Agent Rogue

Chapter 24

Recoiling at the shrill clanging in my ears, I forced my lids to open, my breathing shallow and slow. The first image that returned was my limp legs sprawled along the floor in front of me as I slouched in a chair, arms bound behind me by tight ropes. I tugged my arms inwards, groaning at the excessive energy it took to do that, and squinted at the blinding light at the ceiling.

A figure stepped into the stepped in front of the blare, blocking it like an unwarranted eclipse.
"You're just in time, Miss Knight. The fireworks are about the start."
Mika. I sighed. "Of all the voices I could wake up to..."
"Would you prefer it was Agent Barnes?" he mocked.
I would have rolled my eyes if I had the strength. All I could manage was to let my head fall to one side. "Go to hell."

Mika laughed gravely and grabbed my chin, turning me to face him. I scowled, hoping I could somehow make him bleed with my eyes. His smile only grew – as did his grip, nails piercing my skin.
"You've been a nightmare for us, Knight. If it was not for your childish crush on Barnes, you would have joined us."
I laughed.
"I'm serious. You followed Alistair like a dog. I'm sure it would not have taken much to sway you."

Childish crush. I said nothing as he squeezed my chin and let go, only maintaining my sharp stare to curse him without uttering a word. He laughed again and swaggered for the door.

"Jameson, wipe that glare off her face, would you?"

His fist crunched against my cheek, knocking my head to the other side. I gagged and spit blood, clenching my jaw at the buzz of forming bruises.

"Is this really worth it?" I choked wetly. "Killing dozens just to avenge your wife!"

Mika froze in the doorway, his back stiff.
"Don't pretend to know her," he said, his voice stone cold.

He shut the door behind him, leaving Jameson and I alone in the windowless box of a room with nothing but a container in the corner.

It was entirely metallic, only a metre in length and width, with a digital pad covering the front, numbers dangerously red as they counted down from 29:09, 08, 07...

The bomb.

"Amber!"

I jolted at the sound of Scotty's accent ringing in my ear. Jameson fired a glare my way but I remained calm, passing off the reaction as a pain in my skull.

"Amber," Scotty repeated. The radio crackled and spit – it had been damaged and pricked my eardrum. "I haven't heard from you in ages. Alistair's just walked from the building with a few politicians. Is everything okay? Have you found the bomb?"

I could not reply to him directly with Jameson watching over me. I needed a different strategy.

"What did you do to get guard duty?" I asked him.
"Huh?" both Scotty and Jameson replied, audibly confused.
"You have to watch me, locked in a room, and why? Because Mika ordered you to."

Scotty was silent – he understood.
"Will Mika let you leave by the time that bomb goes off in twenty minutes? You'll have to run fast considering it's in the room with us."
"I ain't talking to you," Jameson spat.
"Amber, I-I don't know what I can do for you from here," Scotty gasped.
Panicked, I added, "Do you think that some help will be sent to get you out? I mean, any sort of help. Anything?"
"You're talking weird," Jameson said, his face twisting. "Why?"
"No, we don't have... Wait. Wait! Oh my god. I think you have a way out!" Scotty cried.
Jameson snarled and charged towards me. "Answer me!" he snapped.
"What?" I asked Scotty.
"I can—"