Closure

The Plaza Hotel

11th November, 1926

A grand chandelier hung over a beautiful hall that was teaming with diners. It was a well lit and glorious room, tailor-made for the Upper Classes.

Hotel guests tucked into their breakfasts, as cigarette smoke wove like a fog over the well dressed gentlemen and elegant women, their well behaved children and passing waiters and waitresses, dressed in smart uniforms.

A family gathered around a white linen table. The father smoked a cigarette and read the morning paper. He looked across the hall and clicked his fingers, alerting a passing waiter. She stepped over and smiled politely. He was about to speak, when a sudden gust of wind rippled through the room and rattled the tables, glasses and guests.

A long, narrow crack tore down the large bay window. The father turned to look at it, his eyes widening as the crack shattered the glass. “What the..?”

Suddenly, the shells of four armed Takers rapidly formed and appeared in front of the family, racing down the hall towards them. The Takers fixed their sights on the terrified father as they locked their weapons – ready for action.

An elderly lady in the far corner of the room screamed!

The entire room sprang from quiet ease to chaos in seconds, as guests jumped to their feet and knocked tables and glasses over. They crossed paths and threw one another aside to get out of the room alive. Glasses smashed. Tables tipped over. The elderly woman fell to the ground and was trampled on by a terrified waiter that desperately tried to escape.

The Takers formed a circle around the family. The father and his petrified family were too scared to move. Task Agent March stepped forwards, “He’s coming!”

There was a brief silence... a swift moment of calm.

Boom!

A blazing fireball burst to life above the table and seeped back to form Finn, who dropped down and crashed hard onto the table – bash!

Swiftly dropping to her knees, Task Agent March locked her rifle on him and waved the Takers behind her to move in for the kill. “Take him!

Confused, Finn gripped his pistol with both hands and opened fire – BLAM, BLAM, BLAM!

The three shots thundered into the approaching Takers and blew them back into two officers behind. As one Taker rocked back, he opened fire – blam! The shot stabbed into Finn and tosses him across the table, into the father. Both men tumbled onto the ground. Finn yelled and the mother screamed.

March leapt up and locked her weapon, as Finn rolled painfully onto his feet and staggered into a run. He wormed his way between the mazes of uplifted tables. The room was in chaos, as guests went mental trying to flee and added to the unfolding violence. March shot a look at her fellow Takers, “Kill him!”

Three Takers opened fire in unison – rat-a-tat-a-tat!

The rain of bullets tore along the carpet and raced towards Finn, who ran for his life and dove behind a table, narrowly missing the fire! The Takers continued to unload bullets and caught two passing guests, blowing them violently over tables and into the wall, crash!

Finn rose up and rested his blood soaked arm on a table. He took dazed aim and fired – blam, blam, blam!

The three shots missed their targets, blowing crystal glasses to smithereens and striking the wall.

March leapt into a fierce run and tore down the hall, all guns blazing! The fire streaked across the wall and shattered windows, tearing chunks out of everything in their path. Under the rain of fire, Finn ducked down and wove his body down a narrow passage between tables, as each one flipped over in the blaze of gunfire.

A waitress raced past Finn, as March drew her pistol and squeezed the trigger – blam! The metal rock struck the waitress in the head and knocked her and Finn back into the window, cracking it. As her body went limp, Finn clung onto her and locked his eyes on March, who relentlessly approached. Like a man possessed, Finn charged into a run and lifted the waitress off her feet. Racing towards March, he threw the corpse at her and knocked her to the ground.

Before March could turn her head, Finn kicked it back onto the floor – ouch!

Leaping onto a table, Finn leapt from one to another, all the while keeping his eyes locked on the exit to the lobby. As he ran, two Takers opened fire and followed his chaotic run with a stream of bullets that devastated the room.

The exit drew closer.

Jason ducked, rolled, stumbled and ran; leaping into the air and falling into a roll that took him out of the hall and into the lobby.

