What She Thought She Knew (Rachel Moore Mystery Book 1), стр. 80

I looked up, and slightly narrowed my eyes. "I can't believe that you're still coming even after that injury."

As usual, my friend didn't care much about the fact that he could have died, and instead shrugged carelessly. "You know that nothing will keep me back from this mission. We've come so far that I'll be damned if I allow a bullet wound to put me down."

Despite the unease of bringing an injured Assassin along, I knew that there was no chance of making Fear stay behind. He was too stubborn for his own good.

Instead, I opted to sigh and nodded at Fear.

As frustrating as it was, his stubbornness was a trait I had to respect.

Fear was already set to go as he replenished the amount of arrows in his pack, and replaced his scorched armor with a lighter version.

It would not have offered him as much protection from bullets and explosions as the other set, but it would allow to be lighter on his toes, something that was absolutely vital for an infiltration mission.

Said person gestured his head towards the door. "We should get going." He stated simply.

I nodded in agreement, and together we left the room for perhaps the last time.

We arrived at the command post where everyone else were already waiting.

There was just one person missing though.

I walked over to Pete who was busy typing on a miniature laptop, probably making some last minute arrangements.

"Where's Agent Cian?" I asked. "Isn't he supposed to be with you in the distraction team?"

"He's rounding up some old buddies of his. I'll need the extra bodies for the distraction team to work." With that, he straightened his posture, and walked over to Agent Arrow and engaged in a quiet conversation.

Agent Evans came up beside me.

The young agent was already in his specialized suit, and was looking through a simple brown pack, probably filled with the explosives he needed.

"You ready for this?" I asked.

The agent nodded eagerly. "Absolutely. I can't wait to show those Phantom bastards what us Seekers are made of!"

Despite the gravity of the situation, I couldn't help but smile at the agent's enthusiasm.

At least one of us felt invincible.

"You and me both, kid." I commented.

We were then interrupted by the strong voice of Pete. "Alright everyone, we're moving out."

Without any question, all of us gathered our tools which consisted of thermal lances, among other things, which would only be used if we failed to hack a terminal to open a shielded door.

As for our diving equipment, we deemed the oxygen tanks too heavy to carry with us during the swim.

Luckily, Agent Arrow still had some contacts in New York who delivered us re-breathers which were a much better option. They could last up to eight and a half hours theoretically, and they didn't release bubbles which could have potentially given away our location.

Alas, we made our way out of the temporary haven.

Outside was dark, with the exception of the dim light posts that were littered all over the streets.

To minimize our chance of detection, we stayed in the darkness as much as we could, and whenever we had to cross an exposed road, we always went in pairs and only went once the Phantom patrols walked by.

It took quite a bit of effort, but all of us managed to reach the river suffering only from an adrenalin rush.

It was the spot where Agent Evans would split up from the rest of us.

Pete walked over to him, and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You be careful, alright? Don't take any chances just to be a hero."

The young agent nodded his head. "I won't." He said. "I promise to not let you guys down."

Agent Arrows walked over to him as well, and inspected the suit one more time.

He then gave a nod of approval. "The suit's systems are operational. Just try not to get it ripped or anything; your body heat will leak out if that happens."

The young agent nodded once more. "Roger that." He simply said. "Sir, I do have an idea though."

"Oh?" Agent Arrow replied with a raised eyebrow.

Pete looked at the young agent in curiosity as well.

Agent Evans appeared momentarily flustered with the amount of attention he received from the high operative agents, but he quickly composed himself. "Well, with the suit that Agent Arrow gave me, I figured that I could manage to sneak some explosives on the anti-missile guns as well. Might work to our advantage."

Both lead agents contemplated on the suggestion for several minutes. I as well reflected on Agent Evan's idea.

It was extremely risky, but if he could manage to pull it off, then we might be able to call in air support.

Finally, Pete nodded his head. "Alright, you may proceed with your plan, but we strongly advise you to exercise extreme caution. One slip up, and you're as good as dead."

Agent Evans nodded feverishly. "Of course sir, I'll be carefully." He then looked down, and chuckled a bit. "You know, ever since I joined the Seekers, I always dreamed of doing something for the good of the organization, and in turn the world. This seems to be the best opportunity."

Pete smiled gently, and held out his hand. "It's been an honor working with you."

Agent Evans seemed taken aback for he stared at the hand and Pete's face before he snapped back to reality and shook hands.

They released the grip after a good shake, and Agent Evans hung his pack over his shoulder. "I should get going." He said.

Pete nodded and with that, the young agent left for his destiny.

The Head Warrior then turned around to face us. "Alright everyone, get out your equipment and get ready. You'll have five minutes to do so.