Chapter 6

"Twenty-one!" someone called, and the table erupted in cheers. They overpowered the groans as people handed in their cards and as the brightly colored chips went to one excited person. Elsewhere, lights flashed and slot machines honked merry tunes as they ejected money into excited peoples hands. It was a standard night in a casino in the middle of Las Vegas. People were winning money and going broke at the same time. Men were dressed in tuxedos, women in full length gowns and dresses.

Ada Wong delicately flipped over her cards at the blackjack table she sat at.

"Twenty," she proclaimed. The dealer busted and she collected 2,000 dollars. More people around her cheered. Ada took a sip of her martini that was sitting in front of her on the green felt table and absently scooped up her chips with her other hand. For the last hour and a half, she had been sitting there, dropping cash and regaining it. She didn't care how much she lost or won; it was all just pocket change to her.

The real reason why the Asian woman sat at the table for as long as she did was for it's view. The dealer at her table never noticed that she never looked at him. Rather, she looked over his shoulder, at the group of people outside of the casino, and in the adjoining restaurant.

The casino was a large one, and not built into a hotel like many of the ones in Vegas were. Three quarters of the building was the money draining engine that fueled Sin City, and a the rest was a fancy restaurant, a place for people to take a break from spending money on gambling, and spend money on overpriced food. The entrance to the restaurant was simply a cut away section of the wall. There was no door, simply an abrupt change in scenery and ambiance.

Sitting near a table close to the entrance were two men. One wore a tuxedo and had two large men flanking either side of him. He had a decent build to him, like he had played football in the past, but never continued it. The other wore a black suit, was shorter and wasn't as solidly built, and looked like a slick businessman. He had only one man on his shoulder, dressed the exact same way. The man in the suit had to be the Umbrella executive selling the virus. That meant the larger man in the tux was the dealer.

Ada had been watching these men the entire time she was sitting and pretending to gamble, or, more precisely, watching the black armored case near the man in the black suit. She didn't have proof, but she was certain that all five men were armed.

Running a shiny French manicured nail thoughtfully below her crimson lips, Ada patiently waited for them to play out their own little game.

"Hmmm...what's your next move?" she thought slyly. "When are you going to hand it off?"

A week ago, after 'meeting' with a fleeing Umbrella employee, the organization discovered that his boss was selling off a virus to a weapon's dealer. He told them that they would be exchanging the virus in a Las Vegas casino. He parted with this knowledge freely, after being shot in the thigh and having a gun pressed to his head of course. Although he told them the date and location, the employee wasn't able to say what exactly was being sold. All he knew was that it was some untested virus that Umbrella never got to research properly.

The dealer at her blackjack table dealt another hand, and Ada place her bet. Five hundred dollars.

Wesker sent her to intercept the meeting. It sounded like the new virus he was chasing after, the Matriarch Virus was the strain being sold off. Ada didn't know anything about it, but Wesker was going over data of it nonstop. From what little the Umbrella employee told them, it sounded like it might the virus they were looking for.

Finally, the conversing men began to stand up. Ada quickly placed her next bet, the rest of her chips, and busted on purpose. The crowd around her groaned. She leaned forward and stuck the single chip she had left into the front pocket of the dealer's uniform.

"Thanks," she said, winking. She left the table and began walking towards the men. They were heading back into the casino. The shorter man in the black suit was still carrying the case. That must have meant they weren't ready to swap. He veered off towards the rear wall. The man in the tux and his bodyguards headed deeper into the casino.

Ada moved easily through the people in the casino. Although the atmosphere didn't suit her, the attire definitely did. Ada wore a plain black evening dress that fell to her ankles, held by two wire thin straps over her shoulders. The back of the dress sunk low, revealing her toned upper back. The neckline also sank low, giving the world a little more than a good look at her assets. Like many of her dresses, Ada's was slit up the side, all the way to her hip. Aside from being an eye catching fashion statement, it served the more useful purpose of allowing her to move freely if she needed too. Coupled with the thick choker covered in diamonds, her dangling diamond earing, eyeshadow and lipstick, she blended perfectly with the trendy surroundings.

