The Offer

The Offer


Vincent's POV

The handcuffs cut into my wrists, but I couldn't stop smiling.
These FBI idiots thought they'd caught me. They thought Vincent Cross was just another thief they could lock up and forget about. They had no idea what they were dealing with.
"Vincent Cross, you're under arrest for human trafficking, murder, and conspiracy," said the agent sitting across from me in the questioning room.
I laughed. "My name isn't Vincent Cross."
The agent looked confused. "What?"
"Vincent Cross died ten years ago," I said. "I just borrowed his identity for this job."
"Then who are you?"
I leaned back in my chair, enjoying the confusion on his face. "Someone much more dangerous than you can imagine."
The agent tried to look tough, but I could see fear coming into his eyes. "It doesn't matter who you are. We have enough proof to put you away forever."
"Do you?" I asked. "Because I think you're going to let me go."
"Why would we do that?"
"Because I have something you want more than me," I said.
That's when the door opened and Marcus Webb walked in. Perfect time.
"Agent Webb," the other agent said. "This prisoner claims he has information about Emma Martinez."
Marcus sat down next to his partner, trying to look calm. But I could see the worry in his eyes. He was scared about Emma, just like I'd hoped.
"What do you know about Emma?" Marcus asked.
"I know she's not safe," I said. "I know Dr. Sarah Martinez has her. And I know that in about six hours, Emma is going to be turned into a killing machine that will hunt down everyone she's ever cared about."
Marcus's face went white. "You're lying."
"Am I?" I pulled out my phone, which the FBI men had somehow forgotten to take away from me. "Would you like to see the live video feed?"
I turned the phone screen toward them. On it, Emma was strapped to a metal table while Dr. Sarah Martinez worked on some kind of machine next to her.
"Emma!" Marcus shouted, reaching for the phone.
I pulled it back. "She can't hear you. But Dr. Martinez can hear me."
I hit a button on the phone.
"Hello, Sarah," I said into the phone. "How's our little project coming along?"
Dr. Martinez's words came through the speaker. "Right on plan, Vincent. The final programming should be complete in six hours."
"Excellent," I said, watching Marcus's face collapse. "And after that?"
"After that, Emma will have no choice but to follow her programming," Dr. Martinez said. "She'll hunt down and eliminate every person on our target list."
"Starting with?" I asked.
"Starting with FBI Agent Marcus Webb and Special Agent Jessica Chen."
Marcus lunged across the table at me, but his partner held him back.
"Let me go!" Marcus yelled. "I have to save her!"
"You can't save her," I said quietly. "But I can."
Both FBI agents stared at me.
"What do you mean?" Marcus asked.
"I mean Dr. Sarah Martinez doesn't work for me anymore," I said. "She's gone wild. She's using my resources and my connections to run her own business."
"Why should we believe you?" the other agent asked.
"Because twenty minutes ago, she tried to have me killed," I said, showing them a text message on my phone. "She sent a team to the boat to make sure I didn't survive the explosion."
Marcus read the message, his face getting angry by the second.
"If she's not working for you, then who is she working for?" Marcus asked.
I smiled. This was the part I'd been waiting for.
"She's working for your boss," I said. "Director Johnson."
"That's impossible," Marcus said. "Johnson is the one who sent us to arrest you."
"Johnson is the one who's been playing both sides for years," I corrected. "He needed someone to take the fall for the trafficking operation, so he picked me. But he also needed someone to finish Dr. Martinez's weapon project."
"What weapon project?" the other spy asked.
"The one that turns innocent people into programmable assassins," I said. "Emma is the template. If Dr. Martinez succeeds, the government will have an army of people who look normal but can be triggered to kill anyone, anywhere, anytime."
Marcus was shaking with rage. "You're lying."
"Call Director Johnson," I said. "Ask him where he is right now. Ask him why he's not here questioning the biggest criminal you've caught all year."
Marcus pulled out his phone and dialed. After a few rings, it went to voicemail.
"He's not answering," Marcus said.
"Of course he's not," I said. "He's too busy watching Dr. Martinez turn your girlfriend into a weapon."
The other agent stood up. "I'm going to verify this information."
"You do that," I said. "But while you're making phone calls, Emma is getting closer to becoming something that will hunt you down and kill you."
