Agent Atlantis

Chapter 5-The Freaky Forest

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Rho One. "We'll be back before you know it." He grabbed Rho Two's arm. "Let's go."

"How did you lose that?" Rho Two asked Rho One as he was dragged away. "You even waited a second after he drew to see what you should play."

"Is that how you talk to your superior?" Rho One scolded. "For being a smart aleck, you get to go first and be my meat shield."

"Fifteen minutes," Upsilon Two said when the Rho team disappeared into the forest.

"I'll say ten minutes," Upsilon One countered. "Our shift ends in twenty. They'll skedaddle back before the other soldiers arrive."

Then the two waited in silence. They stood straight as though paying attention, but their bodies leaned slightly against the Agency wall—the comfiest way to stay standing. They'd been in this position several times in the past. 

It wasn't exactly nice to stay still in one spot against the cement wall—but it was much better than being in the woods. At this point in time, the forest was so overgrown that an army could be approaching the Agency en masse, and the guards wouldn't know it. 

Of course, there was always the option of priming land mines. But there was no way to selectively blow enemies up, so a chap from the Agency would inevitably bite the dust. Furthermore, these defensive measures would require . . . well, money. 

The Upsilon Team stood there for ten minutes. Then fifteen. After Upsilon Two's cry of victory, the time stretched to twenty.

"There's a threat out there, isn't there?" Upsilon Two said as Upsilon One tightened his grip on his rifle. 

"And it just had to appear at the end of our shift," Upsilon One grumbled. He led his underling into the forest.

Despite having to go through the Kartan Pine Forest to get anywhere near Tusca, the capital of West Artena, the forest wasn't modernized. There was one lone dirt trail leading for miles, and it'd been so long since the last trimming that tree branches hung in one's way—for a good reason. Kartan Pine bark was as hard as steel and was almost impossible to cut through. It was an inspiring place for most hikers—but since the shrubbery was thick, it was a nightmare for the guards.

It didn't take long to find the Upsilon team's comrades. Rho One was sprawled on the path, unconscious. Upsilon One quickly approached to tend to the man while Upsilon Two stood on guard.

"Is he . . . dead?" Upsilon Two asked. His grip on his weapon tightened in anger. 

His leader checked the man's pulse, then sighed in relief. "He's alive. But I don't know about Rho Two," Upsilon One said gravely.

"He's probably alive," a male voice said behind Upsilon Two. "Nobody's that mean."

"We're only entrance guards," Upsilon Two agreed, not minding why another voice joined the conversation. "There's no point in killing us . . ."

The two soldiers spun around in alarm, finally realizing that there should be two, not three voices—but it was too late.

Luke quickly incapacitated Upsilon Two, wrenching the rifle from his hand and choking him out. The soldier struggled for a few seconds but fell limp soon after. Meanwhile, Upsilon One recovered from the shock of the ambush and aimed his weapon at Luke—only to find that the teenager was using Upsilon Two's limp body as a human shield. 

 "Let's set down our weapons and talk about this, shall we?" Luke said.

"Where's Rho Two?" Upsilon One asked, his hands trembling in anger. He was sure if he fired, he would hit anything other than his enemy—but he wouldn't let that show.