High Stakes - Part 4

Once John got his bearings back, he crept forward and listened at the door.

He could hear Laz talking on the other side. His voice was low, but clear enough to catch.

“I have acquired the codes,” said Laz. “And now I am waiting for my extraction.”

“Great job,” said the deputy director. “I knew you wouldn't let us down.”

“What about Tokyo?” asked Laz.

“Don't worry about it,” she replied. “We’ll just blame everything on the Nero family and say Peter did it without our knowledge. Then we'll say we stopped the terrorist. That way, all the blame is off of us and we come out clean on the other side.”

“What about John?” Laz asked.

“Well,” said the deputy director, “he’s proven himself to be just who we thought he was. Another criminal. Just like his father and the rest of his family.”

John’s blood boiled. His face flushed with rage.

I’m not a criminal like the rest of them, he thought. I’ve been trying to stop all of this.

Fuming, John kicked the door open.

“Freeze!” he yelled, pointing a gun at Laz.

Laz spun around. Inside, John could see that he was alone in the cockpit from across the passenger section except for the deputy director, who appeared on a massive screen.

“What the hell?! Agent Raven?” the deputy director snapped. “You were captured back in Rome!”

“Yeah, well,” said John, creeping past the seats. “You probably ought to hire better agents if a desk jockey can get the jump on them.”

“Stop him immediately!” the deputy director barked. The screen cut to black.

Laz’s face flushed red with rage. “How the hell did you even get here?!” he screamed. “We’re tens of thousands of feet up in the air!”

“It doesn’t matter how,” said John. “Just know that I’m not letting you give them any codes at all.”

“Is that so?” Laz smirked, then pulled out the ring and slipped it onto his hand. “If you want it so bad, come and get it.”

John scoffed. “I’m clearly the one holding the gun.”

“Yeah, so?” Laz shrugged. “I’m the one with more experience. Also, if you shoot in here, it’ll change the air pressure and get us both.”

“Am I supposed to care?” John asked.

“Maybe,” said Laz. “But you’ve got a lot to learn.”

He suddenly placed his hand on the side of his jacket.

“For example,” Laz said, “smoke is an agent's best friend.”

He slammed a button.

Pssshhht!

The room instantly flooded with smoke. John started coughing violently as the thick cloud hit his face.

BAM! WHAM!

The gun was knocked from his hands, and Laz kicked him to the ground. Then he grabbed John, slammed him against the window, and hurled him across the room.

John’s body hit the copilot door with a hard thud and rolled across the floor.

Focus... John thought. Activate Skill: Combat.

<<<>>>

[Skill: Combat (2).]

[Activating…]

<<<>>>

Increase it using Talent: Underworld Legacy, thought John.

<<<>>>

[ERROR. TALENT INCOMPATIBLE.]

<<<>>>

John’s eyes went wide. Why not?!

<<<>>>

[USAGE ERROR.]

[Opponent is not classified as a criminal.]

[Movement patterns: UNPREDICTABLE.]

<<<>>>

“Oh, fuck,” John said out loud.

“Let me guess,” said Laz as he emerged from the smoke. “Your AI said it couldn’t detect my moves because I’m not a criminal?”

John stared, stunned. “How the hell did you know?”

Laz grabbed John again and kicked him hard and landed hard among the rows of passenger seats.

"It's quite simple," said Laz. "I have Total Recall. I can remember everything. I read your file. I know not only the way your talent works—"

John stood up. He charged at Laz and swung a right hook. Laz easily grabbed his wrist, twisted his body and Judo flipped him onto the ground.

"—but everything else!"

John twisted his body and was soon back on his feet. He tried to strike him with a few haymakers, but Laz dodged them all with ease. Then Laz swept John off his feet and kicked him in the face.

As John rolled, Laz stomped down hard on his injured ribs. John screamed.

"Yeah, that's from when you jumped on the van. I’ve done that stunt myself, and I know exactly what it does to you when do it wrong. I can even remember where you've gotten hurt," said Laz. "Unknown to you, I've used my Total Recall more than a few times. I’ve used it to make sure no one ever gets the jump on me. And thanks to you, I now have level five combat! I couldn’t have done it without you, bud."

He smirked.

"It’s not even funny how outclassed you are."

John, groaning, used a nearby chair to stand. He winced through the pain, holding his side.

Laz laughed, then stepped into a kung fu stance and waved John forward.

John charged.

He lifted his leg to kick, but Laz caught it and punched him directly in the knee.

John yelped in pain and then Laz flipped him over his shoulder again. John crashed to the floor, landing flat on his back. He coughed, blood now pooling in his mouth.

"You can't win," said Laz. "I'm just too good."

