CH36
Rick had come up with at least the beginnings of a plan. "First we need to get rid of your car in a manner that renders the bug on it inoperative, tonight preferably. If it's bugged and hasn't moved in the last two days he's going to send someone to come looking for it," he warned. "Drive out and tow it somewhere? We don't even know where the bug is located," Kate pointed out. "Not tow it, you're going to fly out and burn the crap out of it like you did the car in my driveway. Have you finished reading about your abilities?" he asked her. She nodded. "I can't do that much as a juvenile. I can do a number of things as I get older." She was actually impressed with some of them. One was questionable as to how useful it would be, but still it was a power.
"Wait until really late, make sure you don't see anyone out there, and leave it a burned out hulk. They can either think you crashed and caught fire, you were attacked and chased down, then your car was burned," Rick explained.
"And what about me?" Kate questioned. "You walked, not sure if any car that came by was them. It took you two days," he offered. "And the bug in my belt?" She still couldn't believe she was being watched this closely. "It was a long walk so you dropped it to reduce the weight," Rick said. "Put your spare uniform in a bag and take it with you. Fly back close to town at night and stop, put on your uniform, and roll around in the dirt to look like you've been out there for a while. A kind citizen finds you and takes you to the sheriff's office where you check in and spin your story. Your car is burned so no radio and no cell phone service. You left it in the car," he told her. "Maybe he won't have another car for you so you'll have to stay in the office so you can watch him. We know he's dirty, we just need more proof than what we have," he said.
She couldn't think of anything else, it seemed to cover all the bases. "Fine, I'll wait until 2:00 am and fly out," Kate relented and she did want to be in the office to watch him.
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Serena left two people with Lee and Francine to make her feel like she wasn't abandoning them then flew home where she filled her tanks and re-loaded the armament before going inside to check in with Sarah.
"How did we do? Has Michael checked in yet?" Serena asked about them. "Affirmative, members of his clan have informed him that the building was completely destroyed, what was left developed a fire that didn't last long," Sarah responded.
Serena collapsed onto the sofa feeling much better about what they had accomplished today. It was getting late and what she desperately wanted was a shower. She was hoping that the eleven clones that they had brought back with them could adapt. They may be clones but they were also mountain lions. "I'm going to hit the shower if there is nothing else," she announced and got up.
"Actually there is. Adrian managed to connect his Wi-fi connection to their mainframe before it was destroyed. I was able to download 97% of the files on their computer filling up most of my available spare space," Sarah informed her. "It worked?" Serena had given him the item in case he got a chance. "When your $80 million parts arrive I'll install them as fast as possible. What did you get and have you had the time to evaluate what you've downloaded?" Serena questioned her.
"There is a complete list of every person that was employed at the site. Also all of their research appears to be complete and downloaded. They have developed an airborne pathogen that will affect mountain lions. There is a notation that Kodiak bears would be next," Sarah related. "That's why they wanted to kidnap Rick's daughter. Do to her what they did to our friends so they could kill them. Where is Rick now?" Serena asked.
"According to Hayley, the last time she had checked in they were still with his father , however, if they want to live in his house they will need to return and clean it soon," Sarah pointed out.
"Clean out the smell of death." It made sense to her. "There is one more item. There is a listing of several of their personnel that work for Paladin, including the names and addresses for all five of them. Video coverage that Michael left behind indicates that two of them were killed at the site," Sarah revealed.
Serena's eyes opened wide and her mouth fell open. It was JACK POT CITY! "JOANNE! GET DOWN HERE!" They needed a plan. "Show me what we have in the area of the last three," Serena asked Sarah. They had a chance to cripple Paladin and she was going to take it.
Joanne came running in as a human huffing and puffing a little since she had sprinted to the living room. Serena had also gotten the attention of two others. "Sarah downloaded their server and found names and addresses of the last three council members!" Serena was dancing for joy, Joanne was sure.
"We hit them hard. Who are they and where are they?" one of them inquired. "Stan Holiwell and his residence is in Los Angeles, California. Malibu beachfront to be more precise. Six bedrooms, five full baths and one half bath, 4,500 square feet of living space, right on the beach." Sarah named one of them.
"Darius Langley. He resides in Bachelor Gulch Village, Colorado. Six bedrooms, six full bathrooms and three half bathrooms, 10,000 square feet." Sarah named the second.
"Ron Brandt. His residence is a penthouse in Seattle, Washington. Five bedrooms, two ¾ bathrooms and two half bathrooms, 6,758 square feet in the middle of downtown Seattle," Sarah finished.
"The one in Colorado is closest to us, we'll take him. What about the other two, who do we have anywhere near them?" Serena asked.
"Ike Thornton and his clan are based in the Seattle area. They live on house boats and are a group of thirty-four seagulls," Sarah responded offering the closest option. "Violet Young and her clan of eleven hawksbill sea turtles are located on the coast of the Santa Monica Mountains just outside of the Malibu area," Sarah said.
"Contact them and have them recon the site for each of them. Send them the latest satellite coverage pictures we have of the area and tag a satellite to cover that area and give them up to date information. Together we will work out how to attack them," Serena ordered.
