Chapter 7: Battery Park, NYC - August 24th, 2004 at 2:00 am EST: HUNK and the Mercenaries

She should be in there.

That was one of the only thoughts that John Davis had before entering the Battery Park Building. He had just sent the rest of his team into the lobby. As the other four men waited patiently for their leader, John reached into a pocket of his tactical vest, pulling out a pack of Marlboro regulars. Although the summer season was in full force, there was a breeze that threatened to keep the cigarette that had just been taken out of the pack from being lit. Reaching into the same pocket, he pulled out a match book from some bar that was close by that he would never go to again. He then tossed the vest into the back seat of the vehicle for now. It'd be damn stupid to wear that in there right away. He pulled out a match and struck it against the side of his battle-worn face. The night winds had blinked, allowing enough time to allow the match to light the cigarette. After taking a few drags from the rolled tobacco, he threw it onto the pavement at his feet and crushed the top, extinguishing the red glow from the end. He smiled, drawing a parallel to what was about to come.

He said she'll be here.

With that being thought (and quietly whispered to the night sky), he walked across the street and stepped into the bright lobby. As soon he walked in, he glanced up and to the left, noticing the security camera. The intel said that there would be a camera there. Good. An annoying bellhop was hassling his group, and right now he really didn't want the extra nuisance. The bellhop followed the direction of one of the team member's finger as John Davis approached the group.

"What's the problem, Vi?" he asked the closest member.

"He says that we are not allowed in here because we don't have an invitation," responded Viacheslav Pistov with a thick Russian accent.

John then looked at the employee and started to take him aside. "We're only here to visit a friend…" he started to say as he looked at the name tag, "…Rufus."

"But sir, no one told me that they were expecting visitors. It's company policy."

He looked at the young man in front of him and laughed a bit to himself. Who's policy would that be now; the Organization's? The email that Wesker had sent to him had explained that this building was actually a safe house for agents of the Organization, and that it was only used by one agent at a time. Of course, bellhops and cleaners excluded. That made Rufus an employee of the Organization as well. Anything that happened at the Battery Park Building would be covered up and kept quiet to the public. Limit civilian casualties but if you come across anyone from the Organization…well, then. That's a different story; he remembered Wesker's words. This made him smile a little bit wider.

"Now, tell me something now, Rufus. Would you tell someone that you were coming to kill them?"

He had been leading the bellhop right into the sight of the camera so that everything would be on camera. John Davis didn't care whether his face was on camera or not. No one has found me yet. After one last glance towards the camera, he looked into the scared eyes of the man, no, boy in front of himPerhaps he had an idea that he was going to die because of the comment the tall man in front of him made. Maybe it was the fact that the other four men had left the lobby and are now coming back with weapons and tactical vests. Now, let the games begin. He sidestepped the bellhop while reaching for his chin. Finding it with his right hand, he grabbed at the back of it with the left and twisted. A loud cracking sound rung through the lobby followed by a soft thud as Rufus' remains dropped to the floor.

"So, did one of you bring in my gear?" he asked, unaffected by what he had just done.

"Esta aqui, jefe," responded Ramon Ortiz as he carried it over to him. John met him half way and took the tactical vest first, slipping it on and closing the clasps with a sharp click. Next came the modified M-16K rifle. He flipped on the laser sight to make sure that it worked, and then looked down the sights of the sleek weapon. He then donned his trademark: a type of red-eyed gas mask. He smiled underneath the mask and stepped back into the view of the security camera. He looked straight up into the camera, his eyes hidden behind the red fiberglass. That's right. I'm coming.

"Alright, men; here's what we're going to do. Ramon, you take the staircase," HUNK commanded. His voice changed from the playful tone he had been using with Rufus to a deadly serious one. "Evgeni, you're staying here. Go outside and wait for any lights to come on. If one does, radio in. Parker, you're taking the first elevator. Vi, you and I'll take the second one. Intel from our friend Wesker says that the target is on the fifth floor and likely to not be alone. Anyone with her, kill on sight." He took a pause and added his final order: "The bitch is mine. If anyone kills her, they'll die as a replacement."

All of the men nodded and approved in their various languages: Ramon Ortiz in Spanish, Viacheslav Pistov and Evgeni Koralenko in Russian, and Parker Sullivan in English.

"Then let's get moving, people. The prick probably already triggered an alarm, so if my guess is right, we have maybe ten minutes to get the job done. Don't forget about the virus sample, either. Although, I couldn't care less if we would leave it behind."

Pistov signaled for Davis to come over to him for a moment. "Will the boy be alright by himself?"

Davis glanced over at Koralenko and then looked back at Pistov. "You trained him. What do you think?"

Pistov thought for a moment to himself and then nodded.

And with that, the five men dispersed throughout the building. Ortiz moved towards the stair well vestibule double time, reaching it as the elevator doors opened for Pistov, Sullivan, and Davis. He heard gunfire and turned around for a second. After a few moments, the body of the elevator employee was tossed out of the second elevator in an unceremonious heap before the doors shut. Over the radio, John Davis made it clear that he had 'just done some house cleaning' and to continue with the mission.

Koralenko went outside to the unmarked van that the mercenary group parked at a nearby Subway. Not wanting to be noticed, he hopped inside of the van and watched the windows of the tall Battery Park apartment building. He had asked Pistov why Davis was so eager to kill the woman, to which his reply was 'don't ask him or Sullivan.' And he didn't, because what Pistov said was law, as far as he was concerned. Not thirty seconds after he went outside did he see a light suddenly glare. He reached for his radio to contact the others.

"Koralenko to squad, Koralenko to squad. We have light on the fifth floor. I repeat, we have light on the fifth floor." He could feel his pulse quicken, knowing that they were getting close to the moment.

HUNK's voice came over the radio next. "Good work, comrade. Now go inside and wait in the lobby. Turn off the lights so that no one from the street can see you and make sure that no one comes in or leaves. Understand?"

"ПОНЯТЫЙ (understood)," Koralenko responded as he entered the building again. He quickly switched out the lights of the lobby. He moved Rufus' body back behind the reception desk, just in case someone would peer inside. Ortiz was only to the fourth floor, since he decided to look down each of the hallways of the other floors from the stair well. The two elevators were rising slowly, approaching the fifth floor also. Pistov began to fidget, which HUNK noticed.

"You think something isn't right." For a moment, he thought that Pistov would say no, but then he spoke for him. "You're right. If you were trying to escape, why turn on the light to show that you were here?" Davis thought for a moment, but was interrupted by the elevator's ding as the fifth floor came into view from behind the reflective doors. Both men adopted a ready-to-shoot stance, protecting the other person's back as they peeked out of the elevator cab. "Go back down, Vi. Something's not right here."

She better still be here.