Chapter 2- eyes of the Hawk
New York city 4 days earlier
He could see every line on the face and even some minute hairs as he stared down the scope of his specially modified rifle. Ethan was getting out of a sleek sportscar ,then moving to open the door for Jane. Brandt moved the scope to his female colleague and focused it on her beautiful face. He found himself smiling as he looked at her. He envied Ethan's role in this mission, getting a nice warm hotel room with a lovely woman while he was buffeted by the wind on a cold roof. Chastising himself for being unprofessional Brandt refocused his scope upon the hotel.
Benji had provided a computer printout of all the guests names and Brandt was busy matching faces to names. The scope on his weapon was high tech, allowing him to see through closed curtains and into rooms. When it sighted a person they would be run through IMFs data base to check for a match. So far everyone he had checked had come back, "clean'.
While he was up here he would also be placing digital thermal imaging devices that would be linked to Benji's computer. They would detect any heat signatures upon the roof of the building. That would mean he would be able to have rest periods and monitor the rooftop using a laptop.
Moving his scope down again Will visually scanned the roof he was standing upon. This building was home to various different businesses and was the only one in the area that equaled the hotel in height. The hotel was 500 metres away, not close enough for an accurate visual surveillance . Both the buildings backed onto Central Park. None of the trees in the park would be high enough for any marksman within them to have a clear shot of the higher rooms in the hotel.
At the moment Will was primarily thinking of number 2's own abilities with a rifle. It was their witness who was primarily in danger from number 2 marksman ability. The superspy was arrogant and thought that no mere 'common' person should be able to identify him. If they did see him he usually 'dealt' with them . Attracting the attention of local law enforcement agencies did not bother number 2. He knew that any other covert agencies like IMF would have to be more careful about revealing their own presence with local forces about. It would all play into his hands and that was something they did not want.
Finishing his check Will was about to give Ethan the all clear when he felt a strange sense of being watched. Looking around with the scope Will could not see anyone. But he could not dismiss that feeling. Over the years a marksman develops almost like a sixth sense and right now it was warning him very loudly. He looked over toward the only access point to the roof , he would have clear view of anyone who came that way. But right now there was nothing there, yet that feeling remained. Around him the light was diminishing and darkness was approaching, he would have to be more vigilant. "Report", Ethan's request had him wondering for a minute what he should say.
"All clear ", he stated seconds later. He had been going to add 'proceed with caution' but at the last moment thought it unnecessary . All of them knew who they were up against and were on their guard.
Brandt himself felt a little more vulnerable but he was not going to move position . This building afforded the best viewpoint for any action in the hotel and he was not going to give it up because of a feeling.
Down on the ground Ethan had moved inside with Jane on his arm. They were playing the role of a married couple enjoying a few days together in the city. Both of them were dressed in the best quality label clothing, giving the impression of a wealthy couple.
Minutes later Benji pulled up in a late model battered sports car and climbed out.
The technician was feeling a little put out. His role needed hardly any acting skills on his part and he would not get to wear a mask of any type. The conference their witness was attending was for online games ,also commonly called geeks. He would feel quite comfortable in their company being able to use gaming language with ease. Benji would never admit it to Ethan but he was actually hoping to get time playing some of the latest games.
Ahead of him the staff of the Hotel were treating Ethan and Jane almost like royalty while he waited patiently for them to notice him.
Finally he was at the counter . "Ah yes Mr Elton, we have you in room 636 with Mr Murray", he was told.
Bag in one hand and swipe card in the other Benji made his way to the room. He felt quite relaxed at the moment. Brandt was their 'eyes' for this mission and would warn them if he sighted number 2.
Swiping his door Benji walked in to find a completely darkened room with heavy curtains pulled firmly shut. Flicking on the light Benji looked around the room, it seemed empty. He had a feeling though that someone was here. "Hello, he called out, my name is Benji, I am to be your bodyguard."
Yeah that was the second part of his mission being babysitter to their witness until the sighting was either confirmed or denied. He hoped their witness did not snore and keep him up all night. There was no answer to his call. The witness was obviously scared and decided to hide. Benji had to coax him out,"if I was going to hurt you I would be using my gun and not my mouth", he told the silent room. With an audible sigh a man rolled out from under the bed. He was nearly six foot in height but had a very slight frame. There were pimples upon his face which gave the initial impression of youth. As he got closer though it was evident he was over 25.
"You don't look like a bodyguard", the man stated running his eyes over Benji in that same appraising manner. "Isn't that an advantage, Benji returned evenly determined not to be offended. Most of the time he wished he could look more like James Bond or Ethan. "I am also not on my own", he added.
The man seemed to visibly relax," good that's good", he stammered. He held a shaky hand out to Benji, Logan Murray", he introduced himself. "Benji Elton", Benji returned the favour using the alias he had picked out.
