Someone is looking for Eyes Only. The Informant Net is abuzz with activity. Bodies are in motion. It's all so familiar somehow. Why does it always have to be so familiar?
This is a story I wrote as a stand alone late one night when I should have been working on my deadline. It was the middle of summer after season one and I was in severe DA withdrawal. Eleven stories about the same character happened in about a week and I missed my deadline. Writing stories is more fun than work.
C'est la vie.
There is some violence and a few darker moments but it's an adventure and that's what it's all about, right. Well it is for me. Enjoy!
This is another installment of the future history I started at the end of season one. I have plenty of tweaks from season two and a fantastic storyline involving the familiars and some other covert super soldier programs like Thirteen Warriors and Rio Brazilia. I also have a small series on something called The Fifth Column. Just teasing you here but look for it in the near future. I'll post as often as I can. Enjoy the story and let me know what you think.
Hunt for the Eyes
Life sucks right now. It had sucked for some time.
It had been going on for weeks. Everywhere she looked was a dead end. Every single lead was either a looping path into a solid wall or an endless maze of twists and turns that eventually led to another wall.
She looked up at the tall goof of a man standing in front of her. He was smiling down as if she owed him an unsavory favor or two. Maybe she did, but he would never see it to the ends he was obviously dreaming of.
"You lied to me." She said.
"No I didn't. I told you what you wanted was impossible to find."
"Nothing is impossible. Tell me where he is."
"I can't."
"You're a member of the Informant Net." She said. "I need to find him."
"The man don't want to be found, nobody gonna find him." He said reverting to what he believed to be a street dialect. It just made him sound like an idiot at best. "The man likes it that way. Anyway, he's bad news. People go snooping around in his business and they wind up disappeared or worse."
"I need to find him. If you can't do it then I want someone higher up the ladder. Tell me what I need to know to get there." She grabbed his collar and slammed him into the wall to prove her point.
"OK, OK, Damn girl. You're a helluva lot stronger than you look." He said. "Why you need to find the man so bad anyway?"
"He's my only hope."
"I'm sorry to hear that." He said. He shoved a card into her hand actually running away when she let go of him to look at the card. She didn't care. She wouldn't have hurt him. Not much, anyway.
* * * * * * * *
The card led her to this condemned building on the outskirts of Chinatown. It was a gang roost back in the day but the card said she could find an Eyes Only informant here or at least someone she believed to be an informant. Somebody higher up. The search had been hard. It seemed to her that the closer she got the further away she was. The dead ends and strange mazes were building up and she was growing weary of it. When the hack came, she realized that she truly had not been paying attention and as she grabbed her stuff and headed out into the rainy night… well, the hummers and black ops soldiers had been right around the corner and she barely made it to the roof before they kicked in the door.
Who Eyes Only was, she didn't know. What he had done, she owed him for. How he knew about Manticore and the Rogues, she would learn, but dammit if he apparently didn't actually exist. Somewhere, though, someone had to know who he was and she would find that someone if it killed her.
She scouted the building as she walked around the block for a time looking for a vantage point to get some recon. She didn't know she was being watched, but it didn't take her long to figure out. The cameras were well hidden and seemingly everywhere and as she approached a side door in the alley it opened and a voice invited her in.
"I heard you were coming." The voice said. "You should come in. There are hover-drones approaching." She looked around and sure enough there in the distance was a drone flying right at this location. She checked behind her and spotted another one. Quickly, she stepped inside.
"Welcome." The voice said.
"Where are you?" She asked.
"I am here." The voice said. "You are in my home. Make yourself comfortable and I will be out shortly."
"Where?" She asked tiring of the game.
"Anywhere? You cannot escape me in my own home." The voice said, continuing. "I designed it."
Why would I worry about escaping? She thought. I could just turn and walk through the door. She continued the thought but as she turned she realized the door she had just walked through was gone. There was a wall with what appeared to be a true Rembrandt on it. She was right. Closer inspection revealed it was a real Rembrandt but the door was still missing.
"Where?" She started to ask but was startled by the man standing in front of her when she turned back from the wall.
"It's still there." The tall man said.
"What?" She asked.
"The door. I have some protection on this place. No one gets in unless I allow them in."
"And no one gets out?" She asked sarcastically.
"I understand you are looking for the man." He said changing the topic. She watched him, studied him. "You're looking for the eyes." He repeated himself without actually repeating the words.
She studied him for a long moment and decided without a doubt that she could kill him if the situation turned ugly. He was in his mid forties. His hair was full and thick and he seemed unusually happy for the time in which he lived. It was obvious he was rich and he definitely had all the toys. She could see that just looking around the room.
"Tell me your name." He said. It was a command not a request. She didn't do commands anymore.
"No." She said.
"Fair enough." He smiled. He could play the game as well. "What do you want?"
"You seem to know." She said.
"He doesn't want to be found."
"So you know why I'm here?" She asked. "Will you help me?"
"I cannot, I'm afraid. I'm not what you need, but I can put you in touch with someone that has a friend and so on. It's the best I can do."
"I've been dealing with friends and friends of friends for weeks now. I'm tired. It's making me dizzy what with all the dead ends and little maze games that turn in on themselves and disintegrate just when you get to the end."
"The government wants him dead." He said. "They hunt him. It's why I've turned this place into the fortress it doesn't appear to be. Word gets out and all of a sudden, this place is a pile of rubble over my grave."
"What I don't understand is how he can keep running the hacks and not get caught? If the big G wants him so bad then why doesn't it take him?"
