Ghosts of My Past

New Story Submission

1.) Ghosts of My Past (pt. 1 An Old Enemy Returns)

2.) About the Story: An enemy from Scarlett's past returns bringing trouble.

3.) This story contains Violence.

4.) Character Examination/Action/Adventure

5.) My Name: Top Hat

6.) My Email: TopHat1945@hotmail.com

Background: This story deals with Scarlett past. Most of the characters in the story are members of an anti-terrorism team Scarlett was a member of before she joined the JOE team. Read the story and let me know what you think.

TopHat1945@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: I don't own the JOE characters; I do own everybody else.

"Ghosts of my past"

Part One: An old enemy returns

            A small group of Joes have been sent to India to attend a conference on world peace.  While Duke goes to the embassy to report in, his team is taken to Dr. Shakoor's residence. He will meet up with them later in the afternoon. 

"Sgt. Hauser, the ambassador will see you now. This way please. " The receptionist beckoned Duke to follow her down a hallway.  She stopped at a door near the end of the hall. "Go right in, the ambassador is waiting."

"Thank you. " Duke replied. He knocked on the door.

"Enter." calls a voice from inside the office. Duke walks into the office.

"Duke, good to see you again. How are you?"

The two men shake hands, "Doing better than you right now, I imagine. How are things here? I understand you had a little trouble yesterday?"

"Yes, the key note speaker for the peace conference was assassinated.  The man was an Irish ambassador to the United Nations. He was a strong advocate of finding a peaceful solution to the conflicts in his native land; a cause that earned him more than a few enemies along the way. Security currently has one suspect and is set up at the airports, sea ports, and hotels looking for the man."

"The Joes would be happy to lend any assistance necessary. " Duke offered

"Thank you Duke, but unfortunately, security regulations strictly forbids any foreign agents to cover security. They would probably frown upon my even mentioning the details of the investigation to anyone not currently assigned to their security team. The conference leaders are trying to keep it quiet."

"What exactly are the conference leaders hoping to do? The keynote speaker was assassinated, not just a minor ambassador. The conference is going to be televised, any last minute substitutions will be noticed." Duke asked

"I don't have a clue, the conference leaders have made it clear that the American embassy is hosting the conference, nothing more. I only know about the assignation because it took place in my building. Another thing the leaders are not happy about. I got a call from our president earlier today, urging me to smooth things over here as quickly and quietly as possible. "

"The offer still stands, if you feel you're are able to take us up on it. "

"Thank you, Duke. But for now, my hands are tied. This does give you and you're men a little down time. The start of the conference has been delayed for a day.  Security is beefing up and the conference leaders have decided to wait until someone from ambassador Collins' office can be appointed as his replacement. Things are quite a mess right now, but lets not go into that any more. No use beating a dead horse, eh?" The ambassador calls his receptionist and orders his car to be brought around.
"I'll personally escort you to Dr. Shakoor's estate. He is quite delighted to have you and you're personnel stay with him again while you are in India."   

Scarlett and her friends spent the day walking though the markets admiring the vast array of goods for sale.  Scarlett was admiring a scarf she had just bought from a lady in the marketplace. She thanks the lady and looks around for her friends. She doesn't see them right off, but what she does see at a booth not far down the street is a man that looks oddly familiar to her. "Mica?" she questions softly to herself as she hurries down the road trying to get another glimpse of the man. She has a little trouble making her way through the crowd and by the time she has pushed her way through the mass of humanity she has lost track of her quarry. Duke calls her name as he walks up beside her. "Hey, you O.K.?" he asks

"Huh? Oh, Duke, I didn't see you. " She responds

"Yeah, no kidding. It's getting hot; the boys are ready to head back. You want to come or do you want to look around some more?"

"No, I'm ready. Let's go." Scarlett follows Duke back to the car

"Hey, you sure you're O.K.? You look like you just saw a ghost?" Duke asked, concerned. 

"A ghost?" she laughs, "Now who would I see a ghost of here of all places?" Scarlett laughed his worried look off.

"I don't know, it was just the look on you're face." Duke responds

"It must be the heat, I've never felt anything like it. It feels like it's hotter now than it was than when we were here before." Scarlett complained

"It probably is, it is getting close to their rainy season. Hot and humid, you'd better get used to it, we'll be here about a week."

            They reached the car Dr. Shakoor had provided for them. "Finally, it took you long enough find her!" Rock 'n' Roll said.

"Yeah, Scarlett, while you're out there shopping, we're all frying!" Recondo replied. Her friends greeted her as she opened the car door.

Scarlett sees the man again, not close enough to get a good look, but close enough to make her worry.

