Paradise Burns

by J. P. Sumner

  I got up to one knee and caught my breath. I scanned the rooftop. It was largely flat, with the occasional air vent sticking up. Just off from center was the large skylight. It was a triangular prism shape. Both sides were around four feet high and twelve feet long, joining at the top on a forty five degree angle. The frame of the skylight was metal.

  I stayed low and made my way over to it, peering through from the side, so as not to cast any shadows on the room below. It was going to be tricky, with no margin for error, but the plan was to attach my repel hook to the top of the metal frame. However, I would need to break the glass in order to do that, so I’d have to jump through the glass and latch it on immediately as I started to fall. If I got it wrong, I was dead.

  I looked down into the room below. It looked like a huge drawing room or library of some kind. In the middle was a large wooden table. Six men sat either side, with one at each end. From my position, the guy at the end facing me had his back to the main doors. The guy with his back to me had a large fireplace behind him. Looking down, I could see his balding head with gray hair on the back and sides. His hands were flat on the table, and were adorned with gold rings on almost every finger.

  Roberto Pellaggio.

  He was going to die last.

  I couldn’t see anyone else in the room that wasn’t at the table, but I knew they were there from what Josh had told me earlier, so I’d have to react fast as I dropped.

  I unhooked my two MP5s from around my neck and put one on each shoulder. I checked my repel hook was secured tightly to my back and belt, which it was. I pulled a length of cable ready.

  I then reached into my pockets and pulled out both smoke grenades. I stood up straight, looking down through the skylight the whole time.

  I’m not one for more modern rock music, but there is the odd heavy metal song I quite like. As I looked down at Roberto Pellaggio, who was blissfully unaware of what was about to happen, I found myself thinking of the lyrics to a song I heard once that always stuck with me:

  There’s no escape from this rage that I feel, nothing is real. Waking the demon, where’d you run to? Walking in shadows, watch the blood flow.

  Right there and then, those words seemed very fitting. I raised my right foot.

  ‘Hope you’re watching, Josh,’ I said out loud. ‘This is gonna be something.’

  I brought my foot down onto a pane of glass, smashing it through. I popped the pin in both smoke grenades and dropped them down.

  My inner Satan had been unleashed.

  FIFTY

  I lowered my goggles and switched them from night vision mode to thermal imaging mode - similar to what Josh would be looking at via satellite. With the smoke grenades having gone off, night vision wouldn’t do anything except illuminate the dense fog that was rapidly filling the room below. But thermal imaging would pick up people’s heat signatures through the smoke, making them visible to me. Albeit in a weird, glowing, red and yellow kind of way. But that’s all I needed. If I could see them, I could shoot them.

  I grabbed the repel hook and clicked it into place on the metal frame as I jumped down. I descended fast, flat out facing the room. I had an MP5 in each hand and I quickly scanned the room. I fired off a few bursts at the table, taking down four of the men sat along the sides of the table before anyone had had chance to even get out of their seats.

  I’d clearly retained the element of surprise. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. They had no idea what was happening, and probably never would.

  I was covering the seventy or so foot drop quickly. I emptied both clips of the MP5s in the direction of the table, wiping out another seven men in the process, leaving Pellaggio and the two men sat nearest to him at either side.

  I landed heavily on the table and quickly detached the repel hook from my belt. I threw down my empty MP5s and drew my Berettas. I scanned the room quickly. Bodies were strewn across the floor and table. A river of blood was flowing across the floor. Looking at them, I could see large shapes turning blue as they lay on the floor, the heat escaping their bodies, leaving nothing but a cold corpse lying motionless on the ground.

  I had my back to Pellaggio. I turned to my right and put a bullet through the head of the guy in front of me. That was twelve out of fourteen from the table down in less than thirty seconds.

