One Step Closer to Nowhere
by
DarkSpade
"He's gone too far this time!" shouted Ozwell Spencer at his cowering personal assistant, slamming his fist down on his ornate oak desk. "I don't care how 'brilliant' he thinks he is. He's just signed his own death warrant!"
"Sir, perhaps if he was given more time to-"
"No. This was his last chance to cooperate. He's been acting more and more erratic since the incident at the Arklay facility. Birkin has become a liability that needs to be taken care of. Do you understand me, Edwards?" said Spencer, beginning to calm down. He took a sip of tea from an expensive china teacup.
"I don't think the board of directors will like this, Lord Spencer." said Edwards, carefully.
"That's why they will not be informed. Am I understood?"
"But, sir-!" protested Edwards.
"I asked if you understood me, Edwards!?"
"Yes, sir. I understand, sir. I'll deploy a team to Raccoon City at once."
Spencer considered this for a moment.
"No. Birkin still has a few friends on the board. We can't risk them finding out about the operation. Or at least my part in it. We'll need an outside contractor."
"Who do you have in mind, sir?" asked Edwards.
"Call Merces Letifer. I want to speak with Diana." said Spencer.
Edwards nodded before quickly leaving through the double doors of Spencer's office, closing them quietly behind him. A minute later Spencer's phone buzzed.
"Sir, I have the Agency on the line. Diana is waiting to speak to you." Edwards' voice came from the loudspeaker.
"Put her through." said Spencer, before picking up the phone.
"Good afternoon, Diana."
"Lord Spencer. It's a pleasure to be speaking with you again. What can I do for the Umbrella Corporation today?" Diana asked.
"Firstly," began Spencer. "As this is a sensitive matter, you will not be dealing with the Umbrella Corporation for the duration of this contract. You will be dealing with me, personally. And as such, no one within Umbrella will be aware of this. In fact, the only people I want to know about this are you and me."
"I understand, Lord Spencer. Now, how exactly will you be needing our services."
"Our top scientest in Raccoon City has ceased all communications with us. He has been acting quite strangely and I belive he may be trying to defect to another company, to continue his research. The project he is working on is of vital importance to the Umbrella Corporation. I need this scientest removed and I need the virus sample he is working on delivered to me. I must stress, the virus sample is of critical importance. All other research notes and materials should be destroyed - we can easily reproduce them once we have the sample."
"I see." said Diana. "I believe we can help you, Lord Spencer. I will, of course, need detailed files on the scientest in question. Also, details on his location, security arrangements and a description of the virus will help the operation to run smoothly." she paused. "How much are you willing to pay?"
"I think that...double your usual fee is more than fair. And I want your best agent working on this."
"Of course, Lord Spencer. Although...that may be difficult. He hasn't been taking on many contracts lately."
"Then offer him double his fee as well. Or triple. I don't care as long as he does his job and gets my virus back."
"I get in contact with him right away, Lord Spencer. We still have to work out the details but I think we have an agreement."
"Excellent. I'll have my assistant send over any files your man needs. Good day, Diana." Spencer hung up the phone. He clicked the button to the intercom outside.
"Edwards, get in here!"
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47 raised his AMT Hardballer and fired all seven rounds into his target. The high-pitched ring of his cellphone hadn't distracted him one bit. He didn't even need to look to see that the every shot would have been lethal. The cardboard cutout had 5 tightly grouped shots where the heart would have been on a live target. If that hadn't been enough the 2 shots to the head would have been instantly fatal.
47 removed the empty clip and replaced it with a full one before answering the cellphone.
"47." he stated simply.
"This is Agency. Please hold for Diana."
As he waited, 47 holstered the Hardballer inside his jacket opposite it's twin. After waiting for a few seconds he heard the familiar voice of Diana.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, 47."
"I told you not to contact me."
"I apologise, 47, but I wouldn't call if it wasn't important. We have an assignment for you." said Diana.
"I also told you that I don't work for Agency anymore."
"I'm sorry about that whole business with Professor Ort-Meyer, 47, but we had no way of knowing what he was up to."
"Then you should pay more attention to who your clients are, Diana. Goodbye."
"We'll offer you triple your usual fee...our client insisted on the best." Diana said quickly, before 47 could hang up. He paused for a second before answering.
"I wan't to know who the client is and who the target is before I agree to anything."
