Chapter 11

Pulling up in a jeep, Lady Jaye parks directly in front of the building where she is meeting Dr. Blackstone. Turning off the engine, she gets out of the jeep and pockets the keys. Walking over to the front door, she pulls on the handle and quickly notices that the door is locked. Putting her face to the door, she glances inside and notices the guard sitting at his desk. Knocking on the door, she waits as the guard walks over to her and opens the door.

"Lady Jaye?"

"Yes," she confirms, placing a hand on the door. "Dr. Blackstone is expecting me."

"Yes, ma'am," replies the guard, as he pushes the door open wider and allows her to enter the building.

Walking passed the guard, Lady Jaye continues through the lobby and stops when she reaches the elevator door.

"Do you know where you're going?" asks the guard.

"Yes," she replies, with a smile over her shoulder to the guard.

"Just to let you know, the lights in the hallways have switched to night settings," says the guard, as he makes his way toward his desk. "There's enough light to see, but it may be a little dark."

"Thanks," replies Lady Jaye, as she steps into the elevator.

Pressing the button for the fifth floor, Lady Jaye waits as the elevator slowly rises. A moment later, the elevator stops and the doors open. Stepping out of the elevator, she glances around.

He wasn't kidding about it being a little dark up here, thinks Lady Jaye as she notes the shadows.

Turning right, Lady Jaye heads toward the office of Dr. Blackstone. Just as she is about to reach it, something slams into her from behind, driving her into the wall. Her head bounces off the wall and black dotes flash in her vision. Sensing someone standing behind her. Lady Jaye jams her right elbow back, connecting with soft flesh. Just as her elbow hits, she raises her left foot and jams it down on the foot of the one behind her. After delivering two quick blows, Lady Jaye spins away from the wall and turns to face her attacker.

"Zartan!"

Rubbing a hand over his stomach, where her first blow hit, Zartan sneers at the woman before him. Taking his left hand away from his stomach, he clenches his hand into a fist before making a swipe at Lady Jaye. Dodging to the side, she avoids his blow.

Quickly, Zartan pulls out a throwing knife and hurls it at Lady Jaye. Catching the movement of her enemy, Lady Jaye again dodges the attack, though not as quickly. Feeling a stinging pain on her right side, she presses her right hand to the spot before checking her hand. She notices a small smear of blood. Backing up, Lady Jaye puts more space between her and Zartan.

"What did you do to Dr. Blackstone?" she demands.

"She left over an hour ago," he replies, as he keeps his attention focused on her body movements.

"She didn't call me, did she?" says Lady Jaye.

"Ding! Ding! Ding!," he replies with a sneer. "And the winner is...me."

Lunging forward, Zartan takes another swing at her, but misses again. Prepared for her dodge this time, he sweeps out with his leg and knocks Lady Jaye off her feet. Hitting the floor with her back, Lady Jaye prepares to kick up, but instead raises her feet to defend herself as Zartan attempts to jump down on her. Using his momentum and her feet, Lady Jaye flips him over her head and he crashes down on the floor. Quickly, she gets to her feet. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, she watches as the numbers above the elevator descend.

"Company should be here soon," says Lady Jaye, as she watches Zartan get to his feet.

Glancing over himself, Zartan watches as the elevator stops on the first floor.

"Game over," says Lady Jaye.

Angry, Zartan rushes at Lady Jaye. Caught off guard by the force of his attack, she is slammed into the wall directly behind her. Raising a knee, she nails Zartan between the legs.

"Fuck!" he grunts, as he backs away from Lady Jaye.

Hearing a ding, Zartan watches out of the corner of his eye as the elevator door begins to open. Assuming that the guard will come out with gun pointed, Zartan decides he has no choice but to leave. Quickly, he turns and rushes down the hall, away from the opening elevator door and Lady Jaye. Not attempting to offer chase, Lady Jaye watches the guard step off the elevator with his gun drawn.

"Ma'am? Are you ok?" asks the guard, as he exams the hallway.

"The elevator scared him off," she replies, nodding her head in the direction that Zartan fled.

Slipping a hand to her side, Lady Jaye pulls out a communicator and raises it to her mouth.

"This is Lady Jaye."

A moment of silence before she hears the voice of Dial Tone.

"Copy, Lady Jaye."

"Zartan was waiting for me at Blackstone's office," reports Lady Jaye.

"Are you ok?" asks Flint, over the communication system.

"Yes. Blackstone was never here."

"Excuse me, ma'am, but she was here, little over 30 minutes ago," interrupts the guard.

Nodding her head at the guard, she thinks over what he just said.

"I'm going to talk with the guard before returning to base," says Lady Jaye, into the communicator.

"Copy," replies Flint. "Do you need assistance?"

"No," she replies. "I'll call in before I leave."

Pocketing her communicator, Lady Jaye smiles at the guard.

"We're going to talk about what happened here tonight," she says. "Let's go downstairs."

…...

Furious that he was interrupted, Zartan uses a motorcycle to flee the scene of his latest attack. Not wanting to return to the swamp, he drives around until he decides to stop in an alley near a small bed and breakfast hotel.

Going over and over in his mind, Zartan realizes his mistake in not eliminating the guard or destroying the surveillance system for the fifth floor. Staring at the bed and breakfast across the street, Zartan realizes that a military jeep has pulled up to the hotel. Watching, he quietly observes as a young, petite woman with blond hair gets out of the passenger side. Catching sight of her face, Zartan frowns.

I've seen her before, he thinks.

Stepping away from the jeep, the young woman closes the door and waves goodbye to the driver. Walking up the front stairs to the bed and breakfast, she opens the door to the hotel and steps inside. Closing his eyes, he replays the woman getting out of the jeep, trying to figure out where he had seen her before. A moment goes by and then another, before Zartan smiles.

I saw her on the Joe base with Cover Girl, he remembers.

Staring intently at the bed and breakfast and thinking of the young woman who is staying there, an idea forms in Zartan's head.

Lady Jaye got away. This one won't, he thinks, as he puts down the kickstand and strides across the street to enter the bed and breakfast.