Disclaimers: See chapter 1.
Predators
******************************************************************
"Beautiful." Lady Jaye wistfully sighed at small herd of zebras grazing peacefully on the grasslands. She inhaled the fresh air with a contemplative measure, assessing her angle before smiling to herself. The soft breeze that lightly caressed the grasslands created a sense of tranquility, one that would provide her with the perfect backdrop for her shot.
"Just a little closer," Lady Jaye cautioned herself as she crouched lower, blending in perfectly with her surroundings. She leveled her sites on them. Adjusting the lens of her canon rebel, she steadied her shot with an elbow poised on her knee and commenced snapping frames. Shifting back gradually, she expanded her view of her subjects' area, panning across the plains to a single zebra colt with its' stripes more brown than black.
She watched the colt wanderer farther from the herd. Tentatively advancing her lens inward, Lady Jaye twisted its barrel back and forth until she captured it just so, bringing it into focus when it stopped to graze near one of the few scattered trees lying between her and the dense brush across her field of view. The right corner of her mouth twitched up as her eye scrutinized the young colt through her lens.
"Uh oh," Lady Jaye muttered, "looks like your mama has other ideas." She chuckled softly at the sight of the colt's dame rapidly approaching. The dame butted her muzzle against the colt's neck, turning it back to the herd with a snort.
The grasslands weren't only breathtakingly beautiful; they were also deadly. A land that could both captivated and thrilled an innocent tourist could easily lure one into unknown dangers.
*Crunch.... snap* The sound behind her sent the herd dispersing for refuge while startling her.
Adrenaline pumping, her fight or flight mechanism instantly kicking in; she whipped around grasping a javelin from her pack. "Andre," she groaned, slouching her shoulders slightly with relief. She rose to face the intruder, her guide. "That was the ....."
"My apologies, Mlle Hart-Burnett." His French accent flowed smoothly as he offered an arm to assist her. In his other arm, he carried a high-powered rifle. "The other guides spotted a pride of lions to the east." Andre pointed towards the sky where a pack of vultures circled, waiting for their share of the feast. "I know you asked earlier...."
"Yes," she interrupted. Her eyes beamed up at him, eager to see the lions. "I just need a moment to get myself in order." She dropped to one knee, checking her camera. "One shot left." She smirked, raising the lens. "Smile, Andre." She winked, firing off the last frame. "I told you I'd get you once before we left." She opened the back of the camera, removing the spent roll and reloaded it before dropping the finished roll into her bag.
Accepting his hand, Lady Jaye stood to join him as he pulled her up beside him. She shuddered as Andre released her hand; a coldness she hadn't expected engulfed her, sending chills along her spine. Brushing away the goose bumps, she observed him carefully taking in his pale blonde hair and dark brown eyes.
"Yes, you did, Mademoiselle." Andre laughed, breaking her train of thought. She watched him remove his hat for a moment and draw a red bandana from his back pocket.
"Mon Dieu," he heaved an irritable groan as he raised the bandana to his forehead and wiped the sweat down from his brow, sweeping across his jaw and down along his jugular. The skin at the base of his shirt collar was fair unlike the rest of him. Drifting her eyes down to his hand holding the bandana, she noted his skin was a deep golden tan, weathered from years of exposure.
"Mlle Hart-Burnett?" He questioned her studious expression.
"Huh?" She blinked, shaking her head.
"Is something wrong?"
"Uh...no," she replied, averting her eyes. She looked to the sky, shielding her eyes against the blazing sun with her right hand up, nearly saluting the sky as she turned her face up to the circling vultures.
"We should be going if you're going to see the pride." Andre reached out gently taking hold of her elbow to guide her away from her observations.
"You're right." She carefully extricated herself from his hold, once again feeling an odd sense of déjà vous. "Come on, I don't want to miss the pride." She forced a smile, running towards the Hummer. She dismissed her uneasy feeling.
*****
"Duke, this just came for you." Mainframe tapped on the door of his office before craning his head to the side, surveying the scene before him. Duke's usually organized office was in a severe state of disarray. His desk was cluttered with files and photos from the base. "Hurricane Hauser," Mainframe mumbled under his breath as he looked past the desk to a half-eaten sandwich resting on the ledge behind Duke. He noted Duke's jacket had been tossed precariously to the side, missing the hook on the wall. It laid on the floor in a heap right on top of his spare pair of boots.
