The Red Cork

"I know who you really are, Kiera. That's why you needed protection..." Phelan's words echoed relentlessly in my mind, each syllable heavy with implied meaning. His direct knowledge remained veiled, leaving me to wonder about the true identity of Phelan Vargas. What secrets did he hold? Why had he suddenly grown so assertive regarding the enigma of my existence?

I was sure that the night I witnessed Phelan with his parents and the three outcrosses had brought about a profound shift in his demeanor. Was it possible that Phelan himself was an outcross? Yet, I couldn't comprehend why he'd been bound just before the onset of the lunar eclipse.

Drawing on my readings, I recalled that the complete transformation of human-outcrosses occurred upon killing another being during a lunar eclipse. Shouldn't Phelan have been unshackled to embrace his outcross identity fully? Why, then, had his parents restricted him? Moreover, why couldn't I sense the dark blood coursing through his veins if he were truly an outcross?

"Is something wrong, Agent Lucy?" Rumina's voice broke through my reverie, her gaze fixed on me from the passenger seat. Beside her, Kelvin, the driver, cast a concerned glance my way. The boundary between Diamond Hills and Golden Plains—the neighboring town—drew near as we headed to collect the second artifact from a ship that had sailed in from the West continent.

Kelvin's sincere gaze hinted at his grasp of my inner turmoil, even without words. A connection seemed to form between us, hinting at shared thoughts on the recent events. Uncertainty lingered over whether they intended to unearth Phelan's mystery or uphold their predetermined roles. As for me, I was prepared to bend, or even shatter, the rules if need be.

I might become notorious for the rules I defy.

Regarding our primary plan, I finally broke the silence, addressing the swirling curiosity in Rumina's eyes. "Are we boarding the cruise ship to seize the red cork or waiting until it touches the ground?"

Rumina expressed incredulity at my decision to withhold my concerns. Nonetheless, as a team, we understood each other's dynamics. I sensed her internal conflict, yet trusted wasn't something I gave lightly. To me, trust was earned amidst the most complex circumstances. But not yet.

"We'll take 'The Red Cork' from the cruise before it lands on the soil," Kelvin's voice asserted, guiding the Audi S8 at almost 190 miles per hour. Our arrival at Golden Plains was imminent.

"Wouldn't it be simpler to retrieve the cork after it's on the ground? Minimize the hassle?" Rumina argued persuasively, her eyes locked on me.

"Although it could be less complicated, the mission's success might be compromised. Expect numerous unaware and undercover agents around the artifact once it's grounded. If we seize it from the cruise directly, we can overcome the four to ten guards shielding it, snatch the red cork, leap off the ship, swim to our rendezvous, and voilà! Mission accomplished," Kelvin countered, his rationale resonating more with me than Rumina's.

I averted Rumina's gaze, not elaborating on why I sided with Kelvin. In a matter of seconds, we entered the territory of Golden Plains, as opulent as Diamond Hills.

Anticipation accelerated my heart rate.

The mission was swift-paced. LOU provided us with a jet ski, granting us access to the cruise ship's bow. Within seconds, we docked on the port hand of the ship using a high-tech grappling line. We had a mere five minutes to reach the cruise ship's ballroom. Infiltrating the ship wasn't a challenge thanks to the uniforms we confiscated from the subdued guards, concealed in a remote location.

Adrenaline surged through me.

Intensity amplified as we entered the VIP cabin housing the safeguarded 'red cork.' Along the way, we encountered five guards before arriving at the VIP cabin indicated in LOU's instructions.

Engaging the first two guards, I delivered an uppercut and a powerful sidekick. Swiftly, my knee struck their legs. The following two were subdued with precise blows to their necks. Kelvin and Rumina exhibited prowess, incapacitating guards with a flurry of roundhouse kicks.

Collective breaths were ragged after the skirmish. I felt my concealed side vying for control, particularly following the eclipse. It was as though the eclipse bolstered its strength. The terrifying, non-human aspect of my nature.

"Agent Lucy, left!" Kelvin's controlled shout guided us as we progressed down the hallway towards the VIP room.

Armed with thermal-powered daggers, we advanced toward the room at the corridor's terminus. Rumina positioned herself on the left door frame, while I took the right. Kelvin prepared his knuckles, sheathed in specialized metal designed to penetrate surfaces. I tightened my grip on the daggers.

Exchanging a glance before the black door, I felt the heat of my inner power emanating from my chest. It was as though my concealed side was eager to burst forth. I clenched the dagger at my side even harder.

Kelvin's nod seemed to hang in the air like an unspoken agreement, a signal that we were on the verge of breaching the room's sanctity. I held my breath, the suspense electrifying the moment, as I awaited the imminent crash of wood against wood, signifying our entry.

The deafening reverberation of splintering timber resonated, announcing our intrusion. In a split second, Rumina's form melded with the plush carpet, Kelvin following suit with fluid precision. I sprawled low, surveying the room for lurking threats. Rumina was locked in a fierce ballet of kicks and parries with a guard who had been caught off guard, while Kelvin grappled with a brawny adversary, fingers clawing for his windpipe.

My grip tightened around my dagger's hilt, eyes riveted on the man attempting to throttle Kelvin. Swift calculations raced through my mind as I assessed angles and trajectories. The blade found its mark, propelled with unerring accuracy. It slammed into the man's neck with lethal precision, a swifter death than his struggle warranted. Even as the life ebbed from him, Rumina swiftly executed her opponent, her knife finding its mark with a chilling finality.

The room now bore testament to the ferocity that had unfolded within its confines. Amidst the blood-splattered tableau, the realization dawned that we had faced and dispatched seven guards—seven lives extinguished in a matter of heartbeats. Only one figure remained, a wizened Chinese elder, ensconced on a bed, his bony hand clutching a wine bottle housing the coveted red cork.

His gaze fixed upon me with an intensity that suggested he had glimpsed a specter—an entity borne of the ages. His jaw slackened, and his eyes, unblinking, bore into my very core. "You're real! The mystery is real!" His exclamation rang out, encapsulating a sense of awe and disbelief.

The words reverberated in my mind, sending shivers down my spine. A profound chill gripped me, nearly immobilizing me. It was a surreal experience, grappling with the weight of his words. "W-what do you mean—I'm real?"

"You are Kiera of The Zero Artifact, the woman believed to have existed a long time ago... You are the key-"

Before the old man could reveal more, the air was sliced by the arc of a dagger, its trajectory terminating in a deadly impact against his throat.

In the span of a heartbeat, he was gone, leaving only the echo of his unfinished sentence lingering in the air.