With a loud thump sound, the bullet pierced through my left arm. I hissed in pain and instinctively put my hand on the injured one. Warm blood started dripping through my arm. The sleeve of my white shirt turned crimson. My team got nervous but stayed calm and kept their gun pointed at him.
"Zara and Noah, go check the rest of the building" I ordered. I paced toward him and sat on the couch that was placed a few feet away from the desk across the wall.
"You know you can't escape right?" I kept my tone calm while wrapping my arm with a handkerchief. This man, I think, is Kael. His posture, calmness, quick reflexes, and courage to be alone in a room prove that he is no less than Veyric.
"Kael, right?" I looked directly into his eyes and continued. "Your boss, Veyric, has been captured. Don't you wanna meet him?" I lied. We don't know where he is and I am hundred percent sure he knows it very well. I am just grabbing his attention so the team can neutralize him.
His expression didn't change at all. Nonchalant. While all his attention was on me, Evan shot his hand in which he was carrying the gun. The gun fell down and his defense failed. Evan and Talia rushed and bent him to the ground. They seized his weapons and pointed a gun directly at his head.
Perfect.
"Stop moving," Talia said while checking him for some other weapons, knives, or anything that could be helpful to him. "All clear".
"Why is there still the sound of guns and bullets out there?" I groaned while leaving the room. "Found something" I inquired, Noah and Zara when they came back. "No, there is nothing."
So my hunch was right, they were aware of our plan and moved everything from here. They must have thought they would defeat us, but they failed.
I opened the main door of the building and lit up a cigarette. My team walked behind me with Kael in handcuffs and blind folded. The firing has stopped maybe because they accepted their defeat as their leader was captured. Evan threw him in the backseat of the truck. He decides to drive, Talia is in the passenger seat, and Noah and Zara are in the backseat with Kael sitting between them.
"If you guys let this man go, I will kill you all," I reminded them again. "I'll be right behind you. Now move."
Just like that, they all drove away. I couldn't waste any time, so I too walked over to a car and drove behind them. The ride was smooth unexpectedly. A long night drive. I pulled down the window and let the cool air fall on my face. My arm was in pain so I needed immediate medical attention to make sure it didn't get infected.
We arrived at the assigned location where two helicopters were waiting for us. The others were already there before I arrived. Evan was leaning on the car and Talia was near the helicopters.
Noah was talking with the pilot while Zara seemed to be in charge of looking after Kael. They all looked at me when I got out of the car.
"Your orders, ma'am," Evan said and stood straight. "Evan, kael and I will take one helicopter. You three take the other one." I grabbed kael by his neck and paced toward the helicopter. "Let's move guys".
…
"Oh, you're finally here," the chief cried as I entered his office. Chief is 6 '5 feet tall, with a very rigid personality. Dark brown hairs that never grow, eyes match the hair color. He is in his late 40's but looks younger.
"Your arm… why didn't you go and get it checked first?"
"I'll do it in a while." My eyes half open with tiredness. I glanced around his office lazily, all the same. His office always has this light smell of papers and ink mixed with his cologne. He sat on his chair with pride and dignity. This man is reaching 50 and still has a scary aura around him. His presence is imitating everyone in the agency. The sunlight was breaking through the shades on his window. This mission took us the whole night.
"Now that Zara got the man in the room, we can start interrogating him. Please let me know whether you want me to do the investigation as well." Zara Ellin is best in interrogation and negotiation. She likes her part in the team and does it very well. It's not been long since she joined my team, before that I think, she was on some other team as she is experienced. She does her job like I want her to do, responsibly.
"Oh no, feel free to unwind. You have completed 90% of the job; I will handle the investigation phase." He stated that with a grin. "Okay, I'll go home and get some sleep," I responded, leaving the workplace. "Mira, any lead on Veyric?"
"No, chief—that's the reason Kael Varn is here. You are in charge of gathering information on Veyric right now. Goodbye..." I hurried out of his office.
