10th of July 2022
Objective: No current objective
Agent Aurora location: St Peters Cemetery, New York, USA
It’s a rainy, hot day. But it doesn’t reflect the current atmosphere.
There’s a tradition in the WSC, that if a colleague is killed, we go greet his tomb, and receive some time off, to digest the loss…
That won’t be enough for some. Some, get scarred for the rest of their life, from losing loved ones. But scars heal, and certainly we, we must continue to fight, as we carry an unimaginable responsibility.
I think… I found my new primary target… No matter the cost, I will avenge you…
The younger generation gathered around Josef Jarid’s tomb, next to that of his parents.
Lenora was sobbing again over the gravestone. Abby comforted her.
Dawn was staring at it in eternal silence. She ignored the hot, sticky rain. Arnaud stood next to her, also being silent.
He tried subtly to grab Dawn’s hands, as an opportunity in this emotional moment, stretching his fingers to hers. But before they touched, Dawn lifted her arm and wiped her forehead. Arnaud looked down and abandoned his plan.
Is this what sadness feels like? I believe so. But why am I not crying? Dawn thought.
11th of July 2022
Agent Aurora location: WSC HQ, Appalachian region, USA
“I… believe it was sadness…” Dawn answered. Miss Po smiled. They were sitting in two couches, in a small room.
“It’s a sign you’re doing better. You recognized an emotion, and you know where it came from.”
Dawn nodded a bit. “It felt more intense last days… Now, it calmed down…”
“That’s normal… Intense emotions always calm down over time. Some deal with them faster than others. You are on the faster side.”
Miss Po wrote some things on her notepad. She looked back at her patient.
“Did you feel anything else, last days?”
“I felt… Anger… A need for revenge…” Miss po nodded in satisfaction. Dawn continued.
“I also, feel guilt… I, lost a teammate… I, had the choice…”
“You had the choice,” she heard in her head, but Dawn ignored it. Miss Po looked more confused now.
“What do you mean, you had the choice?”
Dawn was silently thinking for a moment, trying to remember. She looked back up. “I, gotta leave now…”
“But we’re not even halfway into the session!”
Dawn approached the exit door. “I’ll come another time. Good day…”
And she left miss Po in all confusion. Dawn started wandering around the HQ.
Two, white parts… Two, choices… What if I went up, instead of forward? Would Joe still be amidst us?
They show a solution, to the situation I’m in… Perhaps, not every situation has a solution with, collateral damage…
What would have happened? Would, Arnaud have died? Would I? Someone else? I’m ready to sacrifice myself, really…
I would have arrived in Cesario’s back. I, could have done something to change! Ugh, I think… I think I feel guilt…
“You thought to be untouchable, discreet?”
“I hope, to see you soon, another time…”
Dawn sighed. Stay wary…
The girl passed by the quarters. She got closer to the door, without opening it. She heard her friend sobbing. Her hand glided down the door, her eyes pointing down too.
You didn’t deserve this either Lea… I’m sorry I couldn’t save him…
“This requires, a punishment…”
Get out of my head… Dawn thought, but without too much anger. She moved on.
Those thoughts become intrusive… But I don’t feel too affected. I got over it already? Am I inhuman?
Ugh, I need some distraction. I doubt there’s gonna be a mission ready for us, or me…
Dawn arrived at the briefing room’s entrance. She stared at the door for a moment, then passed and entered the dark room.
No one was present, no lights were on. Only one flickering blue light caught Dawn’s attention. It came from the holographic projector, showing there was a data piece in it.
Dawn walked to the table. She searched for the button and activated the hologram. It showed a map, with a dot.
Where’s this? Dawn looked down and saw the little screen to control the projections. She zoomed in on the dot.
British Isles… What’s here? Dawn zoomed in more on the dot and clicked on it. It was indicating a little island to the north of Scotland.
Eilean Mhealasta, Mealista island… What’s on this island?
A picture of a base inside a coast cliff was revealed.
Is this, one of ours?
Dawn heard a door open up behind her and footsteps. She turned around quickly, but couldn’t deactivate the hologram.
