Author's Note:
A heads up before you read this episode. This particular one will involve swapping between the point of view between Troy and Clyde, so if the narration seems to change, it's because it switched to a different person. This may happen in future episodes, but I'm only pointing this out once.
Troy's P.O.V.
It's a quick wake-up call for me, but too quickly as I don't have enough time to get used to the bright lights aimed at my face. I don't recall much after the explosion, not where I am or where my party is. Clyde, I remember Clyde diving into the fire, what a crazy pooch.
"Be cautious, agent Hearth, you're experiencing a reset in your systems. Take it nice and slow." Dr. Nivans does not change his expression from his usual brooding demeanor as he delivers this news.
"Doc?" I say, squinting hard at his blurry frame. He turns off the overhead lights for me, then starts his way to his table of tools, leaning one elbow on top and the hand supporting his head.
"Go ahead," he says, "I bet you've got questions." I most certainly do.
"Where am I?"
He seems dissatisfied with my question. "Seriously? You have to ask that? I thought it was obvious that you were in the Ispio Clinic."
"Where's Clyde?"
" I don't know, it was Carlotta that found you outside of the Hearth Manor. She brought you here, and only you."
"I must've blacked out."
"You fainted, Troy."
It's not like me to faint, but perhaps the witness of my parents' death and the sight of my best friend jumping into Hell itself is a good excuse. "Oh..."
Great, I already have personal matters that need my attention, but adding this to my plate pushes me back on progress massively. What should my next move even be? Maybe Carlotta has the answer.
"Doc, I need to talk to Adams."
"Sure, you can leave. You weren't injured besides some minor burns on your back." He pulls out a silver tube from his lab coat, "Just apply this cream every four hours, and it'll heal up normally."
I take the tube, "What? Every four hours? Why can't you just give me that super serum like last time?"
"Last time you had broken bones and a lack of blood. It's for traumatic injuries only."
I think about arguing with him some more, but the call of the mysteries is higher on my priority list. I shove the tube in my back pocket and head for the door. The halls of Ispio are buzzing around with employees as usual, but they pay no attention to me. Do they know that I was fired months ago? I use to bring them donuts every Tuesday! I assume Adams is in her office, so it's the first place I check, but oddly enough it's empty. I walk around her desk and sit in her chair, but a sudden squishy sound makes me jump out of it. The leather seat is now covered in gooey white cream.
"Oh no, I forgot the cream!"
I check her desk for a towel, or maybe some tissues, but nothing. I pull open the drawers, no absorbents, but I find something else that steals my attention. It's a profile report, and the name that rests atop the papers spell out a familiar name.
"What in the world is this?"
"Hey, you're not supposed to be in here!" Carlotta stands at the doorway, a vein is already visible on her forehead.
"Adams!? I was just-" Nope, not even going to try while covered in goop and holding classified reports.
"What's that in your hands!?" she asks, gliding towards me with tangible fury in each step she makes. She snatches the packet from me with such haste that I feel the need to count my fingers and be sure there are still ten.
A quick glance of her eyes to the file diminishes her anger rapidly. "Troy, we need to talk," She looks over to her chair, "and this is an entirely new low for you."
A sheepish smile is all I give. "It's not what you think."
Clyde's P.O.V:
Full body analysis...
Fire damage sustained to the epidermis, concentration around the forearms. Minor threat level in medical response. All limbs are accounted for, but my tail has lost some fur. No bruises or broken bones. Blood levels are high.
Mission status...
Civilians, Samuel Hearth and Sherry Hearth are both evacuated from hazardous elements. Both are conscious, but their physical status is unknown. Agents, Archer Fury and Troy Hearth are considered M.I.A.
Personality Code..."Compassionate" Engage
"Are you two alright?" I ask.
Samuel inspects his well-being closely, "Just a little singed is all. Hun?"
Sherry pokes her head out from a nearby tree, "My tail is a little ruffled, but I'm fine. Thank you, Clyde."
"Where are we, anyway?" Samuel asks.
"The wooded area behind your manor. I couldn't cut a path back to the RV, so I took the back exit instead." I gaze upon the tall trees, scanning for any signs of possible threats. "We seem pretty secluded here, but we need a safer spot to lay low. That was no accident, assume you are in crosshairs at all times from here on out."
"Got it," he says, "we've got a bunker just a mile away from here. I don't suppose we could get an escort?"
Processing information...
Receiving request for security duty. I have much to do, but the abandonment of Agent Hearth's parents could lead to future complications. They are most likely being targeted currently, and are unarmed and untrained. Switching priorities.
"Say no more Mr. Hearth, we'll be fine," I say.
