Bound Across Worlds

Taine’s POV

I stirred back to reality and felt the firm grip of the ropes around my wrists. Sneaking into their base and making sure I was caught was not fun, to say the least. I used all my might to pull the ropes apart or to at least loosen them. I even lifted my body and threw my weight downwards to try to snap the rope. No luck.

“Don’t bother.” A voice said from the corner of the room. I looked in that direction and could identify the shape of a thin girl in the dark. She hung from the ceiling with a rope around her wrists, same as me. The light of what I assumed was a car drove past and gave me a better view of the girl. She had dry blood and bruises around her wrists from struggling to break free from the ropes. I recognised her instantly.

My handler had informed me that one of our own had been held captive by a rival gang. My mission was to retrieve her and escape with as much surreptitious notice as possible. The photo I was given was of a healthy black girl with braided hair. The girl I found was starved, weak and covered in yellow and purple bruises. The purple bruises were recently caused, but the yellow bruises meant she had been here for a while.

“I already tried.” She stated and continued to keep her head down.

“I’ve come to get you out of here. D.T.A sent me.” I remarked. I knocked my heels together, which made a sharp knife pop out the tip of the shoe. I then used my upper body strength and bent my body so that my feet were above my hands. I used the knife to start cutting the rope. It took a few minutes, but the rope eventually snapped, and I fell to the floor. Not a soft landing, might I add. I shot to my feet, pushed the knife back into my shoe and helped untie her.

“I didn’t know the D.T.A employs young agents.” The girl mumbled.

“I’m not that young. I’ll be 14 this year.” I snapped, and she fell to the ground. I help her waist to keep her upright. “Can you walk?”

“Yeah, I’m just weak.” She nodded and took a step forward. Her legs wobbled, and her knees buckled as she stepped forward. I caught her before she fell and put her up against a wall.

“Just gain some strength,” I ordered as she sat down.

“We won’t be able to escape here alive. Go without me. You’re better off alone.” The girl muttered.

“No, sir. The mission is to retrieve you alive.” I replied and searched the room for anything I could use as a weapon.

“What’s your name?” The girl asked. What didn’t she understand about reserve your energy? I ignored her and continued my search. Nothing, not even a pipe or a rock. Guess it’s up to the trusty shoe knife. “I’m Tamara Moore. Code name, Peanut. I thought you should know for when you make it out.” She added.

“They call me The Shiv,” I remarked. “Awe! Guards! I think the girl is dead! Guards?” I shouted.

“Are you trying to get us killed?” Peanut snapped. I ignored her and shouted again. I heard keys rattling as a guard opened the metal door that led into the room. He held his gun raised, so I stepped towards him and twisted his hand so that the gun pointed towards the floor. His finger was on the trigger, so the weapon fired next to my foot. That was close! I disarmed him and used the gun to knock him out.

“Get up; more guards are on their way from the gunshot,” I demanded and helped Peanut onto her feet. I shot a guard as he ran down the passageway then ran the way he came. I shoved Peanut behind a box and covered her mouth as more guards ran past. She tried to remove my hand, but I was stronger than I looked. I slowly let go of her as an alarm went off. So much for being stealthy.

“What’s the big deal?” Peanut hissed and pulled away from me.

“Don’t ruin my cover,” I whispered and looked to see if the coast was clear. Hopefully, the guards all ran in the opposite direction since they assumed we ran that way as well. I signalled for Peanut to follow me, and we ran down the passage. I stopped at the end and peeked around the corner. Three guards were posted in front of a door, I held up 3 fingers for Peanut, and she nodded.

“Hey!” She yelled, and the guards started moving our way. Peanut knocked out one guard while I dealt with the other 2. We disarmed them before any shots were fired and pulled their unconscious bodies into a room. Peanut searched their bodies and found a key card for the door. We also took their guns. It was double deagle time.

D.T.A or Dead Tears Alliance is an undercover gang that worked for the S.A.P.S (South African Police Service). We were just another gang to the public that gained the trust of drug dealers and other illegal associations. We helped S.A.P.S take down traffickers, contracted assassins, uncontrolled gangs and people who use their power or wealth to exploit the law. Were we legal? No. Did we kill people who were just doing their jobs? Yes. D.T.A went on without interruptions from the police, and we were granted freedom to take out anyone we targeted. Reasons beings personal or just simply business.

D.T.A was well known for taking out gangs in the cape, and slowly we were rising to the top. All members were trained as lethal assassins and loyal to the alliance without a doubt. We went by our code names in case a rat had to leak information. I mostly did undercover work at schools and got into power families by making friends with the children. This was my first retrieval mission.