The Boarding School

A Pleasure

Hugh Hoheisel

Hugh leaned against the wall. Luke knelt beside him scoping the area with his binoculars. "What we got?" he asked.

"Great vantage," Luke replied, "We've got sights on three out of four likely escapes and if he tries to take the fourth, well, Heinen's men will have him."

Hugh shifted his wait and looked up at his brother. "I don't like it."

"Don't like what?" Luke mumbled, continuing to peer through his binoculars, every movement of his entire body perfectly controlled. That would be Hugh in a few moments, but for now, he enjoyed his mobility.

"I'm a mercenary, I don't work with the troops. They pay me, I go do the job, and the trades done."

"A little late to be realizing this, don't you think."

Hugh shrugged, shifting his weight again. The wall was uncomfortable and the ground was covered in gravel like tan stones. "Well, it's never too late to complain."

"Nope."

Hugh chuckled to himself ruefully. Eh, Luke wasn't listening. He was too focused on the mission. Not that he cared, he was talking just to hear his own voice at this point. Luke was good about that: letting him talk and pretending to listen. But he couldn't expect him to listen when after awhile he didn't hear what he was saying himself.

"Oh, we've got movement," Luke interrupted his monotone thoughts.

Hugh rolled over to the side, grabbed his rifle, and brought it over the wall. "Where am I looking for?"

"Southwest exit... that's what it looks like," Luke said slowly. Hugh positioned his rifle. "No, no, make it southeast." He re-positioned. "Alright, any second now." Hugh's finger touched the trigger. He was ready to pull the second the door flew open.

The door flew open and the fleeing suspect surrounded by security guards in black and shields marched out. "Darn it!" Luke verbalized Hugh's thoughts, "Can you still get him."

"Working on it," Hugh replied slowly, looking for a sight.

"If you get a window, just take it."

"Planning on it," he replied again, his voice low and his lips barely moving. Shield, guard, shield, shield... no opening. He worked through a few scenarios of shooting the guards. Maybe that'd open up. No. It'd work if Luke had a gun to distract, but he would never be able to distract and refocus his rifle in time to take the shot.

*Crack* Hugh pulled his rifle back. An opportunity presented itself and was gone within half a second, but he caught it. "Got him," Luke confirmed. Hugh knew he got him, he saw his bullet thud into the target's skull. "We've got three minutes."

"Already ready," Hugh swung his bag over his shoulder and the two took off down the fire escape.

The halls of the abandoned conference center were packed with dirty men and women, some children, hurrying here and there or simply loitering. Nobody seemed to notice when Hugh and Luke entered the building. "Seemed to" was the word, because nobody would let a merce in and out without keeping tabs. Heinen, Jackson, and Knowles knew exactly when Hugh and Luke arrived and when they left and where they were whenever they were there.

Hugh liked to use it to his advantage, sometimes trolling them and getting them into thinking he was up to no good just for the fun of it. He did it so often that now they mostly let him be. "Trolling at it's finest," he told Luke with a grin.

"Hey!" Sarah ran to catch up with the two in the hall, "I was worried you wouldn't be coming back."

"Why?"