Marcus parked his bike in a secluded spot near the hotel. It was an area chosen by Lily due to its lack of surveillance.
Once parked, Marcus swiftly changed into the stolen uniform and stuffed his clothes into a garbage bin. He then armed himself with the weapons that were in the duffel bag.
By the time he was finished, all that was left in the duffel bag was the body bag and the surveillance equipment.
Marcus hid the duffel bag behind a garbage bin and covered it with a dirty tarp.
With everything in place, Marcus began to make his way towards the hotel.
Reaching the entrance, Marcus was greeted by two of the security officers who were guarding it.
"You got Identification son?" One of the officers asked as he crossed his arms.
Marcus quickly flashed his forged identification toward the guard, he gave just enough time to see it without reading it.
The guard nodded as he opened the door. "You're late son, we're supposed to be here three hours before Mr. Townley, not thirty minutes."
Marcus nodded. "Sorry sir, won't happen again," Marcus replied as he entered the hotel.
Entering the hotel, Marcus was greeted with a large lobby that was almost completely void of patrons. The only people inside were a few custodians and two hotel staff members manning the front desk.
On either side of the front desk was a large staircase that led to the second floor.
"Raven." Lily began to speak once more.
"Yeah?" Marcus replied as he began walking towards one side of the stairs.
"Officer Mill is on the third floor, he's patrolling the lower back balcony, you need to take him out before Mr. Townley arrives."
Marcus nodded even though Lily couldn't see him.
He then slowly made his way up the stairs passing the second floor and headed towards the third.
When he reached the third floor he got another call out from Lily. "You'll have around two minutes to take him out and hide the body, after that, we'll have to stop the cameras from looping."
"Got it," Marcus replied as he jogged towards the only suite with a back balcony. It was the room at the end of the long hallway, with two large potted plants on either side of the door. "But I'm not killing anyone if it's not necessary," Marcus said to remind Lily of his vow.
"Whatever, just get it done," Lily replied.
Reaching the door, Marcus reached a hand towards the doorknob and twisted it. The door clicked in response and slowly creaked open.
Marcus peeked inside the suite, it was massive, with a large king-size bed in the center of the right wall, a large thin screen television on the opposite wall, and a large glass wall that acted as a window to view the city.
Marcus could clearly see Officer Mill standing on the balcony, through the glass wall. "You sure this glass is one way?" Marcus asked as he stepped further into the room and closed the door behind himself.
"Yes Raven, wouldn't be much of a 'sex' room if it wasn't, but who knows, Maybe Mr. Townley is just a pervert like that, wants the whole world to see his junk," Lily replied with a laugh.
Marcus sighed as he approached the back glass wall.
"Got any idea on how to get him inside?" Marcus asked.
"You could knock on the glass, but depending on how fast he moves you could be pressed to find a hiding spot."
"I don't need to hide," Marcus replied.
"I meant for Mill's body," Lily said bluntly.
Marcus sighed as he began to scan the room for a hiding spot, after a few seconds of searching, two spots jumped out at Marcus.
The bed, which cleared the floor with about two feet of space, and the walk-in closet, which was large enough for someone to stand in.
Measuring his options, Marcus chose the walk-in closet. It was easy enough to put a limp body in and wouldn't offer Mill an easy escape if he were to wake up.
With his spot chosen, Marcus gently knocked on the glass, allowing Officer Mill to hear, but not cause alarm.
"Someone there?" Officer Mill called out as he approached the glass wall.
Marcus quickly moved behind the door that led to the balcony and readied himself.
Officer Mill slowly approached the door with his hand on his holster. "I'm coming in." He said in a stern tone.
Officer Mill slowly opened up the door, he began scanning slowly before stepping further inside.
Once he was far enough inside, Marcus closed the door behind Officer Mill with his back foot as he lunged at the Officer from behind.
Officer Mill barely had time to react as he was caught off guard.
Marcus wrapped his right arm around Mill's neck and placed his left arm over his head. He then began to squeeze as tightly as he could.
The officer struggled, but there was little chance of him escaping Marcus's hold.
"Shush up." Marcus whispered as Officer Mill grabbed at Marcus's arm, "Just got to sleep, I won't kill you."
"Fuck you." The officer managed to squeeze out as his face turned purple and his veins began to show. His struggle began to weaken as Marcus tightened his grip, eventually, the officer slumped down in Marcus's grip and fell unconscious.
Marcus held the chokehold for a few more seconds before finally allowing Officer Mill to breathe.
He then lowered Officer Mill onto the floor and began to drag him toward the walk-in closet.
