Restless - S01 E51

3 years ago

Restless - S01 E51

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 51

“He’s gone back this way,” the computer operator voiced out uncomfortably. Henry’s palm was fastened to his neck and he was held against the wall in his computer room.

Henry glanced towards the other door where the operator pointed at him. He then glanced back at the operator’s face before he softened his grip on the man’s neck, he pulled him and closer and pushed him in the direction of the exit.

“Lead me there,” Henry said to the scared man.

With his hands raised in the air, the embattled man led Henry to the door. Henry stopped at the door and looked into the long hallway just as the man opened it. At the same moment, Agent Elkim stepped out from a room close to the center of the hallway and turned towards them with the F-E12 rifle in his hands.

“What the bleep!” Henry cursed as he stepped back into the room quickly, followed by a rain of gunshots towards the place. He looked back and saw the dead body of the operator fall against the door into the room. He returned the tranquilizing gun back into his pocket and took out the lead bullet gun, he cocked it and held it firmly in his hand. He moved back slowly to the entrance and peeped out carefully, he saw the Agent running in the other direction with his gun hung. He stepped into the hallway quickly and followed first with light steps and increased his pace gradually to catch up with the man. He quickly stopped as he saw the man stop and turned back, he slid aside to rest his back on the wall and also fired a shot at the man as the man fired at him. The both of them missed and Henry continued with the pursuit while Agent Elkim proceeded in through an entrance into a large hall.

Henry stopped at the wall before the entrance of the hall and peeped in carefully. The hall was not well lit, it had different bulbs at different sections and had only some bulbs turned on while the others were off, making some parts of the hall dark. It looked like a library or study of some sort not could also be taken as a store of materials.

He looked around carefully but couldn’t tell where the man had run into. He took sometime to scan through the hall and noticed the positions of some items. He identified points where the man could have hidden himself. His eyes also searched around the walls to see if there was an exit somewhere.

“Agent Elkim Nuel, step out and lets have a man to man discussion.” he shouted into the hall, fastening his grip on the gun as he pulled his head back again. He looked backwards and noticed Samantha far away, at the entrance where the computer operator was killed. He signalled with his hand for her to proceed faster towards him, then he peeped again into the hall.

“Agent Elkim Nuel,” he called in a loud voice once more. He looked back again and saw Samantha already walking hurriedly towards him. He made some signals and pointed towards the door where Agent Elkim had stepped out from. She nodded and hurried to the door, already knowing what she was supposed to do there.

After Henry watched Samantha go into the room, he peeped again into the hall. There were no sign of movements anywhere in the hall and it meant Agent Elkim was either hiding somewhere or he was no longer in the place. The only way to find out was going into the hall.

He bent down and then took another look into the hall, his eyes searched the floor and the walls looking for security measures or laser switches placed anywhere around. The place was a study and he wasn’t expecting anything of such to be found in it but he still did not want to rule out the possibility.

He rose up back and held his gun firmly in his hand, he took in a deep breath and with a swift move turned into the hall with the gun pointed forward in his hand.

He proceeded further slowly and carefully, his hands moving with his gun from left to right and back as his eyes moved.

“Step out Agent Elkim, we need to talk.” he stopped when he got to a table which was divided into six sections, created to give space for six people to study at once. His eyes carefully searched around the table and beyond, there were still no signs of Agent Elkim. His eyes moved to the walls again and scanned around but could not still find an exit or opening anywhere else.

Agent Elkim maintained his position without falling for the temptation to step out as he heard Carl Winston’s voice echo in his head.

The man behind the kidnaps and death of some of the Red Wolves men all these while had been Carl Winston. The thought of it alone troubled him. It had never occurred to him that a day like this would come. He had known Carl Winston right from his first day of training as a FOX Agent though it took a long time before they met in person. He had seen him as a promising junior officer and one who would grow to become a tough and disciplined agent but he had never thought at that time that the junior agent would become someone as dangerous and fearful as he was now. He had watched over the years how Carl Winston and Rex grew in rank and respect and he knew when they became the most dangerous Agents in the FOX and even in the world. He also had seen them excel with tough cases which usually seem almost impossible to solve within the time frame given and had seen them come back alive at the last moment when they were thought to have been dead. But this was quite different. This fine around, the deaths of Agents Carl and Rex were planned by the master strategist himself, and unlike the previous cases in which they were yet to be declared dead by the FOX, this time they were declared dead in this case. How Carl could have survived the master strategist’s death trap was something that seemed so confusing to him.

He closed his eyes and let out a breath again as he heard Carl’s voice once more, the dangerous Agent was gradually coming closer to him.

What had he come back from the dead to do? Agent Elkim asked himself. He remembered watching the footages and seeing that the tranquilizing guns were used, and that meant Carl was avoiding killing his security agents and men around, but what Carl had in mind for him was what he could not tell. He had to find out what it all meant, and that would only happen if he could get Carl to talk to him.

His name was called by Carl again. He remained still and listened as sounds of the footsteps drew closer.

The place was so silent that one could hear a pin drop if it did, but Henry heard or saw no signs of movement. He was close to a dark area of the hall and there was a tall shelf of books in front. It was dark beside it and dark behind. He couldn’t see if anyone or anything was hidden or hiding behind it but he was careful as he approached just as he had been at other different dark places.