"Meanwhile show me what we've got on screen on what we have for the one in Colorado. We need to find a place to land close enough that we can reach it but not high enough that it gives ourselves away. Someone put on the coffee, it's going to be a long night."
"We need to get to them before they catch wind of what we did today and head for the hills," Serena advised them then headed for the bathroom for her shower. "Go get our weapons list we still have including how much Semtex we still have, please love." Serena asked Joanne who started running.
They all needed sleep and it looked like they would be flying again tomorrow and planning tonight. Not a good combination.
Serena was back, her hair still damp. Joanne had returned with the list of what was available. "Just enough .50 cal to do the job which is all that we have and already loaded. Our last two Hellfires, Sparrow missiles, and the last two heat seekers. The Osprey will be all but worthless after this when we are done." Serena hated that thought.
"Where are our satellites?" She wanted to see where they were going. "The one for Colorado is actually coming up in three…two…one and Sarah put it up on the TV.
They did not see what they were expecting. "Zoom in please," Serena asked her. "Is everybody seeing this?" she asked, stunned as she watched heads nod. What they saw was a massive fire directly in the center of their target location. The local fire department was trying to fight it, but they were losing ground. Hours later with the help of a fire plane dropping a load of water directly on the site, they stood a chance of containing the fire.
"Accident?" she queried. "Directly on the house in question?" Joanne wasn't buying it. "How about California?" Serena asked. "No satellite for another hour. Seattle will be just minutes later," Sarah responded.
They sat and watched the fire consume Darius Langley's house. Serena sighed as she sat there, watched, and waited.
"Ike Thornton has reported in from Seattle. Ron Brant's penthouse is on fire and the building is too tall for the fire department to fight it from their engines," Sarah suddenly announced. "Satellite coverage for this area is not for another twenty-six minutes. He has added that the area around it for four blocks has been closed off due to flaming debris raining down from the penthouse," Sarah added.
"Okay. Now I really don't understand," Joanne commented. "We've hurt them, destroyed their research facility, killed two of their council members, or at least that's what we think they were." Serena knew that didn't have any confirmation of the kills. "Now two of the remaining three council members have been killed, I'm assuming since their houses are on fire." She tried to talk her way through what she was seeing and hearing.
"They've gotten word and are on the run," someone suggested. "Perhaps, but why burn it? Why not just sell it under a false name and recoup the cost to purchase it? Those places had to cost what? $10 million each?" Serena shook her head. "That's money they could use. I would certainly know what to do with it. …No something is going on." She was certain of it.
They all waited impatiently for twenty long minutes for the satellite imagery of the house on the beach on Malibu. "Satellite coverage in three…two…one," Sarah stated and showed another massive fire centered on their target as the city's fire department was there fighting it.
All of them were silent for a time. "They're cleaning house. Someone somewhere has reached a conclusion that they have a problem and are cleaning house. There must be someone above the council members and they are protecting themselves." Serena thought she had figured it out. "Where's Eric Vaughn? Get someone on him. I want to know where he is. He might be all we have left." She was worried that they would have no one to go after that might have information they could use.
An hour later only Serena and Joanne still awake. "Violet has reported in that the local broadcasts are calling his house and the surrounding block a complete loss. Ike has also reported that the fire department has finally started to gain the upper hand," Sarah announced.
"Why is it I have a feeling that our winning is turning into losing?" Serena groaned. "We've had some of our greatest successes to date and yet instead of fighting back, they're cleaning house. Eliminating every member we know about, plunging us into the dark once again." She didn't like this turn of events. "We'll find them. We did it last time, we'll do it this time," Joanne replied positively. "As much as it pains me, and trust me it does, we may need to find and capture whomever is left. We need Eric Vaughn," Serena stated.
It was a short time later and Joanne had her head in Serena's lap sleeping while Serena stroked her hair absentmindedly. Sarah announced that she had something. It was an extremely late night news announcement. The multi-millionaire Eric Vaughn had been found shot to death in the ground floor lobby of the building that housed his penthouse. "GOD DAMN IT!" she exclaimed getting Joanne to move a little and moan. "Sorry love, go back to sleep," Serena whispered and went back to stroking her hair.
"There has to be someone somewhere that we can interrogate and get information from." She wanted someone, anyone. "Sarah, has Hayley checked in lately?" Serena had an idea. "Negative, her last communication indicated that Rick and the others are still camping near a lake just north of Newcastle," Sarah responded. She couldn't think of anything or why Rick interested her, though letting a big yawn out probably didn't help. "Come on love, it's time to go to bed." Serena shook her to wake her. "Hhhhmm?" Joanne murmured half asleep. "Time to get up and go to bed, we're both tired," Serena told her and helped her to her feet as they helped each other upstairs to their bedroom where they slid into bed naked and held each other close.
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There was this loud noise and it was really bothering Kate 'til her mind was awake enough for her hand to whack the offending alarm clock. Then she snuggled back in closer to Rick. "You need to get going, it's going to be a long day," he pointed out since he was awake now too.
