Devil Equinox

Someone walked out of my room from a nap. Yawning raising their arms up, "Oh fuck did I oversleep?" they asked themselves. They then looked with mine. They face lit in surprise.

"Wait are you the owner of this room?" she asked.

"Who are you?"

"Oh and I am sorry, we were supposed to meet a couple days ago but you were missing, so Hank told me I could stay here for a bit until you get back. Captain Chris I am sure you remember right?"

"I have not seen you before,"

Their face showed disappointment, they down at the floor. They raised their head back up and looked at me and spoke, "It's me Laura. Laura Blackroll."

I was shocked, I couldn't believe who I was looking at. Two years since the incident here and there she stood right in front of me. She left me speechless. All the suspicion that was there went away, oddly enough.

She smiled as if she missed me. Back then she knew no better, angsty and rude, but now she was more composed, she was happy to see me after getting off the wrong foot.

The words were stuck at the back of my mouth struggling to leave. "Let me freshen up before we get back on the mission." she annouced.

Growing up has its downsides and upsides but she turned out well. I wonder what she has been up to.

After a while and a short debrief, she caught up to speed and asked me what the plan was. I hadn't formed one, and I needed to take sometime to think about the situation.

My accomplice, Cory, may or may not have been found inside the facility and I needed a layout of the building to know exactly where everything was. Asking for help from Nate and Felicia was close to impossible, because they wanted to stay as far as possible from this city in fear of Dhalia. Leaving the other clones to help out or I could send Laura to spy in Serenity Research Centre.

I looked through all the possibility and couldn't come to a conclusion.

Fuck this is where things get hard to connect.

She called me, throwing me out of my thoughts. "What do you think we should do?" she asked. I looked at her and she was keen on accomplishing the task at hand.

Getting up from the sofa I walked into my room to look for an item. Once I had found it I gave it to her and told her that's the solution.

Her face showed that she was puzzled, "You want me to call these people?" she asked. I nodded.

Moments later she had her phone on the table ringing. She was calm.

Then someone answered the phone. "Hello?" they asked.

"Is this the landline for Serenity Research Centre?" she asked them.

She kenw exactly what to say and how to say it.

"Yes, it is and how may I help you?"

"I wanted to know if there are any job opportunities with you. I am fairly experienced in the field of DNA manipulation and genetic research,"

"..."

We both looked at each other slightly anxious. We could break the silence or else they would tell something was off. A moment later another voice spoke.

"Would you tell me more about your experience ma'am," Dhalia enquired.

I nodded, telling Laura to continue and she knew that she had to be careful.

After a few minutes of Laura telling Dr. Portford what she wanted to hear, she told her to arrive at the building tonight at 19:30 hrs sharp. If she was early it would've brought about suspicion on her end.

The call was hung up abruptly after the stated time and now was the moment I had to inform her about what she may go through.

"That PhD holder is slier than you think, maybe you could outsmart her however it doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful,"

"Did she outsmart you?"

"Yeah, I played right into hands and that is one mistake I will not allow you to make,"

"I understand sir. How do I proceed with this role, Captain?"

The answer to that question was still searched for in my mind. I needed time to think about it and then I looked at the clock on the wall. '15:23 hrs' it read, less than four hours left.

Was it enough to go through the afternoon reader? I think not, maybe you have a different opinion but my mind had its own conflicts to worry about.

Two hours later, she already assumed a different identity as Marilyn Baker. A fresh college graduate from Downtime Research University. Hank sure still had the connections that we needed.

"Everything set? Comms?"

"Should be operational. Laura?"

"Yeah its good,"

She put on the clothes that were in one of the boxes, plus a few guns that Hank brought. Look she was all we had to infiltrate without bringing any suspicion.

"This is what's gonna happen, Laura you are just going to meet her in the agreed location and 'Chris' you're going to have to enter from the back door."

"What?"

"Yeah, you also have to go in. You may know someone in there who could help, right?"

I glared at Hank anger building up from within. He then gave a sigh of exhaustion.

"I am sorry, Captain. It has to be that way. Besides, you are more than capable of wiping everyone inside the building."

"Laura give us some time together!" I instructed her without gesturing anything.

Hank looked as she left the apartment, then his locked with mine.

"Is this how we are going to do things, Captain?"

"I guess we are, since you want me to risk being captured by her again. The first time was luck, the second time I won't be able to fight them."

Hank's hand slowly reached for his firearm and I slowly balled my fist as I stared him down. I clenched my jaw tightly.

From a sudden revelation he moved his hand away from the gun, his shoulders relaxed and sighing out of disappointment. "For fuck's sake I don't need this shit. I just want a good retirement," he said almost exhausted.

"Fine, I'll do it. Giving you one less pain in the ass is the least I can do,"

He chuckled from the words I had spoken and pat my right shoulder with his right hand, turned and left the room. When he got by the door he spoke, "All I can say is be careful this time," then left my apartment.

Laura walked back inside and looked at me, slowly relaxing and opening my hand. She noticed and asked, "Things must've been intense between you two?"

I went into the kitchen, grabbed a cup and filled it with water, with my new pills I took one and drank the water. I was on the verge of losing control due to my hunger. The pill was improved from previous iterations and would last me way longer.

She stopped behind me, I looked back at her. "We don't have much time left before we have to go. I hope you kept that in mind." she reminded me. "Anyway, could you please tell me what was going on between you two, Chris?"

I placed the cup that was in my hand on the counter-top, stared at her and told her. "We had a little disagreement, you know that? We both resolved it before things escalated and yes, we still have to rendezvous near the location in an hour and get you inside safely without a hitch,"

"Sound plan, but is there a fall back plan?"

"We come up with one when the time arises. Right now we have to focus on the part of getting inside,"

After that we took the necessary preparations for the mission and carried on with the plan.

In Laura's sedan, we arrived a few buildings away from the research center. "Remember the plan you talk to her and those she is with and I will be getting in from the back."

"Got it."

"Be careful Laura,"

"I got this,"

We exited the car and we both went to our planned areas. I had to find Cory and talk to her while not being detected.

Behind the building was mesmerizing, the amount of money used to build this building sure was a lot. Though it had a lot of eye catching features, it was guarded by men in suits. I was staking out from the corner of another building and was peeking just enough to see what I was dealing with.

Those men had guns, and Hellhounds roaming around, it was fenced by an electric. "What does a research center need with heavily armed men.

Out in the distance a van was driving into the fenced area, one of the guards went to speak with the driver and then came a few more men from inside the building carrying a body. It was one of the clones and they dragged them into the van and once they threw them in the van reversed and left the area.

'I think I should take them out. Walking in through the gates won't be a good idea,' I thought to myself.

I jumped up on to the roof of the building I was hiding by and run across to the other one. The roof of the research center already had an entry-way on the roof and it was the least guarded. I took the entry-way and fell into a room I had not seen before.

Wait the doors were written in a language I have not seen before. Shit, it was a lost demonic writing that I have seen in my father's books in his office. I just needed to remember.