Chapter 2: Contact!

Tima continued to scan the street, glancing occasionally at her watch, knowing that her target should be coming by soon. Her heart leapt as the man she was watching for appeared, strolling through the rush hour crowd of people returning from work. She knew that he had no office job, she had followed him several times to see what his occupation might be. The man had only visited several different places where he made contact with different people. These were anything from businessmen, to police inspectors to bums off of the street. She had an impression that the man was some sort of Private Investigator. He always left at different times each day, but always seemed to manage to return the same time or window of time every day.

She watched her target closely as she had done every day for the last five. She was intent that today was a day that she was going to act. He was a man in his mid to late thirties. He was fairly tall with a medium build and his features were welcome and charming, very handsome. His hair was dishwater blond almost to the point of being brown, with just a show of gray starting at his temples. He stood out in this crowd not because he was flaunting his wealth, as some of the men and women she had seen. Those were the ones who had come into their money suddenly and recently, the ones that had to prove to the world just how wealthy they were. They were stupid for it, especially in these times, when flaunting such wealth almost certainly would paint targets. But she was not interested in those, they were small potatoes to the man she was currently keeping tabs on.

No, this man was rather understated. He wore casual clothes, upscale but not outrageous, as now with a dark turtleneck sweater and cargo pants. Most would mistake him for a regular Joe, working to earn his keep. Tima saw him as a man who had been used to having money for a long time, and felt no need to advertise it to casual onlookers. He stood out as a lighthouse on a cliff amongst the others she had cased. But in the business she was in she had come to know what to look for.

It was his mannerisms that gave him away, he was way too confident in the way that he moved even with the slight limp that was in his step. He looked everyone in the face with his blue eyes as if daring them to smile for him. That in and of itself was unusual in these troubled times, it stood out as if he was wearing gold bands on all of his fingers. Every move that he made spoke of wealth and Tima was going to relieve him of just a little bit of it today.

The man passed by her perch and Tima slipped down from her perch and fell in behind his steadily moving pace. He walked through and with the crowd as it moved further up the street, cutting across at the light and heading for a glass fronted building that was abounding with rich snobs who thumbed their noses down on the people moving to and from their places of work.

Normally this is where she would stop, allowing the man to cross into the complex without a tail, in case he suspected he was being followed. A precaution, even considering that the man had shown not even the slightest hint that he knew of her presence. Today however she was going to follow him in and given an opportunity, lighten his wallet.

The man forced himself to continue walking as he felt an all too familiar presence fall in behind him. He had been feeling it for the past several days now... someone was watching him. They were discreet to be sure but his sixth sense was picking it up none the less. There was a target on his back and he knew it. It always started in the same area and followed such a set pattern as to only be a threat.

Someone had figured out, (not that it was hard to discover, all they had to do was watch him walk into his building day after day to know. This was a high rent district, after all and employee's didn't walk in through the front entrance.), that he was a very wealthy man, and the person obviously thought that he could use some help being charitable. He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, making himself relax, telling himself not to quicken his pace, and not to give away the fact that he knew the person was there. If and when this threat came through he was going to give them a hell of a surprise.

He continued on as he had every other day this week, hoping that foreboding feeling would fade, as before, when he reached home. Whoever it was had always stopped before entering the High Rise. He was prepared if he was attacked for sure, but did not want to resort to that. Today it seemed was going to be different for the feeling moved to the periphery of his senses and stayed there, blurring his sight as his concentration stayed on who was behind him. He tried to judge just how much of a threat this person posed to him. So far it was not extreme, so the attack was not imminent. It was however going to be soon.

"So today, huh?" He thought as he entered the moving tide of people across the street.

He hoped that security would deter the perp at the doors, that he was going to have a peaceful day. Again he was not counting on that, everything about it had changed today. He entered the lobby relaxing slightly as the sensation fell well behind him, and he knew that the would-be assailant had paused.

Tima followed at a distance not willing just yet to give away her intention. She watched as he angled across the street toward his building and entered. His pace was leisurely, and she relaxed, for a moment she had thought he was aware of her. She closed the gap between them as he entered the glass double doors, not wanting to lose him in the lobby of the high rise residence. She slowed to a walk as she neared the guards putting on a good act of belonging in the building. The guard on the right just smiled, nodded, and opened the door for her, obviously jaded to the sometimes-eccentric appearances of the residents. She smiled in return and nodded curtly before turning her attention back to the lobby.

