"Yes, he went into a guest room with one woman and hasn't come out since. Another woman joined them later."
Someone as important as Roy entering the Dolphin Hotel was bound to be reported to Gerald. Even if Roy was just there to "play cards," the FEA agents had tracked his every move—who he was with, when he entered the room, and who followed.
Gerald mulled it over, deeply worried that Paxton Fertel might screw things up.
He'd seen firsthand how dangerous succubi could be.
During the March Cyber Succubus incident, the FEA's underground base was nearly wiped out. If not for Roy, it would've been a disaster.
While Paxton had some supernatural abilities, Gerald didn't think he could handle a succubus.
"Patch my office phone to room service. I need to reach Roy Black."
Inside the guest room, firefighter Keller and Claire had gone all out to put out the "Los Angeles wildfire," finally calming Roy down.
But the two exhausted firefighters were so worn out they fell into a deep sleep.
It looked like they wouldn't wake up for at least seven or eight hours.
With no other choice, Roy started getting dressed to leave. It was still the afternoon, and hanging around a hotel room was getting boring.
Just then, the room's phone rang.
Assuming it was hotel service, Roy picked up, only to hear Gerald's voice.
"Mr. Black, sorry to interrupt. I've got an urgent matter I need your help with."
Meanwhile, Paxton had led the available clone troops to the San Fernando Valley, near the apartment where Adela was hiding.
Since Paxton personally controlled the Los Angeles FEA's clone troops, he brought 100 clones, plus six FEA agents led by Terrence Kauffman. They were severely understaffed.
Clone troops had limited capabilities—good for mass production and expendable, but not particularly powerful.
So, a lot of the work fell to Terrence and his agents.
"Director Fertel, can you fill us in on the mission?"
The clone troops had loosely surrounded Adela's apartment. Tasks like evacuating civilians or setting up defenses required FEA agents; the clones were only good for backup.
"I've got intel that a succubus is hiding in this apartment. Our mission is to capture her."
Terrence's face went pale.
"A s-s-succubus?!"
He'd been on vacation during the Cyber Succubus incident in March, but he'd heard enough from colleagues to be terrified.
Worse, one of the five agents he'd brought was a victim of that incident. If they knew the target was a succubus, they'd lose it.
Luckily, only Terrence was speaking with Paxton; the other five weren't around.
"What are you scared of? You're not the one capturing the succubus. Your job is to maintain order at the scene. Leave the capture to the clones."
Terrence let out a small sigh of relief. Keeping order from the sidelines sounded safer.
"Director Fertel, don't worry! I'll make sure the scene stays under control!"
"Don't tell the others about the target. I don't want them messing this up."
"Got it!"
Terrence turned to brief his team.
"Boss, what's the mission?"
Terrence put on a calm front.
"Just some dark creature hiding in the apartment. Director Fertel's handling the capture. We're on crowd control."
His team was still curious.
"What kind of dark creature needs this many clones?"
"Why so many questions? Get the clones and start maintaining order!"
Terrence barked at his five agents. They hesitated but followed orders, each taking a few clones to different positions.
These agents were pros at crowd control—it was their usual gig.
Once the perimeter was set, Paxton opted not to evacuate the apartment's residents, preparing to lead a clone squad inside himself.
The plan wasn't bad. Paxton had scoped out Adela's apartment and saw her curtains were drawn tight—she likely had no idea what was happening outside.
Evacuating people could tip her off, turning a sneak attack into a frontal assault.
But the plan hinged on Paxton's clones pulling off a successful ambush. If the first strike failed, everyone in the building could become hostages.
Paxton, however, was brimming with confidence, especially since he was going in personally.
From a distance, Terrence and the others didn't know Paxton was among the clones—he was dressed just like them, blending in perfectly.
A 10-clone squad marched into the apartment with synchronized steps. Terrence wiped sweat from his brow, one of only two people in the know, and he was nervous.
As a regular agent tasked with maintaining order, he couldn't monitor the operation from the command vehicle.
Minutes later, gunfire erupted inside the apartment but stopped almost as quickly. The building went eerily silent—not even the residents made a sound.
In America, people are well-versed in handling shootings. Kids are taught early on what to do in a shootout.
The best advice? Find a corner, hide, and don't come out, even if someone claims to be a cop.
As long as the shooter can't see you, you're safe.
So, the apartment's residents stayed quiet, terrified of drawing attention.
Terrence tried reaching Paxton via radio to check the situation, but got no response.
Then, several cars pulled up to Terrence's perimeter. He moved to stop them but froze when he saw Gerald inside.
Cursing his luck, Terrence wished he could hide, but Gerald had already spotted him.
"Terrence Kauffman! What the hell are you people doing? Where's Paxton Fertel?!"
Gerald stormed out of the car, chewing him out. Terrence managed an awkward smile, especially when he saw the last person he wanted to encounter.
"Director, I'm trying to reach Deputy Director Fertel now!"
