chapter 8

I was brought back to earth with severe pain in my lungs. I began to kick upwards as my breath was running out. Just as I reached my limit, I broke through the surface of the water gasping and trying to inhale as much air as possible. I heard splashes and half a dozen figures approaching me. Before I fell into a full scale panic attack, one of them called me by my name. Still tense, I called back asking who it was and lying that I was armed with a grenade. It was someone I had recognised. Turned out the camera was still sending feed and HQ had sent out a rescue team for David and I. Everything was quiet in the van. My head was throbbing where I had been hit. It was a while before I noticed a figure in hand and leg shackles. "Who's that " I asked. The agent grabbed a handful of his hair and raised his head.

I lunged with the ferocity and force of a wounded dog, an angered lion and a hungry wolf all at once. The agents flanking me held my hands and tried to restrain me, but the anger boiling in my heart was unseen by man. I headbutted him and began to sink my eyes into the corners of his eyes. I wanted to pull them out. I wanted to injure him as much as possible, to torture him till he begged for me to kill him. David had always been and would always be a traitor and he didn't deserve the simple pleasure of living. For the second time that night, I felt the sting of a sedative syringe. I turned around to give the agent a death stare as he apologised. Before it took effect and knocked me out, I threw my hand straight to his windpipe. I felt myself go limp and the world became dark once more.

Someone Had laid me in the couch in my office and covered me with a blanket. I lay in the couch recollecting my thoughts from the previous night. David had betrayed me, either that or it was a deep cover mission he was doing for the C.I.A., it wasn't something I'd put beyond them. I went to my bosses office and demanded to see my brother and would you believe he had the audacity to refuse me on the basis of lack of security clearance. I stared at the guy, imagining the several ways in which I could have killed him. He spoke shortly into his earpiece and turned his attention to me. "I need to see my brother". I was so frustrated, I didn't know how to speak anymore. He looked at me calmly and said" I'm sorry but now its not even possible for me to see him." I stood up and slammed my palm on the table "why not?". The shadow of a smile passed over his face as he answered, telling me that David had escaped.

Something inside me snapped. It was either my sanity or my patience. I left and slammed the door as hard as I could for good measure. Many heads turned in my direction as I stormed angrily down the hallway. The elevator seemed to take forever to reach the basement. From the elevator to the room where he was being held, there was total devastation. Unconscious agents lay scattered along the way leading also to the car park. where he had tactfully slashed the tires on the cars closest to the elevator doors. There was an empty space where I was guessing his escape car was. Agents started to regain consciousness around me, looking dazed as they got to their feet. "Andrews" I shouted for one of the agents." Have the security footage for the basement, all entrances, exits and the parking lot sent to my office now." I was furious. One would think that an agency that trains such people would be able to contain them.

I stood there for a few more minutes, trying to get how he was able to slash all those tires in so little time. I shook my head and went to my office. The security department sent me the footage and I started to go through from when he arrived on the premises taking note of the cars parked nearby and being particularly thorough in my analysis. I went through about four hors of footage and I still wasn't happy with my conclusion. From what I had seen, David had knocked out the guard in the interrogation room, taken his gun, shot the agents in the outer room, and made his way down the corridor, taking down agents as he went and finally into the parking lot where he slashed the tires with a knife he had taken off an agent and then he left in the one car which he hadn't slashed the tires. He then proceeded down the street, where he ditched the car and sat in some woman's car. I followed them all the way to Khelani's house.

The story was down, so that left the questions that needed to be answered. If the people in the outer room of where David was being held were watching on camera, why didn't they enter or at least make a proper attempt to contain him. No alarms were raised during the breakout and why was there a fifteen minute delay whilst he was slashing the tires and finally, who was the woman who had met him with the car. Fortunately, or unfortunately, my questions were answered sooner than I was prepared for. Apparently, the cameras and microphones were disabled for discretion, the order was given by I.A and They didn't want too many people knowing about David which was supposed to cover the delay in the agents arrival at the parking lot. My final question was not answered. I needed to know who the woman was. She was a corner piece to the puzzle.

I stared at the report lying on my desk. A few hours premier, I had been excited and filled with adrenaline to put things together and suddenly, my hard work looked like trash to me. A file filled with now useless information. I needed to find out who that woman was, and I may have come up with an idea. It was probably a long shot, but it was worth the try. Giving up was never an option.