“Agent Aurora…”
“General!”
“It’s been a little while indeed… Hearing from your surprise…” General Miller approached Dawn.
“I was still all over the Indonesian crisis. We managed to mobilize US aid to regain control.”
“Ah, that’s, good I guess…” Dawn replied, being a bit awkward. Miller was silent for a moment.
“My, condolences for your colleague… It’s a shame to lose competent people. It’s the risks of this job… Don’t you agree?”
Dawn nodded in silence. She then turned back to the hologram.
“Ehh, is this a new outpost of ours?” Dawn asked. Miller approached the hologram too.
“NWO installation… Our intelligence services suspect it to be Saitoro’s lair, but we aren’t sure completely.”
“Only one way to be sure I guess…”
“Yes, but for now we can’t do anything…” Miller sat in a chair around the table. Dawn frowned.
“Why not? We’re available for this! This is a prime opportunity!”
Miller shook his head. “You might, but your colleagues are still, under emotional shock. Too much of a shock to be completely devoted to an important mission.”
“We were trained for this! It will change their mind! I could understand Lenor— agent Opera being absent, considering she is the most shocked, but—”
“It is futile to insist, agent Aurora. The younger generation is not ready for a mission yet!”
“Then send only me! Or aren’t other teams available?” Miller’s eyes widened.
“A sole operator on such a mission is pure suicide! We won’t risk other losses! Operations like this take time to prepare. We can’t do it overnight! Why are you even insisting on going? We know practically nothing about that base as it was recently discovered, and we don’t even know if Saitoro is hiding there.”
Dawn stretched her arms a bit and looked up, then back down.
“You are being guided by vengeance, don’t you? Vengeance against Giovanni, vengeance against me! Vengeance against the NWO as a whole?” Saitoro said in Dawn’s head.
“I’m just in need of some distraction… HQ is, kinda becoming boring…”
“You have the authorization to go home in this, irregular situation. Like your colleague, agent Eiffel,” Miller explained. Dawn frowned.
He just, left? Without alerting m— us?
“I insist on the mission, General,” Dawn continued. Miller stood up and wandered a bit to the exit.
“Demand refused, operator. We won’t compromise other people’s lifes… Greetings!” And he left. Dawn sighed.
“Vengeance, revenge, reprisal for your friend! It’s all you can think about! It’s all you can feel!” Saitoro’s voice reappeared. Dawn sighed it away.
She turned to the hologram, to the control panel. Dawn connected her special phone to it.
“Downloading complete,” the hologram said. Dawn shut it down and left too.
I’ll do it myself…
“The choice is yours…” Ugh, shut up! Getting annoying, really!
Dawn passed by the quarters. She saw Lenora leave it with bags in her hands. Her eyes were quite red, but she had calmed down. Abby stood next to her too. The girls saw their friend arrive.
“Hey, Dawn. I’m, happy to still see you…” Lenora said in a damaged-throat tone. Dawn had a little smile, but it faded quickly.
“They put me in work-inability. I’m leaving, for a little while, back home…” She explained.
Dawn nodded while looking down, then making eye-contact again. She felt something.
“Take care, Lea…” Dawn modestly mumbled. Lenora snorted once and approached Dawn for a hug. She felt less stiffened than before.
Could this possibly be, empathy?
Lenora disappeared in the hall with Abby and Dawn waving at her. The two girls turned around and went in the opposite direction.
“Poor girl… I’m really worried about her…” Abby mumbled.
“She needs time… It will be fine, somewhere in the future…”
Abby shrugged. “You know, your ‘deal-with-it’ behaviour, sometimes, I don’t know if I should admire it, or be worried…”
“A question I ask myself every day, Abb…”
“Are those sessions with that psychologist helping? You haven’t told me about it yet…”
“Cause there’s not really anything I learn… It used to be help for my hallucinations, but last two sessions were only about emotions, emotional stuff…”
“Maybe not too bad either…”
Dawn grinned a bit. “Getting in touch with my emotions, she said… Trying to understand what all those chemicals inside me produce, and why. Should be an inborn human skill…”
“I suggest you continue the sessions. Understanding what you feel is very helpful…”
Dawn raised an eyebrow. “I feel like you’re insinuating something…”
Abby laughed a bit.