March dragged the waitress of her and scrambled back onto her feet. Snatching her gun, she grabbed a Wiper Bomb and snapped it.

The two Takers giving fierce chase followed a staggering Finn into the scream echoed lobby, where guests and staff ran for cover.

The Wiper Bomb hit the ground –

BOOM!

The dining hall distorted and pulled back into place everything that had been destroyed in the gun battle. Dead guests and waiters were sucked back to life. Only the Taker Finn had shot remained dead.

Guests returned to their breakfasts, but were a little unhinged at seeing a corpse and three heavily armed soldiers racing off into the lobby!

A man behind the desk yelled. Finn stumbled in and raced towards the rotating doors, looking frantically back over his shoulder. The Takers raced after him and reloaded their pistols with fresh clips.

Finn turned back. Suddenly, six new Takers appeared in a flash in front of the rotating doors and blocked his path. “Aw, for..!” Quickening his step, Finn sharply changed route and raced towards a large, spiral staircase. The new set of Takers clocked him and opened fire – rat-a-tat-a-tat!

Chunks of plaster tore out of the wall Finn ran past. One stray bullet ripped a chunk out of his leg and knocked him into a spin that threw him up against the wall. He yelled and shot back at the Takers – blam!

The bullet struck a Taker in the shin and grounded him. Finn then pushed himself off the wall and leapt into a daring race up the staircase, as two Takers took to the steps and opened fire. The blaze stripped lumps out of the banister and almost hit Finn’s feet.

Throwing himself onto the landing, Finn clashed into a woman running towards him and knocked her off her feet. Leaping over her, he pinned himself against the wall and unlocked the clip of the pistol. The woman yelled. Finn looked at her, “Shush!” She shut up, but tried to run. Finn gestured to her to ‘stay put’, whilst struggling to feed a fresh clip into his firearm.

Seven itchy trigger finger Takers raced up the stairs and reloaded their machine guns in brutal turn. The lead Taker snarled, “Blow this fuck to hell!” He then turned to enter the landing, when Finn stepped out and rammed the pistol into his face. Snatching a Wiper Bomb off his belt, Finn snapped it and thrust it down the Taker’s body vest. Leaping back, he kicked the Taker in the chest and set him hurtling back down the steps. Finn grabbed the woman by the hand, “Run!”

The lead Taker clattered down the staircase towards his fellow troops. The Wiper Bomb ignited and a blinding flash entwined the Taker, catapulting him like a rocket into the others. Electrical streaks skipped from one Taker to the other, frying them alive and sending them back down the steps like seven fireballs.

The blinding flash and distant yells echoed down the corridor. In a mad dash, Finn pulled the horrified woman behind him and never looked back.

March looked down at the seven dead Takers cluttering the staircase. “Bollocks!” Leaping over the burning bodies, March took to the steps and reloaded her gun.

Taking a corner, Finn spotted an open bedroom door and pushed the woman towards it. In pain, he gritted his teeth and urged onwards, reaching the room. He stalled and looked at the woman, “Inside.” He let go on her hand and she rushed inside. As she entered, he grabbed the handle and slammed the door shut.

Blam!

The bullet tore a chunk out of the wall, inches away from Finn’s head. It knocked him for six. Shooting a startled look down the corridor, he saw March charging towards him with both guns out. She started shooting.

Finn panicked and threw himself up against the door like a battering ram until it burst open. He fell inside and clocked the woman cowering in the corner. “Miss me?” Racing past her, he headed for an open window, raised his gun and fired – blam!

As the window exploded, shards of glass scattered against the metal steps of a fire escape that ran up the side of the hotel. Finn dragged himself through the window frame and dropped onto the steps. As he fell against the banister, he dropped his pistol and it fell away from him.

A sudden blast of gun fire struck the banister. Finn looked back into the room and saw March tearing towards him, gun raised. Unable to catch his breath, Finn took to the steps and ran towards the sky.

