Beyond The Worst Case Scenario

Chapter 20: Mutually Assured Destruction

Beyond The Worst Case Scenario –ACTION

Chapter 20

Day 4

Debriefing conference room

20:07

        “Laura Bariletti?” Lisa accused, pushing a long strand of chestnut hair back in its place behind her delicate ear. She looked up from where her laptop was stationed to stare into the eyes of the true traitor, the snitch.

        Now just where had Detective Krause heard that name before? It seemed so familiar. He dismissed it as unimportant, and pushed the uneasy feeling to the back of his mind. Though deep in his gut he knew, knew this name was far from trifling. But for the life of him, Gabriel couldn’t remember where he had heard this name before. Krause instead turned his attention to the accused imposter.

        After Lisa’s outcry, the bystanding CIA agents shifted their focus to the new suspect. Twenty loaded guns were aimed, though not a single person fired, or breathed for that matter. With a single glimpse at her face, Gabriel recognized her immediately. He could never forget that fiery red hair. This was their hostage on day one. The nurse Liam Zenga had stolen from the street and holed up in her apartment until the officers were able to sniff him out a few hours later.

        Earlier in the investigation Laura Bariletti’s involvement in their case had been disregarded because she was only a nurse at the local hospital, straight out of med school. Now Gabriel realized they had been too hasty to dismiss the notion that this seemingly innocent lady was actually who they had been looking for this whole time. Laura and Liam had been working together the entire time! ‘How could we not have noticed this?’ Gabriel berated himself.

        Laura’s red painted lips curled into a sneer. Her cover was blown and there was nowhere for her to go. She glanced around frantically, probably looking for an exit. However being as boxed in as she was there was no way for her to disappear.  Laura’s body seemed to relax ever so slightly, the tension leaving her muscles as they had previously had been stretched as taunt as a rubber band.

        Just when Krause believed she was about to give herself up, Laura surprised them all. Tightening her grip on her standard issue Glock, she reached out lightning fast and latched onto the gray collar of the short and skinny man next to her. Laura yanked the body of her comrade in front of her, using the innocent male as a human shield. She pressed the muzzle of her sleek, black gun to his pale and sweating temple rather roughly. Gabriel could see Laura’s captive gulp visibly hard, and couldn’t help but sympathize for the young man that looked no older than Krause himself.

        Nathaniel had to pause for just a moment to revel in the irony. The last time they had a confrontation with Laura Bariletti it was her who was the distressed hostage, but now she was the one taking the hostages. The CIA agents could only watch as Laura hastily backed up towards the elevator with Mike, her prisoner, on display before her. No one would even attempt to shoot her in fear of hitting their colleague and friend, Mike.

        Presently, Mike was whimpering like a child, though who could blame him? He was prisoner to a crazed, psychotic spy. There was not a single puff of air inhaled throughout the entire fifteen seconds in took Laura to get to the elevator. Every single person was frozen in a shock induced trance, only able to look on to the scene playing out before them in horror. They each grimaced when they realized there was virtually nothing they could do to help their comrade.

        Laura reached back behind herself and slammed the button to call the lift, never once taking her eyes from the crowd watching her with vice like hatred. A pleasant ding echoed around the room as soon as the elevator arrived compelling Nathaniel to flinch. Laura hightailed it into the lift in reverse, taking Mike with her. Letting go of his collar she reached around him and hit a button causing the bullet proof doors of the lift to slide closed, encasing the two in a protective shield.