"That could be difficult, 47, he requested that no-"
"Goodbye, Diana."
"47, wait!" said Diana. She sighed. "Very well. I agree to your terms. However we will need to meet face to face. This information is too sensitive to be transmitted to your laptop. Give me your location and I'll send a plane to bring you here to New York."
"Good. I'm currently in Havana. I can be at the airport in 3 hours." 47 answered.
"I'll have someone waiting for you."
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Dr. William Birkin sat on his lab stool eagerly examining another virus sample under a microscope. Like everything else in the lab, the microscope was the most advanced and expensive model available. Numerous cups of coffee littered Birkin's desk, most of them untouched, despite the fact he had been working through the night. This was also evident by the dark circles under his eyes and the stubble shadowing his boyish features. As the electronic door to the lab opened he looked away from the microscope briefly to note sonething in his notebook.
"Sir, we've recieved another message from Lord Spencer. I really think you should speak with him." said a man in a labcoat from the doorway, as Birkin began looking at the virus sample again.
"I told you not to disturb me! Tell Spencer he'll get his virus sample soon. My work on the G-Virus is almost complete." Birkin responded, irritated.
"You said that last time, sir. I informed Lord Spencer but he still insists on speaking with you."
"I TOLD YOU! I'M BUSY, NOW GET OUT OF HERE!" Birkin shouted, picking up a half full coffee cup and hurling it at the door. The cup smashed against the wall next to the door, spraying the young scientest in the doorway with tepid coffee.
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"Good morning, 47. Please come in." said Diana, as her secretary ushered the assassin through the double doors into her office. Although it was his first time here in this office, it was just like 47 had expected. Expensive, minimalist and soulless. Diana was sitting behind a desk with only an expensive looking laptop on it, a single folder next to it.
"How was your flight?" she asked, as 47 sat down in a chair in front of the desk.
"Uneventful."
"I won't bore you with small talk, 47. Let's get right down to business." said Diana. "You siad that you wanted to know who you are working for before you agreed?"
"Correct." confirmed 47.
"Normally we would never consider revealing the identity of a client especially when they specifically ask for their identity to be kept a secret. However I think an exception can be made in your case, 47. Only myself, the client and whoever else he has told will know about this so if the information is leaked he will be informed that you knew he was the one who hired you. Those are my conditions, 47."
"Understood."
"Excellent. The client is Lord Ozwell Spencer, one of the founders of the Umbrella Corporation and head of Umbrella's London Division. He want's you to go to Raccoon City and assassinate one of Umbrella's top scientests, one William Birkin. You are also to bring back the virus sample that the scientest was working on and destroy the lab."
"Why would one of the heads of Umbrella want to kill one of their own top scientests?" asked 47.
"We're not sure. Our intelligence suggests that Spencer is concerned that Birkin will defect to one of Umbrella's rival divisions or evern to another company. He feels that Birkin is expendable but the virus is not." Diana answered.
"Tell me about the target." said 47.
"Here's a recent picture." said Diana as she opened the folder on her desk and handed a picture to 47. "Dr. William Birkin. Age 36. Height 5' 8". Weight 147 pounds. Wife, Annette Birkin, Age 38, also an Umbrella researcher at the Raccoon City facility. One Daughter, Sherry Birkin, Age 12. He began working with Umbrella while still in his early teens. Boy genius, IQ off the chart, that sort of thing. The profile shows him to be obsessive and single minded, especially when it comes to his work. He spends almost all of his time in his lab."
"What kind of security does this facility have?" said 47, handing the picture back, having already committing the face to memory.
"It's underground, hidden from the public. So secrecy is their main defence. There are only a handful of guards, nothing you can't handle. You are free to deal with the guards however you like but try not to harm other Umbrella scientests...unless you really have to. Lord Spencer was kind enough to provide blueprints of the facility, including concealed entrances. He has also given us temporary access codes and security keycards. They will be valid for the next three days. This should be a walk in the park for someone of your skills, 47."
"I'll be in Raccoon tomorrow. It shouldn't take long." said 47, standing up.
"Excellent. Everything you need is in here." said Diana, handing the folder to him. "Half your fee will be transferred to your account shortly, the other half when you complete your task. Good luck, 47."
"Goodbye Diana." he said, walking out of her office.
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