  A door off to my left burst open and another seven men ran through, firing blindly in the smoke. The muzzle flashes lighting up in the mist like fireworks on the Fourth of July They must be what were left of the patrols outside. I looked quickly at Pellaggio, who hadn’t quite registered what was happening or who I was yet. The look on his face was of sheer terror as he watched his empire crumbling around him.

  The seven men fanned out as I jumped off the table into a crouch. I fired at two of them, hitting one in the chest and narrowly missing the other.

  ‘He’s over there!’ I heard one shout, as the sound of a thousand bullets filled the air. The staccato roar getting closer and closer.

  I stood and ran to my right, firing as I went. I hit another in the chest and head, his red glow fading to blue through my goggles. I added him to the tally in my head. That’s two out of the seven down, leaving five plus two at the table, including Pellaggio.

  I holstered the Beretta in my left hand and retrieved a frag grenade. I pulled the pin and rolled it over to the door. I dived away to my right as it went off, splintering the wooden decor of the room and taking out three guys who were stood together near the entrance. Two left.

  I saw the guy at the table stand and try and drag Pellaggio to his feet. I took aim and shot him square in the chest three times. I heard Pellaggio cry out in shock and fear.

  A burst of gunfire hit the wall just above my head. I ducked down and returned fire, missing my target but causing them to dive to the floor. I ran around the far wall, making my way back to the table from the other side. The two remaining guys had spread out around the room. The smoke was starting to clear now and they were able to make out my position.

  I could see one of them in front of me and to the left, clearly trying to stay close to Pellaggio. The other was moving away to the right, trying to outflank me. He needed to go first. I dropped to my knee and fired, hitting him in the leg and then the chest. He dropped to the floor with a thud.

  I quickly turned back around and walked over to Pellaggio. The one remaining guy came over to head me off. He was lifting his gun to fire as I leveled mine and shot him. One bullet in the head, right between the eyes. In the silence that had fallen on the room, the sound of the bullet penetrating his skull was deafening. The squelching explosion of brain and bone echoing as he fell backward to the floor.

  And then there was one.

  I was stood next to Pellaggio, who was rooted to his chair. His knuckles were white as he gripped the arms in fear. He was looking up at me, eyes wide and mouth open. I lifted my goggles up, revealing my face.

  ‘Oh my God!’ he yelled, his voice quivering. ‘You’re a goddamn monster! P-please, I’m begging you!’

  I raised my gun and placed it against his forehead.

  ‘What’s the matter, Roberto? Where’s your anger? Where’s your big mafia boss speech where you call me kid and insult me?’

  ‘I’m... I’m sorry, okay! Please, just don’t kill me – I’ll give you whatever you want!’

  I was shocked at how easily he begged for his life, considering everything that’s happened previously. But it was too late now.

  ‘You should’ve made sure you killed me with the car bomb. Now it’s time to reap what you sow, you piece of shit.’

  ‘Wha-what are you talking about? I don’t know anyth-’

  I stopped his terrified babbling by putting a bullet through his brain.

  I walked over to a chair that had been knocked over in the initial panic during my descent. I stood it up and sat down. I looked around me, seeing bodies and blood everywhere. The place looked like a battlefield.

  I took a deep breath, and another.
I felt my heart rate start to slow down. In the almost eerie silence around me, I found myself worrying that there was something wrong with me. No normal human being should be capable of such unbridled violence, surely?

  But I soon realized, after everything I’ve been through in my life, I’m not a normal human being. And I make a living out of embracing that fact and seeking comfort in it.

  My name is Adrian Hell. This is what I do.

  I took another deep breath as I felt my door close once again.

  FIFTY-ONE

  I left Pellaggio’s estate as soon as I heard the sirens in the distance. I walked for an hour or so, clearing my head and relaxing myself, allowing the adrenaline to subside. I’d left all my equipment there, with the exception of my Berettas. It was all clean and untraceable, so I wasn’t worried about them being found.

  I’d done a quick sweep of the grounds, making sure there were no stragglers and to go and retrieve my bluetooth earpiece, which was sadly broken beyond repair. I took it with me anyway – the less evidence that I was there, the better.