"He's smarter than they are. He dangerous. Get on the wrong side and it's all over. I've known it to happen. No one interferes with the eyes and gets away with it if they even get the chance to interfere in the first place. He's good this guy." The man studied the girl standing before him. She studied him as well. "I'm impressed. It's rare that someone makes it this far."
"But you work for him…" She said.
"I surf The Informant Net. I offer information and if it's of interest to him he asks for more or for a line to where I got it. That's how it works."
"So you don't know him either?" She asked. Her frustration was obvious. "You can't put me in touch with him?"
"If he doesn't want to be found…" He started.
She finished for him. "He isn't going to be found. I've heard. So there's nothing you can do for me?"
"Why do you need to see him?" He asked. "What's so important about finding this guy?"
"He's my last hope." She repeated the phrase that seemed to be the clincher these last few days.
"I'm sorry to hear that." He said.
"Yeah. Heard that one, too." She said.
"He's a lot of people's last hope. It's usually when they start looking for him." He said.
"I suppose you're going to direct me to another informant now?" The girl said.
"In a way." He said. "Wait here." He walked to the other side of the room and made a phone call on an old French style. "Hey buddy. I've got someone here that needs to find the man. Can you help? Great, I'll send her over." He paused, listening. "The drones are out in force tonight. That little tactical maneuver this morning was just a hint something was going dark around here." Another pause and then he continued. "Yeah. I uploaded everything but there was nothing forthcoming. I've heard the rumors, but they have been spread for years now." He laughed a few times and thanked the guy on the other end before turning back to the girl still standing just a few feet from where the door used to be.
"What'cha get?" She asked.
"You'll stay here tonight." He said. "The hover-drones are all over the area because of the troop movements last night. There's a guest room, third door on the left down that hall." He pointed. "In the morning you can go talk to a friend of mine. His name's Matt. He used to be a cop up in Seattle before some thuggees running a white slavery ring nearly killed him. He can help you better than I can. He used to work for the man through an intermediary." The man smiled. "Make yourself at home and breakfast is promptly at seven in the morning."
She watched the man walk away and head into his fortress.
* * * * * * * * *
She walked down the hall in search of the room. It wasn't like she needed any sleep, but then what else was she going to do. The door had an electric mechanism on it and no windows. It was completely contained within the building. It had the appearance of safety with just enough of the feeling from a cell block that she was hesitant to enter.
The door at the end of the hall was open so she headed toward it. Books were visible on the back wall and she heard movement from inside. When she walked in the eccentric was standing inside holding a book in his hand. A computer was beeping against the wall on a large antique desk.
"You gonna get that?" She asked. How he got to this room so fast was a curiosity but she ignored it. Feline DNA and all that.
"No." He said. She walked over and looked at the same shelf he was standing in front of.
"Mind if I read a book?" She looked at the man standing in front of her.
"You don't really want to read a book." He said. "But you're welcome to if it's important that you do so."
"What exactly do you think it is that I want?"
"I think you want to know things you don't know. I don't think you're cleared for that information." He said using a military term she would understand. She wondered if he actually knew more about her than she was letting on.
"You protect the Informant Net but you don't have direct contact to him?" She verified the truth by the surprise in his eyes. He realized she knew more than she let on. "Why do you protect a man that won't directly associate with you?"
"I don't protect him. He protects himself. I told you I am just an informant and I meant exactly that. I am an informant. I get information and put it up on the net and if it is of interest then he contacts me. It never works the other way around." He smiled. "No one contacts him. He contacts us."
"You said he protects himself. How does he do that?" She asks reaching for a large volume of collected works by Ray Bradbury.
"I don't know."
"But there are rumors?"
"There are always rumors." He smiled again. She noticed that he smiled a lot. Way too happy of a man for these dark days.
"Tell me some of the rumors." She flipped a few pages of the book and replaced the volume on the shelf.
"Not many to tell that make any sense." He said replacing his own book on the shelf. "Where he broadcasts from is one of the greatest mysteries. Everyone is sure that he is in Seattle or at least that's where his hacks originated, but he has made exclusive targeted hacks in many cities all over the country. There were even a few hacks in a few other countries."
"I've heard the Seattle connection before, but I couldn't find anything that led me to believe he's there. I want to know about his protection. You said he protects himself. How does he do it?" She used her charms to draw him over to the couch with a glance at the computer. He was still ignoring it.
"The rumor is that he has a trained ninja assassin on the payroll. They say this assassin is cut from the very shadows he exists in. Only the man himself has ever seen him. Rumor is there may be more than just the one. Again, these are just the rumors."
"But you have a theory." She dug deeper for info.
"We all have a theory." His smile widened. "I assume you want to hear mine?" She nodded. "My theory is quite fantastic. It's based in an ancient myth of a creature of legend that was created to destroy the unworthy. There was a buzz a few years ago of a shadow government based on the old concept of the splinter cell. You understand that concept, don't you?"
"I do. The splinter cell is the one that doesn't exist in society, but they do all the dirty work for the right people to forward the agenda whatever it may be." She said.
"Right. This particular splinter cell turned out to be more of a fact than a legend, but the strange thing is that in some twisted little reality, the place actually didn't exist. It was a secret government project." He watched her for a reaction. When none came he continued. "This project was a program designed to create the perfect soldier. An advanced prototype of the human being. The words traded in those days…" He smiled with a thought only he understood as he remembered the banter from back in the day.
"What happened to the project?" She asked. There went that damn feline DNA again.