Looking at my wound, I decided to head over to the medical center, situated south of the main building of our headquaters. 5 min walk and I was inside the center. The medicinal smell along with some cleaners irritated my nostrils. Faint antiseptic, maybe ozone from sterilization equipment was all over the place. The lightning everywhere inside the center was too bright. Low hum of HVAC, distant radio chatters and soft beep of biometric scanners was filling the air. The building was neat from floor to ceiling. Right in front of the entrance lies the reception. Two young girls were sitting in front of the computer entering some data.
Distant voices of nurses and doctors were audible. "Hey, I need some help here about my arm." I requested the blond young lady who was really focused on her work. She had freckles on her face, a small round face with black eyes. Her card says her name is Anna. "Oh hey, Miss Mira. How was your mission?" she beamed at my sight. "It went ok… but not me. I got shot so…" I replied as her eyes shifted towards my arm. "Oh, let's go." She guided me to a room. The room had four beds. Two beds sat left of the doorway and two to the right. There were cameras everywhere. There was no partition between the beds nor were there any curtains. It was an open space.
"Sit here. I'll ask the doctor." She pointed at the first bed on the right side. A small amount of sunlight was making its way into the room through the windows. The sun has started to rise.
"What's up, agent?" Dr. Serena walked in with a smile. She has been here longer than I do. She knows almost all the agents. Dr. is 5 '7 inches tall at least, with short brown hairs reaching her shoulders, tan skin. She has beautiful blue eyes. "As you can see." I responded. She grabbed gloves from the tray and put them on.
"A few agents came before you, some of them were badly injured and some were lightly" she started a small talk. "Yes, I got shot because of all the firing that injured them." She removed the handkerchief. "Oh boy… it's stuck to your wound. Luckily, the bleeding has stopped." She put some liquid on my arm to carefully remove the fabric. "You need some stitches for this." I nodded my head. "Lay down." I followed her command and she did her work. I only felt the anesthesia needle, nothing else.
"Ok, we are done" She removed her gloves and threw them in the dustbin and continued. "Stay here for a while, If you want to sleep because it's gonna take some time for our drip to finish."
"Ok, Dr. Thank you." I relaxed myself and closed my eyes.
I woke up when a nurse came to remove the iv. "Is it finished?" I asked in a sleepy voice rubbing my temples. "Yes and the dr. said not to wet the dressing. Also you can come by tomorrow or day after tomorrow for bandage changing.
"Ok" I replied. I picked up the prescription for medicine from reception and strolled over to my office and saw my crew waiting for me. Zara seems to have returned after putting him in a cell.
"You may all go home and relax." I saw Zara and noticed she might want to do the interrogation "don't be concerned; the investigation will be conducted by the chief." I placed my order and returned to my cabin.
My cabin is spacious, and I spent the majority of my time here. It's a great space, with my desk and working materials on one side and a large couch on the other. The navy blue couch is covered with a thin white blanket. It has a familiar scent that puts me at ease.
I removed my bloodstained shirt and changed into a t-shirt, a navy blue. I keep some spare clothes in my office in case of an emergency and they come in handy. I lay down and fell asleep in no time. I had been awake for two days and it's no surprise. Things were getting interesting and we got leads so burning midnight oil was all worth it.
...
"Mira, wake up... wake up..." I opened my eyes slowly just to see a tall man standing in front of me. Blond hair, tan skin... Caleb. He is the same age as me and he is overly friendly, which I really dislike. I don't know when I ever gave him a single hint that I want to be his friend. He is in charge of the hacking team. He is an excellent hacker and he is the one we go to if we want any information from anyone. Although, I got Evan who is really good in tech and hacking but something can only be done by his team as they have more access to certain areas than Evan.
"What is it?" I rubbed my eyes a little and removed the blanket. I sat straight while he stood there instead of explaining.