"Thanks," Duke gruffly replied. He closed the file he had been reading and tossed it onto the pile with the others. "More intel on the base?" He asked, rising from his desk.. Mainframe watched the master sergeant roll his shoulders forward and back to loosen up.
"Maybe you should?" Mainframe started to suggest and stopped at the look in Duke's eyes. "Ok maybe not...ah...anything new?" Mainframe remembered the file beneath his arm and rushed to present it.
"Nothing," Duke grumbled, raking his hand through his hair. He accepted the file from Mainframe and dropped it down in front of him, skimming the first page while he somehow found the seat of his chair.
"Duke?" Mainframe asked, anxiously hoping for some news.
Duke raised one hand, signaling Mainframe to remain silent while he perused the new file. Lifting one page, he noticed a stack of pictures inside an envelope and tore into it, pausing on one particular photo before returning to cover page. His eyes darted between Mainframe and the page.
"Get Law and tell him to meet me outside, ASAP." Duke stood quickly, sending the chair toppling to the floor. "Call Ramirez and tell him I want to see him at the airport with the photographer that took these." He snatched a stack of photos, shoving them into Mainframe's chest as he rushed out the door.
"Duke? Oh man." Mainframe looked to the open door. "Wait for me..."
*****
"Sgt. Hauser....ah.... Duke," Ramirez greeted him. Straightening his jacket with a quick tug downward before reaching up to the Windsor knot of his tie, Ramirez shot a look over his shoulder to his camera as Duke approached. "Ready for my exclusive," Ramirez called out, cueing the cameraman to start rolling film.
"Not so fast, Ramirez!" Duke held up a hand, warding him and his crew off. "Where's the photographer?"
"Miller!" Ramirez yelled, motioning for a lanky young man wearing a starched black vest and matching ball cap emblazoned with the '20 Questions' logo on both to join them.
"Is this the man?" Duke scowled, observing a young college kid bumbling his way forward, tripping over his feet.
"Yes." Ramirez shielded his hand over his eyes. "He's an intern," Ramirez groaned, the agitation dripping with each word. "Miller, get over here."
"Yes, Sir?"
"Take it easy kid. I need to ask you a few questions about these pictures and the van," Duke reassured him before calling out to Law. "Bring the van over here!" Duke pointed behind him. The sound of the engine turning over prompted him to raise his voice.
"Now, I need to know EXACTLY what you saw when you opened the doors."
"What I.... saw?" Miller gulped, fidgeting with his cap.
"Yeah, tell me what you saw when you opened the doors to take the photos." Duke slowed his words, taking in the intern's nervous state. "Since we didn't process the van, its been wiped clean so ANYTHING you could tell us would be helpful." His voice calming, he rested a hand on Miller's shoulder.
"Sure." The man pursed his lips, placing his hands in his pockets. Slowly rocking on his feet, he looked from Ramirez who gave a short bob of the head for him to cooperate. "What would you like to know, sir?"
"It's Duke." Duke dryly corrected him. "I need to know which set of these pictures you took." He handed the intern two sets of photos.
"These." Miller tapped one folder on top of the other, eyeing Duke carefully as a sigh of relief washed over his face.
Swiping his hand along his jaw, Duke thought for a moment then reached to take the other set and passed it to Law. Turing his attention to one photo in particular, he circled his finger around a man. "Do you know who this is?"
"Nah, never saw him before I took the pictures." Miller shrugged, tilting his head towards the van. "He offered to give me a hand, opening the doors while I walked around taking shots...I thought he was being helpful."
"Helpful, huh?" Duke asked, prompting Miller for more.
"I had problems getting the latch open in the back and he got it open."
"Law, open the van. Mr. Miller, can you tell us if the van is the same as the last time you saw it?" Duke prodded him forward with a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, it looks the same... I guess." Miller scratched his head behind his ear while looking down at the asphalt.
"You guess? You're not sure?" A layer of irritation rose in Duke's voice immediately gaining the intern's full attention.
"Well, it's been a few days." Miller fidgeted, smoothing his hand along his vest, toying with a small object in his pocket.
"What's that, amigo?" Law grabbed his hand, drawing it away from the pocket.
"I...ah..."
"Duke, you better check this out." Law scowled, opening Miller's closed fist.
"What is it, Law?"
"A button."
