“You are that motherfucker who killed Mr. Scott, isn’t it, Zack?” Lionel angrily asked him. His voice had a higher voice than before and it seemed more dangerous. Lionel’s eyes were also red on the sides now because of that hatred and anger.
“See, I-I didn’t kill—” Zack tried to explain, but his sentence was cut in between.
“Ah c’mon! How many times are ya gonna defend yourself, huh? The investigation’s gonna start at any time soon. The CCTV is the proof that y’are the one who killed him! DAMN YOU, ZACK WILL!” Lionel was very angry and was breathing hard.
“CCTV? Whaddya think we were doing when we were out, huh? We’ve deleted about ninety percent of the footage. Anyways, I didn’t delete the CCTV footage of that side, though. Deleting CCTV footages is also very time consuming.”
“Yeah, especially when both the two had already failed in that subject,” Adam added.
“Really? I mean, really? How degenerated you two are,” Louis disgustedly said. “Joking in this time. Shame on you.”
Adam didn’t reply; he just folded his arms and stared him disgustedly. “I got no words,” He commented.
“What the hell is goin’ on here?!” Lionel was confused. “Are we here to crack jokes?”
“Um, sorry. But Adam can’t control himself while someone is cracking jokes and he’s prohibited,” Zack explained.
“This seems straight outta a comedy film,” Louis commented.
“Yeah, that’s my boy!” Adam cheered. He gave Louis a fist to bump, but Lionel was a kinda smart. He smiled with a smug and what came instead of another fist were handcuffs. Adam, for not even a second, noticed it and he was handcuffed.
“Surrender, Adam,” Louis proudly said while Adam’s right hand was handcuffed. He even took out a pistol and pointed it at Adam.
“H-Hey,” Adam said. He as afraid and his eyes were wide open. He raised his left hand. “O-Okay, okay. I-I raised my other hand. P-Put the gun down.”
“You too,” Louis turned to Zack, who was behind Adam, and commanded him proudly. “Hands up, mister.”
“O-Okay.” Zack also raised his hands in fear.
Lionel was the one who was most shocked. “Never thought you were so shrewd, Louis,” Lionel appreciated him.
Adam suddenly got serious. He pulled the handcuffs and Louis came with it. Then, he even took out his pistol by the other hand and with Louis’ neck around his arm, he pointed the gun towards his brain. “So, who’s shrewd now?” Adam replied.
In the meantime, Zack also took out his pistol and aimed it at Lionel. “Surrender, brother. I don’t want anyone here to be killed just because we were caught here.” Lionel started raising his hands in the air.
“We’re spies, Lionel. We can get any information we want and we can play any card anytime,” Adam told him.
“This card was quite easy and mostly used. Just catch your opponent off-guard and attack,” Zack explained him. “But we never thought that you’d be caught off-guard so easily.”
“Arh,” Lionel was angry at such a silly mistake of his. “I’m never gonna forget this shit my entire life!”
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. “Mr. Lionel, can I come inside?” It was the voice of Mr. Johnson. Zack shook his head, gesturing not to say anything. Lionel nodded and stood there silently. Zack, without making any sound, walked towards Lionel. He stood behind him and grabbed his mouth by his arm. Then, he took out a handkerchief, wrapped around a small hand-sized plastic bag with a dark green patch on it, and shook the handkerchief’s one end so that the plastic bag may fall own. Then, he pushed the handkerchief on his mouth, and Lionel had no option but to smell it, only to be fainted by it. His eyes rolled as he lost his consciousness. He lost balance and fell on Zack, who kept him standing. Lionel was shocked, but he was unable to say anything. His eyes were wide open in shock as he thought, “These guys are dangerous.”
“Mr. Lionel?” Mr. Johnson knocked again. He was suspicious. “Mr. Lionel, please open that damn door!” Zack signed Adam to hide. Adam nodded and started moving backwards. He silently stood behind the hinges of the door whereas Zack and Lionel hid behind the desk of Lionel. “Mr. Lionel, I’m very sorry but I needa open this door myself.” Mr. Johnson pushed the door and found that the room was empty. No one was sitting on the chairs and there was no sign of human life the entire room.
