The Mission of the Heart Ch. 04

I tried to block her voice. But I couldn't.

"The-the one th-that tried to protect me..." her voice became distant, I could hear her crying. A man with a black suit, which I suspected to be a guard, walked my way.

"She's dead because o-of m-me," her voice was barely audible, but somehow, I heard it.

"What's going on out here?" the guard's booming voice asked. "People are trying to sleep!"

I opened my room, but stopped to look at Charlie, her body leaning to a wall, her forehead pressed against it. She was sobbing. Part of me wanted to rush over to her, kiss her, and hug her without end.

I put my hand over my heart.

"That woman over there is drunk," I told the guard. "Please assist her, I don't want anyone taking advantage of her." Then, I slowly went into my room.

Then again, the other part of me knew better.

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It was 1:30 am, but I was already suited up around 12:45 am. During the time gap, I sat on the bed, looking at my gun. My thoughts were anything, but on the mission. To be specific, I was thinking about Charlie once again.

"It's time to go to work, Pamela, "I muttered to myself. Sighing, I got my phone out, and put my hacking skills to the test. I made sure the cameras malfunctioned, and the power system was "broke." But only for five minutes. Before I did anything, I got my bag which was full of my previous clothing, and threw it out from the window.

I went to the door, and listened. No one was walking in the hallways. I let out a long ragged breath, and pushed the "confirmed" button in my cell. The powers went out, and I flipped my night goggles on.

Swiftly, I opened the door, closing it quietly behind me as I sprinted quietly like a cat to the stairway. I could hear the people in the rooms walking around. Panting, I sprinted up of the stairs, going to the 41st floor, which was where Mr. Burns' room was located.

Then, I heard a door slammed open, and I stopped when I saw beams of light running along the walls. Grunting silently, I jumped over the stair's rails, flipped my body around and grabbed the edge of a stair, my body dangling. Good to have my muscles back, I thought to myself.

"Anyone find out why the fucking power went out?" a man's voice said from above, as more footsteps becoming nearer and nearer to me.

"No, sir, but I'm sure it's just a glitch in the system."

"Well, whatever it is," the man said, his voice directly above me, "we have to make sure it gets fixed ASAP, otherwise there'll be a lot of rich folks tailing our asses."

Multiple footsteps scurried in front of me, as I held my breath, my fingers gripping the edge of the stair. Quickly, I pulled myself up, feeling my muscles in my body tighten. I continued sprinting up the stairs, as Father Time ticks the night away.

Finally, I was on the 41st floor. I leaned against a wall, looking to see if there were people in the hallways, letting my heart still to hear better. I tip-toed silently to his room, my hand on my silenced gun, my eyes glaring through the goggles. And there, I was in front of his door.

Easily, I opened the door (all the doors were opened since the power is out) and I made way to Mr. Burns' bed. The power should be on in around fifteen seconds.

Perfect.

I've never rented a suite for myself since it brings attention. People will assume you're rich, you're famous etc. A regular room is good enough for me. But Mr. Burns' room takes fancy to another level. It's more spacious and heavy decorated than any of the rooms here.

I went to his bedroom, and saw a peaceful, sleeping Mr. Burns on the bed. I pulled out my gun, but then stopped as I remembered what Mr. Burns said to me.

Peace and quiet death, I thought to myself. Is there such thing?

Either way, I have the gun on my hand, slowly pointing it straight to his temple. Can't be more peaceful than this, I thought to myself and pulled the trigger.

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After putting the same gun that killed him in his hand, I sat on the armchair, getting my other gun out. Feeling comfortable, I let out one ragged breath, which didn't really help since I still had my mask on.

"Welcome back, Seventy-six," I muttered to myself, staring at the gun. I should really get going, I thought. Room service will be here in five hours, and an unfortunate maid will find his dead body in his bedroom. Sighing, I stood up, holstered my gun back, and went to the window, slowly opening it.

Then, I heard an explosion and the electricity went off.

The building rumbled, vibration on the floor I was stepping on. I whipped my head around and tried to make sense of it all. What the-?

My phone started vibrating in my pocket, and I hurriedly answered it, "Hello?"

"Pamela! It's Carrie, something happened-"

Another explosion, I can hear people screaming outside the door.

"Listen to me carefully! You have to go to room 1258 there are other agents there-"

"What the fuck is going on!?"