I pull out my phone and try to make contact with Archer. The phone says he's disconnected. I try Troy's number next, but no answer. I will be going alone on this one, solo operations are substantially more lethal.
"Um, this way!" says Samuel.
He begins walking East, leading us outside of the forest and into the public streets. I'm skeptical about traveling out in the open, not enough cover. Sherry holds his hand tightly while I follow both of them from five feet away. Continuing to scan the perimeter around us, I draw my personal firearm from my holster. We make it to the half-mile mark without any resistance. Sherry politely complains about walking this far in the wrong type of shoes, and Samuel offers her a piggyback ride. We end up in a heavily guarded area with a few buildings standing firm inside an electrically fenced-off property. Two armored security personnel abandon their post at a point-lookout and approach our party.
"Mister and Misses Hearth?" one of them says under the heavy helmet. Their uniforms aren't familiar to me, meaning they must be a contract company or mercenaries. "Are you guys all right?"
"We will be as soon as we get inside," says Samuel. He points a finger at me, "This is Clyde, he's a cool guy."
The security's masked head turns toward me, "Thank you for watching over these two." He looks back at Samuel, "Where's your son?" A troubled look latches onto both parents, and they stare at each other for a moment as if they're having a conversation without words.
Sherry speaks first, "Oh God, we don't know!"
Samuel holds her tightly in his arms. "Now honey, don't panic! Troy's a big, smart boy, I'm sure he's safe!"
Processing information...
Agent Hearth's statistics insinuate he is likely to be alive, but his location is unknown to me. He cannot manually answer his phone, but he is traceable with the GPS installed under his skin. It will take some time, and I will need the appropriate equipment to activate the tracking device. Perhaps the Hearth's personal mercenaries could aid me in this objective.
Personality Code..."Practical" Engage
"I can track down your son with a chip, but I'll need a computer to do it," I say.
"Oh Clyde," says Sherry while wiping her tears, "you've helped so much already. You are a blessed soul on this family!"
The security turns to me again, "If the Hearth family trusts you, you're off my watchlist. We've got a computer in the base. C'mon, you can use the terminal in the control room."
Control room? Personal mercenaries? Multi-million dollar fortress? Top-brand equipment? I'm curious as to what exactly it is that Samuel does. That question will have to come later when things are less chaotic. For now, the mission is to discover the location of Troy Hearth.
"Lead the way," I request. The other guard guides the parents into the main building, while I follow this one to my temporary workspace. A couple of mandatory programs need to be installed first. The flash drive placed in my shoe contains the software and codes to accurately track my partner. Luckily, their terminal hardware is powerful enough to signal the Ispio company satellites. At least Adams didn't strip us of that ability. In almost an instant the screen lights up and pings softly as a little white blip on the map shows Troy's location. He's back at Ispio Headquarters? Now I wonder what Troy's true motives are, but I cannot conclude a rational scenario with minuscule information. I need specific insights from those who are involved. More importantly, why won't he answer me when I call?
"I have his signal, but the data is classified, I can't share this with you. I'll be on my way, tell them that their son is safe," I tell the guard. He accepts the conditions and steps away from the exit.
"Thanks for your help, sir. That boy's got a good heart in him, don't let him get hurt."
*** *** ***
Processing information...
Troy has been located at Ispio HQ, and the chip under his skin indicates that he is alive with a normal heartbeat. I still cannot reach Archer Fury, meaning that the RV will not be my transportation. The primary objective is to rendezvous with my squadmates as quickly as possible, but that will be hard on foot, and the inability to establish contact with either one proves to be a problem.
Primary Objective...Reach Ispio HQ
The path out of the property is camouflaged with tall trees, making it difficult to detect if you were driving on the public roads. Unfortunately, the mercenaries have no vehicles to spare. Not even Samuel's good word is enough for them to lend me one. I walk at a brisk pace, and my estimated time of arrival at this speed would be two hours.
Troy's P.O.V:
"Gimme your phone," I command, "I can't find mine!"
Carlotta keeps her eyes on the road while she pats down her suit pants. Her speedometer starts reaching 95mph on a 75mph highway, causing her near-miss victim's faces to grow pale white. "Damn, must've left it at the office!"
"Well, that's just fantastic! Are you sure that this tracking equipment still works!?"
"Yes, dammit! I've already reassured you plenty of times! Shut up already!" I fake gasp at first, but it turns real when she drifts close to the safety barricade that stops us from falling off the cliffside.
"No need to throw your anger at me. I'm just worried, it's Clyde's life on the line here!" Another near-miss happens, and this one blares its horn until it faded out of earshot. I feel like I could be doing a better job at driving, but it's her car and my favor. She doesn't even let me touch the radio. I continue to hold onto my seat with clenched teeth, "Watch the turn coming up!"
