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I didn’t think he could get more depraved. “You’re sick.”
“And you’re lovesick. So, make your choice. You have one hour to have a helicopter on this rooftop, and then we’ll meet somewhere secure to make a trade.”
“You should know that I don’t have the power to make this happen. We’re surrounded by the FBI and SWAT. You really think they’re going to just let you go because I tell them to?”
“I’ve seen more miraculous things happen. I’ve seen gunshot wounds heal overnight, people rising from the edge of death. You know, come to think of it, maybe I don’t need you. Because if I sell what I know to the right people, I could get anything I wanted…”
As he talks, Six comes to, her eyes sunken and glazed. Her skin is pallid, lips cracked. That bastard probably bled her dry.
“Three hours.”
“One, Mr. Adley. One hour.”
Before Johnson hangs up, Six looks me directly in the eyes through the screen and barely, just barely, I see the hint of a dangerous smile before the screen cuts out entirely.
I don’t bother trying to make any arrangements.
Retribution is here.
Micah
The moment we see that greasy bastard holding a knife to a weakened, pale, barely conscious Six, we decide enough is enough. The FBI and SWAT teams have done their job, but there are some things they just can’t handle. And there is no fucking way that we aren’t getting our girl.
As we march down to the building, the two agents that are babysitting us try to stop us. We plead our case for a minute, but in the end, we have to subdue two perfectly nice agents before taking off down the hill.
There’s a smaller side entrance where only two SWAT team members are guarding. They aim their weapons at us as we charge towards them. Sliding to a stop, we hold our hands up, Jackson waving a badge that he must have stolen off one of the agents. Smart.
“Special Agent Rami, I’ve been sent to handle hostage negotiations by Agent Tova.”
“He didn’t say anything to us.”
“He’s on the line with Johnson right now. He couldn’t send word without giving us up.”
The two agents don’t let us pass, but do lower their weapons momentarily to contact their second in command. In that moment, Luis grabs one of their guns and head-butts them in the face, blood spurting from their nose. I uppercut the other guard in the face, knocking them out cold.
After relieving them of their automatic weapons, we trudge on. Neither of us had time to study the blueprints thoroughly, but the basement didn’t have specifications anyway, so it wouldn’t have helped.
Jackson thankfully has a moment of brilliance and dials Tony, who we’re hoping can guide up through the basement to find where Johnson is holding Six.
“He’s not in the basement anymore. I can’t be positive, because he took all the cameras completely offline, but the background of the video didn’t look like what I could see of the basement. My best guess is his office, at the southwest corner of the building. SWAT already cleared the top floor before he got up there, so you shouldn’t run into much trouble. I’m letting Bennet know you’re there.”
We make it through the first floor to the stairwell that will bring us up closest to the southwest corner of the building. Halfway up the stairwell, we come face to face with two more SWAT officers, who immediately go on the offense.
Jackson drops his phone, which falls between the rails and smashes against the stairs on the floor below us.
“Friendlies! We’re friendlies! Hold your fire!” I hold up Agent Rami’s badge, flashing it only long enough for it to be noticeable, but not studied.
“Sorry sir, we weren’t expecting you,” one officer says, lowering her weapon. I suppose since Rami was FBI and not police/SWAT, they’re higher rank?
Between the stolen badge and our protective gear, plus the SWAT issue weapons we’re holding, we’re believable enough that they don’t notice we aren’t meant to be here. They confirm that the second floor is clear of civilians.
“We’re headed to the third.” Luis asks, his voice gruff and official sounding.
“We cleared from the top down. That floor has already been cleared,” the second officer says, his expression telling me we were probably supposed to know that.
Uh…shit…improvise, Micah…
“Correct. Tova updated us on the way in. But now there’s a hostage situation, they sent us in to do a last sweep.”