“Do you think they will, find another recruit?” Abby asked, changing subjects and sounding slightly worried.
Dawn shook her head. “Our team used to be four, after your incident… So we’re still four now. And finding a good operator is quite hard…”
“So you call Arnaud a good operator?” Abby asked with a grin.
Dawn shrugged too. “He did save my life. He has a certain skill, yes…”
“Aaaand… How do you see him, now, as a person? How are you feeling about him?”
Dawn’s eyes widened a bit.
You’re not being subtle. The emotions I resent are not yet clear to me… And if they were, they will stay for me, just me… Nothing personal Abb…
“I don’t see people, Abb, I just see living creatures playing their roles…” Abby rolled her eyes.
“And now a normal answer!”
Dawn was silent for a moment. Abby was waiting. “What do you expect me to answer?”
Abby shook her head. “No, but seriously. Now you two get quite along, and… Why not mo—”
“I have too much on my mind to care about such things Abb…”
“It’s time to think a bit about yourself, Dawn. I’m sure you’ll grow better out of it!”
Dawn stared in front of her, silently. She didn’t care what she heard. It all ricocheted off her.
“Did he tell you that he left?”
“He did, earlier, to Lea and me. He wanted to tell you too, but you were in your session…”
Dawn didn’t reply and just nodded.
“If you want to talk, or ask me things, anything, just go on. I’ll be there…”
“Oh well. Won’t see him in a while, because of the current, situation… He said he’ll stay home for a bit… Why do you ask?” Abby continued.
Dawn snapped out of her head. “Oh eh, for nothing…”
“What are you gonna do now?”
Should I, tell her? I don’t think she’ll like what I wanna do…
Dawn looked at her friend. “Probably, just going home too then…”
“Well, see you soon too then! I’m gonna train a bit. Bye!” Abby gave Dawn a quick hug and ran away. Dawn stood still. She turned around and ran the other way.
“You have the choice!” Saitoro echoed in her head.
I’ve taken my decision, yes…
“We can still help you. You just have to come to, me…”
“But don’t bring any teammates! It could end, tragically… You don’t want another friend’s blood on your hands, do you?” Cesario’s voice joined in.
Shut up! Shut all the fuck up!!! Leave my head! It gets annoying!
“We will, with our help, and your cooperation!”
Yes yes! All understood!
“But if you don’t come, then…” Dawn passed a corner and startled as she saw another silhouette. Her heartbeat went up exponentially, her combat mode activated, but she calmed herself down.
You’re just an illusion. An ugly illusion! Dawn searched in her pocket and found another pill. She took it and walked in the silhouettes way, making it step back from her.
Dawn arrived at her destination, the armoury. No one was present at the moment and Dawn sneaked inside.
My locker… Also, gonna need some extra stuff…
Dawn opened up the locker with her suit, weapons and other tools. She put it all in a bag she found on a table behind her.
She then ran to the other room where she grabbed a couple of magazines for her pistol.
Can’t forget the grapple belt… Might be my favourite gadget to work with… Dawn thought, walking to its respective storage box. She grabbed one from it and added the belt to her bag.
Ready to go… Now…
Dawn sneaked out of the armoury again and went towards the hangars. In hanger 2, a helicopter was standing in the left corner. Dawn ran to it. She opened the side-doors, dropped her bag on the backseats and went to the cockpit.
Fully loaded, anti-radar detection devices on, autopilot installed… Good.
Dawn activated the systems and transferred the coordinates from the NWO base.
“Itinerary calculated… Ready for take-off,” the systems replied. The hangar gates opened up, Dawn pulled the movement lever up. The helicopter started flying.
At that moment, Abby appeared in the hangar and saw the heli flying away.
“Dawn! You forgot your, stuff…” Abby lowered her arm and started thinking.
“Where are you going, Dawn?225Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Uw8rUsvTz
