Information Has Been Leaked, There Are Traitors
1351 Words
A blast of fire hit the docks, devouring towering piles of wood and rusted containers. Andreas and Tania jumped behind the last stack of crates, the intense heat from the flames making them wince.
Drones in the shape of mechanical octopuses with steel tentacles moved quickly above them, glowing red eyes scanning every corner. It was as if they were now surrounded by the drone.
“It's dangerous, Tania!” Andreas shouted when he saw Tania trying to block them. He grabbed her arm and led her away to safety.
“This is crazy!” Tania shouted after firing a bullet at the drone. The bullet bounced off without leaving a scratch. “Ordinary weapons will be useless!”
Andreas grabbed a small grenade from his belt and threw it at one of the tentacles. A small explosion shook the drone. But the machine was only briefly shaken before it returned to chasing them.
“We need to split up!” Andreas exclaimed, grabbing Tania's arm and forcing her to move. “Gather at a safe point later!”
Tania looked at him quizzically for a moment, then finally ran in the opposite direction. Like it or not, she had to obey the team leader's orders.
Victor and Kane, who were on the other side of the dock, took cover behind a large crane. Kane glanced at the drone gliding through the air. “We need to take those down before they destroy the entire harbour!”
“Give me cover!” Victor readied the EMP device in his hand, sweat pouring down his temples.
Kane, with cold accuracy, fired at the drone to distract it. The sound of bullets ricocheted constantly, but the steel tentacles turned quickly and aimed at them.
“Hurry up, Victor!” shouted Kane.
Victor activated the EMP and threw it. Blue light exploded in the air, hitting the drone right in its control centre. The machine shook violently, its red lights dimming. However, the last of its tentacles swung wildly and slammed into the crane, bringing down the entire structure with a deafening roar.
Andreas and Tania had just reached safety when the sound of the collapse echoed. Andreas looked back with bated breath.
“Victor! Kane!” Andreas was worried for his two friends. He hoped they were okay.
Thick smoke enveloped the dock as the drone's engine finally collapsed into the water with a huge splash.
A few hours later, they had gathered at the headquarters. Having survived the fiery drone chase.
The room that served as the temporary base of operations was cold even though the room temperature was fairly stable. Andreas, Tania, Victor, and Kane sat around a large table. The neon lights above them cast long shadows that worsened their respective moods.
“Those drones shouldn't be there,” Tania said sharply, her eyes sweeping over each face around the table. “They knew we were coming. It doesn't seem like a coincidence.”
Victor leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed. “What are you talking about, Tania?”
Tania tapped the surface of the table with her finger, her voice growing colder. “There is a traitor among us,” she concluded.
Andreas raised an eyebrow, his eyes glaring at Tania. “You're too quick to jump to conclusions without evidence.”
“Really?” Tania twisted her body, staring at Andreas with blazing intensity. “You survived the Shadow Ares base without a single scratch, and now they know our every move. You want me to believe it was all a coincidence?”
Andreas growled, his hands clenched into fists on the table. “I don't work for them. I've risked my life more than once to stop them.”
“Enough!” Kane cut right through their argument. His eyes swept over both of them sharply. “That accusation doesn't help at all. We should be looking for ways to stop them, not accusing and blaming each other.”
Tania did not budge. True, she was too emotionally charged for such a precarious situation. “We can't stop anyone if there's information leaking out all the time. I'm not going to sit here and wait until someone puts a bullet in my back.”
“Then, why do you suspect Andreas? Or maybe, you're the traitor yourself,” Victor retorted, infuriated by Tania's accusatory attitude.
“What did you say? I'm the traitor?” Tania immediately pointed a gun at Victor.
“Stop it already! We'll wait for further orders from the general,” said Andreas, who tried to mediate.
There was a long silence in the room. General Sinclair arrived with his next order.
“Who do you think has committed treason here?” Sinclair directed his gaze at Tania, then he looked back at the other three team members, one by one.
Tania looked away. She actually doubted it, it was just her gut feeling.
“Are you accusing Andreas?” guessed Sinclair.
“I'm sorry, General! I was just guessing,” Tania regretted. “I feel there is a traitor here.”
“Then,” Andreas’ voice finally broke in, full of firmness, “prove it! Find the traitor, but never again point a gun at me unless you have something more than paranoia.”
Their eyes met in deep tension before Tania finally stood up and left without a word. She felt cornered there.
***
In the back corridor of the headquarters, it was quiet and dim, with long shadows from lights flickering dimly along the concrete walls. Andreas caught up with Tania who stepped quickly with her jaw clenched and hands clenched at her sides. He quickened his pace, placing himself in front of her and stopping her.
“Tania, we need to talk!” Andreas caught up with Tania, stopping her in her tracks. He reached for Tania's hand. However, Tania brushed him off roughly.
“Leave me alone!” Tania commanded in a voice that almost snapped at Andreas.
“What do you want?” Her voice was low but sharp as a knife. She tried to step past him, but Andreas blocked her path again.
“Listen to me first!” Andreas urged.
Tania's eyes radiated anger, like a fire burning from within. “I've heard enough. All that talk about the team, about trusting each other. It's all bullshit!”
“You know why I keep fighting? Because I lost everything. Shadow Ares took my family. I live with the shadow of that every day and if you think I would betray this team, you are sadly mistaken.”
The words hung in the air between them, heavy with raw pain and unspoken promises. Tania swallowed, her eyes beginning to soften though her face remained tense.
“Give me a reason. Why should I trust you now?” Tania's voice was a whisper, barely audible.
Andreas sighed, then slowly took her hand. He placed his palm over Tania's, his grip strong yet gentle.
“Because I trusted you, even when you put a gun to my head.” Andreas put a little pressure on their grip. “And because if we didn't trust each other, we'd be dead before the first bullet was fired.”
Silence surrounded them for a few seconds that felt like a lifetime. Slowly, Tania withdrew her hand from Andreas' grip. She looked away from him for a moment, then back at him, her eyes no longer full of hatred, but confusion and something deeper, like a wall of defence beginning to c***k.
“I'll be watching you,” Tania murmured. It sounded more like a final warning than a threat.
Andreas smiled a small, triumphant smile. “Okay. I'll stand where you can see.”
Outside the headquarters, the shadow of someone hidden in the darkness looked at them through binoculars. The click of the communicator sounded.
“They're starting to get suspicious.”
“Don't let them put the pieces of this puzzle together,” replied another, colder voice. “Destroy them one by one. Start with Andreas.”
- Writer