"Help them in anyway poss-"

"I don't give a fuck! This isn't my fight!"

"Help them and I'll give you the recent city Marco was seen in!"

My world crumbled.

Marco. Marco, Marco, Marco...

"That," I hissed angrily, "is a solemn promise that I will dearly hold against you if broken."

"Mr. Burns!" a guard yelled outside, banging on the door. "We have to get out! Mr. Burns!" The door swung open, beams of flashlight roamed the room. And I was out in the open, and better yet, I was visible.

"Freeze!"

Bullets went flying everywhere, as I automatically crouched down. I turned off my phone, putting it in its righteous place. Room 1258? That's only two floors down, if my memory is correct. I hear more guards coming in, their heavy feet rumbled through my ears. I let my eyes wander through the night goggles, trying to come up with a plan.

And it landed on the armchair, and I happened to have my grappling rope and hooks with me. But the hooks were no where to be found. I went over to the armchair, and tied the rope around one of it's legs.

What have you gotten yourself into this time, I screamed to myself in my head. Grunting, I stood up, and sprinted to the window.

"Move, move, move!" the man bellowed to the guards as he shots multiple bullets in my direction.

Panting, I pulled out my gun, fired at the window, and let myself crash into it. Seconds later, I was airborne in the air, my arms crossed on the chest. Let this work, I thought to myself, feeling the cold night throughout my body.

Then, I began to fall, feeling myself being swung over. Before I know it, my body crashed into another window, sending me in another room. Groaning, I was flat down on my stomach, extremely disoriented. Breathing heavily, I crawled myself to get away from the window, only to find out I was being dragged down again. Fuck, the chair must've fallen down!

My hands tried to grab on to anything, including the carpeted floor, but it was no use. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I muttered in panic, as I was nearing by the edge. I desperately tried to feel for my knife, but the rope around me was tight around my waist, and I was going down fast.

My heart was beating fast, my ears ringing. It feels like my body was ready to burst. I feel my legs beginning to dangle over the edge as my upper torso tried its best to hold its ground.

Then, a couple of hands grabbed my arms, pulling me back into the room. With a soft click, one hand cut the rope from my waist with a knife. Shaking, I looked up, and saw two...agents?

They had similar gear like me, with their night goggles over their eyes. Slowly, I began to stand up as each of them grabbed my arm, assisting me.

"Agent Seventy-six?" a feminine voice asked. "Are you Agent Seventy-six?"

"Yes," I answered as I got out from their grips. "I'm Agent Seventy-six."

"It's good to finally meet you, ma'am," an excited masculine voice said. "I've heard so-"

"We have a situation, Seventy-six," the female interrupted. "We needed to extract a person of interest that may be an asset to the Agency."

I silently groaned. Why was this happening to me, I thought to myself.

"And where is this person?" I asked as I crouched down to retrieve my gun.

"In the next room," the man interjected. "Come on, we have to move fast!"

Grunting, we sprinted to the next room, our guns pointed and ready. We didn't run into any trouble in the hallway, but there were more bombings, and screaming from levels below. Dusts were flying everywhere, the walls trembling.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" I whispered as we stopped near a door. Room 1258, I thought to myself as I saw the room number.

"We'll explain later," the female said, opening the door, letting her and her partner slip in.

Gritting my teeth, I followed them after letting my eyes wander around the hallways once more.

"It's okay," I heard the male agent whisper as I scanned the room. "Everything will be okay."

The fuck it is, I thought to myself, letting my hand rest by my side. Alright, Pamela, let's just get this all straightened out. Get this whatever-person out of here, take them where they need to go, and you'll be finished. Easy as that.

But these agents must be amateurs. The way they move, and the fact that there are two of them to do this single mission screams amateurs.

"What am I," I muttered angrily under my breath, "their babysitter?"

Then, I heard something faint coming nearer the hotel something...whirling. I went to the window, and looked up.

"Helicopter," I breathed as I saw the single helicopter flying higher to the top of the hotel.

"Do we have an extraction plan?"

"That is our extraction," the male agent replied, looking up. "Our mission was interrupted by an unknown professional group of people. I say professional because somehow, they knew what we were coming for."

"And what exactly are you guys doing here?"

