Alicia wasn't sure how far she'd run, or she'd even gotten any distance between her and the building. She'd been moving for over an hour at least, and finally plopped down on a park bench, trying to get her bearings. She was tired, but there wasn't any time for nonsense. She shouldn't have lost her temper like that. It wasn't proper for a solider to do. Fun, but improper.
She took a deep breath, and tried to clear her mind. Look to the future, she ordered herself. You've done what you set out to do. You'll keep your promise just to keep your honor. Honor sucked. It was going to make her miss out on the ultimate opportunity to bring the fivers' world crashing down. Maybe.
Logan had accused her of playing Zack, but in truth Zack was the only protection from her they all had. He'd gotten to her, she had to admit that. None of the others mattered, but she would keep her promise to him. For him. Maybe he had played her. Who cared at this point? Faked or not, she appreciated all he'd done, and for that fact alone, she would keep her promise.
So she would miss THE opportunity. Why not, she thought bitterly. I'm missing everything else. Missing Zack. Missing the other sixers. Missing the intelligence reports about the Reds being in Seattle months ago. Missing being on a mission she could control. Missing…what, ho, what was that??
She sat up straight as she thought it through. "The Reds were in Seattle months ago," she said aloud very slowly, trying to keep everything straight. Max said she had to deal with them awhile back. Alicia's training took over, and all irrelevant thoughts were pushed aside. "There was no mention of that in the report. Their first stop in the US was LA," she continued, mentally flipping through the file again. "If they had been in Seattle we would have known. It would have been in the report."
She could feel her heartbeat speed up as it suddenly hit her like a bright light coming on in a dark room. "It WAS in the report. It was removed deliberately to get me in LA, not Seattle. Whoever sent the report removed that little fact. Whoever sent the report wanted to set me up. Whoever sent the report IS the traitor."
She jumped up. Personally considerations would have to wait. She needed to contact Cole and find out who sent that intelligence report. Then all of the sixers would have to have a little chat with him.
She had been distracted by thoughts of what had happened in the apartment, then the realization of who the traitor was. She hadn't noticed shadows gathering around her. As she rose, they suddenly became solid. Four of them. Big guys.
"No need to leave so fast," one of them said, thinking she had jumped up to run from them. They had heard her muttering to herself, but late at night in Seattle, people talking to themselves was pretty common.
"Yeah," another agreed. "Little girl like you shouldn't be running around by yourself." The others snickered.
Alicia knew she didn't have time for this. She was still too angry to fight with norms, and she knew they weren't Reds. She wasn't in the mood to run from a fight, but she knew killing norms was a bad way to work off stress. One chance, she thought, I'll give them one chance. "I'm leaving now," she said firmly. "Good night gentlemen."
"No baby," the first man said, grabbing her arm. "This is our territory, and you got to pay the toll. You sat on our bench, so you got to pay." He grinned nastily. "Now what you got in the bag worth paying a toll?"
"You shouldn't take her stuff," one of the others said. "There's better ways for her to pay the toll," he continued, his tone full of meaning.
That was it. She was still in a bad mood and they had been warned. She jerked away, and did a fast spinning kick, hitting her assailant extremely hard in the head. He went off his feet as he flew to the side, landing in a heap. She dropped her bag, and did an easy flip to get within an inch of the second one. She head butted him, feeling his skin break under the blow. He reeled backwards, and she punched him heard enough to feel ribs crack.
The other two came after her. She held off one's punches easily, while throwing the other into a tree. She turned to face the last one, and a shine caught her eye. She ducked and barely avoided a knife slashing her face. Was her life in danger? Close enough. She caught his wrist, and snapped it like a twig, easily taking the knife. He tried to take a swing at her with his other hand, but she stepped close, and planted the knife directly into the back of his neck. His movements stopped immediately and he fell to the ground, his spine severed.
Alicia pulled the knife out and looked at it. It was actually very good quality. Too good for him, she thought disdainfully. She wiped the blood off on his shirt, and went back to her bag, dropping it in. She shouldered the bag and stood, looking at the carnage. One dead, three out cold. The one she'd first kicked wasn't moving at all. Probably broke his neck, she thought, unconcerned.
Logan had called her a genetically engineered killing machine. She might not like it, but when push came to shove, it was a very accurate description. She grinned coldly. "I am what I am," she said aloud. A serious bout of butt kicking had been just the thing she needed to clear her head. She had a mission to accomplish. She moved out into the night.
************
Cole sat at his desk, waiting for another contact. All of their siblings had checked in with him half a dozen times. All of them were aware of the danger to themselves, and were being very careful. Shawna had been put into a very safe place. Dad was aware that something was up with the sixers, but he was too busy to really discuss it. He thought they were prepping for a rescue mission. In a way they were.
This was the first time that she'd ever refused to tell him where she was. She was acting very strange, and he was worried. Everyone was worried. Dad was questioning everyone he could, but he had to keep everything quiet. Stage three was at stake, and a missing sixer would destroy that from happening.
The watcher had finally left him alone though. Cole had kept playing after his encounter with Frigia and talked to a couple of other girls. He figured that the watcher got disgusted and hung up. He hated feeling so helpless. But, until she told him where she was or what he could do to help, what else was he supposed to do but wait.
A personal message came up on the screen. Frigia. Thank God. He let her know there was no watcher immediately.
Shade: All is well this eve my angel?
Frigia: Good. Do you remember the package Dad received before we left?
Shade: Yes, delivered by courier.
Frigia: Intelligence missing from the report delivered. Important intelligence. I think whoever sent it intentionally removed it.
Shade: The traitor?
Frigia: That's my theory.
Cole quickly went into the base's database. Since the courier was military, there should be a record of who ordered a courier and had the package sent. His eyes raced over the files. He sorted it by day, and then by delivered to. This was impossible.
Shade: No record exists.
Frigia: A PFC delivered it!
Shade: I know, but we didn't check ID to see if he was real.
Frigia: Find who sent the package. Be VERY careful. If he finds out that we're onto him, he'll run.
Shade: I may need Dad's help.
Frigia: I trust your judgment. I'll be back in contact soon. Need to get moving.
She broke off contact before he could say another thing. Cole went into action. He accessed the house's security cameras and got a picture of the delivery boy. It was a start, and he knew they would find who originated that package.
Far away Alicia sat behind a grimy computer at a sleazy little cyber-café. She was drinking a seven-dollar coffee, watching the guys eye her. She almost wished one would come on to her so she could pound him. The worst of the heat was over, and she could control her physical desires now. Since she couldn't go back and beat on Logan some more, any one of these guys would do. She needed a distraction. She easily hacked into the police database and saw that two men had been found dead in the park. Serves them right, she thought.
She would have to wait until Cole got back to her. In the meantime, she needed to keep moving and make sure that neither the fivers nor the Reds found her. Evasion and capture, she thought. I always was the best at that.