"Let me see." Duke rolled the button side-to-side with his finger, examining it from all sides. An image flashed before his eyes, Cover Girl's jacket has these buttons; he narrowed his eyes on the photographer's face. "Where did you get this?"
"I...ah..."
"WHERE?!" Duke roared, drawing him up by the vest. Law and Ramirez clambered to separate Duke from Miller.
"Easy boss!" Law pulled him back while Ramirez held Miller.
"You're crazy..." Miller gasped, staggering backwards.
"You've got five seconds to tell me where you got that button. It's standard Army issue!" Duke fumed, wrenching his arm free of Law.
"Where?" Ramirez asked, nudging Miller forward.
"It stuck me in the knee while I was inside the van. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I thought it was kinda cool so I put it in my pocket." Miller rushed, shying his in eyes downward purposefully to avert Duke's angry glare.
"Duke?" Ramirez questioned, eyeing Miller.
"I can't tell you, yet. This can't go any farther than us." Duke hung his head walking back towards the open van.
"Duke? If that guy was so 'helpful'?" Law followed him, resting a hand on the door.
"Yeah?" Duke lifted his head, running his hand over the back of his neck.
"Then he'll be back," Duke and Law said to one another.
"Ramirez....I need the negative of this photo, ASAP!" Duke stalked towards him with the photo of the stranger clutched in his hand.
"Negative?" Ramirez closed his hand over the photo as Duke shoved it into his chest.
"I need that photo blown up and distributed. Who ever he is...he knows where Cover Girl is." Duke reasoned to Law while Ramirez stood dumbfounded, scratching his head. "And if he knows where Cover Girl is, he knows where you are Red," Duke thought to himself, looking towards the sky.
*****
"Careful mademoiselle," Andre cautioned as they moved forward. "They may be enjoying their feast but they're always in search of new prey."
"Beautiful but deadly," she agreed, raising her camera. "Just look at you, big boy," Lady Jaye mused, photographing the male lion lazily nawling a wildebeest's leg. "A feast for a king indeed." She crept closer. With her clothing camouflaging her, she was oblivious to the pride.
"Yes, mademoiselle, they're beautiful but they're not the only predators here." Andre grasped her shoulder.
Predators
******************************************************************
"Beautiful." Lady Jaye wistfully sighed at small herd of zebras grazing peacefully on the grasslands. She inhaled the fresh air with a contemplative measure, assessing her angle before smiling to herself. The soft breeze that lightly caressed the grasslands created a sense of tranquility, one that would provide her with the perfect backdrop for her shot.
"Just a little closer," Lady Jaye cautioned herself as she crouched lower, blending in perfectly with her surroundings. She leveled her sites on them. Adjusting the lens of her canon rebel, she steadied her shot with an elbow poised on her knee and commenced snapping frames. Shifting back gradually, she expanded her view of her subjects' area, panning across the plains to a single zebra colt with its' stripes more brown than black.
She watched the colt wanderer farther from the herd. Tentatively advancing her lens inward, Lady Jaye twisted its barrel back and forth until she captured it just so, bringing it into focus when it stopped to graze near one of the few scattered trees lying between her and the dense brush across her field of view. The right corner of her mouth twitched up as her eye scrutinized the young colt through her lens.
"Uh oh," Lady Jaye muttered, "looks like your mama has other ideas." She chuckled softly at the sight of the colt's dame rapidly approaching. The dame butted her muzzle against the colt's neck, turning it back to the herd with a snort.
The grasslands weren't only breathtakingly beautiful; they were also deadly. A land that could both captivated and thrilled an innocent tourist could easily lure one into unknown dangers.
*Crunch.... snap* The sound behind her sent the herd dispersing for refuge while startling her.
Adrenaline pumping, her fight or flight mechanism instantly kicking in; she whipped around grasping a javelin from her pack. "Andre," she groaned, slouching her shoulders slightly with relief. She rose to face the intruder, her guide. "That was the ....."
"My apologies, Mlle Hart-Burnett." His French accent flowed smoothly as he offered an arm to assist her. In his other arm, he carried a high-powered rifle. "The other guides spotted a pride of lions to the east." Andre pointed towards the sky where a pack of vultures circled, waiting for their share of the feast. "I know you asked earlier...."