“See, the room’s empty. Maybe we can wait till he come, isn’t it?” Lucy suggested him.
Mr. Johnson nodded and suspiciously said, “Well, the atmosphere is not right. It conveys fear and tension.”
“What?”
“A spy’s nose never smells the wrong aura, Lucy. That’s what you learn through years of experience.” Mr. Johnson was frowning due to suspicion as he stepped inside the room. Adam was afraid that he might get caught this time. He stopped breathing so that Mr. Johnson may not get even a slightest of idea that he’s just behind him. Mr. Johnson put the second foot inside, and Zack was now sure that he’s suspected something.
“It’s not good,” Zack thought. “Please, let me go outta here safe and sound.”
“I-I can definitely get caught like this,” Adam was very afraid. “I-It’s no good, that we’re caught up after going through all this stuff. I-I can’t let this happen.” Both Lucy and her dad were at the center of the room, observing it all very carefully. Suddenly, Lucy turned behind and saw Adam with Louis. She was shocked and her open mouth suggested it. Adam joined his hands to gesture her to save him from his dad. He also gestured his first finger standing up, saying to save him this one last time. Lucy nodded in return and gave thumbs-up. He stood in between Adam and Mr. Johnson when the latter had his head the other way.
“Papa, I suppose we should go. No one’s around here anyways,” She politely requested her dad.
He turned around and said, “Um, okay.” Mr. Johnson walked towards the door as Lucy always stood at the center of the line connecting Adam and Mr. Johnson. She walked out after her dad, and shut the door.
“So, tell me where is the portrait?” Adam whispered.
“I-It’s on the table,” Louis replied.
“And those reports?”
“What reports, sir? I can’t—”
“Don’t play dumb with me. Those reports which you took from that center or whatever.”
“T-They are also with that portrait.”
“Great, Louis. You’ll get a good reward or your bravery. By the way, I needa tell ya that the CCTV is already freezed here. It’s showing the same empty room at that footage. So don’t think that CCTV is always the best way to catch criminals, okay?” Adam stood up and searched Louis’ entire body. In the pocket, found a radio ad kept it in his pocket. He also obtained his pistol and stuff. Then, he stood up and aimed at his head. “Zacky, come out. We’re gonna leave this place, ASAP!”
Zack came out of his hiding spot and stood up. He listened to the conversation, so he just looked at the papers on the desk and collected them in his bag-pack. “Wait, lemme make him sleep for some time.” Zack took his same handkerchief and pressed it hard on the nose of Louis. He smelled it and fainted in no time. “Let’s go now.”
“What the hell were those two doing here?! So bad their timing is!” Lucy thought angrily as she entered the lift with her father.
Zack opened the door of the room and saw the workers still working on their computers. He stepped outside, trying to act casual, and Adam followed him. Zack turned left towards the secluded emergency stairway. He opened the door and, after Adam entered, closed it. In the meantime, Adam walked towards the washrooms and Zack sat on the stairs. He kept his bag on the stair and opened its zip. Then, he took out a pair of black clothes and hung the bag again, without closing its zip. He thought it’d be a waste of time because the zip would be opened again in the washroom to keep this formal suit in. He also opened the door of the washroom and shut it. He turned left towards one of the toilets, opened its door and went inside.
After some time, the two opened their doors at the same time and stepped out. Adam turned right towards the washroom’s door and Zack followed him. Zack shut the door of the washroom from the outside and said, “First objective, to steal back the portrait, is complete. Initiating the process for the second objective: capture back Olivia.”
“And for this, we need to go to the fifth floor, right?” Adam asked as he walked towards the stairway upwards.
“Yep,” Zack replied as the two walked upwards in their black army-like suits.
After a while, Adam, while walking upwards, asked Zack, “By the way, Zacky, d’ya have any idea how we can free Olivia?”
“No, not for now,” Zack replied. “We’re just gonna go up, fight policemen, open up the locks ad run away.”
“Do ya really think it’s gonna be that easy?” Adam was disgusted by Zack’s idea.
