Forever Fighting | ✔️ | [previously Espionage: double-cross]

Chapter 5

 Unaware of these conversations, Alex got home tired and mostly unhurt. Hear heart beat rapidly and irregularly, pulsing with incapacitating terror.

The funny thing about fear was you could never get rid of it, not completely. There would always be that part of you overwhelmed by panic and terror that even the deepest desire to be strong couldn't overcome.

That's how Alex felt.

Years after her mother's death, years of preparation and constantly berating herself to be strong, she couldn't get rid of that fear, fear that she was going to lose someone else to her lack of control. So rather than try to get rid of it, she started embracing it. That fear made her cautious, made her careful and stopped the anger from making her reckless. 

It was a fine balance between using fear to mitigate risks and being so consumed by it that the brain couldn't process situations logically.

Fear in tow, Alex entered the house, every muscle tense in anticipation. While armed with combat skills, her small and still not yet fully developed stature put her at a disadvantage in most situations. Picking up the baseball bat she kept beside her bed, Alex rushed around the house, making sure every window, door (front, back and garage) were locked and every curtain closed, shutting her off from the world that continued turning outside the walls she had built.

Now that she had retained some semblance of security, she went to see how the injuries she had sustained were faring. Those gifted to her in the fight with Julie was small and littered sparsely around her body, inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. 

Her back, however, was a different story. Where the rest of her was light brown, tanned skin, her back had started going black and blue. With the adrenaline wearing off the pain became more noticeable, enough to make her back arch and turn her breathing heavy. 

Alex groaned, as if the sight of the bruise caused her more pain than the thing itself. Just looking at it, stretching across the entirety of her back, made her shudder to think of the object that had caused it. Even though the pain was bordering crippling, Alex doubted the weapon that had caused it was even at full power. Never had she seen something that could cause an injury like this and just hoped that whoever had it was rational or using it for a good cause. 

Unlikely looking at how humanity acts today. 

She stayed standing, waiting for the pain to ebb away as well as listening for any sign of life, other than herself of course. She grumbled thinking how much having a dog would ease her worry and internally scoffing at her dad's disregard at the need of having a pet. Was a dog too much to ask for? Not only would it act as a safety net but it would be a companion to reduce Alex's feelings of eternal loneliness.  

When no sounds came from within or outside the house, Alex let her shoulders relax, feeling just a little more safe. She clambered into bed, taking a book with her, one of Bear Gryll's. 

Normally, reading about survival would excite her. It allowed Alex to leave reality and focus on someone else's troubles (even if fictional) while learning valid tips. You never know the kind of situation you could get into, something her mother was fond of reminding her. The memory of her mother sent a fresh wave of pain, this time mental rather than physical, through her. Alex snuggled in closer to the pillows that adorned her bed while trying to rid her mind of all serious thought.

She tried to invest herself into the plot-line of the book, she really did but this time it didn't help her take her mind off life. While she could normally forget about the strange pitying looks she garnered at school or the painful silence at him, she couldn't forget about the run-in just an hour prior. 

That was a real life, dangerous situation, not just one of the scenarios she would fantasise about dominating in her spare time. Not only that, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was part of something, something big. Something that she had been roped into unwillingly.

Letting out a fatigued sigh, she went to carry on reading when her phone beeped beside her. Desperately hoping for a message from her dad, she was left disappointed.

Instead she saw an unknown number with a message she couldn't ignore.

Unknown: Hello Alex Pierce.

Of course she wasn't going to respond. That would be stupid, right? Who would know her name? But this didn't feel sinister any more than getting a message from a long-lost aunt would be. 

So she did the unthinkable and replied.

A: Yes?

The reply came almost instantly.

Unknown: I think we should talk.

A: And why should I even deign to consider this request?

Proud of herself for sounding so sophisticated, she waited for the reply, book now forgotten on her bedside table.

Unknown: You look like your mother.

That made Alex sit up straight. While it could have been something generic to say to make her think she knew this person, this felt even more personal, like the person behind the screen knew exactly what her trigger was.

A: And?

Unknown: I used to work with her, she was a good woman.

A: I know. 

But her curiosity didn't let her stop there.

A: When? At the station?

Unknown: No.

A: Then where?

Unknown: A place you could go if you so wish.

A: What do you mean?

Unknown: You have skills, ones that could help you to improve the world, or destroy it depending on the side you choose. Not everything known by the public can be considered good. We work to save and protect those put in the firing line against their knowledge. We want you to join us. 

A: Why should I trust that what you have to say is the truth? For all I know you could be a serial killer waiting for me to open the door and then BAM, dead.

Unknown: Look, I shouldn't even be saying this unless you accept but, would it help to know that I see you almost every day, talk to you almost every day? 

A: You could be lying.

Unknown: image.jpeg

Alex knew she shouldn't click on it, but she did.

After staring at the photo for a few seconds, she nodded to herself.

A: You know this is a superfluous means of meeting me. You literally could have asked me today.

J: Protocol.

A: Of course, for this super secret agency you work for. Should I believe this?

J: What do you think.

A: I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

So Alex got out of bed, hurriedly put on some socks and slid into the hallway. Forgoing the stairs, she slid right down the banister, landing in front of the door. 

Taking a breath, she threw it open and stared into the maroon eyes of her coach.

"Hello Alex."