(Worst quality ever but the face claim is Irrfan Khan, may he rest in peace)

Within minutes, we landed at the base of the snowy mountains. Freezing gales whipped in frosted swirls around the jet as we exited. Only a thin, long sleeve undershirt covered my skin but even the cold couldn't deter my focus.

I was on assignment. Physical necessity didn't apply to assignments.

The mass of agents from the other jets dispersed evenly with professional coordination. The four DCL Variants and I were at the front of the small army with two top CIA agents along with us who, surprisingly, didn't smell of fear. I could tell if they were brave or over confident.

Our tactical plan was for the main force to attack from the front while a smaller number of agents came through the backdoor. There was an escape tunnel that led underground to a secret hanger half a mile away. A separate jet would be on standby to shoot down any hasty escapes. There would also be a small unit of DOD personnel waiting outside on standby in case a cavalry charge was needed.

In a perfect world, the attack would run seamlessly. We would target the top agents and then take care of the secondary after. It was unlikely that the Masters were on site but with my help, I could use any captured agent's memories against them.

However, this is a fictional story written by a fifteen year old so nothing can actually run smoothly.

At the end of the day, this assignment's true goal was to dismantle L.A.C.E..

Or at least weakening them.

My fingers rapped anxiously against the gun at my waist. I could feel my heart rate slowly accelerate at the sheer premise of who or what was in that base.

"We move in thirty seconds," Dakota announced, his expression still impassive, as he checked over his multitude of weapons and rounds of ammunition. I still only had the walther Saratoga had given me earlier and checked the clip just to be sure.

In those thirty seconds, Teddy turned to Saratoga and flashed a grin that seemed entirely out of place in the current setting.

"You got my back right?" He asked.

Her icy blue eyes rolled before flicking a stray brown hair from her eyes.

"You better hope so," Saratoga replied with a half hearted grin. Both of them were attempting to hide it, but they were nervous. Even anxious. And for good reason.

If I was worried then the rest of them should have been pissing their pants.

We soon began trekking inwards to the snow base upon Dakota's signal where we found metal doors half buried in snow. A demolitions team had already set explosive charges on the door and we waited patiently for them to go off. Within seconds, the doors blew inwards in a shower of sparks and a small plume of orange.

The five of us were the first to enter the base.

I kept my glock trained downwards as telekinetic energy pulsed off of my skin in small, invisible waves. My heart rate was now racing as we entered the base but quickly stopped in our tracks as we were met by an entirely empty foyer room. The foyer itself was made up of all familar cement walls with fluorescent lights on the ceiling. One of them flickered inconsistently, making a low buzzing sound. There was little to no furniture aside from the small section of the room that was designated as a cafeteria where the agents ate when they were not on assignment. There were still a few plastic chairs and metal tables that sat dormantly there.

There was no sign of any agents but a peculiar instinct in the back of my mind insisted we weren't alone.

"Well this is concerning," I noted as my pale brown eyes surveyed the room skeptically.

"No kidding, where are they?" Saratoga asked. Her pale features were set into a stoney expression.

"Did they already leave?" Royce asked, his deep voice resonating through the vacant room.

I shook my head. "L.A.C.E. would've demolished the site if they were leaving permanently."

"Are you sure?" Teddy asked.

I gave him a look as one of my brows raised. "Teddy, I was an official agent of L.A.C.E. for over seven years; if anyone is sure about anything, I am."

Teddy shrugged, still unsure, with a hand hovering over the trigger of his rifle.

One of the CIA agents decided to voice his unneeded opinion. "How do we know you didn't just set us up. After all, you were one of these people," The man accused.

I had the impending urge to choke him but came to the quick realization that a physical reaction might not have been the best way to handle his remark.

"Set you up?" I asked, turning to face the taller male who suddenly smelt nervous. "Why would I waste my time?"

The male hesitated before opening his lipless mouth again but Saratoga beat him to it.

"Get off her back Agent Green, she wants L.A.C.E. gone just as much as we do," Sara insisted. The edge of my brow quirked upwards.

She was defending me.

The CIA agent scoffed. "How can you even-" "Hush!" A firm masculine voice interrupted our argument.

The voice came from Dakota who held a single finger over his lips. All eyes turned to him as he pointed to the ceiling.

"Listen."

