Agent of Cyan-4

This isn't what I signed up for, but here I am. I had my whole life planned, but what was I to do. It all started one night when Cyan-4 twin moons were starting to drop below the horizon.

I was awake, studying, when a sound reached my ears. It was not a unusual sound, but it made me curious. I stepped on to a anti-grav platform and it rose swiftly into the air, staying a few inches away from the wall of my room. The ceiling above me split, and the platform halted level with the roof. I stepped off and blinked. The twin moons, K-9 and K-10, bathed the city of Adrasin in a brilliant white glow. The sound I had heard was the engine of a K-3 Starshuttle, a small, speedy and highly maneuverable craft. Working around the K-3 as I did in Elite training, I was quite familiar with the engine sounds. But what was one doing out at this time of night.

The sound grew louder and louder until it seemed to be right above me, but their was nothing there. The a soft thud! shuddered the building beneath me. My eyes widened as the air in front of me shimmered, and revealed a Starshuttle, landing gear down, resting on the roof of my home. It was identical to the Starshuttles I had worked with before, but this one had two Class- 5 plasma cannons on either side of the hull. The canopy released with a hiss of air and rose into the air, as a ladder folded out above the left hand plasma cannon. A figure in sleek blue-grey body armor stepped down, their face concealed by a visored helmet.

I watched warily as the figure approached and stopped a few meters away, touching the side of the helmet as they stopped. The helmet slid back, revealing a man, roughly thirty years old, with a scar running from his chin to his right temple. I recognized him instantly, he was Captain Andrew Fenway, the commander in chief of Cyan-4s' military.

"Sir, I, um, what's going on. I swear I didn't do anything!" I stammered, surprised by his sudden appearance.

He chuckled. "Don't worry, Ryker, nothings wrong. You have nothing to fear."

"Yes, sir. But, why are you here? At this hour of the night? And how do you know my name" I asked.

His face turned serious. "We know everything about you. And if you don't mind, I'd rather show than tell you."

I narrowed my eyes. "Okay."

I clambered into the Starshuttle's second seat, and we lifted off. As we zoomed along above Adrasin's majestic cityscape, a thought occurred to me.

"How come I couldn't see this ship until it landed?" I questioned.

"Cloaking tech." Captain Fenway replied shortly.

My eyes widened. That was awesome! I refrained from more questions however, as it seemed Captain Fenway was a man of few words. Just then the craft pitched forward and circled around a tall silver tower. My breath caught in my throat for a moment, as this was the base of global military operations.

"Forcetech Tower, this is shuttle Bravo 164, requesting permission to dock. Acknowledge." Fenway's voice cut through my thoughts.

"Bravo 164, please give your FIN number for verification." A smooth voice replied over the com.

"FIN number denied, you don't need it, moron."

"FIN number required for docking, Bravo 164."

Captain Fenway growled to himself. "Ever since I appointed my nephew to Communications Control, he's been a blasted nightmare." Forcetech Tower, FIN number 16437859, and you're fired."

"Bravo 164, docking bay A-4 is available. Good luck, uncle."

Captain Fenway smiled as he swung the shuttles nose towards the open docking bay. "Can't bring myself to get rid of the lad, though."

We slid between the bay doors, and landed. The canopy opened and I clambered down after the captain. We exited the hanger and turned left towards an anti-grav platform. We stepped on and it descended swiftly what I assumed was the height of the tower. When it stopped we into a short unoccupied corridor. At the end, Captain Fenway scanned his hand print, facial features, and entered a lengthy code. Just before he pressed the enter button, he stopped and turned to me.

"Before we go any further, you need to know something. On the other side of these doors lies a top-secret government association dedicated to protecting out world. You cannot tell a living soul of this place, not your parents, not your siblings, not your girlfriend, no one. Am I clear?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

He nodded back and hit the enter button. "Welcome to G-DA."

The doors slid open revealing a massive room bustling with life. Hundreds of men and women hurried to and fro on unknown missions, while hundreds more stood around massive holograms and 3-D displays conversing and arguing. In the center of the room a raised dais filled with dozens of screens and holograms marked the command center of this place. Above it, a slowly rotating 3-D image had the letters G-DA on it, with Global Defence Association displayed beneath it.

Captain Fenway headed towards it, and I followed trying not to gawk at everything I saw. When we reached the platform, Fenway hailed a tall, darkhaired woman. She stepped over and saluted the captain. He returned the salute and turned to me.

"Ian, this is Lieutenant Kira, my second in command. Kira, this is the boy I told you about."

She raised an eyebrow. "He seems quite young."

I crossed my arms and glared back. "I'll be seventeen next week. Besides, younger's better than older."

Her face turned thunderous, and a few people around us, including the captain, burst into laughter. Captain Fenway slapped me on the shoulder. "Boy, you just got yourself in a tight pickle. Kira here's a wee bit sensitive about her old age."

