Val's heart raced as he cautiously peeked through the window. Outside, Rufus and his four henchmen loomed ominously.

He turned to Peggy and instructed her to flank the gang from behind. "Go through the back and surprise them while I keep them occupied," he said, his voice hushed with urgency.

Peggy nodded and without hesitation, she slipped out the door and began to move stealthily, crouching low to avoid detection.

Val's eyes narrowed as he sized up Wilkes. "You know how to shoot?" he asked, his voice low and serious.

Wilkes nodded confidently, his military training evident in his bearing. "I was in the Navy," he replied, his eyes meeting Val's without hesitation.

Val nodded in approval. "Good," he said and quickly handed him a gun. "Go with Peggy and surprise them."

Val watched as Wilkes crouched low and slipped out the door, his movements fluid and practiced.

Val quickly positioned himself against the wall, his gun at the ready.

* BANG *

* BANG *

* BANG *

The shots rang out, echoing through the narrow alleyway. Val gritted his teeth and waited, biding his time until his enemies had to reload.

Finally, the firing stopped. Val wasted no time in taking action. He spun around, his gun raised, and zeroed in on one of Rufus' henchmen who was hiding behind a stack of crates, frantically reloading his rifle.

* BANG *

* BANG *

* BANG *

Val fired three shots in rapid succession, each one reverberating through the air like thunder. The henchman ducked and weaved, trying to avoid the hail of bullets. The first two missed him by inches. But the third found its mark, piercing through his skull with deadly accuracy. The henchman collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Meanwhile, Peggy and Wilkes moved like ghosts, silently flanking Rufus and his henchmen from behind. As they approached, they saw that Val had already taken out one of the henchmen, leaving only three remaining.

Peggy's eyes narrowed as she sighted her target. With her gun raised, she took aim and fired.

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* BANG *

* BANG *

* BANG *

The henchman cried out in pain, clutching his arm as blood seeped through his fingers. He spun around in surprise, catching sight of Peggy for the first time. In a split second, he raised his rifle and returned fire.

* BANG *

* BANG *

* BANG *

Peggy ducked and weaved, narrowly avoiding the hail of bullets. She waited until the firing stopped, then emerged from her cover and returned fire with deadly precision.

* BANG *

* BANG *

* BANG *

This time, the henchman wasn't so lucky. Peggy's bullets found their mark, piercing his chest with deadly accuracy. He fell to the ground, lifeless.

Wilkes aimed with deadly precision, his military training coming into play. He squeezed the trigger, and the sound of gunfire filled the air.

* BANG *

* BANG *

* BANG *

The henchman fell to the ground, his body limp and lifeless. Wilkes stood over him, his gun still smoking. He knew that there was only one henchman left and that Rufus himself was dangerously close.

Rufus gritted his teeth as he looked around, taking in the scene of chaos and destruction. He saw that he was the last man standing, with only one henchman left at his side. He knew that he was outnumbered and outgunned. But he also knew that he wasn't going down without a fight.

With a grim expression on his face, he pulled out a grenade and armed it, intending to take them out.

But Val was too quick for him. With his gun raised, he aimed the grenade and squeezed the trigger. The sound of the gunshot was deafening as the bullet struck the grenade, causing a massive explosion.

* BOOOM *

The force of the blast knocked Val, Peggy, and Wilkes off their feet, sending them flying backward through the air. As the smoke and dust settled, they struggled to regain their footing, their ears ringing and their bodies aching.

But despite the chaos and destruction, they knew that they had emerged victorious. The last henchman lay dead on the ground, while Rufus himself lay in a pool of his blood, his arm torn apart by the force of the explosion.

Val knew that they couldn't afford to stick around for too long. Even though they had emerged victorious, he knew that there would be consequences. They needed to get away from the scene as quickly as possible.

"We have to get out of here, quickly," he said to Peggy and Wilkes. "Since they're dead, it's our perfect chance."

Both of them nodded in agreement and quickly made their way to one of the cars that the henchmen had arrived in because they found out that the henchmen had flattened the tires of their cars.

While driving away from the hotel, Val took a deep breath and turned to face Wilkes in the back seat. "Those guys were sent after you," he said grimly. "Looks like somebody doesn't want you to stay alive."

Wilkes let out a heavy sigh and leaned back in his seat. "I know," he said. "It's because I'm the last person who had contact with Jane Scott. Calvin and Whitney are trying to silence anyone who was in contact with her."

After escaping the scene, the three of them were finally able to breathe a little easier. Peggy couldn't help but wonder what Wilkes was going to tell them before the interruption. She broke the silence and asked Wilkes, "So, what did you want to talk to us about? Before those guys interrupted us."

Wilkes responded with a serious tone, "I wanted to talk to you about the thing that began this whole ordeal."

Peggy leaned in with curiosity and asked, "What is it?"

Wilkes leaned back and took a deep breath, "For both of you to better understand what I will say, it's better to show you the thing first."

Val chimed in, "Where is the 'thing'?"

Wilkes took a moment to think and then replied, "Isodyne Energy Headquarters."

Val quickly nodded and without hesitation, sped the car towards Isodyne Energy Headquarters. The tension in the car was palpable as they anticipated what Wilkes was about to reveal to them.