What She Thought She Knew (Rachel Moore Mystery Book 1), стр. 41

I spoke out. "Diana, you are to be sent to a secure location where you will assist the Seekers in any way they need. I'll pass on the message for you to be treated well."

The older woman merely raised a thin eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

I looked over at the Warrior. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have five minutes with her alone."

The lead Warrior nodded, before he and his team stepped out of the room.

Once the door was shut, I knelt in front of the woman. She observed me with cool calculation.

"Those Phantom agents were after you, weren't they?" I commented after a moment.

The Phantom woman nodded. "They knew of my intentions."

I hesitated. "What would they have done with you if you were captured?"

"Kill me on the spot," the woman replied bluntly.

My brows furrowed as I stayed quiet.

A small smile wrinkled the Phantom's worn face. "You don't have to force yourself to feel pity for me. I did what I did, and I cannot change who I am. I just hope to redeem myself this once before I let fate play its role on me."

I nodded, and then walked over to the door, and opened it.

I gestured my head towards the Phantom woman. "She's all yours."

The lead Warrior nodded, and then stepped forward. "Please come with us." He said politely, but with a stern tone.

Wordlessly, the Phantom woman stood up, and allowed the Warriors to put on another set of hand-cuffs to her slender wrists.

I mentally made a note to remind the Seekers to feed her properly.

As they walked out of the room, the Phantom woman turned to glance at me. "I wish you luck on your mission, Seeker." She said hoarsely.

With that, the Warriors escorted her down the narrow hallway.

I felt a bit confused as mixed emotions swirled within me. I almost felt… sad that she was gone.

I could understand Predator's reservations. Diana was indeed different than the others of her kind. It was a pity that things turned out the way they did.

I shook my head. There was no point in feeling upset about something that I couldn't control.

I turned around, and made my way to my room. I needed time to think things over.

Chapter 22: Bittersweet Connection

It was well past 10pm when I finished my personal chores.

I got up, and stretched my rather stiff muscles.

Once I deemed myself ready, I walked out of the room, and made my way down the hallway.

As clumsy as ever, I nearly bumped into John's firm chest.

I stumbled back slightly. "John." I said once I regained my balance. "What's up?"

The Guardian stepped back. "The medical team arrived an hour ago. They took my mother to a secure location."

My eyes softened. "John, I'm so sorry." I said sincerely.

He nodded, though his eyes portrayed his sadness of the situation. "Yeah… It's ironic; for seven years I believed she was dead, and now that I actually found her, she's taken away from me again."

I snorted, and crossed my arms. "Life can be quite a bitch."

John hummed in agreement. "Simple, yet that pretty much sums it up."

I laughed a bit. "That's me; I like to get straight to the point."

John chuckled in return, before his face turned serious. "I hate to be such a kill-joy, but the Head Warrior is on, and he's requesting your audience."

Automatically I adopted a serious attitude, and stared at John in wonder. "What is it?" I asked.

John shrugged. "I don't know, Rachel. He simply requested everyone's presence before he would say anything."

My eyebrows furrowed in concern. Whatever Pete had to say, it was probably not good news.

"Alright, let's go." I said.

Wordlessly, I followed John to the conference room where everyone else were already waiting.

They all had solemn looks on their faces which only deepened the tightening inside me.

I stepped to the middle where Pete's face was portrayed.

He watched me approach with a grim expression. "Hello, Agent Moore. Now that you're here, I can get started with HQ's update."

The room's air thickened in anticipation.

"Mr. Hill provided us with more information." Pete started. "He has revealed that the Phantoms are after the Shroud."

Gasps were heard all around.

My own eyes widened at the seriousness of the situation.

The Shroud was built in Switzerland as a symbol of peace. It was the official capital of the Seeker organization, yet it more for show. The main Seeker power was focused in New York.

I breathed deeply, and urged myself to be calm.

The Head Warrior continued. "A decision has been made of what the next course of action will be: agents Fear and Delta are to relocate to Switzerland along with every other high-ranked Seeker agent. The rest of you will regroup back in America."

My eyes widened in shock. "But sir…" I started.

"The decision is final, Agent Moore. I'm sorry, but we all have our orders." Pete replied sternly.

I could only nod back slightly as I felt a heavy weight pit in my gut.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

I turned around and saw John staring at me, his eyes portrayed the same dislike of the situation as I felt.

I only gave him a small smile before I turned my head to face the Head Warrior.

I bit my lip as I contemplated on whether or not I really wanted to ask. "If the Phantoms do manage to take control of the Shroud…then what will be our outcome?" I asked carefully, dreading the answer.

Pete stared at me very hard, his brown eyes molted in contained fury. "Then God forbid, the whole world will be in a full scale war. The Shroud houses many sensitive documents that will only