  I’d changed out of my black outfit, ditching the clothes in various trash cans along the way as I walked. I’d put regular clothes on underneath, in preparation of making a clean getaway.

  I’d walked through most of Heaven’s Valley in the two hours that followed, as I made my way into the city center, taking every scenic route I could find. I was expecting to feel some sort of closure now that Pellaggio was dead. I could finally leave town and put this all behind me. But there was something nagging at me. Something that left me feeling almost unfulfilled.

  Dark Rain.

  Robert Clark had said he was going to work with Josh and co-ordinate an assault on their base. I know Clara had gone doing some recon work to help out. I felt like I should be doing something too. Pellaggio was my personal battle, but Dark Rain was everyone’s war.

  I took out my phone and dialed Josh.

  ‘Adrian!’ he said as he answered. ‘Where the hell have you been? What happened back there? Are you alright?’

  I smiled.

  ‘Hey, man. I’m alright, don’t worry. It’s all over.’

  ‘I know, I watched via the satellite uplink. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: I’m glad you’re on my side, Boss!’

  ‘And I’m glad you’re on mine.’

  We both laughed.

  Josh said, ‘How come you went dark?’

  ‘I banged my head as I jumped onto the roof that second time. My earpiece fell out.’

  ‘Ah, fair enough. I’m just glad you’re alright. Feels weird to admit this, but there was something almost magical about watching that satellite uplink. Just seeing body after body drop and turn cold. Knowing it was just you and your guns. It was poetry in motion. You’re one scary bastard, d’you know that?’

  ‘I don’t know about scary. I think it’s more accurate to say I probably have some serious issues.’

  Josh laughed, but didn’t disagree.

  I said, ‘Listen, I was thinking about Dark Rain.’

  ‘I’m due to link up with GlobaTech in a couple of hours. Their assault is planned for later this afternoon. Ground forces are en route to the city as we speak. Air support is standing by.’

  ‘Sounds like you’re all good to go. How are they managing to move so many armed troops in broad daylight on U.S. soil? Surely it’s not the most discreet of things to do? Hasn’t anyone questioned it?’

  ‘They’re using the old “training exercise” line, which I suspect the media are used to not questioning. Plus, they’ve got permission and support from the U.S. military and government, so they’ve got free reign to pretty much do whatever they feel they need to.’

  ‘See, it’s things like this that made me wanna leave all that shit behind in the first place. It’s too easy for the government to do all kinds of stuff right in front of people’s faces, and never even be given a second thought.’

  ‘Well, I see your point, Boss, but right now I ain’t complaining. They’re the only people who have fought on our side since you got there. You know what they say about a gift horse and its mouth.’

  ‘Fair point, I guess. You heard anything from Clara yet?’

  ‘Not a thing. She might just be having communication issues though – Dark Rain has taken over a disused military base out in the desert, a few miles outside the city limits. The phone signal out there will be patchy at best.’

  ‘You know what? I bet that’s what I saw when I walked into town the other day. If only I’d known then what I know now. So, do we know what their base is like?’

  ‘The place is an abandoned military compound from what I’ve seen of it. It’s got its own airstrip, hangars, bunkers - you name it. Not to mention access to an old underground lab. According to the intel that Jackson fed Clara and GlobaTech, they have everything they need there, including a few thousand soldiers and enough weaponry to seize control of a small country. Although, there’s been no movement in the last few hours. No sign of anyone, in fact.’

  ‘What have GlobaTech got then?’

  ‘Well, you saw the level of tech they’re working with from the care package they gave you. They don’t just provide private security - they manufacture weapons for the military. Their R&D budget is frightening. They’ve got the manpower - all ex-military, highly trained in combat and used to conditions like desert warfare. They’ve ran contracts in Afghanistan for the past five or so years. The standard of operative is very high. You’re not going to want these guys coming after you.’

