Newly recruited Agent Scarlett Pierce was a determined woman - just waiting for the chance to take on her first true mission. She had worked alongside sexist men for almost a year now, wanting only to be considered an equal.
And as America turns up...
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THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN talking to Scarlett left the room in a fit of anger, slamming the thick metal door behind him. The light hanging above the brunette now swung back and forth, making her dizzier than she had been before.
Scarlett tried her best to assess her current injuries. She had a concussion, she knew that for sure. Her worsening headache, the dizziness, sensitivity to light. The Agent wondered for a second if they would let her rest in a bed to let her head heal — not tied up in a damn chair, but the answer would be a straight no.
The door opened with a loud creak, and multiple pairs of footsteps thudded across the floor. If not for the darkness surrounding her, the woman would have been able to see them.
They stepped into the light, revealing themselves to her. Scarlett blinked, looking at the three of them. The members wore masks over their faces, dressed in entirely black attire. The smallest out of the three carried a bin in their hands, which she guessed had weapons to hurt her with in it. They dropped the bin on the floor, landing with a loud thud. She flinched.
The smaller of the members kneeled down on the floor, beginning to unpack the contents of the bin. Scarlett stared. A small wrench, thick rope, gasoline, pliers, belts with spiked buckles, and a selection of very sharp knives. The woman gulped, her mouth dry.
"I think you know what these are for," the tallest member spoke, crossing their arms over their chest. Their voice was feminine, which shocked the Agent. Women were accepted into Anonymous? "Are you ready to speak now?"
"No."
She grabbed the pliers hastily, advancing towards Scarlett, who struggled against her restraints. Losing some of her teeth was not in the original plan.
"Wait!" Scarlett cried out, her wrists and ankles burning in pain. "Wait. Please."
"Are you willing to talk?"
"Just listen to me," the woman demanded. "You— you can't hurt me." In response, the taller woman punched her square in the jaw. Her vision blurred, the headache now pounding in her head. Fuck. "Shit. Okay. I get it, I get it. But if you take any teeth out of my mouth, or decide to waterboard me, just know that you won't get anything from me. I know that every single one of you needs me. I have information that you don't."
The members all exchanged glances at each other, as if to say: what do we do now?
Scarlett continued, "You can torture me all you want. Torture me to death, even. Either way, you won't get what you need. If you want an answer, bring me to your boss."
"We don't have a boss," one of them piped up. "You should know that."
The woman smiled. "You know who I'm talking about."
Scarlett could only hope that their "boss" was the man from earlier.
•••
THE THREE MASKED PEOPLE UNTIED Scarlett from her restraints in a rush, and escorted her through a long dark hallway that extended from the room she had been kept in. The brunette wanted to remember this route, knowing it might be helpful later. But the throbbing pain coming from her wrists, ankles and head were all a major distraction — her vision making it much worse.
Another door was opened, and the woman was thrown on the floor carelessly. She grunted, putting her hands on her head.
"What is this for?" A deep voice asked.
Her eyes opened in surprise, a small smile forming on her lips. The worry that settled deep in her chest disappeared. It was the guy from earlier — she had been correct!
"She requested to talk to you," the female member spoke, cracking her knuckles. "Refused to say a word otherwise."
"Leave," he commanded. "I'll deal with her on my own." The three members scrambled out, shutting the door behind them.
After a minute of silence, he spoke up. "You're smarter than I realized."
Scarlett got herself up in a sitting position, leaning her back against the nearest wall. "I'm a federal agent of course I'm—"
"Not what I meant," he interrupted, leaning back in his chair.
"Then what did you mean?"
"You convinced them to let you go. Unhurt."
"I have a concussion," she told him, a frown on her lips. The masked man didn't even seem to care.
"I was watching, you know," he informed her. "We have cameras installed in almost every room here. I only wanted the truth from you, and somehow you got them to believe you have some sort of secret in your pocket. You play an excellent actress."
"I'm not an actress."
Scarlett had once considered going into acting. It seemed exciting at the time, a chance at becoming famous and being known worldwide. But after joining her schools drama club, she realized that acting didn't come naturally to her.
Which meant: a lot of people criticized her for being a beginner when it really didn't matter. It's a club for a reason, it's not exclusive.
"Well, you played the I don't care about my life role pretty well in my opinion. So, tell me Scarlett, are you withholding important information, or no? Don't lie, either. You know the consequence."
The consequence? Going back into that room again. Except this time, they wouldn't hold back.
"I don't have a secret," she admitted, not knowing if it was the whole truth. Kaden and William were still out there — searching for her hopefully. They were aware that she brought two other people with her to complete this mission, but did they know who? "I'm not withholding information from you. I know how my boss likes his coffee, and maybe some things about the government that you know already."
UFOs. The existence of aliens. Controlling American citizens through the use of their cellphone devices. Celebrities performing secret rituals to gain youth. Witchcraft. Your astral form. The Law of Attraction. But he knew this already. Who didn't?
"And is that the entire truth?"
"I'm— I'm not sure."
He stood up, making his way to the door. "Stay here while I'm gone."
"Where are you going?"
"To get you some ice and a pillow. You have a concussion, after all."
Asshole.
NOTE I will be editing this chapter for sure because I wrote it in a bit of a rush. By the way, thank you for 900 reads! We're so close to 1000.
