As soon as she landed on the roof, the chopper headed away, Velika rolled up her eyes and went to the vent. They compromised on that the chopper would come back for about half an hour and waited on the roof for about another fifteen minutes if she didn't show up, the mission was considered as failed and the chopper would leave. What a cruel world, she sighed and removed the cover of the vent and looked down, it was all dark and she didn't know how far she would go down. She tied the rope on the edge and made sure it won't break on loose. Then she sat down, counted to three, and took the leap.
It wasn't so easy to get down there, she was pretty sure she knocked onto something and had little bruises on her skin now. She was just falling, falling, and falling, reminded her of Alice in Wonderland. Except nobody would aim a pistol at Alice's head if they found her. She finally landed on something, it was paper, a paper that was ready to burn.
She struggled to sit up straight and rubbed her shoulder several times, it was hurting badly. She wanted to climb out of the gigantic cart, but she found someone was approaching. Must be the fire time, she thought, she quickly texted Nicholas Watson, told him to come here as soon as he could.
Nicholas was in the corridor, he saw someone went to that room and he quickly went up, even he didn't get Velika O'Sullivan's message, he would stop that person.
"Hey, Dylan, how are you?" Nicholas Watson patted Dylan's shoulder, the man was a bit shocked by the sudden greeting, as they rarely talked.
"Oh, I'm fine." Dylan talked slowly, didn't know what Nicholas Watson was up to, he already opened the door, and as he was facing Nicholas Watson, he didn't see Velika O'Sullivan was there in the cart, trying to sneak away, "What are you doing here?"
"Nothing, just checking if the paper is burned already." The British smiled, so fake that even himself wouldn't believe that lie.
Velika O'Sullivan was behind the door now, Nicholas Watson could hear his heart beating like crazy. He stepped up and made Dylan went into the room so that his friend could get out without being noticed, but he needed Dylan to turn back.
"Umm, Dylan, actually," Nicholas Watson had to make up an excuse, "I think I accidentally throw some important paper, can you help me find it?"
"Well, sure." Dylan nodded, but still looking at him suspiciously, Nicholas Watson gave him an awkward smile, "What paper is that?"
While Dylan turned back and started looking files, Velika O'Sullivan successfully sneaked out and gave her thumbs to thank for his help, Nicholas Watson winked and she turned into the corridor.
The way from the incinerator and the cell Daniel Heinrich was locked wasn't that far, and it was underground so barely anyone came. The only chamber in-between incinerator and the cell was the control room that all wires were connected and made sure the network system was functioning.
Velika O'Sullivan was thinking probably after she got Daniel Heinrich, she would blow up the control room so that she could make the event more trustworthy. Maybe not blow up the whole thing, that would be too furious, only cut several wires and that was lethal enough. Besides, she figured it was necessary to teach Astoria Leontes a lesson that Velika O'Sullivan wasn't someone that she wanted to mess with.
She saw the guard at the door, only one, the other one perhaps had gone for a break. She briefly checked what the guard had, no more than two pistols and a knife. Astoria Leontes might think it was safe enough but Velika O'Sullivan was curious how could Astoria Leontes loosed her alert, what if Velika O'Sullivan decided to go rogue, but she didn't have the time to think about it, she shook her head and took her move.
Took down the guard wasn't that hard for a well-trained assassin, she swiped Romeo Leontes' old card and got into the shell. When she saw her former partner was chained and his face was so pale and gaunt, her heart dropped instantly.
"Heinrich, look at me," She gently patted his face and made his sight focused on her. His pretty green eyes took about a minute to focus he was drugged, it was obvious that Astoria Leontes was sending a message, she wanted to get rid of Daniel Heinrich as soon as this was over.
"Velika, you shouldn't be here------"
"Shhh," Velika O'Sullivan put her finger on his lips, she slowly unchained him, tried not to make a sound, it was hard for her to keep him in balance, whatever Astoria Leontes used to poison him was strong, "I'll get you out, okay? Don't worry, we'll be fine."
"She wants us dead," Daniel Heinrich said coldly, even he was not quite himself, he said every word clearly, "That woman, she's a devious creature."
"I know, now, shut up Heinrich, we are going to get out first." She interrupted him and put his arm around her shoulder when he leaned his head against her, she saw the marks of injection on his neck. She truly hoped Astoria Leontes didn't give him XYZ-2421-ERA, "I'm not going to leave you to rot here."
"Velika, why did you even marry Dean O'Sullivan? He has no heart." Daniel Heinrich kept mumbling when they were crossing the corridor, saying things he would never say if he wasn't drugged, "You are insane, you loved him so much, and then what? He chose his benefit over you."
"Yes, I know that too." Velika O'Sullivan frowned, even though she was aware what Daniel Heinrich said was the truth, part of her was still denying it.
"I'm not going to let you go back to him." He said firmly, stopped walking.
"For God's sake, what drug did they give you?" Velika O'Sullivan sighed, she should have taped Daniel Heinrich's mouth so that he could be quiet, now he was just kept going on and on about her relationship.
"We can get away together, you see," Daniel Heinrich said softly. Velika O'Sullivan rose her eyebrow, she decided not to think what he meant, "We can get away together."
"Yes, of course, we can." She sighed.
They already passed the control room, as Daniel Heinrich was in the condition like this, Velika O'Sullivan decided not to do the hard task even she wanted to, what a shame.
