Ricochet

PROLOGUE

She opened her eyes to darkness.

She could see nothing, nothing but a pitch black void. She blinked rapidly. No matter what way she turned there was no hint of light anywhere. She wasn't even sure if she had moved at all. Nor did she know if she was standing up or laying down. It almost seemed like she was suspended in air, but there was not even the slightest of a breeze.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew it was a dream, but it did not reach her.

The silence was deafening.

She started to panic. Was she blind? Where was she?

And most importantly, who was she?

Panic turned into fear.

How could she not remember anything? The only thing she could grasp from her seemingly blank mind was a name she assumed was her own.

Evangeline Winters.

***

"Bzzt... Agent, do you copy?... bzzzzt... Agent Winters... hear me?... bzzzt... copy?... bzzt..... Code name Lightning... are you able?... bzzt... Agent... bzzt... Lightning... bzzzzt..."

A dim light appeared far away, in front of her, or so it seemed. It was hard to judge distance when all you saw was darkness. The light started to grow larger and brighter, overwhelming her. She was used to the darkness now and squinted at the growing light.

The voice she had heard was broken by static. Somehow it sounded slightly familiar, and sparked a distant memory, but before she could latch on, it was pulled away from her again.

She felt empty.

The light started to form a scene. It was a long white corridor, stretching with the growing light until it reached her and blinded her with the white glow.

Her body started to move on its own. She tried to take back her control of her body, but she kept walking slowly down the corridor. Her eyes were facing the door at the end, and it was far away, so far away. She couldn't look away, couldn't glance at her surroundings, couldn't see herself.

A ceiling light in front of her flickered.

She became aware of the duct tape covering her mouth and wrapping around her head. Something wet dripped from her hairline and slid down her face. It was hot and sticky. Like blood. Her hair stuck to her neck, and fell down her shoulders. She felt it against her waist, long and silky, but slick with sweat.

She was wearing a fitted jumpsuit, that allowed her to move freely and enhanced her strength, agility, and stamina. But it was not helping her then. The holsters, sheaths, and hidden pockets that were meant for her weapons and gadgets were empty, and she felt exposed without them. Helpless.

The earpiece hidden deep in her ear was not touched. She had heard a voice, but now all she heard from it was faint static crackling. And even that became less frequent, finally altogether coming to an end. Nobody could be able to come to rescue her from this white, dreaded, never ending corridor. No backup, no assistance. She was alone. Helpless.

Her wrists were handcuffed in front of her and her arms strapped against her side with duct tape, presumably to prevent her from trying to resist and escape. Helpless.

She sensed presences near her, and became aware of two people walking on either side of her, slightly behind. She could tell they were strong and skilled in fighting, by the way their footfalls sounded. Heavy but free, ready to retain her if needed. Helple-

She stumbled. There were chains on her ankles as well, just long enough to allow her to shuffle down the hallway. Weak.

She felt a heavy sense of dread weighing her down. The duct tape covering her mouth made it impossible to take a deep breath, and calm her racing heart, forcing her to breathe through her nose. She took fast, shallow breaths, despite knowing she needs to slow her breathing. She was too panicked to heed her training then. Inadequate.

The corridor seemed to go on forever. The dreaded door at the end was hardly getting any closer, but it still struck fear into her. Coward.

She started to hyperventilate. Black spots appeared in her vision, from the lack of sufficient amount of oxygen. Incompetent.

Finally she gave in, allowing the darkness to swallow her whole once again. Shameful.