"Well that's the thing. The words were all over the place. The information was being traded and then suddenly there was nothing. No words. No news. Even the man himself stopped talking about it. It was as if the subject became taboo." He looked into the girls eyes. "One day everyone seemed to have some information or at least thought they did about the project and the next it wasn't discussed."
"I don't understand." She understood perfectly, but he would never learn what she knew. She was here to get what info he had. He didn't have what she wanted so she would take what she could and leave.
"The man wanted to know everything about this agency and these soldiers they were creating. The next, there was no information and everyone was hush about all that had been said. No one was willing to speak about any of it. The man himself practically dropped off the face of the planet. Almost a year went by with hardly a single hack. Then he came back with a vengeance and criminals of all calibers started dropping like flies. It was ugly. Some of the most powerful officials on the west coast fell at his feet."
"It's true then that he is trying to preserve freedom, or at least what it was before the pulse."
"Sort of. He seemed to be on a quest to put trustworthy people in official positions. People that would do things for those that needed it, not solely for themselves." He walked over to the beeping computer and punched the space bar. A picture of a smiling fat man opened and he started to speak. The tall stranger with the info smiled back. "I told you I'm not talking to you. They know where you are." He hit the space bar again as the fat man took on an angry look.
"What was that about?" She asked.
"That was about nothing that concerns you, but I'm afraid that I cannot fix you breakfast in the morning. You will have to go deep into Chinatown and look up my friend. Only he can help you now."
"What's going on?" She demanded. This was getting to be annoying. This man was talking about things she didn't understand and the mysteries just kept building.
"I am going to show you something before you leave. I was aware of what would happen when you came looking for him, I just believed we would have more time." He said. A few keystrokes later she could hear the sound of strange metallic noises akin to the closing of heavy security doors and reinforced supports. Sounds she was familiar with as a child.
"Are we in danger?" She asked.
"You aren't. I will get you out of here before they arrive." He pointed to the screen continuing his story as if nothing unusual was going on. "Like I said, things about the project grew quiet all of a sudden and for about a year he didn't seem to exist. He returned and every minor and some major bad guys fell at his feet dead or useless. No one messes with the Eyes and survives. This went on for two years and then this hack came across the airwaves. Every vid on the planet ran this feed. He hacked the planet."
"He hacked the entire planet?"
"He hacked the planet. First hacker in history to do so. He gave a lot of us hope with this hack although none of us understood it."
"Why? What criminal was worthy of such a feat?"
"None." He said. "Just watch."
She watched and the strange little feeling in the pit of her stomach started to grow again. It was the very hack that saved her and kept her free of black ops and darkness. She watched as the screen crackled and popped announcing the blue, red and white scrolling field as that life-saving hack started to play out again.
"Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a streaming freedom satellite hack of the Eyes Only Informant Net. The hack cannot be traced and it will not be stopped. This hack is being beamed around the globe and goes out to those known as X-5. You have been compromised. Your locations have been revealed. You know what to do. This hack will repeat every hour until you have checked in. I repeat to those known as X-5. You have been compromised. You know what to do. This has been a streaming freedom satellite hack of the Eyes Only Informant Net. Peace. Out."
"No one knew what it meant." The man said looking at the petite redhead standing beside him watching intently. "To this day, no one understands what it means. The subject is just as taboo as the project. I suspect you know more than we do, though. I can see it in your eyes."
"Look. I can't explain to you what kind of danger you are in. If they truly are coming and you have locked down this fortress…" She said just as an explosion ripped through an outer wall of the abandoned warehouse-cum-urban fortress. She could hear the voices of soldiers in the distance. "You have to come with me. I can protect you."
"No one can protect me now. I have to protect the net. You have to leave." He said punching a few keys and pointing to a moving stand near the corner. "It's pretty cramped for about a hundred yards, but there is a long underground tunnel that runs into the heart of Chinatown. Someone will be waiting for you when you get there. GO! NOW!" He shouted over a new explosion closer to the library.
"Come with me." She shouted to him. She couldn't help but wonder why her safety suddenly became a priority to him.
"You are running out of time." He said. Two more explosions rocked the building. "They are inside. The short tunnel will collapse in five minutes so move quickly. GO!" He shouted as he stared down the hall. A glance at the computer screen showed that he had indeed protected the net. He came up from behind his desk with a small Mac-10 in one hand a vicious curved blade in the other. She looked down the long hall as he started firing at the soldier coming at him. The small table started to close over the hole.
He smiled at her. He winked. "TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO DIE!!!" He screamed as a soldier fell to his blade. She stole a quick glance up through the hole to see him locked in bladed combat with another soldier that had come from a side entrance. He was trained. More would fall to his blade before they took him out.
* * * * * * * * *
The tunnel was indeed cramped, but her skills put her to the end a full minute before it collapsed. It wouldn't be long before they found it whoever they were. She wondered how they had known and she wondered if it was Lydecker. It hadn't seemed like his men. His men were specialists, but these guys were more than that. They reminded her of the red series.
A shout, more of a death cry erupted from the distance where she had come from just before the tunnel collapsed and cut off all sound. She turned and looked at the poorly illuminated tunnel before her. It was long and disappeared into shadow in front of her. A darkness she could almost not see through was laid out before her. She started running as another explosion rocked the tunnel she was standing in. It was followed by a low rumbling and something akin to an earthquake. Experience told her it was the old warehouse collapsing. A quick thought to The Blue Lady asked her to look after the man that just saved her life.