"So tell me a little about yourself Mr Murray", Benji invited. The other man shook his head, "no, I'd rather just get down to business and get this over with"
Benji could appreciate that sentiment. "Jane, Ethan, come on in", he told his team mates through the comm lines.
Waiting by the door Benji opened it to let in his team mates. Logan Murray ran his eyes over both of them before settling on Jane. "You are way too beautiful to be any type of agent", he told her. "I don't suppse I can expect you to carry any type of identification."
Jane smiled at him and told him, " no you can't but I can assure you that I can put any attacker on the ground within seconds".
Logan's smile faltered a little and he visibly sagged. "Another reminder that none of us are safe', he stated. His eyes were never still roaming around the room and shifting to the pulled curtains. He seemed to be even more nervous.
"You wanted to get down to business Mr Murray", Ethan reminded him firmly hoping the man was not going to lose his nerve. From the way he was acting it seemed likely that he had indeed seen Number 2 and Ethan was keen to get the details.
"Yes, sit down all of you". They sat down. "Let me introduce myself properly to you", Mr Murray ,stated,
"I am the man who can put an end to the killer known as number 2". He forged ahead before questions could start. "If you wonder how and why I can do this. It is simple, I want to marry his daughter".
"His daughter, we didn't know he had one", Ethan remarked . He was evaluating their witness as they listened to his story. Logan's gaze was direct now, not leaving his eyes. The rest of his body though seemed to be twitching with anxiety. Ethan could almost feel the man shaking and knew the anxiety came from fear. He could almost smell it in the air around Logan Murray. It was in no way faked or forced.
He turned his attention back to what their witness was saying. "Well she didn't know who her father was until recently. I am not ashamed to tell you we gained the knowledge through computer hacking. Both of us are very good hackers, in fact that's how we met. Some of the newest games can be played before their release by those with the skill to hack into the designing company's computers. Jennifer's mother works for one of those companies and when she found a lap top hidden in her home she thought she find some of the latest games. Instead she found details of her wonderful father". It was very evident that Logan was being sarcastic. "Can you imagine finding out something like that. There were even photos in those files, like trophies of what he had done. They made both of us physically sick", Logan's eyes held a deep pain now. He had obviously seen something that had deeply affected him. "Jennifer cried for hours. Then the fear set in for both of us. It was quite clear what would happen if he found out what we knew. So Jennifer closed the files and covered her trail expertly".
Even though we have had a lot of experience in not leaving a digital trail, we were still afraid. Days went by, then weeks and finally Jennifer began to relax. Then on Monday she had a call from him. He said he was contacting her because he was concerned about who she was seeing. He went onto to describe both me and the details of our last date. It was just a clear message that he knew all about both of us. Jennifer hung up on him and then hurriedly left her apartment. Now both of us are living in fear.
She thought he might arrange for someone to kill me and I have no doubt he is capable of putting a contract on her just to prove a point to me". From reading his files when can guess he is that type, who will let us live in fear each day wondering when something might happen. Living in fear is not a life either of us want .So we thought of a plan to ensure our future safety. Jennifer took the precaution of acquiring all his files and we are more than willing to have them used against him. Amongst all the information were details of his future plans. He is going to dump Jennifer's mother and retire with the young beautiful woman he met not long ago . That is why he has come to this hotel, to meet her then go off to a secret location where the two of them will live off all his ill gotten gains".
"He gets this nice life while the two of us are allowed nothing but fear." He looked at them and saw worry in their gaze. "I guess you all think I am stupid even coming here. But we also ascertained something else from the files. Number 2 has lost the killers instinct himself .He no longer has any taste for the business and wants to try and lead a normal life. Yes someone else can do his job for him, but it is still a weakness that can be exploited". Logan wound down and looked at all of them. He was obviously waiting for them to say something.
Ethan had felt himself feeling angry as he listened to Logan . He decided the man deserved to know exactly what he thought. " That may be so but he will never let any of his files become someone else's property. They would most likely list all his contacts. If any of them thought he had compromised them then he'd never be safe anywhere. I am sorry Mr Murray but yes I think it was not wise to come here. It does sound like number 2 suspects something'. He could have easily changed his plans" . Ethan told him bluntly.
Logan shivered for a moment and gestured at the closed curtains, "we knew from the moment we found that information we would never be safe. We could go into hiding somewhere with new identities but even then there would be no guarantees. Those files made it very clear the type of man we were dealing with".
So all we could do was hope to gain the upper hand. We have already initiated a plan of our own that makes sure Kyle Kilton, that's his real name by the way ,walks into a trap".
