247 The Deal
The man put the vehicle in drive, and we sped away, with the four other cars following us. The road was littered with cars and buses, in fact, even motorcycles.
There were buildings that towered into the sky, and other buildings that stayed at eye level. There were small buildings, and big corporation towers that shot up from the ground.
It was electrifying.
âImagine living here. That must be cool,â Nikki said. âAnd September said thatââ
âDonât start that now,â September quickly shot, coming to her defense. âThat was only for an established agency there.â
âAlrightâ¦okay,â Nikki chuckled, shaking her head. September narrowed her eyes at her before looking outside the window.
âSo are there going to be YMPA or âFake TSAâ agents guarding the area? Are we going to be safe from any sort of attacks?â I asked.
âYes, we have snipers from all the surrounding buildings. We have some transports and vehicles circling the block. We got some cones to keep other cars away from the building.â
âAlright good,â I said. âWe donât want to crash anything here.â
.....
âI wouldnât want that either sir,â he said, glancing at me through the little mirror hanging on the ceiling in front of him. âI wouldnât want that.â
Soon enough, we went onto the highway before switching to an exit. We then turned to the left, and kept that way for a mile.
Iâm pretty sure ten minutes have already passed by now.
âImagine if we actually pull this off. Malachi would have to act as Mr. Lebanon. He has to legit act like a CEO of a big spy agency.â
âLike I didnât know that,â Malachi hissed. âCut me some slack.â
âNo one wasnât in the first place. We believe in you, so try to keep that belief close. How about that?â September shot quickly.
âI am,â Malachi said.
September gave a smile, which was more irritated than supportive. We began to go down this strip before turning to another street to the right.
âOnce we arrive, youâre going to follow the ISM agents to the underground deal, and weâll be behind you if anything happens,â the man said. âDonât say too much. Choose your words carefully.â
Everyone shot a glance at Malachi.
âDonât do anything out of the ordinary,â he said. âWe donât want Matthew Lock to run away with the virus again.â
âYouâre right about that,â Tisiah said. âAre we approaching?â
âYes, we are about to approach the V&V corporation tower. Get ready, because things are about to go down,â the driver said.
The building was enormous. It was about five times taller than the Empire State Building in New York, and it was shaped like an obelisk. It had many floors, and it looked like it had a glass exterior. There were also many different colored lights on the top of the building. There were some large lights on the roof, and they were flashing.
âJesus, man,â Nikki said. âI can barely see the top.â
âImagine,â Tisiah joked, which he got an elbow in return. We exited the vehicle, and two guys that looked like they were from Iran or somewhere in the Middle East immediately approached us. They looked at Malachi, and there was long silence in between each stare. Hopefully they think heâs Mr. Lebanon.
âYouâre here,â one of the men said, holding a card. âCome in.â
We walked in, and we were in a lobby that had many elevators. One of the men pointed at an elevator and then at us. We all followed the man, and we went inside of the elevator. Once the doors closed, we started to go down. But one thing I noticed was that we were going down, much longer than were supposed to, and all of a sudden, the numbers went negative.
We were going underground.
We continued to descend, and it felt like forever.
I heard a strange sound, and I looked down to see a metal door with a lock. The ISM spies gave us side eyes, as if they were studying us, but I tried not to look at them, or leak any suspicion.
The doors opened, and we stepped out. It was a dimly lit room, and it was filled with crates. Some of the crates were full of water, others with dirt, and still others with soil. There were men stationed all around the room, in black and silky blazer suits. They had sunglasses and earpieces that had wires that sunk into their pockets.
I gulped. I was scared, and I wanted to tell them that I wasnât a part of this. But I knew I couldnât. This was my only chance to get this virus.
We stood in front of the table where the deal was being held. There were six men, three men, and three women, and they all wore black suits.
Then through all the bodies of spies, one man walked out, and his face I instantly recognized.
Malachi walked up, and had this walk that showed himself to be classy and dilligent. He was acting as if he was rich, when really, he was a simple junior agent, doing one of the most important missions of all time.
âHello, Matthew Lock,â Malachi said, his voice firm and fierce. âI am Mr. Lebanon. I would like to know who you are, what you are, and what you are after.â
The manâs face turned to stone, and he seemed like a statue. He stared at us, and he didnât blink.
âYou have no idea who youâre messing with, boy. Iâm the real deal, and I know how to make my moves. Youâve come to sell me the virus, as we discussed,â Malachi said. Matthew Lock nodded, and gave a quick smirk.
âAlright, here is the deal. You give me the virus, and weâll split it. And the price is $500 million. But if I find that you are a fake, I will shoot you in the head. Now, hand over the virus,â Malachi said.
