Julian sat down in the back of his luxury car, adjusting his suit slightly. His facial expression was neutral but the tension in the car was high.
"Boss, are you sure you need to do this?", asked Noah from the drivers seat, turning on the ignition.
Julian made eye contact with Noah through the mirror, "Unless you have a better idea, then yes". His voice was quiet and had a slightly teasing tone.
Noah lowered his head, unable to reply. He's been trying to think of different ways to go about luring Damien out of his hiding place, but nothing came to mind. The last few months had taken a toll on him, making him feel useless for not being able to help Julian more.
Julian saw the sullen expression on Noah's face and smiled.
"Don't be too hard on yourself. It's not like I'm actually going to die", he said.
Noah showed a small self deprecating smile, "But you'll have to spend years if not the rest of your life in hiding!"
"Not if we get Damien quickly. As soon as he's out of the picture and his gang falls apart, then I can make a comeback. You can even post my face on the cover of every magazine at that point", chuckled Julian.
"Plus, that bunker is actually really nice, it'll be like a much deserved vacation", he added.
The two men drove up to a luxurious building. This was the location for the much anticipated underground auction, and the starting point for Julian's plan to lure Damien out of hiding.
Julian stepped out of the car and walked into the beautiful building followed by Noah. There were many elites and undercover bosses gathered here today, everyone dressed extravagantly to show off their wealth.
Julian made his way over to the previously reserved booth where he met Ian.
"Boss, you're here". Ian was dressed in an all black suit, looking extra fearsome due to his serious facial expression.
"Yes, I hope everything is in order?", asked Julian as he looked around the auction hall.
Ian nodded, "Yes, everything is prepared to go as planned. Just before the last items auction you will get shot from across the hall. The perfect body double has already been prepared".
One of the recent developments in REN Corp.'s research facilities was this synthetic body double. Using advanced technology it can be formed to look, feel, bleed, and even smell like a specific person, in this case Julian.
"The escape vehicle is also ready and waiting", added Ian. He had an ear piece so that he could communicate with the other security detail.
Julian nodded and sat down, his eyes glued to the stage to appear invested in the auction.
As the evening went on, the skillful auctioneer presented many precious items that only a few people could afford.
Julian placed a few bids here and there to seem normal, winning a bid for a vintage 8 carat flawless diamond ring that was a one-of-a-kind design by world renown jeweler. The ring cost him over 10 million dollars, causing many people in the crowd to speculate why he bought it.
Julian was happy with this outcome, because the more eyes on him tonight, the better the operation would go.
"..And here we are! Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to unveil our final item!.."
Bang!
A shot was fired straight at Julian, followed by screams!
"Oh my god! He's dead! Someone just killed the CEO of REN Corp.!!"
The entire hall was sent into chaos, people were screaming while trying to leave the hall, running into each other.
"Team A move out, prepare the route", said Ian over his headpiece.
Julian quickly left the scene wearing a mask while Noah and Ian stood over the synthetic body double that was shot and bleeding. Soon the ambulance came to move 'Julian' to the hospital, even the paramedics could not tell that it was not a real body.
Noah and Ian had to play their part, acting outraged and sad!
Amidst all of the chaos, nobody noticed the very plain looking vehicle that drove off out of the city.
Brent was the one driving the car, "Sir, are you alright?".
Julian took a deep breath, "Yes, I'm fine. The plan was executed perfectly". He took out the beautiful velvet box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing the diamond ring. He wasn't sure what to do with it, as he bought it on a whim.
"I guess it can serve as a memento or something", he thought, placing it back into his pocket.
A few hours later, Brent pulled over to a small rest stop on the side of a road. "Sir, we have a prepared a small dirt bike to go the rest of the way. I shall accompany you".
Julian got out of the car and put on a leather jacket and followed Brent. Brent led him deep into the forest until he spotted a small clearing with two dirt bike parked.
"Here we are boss, the drive over to the bunker is about a 40 minute ride from here. Please be careful as there is no trail and we'll be driving through a dense forest".
Julian nodded and motioned to Brent to lead the way. The drove off into the forest, carefully weaving in between large rocks and trees. Julian was glad to see that the path to the bunker wasn't the easiest, hoping that it would deter others from venturing in.
After about an hour they had finally arrived and the bunker. There were a number of fallen trees and large branches making Julian and Brent have to take extra detours while driving.
Julian stepped off of his dirt bike and shined his flashlight. If he didn't know better he would never have believed that he was currently standing on top of a multi-level bunker. The environment had fully grown out since the construction phase, leaving a completely natural looking environment. The hill that the bunker was built into had grass and small trees growing out of it. In fact, none of the environment was touched during the construction phase.
With a click of a small key, a tiny hatch opened up beside a large bush, granting Julian entry into his new home.