Chapter 78: On the Snow
The concrete floor felt ice cold against Agatha's cheek. She tried to move her fingers. A sharp pain shot through her left shoulder. The neon light above her head flickered. A low electrical hum filled the small, windowless box. Agatha took a deep breath. The smell of antiseptic and damp dust filled her lungs.
"Ugh," Agatha groaned softly. She struggled to sit up.
Her hands were tied behind a metal chair with rough nylon cord. Every time she moved, the cord bit into her wrists. She looked at the steel door in front of her. There was no keyhole. There was only a small digital panel next to the door frame.
"Are you awake yet?" a man's voice came through a speaker in the corner of the ceiling.
Agatha looked up. She could not see who was talking. "Let me out of here."
"Be patient, little rose. Your journey is just beginning," the voice replied.
"Who are you?" Agatha asked. Her voice was raspy.
"Luigi is just a dog barking too loud. He thinks he owns you just because he has a little information," the voice chuckled. The sound was static and broken through the speaker.
Agatha studied her surroundings carefully. There was a metal tray in the corner of the room. A glass of water and a piece of dry bread sat on top of it. It was about six feet away from her chair. She began rubbing the cord on her hands against the sharp edge of the metal chair.
"Srek. Srek."
She did it with a slow rhythm so it would not be heard through the speaker. Sweat beaded on her forehead. The dried blood on her brow felt stiff. She thought of Xavier. The explosion. The flames reaching for the sky. Her heart hammered against her ribs.
"Xavier..." Agatha whispered. Her eyes burned.
"Do not waste your energy on a man who is already ash, Agatha," the voice came back.
"Brak!" Agatha kicked the table leg near her with a surge of anger.
"Shut up! Or I will send someone in there to sew your mouth shut!" the voice barked.
Agatha took a deep breath. She stopped moving her hands when she heard footsteps approaching. The steel door hissed and slid open. A man in a black uniform with no insignia walked in. He was huge. He carried a new tray with a syringe.
"Time for the second dose," the man said.
"Do not touch me!" Agatha shouted.
The man did not care. He stepped closer and grabbed Agatha's jaw with one hand. His thumb pressed into her cheek until she winced. He aimed the needle at her neck.
"Akh!" Agatha cried out as the needle tip pierced her skin.
However, while the man focused on the injection, Agatha used all her strength to slam her head forward.
"Bukk!"
Their foreheads collided hard. The man stumbled back, clutching his bleeding nose. Agatha did not miss the chance. She had managed to loosen the cord on her hands earlier. With one powerful snap, the nylon cord fell away, even though it tore the skin off her wrists.
"Damn you!" the man yelled. He tried to lunged at her.
Agatha rolled to the side with her chair. She kicked the man's shin with the heel of her boot.
"Krak!"
The man fell, clutching his leg. Agatha crawled quickly toward the metal tray in the corner. She grabbed a shard of glass that had fallen when she kicked the table.
"Stay back!" Agatha threatened. She held the sharp piece of glass. Her hands shook violently.
"You think you can run from this place? This is Switzerland, Agatha. Out there is nothing but snow and cliffs," the man said as he tried to stand on a wobbly leg.
"I would rather die in the snow than rot in here!" Agatha snapped.
Agatha ran toward the open door. She burst into a long, dimly lit hallway. The cold air immediately bit into her skin through her thin shirt. She ran as fast as she could. Her footsteps echoed against the concrete walls.
"Prisoner escape! Block B!" a siren began to wail.
The hallway lights turned a bright, flashing red. Agatha kept running until she found an emergency staircase. She climbed the stairs with gasping breaths. Her lungs felt like they were on fire from the extreme cold.
"Brak!" she pushed the door at the top of the stairs.
White. Everything was white. Agatha froze for a second. She stood on a large balcony overlooking the Alps. A fierce wind slammed into her face, carrying sharp flakes of snow. Below, there was a helipad and several snow vehicles.
"Stop right there!" two guards shouted as they appeared from the opposite side.
They aimed long rifles at her. Agatha backed up until her spine hit the balcony railing. The drop behind her was terrifying.
"Put the glass down, Agatha. You do not want to fall from here," one guard said.
Agatha glared at them. "Tell me, who is your boss? Is he too much of a coward to show his face?"
"We are D'Angelo. We do not need a face to rule the world," the guard replied.
"D'Angelo?" Agatha frowned. The name sounded familiar.
Suddenly, a large hand grabbed Agatha's shoulder from behind. She had not noticed another man climbing up from the outside of the balcony.
"Ugh! Let go!" Agatha tried to stab the glass in her hand, but her wrist was twisted quickly.
"Prak!" the piece of glass hit the balcony floor.
Agatha hit the ground. She felt someone's knee press her back into the cold floor. Her face was shoved against the rough concrete.
"Take her back to the basement cell. Chain her feet this time," a new voice ordered. It was heavy and full of authority.
Agatha could only watch as she was dragged back into the building. She saw the snowflakes falling on the floor before the door slammed shut.
Meanwhile, in a luxury hotel in Zurich, Luigi Volskey was losing his mind. He threw a crystal vase against the wall.
"Brak!" crystal shards scattered across the expensive carpet.
"What do you mean she is gone?" Luigi screamed at his men who stood trembling by the door.
"Sorry, sir. When we got to the crash site, the car was empty. There were only helicopter tracks in the clearing nearby," the man answered with his head down.
"I paid you a fortune to make sure she got to my safe house! Who dared to steal my prize?" Luigi grabbed the man's collar.
"We found this at the scene, sir," the man handed over a small bronze coin.
An image of a sword wrapped in a snake was engraved on the coin. Luigi let go of the collar. His red face turned pale instantly. His hands shook as he held the coin.
"D'Angelo..." Luigi whispered. His voice was full of fear.
"Sir, what should we do? If they took her, we will not be able to..."
"Shut up!" Luigi cut him off. He walked to the large window showing the snow-covered city.
The phone on the table buzzed. A message came from an unknown number. Luigi opened it with hesitation. It was just one short sentence.
"Agatha belongs to us now. Do not look for what is not yours if you want to see the sun tomorrow."
Luigi sat down hard in his chair. He squeezed the coin until his palm bled.
"Damn it! Why do they have to get involved now?" Luigi growled.
He looked toward the distant Alps. He knew Agatha was now in a place beyond anyone's reach.
"Get the private jet ready. We are going back to Russia now," Luigi ordered in a hollow voice.
"But sir, Agatha..."
"SHUT UP! Just follow my orders!" Luigi screamed.
The man hurried out of the room. Luigi looked at the coin in his hand again.
In another place, in the darkness of a new basement cell, Agatha sat huddled. This time her feet were shackled with heavy iron chains. She stared at the closed steel door.
"Clek."
A small slot at the bottom of the door opened. Someone slid a brown envelope into her cell. Agatha crawled forward, the sound of her chains clanking loudly. She opened the envelope with trembling hands.
Inside was a photo. A photo of Xavier lying in a hospital bed with wires attached to his body. On the back of the photo, a message was written.
"He is alive. For now."
Agatha hugged the photo tightly to her chest. Her tears fell onto the cold glossy paper.
"Xavier..."
Suddenly, the cell door opened again. A man in a silver mask stood there. He did not say a word, he just signaled for Agatha to stand up.
"Who are you really?" Agatha asked.
The man stayed silent. He pulled the chain on Agatha's leg, forcing her to walk out.
"The great master wants to see you," he said shortly.
Agatha took a heavy step. She did not know who this "Great Master" was, but she knew the real war had finally started.