As I regained consciousness, Ricky and Holly leant over me in shock. "Are you okay, Flint?" They said at the same time. They were obviously waiting for me to return.
"Uh, um, yeah, I'm fine thanks." I struggled to lift my arm, but when I did, I saw that I was lying across the back seat of the car. Jolting up, I gazed out of the window to see a barren wasteland before me. A desert of dry rock. I crawled over and opened the door. The ground was dusty; an ugly shade of brown. What could possibly be here that's worth getting?
"You're next memory is here Flint." Ricky said. Well, I guess that answers that question.
"Yeah, but where?" Holly stepped out of the car, dusting herself off. "There is nothing anywhere!"
"I see something!" Ricky shouts.
"Where? Where?"
"Nevermind," he hangs his head in disappointment, "it was a cactus."
"Ricky, you blind bat!" She throws a rock at him.
"Technically they aren't blind!" he says, dodging it. It goes under the car, and lands with a clang.
"Wait! Did you hear that?" Slowly, I walked over to the car. I took a peek underneath : a metal trapdoor!
"Ricky! Start the car!"
"What? Why?"
"Just do it!" He opens the door, turns on the car, and budges it forward, to reveal the metal entrance I discovered. Like most of the environment, it's covered in dust and rocks. Brushing it off, bold yellow letters are revealed: 'F.B.I'
"Oh my..." Ricky covered his face with his hands, "an old F.B.I base...".
"Ok Flint: down there should be your next memory, likely having something to do with your involvement in the Bureau. Open this, make sure it's safe down there, then tell us when it is. We'll come down to get your body once you've touched the crystal."
"Roger that. I'll be back soon."
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The stairs creaked as I snuck down them. It was incredibly dark, save for a dim light at the bottom of these stairs. It seemed like I had been walking for years, but it had probably been about 60 seconds. What is it that I'm going to find down here, other than a memory? I want to know more about Rhys. Did he train me? Raise me? Who were my friends in the past? I'll find something that answers those questions. Maybe. I'm very unsure about all of this. But finally, I made my way to the bottom of the staircase. Only to be greeted by a throwing knife at my face.
The point of the blade almost went straight into my skull, yet my reflexes allowed me to catch it. I threw it back into the darkness. No contact was made with anything. But something emerged from the blackness. A figure. An armoured figure. They wear a dual-coloured mask, one side silver, the other side black. On their back was a katana, encased in a black sheath, and on their belt was a machete. They were foreboding. Intimidating. The type of person who would have weapons hidden everywhere and anywhere on their body. I was struck with fear just by being in their presence. And then they spoke, with a robotic voice:
"Hello, Flint. I glad we can finally meet."
"How..." I muttered, "How do you know my name?"
"Can't you see this on my arm? It's my job to hunt you, Flint." They showed off their arm: a Black Star symbol. "You don't know my name. You don't know anything. Just know me as Agent 97."
"Ok then, Agent 97. What do you want from me?"
"What I want? No. It's what the rest of the Five want. They want what's inside you. They want power. Power to destroy everything."
"Destroy everything? Who are 'The Five'?"
"Oh don't worry. You'll find out soon enough. Once I bring you to them!" They rushed at me, katana drawn. I blocked it with my metal arm guards, making them stagger backward. They stick their arm out in front of them and a bullet is fired. The only thing I can do is limbo. Standing back up, Agent 97 plants their knee directly into my stomach. Before I can gasp for breath, they slam their left heel onto my spine. I got floored so easily! How? "You aren't the only one with enhanced physical abilities!" They picked me up by the throat and slammed me into the wall. And again. And again. I'm like a ragdoll to them. "Now riddle me this, little man: What are you searching for down here?"
"Nothing that concerns you, you rat bastard!"
"Ouch. My pride."
"Like you have any!" they slammed against the wall again. With force.
"I'd prefer it if you didn't say that about me, Flint."
"Awww. Is the big bad mystery man sensitive to minor belittlement?" They pulled out their machete and pushed a button. The blade opened up and started to electrify. A taser-machete! It stabbed straight through my abdomen, blood spraying everywhere.
"I know that you're hiding something! And I will not rest until I find out! Even if I have to give you a slow, painful, merciless death to discover your secrets!" I can't see past their mask, but I know that they're filled with rage.
"I'll tell you if you tell me" I know that this won't work, but it's worth a shot.
