A strained gasp tore itself from your throat as your eyes shot open. You were in a dimly lit room surrounded by steel, concrete, and an ominous humming that seemed to come from the walls themselves. Your arms were strapped to the chair you were sitting in and didn't budge no matter how hard you pulled on them.

Where the hell am I...?

Your head snapped in the direction of the door when you heard a small beep—indicating that someone was coming in.

A well-groomed man in light combat gear walked into the room, his blue eyes briefly meeting yours before he stepped to the side. The sight of the man following behind him chilled you straight to the bone.

He was tall and clad in a heavy black vest, black cargo pants, and black combat boots that thudded against the floor when he walked. His dark eyes glared at you from within the eye sockets of the skull mask that concealed his face.

It was him.

The Ghost.

You'd only seen pictures—mere snapshots of a dark figure who couldn't be identified. In every photo, he was always staring at the camera, eyes just visible enough to send a chill down the viewer's spine. It was unnatural. He was unnatural.

The monster Price had wanted to track down was now standing four feet in front of you. The only thing between you and him was a desk. That's it.

You were in a room with Graves and the Ghost, two of the most dangerous men in the world—each for different reasons.

"You're probably wondering why you're here." Graves spoke, snapping you out of your thoughts. He slowly paced in front of the desk, tapping his fingers together. "I admire your efforts to track down my asset. Price is playing right into my hands."

"What are you talking about?" You demanded, narrowing your eyes.

He waved you off. "Nothing that concerns you. You're just a pawn trying to catch a shadow." A chuckle escaped him. He then paused and turned to face you. "Weird question, but are you feeling nauseous right now? Perhaps a little lightheaded?"

What?

Graves made no sense, but he was right. You had only just now noticed the feeling of nausea creeping up from the pit of your stomach, making your guts churn. Had he poisoned you? Was there something in the air?

"Ah, I thought so. Don't worry, sometimes the smoke can have that effect." He said, turning his head to glare at the Ghost. "I told him not to use it because it could've killed you instead."

The assassin in question said nothing, continuing to stand and stare.

"Well, we don't want that affecting your performance, now do we?" With a snap of his fingers, the Ghost moved to approach you. "Hold her still. This won't be pleasant."

Your eyes widened and you pulled against your restraints as the Ghost neared. He put one hand on your shoulder and forced you to sit back. His other hand grabbed your head, his fingers digging into your forehead as he yanked your head backwards.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" You snapped, watching Graves pull out a vial from one of his pockets.

"Relax, it's harmless." Graves scoffed as he approached.

You thrashed back and forth as hard you could, trying to tip over the chair, but the Ghost held you firmly in place. Graves opened the vial and seized your jaw in his hand, forcing your mouth open. Before you could do anything, he was already pouring the liquid down your throat. You immediately went to spit it out, but he shut your mouth and made you swallow it.

"See? You made it harder than it needed to be." He chuckled, watching you gag at the bitter taste in your mouth. "Take her to her new home."

New home?

A yelp of pain suddenly escaped you as the Ghost roughly pulled off your restraints and got you to your feet with seemingly supernatural strength. It was like you weighed nothing to him.

As he took you down the hallway, practically dragging you, he remained silent. You tried to wrench yourself free from his grip, but he was too strong.

"Why do you listen to that asshole anyway? Don't you think for yourself?" You huffed, glaring up at him as you stumbled along. 

His stare remained straight ahead. He didn't even acknowledge you.

"Of course not. You're all fucked up." You muttered while shaking your head.

You soon fell silent, and stayed that way  for the rest of the trip. This wouldn't be the last you'd see Graves and the Ghost, for sure.