The Edge of Hope

Chapter Four: The Raptor Virus

As the sun continued to rise I was getting more and more worried that Agent Xavier would see my bruises. Even though my wrists were tied behind my back and my shirt covered my stomach and arm, Xavier always seemed to know when one of his Agents were hurt. I didn’t know how long I could hide it from him.

Silverbear walked in with the same two men as before, “Good to see you all awake. Have you spotted your Agent’s punishment yet? Maybe I wasn’t obvious enough.” Agent Xavier’s face turned to stone. He looked like he was ready to kill someone.

“I will on one condition.” Agent X said.

“And what would that be?” Silverbear asked.

“I will give you what you want after you let them go.” Agent X offered. Silverbear looked like he was considering the deal.

“Agreed. Free them.” Silverbear told his two men.

“NO! Agent X you can’t do this! You can’t tell them anything, please!” I shouted. The moment I was freed I punched the man who had freed me in the face. Kevin instantly followed my lead just like he has for the past four months.

“Both of you stop right now.” Agent X demanded. I had no intention of stopping. Instead I made a move for Silverbear. Before I could get close, he pulled a gun and fired. “No!” Agent X cried out. My shoulder suddenly burst with pain and I passed out.

When I woke up I wasn’t tied up to the chair. I tried to adjust my position, but when my shoulder flared with pain I stopped. My shoulder had been bandaged, but I could tell I had lost a lot of blood. I moved my head to look at my surroundings and discovered that I was in my room in headquarters.

“Good to see you awake. I thought they were too late.” Kevin spoke.

I turned my head to look at Kevin. “What happened? Where is Agent X?” I asked. I didn’t dare move because of my arm.

“You missed a lot they took Agent Xavier away like two days ago. He gave them what they wanted.” Kevin informed me.

“I have been out for TWO DAYS?!” I shouted.

“Like I said, I thought they were too late. No one really knew if you were going to make it.” Kevin said.

“As soon as I was hit Agent X talked right?”

“Yup.”

“Which made me become unimportant. They didn’t care if I lived or died.”

“That would be correct. They took Agent X away and they never returned. They left us there to die.”

“So you escaped and brought us back here?” I wondered.

“Yes. I spent a good amount of time trying to get the knots to come loose. Then I went and found a doctor who came and bandaged your wound. But without the proper equipment he couldn’t be sure if you would make it.” Kevin explained.

“Then what happened?”

“I went to headquarters and asked for Michael to come back with me to get you. I then brought you to your room where you have been since.”

“Why didn’t you take me to the hospital?”

“I panicked. I know that we have to make up names and a story for why we were there. I just didn’t have any good stories to use and I am a terrible liar. I am sorry for that.”

“Don’t apologize. You saved my life. You did what you thought was best under pressure and you did well. But we still have to find Agent Xavier. Any leads to where they went?” I told him.

“Not yet. However, I relooked at the clue Agent Xavier gave you and I think I figured out the last part. My Lucky Number has all capitalized first letters which says to me that it is the title of something. So I asked Carla and Allie to search for any missions or assignments by that name. And they found it.” Kevin explained.

“Can I see it?” I asked forcing myself to sit up despite the pain. Kevin handed a folder to me like he had been expecting me to ask for it. I opened it and began reading the mission report. A virus called the Raptor Virus was accidentally created by a coder who worked for the government. The Raptor Virus is strong enough to hack and destroy almost all things tech.

Agent Xavier had been given the task of getting the virus and putting it where no one could get their hands on it. Only Agent Xavier knew where the virus was hidden. Because the mission had gone South, Agent Xavier had taken it into his own hands to find the virus a safe spot. Which means that the guys who had captured Agent Xavier must be after the virus. And Agent Xavier agreed to show them where it was hidden.

Kevin watched me so closely as if he was worried I was going to do something rash. “I think the best course of action is for you to continue to find out all you can about who was involved in this and if it is the same people now. If we can get names maybe we can find a connection and get Agent Xavier back.” I commanded.

“Will do, but there is something that you should know.” Kevin hesitated.

“What?”

“The Raptor Virus has been released.”

My world stopped. Everything that has been happening came crashing down hard. I tried to gulp down air, but my lungs refused to work. Kevin was beside me in an instant.

“Crystal? Look at me. We will stop the virus and we will save Xavier. Okay. Everything is going to work out. We just have to keep working. I know this is a lot, but we still need you to lead us. As soon as you are better. The other Agents looked up to you long before you became boss. That is because you have done so many great things. You will find a way. You always do.” Kevin rubbed my back in slow circles. My breaths became more even and my panic attack started to subside. I had never had a panic attack this bad before. If Kevin wasn’t here to help me I would probably have been in trouble.

“Thanks Kevin. I am really glad you were here.”

“No worries boss. Now heal up because we have an Agent to find and a virus to stop.” Kevin smiled before getting up and leaving my room. I layed back down and fell asleep.