The lock on the rear entrance to the NIA building clicked opened and Taylor Hawkins stepped quickly into the darkness of the stairwell. She descended into the basement, where the holding cells and security offices were located. It was immediately evident that Darien had planned this very well. The hallways were hauntingly empty and when she tested the doors, each one was locked except for those that lead deeper into the basement, towards the surveillance room, and the kitchen. He had the path all laid out; she couldn’t help but feel like a rat in a maze. Darien was totally in control here, no one could move anywhere he didn’t want them. Fortunately, he wanted Blake to get to him. Passing under a security camera, Hawkins looked up, holding eye contact with the lens for a moment, she waved. He would be waiting for her, and she wanted him to know that she knew it. After a moment, she continued on; reaching the door to the security room, she hesitated, one hand on the door, her heart pounding in her chest. She drew her gun from her belt and released the safety. Taking a deep breath, Hawkins turned the handle and flung the door open. The interior of the room glowed an eerie blue, illuminated exclusively by the light from dozens of monitors lining the walls. In a high-backed chair, on the other side of the room, silhouetted by the light from the screens, sat James Darien. As she entered, he swung around in the chair to face her.
“Agent Hawkins, I thought that this was the last place I would ever see you. Are you here to turn yourself in?” he smiled ingratiatingly.
Hawkins levelled her gun at his head,
“Gee, what a great idea,” she smiled viciously. “Why don’t you go first?”
“Me?” Darien laughed, coolly. “Whatever for?”
“Let’s start with murdering a several dozen people and work our way up from there,” she snarled. “I know who you are, Darien. Or should I say, Parabellum?”
“So, Blake let that cat out of the bag, did he?” Darien sighed. “Not that I’m surprised. He was always a little bit reckless.”
“Oh, Blake didn’t tell me anything. In fact, I told him a thing or two. You didn’t fill him in on your other partners, did you? Or how it ended for them?”
For an instant, Hawkins saw Darien’s look smug self-confidence flicker, a mixture of surprise and rage played across his features, then the smile returned, somewhat more forced than before.
“Ah, you figured it out all on your own then?” he chuckled. “I am very impressed. It seems that I underestimated you, Agent Hawkins. So, I imagine that that little breakdown of yours was an act, too?”
“Of course,” Hawkins grinned. “I almost had you, you know. It was an inspired move, framing me as a traitor. How did you figure out that I was getting close?”
“When your friend ran my DNA through the system, I knew” Darien smiled. “I removed my own profile the instant it was entered, but I made sure that any DNA entered into the system that matched my own sent an alert to me. You don’t survive in this line of work as long as I have by being careless. I tracked down who the technician called with the results, and it all came together. May I ask where you found my DNA?”
“Craig Ferrier’s shirt. You must have cut yourself when you were stabbing him to death.”
“Ah yes, I do remember that one getting a little bit messy,” Darien reminisced. “That’s why I stopped using knives. Too troublesome. And speaking of partners, where is Agent Stone anyways?”
“He isn’t here,” Hawkins dropped her eyes to his bloody shirt, a quick glance, designed to look reflexive.
She needed to make sure that Darien wasn’t worried about Stone showing up. But Darien was clever, if she just came out and said that Stone was dead, he would be suspicious. After all, why would she give him that satisfaction? She had to let him come around to the idea himself, let him think he was outsmarting her. She let the coat fall open, exposing the blood covered men’s shirt that she was wearing. It wouldn’t be much of a leap. Darien smiled.
“Ah, so Blake isn’t a complete failure, at least. I will have to have a little chat with him about letting you escape his grasp, though.”
“I am afraid that Agent Blake won’t be talking with anyone, anymore,” Hawkins said darkly.
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“Oh?”
“You killed my partner, I simply returned the favour,” Hawkins reached into her pocket and tossed Blake’s bloody chip onto the polished floor. “How did you think I got into the building?”
By weaving together lies and the truth, and providing evidence of only what was true, Darien would be more likely to believe that both Blake and Stone were dead. And she needed him to believe that, because if Darien thought, even for a moment, that they were attempting to fake him out, this would never work. She had to convince him that this was her own personal vendetta, nothing more.
Darien stared down at the bloody lump.
“I didn’t think you had it in you, Agent Hawkins,” he sounded almost pleased.
