Choose (A Choose Your Own Story Adventure)

19. The Gun

Mia quickly pulls out the gun. The force causes the box to fall to her feet. She kicks it away. Agent Santos goes ahead of her. Mia hears something fall out of the agent's pocket. She grabs it, placing the gun in front of her in case someone comes.

Someone comes running at her as she slips the object into her pocket. Mia squeezes her eyes shut as she pulls the trigger. She hears a grunt. She opens her eyes. A hook attached to a rope is lying limply on the floor. Mia looks to see that the rope is attached to her gun.

Great. It's a grappling gun.

It takes her a minute to figure out how to pull the rope back. She runs as she does this, not wanting to stay in one spot. Footsteps stomp loudly behind her. She looks around frantically. Agent Santos has disappeared. Mia is on her own.

Mia looks at the grappling gun then up at the ceiling. She looks behind her. There are at least three people chasing after her. One of them shoots a bullet. It skids past her, crashing into an exhibit. Mia almost trips in shock. Please don't die tonight, please don't die...

Not knowing what else to do, Mia shoots the hook towards the ceiling. Though it fails the first time, it latches onto something on her second attempt. She reels herself upward. She instinctively lifts her knees to her chest as she looks down. Mia is much higher up than she anticipated. The people stop and look up, their weapons aimed at her.

Without much thought, she drops herself and swings her feet with all of her might. She hits one of the criminals in the gut. They stumble backward, groaning in pain. Mia smiles. I did it!

Mia swings uncontrollably towards a wall. She extends her legs and pushes off of it with her feet. She crashes into the other two. Mia drops her feet on the ground, her head spinning. She unhooks her weapon and lets it reel back into the gun.

Agent Santos enters the room. She looks at the slumped figures and then at Mia. Her eyes shine with admiration. "Great work, Agent White. I think I got the rest. Do you know where the Manger brothers could be?"

Mia flips through all of the displays in her head. Then she remembers the two men she saw in the painting room. "I think I know where they are."

She leads Agent Santos to the exhibit. The agent flings the door open without much thought. Mia expected a plan first, but this works, too.

The two men Mia saw earlier are still in the room. They turn. They both look around for their friends, but only the agent and Mia are there.

"Put your hands up," Agent Santos demands. She points a gun towards the two men. Mia would do the same, but she doesn't have one. She crosses her arms, trying to look as intimidating as she can.

Mia expects the brothers to fight back, but they both raise their hands. Agent Santos slowly walks behind them and places their hands behind their backs. There's a click as the handcuffs lock against their wrists. Agent Santos comes back towards Mia.

"The police'll take it from here," she says. "Let's go."

They exit the museum. A happy feeling swells within Mia. She can't believe that she did that. She managed to take down three people on her own and learned how to use a grappling gun! She has never felt more accomplished.

They drive back to the agent household. Mia's excitement is worn away and is replaced with exhaustion. Agent Santos and Mia get out of the car. The agent stands next to Mia.

"Do you need to stay here for the night?" she asks.

Though it would be easier, Mia just wants to sleep in her own bed. It will be nice to have a little normal after her crazy, eventful evening.

Mia shakes her head. Agent Santos shoves her hand in her pocket. She pulls out her wallet and hands Mia a twenty.

"So you can get home," she explains.

Mia reluctantly takes it. She would promise to pay Agent Santos back, but she doesn't know if she'll ever see the agent again. That thought saddens her. Mia can't imagine never seeing her again after what they went through.

"It's been an honor working with you, Agent White." The agent smiles sheepishly. "Honestly, I had doubts about your credibility for a moment, but you really killed it back there. Here's my card—call me if you need anything."

Mia strokes the business card with her thumb. She looks up at Agent Santos and smiles. She actually thinks that Mia is an agent. Though she'll surely figure out the truth soon enough, the fact that she approved makes Mia feel amazing.

Agent Santos goes inside and Mia contacts a friend to pick her up. In minutes she's in her friend's car and driving home, bringing her back to ordinary life.

***

You yawn loudly. You had been engaged with the game all the way to this point, and now you're tired. You check your phone. You stare in shock. No wonder you're tired, it's midnight. When did that happen?

"It's great that you guys have a game that lasts so long," you comment. "People like having long games."

"You did participate for one day," Grace replies. You shrug. That is true.

You get out of the chair, engaged with your phone. You text your friend frantically to explain where you are. They assumably left to eat dinner and, if they are driving home, aren't that far from where you are.

The computer is trying to tell you something, but you're so tired that all you can focus on is getting in a warm car and going home. You close the door behind you and leave the building. You are right about your friend, they are only half an hour away and promise to turn around to pick you up. You sit on a bench, somehow managing to fall asleep while you wait.

Congratulations! You just got the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED ending! Go back to "1. Morning" in order to try again!

Ending: 16/19