He stepped forward slowly and carefully, expecting attack from any angle. Agent Elkim was a dangerous FOX official also skilled in fist battles and use of guns and he wasn’t going to take any chances of being caught unawares. He was also conscious of the fact that Elkim had the advantage of being in his home and in a hall he knew better and could make use of that advantage to attack wisely and win if Henry was not careful enough.

He stopped close to the shelf for a second and looked around the walls again to search for an opening where Agent Elkim could have passed through. He proceeded carefully when he saw none.

He had just taken two steps forward when all of a sudden he noticed a movement from behind the shelf and saw a shadow coming in his direction.

He stepped back as quick as possible but the attacker was also very fast and still struck him in the belly with the butt of the rifle.

Agent Elkim followed up as Henry pulled back, he struck the gun in direction of Henry’s face but Henry dodged this time by swerving to the left. He followed through as he leaped and turned, landing the back of his foot on Henry’s chest. Henry staggered to the left and almost fell. Elkim launched towards him with the gun again to strike Henry on the face, but Henry dodged by bending and slid with a kick to his foot but the Agent leapt again and rolled with a heavy kick to Henry’s face.

Henry fell back to the ground, hitting his back against a footstool in the process. He wanted to get back on his feet quickly but decided to lay on the ground flat. His face cap had fallen off beside him.

Agent Elkim stepped forward and stepped on the hand in which Henry had his pistol, pointing his own rifle down at him.

Henry stared at the Agent’s face from the ground where he laid. He wasn’t disturbed because he knew the gun in the Agent’s hand was uncocked and before the Agent could c--k and shoot, he still had at least two seconds to turn things around.

This was the first time he was going to be against Agent Elkim. He remembered watching Agent Elkim teach other guys including Rex during their time of undergoing the special FOX training but he never had the opportunity of being taught by him. He knew Agent Elkim to be ruthless and very skillful, one of the most feared agent after the Chairman of the FOX himself.

“What do you want from me Carl?” Agent Elkim asked, staring down into Henry’s eyes. He knew that the only advantage he had against Henry in that hall was being familiar with the place and also getting into the place first and quick enough to hide where he could not be seen. He had even been surprised as he was able to get him lay on the ground so quick.

“I’m here just to have a word with you Agent, can you let me get up and talk?” Henry replied him.

“It’s against the FOX’s rule to allow trespassers make requests. Just tell me what’ve you come here to do before I send this bullet into your body.” Agent Elkim threatened.

Henry chuckled and shook his head gently, still maintaining eye contact with the Agent. He was confident that he could bring down the Agent even though the man was tough. The Agent had been a step ahead when he had attacked him in the belly with the butt of the gun from his hiding place and he would have maintained the step ahead if Henry did not fall to the ground to stop the initial scuffle.

Agent Elkim knew Carl was up to something with the eyes movement and he did not want to take any chances. He thought of cocking his gun when he realized that the mistake he had made was keeping his feet on Carl’s palm even after the gun had fallen off.

Henry was two seconds ahead of him in action this time as he pulled his leg and swung him forward, immediately rolling on the ground to the opposite direction. Agent Elkim cocked the gun as his leg was pulled but found himself unable to shoot as Henry had rolled in the opposite direction to where he was facing and now at his back. He landed with his back on the ground and before he could make any move, he felt a heavy punch on his face and also a kick in his chest.

Jennifer checked the time on the device again, an hour and thirty five minutes was gone already. Even though she had set an alarm to ring exactly one minute to the completion of the one hundred and twenty minutes, she still checked the time often. She hoped the rest of the team were still working with the planned time.

She kept her device on the passenger’s seat as the backlight turned off. She looked out through the window at the surroundings again.

Everywhere was cool and calm and the road was deserted due to the heavy traffic being caused by the malfunction of traffic signals, there were only few motorcycles and vehicles just moving within the area. She was however certain that the roads would soon get busy again as road safety officials had now gotten to different sections or the routes in town to help control the traffic in absence of direction from the set up electrical system. That was the more reason the rest of the team had to stick to the duration planned.

___

Agent Elkim felt drowsy as he stared at the face of Carl Winston standing before him. He wondered how he had felt he could ever defeat the young agent and how he had not realized that the Agent was setting a trap for him by acting weak and laying on the ground so easily. He blamed it on his age and his lack of active practice since he joined the board. His quick and swift movements which he hadn’t done for sometime added to his drowsy feeling. And even though he knew he wasn’t a match for Carl Winston at any point in time, he believed it would have still been more difficult for Carl to put him down like this during his years of active practice. He however wasn’t ready to give up without a fight, he knew he said had it in himself, whatever Carl Winston was there for, he wouldn’t be getting it easily.

Henry was now holding the man’s rifle in his hand and pacing around him very slowly.

Agent Elkim sat up and followed him with his eyes for almost twenty seconds.

“So, why Carl Winston? Why are you back from the dead this time around?”

Henry stopped and squatted right in front of him. He stared into the man’s eyes intently. He could still see the strong and resilient Agent Elkim even though he was now seeing a traitor also. He knew he wasn’t just going to have it difficult getting any information directly from the man but that the man was not going to just sit and watch him ask questions, he knew it wouldn’t be easy when it got to the time to kill the man.

“I’m here to find out just one thing from you,” Henry said and got the man to look into his eyes. “What exactly do you stand to gain with Paul in working with the Red Wolves?”