“Well, you push a person too far, they can certainly surprise you,” Hawkins took a step closer, wrapping her finger around the trigger. “Parabellum has… You have taken everything from me. My mother, my partner, my career, my life. I have nothing left to lose, Darien. Nothing left that you can take.”
“And what do you plan to do about it?” he asked smugly.
“I plan to pull this trigger and splatter your brains all over the wall behind you. I figure that’ll make me feel much better,” Hawkins took another step forward. “At the very least, it will make you feel much worse. That will have to be enough.”
“I would think twice about that plan, if I were you,” Darien smiled magnanimously.
“Your completely unbiased opinion aside,” Hawkins snorted sarcastically, “I have already made my choice.”
“You really should reconsider. Because if you try to kill me now, everyone in this building will die.”
“What are you talking about?” Hawkins froze and raised her voice in surprise; this was the part she really had to sell. There would be no second chances.
Darien drew his hands from his pocket, and with them a slender device,
“This is the detonator for a biological weapon I have planted in the building. If you put the gun down nice and slowly, I just might decide not to press this button.”
His finger hovered over the trigger.
“Even if I believed you, I am only 6 feet away. I may not be a sniper, but I’m betting I could drop you where you stand before you can even think about pressing that button.”
“Don’t be foolish, agent. This isn’t Hollywood. People who get shot don’t just fall obediently to the ground, instantly dead. Hell, often they don’t even die. Should you be lucky enough to manage a fatal shot, I assure you that I will still have plenty of time to press this button on my way out.”
“Did you ever consider that maybe I don’t give a damn anymore? That maybe I am beyond caring, Darien?” Hawkins snarled. “We both know you are just going to trigger that thing anyway, no matter what I do or don’t do, so maybe I’ll just have to be satisfied by putting a bullet in your brain before that happens. I told you, I have nothing left to lose.”
“You’re bluffing,” though Darien did seem to hesitate for a moment. “You don’t have the nerve. Now drop the gun or I end all of this right now.”
Hawkins weighed her options quickly. He was right about kill shots; it wasn’t reliable enough. Hell, she couldn’t even risk trying to disable him; if she tried to struggle with him, she could even end up triggering the device herself, then it would be game over. Even a muscle spasm could be fatal. He knew that. The bluff had simply been to buy more time, as every instant was essential, he was never going to surrender willingly. At the moment, there was nothing more that she could do. She couldn’t risk pushing him any further, so Hawkins slowly lowered the gun. Then she bent down and placed it softly on the ground.
“That’s better, Agent Hawkins. Now kick it over here.”
Hawkins complied silently; the weapon skidded across the floor and clattered to a stop at his feet. Darien laughed harshly,
“I knew that you were too weak to do what needed to be done,” he picked up the gun. “You were right, of course. I am going to trigger this anyway, everyone is still going to die, Agent Hawkins. The only difference is, now you will suffer first, and I am going to get away. If you had had the guts, you could have ended this once and for all. Maybe even saved some people. That is what sets us apart, you know. You don’t have what it takes to make the hard decisions. Pathetic.”
Darien paced in front of her as he spoke. He smiled, enjoying his victory,
“But you know, you did come closer to winning my game than anyone has in decades. I want you to know that I do respect that. That’s why I think I am going to enjoy this time with you more than any of those that came before you. Thank you for coming and giving me this opportunity.”
Darien smiled cruelly as he moved closer to her, so close she could feel his hot breath on her face. Hawkins turned away, but Darien grabbed her chin and wrenched her face back around.
“If you are done being difficult, I think it is time for me to teach you a few things,” he purred.
“Oh, you’re going to teach me something?” Hawkins snorted. “Well, at least this will be quick. I should be home in time for the evening news.”
Darien grabbed her by the hair and smashed her face into the wall. She groaned in pain and blood ran freely down her face from her nose and her split lip. He dragged her by the hair into center of the room and pushed her to her knees.
“The time for talking back is over, Agent Hawkins. Make no mistake, you won’t be leaving this room alive.”
Hawkins set her jaw defiantly but said nothing. Darien cracked his knuckles.
“I am really going to have fun with this.”
Hawkins swallowed hard and braced herself. This was certainly not going to be pleasant.