Chapter 16. "The First Strike."
The time was close to 6:30 P.M. when the two mercenaries arrived.
At the front desk, a brunette woman who looked to be in her early 30s had an opened book. Behind her was a layered arrangement of keys. The lobby of the place was vacant for the most part until the mercenaries approached the front desk.
Hunk went in immediately and placed an amount of money in front of her. "Give me the cheapest room you have, for two." The woman stared at him for a moment as if she was on alert from him.
"Okay, Jesus." She replied and took a pen from her front pocket. "I need a name."
Nighthawk came in and placed his hand on the desk.
"My name is Morgan, babe, and he's Steve." The self-proclaimed suave leaned on the desk.
Once he removed his palm, there was another small bundle of money.
The woman at first was confused; two guys just offered a lot of money to her out of nowhere to rent a room.
Of course, she's seen worse enter through the lobby doors. But, of course, she would prefer to inquire some questions on the men. "Of course." She typed the names on her notepad, before going to her PC.
However, asking questions could scare off customers… Against her own curiosity. "What do you want?" she said with a frown.
Hunk made sure to memorize the front desk employee's name, which was Peggy from the nametag.
If something were to happen while they were here.
Just in case.
Nighthawk pushed Hunk slightly to the side and smiled at her. "He's just hungry. We skipped lunch today."
The woman's eyes moved from Hunk to Nighthawk until she pushed the thoughts away and wrote down the names. At last, she spun the chair behind and took a key from the handlers. She placed the key on the desk and simply replied. "Enjoy."
Nighthawk took it and winked at her. "Thank you." The two went over to the elevator, and they did not have to wait long for their luck. Once they entered: Hunk noticed that the woman at the desk watched them until the door closed.
"Steve, seriously?" Hunk shook his head lightly. "You're supposed to be the clever one."
"If government dogs are sent here to find someone suspicious. Steve is just too generic to be real." Nighthawk smirked. "Well, I would have called you Asshole. But that name was already taken on the list." Nighthawk stared at the changing elevator numbers. "Seriously, relax."
Hunk exhaled through his nose.
"I think you scared her enough," Nighthawk commented.
Hunk facepalmed and took a breath, in and out for a moment, until he heard the ding informing him they arrived on the fifth floor, for their key had the number 507.
Nighthawk whistled as he walked down the hallway and winked at a woman that passed him. The corridor was well kept and clean. It had goldish ceramic tiles, a dark brown carpet, and small chandeliers in the wall, giving the place gloomy lighting.
"Eyes front." Hunk nagged as he took hold of the room key.
"Relax, there's still time," Nighthawk replied casually as his eyes traveled behind to see the woman walking away. She was definitely the kind of woman that worked out when she wore some perfectly form-fitting pants. The tight clothes definitely got his attention.
"Sure." Hunk grumbled.
"So, what's the plan for this evening?" Nighthawk pulled out a keycard he stole to open a maintenance passage to get around.
"Just sleep."
"Righto, boss. I was thinking about asking our hotel front desk for some crab legs." The door opened, and before the light was turned on, Hunk whispered.
"Get some of that for me too, with a side of French fries…."
"There we go." Nighthawk laughed.
Their room was neither downright cheap nor five stars. There were two beds with white sheets, pillows, and blankets. A window with a view of the street and a clean bathroom.
Nighthawk chose the bed close to the door. It was a habit of his to not sleep close to a window.
Hunk did not argue with Nighthawk on the matter. Instead, he picked up the phone and dialed for the front desk as Hunk watched the street in silence. Nighthawk wanted to glance at Hunk but did not want to show him too much attention.
'How long can he last like this?' Nighthawk thought to himself before he spoke to the front desk with an order for food. Back when the two grew up, their instructors were always impressed by how well James performed. Academically, physically, and of outlook as a soldier.
'He'll be fine.' Nighthawk did not pay attention as his order was being read back to him. "Um, yes, can you run that by me one more time?"
Hunk did not move from the window for almost a minute.
'I might be wrong about James….' Finally, Nighthawk relented against his better judgment.
"Are you okay?" Nighthawk asked. "Your memories are returning, aren't they?"
Hunk's shoulders dipped as he looked away from the glass. He narrowly stared at Nighthawk.
Nighthawk wished to think of a snarky comment but got the opposite.
"What? How'd you...?"
Nighthawk smiled at him, one devoid of happiness. "We are not merely lab children James. It's something I figured out a while ago, and I was not sure how to tell you this." Nighthawk interlocked his fingers.
"Enough playing, start talking now..."
A woman in her late thirties stood inside the living room with a bright smile on her face. She had long raven hair that reached past her shoulders to her elbows. Her expression was blank for the most part as her eyes just stared off into space.
