Leander Reed
28 years ago
"Tch tch tch, White Dragon, you are unwinding with time," I teased my best friend over the earpiece as I jumped to the next tree, keeping my moves covert in the forest. "Ice Princess keeping you too busy at night?"
Laila Cross, ex-agent, had the flashiest code name amongst all of us.
"Shut the fuck up, bastard. That's my wife you are talking about," he screeched, and I chuckled.
I glanced back and grinned in awe as he emerged, almost catching up with me. We were chasing a terrorist group that had its hideout into the deep centre of the forest. It was dark in the night, and we weren't carrying any torches to avoid alarming the enemy. The ground was full of traps, so we were jumping through the tree branches; one wrong step would mean death.
I was preoccupied with my thoughts on Raydon catching up to me when my leg skidded and the branch I settled on broke, and I almost fell. Thankfully, a rope appeared out of nowhere and tied my leg up to another branch. I hung there like a bat, laughing at my idiocy as a shadow emerged into my vision. There he stood, staring down at me, mockingly.
Black God. Eldon Cross, Raydon's brother. He was named as the God because he had one of the most unique powers known to humanity-- altering molecular structures to create new things. The rope he just saved me with was probably something modified as well.
I yanked myself up the rope, and it turned into a handkerchief which he folded and put back into his pocket.
"I can always rely on God to save me," I smirked at him and gave him a salute.
"Red Phoenix, you need to get a hold on your life."
"What's wrong with how I live right now?" Living at the edge of life, not knowing if you'll live to see the next day, I thrived on that thrill.
"You need someone you want to go back home to." He winked at me and then turned around to dive ahead.
I rolled my eyes and took my stance to jump forward. That was when I got my head jerked back by my hair, and I knew there was only one person who'd do that to me.
Silver Hawk. Sharon Cross, Raydon's little sister.
The four of us were signed up for this mission together, Ace Team Alpha-- Raydon, Eldon, Sharon and I. We were the best out there, the Cross siblings and I.
With my hair still in her hands, tugging harshly, I leaned my head a little further back to gaze at the upside-down face of this beautiful angel, and her sparkling blue eyes that were almost on the border of tearing up. But she had a frown on her face.
"Red Phoenix! Stay focused!" She reprimanded me. She was like the mother of the group, the one who brought the girly touch to our trio of guys. She was generally a very non-violent and sweet person, but when it came to our safety, she could get crazy.
Or maybe when it came to my safety.
I stared at her and smiled, recollecting Eldon's words to me from a moment ago.
Raydon got married about three months ago to his then partner Laila, who retired post her marriage to him. He took like a month off and enlisted back later.
I wonder what he did for that one month, bastard.
He was still in his honeymoon phase, one of the reasons for him becoming more prudent on his missions.
Eldon also had a mystery woman that he really loved. He still hadn't given us any details, but everyone knew about it, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. His face would always light up when she called. Yet, nobody knew who she was.
And then there were us, Sharon and I. It was a little complicated, to be honest. Sharon confessed to me like a year ago, but I couldn't give her an answer, I had to turn her down. She acted like it didn't matter to her, she didn't let it get awkward between us, yet I knew she still loved me. I am not narcissistic, but sometimes you just know it, some women are not that great at hiding their affection.
And also because she just can't lie to me. My powers tell me when she does-- every time. Just out of appreciation for her, I never point it out.
Sharon was one of the most gorgeous women I had ever come across, and her soul was equally elegant. She was one of the kindest members in our group. Everyone loved her. Yet I couldn't bring myself to return her feelings.
Because, well, Bro Code 101, you DO NOT mess with your best friend's sister.
I am just kidding. That stupid thing could never stop me from that. I just couldn't doom her to an eternal life of insanity with me, worrying about me all the time when I was on a mission. She deserved better than that; she deserved a normal life. Honestly, all I could see in her was a little sister.
"Team Alpha- Team Alpha-" someone from the headquarters screeched on the earpiece, and everyone halted in their tracks. I pressed on my earpiece to hear it clearly.
"Abort. Team Delta is on its way there."
What the-
Raydon appeared out of nowhere beside me. "We're leaving."
"But why?"
We NEVER abandoned a mission before.
"I just got a command from the President. They have found the hideout of Lancelot Ford."
Head of the Ford family? Finally!
Lancelot Ford had always butted heads with Sirius Cross for the control of The Order. The Cross family had historically ruled while Fords were like the devil's advocate. As for us Reeds, we were mostly tired of the conflict. I was probably the only Reed who agreed to join.
But the fight turned into a war about five years ago. There were rumours. They said Sirius killed Lancelot's wife, which dissolved with it any last signs of the truce between the two families.
"The coordinates have been sent to your scanners. Team Beta and Team Gamma will meet you at the site."
Seriously? Three elite teams for one mission! How dangerous a man is he?
***
It was a full moon night, and I stared at the large estate gleaming with the moonlight, hidden in the heart of the forest. It took us a half an hour trip on the helicopter to land there. We met up with the other teams and planned our strategy to infiltrate.