"45 seconds Marcus," Lily informed Marcus of his remaining time before the cameras stopped looping.
"I got it," Marcus said in annoyance.
Once Mill was in the closet, Marcus handcuffed both Mill's hands and legs, then gagged him and took his radio.
"Alright, he's out," Marcus said as he stepped out of the closet.
"Now take his station and await Mr. Townley's arrival," Lily replied.
Marcus nodded as he made his way out towards the balcony, carefully straightening out his uniform and fixing his tie.
Stepping outside, Marcus was greeted with a warm breeze and the bright orange light from the rising sun, creating an orange a blue sky.
Marcus made his way to where Officer Mill was standing, once in place, he affirmed his position with Lily.
"I'm in place, what's the ETA?"
"Around ten minutes give or take, so just sit tight," Lily replied.
Marcus nodded as he crossed his arms and looked out over the city.
He watched as the roads began to fill with cars and the sidewalks with pedestrians.
As Marcus looked out over the city his mind began to wonder.
Marcus began to question whether he was truly going to kill Mr. Townley, or if would he let Elise die.
Neither option was desirable to Marcus.
He had spent most of his life with the no-killing humans rule, he came up with it after watching a mutant eat her own husband right in front of her son.
It was a horrible sight and the smell was even worse. The stench of infected humans was like a mixture of rotten eggs and flesh.
Marcus had sworn then and there that he would never kill a human as mutants were already doing enough damage to society, there was no reason to and another threat.
Yet if he stuck to his morals, the woman who brought any sense of meaning to his life would die.
"Raven, look alive." Lily's voice crackled to life in Marcus's earpiece.
Marcus turned his attention toward the road where several black SUVs were making their way to the hotel in a convoy.
They arrived in front of the hotel with a synchronized halt.
The passengers from the led and flanking SUVs filed out of their respective vehicles with stern gazes and cautious movements, they were dressed in a similar uniform to the one Marcus was wearing, except they held the logo of the Murrow company.
The guards from the SUV formed a protective perimeter around the entrance of the hotel. Once the perimeter was formed, a large burly man made his way out of the central SUV.
He radiated with an authoritative aura that screamed business.
"Captain Andros has been spotted," Lily confirmed through Marcus's earpiece.
"Yeah, I see him," Marcus replied.
Captain Andros approached the back passenger door of the Center SUV. He opened the door with a swift and steady motion, revealing an old, yet stern-looking man dressed in a long white coat with glowing blue eyes.
"Target spotted." Lily reported, "Make your way back in the suite and hide, we'll try to catch him off guard when he's alone with you."
Marcus signed as he glanced down at Mr. Townley.
There was only one question in his mind, was he really about to break his vow?
"Move it, Raven!" Lily exclaimed, bringing Marcus back to reality.
"R-right." Marcus stammered as he made his way back into the suite.
Stepping inside the suite Marcus remembered he had two hiding spots, the closet and the bed.
Quickly assessing his choices, Marcus quickly decided on the bed, choosing not to deal with the unconscious officer.
Marcus quickly slid under the large bed and positioned himself to see the door. Marcus could feel his adrenaline pumping through his veins as his heart began racing.
This was it.
Either Marcus killed Mr. Townley, or Fox and his associates killed Elise for his failure.
There was no going back.
After what felt like an eternity, but was realistically no more than a few minutes, Marcus began to hear a pair of heavy footsteps approaching the door, followed by a pair of lighter ones.
"Wait here, sir." A deep voice called out, muffled by the door.
The door to the suite clicked and slowly creaked open.
Marcus could see a pair of heavy-duty boots walking away from the door, and further into the room.
Marcus quickly assumed that it was Captain Andros.
After a moment of searching, Captain Andros sighed heavily. "It's clear sir, it's odd though, I could've sworn I had a guard assigned here."
Marcus felt his heart drop.
"Yes Mill I believe, that boy from the slums." The voice that spoke out was old and worn.
"That's his name." Captain Andros said in dissatisfaction. "I guess that's what I get for giving that kid a chance."
The old voice, who Marcus assumed was Mr. Townley chuckled. "The boy is probably just guarding the wrong floor, go track him down will you Andros?"
"But sir, I can't leave you alone." Captain Andros protested, concern evident in his voice.
"I'll be fine Andros." Mr. Townley replied with a small chuckle. "Any threats and I'll show them what an old fool with a cane can really do."
Captain Andros hesitated for a moment, before letting out a soft sigh. "Fine, but even at the slightest hint of trouble…"
"Yes, I know." Mr. Townley replied with a worn groan as if he were a child getting scolded.