Matthew Lock lifted up his left hand, and from his wrist was a band. It was black, and it had an ID chip in it. He tilted it towards the box, and it unlocked. He opened it, and revealed two syringes. âThis is the Cobra Virus, and the antidote to it,â Matthew Lock said. âNow let me see your money.â
Malachi moved his head to the side. A man carried a briefcase, and he opened it. Inside were bundles of cash. He counted the money, and put it back in the case. Then he passed it to Malachi.
Malachi then slid it towards Matthew Lock, where he took it. âThat should be everything you need. We are leaving. And you wonât be seeing us again.â
Matthew Lock looked at him for a moment. âYou know, I never realized how quick you guys are,â he said. âYou guys are very efficient people. We should work together more often, and maybe, things may turn up from here.â
I could feel everyoneâs eyes on me, but I was able to keep my cool. I just shook my head.
âLetâs leave,â Malachi said. He turned over to us before he turned his back on Lock, and walked in the opposite direction. âHey!â Lock suddenly shouted, in which Malachi stopped.
âThink about my offer. After all, I did get you the virus. There shouldnât be any problems,â he said.
Suddenly someone said, âBut there is.â
Everyone whipped their heads towards the voice, in which we saw none other than Redford Bane, and his son accompanying him. Matthew Lock looked around in confusion, before he laid eyes on us.
âThat man is not the CEO of anything. Iâm the CEO, and Iâm Mr. Lebanon.â
âWhat, I thought you were Redford Bane,â Matthew Lock said. Mr. Bane chuckled. âI am, but Mr. Lebanon is meant to confuse people, and basically provide me an alias. Iâd hate to have to kill you.â
âIâm not going to die,â Matthew Lock said. âYouâre a fool. Why donât you take that briefcase, and we can start working together?â
âWell, how about I work with you instead,â Malachi said quickly. âObviously that man is speaking riddles. Listen to his reasoning, itâs complete nonsense.â
I could hear some heavy footsteps coming closer, and we turned our heads to see Luthor Bane. âThese are actually YMPA agents that have been monitoring us since we arrived at the Fillmore Center. My father the actual âLebanon.â And if you want the money, I suggest that you donât move. The YMPA has ways of taking care of situations like this, and we will be taking this virus,â Luthor Bane said.
âNonsense!â Malachi barked. âIâm the actual CEO.â
âJesus, man,â Mr. Bane sighed. âDonât worry, weâre going to get out of here.â
I gulped, and I felt my heart beating fast. I was scared, and I wanted to run away. Things were going completely backwards, and I mean backwards. I felt my hands trembling, and I squeezed them into fists. I tried my best to hold myself steady.
âAlright, listen carefully. My father is the real deal, and weâre going to be taking the virus and the antidote from you. We will also be taking the money, and we will be leaving.â
âExcuse me? You give me the money, and I will give you the virus and antidote. Weâre not changing anything!â Matthew Lock shouted, which now this entire deal was becoming a hot mess.
âNo, weâre not changing anything,â Mr. Bane said. âYouâre going to take the money and go, and youâll forget about ever having met us. If you donât do as I say, then Iâm going to shoot you in the head.â
âOh, Iâm sorry,â Matthew Lock said, âI didnât realize that you guys were a bunch of trigger happy assassins.â
âExcuse me?!â Luthor Bane shrieked, and anger erupted inside of him. He brought out his gun and faced Matthew Lock, in which everyone pulled out their guns, facing each other. The tension shook the room, and fear coursed through my veins. I trembled, and my eyes widened in worry, fright, panic, any synonym or word like fear. I didnât want to die, and I wasnât ready to die.
âMatthew, you canât fight him! Weâve got to get out of here,â Malachi whispered.
âShush up!â he snapped. âIâm not going anywhere until I get the money, and I get my payment.â
âFine, but Iâll be right behind you,â Malachi said, and he turned his back on me.
âOh my Lord,â September breathed, putting her hands on her head frantically. âWeâre all going to die. This is the worst situation ever, and I donât want to die. I donât want to die. I donât want to die.â
âCalm down,â Tisiah said.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âYou better take that back, boy,â Luthor Bane said, his eyes and gun pointed directly at Lock.
âOr what?â Matthew Lock said.
âOr Iâll blow your head off, thatâs what.â
âSo, thatâs the way this is going to play out. Let me tell you something, you guys arenât the only ones with a lot of money, and a lot of power. You see, I have a lot of money, and a lot of power, and I can get a lot more. And Iâll be getting it, and I wonât be giving it to you. So if you try to stop me, Iâll shoot you in the face.â
âNow look at the one changing things,â Mr. Bane said with a chuckle. âPeople like you, I loathe.â
âYou know, you sound just like my father. I think you guys are cut from the same cloth,â Matthew Lock said.
âNo, weâre not. We are not the same. We are different. And one of those differences is that Iâm not afraid to pull the trigger on you. I will shoot you in the face, and I will laugh while I do it.â