"I got it, quit trying to steal the wheel!"
She jerks the wheel aggressively, sending my body thrashing into the door. The seatbelt isn't helping much, and I can't remember what's the last thing I ate, but I got a feeling I'm going to find out soon. I check the monitor that tells us where Clyde is on the map and notice that his location is apparently just around this bend.
"Carlotta, slow down!" I scream.
"Oh man-up, Troy!"
"No, I mean Clyde's real close!" She slams the brakes, and the seatbelt did nothing to stop me from smacking the dashboard with my head. I hit it so hard that the latch for the glove compartment come undone, which is like easy access to grab my gun sitting in there. Rubbing my forehead, I get out of the car holding the miniature tracking device in front of my face.
"Watch out for the edge, don't walk off the cliff," she says. I hadn't realized the barricade stops at this area. The road is empty besides Carlotta's car and the tracker points in the direction of the trees. The small blip on the radar indicates Clyde is approaching the road slowly, so we wait for him to come to us. At last, he emerges from the bushes with singed fur and a nasty-looking tail, but otherwise all right. He sets his eyes on the car, then looks at Carlotta, then finally at me. "Why don't you answer your phone!?" he yells from across the street. He begins his march towards us, holstering his personal handgun and wiping his forehead. Suddenly, the bushes behind him begin to shake and shiver, causing Clyde to stop and spin around. He reached for his gun again, but it was too late!
A stealth-suited figure jumps out and surprises us all! Clyde throws a punch, but the assailant easily deflects it, and places its palm on Clyde's chest. A field of pure force exerts from the gadget the attacker is wearing, pushing Clyde away with aggressive power. He sails through the air and goes over the edge of the cliff. It all happens so fast, I don't even process it until Clyde yells on the way down.
"No!" I scream, aiming down my sights and shooting off a couple of rounds. The first one misses, the second one gets the bastard right in the stupid leg! Carlotta was already pulling out the high-tech portable jail cell that could imprison and shrink down a person to pocket-sized proportions. Just then, the black-clothed maniac pulls out something from its utility belt. It holds it close to its face, says something inaudible, and presses the button on the gadget. The air around it morphs and contort, a funny sound effect plays, and the ninja is gone.
"Damn, a teleporter gadget!" Adams says.
I look at her. "Why doesn't Ispio have one of those?" I walk to the edge of the cliff where Clyde had recently fallen. "It's not too steep, you think he's okay?"
"Clyde? The guy's survived much worse than that, Troy."
I breathe in deep, "Well, let's go get him."
*** *** ***
I sit in the visitor's chair at the Ispio Clinic, waiting patiently for Clyde to wake up. He's mumbling in his sleep, though I can't make out a coherent sentence. Just a bunch of gibberish. His eyes twitch before he slowly opens them to the blinding lights that The Good Doctor always forgets to turn off.
I shut them off for him, "Look who's back to the land of the living. You've gotta stop dying today, you're giving me worry lines."
He looks at his bandaged forearms. "It's been a long day."
"So how did you end up over by the highway?"
"Your family's panic room. I took your parents to safety."
"They're alive!? Oh, thank the Great Fox in the Sky!"
"Divines had nothing to do with it," he says with a smirk.
"Right, thank you, Mr. Barker."
Clyde looks around the room for the first time, and I think he realized where he is. He tries sitting up, but the leg cast they put on him keeps him from getting too far. The fall caused a few broken bones, but the doctor suggested the super serum would be the best treatment for him. He looks at me with a confused expression. "We're at Ispio? Where's Archer?"
"Clyde," I begin, "we won't be working with Archer anymore. He's the one that attacked you on the road. He's the double agent, idiot." He keeps quiet, his eyes narrow, his brows quake, and he tries to sit up more.
"And you're completely sure about that?"
"Well, let's go over the case notes: The bomb in my fridge was from Ispio and the only way someone could've gotten it was if they still had access with Ispio security. His spit still counts, and his infiltration abilities made sneaking in and out child's play to him."
"He could've been framed for that," Clyde counters.
"The first mission we had with him, he watched and studied our methods and formations, meaning he was dissecting our algorithms to jump us in the best way he could. Of course, he found a way, and it could only be him that almost gets away with it.
Clyde lays back down on the bed and turns on his side to face the small nightstand that held a single shot glass and a bottle of whiskey. It was the doctor's property, but he poured himself a glass anyway. He downed it with a straight face, then poured another. I get up and drink that one before he could gulp it down himself. It had a nasty aftertaste. He pours another.
"Stop, it'll affect the serum if you drink too much."
He looks at me with tired eyes, "Dammit, Troy! Why do we always have to get screwed over?"
"Because we'd be unstoppable if we had good luck too."