Chapter 4 - Alias

Jackson's eyes sprang open in alarm. The blinding light hit him hard and he squinted as his eyes began to adjust. The shapes concealed within the light began to take form and with a hand shading his view, he began to realize where he was.

A hospital bed.

Oh no, he thought, his mind going into a panic. Oh, fuck.

He sat up too quickly and grabbed his head in pain. The morphine he suspected they gave him was causing the dizziness he felt. His temples throbbed as he tried to concentrate.

"Think, Rippner," he whispered to himself in a quivering voice, "Why are you here.."

Sudden flashes hit him quickly. He was on the plane...Lisa had made the call...everything was going according to plan...

A jolt in his side knocked him out of thought and he angrily ripped the IV tube stuck through his arm. As he stood up from the bed, the searing pain in his chest was enough to remind him of what had happened.

The pen...Lisa had stabbed him in the neck with a pen...she escaped...he had failed.

Failed.

As if to confirm it, he reached up and felt the bandage covering up the hole in his throat. He swallowed hard and felt the pain in his neck, the anger and panic beginning to swell inside him.

Sonny's gonna kill me...

Breathing hard, he scanned his surroundings for any means of escape: A window. A door. A vent. With new determination he hobbled across the room to the door, pressed against the wall for leverage and peeked through the tiny glass pane window. The hall seemed deserted. Changing position, Jackson noticed a cop standing guard, leaning against the wall on the side of the door.

Shit.

Jackson staggered back to the bed and sat down. Looking at his leg, he noticed a bandage wrapped around his thigh.

From when that bitch stabbed me, he thought angrily. He touched his finger to the patch of blood that had soaked through and winced. He had never understood women and shoes...

I kinda got the message now...

Jackson shut his eyes and tried to think rationally.

Okay...you're stuck in this room. The window...you're too high up. The vent...too small. The door is your only option...but you got a cop right outside in case you try anything...you can't walk out of here unnoticed...there's no way out.

No way out.

The realization hit him hard. Lying back on the bed, he stared up at the bright ceiling with wide eyes.

Don't let this defeat you, he told himself. You can't. Just remember what happened.

Now that he was beginning to think more clearly and with no means of escape readily at hand, he tried to concentrate on the events that had led him here...

Jackson Rippner. He liked this one. After glancing at the wallet, given the letters J.R. to work with, he decided on his new alias almost instantly. Jackson Rippner...Jack the Ripper...it amused him. He always liked putting his own spin on his new aliases, and he'd had many over the span of 9 years.

Jefferson Dah'mere.
Charlie Mansion.
Todd Buntee.
Wes Memphis the III.

And now Jackson Rippner. He'd had so many, in fact, that he could only scarcely remember his true identity, one that he would only be all too willing to forget...

I might keep this one for awhile, he thought with a chuckle. I've grown fond of it. Pulling the credit cards from the wallet, he stopped to stare at a picture of Lisa. Well, among other things...

Slipping it in his jacket pocket, he headed out the door of his hotel, down the elevator and entered the taxi waiting for him out front. As the car took off into the dark and stormy night, Jackson reached for his cell and dialed.

"What's up? I'm on my way...no, she already left her mother's house. Yeah. No, my other guy is tailing her as we speak. Should be up in the air pretty soon...no, I didn't hear about any delays...is this gonna affect us? It better not." Jackson's eyes glanced towards the driver who was staring at him through the rearview mirror and placed a hand over the reciever. "You mind?"

The driver shrugged and returned his gaze to the road. Jackson pulled the phone back to his ear.

"Listen, just stay put. And keep me updated."

Clicking the phone shut, Jackson peered out through the rain streaked window. In just a few hours he would be on that plane, sitting next to Lisa Reisert and making her life hell.

Sorry, Lise.

Closing his eyes, Jackson ran through the plan once again in his head. He'd already been through it a million times, but it was quite an elaborate scheme. One tiny mistake could ruin everything. He had to be prepared. The assistance of his crew would be crucial to it's success and he knew that should everything go according to plan, his role in the game would make or break it.

Sonny's parting words kept replaying in his head over and over...

Your last day, son. And it's a big one. You keep your head straight and your eye on the ball, this last job'll be a piece of cake. I wouldn't give this one to just anyone, kid. I know I don't have to tell you that failure is not an option.

No, he didn't.

The taxi soon arrived at the airport and Jackson hastily shoved a wad of bills into the driver's hand before stepping out into the rain. As he made his way through the double glass doors and past the shoving crowd, he quickly looked to the flight schedule and groaned when he saw that his flight would be delayed.

Weather had not be accounted for in the plan. Just then his phone rang again and he answered it quickly.

"Yeah? Good, where is she? Okay...yeah, I know it's been delayed. If there's a cancellation, things may get a little complicated. Of course not, you idiot, if we get the go-ahead then we finish the job no matter what. Now listen closely...first let Sonny know, then tell our guys to talk to their guys. You'll know when I do if I can get on that plane tonight, so just call me and let me know what's up."

Shaking his head in annoyance, Jackson pocketed his cellphone before grabbing a seat in the terminal. He hadn't thought about it at first, but this delay could very well work out in his favor... Despite every conflicting emotion he had for Lisa, the thought of being able to get to know her on a more human level before having to turn around and enforce the plan was becoming a very intriguing notion.

Develop a bond...get her to trust you...confuse her own emotions...she might be more willing to accomodate...

His business ethics told him that these were good reasons to do it, but another side of him held onto the idea for a completely different reason... The little voice in the back of his head seemed to echo through him... It's your only chance to get close to her...

He entertained the thought as he scanned the crowd. His informant who had been following Lisa's cab had said she'd already arrived so he should look for her at the gate. Sure enough, the chestnut curls weren't hard to miss and he smiled as he watched her head towards the end of the line.

Showtime.

I have a much better idea of where I'm going with this than when I started, so expect the next chapter very soon! Oh, and for those wondering what other serial killers/murderers I modeled his previous aliases after:

Jefferson Dah'mere is Jeffrey Dahmer
Charlie Mansion is Charles Manson
Todd Buntee is Ted Bundy
Wes Memphis the III is The West Memphis Three (my personal fave, lol)

Reviews are always nice! nudge nudge, wink wink :)