In addition, Ada was fairly well equipped. Without even a purse to conceal things in, she had to carefully place everything on herself. On her left leg high up on her thigh was a small nylon holster. First and foremost, it carried her grapple gun, which was strapped on the inside of her thigh. Beneath that was a small Walther PPS with a tiny silencer, and a stiletto knife. Ada only had to be careful how she sat. Otherwise, the small arsenal on the inside of her leg was invisible.

The man in the suit she was tailing was heading for the bathroom. He entered the men's room while his guard stood outside.

"Perfect."

Ada smiled to herself. The bathrooms were right next to the door that led to the innards of the casino. Tucked in a small alcove (a hallway really), the men's was on the left, the women's on the right, and the staff door at the end.

The casino was covered with cameras and witnesses. Ada needed a secluded spot to swipe the virus. Her intention was to snatch it without anyone noticing and leave without incident.

She casually strolled past the Umbrella guard at the mouth of the alcove, shooting him a suggestive look. He followed with his eyes, but didn't turn to look as she walked past. Instead of entering the woman's room, Ada turned left and entered the men's quietly.

"Time for a woman's touch."

The Umbrella executive was washing his hands when Ada entered. Needless to say, he looked surprised as the woman walked straight up to him. Before he could voice his protest of her intrusion, she swept down on him and planted a deep kiss on him. She even worked her tongue in for good measure.

The shorter man was taken by surprise, but only for a few seconds. He began to return her favor.

Twisting her head, mimicking the act of passion, Ada opened one eye and saw the case at their feet. She felt the man's hands creeping lower down her back, obviously intended to grab her buttocks.

By then, the event that Ada was waiting for occurred. The bathroom door had a piston that would slow it's closing. Ada had noticed this when the man entered the bathroom. Finally, the piston allowed the door to shut all the way. As soon as Ada heard it thunk softly, she raised her knee swiftly into the groin of the man. His hands left her and went to his crotch. She drove her fist into his stomach, causing him to bend over and groan. As soon as he did, Ada drew her other knee up into his face, and her elbow down into the back of his skull. Both connected at the same time. The man collapsed with a clutter.

Ada plucked the case off the ground and propped it on the sink, then quickly opened it. Inside was a single glass vial filled with an orange liquid. She shut the case and picked it back up. She brushed a few loose strands of short black hair from her eyes and briefly looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her lipstick wasn't even smudged. She spat as she turned to the door.

"Disgusting. The things that I do for him..."

Ada intended to simply walk through the staff door and escape. She softly opened the door, but the guard seemed to have sensed trouble, and was waiting for her right in front of the door. Before she could react, he grabbed her by the throat with a thick hand.

"Going somewhere?" he asked her as he slammed her roughly into the wall next to the bathroom door. Ada grunted in discomfort, but before he could draw his gun, Ada smiled at him.

She swept her arm across his, striking it with her forearm. His elbow bent, and his fingers lost hold on her throat. She elbowed him in the face, then kicked as he stumbled away from her. Her foot came straight up and clipped him under the chin. He collapsed against the wall and fell over. Movement to Ada's right diverted her attention. Two casino security guards had spotted her as they passed just in time to see her drop the guard.

"Hey!" one yelled, and both began to advance on her.

"Shit..."

Ada turned and booked it through the staff entrance with the small case in tow. Even though she wore heels, she ran swiftly, a task that most woman couldn't accomplish in a lifetime. At the end of the hall she turned left at an T-intersection. Behind her, the door that led to the casino exploded and the two security guards rushed in as she turned the corner. Both wearing blue sport coats, khaki pants, and red ties, they looked right at place with the other people in the casino, but as they progressed further and further, the building lost it's classy atmosphere, and they began to look out of place. The guards followed Ada down the hall. One pushed the earpiece in his ear and spoke into a radio.

Ada turned another corner and ran past the money counter rooms. At the end of the hall, another security guard skidded in from another direction and began to run straight at her while yelling at her to halt. The way ahead of her blocked, Ada turned left and headed down a new hallway. In her head, she tried to remember the layout of the building.

"Stairs, stairs...where are they?"

She spotted them up ahead. Bursting through the door, she flew up the first flight. The door behind her opened again and the three guards rushed in, following her up the stairs. Ada climbed three more flights, where the stairs abruptly ended.