"No, too tired," Kate moaned not that she was really THAT tired, but this day meant a lot and facing it was likely going to cost them. "You could make love to me instead," she said smiling suggestively as she buried her head further into Rick's neck. For him her offer was almost too good to pass up since he did love making love to her. It occurred to him yet again that she owned his heart and they needed for today to succeed if they were going to move forward together.
"We need for this to work out Kate. Today is a big day for us," he quietly reminded her, as she moaned again knowing that he's right.
It was an hour later and Alexis was still in bed as Rick joined Kate outside and placed a bag on the ground. The fact that Kate was naked wasn't lost on him. "See something you like?" She couldn't help but notice he was looking her over. She immediately found her in his arms as he hugged her, and if she was being truthful, the power of his hug was just what she needed. He made her anxiety about today leave her and filled her body with peace. "I've liked what I've seen since the moment I met you." He kissed her and released her.
"The bag contains your uniform as well as panties and a bra. Try to call me after you make it to the office. Hopefully the sheriff hasn't sent anyone out to look for you during this time. He probably hasn't since how would he explain why he did since you aren't due back from your patrol for another almost two days," Rick pointed out. He gave her one last quick kiss, stepped back several feet, and watched Kate change in a couple of seconds into a truly large purple dragon.
She bent down to sniff Rick's scent. 'Watch after Alexis babe.' Then she used her teeth to pick up her bag and began running to take off into the air. It was a good night to fly since the moon was barely a sliver. Kate found that she had excellent night vision and saw things almost as well at night as she did during the day. Flying also had its own thrill. 'I could learn to like being a dragon,'she thought to herself, except there was someone else listening. 'Glad to hear it,'her dragon replied. Kate would smile but her bag was in her mouth. She held her bag without trouble and had been watching the road and surrounding area as she flew. Save for one lone car about twenty minutes ago who was far away now, it was quiet.
She landed, dropped her bag, and wasted no time in rearing back and inhaling deeply. Then leveling her head at her car, she exhaled. What came out was a burst of fire that struck the car from the side and engulfed it in searing heat. Her breath lasted for a few seconds. When she stopped and looked again, she could see the patrol car was now a hot burned out hulk. The seats were gone as well as all the plastic and carpet. Even those parts that were aluminum had melted and were now puddles on the ground. All that remained were those parts that were actually made of steel. The air had a smell of burnt tires.
Kate shifted back into being a human, noticing how easy it had been to make the change into a dragon then back into a human. All she did was wish it. "I wonder?" she said to herself and changed back into a dragon.
'Move things with my mind huh,' she mused and left it to her dragon to move what was left of her car about a foot. Kate felt her now very large mouth filled with teeth fall open when in fact her burnt out shell of a car actually moved a little more than a foot. 'I said a foot,' she scolded her dragon. 'Sorry,' was the reply she got back.
'You can smell better than me. Can you see if anyone has stopped here recently?' Kate questioned her dragon, and soon found herself taking a few steps with her nose to the ground. 'All clear,' her dragon told her.
'Rub out our footprints and change back to human, please. We need to get going,' she asked her dragon. In just seconds she was a naked human again pulling her clothes out of the bag. She also found both of her weapons that Rick had added. Kate was smiling at his thoughtfulness and was smiling even wider when she found a small plastic bottle of water.
It was almost daylight. She got down on the ground and started rolling around 'til her clothes were torn and dirty and her hair was a mess. Kate threw away her bag, drank her water, then pitched the bottle. She started walking at an angle towards the highway. It was going to take her somewhere between six and eight hours to make it to the station. By then she would be thirsty again, just not that dehydrated.
As she walked she thought about the dragon book that she had only half finished. Wondering what was in the other half, Kate had a question. 'If my family was black dragons, why am I purple and a Gem Dragon?' she mused. 'Read the book,' was the answer her dragon gave her.
Kate had been walking down the highway for hours and she had to admit that she wasn't faking it much. She really was tired and a mess. Several cars drove past her ignoring her. Just over an hour later a car stopped and agreed to drop her at the station.
"Was that your car back on the side of the road?" she was asked, since he didn't remember seeing it on the side of the road before. "I think so. Probably. I remember the car suddenly not working correctly and I ended up in a ditch. I remember a bright flame that I walked away from. I'm lucky I found the road again." Kate spun her story, a rehearsal of sorts for when she got back to the office.
"Was it a car that ran you off the road? Were you chasing someone?" he questioned her. After all she was an armed deputy, wasn't she? A quick look showed that she did have her weapons. "I don't think so. I do remember a loud noise though. It's been a while since I was shot at," Kate admitted, which was the truth. "You were shot at? By whom?" he said nervously and started looking around and in his mirrors wondering if they were still after her.
But he made it to the sheriff's office and dropped her off where she thanked him and stood outside. 'I'm at the office and going inside,' Kate thought to Rick.
'Talk to me while you're there if you can. Maybe I can help if he or someone else asks a difficult question, and don't forget your dragon,' he offered.
Kate smiled for a moment. She was presently alone but not really alone as she headed for the front door.