"Yes," she interrupted. Her eyes beamed up at him, eager to see the lions. "I just need a moment to get myself in order." She dropped to one knee, checking her camera. "One shot left." She smirked, raising the lens. "Smile, Andre." She winked, firing off the last frame. "I told you I'd get you once before we left." She opened the back of the camera, removing the spent roll and reloaded it before dropping the finished roll into her bag.
Accepting his hand, Lady Jaye stood to join him as he pulled her up beside him. She shuddered as Andre released her hand; a coldness she hadn't expected engulfed her, sending chills along her spine. Brushing away the goose bumps, she observed him carefully taking in his pale blonde hair and dark brown eyes.
"Yes, you did, Mademoiselle." Andre laughed, breaking her train of thought. She watched him remove his hat for a moment and draw a red bandana from his back pocket.
"Mon Dieu," he heaved an irritable groan as he raised the bandana to his forehead and wiped the sweat down from his brow, sweeping across his jaw and down along his jugular. The skin at the base of his shirt collar was fair unlike the rest of him. Drifting her eyes down to his hand holding the bandana, she noted his skin was a deep golden tan, weathered from years of exposure.
"Mlle Hart-Burnett?" He questioned her studious expression.
"Huh?" She blinked, shaking her head.
"Is something wrong?"
"Uh...no," she replied, averting her eyes. She looked to the sky, shielding her eyes against the blazing sun with her right hand up, nearly saluting the sky as she turned her face up to the circling vultures.
"We should be going if you're going to see the pride." Andre reached out gently taking hold of her elbow to guide her away from her observations.
"You're right." She carefully extricated herself from his hold, once again feeling an odd sense of déjà vous. "Come on, I don't want to miss the pride." She forced a smile, running towards the Hummer. She dismissed her uneasy feeling.
*****
"Duke, this just came for you." Mainframe tapped on the door of his office before craning his head to the side, surveying the scene before him. Duke's usually organized office was in a severe state of disarray. His desk was cluttered with files and photos from the base. "Hurricane Hauser," Mainframe mumbled under his breath as he looked past the desk to a half-eaten sandwich resting on the ledge behind Duke. He noted Duke's jacket had been tossed precariously to the side, missing the hook on the wall. It laid on the floor in a heap right on top of his spare pair of boots.
"Thanks," Duke gruffly replied. He closed the file he had been reading and tossed it onto the pile with the others. "More intel on the base?" He asked, rising from his desk.. Mainframe watched the master sergeant roll his shoulders forward and back to loosen up.
"Maybe you should?" Mainframe started to suggest and stopped at the look in Duke's eyes. "Ok maybe not...ah...anything new?" Mainframe remembered the file beneath his arm and rushed to present it.
"Nothing," Duke grumbled, raking his hand through his hair. He accepted the file from Mainframe and dropped it down in front of him, skimming the first page while he somehow found the seat of his chair.
"Duke?" Mainframe asked, anxiously hoping for some news.
Duke raised one hand, signaling Mainframe to remain silent while he perused the new file. Lifting one page, he noticed a stack of pictures inside an envelope and tore into it, pausing on one particular photo before returning to cover page. His eyes darted between Mainframe and the page.
"Get Law and tell him to meet me outside, ASAP." Duke stood quickly, sending the chair toppling to the floor. "Call Ramirez and tell him I want to see him at the airport with the photographer that took these." He snatched a stack of photos, shoving them into Mainframe's chest as he rushed out the door.
"Duke? Oh man." Mainframe looked to the open door. "Wait for me..."
*****
"Sgt. Hauser....ah.... Duke," Ramirez greeted him. Straightening his jacket with a quick tug downward before reaching up to the Windsor knot of his tie, Ramirez shot a look over his shoulder to his camera as Duke approached. "Ready for my exclusive," Ramirez called out, cueing the cameraman to start rolling film.
"Not so fast, Ramirez!" Duke held up a hand, warding him and his crew off. "Where's the photographer?"
"Miller!" Ramirez yelled, motioning for a lanky young man wearing a starched black vest and matching ball cap emblazoned with the '20 Questions' logo on both to join them.
"Is this the man?" Duke scowled, observing a young college kid bumbling his way forward, tripping over his feet.
"Yes." Ramirez shielded his hand over his eyes. "He's an intern," Ramirez groaned, the agitation dripping with each word. "Miller, get over here."
"Yes, Sir?"
