Bloodlust : The Start

Chapter 3 : Heads or tails.

Phoenix's POV :

"How the fuck do you know about that? Who else knows?" I ask him, my voice betraying my emotionless face. It was filled with anger and regret. Regret at losing the mission. My first loss in 5 years in the organisation. 

"Nix, you need to calm down. Then I'll tell you all about it." He placates me, leading me to the bed. He takes a seat besides me and once I calm down, he starts talking.

"Remember the time Cap came and called me for a secret mission?" I nod and he continues, "Turns out there were some very mysterious security breaches back at the headquarters. Some of the servers were hacked into and a lot of random information was stolen and then deleted. They wanted me to retrieve whatever data possible and while doing so, I encountered a particular piece of information that did not make sense to me back then. It was a mission report about an Agent X who had failed the mission and made a few slip ups. It was marked, warning to be given and a few other technical terms were mentioned which I couldn't decipher back then."

"When I heard about the higher ups wanting you, I happened to remember this piece of information and connected the dots. The dates, data on agent and the injuries all matched with the last mission you went on. That is how I made the deduction. And no one else knows about this, and I won't tell them unless you say so." Aiden answers slowly, not wanting to rile me up again. I back away, not fully satisfied with his answer but I knew he was telling the truth. Or parts of it. I would have grilled him more had I had more time but my time was running low. Literally.

I pick up my bag which was hidden under the table and open the door, leaving without bothering to respond to Aiden. Frankly, I was embarrassed. I  made sure I erased all traces of my failed mission but I was wrong.
I don't bother to pick up any weapons as I was sure to be frisked even before entering the HQ compound.

I hear heated voices arguing about something in the living room, but once I enter, everyone goes still and silent. Okay then.

"So, is the car here yet?" I ask Mark, avoiding the boy's questioning eyes. Dorian and Wilmer look confused and angry while Aiden looks concerned. Then there's Harry who's munching on popcorn just watching us all.

"When the hell did you get here, Harold?" I go over to him, casually flicking him on his forehead. He swats my hand away like it was a fly. Harold was the youngest guy in the house, but he was a force to be reckoned with. His brunette floppy locks of hair which framed his cute boyish face earned him the job of spying on our suspects through their female contacts. But his skills with the blade gave us an edge over other teams.

"I'm always on time when shit goes down, Nix. I don't want to miss our last goodbye." He smirks, earning him a smack on the head courtesy Dorian.

"Goodbye? You think you'd get rid of me that easy, do you? Mark my words Harold, I will be back and I will beat your ass." I joked. Kinda. Anyways, it's not like I had any hope of returning. He might as well have begun to recite my eulogy.

"The car is here." Cap announces walking into the kitchen thereby spoiling the peaceful environment. Harold snickers at the distasteful expression on my face. Everyone on my team knew of my hatred towards Mark. Hell, even Mark knew about it.

"Well, this is it then. See you guys on the other side." I joke. My words came out light but it only increased the heavy feeling inside. Aiden watches me like a hawk but I keep my face calm and collected.

Avoiding the others, I walk outside the kitchen and the house where a sleek black limousine was waiting for me. Riding to my last destination in style, I see.

I hear the others coming up behind me and quickly get in, not waiting to say goodbye. I couldn't do it. It would feel too symbolic. I see the look of confusion and hurt on Wilmer and Dorian's faces while Aiden had already turned to go inside. Harold was fascinated by a butterfly that was perched upon his shirt. Typical.

Mark approaches the car, as if to tell me something but just as her lifts his hand to knock on the window, I tell the driver to go, leaving him furious and gobsmacked.

Then I lean on the cool leather seats and drift off into a land where I was just a teenage girl figuring out the cause of her pimples and not how to kill for a living.

~~~~~~~~~

"Ma'am, we're here." I hear the driver tell me through the window of the limo. Rubbing off the sleep in my eyes, I look outside to see the familiar premises of the Headquarters which was situated in the army base of the region. I told you that they were backed by the government.

"Ahh yes. Home sweet home." I pretend to wipe a tear, picking up my bag and exiting the car. I nod to the driver, silently thanking him for bringing me to my final destination safe and sound. 

I had barely taken a step when two officers in uniform whisked me off to the building I just referred to as home.

"They will see you now, Ms. Benair." One of the officers inform me and lead me into an office room where I was met by the disapproving eyes of my executioners.

"Ms. Benair, I was hoping to have a chat with you." One of the Higher-up says, greeting me with a dangerous smile. He flicks his hand and the officers leave, closing the door behind them.

"Well, why didn't you say so? We could have arranged a lunch date or something." I retort back with an equally dangerous smile. I see his eyes twitch. Success.

"We could have if not for your mistake. A grave mistake that cost us a lot, A5. He's still out there and as long as he is, the President isn't safe. You're lucky the President was kind enough to give you another chance to redeem yourself. And trust me, this will be your LAST chance. I'll make sure of it myself." He bellows in my face, chest heaving up and down in anger. Guess that's what they say about fuelling a raging fire. DON'T DO IT.

"So you're not going to..." I make the motion of chopping my head off. I see a slight hint of amusement on one of their faces before it's gone.

This time, the higher-up standing next to the window and gazing outside turns to me with evident hatred on his face.

"Oh trust me, A5, if it were upto us, your head would be on a stake outside as an example of what not to do. But alas, the President still thinks you're the only one capable enough for this."

"And what if I don't want to take up this assignment?"

"Then you won't be in the agents list anymore." He looks me in the eye as he says this, the threat evident in his voice.

"You're spoiling me with too many choices here." I tell them, pretending to think. "Well, I need more time and resources than last time. We clearly underestimated the asshole. Give me those, and you'll have a dead gang leader at your doorstep. "

"Take as much as you need, but I need the job to be done, you hear me A5?"

"I got the memo, Sir." I tell him mockingly, picking up my duffel bag and taking my leave. I had just opened the door when a voice stopped me.

"It's either his head or yours. Always remember that."

I almost halt for a second with the sudden fear the overcame me. But I continued outside the door but not without one last comment.

"Thank you for the heads up, Sir".

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A/N :

Yeeeeeeehhhhhhh. How is Phoenix that punny even in scary situations? I could never. Please do color the star below if you liked what you read and also tell me why you liked it. That really really helps out a writer coming out of three years of the worst writers block.

Also, in these uncertain times, don't forget to stay safe and healthy, in mind and body. We are all in this together. Much love. ❤

Thank you for your time. xx