6: Are People Really Who They Seem To Be?

Nico disappeared as Evangeline aimed an uppercut at his collar, which he had a tendency to leave vulnerable.

She was just about to whirl around when she felt his arm snake around her throat from behind, pulling her back up against his chest.

Damn it! She thought, sneaky vulture. He had used this trick on her more times than she’d like to admit, and every time it worked. He would disappear and then reappear behind her, faster than she had time to react.

‘Come on, Eva,’ he said, his mouth at her ear, ‘Show me what you can do this time.’

He had only used one arm to grab her, meaning she had an opening from the left. She stepped to the left, and ducked under his reach. She aimed a low kick for his ankles, that swept him off his feet, literally. He landed on his rear with an ‘oof!’

Evangeline didn’t waste any time. She planted herself down on his waist, legs on either side. She leaned forward, placing her hand just beside his neck.

‘You do know I can still get out of this position, right?’ He raised his eyebrows at her.

‘Just let me feel a sense of accomplishment, Nico,’ she muttered. And it was no more than a second later that he grabbed her wrist, and placed his other one on her elbow. She felt his right foot step over her left one, trapping it, and his other one between her legs.

Why me? Was what went through her head as he flipped her over, and switched their positions.

‘Ha!’ he grinned down at her, pinning her wrists.

‘See if you can do anything like this!’

‘I could splash water in your face,’ she mused, and at once his delighted grin changed into a grimace.

‘Please don’t do that again,’ he grumbled, and she heard him think, could I teleport to avoid it?

‘No, you can’t,’ she answered.

‘Get out of my head,’ he sniped.

‘Never!’ she retorted back.

They stayed like that for a couple of seconds, playfully glaring at each other, before he got off her. She sat up, leaning on her elbows.

Nico stood up and walked over to the wall where the shelves were. He took his water bottle out from one of them and popped the cap open, taking a huge gulp.

‘Careful, I could make you choke,’ she joked. Both of them knew that they would never hurt the other, under any circumstance.

Nico was the only male she was friends with. He was for some reason the only male she liked, and one who wasn’t such a douche, unlike all the other males in her life.

Forget them, she told herself. They’re gone now.

‘You okay in there?’

She didn’t realise that he had walked over to her.

Some agent you are.

‘Oh yeah, I’m alright,’ she accepted his hand and he pulled her up to her feet.

‘Reyna’s gonna be back till eight ‘o clock.’ He hummed, looking deep in thought.

‘That means you have five hours,’ she noted.

‘Well, it’s four, since I’ll have to be back by seven to prepare dinner.’ She grabbed her bottle from the shelves and they went out of the room to the changing rooms.

‘She must get tired after all her top secret agent work,’ Evangeline stuffed her hands into her jean pockets. She had changed into an emerald tunic, and dark jeans, and now leaned on the lockers as he pulled his shirt off.

He snorted, ‘I don’t know how she deals with it. She keeps taking mission after mission and goes on like it’s nothing.’ Nico eased into black T-shirt, then pulled on a denim over shirt.

‘Sometimes I envy those who are at the top,’ Nico stared at her as if she had grown three heads.

‘Care to elaborate?’

‘They get the best missions,’ she grumbled, and his lips twitched into a smile.

‘Of course you would want the best missions,’ he chuckled.

She straightened as he closed the locker door, ‘Come on. Let’s go get some hot chocolate.’

Reyna had rushed to the crime scene as fast as she could once Rowan had notified her.

A young woman had been murdered brutally in her home, only discovered a few hours ago by her neighbour. There was an officer outside the house, and another agent.

She showed them her ID card and walked inside. There was little to no evidence there, so she walked in the next room, and her feet froze at the sight of another figure.

He was looming above the corpse, a hat on his hair.

Without a second thought she pulled out her gun from the holster and pointed the barrel at him.

‘Halt right there!’

His head perked up, and he turned around. At the sight of his blonde hair, those cold brown eyes, she wished that she hadn’t eaten her lunch. She was sure her legs would give out beneath her any moment.

‘Reyna,’ his mouth slowly curled into a smirk.

‘Get away from the body,’ she growled.

‘Oh?’ He raised his hands up, feigning innocence, ‘I was merely cleaning up.’

‘You didn’t do this, did you?’ she stared at him in the eyes.

‘This,’ he gestured down to the body with a chuckle, ‘is Alecto’s doing. Talented, isn’t she?’

‘Very talented I’m sure,’ she snarked, ‘Now I don’t give a crap if you were cleaning up or not, get away from the body.’ The threat was obviously implied.

‘Or else what? You’ll shoot me?’ He sounded amused, ‘Well I guess wittle Reyna now knows how to use a gun.’ She gritted her jaw.

‘You should come visit sometime, you know.’ He continued, ‘Horacio misses you.’ That rampallian was probably on cloud nine knowing the effect his words were having on her.

‘Get. Away. From. The. Body. Luke.’

Agent Lucas Chandlers licked his lips and said, ‘I was wondering when you’d use my name. Or nickname.’

‘Whatever,’ she kept her barrel pointed at him, her fingers tightening slightly on the trigger, ‘Why did you murder her? What did she do?’

Faster than she was able to draw in a breath, he was right in front of her, his face inches from hers. She tensed up, feeling her darkness curl like serpents around her legs, ready to lash out if needed.

