"I'm sorry, Camryn," Daisuke said, keeping his finger on the trigger as he hung up the phone.
Camryn glared at the man. "It won't work. My dad thinks I'm dead. He'll think Darya is trying to trick him again."
"I wouldn't be too sure."
"Why are you doing this? If you care about me as much as you say, why are you holding a gun to my head?"
"I've got a job to do, Cam."
"Don't call me that."
"Why not, Cam?"
Camryn gritted her teeth.
"Is it because that's what Alex calls you?" Daisuke sneered.
"I'm going to kill you, Daisuke."
"Really? I don't think you can do it. You're just a kid."
"Don't underestimate what I can do."
"You couldn't kill anyone, Camryn."
It was Camryn's turn to sneer. "You think? Oh, you'd be surprised."
Daisuke laughed. Camryn saw her opportunity and seized it. She snatched the gun and pushed it out of aim. Two shots fired wide into the wall. Camryn grabbed the switchblade from her pocket and flipped the blade. She pressed the tip of the blade into Daisuke's throat.
"Are you going to kill me, Cam?"
"I told you not to call me that." Camryn brought up her knee hard between Daisuke's legs. Daisuke dropped the gun and crumpled toward the floor.
"Careful," Camryn warned, pushing the knife harder against the man's throat. "Are you working for Yassen Gregorovich?"
Daisuke kept his silence and just glared at the teen spy.
"Answer me."
"Go to hell, bitch."
"If you tell me what I want-"
"You'll let me live. Yeah, I already know that routine. You can forget about it."
"Actually, I was going to kiss you."
Daisuke's eyes widened. "That will work. Ask away, honey."
"Are you working for Yassen Gregorovich?"
"Yes."
"Is the nuclear base up in the mountains near the Falcon Ski Resort?"
"Yes."
"You know, if you're not being honest, I'm going to slit your throat."
"I figured that. But, hey, a kiss from you is definitely worth betraying Yassen for."
"Is Darya working with Yassen?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"She wants revenge for her parents' deaths."
"How do I get into the lab?"
"At the south end of the lab, there's a grove of trees. There's a hollow tree in the middle. There's a keypad in the hollow tree. The code is Alpha, Lima, Echo, X-ray."
"Alex?"
"Yes. That will deactivate the infrared system. You can get into the lab."
"Is there anything else I should know?"
Daisuke smirked. "You're going to get rocked, baby. You're going to die."
"We'll see about that." Camryn closed the knife and tucked it back into her pocket. She picked up the gun and headed for the door. Daisuke grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Whoa, wait a minute. What about my kiss?"
"Just kidding." Camryn kicked Daisuke in the groin again, but harder this time.
Daisuke crumpled to the floor, groaning in pain. "Oh, you're a bitch."
"Yeah," Camryn smirked. "But you like that." Camryn pressed the gun to Daisuke's forehead.
"Camryn, what are you doing?"
"Gee, I don't know. If I'm holding a gun to you're head, I think I'm going to kill you. What do you think?"
"Come on, now, don't do this. Why, Camryn?"
"Why not? You're not the only one with a job to do."
"Camryn, I love you."
"Bullshit." Bang.
"Alex, the message came from a laptop based in a hotel about half an hour from here."
"Let me see the IP address." Alex took a quick glance at the screen. Akira Aramaki?
"Do you know the address?" Smithers asked.
"Yeah."
Darya's cell phone vibrated in Alex's pocket. Alex answered it, forgetting that it wasn't his own. "Hello?"
"Alex?"
"Akira?"
"What are you doing with Darya's phone? What the hell is going on?"
"You tell me!"
"Whatever. I'm glad you got my message in time."
"You knew about the bomb?"
"Yeah. Daisuke planted it there."
"What? Why is Daisuke involved?"
"He made a deal with Yassen Gregorovich."
"What?"
"I'll give you the details later. I want you to go to Yassen's nuclear base. It's up in the mountains."
"I know where it is."
"Good. Go to the south end of the lab. There's a grove of trees. In the middle, there is a hollow tree. There will be a keypad. The code is Alpha, Lima, Echo, X-ray."
"Alex? I'm the password?"
"Sure, whatever. That will deactivate the infrared system. Get over there as soon as you can. Camryn and I will meet you there."
"Camryn? She's okay?"
"Yeah."
"Let me talk to her."
"Later. Get your ass up in that mountain."
Akira hung up. Alex hung up the phone and headed toward the Falcon Ski Resort.
This situation just couldn't get anymore twisted. Camryn angrily wrenched her gun out of Akira's grip as he hung up the phone. Because of Akira, her shot had gone wide.
"Sorry, Camryn, I can't let you kill Daisuke," Akira said.
"Do I have to kill you too?"
"No. I want him to face the consequences of treason. If you shoot him, he just dies. If I take him back to the DIH, he'll be tortured in jail before he's executed."
"Isn't that illegal?"
"I have my ways."
Camryn thought about it. "Although I really want to kill him, I think your idea sounds better."
"So we have a deal?"
"Under one condition: you have to e-mail me a video feed of his torture and execution."
Akira made a face. "Wow, you're a bitch."
Camryn pointed her thumb in Daisuke's direction. "Well, he likes it."
"He's a stupid fag," Akira said, rolling his eyes.
"I'm glad we agree. So what's the plan?"
"We're going to contact your father."
"No need."
Camryn looked passed Akira. Ryan stood in the doorway of the hotel room.
"Dad!" Camryn started toward her father.
"Whoa, hold it, missy."
"But, Dad-"
"What color were your mother's eyes?"
"She wore colored contacts."
"I know that. What was the true color of Katrina's eyes, Camryn? You do remember your mother, don't you?"
Tears welled up in Camryn's eyes. Katrina Albright had died when Camryn was only four, yet Camryn still remembered her face clearly.
"Green. They were green, Dad."
Ryan threw his arms around his daughter and held her tightly. Camryn cried into her father's shoulder.
"Alright, people," Akira said. "I'm a big fan of family moments, but we kind of have an emergency here. We've got a stupid little British boy running around in the mountains by himself. If we don't hurry up, that stupid little British boy is going to get himself killed."