Inglorious Exchange

Chapter 26 : Spy vs spy

Riding toward the city square on my motorcycle I took a peak at the coordinates of my target's location, a beeping red dot on the bike's dashboard which is now displaying the map of my current location. We know where is Jefferson's location and now, I'm going to hunt him down. Currently staying in an apartment unit in the Old City of Bern he is conducting his shady business there and therefore, vital information could be with him. Sirens cleaved through the early hours of the day and on the opposing road the President's motorcade passed by. I flashed a look at the Presidential limousine nicknamed the Beast and the bulletproof tinted windows doesn't provide me any image of who's with the President in his limo. Turning away to avoid any suspicion I continued my way towards his apartment, located just a few blocks away. Uncle Roland and Tanner offered technological support and is now monitoring Wallace's movements for me while I'm on my way there.

Stopping my bike at the curb outside the apartment complex I removed my helmet and swiftly pulled on a cap, stuffing a handgun into the hidden holster of my leather jacket. Bringing along my gauntlets, now worn on my wrists I got off from my bike and walked briskly towards the entrance of the building. Pushing past the door I saw a security guard sitting at his desk which he would know if someone enters the floor. But the thing is, his head was hanging low. I approached the counter and looked closer, finding him already asleep on his desk. "That guard is guaranteed to lose his job." my uncle said on the other side. I did not reply and headed towards the elevator lobby, pressing the 'up' button at the lift panel. "Fourteenth floor." The elevator arrived with a ding and I entered the elevator, pressing the number at the panel. 

I leveled my gaze but stayed away from the reaches of the security camera installed in the elevator to avoid detection. The elevator door opened upon reaching the floor, revealing the hallway outside. The heavy carpet of the hallway managed to conceal my movements as I walked towards the apartment unit. I knocked on the door but no one replied. "No one's home I suppose." I whispered. Taking out a lock pick I begin to work on the door lock, quickly and silently. A cold hard metal was pressed against my head before I can open the door and I paused. 

"You move and this thing will go into your head." Wallace threatened. I raised my hands and like he knew, pulled out the earpiece hooked to my ear and tossing it out of the window. He turned the door knob and pushed open the door, forcing me inside with the gun pointed at the back of my head. When he shuts the door I immediately spun away from him, avoiding the shot and grabbing his arm which was holding the gun. But since we're both FBI agents he knew my next step and kicked me in the calf, a counter move to someone attempting to stomp the foot. He wrangled free and used his strength, tossed me towards the wall, causing me to crash against the painting hanging against the wall and falling back down on the couch. Quickly getting up on my feet I blocked the stomp from above and counter attacked, raising my legs and kicked him back with full force, sending him stumbling backwards. Withdrawing my gun I fired, one hitting him in the arm but the second one went astray, lodging itself into the wall behind him. Wallace returned fire and I promptly ducked by jumping from the L-shaped couch and hiding behind it. Feathers flew from the holes of the pillows pierced by the bullets, landing everywhere as I used the confusion to take my shot again. Both shots missed and I heard the faint 'click', indicating that his gun ran out of bullets. Taking the opportunity I leapt out of hiding, kicking him in the chest but he crossed his arms in quick succession, blocking the flow and used the momentum to push back my attacks, sending me flying towards the nearby display case. Glass crunched and shattered upon impact, it's contents spilling out and the case fell on me, pinning me down and causing blood to trickle down my lips. Groaning while trying to push back the heavy weight I found myself failing as Wallace got closer, managing to take the gun I dropped by accident and aiming at me while blood trickled from his wound. 

"You put up a fight I admit." He said. "But in the end, you still lost." Before he got his wish a projectile pierced him in the arm and he turned to aim at the direction where the projectile had came flying from. Instead of finding the supposed target someone ambushed him in the back. Using my remaining strength I shoved the case upwards and rolled aside before the case could fell on top of me and together with the unknown assailant, engaged Wallace. The assailant is dressed in yellow but most surprising was the bat symbol on the chest plate. Deploying my garrote wire I managed to snare and pull him towards my location in the arm and kicked him hard, sending him flying towards the television anchored to the wall. Glass splintered upon impact and knocked him unconscious when he fell on the ground hard. Approaching his unconscious body I tied his hands together with a pair of zip ties nearby.

"You're..." the man stammered when I looked at him.

"I'm nobody to you." I responded coldly. "You're late." I added.

"What?" he asked me.

"I wasn't talking to you." I groaned and held my arm as Bruce stepped into the wrecked apartment. 

"You're injured." Bruce said, passing by the young lad. "Secure the area Duke."

"On it."

"I've been thrown around for a bit." I said. 

"It's a heavy one."

"I'll have to find his computer." I said. Noticing the door left ajar I entered the unexplored room to find a professional study. "Who was he?" I asked, looking for a computer or a laptop. He didn't answer. Noting a flat surface perched on top of the study I found the laptop with a slim design and withdrawing a USB cable from the gauntlet. Plugging in the cable I hacked into his email account and looked for clues. 

"You found the first guy?"

"He's just outside, laying out cold."

"He wasn't with you?"

"I told him that I'd go alone on this one." 

"You're not convinced that he's purely targeting you."

"I have other suspicions. I have a feeling that he's hired by someone." Finding no results I exited the account but found a file with the name 'Black Bird' on the desktop. "Downloading the file now." We maintained an awkward silence as the files are being downloaded. "He knows you're here." I said. When the download is completed I removed the cable and it retracted back into my gauntlet. "I know where you stay, I'll drop by soon after I sifted through the files."