"I will… stop you..." said John, barely able to speak. John looked at his gun near the back that had been knocked out of his hand.

Laz laughed again. "What, you’re gonna crawl back to your gun and shoot out the window? Use the air suction to take us both down or at least use it as a distraction, right? Great plan."

Laz shrugged casually.

"Except you’d never get over there in time. You won’t beat me. You’re not fast enough to stop what’s coming."

John let out an exhausted sigh. Laz was right. That was exactly his plan. It was like Laz could read his mind.

"I know everything about you," said Laz. "And there’s nothing you can possibly do that I don’t see coming."

John turned around and looked at him. He was so tired. Just getting onto this blimp took everything out of him. Even if he did have the energy to fight, Laz was so far above him in combat level, he wasn’t sure what he could do. Then Laz pulled out a gun.

He pointed it at John's head.

"But you know," he said, shifting his aim slightly, "if I shoot this just right, it won’t hit any windows. Not even the floor."

He lowered the barrel, placing it directly on top of John’s head.

“It’ll go through your head and lodge right in your chest for safekeeping.”

John tried to swipe the gun away, but Laz caught his arm and twisted his wrist violently.

SNAP!

John’s wrist snapped. He screamed in agony.

Laz followed with a brutal kick to the chest. John coughed hard, curling inward as the pain spread through his already cracked ribs.

"You see," said Laz, "I have more experience. My combat is three levels above yours. Your talent only works against evil people, and according to the AI itself, I am not a criminal."

He grinned.

"I'm just ahead of the game."

Click.

He cocked the gun.

"When I fire this, it'll go through your brain, your throat, and get lodged in your chest. Isn’t it interesting how ballistics work? I can shoot you and not even scratch my precious blimp."

John heaved, barely able to breathe. "It’s not right... You shouldn’t allow… the CIA to use the satellite... to control innocent people."

"The innocent are already being controlled. Because they can’t be trusted to control themselves. It’s always been happening."

He leaned down close to John's face.

"Don’t get mad at me. I’m just a part of the beautiful machine that keeps this world spinning."

“Is that so?” called a voice from behind.

Laz spun around quickly and jumped back, aiming his gun at the figure.

John coughed more blood this time. His head was spinning. His vision blurred. He was too exhausted from the climb onto the blimp. He didn’t have enough adrenaline left in him to keep going. But then he looked over, and his eyes widened in shock.

His sister, Jade!

He just stared at her, dumbfounded.

“What the hell?” said Laz. “What are you doing here?”

“Great question,” said Jade. “Why don’t you ask my brother there?”

She nodded at John, who was just trying to stay awake through the haze.

“I don’t remember striking any deal with you,” John said, “outside of getting Peter.”

Jade laughed. “Yes, sorry. We were in cahoots, and you didn’t even know. But of course, you wouldn’t have seen this coming. You’re my naïve little brother. You’ve still got so much to learn.”

Laz narrowed his eyes. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You see, that device I gave you? It didn’t just have electronic tools for hacking. It also had a tracker and remote control access. Because of course it does. I’ve been tracking you live and through the CIA mainframe this entire time.”

John leaned back and put his one good hand to his head. Of course. It was so obvious. He felt completely flabbergasted. He was played like an idiot. He was so focused on getting it over with; he didn’t think about all the ways it would bite him in the ass.

“Even if that’s true,” Laz said, “how the hell are you here now?”

Jade gestured behind her, and several men stood in tight formation. One of them handed her a square device with two straps.

“This is my jetpack,” she said. “I’d show you how it works, but all you need to know is: it’s a jetpack. I knew once John wore himself out trying to take care of you, it would be the perfect time to strike.”

She turned toward her brother. “Otherwise, you’d have come after me next. I needed to hit you while you were exhausted.”

Then she shook her head in disappointment. “Although, little brother… I really thought you’d have killed Laz by now. I underestimated just how pathetic you truly are.”

Laz scoffed. “So what? You’re here now. Who cares? I’m still not giving you the codes. And now that you’re in front of me, I’ll take you down myself!”

“I don’t think you will,” said Jade smoothly. “Because I happen to know a lot about you too, Laz. I know you want to be one of the greatest agents of all time, and I know you’ll do whatever it takes to get that title… even if it means going rogue. Isn’t that right?”

Laz’s face twisted in confusion. “How the hell did you—”

“I hacked the system,” Jade replied with an eye-roll. “Keep up, you slack-jawed blinkards! It’s so frustrating that I keep having to repeat myself.”

She crossed her arms.

“This is to be the end of me and my brother’s little partnership. In fact, John was originally supposed to die back at that hotel, but apparently I need to work on the effectiveness of my explosive charges.”

