Mercy For None

The Secret Agent's Son

A low groan escaped Riley's lips as he tried to lift his hand but his arm felt impossibly heavy and a dull ache throbbed behind his temples. Slowly, painstakingly, he wanted to open his eyes but the two felt glued, forcing themselves shut immediately he slightly opened them. He tried again, pushing against the heavy veil of unconsciousness. And this time, they opened slightly again and he immediately saw a blurred white ceiling.

"Ah," Riley whispered, shifting his head slightly. He paused and breathed shallowly and he opened his eyes more, seeing the white ceiling more clearly. He tilted his head slightly to his first side and he saw an IV drip snaked from a bag above and the needle connecting to the IV injected in his right hand.

"Where am I?" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper as his eyes began to search the sterile room. After discovering that he was alone inside the room, he gently pushed himself against the mattress, trying to sit on it but all of a sudden, he felt pain in his head. He cried out and instantly collapsed back on the pillows, gasping for breath.

“Where the hell am I?".

All of a sudden, the door swung wide open and he quickly snapped his eyes shut instinctively, pretending to be sleeping. And someone entered rushly, approaching the bedside.

“I thought I heard a voice just now," the person murmured, the words barely above a whisper. "Or perhaps I simply misheard."

The person stopped by the bedside and Riley could feel a presence loom over him. The person gently touched Riley on his temple and then brushed his fingers against Riley's eyelid.

"He's still sleeping. I thought he was the one." The person murmured, signing heavily. Slowly, he turned his back to Riley and started walking towards the door, his shoe echoing in the room.

As he was just a few steps away from the door, Riley gently parted his eyelids, tilting his head slightly on the pillow, hoping to catch a better view of who this person might be.

As he lifted his hand so he could move his body, his hand suddenly pressed the button at the bed side and a machine started beeping, catching the man's attention.

The man quickly snapped his head back towards Riley, scrutinizing him on the bed for a long moment. Then, he shifted his gaze slightly, looking at the machine in surprise and disbelief.

"What's wrong..." he began, his voice trailing off as he moved towards the medical device. "Why did you suddenly..."

His words died in his throat and his eyes locked on the machine for some seconds before flickering them back to Riley. Looking at Riley, he noticed the slight opening of his eyes and he slowly leaned down to him.

"I know you are already awake, sir," the man stated calmly, his voice maintaining its previous respectful tone.

At these words, Riley quickly fully opened his eyes wide, looking at the man in surprise. It was undeniably the same man he had encountered just before he was hit with the iron rod.

"What are you doing here?" Riley managed to croak, his voice still hoarse. He instinctively tried to pull his hand back slowly but the man quickly moved closer to him, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You don't have to stress yourself, sir. You are in the safe place," the man responded, a gentle, faint smile crisping at the corners of his lips. "Nothing will happen to you here."

"I... I was hit by..." Riley began. But before he could finish what he was saying, he suddenly felt a pain behind his eyes and a sudden spike in his skill. He winced, tilting his head slightly, his mouth falling open in a silent gasp as the agony momentarily overwhelmed him.

"Don't worry yourself... don't worry yourself," the man murmured repeatedly, his voice soft and calming. He extended his right hand and gently, almost imperceptibly, placed it on Riley's shoulder.

"You are in a safe place, and I'm going to introduce myself.”

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Riley managed to mutter, narrowing his eyes slightly at the man before opening fully again. "What is this place? What am I doing here?"

"I am the leader of your father's secret agents," the man revealed, turning fully to face Riley. "And I saved you after you were struck by the iron rod. After driving away from the bridge, we hesitated for a moment, and that was when you were attacked. Fortunately, we moved swiftly into action without revealing our identities and were able to bring you to safety."

"My father? Secret agent?" Riley asked rhetorically as he strained to raise his head, his gaze still fixed on the man with a mixture of disbelief and surprise.

“How can I know you're telling the truth?"

"And I'm going to start with that right away, sir," the man affirmed, rising from the edge of the bed. He moved towards the door, locked it and then adjusted the curtain, ensuring that it completely blocked any view from outside. Then, he started approaching Riley’s bedside and as he walked, he dipped his hand inside his pocket and brought out the hard drive.

"I retrieved this hard drive when you were unconscious," the man revealed, putting the device into a small, portable projector. With a soft whir, the television screen mounted on the wall flickered to life and the light ignited on the room.

"This will show you everything about your father and your real identity," the man explained, picking up a remote control from the small table in front of the television.

"Okay," Riley muttered, more to himself than an answer to the man, his voice filled with disbelief and surprise. "Start then".

After a few tense seconds, a vivid picture materialized on the screen, showing a younger boy standing beside a man.

"This looks like me," Riley whispered, his eyes widening in shock as he stared at the image.

"Yes, that's you," the man confirmed gently. "And the picture was taken the day you turned three years old. That day was meant to be the happiest of your life, but tragically, your father was attacked, and a car crash was staged."

He pressed a button on the remote, and another image instantly displayed on the screen.

"That's the picture of your father in the hospital, cradling the body of a dead baby. Unfortunately, that boy couldn't escape the staged car accident and he died”.

"Escape? Death?" Riley asked rhetorically, struggling to understand what the man was trying to say. “If I'm dead, then who..."

Before he could complete what he was saying, the man interrupted, pressing another button on the remote control. He let out a deep breath, closing his eyes for a few seconds before flickering them wide open.

"After sensing that your father was going to be attacked, I exchanged the babies. Instead of you, I placed my newly born child inside that car. My newborn baby died, and you were saved. My baby went completely disfigured and your father couldn't recognize him. But After..."

The man couldn't finish his sentence. His voice hitched, and he burst into tears. He quickly raised up his hand and pressed it against his chest as he struggled to control himself.

"Unfortunately, my wife died a week after the accident," he continued, his voice heavy with grief. "I secretly took you to an orphanage, giving strict instructions that the man there must never reveal your true identity. Since Henry Cardwell’s father believed your father had no heir, no one ever suspected anything after that. I'm happy that I'm able to find you after all these years”.

"So, for me to be alive," Riley stammered, staring at the man with a mixture of disbelief and profound surprise. "You saved my life by exchanging me with your newborn baby? Why did you do that? I... I've suffered so much in this cruel world already. I was even wrongfully imprisoned for twelve years. You deserve happiness in your…”