The Good Deed ~COMPLETE~

Chapter 36: Second Chances

'Brandy Page...Brandy Page...' That name...I had definitely heard that name before, but it was driving me crazy trying to figure out where I had heard it. As curious as I had become about this supposed FBI agent, I didn't really have the time or the will, to focus on her at that moment. Mark was ready to hunt Marcus down and carry out his mission. It seemed to me that death should be a last resort, but to Jacob, it always seemed to be the first course of action. Then again, Jacob had secrets that he wanted to keep quiet. What better way to keep someone quiet, than to have them killed?

I pleaded with my brother, “Don't do it man...please, don't kill Marcus.”

Mark turned to me, “I'm not going to kill him. I just wanna talk to him...I need answers Joe. I need to know where they've taken Mandy.”

I stood. “I'm coming with you.”

Mark shook his head. “No. I was given specific orders. I'm not to assist you with your mission and you can't assist me with mine.”

“Fine. I won't help you, but--”

“Joe!” Mark snapped. “I'm going alone. I've already jeopardized our lives just from talking to you. If Jacob finds out, I don't know what he'll do.” With that, Mark turned and walked away.

I watched my brother exit the auditorium. Sitting there, I couldn't help but feel sorry for myself. The overwhelming tasks that both my brother and I were being forced to do, and the fact that our women had been kidnapped was pure torture on my mentality. There were just too many unknowns to deal with; The woman that helped Mark; Some rouge FBI agent running loose in the building. Then there was Marcus; the FBI agent that was only pretending to be undercover, and that thing in the basement, IRIS. I had so many questions. Yet, every answer I managed to learn only lead my mind to more questions. The Operation was proving to be a complex puzzle that my tiny brain wasn't equipped to assemble.

December 11th 2005 11:00am

After about fifteen minutes of sitting alone and allowing my mind to race frantically, I decided to take action. I had been snooping around the building, hiding in the shadows and trying to keep quiet. I had the urge to do something; something uncharacteristic and crazy. Rather than hide my presence, I was going to announce it.

I traveled to the edges of the large room and proceeded to flip on every light switch. It felt good to finally be able to see without the use of the flash light. I exited the auditorium and began to turn all of the lights on in the hallways as well. I continued walking and flipping every switch I found, until I had found my way back to the elevator. The same elevator that Marcus had taken me to earlier...the one that went to the basement where IRIS was hidden away. I stood by the door, contemplating trying to get back down there; back down to the basement that wasn't supposed to exist. Suddenly, from within the shaft, the sound of the elevator car moving. I couldn't tell whether it was rising from the basement, or falling from the floor above me, but it was definitely on the move. 'Should I run and hide?' My first thought was a contradiction to my whole reason for being in that hallway. I wasn't there to run and hide any longer. I was there to make my presence known. I backed away from the elevator door and leaned against the opposite wall. I held the gun, pointed at the doors. But, then I thought, the gun wasn't the first thing I wanted to show. I quickly tucked it behind my back, in my pants. The first thing I wanted, whoever came out of that elevator to see, was my face; the face of a man that had no fear. Crossing my arms and acting bored, I tried to appear nonchalant. I was nervous as hell.

Though my nerves had my knees feeling like jelly, I stood my ground. As the elevator came to a stop, my heart began to pound harder. The anticipation was killing me. Who would I encounter?