‘Why don’t you ask your co-worker that?’ He sneered, grabbing her wrist and wrenching the gun out of her hands.

Super speed and super strength; those were two of his powers.

He yanked on her wrist and twisted it, pulling their faces closer. Usually her wrist getting twisted wouldn’t be so much for her, but when it was by Lucas... well, she did mention that he had super strength, didn’t she?

Lucas pressed the gun to her temple.

Well, she thought, I’m doomed. What a wonderful day it is.

She had taken a brief account of her surroundings, and honestly, she didn’t know what she could do other than stay calm, and as Neptune would say, figure out a damned solution.

All the anger in his face dissolved into that calculating cold, ‘I can take you back to VILE HQ with me, then you’d see what Alec and I are capable of doing,’

‘Over my dead body,’ she spat.

‘But that would be no fun, now would it?’

‘Well, I mean, I wouldn’t be able to scream and cry then,’ she shrugged, her body going into that lethal calm mode, ‘No matter how much you cut me open.’

Now, if he were to take me to VILE, what would I do? I could try escaping, but VILE isn’t so stupid. The dungeons are heavily guarded, and even if I go through the guards, I’ll have to face Geneva and Horacio, which I’d very much prefer if I didn’t have to do. Besides, I can’t let this happen. Neptune will rise from his grave to kill me before they can even chain me up.

Would he shoot me though? If I moved? I don’t think he’d take that risk, but I’m not gonna tempt fate.

Her mind suggested an idea, that she was reluctant to use, but did anyway. She let just a fraction of her darkness slip away and feel for the main switch. When it did, it slithered inside, and something crackled, just before all the lights went out.

Now she had the advantage.

Oh wait, he was still holding the gun to her head.

And apparently Lucas knew that too.

‘Obviously you think you have the upper hand here,’ he drawled, and she bit back a wince as his fingers tightened on her wrist.

‘If I did, would I still be standing here? No.’

‘Oh I know you agents from POWER aren’t as simple as that, Reyna.’ She knew he had rolled his eyes.

She let just a sliver of darkness into the barrel of her gun, blocking the path. If he did shoot, well, she’d have a small headache, but at least she wouldn’t be dead.

‘Luke, please let go of my wrist,’ she asked politely, and he snorted. Well you asked for it.

His mind was easy to get inside. It was easier to grasp. He tried to gasp once he realised what she was doing, but she was in control now.

She commanded his fingers to let go of her wrist, and his other hand to drop the gun. She heard the thud of it, and felt it too. She breathed a small sigh as her wrist was freed and gently cradled it. She was going to have some bruises there.

‘I’m sorry that I had to use this on you, Luke,’ she started, leaning down to pick up her gun.

‘I know what it’s like to feel like you’re not in control,’ she pursued her lips tightly, going quiet. She gave his mind a few gentle caresses to calm it.

She didn’t let go of him completely though. He was too dangerous.

Reyna started taking steps backwards, and only when she was by the door, did she let go of his mind. She could sense him glaring at her through the darkness.

‘I will get you for that,’ his voice had a hard, determined edge to it, ‘And that time, there won’t be any Horacio or Neptune to save you.’

‘I await it.’ And with those words, she didn’t sense him anymore. Probably used his super speed to get back to VILE.

She pulled out her flashlight and switched it on, just to shine it right on the corpse. She’d take a closer look once she got the power back on.

She went out of the room and navigated her way to the main switch. The violet eyed agent shifted the glare of the flashlight onto it.

It had just flipped a switch.

She flipped it, and the power was back on. She lifted her wrist and examined it. Five small, but angry bruises around her wrist.

Reyna sighed and tugged her sleeve up to cover it.

Now for the body. She quickly went back to that room, and looked at it.

It was bad. Really bad.

Her body was covered in slashes and bruises, just slivers of skin peeking out from between them here and there. Both of her ankles had been sliced at right around the tendons. On her chest, a single word had been carved: VILE. She could see by looking at it that a hot knife had been used to do it. Her fingers were bent at odd angles.

‘Her fingers were broken using a hammer.’ A voice said behind her, and she looked over her shoulder.

Agent Okumura stood a few feet away from her, his hands in his pockets. A single tear had rolled down his cheek, dripping onto his collar.

‘Did you know her?’ she asked softly.

‘She was my half-sister,’ he whispered, ‘Caitlyn.’

Words failed her. They had targeted his half-sister. That’s what he meant when he said ‘why don’t you ask your co-worker that?’

‘When are the paramedics going to arrive?’ He asked, still looking at Caitlyn in a trance-like state.

‘Agent Hal said they’re on the way,’ she told him, and he nodded. The look in Agent Okumura's eyes... it scared her. It was absolute emptiness, and cold.

He looked completely different from his usual gentle personality.

‘I'm gonna make those bastards pay,’ She saw his fists clench inside the pocket.

‘You think this has something to do with Code 000?’ He said, and she was honestly glad he had spoken. His silence was starting to make her feel uneasy.

‘I do,’ when he turned his eyes to her, she quickly added, ‘I have absolutely no idea how or why. There's just this feeling that it does.’

They both stood there in each other's silent company, and when the paramedics arrived, Reyna drew her eyes away from Ash's face as he cried quietly.