The city passed above her at a sprinters pace. The city was an old memory but a solid one. She had been here once before long ago and she knew she was a few miles from central Chinatown. It wouldn't take her long, but she had to get there as quickly as possible.
It was only about ten minutes later when the wide tunnel she was in ended and she found herself without a way out. It just ended and even with her enhanced vision she couldn't make out anything above her. The walls were polished stone and steel. She searched for a trigger or switch or handle but could find nothing. Then she heard something.
The click of footsteps came up behind her and she noticed the glow in the space around her recognizing it as a flashlight. She turned fast startling the Asian man standing behind her. He took two quick steps back but she held her position when she noticed he wasn't a soldier.
"Where's Skully?" The man asked.
"Are you Matt?" She asked him. He nodded. "Skully was the man that called you?" Again he nodded in response to her question. "He didn't make it. I tried to get him to follow me, but he pulled a Mac-10 and a heavy blade and guarded my escape." She looked at the man and saw the dark creep over his face.
"We will remember him tonight." Matt said. "Come with me. We have to get you out of the city."
"I want some answers." She said.
"No time. I'll answer what I can on the way out of here." He held out his hand for her but she walked up to him almost defiant. She stared into his eyes. He smiled and snickered before turning and walking back the way he had come. "Follow me."
He opened a trap door into a small room. All she heard were the metallic sounds of weapons lock. She hesitated until he started to speak Chinese to whoever was in the small room. She followed some of it, but the particular dialect was more a gangster slang than a language and she had trouble picking out the words she could understand. What she got was some talk about the tunnel and how it was about to be taken down because the back door was finally closed. She assumed they were talking about this guy Skully and the collapsed urban fortress.
"We'll have to report to Eyes Only." An American female in the room said. Matt turned and held out his hand to the girl and she accepted help out of the hole. When she looked around the room all she saw were the dark eyes and the weapons leveled against her. A blonde woman was standing in a doorway. The doorway led into what appeared to be the back room to a kitchen.
She was in a restaurant and suddenly realized she was hungry. Her stomach growled. Some of the urban warriors laughed. She doubted they understood who or what she was.
"Are you hungry?" Matt asked. She stared into his eyes with a strange look. Nodding her head and following, they walked into the kitchen and into the dining room. He tossed her a towel and pointed to a restroom. The woman joined them at the table after ordering some food for the three of them.
"This is Asha." Matt introduced the woman. "And your name is…"
"Not important." She said. "I was told by your man Skully that you can help me find the man I'm looking for."
"I can't." Matt said.
"We've never met the man. No one has. Truth be told I don't believe he exists." Asha smiled. "I think he's a government project." She knew immediately this Asha was lying. It was painfully obvious to someone who had known lies her whole life.
"He's real." She said to the woman. She looked at Matt. "Skully said that you were tortured by white slavers when you worked for Eyes Only. If that is true then you must believe in him."
"Why do you want to find him?" Matt asked.
"That's my business." She said. Matt pointed to the door. She looked at it then back to the Asian man. She ignored the woman. There was something familiar about her but she couldn't put her finger on it. "He's my only hope." She said. Matt and the woman waited for her to continue. She could play the game as well.
"I need more." Matt said.
"I need to know where he is. Tell me how to find him or how to find someone who does and I'll disappear. You'll never hear from me again." She challenged.
"I was tortured by white slavers. I was working with an Eyes Only informant at the time." He offered. "The informant was tortured as well. We barely escaped with our lives. If it hadn't been for one of the man's operatives we would have been shot." The woman sitting beside him looked angry that he would speak of it. The girl sitting opposite them considered her options and chose her course.
"If you worked with an informant then I imagine you know more than you're letting on. I also believe you know what I am capable of. I have to find him."
"Why?" The woman asked.
"I need his help. That is all I can say." She answered.
A small girl of about fourteen came out of the kitchen and leaned in to the older woman's ear. She whispered something for a short time before returning to her duties.
"Priority alert." The woman said to Matt. He nodded his head as the girl returned with a small carton of food. Matt took the carton and looked at the girl.
"We have to go." He said.
"Why?" She asked. "What's a priority alert?"
"I can't explain that to you, but I have a safe house not far from here. I don't know why you are looking for him, but I can guarantee that you will only find trouble."
"Trouble is all I know." She said glancing over her shoulder to the other woman. She was making a phone call as Matt led the way out onto the street toward a small car parked along the curb. "Tell me about the informant you were tortured with."
"I can't. It's not something I can discuss." Matt said as they turned a few corners in the car. He drove into an open cargo bay in the side of the building. "We'll be safe here." He said.
"Do you have a family?" She asked.
"My wife and kids are safe here in Chinatown. I intend to keep it that way."
"Why do you work for the man then?" She looked at him. He seemed like he cared about them, but here he was risking his life to help.
"If my friend asks for my help then he gets it. I was called in when you were in San Diego."
"That was over a week ago." She said. "You mean that he's been… watching me?"
"He sees everything especially when someone is wandering around asking questions about him."
"Is he as dangerous as they say he is?"
"He is." Matt said. "He has operatives that would kill or be killed for him. His enemies have a way of winding up disappeared or worse."
"I've heard that before. What exactly does that mean?" She watched him for his reactions to her words. She could hear his heart beating calm and his breathing was normal. Nothing made this man uncomfortable. "My understanding of being disappeared is that you are killed. There are only a few things worse than death."
"Yes there are a few things worse than death and trust me the eyes see each and every one of them."
"They say he has a ninja or three working for him. Is that true?"