"Extraction of one particular individual," the female agent said bluntly. "It was suppose to be an easy, get-them-and-go mission. We were contacted only four hours ago from the Agency, claiming that an emergency has come up, assigned us to get this person of interest, and to relocate them."

"Where?"

"Somewhere in the wilds of Canada."

"Huh," I said, nodding to her. "I see..."

"I'm sorry about this, Seventy-six," the female agent suddenly said. "It's just...we never thought we would run into problems like this. Everything was going smoothly, until we heard the bombings and gun fires. We panicked and called for back up-"

"Do you have a clue on who these people are?" I asked, not bothering to look at her since my eyes were glued to the window. "These...'professionals' that decided to go Rambo in a very public building?"

"No," she answered, "and we have an idea on why. We're just starting out, ma'am. And this is only our third mission so far."

I turned my head, putting my night goggles up. I blinked a couple of times, and was relieved that my contact fell out. I hated that thing.

"The other agent, is he your partner?"

"Yes."

"That's odd," I muttered as I reloaded my gun. "I never had a partner before, even when I was just a starter."

"Then you're just too good, ma'am," she replied, a hint of amusement in her voice. "The individual in the bedroom is asking questions, and I don't know what I should reveal."

"Don't tell them anything," I shrugged. "It's not our job or do we have the position to tell them the details."

"We didn't tell them anything," she agreed, "but they're getting on my nerves. I had to come out here to get a bit of air."

I chuckled, and still had my eyes glued onto the window. It started to snow; little bits of heavenly white flurries fluttering around and about. Then, a loud explosion. The floor under our feet rattled. It sounded like the explosion occurred in the next room. Simultaneously, a helicopter swooshed by the window beside us, and I had only a few seconds to react.

"We have to go!" the male agent in the next room yelled. "I'll grab the person, you guys get ready!" Papers and such flew around as the overwhelming wind took over the room. I looked over to the side and realized that the wall was gone, and was replaced by a helicopter that was piloted by the male agent, airborne and waiting for us to get on. The other male agent carried a person over his shoulder, a bag was over their head, while the female agent signaled us to be beside the door.

"We have to jump!" the female agent replied, her hand on the door. "I'll go first!" With that, she sprinted with all her might, and jumped, soaring through the sky with the small body she has.

"Move in! Move in!" the voices outside the door yelled, sending another increase of heartbeats my heart can take. Can this night ever end, I thought to myself.

"Seventy-six!" the female agent yelled, getting her gun out. "We need to go, now!"

I whipped my head to the male agent, feeling the blood in my body boiling from the overwhelming adrenaline rushing through me. Large bumps and clashes crashed through my ear, when I finally realized that the guards outside are trying to crash their way in.

"Can you do it!?" I yelled over the noise. "Can you jump with that much of weight on you!?"

"You underestimate me, ma'am," he replied, crouching, and ready to sprint. I can feel his grin.

Shaking, I nodded, ripping my gaze on him and sprinted to the helicopter, while at that time, the door opened violently. I got my gun out, and started shooting at the guards that were flooding in like army ants. At the corner of my eye, I saw the agent sprinting too.

"Let's go," I muttered angrily to myself, sprinting to the helicopter, turning around here and there to shoot.

It seemed that every time I get into situations like this, Father Time gives me the mercy to stop time. My erratic breathing becomes slower, and the dust around me danced as though they are snowflakes, gracefully shimmering down to earth.

One step...next step...

The bones of my legs absorbed the impact I'm putting them through, the blood in my veins flowing in every space of my body. In these moments, it's when I truly feel alive. The rush, the power, everything. But it's also when I know that death was near.

"Jump!" the agent yelled, shooting at the guards, as the agent behind me screamed in anticipation.

"Shoot her! Shoot her, she's getting away!" the guard behind me spat. The sound of bullets swooshing pass me, as I was nearing the edge.

I held my breath, pushing my knowledge about the laws of physics, and let emptiness hover over me. And jumped.

I was there, airborne, eager to get in the helicopter. Then, my body failed, and my body screamed in pain.

"Ahh-!"

A bullet went pass my thigh, chipping away my flesh. "Seventy-six!" I heard the agent shriek. With all my might, I reached for the helicopter's skids. I desperately hugged it, as I see my gun and night goggles take part in gravity's own pleasure.