We all went completely silent. Almost immediately I heard a ticking sound. Like the ticking of a mechanical clock. My forehead creased in confusion as the sound seemed to emit from further within the room, near the center.

"What is that?" Teddy asked seriously, hefting the M16 in his arms.

The beat of the tick was steady.

"Where is it coming from," Agent Green asked as he made darting glances around the room.

Suddenly the ticking began to rapidly increase. Although, that was impossible ... unless this really was a set up. But it wasn't a set up orchestrated by me.

L.A.C.E. was behind this.

My suspicions were confirmed less than a split second later when a security gate came down from above the entry frame that we'd previously blown through. The two dozen agents, who had also made it in, looked back at the gate in stark surprise.

We were trapped.

"Get down!" I yelled as the ticking continued to speed up. "It's a bomb!"

All of the agents automatically hit the floor and covered the backs of their heads. I went down right in between Royce and Dakota, whose wings nearly covered his entire body. I quietly hoped they were flame retardant.

"Where is it coming from? I can shield us," Royce asked as the ticking began to hit a flat line. I opened my mouth to respond but Royce suddenly slammed his hand against the floor, an eruption of energy spread across it as a shimmering wall appeared in front of us and extended up to the ceiling.

Then the bomb went off

It came from up above and it quickly became purtnet that it hadn't been intended to kill us. The small blast caused a part of the roof to fall inwards but not enough to collapse it.

However, the hole was perfectly sized and located for an overhead attack. I hastily returned to my feet with my gaze focused on the small rupture. The rest of the agents soon followed my actions, all with their weapons trained at the hole.

Royce's shimmering shield dissipated as he let it fall away. He kept his hand reared back and his intelligent jade green eyes set upon the ceiling.

"Where are they?" A random agent whispered.

No one was able to answer before small, cylinder shaped objects were launched from within the crater in the ceiling. Royce attempted to seal the hole of but many of the objects had already made it to the ground.

I identified them as stun grenades immediately. While the little explosion did little against us, those stun grenades would be a problem. Unlike your typical frag grenades that just blow up, a stun grenade emits a high frequency pulse capable of discombobulating an adult human for at least a few minutes.

They had the nickname 'concussion' grenades for a reason.

"Grenades!" Teddy yelled, backing away. He lifted an arm protectively infront of Saratoga, his hazel eyes flickering with fear.

Several of the agents sought to escape from the incoming grenades but the exit was sealed off.

Instead of backing up, I rose my hands into the air as telekinetic energy flowed through my fingers. Many of the grenades were knocked back or up into the ceiling where they'd come from. Royce quickly followed my actions but it was only a matter of time before the grenades finally went off.

Instantly, I clapped my hands over my sensitive ears.

The sound was similar to a freight train horn combined with the high pitch squeal that old TV's make when turned on. Only, instead of the sound being distantly faint, it felt like it was being emitted just inches away. I screamed out as a splitting pain seared through my temples.

I was forced down onto one knee as I shook my head back and forth in a vain attempt to escape the sound.

I willed one of my eyelids to lift. Even my vision wavered from the invading sound but I could see that the majority of the DCL and CIA agents were all in equally vulnerable positions. Most cradled into fetal positions. There were only two other people who weren't laying feebly on the floor. One was Royce, who appeared to have at least attempted to shield himself from the grenades with a thin and wavering shield. The other was Dakota who was set on his knees with his hands holding himself up and his wings covering his head.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted unfriendly movement.

There were several figures coming down from the hole in the ceiling. They descended easily from two ropes and were noticeably wearing large ear muffs to ward out the sound. As my vision began to adjust, I quickly made out the slender figure of Agent 4 with his unusually long limbs amidst the fuzzy figures. Agent 4 was supposed to be on a mission in Venezuela according to Artur's memories.

He shouldn't have been here.

Yet here he was.

And it looked like Agent 9 was right next to him.

It was a set up.

I gritted my teeth as I lifted myself back onto my feet but found that my sense of balance was off. I fell backwards, just managing to catch myself before hitting the ground. A wave of nausea racked my stomach at the sudden movements before the splitting sound of gunfire hit the air.

I couldn't tell who had fired off those shots but I doubted it was anyone on our side since most of our agents were still on the ground. But the new sound sharpened my senses through the ear splitting ringing. My jaw clenched tightly and I strained to keep my eyes open.