March leapt out of the window and slammed against the steps, cracking her knees and flinching in pain. Above her, the manic clatter of Finn’s footsteps threw her back into action. Looking up, she spotted Finn worming his damaged bones upwards. Dragging herself back onto her feet, she took to the stairs, staggering as she went.

The room was empty.

Finn appeared outside the window and kicked it in – smash! Glass scattered the floor. Pulling himself indoors, Finn fell to his knees and took a moment to catch his breath. Panting and in pain, he looked at his arm – it was soaked with blood that obscured his tattoo, making it impossible to read. Then the Red Eye hooked to his belt caught his eye. He looked at it and frowned. The window display kept distorting:

23:55 – 17:06 – 23:54 – 17:05

Tightly clutching his arm, Finn forced himself back onto his feet and staggered to the door. Falling against it, he rested his head against it and closed his eyes...

Jenna’s cold, dead eyes.

Snapping his open, he gritted his teeth and opened the door. Ahead of him in the corridor was an elevator.

Falling out of the bedroom, Finn staggered over to it and hit the switch. The UP light flashed and a distant groan of machinery sparking to life followed, as the metal cage was dragged upwards.

Fighting his pain through gritted teeth, Finn glanced back at the bedroom. There was no sign of March.

Ding! The elevator doors slid open to reveal an empty metal cage. Finn stepped inside.

Suddenly, March charged out of the bedroom and tore towards the life – her gun aimed at Finn. Horrified, Finn turned to face her, as the elevator doors slide together and jammed her arm. Quickly snatching the gun and twisting it out of her fingers, Finn pulled back as the door re-opened and she threw herself into the box, striking an almighty punch that caught him clean in the face and slammed his head into the side of the lift.

The doors closed.

March snatched Finn’s arm and slammed it against the wall, trying to force him to drop the pistol. It clattered to the ground. She then followed through with a string of stomach punches that took the wind out of Finn. He retaliated with a sharp head butt. March attacked; punch, punch, kick, punch. Finn tried to defend her blows; block, punch, elbow, punch, head butt, kick. She struck the side of the lift and snapped back into fierce attack, throwing Finn off his feet and up against the lift.

The metal box rocked from side to side as it plummeted down into the darkness below.

The two enemies continued to beat the crap out of one another with punch after violent punch. Kick after kick after knee after knee. Both plastered with blood and spit, they kept on fighting.

The elevator rocked and rattled. Finn missed a punch and struck the control panel with his fist, hitting the STOP switch!

The elevator shuddered to a halt part way down the shaft.

March scrambled for the pistol, but got kneed viciously in the face by Finn, who dropped down and snatched up the gun. Twisting around, he pinned her up against the wall and hooked the barrel under her chin. He gritted his teeth and clicked back the hammer. March stared deeply into his confused eyes. “Do it! Pull the trigger!” Finn pushed the barrel harder into her throat. She choked, “It’s the only way you’ll ever stop me from killing you!”

Finn frowned. He glanced at his own reflection in the mirrored panel. There was a look of unfamiliarity in his eyes. March tried to fight back, forcing him to face her. He pinned her to the spot. “Why? Why are you trying to kill me?” She frowned and looked at his arm. It was drenched with blood and hid the tattoo. She smirked and spat blood, “You don’t know who you are - do you?” Finn shook his head. “You’re an illegal. A criminal wanted for murder.”

Finn was confused, scared, “Murder? What murder?” He let go of March and staggered back, shaking his head and catching glimpses of his own reflection in the glass panel. March caught his eye, “Those memories inside your head, they don’t belong to those eyes.”

Finn stared at his own reflection, tears welling in his eyes.

March wiped blood from her mouth and sighed. “He had to run...”

Pounding towards the barrier wall, Jason yelled and hurled himself and Agent Preece over the side! Plummeting towards the busy road below, Jason snatched at Preece’s Crowbar and tried to activate it, as Kesler dragged himself out of the windscreen, raced to the barrier wall and locked his weapon on Jason. Blam, blam, blam!