Tima's eyes searched for frantic moments not seeing her target and fearing that she had lost him altogether. She was cursing herself under her breath for not keeping a tighter leash on her prey. She continued to move so as not to look out of place, stopping and looking lost was going to get her the wrong kind of attention. As she neared the elevators she caught a glimpse of him stepping into the furthest one. How fortuitous it was that he had stepped in with no other company. She might even be able to fleece him before they got to his floor, wherever that was.

Heartened by her good luck she quickened her pace to catch him before the elevator left the floor, "Hold the elevator!" She hollered across the lobby, in the hopes of stalling him. The man's eyes came up with a start and he slapped a hand on the door to halt its closure. It slid back again sensing something between the doors and as the man stepped back, she leapt inside, "Thank you," she wheezed falsely pretending that the exertion had winded her.

"You OK?" he asked in mild concern, she only nodded, panting for effect, "What floor?" He asked her as the car started to rise without her choice in floors. She had herself a Good Samaritan, all the better. He would never know what hit him.

His question caught her off guard, however, and Tima straightened slightly, quickly scanning the buttons and picking one at random, "34 please," She panted, noticing also that he was headed for the penthouse.

"Rich indeed," she thought. This was going to be a better haul than she had intended, but she was going to have to move on him soon.

The man had lost his tail as he had moved into the elevator. Security evidentially had held the perp at bay… that was a good thing. He had heard her voice shouting for the Elevator, and looking up he saw a young woman running toward him. He reacted automatically, not so thick-skinned as to hog the lift all for himself. She slipped in panting and wheezing as if she had run from the doors to the Elevator. He found that odd, but didn't comment on it. As he pushed the button for her requested floor he looked at the girl and asked, "Are you new here?" She wasn't familiar to him, and he knew most if not all of the people living in his complex.

"Um, Yeah," She replied, "I just moved in."

She hadn't sounded sure of her own answer, and a warning flag went off in his head. It was followed closely by a sudden pang of anxiety, telling him that he was in danger…that something was going to happen and soon. He wondered what threat was posed to him, and then his eyes drifted down to the slim figure sharing his ride and his heart froze. She was the source of his danger and the moment when she would act was coming soon. He frowned, knowing that he was going to have to break his promise to himself if she should follow through with her intent. (Whatever that might be.)

He shook his head, smiling, and realizing he was getting way too paranoid for his own good. At this rate he was going to get an Ulcer. He could be wrong about this feeling…it certainly was possible. But then he saw a change in her face. Even forewarned he almost reacted too late.

Tima spun quickly aiming a blow for the man's neck. It would be enough to put him out but not enough to kill him. Like Sheep, she would only sheer them, not kill them, only alive could they keep producing for her. This should be the easiest take she had accomplished since coming to this city. She was therefore surprised when her blow never landed and she focused to find that somehow he had blocked her blow with one forearm. His stormy blue eyes narrowed in anger and awareness.

Fear of failure flooded through her, how was he able to block her strike? She remained paralyzed by shock for only a moment knowing that she should not allow her prey to prepare any further. Tima lashed out again with a combination of kicks and punches, utilizing her extraordinary speed in their execution. Both punches he blocked easily and as her foot neared him he captured it between his arm and his body. With lightning speed his right foot came out hooking her behind the left heel and sending her crashing butt first to the floor of the car. He was on top of her in a moment, not giving her any window to recover, pinning her chest with one knee and folding her other leg up. That he pinned in position with his left knee and shoulder, placing her in an awkward pretzel like position, hindering her movement.

"Who are you?" he growled, and then his eyes widened in shock as he got a good look at her face. Sometime during the scuffle she had lost her bandanna and exposed her tattoo, but was it that or was it just her unusual eyes? "Why are you after me?" He growled menacingly at her.

About that time the bell chimed for the 34th floor and he turned his attention to the lighted display at the top of the car. Tima was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. With all her strength she pushed out with her leg unbalancing him and sending him sprawling backwards into the wall of the car. Not looking back she jumped to her feet and bolted out the closing door into the hallway beyond.

He leapt to his feet and made a valiant attempt to follow her, intent on getting answers for her aborted assault. He practically pancaked himself to the double doors as they snapped shut. He swore loudly in the empty car as it resumed its upward travel.

The man slapped his palm angrily on the door, frustrated with himself for letting her get away so easily. He flopped against one side of the car crossing his arms and legs, shaking his head and snorting, "You let another one get near you. Damn Logan, you're slowing down."