In the middle between the fancy couches, two boys were playing and competing with each other to win in a thumb war. Finally, the front door slammed as a pair of shoes skidded against the hardwood flooring.
The woman felt the hair at the back of her neck stand upright with the intensity of the presence. The two boys were confused by the sound but did not let it faze them as they continued with their game.
"Judith." A single voice summoned her to the other side of the house. She did not want to look away from her sons.
Eventually, Mike was the one to see a level of distress come from his mother. This also caught the attention of James, who looked back at the other half of the living room.
Judith expressed a level of composure. "It's okay. I just have to talk to daddy."
She knew what must be done and looked away. She did not greet in falsehoods toward her husband. Even to be with someone she grew to despise, she could not wholly hate the gift her sons turned out to be. She left the living room to make a stop in her room. Judith looked to the drawer and quickly yanked it open, shoving all the junk out of the way and pulling out the old box from the bottom. It was a case that held a twin set of CZ-75 handguns and a 9mm Walter P22 handgun.
The CZ-75s was something from Judith's early days and hoped to be a gift for her sons when they would be older. She took a long and deep breath, then walked to the living room and ordered Mike and James to get to the same room.
With both hands with the CZs, she kneeled down and handed one to each of them. The things were not loaded, of course, but there wouldn't be another time before she could pass these heirlooms off.
"These weapons will be yours in the future, got it? Go hide now."
"Mom…" Mike clenched to her waist.
"What about you…?" James looked up at her, staring in mute shock.
"Go." She said sternly, and they did, looking back only once before disappearing into the house. Judith herself stepped in the room armed and ready with the Walter P22.
She heard John do a little rummaging in the other room close by before he started screaming. "Judith!" And he came into the living room. His face was engulfed in anger.
"What do you want?" Fear was evident in her tone.
John's eyes scanned the room a bit before he returned to her. "Where are the boys? It's time."
Hearing these words sent rage through her. "These are your children, you bastard, have some mercy!"
"Those two are not children but an investment. Do you have any idea what could happen if we backed out?" He said, walking dangerously slow to her.
Judith stared in disbelieve, deep down wondering where the hell is the man she loved and agreed to marry long ago? He was the sweet guy who showered her with love and tenderness.
"They will live their own lives as they see fit!" She angrily whispered as she raised her handgun.
CLICK! Judith blinked in shock. CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
She leaned away in defeat. "You removed the firing pin."
John smirked and crossed his arms. "Where is the love, Judy? Those boys will help us."
"They already helped me," Judith argued back. "I hate you, John."
At the other side of the hall of the confrontation, Mike observed the ordeal.
Hunk laid down on the bed and took a breath. "Who told you all of this? Why can't I remember her or this event?"
Nighthawk heaved a long shudder. This is too much to do at one time. "Sorry, bro," he whispered. "I figured this out when they caught me in that town. I started remembering certain things before I got wounded, and the outbreak spread."
Hunk drew his pistol, which was an H&K P8. He tightened his grip on the gun and remained quiet for the next hour or so.
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Hunk stood near the door of the maintenance path and waited, it was opening slowly, and a shadow of a person was visible, the figure tried to stab with his left hand, but Hunk caught it and twisted it to the point the man screamed in pain. His grip loosened, and the knife hit the ground. Hunk held his other arm and flipped him in his back. The man did not get a chance to breathe when he felt Hunk's leg tripped him to the ground.
"Where is Nikolai?" Hunk coldly asserted.
The man trembled under him. "Fuck you." The henchman shouted only for him to see a barrel of his gun pointing directly at his forehead.
"O…kay, okay. He is in Russia with Sergei." Hunk lowered his knee on the guy's throat as he kept an eye out for any friends to the henchman. When the lack of movement proved that it was clear, Hunk moved his knee. Finally, he relented on the force to let him speak. "...And Nikolai is going somewhere in Spain afterward."
"Hmm..." Hunk pondered over what he heard for a moment before the man coughed for air. "That is what I know."
Hunk had a blank expression as he took a knife out and stabbed the henchman in the skull at the temple and jaw. Once the guy died, Hunk moved the body to an isolated corner of the room. Hunk holstered his gun and continued to where he should go.
The mercenary loosened the top screws and removed the air vent grill. A few things would be immediately evident to anyone who looked inside the vent. One, the back of the vent was sealed off, so it was no longer functional. Two, the large white bucket and the big battery pack probably didn't belong down there. He pried the lid off the bucket and was immediately greeted by the chemical smell that infused the front room, so familiar he barely noticed it.
