Bullets and Beauty

Chapter 4

        The elevator comes to a stop with a cheerful ding and we all file out. Tommy grins excitedly, and the rest of us mirror his expression as we step out and see the magnificence of the game floor. My eyes widen in awe as they sweep over what's in front of us. It looks like Willy Wonka had a baby with a carnival. There are arcade games and trampolines scattered across the entire floor. In the back, there is a bungee section as well as one of those flying harness things I used to love as a child when I went to the mall. Except this one is clearly made for adults, reaching up almost to the ceiling. On the right is an obstacle course that is set over a foam pit, and on the left there are a variety of food options. Burgers, hot dogs, and pizza, as well as healthier options like smoothies and salad bars. Above it all, there is an enormous floating ropes course, complete with zip-lines and obstacles. This entire floor is like every child's dream.

We all grin excitedly at each other and James speaks up. "Ok, so how do we want to do this? Should we split up or stay together?"

Annie shrugs and says; "I think we should split up. We only have about an hour before we need to head back to the suite, and splitting up will allow everybody to do what they want. We will definitely be coming back over the week, so I think today we just test the waters and find out what is most fun. We'll meet back here in an hour."

Agreeing to that plan, we all go our separate ways. I beeline straight to the flying harness, grinning as I see that there is no line. I smile as the employee straps the harness around me, explaining that I will be in the air for ten minutes. I nod, and he starts the machine. I jump up and start flipping around, smiling ear to ear in exhilaration. The ten minutes are up all too soon, and I decide to go to the trampoline section next. I bump into Annie and grin at her. "Fancy meeting you here."

Annie grins back at me. "I saw you flipping around over there. Having fun?"

I laugh. "All kinds of fun."

She smirks and gives me a pointed look. "See? This wasn't so bad after all."

I sigh. "We haven't gotten to the formal part yet, but I do have to agree. George is making this trip way more fun than usual."

I glance at the food area, feeling hungry all of a sudden. I sigh internally as I realize I left my wallet back in my room. I turn back to Annie. "Hey, I'll be right back. I have to go get my wallet, it's back in the suite."

Annie nods. "Ok, don't be too long though. We only have about half an hour before we need to meet up with George."

I nod and walk away, jogging slightly to the exit. I quickly walk over to the elevator, pressing the button for the first floor. The doors close and the elevator begins it's decent. I am stopped on the second floor. The doors open, revealing three of the eight men I had noticed earlier. I step back into the elevator offering a diplomatic smile, which is returned with smiles that look more like sneers. The elevator doors close, and we continue to the first floor. As the doors open, I am the first off of the elevator. Instead of going back to the suite, I stop just around the corner wanting to eavesdrop a bit on these men. I strain to hear them. They are talking in a different language. Russian, from the sound of it. I grimace, translating it in my head as best as I can, cursing myself for not keeping up with my languages as well as I should.

I listen as one of the men speaks. "He is definitely here. He is checking up on all the security protocols. He is going to the dinner tonight, chaperoning the brats of that Vanguard for Freedom thing his foundation has been boasting about. Taking him shouldn't be a problem."

I frown, worried. It sounded like these men were talking about George. Why they wanted him was anybody's guess. George had been one of the top consultants in the world up until the accident that took his leg a few years ago. He was a troubleshooter. He went and fixed things that nobody else could. The foundation had relied on him for years. When he lost his leg, he decided to retire. He ended up starting the Vanguard for Freedom Initiative and is the reason our team exists. His record, of course, is extremely classified . Nobody from his past was supposed to know where he was now or what his new identity is save for his family, and they are in witness protection under new identities. Even the team and I knew next to nothing about George's past. I knew that George had a long list of old enemies that would love to get their hands on him. Heck, I have enemies like that and I've only been doing this for a few years. But they must be pretty bad if they were able to find him again and sneak their way into this hotel.

I tilt my head as one of the other men begins to speak. "Don't underestimate him, or his little band of teenage heroes. He was the best of the best. He has undoubtedly trained those children well. They already have many successful missions to their name. This reception is highlighting their accomplishments. We treat them as we would treat any accomplished agents. We treat them as we treat their mentor - the аварийный монтер. We treat them as a dangerous threat. Understood?

The other goons nod their heads at this. It is clear that the one man is the ringleader. He is very tall, and although he looks to be somewhere around fifty years old, he is obviously in excellent shape and could handle himself in a fight. The two men with him are far younger, either hired muscle or soldiers under his command. They are both very large and muscular. The only advantage that we might have, is that no weapons are allowed in the hotel.

I briefly wonder where the rest of the men are before shrinking back around the wall as the three men walk towards me. I hold my breath, listening to their hushed conversation. "We will make our move on Wednesday, after the security relaxes a bit. The goal is to make it quick, no witnesses. Come, we will discuss this further in our suite."

I stiffen, realizing that they are going to walk past me. I quickly duck into the maintenance closet as they pass. I watch as they continue to their suit, my heart sinking as I see that it is only a few hallways away from ours and George's. These men are clearly professionals. At least from the sound of things they weren't going to try anything until Wednesday. I walk quickly back to our suite, grabbing my wallet before heading back to the elevator. I push the button for the game floor and wait. We are due to meet George back at his suite any minute, and I need to make sure everybody gets downstairs in time. I debate over telling the others about what I overheard, but decide to wait until I can talk to George. His records, past, and private life are secret for a reason. I'll fill him in first, both out of respect for him and concern for the safety of my team. He can decide how much to tell them. I sigh, it looks like it's going to be a crazy week after all.