———
“It seems your girlfriend is rather pissed off,” Robards said to Piper as he entered the office and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “I need two of you to organize everyone you can find in the halls surrounding this office, move,” he ordered gesturing at two of the four men and they hurriedly left the office.
“There’s smoke out here,” one of the men called back into the room.
Robards put the cell phone back in his pocket and cautiously looked through the doorway to see a dense smoke drifting through the hall.
“Disregard, get back in here,” Robards said calmly but his head jerked in the direction of another intermittent volley of automatic gunfire that was frighteningly close to his location.
“She’ll kill you all,” Piper said sadly, having not moved from behind the desk.
“Close that door and be on your toes,” Robards said to his men, ignoring her as he moved quickly to the window and looked down.
He jerked around at the sound of a piercingly loud male cry of pain and winced as he recognized it as Mike’s. He paled and involuntarily shivered as the sound was followed by an enraged scream that echoed down the hallway, leaving a silence in its wake that made the air hard to breathe.
“What the fuck was that?” one of the men asked frightfully.
“The Wraith,” Piper said flatly. “You’re about to meet her.”
The man paled and turned to Robards. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
“Fuck this, Dwight,” another man agreed, nervously gesturing at Piper. “Kill the bitch and let’s go.”
“Keep it together,” Dwight ordered. “It’s just one woman.”
“One woman who had to kill everyone downstairs in order to get up here, let’s rocket.”
“It’s far too late for that,” Piper said sorrowfully. “You’re all going to die.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Dwight yelled at her.
The sound of four shotgun blasts in rapid succession on the other side of the door brought Robards spinning to one knee with his gun extended. The wood surrounding the knob and hinges turning to splinters as the door fell forward with a crash into the room.
“Holy shit,” a man whispered as a new wave of smoke eerily entered the office.
“Cameron,” Robards yelled. “I’ll kill her right now unless you surrender.”
Bailey stood calmly in the office next door and studied the wall through her visor, both pistols waving in front of her as she slowly tracked, and almost blindly targeted the forms in the other office. When she heard the man’s words she fired eight rounds from each gun and quickly moved out of the room.
———
Piper screamed when the rounds came through the wall and Robards grunted in pain as one hit him in the hip, dropping him to the floor. From his position on the ground, he noted with a rising uneasiness that, with the exception of Tate, only himself and one other were still among the living. He stood shakily on his feet and emptied his weapon through the walls of the surrounding offices and quickly inserted a fresh magazine. He squinted into the smoke that had filled the room and fired another quick burst through the window.
“Throw a chair through the window,” Robards ordered his remaining man. “Vent out some of this smoke.” he added moving closer to Piper.
The man put his gun in the waistband of his pants and lifted one of the office chairs over his head, falling forward stiffly when two rounds burst through wall and blew out his heart. He collapsed awkwardly to the ground, the chair falling behind him to crash on the floor.
Robards watched the man fall and turned slowly to Piper. “Nothing personal, Miss Tate,” he said formally, lifting his weapon and pointing it at her chest.
Piper watched with widening eyes as Bailey took form in the smoke behind him, cringing at the horrible gurgling he emitted when the entire length of her katana violently burst through him from just under the breastbone, his gun falling to the carpet from suddenly numb hands.
“Nothing personal,” Bailey whispered darkly and Piper flinched at both the violent tearing sound and the man’s gasping contortions as she viciously enlarged the wound all the way down to his pubic line. She withdrew the katana and let his twitching body fall to the floor, his face a distorted study in surprised agony. With a casual flip of her wrist she flung the excess blood from the length of the blade, leaving a crimson splatter against the stark white wall of the office.
Piper watched her silently as the rage in her eyes softened when they met her own and she gave a quick shushing gesture, extending her left hand in invitation. An action that prompted her to spring from her seat, closing the distance between them and taking the offered hand in relief.
“Are you okay?” Piper whispered and Bailey nodded as she tore loose the Velcro straps on her vest to remove it.
“Put this on,” she said, handing it to her.
“What about you?” Piper asked worriedly.
“You’re more important. Do as I say,” she replied, ignoring Piper’s shaking head and gently slapped her protesting hands away as she quickly went about dressing her in the garment. “Put a hand on my back and follow me,” she said as she put the last strap in place. “Stay still if I move suddenly, and be very quiet,” she added with a quick peck to her cheek.
Piper nodded nervously and moved behind her to place one hand on the small of her back as she began to lead her out of the office and down the hallway. They had traveled the length of half the floor when she suddenly flowed into motion and backhanded the katana upward to disembowel a man emerging from a doorway in front of them. She went stock still as Bailey darted past the falling body to the other side of the door, pasting herself to the wall and leveling the gun in her left hand at the doorway. She fired two rounds into the man that shot out from the office behind his companion and quickly motioned for her to join her again.
She led Piper three doors up and into an office on the opposite side of the hall, placing her back against the wall just inside the door and gesturing for Piper to do the same, leaning over to whisper in her ear when she complied
“There are men coming down the hall,” Bailey whispered. “Wait right here.”