The laughter redoubled and Kira switched her glare to the captain. "I am NOT old." She retorted.

"Tell that to your wrinkles!" Someone shouted from the other side of the command center.

We all turned to see a tall, good looking young man, probably about twenty-one. He walked briskly across the crowded room, gracefully maneuvering around people and androids to stand at the foot of the command center steps. He saluted the captain.

"Lieutenant Anson reporting for duty, Uncle General."

Captain Fenway leaned forward. "You'll address me as Captain Fenway, you little whippersnapper, or I'll toss you out on your backside! Understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir, Uncle General!" Lieutenant Anson replied, facing straight ahead.

Captain Fenway sighed and turned to me. "This is Lieutenant Anson, my nephew and the only one who has the guts to disrespect me. Anson, this is Eamon Ryker, my newest recruit."

Anson stepped up to me and shook my hand heartily. "Pleased to meet you. Everything this old geezer said is true, so no need for introductions." He smiled as he said the last bit.

I found myself instinctively liking the man. "Nice to meet you too, Lieutenant."

"Please, call me Anson." He turned to the captain. "Will there be enough time to train him in what he needs to know before the mission?"

Captain Fenway nodded. "I believe so. He seems to pick up on new things very quickly. And he has shown talent in what we need him for."

Unable to remain silent any longer, I cleared my throat. "Um, what's this mission you're talking about and what am I even doing here?"

Captain Fenway smiled and turned to me. "Son, you're going to join the Forcetech as a secret agent."

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Now I was five thousand feet in the air, in tactical combat gear, in the drop bay of an A-2 Thunderbolt. Immediately after the captain's revelation, I had been thrust into a rigorous two week training course. I was taught hand-to-hand combat, armed combat, weapons training, and the awesome gear and gadgets that were in my combat gear. Blades that extended from the wrist, small, powerful plasma blasters also on the wrist, the HUD display of the helmets visor, and flight training in a weaponised Starshuttle. I had never wanted a life like this, lying to my family and friends like I was forced to. I was allowed to say I had joined the Forcetech, and that was it.

I had been briefed on my mission, which was infiltration of weapons depot controlled by a rebel faction of Cyan-4. We were to make it to the floating station's reactor core and destroy it. The station used the core to harness the anti-grav zone it hovered it to stay in the air. Destroy the core, and the station went down. My team consisted of nine other agents with there own unique set of skills, including Lieutenant Anson.

Captain Fenway's voice rang the the bay, interrupting my thoughts. "Agents, drop point in three mics."

Anson stood up. "You heard him agents, get ready. Test coms, starting with Blake." One by one we verified our coms were online. "Alright, check your weapons."

I touched the plasma pistol on my hip, and slung my AK-17 plasma rifle over my back. My hand brushed over the grenades, smoke bombs, and energy shield generators on my belt.

"Drop point in one mic. Opening bay doors." an automated voice said.

The sloped back of the drop bay opened with a hiss of air. Anson stepped up to the opening. "Visors down, engage oxygen."

"Good luck, agents. Come home safe." Captain Fenway said. An alarm blared through the bay and Anson turned to the others, saluted, and fell back out of the ship. The others fell, jumped, or flipped out after him. When my turn came, I took a deep breath and jumped. I flew through the air, adrenalin coursing through my veins. Air rushed past me as I free-fell after the rest of the team. Anson voice came over my com.

"Agents engage cloak piercing tech."

"Engage cloak piercer." I said and inhaled sharply as a massive floating station shimmered into view. The station was designed with a circular domed center with four arms running out on all four sides. A large ring connected the ends of the arms forming w massive circle. A targeting rectal zoomed in on a spot on the nearest arm. I heard Anson's voice again.

"The targeting system of your HUD should have pinpointed a spot on the east arm. That's our entrance point."

A red-lined route appeared on my visor, and I fired the jetboosters on my arms and legs to follow it. a feeling of recklessness came over me and I dove past the others, taking the lead. I shot towards the station, angling my breakneck approach beneath the station.

"Agent Ryker, if you do not enter by the designated path, the lack of gravity will throw hundreds of feet in the air." Anson's worried voice said.

I ignored him and angled my flight path lower. I turned off my boosters and free-fell toward my target. Moment before entering the anti-gravity field, I fired all four boosters at full power. The sudden acceleration allowed me to shoot under the stations east arm before the gravity field took full effect. I twisted my body, circling around the arm, and flipped, deactivating my leg boosters and raising my arms above my head to push myself downward. My boots magnetized to the metal station roof and I exhaled in relief.

The rest of the team set down around me, their decent much gentler than mine. "Very impressive, Agent Ryker. Where'd you learn to do that?" Anson asked.

