Chapter 44: The Sudden Assassination
By the time quitting time rolled around, the forensics department still hadn't turned up a single goddamn lead.
Lynn pulled on his trench coat and stood up. "Nothin' else, I'm gone."
He gave George a nod and headed out of the precinct toward his car.
As she watched Lynn drive away, Jennifer sat in her own car and pressed her earpiece. "Lynn Hall is on the move. Do I have new orders?"
"Hold your position. Continue to maintain your cover. Since you failed to secure Lynn, just remain at the Manhattan precinct."
"Understood."
Hearing the order, Jennifer nodded, but her eyes were dark and unreadable.
When she'd first gone after Lynn, it was genuine. He was charismatic, handsome as hell, and had a witty, sarcastic charm that just... worked on women.
As a deep-cover Hydra sleeper, planted years ago at the precinct, Jennifer had assumed she'd never be activated.
But two days ago, the silent frequency had crackled to life.
And her target... was Lynn.
She thought back to her training, and a wave of anguish washed over her.
'God, all I ever wanted was a normal life. Ruling the world... 'Hail Hydra'...'
'It was all just bullshit.'
But she couldn't betray them. Not when Hydra had her family.
She let out a long breath and slammed her fist onto the steering wheel.
Just then, someone tapped on her window.
The sudden noise made Jennifer jump, her hand instinctively dropping to her sidearm.
When she saw it was just Linna, she forced a bright smile onto her face.
Rolling down the window, Jennifer beamed. "Linna, hey. What's up?"
"Nothin' much."
Linna leaned against the car door. "Still pissed at Captain Stacy?"
"No, no. Just... thinking about some things."
"Good. Hey, you busy tonight? If not, wanna grab a drink?" Jennifer smiled and politely declined the offer.
As Jennifer drove off, Linna just shrugged. 'Figured. Guess I still have a long way to go before I can crack that.'
***
Lynn, oblivious to the drama he'd left behind, hit the supermarket for groceries and then headed straight back to his apartment.
He hung up his coat and walked into the kitchen.
He cracked a few eggs, whisked them, and poured them into a hot pan, starting on the rest of his meal as they sizzled.
Soft, mellow music drifted from the living room speakers.
'George was right,' he thought. 'I really need to let my body rest.'
'He'd definitely overdone it in Miami. He needed a break.'
Humming a little, he plated his dinner and set it on the table.
He took off his apron, grabbed his utensils, and was just about to sit down when his Super-Sense screamed.
Lynn instantly threw himself into a backward roll, diving behind the sofa.
The exact same instant, a flashbang shattered his living room window and detonated.
The 170-decibel blast and 600-candela flash were designed to instantly incapacitate a normal person.
Too bad for them, it had almost no effect on Lynn.
His enhanced physiology meant he barely even flinched.
The flashbang was still echoing as a fully-armed tactical team kicked in his front door, SMGs raised.
Seeing them, Lynn, still behind the sofa, ripped open a hidden compartment in the sofa's frame and pulled out his sidearm.
He rolled out from cover, pistol up, and started firing.
Bang!
Bang! Bang!
The sharp reports echoed as the massive kinetic energy of the rounds slammed the lead soldiers to the floor.
The others reacted instantly, raising their weapons and opening fire on Lynn's position.
Lynn slid behind a wall for cover, ditched the pistol—useless against their body armor—and yanked open a kitchen cabinet, pulling out a P90 loaded with high-velocity, armor-piercing rounds.
K-CHAK.
He racked the bolt, flicked off the safety. His Super-Sense mapped the room. He burst from cover, unleashing a torrent of fire.
TRRRRRRT!
The roar of the P90 filled the apartment, and blood blossomed in the air as the rounds tore through armor and flesh, dropping soldier after soldier.
He ducked, using a wall to block a burst of return fire, then launched himself at another soldier.
CRACK!
A sickening snap. Lynn broke the man's arm, grabbed him as a human shield, and kept firing.
The small living room became a kill box.
Lynn moved like a hunter, his superior combat skills reaping one life after another.
His Super-Sense screamed DANGER. Lynn spun, ducking behind a wall.
A split-second later, a high-caliber round smashed through the window, punching through the shoulder of the last soldier Lynn had been using as cover.
Lynn stayed low, firing controlled bursts from his corner, keeping their heads down.
At the same time, his senses were screaming at him.
'Shit. They've got a sniper on the roof across the street.'
'Who the hell wants me dead?'
'Mercs hired by the vampires?'
'Probably not. The Avengers are handling them.'
'So who the fuck is this?'
***
On the street below.
Jennifer sat in her car, watching the firefight through a pair of binoculars.
She was in agony. She prayed Lynn would make it out, but she couldn't warn him. She couldn't do a thing.
'Please, God,' she prayed, 'don't let him die. Please.'
***
On the opposite roof, the sniper lay prone, his eye pressed to the scope, hunting for Lynn.
He'd seen his target dive for cover.
Now, all he could do was watch, helpless, as his team was torn apart, one by one.
When the last man went down, the sniper focused, his crosshairs fixed on the corner.
'The second he shows his head... he's dead.'
But as the seconds ticked by, the ruined apartment remained silent.
The sniper sensed something was wrong. He was just about to pull back when a massive force slammed him flat against the rooftop.
CRACK!
CRACK!
Two sharp, sickening sounds, and blinding pain shot up his arms.
Lynn had dislocated both his shoulders. He kneed the sniper's neck, pinning him to the gravel, and pressed the ice-cold muzzle of a pistol to his forehead.
"Talk. Who sent you?"
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