"Not exactly." Matt said. "I can say no more. You eat your food and I'm going to make arrangements to get you to Frisco."
"Frisco? That's where all of this started." She protested.
"If you want to see him then you have to go to Frisco." Matt said walking away.
She considered his words. If I want to see him she thought. "You mean you are going to take me to him? He's in Frisco?"
"No. Someone who can help is though."
* * * * * * * * *
Two days later she was on the outskirts of Frisco. It was only a few hours from LA and the ride wasn't that bad. The trucker was an old man with ties to Matt and his gang buddies back in Chinatown. The sector cops didn't seem to care what he was transporting. They passed him through the city borders without question. He was quiet and listened to strange music from long before the pulse. Something called space music which sounded like a very sleepy person on a synthesizer. He didn't ask any questions and dropped her off near the old UC Berkeley campus. The rendezvous was quick and painless and it seemed almost too easy.
A small boy walked over to her and handed her a piece of paper then dropped his board and rode down Telegraph toward the ocean. She remembered the view and had to stifle the urge to go climb The Gate and just relax for a while. A hover-drone moving into the neighborhood made her decision and she walked deeper into the old campus to see what was on the note. 'The Original Mondo Stomp. 9:00.' It was a simple if strange note but she glanced over her shoulder to check where the boy had gone. She would barely have time to get to the old diner before the meet.
Mondo Stomp was packed. There was a wild ambience to the place that night. She stood in the doorway and looked down on the crowd, surveying it. The place was extremely bright and overcrowded. There was a strange feeling in the air. The training kicked in and she spotted three marks almost instantly. The first was a Nubian couple sitting at the bar. The bald brother was laughing and arm wrestling a young kid that would obviously lose but the woman with him was staring at her. The second was a young looking punk shooting pool and showing off for the several women he had attracted. He noticed her as well when she walked in but turned back to his game when one of the little chicks next to him rubbed against his arm. The third was a man sitting alone in the only shadow in the entire restaurant. She couldn't see his face in the void that seemed to surround it. He was not hiding the fact that he was waiting for someone.
"Hey Girl. You look like you're looking for someone." The Nubian woman said. She was now standing at the bottom of the stair to the main floor. "I'm looking for someone as well. Let Original Cindy buy you a drink and we can wait for your friend together."
"I'm sorry." She said. "I'm not sure…"
"C'mon. Original Cindy don't bite." The Nubian held out her hand. "I've got eyes for you baby girl." The words suddenly clicked. Original at Mondo Stomp and here she was talking to a fine Nubian calling herself Original Cindy and this one said she had 'eyes' for her. This had to be the contact. She grabbed the Nubian's soft hand and smiled at her. They were standing next to each other by the bar a few seconds later.
"Patience girlfriend. You will find what you seek." OC said.
"Is he here?"
"No. He's not here, but he's been waiting for you. Tonight though we playing the scene. Make all the boys jealous. Tomorrow we go to Seattle and see what you've been searching for."
"You're going to take me to him?"
"No. I'm going to take you to my place where someone will be expecting you." Original Cindy said.
"Who?" She asked.
"Don't you worry you're sweet little smile about that, sugah. Let Original Cindy take care of you for a short time and all of your questions will be answered. Just play the game, baby girl. Everything has been arranged. You're safe now."
"I'm never safe."
"You are now." OC said.
"How do you figure?" She asked.
"I know a lot more than you think I do." OC smiled. "I've known the man for a few years now. He's in complete control."
"How do I know that?"
"You're here aren't you?"
"People have died getting me here. That's not exactly control."
"You live a dangerous life and have been making a heavy target of yourself. They almost got you in LA. Trust us." Original Cindy said. "We're going to hang here and party until we get the all clear signal and then we'll move out and take you home."
"Home?" She asked.
"Yes Jondy. Home is Seattle." OC smiled. "You'll be safe with us."
She flinched when she heard her name. She hadn't used that name for years and it startled her that someone would just blatantly spit it out. "I'm not safe with anyone and everyone that gets close to me is in danger."
"Look. I was in the 101 back in the day and my man Bling behind you was a Navy Seal. We have others here tonight to make sure we can be on the move when the word comes down the line from the man."
"You mean…"
"Yes. He sent us." Bling said. "We'll get you back to Seattle without a problem, but you have to let us do our job." He smiled. "So just relax and be happy at the party. We'll be out of here soon."
Jondy stood uncomfortably at first, but when the big man stepped over toward the pool table to converse with the hot boy showing off his skills on the felt, she focused and caught just the hint of a barcode. Immediately she scanned the crowd for others like her, but could find none. It seemed to her that this club was a very dangerous place to be, but she had been in such places before and if the need arose then she could find her own way to Seattle… if the need arose. It would mean starting over from scratch, but to know that he was in Seattle was more info than anyone had ever given her.
"You got questions, Sugah?" OC asked.
"I got a thousand of them. You're not one of us?" Jondy asked.
"Bling and I are here to take you home. We have training but not your level of skills. We will get you where you need to be."
"There are transgenics here." Jondy said leaning in close to the Nubian.
"Yes."
"How? Why?"
"To protect you. There are familiars here as well."
"What's familiar?" Jondy asked confused. Original Cindy stared into her eyes and looked for something. "What the hell is going on?"
"There is a cult that is hunting transgenics and right now, their best tracker is hunting you. We didn't think he even knew you were in Chinatown, but we were wrong and he knew you were coming here. We don't know how."