With their brief exchange of words, Captain Andria left the room with quick steps, leaving only Marcus and Mr. Townley.
Marcus took a deep breath as he watched Mr. Townley's polished shoes making their way toward the back glass wall.
"Now's your chance," Lily called out.
Marcus nodded as he calmed his nerves. "Ok." He said softly as he emerged from his hiding spot.
Standing up Marcus placed a hand on his pistol and quietly pulled it from his holster.
"Who are you?" Mr. Townley asked as he continued to stare out the glass wall.
Marcus's heart skipped a beat as his heart froze.
"How–"
"How'd I see you?" Mr. Townley asked with a chuckle, "Your reflection, it's in the glass." He said with a smile.
Marcus gulped audibly as he placed a hand on his pistol. "Doesn't change anything," Marcus said calmly, attempting to regain his composure. "You have to die."
"Is that so?" Mr. Townley asked curiously as he turned around. "Why?" He asked genuinely.
Marcus raised an eyebrow, he was confused, but didn't see why he shouldn't tell him.
"You and your company are announcing the creation of a cure for Mel-13, a few people didn't like that and want you dead, and they took my partner to make that happen."
Mr. Townley nodded in understanding. "I see, it seems not everyone wants a cure for mutants, but what about you?" He asked.
Marcus, still confused by the idea of having a conversation with the person he was supposed to kill, shrugged. "I don't know, I don't like it, but killing them puts food on the table."
Mr. Townley nodded, his expression becoming reflective, "Yeah, I hear there's good money in mutant hunting, a lot of gangs in the slums are built on it, charging people protection fees and using fear to gain control, it's sickening."
Marcus unironically found himself agreeing with him.
"Yeah it is, but that's enough talk," Marcus said as he grabbed his gun from its holster.
"Right, one of those gangs has your partner." Mr. Townley said.
"That's right," Marcus confirmed as he aimed his pistol towards Mr. Townley's head.
Mr. Townley didn't even flinch.
"You know she's dead, right?" Mr. Townley said bluntly.
"What?" Marcus said in confusion, Mr. Townley's words not registering in his head.
"I mean it's obvious, no?" Mr. Townley said with a frown. "If what you said is true, then there's no point in keeping your partner alive, she'd just be a loose end, it would be easier to kill her than kill you when they're done."
Marcus felt queasy as the room began to spin. Mr. Townley's words began to sink in like a bolder in mud.
"No…." Marcus whispered in disbelief as the grip on his gun began to loosen.
"No," Marcus repeated as he began to shake his head. "Lily said she was alive, she showed me video footage!" Marcus shouted as he gripped his gun tightly.
Mr. Townley looked at Marcus with eyes full of pity and understanding.
"Lily!" Marcus called out loudly. "Elise is still alive, tell me Elise is still alive!" Marcus cried out to Lily in desperation.
Lily sighed in frustration. "I should've known you wouldn't have killed that old bastard."
Marcus had a devastated expression on his face as he slowly fell into turmoil. "Lily, answer my goddamn question!" Marcus shouted, a vein popping on his forehead as spit flew out of his mouth, "answer me!"
Lily laughed as the sound of a gun being loaded could be heard in the background. "You can ask her yourself when you see her in hell."
"Where's Elise?!" Marcus shouted.
Suddenly, as Marcus attempted to process what happened, he noticed that Mr. Townley's head was completely missing, with a large bullet-sized hole in the glass where his head had been.
Marcus's eyes widened at the sight as the sound of the bullet rang loudly.
However, he wasn't given enough time to understand that either, as moments later his earpiece exploded.
Chunks flew off the side of Marcus's head at a high speed. Blood went flying as an unimaginable amount of pain began radiating from the side of Marcus's head causing him immense anguish.
Marcus' vision began to blur as the ringing in his ears grew louder and louder. He reached a trembling hand to the side of his head in a desperate attempt to stop the ringing, but all he did was cause himself more pain and distress.
He hollered out as he dropped to one knee.
The pain and confusion he felt was now reaching levels Marcus couldn't handle and his mind went blank.
The door to the suite burst open with several officers rushing through with their weapons drawn.
"Sir are you–"
"Drop your weapon!"
"Drop the fucking gun."
The officers barked for Marcus to drop the gun, but Marcus's mind was completely gone so he didn't hear any of it.
The officers quickly opened fire and hot chunks of metal began searing and tearing through his body, spreading a white, hot pain that brought Marcus back from the brink for a few painful, agonizing last moments.
Simulation complete.