“Yeah, I remember,” said John, trying to stand. “Are you going to shut up anytime soon? You’re always giving a yap fest…”

“Actually, it’s not all bad news! Once you offered to kill our brother, Peter, for me... I started thinking differently, so thank you for that. Who do you think tipped off the CIA about the incoming laser?”

“Lea,” said John.

“You really think Lea is smart enough to track satellite movements? I’m the one who told them. I needed you alive long enough to take out Peter. Which brings us… to you.”

She turned her attention back to Laz.

Laz tightened his grip on the gun, still aiming. “What the fuck do you mean it has to do with me?”

“Well,” said Jade, stepping forward, “I can give you something no one else can. A guaranteed path to becoming the number one spy in the entire world.”

“Oh, yeah?” Laz sneered. “And what’s that?”

“Access to the Underworld Criminal Mainframe.”

Laz laughed. “That doesn’t exist. There’s no such thing as a central database with every family, every organization, every crime logged. That’s a myth.”

“What if there was?” She stepped even closer. “What if almost every crime committed by the underworld—every movement, every deal—was planned by something else? By someone else?”

Laz hesitated. “Why would you give me access to that?”

“Because,” said Jade, her voice suddenly cold, “I hate them. These people think they can control the underworld. Just like your government thinks it can control innocent people. We have a common enemy.”

“Don’t trust her,” John barked.

“Shut up,” said Jade. “You’ve been gone for years! You have no idea what it’s been like. You have no idea what I really know. You and Peter are both buffoons!”

“Prove it,” said Laz.

“Prove what?” asked Jade.

“Prove that there’s something larger going on. And I might consider an offer from you.”

“Are you crazy?” asked John. “Laz, there’s no way you’re considering teaming up with her!”

Laz pistol-whipped John.

“Shut up! If there’s an organization that’s more dangerous than a space laser, if they have weapons more harmful, then it’s my duty as an American agent to find out what that is.”

“Exactly my point,” said Jade. “You find them, you squash them, and you can take whatever they have. All I want is them gone so I can go on doing what I do best.”

She tossed Laz a backpack. Laz caught it quickly and opened it. Inside, he saw a jetpack.

“I build weapons,” said Jade. “That’s not illegal. But I don’t like my competition. So what do you say?”

Laz took a moment. He glanced at John, then back at Jade. A grin crept across his face. “If you’re trying to trick me, I’ll know,” said Laz.

“I know you’ll know,” said Jade. “That’s why you have your own jetpack. In fact, I’ll give you the coordinates of where we’re going, so you can contact the CIA before you even get there.”

She tossed him a thumb drive. He caught it. “What about the codes?” asked Laz.

“Keep them,” she said. “I personally don’t care who uses that damn laser, as long as it’s used against these people.”

“You’re just planning more bloodshed,” said John. “You’re planning to start a giant war with more underground, hidden factions, and that’s going to affect countless innocent lives! Just like when Peter tried to eradicate all those criminal elites. Innocent people were caught in the crossfire!”

Jade sighed. “That’s just the cost of doing business.”

Laz turned to John with a smirk. “A little collateral damage is okay as long as you’re protecting millions of other lives. A handful of people isn’t worth the millions.”

John felt a hot flame ignite within him. It was like a searing poker deep in his chest. He wanted to tackle Laz right now. Maybe if he got his gun or the jetpack he could–

<<<>>>

[Warning: Blood loss critical!]

[Multiple sustained injuries.]

[Recommended action: remain stationary.]

<<<>>>

Fuck that, John thought.

He stood up from leaning on the chair, lifting his left arm. His only good one since his right wrist was injured.

“I’m not going to stop,” said John. “I’m not going to let you get away!”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure you are,” said Laz.

“Have you forgotten?” said Jade.

Then, from behind her, emerged Mango. Her mouth and wrists duct-taped.

John’s breath caught in his throat. “Mango,” he said in a low, hoarse voice.

“Oh, John,” said Jade. “You’re so predictable. You’re such a nice guy. You didn’t even know I was the one who hired her.”

John’s face twisted in confusion. “What?” he said.

Mango looked at Jade, then looked at John and shook her head.

“Oh yes,” said Jade. “Do you really think Peter would be smart enough to send a thief to kill you? You know that’s not even his style. He likes his victims to know it was him. Loud and proud. He likes guys in tracksuits and Adidas.”

She paced slowly.

“He doesn’t know how to play the intricate game. That’s why, as soon as Mango stole a diamond I was after, I knew it was in my best interest to convince Peter to hire her and then... to use her.”

Mango’s eyes started to water in terror.