  ‘Sounds like they have a new addition to their fan club as well,’ I said with a laugh.

  ‘Hey, I’m just saying,’ replied Josh, somewhat defensively. ‘These guys are the market leaders in every area. They’re what everyone else tries to be, and you can see why.’

  ‘Might be an idea to stay friends with them then, eh? You never know when we might need to call in a favor.’

  ‘Absolutely! So, what do you intend doing now?’

  ‘I need to swing by the bus terminal and pick my bag from the locker. Figured I might get some breakfast then book the next bus out of here. I might head north to Minnesota, lay low for a few days. Give you chance to finish up here then find me a job.’

  ‘Sounds good. I’ll give you a shout when the operation’s underway.’

  ‘Thanks. And if you hear of Clara in the meantime, tell her to give me a call, okay?’

  ‘I will,’ he said.

  I could tell he was smiling, and I knew why.

  ‘It’s not like that,’ I said.

  ‘Whatever,’ he replied.

  I hung up and walked on toward the center of town. The sun was rising, casting a pale light that bounced off the tops of the tallest buildings. It was going to be another beautiful, hot day in the middle of the Nevada desert.

  It felt like the right time to leave.

  FIFTY-TWO

  I’d got my bag back from the bus terminal locker where I’d left it, then gone to find somewhere to eat. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a proper meal. It was probably that cheeseburger I had before Manhattan took me to the uranium mine. Jesus! That was a day and a half ago. After everything that’s happened in the last few days, I was glad to finally be able to relax and get back to normal. First things first – a good meal.

  I found a little breakfast bar, that offered a full breakfast and a jug of coffee for eight dollars. It wasn’t perfect, but it was reasonably priced and, frankly, I could eat a dead horse between two rusty food trucks right now.

  I sat inside at a corner booth, looking out at the rest of the place. It was pretty busy, clearly going through the morning rush before everyone went to work. There were three waitresses working the floor, with another two manning the checkouts. Guys were back and forth through the doors leading to the kitchen, picking up the latest orders and leaving a plate of food behind for the previous ones.

  Most seats and tables were occupied. The booths were the standard, red leather two-seat
ers, one either side of a table that perpetually stank of disinfectant. There were bar stools lined up at counters either side of the entrance that gave a view of the street outside.

  I’d ordered the full breakfast, and after five minutes or so, one of the waitresses brought out my first course – a stack of six pancakes with a small jar of maple syrup. I remember Josh once telling about what British people refer to as a full breakfast. Along with the usual bacon and eggs, they have something called black pudding. He did tell me what it was, but I’ve forgotten. I certainly don’t recall it sounding too appetizing. Give me a waffle, some bacon and sausage, and my eggs over easy any day of the week. And a pot of steaming hot black coffee.

  I decided, there and then, when all this was said and done, that I’d make an effort to give me and Josh a break. Take him on a trip across the pond and see his homeland for a change. When we first met, which seemed a lifetime ago, I was briefly stationed over in the U.K. for a training exercise. He never used to shut up about all the ways he thought they did things better over there than we did.

  I smiled in fond recollection at one night in particular, when me, Josh and a couple of the boys from our unit went for a few drinks at a bar in London. It took maybe twenty minutes for us to get into a bar fight! For all that Josh would happily sit behind a desk playing with his computers nowadays, back then you couldn’t ask for a better man to back you up in a fight. But after the first couple of years running black ops, it became apparent we functioned better as a unit under his guidance, so he was taken out of the field and put in charge of our operations center. We had a good run with him working the intel.

  I refocused on my breakfast and tucked into the pancakes – which were excellent – and swilled them down with coffee. I checked my watch. Josh will be linked up with GlobaTech by now. I still felt like I should be doing something. But at the same time, like Robert Clark said – I can’t take on an army by myself. Best to leave this to them. I sat, thinking about how Ketranovich and his psycho soldier, Natalia Salikov, were likely going to die today.