Running with the Devil Capter 3 Snippet 2

the ending the Chapter 3..comments are welcome

Popping the clip out, Kate looked at the bullets with a keen eye. She had loaded her firearm with stun shells to keep from harming anyone. This wasn’t a mission to kill someone for a change. No, she was to see if an assassin was able to penetrate the Presidential Security and kill President Carver.

Thank God for that, she thought with a sigh. For once I don’t have to kill someone!

Satisfied that the load was correct, she slid the clip back home. The stealth suit kept anyone from seeing her and she opened the door with confidence. If someone had been in the stairwell, with the wind blowing like it was, an observer would think the wind had opened the door.

Kate slipped through the doorway and let the door shut behind her. The lighting in the stairwell was bright compared to the darkness outside and she let her eyes filter the light to a tolerable level. When she reached the third floor landing, a quick peek down the stairs told her no one was in sight.

“Is the third floor still clear?” she asked Kirkland through her CPU.

“The satellites don’t see anything,” Kirkland said.

Not that I would completely trust them for anything, Kate thought with a frown.

The ability to link with the satellites was something she loved about her cybernetics; however, they also made her a better killer. Was there ever going to be a time in her life when she wasn’t going to have to kill someone? Had she lost so much of her body trying to escape Necko for nothing?

You’re a murderer, the voices said.

Shut up! Kate snapped, groaning at their reappearance.

While she had learned how to deal with the guilty voices in her head, they always seemed to show up at the worst possible times. Why couldn’t they bother her when she wasn’t in the middle of a mission? They sure as hell seemed to want her dead, and that fact had Kate scared more then her mission.

Blood for blood, they said. It’s the only way to repay your debt.

Yeah well, Kate fired back, that and a credit chip will get you a cup of coffee.

“How about that single life sign,” Kate asked. “Is it still on the second floor?”

“Yes it is,” Kirkland said. “Wait a second, Lieutenant! It’s moving towards the stairs!”

“I’m on it,”

A sigh escaped her lips when Kate came to a stop. Why was it that things never went anywhere near smooth when you get into the field? When the mission planning took place, everything was planned out to the nth degree, but it took just one person moving unexpected to blow the plan to hell.

Goddamn it, Kate thought. If the damned voices in my head weren’t bad enough, now an asshole wants to take the steps instead of the elevator!

So whomever it was wanted to take the stairs, eh? Maybe they would head downstairs and she would take a different approach to reaching the tunnel. Why not take the elevator then? With her stealth suit, she could ride without anyone seeing her.

Which seems to be a better option now, Kate thought.

“Kirkland,” she thought. “What kind of communication system is in use?”

“The security force is using a wide-area encrypted network,” Kirkland said. “However, I’ve already hacked into it.”

“Can you keep anyone in this building from communicating to the White House?”

“I’m already on it,” Kirkland said. “If they try to communicate, they’ll think they’re talking to security when they’ll be talking to our computer instead.”

“Good,” Kate said. “Because I’m changing tactics.”

“What are you going to do, Lieutenant!” Reyes interrupted.

“Since the person on the third floor wants some exercise,” Kate said. “I’m going to take the elevator to the basement.”

“That’ll draw attention to you,”

“Not with my suit, sir,” she said. “Only if I get wet will anyone be able to see me.”

“Okay,” Reyes sighed. “I guess arguing with you is useless.”

“You’re right,” Kate said. “You want me to test their security, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

“Best of luck, Lieutenant,” Reyes said. “But we will discuss this when you complete the mission.

I’m sure we will, Kate thought.

“Yes, sir,”

The floor plan of the building appeared in Kate’s heads up display. Nothing was on the second floor but offices, so she didn’t expect any issues with crossing it. However, the person wanting to take the stairs had thrown a major wrench in the works. The steps wouldn’t have drawn any attention while she made her way to the basement. However, Plan B would work and it would have to, since she didn’t have a Plan C.

The door before her opened and Kate barely kept from jumping. A woman stepped through and into the stairwell. She wore a long, flowing evening dress that seemed out of place for the building Kate was in. On her shoulder was a purse that sparked with a diamond exterior.
What was she doing in the service building?

Was there a party going on that I don't know about? Kate wondered.

“Kirkland,” Kate thought. “Can you identify the woman?”

“Running her through the database,”

Kate watched the woman pause in the stairwell and look around. There was something about the woman’s movements that raised the hairs on the back of Kate’s neck. It was almost like the woman could sense Kate’s presence.

What the hell is up with her? Kate wondered.

“Lieutenant!” Kirkland said. “She’s on our wanted list! That’s the Black Cobra, a assassin who works for anyone who will pay her.”

“Damn,” Kate thought. “All I’ve got is stun bullets! ****!”

“Lieutenant,” Reyes said. “You need to capture that woman! She’s on our top-ten most wanted list.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

With a lightning quick move, the assassin reached for her purse. Kate launched herself at the other woman on pure instinct. The two of them crashed through the door and landed on the floor in the corridor beyond. A frying sound filled Kate’s ears and she realized her suit was damaged, leaving her visible.

Damn it! She cursed.

Fighting with the assassin was like trying to catch a cornered snake. She swung at Kate with her fist and landed a solid blow. Kate cried out, the side of her face blossoming with pain. The blow sent her rolling onto her back and the other woman straddled her chest, hands wrapping around Kate’s neck.

The strength in the assassin’s hands was incredible. She was slowly choking Kate to death and if Kate didn’t do something, she was going to die. In a move born out of desperation, Kate swung a fist, striking the other woman upside the head.

Crying in pain, the assassin released the choke hold on Kate’s throat, giving her the ability to break free. Kate rolled to her knees and grasped the woman’s shoulders. With a cry of rage, she sent the other woman flying across the room. The assassin struck the wall of an office and burst through the sheet rock.

Kate climbed to her feet, her hands rubbing her sore neck. Inside the office, the assassin moaned and lay still. Behind Kate, the stairwell was full of footsteps and moments later the Presidential Security detail came bursting through with weapons drawn.

“Hands in the air!”

“I’m…on…your side,” Kate said, coughing while she tried to regain her breath.

“If you have any weapons, drop them now!” One of the security detail said. “Or we will shoot to kill!”

“Hold your fire!”

Kate looked up in surprise and saw Rachel Adams enter the room. What the hell was she doing here? According to her mission planning, there was no other intelligence agents assigned to this case.

“Kate,” Adams said. “This wasn’t what we had in mind for you mission, but it’ll do.”

“‘This wasn’t what you had in mind,’” Kate mocked. “And just what the hell was that?”

“We were going to catch you,” Adams said. “I was advising the security detail.”

“Good luck on that,”

“Don’t be bitter,” Adams said. “I personally think you would’ve have beaten me…but we’ll never know. The Black Cobra is a more important catch.”

“Gee that’s so nice to know,” Kate muttered. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Like I said: I was advising the security detail.”

“Why didn’t the Old Man tell me you were here?” Kate rubbed her neck, which was starting to hurt from the wringing it had received.

“Because it was need to know,”

“‘Need to know,’” Kate said. “And I didn’t need to know the full situation op? Damn you two and your ****ing cloak and dagger! Are we through here?”

“The mission is over,” Adams said, trying to smile in a conciliatory way. “If it means anything to you, I didn’t care for the orders either.”

“Whatever,” Kate said, pushing her way past everyone.