Chapter 5
" Payne!" Viktor barked, looking down at Kelly. Kelly nearly jumped at the unspoken threat in the violent spew of his name. He eyed Viktor warily, crouched on the floor as he cradled the head of one of the armed gunmen in his hands. He shook his head.
"Shit!" Viktor expelled through clenched teeth. "Not good Kelly-not good at all. Try one more then we move door-to-door."
Kelly nodded. "Aye, commander." He saluted him, never without his sense of humor. Viktor did not waver at the official address. He spun around and continued to monitor the hallway beyond.
Kelly yanked a thin gold acupuncture pin from the base of the gunman's head, which he had used to puncture his spine. The pins were constructed from nano-technology and served as a transmitter between the gunmen and Kelly, who often used them in his interrogative techniques. With an unconscious combatant, it was proving difficult to force the information he wanted to the forefront of the enemy's thoughts. He had to feel himself around thoughts of vague, dreamlike elements.
Kelly righted himself, carelessly letting go of the gunman's head. It landed with a hard thud on the floor. Kelly went to the next unconscious man and stabbed him at the base of his head.
Viktor looked out upon the dark corridor. This compound was familiar to him, but he was not prepared to search door-to-door until he had an exact location for his wife. On the other hand, time was slipping away and he could bet money on the SWAT team being moments from charging onto the scene.
Viktor's ears perked up and he glanced at his team behind him. The girls and Darksmith all looked at him knowingly - more men heading in this direction. "Wait here." Viktor stared steely-eyed into the darkness as he walked down the corridor.
The compound structure had three levels. The first level was below ground, a main storage area and sleeping quarters for the help. The second level was the main foyer, which led into a dining area, study, and garage. The third level housed the kitchen and bedrooms. That was how Viktor remembered it from the last time he was here, five years ago; the first time he met his wife. He didn't want to go from room to room, guns blazing, just in case there was a protocol to kill Audrianna as a means to instigate a cover-up.
Viktor took a few steps into the darkness before he came across two gunmen. They fired shots at him - one held a hand gun, the other an AK-47 at full automatic. Right before the shots came into contact with his body, they were deflected off into another direction, encountering a mystically-charged force field, projected by Hell's Embrace, which surrounded him and protected Viktor from all harm. Once armed with Hell's Embrace, Viktor could attack at will, all the while being automatically covered from all direct fire in this full defensive mode.