"Where's the command vehicle?"
Terrence pointed the way. Gerald shot him a withering glare and headed to the vehicle with Roy.
They found it empty.
"Damn it! That idiot went in himself!"
Gerald knew Paxton too well—arrogant and reckless, the guy was an accident waiting to happen.
Gerald had kept him in check before, but today, Paxton had finally crossed the line.
Grabbing the radio, Gerald barked into it.
"Paxton Fertel, this is Gerald Olin! Get out here now!"
No response. The apartment was like a ghost town, and Gerald's bad feeling grew stronger.
With no other choice, he turned to Roy.
"Mr. Black, looks like you'll need to go in and check."
Roy nodded. He was only here as a favor to Gerald, no extra charge.
"Fine, but I can't guarantee Paxton comes back alive."
Gerald sighed.
"Alive or dead, just bring him back."
Roy noticed Gerald's odd attitude toward Paxton—a mix of frustration and a desire to keep him alive.
"Mr. Olin, what's the deal with Paxton?"
Gerald hesitated before spilling the truth.
"Paxton's a product of FEA's 'Super Soldier' program—a genetically engineered human from Armacham's labs. The program produced two super soldiers. You've met the other one."
Roy thought for a moment and guessed.
"Point Man?"
Point Man was the FEAR operative from the Ravensfall incident, leading clone troops to back Roy up.
Roy had sensed he was a supernatural, far stronger than the average person.
"Exactly. Of the two, Paxton has powerful psychic abilities, able to control large numbers of clones, so HQ pushed him into administration. Point Man, with his unmatched reflexes and lack of pain response, was trained as a FEAR field commander.
But Paxton's never been satisfied. His personality's unstable—unlike Point Man. I've reported it to HQ multiple times, but they've done nothing."
Roy was stunned by Paxton's background. Letting someone like that loose? HQ had some serious issues.
He'd need to mention this to Iris—if she was still willing to talk to him.
"So, Paxton's a big asset to FEA."
"Yeah, that's why I can't let him die."
"Alright, I'll check the apartment."
As Roy prepared to enter, Paxton's voice crackled over the radio.
"I'm fine. Better than ever!"
Gerald's temper flared.
"Get your ass out here!"
Soon, Paxton emerged alone with Marian and Gretchen, shocking Roy.
"Those two were captured by the succubus?"
Gerald glanced at Roy.
"You know them?"
"Yeah, they're ABC News anchors. Quite a coincidence."
Roy didn't think much of it, just found it odd.
Paxton brought the two anchors to Gerald.
"Mission accomplished!"
Roy could tell Gerald was struggling to keep his anger in check.
"Mr. Black, can you give me and Fertel some privacy? Please take the ladies out."
Roy shrugged. Gerald clearly wanted to tear into Paxton, and Roy had no interest in watching two guys go at it. He led Marian and Gretchen away from the command vehicle.
Sure enough, as soon as they left, Gerald slammed the door, and his furious cursing echoed from inside—pretty colorful language, too.
"Ladies, need a ride to the hospital?"
Marian and Gretchen looked dazed, no visible injuries, just shaken up.
Before Roy could finish, Marian suddenly collapsed against him.
Roy jumped, raising his hands to show he hadn't done anything.
"Ms. Megan, what's this about? We're not that close, are we?"
"Mr. Black, I'm so scared. Can you take me home?"
Charlize Theron's face, pulling off such a vulnerable act, felt a bit out of character.
But Marian did look genuinely terrified, and she'd seen Roy's angelic form before, so seeking his protection made sense.
Then, not to be outdone, Gretchen leaned against him too.
"Mr. Black, I'm feeling unwell. Take me home too?"
Okay, what's with these two?
Two gorgeous women clinging to him? Roy wasn't complaining, but he wasn't about to act without knowing what was up.
He gently pushed them away.
"Uh, I think the hospital's a better bet."
Roy flagged down an FEA agent to call an ambulance.
Eventually, Marian and Gretchen were taken to the hospital. Meanwhile, Gerald and Paxton had finished their showdown.
Gerald emerged from the command vehicle looking grim, while Paxton had a faint, smug smile.
Did Gerald lose the argument?
"Mr. Olin, if there's nothing else, I'll head out."
"Hold on, Mr. Black. Why don't you check the succubus's body before you go?"
Gerald, still worried Paxton hadn't handled things properly, invited Roy to take a look.
"Alright, since I'm here."
Roy followed Gerald into the apartment.
The door had been busted open by the clones. Inside, clone bodies littered the floor, and the walls were riddled with bullet holes.
In the bathroom lay a succubus in her true form, her face blasted beyond recognition by a shotgun.
Roy inspected the scene and confirmed the succubus was dead.
"Mr. Olin, looks clean."
(Marian Megan, the Queen from Snow White and the Huntsman. Personally, I think she's prettier than Gal Gadot.)