"Dammit, I thought these went all the way up!" Ada cursed to herself. Apparently, the casino didn't follow standard architecture. The building was 15 stories tall, and Ada was only on 4th floor. There had to be another staircase somewhere else. She left the stairwell with the guards still right behind her.

Running down the next hall and not even breathing hard, Ada passed several offices and what could have been locker rooms. People leaned out and stuck there heads outside to see what was the matter, only to be almost decapitated as the pursuing guards rushed past.

Dead ahead of her, Ada saw two elevators. One of the digital readouts said 1, the other 11. Ada saw her chance and skidded to a halt, then hit the call button as she almost collided with the wall. As the readout on one changed to 2, the guards caught up to her. One pulled a collapsable riot baton from his belt and extended it with the flick of his wrist. Ada reached into the slit of her dress and pulled on the handle of the little Walther.

She ducked as the baton swung for her shoulder. Turning as she did, she kicked at the second guard, and her high heel dug into the soft meat of his thigh. She followed up by sweeping her other leg across his shins, knocking him to the floor.

Her maneuvers ended with herself on the floor as well. The guard with the baton took another swing at her, this time aiming for her sternum. Sitting on her backside, supported by her hands, she raised her leg and caught the baton in the crook of her heel. She shoved it away, and rolled gracefully backwards as the third guard tried to dive on top of her.

Now on her feet, she readied the Walther in her grip. The baton guard swung again and this time, Ada simply blocked his arm with her gun hand. She coiled her arm around his and swept it away downwards. As she did, she squeezed the trigger.

P-thip!

The gun chirped and the bullet shot through his thigh. The man collapsed moaning in pain and holding his leg. The second guard tried to take a swipe at her. Ada ducked low and turned with him as he stumbled past.

P-thip!

She shot the second guard through the back of his calf. Like the first one, he fell down, holding his wound. By now, the third had just gotten to his feet.

P-thip!

Ada shot him in the thigh before he could even take a step towards her. As she incapacitated the final guard, the elevator doors opened, and a man, preoccupied with something he was reading had stepped out. He looked around at the bleeding security guards in surprise, then his expression changed to shock as he noticed the Asian woman and the gun she had leveled at his face. He opened his mouth. Ada spoke first.

"Ah!" she said quickly, "Not a word..."

The man's mouth closed. Ada got closer to the elevator and stuck her hand on the door, holding it open. The man scuttled up against the frame of it as she got closer. Definitely the nervous type, he wore a dress shirt and tie. The glasses he wore made him look like an accountant.

"I'd feel a little bad if I didn't give him some compensation," Ada thought. She leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Good boy," she whispered, and pistol whipped him across the temple. He crumpled and fell away from the door. Ada let the doors close and hit 15 on the panel. She sighed and stuck the gun back into it's hidden holster on her leg, then brushed her bangs away from her forehead. She hadn't even let go of the black case during the scuffle with the guards.

"What a bother," she thought irritably to herself. With any luck, she could be out of here in five minutes. Ada turned in the elevator and saw a camera in the upper corner of it. "So much for getting lucky in Vegas..." She smiled sheepishly at it. No doubt security was already waiting for her. The doors opened.

Ada lunged out of the elevator and cartwheeled, sliding the virus case along the tiled floor. Her unique movement dazzled the six or seven or so guards waiting for her in a semicircle around the elevator. These weren't dressed up like the ones in the lower floors were. They were wearing standard uniforms and equipment.

Landing in their midst, she locked onto one near the hall which was acting as her escape route then spun and kicked. Her heel caught him across the face, and he slumped against the wall. They all tried to tackle her at once, but Ada had already gotten into the hallway. The corridor prevented them from getting two across.

Ada caught the wrists of two guards and held them. As long as she could keep two in front of her, the others would have problems getting around. Before they could grab her back, she let fly another kick behind her. It caught the remaining guard blocking the hall in the stomach. He went down, trying to get his wind back.

The way behind her now void of guards, Ada released her grip on the wrists of the two she held just as they tried to grab her back. She arched herself backwards and flipped on her hands like a gymnast. When she landed, she leaped backward and kicked as a guard took a swipe at her. Her kick caught him in the throat. As he stumbled, gasping from the point of her shoe on his trachea, he bumped into the guard next to him, setting him off balance.