"They have started investigating Kael." He stood there excited and maybe he expects me to be excited. "So what do you want me to do? And more importantly how did you get in?" I got up and grabbed some water to drink from the dispenser available in my office. I control the fear in my heart and trembling of my hands. I always make sure to lock the doors whenever I sleep.
"For the first question, you caught him... so don't you want to be a part of the investigation?" he said in a calm tone. " And for the second, I knocked on the door first, you didn't respond. I checked the door was open… so I came in."
"I don't wanna be part of the interrogation but I would like to see the progress." I remained calm and collected like I always have been. Never letting the mask slip. No one can see me vulnerable. It was my fault not locking the door. I was so tired that I paid no attention and went to sleep.
"Let's go then" he cheered up and took the lead. I want to tell him that his presence is nauseous and he needs to learn some basic manners. Even if the door wasn't locked, he had no right to barge in.
We both walked to the underground cells. These cells are soundproof and air tight. A limited amount of air is supplied to the room that contains any prisoner. It helps to get the information out of them quickly. As the days pass by we decrease the amount of oxygen. The daily torture continues at its time and speed. The person inside these cells either die out of torture or give away information and die in less painful way.
Caleb unlocked the door to the cell. I stepped in and found the chief already asking him a question. The room has a mixed smell of rusty iron, dust and blood. The room has numbed many screams and it speaks for itself. Chief is pretty intimidating, and with all of the equipment at his disposal, he transforms into a beast. Kael was tied to a chair, his hands tied tightly to the armrest, his legs with the chair's legs. A belt holds his thighs firmly with the chair.
The chief was sitting in front of him and on his right side was a table. Different tools, like a knife, a twizzer, a shock gun, a screw driver and more were scattered on the table.
Kael got bruises all over his face, bleeding through his mouth, his shirt got torn by the knife and the wounds underneath were visible. The chief had a forcep in his hands and was ready to pluck the nail out of his finger. Brutal…
"Got something?" I questioned.
"Not yet," he said with a husky and dull voice.
"Let me know if he does," I ordered Caleb while leaving the cell. I took a peek around the room and returned to my office.
After retrieving the car keys, I went home. The ride home was quite peaceful. Spring is best for a reason. Beautiful flowers bloom everywhere. Birds, butterflies and animals seemed cheerful and I could hear them inside my car. It refreshed me.
After reaching the apartment, I parked my car and went towards the elevator. My apartment is on the 10th floor. It takes me a few min to reach as the elevator keeps stopping at different floors for people to get in and get out. My apartment building is a few miles away from my office and it's really spacious and clean. It had a beautiful interior and exterior. It is well designed.
I unlocked the door of my apartment by entering the pin after landing on my floor. An empty and dark house welcomed me warmly. I have gotten this weird habit of laughing and hugging myself after entering the house. I removed the shoes and walked towards the leaving room and threw myself on the couch... a big couch. I slept in no time.
---
I noticed my bag was on the floor and the TV was on as I can't sleep without similar noise, when I woke up. Usually, I would put on some cartoons from my childhood to put my brain at ease when I sleep. I slept for 7 hours and it was 6 in the evening. I checked my phone which I placed on the table... unexpected. Thank god no one missed me. I walked to my kitchen which is right across the living room where I slept. I drank a glass of water and sat on the couch again for some time.
Sunday... It's Sunday, that's why no one is missing me. I laughed in sarcasm.
"They say people who live alone for a long time go crazy" another laugh left my throat and I am unaware of it as well. I crave pizza... smoothie .. cake... food in general.
"Let's go on a date" I hopped towards my wardrobe. I have lots of black and blue jeans in different shades and tones, with tops of almost all kinds. The dresses I have are gifted or forced by my mother. She wants me to look like a girl so I can find a good man and get settled. Little does she know, I am not interested.
I grabbed a black wide leg jeans with a blue button down shirt and headed to the shower. I moved into the shower and kept my left arm away from the water. I took a quick shower, washed my hair and body. After 30 minutes, I came out of the shower, wrapped a towel around my body and dried my hair with another. I put on some moisturizer, blow dried my hair, made sure my bandage wasn't wet and wore the clothes.
