The 6-Tier System: The Adventures of Shawn Rossacks

Chapter 7 - Agent Liam Payne's ordeals

Bruce waited patiently as the rescue team untied his foot, lowering him down from where he had been suspended.

He stared into their faces, knowing that there would be allies, and probably, a mole within them.

Somehow, Bruce realized that he was having two memories - he remembered his place and position as Bruce Wayne, coupled with his interaction and impact at the Goldfield Canopy; also, he remembered the feeling as Vito DiMarco.

"We thought you were dead," one of them exclaimed, to which Bruce simply nodded.

He didn't recognize anyone from the team, nor did he know the details surrounding Agent Payne's demise. But he had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before he found out. Right now, all he knew was that he was Agent Payne, and he had been killed by someone who needed to be nabbed.

Once his feet touched the ground, Bruce stood up and let out a sigh. He surveyed his surroundings and noticed an adjoining room with an open door.

"We need to check on you, sir. You have been missing for days, news is that you were killed…"

"By who?" Bruce asked. Here I am, talking to you. Am I dead?" Bruce asked and the team, including five men, exchanged confused looks.

Curiosity piqued, Bruce made his way towards the adjoining open room while addressing the team. "I'm okay. Just give me some time, and I'll be back," he assured them. With those words, Bruce entered the room and locked the door behind him.

Inside the room, Bruce found himself facing a solitary flusher. He wished there was a mirror present to look into his face. He knew quite well that he won't have this fiery eyes. At the realization that he might, he wished he had a softer expression on his face.

Before being dragged into the tangled conundrum that would circle his new persona, he appreciated he was back as a detective, and not a mafia boss.

Since there was no mirror, he closed his eyes and focused on creating stillness within his mind.

As he expected, a mechanical crank resounded, followed by a faint whirling sound, as though a casino wheel is turned. Then, an expected beep echoed inside his head.

Bruce's face broke into a smile, a mix of relief and anticipation. The beep signified that his connection to the information network had been successfully initiated. It meant that he could now access the knowledge and memories he needed. But there was still much to uncover, and Bruce knew he had to proceed with caution.

Bruce stood in the dimly lit room, waiting for the mechanical voice, and absorbing the weight of his new identity as Agent Liam Payne.

Suddenly, the same mechanical voice, devoid of emotional strings echoed in his mind, promising a torrent of memories and a dangerous mission that lay ahead. With a resolute nod, Bruce accepted his fate, knowing there was no turning back.

SYSTEM: Hello, Bruce, welcome again to the 6-Tier System.

Bruce nodded. It was expected, unlike the first time as Vito DiMarco where everything was strange.

SYSTEM: You have satisfactorily completed the quest as Vito DiMarco and thus, you have activated the second tier of the system. Bruce, you have a chance and a shot at life again. To live as Bruce, you think, to feel as Bruce, but to act as Agent Liam Payne. Do you accept the terms?

Bruce opened his eyes and lifted them as he stared at the ceiling. He knew he was dead but it was an opportunity to live as another. There was no other way, it wasn't an option. It was now an adventure that he'd take. "I accept," he declared.

The whirling happened again and then there was a beep.

SYSTEM: Tier 2 activated. The system announced, its voice merging with the whirl of thoughts in Bruce's head. At that moment, silence descended, and Bruce could feel the presence of Agent Payne seeping into his subconscious.

As memories flooded his mind, Bruce's surroundings shifted, transporting him into the intricate web of Agent Payne's life. He found himself standing in a dimly lit alley, rain-soaked pavement reflecting the city lights. A sense of danger hung in the air, making his instincts kick into high gear.

Out of the shadows emerged a group of individuals, their eyes filled with a mix of distrust and curiosity. Bruce recognized them as his allies, the New York Intelligent District agents.

But deep down, he knew that not all was as it seemed. There was an underlying layer of secrecy, a clandestine connection to an organization known as CheckersUSA, an organization with discrete missions.

In the web of events that unfolded in his head. He saw the scene, one that brought about his death.

Liam Payne was sent to dig into one Angela Bois, a mafia boss, who is a woman. The mission was assigned to him by CheckersUSA.

Bruce saw that Liam Payne was Checker's best, but he was sold to die and Angela Bois caught him in his disguise.

As the rain intensified, the scene shifted once again, this time to a dimly lit safe house. The same place where he awoke. Bruce could sense the tension in the room, the heaviness of secrets and hidden agendas.

His murderers gathered, Angela Bois and Anderson Cooper, the head of Checkers organisation, with three other goons. Their expressions were guarded yet united in their shared purpose.

Anderson Cooper walked close and said to him, "You know too much, Agent Liam Payne."

After he was hanged with his legs up in the air, he was injected with a death pill which stopped his heart in an instant.

The system's words resurfaced in Bruce's mind, reminding him of his dual existence as Bruce Wayne and Agent Liam Payne. He felt the weight of responsibility settled upon his shoulders.

SYSTEM: These are your enemies, Bruce. Your mission would be revealed soon. Good luck. The system's voice echoed once more, conveying both encouragement and a foreboding sense of the challenges ahead.

Bruce, standing alone in the darkness, sighed and walked back towards the door, ready to embrace the complexities of his new life as Agent Liam Payne, who knew too much and was killed. Just like Bruce Wayne who he truly is.