by L. M. Vila
“That’s good news.” He took a step between the doors. Air kissed Mr. Perry’s foot instead of the elevator floor. His body sent a sudden jolt of fear throughout its entirety. “Whoa! That was close -”
Yegor nudged him ever so gently. The momentum was just enough to send him down the dark abyss sixty floors deep. Mr. Perry’s cries echoed through the chamber while Mr. Ross watched in horror. His body liquefied on impact. The velocity was tremendous. As an added bonus, the elevator received a new crimson coat of paint.
“Perry!” Shouted Ross. This was a huge deviation from the plan. He must have figured it out. She drew her Kel-Tec P-32 mousegun and pointed it straight at the General. “Don’t move!”
Apparently Yegor was oblivious to her threat. He looked down the elevator shaft and spoke in the most sarcastic tone imaginable.
“Oh no. Mr. Perry. You need to watch where you are going. It appears I need to call maintenance technicians for this elevator. You think after all the money I spent on this building they wouldn’t malfunction like this.”
“Shut up!” Ross commanded. Her eyes had to be lying. She didn’t want to believe it. This job came with occupational hazards, none of which included being dropped sixty stories. All of the evidence Ross required may not have been gathered completely but this incident was more than enough to put the General behind bars.
“I see you CIA mutts work in pairs.”
Yegor was quite pleased with the results. Having a gun drawn on him was figured into the equation. However, in life as in math, the only way to remove a variable is to cancel it out with another. He was already prepared for this.
“Don’t move!” She sternly ordered. It appears her former employer wasn’t taking this situation seriously. He continued to frolic his wits about without a care in the world. Maybe a warning shot would rattle his nerves a bit.
“You’re insulting me, Ms. Ross, with that weapon.” Yegor dug his hands into his pockets and watched the woman twitch nervously. “Did you honestly believe that I didn’t expect something like this to happen?”
Danielle gasped. A sleek whipping sound slashed forward. The pistol rattled violently, shaking the weapon from her grip. The knife dug through the chamber of the pistol and rendered it useless. She dropped it, desperately trying to shake the nerves from her shaken hands. Clearly it was a well aimed shot.
A knee dug into Ross’ abdomen with a resounding cluster of anguish faster than her mind could process. The wind was violently stolen from her body. She collapsed to her knees urgently trying to force every fragment of air into her depleted lungs. If she thought the two initial strikes weren’t painful enough, her hair felt a similar fate. Danielle’s body was being pulled up by her auburn and red locks. Every nerve registered on high. It only took a quick slap on the neck to drop her into silence.
“Bravo Seika.”
The woman’s body slumped to the ground. Seika stepped passed her cautiously, as if Danielle’s unconscious aura was tainted with some kind of disease.
“She’ll be a good bargaining chip. You know, just in case.”
Seika nodded and awaited further instruction.
“Take her to the 37th floor. There will be plenty of places to keep her restrained. Kurtis will be waiting for you there.”
The elevator on the opposite side sounded its arrival. Seika grabbed their new hostage and slung the limp body over her shoulder. Anyone watching would be impressed with Seika’s strength. It’s just another highlight on her résumé as a world class assassin. She carried the body to the open elevator and pressed the corresponding button as the General ordered. Before the doors shut, Yegor gave her some words of encouragement.
“I’ll be anticipating your return. You are truly worth every penny.”
Nothing she could say could convey her emotions at this point. The doors closed in silence as she descended. Thoughts of the oncoming battle filled her mind. Every time she encountered Madison, she’s had the upper hand in some form or another. Even with the odds stacked against him, he manages to survive. The time for games was over. Seika took the gloves off. This job would be completed even at the cost of her life.
In spite of all this chaos, Meryl could only think of how much paperwork she was going to have to fill out to explain this mess. Not to mention, her brand new car just got a major fender bender. She could already foresee hours upon hours of explanation to her insurance company about that one.
