Notes: Hello everyone. It's been some time. Few things.
First, I hope that everyone has been able to stay as safe and healthy as possible. 2020 was long and horrid. Here's hoping 2021 is better for everyone all around. If nothing else I hope you have the strength and support to face whatever comes your way. I can't offer much, but I'm happy to provide what I hope can be a bit of solace for however long.
Next. For this coming story I wanted to make sure everyone is on the same page in that there's going to be a shall we say uptick in the violence. I'm talking shots to the head, neck snapping and the lot. If you've played the games, it shouldn't be that jarring but I know that now everyone has likely played the games.
Lastly, for all of you with anxiety...I'm just gonna go ahead and apologize now. I'm pretty sure that I'm about to put all of you through it and I'm sorry...mostly.
Enjoy everyone. =)
Chapter 1
"Chloe."
"Where did she go?"
Nadine ended the call and jammed her phone back into her back pocket.
"I think she came this way!"
"Damn it."
The fine hairs on the back of Nadine's neck stood on edge as she raced down the long trash-lined alleyway. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, but she couldn't answer it with the clamor of footsteps nipping at her heels. When she spotted an opportunity, she ducked behind a tall pile of trash, and forced her exerted breathing into a steadier cadence as the sound of footsteps grew closer.
"I swore she came this way."
"She must have. Where else could she have gone?"
Nadine stayed silent as two figures walked past, then slipped behind them.
While both men were bigger, they were far slower than Nadine, and one had the weakest chin. It took little effort to incapacitate them both; then she was off again, racing back down the long alley she'd originally come from.
"Damned Drake."
All Nadine wanted to do was give Sam his lighter to ensure that he didn't come pestering her and Chloe later. Leave it to him to piss someone off enough to wind up getting stuffed in the back of a van. Nadine should have listened to her instincts and left him.
Nadine was too caught up in her own thoughts to pay any attention to the ground, until she had to come to a hard stop in order to avoid tripping.
Over her siddur.
Confusion and guilt overrode her anger as she picked the siddur up off the ground and pressed a kiss to the weathered hard cover. A quick check of her right side showed a ripped open cargo pocket.
With her right pocket now defunct, her only option was to slip the prayer book into her left. As her fingers secured the pocket closed, her eyes spotted the van down an adjacent alley. There was a small measure of relief that the van hadn't left.
Then Nadine saw Chloe's unconscious body being tossed into the back.
When the doors slammed shut, something in Nadine snapped. Rage and adrenaline shot her down the alley as quick as her feet could carry her. But the van sped away before she could even make it to the end of the alley. By the time she reached the end, the van was cutting through a cluster of cars. It was long gone by the time Nadine finally forced herself to stop running.
"Fuck!" Nadine braced her hands on her knees, as she tried to calm her short erratic breathing; and force herself into a state more capable of figuring out what she was supposed to do next.
That's how she remembered the two men who'd been pursuing her earlier.
One of them was trying to get to his feet when Nadine descended and put him right back on the ground.
"Where do you think you're going?" The rough hard bottom of her boot pressed into his chest. "Your friends already left. Without you."
"Friends? No, no, no," The man's arms waved wildly at his side. "We're not friends. It's only a freelance job."
"What was the job?"
When the man didn't answer quickly enough, Nadine applied more pressure. "So, you're prepared to die trying to protect people that left you for dead?"
"I don't know a lot," The man confessed quickly. "We got a picture, name, and instructions to make the grab the first chance we got. Deal with anyone that might see."
"Only grab? Not kill?"
"We were told a bit of roughing up was fine, but no money for a dead body."
"Where were you supposed to take him?"
"I don't know. Not a lot of guys did. Ah-" The men flinched when Nadine's hand curled into a fist. "No, but," He gestured wildly at the man still laid out next to him. "I think he knows. He's always listening when he's not supposed to. Like right now. You can tell he's not asleep because he's not snoring."
