Chapter Four
Claire rested her elbow on the table and allowed her throbbing head to relax there for a few minuets. Almost immediately after getting off the plane and through the high traffic of people, she was whisked away to the Terra Save offices.
She was tired to say the least. But it was close to quitting time and the flow of information and strategic wrangling had ended. She had been briefed on who this "young investor" was and the financial flow that could be brought in when, not if, Claire could entice the young woman into backing Terra Save.
She now understood the extent to which Terra Saves financial dilemma stood.
It was grim to say the least.
Although they did receive help from the countries government as well as other organizations, the resent laps in financial depression, forced Terra Save to cut corner. They was forced to seek out other companies and privet donations. Unfortunately, the crises created by bio-warfare had decimated many areas around the world. The need of the innocent was staggering when the broad picture was painted.
Claire sighed loudly, and wondered if it would ever be enough. Money could replace homes, cars, build roads and bridges…but could it ever give back the safety that was so scornfully ripped away by grotesque monsters. Could life be returned to the dead mother and father that were killed protecting a child?
Claire sat back into the black chair. Life could be brought back, she had learned in her past nightmares, but the soul was lost….
The red haired woman looked around the empty room, as if seeing it for the first time. Her ocean blue eyes landing on the clear double doors that lead out into the maze of cubicles. Most of the workers were powering down their computers, ready to leave as soon as the clock struck. She made out Jessie's long blond hair as it bobbed around the cubical walls.
A few seconds later Jessie came into full view of the glass doors. Claire smiled as Jessie waved a brown paper bag in the air.
"Hey girl, you look like your ready to fall over." Jessie chirped, plopping the brown food bag onto the conference table.
Claire chuckled, "Yeah, I can't wait to get home and take a very hot shower." She pointed at the bag, "Pleas say that's for me."
Jessie gave a big green, "Indeed it is. I figured with all the hustle you've been through, some greasy tacos would hit the spot."
"Oh, you are an angel." Claire dug into the bag, the smell of the deliciously dripping tacos made her mouth water.
The blond woman laughed out loud at the satisfied groan Claire let out once she had a mouthful of chicken and cheese tacos.
"You are absolutely right, this did hit the spot. Thank you." Claire licked her fingers clean from the sauce that gushed through the torn tortilla. "Anything good happen while I was gone?"
Jessie took a seat adjacent to Claire, a shy smirk playing on her small lips, "Well…you remember Gabriel?"
Claire squinted her eyes in thought, "Tech guy Gabriel? Yeah, what about him."
Jessie nodded vigorously, "I asked him out!" She clapped her hands together, "And he said yes."
"Wow, that's great Jessie! I was wondering when you too would stop making goo-goo eyes at each other."
"We were not that bad." Jessie rolled her eyes playfully. "So anyways—"
"We'll come back to this." Claire stated playfully.
"Anyways, about tomorrow. Do you have a costume picked out yet?"
Claire shook her head, "Haven't had time yet, Jack had some one pick me up from the airport, and brought me strait here."
"Ah." Jessie bobbed her head knowingly. Jack was not a favorite topic among them. "Well if you want you can borrow one of mine. After all we have to get an early start in the morning." The blond leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, "I never understood people living out in the boonies. Gives me the creeps."
"Maybe she enjoys her privacy." Clare said, as she picked out a chunk of meat from the bit of taco that was left over. "You know those rich types, always going on and on about privacy and wanting to be treated like a normal person."
"Yeah, I guess." She shrugged her shoulders in disinterest. "Come on, I'll drop you off on my way home."
The clock struck midnight in Terra Saves European H.Q.
The tall office buildings mostly dark, and quiet. A single car in the street below rumbled to a stop at a red light. Its headlights highlighted the cement parking garage that connected to the office building. Only a few cars parked dotted the complex.
The ding of the elevator echoed loudly, the rolling doors revealing a tall thin man with graying hair, striking green eyes and a black goatee. He stepped out looking around the deserted lot, grimacing at the hush. He plunged his hand into his coat pocket, and took it out again. Three shiny key points stuck out from in-between his fingers as he closed it into a fist.