Piper nodded and reached over to take the pistol out of Bailey’s right holster, receiving a concerned look and a slow consenting nod.
“I’ll be right back,” she whispered and silently slipped into the hall.
Piper waited fretfully, ears straining for any sound and her knuckles turning white around the grip of Bailey’s gun. A footfall close by seemed startlingly loud and she raised the gun in the direction of the sound, peering intently into the smoke that still permeated the halls and the office she had been left in. The sound of another footfall preceded the appearance of a figure in the hall and her finger tensed on the trigger as she took aim through the doorway.
Suddenly, the figure seemed to fall in two directions at once and she sighed in relief at the sound of a whistling blade. Closing her eyes tightly as she heard it make contact with the flesh of several bodies. The anxiety leaving her a moment later when a gloved hand landed gently on her arm and took the pistol from her hands.
“Time to go,” Bailey whispered as she holstered the gun. “We have to hurry.”
An arm around her waist prodded her gently out of the office and she was spirited forward to a waist-high, metal door in the hall, where Bailey dropped to her knees to open it and motion her through. Piper crawled through the door to find a ladder across a long narrow tunnel that ran parallel to the environmental ducting and dropped into the dark below her. She reached out and grasped the ladder and descended several rungs, allowing Bailey to enter and close the door behind her. Bailey reached down to tap her gently on the head and repeated her shushing gesture when she looked up. She nodded as Bailey reached into her pants for her cell phone.
“Anderson,” Josh answered quickly.
“We’re coming out,” Bailey whispered. “Is it clear?”
“Three goon
s just drove in,” Josh said. “One is screaming into a cell phone and the other two have taken positions behind the car. It’s in front of the doors.”
“Wait three minutes, then drop any you can get a bead on.”
“Three minutes,” he confirmed and Bailey turned off the phone and put it back in her pocket.
They reached the first floor access point and Bailey motioned Piper further down so she could open the door, pausing in front of it to pull her visor out of her bag. She scanned the hall behind the door carefully before she removed it and placed it back in her bag, pushing the door open and flowing liquidly out into the hall.
Piper waited until she poked her head back in the shaft and nodded, letting Bailey pull her to her feet in the hall. She put her hand on her back again and was eventually led to the lobby, closing her eyes at the numerous bodies scattered in the center of the room. Bailey paused against the wall several feet from the front doors and turned to her.
“Wait here,” she whispered. “I’ll be right back.”
Bailey slid along the wall until she was an arm’s length from the doors, hearing gunfire erupt from just outside. She poked her head around the corner to see one man taking refuge behind a car and presenting her with his back, stupidly firing a handgun at a building far out of effective range. She rounded the corner and fired a round into the back of his head, quickly stepping back in and motioning for Piper to join her. She ran over to take the hand and she shoved her gently in the direction of the Barracuda as they exited the building.
Piper hurriedly ran over and got in the passenger side as Bailey opened her door and threw the katana and her bag into the backseat. She let out a startled scream when several gunshots shattered the driver’s side window and the thump of Bailey’s body could be heard colliding with the car and then the ground.
“Bailey!” she screamed in horror.
She fell to the ground between the open door and the car but regained her feet rapidly, jumping into her seat and closing the door behind her. She leaned over the wheel and started the car, instantaneously dropping it into gear as the engine came to life and rocketing backwards across the lot, changing gears in a blur of motion and screaming forward in the direction of the wounded man that had shot her.
———
He was dying and he knew it. He could feel the blood pooling below him and even lying perfectly still, he felt lightheaded. For the sniper that had shot him and killed his partner, he could only feel resentment for being taken out so easily. He could hear the surviving member of his team firing a weapon in the direction of the sniper and part of him wanted to yell out to the man not to waste his time but he couldn’t muster the energy. Even through the fog that was rapidly consuming him, he could make out the report of another weapon being fired and could hear the fleshy thump of his associate’s body hitting the ground, his gun suddenly silent.
With a sudden lucidity, he observed the appearance of two women. He didn’t know if it was spite or vengeance, but he found the strength to lift his weapon and empty it in the direction of the woman in black as she started to get in her car, feeling oddly satisfied when she fell. An emotion that was swept away seconds later as she regained her feet and disappeared into the car, which launched backwards in a cloud of tire smoke as soon as she closed the door behind her. He still had enough life left in him to be alarmed when the roar of the motor indicated a change of momentum and lifting his head, he observed the sinister front grill of the black car bearing down on him at a frightening speed. He tried desperately to roll out of the way, but the driver ruthlessly compensated and he only had time close his eyes before impact.
———
Piper brought both hands to her mouth in horror as the car crushed the man under it’s wheels and accelerated out of the parking lot. “Oh God, baby. Are you okay?” she asked worriedly.
“I’ll be alright,” Bailey said with a wince.
Piper started to cry. “I’m so sorry.”