The bullets dug into Agent Preece, as Jason triggered the Crowbar inches away from striking the stream of traffic below. Suddenly, the fabric of time tore open in a blinding flash of electrical light below Jason and Preece. Whoosh! The fierce blaze seeped back like a pair of curtains being drawn and swallowed Jason and Agent Preece. They had vanished.

Shattered and bleeding, Kesler dropped against the wall and looked down at the traffic below. His eyes were like steel.

Jason and Agent Preece tumbled back into the future and crashed into a rain drenched, dankly lit alleyway with an almighty smash!

Jason stumbled to his feet and thrust his gun at Preece, on his back – dead.

Kneeling over Preece, Jason hurriedly scavenged useful items from him: a handgun, the T-port device and Feeder. He then clocked the Shifter device attached to Preece’s neck and clicked it. Preece’s body glitched and morphed into the old man from the stairwell – the Shifter had become a part of the camouflage. Jason clicked the device again and the corpse turned back into Preece.

Clicking the Shifter to the back of his neck, Jason felt it spike into his skin... Ouch!

Standing, Jason activated the Shifter and morphed into an exact copy of Agent Preece. Shooting a look over his shoulder, “Preece” ran off into the darkness.

“Agent Preece” walked into the evidence room and set his sights on a crate of confiscated Blades. Touching the back of his neck, he morphed back into Jason.

“Run and hide.”

Dropping a rucksack on the desk, Jason quickly filled it with Blades. Hooking the bag over his shoulder, he picked up the last Blade and glanced at the date etched on the side: 11/11/1926.

March shot Finn a sorry look, “He took her hostage.”

Jenna Kesler unlocked a bolt and opened the front door of her home. Stood outside was “Agent Preece.” He smiled at her and entered, following her into the living room. On the table was a wedding photograph of Jenna and Nathan Kesler.

“Agent Preece” took out the Blade marked 11/11/1926 –

“Changed the rules...”

Then, he touched the back of his neck.

“...The game.”

Jenna turned to face Agent Preece, only to find Jason stood before her with a vengeful look in his eyes.

March took a breath and looked at Finn. “Forced your hand to save the woman he loved. Only you didn’t play ball. You hunted him down -”

Footsteps thumped down the main street, crashing through puddles. Jason looked back and shot blindly at his pursuer – blam, blam!

Task Agent Kesler gave chase. He shot back – blam!

In the warehouse, a narrow wooden passage ran down to a back office painted bright, blood red. The overhead lights flickered and buzzed. Jason stumbled painfully into the corridor and ran into the office. Inside was Jenna. Grabbing her arm, he pinned her against the wall behind the door and took out his pistol. He slid in next to her and held his breath.

Task Agent Kesler poured into the corridor and ran towards the ‘Red room’, lifting his gun. Jason yelled and fell into the doorway –

“But it ended badly.”

Task Agent Kesler fired – rat-a-tat-a-tat!

Finn shook it off and looked at March. She stepped forward. “Jason Finn’s girlfriend didn’t die in the red room. She was murdered by an intruder at her home, many years from now.”

Finn gasped. He shook his head. He looked at the wedding band on his finger, then at March. “Then who died in that room?”

“The only way you could save her was by becoming the enemy... Get your hands on the day she was murdered.” Finn shook his head. “You stole his name... his face,” she said. “You’re not Jason Finn.”

Finn staggered back and aimed the gun at her, “Then who the fuck am I?”

March stepped closer. She looked at his bloody arm, at the smear of tattoo that remained. “You want the truth?”

“Yes.”

“Then open your eyes,” she said, touching the back of his neck, “It’s remembrance day!”

Finn fell back in agony. His eyes dilated and rapidly changed - one blue, one green! His face stretched and distorted. He dug his fingers into his skull, yelling, as it glitched and morphed into a different face. He wanted to be sick.

He lowered his fingers and looked in the mirrored panel. Staring back at him was Task Agent Nathan Kesler.