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“Come on, Gérard, this isn’t e’re here We were supposed to deal with security so we could get the ”

Gérard barked out a nasty laugh “Are you afraid the big bad reporter is going to hurt you? He’s a desk jockey Like you used to be before you joined the movement You’ll be fine Just point your weapon at him, and he’ll pee his pants”

“If that’s what you think, then you can stick your head out to see if he’s still there Any guy who can run along that ledge without breaking a sweat sure as hell isn’t only a desk jockey And did you see the way he caught her? That wasn’t normal”

“I’ the crew you chickened out,” Gérard said “Watch how it’s done and learn”

There were footsteps as Gérard drew closer to theEvery muscle in Mace’s body tensed, and his heart rate slowed As it always did before combat A thin smile curved his lips—he was back to nor Keiko had been nothing more than a blip

Silently, carefully, he positioned his left hand at the edge of the fraht, exactly where the idiot’s head would be when he stuck it through theTime slowed as his focus narrowed He took in the details of his situation at lightning speed, processing them just as fast, ready to strike

“You sure you did the Freedo?” Gérard said “Because they used to teach recruits how to fight, not hide”

With a harsh laugh at his own brilliance, he stuck his head through theMace didn’t hesitate He grabbed hih the hole, and sent hih the silence, but Mace didn’t take the ti a jab that told hi to it, and juh the

Shock kept the other Freedohter iuy didn’t have tirasped either side of his head and twisted With an audible crack, the terrorist’s neck snapped, and he crumpled to the floor Mace bent over to take the rifle fro his life There was no doubt in Mace’s mind that the man would have continued to come after him and Keiko And there was no way he’d allow that to happen He had no choice but to eliminate the threat

As he checked the clip on the weapon, he un, ho-ho-ho”

That had always been his favorite line fro like John McClane, in his very own skyscraper full of terrorists If he wasn’t careful, this experience was going to put him off his favorite movie for life

Without sparing a second glance at the ed toward the corridor and the stairs that led to the penthouse above There was no time to lose, because if Freedom knehere he was, they also knew Keiko was in the stairwell Unprotected Vulnerable A sitting duck

Co to a halt just around the corner from the corridor with the cameras, he let his senses reach out, the way he’d learned fro his other half over the past three years, and felt the emptiness of the space There were no other Freedom soldiers between him and Keiko, but there were still the cameras to deal with, and he had to be fast about it Because as soon as one went black, whoever wastheate

Taking a deep breath, he found the place within him that allowed him the focus he needed in combat It was a reserve he’d first discovered as a child, when he had to ree at life’s injustice

With steady hands, he swung the gun in the direction of the first camera and shot The sound reverberated around the corridor, but he wasn’t concerned about noise They were too far away from the security hub for anyone to hear, and the people on the terrace were h noise to cover any he made above them Three more shots, taken quickly, and the cameras were disabled