More L.A.C.E. agents were approaching.

We were sitting ducks.

I had to give them a chance.

Telekinetic energy gathered in my palm before I brought it upwards. An unseeable, but impenetrable, wall spanned out in front of us like a sliding door. The horrible pulse of the grenades was immediately muted as the thin telekinetic shield grew.

A dark hand suddenly gripped my arm causing me to jerk involuntarily as an electric shock seemed to rush down my spine. I turned to see Royce, whose thick dreadlocks covered half of his face, latched on to me. A new energy invaded my senses and I realized the energy was his.

Our abilities were combining into one.

Unlike the raw telekinetic energy I harbored, his was almost gentle. It was designed to protect, not inflict violence.

I directed the new energy to the telekinetic barrier that began to shimmer, almost becoming luminescent. The shapes of the oncoming L.A.C.E. agents were now hazy silhouettes as the wall obscured them. A sudden force, a telekinetic force, pushed against the wall from the other side. I recognized the telektnic touch instantly to be Agent 28. His power was similar to Artur's in that it could not overpower mine. The shimmering barrier hardly wavered.

Behind me, some of the agents, including Saratoga and Dakota had regained their feet. I turned to Royce.

"Push them back!"

I wasn't sure if he could hear me since I could barely hear myself over the ringing and blood pounding in my temples but he must have read my lips since we simultaneously sent the barrier rushing forwards as far as we could. The forceful action sent most of the L.A.C.E. agents tumbling backwards as the wall carried them with it. Only two agents managed to keep their feet rather than be dragged across the room.

Agent 28, the minor telekinetic and also the other agent along with Artur who'd caught up with me a few months ago, was braced on the floor. Agent 10, Venice Thompson (Morph), had both of her now metal hands dug into the cement. Her hands had made small craters into the ground before she wrenched them free. Her right arm suddenly elongated into a thick golden gladius.

My breathes were ragged as I faced the two nearest agents with the other DCL agents behind me. My limbs felt laden. I had little time to recover before Agent 21 sprinted towards me at full speed. There was a gun at his hip but he didn't use it.

Instead, he simply held a silver dagger in hand.

He was either over confident or not trying to kill me.

I sluggishly got into a defensive stance as he made a lunging stab towards me. I leaned back but all of my moves were slow against the younger agent. It was only the sharp stinging cut against my forearm from Agent 28's blade that knocked me back into reality. New adrenaline surged forward, replacing the weariness.

The Texan agent made another stab that I evaded with a quick step backwards. A flash of surprise raced across his long face as I recovered my senses. He lashed out with his dagger to my lower midsection and this time I caught his hand. I quickly brought down my left hand like a club and knocked the dagger right out of his hand.

My arm reared back and before the agent could reach for his gun, my fist collided with his nose. I hit him twice, the first blow broke his nose and the second ensured a rhinoplasty. My knuckles were coated in blood as I pulled them away. The male clutched his bloody face as I shoved him to the ground.

He should have known better than to engage me.

The residual effects from the stun grenades had now dissipated entirely. A cold, almost predatory, sense had settled upon my shoulders. It was like a leopard had escaped its cage.

I quickly surveyed the rest of the formerly empty foyer that was now full of agents from the DCL and L.A.C.E. alike. But many agents already laid dead on the floor and most of them were not L.A.C.E. agents.

I wasn't able to identify any of the fallen as the DCL Variants.

My gaze shortly fell upon agent 10 who stood a mere five yards away. Venice. She was a slender woman with dark brown skin and long, braided hair.

Her right arm was still morphed into a large gladius sword. She currently had said metal blade dug into the stomach of an unfortunate CIA agent. Her murderous gaze met mine as she slipped her arm out of the dying agent.

I went for the gun at my hip and managed to fire off four rounds. The first shot went straight towards her chest that she luckily deflected with her gladius like arm. The second missed as it went just a little high over her shoulder. The third shot hit its mark as it hit her solidly in the shoulder. But the fourth bullet merely bounced off of her skin as it turned into metallic gold.

Venice barely stutter stepped from the impact of the bullet and now that her skin had become a solid metal alloy, the gun became useless. She bared her white teeth at me before closing the distance between us in a golden blur.

