Chapter 14 - Back in the Agency

Regan flexed his new arm, the smooth metal parts gracefully sliding against each other as he stretched it out.

The silver metal began at his elbow joint, continuing down to form a full, metal hand. The arm was covered in countless tiny pieces of scale-like metal pieces that overlapped with each other. They shifted constantly along with the movements of the inner mechanisms. The movement was seamless, without looking at it he wouldn't have known that it was a robotic arm.

Stretching his legs, Regan stopped out of the hospital bed and left the medbay. He walked down a bare, spartan hall to the lift, which he took up until he reached his superior's office.

He walked down another hall, this one wide and luxurious. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and paintings of previous Directors lined the walls. He stopped at a door labelled Director Hayes, and firmly knocked.

"Come in," a gruff voice rang out from inside.

Regan opened the door and walked in. The room was a lot like Warrior's, with a single desk in the middle with a sleek laptop on it and a floor-to-ceiling window behind it, looking out on the city below. On the left wall was a bookcase filled with countless books on tactics and strategy.

Director Hayes sat behind the desk, his wrinkled face serene as watched Regan. The Director was an older man in his seventies, with sharp blue eyes, short white hair and a matching goatee. He wore a ceaseless military uniform with no less than a dozen shiny medals across his chest.

Hayes was a distinguished General in the Pangaian military before joining the Agency, and he still hadn't fully let go of his past. He had been recruited by the Agency and put in command of the Special Agents Programme, or SAP for short.

After the initial success of the programme, he had been quickly promoted to the position of Director and was given a spot on the Board of Directors which lead and controlled the Agency.

"Good to see you back on your feet, Special Agent."

"Thank you, sir," Regan said, standing at attention.

Hayes was a major advocate for discipline and order, demanding proper respect from his Special Agents at all times.

"I've heard a lot of conflicting reports about how the operation went, but what I want to know is your version of events and how you ended up back in the city."

"Sir, whilst pursuing an enemy vehicle, an enemy Altered destroyed my vehicle and killed all other allies on board, I barely managed to scare her off after inflicting a deep cut with my psiblade."

Hayes nodded along, buying the story so far.

"Afterwards, I was attacked by a hostile by a hostile third party."

"Were you able to identify this third party?"

"No sir, I was greatly outnumbered so I retreated as soon as I saw them. It was then that I lost my arm to a cut from a dagger."

"That matches up with the medical examination, but it doesn't explain how you made it back to the city so quickly."

"After shaking the third party off me, I attempted to pursue them in return to gather more intel."

"Why didn't you radio into command to inform them about this third party or your pursuit."

"The radio was destroyed in my retreat."

"I see, continue."

"Honestly sir I'm not sure what exactly happened, as I was pursuing them I felt the ground disappear from under my feet. I vaguely remember briefly falling and then hitting my head. The next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital bed.

I suspect they had a teleporter, who simply teleporter me to the capital to prevent my pursuit."

"I see."

For ten tense seconds, Hayes simply sat there, stroking his goatee, whilst Regan maintained his cool, despite having just lied to the director. Finally, Hayes broke the silence with his gruff voice.

"While your story is improbable, it is not impossible. You have great potential here at the Agency, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt this time.

Officially, your injury was caused by a fight with an unidentified villain. The operation you took part in never happened and you are never to speak of it again. Dismissed."

Regan frowned when he heard the last part and began saying, "Sir-"

"I am giving you a way out of this mess, Special Agent," Hayes interrupted, "I sincerely advise you to take it."

"With all due respect sir, I cannot leave it at that. I need to know what the outcome of the operation is and who will be continuing it going forward."

"The outcome of the operation was an absolute shitshow, Special Agent and no one will be continuing it. The operation has been blacklisted, it never happened and you will never speak of it again. You are dismissed."

"Is the Agency not here to fight-"

"The Agency is here to maintain order in Pangaia!" shouted Hayes, "as long as they keep their fight away from the public, it is none of our business. Now you are to go home a d take a holiday until I call you again, understood?"

"But sir-"

"What is it that you do not understand about the words coming out of my mouth!? You are dismissed, Special Agent. Go home."

Regan glared at Hayes, but inside he knew Hayes would not budge.

"Sure," Regan muttered as he walked out of the office.

After watching Regan leave, Hayes leaned back in his seat and sighed loudly.

"I told you he was a liability," said a garbled robotic voice coming from the laptop on Hayes' desk.

"He has great potential if you give me a few years-"

"His potential is meaningless if he is not loyal. Why would we train a man who will inevitably betray us?

I will send a Moderator to finish him. End of story."

Hayes didn't bother arguing further, if they sent a Moderator after him, all he could do was pray the gods took mercy on him.