Stories from the Sigmaverse/Backup

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C'mon, work!

Sat with her back to the wall of the cold cell, Agent One-Two-One fumbled with the tiny device in her hands. The infiltration had been a failure. Somehow, the Insurrectionist group she'd been working with for the past two months had discovered her as a spy. It was a surprise she hadn't been shot immediately, but the under-equipped rebels seemed to be under the impression that they could use her as a hostage to gain supplies by selling her back to her employers.

They actually think that ONI pays ransom money.

The agent sighed, trying to ignore the pain from her bruised ribs. Naturally they'd searched her for any weapons or electronic devices before tossing her in here, though they definitely weren't the kind of professionals every detainee feared facing. The moment she was sure her cell wasn't being watched, One-Two-One had - with some difficulty - reached into her mouth and yanked out a fake molar. Inside was a minute tracking device, with an emergency beacon that activated the moment it had been removed. It had been nearly an hour since then, and as the shouts from her captors echoed down the passageway as the Insurrectionists argued over what to do with the agent, she'd begun to wonder if any help was coming at all.

Then, the gunfire started.

"Finally," she muttered.

One-Two-One stood up and clasped both hands behind her back, attempting to look as presentable as possible in her filthy jumpsuit. By the sounds coming from outside, they'd sent an entire platoon to get her out. The ferocious shouts coming from the rebels had soon diminished into screaming, an explosion shaking the entire building for a moment. Loud footsteps echoed down the hallway as a trio of rebels backed up towards her cell. She froze, realising that they were either going to kill her or try to take a human shield. The heavy door's latch rattled for a moment, only to go still as a hail of bullets tore through the men outside. One-Two-One held her breath as silence reigned over the building. There had been forty-two rebels in this remote camp just a day ago. She rapped on her cell door.

"Hello?!"

She didn't hear anyone approach, so the suddenness of the door swinging open made her jump. Standing before the agent was a grey-armoured supersoldier, handgun pointed straight at her. Her wide eyes stared at the impassive features of the opaque golden visor for a few moments as she tried to take everything in.

"BRUTUS agent Jill Urbach?" a female voice intoned through the helmet's speakers.

She nodded, holding up her fake tooth as evidence. "I didn't think I'd get a Spartan."

"I was nearby. Let's move."

The Spartan turned and began to walk away, stepping over the bloodied corpses with Urbach close behind.

"Got a name?"

"Violet. Beta Thirty-Nine."

"Thanks for the save. I was expecting an acquisition team."

"Orders came down from the top. We're to be partnered."

"You're kidding me."