"Change your mind?" Duke asked

"No", she responds getting in the car, "I just thought I saw someone I knew, but it couldn't be."  Duke gave her a weird look and then shrugged it off, figuring if something were bothering her she would tell him sooner or later.

During the ride back to Dr. Shakoor's place she did the best she could to put it out of her mind. "It was a long time ago girl, get a grip or he'll really think something is up." she silently reprimanded herself.

            After the group got back to Dr. Shakoor's house, they played a few rounds of cards before breaking up to shower and rest before dinner. About an hour before dinner, Scarlett decided to take a walk in the gardens. She needed some time alone to think about what she may or may not have seen in the market that day. She wanders through the garden to a small pond that has recently been added to the garden. She sits down on one of the stone benches surrounding the water. It is peaceful here; the gardeners have finished reworking this part of the garden and have moved on out of earshot. Scarlett was able to think. "Was it really Mica I saw in the market today?" she wondered silently to herself.  All the reports seemed to verify the rumors she had heard regarding his death. Of course she knew that just because an official report said it was so, didn't necessarily mean it was true. Mica was supposed to have been killed during the final stages of an operation she and her team had invested nearly four years in. Years that all accounted for nothing in the end. She and her partner had both been in the hospital recovering from injuries, injuries they had obtained while tracking down one of the organizations key members, when the final take down occurred.  

But that side mission was another story all together. She still got angry when she thought of that last mission. If it had just gone differently, if Toby hadn't lost his temper, if she had been prepared like she should have been, if, if, if. It was all in the past, they weren't there to direct the operation and the incompetent that replaced them botched things so badly they couldn't be repaired. The sting went wrong and she couldn't change that anymore than she could change anything that happened as a result of it. Life afterwards hadn't been all bad. After a few years of being transferred to "safe" places (safe for whom she still didn't know) she had been drafted to the JOE team. "Everything happens for a reason I suppose, and maybe one day I'll find out what that reason is. For now though, I had better yet back before Duke sends out a search party to look for me." With that thought, she started to get up and walk back to the house.

Scarlett suddenly became aware that the world had gone still around her. Everything was hushed, the birds had stopped singing and she could feel a chill creep up the back of her neck. Something was wrong. She stood still for a moment and couldn't determine the source of her unease. She turned to walk up the path to the house when a man stepped out of the shadows to block her way.

"Mica!" Scarlett cursed softly "I guess this answers the question of whether or not you're really dead." Scarlett noticed sunlight glinting off a long knife blade.

"You should know by now, Angel, that you shouldn't believe everything you read." Mica replied

"Then it was you I saw in the market place earlier."

"Very good Angel, you havna completely lost your touch now, have ya lass?" Mica replied with sarcasm and a thick Gaelic lilt to his voice.

"What do you want Mica?" Scarlett demanded

"Him, what else?" answered Mica

"I don't know where HE is, I haven't seen or heard from him in over three years, not since Bren…" she left off

"Died. By your hand, although it was more Mackenzie's fault than your own."

"He gave me no choice Mica. It was him or Toby, and I couldn't stand by and watch Toby die."

"Of course not." Mica replied, his words dripping with sarcasm, "Not any more than Bren could stand by and watch the bastard corrupt you."

"Things aren't always what they seem Mica."

"You're right again lass, I thought you were a friend, a believer in the cause, we all did. But in reality, you were just another fraud, you and Mackenzie.  Worse than that, you were a traitor!" he cursed

"Is anyone really who they say they are?" she questioned Mica softly

"Where is he? I don't have time to play twenty questions lass." Mica demanded

"I told you, Mica, I don't know. I wish I did. Killing Toby won't bring Bren back you know, nothing will." Scarlett said.

"No, but killing him will make life a lot sweeter for a good many. Now, if you won't tell me where to find the bastard, then I'll just have to find him myself. Your death will provide a nice incentive for him to come out of hiding. I'll have him all out of the way in time to take my proper place as head of the organization. Say goodbye Angel."

"Mica, wait!" She called. But it was too late, Mica had thrown his knife and it landed true to its target-her stomach.  Scarlett doubled over as a wave of pain hit her. She fell to her knees.

Mica steps over to where she had fallen and removes his knife. "Don't worry too much Angel, I'll send you company soon enough." Mica laughed bitterly as he turned and walked off towards the edge of the property, leaving her to bleed to death, alone, knowing that she would be the cause of her friend's death.

"God, please, keep Toby safe. Don't let him find out. Keep him away from here, or Mica will kill him too." Scarlett prayed, quickly loosing her hold on reality as the soft darkness began to beckon.

Lucky for her a gardener had returned to the pond looking for a tool and he seen Mica stab Scarlett. He rushes back to the house to get help.

End Part One