"So I'm in danger and putting you in the same place." She said.
"No danger, sugah." OC said. "We planned for this contingency."
Original Cindy's cell rang. "Hey Baby. The Original One is here." She winked at Jondy with a sly, sexy smile. "It's a sure thing." Jondy listened while Cindy answered the questions as they were presented to her. "A fine lookin' honey if I may say so." Jondy realized the Nubian was talking about her. "It's a loss for the all-girl team, boo." Jondy watched as Cindy flagged down the big man called Bling and she immediately noticed six more moving in her direction. They were all young and staring intently at Jondy.
The tall blonde from LA was the first to reach. "White is here." She said.
"Where?" The Nubian asked. "That him in the corner?"
"Yeah." The Blonde said.
"Get her out of here." Original Cindy said. Cindy leaned in over the bar and whispered something to the bartender. The tall blonde looked down at Jondy.
"This is Fix-it and Bullet. And those two over there are Zero and Ralph." She said. Jondy noticed the hot boy walking up followed by a small entourage of club chicks.
"494!!!" The man that had been sitting in the shadows shouted. He was shorter than Jondy would have thought. The hot boy rolled his eyes.
"GO!" Bling shouted before tearing out the back door. Two men headed out after him. The short man was still watching Jondy, but didn't seem to notice the other transgenics around her. Club security was moving on him and as they distracted him she noticed the transgenics were disappearing into the crowd. Bling and Original Cindy were pulling her toward the door as a fight broke out between security and the short man.
Jondy followed the two Nubians out of the club and into the parking lot heading for a red on black Mustang. OC climbed into the back and Jondy sat in the front seat. Bling had the car in gear and was leaving the lot as White and the security guards came out of the club. He didn't notice Jondy but he saw the Mustang leaving.
OC and Jondy both watched as the security tried to carry the fight outside. Three of them fell before they backed off and watched the man make a phone call.
"He's getting bolder." Bling noticed.
"What's that mean?" Jondy asked.
"We didn't think he would make a move in public like that." OC said. "It's not his usual MO. He's always pulled the strings behind the scenes and ran his little operation out of safe, secure locations."
They drove for a while before they ended up on the northern rim of Frisco near an old warehouse.
"This is a bad area." Jondy remarked. "There used to be a gang around here. They operated out of these warehouses."
"We're just picking up a ride and moving on." Bling said.
"We'll be here two minutes at most." OC said. The thought was interrupted immediately when two choppers roared overhead. "Shit!" She cursed. "Where did they come from?"
"I don't know." Bling said. "How did they track us?"
"Alec?" OC was hollering into her shoulder mic. "Biggs! CeCe! We've got two choppers circling the safehouse. We can't outrun choppers no matter how fast this car is." She shouted. They were circling and coming back for another pass.
Jondy was watching out the window. She knew what she had to do. It wasn't wise, but these two seemed to be in over their heads at this point. The plan had been sound, but this military group was well funded. The Nubians were just outclassed.
"Understood." OC said. "Head back to the club and we'll run plan B." She was saying to Bling. She shifted in her seat to look at Jondy. What she saw in the little ones eyes she had seen in Max on one or two occasions.
"Tell Eyes Only I said thanks for trying." Jondy said and she was out the door. She ran toward the choppers under the search lights in the warehouse parking lot. She stopped and looked up. Both choppers swirled the air around her until the hovered on either side of her. She had wanted them to stop. It would give her minimal but valuable time to get away.
"JONDY!!!" OC shouted but it was already too late.
Jondy heard the Nubian girl holler. She wanted to trust the woman. She wanted to believe that she could get to Eyes Only. She wanted to know what happened to Zach and Max and Manticore. With a last glance to the Mustang, Jondy launched herself toward the overgrown area to the north of the abandoned industrial park. The choppers would lose her in less than ten seconds. She had waited just long enough for them to lose their momentum before she ran off into the darkness.
As she ran she could hear tires screeching and hoped the two Nubians would get away without trouble. When the search lights on the choppers glowed through the brush of the overgrown area she fled into, she knew they had.
It was easy to lose the choppers. The four hummers that showed up were a different matter though. They were trying to triangulate and corral her into a certain location. They were attempting to reign her in to maintain control. It was obvious to her this White and his team had done this before.
She moved silently through the shadows constantly heading north. It had been a dangerous quest trying to find this Eyes Only character. It seemed suddenly to be a wasted trip. Her present location in the woods behind a truck stop seemed to be covered on all sides. White knew she was in there. He was just being cruel now, letting her think she was ahead of the game.
What White didn't know was the other player on the scene had an advantage. White didn't know he was there.
* * * * * * * * *
"Check him." Someone said.
Jondy recognized the voice immediately. It was White. She watched from the edge of the shrubbery. There were four men in the parking lot. White and one of his suits were standing side by side. They were watching his troops at the other end of the building harassing a truck driver. Another man was standing at the gas pump about fifteen feet from her location and a casually dressed guy was walking from the restaurant with a bag of food and two coffees in his hand.
"She's around here somewhere. You find that little Rogue bitch and we'll all go home. I know she's around here." White yelled. He was watching the truck driver.
"She has to be here somewhere. Tear that place apart if you have to." White spouted orders. He hadn't noticed the man walking behind him toward a beat up old Aztec. She could see the man was unusually interested in White. Just before he opened his door, he turned and looked directly at her. She froze instantly afraid that he might give her position away and confused that he should locate her so easily not even knowing she was there.