Given my instincts, agility and strength, I was supposed to lead the offence with Eldon and Sharon watching my back. Raydon was to stay away from the site and oversee the mission. Team Beta and Gamma would secure the perimeter and block any escape routes.
There were strict instructions to shoot at sight, so I unlocked the safety of my revolver and put on the silencer. These were the most exciting missions for me; I could go all in.
With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I ran around the boundary of the estate with Eldon and Sharon close behind me. I sized the wall and then jumped up and scanned the area with my infrared goggles.
I noticed all the heat signals. Ten men around the perimeter and five inside. They definitely never expected a raid.
Two fell on the West end and another two on the East. The other teams were already in action.
"Silver Hawk stays there as the long-range sniper. Black God and Red Phoenix head inside. Maintain a distance of twenty meters between each other." We heard Raydon's commanding voice over the earpiece.
"Copy that."
I leapt down and stealthily made my way towards the main door, taking refuge behind the large tree trunks. A sudden sharp pitched sound rung in my ear and I pulled the earpiece away.
"What the hell was that!" I growled.
"What?" I heard Raydon as I put it back on.
"That annoying screech."
"What are you talking about? Leave it to me if you are scared, Red Phoenix." I heard the mocking voice of Eldon, and I scoffed.
Scratch that.
I cursed and darted forward. I rounded the mansion to look for the best way in.
"Use the main door. The security is the lightest over there." Sharon's voice beamed.
I was about to head back when a haunting musical voice gripped me by the heart. I stopped and stared up at an open window from where the sound was the loudest.
The wind rustled the leaves on the trees in the large property, but all I could hear was that sad melody. There were no lyrics; just a high pitched sound of a woman as if warning about an upcoming calamity. It was as if her voice had cast a spell on my legs because I was frozen, I couldn't seem to move them at all.
"Red Phoenix!" Raydon's howling voice over the earpiece woke me up from my daze.
The song ended at the same time, and I scooted towards the main door, knocking two men out of my way and shooting another.
This is odd. For a person this important, this was too light a security. Almost as if..
"White Dragon, " I murmured over the earpiece as I took cover behind the sofa.
The line blurred but no answer.
Something pricked me at the back of my mind. My sixth sense told me to evacuate, but I couldn't.
Dang it.
I ascended the circular stairs to the second floor and scurried towards the main study of the house.
"Team Alpha-" I heard Raydon's voice, but then it broke.
I readied my weapon, took aim and steered forward. From my goggles I could only pick up one heat signal from inside that room.
Alright, kill or die. I mentally recited my mantra as I slammed open the door. There stood a woman with her back to me, clad in a dark jeans and a white blouse. Her chestnut-coloured hair lay untied behind her, reaching down up to her waist, reflecting the moonlight scurrying in from the open window.
Shoot at sight. I repeated the order in my mind and aimed.
"I was waiting for you, Leander Reed."
What?
"... Red Phoenix.." Raydon's broken voice buzzed over the earpiece again, but I couldn't hear anything past it.
My eyes were fixated on her back, admiring the beautiful colour of those wavy locks. She turned around in an elegant glide, and my eyes met with hers. I hadn't come across a prettier sapphire colour. Not even Sharon's eyes could rival those. Nobody could. They stared directly at me, with such a resolution that for a moment, it felt like she could see right through my soul.
"Who are you?" I asked, captivated but not lowering my weapon.
"My name is Lilian, " she answered in that fascinating voice of hers as she rounded the wooden table and stepped forward and I reminisced the song from a moment before. I had a full view of her figure now. Her long slim legs, her perfectly manicured nails, her buttoned-up blouse. She gently pushed back a lock of her hair behind her left ear, and the diamond earring gleamed in the dark. For some reason, my eyes surveyed her hand for a ring, but the finger was empty, and I mentally sighed in relief. For some reason, I hoped she wasn't an enemy.
Why?
"Lilian Ford, " she continued, and I cursed within.
Truth, I concluded with my powers—such a waste.
Before I could press the trigger, she opened her mouth to speak, "It's a trap."
What?
"Leander- hacked...Leave!" I heard Raydon's broken growl over the earpiece. I didn't get time to think. The sudden sound of a fire blast behind me pushed all thoughts of the mission out of my head.
I turned back to see the bottom half of the mansion on fire. I jerked back to look at her, but she had not a single trace of worry on her face.
"This was planned. You will be abandoned as a scapegoat by your people."
They would never-
"If I die or I am killed, you'll be blamed for it. You'll be killed to compensate, and the truce will be re-established. You retreat, and you'll still be sacrificed for the attempted murder."
She was speaking in the future tense, but my mind told me it was the truth, she was being sincere.
How is that possible?
I saw no reason beyond that. My powers never once failed me. She was telling the truth even if it hadn't transpired.
"And why were you waiting for me?" I asked, lowering my weapon.
Her lips curved up into a beautiful smile, and I felt like I heard my heartbeat for the first time.
"To protect you. Take me away and escape. Hide until it's time."
She was the first one to know. She knew it all along; knew what was coming, and she did everything in her power to stall that horrible fate. Everything started with that haunting night.