Cloak and Dagger

chapter twenty-one

Though I was surrounded by a thick, grey haze, I was still able to make out the scenes that flashed before me. Crumbling buildings, bright flares, smears of blood, and dominating flames – all accompanied by the repetitive sounds of gun shots in the distance and the thundering blast of a bomb.

Everything wove seamlessly together in my mind, casting me as a helpless onlooker with no power to keep the events from unraveling.

It was like I was stuck in a dream – a nightmare – and unable to wake up.

But just like when I'd first arrived, when I finally found the strength to open my eyes, I was faced with the reality that it had not been a dream.

A dull pounding began behind my temples as I blinked, my surroundings fading into view. I was in the Grand Hall, but things were different than before. Instead of a space where agents were free to enjoy their down time with a meal and good company, it'd been completely transformed to resemble a large infirmary. Tables that had previously been used to eat at were now being used as makeshift beds for the injured, with blankets thrown across them to give a semblance of comfort. One food counter remained open, serving those who had the strength to move about, but otherwise, the ambience flooding the Grand Hall was a somber one.

It was a scene that made me wince, wondering what state the rest of the building was in. Because if memory served me right, we'd been somewhere well below the east wing – underneath the library, infirmary, labs, and study rooms – when the bomb had gone off.

And suddenly everything came rushing back to me, my headache growing larger as I made a move to sit up. I remembered the way the ground shook and the fear that shot through me as the stones began to fall, closing me in. But what worried me the most were the unknowns – the events I'd missed while I'd been out.

What had happened to the dagger? To the Gemini Clan? To my friends and the other S.I.C.O agents?

My heart was speeding up with worry when a nurse came rushing over, noticing that I was awake. "Here," she said, picking up a small amount of healing solution and a glass of water from a cart a few feet away. Handing them to me, she smiled encouragingly. "Drink these. They'll make you feel better."

With shaky hands, I reached for them, lifting the water to my lips first. "Thanks," I replied, the cold water soothing my parched throat. As I then took the healing solution, cringing at the unpleasant taste it left in my mouth, the nurse used the opportunity to look over me.

Still adorning the same clothes I'd worn in the fight, I knew that I looked a mess. There were tears in my pants and my shirt, revealing the bruising skin beneath, and in the aftermath of the events, I was covered in a mixture of dust, dirt, and – though I didn't want to think much about it – I was positive the dried patches of crimson alluded to blood lost. If it all belonged to me, I wasn't sure.

My appearance however, was the least of my worries. Besides the pounding inside my head, the muscles in my arm and legs were starting to cramp, having been completely worn out, and with each small move I made, my back screamed in agony. My entire body was protesting, and while I knew that the healing solution would eventually work its magic, I expected to have to suffer through the pain for at least another couple of hours.

When the nurse's eyes finally came back to meet my own, I did my best to conceal my misery. "Do you need anything else?"

Her tone suggested that she believed I was more hurt than I was letting on, but I held my tongue, shaking my head in response. She hovered at my side for a moment longer, but when I said nothing more, she turned to walk away, moving to check on other agents.

Letting out a slow breath, my shoulders sagged and I closed my eyes, wanting just one minute to try and replay everything I'd done, wondering if there'd been another option. A safer option. But there was no time, because as the groaning of wood beside me caught my attention, I turned my head to see that Catherine was occupying the makeshift bed beside mine.