Chapter 83: The Lost Rose
Marco patted Agatha’s shoulder twice. He gave a cold look at Xavier, who was still slumped weakly behind the kitchen table. Marco offered a thin smirk. He turned back toward the shattered door.
"Agatha, you know what to do for your first mission," Marco said.
Agatha only gave a stiff nod. "Yes, Master."
Marco stepped out. Several bodyguards followed him toward the helicopter landing not far from the cabin. He left fifty heavily armed men to surround the place.
Xavier felt his chest tighten. The pain in his thigh and back suddenly vanished, replaced by a stinging ache that pierced his heart. Agatha’s voice calling Marco "Master" was sharper than any blade.
"Agatha... it is me," Xavier whispered. His voice trembled.
Agatha did not answer. She moved with lightning speed. Her hand reached for a folding knife in her tactical pocket. Without warning, she lunged at Frans.
"Brak!"
Agatha kicked the wooden table, sending it flying toward Frans. Frans ducked just in time.
"Agatha! Wake up! It is me, Frans!" Frans yelled. He raised his weapon, but he could not bring himself to pull the trigger.
Agatha did not care. She swung her knife toward Frans’s throat. Frans parried her hand with the butt of his rifle.
"Trang!"
Metal met metal. A small spark flew in the middle of the smoke-filled room.
"Attack!" one of Marco’s men shouted from the doorway.
Ten men stormed into the cabin. They opened fire toward the loft where Melynda was hiding.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Ugh!" Melynda crouched behind the loft’s wooden beams. She returned fire with her sniper rifle.
"Thud!" One enemy went down with a hole in his forehead.
"Frans! Protect Xavier! I will hold them off from here!" Melynda screamed.
"I am trying, Ma’am! But Agatha is too fast!" Frans shouted back. He was pinned into the corner by Agatha’s relentless strikes.
Xavier forced himself to stand. He used the kitchen table for support. Blood seeped through his bandages, soaking the wooden floor. He watched Agatha move like a killing machine. There was no hesitation in her movements. Her gentle nature was completely gone. All that remained was The Rose, the cold-blooded assassin.
"Agatha! Stop!" Xavier yelled.
Agatha stopped her attack on Frans. She turned toward Xavier. Her eyes remained empty. She stepped slowly toward her husband.
"Primary target detected," Agatha muttered flatly.
"I am not your target! I am your husband!" Xavier tried to take a step forward. His legs shook violently.
"Target must be eliminated," Agatha replied.
She leaped toward Xavier. Xavier raised his right hand, still clutching Agatha’s dagger. He did not want to hurt his wife. He only wanted to block the strike.
"Duar!"
Agatha hit Xavier’s chest with a hard knee strike.
"Akh!" Xavier fell backward. His head slammed against the edge of a cabinet.
"Xavier!" Melynda screamed from above. She aimed her gun at Agatha, but her finger froze. She could not shoot her own daughter-in-law.
The rest of Marco’s men just stood at the doors and windows. They acted as observers. They would only move in if the situation got out of control. Marco wanted to see the results of his brainwashing firsthand through the camera on Agatha’s gear.
"Kill him, Agatha. Show me your loyalty," Marco’s voice echoed from the comms in Agatha’s ear.
Agatha raised her knife high. She stood over Xavier’s bloodied body.
"Look at me, Agatha! Look into my eyes!" Xavier shouted. He caught Agatha’s wrist as she held the knife.
Agatha tried to push the blade down. The tip of the knife was only inches from Xavier’s eye.
"Why do you fight? Just die," Agatha said softly.
"Remember that day in the park? You said you liked roses because they have thorns to protect themselves. You are not Marco’s weapon! You are my wife!" Xavier spoke with a raspy voice. Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes.
Agatha paused for a second. Her hand trembled slightly.
"System compromised. Activating memory purge protocol," Agatha muttered. She punched Xavier’s face with her left hand.
"Bugh!"
"Ugh," Xavier groaned. Blood poured from his nose.
"Agatha! Remember the orphanage! Remember our promise! You said you would never leave me again!" Xavier kept talking. He did not care about the pain in his face.
Frans tried to help, but five of Marco’s men immediately opened fire on his position. "Hell! Xavier, I am pinned down!"
"Mom! Do not shoot her! Let me handle this!" Xavier ordered Melynda.
Melynda cried in the loft. She watched her son getting beaten by his own wife. She kept firing at the enemies trying to get close to Xavier.
Agatha raised her knife again. This time she aimed it at Xavier’s heart.
"You are not the Agatha I know. Give me back my wife, you bastard!" Xavier used all his strength to flip their positions.
He managed to pin Agatha to the floor. He gripped both of her hands.
"Let me go, trash," Agatha hissed. She tried to headbutt Xavier.
Xavier dodged. He leaned his face close to Agatha’s ear.
"Agatha Arioansa Valois. That is your name. You are the wife of Xavier Calestiano Valois. You hate the dark. You hate the cold. Remember my voice, honey. Please, come back to me," Xavier whispered.
Agatha started struggling wildly. Her head felt like it was exploding. Blurry images began to flash in her mind. She saw Xavier’s smiling face. She saw them dancing under crystal lights.
"Argh! My head! Shut up! Stop talking!" Agatha screamed. She started sobbing, but her eyes still looked hollow.
"Marco might have brainwashed you with something, but my love is stronger than any fluid in your body! Agatha, wake up! Come back to me!" Xavier shook Agatha’s shoulders.
"Shoot that man now, Agatha! Do not listen to him!" Marco’s voice sounded furious through the comms.
Agatha dropped her knife. She clutched her head with both hands. She started screaming hysterically.
"AAAKKKHHHH!"
The scream filled the old cabin. Marco’s men started getting suspicious. They began to level their weapons at Xavier.
"Shoot that man right now!" the enemy squad leader ordered.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Frans leaped toward Xavier to cover him. "Xav, get down!"
Suddenly, Agatha stopped screaming. She panted heavily. Her body, which had been stiff, began to go limp. She stared at the cabin ceiling with a gaze that slowly started to focus. The light in her eyes returned bit by bit.
Xavier held his breath. He looked at his wife’s face with hope. Blood from his face dripped onto Agatha’s cheek.
Agatha moved her eyes. She looked at Xavier’s face, battered from her own punches. Her lips trembled violently. She raised a shaking hand and touched Xavier’s bloody cheek.
"Xavier?" Agatha whispered.