The double agent of MI18 walked along the pavement, making his way towards Pulvis. Suddenly, something caught his eye. Ellis walked up to him, not seeming interested in him, her eyes on the path in front of her. She was healed up and her suit seemed to be brand new with not a stitch in sight. She walked by the double agent. “Populus enim pulvis.” He suddenly said. Within an instant, Ellis spun and grabbed him by the shirt, dragging him into an alleyway. Dragging him behind a large bin, she pushed him against the wall, both hands clenching his collar.
“Start talking.” She snarled at him, her eyes in fury. “Who the hell are you and how do you know about Pulvis?”
“MI5 sent me to Pulvis to make sure that the job is done, but I want to turn against them.” He told her plainly, not seeming threatened in the slightest. Ellis scoffed at him.
“Turn against MI5? Don't make me laugh.”
The double agent did not crack one smile. “I'm being serious. I have all the intel that you could ever want. I can help you continue your operations undetected. MI5 won't have a clue. You'll be a literal ghost. Besides, they have no interest in you anymore.”
“And why is that, pray tell?”
“They think that they have won. You are free from risk and you can do as you please. With Artificis dead, you might need some help in your new position. I could be very useful to you.”
“You just told me that MI5 sent you to Pulvis.”
“Like I said, they sent me to Pulvis to make sure that the job is done. They sent me to confirm your death. Besides, they will not be suspicious of me being gone for a few days. They'll think that I am tying up some loose ends. Besides, if you didn’t need me, you would have killed me by now.”
Ellis stared at him for a couple of seconds and slowly, her face slackened and turned neutral. She released the double agent. “Welcome to Pulvis.”
The double agent wandered around the illegal organisation, gathering any information that he could get his eyes on. He went through drawers, through cupboards and filing cabinets. They were filled with blackmail letters, debts and the one or two odd ransom notes. The still, quiet air disturbed him. No one spoke, no bustle of footsteps could be heard. The organisation seemed to be deserted, with only a few people working away at computers. Where had everyone disappeared to? Were they planning to ambush him? Had they already found out? Walking down a corridor, he heard a lively scene. Some music seemed to be playing and there were the faint sounds of conversations and laughter. Curiosity getting the better of him, he followed the noise, coming up to a door. He stood at it, hesitating.
“Hey!” A voice from behind him suddenly said. The double agent jumped at the intruder and turned around. A henchman looked at him, dressed in a sharp, grey suit. “Are you going in or what?” He asked with a slightly confused face.
“Oh, yes, of course.” The double agent answered, stumbling over his words slightly. He pushed the door open and entered a large room. The henchman walked by him, making his way to a bar. The double agent looked around at the spectacle, not believing his eyes. The room was a giant club, complete with all the necessities. Club music blared from the huge speakers and there was a lit dance floor, some drunk henchmen on it, showing off their moves. Some others were drinking the night away, discussing things, sharing jokes and stories. A DJ blasted the music from his giant deck. A stripper danced erotically for her few clients, giving them a show, pleasing the tails in between their legs. Then the double agent spotted Ellis, sitting in a large, comfortable armchair, a brandy glass of calvados in her hand. He had to admit, she looked like a kingpin. Everyone was willing to fight by her side and sacrifice themselves for her in a heartbeat. It was such a drastic change – and one that scared him. Now that Artificis was dead, there was no one to hold her back from exacting her darkest and most brutal of desires. Her full potential was finally unleashed. The agent walked over to the bar and sat down at the far end, away from all the others. The bartender stepped over to him.
“What will it be?” He asked.
“A glass of your finest single malt Scotch please.” The double agent replied. The bartender opened up an expensive looking bottle and poured him a glass. He pushed the short tumbler over to him and he took it. “How much will that be?”