After the agent left, Marcus and I sat in silence for a moment.
"What do you want?" Marcus finally asked.
"I want to make a deal," I said.
"What kind of deal?"
I leaned forward. "I know where Dr. Martinez is keeping Emma. I know how to get in. I know how to stop the writing process. But I need something from you first."
"What?"
"I need you to let me go," I said. "Right now. No questions, no help, no FBI cavalry. Just you, me, and one chance to save Emma before it's too late."
Marcus shook his head. "I can't do that."
"Then Emma dies," I said simply. "And then Emma kills you."
"There has to be another way."
"There isn't," I said. "Dr. Martinez chose her location especially because it's impossible for the FBI to reach. Too many security systems, too many guards, too many ways for her to escape if she sees you coming."
"But you can get in?"
"I helped design the security," I said. "I know every weakness, every blind spot, every way in and out."
Marcus was quiet for a long time, thinking.
"Why would you help us?" he asked. "What do you get out of it?"
"Revenge," I said honestly. "Dr. Martinez misled me. She tried to kill me. She stole my business and my resources. I want her destroyed."
"And after we save Emma?"
"After we save Emma, you let me disappear," I said. "No more FBI hunting me, no more trying to arrest me. I go away quietly, and you never see me again."
Marcus looked torn. "I can't make that decision alone."
"You don't have a choice," I said, showing him my phone again. The camera feed showed Dr. Martinez injecting something into Emma's IV line. Emma's body started convulsing.
"The programming process has started," I said. "In exactly six hours, Emma will wake up as a totally different person. A person designed to kill you."
Marcus stared at the screen, watching the woman he loved being turned into a weapon.
"Five hours and fifty-nine minutes now," I said.
"What's your plan?" Marcus asked quietly.
"First, you uncuff me," I said. "Then we steal a helicopter from the FBI hanger. Then we fly to Dr. Martinez's facility and shut down her business permanently."
"And if you're lying about any of this?"
I smiled. "Then you can shoot me yourself."
Marcus looked at his phone, trying to call Director Johnson again. Still no answer.
"Five hours and fifty-eight minutes," I said.
Marcus stood up and walked to the door. For a moment, I thought he was going to leave and let Emma die. But then he turned around.
"If we do this, I have conditions," Marcus said.
"Name them."
"We save Emma first. Everything else comes second."
"Agreed."
"And if you try to double-cross me, I will kill you."
"I would expect nothing less."
Marcus walked back to the table and released my handcuffs.
"Five hours and fifty-seven minutes," I said, rubbing my wrists.
"Then we better hurry," Marcus said.
As we walked toward the door, I couldn't help but smile. These FBI agents were so obvious. Marcus thought he was using me to save Emma, but really, I was using him to get exactly where I needed to be.
Dr. Sarah Martinez had made one important mistake when she betrayed me. She'd forgotten that I always have a backup plan.
And my backup plan was about to destroy everything she'd worked for. "Marcus," I said as we reached the hallway.
"What?"
"There's one more thing I should probably mention."
"What now?"
I stopped walking and looked him directly in the eyes.
"Emma isn't Dr. Martinez's first prototype," I said. "She's her third. The first two prototypes are already working."
Marcus went pale. "What do you mean?"
"I mean there are already two programmed assassins out there, hunting targets," I said. "And one of them has been ordered to kill Special Agent Jessica Chen."
"Jess?" Marcus grabbed my shirt. "Where is she?"
"Probably dead by now," I said. "The prototype was activated an hour ago."
Marcus pulled out his phone to call Jess, but I grabbed his wrist.
"Five hours and fifty-six minutes, Marcus," I said. "Do you want to waste time trying to save someone who's probably already dead? Or do you want to save Emma while you still can?"
Marcus stared at me, torn between saving his partner and saving the woman he loved.
"Tick tock," I said.
That's when his phone rang. The caller ID said "Jess Chen."
Marcus answered immediately. "Jess! Are you okay?"
But the sound that came through the phone wasn't Jess's voice.
"Hello, Marcus," said a voice that sounded exactly like Emma. "Jess can't come to the phone right now. She's a little tied up. But don't worry. You'll be joining her soon."
The line went dead.
I smiled at Marcus's horrified face.
"Five hours and fifty-five minutes," I said. "Still want to waste time making phone calls?"