Love Struck Delusion
Chapter 97 – A bright future?
Raptor's POV, Later that night.
No body came to bother me all day. I managed to get some rest up till this point. The winds outside were starting to kick up. Thankfully the storm hasn't hit yet but it would be soon by the looks of things.
Sitting up from bed I had my cell phone out and that note I took earlier in my lap. I knew what was bound to happen if I still went through with this but I honestly didn't care. At the least all that mattered was how this was all going to happen. But I wouldn't know till I hit dial.
Taking a breath I hit the button and waited. After two tones I was confronted by a voice.
"Who is this? How did you get this number?"
The voice was young and Russian, I was sure I didn't know it up till now. But in a way she sounded rough. Defensive even as I replied.
"My name is Raptor Voltz. Is this Zeta? I need your help. I was told you could help me find something."
"Something? Or someone?" She replied as I restated my request.
"Someone. I need help tracking them down. Hecan Moore said you could help. Said you were the best tracker he knew."
Instantly the girl replied.
"Well isn't this interesting. If I'm not wrong your the Raptor Voltz leading the rebelling here in Iraq right? Why would you be talking with Hecan during war time? And why would you need me when you have an army?"
Keeping myself together I replied.
"It's personal. And this time an army isn't going to cut it. I need someone with skills. Skills like yours."
"It's always personal in this business Voltz. But you still didn't answer my question. Why you talking with Moore?"
"Like I said it's personal. If you need any reason to help me otherwise I can pay you at the least. I just need help."
Zeta went quiet for a second. Soon she came back to ask.
"What do you need help with exactly?"
Relaxing a bit I replied.
"I need help tracking down a man."
"Just a man?" She wondered as I soon hit her with it.
"You want more information? I'd be happy to give it to you. But not over the phone. Can we meet?"
"Sure we can meet. But you know there is a storm on it's way in right?" She replied as I nodded to myself to reply in force.
"I don't care. You name the place and I'll be there. This is too important for me to ignore."
Again Zeta went quiet. But after a few moments she replied.
"Sounds like it. Tell you what, if it's that urgent you can meet me now. I'm at my place here on Profligate Avenue on first street. You know the place?" She asked as I replied back quickly.
"Yeah I know it. Where exactly will I know where to find you once I am there?"
"Just look for an old building near the corner. There will be a sheet metal door there. Just come inside and I'll meet you there."
"Okay." I replied as I was then told.
"You better be quick. That storm will be hitting any minute."
Hanging up on her end, I looked to my dresser and grabbed onto the cloak. Dressed in my normal gear with a vest I knew this was going to be a one way trip after I leave. And if I was going to go after Gorgon I would need something better then just my normal gear. Thankfully I knew where to go to get something a little better. Taking the cloak and my nearby duffel bag, I proceed to leave my room. No one was around thankfully so making a quick turn I went straight for Black's room. Inside I found the gear I gave him back before I left for Afghanistan. Quickly I placed the combat suit in my bag and left. Right back into the hallway I went and this time I went right back to my room to wait. The storm may be coming but it was my cover. No body would be outside during it. So all I had to do was leave right when it hit. Getting to Zeta on the other hand would be a hike. She's at least a good thirty minute walk. Longer with the storm. But this was my only chance to leave. Otherwise I'd be stuck.
Wrapping the cloak around my body, I felt as if this had meaning to it. As if I wasn't the first to wear this thing. After getting it tied down I applied Shadow's old bandana to the bottom of the hood and waited. With my door locked behind me and my eyes focused on the window, I waited now as the storm could be seen no more then a mile away.
Hunter's POV.
Standing right outside the front door I watched in awe as the sandstorm was about to hit. You could see clouds engulfing the city to the point where even the building inside couldn't be seen. It was scary but really cool at the same time. The last time a storm like this hit was a few years ago. At least this time I would be inside.
We need to close the door Hunter. Stated one of the guards as I nodded and came back in to watch as he locked the door from the inside.
The second he got done we all heard the sudden bash of the wind hitting the building.