Never mind her problems; a murderer was on the loose. She ran diligently in the direction Isabella had headed but the distance was too great. She had enough of a head start to find herself a nice hiding place leaving Meryl in the middle of Wilshire just after a hurricane swept through. That she was a part of no less.
Meryl had to find something that would help her track Isabella. Officers would surely be called by nearby residents. She could explain this mess later. Her eyes glared at the asphalt and the scene of the crash. Leading away from the site were small traces of blood. That was perfect. They were in short supply but it was plenty for tracking. She followed their path along the adjacent street. It led up to a building Meryl hadn’t seen in quite some time. The U.C.L.A. Medical Center. Irony notwithstanding, someone who had just been in an auto accident would obviously pick a hospital as the first place to go.
Meryl dashed to the building. The trail of blood was still fresh. It led right up to the loading dock area of the facility. She moved into the quiet exterior and entered through the main gate. Like the outside, the inside was silent and lifeless. The third shift crew must be on their break or lunch period. More importantly, a security officer was waiting near the hospital entrance. Meryl approached him with great haste.
“Excuse me sir!” She tried her damndest to keep her voice low but aggressive. This man’s support was necessary. “Did another woman walk through here? Brunette, about my height, possibly injured”
He didn’t know what was more surprising. The fact that she was spot on or that two beautiful woman passed by his desk in the same day. “She sure did young lady. Right through this door. She looked real banged up too. I told her how to go straight to ER.”
Terror immediately took over Meryl’s emotions. Isabella had the advantage now. There were countless potential hostages at her disposal. The only thing Meryl could do was slow her down. An image of a mouse in a cage filled her thoughts. Give the current circumstances, it could work.
“Listen carefully, lock the building down. Do not let another person in or out.”
First impressions were always tough. This beautiful woman opened up and said some pretty bizarre things. She was a little out of her league here.
“I hope you’re joking. There’s no way we can shut this place down. Not with the amount of traffic we can get on any given night.”
Meryl flashed her FBI badge. A certain level of power accompanied it. One that she hadn’t used before but could possibly abuse later on. “I assure you, this isn’t a joke. And we need to hurry. That woman is armed and extremely dangerous. Everyone in this building right now is at risk unless I can find her.”
That definitely took the wind out of his sails. The security officer fidgeted with his phone and started to call his colleagues. He dispatched the information to them quickly. Thankfully, he was very good at his job and was off the phone in a matter of seconds.
“It’s done. We’ll have men posted on every exit.”
That’s a good start. Now they had to formulate a way to find and apprehend Isabella without putting civilians in danger.
“How many security officers do you have?”
“Tonight? Just six, not including myself. Graveyard shift is pretty quiet.”
“How many exits?”
“Here,” the officer said while turning his computer monitor. The screen displayed a floor plan of the bottom level. “All of the doors in red are exits. There are five in total. Four of them are accessible by everyone, civilians included.”
“And the last?”
“It’s employee only. You
need a keycard to get through.”
Even with that added security measure, his staff was still spreading themselves thin. This plan didn’t cover everything. There were still a few places weak in defense. Isabella could definitely exploit them.
“What about the cameras?”
“Standard placement across some of the main hallways. A few in the operating and break rooms. Other than that it’s pretty barren. There’s one officer in there right now. He’s going over the footage to see if he can find anything that will help.”
Another detail to consider. Meryl jotted these notes down in her mental pad. This was enough to start the search.
“That’s good. I’m going inside.”
“Wait a second little lady,” he interrupted. The fact that she was an actual FBI agent didn’t even cross his mind. The security officer stood up and handed her a radio. “We’ll communicate using this. Security is on channel six. The rest of the facility uses the other five channels. This way we can stay in contact.”
Meryl gladly took it. “Thank you very much.” And she headed for the entrance.
“Oh, one last thing.”
These interruptions were starting to get old. Meryl turned at the door and gave him the most pleasing look she could muster.