"You little-"
Nadine yanked the second man to his feet. "The next words out of your mouth better be where they went."
The man didn't want to talk.
Nadine didn't give him any other choice.
Once she had the information and dealt with the two men, Nadine went storming back into Meenu's shop.
Meenu jumped off her cot the second she spotted Nadine. "Is everything okay? Chloe left and hasn't come back yet."
"Everything's fine." Nadine wasn't in the habit of lying to children, but she also had every intention of making sure that things did in fact end up fine. "Sam needs some help, so she went with him. I'm supposed to grab the bags and meet up with them."
"Oh," Meenu's tone was somber. "Okay."
Nadine grabbed her bag, then Chloe's. "Don't worry. I'll make sure Chloe messages you."
"That sounds good. Oh, wait," Meenu ran off and when she came back there was a stuffed animal in her hand. "Here. Chloe bought it."
Nadine couldn't help and didn't fight the small smile that crept onto her face. It slipped away when she took the stuffed monkey. "Thank you, Meenu. For everything."
"You're welcome." Meenu smiled back at her, eyes rimmed with a weariness that no child should be familiar with.
Nadine knew she couldn't simply leave Meenu alone. Some distance from the treasure hunting trio would move her further out of harm's way. But even if she had managed well enough thus far, she was still a child and Nadine preferred to be safe rather than sorry. "Meenu, is there anywhere you could stay for the night?"
"The Singh's have been helping me since my dad left."
"Do you think they would mind if you stayed with them for the night?"
"Are you sure everything's okay?"
"It will be." Especially since Nadine escorted Meenu to the Singh's. Giving her one less thing to worry about and allowing her to focus on what needed to be done. [1]
Find Chloe.
Kill anyone, and everyone, that dared to lay one hand on her.
It was still dark outside when Nadine arrived at the expansive rusty warehouse and she wasn't sure what to expect. There was no visible security outside, not even guards at the closed gate, but there was light coming from inside the building. The general state of the building was a good sign that there were no cameras. An airstrip flanked the building, with high fencing surrounding the entire complex. Despite her desire to do more reconnaissance, Nadine didn't want to waste more time.
Not when Chloe was still in danger.
Once she secured Chloe's bag and her own in an easy to remember spot, she pulled out her pistol, along with some extra magazines. After one last scan of the perimeter, she darted over to the front gate, slipped underneath, then ran to cover. When enough time passed and no one came to investigate, she carried on. While there wasn't much activity going on outside of the building, there was plenty going on inside.
A large collection of light directed Nadine towards an open door where music was pouring out. Careful to not step into a spot that would cast a shadow, she moved in as close as she could manage.
The warehouse was in the process of being packed up, leaving behind little equipment or men. The largest gathering in the complex was a small collection of vans tucked in a corner on the far opposite side of the building, with at least half a dozen armed men in between the vans and Nadine.
"Hey!"
Nadine's attention snapped to a pair of men converging close to the exit and by proxy, closer to her. Outside of a courtesy check for visible weapons, Nadine didn't pay them much mind.
Until they struck up a conversation.
"Howzit, bru?"
"You got any of that biltong you brought left?"
Nadine recognized neither of the voices specifically, but the accents she would know anywhere. Practically the default on the streets of Johannesburg; except Nadine wasn't in South Africa, she was in India. Positioned across from what must have been the leftover remnants of the Shoreline outfit her traitorous deceased lieutenant, Orca, had brought over with him to do a deal with Asav.
The reminder of Orca, along with his betrayal, made Nadine think of Rafe Adler and how easily he'd been able to buy the Shoreline men's fleeting allegiance. Men who she'd spent every bit of Rafe's advance on to ensure that they had the proper weapons, gear, and equipment to accomplish their mission and get Shoreline back to a prosperous state. Only for Nadine to be stabbed in the back.
