I slowly draw a silenced Beretta with my right hand. I wait for them to pass the stairs, and me. They’re heading for the darkened corridor. I step out and silently fall in behind them. I need to play this smart. I should find out what I can about what I’m walking into at least.
I raise my gun and fire once at the man on the right, putting a bullet in the back of his head, just above the neck. He dies instantly, and hits the floor at roughly the same time the spray of blood and brain matter does.
Shocked and unprepared, the remaining man spins around, but in the time it’s taken him to do that, I’m already moving toward him, so he turns just as my left elbow is swinging in. It meets his jaw as he looks round, and catches it full force. He spins away from me and drops to the floor, landing on his back. I’m on him right away, dropping down and pressing my right knee hard into his chest. I push the barrel of my gun into his right temple and place my left hand over his mouth.
“Do you know who I am?” I ask him, my voice muffled slightly through the mask.
His eyes are wide with surprise and fear, and he nods his head vigorously.
“Good, that saves me some time. Does Clara know I’m here?”
He nods again, slower this time, like he’s really thinking about the answer.
“Okay. I’m going to remove my hand from your mouth now. Just in case you get any funny ideas about making any noise, I want you to remember two things: my gun is still pressed against your head, and bits of your friend’s brain are scattered across the floor next to us.”
I slowly remove my hand and he remains silent.
“Excellent. Now, where is everyone, and how many of you are there?”
His breathing is rapid, and his eyes are darting in every direction, as if looking for a way out.
“B-back there,” he says, in a strange accent. Possibly Scandinavian. “There are m-m-maybe fifteen men.”
“And where’s the woman they’ve kidnapped?” I press my gun harder against his temple. “And don’t lie to me.”
He closes his eyes and grimaces as panic and fear set in. “P-please… I’m just a tech guy. I’m not a soldier!”
I jab him hard in the stomach with my left hand. “I didn’t ask who you were, did I?”
He tries to sigh, but he’s breathing too quickly to do it effectively. “She’s t-tied up in one of the labs. Please… I have a f-family.”
I look at him for a moment, searching for an ounce of humanity so that I could give a shit. Unfortunately for him, I left all that back in Tennessee with Josh. The only thing I can think of right now is vengeance.
“Lucky you,” I say to him. “At least you’ll have people to plan your funeral. Next time, maybe think twice before working for a bunch of terrorists, yeah?”
I pull the trigger, sending a conical spray of dark blood across the floor. I stand and look over my shoulder, at the corridor where these two came from. Then I look left and right.
I wonder if this floor is connected in some way, like a network? If I go left, would that bring me out on the other side of the area where Clara is?
It’s a big gamble. I’m running out of time and I can’t afford any mistakes. No, screw it. I know for definite that they’re straight ahead, so that’s where I’m going.
I draw my other Beretta and stride quickly and purposefully toward the corridor at the opposite end, toward Tori.
29
At the end of the corridor it doglegs to the right and out into a large area, separated by temporary partitions all the way around the edge, with an open area in the center.
I stand in the doorway momentarily, getting a good look at the room and planning my attack. There are a couple of men patrolling the perimeter, but the majority of the forces are in the center, which is where I assume Clara and Tori are.
I crouch down and set off to the right. The partitions are thick painted wood up to about waist height, then glass up to the ceiling, capped off with a thin border of wood again, leaving a gap between the top and the ceiling. I look up and see piping and air vents all around. Definitely some sort of old lab, but the tech seems new — they must’ve been renovating the place for months…
Keeping low, I follow the room round and I start to veer left, coming to a gap in the partitions. To my left is a pathway that leads into the middle of the hub. Straight ahead is more cover. I glance behind me, and then peer around the corner. I have a direct view into the middle, and I see a large group of men standing around. They all seem to have handguns, which, thankfully, are holstered at their sides. They’re congregating around a large monitor, but the next partition obscures my view.
What did that guy say before? Tori’s tied up in one of the labs? I’m guessing he meant they’re holding her in one of the partitioned lab areas, away from the main group… If I can find her, I might be able to get her out of here before drawing any attention to—
I feel the cold metal of a gun barrel rest gently against the back of my head. I close my eyes and sigh.
Shit.
“Get up,” says the voice. “Drop the guns.”
I stand, leaving my Berettas on the floor at my feet. I feel a hand unsheathe the Ithaca from my back, tossing that to the ground as well.
“Move,” they say, jabbing me with their gun.
I turn left and head toward the group in the middle. As I approach, more of the scene becomes visible to me, until I’m standing in the middle of the space, surrounded by the huddle of terrorists. There are some tables and chairs on the left, with two small glass labs behind them; the doors closed. Looking very relaxed, I count ten guys all sitting around, looking at me curiously and smiling.
So, that confirms they knew I was coming.
On the opposite side to me is another glass lab, with pathways on either side. The door’s closed, and there’s a man standing outside it. I look through the glass and see Tori. Despite the circumstances, I still breathe a sigh of relief, happy to know for definite that she’s still alive.
She’s sitting down, looking straight ahead, and I’m on her right side, so she hasn’t seen me yet. Her hair is matted and she looks tired, but other than that she looks as beautiful as I remember. It feels like a lifetime since I’ve laid eyes on her. I feel a sudden wave of guilt. I blame myself entirely for her being here. I should’ve protected her. I should’ve—
“Hey! Are you paying attention?”
A strong, female voice interrupts my train of thought, and I realize they’ve been talking to me for the last minute or so, and I hadn’t noticed. I look to my right, seeing the large screen in full for the first time. There’s a table next to it, with papers laid out across it and a laptop on the right. Standing in front of the screen, staring at me with an evil bemusement, is Clara Fox. As seen on the DVD she left me, she has shoulder-length, jet-black hair and dark make-up. She actually reminds me a little of that Salikov woman I killed, back in Heaven’s Valley. She strides purposefully toward me and snatches the mask off my head, discarding it to the floor.
“Adrian Hell…” she says. “You took your time.”
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I reply. “I was too busy killing all your men up on the street.”
She laughs. “You think that bothers me? This is the end of the line for you, and the beginning of the Armageddon Initiative’s plans to reset the world!”