I could barely see the enemies as they scattered throughout the warehouse searching for agent Nora while others covered the only exit to prevent her from escaping. I couldn't be certain if they knew about me, but I knew they would eventually figure it out when they noticed the few men I knocked out while searching for cover. Especially since they had an corrupt agent on their side. He may be crooked, but if he was able to enter the FBI it meant he had the brains to figure it out.
"You have permission to forfeit custody of our agent and find an escape route on your own. Just spoke with the director herself and she says you're clear." The system manager declared.
"Really? Do you seriously expect me to abandon a colleague like this?"
"It's the lifeguard situation. We would rather lose one agent than two."
"Everything boils down to a math problem," I whisper. I'm not that good at math, never claimed to be. I just have a knack for finding patterns where others can't. Most people think that you are either born with a gift or you don't have it at all, but that's not the case. Everything can be learned by knowing the technique and practicing in perfect balance. Just like I did with data analysis and pattern recognition. "is it an order?"
"No, you have express authority and may act freely, but we highly recommend you do as suggested."
"Too bad, I really wanted the paperwork." I sigh as I cover agent Nora with a tarp, then seek for cover in the direct path of an enemy before taking him down with my sword. The scream he let out alerted everyone. Valhalla taught me how to fight, not stealthily but with direct brute force.
"Over there!" A man shouted at the same time he opened fire. They missed by a few inches, but if I stay put I know they will eventually hit me. I take a lap over the containers and bash at an unsuspecting criminal who kept firing at my old position.
"It's a man! I saw him!" A man rushed towards my hiding spot. Good thing a punch to the face is faster than the flick of a wand. A couple followed and shared the same fate.
"If it keeps going like this I may actually make it out alive." I joked as I stacked the unconscious people in a pile.
"What are you doing?"
"It's a math problem and I'm balancing the equation." They have the numbers advantage, but that's all. If I knock enough of them out they will eventually run away.
"I'll handle this," The man with a deep voice instructed and everyone followed. I was spotted and cornered within seconds, but no one dared get close the pallet when they noticed. "I know you're an elite, but it's over. There's nowhere to run, just let us use you as a hostage and no harm will come to you."
"Thanks for the compliment, but I'm just a rookie." I say as I come out of my hiding keeping both hands up in surrender. The moment they saw me I got shot in the leg by one of the bandits. The seething pain caused me to fall on my knees. Who would have said criminals actually don't keep their word.
"Nice try, but I know how it is. You're just trying to lower your value as a hostage so we kill you, but we're not stupid," The man spoke in his deep voice as he leaned close to me. "Bob?"
"You... you are... I don't know who you are." I've been told I'm bad with people's names and couldn't remember a face for my life. It really bothers me that they're right. It's not like I bumped onto him at the supermarket and exchanged an awkward greeting where I can just nod and pretend I know him, my life depends on remembering him but nothing comes to mind.
"You ruined my life and you don't even recognize me!?"
"It seems... personal." The system manager said.
"Are you really an agent? Maybe you lied on your CV so this gang took you in." I say with a smile that was erased with a punch to the face.
"He's just trying to buy time. Grab him and let's get the fuck out of here!"
"No, he's telling the truth. He's just a dork who works at a desk," The man said then slapped me out of my shock. "where is the girl? Where is she!?" He demanded.
"She's safe." I try to force a smile that just wouldn't come out. I don't care that he's a criminal or that he just punched me in the face. I don't even mind him call me dorky, but saying I work at a desk like it's insignificant. Before I could think my fist was already booming on his face.
"I knew you were stupid, but fighting while you're surrounded?" The man said as he stood up, but I was too busy giving the goodnight to the closest enemies.
"Come on, do it! Shoot me and see how everyone else is killed!" I laugh as I jump to my next target. It's just a mathematical problem, one I was solving pretty quickly. The reason why our agents struggled against these guys is because of their magic. It's powerful, but they can't risk killing me since I'm their hostage and the only thing keeping them alive. Besides, most of these guys are glass cannons and can't even take a punch just like the psychokinetic criminal I arrested.
"You're sick..." The corrupt agent stammered.
"You're next!"
***
Around fifteen minutes after the shooting sounds died out the agents started getting impatient. They wondered whether the criminals found an escape route or if they waited in ambush, but no one dared ask what happened to the agents inside. If it was a hostage situation the criminals would have made their demands already, but that didn't come to happen.
A black car followed by three likely colored SUVs silently pulled out at the scene and a blonde woman got out of the car. High heels and a fair complexion that begged for sunlight, the director of the otherworldly affairs of the FBI carried herself like the kind of person who could end someone's career with but a word.
"It's been a while since I've been out on the field, but answer me this. Aren't you supposed to be arresting criminals?"
"Enemy had magic barriers and I asked the men to regroup. You didn't need to come all the way here, ma'am. The situation is under control." Agent Hale declared.
"Let me rephrase it so you understand. Get inside and do your job."
"You heard the director, everyone break in!" Agent Hale commanded, then realize the director also walked in and tried to stop her. "the place is not clear yet." The director paid no mind to Hale's comment and kept walking. Hale kept his eyes fixed on her while thinking It was rare for her to leave the office, but walking into an ongoing operation was unheard of. That's when the first man who entered shouted.
"Holy shit!"
"How unprofessional." The director glared at the agent, but didn't blame him. The scene was a complete wreck. The area where the shootout took place was wrecked to pieces and there were unidentified body pieces scattered all over the place, probably due to the explosion. But all that was actually expected from an encounter where magic was involved and what actually caused the shock on the agents was Bob sitting on a pile of unconscious people at the middle of the warehouse.
Bob's clothes were a mess, his face was battered beyond recognition, several stab wounds all over his body his flesh burnt in different places and even a couple magical arrows stuck on his shoulders. He was barely conscious while mechanically pouring the contents of a vial on a gaping wound on his chest.
"I'm sorry, the criminal escaped." He wheezed startling the medical team who were ready to call the time of death.
"Agent Bob, you are on paid leave effective immediately." The director said in a monotone as the paramedics ran past her to heal Bob's wounds and maybe save his life. Somehow, Bob still had enough energy to groan before passing out.
"This is impossible." Agent Hale stuttered.
"It is," The director nodded. "but don't ever tell him that."
The area was promptly secured by the agents and they swiped the scene. In less than an hour it looked exactly like a gas leak explosion, with witnesses and all. Many health potions broke during the shootout, but a large portion was seized by the FBI making it a successful sting operation. The value of the decommissioned potions was estimated somewhere in the tenths of billion dollars and thanks to Bob leaving the enemies unconscious they were also able to make way more arrests than usual.
But the best part, at least according to the director, was what they found hidden beneath a tarp near a corner of the building. There they found an unconscious woman in perfect health safe for a broken nose.