In the darkness, Hunk found supplies left for him by Nighthawk. A bucket with lighter fluid. Behind the bucket was a lighter. "Who doesn't love a purge?" He flicked on the lighter, and a small fire erupted from there.
A creepy smirk broke across his face as he threw it over, where he placed the lighter fluid. In mere seconds the fire spread all over the room. The electrical wires cracked, and a blackout followed.
Peggy was in her room checking her computer for the payment so far. It was a routine for her also to check with Sergei about how work was going. She clicked in a file and prepared to write her message when her vision began to blur. The lights in her room flickered for a moment until they were turned off for good.
She rubbed her eyes, but it was still there. A moment later, her nose caught the horrible smell of fire. "Oh dear god." She screamed and hurried out of the room.
The fire siren shook the whole building as people started to run out of their rooms scared. Most of them went over the fire escape while others used the stairs. The temperature started to rise on the B floor first and started raising up, and fire eating the kitchen and side bathrooms.
Nighthawk stood near the stairs leading to the rooftop in a building two blocks away. "Music to my ears." He was at the ready to do his part of the plan.
He opened the door, and it made a loud creak. He searched through his messenger bag and took a small flare out of it. He placed it on the ground and took out his lighter.
The flare created a beautiful white glow in the night sky despite the meaning behind it. "Yeah, we're still here Nikolai, wait for us."
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The phone in the penthouse kept ringing, disturbing the silence in the place. John came out of the room half asleep and angry to the point he was ready to kill someone. He rounded behind his desk and pressed the speaker button, "This better be good. Your life depends on it."
"Mister Murphy, we have trouble. I just got a message from Sergei." The assistant named Sterling trembled to speak the information.
Once he heard Sergei's name, he was wide awake, the two are allies, and he should know about anything that happens. "What now?"
Starling cleared his throat and swallowed a lump. "The building he owns is on fire at this very moment some of our enforcers there are dead… We can get the bodies cleared out before law enforcement completely cut off the area."
John's face changed dramatically in mere seconds. "What!?"
"According to one of our people, there was a white flare lit from the rooftop, and that should mean something to you specially."
John felt the blood drain from his face, his heart bump like thunder. A white flare, he knew only one person who used it.
"The runts turn up now," he whispered. John wrung his hands and paced back and forth behind the desk. He was ready to snap any minute and kill someone. "This is not good if we kept going at this rate..." He frowned. "I'll die before I surrender to Wesker."
"Sir, don't give up hope. Nikolai already sent his men after her for the plan to work later." Sterling replied.
The plan Ada Wong discussed with him, he still has his doubts about that, but in this situation, he had to try and take risks before his children catch him and send him on the way to hell.
They don't know by doing that, they will have so much power beyond what they think. "Right, we just have to wait for now."
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The two mercenaries walked through the side street after they took one last look at their handy work. Then, finally, smoke began to clear, and they were able to breathe normal fresh air once again. "I cannot wait to be face to face with that bastard." Hunk commented.
"You could say that again. I wonder what his reaction is going to be."
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The market was busy even though it was nighttime, lucky that she was allowed to work a shift at this hour as a fill-in from another worker absent that day. The sooner she works, the better for her and Annie to earn money and get back on their feet.
Claire was dressed in a red vest and a dark blue shirt underneath and dark blue pants, her work uniform. The glass door opened, and a couple entered, along with two women behind them.
"Welcome, thank you for coming." she greeted them with a smile. A woman came in and placed her things for a checkout. As fast as she could, Claire spent a moment waiting if the new arrivals had questions. None of them said so. Heck, it only made Claire's job easier.
Once one of the browsers found something, Claire was ready to assist her.
Claire handed the woman her money, "Thank you, and please come again soon." She held onto the counter as she felt once again someone was watching her. The feeling is too overwhelming, like he is watching her every move, every breath. Especially that she cannot tell where he/she is. Claire's eyes observed the place as much as her vision allowed her.
She saw a woman and her child gathering groceries, a man alone checking a paper in his hand, no doubt doing errands. Nothing was unusual.
"What's going on?" she whispered.
In the heat of the moment, Claire felt numb in her stomach, "Excuse me." She called out to a coworker behind her. "Can you cover for me? I'm going to the bathroom."
"Sure thing." The raven-haired man answered with a smile.
Claire did not answer, and she just sprinted onward toward the bathroom. She bumped into two people on her way to the door.
Claire was slumped over the sink, prepared to throw up. But, instead, she breathed heavier than normal. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was slack. "What's happening to me?"
"There you are, Kristen." A muffled voice spoke behind her, and everything went black.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this. Please leave a review. Stay tuned until next time.
Thank you The95will.