29. Wait that's a stupid question

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I got Sadies tomorrow so I'm likely not going to update, just a heads up.

Cody's POV

Chase paces up and down the hallway in front of me. I lean over in my chair, head in my hands bouncing my leg up and down. Neither one of us seem to be able to sit still at the moment.

Both Devin and Jason are in the hospital. In the Intensive Care Unit. And Thirteen? She's still missing and it's been four hours.

Footsteps interrupt my thoughts and I look up as Zero comes walking over towards us with the doctor in tow. I stand quickly to my feet and Chase turns so he's facing them. Grim looks on all our faces.

"Chief." Chase somehow manages to address Zero politely without just flat out asking him what we're both dying to know.

Zero just simply nods at both of us in greeting and motions for the doctor to fill us in on what's going on.

He glances at his clipboard as he speaks. "The dark-haired boy-Jason will be just fine. The blow to the head was not as critical as we previously believed. Whoever hit him seemed to actually be showing some restraint. We've put him in a medically induced coma until the swelling in his brain goes down."

Both me and Chase share looks of relief and then confusion. We saw the video surveillance clips ourselves.

Garrett was holding back? Why?

"The other boy-Devin." The doctor starts up again and our full attention is now directed at him. "His injuries were definitely more severe, and even though the stab wound in his chest missed his heart by mere inches, it didn't hit anything vital."

"So he's going to be alright?" Chase questions, as if reading my own thoughts.

The doctor grimaces and shakes his head. "I'm afraid not." He says simply and I feel my stomach plummet. "The blade he was stabbed with-or rather the dagger-seems to have been coated in some form of poison."

I feel my blood freeze in my veins and I take a couple steps backward, falling into the uncomfortable chair.

Coated in poison? How could she not tell us that?

But it all seemed to click into place, her words from before.

"Yeah well I don't use my dagger on anyone but the enemy..."

"Did I cut you?..."

I had never seen her carry a sheath for it before...until the day she came back for us. I didn't think anything of it at the time. She had no intentions of staying the first time she teamed up with us, but when she realized she'd be coming back for who knew how long...she wanted that sheath with her so it would decrease the chances of us getting cut by that thing.

"What kind of poison?" I ask, my voice distant and disconnected. A feeling of dread creeps on me...like I already know the answer.

The doctor shakes his head again. "I have no idea. It's not like any poison we've ever seen before."

Of course not. That'd be too much to ask.

"Whatever it is it's meant to kill slowly, and painfully. Luckily your friend's still alive, but he won't be that way for long if we can't get a cure for the poison."

"How much time do we have?" Chase presses.

"I'd give him two days tops." The doctor replies. "But it's likely even less than that. I've never seen this poison before and have no idea what it's going to do."

"We need to find Thirteen," Chase says. "If anyone had a cure it'd be her."

"Unfortunately Agent 13 still has yet to found," Zero announces. "I have several teams of agents combing over the area and locking down the airports, but she still hasn't appeared."

"Let us get out there and help look for her," I interject and Zero shakes his head.

"Half your team's in the ICU, and your honorary team member just so happens to be missing. I'm not having the two of you running around the city trying to find her and putting yourselves at risk. Both of you are to stay here."

"But-"

"I'm leaving some other agents here as well to guard both Devin and Jason just in case Garrett tries to come back and finish the job. You are to stay here with them. We'll need all the help we can get if Garrett tries to make a play for the hospital."

"What other Agents are staying here?" Chase asks.

"Agents 53 and 91 are both stationed outside the doors. Gamma team 12 and Delta team 10 are both patrolling the first floor. Omega team 1 and Gamma 4 are guarding all staircases and side exits, occasionally walking through the floors as well."

Chase nods and Zero walks off, probably to order around some other agents.

I put my head in hands again. "This all went to hell way too quickly," I mutter and Chase lets out a sigh, taking the seat next to me.

"Tell me about it."

"We need to find Thirteen," I mumble and Chase nods.

"I know."

We both look at each other as the exact same thought comes to mind.

"Ryder." We both say in unison.

I dig Thirteen's phone out of my pocket, suddenly thankful Garrett didn't take that as well. I'm also thankful she told me the password to her phone a few days ago.

I scroll through her contacts till I see Ryder's name. I press call and switch the phone to speaker, holding it up in between me and Chase.

"You pick now to finally call me back after I've already left you about a gazillion voicemails cussing you out? Your timing could not be any worse than it already is." Gunshots echo out in the background. Me and Chase share a look.