Bailey took a hand from the wheel and gently grasped one of Piper’s. “Everything’s fine now, love,” she said tenderly.
Piper grasped Bailey’s hand with both of hers and cried quietly as the Barracuda sped away from the ravaged building.
VII
I will remember you, will you remember me?
—S. McLachlan
“What do we do now, Terry?” Keith asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” Terry said distantly, sitting in his chair helplessly.
Bob stood from his chair. “Start calling through the operative list and hope we find survivors. Move!” he said forcefully and everyone burst into a flurry of activity with the notable exception of Terry, who sat lifelessly in his chair staring blankly at nothing.
Bob waited restlessly as the phones started dialing and he shook his head in disbelief as they quickly moved through half the list with no answer. The room went deadly silent when a voice answered and everyone pasted their attention on the phone in front of Willis.
“Wallinger.”
“Zack,” Bob said relieved. “This is Spicher. Report.”
“Russell and I have found six survivors at this time, including ourselves. Three of which need immediate medical attention. We just now got to the second floor,” he reported tonelessly.
“Oh my God,” Keith said.
“Stay on the line, Zack,” Bob said. “Get everyone that you find together, check the room where Tate was being held and see if you can find Robards, Donnelly, or Phillips.”
“Phillips and Donnelly are dead,” Zack said. “We found Phillips gutted in the basement and we just came across what’s left of Mike.”
“Jesus,” Bob said. “Alright, let’s start a clean up. Enlist the locals, have the FBI assist you on site. Use NSA credentials and answer no questions.”
“Alright,” Zack said tiredly.
“We’ll hold, give us the situation as you find it,” he added putting his head in his hands.
———
Bailey slowed as she approached C-Corp, noticing the police cars out front with narrowed eyes. She drove passed the lobby and the garage and came to a stop in front of a parking meter on the far side of the building.
“What are all the police doing here?” Piper asked with a worried look.
“Looking for me I’d imagine,” Bailey said turning off the car and pulling her poncho from the backseat. “Let’s go, we don’t have much time,” she added getting out of the car.
Bailey pulled the poncho over her head with a wince and sheathed her katana, shouldering her bag as she circled the car to take Piper’s hand.
“Here’s the key to the elevator,” Bailey said handing it to her as she led her down the sidewalk. “You go first, I’ll be right behind you. Don’t stop or reply to anyone that might talk to you or me, okay?”
“Okay,” Piper said squeezing Bailey’s hand tightly.
Bailey gently prodded her up the stairs that led to the lobby. “I’ll be right behind you,” she repeated and Piper climbed the stairs, shooting a concerned look over her shoulder as she passed through the doors to the lobby.
She strolled as casually as she could toward the elevator, trying desperately not to look at the several uniformed police officers that were milling about the security desk. She opened the elevator doors just as Bailey entered the lobby. Her concern for her lover taking a moments respite as she watched her walk within arms reach of two policemen who were totally unaware of her presence. Fascinated despite herself, she wondered how a woman as striking as Bailey could seemingly disappear in plain sight when she wanted to. She was about ten paces from her when she finally came under attention.
“Freeze!” one of the policemen yelled.
Bailey ignored him and jogged the rest of the way, pushing Piper into the elevator ahead of her. Taking the key from Piper at the sound of several rapidly approaching footsteps, she inserted it into the control panel with her right hand and leveled her gun out the door with her left. The man who yelled at her cam
e to a sputtering halt and backed away from the doors when he found himself two feet away from the business end of her gun, he motioned carefully to halt his approaching colleagues and let the doors close uninterrupted.
“Bailey, I’m scared,” Piper said with a trembling lip as the elevator started its ascent.
“Don’t be,” Bailey said with a smile. “It’s almost over now.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Bailey said softly. “Go on,” she said, motioning Piper into the hallway, pausing to lock the elevator down.
She left her key in the control panel and withdrew her card to open the door to her flat. “Go get your things, hurry,” Bailey said prodding Piper in the direction of the bedroom.
“Okay,” Piper said as she ran off down the hall.
“I’m so fucking glad to see you guys,” Martin said relieved as he approached. “Are you alright?”
“Yes,” Bailey said as she dropped the bag from her shoulders and knelt to remove a small leather case. She unzipped it and Martin saw an injection gun and several vials, one of which she loaded into the gun and promptly injected herself in the neck with. She winced and reloaded the gun with another vial, slipping it under her poncho before she zipped up the case and put it back into her bag.
“Are you sure about that?” Martin said noticing with dismay the blood beginning to soak through her clothing.
“I’ll last long enough to wrap things up,” Bailey said emotionlessly as Piper ran down the hall with her bag. “Remember my instructions,” she said quietly to Martin who looked at her sadly and nodded grimly.
“Ready,” Piper said and Bailey shouldered her bag again as Martin collected his things from the kitchen table.
“Let’s go,” Bailey said, taking Piper’s hand and waiting for Martin to catch up as they left the flat and entered the elevator.
Engravings of Wraith Page 51