Despite the deep gnawing desire to kick up a storm and blow through every one of them, Nadine stuck to her plan. Risking Chloe's life by getting her caught in the middle of a firefight was something Nadine wasn't willing to risk.
Pistol in hand, Nadine moved quickly and quietly to slip by the two men close to the door. Once she got past them, she ducked behind a large shipping container. When a trail of men came in her direction, she tucked herself into a corner.
"Let's hurry up and get the last of it boys so we can get home."
Once the last of the men passed by, Nadine popped back out. Stomach in knots, she peeked around the corner to scan the most open part of the bay.
Some men were working, but more were lying about doing nothing but laughing and goofing around. All and all everyone seemed to be having themselves a good time with the music blasting out the back of a truck. When the chorus to the song started up, everyone stopped to dance, and Nadine stole away to the small troop of vans.
Nadine hurried down the line of vehicles, searching for the plates seared into her mind. She found the plates and van tucked furthest in the corner and hurried over to the backdoor. The music was still encompassing the whole bay, but Nadine was still careful as she eased the squeaky rusted metal door open.
The only thing in the back of the van was fast food trash.
No sign of Chloe.
Surprise, dismay, and dread fueled an abrupt influx of rage that sent Nadine tearing through every inch of every last van.
Only to leave her standing fuming outside of several half-hazardly thrown open and empty vans.
"Hey!"
Nadine's eyes snapped to a lone man walking past the first few vans.
"What do you think you are doing here? Wait..." He unslung his rifle from his shoulder as he drew closer. "Aren't you-"
Nadine snatched her pistol from its holster and shot the man twice in the chest then once between the eyes.
The music screeched to a stop as the dead body hit the floor.
"That gunfire?"
"Someone doing target practice inside again?"
"Knock it off, dickheads! That's what made the ceiling in that one holding cell back home look like it's itching to come down if you so much as sneeze."
"I think it came from over here."
Another man came around the corner and Nadine shot him dead too.
The sound of gunfire drew more men over to the vans.
"We've got bodies!"
Nadine crept up behind the group and opened fire. One man avoided taking a bullet and tried to make a run for it. Nadine shot him in the legs. When he tried to crawl away, she walked up and put a single bullet in the back of his skull. With the last man down, it left her surrounded by dead bodies, still furious, and still no idea where Chloe was.
"Eish." Nadine had been so dead set on giving the kidnapping traitors exactly what they were owed that she forgot to leave at least one of them alive for questioning. Her fist was close to going through a wall when she saw that one man was still breathing. She was on him before he could even get both of his eyes open. "Where is the girl you took along with Sam Drake?"
"Ma'am," The voice was distorted by a gurgle when the man spoke. "You're alive. We heard you'd died."
"You wish you were so lucky." Nadine jammed a finger into the man's open gunshot wound.
"Ah!" The man coughed up blood and tried to twist away.
"Answer my question." Nadine twisted her finger around, fingernail scraping raw flesh. "Where is Samuel Drake and the girl that was taken along with him?"
When she finally got her answer, Nadine killed the man. Mostly because he was a traitor, but also because she didn't like his answer.
A plane.
They had put Chloe, along with Sam, on a plane.
"Fuck." Nadine needed a plan.
The plan that she wound up settling on was not one that she particularly liked, but it was a plan, and the best one she could come up with. It required calling in a favor with one of the most irritable men that Nadine had ever had the displeasure of meeting. She'd already used up one favor in order to get him to fly her into the country. In order to have him get her back out, she had to call in her very last favor with him. Considering they both detested each other, there wasn't likely to be any more favors in the future. But Nadine was fine with it, so long as it got her back on Chloe's trail as fast as possible.
It would be more than worth it.
Nadine detested flying out of airports on a normal basis; getting past security with everything she needed to bring definitely wasn't going to happen. So, she directed the pilot to the airstrip where she was currently located.
The next part of her plan required Nadine's primary phone which she used to store most of her important phone numbers and contact information. While she waited to be picked up, Nadine recovered the bags and went through her own in search of her primary phone.