"You two, head around back and flush the bushes. Shoot anything that moves." White yelled. A truck started its engine not far from Logan. "We are looking for a 5' 5" redhead gentlemen. Not a stoned four hundred pound truck driver..." The man snickered and winked. At least White had the men he deserved.
Jondy watched the casual guy. He seemed unconcerned almost yet he had not taken his eye from White. He started his car and backed up to the gas pump ordering a fill-up. He called the attendant over to his window after the fill up and paid for the gas popping the rear hatch. She had no idea what possessed her but she climbed in and stayed low holding the hatch down. She listened to the men chatting. His voice was calm and soothing. He seemed to be in complete control, smiling and handing the guy a twenty-five dollar bill.
"Consider it a tip," the man said. "I'm rich."
"Thanks, buddy." The guy said with genuine joy. "This is great, thanks." The Aztec pulled out and headed to the exit of the parking lot slow and steady. Jondy couldn't see what was going on ducked down in the back but the car wasn't stopping and she prayed it wouldn't.
"Stay down." He commanded. "He's looking at my license."
White stood there watching the Aztec driving away. He seemed stumped by something, but wasn't sure what it was. He didn't reach for his phone, nor recall his men. He just stood there staring after the car.
"Stay down until I tell you. Sorry it's so cramped back there."
"It's okay. I'm small." She said. "Thanks."
They drove for about two miles making sure the cars on the road were not hanging back behind him. Speeds ranged between sixty and seventy-five to see if anyone was trying to stay with them.
"Climb up here. It's safe." He said. "My name is..."
"Don't tell me anything about yourself. It's safer that way." Jondy said. She pulled the knot on her head and her long red hair fell out and about her shoulders. She climbed over the back seat and watched the man suspiciously. He leaned forward and exposed the back of his neck to her. She was confused at first. It was as if he knew she had been looking at his neck.
"How far you going?" He asked.
"Not sure." She said.
"I'm going to Seattle." He said. She noticed he was watching her in the mirror out of the corner of his eye.
"I've never been to Seattle." She lied.
"You sound sad about that."
"I am sort of. I have family there that I don't know how to locate." She said. "I have family all over the place." She said. "I haven't spoken to any of them for years and the rest only by phone." She mumbled. The memory was still painful.
"Move around a lot?" He asked.
"Not really, I just never got out of Frisco much. How did you know that guy was looking for me?"
"What was it he said? 'We are looking for a short redhead not a stoned truck driver.' Wasn't that it? I noticed a redhead hiding in the bushes. Logic dictates there could only be two or three redheads hiding in bushes at any given moment so I picked the shortest one there and, well… you know the rest." He smiled. She smiled, and then quickly lowered her head scolding herself. She couldn't get comfortable. She had been so close and now…
"Sarcasm. I recognize that. You're funny and that's not what he called me..." She said. They're eyes locked in the rear view mirror. Do you have any idea what you're involved in? Can you help me find Eyes Only?
"There's food in the bag." He said. "I have two cups of coffee up front here. I'll split the sandwich with you and give you my back-up cup of coffee if you'll tell me your name."
"You don't want to know my name."
"Then make one up." He said.
"Why."
"It's a friendly thing to do. It's the only way you can get some food." He said. He opened up the bag and pulled out the long sub breaking a chunk off to eat. "It's good." It smelled good. She was staring at the sandwich. When he finished his first piece, he broke off a second piece. Her stomach growled and she spit out a name.
"Max." She said. He looked up with a wild look in his eyes. She caught the look and more questions came. "My name is Max."
"Max. That's a great name. Is it yours or the made up one?" He asked breaking off another piece of the sandwich and handing the rest to the girl. He held up a cup of coffee and offered it to her.
She ate some of the sandwich and drank a few gulps of the coffee. She watched him. She was suspicious. He didn't seem in the least bit worried about anything that just happened. In fact he seemed almost too calm. He didn't press her with any questions though and just let her eat.
"My sister's name." She said. They rode in silence and ate their sandwich occasionally sipping the now lukewarm coffee. The driver just smiled.
"I miss her." She said. They had ridden about twenty miles in silence. She had watched him closely but he had made no dangerous or mysterious moves. He just drove the car and periodically looked at her in the mirror. "She died when I was nine. Fell into the ice and froze to death. I..." She stopped.
"I'm sorry to hear that." He said. "In the ice you say?"
"We lived in a foster home where they were very cruel to us. It was an ugly scene and we decided to leave. We tried to escape but most of us didn't make it." The car was silent clear across the California border. Then a very soft voice spoke in the back.
"I miss her." She said finally
"If you were running away, how do you now she drowned?" He asked.
"I don't really, but hypothermia..." She was silent for a time. "My brother told me and some others she was dead, anyway." She remembered those nights when Zach was drunk and complaining about some guy named Logan and his wheel chair. She remembered his rambling on about this danger or that one. "Zach. My brother's name was Zach, he used to tell me stories about her and her boyfriend. I don't think he liked the man."
"These things happen." He said. "Tell me about her. What was she like?"
"She was beautiful and my best friend. We used to stay up late at night and tell each other stories and laugh and play games. As we got older, the games became more intense and we would go exploring the base... the home where we lived. I got caught once, but the old man was nice to me for some reason. He wasn't nice to anyone." She said. She fell silent after that.
"You have a brother and a sister?"
"Not exactly. I don't really have any blood related siblings, but we were together in that home for our whole lives without parents. We thought of ourselves that way." She explained. "It made us happier to think that way, but when they took Jack away and never brought him back. Then Eva died. It was enough. We had had enough. We just broke and ran. It was stupid, but we were free."