“You might want to consider changing your outfit. There’s a locker room inside to the left. It’ll help you blend in.”
Despite his tenacity to communicate relevant information, finally something of great substance came forth. You never know who you’ll meet in any given day. From a spy in a lab uniform to a security guard with a knack for good ideas.
In the lobby of A.N.K.H. Pharmaceuticals, the mercenary group was growing weary of these extended hours. If it wasn’t bad enough to land a fairly boring job, having to do said job for over twelve hours each day was like covering a pile of shit with ice cream. Thus was the life of a mercenary. You risk your life in a matter of seconds and spend the rest wondering if it’s worth the risk.
Captain Gale could sense the morale of his men growing soft. He knew them better than anyone else. To most, they were just hired guns. Fortunately for him and his employer, they were much better than that. Their skills only had to be put to the test to prove their worth. Guarding a pair of old men and a brat were nowhere near their limits. Efforts were being wasted here. Hopefully this job would end soon.
The Captain’s phone began to ring. Only one person had this number. At this time of night, it was probably going to be dismissal orders.
“This is Gale,” he spoke.
Yegor greeted him politely. “Captain. I have a bit of a problem.”
“Does this have anything to do with that noise we heard coming from the elevator?”
It nearly startled all of his men. When they opened it up for examination and nothing appeared, some of them started to believe there were ghosts in the building. The rest knew the others had just let their imaginations take over their monotony.
“No,” the General laughed which was surprising given the circumstances. “That was merely a test of the emergency braking system. It still has a few kinks to be worked out.”
“That’s fine then.” Gale wasn’t convinced but it also wasn’t his place to ask questions either. “What do you need from us sir?”
“Unfortunately I’ve attracted some unwanted attention. I’ve been informed that a visitor may be attempting to pay me a visit. Do not allow him to enter by any means.”
“Is it just one man?”
“That is correct Captain.”
“How much force will be necessary?”
“Use your discretion. I heard this man is a bit stubborn. Please, make sure he understands that he is unwelcome here.”
“Yes sir.” Using twenty men to silence one sounded like overkill to Gale. There had to be more to this story his employer was guarding. “Any other information you can provide us on the target.”
Yegor paused for a moment. Finding the right words to say without intimidating the soldiers was more difficult than he anticipated. “He is very cunning. This man will do whatever it takes to get into the building. Sometimes his means are a bit excessive. Exercise extreme caution.”
“Understood.”
The voice on the other line ceased. Gale hung up his phone and assessed the information he was given. It was vague but, given the circumstances, still more than enough to formulate a proper defense. The Captain took a deep breath and shouted a new order.
“Alright men, listen up!”
They all got up from their individual resting areas and within moments, surrounded the superior officer. Captain Gale recited the parameters of this assignment. Joy began to fill their hearts. This sounded like the perfect mission to relieve their boredom. More importantly, it would prove their worth. The thought of one man versus an army was ludicrous. There must be a lose screw or two inside his head. This was going to make one hell of a story of triumph and stupidity years down the road. They hoped at the very least he would attempt to struggle. It would make for a more entertaining event.
The elevator doors opened upon reaching the 37th floor. Seika walked out with her hostage. The look of this place was so formulaic and boring it almost made her sick. Not that she had any ill feelings towards laboratories. It was the color that Seika didn’t care for. All of the nasty and horrible things that go on in places like this only to be surrounded by the ultimate color of purity. The irony of it all was enough to make her dizzy.
Passing through a set of glass doors, Seika felt the chill of the room tickle her skin. This must be a clean room. One that is supposed to be free of contamination. Well, this place wasn’t open for business yet. Surely they wouldn’t mind one or two little intrusions. Seika walked around a large table sitting like an island in the middle of the room and stuffed the body of Ms. Ross inside of a nearby closet. As soon as she shut the doors, Seika noticed a keypad near the handles. A closet door with electronic locks appeared state of the art but in this case it was a lucky coincidence. She followed the brief instructions on the LCD screen and within seconds, the door snapped shut.
