Zero.

Chapter Twelve

Day 38

Agent Zero

IN ONE hour I would be at Pembroke's vault. I didn't even bother going out my  front door. A part of me was nervous of another impromptu visit from Chief, so I opted for the window instead. If he decided to stop by again, then  at least I wouldn’t run into him.

My heart raced at finally being able to break into the vault. Either I would find the answers I needed, or I would find nothing and if that was the case then I would complete the mission as required and One and I could come back and check the vault as early as tommorow with none the wiser.

The thought of killing Benjamin Lee still didn’t sit well with me, but I knew he was hiding something, rather that something was that he was a traitor who wanted to expose Headquarters was debatable, but if I found the documents that were stolen in the vault, then I wouldn’t think over what I had to do. I wouldn’t try to prove his innocence, I would just complete the mission.
I decided to take the bus to the vault, hiding my all black ensemble and weapons under a olive trench coat. I hoped my disguise was a bit more conspicuous than what I was wearing underneath.

The bus would drop me off a few miles walk from the vault. To anyone looking, I would look like a homeless person wandering the streets. There was nothing out this direction but Pembroke’s vault.
Taking a deep breath, I welcomed the chilly night air, as it helped me clear my mind.

It was all I could do not to think of what would happen if my cover was blown. I was aware of the repercussions on Headquarters if I were to get caught.
So the trick was not to get caught.
Once I got near the vault, I ditched the coat behind a tree. Luckily for me, but unfortunate for them, the vault was well hidden from public view, so that meant there were plenty of trees surrounding the area.  From my position I could see three guards positioned at the entrance. Above them were two cameras that surveyed the entire perimeter. I had counted on that. They rotated simultaneously, so there was exactly 15 seconds unaccounted for when the door was not recorded.
Poor move.
The guards would not be switched out tonight, so my only option was to get one of them alone, knock them out and grab their security clearance pass. Under any other circumstances, I would have been able to take them all out, but given that I only had a handful of seconds to get in, I opted for a distraction.

Pulling out a small flare gun, I angled it a few feet  away from where I stood. This should get there attention enough to send at least one of the guards to check it out. Once they were in arms reach, disarming and disabling them would be a piece of cake, and all I would have to worry about is the remaining guard by the entrance.
I sent the shot out, silently apologizing for any wildlife that would no doubt be impacted by my little pyro stunt.
Almost immediately, one of the guards got a call.  The other two glanced his way, before he signaled one of them to follow him. I smiled as my plan unfolded. I had only anticipated one guard checking out my distraction, but two was all the more fun. They jogged over to where I sat perched behind my tree, I waited until they were covered from the other guards before grabbing the one closest to me and sending a punch to his face, knocking him out cold.

His partner barely had time to call in the attack before I was on him. He was bigger than his friend and put up more of a fight. He landed a punch to my jaw that left me dizzy, when I tasted the blood in my mouth, it only fueled me.
I sent a series of kicks to his gut, twisting and upper cutting him with the toe of my boot. He stumbled back a bit and tried to reach for his walkie, but I smashed his hand with shoe, placing a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. I stayed like that for a moment, trying to make him lose consciousness. After what felt like hours, I felt his body go limp. Pulling out a sedative, I gave both guards a healthy dose before tying them together.

I felt something wet slide down my face and wiped it off, not bothering to check if it was blood or sweat. I had taken me longer to sedate them than I had anticipated, and I was sure the other guard would be getting antsy by now. Making my way back to my original position, I saw the last guard pacing by the door, looking nervously around him.

He was scrawny, and shorter than the other two and from the way every sound had him inching towards his gun, he was most definitely a newbie. In my haste to sedate the guards, I’d left without grabbing their badges, but I could see the security badge dangling from newbie’s front pocket.
That would do.
It would be easier to just tranquilize him from my position, but whoever was behind the camera would surely notice if the guard suddenly dropped.  From where I was to the entrance was a few feet distance. I only had fifteen seconds to clear the distance and take the guard out, before I was caught on camera. I patted the ground for something heavy I could throw and landed on a smooth pebble.

The cameras were about to rotate again, and I had wasted too much time. Setting my timer, I grabbed the rock, and flung it on the side of the building, just as the camera rotated.
Eleven seconds left.
Like planned, the guard turned to the sound, his gun clumsily in the air. I silently raced towards him, before he could spot me, I twisted the gun from his hand and used it to hit him over the back of the head, grabbing his badge at the same time.
Seven seconds left.
Before he dropped to the ground I hauled him to the side of the door and leaned him against the wall. Hopefully it looked like he was praying or at the very least dozed off. I didn’t have time to check my work. I pulled out my EMP and set it off, effectively shutting off any cameras inside for a few minutes while I made my way into the vault with the badge I swiped and shut the door behind me as my timer went off. The EMP was wired to only effect the tech around me. My personal gadgets were safe. Curtosy of Agent One. 

My appraisal of One's handiwork was cut short when I realized I was not alone.

I had expected the security outside.

What I didn’t expect were the two guards inside the vault on either side of the door.

I used their shock of seeing a panting girl dressed in black to my advantage. Forgoing the plan, I grabbed the two men by their vests and pulled them towards the other. Their heads bounced off eachothers with a painful sounding thud. Their skulls must have been thicker than I thought because they were only stunned for a moment before reaching out to grab me.

I didn’t want anyone to die, but the guard to my left clearly didn’t share my sentiment, he reached for his gun and I pulled the other one in front of me, wincing when the shot was fired. Instead of hitting me it  clipped the shoulder of the gaurd I was using as a shield.

Before the one with the gun could register what he did, I pushed guard number two towards him and tranquilized them both before the situation got any messier. 
After making sure they were out, I wiped the blood from my cheeks grimacing when I realized it wasn't mine.

The adrenaline from my impromptu attack was ebbing away. Glancing at my watch I realized that I only had a few more minutes before the EMP wore off and the cameras were back on. With a frustrated sigh, I started to put my tranquilizer back in it’s sheath when I heard a slow clap from behind me.

Aiming the tranqulizer gun at the sound, my mouth dropped at what I saw.
With an impressive look on his face was Benjamin Lee.