The Chronicles of Agent Thirteen Volume 1

By Gene C. Jensen

A short story collection with four stories of the many adventures of Agent Thirteen.
Includes the following works:
The Experiment
Casualty of War
Retirement for the Retired
The Phantom of Ten-West

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gene C. Jensen
• Release date: Mar 18, 2024
• ISBN: 9798215057841

Book preview

The Chronicles of Agent Thirteen: Volume One

By Gene C. Jensen

Copyright 2024 Gene C. Jensen

Published by Gene C. Jensen at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. This ebook remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed for commercial or non-commercial purpose. If you enjoyed the book please encourage your friends and family to download a copy as well.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This short story is a work of fiction, strictly imagined from the mind of the author The characters are fictitious and are not based on any living or dead person. Any similarities to people or places are simply coincidence. Viewpoints on politics, religion, or aspects of morality don’t necessarily reflect that of the author, but rather the characters way of thinking and their viewpoint of the world in which they live.

Table of Contents:

Title Page

Copyright

The Experiment

A Casualty of War

Retirement for the Retired

The Phantom of Ten-West

Closing Words

The

Experiment

Amanda Worthington knew something was amiss the second a cold breeze pushed a sterile hospital smell into her nostrils. The last thing she recalled was laying down to take a nap. A cinnamon scented candle burned—near the end of its wick—which was lit to drown the smell of burnt fajitas from an earlier cooking fiasco.

The second clue of wrongness was the firm mattress that made her back feel stiff as a board. Her own bed was always a little lumpy, but just right. What she was on felt like a cheap hotel-grade bed. The real question was, where was she? She didn’t remember leaving her apartment and—being a light sleeper—would have been roused if somebody abducted her in the night.

Fear kept her eyes closed for the moment, as if not seeing the foreign surroundings meant she was still safe at home—but it was a silly and naïve thought. Several scenarios played through her mind. Imprisoned in a creepy basement? Would there be a crude table full of bloodied surgical equipment waiting for its mad scientist owner to return? Or perhaps a tragedy occurred while she slept that led to hospitalized.

Amanda finally opened her eyes to a room that looked … ordinary. As ordinary as a room could look when one didn’t know how they arrived there. The walls were a plain beige color, though the paint was fresh. There was a small dresser as well as a tiny half bathroom—no bath or shower. There were no windows or clocks to even suggest what time of day it might be.

She pulled herself to a sitting position, seeing she had on the same clothes she wore to bed. That offered some comfort. Though, she noticed her long brown hair was a mess as she gazed into the dust free dresser mirror. There was even a thin layer of grease like it hadn’t been washed for a few days. Things were getting more peculiar as the seconds rolled by.

She walked into the bathroom realizing there wasn’t even a sink, just a bottle of hand sanitizer on the counter. Her breath must have smelled but there was no chance fixing it without water or any hygienic products. A quick check of the dresser revealed nothing useful, Amanda hoped to find a brush so she’d look halfway decent. She jumped when a strange man’s voice filled the room.

May I have your attention, everyone, a speaker was mounted on the ceiling. The man cleared his throat and continued to say, Some of you are perfectly healthy and well, while some of you have been injected with a rather nasty and lethal neurotoxin. Amanda covered her mouth. He couldn’t be serious, could he?

I assure you, this is no joke, the man went on as if reading her thoughts. You are all part of an experiment—one that will last twenty four hours. You have exactly one day to discover who’s been poisoned and coerce them into the quarantine zone. If you are successful, the healthy will be free to go. If not. … He hesitated. The entire facility will be gassed and everyone dies. In a brighter tone he said, Good luck! The speaker clicked off.

This is unreal! Amanda thought in anguish. How could her sick captors imagine up some twisted scheme like this? More importantly, was she poisoned herself? Would she be corralled into some stuffy room waiting to die while the others get to live? She didn’t feel sick, but what if—

Her train of thought screeched to a stop when the door to her room clicked and swung open.

Amanda watched for something or someone to come through, but all was quiet. She stepped towards the hallway her room attached to. According to the voice there were other people there with her in the creepy building. The thought of possibly dying around strangers was unsettling. Any one of them could be poisoned! She peeked her head out the door.

Howdy! a woman’s voice called out and Amanda shrieked. Sorry, didn’t mean to startle ya!

The woman seemed normal enough. She looked around the same age as Amanda and her shoulder length blonde hair wasn’t brushed—but was no where near disheveled as her own. It’s … all right, Amanda said after her heart returned to a normal rhythm.

I’m Stacey, she extended a hand to shake.

Amanda hesitated. What if Stacey was poisoned and the toxins spread by touch? Well, if it did, everyone would end up getting sick. She took Stacey’s hand fast. "Amanda. You seem awfully cheerful considering what our circumstances are. You heard that creep on the intercom, right?

Stacey shrugged. Momma always says when there’s a storm, look for a rainbow. I mean, we aren’t in any real danger after all.

You think?

She nodded.