Both of her hands were now morphed into elongated talons, not dissimilar to Saratoga's, and at the last possible moment I side-stepped her. Venice went flying past me and even as she corrected herself with feline-like reflexes, I kept her off balance with a subtle telekinetic shove.

If I could keep her busy, then perhaps the rest of the DCL agents might have a chance.

Agent 10 was, in my opinion, the best and most dangerous agent within all of L.A.C.E.. Her abilities made her a perfect, almost indestructible, assassin and she was still young too, maybe a few years older than I.

Her dark eyes met mine in an intense glare. A cruel sneer spread across her mouth. "I see you still fight like a timid little girl."

"And you're still old and even slower than before," I replied.

Although, it was hardly true. She was still extremely lethal but she'd been the one to replace me as Callum's trainor.

Needless to say, she wasn't as merciful as I was.

She further pressed an attack, wasting no time in delivering blows that were surprisingly aimed mostly at my torso and chest rather than my neck. They were intended to main, not kill.

I avoided each swipe and jab with deft precision. Often predicting her next move before it happened.

I blocked a low swipe with my forearm and then telekinetically pushed her backwards. She gracefully slid backwards and remained on her feet.

"You're lucky I'm not supposed to kill you, Agent 17." She hissed.

I brows furrowed in puzzlement.

"Not supposed to kill me?"

She said nothing in return and a sly smile appeared on her pretty face.

Venice once again attacked me in a blur of metal and fists. For the first time, my reaction was delayed, allowing her to shallowly cut into the bulletproof vest.

I was still confused.

Why didn't they want me dead?

As I ducked away from a high aimed blow from Venice, I decided it was time I got rid of her. At least temporarily.

I waited for a hole in her attacks that might allow me to strike. She was an excellent combatant so such opportunities were few and far between. But they were still there.

Venice took a lunging step to my right giving me the perfect opportunity to knee her brutally in the gut. She grunted in pain as her liver took the impact but before she could recover, I took out her legs with a sweeping kick down below. She tumbled to the floor and I wasted no time.

My hands slipped around her neck from behind. I latched myself into the conscious world before I could enter her mind. She thrashed against my hold, causing me to stomp one of my feet on top of her hand. I caught her other arm, that was morphed into a thin blade, in a telentic bind just as she lifted it to stab me. My arms flexed to finish the move.

"Stop!"

A thunderous voice commanded. That simple word carried through the room like a thunder bolt.

My eyes shot up to the source of the masculine voice. The rest of the room seemed to pause as well as the sounds of chaos and ongoing violence died down. My strong grip on Venice didn't waver. I kept her in a headlock and pressed flush against my body.

The voice came from agent 19 who stood nearly twenty five yards away with a fallen DCL agent choking on his own blood at his feet.

Axle Renault. Agent 25.

Axle was like a living Romanian version of Superman except he couldn't fly or shoot lasers from his eyes. He had super strength, speed, and an advanced IQ. The ideal spy, assassin, or mercenary. But don't be fooled, he was no Superman in terms of good deeds.

His sister was equally lethal.

His dark gelled hair and curt jaw were still so familiar. He hadn't aged a day it seemed. Axle's dark blue eyes were impassive but strong as they looked straight into my pale brown from across the room. I should have held his gaze but instead found my eyes flickering around the room as the intense battle came to a pause in search of familiar DCL agents.

The first person I spotted within the midst of the throng was Dakota. He was pinned underneath a blonde man I knew to be Agent 4.

Kristopher Raleigh.

Kristopher was one of the strangest hybrid Specials when it came to his list of abilities. Extensive examination had given him a lengthy list of powers. He was a good agent but similar to Artur, he was unstable. The serum was the only thing keeping him chemically balanced.

Dakota was stuck underneath Kristopher with his neck entirely displayed for him to bite. Dakota jerked against Kristophers hold, puffing up his wings with anger in his eyes but Kristopher just pressed his talons flush against his throat, drawing a few drops of blood.

A flair of panic rushed through my senses at the sight. If Agent 4 bit him he'd be dead in minutes.

To my left, I could see Saratoga

She was also in a vulnerable position. Agent 9, The Leech, held her in a paralyzation hold not dissimilar to how I was holding Venice. He could drain her easily.