Ada chopped the second guard on the side of the neck, then drove her palm into his face. The second guard collapsed, and a swift kick from Ada dropped the first. The three guards jostling behind them now advanced on her, anxious for their go at the woman.

Ada reached to her holster and cartwheeled again, pulling out her grapple gun as she did. She landed in between all three of them, then shoved the one closest to her. He backed up against the wall, and his arms rose to his side to absorb his impact, just like Ada predicted. Quick as lightening, she fired her gun, and the metal claw shot through the bicep of the guard and planted into the wall. He howled in pain as a blossom of red began to spread along the white of his uniform.

Ada swept the gun across the floor, trailing the cable attached to the muzzle of her gun along the floor. She cartwheeled a third time, past the two remaining guards. Landing on her feet, she pushed the trigger of the gun forward, and the cable retracted.

One guard was standing directly over the cable as it tightened. It came up between his legs and flung him into a spiral. As the cable tightened further, it clotheslined the remaining guard. He choked out as the cable assaulted his throat and swept him off his feet. The guard that the claw had pierced howled again as the metal object was ripped back through his arm. He collapsed to his knees as the cable rewound into the winch underneath Ada's gun. The claw and first inch of the cable were red with blood.

Ada collected the case from the floor and calmly walked to the window at the end of the hall and opened it, leaving the chaos behind her. She hopped up on the sill, balanced precariously on her high heels. She shot the grapple gun up into an overhanging bit of concrete roof. She turned around and saw that more guards had just poured out of the second elevator. They froze when they saw the pile of writhing men and herself perched on the window, dress fluttering like a cape in the wind. She puckered her lips and kissed at them, then stepped off the window sill.

The winch of the grapple gun whined continually as it let out more and more cable. Ada fell only a little slower than she normally would have unassisted. The fabric of her dress fluttered wildly up and around her as she sailed down. Looking past it, she saw the entrance of the casino coming closer rapidly. She pulled the trigger to retract the cable and the winch groaned in protest, but began to slow her down. Her dress didn't flap so wildly, then settled around her legs as she lightly touched down on the entry carpet of the casino entrance. Her elegant legs bent slightly as they absorbed her weight. The people coming in and out of the casino gasped in surprise. After all, she had simply fallen from the sky.

"Miss Wong?" a voice inquired. Ada looked at the driveway and saw that her limousine was waiting for her. The young blond girl in a black driver's uniform holding the door open for her was with the organization.

"Yes, thank you very much," she said smiling, then looked up. On the top floor, she could see several heads sticking out. The security guards.

Ada cocked the hammer of her gun back halfway and pressed the trigger, then released the hammer. The cable detached. She strutted to the limo and got into it. The blond girl shut the door behind her and walked around to the driver seat, started the engine, then pulled out of the casino's driveway.

Ada set her gun down on the plush leather seat beside her, then looked down at her hand and groaned. The expensive French manicured nail of her ring finger was chipped in half. She rolled her eyes in irritation. She could care less that people attacked and chased her, but Ada hated nothing more than the discomfort of something as small as a broken nail.

The visor that separated the drivers cabin from the passengers slid down. Ada saw the back of the tight bun of hair that the blond girl had under her cap.

"How was your evening, Miss Wong?" she said, as if to casually converse with her passenger. Ada sighed.

"It was alright," she said, smiling and playing along. "The men here are pretty rude. Not one offered to buy me a drink." She ran her hand over the black metal weaving of the armored case. "Do you have my personals?" she asked the driver.

The girl nodded, and without taking her eyes off the rode, stuck her arm into through the visor's gap and held a personal digital assistant out to Ada. She took it, and the visor slid back up.

Ada turned the PDA on. The screen indicated that it was connecting, then Wesker's face appeared on it.

"Well, I assume that you were successful?" he asked immediately, not even bothering to greet her.

"Yes," Ada replied. "I have the virus."

"Let me see it."

Ada opened the case on her lap, and turned her PDA's camera towards it, giving Wesker a clear view of it's contents. He chuckled.

"Excellent."