"Jennifer sent Kyle an email telling him that she has a copy of his files and wants to be paid for them. She said that she had a friend hide the files in a location in New York they will only give her once they receive a special code. The code is only generated once the money is received which gives us extra security. We have further protected our own lives by telling him that our deaths will result in the information being downloaded onto the internet. We will give him further instructions only if he checks himself into this hotel tomorrow".
So we have made sure Kyle has to be at this hotel. Now what we want you to do is take him out". It will end both of our problems."
Logan folded his hands and regarded them all frankly. Ethan could feel the tension in every line of his body he did not like what he had heard. Logan was an amateur when it came to the spy business , this was not some computer game ."You are out of your mind if you think you are in control", he told Logan. "Kyle is not only one of the worlds most dangerous men he is also one of the most clever."
"You are not telling me something I don't know", Logan told him bluntly." It seems to be a case of either him or us and I am sorry if it offends you but I'd much rather he was dead than either myself or Jennifer"
"It is your job to take care of these sort of things, we have done what we can, now the rest is up to you", Logan concluded.
Ethan took a breath, he did not like someone else arranging things for him. Logan and Jennifer were naturally both very afraid but had not acted appropriately. Their 'game' with Kyle could quite easily endanger the lives of the citizens of New York. Number 2 or someone else could even be outside right now ready to act.
As if that thought transported itself to the adjacent building Brandt's voice came to him," there's someone up here on the roof".
Ethan found himself grabbing Logan Murray and throwing them both to the ground then crawling behind the bed . He drew his gun and waited. Benji and Jane also dropped to the ground and on their stomachs crawled for the door.
They were going to race to the other building to support their colleague.
Minutes earlier Brandt had been checking out some new arrivals to the hotel when that feeling of being watched came upom him again. With it came a strange aching sensation in his skull. Brandt actually winced as the pain increased. The sun had almost totally gone down now and the roof top was a mass of shadows with small patches of light ,may be that was causing his headache. Will forced himself to concentrate through the pounding of his head.
He turned his head and caught glimpse of a figure near the far edge of the building. How that figure had gotten onto the roof was as yet unclear. He could not have used the main stairwell without being seen . The only other option was that he'd simply climbed up the building from somewhere within the park. The figure was totally clad in black and looked like he was simply casually coming his way. The combination of black clothing and increasing darkness meant Brandt could not get an accurate visual with his eyes. As yet the other person had not noticed him. He moved slowly intending to raise the rifle and use the night scope to get a clear image. But even that small movement must have revealed something to the figure.
He turned and began to run. Even though his head still pounded and he felt a little dizzy , Brandt began to run after him.
'In pursuit of unknown person", he told Ethan as he ran.
The fact the figure did not seem to be carrying any type of weapon made Brandt wonder if this was number 2 or just a decoy. Either way he was going to catch the man and find out exactly what he was doing.
The man though was not slowing down. "Oh gosh don't tell me he's going to do that. You only see that at the movies", Brandt's voice slowed a little by his speed came through to the others.
"Going to do what, Brandt, whats going on", Ethan demanded from where he crouched beside a shaking Logan Murray.
On the roof top Brandt and his target were still running. "Oh no, he is going to do it", Brandt puffed out.
"Do what", Ethan raised his head slightly from the floor and looked over at the heavy curtains on the windows. Right now he wished they were see through. "Jump", for a minute Ethan was back in Mumbai saying that word to a very nervous William Brandt.
Now William Brandt was saying that word to him. The difference was that this time Benji was not waiting to catch him, in fact nothing was. Whoever was up on the roof with Brandt was obviously so desparate to avoid capture that he'd do anything.
"Abort Brandt', Ethan ordered swiftly.
William Brandt heard the words as his feet hit the edge of the building. Ahead of him the unknown person was seemingly suspended in the air for a few seconds before plummeting downwards.
Brandt felt the pain in his head increasing to a blinding pounding that blurred his vision. He tried to stop but found his momentum was too great. Seconds later his feet hit nothing at all. It was almost a relief when his vision darkened further and he blacked out. Brandt was not conscious as he plummeted straight down.
Benji and Jane had hurried down the lift, then across he road. The mass of people on the streets meant they had to keep their speed down. Once they hit the green belt that was Central Park they sped up. Running to the small leafed area at the back of the tall building where Brandt had been positioned Jane and Benji searched the ground. It was getting darker now making their search harder.
Seconds later though Benji came upon the sight that both of them had hoped not to see, William Brandt sprawled out upon the grass. Benji looked up at the top of the building, there was nothing to break a fall. Whoever Will had been chasing had obviously found a way down without injury. Will had simply fallen 80 floors straight down. "Benji report", Ethan demanded.
Brandt had to be dead, Benji was sure of that. He fought back tears as he told Ethan, "agent down".
