Olympus

Chapter 17

"What in the world happened out there, Miss Months?!" Megan suddenly saw Dennis appear in front of her out of nowhere and she jumped in fright.

My God, do covert people have to be so creepy?! she screamed in her head, recalling her first meeting with Arthur in her apartment and the unsavory way he had scared her too. This time, Dennis had been lurking just beside the elevator to assault her with the question before she even had the chance to step out of it.

Megan made to tell him how much she hated his question but she suddenly recongised the look in his eyes and froze in midaction. He's mad, she realized. He's very, very mad.

To be honest, it was only logical that Dennis would be. The Rio mission had failed tremendously. The team had gotten neither the intel nor item 13; and the state of affairs had gotten so out of control that it was almost beyond saving. Yeah, Megan, you really could have done better, she chastised herself.

"In my defense, I had to make quick decisions in a very bad situation," she said. "In fact, I personally think that this was the best outcome we could hope to glean from what happened."

"Really, that's what you think?" He made a face that said he thought otherwise.

Dennis passed Megan a tablet in his hands just as a video began to play. It was a news report showing an aerial shot of the astrodome in ruins after the shootout and police choppers flying around it while the cops themselves lined the streets on the ground below for miles, presumably searching for clues as to what had transpired at the open house party.

The reporter's voice came on. "Tonight was a night of tragedy as what was no doubt a terrorist attack was carried out on the famous Astrodomo de DiSanto residence in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; leaving scores dead and many more injured. The residence owner, renowned tech billionaire, Ricardo DiSanto, has also been confirmed missing in the aftermath of this attack. The authorities are yet to release an official statement but many curious articles have begun circulating on the internet in regards to the incident, including one mentioning a man, apparently, with wings."

Dennis cut the video. "Subtle, Miss Months," he said. "I asked that this mission be subtle. Tell me, did that look subtle to you?"

Megan sighed. It didn't take powers to figure out that she wasn't going to win the argument. Dennis had made up his mind on what she had done and nothing she said was going to change it.

"Look, Director, I told you beforehand that a tact team was better suited for the mission but you insisted I went with the kids. In the end, I could only do the best I could to manage a complicated situation."

"And am I supposed to add kidnapping and smuggling Ricardo DiSanto out of Brazil to that "best management" you were talking about?" he returned and she stopped.

In all honesty, it wasn't, and Megan knew that too. But he was lying unconscious in a parking lot after an attempt on his life, she thought, I couldn't just leave him there, now could I?

She didn't say that to Dennis though. That will only get him madder, she knew. Instead, she decided to go with, "I figured that after the attack on the astrodome, there was little chance of us getting viable intel from the house so I thought I bring Ricardo in and we question him ourselves."

Dennis stared at her for some time, rubbing the side of his head as he presumably contemplated on the how best way to proceed with the current turn of events.

"The swarms have turned in their findings on the search of the house before the attack," he finally said after a while, "and yes, you're correct, they found nothing. So..." He dropped the statement in a sigh and suddenly turned and began to walk away.

"So what, Director?" Megan ran to catch up with him, confused.

"So we do exactly as you've suggested, Miss Months," he returned as they walked. "We go and question Ricardo DiSanto ourselves."

The door slid open in front of Megan to reveal a large and white room that would have been bare if not for a small table and two chairs and she felt her heart constrict in her chest as she came face to face with the expression on Ricardo's face. He was angry, she could see; livid even.

Okay, Megan, what do you say to a guy you just unwittingly kidnapped after almost being assassinated in his house? she asked herself; and the answer came almost immediately: nothing.

Thing is, he was the bad guy. He was the one who was in charge of a group that saw it fit to attack Olympus and steal something from them. He was the one who had probably caused something to have some GI Joes crash into his house from above in the middle of a party, almost assassinate him, and killing many innocent people in the process.

In fact, I probably did the world a great service by kidnapping him, she added in her head.

However, when Megan saw Ricardo's displeased expression again, she couldn't bring herself to voice those words, almost like berating him would cause her pain; and she wasn't even sure why.

He, on the other hand, didn't have such a problem. "I knew I should have stuck to my distrust of psychologists," he said and sneered so harshly that she was suddenly overcome by shame and averted her face.

Megan moved to the side just as Dennis came in, flanked by two operatives; one African and the other Arabian; both dressed in the same black suit as him.

He sat down in the second chair opposite Ricardo, making no attempt to address whatever was going on between the latter and Megan before he arrived as he looked at him dead on in the eyes with a steely gaze. "Mr. DiSanto," he said, "I have some questions for you, and in your best interest, I advise you answer them quickly and honestly."

But Ricardo smiled, seemly amused than threatened by the man in front of him. "Seriously?" He looked at Megan again. "This is the best you can do? A tough guy routine." He scoffed. "I'll have you know that I've never been scared by anyone to say anything I don't want to before."

"Good for you, Mr. Disanto," Dennis brought his face back to see a dark look in his eyes that had his smile suddenly wiped off his face, "but I'll have you know that you've never met anyone like me before either."