Page 83 of Red Zone Awakened

CHAPTER32

Enforcement Special Response Unit

Outside CommTECH’s research facility

Houston, Northern Territory

“The research mainframewith the backup data is on sublevel five,” Daniel Mercer told his twin.“Sublevels three through five are alarmed and fitted with blast doors.We’d know if someone entered that section of the building.”

He looked up from the building plans he was studying on his datapad to find his twin standing out in the open.He faced the CommTECH building, feet apart, arms folded, face blank—a visible challenge to Freedom.

But he was listening to every word Daniel said.“If the anti-surveillance mesh over the terrace wasn’t still functioning, we could blast them off the building.”Charles looked as though he was trying to figure out a way to do it anyway.

“Shepherd doesn’t care about casualties, but she does care about her company’s reputation.”Daniel nodded toward the cameras floating at the perimeter line.“If we blew up Keiko Sato on the news, it would be bad press.”

Charles didn’t care about the press—or anything else for that matter.All Daniel’s twin cared about was getting what he wanted.Every situation was a negotiation.He’d only do what Shepherd wanted for a price.A price that was never exacted from anyone but Daniel.It was how they’d always done things.

“What’s the plan?”Charles kept his eyes trained on the building, as if trying to see inside it.

“We take a team.We go floor to floor until all targets are eliminated.”

“Time-consuming.”In other words, that plan took too long to get to the good part—the killing.“What’s your backup plan?”

“Two teams.”Daniel had kept his preferred plan as his backup, knowing full well Charles would veto his first suggestion.“We go straight to the terrace and hit it with a bigger team while a second team works their way up the building, sweeping for strays.”

At last, his twin turned to face him.There was no expression on his face—there never was—only a cold, calculating intelligence.“My payment is Keiko Sato.”

And there it was.Time to pay the beast.Daniel had been paying the beast his entire life.It was the only way to ensure they both survived.Otherwise, Charles would have taken him down, along with himself, long ago.

“Take someone else.You can have the Freedom leader.”Someone, anyone, who was guilty.Not an innocent like Keiko.

“No.”Charles was implacable.

Daniel confronted his mirror image.“Shepherd will want Keiko alive if we can manage it.”The fact that they weren’t meant to put any effort into saving the press secretary was neither here nor there.

“I want her.”Charles’s voice was steel.

A cold flicker of dread crept up Daniel’s spine.He knew that tone.There was no arguing with his twin now.

All he could do was demand a concession.“Somewhere away from cameras.”

Charles inclined his head and turned back to the building.Their discussion was over, at least for him.Nothing else interested him now that they’d agreed on his payment, the payment extracted in order to allow Daniel to carry on living and pretending he was normal.Instead of facing the reality that he was one half of the feared Mercer twins.And the other half was a psychopath who reveled in death.

Daniel signaled to the Enforcement commander that it was time to gear up.There was nothing he could do for Keiko Sato now.Her fate had been sealed the moment Freedom stormed the building.Now all he could do was hope that Freedom gave her a swift death.

Before his twin got his hands on her and inflicted his own brand of dying.