The Spectre

Chapter Fourteen

The Zodiac moved stealthily through the night, rolling along the close rooftops as he neared the building where his target sat. He knew that the man he was after hid inside, working at a desk while his henchmen guarded the building and prevented him from being harmed. Therefore, that was exactly what the man was going to do. He reached the pistol at his side as he sprinted toward the building, kicking up the gravel from the rooftops, and then he jumped. He smashed through the window his target hid inside, rolled along the marble floor, rose to a crouch, and shot the bewildered man in front of him. The man fell backward, hitting the ground as blood splattered the white floor. The man scrambled forwards, took the radio that was attached to the man's waist, and said in Russian: "Bereg chistyy, kto-to brosil kamen' v okno, Iozhnaya trevoga."

The man sighed, stepped away from the body, grabbed the corpse's rifle, and stepped into the moonlight. Jez looked around at his surroundings, trying to rememorize the other Russian words he would have to speak. What he had actually said through the radio was: Coast clear, someone threw a rock through the window, false alarm. He waited a few more minutes, making sure no one was coming running, and then he moved, clipping the pistol into the holster on his belt as he walked swiftly. He saw two men suddenly charged out the door before him, and Jez was quick to raise his rifle and fire twice, both men crashing to the ground. Shouts rang around the hallway, and Jez sighed, raising the rifle and sprinting through the door in front of him. He fired several times, six people dropping instantly, and he ducked as a number of bullets flew over his head.

Jez looked around, raised the rifle, and shot. A man fell, his weapon clattering onto the ground, and Jez rolled onto his feet, proceeding down the hallway quickly, his gloved hands reloading his rifle. As he raised the rifle, a man kicked it from his hands as he charged out the door to Jez's left, and Jez stepped back, raising his fists quickly as the man kicked several times through the air. Jez ducked and blocked the kicks, and saw a second man charging down the corridor ahead of him, raising a pistol and aiming. Jez ducked aside as a bang echoed around the room, and he instinctively shot his right hand, pinching the smoking bullet from the air with his gloved hand. The man reloaded his single-shot pistol as Jez slammed the man who had attacked him into the wall and shoved the bullet into his chest, the man crumpling onto the ground as blood seeped through his clothes.

Another bang and Jez ducked his head aside, the bullet flying past him. Jez reached to his side and withdrew his pistol, firing twice and watching the enemy fall. Jez looked around the corridor, wiping sweat from his forehead, and then he approached the door to his right, making sure to hold the pistol at chest height as he opened the door and charged inside. He found nothing but a man sitting behind a desk, a glass of whisky in his hand, staring at Jez. "I knew it was only a matter of time," he said, taking another sip and then gazing at Jez. Jez, of course, could easily understand the man, even if he did have a thick Russian accent. "So you know why I am here?" Jez asked, and the man bowed his head, his sharp black hair looking smooth and almost glowing in the light of his office.

"I want you to revoke it," Jez whispered, and the man sighed, downing his glass, setting it down on the table, and then standing from his chair. "No," he said simply, and now Jez sighed, looking down at the floor for several quiet moments before looking up at the man while raising his pistol again. "Revoke it!" Jez said sharply. The man reached into his suit pocket, withdrew his phone, typed on it for a minute, and then tossed it to Jez. Jez caught it with his left hand and then shot a glance at it. "You raised it to three trillion?" Jez growled furiously, throwing the phone aside and hearing it smash against the wall. The man glared at Jez, and then shrugged, "What can I say? You are already a wanted man, Jez! You betrayed everyone two days ago, and you didn't think bounties would emerge?"