"Go go go!" I yelled on top of my lungs, as I fearfully saw the guards rushing to the edge. The helicopter gave a big tug, and moved away from the building, as I carefully tried pulling myself up. Two pairs of hands reached out for me. Puffing, the wind against my face, I grabbed one of them, and both helped me pull me up.

"Easy there!" the female agent screamed. "Are you shot!?"

The male agent took his mask off, and inhaled a mouthful of air, sitting tiredly on the seat. The individual was next to him, unmoving, head laying comfortably across the seat. It was if they were asleep. I couldn't breathe. Immediately, I pulled my mask off, breathing in and out fast. "Give me your belt," I ordered the female agent. "Belt! Now!"

Her head whipped around to me, and immediately got her belt out, her body panicked. She handed it to me, as I used my mask as a sponge, putting pressure on the wound with it. I hissed.

"You guys better have a plan," I growled

Through numerous explanations about the mission, I sat as patiently as I can, ignoring the pain I felt on my leg. What they were saying were consistent: two agents, one easy mission. Get the person of interest, extraction from a helicopter, then relocation. The reason for the relocation was a little vague, with the reasons along of "protection."

"But why?" I asked patiently. "Why the protection?"

The agent sat in front of me, and took her mask off. I blinked. It was Lacey, the waitress from before.

"The Agency has their reasons," the male agent replied for her. "We just comply."

I grinned, knowing full well what he meant. I looked over at him, and the person sleeping. They were rolled up in a blanket, their head covered with cloth.

"We will land at our airport base in twenty minutes!" the pilot called out. "We transfer to a jet and leave!"

The agents and I sat comfortably on the seats, and I felt the sandman tapping on my shoulder. I shrugged him away, and decided to go to the cock pit, have a little chat with our fellow pilot. I staggered my way in and sat down beside him, a well built man with a brown beard.

I strapped the seat belt across my body, and nodded towards the pilot. He nodded back.

"Agent Seventy-Six," he replied. "Good to see that you are is still up and about."

I smiled, looking at the lands below. It's good to be back, I thought to myself.

He and I exchanged our history together, and found out he was a pilot in some of my missions, some of which was when I was eighteen at that time. From the missions from Texas, all the way from Moscow, he was the pilot. I asked him what his name and age were.

"Just call me Joe. Whether or not that's my real name makes no difference of what I do. As for my age...let's just say age does bring you wisdom throughout the years," he chuckled at his own remark. "We're here. Getting ready to land."

And with that, the helicopter began to descend.

"It's good to know an old friend is here beside me," I grunted, looking at my bloodied thigh," even though I hardly knew you existed."

He roared in laughter, as the helicopter slowly landed on the landing pad. On the pad was a single transport, which was with a bigger, and more sturdy one: the Chinook helicopter. What a beauty, I thought to myself.

-------------------

As soon as we landed, six heavily geared ran towards us, waiting for us to come out.

"Rock and roll!" the male agent called out, as couple of hands pounded on the door. Sighing, I unbuckled the seat belt, and stood up.

"I feel like this won't be the last time I'll be in the air with you, Joe?"

"That be right, my lass," he chuckled, nodding at my way as I walked at the back of the helicopter. The door was open, and the first thing I noticed was the coldness that flowed through us. The person of interest was in the hands of the male agent, who hugged it like it was a priceless jewel. The female agent grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door.

"There's not much time, I'm afraid," she explained, her brown eyes looking back at me, her hands both soft and firm. "We'll have our briefing once we are inside the Chinook. And I'm sure someone inside there will look at your cut."

I nodded, limping my way out, hand-in-hand with this mysterious agent, whom I only known in less than twenty-four hours. The six agents, masked and heavily armed, stood outside, waiting for us. They stood erect as soon as they saw us, and one tall man walked towards us. He saluted us.

"Agent forty-nine, at your service, agent seventy-six," his voice was low and dangerous. "Me and these other men are at your command. You say we jump, we jump high! What say you, agents of the Agency!?"

"Whoo-ha!" they cheered.

I froze on the spot. What is-?

"There must be a mistake," I said, pulling my hand back from the agent's grasp. "This is not my mission, and I am not in command."

"There is no mistake, ma'am," agent forty-nine replied confidently. "Our orders were clear. We respond to you, and to you only."