synopsis: Alexandra Ryder—a.k.a. Agent 47-D—is back and this time it’s personal.
Corruption Games
(By S.B.)
28 — Confrontation
Alexandra arrived at the hotel’s vicinities ten minutes before scheduled. It wasn’t much time but enough to make a quick assessment of the area and amp out Accardi’s possible exit strategies should things go south for him. It helped that she already had a basic knowledge of that section of the city, having been there on an off-the-books assignment once. Still, things had changed since that day and one could never be too careful.
The fact that he had chosen the rooftop as a rendezvous point didn’t go unnoticed. After playing in the shadows for too long, Accardi was ready to be bold and if he wasn’t afraid of exposure, that could only mean one of two things: either he had nothing to lose or there was yet another nasty surprise. She was betting on the latter, but anything could happen.
Alexandra entered the Dupont Circle Hotel and immediately went for the elevator. As she arrived on the top floor, she veered to the right to locate the emergency staircase that led to the roof. The door, which was usually locked despite the potential safety hazards had been left slightly ajar in anticipation of her arrival. Alexandra pushed it aside and climbed the small flight of stairs that led to the open area outside. She was armed and dangerous, and this time she wouldn’t fire blanks.
The sunlight almost blinded her as she stepped on the concrete floor and saw her nemesis grinning with a gun pointed at General Hayes’ head. Her boss was in pretty rough shape with fresh bruises on his face and wrists and a couple of open gashes dripping crimson blood. His left eye was swollen.
“Hello again, Alexandra,” Accardi spat on the rooftop. “It’s such a pleasure to finally be face to face with you again.”
“You know very well the feeling is not mutual, Paolo,” she replied. “You should have stayed dead.”
“But then we wouldn’t be having so much fun, would we?”
“Your idea of entertainment is a lot different from mine.”
“Is it? I think you’re just jealous I’ve been beating you in your own games since the beginning.”
“Is that what you think it’s happening? Sorry, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.”
“And yet, here we are. I’ve targeted everyone dear to you and you could not stop me. I dare say that if I hadn’t revealed myself, you would still be running around in circles trying to figure out what was going on. Why don’t you admit you were outplayed so we can get this show over with?”
“Fine!” she clapped ironically, the disdain on her down-turned lips impossible to ignore. “If that’s what your frail ego needs, congratulations, Accardi! You truly are the greatest 4-D chess master of them all. Happy now?”
“No, I’m not. There’s one thing missing, something you will give me right now if you don’t want me to put a bullet through your precious General’s head.”
“What do you want?”
“Kneel, Alexandra.”
“Excuse me?”
“On your knees. Since you love doing that to people so much, it’s only fair you show the same respect to your superior.”
“Hmmph...” she smirked, right hand resting on her hip. “Superior? Your delusions of grandeur have only gotten worse over the years, I see. I kneel for no man, especially a deranged serial killer.”
“There’s nothing deranged about me, Alexandra. I know exactly what I am and I’m proud of it. Can you say the same?”
“I’m getting tired of this shit. Do you intend to keep your end of the bargain or not?”
“If you already know the answer, why bother asking?” Accardi nudged the General’s limping body closer to the edge of the building. “Kneel.”
“Don’t give him what he wants, Alexandra!” General Hayes said. “It’s not worth it. I don’t care if I die here or not. Just make sure he gets what he deserves!”
Shut up, old man!” Accardi hit him in the back of his head with the butt of the gun. “Nobody asked you anything.”
Alexandra inched closer to the two men. One shot and it would be all over but she didn’t have a clean angle, unless...
“What are you waiting for, 47-D? KNEEL!”
“I have a better idea,” she held the pistol forward. “Can you kill us both before I give you a third eye? I think not. Unhand him now. I’m your endgame, not him.”
“Don’t tell me what to do!” he vociferated, pressing the gun’s barrel against the old man’s half-open mouth. “We’re playing by my rules, not yours. Now, do as I say!”
“No. I don’t respect you enough for that. I do respect, the man you’re holding captive though, and if he’s willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good, then I can live with that. Do your worst, Accardi, and then die as I do the same.”
The assassin looked at her quizzically. It was obviously a bluff. Everything she had done so far had been fairly predictable. Despite her many flaws, Alexandra still had a code of honor she would not betray willy-nilly. Then again, he had already forced her hand.
“You wouldn’t...” he mumbled.
“Are you sure? I already killed one man today thanks to you,” she emphasized. “They say the second time is considerably easier and, trust me, I won’t have any qualms when it comes to you.”
The two rivals stood just a couple of feet apart, ready for whatever fate had in store for them. While they were both nervous, Accardi appeared to be more distraught. So much preparation down the drain because of an unexpected variable. By trying to get her to act like him, he may have overdone it for his own taste.
“It looks like we’re at an impasse here,” he declared.
“Not from where I’m standing. You look scared, Paolo. Frankly, you should be.”
“Shut up.”
“Why? You don’t like to hear the truth? Oh, that’s right. of course you don’t. You never did. You claim to be superior and yet now you’re wondering how you allowed things to get out of hand so quickly...” Alexandra clicked her tongue, trigger finger slightly twitching. “Let me tell you a secret. The control you thought you had has been nothing more than an illusion for a while now. We’re no longer playing your games, but mine.”
“Stop trying to mess with my head or I’ll swear I’ll...” he growled.
“Or you’ll what? Just fucking do it already, asshole! The more threats you cannot deliver on the less power you have. You think you’ve accomplished so much but in the end, you’re still the same fucking loser you’ve always been. It’s pathetic, really! Shoot and prove me wrong if you dare.”