A small plane was landing on the strip when Nadine realized why she couldn't find her phone anywhere. It had been packed away in an extra bag that Nadine had secured in the back of the jeep she and Chloe used while they'd been off doing their treasure hunting. The bag was still in the back of the jeep when Nadine had crashed in the process of trying to avoid Asav's men. Even if Nadine went back to the jeep crash site, she could almost guarantee that her phone was destroyed.
"Ross!" Ezekiel stuck his head out of his plane, giving Nadine the same tight-lipped sour frown he always did. "I thought you said you were in a hurry. We leaving just now or now now?"
Nadine grabbed her bag, then Chloe's and boarded the plane.
"I hope you peed." The plane was moving before Nadine could even get fully situated. "It's a long flight."
"I haven't forgotten." Nadine didn't need reminding, she needed sleep.
Which she got little of.
Every time her eyes drifted shut, Chloe's image rushed to the forefront of her mind. Only for Nadine to open her eyes and once again have to come to terms with the other woman's absence. Even if they had only met a short time ago, after spending nearly every waking moment together, it didn't feel right for Chloe to not be close by. Nadine had been so concerned about herself messing things up, driving Chloe away, that she never considered that something worse could happen.
Had happened.
"Eyes up. We're almost there."
A still dark sky greeted Nadine when she stretched her neck to peek out of a nearby window. The ground was sprinkled with small pockets of bright lights, with dimmer smaller lights stretching everywhere.
"Should be on the ground in thirty."
"Good." Nadine couldn't wait to get away from Ezekiel. Not getting any sleep was one thing. An already agitated Nadine with no sleep, having to deal with Ezekiel grumbling under his breath loud enough that she'd have no choice but to hear his usual fussing, for hours, was another thing entirely.
Nadine didn't wait to be given the all clear once they landed, she grabbed the bags without a word and headed for the exit.
"You know this makes us square." Was the only form of goodbye tossed Nadine's way.
"Ja." Nadine wasn't about to argue, only get as far away from him as possible.
"Oh, and Ross!"
"What?" Nadine spun around, not bothering to hide her irritation any longer.
"Heard my youngest was back home, figured you'd want to know."
The plane door slammed shut and Ezekiel was gone before Nadine could get the chance to respond.
Leaving her alone in the cool, muted dark night.
India had been close to scorching, but one long plane ride later and Nadine was closer to freezing. The temperature and the need to get back on the trail motivated her to find a ride as quickly as possible. Thankfully, she found one not soon after setting off on foot.
Once she gave the address and settled into the backseat, the uneasiness came back in full force. It reached the point where she was near coming out of her skin when they pulled up to the front gate.
A cheerful, dark-skinned man with grey around the temples and a warm smile peeked his head out from the guard station window. He waved when the car stopped at the small security station. "Look who's back, huh."
Nadine gave him a halfhearted smile. "Ja."
"No one mentioned you coming back this morning." He unlocked the gate and waved them through.
The car continued on a little further until it was parked outside of another gate.
"Should I press the call button?" The driver pointed at the call box situated outside of the tall, thick black metal gates.
"No." Nadine was already slipping out of the vehicle. "I'm good from here." She paid the man and grabbed the bags out of the backseat. "Thank you."
"You take care of yourself."
"Ja, you too."
As Nadine walked up to the call box, a part of her hoped the last code she remembered would still be good, so she tried it.
It didn't.
The box started making a fuss.
"Eish." Nadine's eyes closed as her head fell back, the desire to flee was mounting.
Instead, she reconciled with what needed to be done and put on her brave face. It was a subpar imitation of her mother's own intimidating gaze, but it still gave her the much needed boost of courage that she needed to reach out for the call box again. It felt like a miracle that her hands didn't shake as she prepared to gain entrance to a place she hadn't expected to see for some time.