“That’s not where we keep garbage woman,” Kurtis interjected. She thought she felt his horrid presence enter the room. The one time where she wished her instincts failed her too. Explanation might be necessary, even if he wasn’t serious.
“Orders from the General. This woman is allowed to live. For now.”
Kurtis gritted his teeth. He wanted to spit but for some reason didn’t find the will to. “That old man is out of his mind.” He laughed. “No matter. After I’m done with Madison, I’ll make sure she’ll live long enough to regret her decision to betray us.”
The sickening thoughts that were probably circulating in his horrid mind made Seika’s stomach tie into knots. It wasn’t that she cared what he was going to do to that woman, or worse, with her. The fact that he shared that information is what Seika didn’t care for.
A small box slid across the table. Apparently Kurtis had tossed it in her direction while she was cursing her sense of hearing.
“Here woman,” he said as the box came to a calm halt.
Whatever was inside that box, Seika was positive she didn’t want it. However, it didn’t mean she wasn’t curious.
“What is that?”
He let out a single laugh. In Kurtis’ other hand, an identical box was firm within his grasp. He put it on the table and opened it. A single syringe filled with a clear fluid laid within.
“They never told me its name. I’ve been using this for as long as I can remember.” Kurtis took the syringe in his hand and searched for a visible vein in his other arm. “Normally, I am supposed take a shot every twenty-four hours.” He pressed the needle deep into his skin and allowed the chemical to flow into his bloodstream. “I’m not one for following the rules. Every time I finished a dosage, my body reacts differently. I’m stronger, faster, more alert. And I’m even able to heal a bit more rapidly than normal.”
His arm convulsed. This i
ncredible feeling was flowing through his body again. Energy surged through every cellular tissue. No drug on earth could give humans this kind of rush. But for Kurtis, it was only meant to keep his body stabilized. In this empowered state, Kurtis believed he could break a car in half with one punch. Unfortunately, he was never given the opportunity.
“You’re out of your mind.” Seika didn’t want to say it but it felt good getting it out there after all this time.
That hideous grin returned to his face. “Believe me woman; it’ll turn all your limitations into ash.” Kurtis took hold of a steel arm attached to a large machine nearby. He had no idea what it was used for but knew it was replaceable. With the tiniest twitch of his hand, the steel arm collapsed as if it were made of butter. Sentient or not, even a solid piece of metal couldn’t defy the power of Kurtis.
Seika watched him exhibit that feat of strength and instantly became even more curious about this substance. In her battle with Madison before, he definitely seemed to have the upper hand at some points even though she didn’t want to admit it. Given the proper circumstances, Seika may still be able to defeat him. Putting this chemical into her body would certainly increase those odds. Yet, she was still uncertain. Mostly about Kurtis’ intentions. “Why are you sharing this with me?”
“Because I desire nothing more than to see that man’s blood decorating this building. With this, you’ll at least be able to keep up with me. If you’re lucky, I may offer you the killing blow after I’ve ripped his arms and legs off.”
Seeing what he did to that machine was enough to convince Seika he could very well walk the walk. She opened the box and took the syringe into her hand. This was an imperative decision that would ensure a great advantage in Seika’s favor. Ringing soon silenced her train of thought. Kurtis’ pleasant nature immediately went south as he answered his phone. Apparently something was said that he didn’t like because he spent the next few moments arguing in Russian. Then, without warning, he walked straight out of the room without even a clue as to where he was headed.
The key to amazing power rested in Seika’s hand. Seimon’s face appeared before her eyes. His smiling and generous persona was sadly cut short at the hands of that man. She would pay any price to watch him die. That was just the kick Seika needed to plunge that syringe into her arm and pour out the liquid that would be the catalyst for her victory.