"Take it easy kid. I need to ask you a few questions about these pictures and the van," Duke reassured him before calling out to Law. "Bring the van over here!" Duke pointed behind him. The sound of the engine turning over prompted him to raise his voice.
"Now, I need to know EXACTLY what you saw when you opened the doors."
"What I.... saw?" Miller gulped, fidgeting with his cap.
"Yeah, tell me what you saw when you opened the doors to take the photos." Duke slowed his words, taking in the intern's nervous state. "Since we didn't process the van, its been wiped clean so ANYTHING you could tell us would be helpful." His voice calming, he rested a hand on Miller's shoulder.
"Sure." The man pursed his lips, placing his hands in his pockets. Slowly rocking on his feet, he looked from Ramirez who gave a short bob of the head for him to cooperate. "What would you like to know, sir?"
"It's Duke." Duke dryly corrected him. "I need to know which set of these pictures you took." He handed the intern two sets of photos.
"These." Miller tapped one folder on top of the other, eyeing Duke carefully as a sigh of relief washed over his face.
Swiping his hand along his jaw, Duke thought for a moment then reached to take the other set and passed it to Law. Turing his attention to one photo in particular, he circled his finger around a man. "Do you know who this is?"
"Nah, never saw him before I took the pictures." Miller shrugged, tilting his head towards the van. "He offered to give me a hand, opening the doors while I walked around taking shots...I thought he was being helpful."
"Helpful, huh?" Duke asked, prompting Miller for more.
"I had problems getting the latch open in the back and he got it open."
"Law, open the van. Mr. Miller, can you tell us if the van is the same as the last time you saw it?" Duke prodded him forward with a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, it looks the same... I guess." Miller scratched his head behind his ear while looking down at the asphalt.
"You guess? You're not sure?" A layer of irritation rose in Duke's voice immediately gaining the intern's full attention.
"Well, it's been a few days." Miller fidgeted, smoothing his hand along his vest, toying with a small object in his pocket.
"What's that, amigo?" Law grabbed his hand, drawing it away from the pocket.
"I...ah..."
"Duke, you better check this out." Law scowled, opening Miller's closed fist.
"What is it, Law?"
"A button."
"Let me see." Duke rolled the button side-to-side with his finger, examining it from all sides. An image flashed before his eyes, Cover Girl's jacket has these buttons; he narrowed his eyes on the photographer's face. "Where did you get this?"
"I...ah..."
"WHERE?!" Duke roared, drawing him up by the vest. Law and Ramirez clambered to separate Duke from Miller.
"Easy boss!" Law pulled him back while Ramirez held Miller.
"You're crazy..." Miller gasped, staggering backwards.
"You've got five seconds to tell me where you got that button. It's standard Army issue!" Duke fumed, wrenching his arm free of Law.
"Where?" Ramirez asked, nudging Miller forward.
"It stuck me in the knee while I was inside the van. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I thought it was kinda cool so I put it in my pocket." Miller rushed, shying his in eyes downward purposefully to avert Duke's angry glare.
"Duke?" Ramirez questioned, eyeing Miller.
"I can't tell you, yet. This can't go any farther than us." Duke hung his head walking back towards the open van.
"Duke? If that guy was so 'helpful'?" Law followed him, resting a hand on the door.
"Yeah?" Duke lifted his head, running his hand over the back of his neck.
"Then he'll be back," Duke and Law said to one another.
"Ramirez....I need the negative of this photo, ASAP!" Duke stalked towards him with the photo of the stranger clutched in his hand.
"Negative?" Ramirez closed his hand over the photo as Duke shoved it into his chest.
"I need that photo blown up and distributed. Who ever he is...he knows where Cover Girl is." Duke reasoned to Law while Ramirez stood dumbfounded, scratching his head. "And if he knows where Cover Girl is, he knows where you are Red," Duke thought to himself, looking towards the sky.
*****
"Careful mademoiselle," Andre cautioned as they moved forward. "They may be enjoying their feast but they're always in search of new prey."
"Beautiful but deadly," she agreed, raising her camera. "Just look at you, big boy," Lady Jaye mused, photographing the male lion lazily nawling a wildebeest's leg. "A feast for a king indeed." She crept closer. With her clothing camouflaging her, she was oblivious to the pride.
"Yes, mademoiselle, they're beautiful but they're not the only predators here." Andre grasped her shoulder.