I couldn't see Teddy or Royce but I suspected they were also in equally powerless positions. They could have even been dead but I didn't quite want to think about that.

My gaze returned back to Axle's.

"Surrender now and they might live," he claimed.

Was he... negotiating?

Agent 10 struggled feebly under my grasp but I just increased the pressure around her neck. One little tug and her neck would snap but unfortuanly, it would only keep her down for less than five minutes.

I looked back to Dakota whose dark eyes made sudden contact with mine. There was a familiar glimmer of desperation in his expression. The same desperation I remember seeing in the eyes of those I had been forced to kill.

The look I still saw at night when I slept.

"What makes you think I care for any of them?" I asked, trying to avoid Dakota or Saratoga's gaze.

"Because the Agent 17 I knew would have already snapped 10's neck," Axel said. "Your hesitation speaks for itself."

"I'm not Agent 17 anymore," I replied steadily as my mind raced for a way out of this. I had never been in the position of letting morality guide my decisions. It put me in a corner that I found distasteful.

Why did I even care?

Axle appeared unpersuaded. "Surrender in the next minute, Harper, and maybe they will all live."

My pale brown eyes accidently found Saratoga's icy blue. Her expression mirrored Dakota's but there was a flicker of hopefulness in her eyes. She was expecting me to make the right decision.

A hero's decision.

But even the right decision might get us all killed. As would the wrong decision.

"Give up it 17," Agent 19 insisted and my jaw locked in agitation.

The agent in me was telling me to let them die.

The other part of me told the agent part that that wasn't right.

My conscience won out.

My grip loosened as I slowly released Venice from my grasp. She fell to the floor, gasping for air that had been denied from her. I resisted the impending urge to bury my boot into her throat.

My gaze darted back to Dakota who was still pinned down by Kristopher. Agent 4's slit like eyes seemed to smile back at me as his shiny skin reflected the fluorescent lights.

"A wise choice," Axle said with a triumphant smirk. He had been bluffing just as much as I was.

My hands began pulsing with unseen telekinetic energy. It was like an oncoming storm that would mutate into a hurricane.

The large, Romanian male began to approach but suddenly halted as an uncanny grin spread across my mouth. His body grew tense and he opened his wide mouth to speak but before any more putrid words could fall, I brought down my hands against the cement floor.

The impact was instantaneous as a massive seismic wave erupted from where I contacted the ground. The entire facility seemed to tremble as the telekinetic eruption expanded outwards in the blink of an eye.

Everyone, DCL and L.A.C.E. alike were launched backwards as the invisible force careened into them.

Axle and Venice, who had been closest to the blast, were sent somersaulting through the air. Kristopher's scaly grip loosened upon Dakota as he struggled against the shockwave but Dakota shoved him away with a powerful flex of his black wings. Agent 15 let go of Saratoga as he stumbled backwards before sliding across the floor.

The blast had been enough to save the others but the L.A.C.E. agents were already recovering.

Dakota's dark gaze caught mine. "Get them out of here!" I yelled as several of the L.A.C.E. agents began to approach. "I can hold them off!"

Dakota hesitated but before he could act, I swept him, Saratoga, and also Teddy who'd appeared beside Agent Green across the room and towards the exit with a swift wave of my arm. Hopefully Royce and the others would find a way to follow them out.

I just had to give them enough time.

Now that the CIA and DCL agents were pushed away, I was left with only my own defenses. And the L.A.C.E. agents charged my position like a pack of piranhas.

The first agent to get too close was Kristopher, who was practically salivating. His rabid onslaught was cut short as he slammed into an unseen telekinetic wall. But he was quickly replaced by agent 24, Maple Renault, who was also stopped by a telekinetic barrier but this one protected my entire body like a force field. Another agent, followed by more, began banging and slamming into the telekinetic bubble that was slowly beginning to thin against the furious agents.

The muscles in my arms strained to keep the barrier up and sweat ran down my skin. Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of unnatural golden skin of agent 10 and the curt jaw of agent 25.

Something snapped.

My body began to tremble. But didn't shake with fear. A vigorous and angry strength had flooded my body. My eyes clamped shut as uncontrollable power surged forward, searching for a way out. I screamed with a sudden terror as the telekinetic energy erupted violently.

I was as if my own body had fallen away and was replaced by something raw and terrifying.

Then the world went up in a flash of white.