The bartender suddenly laughed, amused at the simple question. “You're funny, I like you.” Suddenly, there was a crash, a glass breaking, and the bartender snapped his head towards the sound. One henchman had another by his collar, ready to punch him. “Hey! Come on, knock it off!” He yelled at them angrily, stepping over to them. He separated them both. The double agent blinked, wondering what on Earth had just happened. Suddenly, there was a punch and a henchman went sliding across the polished bar, falling off the other side. Some more punches landed as two henchmen brawled against one another. The bartender went to separate them, but another two henchmen fought against one another, starting a full-scale bar fight. The bartender waved his hand, giving up, and instead went back behind his bar, leaning against the wall. He crossed his arms and instead enjoyed the show. The four henchmen brawled against each other and one of them went sprawling to the floor. Two of the henchmen fought against one, but he did not seem to mind that he was outnumbered and instead dodged a punch. He landed a kick to his opponent's side and then spun, delivering a punch to his second opponent's cheek. He collapsed to the floor and did not move. The second opponent got up and went to throw a punch, but his fist was caught in his opponent's hand. His opponent delivered a headbutt to his nose and he fell to the floor. Dodging an attack, the henchman took care of his last opponent, punching him in the jaw. He dropped to the floor and did not move. The victorious fighter fixed up his suit and tie and sat back down at his seat. He took his whiskey and finished it in a single gulp. All of a sudden, the bartender began clapping in a steady rhythm. “Encore, encore.” He said without emotion, his face deadpan. The victorious fighter raised his empty glass to him.
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“You may be the boss of Pulvis, but you are not Artificis.” A voice suddenly said. Ellis turned her head to the henchman that stood there.
“No, of course not.” She replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Her voice then immediately turned hard as her smile dropped, her eyes containing a hidden fury. “I’m much worse.”
The henchman did not seem the slightest bit intimidated. “Don’t make me laugh. Artificis actually got things done, you just sit around waiting for something to happen.”
One henchman looked at his colleague and shook his head subtly. “Don’t antagonise her.” He whispered to him.
“She’s not going to do anything. The best use that she has is fucking double agen–”
Suddenly, Ellis jumped up, a flash of steel in her hand. The agent cursed, his eyes widening in abject horror. She plunged the dagger into her target's eye and brought him to the floor. The club music suddenly stopped and all that was heard were the shrieks of agony. Everyone looked on in shock as she got on top of the screaming man, proceeded with wrenching the dagger about, proceeded with cutting his eyes out. The henchman thrashed about as blood poured down his face, but Ellis kept a firm grip on him as she cut out his other eye. She then got off of him and stood up, panting, a crazed look in her eye. The blind man screamed, but slowly his scream turned into a whimper. Two henchmen ran over to him and grabbed his arms, quickly dragged him away. Ellis sat back down at her throne, stabbing the bloody dagger into the arm. She closed her eyes and sighed, composing herself. Some henchmen looked at her uneasily, trying to avoid her gaze. Ellis opened her eyes and grabbed her glass, drinking some of the brandy.
“Hey, Ellis!” A voice suddenly called out. She looked up at the henchman, a quiet anger in her eyes. “Why don’t you sing for us?”
She suddenly smiled, the rage instantly disappearing from her face. “No, I don't think I could.” She said, immediately calm, acting like she hadn't mutilated a man mere seconds ago. “It's been a while.”
“Come on! Surely you still have that beautiful voice of yours? What do we think guys?!”
Suddenly, everyone cheered. They began clapping in unison, chanting her name. Giving in to their demand, Ellis stood up and everyone cheered once more. She walked over to the stage, standing by the mic. One henchman with long, wild hair stood next to her, an electric guitar in his hands. Another stood to her other side with a bass guitar. A drummer with an afro took his seat behind her. Ellis leaned into the microphone. “This is a song I like to call, Agents Of Dust.”
The crowd cheered for a couple of seconds and then quieted down as the drummer started the music. The guitarists joined in with the tune and soon, the concert was in full swing.
In London streets
You're in for a scare
There's a monster lurking about
With no life to spare
Run or hide, it's really of no use
Do what you can
We'll still get to you!
We are the agents of dust
And we are coming after you
There’s nowhere to run
There’s nowhere to hide
So what can you really do?
We control your dreams
We control your fears
Everything you will send at us
We will soon push back
Missile or gun
We will counter attack
Try all you can, you will never stop us!
We are the agents of dust
And we are coming after you
There’s nowhere to run
There’s nowhere to hide
So what can you really do?
The electric guitarist stepped up to the edge of the stage and played his solo, shredding the metal strings. The crowd cheered crazily.
We are the agents of dust
And we are coming after you
There’s nowhere to run
There’s nowhere to hide
So what can you really do?
We are the agents of dust
And we are coming after you
There’s nowhere to run
There’s nowhere to hide
So what can you really do?