“I don’t have to prove a thing!” he spat again. “After today, your organization is going down and you with it. You’ll be just a footnote in history no one will even bother to look up. And even if they do, all they’ll see is the disgrace you’ve become, and all thanks to me.”
General Hayes clenched his teeth, lips drawing red. Just like his protege, he had had enough of the lunatic’s antics. Mustering the last of his strength, he slowly raised his left foot and rained it down on Accardi’s shin, screaming,
“Alexandra! Now!”
He didn’t have to ask twice. Taking advantage of the minuscule opening given to her the moment Accardi coiled away, she shot twice. The first bullet grazed his left shoulder, a mere flesh wound that was the same as nothing but the second hit him in the chest just below the right clavicle. Both he and General fell backward, teetering too close to the abyss. Alexandra dashed forward at full speed to grab the old military just in time but, Accardi, still holding on to his firearm, seized the moment to pull the trigger once, the projectile hitting Alexandra in her right leg.
“Son of a bitch!” she screamed as she pushed the general out of arm’s way and jumped at the assailant with murderous intent. Notwithstanding the sudden pang of pain, she went for the mercy shot but was surprised by a vigorous leg sweep that sent her flying face down against the concrete. Accardi stood up, aimed straight at the back of her head and...
... the gun jammed. Accardi stared blankly at the pistol for a fraction of a second as if he was being mocked by a higher divine power and attacked the hypnotist, one arm around her neck and the other fighting for possession of her gun. Alexandra barely had time to react to his ferocious assault, gasping for air as he pressed down her larynx and trachea. With bloodshot eyes, she kicked his groin and then rolled out of the way, the pistol spinning uncontrollably in the air before plunging into the busy sidewalk.
General Hayes, who had already repositioned himself behind the murderer, violently stepped on his kneecaps, the appalling scream ringing like a joyful symphony in his ears. Accardi responded with an elbow push on his diaphragm, momentarily cutting the airflow to his lungs, and then punched Alexandra between her ribs. His clothes were soaked in blood, yet he felt no pain, the sudden injection of adrenaline giving him almost supernatural strength to keep going.
Blinded by seething rage, Accardi continued to pull at the trigger of his pistol, the gun refusing to budge. Furious, he threw the pistol away and drew a knife from behind his back. The blade cut the air in front of him but missed the target. Alexandra pushed him away from her and punched the bullet wound. L’ Angelo Cremisi responded with another downward stabbing motion but she dodged it just in time to wrap her arm around his and twist as if it were a rubber band stretched far too thin. Locked in a twisting dance of life and death, the two continued to struggle for supremacy.
Accardi had brute force on his side but Alexandra was more nimble even with the bullet in her leg. She pushed forward one more time, snatching the hilt of the knife from her opponent’s trembling hands. He blocked the first strike with the back of his right shoulder but was absolutely powerless against the second swing, a clean cut right above the femur. Alexandra dodged a rampaging jab and stabbed him in his right thigh.
“It’s over, Accardi,” she said, twisting the blade counterclockwise to cause as much damage to his flesh as possible.
“No, Alexandra, it’s not,” he roared like a maddening beast. “This will never be over while of us draws breath.”
“If that’s the problem...” General Hayes declared. “... it’s one we can easily fix.”
He punched Accardi once on the bridge of his nose, followed by a second uppercut on his bleeding mouth. The third blow was more vicious than the preceding two and the fourth was powerful enough to crack a rib or two. For a man in his twilight years, the General still packed quite a punch and his muscle hadn’t forgotten years of combat training. He continued attacking the human punching bag, slowly and surely closing the gap between them and the edge of the rooftop.
“You’ll never take us down, you fucking son of a bitch! Never!”
Sensing his imminent demise, Accardi tried a last-minute defense. He blocked the General’s last punch with both hands and then kicked the old man in the balls, rejoicing as he squirmed on the floor. Already starting to drown in his own blood, he pulled the knife off his leg and threw it at Alexandra who miraculously rolled out of the way as it was about to make contact. The secret agent landed on her feet and head-butted him. All breath drawn out of his broken body, Accardi muttered incredulously,
“This... this was not supposed to happen...”
“I told you you have no power here,” Alexandra towered over him like a vengeful goddess.
The sound of propeller blades dominated the skies all around them. An unmarked black helicopter was approaching from the right, a rope ladder hanging from the side.
“Did you call for reinforcements?” General Hayes asked.
“No,” Alexandra replied and confronted the barely-standing assassin. “Your ticket out of here, I assume. I knew you weren’t working alone on this one.”
“You know nothing...” he looked at his bloody hands, no more strength left to fight.
“Trust me, I know enough, and let me tell you how wrong you are. The division isn’t going anywhere. The only ones history will not remember are you and your associates once I take them all down.”
“Good luck with that,” Accardi struggled to stay on his feet. “They are everywhere and closer than you think. What I started will be finished one way or another.”
The helicopter drew closer, circling the hotel rooftop. Alexandra picked up the jammed gun from the concrete and flipped the pilot off as if saying, “Try to come any closer, fucker.” The message understood loud and clear, the vehicle left the aerial space, fading into the horizon like a fleeting mirage.
“It looks like your friends have abandoned you,” General Hayes exhaled loudly. “I guess there really is no honor among murderers and thieves.”
“I hate you all,” Accardi said, taking two steps backward. Every part of his body was destroyed, the light fading away from his predatory eyes. “See you in hell, Alexandra.”
“Good riddance,” she stood her ground as the call of gravity spoke louder than any of his nefarious schemes. The scourge of Amiens fell from the rooftop and splattered helplessly by the hotel’s front door, arms stretched to the sides like broken angel wings drenched in red. The nightmare was over.