Agent X, a secret operative working for SHADE, has just been given his breakthrough case. Even with the help of a super-coder, Hacker, and his superior, Sheaf, this mission will be the most challenging one X has ever taken up.
The task is simple: i...
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It was a very intricate tattoo, detailed and made with care and attention. At first, no one could really make out what it was supposed to be, but when X was turning here and there to see the tattoo clearly, his back suddenly turned at the right angle and it struck Hacker like a lightning bolt.
'A map! The tattoo's a map!' She exclaimed, pointing wildly. Everyone was startled and immediately craned their necks to see it carefully.
'Yeah, she's right! Look at it like this.' Sheaf replied excitedly, wringing his hands in X's direction.
Tasker nodded thoughtfully. 'That's what I was about to tell you guys before X announced it loudly. The question is, why did they do this? What is the purpose behind the complicated map? And why did they ever release Agent X?'
Hacker's eyes widened and she nodded vigorously. 'Yeah, I mean why would they release him after capturing and tor.. torturing him in the first place?'
Everyone noticed her slight stutter when she said torture, but nobody commented on it because honestly, it was a hard topic and no amount of preparation could make anyone ready to deal with it.
So Sheaf just cleared his throat and replied to her, 'I'm not really sure, and this is probably way off, but what if they were setting an example or something? Like, they wanted to show how deadly and fearless they are that they won't be caught and all?'
Tasker shook her head and pointed at a very bewildered Agent X. 'Or what if it's anything to do with that wild tattoo on his back? Maybe it's trying to lead us somewhere they want us to go.'
Before Hacker or Sheaf could reply, the doors opened again and X's previous team split out of it, pouring into the room in a decidedly quieter way than Sheaf and Hacker did. They wove through the maze of beds carefully, mindful of the numerous patients resting in various positions.
They surrounded X, standing at just the right distance for a mentally disturbed patient. X looked considerably more panicked when they made an appearance, Hacker noticed.
Ah, that's probably because he doesn't remember that the whole team got together to rescue him from that place. In his mind, he's been separated from them for a very, very long time.
They seemed to notice it as well because their expressions fell just a bit and they maintained an even greater distance from him. Tasker gesture for the team to follow her out as she already started walking towards the door. Hacker and Sheaf gently guided X to his bed and helped him into it.
They knew that X would have certainly protested to it if he was in a better state of mind, and probably wouldn't like to be mollycoddled, so they let him tuck himself into bed and settle down after a painful string of hisses and curses.
His eyelids were already starting to droop, so Hacker just gently patted his shoulder and murmured reassuring words to him till he fell asleep.