"You really think that you're in a position to negotiate? Fine. I'll tell you."
"The Five are the five strongest members of Black Star. They want to destroy the world, throw it into chaos. From the chaos will emerge a New World Order. Humanity will rebuild itself, under the leadership of Black Star and The Five."
"What? That's insane! The chaos will push humanity to extinction! We need to fix what we already have!"
" Your words can do nothing to change my faith to the Five."
"Are you a member of this 'Five'?"
"Yes I am. But that is all I will reveal to you." They removed their blade from my body. "Now tell me what I want to know."
"You really should've left that in there." Grabbing their throat, I free myself from their grip and push them away. Then I struck them across the side of the head with my shin. They fell to the ground, but quickly sprung back up again. They rushed at me with the katana again. I jumped over it and grabbed the back of their head. Using their forward momentum, I threw them into the wall, with pure might. Another bullet was fired. But I caught it. They were as shocked as I was. I had an advantage now. I sprinted at them, and threw a fist at them. It went straight into their jaw, the impact highlighted by a horrible crunch.
"I don't have time to deal with you!" They sheathed their katana and started to walk away.
"Come back! You don't have to destroy the world!" I said, attempting to convince them, "This isn't the right thing to do!"
"It's not about what's right or wrong! It's about the evolution of humanity."
"It's wrong and you know it."
"I know where my allegiance lies!"
"I don't think that you do." They said nothing in response. They just kept walking.
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"Flint! Are you okay?" Holly and Ricky had come running down the stairs.
"We heard gunshots! And why is there blood everywhere?" Ricky asked, obviously concerned.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just had a little scrap with a certain Agent 97." They looked at me in stunned silence. Beads of sweat dripped down their foreheads.
"97?" Holly asked, "THE 97?"
"Yes. It was. Who is that, anyway?"
"They were an old F.B.I worker. A part of the secret 'Operation: Agent.' One of the longest running Operations in existence."
"So there were 96 agents before her? Are any of them in Black Star?"
"No. It's just her. And we have reason to suspect that Black Star is making more Agents."
"Was I-?"
"Yes." Holly interrupted, "You were, Agent 98." I can't believe it.
"What else do you know about Operation: Agent?"
"We're about to find out." Ricky points behind me, at a steel door. I walk over to it, and pull on the handle.
"It's locked." So I act quick. Mustering up power in my leg, I bust the door down. It flies across the room and crashes against the wall. In the center of the room is the crystal: the only source of light in the room. It must be a powerful memory, or at least have lots of significance for me.
The only other thing in the room is a bookshelf, with only one row filled. Ricky immediately bolted to it, and started to rifle through the texts. They all turned out to be files, all numbered and with white lettering. "What do those files say, Ricky?"
"They're about Operation: Agent..." He opened one of them, "It's a list of all the Agents..."
"How many were made?"
"It only goes up to 98..." What? I'm...
"You're the last Agent, Flint..." Holly said, finishing my thought. But then I spotted a different folder. A black one. With a star on it. I opened it up, and saw a new list of Agents. All the way up to 145. They all had different code names: Lion and Shadow were two that stood out to me, Agents 112 and 113 respectively.
"There are more Agents. Ones made by Black Star." I informed the other two.
"And they could still be making more! Grab your memory and hurry! Now!" Ricky cried with a sort of desperation, "They need to be stopped!" I grabbed a bit of loose paper from the floor and, using it as a makeshift glove, I took the memory from its pedestal and ran after Ricky and Holly. After I took the crystal, a high-pitched beep started coming out of the pedestal. "It's a timer!" Ricky shouted. A bomb? In an discontinued F.B.I base? I picked up Ricky, bridal carrying him, and asked Holly to jump on my back.
"What the hell, Flint! This isn't the time to be joking around!"
"I'm not joking! Get on!" She reluctantly clambered on. Taking a calming inhalation through my nose, I sprinted up the stairs and out of the hatch. It felt like light speed. I placed the two on the ground and leapt to close the hatch. "Get in the car!" We only have a few seconds before the timer hits zero. I throw Ricky and Holly in the back seat and jump in, start the car and fly away with panicked acceleration. I was fully braced for the full force of a large explosion. And it came.
"You ready for action, Flint?" I turned in shock at the mystery voice.
Agent Rhys?
ns 172.69.59.197da2
and then Add to home screen.