“If you do anything to me,” said Jade, “if, by some grace of God, you live like the cockroach you are... I will kill her.”

She looked John dead in the eye. “And you know I mean that.”

John clenched his jaw.

Then she smiled. Her men strapped into their jetpacks. She did the same.

“Agent Hawk, why don’t you come over here and make sure Mango doesn’t do anything stupid with her Knife Shade ability,” said Jade.

Laz nodded, slipping on the jetpack. John could only watch in disbelief as Laz walked over to her side. “Of course,” said Laz, and he grabbed Mango.

“You see,” said Jade, “you were the last piece. The last part of the puzzle. And now that both of my brothers are out of the way, I will gain access to the FOCUS mainframe and everything will be inherited to me! I will make sure the CIA gets rid of the real bad guys. I will make sure they have all the intel they need to take down the people oppressing our family. I will protect the people who don’t desire to live under government rule.”

“You’ve thought of everything, huh?” said John.

“Of course I did,” Jade replied. “But I have to give it to you, you’ve survived more times than I expected. You made me change my plans. Not once, but at least twice.”

She pulled out a flare gun and pointed it directly at John. “No more mistakes.”

The goons moved into action, dragging Mango to the garage-style side door that had a small people-shaped hole in it. One of them took out a small, gun-shaped laser cutter and fired. A larger, clean hole sizzled into the metal, large enough for them all to jump through at once.

The men began leaving, Mango in tow. Laz held onto her, grinning.

“I’m sorry,” said Laz to John, “but this is the way it has to be. It’s what’s best for America and, in my opinion, you wouldn’t have made it as an agent anyway.”

He jumped.

And then it was just Jade and John.

“How could you do this?” John said weakly. “How could you let them take the satellite?”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Jade said.

“But... you were my family.”

Jade sighed. “A piece of me wanted to ask you to join me. Especially after you tracked down Laz and almost stopped him last time. I found your capabilities... surprisingly impressive.”

She paused.

“But I already know you’ll say no.”

John lowered his arm. “Then how come you haven’t shot me already?”

“It’s simple,” said Jade. “I want to hear you say it.”

John squinted. “Say what?”

“You know what I mean,” Jade snapped. “Say it. That’s what I want to hear.”

John’s face twisted in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“JUST FUCKING DO IT!” Jade screamed at the top of her lungs. “You have to say it! You have to tell me that I won!”

John gave a weak laugh. “That’s what you want? You want me to say you won?”

“Yes, dammit!” Jade shouted. “Peter always got special treatment over me. Peter was always groomed to run the family business. Every suggestion I gave was brushed aside because I was a woman. Because I was second to Peter for everything!”

She shook her head, her voice full of sudden rage and disdain.

“And then you came along. And somehow, even you got priority over me. The fucking baby of the bunch! I am the smartest. I build the best weapons. I’m the most qualified. Peter was a meathead. And you’re just a rat who should’ve been flushed down the toilet a long time ago.”

She took a step forward. John stepped back.

“You lack the resolve to do what needs to be done. I know for a fact Peter killed himself because you didn’t shoot him. You couldn’t shoot him! You’re weak! You’re a fucking disgrace to this family. And I need you to understand... it’s over.”

She pointed the flare gun at his chest.

“So say it.”

John sighed. The weight of her words pressed down on him like iron. It felt as if his entire body was sinking. He was pushed past his limits, mentally and physically. Slowly, he sank to his knees. He dropped with a hard thud.

“Fine,” he said. “You win. You got me. I hope it was worth it.”

Jade started to laugh loudly and maniacally. A wild smile spread across her face, and she exhaled in relief as if a giant weight had been taken off of her.

“Every last bit,” she said.

Then she turned, aimed the flare gun at the cockpit controls, and fired. The flare burst on impact, igniting the console in a flash of flame.

“Let’s see you somehow steer this thing to safety,” she sneered.

She moved toward the exit door. John watched her go. His breath was shallow. His hope was gone. She paused at the door and turned back to him.

“You know,” said Jade, “for a brief moment... I really thought you were going to stop me. I even had a whole plan just in case, but I guess you surprised me.”

“Oh, yeah?” said John in a low voice.

“Yeah,” said Jade. “I underestimated you. Turns out you’re smarter than I thought.”

She activated her jetpack and flew out through the hole, disappearing into the sky.

The flames spread. First throughout the cockpit, then into the gondola itself.

“Damn,” he muttered. “Why do anything if it’s not to stop criminals... or to stop the CIA if they’re the criminals? If innocent people are going to die either way, then... what is even the point?”

And his breath became heavy. His body and mind were shutting down. “There’s no way I can win.”