**Forbidden Planet Productions**
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"8 minutes and counting," the monotone voice spoke from her small computer, piercing in the silent, heavy atmosphere.
"Pluto. 8 minutes to evacuate. I repeat. 8 minutes to evacuate," Agent Cassidy whispered into the small mouthpiece, a small bead of sweat on her brow.
She looked worriedly at the screen of her small handheld computer, heart pumped with adrenaline and anxiety. She had been able to shut off the alarms in Section A, the main hallway, and the basement (where she was now), but it was suddenly being overridden by the main system, meaning that someone knew they were here. Overall, meaning that if they didn't get out of the building in about 8 minutes they were as good as dead.
"Dammit Pluto! Hurry up!" she whispered more urgently than before. Agent Abigail Felbs hadn't been answering her since they had departed, and she was starting to worry.
Agent Felbs had been her partner ever since she had been transferred from doing less than exciting work in Quantico. Agent Felbs was a capable agent, actually much MORE than just capable. She was the stealthiest agent of the lot with a feline grace and quick thinking to boot. Agent Felbs had been somewhat of a mentor to Agent Cristina Cassidy even though they were only a few years apart in age.
"Saturn. Come in Saturn," the loud voice rang in her ears, startling her off her crouching position and almost leaving her sprawled out on the floor.
"Saturn here." she quickly adjusted the volume setting, confused as to why the mission control was contacting her in the first place.
"Abort mission."
Her jaw practically dropped to the floor. "Pluto isn't back yet."
"Retreat now. Pluto is dead. Mission aborted." she was able to make out through the static.
What?? That couldn't be true! Maybe.. maybe it was though.. Abby hadn't answered for awhile.. She was about to question them again when she heard the pitter patter of numerous footsteps above her. She quickly unhooked her computer and put it back in her bag, the alarms going off immediately.~ No way mission control. Not until I know for sure that Abby isn't dead. ~
Her heart stopped as suddenly she heard a familiar voice faintly coming through the vent above. "I've got it."
"Abby?" she whispered, practically in shock. A moment ago Abby had been presumed dead.. but now... She was about to shout out in reply when she heard another voice.
"This is for the boss," it was a deep, throaty voice that was harsh and stern. Cristi's eyes widened. ~ Boss?? What's going on?~
Before she could listen any further though, she heard the click of a doorknob turning. She dived behind a bunch of old boxes and crouched down, cursing silently at her luck.
"Who's down here? Show yourself!" the man demanded. She peeked out from behind the box to find a middle aged man standing in front of the open door, his large frame taking up most of the space of the doorway. She realized the only way out was to either go through the small window above her, or through the large man standing before her. She chose the large man. Abby was still out there, and it wasn't like she was really going to go THROUGH the man. She just had to find a way around him.
She carefully made her way behind the boxes, trying to be as stealthy as possible. She quickened her pace as he headed towards the direction she had come from. ~ Almost there.. almost there..~ The light of the doorway was just in her reach. Just a few more steps and she'd be there.. just a few more..
"STOP! YOU THERE!" she broke out into a run as she heard his pounding footsteps coming towards her. She ran through the door, shutting it behind her, turning the lock as she did. A half smile formed on her lips as she heard a bang as her enemy hit the steel door.
She looked around, the alarm even louder in the hallway than in the small room. Silently she quickly made her way up the stairs. After looking both left and right down the surrounding hallway she ran to the right and quickly turned the right corner again. She had heard Abby's voice as if it was right above her. Abby HAD to be somewhere around here.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt cold metal at her temple. ~ shit.. shit.. SHIT! I should have been more careful! DAMMIT!~ An angry scowl marred her pretty features as her assailant dragged her down the hall, his face obscured by a black mask. The only thing she could make out was a small snake tattoo on his wrist that had been exposed when he grabbed her and started pulling her along.
Before she knew it she was pulled into a room nearby and thrown onto a couch. She was about to get up when her assailant quickly brought the gun back up, pointing it at her forehead from the corner of the room.
"You said you were alone," it was that voice. The voice she had heard through the vent.. that meant..
She quickly turned in the direction of the voice, and what she saw shocked her. Abby. Looking like she hadn't done a thing. Including getting the goods they had come for. In fact, her blond hair was flowing freely around her face, out of the tight ponytail she usually wore when on a mission. She was frowning now, and there was a look of surprise and even a bit of irritation in her eyes, but there was no fear. Actually.. Abby looked quite.. comfortable. She sat on the edge of the desk, next to a chair obscured in the darkness. Cristi couldn't quite make out who it was sitting in that chair, but it didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered was that.. it looked as though Abby had betrayed her.
When Abby started laughing, Cristi felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Oh her? She's harmless.. she's just a rookie."
Cristi's eyes widened. ~rookie? ROOKIE?! What the HELL is going on?!~ She shifted in her seat, and was about to speak, but was stopped by a look of warning by Abby.
"Then dispose of her," the man said without hesitation.
"Okay." She said it without any hesitation and took her gun out, pointing it straight at her former partner. Cristi glared at her without fear or hurt, just a growing anger. Silently Abby pleaded with her former partner to just trust her.. that she wouldn't do anything to hurt her.
"Wait," the voice said right before Abby had pulled the trigger. "She looks useful even though she's only a rookie."
Cristi glared at the darkened figure and then stood up indignantly. "Go ahead and kill me. I don't give a damn how useful you think I am."
"And the girl has fire," he sounded .. amused. HOW DARE HE?! She felt a burning anger grow inside of her, and before she knew it she was in action.
Cristi had seen her previous assailant coming toward her gun in hand, but before he could lay a hand on her, or get the gun level with her, she was rushing him. She slammed an elbow into his ribs, and she felt a satisfied grin appear on her face when she heard his grunt of pain. She then twisted his arm once she got a hold of it and flipped him, straddling him and then grabbing his gun. With one hand holding down her former assailants neck, and the other pointing a gun into the darkness, she looked at Abby. "What the hell is going on?"
Abby looked at her in shock at first, not realizing how much improvement Cristi had made in fighting techniques. "Agent Cassidy.." she forced herself to do it.. and she did. She took out her gun and pointed it at her once closest friend. "Put down your gun Agent Cassidy."
Cristi was fairly ticked off at this point. The betrayal. Her revealment of her real name. Abby was going against everything. Cristi looked her straight in the eye, "How could you?"
Abby felt her heart pain at the look of hurt in her former friend's eyes.. she attempted to keep her strength. "Put.. down.. the gun. I won't ask you again."
"Dispose of her," the voice said harshly.
Cristi looked at Abby as if daring her to do it. She kept her gun level at the darkness, her finger on the trigger, ready to pull it at any time.
Abby looked at Cristi in return. Her friend. If only she hadn't come. If only she would have known what was really going on.. if only if only.... she wouldn't let her die for being naive though.. she'd kill herself first..
The next few moments seemed to happen in slow motion. Cristi's eyes wided with each passing moment. Abby about to shoot her.. a teacher about to kill a student.. suddenly though, turning.... Abby turning and pointing the gun into the darkness. A loud bang. From the wrong gun.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"