"Now, shut up, and let's get the hell out of here." Said Velika O'Sullivan, they were at the incinerator room's door, she looked inside and nobody was there. Nicholas Watson did a good job and Velika O'Sullivan was proud of herself having a good choice of friends.
They sneaked into the room quietly and she tried her best to let Daniel Heinrich not making any noise as he looked like drunk now and easy to bump into things, like the cart in the middle. The rope was still there, she pulled several times, made sure it was still tightened up, she tied the rope around his waist, and held his chain, looked straight in his eyes and said firmly:
"Listen, Heinrich, I want you to focus and listen to me," She paused a bit, "You'll go up there and untied your rope, then drop it back to me, you copy that?"
The German nodded.
"And you'll wait for me there." She was still holding his chain.
He nodded again.
"Ok, now." Velika O'Sullivan took a deep breath and hugged him, she was ready to let him go up, but at this moment the door was kicked open and as soon as she heard the noise, she pulled the rope and he went up, she watched him until he disappeared in her sight.
"What a scene." Said Astoria Leontes, with a gun aimed at Nicholas Watson's head.
"Astoria." Velika O'Sullivan squinted her eyes, "It's been a while."
"So long, my dear," Said Astoria Leontes, in this 'unexpected' meet, her deep, harsh accent made her sounded even colder and ruthless than ever. She stepped up along with Nicholas Watson. He was kneeling on the ground, and two agents were standing behind them, aiming the guns at Velika O'Sullivan, "And you are trapped."
"You never know." Velika O'Sullivan shrugged.
"If you say so." Astoria Leontes sneered, curled her vibrate red lips, "But may I ask, since this question has been hanging on my mind for a while, why do you trust Dean?"
"Seriously?" Velika O'Sullivan laughed, "Now you are concerned about my relationships?"
The woman with red lips rolled up her pretty eyes: "Why not? I'm aiming a gun at your second mole and two guns are aiming at you, let's just have a nice chat, shall we? After all, it's been a while since we last met."
"Oh well," Velika O'Sullivan glanced up a little, she saw the rope drop down, she stepped back to hide the rope behind her. Now she needed to come up with a plan to get both her and Nicholas Watson out. She had a pistol and a knife in her pocket, which was enough to deal with the agents, but not Astoria Leontes, to deal with the boss required the collaboration of Nicholas Watson, which, she was sort of worried that he couldn't understand her after this long time, but she had to try, she was in a drama after all, "I guess because I care for him."
"Care? Why would you care for someone?" Astoria Leontes rose her voice, "Didn't you say yourself that being attached to someone is lethal?"
"No, you, a pathetic creature, it's just because you thought that you've never been scared about," Said Velika O'Sullivan empathetically and firmly, she heard the noise of the chopper, she knew she was on the clock. She exchanged a look with Nicholas Watson, he turned his head a bit, seemed he got what she was trying to represent, "You, my dear, all you claimed that you've been suffered from what made you today. You thought you lose faith in people, but the truth is, you lose faith in yourself. You lived up to your imagination and you stuck too deep in it."
That was harsh, thought Velika O'Sullivan, she wasn't supposed to say things like that, even it was to Astoria Leontes.
"I beg your pardon?" Astoria Leontes was offended, Velika O'Sullivan knew her strategy worked, even it was painful. Well, they were in a scene, she had to continue with the lines.
"People say you are insolent, brutish and cruel, but," Velika O'Sullivan paused, searching for words that could make up the fault she made, "That's because they don't know who Astoria Leontes truly is. The woman, they say, is the most monstrous creature you have ever seen; however, I say deeply in her heart, she was still that young, innocent girl that prays one day, she could be treated fairly and kindly, and leave all she suffered behind."
"All you want is to fool me," Astoria Leontes gritted her teeth, how dare you talk about my past? You cannot imagine what I've been through. That is in my infinite prison cage, I beg and beg, but never, ever have a way out."
"So, you have to be tougher." Velika O'Sullivan said calmly, after so many years of observation, she had found her boss' final weakness, the suffering, cruel past that Astoria Leontes told her about. Whenever the topic came to that, Astoria Leontes couldn't resist it and she always got carried away in her emotions, the fragile part in her tough, cold heart, and that wall she tried so hard to building started falling apart.
She was way too deep in her mind, thought Velika O'Sullivan mockingly.
Velika O'Sullivan knew her chance came. She nodded to Nicholas Watson, took a deep breath, then counted to three.
"You know what's pathetic, Astoria?" Velika O'Sullivan smirked, "The sentiment in you."
She then threw the knife at one of the agents and stabbed in his leg, at the meantime she pulled out her pistol and shot the other agent. The action was so smooth and simultaneous that Astoria Leontes took seconds to react, and when she was aware of the situation, Nicholas Watson had already grabbed the knife and stabbed her on her shoulder, seized her gun.
Nicholas Watson ran to Velika O'Sullivan and she insisted to let him go up first, she took over the knife from her friend, which still had blood dripping down, she wiped off on her shirt and pointed at Astoria Leontes, this time, Nicholas Watson had already gone up.
"Tip for you, love," Said Velika O'Sullivan when she grabbed the rope, "Never let sentiment drove you away, and, don't ask anything before you want to shoot someone, just so lame. Oh, by the way, you need to have more experience in the field."
She went up and heard the gunshot below her, but she was out already. After quickly untied the rope, Nicholas Watson and she held Daniel Heinrich together, jumped on the chopper, headed back to the small loft.
Now, what?