Chapter 10

Sighing almost longingly, Ada stood overlooking the front yard of the The Peninsula Beverly Hills. Once again, shelling out 4 grand a night for a week was mere pennies for her. She had the best suite to herself, complete with kitchen and a dining room. Hell, she even had a damn piano; a pity she didn't play.

Ada just wished that she could enjoy herself more. The boredom was killing her. With the infiltration of S almost going to hell, Crow requested that she lay low, so lounging out by the pool in a bikini was out of the question. Even the hotel spa was off limits to her, and what Ada had seen in brochure only made her want it more. She never really liked watching TV for pleasure, so the 60 inch plasma screen fulfilled its purpose after she witnessed the news report on the S facility. Stripping and cleaning her gun ran it's course some time ago. She didn't even have a damn deck of cards.

It had been two days since Ada had sent S's financial records to the organization. Crow assured her that it wouldn't be long until they had some sort of results. For Ada, the results couldn't come soon enough. She'd much rather be out trying to find and eliminate the threat, rather than being forced to sit and wait. A threat like Wesker wasn't fixed by sitting around.

But no. I'm supposed to stay inside and be a good girl until I hear back from Crow with an update. Fine then. If he wants a good girl, he'll get one. I just wish he would hurry up with that information.

Ada tried to press the issue of Wesker with Crow last time they spoke. They had to act now. For all Ada knew, this was what Wesker wanted all along. If they played too far into his game, they wouldn't be able to get out. It was almost maddening for Crow to simply brush off the subject as if it were nothing. As attractive as his voice sounded, Ada probably would have slapped him, regardless of his standing in the organization.

Sighing again, Ada left the balcony and plopped down on the couch. She turned on the TV, but since it was only 1:30 in the afternoon, nothing was on. Already annoyed with the bland daytime programs, she toggled the mute on and opted to channel surf. The velour couch may as well have been granite. Her fist on her cheek was hot and rigid.

Mercifully, the sound she was waiting for came: a descending set of beeps, followed by three harsh buzzes. It was her PDA resting on the end table. The device shifted in it's position as its vibrate feature made it dance in three short jerks. The sequence began to repeat and Ada snatched it off the table then checked the screen. Call unknown.

The PDA was against her ear. "Tyrant's bane?"

"Raccoon's mask," replied Crow. "Hello Miss Wong."

A third sigh escaped Ada's lips. Relief. "Crow, thank God."

"Happy to hear from me, I see. How's Los Angeles?"

Ada gritted her teeth. "Boring as hell. Tell me you have something."

Crow chortled on the other side, amused with her angst.

"What's the rush? Can't I tease you a little longer?"

"I'd rather you didn't," Ada replied tersely as she paced the length of the living room.

"Very well then." Crow's voice turned serious. "We've had about a dozen people sifting through the information you've provided. S has been very busy, it seems."

"And?"

"We've found no evidence of an assassin for hire," he finished flatly.

Ada couldn't hide her disbelief or frustration. "You've got to be kidding."

"Unfortunately, I'm not, Miss Wong. Nothing was found in Taylor's files. We've found financial records of large amounts drugs, medical supplies, and testing equipment, which is..."

"...is normal for a company like S," Ada finished for him.

"Precisely. There were no unusual transactions of money, so either the assassin is either working for free, or we are looking in the wrong place."

"Is there any chance that someone missed something?" asked Ada, almost hopefully.

"We've gone over the information several times," Crow assured her. "That's what took so long. Trust me, there's nothing."

"So, what's the plan then?"

"The organization doesn't have one," Crow said simply. "We don't have enough evidence to act against S."

"Evidence?" Ada almost thought she heard him incorrectly. "Crow, we don't need evidence! It's not like we're a faction of the local police! What's to hold us back from simply taking out Wesker right now?"

"Miss Wong," Crow said carefully, "We've been over this before. The organization wants the parasite as much as S does. If Wesker has already contacted them, we risk losing it by making a move now."

"If we don't make a move now we risk losing it! Come on Crow," she pressed. "Do we really need to be held back by some stupid rules, or what the rest of the organization thinks? You have the most influence in the organization. Just say the word and Wesker's finished. Think about it." The tone of her voice dropped, glazed with sugar. "Just you and...me."

That should help press the issue. Crow obviously had a thing for her, so presenting herself in a more...desirable manner might yield better results.

"Miss Wong..." Crow began. By his condescending tone, Ada could tell he wasn't going to bite.

"We could have avoided this whole mess if we stuck to our original plan! Now, for all we know, Wesker's laughing his ass off while we're stuck dicking around-"

"Ada!"

Ada snapped her mouth shut. She hadn't even seen the line until after she crossed it. His voice cracked like a whip and felt like a slap across her face. Though she didn't know from experience, pissing off Crow was a dangerous thing. She breathed deeply, collecting herself, then spoke again, this time carefully.

"I...I'm sorry. It's just that I'm not the type to sit and do nothing. I'm a little frustrated."

"Quite alright," said Crow, his voice returning to its usual mellow level. "I myself haven't been feeling exactly peachy lately. The truth is, I don't like doing nothing either, which is why I've come up with a plan."

Ada blinked in surprise. "I thought you said you didn't have a plan."

"No, I said the organization didn't have a plan. I, however, do."

"We, uh, wouldn't be going behind the organization's back, would we?"

"No, Ada, of course not. We are merely acting in our best interests. Wesker has complete access to all of our information, every bit of detail of our doings. If we sit about and plot with the rest of the organization, he has the opportunity to act against us. I believe that is why this assassin has remained illusive so far. It will be just you and me, as you so delicately put it."

Ada pondered this sudden change in strategy for a second. She knew Crow for about 5 years, and in that time learned very little about him. The only thing she figured about him was that he was a by the book type of person. She wasn't sure if this was normal for him, or if he had something else planned.

But still, having a plan was better than having no plan at all. She decided to go along with it.

"Okay then, so what are the details?"

Crow laughed on the other end. "Tell me, Miss Wong, do you enjoy opera?"