"Wow." I stated as everyone just listened.
It was so loud. Even from the inside of this big building it thunder through the interior.
As time progress we weren't surprised when the power went out.
"That was quick." Stated one of the men as I made my way for the main stairs.
Heading for officer's barrack I approached Raptor's door to find it locked. Taking care to knock I shouted.
"Raptor?! You awake?!"
I didn't get an answer back. He had to be sleeping still. God knows how with his window being right there next to the storm. Letting out a sigh I pulled off the door to head back for his office. Inside was Archer who asked as he saw me.
"Is it bad?"
Nodding I replied.
"Knocked out the power pretty fast. The winds gotta be insane."
"Well make sure you stay inside till it's through. We will send teams out to help clean up once it's calmed down."
"Got it." I replied as he then wondered.
"How's Raptor doing?"
Shutting the door I replied.
"Hopefully he's okay. His door is locked. He must be sleeping still."
"Guy was always a brick when he fell asleep. I doubt the storm will wake him. Just leave him be till the morning." Urged Archer as I nodded and replied.
"Okay. He's really upset Archer."
Sighing he then said.
"What else is he suppose to be right now? Let him rest. I'm sure he'll calm down. You and Char both got him talking. And according to Char he's listening. That's way more then I expected to be honest. Right now we need to keep him like that. Okay?"
"Yeah." I replied as Archer then ordered.
"Go make sure everyone is okay? Check with the men to make sure no one is left outside."
"Yes sir." I replied as I left the office.
Letting out a sigh I went to go do what I was asked. No one in their right mind would be out in this storm. No one is that dumb.
Raptor's POV.
Everything was painted with sand. The wind was almost to much to move in. But no one was around. The gate and the walls were all empty from guards as I managed to get to the ground level from my second floor window. Now all that was left was to hop over the main wall then find Zeta. This was going to be a struggle.
With my bandana and cloak covering my face as best as they could. I took care to land outside the wall without being blown away mid air. My duffel barely stayed on my back as I now navigated the city streets. The storm was knocking over everything. From trash cans to even some signs. This was not going to be a pretty city at the end of all this. But I had no choice but to keep moving.
30 minutes later.
This was going to be the death of me. I almost could taste the sand coming through my skin at this point. But my goal was within reach as I saw the corner she said to meet at. And at that corner was the sheet metal door. I was barely able to pull it open as I quickly got inside to shut it all behind me.
Letting out a sigh as things got quiet. I put down my strapped duffel and turned around. To my surprise no one was here. Just a stairwell leading down. With duffel in hand, I began the short walk down to find a door. After knocking a bit I was greeted by a voice from the other side.
"It's open! Come on in!"
Taking my chance, I opened the door to spot a black furred wolf sitting at a small table. Turning to look at me, I noticed her face had a faint brown splattered to it and a small scar under her right eye. She wore what looked to me like nothing more then one of my own combat sets. Brown pants, and a black tee. With a tight body armor plate strapped around her torso. As we looked at one another she stated.
"Must really be important if you came here in that storm. Power is out in the whole city and not a person on the road. It's pretty crazy."
Approaching the girl, I asked.
"You Zeta?"
Smiling she replied.
"Only one I know."
Standing up Zeta matched my height and asked.
"You really Raptor Voltz?"
Nodding once I replied.
"I need your help."
"Like you said. Take a seat."
Her accent was pretty much all there as I placed my bag down next to me. Once I was comfortable she then asked.
"So guess I need to know the job. You said your looking for one guy? What's his name?"
Looking her over closely, I noticed a hammer and sickle patch on her shirt. It just barely showed through the side of the vest. But ignoring it for now I replied.
"Yeah. One guy. His name is Gorgon. Works for G.U.N. He's one of their best soldiers. Highly skilled and I am pretty sure he's in Pakistan at the moment. Works directly with Drake Linnen, the commander of the forces in the middle east."
Zeta with wide eyes then asked.
"And you want me to try and find this guy for you? You understand he could be anywhere over there. And if he's G.U.N he probably has a team right?"
