes to the door that was just a few feet to her left. She pulled out a gun and shoot at Asuncion who effortlessly dodges the shot. She leaped over a table and chased after Ishary.
Ishary raced for the door in a panic. She outstretched her hand with the card to unlock the door but Asuncion grabbed her collar and pulled her back. She threw a left hook that catch Ishary in the jaw.
Ishary fell to the ground. She dragged herself with her back to the door as Asuncion towered over her. "P-please-please Asuncion… don't do this…"
Asuncion knelt over Ishary and choked her with her right hand. Ishary gaggled as she struggled to unhand herself. A cold wave hits her from the position the glove was on and in a few seconds, it spread all over her body, causing her to shudder. Asuncion let go of Ishary as she noticed she wasn't moving anymore. She picked up the card and unlocked the door.
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Miss Havishma rushed to the exit station where she had Ace guard with Electro 28. "Where is she?" She queried immediately as she reached close to him. After watching the recordings in the control room and seeing what happened to Ishary at the lab, she immediately knew who did it all and what they were after.
"What?"
"The Blue agent that came this way. Where is she?" Havishma asked again.
"She just flew out a few minutes ago."
"You let her leave?" The electro trooper behind Miss Havishma yelled. Miss Havishma buried her face in her hand and groaned loudly.
"She had your security card, and she claimed you sent her to head over to Storm 01. And don't you yell at me, boy."
Miss Havishma took a deep breath. "Alert the airport and ARCHER, I want everywhere in Zoda and Underground to be searched. Have the White squad track the ship number code," Miss Havishma said while walking up to a one-person spaceship. Miss Havishma stopped and turned to Electro 28. "Send Storm 05 down to Winter Weir."
…
ns 15.158.61.21da2