The road took them quietly along for quite a while.
"You took a big risk back there." She said. "Why? You don't even know me. I could be a heartless criminal."
"I doubt that. You're too cute to be a criminal." He laughed.
"Thanks, I think." She said. Her eyebrow rose and he lifted his as well. She smiled. "Do you know who that guy was back there?"
"I might have seen him around." The man said. He face became suddenly serious.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"No one of consequence. I'm just a friendly guy trying to help a troubled girl."
"What's your name?" She asked.
"Logan." He said. She gasped, but otherwise didn't say anything. Logan could see her eyes in the mirror. They stared back into him. He reached over his head and held out his hand for her to shake. She just stared.
"There's a rest stop coming up. You need to stop?" She shook her head. They didn't speak for miles after that. Logan turned on the stereo and played a classical and jazz mix he was fond of when driving. She never once took her eyes from this mystery man.
"We are going to be in Seattle in a few minutes. Do not say anything and I will get you into town and to my friends place. He pulled his phone and punched a speed dial number.
"Hey. It's me. I ran into an old friend and I'm bringing someone home with me. She needs a place to sleep tonight." He paused while the other party was saying something. She listened in on the conversation. "Not even a remotely good idea." A woman said. "Logan, I cannot..." Logan cut her off.
"I just want you to meet her and then you can make a decision. I'll explain everything when I see you. I promise everything will be just fine. I'll see you downstairs, Angel."
"Logan, I'm going on record here..." He hung up the phone as he drove. Twenty minutes later, they pulled into a parking garage in a large tower complex. Jondy climbed out of the car and stood beside him. She had a strange feeling in her stomach. It was everything she could do to stand still just behind the man.
A dark skinned beauty seemed to materialize from the shadows and headed toward them. She had an angry look on her face but stopped short as happy to see Logan safe, as she was mad to see the girl he wanted her to keep overnight.
"White was chasing someone." Logan said.
"White?" The woman asked. Jondy was stunned and couldn't move. She looked at the brunette. The brunette stared back. "You saw White?"
"He saw me and I think he recognized me for the first time, you know, putting two and two together finally. I had the false plate down. He may already be in town, but it doesn't matter. I would like to introduce you to my new friend." Logan stepped aside and looked at the girl standing slightly behind him and to the right.
"Max. I'd like you to meet Jondy." Tears welled up in Max's eyes. Jondy dropped her jaw to the ground and couldn't lift it back up. "Jondy, this is Max. I would imagine that you two have a lot of catching up to do." Logan looked between the two women. They were both shaking out of sheer joy and happiness and sorrow and all the feelings that comes with lost time between best friends and family.
Max stared at Logan not capable of movement. He reached over and shoved her closer to her sister. They reached out and hugged each other. They were both crying and laughing at the same time.
"It is three a.m. and I've had a busy week." Logan said.
"This is why you wouldn't let me come with you." Max said. Her voice was shaky. Her hands reached for her man and she jumped into his arms propelling him backward into the car. A strange mechanical sound reached Jondy's ears and she looked at the man's legs. She followed them to his feet and saw he wore some kind of brace. When she looked back up, Max and Logan were lip locked.
"I love you, too, Angel. Now get inside." He said. "I told her you could help her find the others. I also told her you know a guy that can help her get settled and safe in town with papers and sector passes." He was smiling. She was still hanging around his neck. She was staring into his eyes
"Logan..." She started to speak. She looked at Jondy and grabbed her hand pulling the redhead in front of her man. "Jondy. This is Logan. Logan. This is Jondy. She's my best friend." Max said.
"I know." He said. "I know, Angel." They walked toward the elevator in the parking garage. He held out his hand to Jondy and she took it this time. "I've heard so much about you."
"It's nice to meet you." Jondy said. Suddenly Eyes Only didn't seem such a priority anymore. She had wanted to find her sibs. She never expected that she would find Max alive. She had lost control too many times in the quest for the Eyes. Now, though, she was standing beside her best friend and a man that seemed more than he appeared to be. No. She would still look for Eyes Only, but tonight… tonight she would stay up and trade stories and tell of adventures and tomorrow would be a new day. She would be stronger thanks to this hunt for the eyes.
She couldn't shake the feeling that he was still watching over her. She felt him. He was close but right now, Max and her man were closer and that was the important thing.
She felt safe for the first time in a long time. Life was good again.
There you have it. Hope you enjoyed it and as I'm sure will be said many, many times. Let me know what you think.
In response to the same question that has popped up both in reviews and on my e-mail I would like to explain that I have been writing since I was eight years old. I've always cared more for the story than the mechanics of it, but I'm working on the editing stuff out of necessity. I've been writing fan fiction for about five years now. It all started one day after I saw that pathetic attempt to put my childhood hero, Norrin Radd into cartoon form on television. I've never seen a more pathetic excuse for story-telling in my life. I immediately filled three notebooks full of The Silver Surfer's adventures bathing in supernovae and battling foes with The Power Cosmic just to make myself feel better. It was about six months ago when I discovered Fan Fiction.net and I realized people out there wanted to read this stuff.
I'm ecstatic that all of you have liked my words so far. So to bastgodess, DrAgOuS154, spikeswench, skyeyes, RagingConfusion, ME, Zaz, Alexis and mapleleaf… thanks for the reviews and the encouraging words. I do intend to keep it up and I have plenty more where all of this is coming from.