"Uh, Ryder?" He swears under his breath.

"I take it something bad has happened." He mutters. "Figures, why would she actually call me back? That'd be freaking stupid. I'm going to strangle her the first chance I get." More gunshots.

"I'm winning in case you're actually concerned about me."

"Obviously they don't give a shit." A feminine voice mutters in the background.

"Excuse me for a second." He says to us. His next words are slightly muffled, but not enough that we can't hear every word he says.

"Do you think you get your ass up off the floor and quit playing those freaking computer games for one damned minute? We're kind of getting shot at in case you didn't notice and it's all your fault!"

"My fault? I'm not the one who just had to pick a fight with the world's biggest and most ruthless gang in the world!"

"They were here for you! I picked a fight to keep them from killing you! It's called a job and you're clearly lacking in the self-preservation department."

"At least I ain't lacking in every other department."

Cursing. Nonstop cursing and more gunshots.

"Sorry about that." He says as if we didn't just hear the entire conversation. "What'd you guys need?"

"We need to find Thirteen," I reply. "She's missing."

"Figures." He grunts. More shooting. "That girl can't go a week without attracting trouble of some kind or another. She got her phone with her? Wait that's a stupid question."

"Can you help?" Chase questions.

"If these morons would stop shooting at me for freaking second I could-Hey!"

There's a shuffling noise on the other end followed closely by curses and gunshots.

"Uh, Ryder?" Chase questions and there's no answer.

"Ryder's a little bit preoccupied at the moment." Nicky's voice comes through the phone.

"I am not! You took my damn phone!"

Nicky ignores him and continues on. "Couldn't find Thirteen, mostly cause she doesn't have a phone on her. I found Garrett, which was actually pretty easy honestly." There's typing in the background in between to the gunshots. "He's about a ten-minute drive from where you are."

"And how do you know where we are?"

"You should get some untraceable cell phones if you want to make this even remotely challenging for me." She says simply. "I'm going to hang up now, cause according to his call log he's making a call right now...to Thirteen's phone. Best of luck!"

She hangs up with an audible click. A call comes through not a second later from an unknown number. I answer it and put it on speaker same as before.

"If you ever want to see her alive again you'll listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you."

Neither me or Chase say anything and we simply look at each other.

"I'm going to take your silence as an agreement." He says coolly. "Do as I say and you'll all walk away from this unharmed."

"And we're supposed to believe that?" I question firmly.

"Believe whatever you want. It honestly doesn't matter." I can practically hear the smirk I know he's got on his face. "I've never had much use for any of you but there's something I want, and I'm willing to trade Thirteen for it."

"What is it you want?"

"A string of numbers you acquired from Fifty-seven's house. The numbers in the video."

I glance at Chase and he looks back at me. Neither one of us making a move to say anything else.

What does he want those numbers for?

"What good are those numbers to you?" Chase asks.

Garrett lets out a haunting laugh. "They're a part of a three-part code. I already have two of the parts and that last string of numbers in the final piece of the puzzle."

Both me and Chase share a look.

"Since you seem to be having a difficult time deciding maybe I should make sure Elaine lays in the beating a little harder."

There's the sound of a lock turning and a door opening, followed closely by a familiar voice.

"Seriously Garrett, where did you find her? She can't punch for shit."

There's the sound of skin on skin contact followed by Thirteen's groan of pain.

"Don't touch her." Both me and Chase growl in unison.

"Oh, did I hit a sore spot for you?" He mocks us.

"Why in flaming hell would you morons even answer the phone?!" Thirteen's voice yells out.

"We'll give you the numbers," I respond quickly.

He laughs menacingly on the other end. "Good, good. There's a club down the street a ways from the hospital you're currently at. It's a very public place. Meet me there in an hour-just the two of you. If I see so much as one other agent...she dies."

The line goes dead and I tuck the phone back into my pocket. I turn to look at Chase who has a determined look in his eyes.

"He never said we couldn't bring weapons." He says with a smirk. "Stock up. We've got an hour to figure out how to turn this around in our favor. Who knows, if we play this right, we might even catch the smug bastard."

"I hope you're right," I mutter I get to my feet, following him out of the hospital.

"We'll stop by the hotel and pick up whatever weapons we can," Chase says. "We're going to need them. I have a feeling he's going to go back on his word."

I snort. "Of course he is. He's not going to let us leave there alive. He wants a fight...let's give him a freaking war instead."

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