I got ready around 7:30 pm. After grabbing my house keys, phone, and a gun, I went to the nearest restaurant. The apartment building is not only close to my office but also to the commercial area and many restaurants.
I entered the restaurant and it had the nicest interior. It was super cozy. I sat at the corner table by the window and a waiter took my order.
"A Mexican pizza and brownie for dessert. I want champagne as well." I placed the order and sat there in silence scrolling through my phone for the next 25 minutes. My pizza was served and I ate it in full delight and enjoyed every bite of it with some champagne. After the pizza they served the desert. I enjoyed my food while gazing outside the window from time to time. Silent and alone meals are the best things for me.
I eat alone, I sleep alone, I live alone that is how my life has turned out. The job is quite risky that I am doing, an FBI agent. I can have friends but they will be bothersome. Neither do I have time to waste nor do I trust people.
I never made friends, after that one wolf in sheep's cloth. After paying the bills, I left the restaurant and paced towards my home. As the restaurant was within walking distance, I didn't bring my car.
I don't know why but I always had this feeling that someone is watching me all the time. It doesn't matter if I am walking or driving my car. I walked a few meters when I heard a cry for help. It's a man crying and begging for help and mercy. I shouldn't walk over to them but I always end up interrupting them, an irritating habit.
I followed the sound and walked into an alley, there I ran into four men who were wearing black suits. From head to toe they were all black and they had this aura around them . An aura of being a criminal. I observed them from some distance for a while. They were kicking the guy who was crying out loud and asking them to get things done. The four men had an average height of at least 6 feet and they had tattoo's. I could see the gun on them.
They are not easy or local gangs. I know how well developed criminals behave and how easily they slip through everyone's fingers. I walked into their fighting session and interpreted them which obviously annoyed them but they looked more surprised and disturbed.
"Ma..." one of them was about to say something but the one next to him with tattoos on his neck hit his abdomen lightly as a signal to shut up.
What was he trying to say? It looked like he knew me but how? How can a criminal know me when I am well hidden and belong to the FBI special grade? The four men are now standing straight in front of me and the man behind them was fighting for his life on the ground.
Are they going to run or fight me on their way out? Maybe they are thinking of abducting me but it's not as easy as it seems. I know how to protect myself. I know that although they are all well built and bigger in size, I can easily knock them down with all the tricks up my sleeves.
They paced towards me which of course is taken as a signal of fighting so I also got my body in position and got myself ready to fight them. It wouldn't be easy but then who loves easy fights.
He signals one of the men. At first, I thought of fighting but then I decided to talk it out. Maybe I can get some lead on him and also my arm isn't in state to fight. "Hold on. Can I ask who you are? I want to be sure with what stuff I am putting myself in and what kind of consciousness I will face after getting involved with you."
All I wanted is some information as I am tired of fighting with males who have doubled my size. But unfortunately that's not what they want. "And why would you think we will tell you? Huh" the man spit the stick from his mouth and moved forward a little. The guy they were beating has passed out and I am not sure if he is alive.
I got this bad habit of getting myself involved with dudes like them. Whenever I see some fight or beating in a dark alley, my first thought is always about him, that maybe if I beat them or try to talk to them or in any other way I can get him right in front of me. Maybe they call him or maybe he himself is there beating someone up or observing from a distance like he did once. Maybe... maybe I will meet him anywhere in these dark alleys where it all started.
One of them moved fast towards me and tried to knock me down by a light punch that I dogged easily. The other man, a bit taller than the earlier one, came forward with another punch. I grabbed his fist with which he was trying to punch my face. I tilted my head to the side and looked at him "Really? This is all u got".
"No, they aren't allowed to use their force against you. Good night detective" A voice echoes from behind followed by a sharp pain of needle and that's all I remember before blacking out.