“No, actually, but it’s worth a shot, ain’t it?” Zack replied. “At last, I’m still a kinda noob in making plans.”
“You needa improve, Zack.”
“I will, through experience I will improve. Don’t worry.” Adam sighed. Suddenly, Zack pointed upwards towards the sign and said, “Here it is, fifth floor.”
“Come on!” Adam started running towards the floor. He stepped on the floor and looked towards his right.
“Here it is, the jail,” Zack told him as he stepped on the last stair. He was very determined in completing the mission, and his seriousness at the point of time was a proof. He advanced towards the door and hid behind the door. Adam stood behind the hinges of the door, exact opposite to where Zack was. Zack took out a pistol, and signed Adam through his hands to follow him. Adam gave a thumbs-up, gesturing that he agreed. Zack turned towards the door, and advanced his hand towards the door knob. His hands were shaking and he looked tense and afraid, with his forehead sweating all over. “We-We’re gonna give a real fight this time, and that too to the policemen,” The thought made him afraid.
“Psst! What happened?” Adam asked in a low voice. “Why ain’t ya opening the door?”
Zack nodded and shook his hand, gesturing him to wait. Then, Zack held the door knob with his shaking hands, and rotated it. Then, he pulled the door knob and quickly pointed his pistol outside. It was empty, and moreover, it looked like a corridor in those in horror films. He was confused.
“What?” Adam whispered. It was an indication to ask why Zack was not entering the arena. Thus, Zack walked inside while walking on his knees and Adam followed suit. “Where’s Olivia?”
“W-We needa find out, Ads.”
“Okay,” Adam replied and the two continued to walk in unison, with Adam following Zack.
Suddenly, Zack stood up slowly and said, “Maybe there're no policeman.”
“Right,” Adam replied. Then, he started thinking, “Wait, then what security is here, huh?” Suddenly, his eyes widened as he looked upwards, and to his horror, his thought became reality. “ZACK!” He screamed, while pointing towards the camera. “THIS PLACE IS FULL OF CAMS!”
Zack turned with a shocking expression on his face. “What?”
“See!”
Zack walked towards him and looked carefully. “Oh, shit!” Suddenly, a bullet pierced through his right shoulder. He fell down due to the jerk. His shoulder was bleeding and he was rubbing it so that the pain may go off. “AAH!”
“RUN RUN! I got ‘im!” A policeman shouted at the back. Adam turned right towards a jail cell and shot the lock. It broke open. Then, he dragged Zack’s body inside and sat on the corner of the cell’s entrance. He reloaded his pistol as he heard the incoming steps of policemen. They also set up their defense four cells behind. “HEY!” One of them shouted on microphone. “SURRENDER, OR IT WON’T BE GOOD FOR YA!”
“Oh what the hell! What the hell, what the hell, what the hell, what the hell, what the hell, what the hell!” He chanted in tension.
“A-Adam,” Zack stood up. “I-Imma surrender, an-and you run away.”
“What?” Adam was shocked.
Zack pointed towards a window at the top back of the cell and told him, “It’d be a good escape for you. I-I can’t climb up, ‘cause I’m injured, but… but you escape.”
“No, Zacky! I’m not going without you!”
“Think of the mission, Ads, THE MISSION!” Zack scolded him. “You can save me later, but if one of us is still out there, there’d be still hope; hope that the mission will be accomplished!”
“No, please no!” Adam got emotional as a drop of tear ran down his cheek. “I-I—”
“ADAM TRY TO UNDERSTAND!” Zack shouted. He walked towards him, which was a kinda difficult task to do due to his injury, and kept his hand on his shoulder. “See, Ads. I believe in you! Y-You run outta this city for the next two weeks, and after the mission is complete, we-we’ll meet again.”
Adam didn’t reply, he shook his head, and turned it down and cried a lot.
“SEE, SURRENDER, OR—” The policeman stopped in between. His eyes widened in shock as he saw Zack, with both of his hands raised up, advancing towards him.
“I-I surrender,” Zack replied, and smiled.
