Chapter 8: Battery Park, NYC - August 24th, 2004 at 2:05 am EST: Ada and Lucas

Lucas turned to Ada and holstered his Beretta. "Wait here by the door."

Ada nodded. Let's see what he can do. Lucas reached into his backpack and pulled out a small black box. He pulled open the lid gently, pulling out an ordinary looking white cloth. He closed the box, clasping it shut tightly. He put the box back into the bag, zipped it shut, and tightened its straps against his body. Lucas slowly pushed the secret door open, sliding into the darkness. Ada slipped into the darkness as well, waiting and watching. She could barely see Lucas, even though he was wearing white. Even the light that came in from the New York street barely made him visible, and that was only if you knew where to look.

The first thing that Lucas noticed was the size difference between him and the poor, unaware fool. He maybe has a couple of inches on me…Lovely. Slowly creeping up behind him, Lucas took one last size measurement and a moment to envision what he was about to do. Then, he acted.

Before Koralenko could turn around or even react, Lucas kicked the back of his right knee, causing it to collapse. Evgeni's entire body then followed suit, thrown off by the sudden imbalance. Lucas quickly put his left arm around his throat and forced the cloth into his face with the right arm. After a few minutes of muffled struggle, Koralenko lost consciousness, dropping to the ceramic floor. Lucas glanced to the left and noticed Rufus' body and then at his watch. No time for feeling sorry; now we're on borrowed time.

"Ada, let's move! We're out of time!"

He doesn't kill unless he needs to. Probably military. Ada began to move towards the class door when she heard a soft bong sound. The elevator…

"Lucas; someone's in the elevator coming down."

"Told you we were on borrowed time," he quickly replied will moving towards her.

"Oh, I thought that when you said 'we're out of time,' you meant that we could sit down and have a nice long chat," she fired back sarcastically.

Lucas' hand reached down for one of the handguns at his side but decided to leave it in its holster. A smirk worked its way through his lips as he pushed open the glass door. He held the door open for Ada to go through, and then he followed her out.

Though it was only around 2:00 am and there were barely any lights on in the neighboring buildings, the reflecting light from the moon lit the street just enough for Ada and Lucas to see. Lucas pointed near the street corner at a red Dodge. Understanding immediately, she started moving towards it as Lucas headed over to the white van that had arrived shortly before the alarm went off on his computer. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the PDA and smiled. He looked down at the door handle to the driver's side door and thought 'nothing in life is ever easy' before pulling on it. You're kidding me, he said under his breath when the door popped open. He leaned inside and hid the device underneath of the driver's seat, display down. If it's not theirs, then oh well…He shut the door quietly and started to make his way over to his own car.

His pace quickened from a brisk walk to a jog. Lucas glanced inside the apartment building door as he paced and saw nothing but the unconscious mercenary. Eh, probably should've moved him. Too late now. Ada was waiting for him impatiently by the trunk of the Dodge. As he neared it, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of car keys attached to a small, pewter keychain. Moments later, he was at the car, popping open the trunk. He tossed in his backpack and moved to the front of the car while Ada took the time to set down and position her duffel bags. By the time she shut the top, the engine roared to life.

Lucas leaned over the front seats and pushed open the passenger door for Ada. She slid into the seat and pulled her door shut quickly. Lucas shifted the car into drive and started off. That's when he and Ada both noticed the black BMW, although neither of them said anything about it or its occupant.

After ten minutes of awkward silence and trying to stay awake, Ada finally asked the obvious question: "Where are we going, Lucas?"

Lucas' eyes blinked quickly, as if he was waking up from a daze. "A small place in New Jersey." After a small pause, he looked over at Ada. "I have a little cabin there. Hopefully, we'll be able to get there soon take a breather. If that's ok with you," he finished.

"Its ok; I trust you."

What did I just say? Ada asked herself. She spun it in her mind over and over, wondering why. She finally came to a conclusion: I just do. Lucas could see her mind working, due to the fact that she was biting down on her lip slightly.

"Everything alright, Ada?"

Lucas' voice snapped her back to reality. "Yeah; everything's fine. Maybe I'm just a little tired still," she explained. She looked over at him, trying to find his eyes. He eventually looked over at her, and she tried to find any hint of deceit. She found none.

"That would be completely understandable. If you want, I'll wake you up when we get there," Lucas suggested. Half of Ada wanted to stay awake and try to find out as much as she could about her new best friend, but the other half just wanted to get to sleep.

"How long?"

"About an hour and a half," he answered.

"Sounds good," Ada replied as she readjusted herself in the seat. She rested her head against the window and closed her eyes. She was nearly asleep when she felt a soft tap on her shoulder. "Yes?"

"Mind if I play some music?"

She felt a smile forming. "As long as it isn't loud, obnoxious, or something that could be confused with being just noise." Lucas didn't respond to her answer. She was definitely surprised when she didn't hear hard rock, metal, or rap when the music came on. Not guitars, not drums, not electronics, but a piano. Who are you and how in the world did you get into our line of work, Lucas? After about a minute of listening to the music, she finally fell asleep. Lucas glanced over at her and smiled. This job will be finished soon. Just get home, contact the Organization as to the new drop-off point, and then get her there. Don't let yourself get attached, Lucas. She doesn't even remember you. "Moonlight Sonata" and other great Beethoven pieces filled his ears and mind as the drive to Medford Lakes, New Jersey progressed. As the music continued, he had a final thought before he stopped thinking about the job: Who are you trying to fool, Lucas? You already are.