"My father."

"Well, he taught you well. Let's go." He knelt by the access hatch and pressed his palm against a panel. There was a click and the panel came free, exposing a keypad. He placed a small box over it and tapped a few buttons. There was a beep and the hatch opened. Anson stuck his head through for a moment.

"All clear." He said, and pulled his head out, and jumped down feet first. We followed and landed in a long, brightly lit corridor. Anson turned to me. "Alright, Ryker, work your magic."

Now it was my turn. As an architect, I had worked on stations identical to this one. I thought for a few seconds and pointed to the left. "That way. The reactor core is in the center of the station. This corridor will take us to the a room a few levels above the core."

"What are you doing here?" A voice said. We all spun to see a young man, with one hand hovering over a red button on his wristband. Half the agents had plasma rifles trained on him as they turned.

Anson quickly took charge. "We were sent here to increase security."

The mans brow furrowed. "Why didn't you come in at the docking bay?"

Silence.

"I'm gonna call my superior." But before he could reach for his com, a figure fell on top of him. He wrapped his legs around the mans neck and flipped back, throwing the guard back into the wall. The figure landed and deactivated his helmet. It was Blake.

"Sorry, my magnetizing system was acting up. Good thing, though, huh?"

We all sighed with relief, and them froze as a blaring alarm filled the station. Red lights began to flash and doors slid shut locking down the area. We all turned to look at the man Blake had eliminated. The red button on his wristband had slammed against the wall, and triggered a station-wide alarm.

"Come we have to go!" Anson shouted and took off at a run in the direction I had indicated earlier. Before we had gone more than a few paces a group of guards in black armor dashed out of a side room and unleashed a barrage of plasma fire at us. A bolt hissed over my head as we dove behind a stack of storage crates. One of the agents grabbed a grenade and a smoke bomb from his belt and hurled them towards the guards.

A thunderous boom! shook the corridor and Anson leaped to his feet. "Arrowhead!" He shouted, and the rest of us took up positions behind him, fanning out to form a arrow shaped formation behind him. Each agent was trained to intersperse their fire with the person to their right, effectively laying down a line of cover fire. As we entered the smoke, our visors automatically engaged thermal vision, showing us the heat signatures of anyone with a hundred feet. The super-heated plasma bolts showed brilliant red in the smoke, and the dimmer signatures of the guards, most of whom were sprawled on the ground. As I watched, the last one lurched back and fell. We burst clear of the smoke and, staying in formation, continued towards the station center.

Anson slid to a stop at a large circular door at the end of the corridor. He slapped a small device on the the keypad and stepped back. There was a muffled explosion and the door slid open to the side.

"Which way?"

I gestured right and we set off. As we went, I realized that everything I had done in the past twenty minutes felt easy and natural, like I had done it my whole life. It felt good, but at the same time it scared me. Was this my future? A soldier, a warrior, a secret agent. I didn't want that, but my thoughts were interrupted as we stopped in front of another door, identical to the last one. Anson blew it open and we stepped into a world of chaos.

The room was about forty feet across, circular, with holo-displays, screens, and monitors ringing the edge. A ten foot area in the center was circled by reinforced glass and steel, and housed the reactor core. I could see it humming with power as we entered. Crates, containers, desks and chairs had been tipped over all around the room, and from behind these barricades a hellish barrage of fire met us. We dove behind what little cover their was. Three agents leaped back out of the room, and the rest of us either lay behind supply crates or dropped energy shield generators and got behind them.

The room became a war zone as plasma bolts flashed in all directions, filling the room with a brilliant, ever-changing light.

"We have to get to the core!" Anson shouted over the com. My eyes raced over the room, trying to figure something out. I focused on two strangely shapes boxes behind the enemy line. Where had I seen those before. Then it hit me.

"Commander Anson! Those boxes behind the guards are a new type of energy generator. If we shoot those, the explosion will knock out most of the guards. The ones shaped like a 3-D triangle."

"You heard the lad. Target the generators, Agents!" We shifted our fire and a hail of plasma blasted into the generators. The resulting explosion was much bigger than I envisioned. It blew a gaping hole in the station floor, and sent the guards flying willy- nilly. I could feel the blast of heat and air through my armor and shuddered.

Anson leaped up. "Get the reactor core!" We made our way to the center section, but our job had already been done. The explosion had blown in the wall and wrecked part of the core. As if in testament, the station shuddered and the sound of buckling metal could be heard.

Anson clicked his com. "Tango Alfa Bravo, this Viper 1. Mission complete, repeat, mission complete.

The responding voice we could all here. "Roger. Get out of there."

"Guess we found our exit, boys. Let's go!" Anson dove out and we followed with little order. As we exited the gravity field, a triumphant feeling followed me. I had completed my first mission and it felt good.

Like I was finally home.