Quickly, he made his way to a small grey car with a dent in its rear bumper. He rounded its corner to get into the drivers seat.
"Donald!" Cherno stepped out from behind the shadow of a pillar that stood in front of the car. The tall man, Donald startled and dropped his keys.
"Jesus, fuck…" Donald exhaled sharply, placing his hands on the car window. His eyes closed, inhaling deeply, his adams apple bobbing as he tried to swallow his fear. He unsteadily placed his hands on to the drivers side window, leaning on it as if to push the two ton car away.
"Oh, Miss Wheeler, you almost gave me a heart attack." He looked over at her, his eyes darting around the immediate area behind the young women.
"Miss Wheeler…?"
"I'm sorry," a chuckle falling from her thin lips, "are you okay?"
"Err, yes-yes, I'm fine. Umm, what are you doing here? This late, I mean?
"I wanted to thank you for passing on that information. And also," she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a long white envelope, "to give you this." She held out the envelope.
Donald's eyes lit up, a twitch of his lips revealed the smugness at seeing what she carried. Miss Wheeler noticed his body relax, and his demeanor change to that of a greedy and trusting individual.
"Ah, yes, the rest of my payment." Taking the envelope, he quickly opened and inspected the wad of cash.
Cherno, or "Miss Wheeler" watched as he counted out the notes of brightly colored paper. It always struck Cherno, how odd people would suddenly begin to behave at the site of copies amounts of currency.
At the lengths some would go for it. She was not exactly normal though, money did not have a hold on her like physical pain did.
Once he finished his scrutinizing, he stuck the cash back into the flimsy envelope and into his own jacket pocket. Giving her a toothy grin, "Well, I suppose that's it then." He bent down to grasp his fallen keys. So giddy was the feeling that coursed through his body, he did not notice as Miss Wheelers shadow shifted towards him. But then again not many people were ever so aware of their own surroundings.
But he did hear the click of metal against metal.
Ever so slowly, his wide eyes came to stare down the barrel.
"Tell me Donald, do you feel any remorse about lying to your superiors and possibly being the cause of death for many people?"
Cherno held a run of the mill nine millimeter gun so close, the shiny black steel reflected clearly from his wide glassy green eyes. Donalds mouth fell open but only a thick exhale of air could be heard as it left his lungs in a rush.
Cherno tilted her head, like a dog trying to figure out what it was that stood before her. Her eyebrow rose slightly when he did not answer right away. "Cat got your tongue?"
"P-Pleas, I p-p-promise, I promised not to tell! Pleas!" He held his hands up in surrender.
"Humm." The young women stared into his fearful eyes, taking in how pale he looked in the dim lights of the car complex. "Lesson number thirty-five…" she whispered.
A slight twitch of her index finger on the trigger, tendons coiling and uncoiling, hammer jamming into the slide releasing the contents of the chamber into the barrel. Finally, allowing a scorch of heat into the back of the bullet filled with gunpowder.
The gunshot echoed loudly, sound bouncing from one cement pillar to another, deafening her eardrums. Cherno grimaced at the noise and its mighty results. She knew the sound would carry a long ways.
"Never ever leave a loose end, Donald." She stared at the limp body, at the pool of blood that rapidly grew around his head. "Poor Donald, don't you know that night time muggings have increased exponentially in the last year alone." She waved the gun around, as if showing the now dead Donald an example.
She exhaled through her nose slowly and secured the gun into her belt. Taking care to not step into the dark pool, she pushed the body over with the tip of her boot. After a quick scan over his glazed eyes she pulled out a pair of purple latex gloves and slipped them over her slim fingers. She did a short search for the packet of money and then his wallet, removing what little cash he had in it. Cherno stood up and stared at the body for a moment, then at the car. Although the police would ask a few questions they would probably play this off as another mugging gone wrong. She pocketed the wallet, planning to through it into an alley known for its drug users.
With a last look at the dead man, she lazily walked to an exit in a dark corner of the parking complex. Her thoughts already moving on to the next phase of plans already set in motion.
TBC
A/N: Sorry, no real excuse to not updating. Well, I'm depressed but I'll be ok. Also I'm not sure how to fit in RE 6 into this exactly. I need to study the timeline all over again.