"Yeah a small squad. We already killed two of them. He has three others left. Scrotus, Blitz, and Tusk."
Slightly chuckling she replied.
"That's way more then just one guy. And if this is the same guy I've heard of then I know his team is pretty good at what they do. Am I wrong?"
"You know them?" I questioned as she nodded.
"Not personally. But through some other contacts of mine. You see I'm a bounty hunter more or less."
"You work with the Russians?" I then asked as she nodded.
"Use to. I was in the army for six years. Then got a gig hunting down some people for the government. After which I resigned and started doing it full time for myself. I've made quite a name as of late."
"How do you mean?" I wondered as she looked me right in the eyes.
"I've taken a pretty good risk in this country as of late. Pissed off some wrong people and now they are looking for me. I'm pretty sure they lost my trail a few days ago, but I can't be too careful."
"You still have a contract here?" I then asked as she shook her head.
"No. Just some guys who are pissed I took away their check signer. I planned on leaving soon, but the storm kept that idea in the dirt. Or sand in this case. Anyway back to your issue." She stated as she placed herself back all the way in her seat.
"This contract isn't easy. Hell it's probably going to be the death of me. So if I help you, you need to pay me. And for this kind of work it's going to be a good price."
Nodding I replied.
"I don't care. So long as we find them."
Liking my determination she then asked.
"So what did this guy do to you?"
"He killed my wife and made me shoot my two kids." I stated bluntly as she sat up to question in shock.
"What?!"
Nodding I replied.
"He almost killed me too. But the bullet was deflected by my skull. See?" I told her as I pointed to the scar on my face.
Zeta was still shocked as I tried to hold back emotions.
"Like I said. It's personal. The rebellion can wait. This war can wait. I need to kill him now."
Zeta then licked her lips as I clearly saw she was in a trance of her own after hearing that. But soon she asked.
"You still any good with a gun?"
Nodding I replied.
"Yeah. I'm okay with one."
"Good. Cause we will need to probably shoot someone at some point."
Seeing that I clearly didn't care, she then pointed at me to say.
"I don't like interfering in wars. So normally I would charge you a lot. But seeing as this is clearly something more then just social dispute I'll cut you a deal."
"What?" I then asked as she quickly replied.
"You help me deal with these guys who are after me, and I'll return the favor and help you find this guy and his men."
"Why can't you just handle them?" I then questioned as she chuckled and then said back.
"Because it will be more then just a few of them coming. I'll need help. And between you and me I'm pretty confident the people coming are military."
"G.U.N?" I asked as she shook her head.
"Chinese. Nothing too special but they are still army."
"Who the hell did you piss off?" I asked in confusion as she handed me a photo from a folder on the table in front of me.
"His name is Jon Eli. Dead now of course. The contract was simple. I go in, kill him, photograph the body, then send the pictures back to my contact and get paid. All the prior is done. I got paid. But Jon Eli was a big player in the Chinese government for moving weapons. Had a lot of protection but I got him alone and now I am here."
"Who did he run guns to?" I then asked as she calmly replied.
"Well not to G.U.N or the rebellion from what I know. Jon was underground working with some of the criminal underworld over here. This isn't just a war zone Voltz. There are plenty of others getting paid quite well during this era. It's not your fault. The bad guys won't risk getting involved with ether of the factions. It's just safe for business. Kind of why I try to avoid it too."
As we sat here I began to notice she had a gash on her cheek. It was a fine scar. Much like my own.
"Ether way I killed Jon and his men know it was me. I'm the only person around Iraq that could have. So now what's left of his protection detail is out for blood. Last time I saw them they were towards the slums east of here. They followed me that far before I managed to lose them."
"That's not far from here." I then stated as she nodded.
"The storm will buy me time for now. But as soon as it's over I'm confident they will come. Plan was to hold my ground here up till you called me. Now I might have an idea. If you decide to help."
Leaning in I replied.
"I'm not leaving this room till we have a deal. If helping you kill these guys will earn me the chance at finding Gorgon I'll be the first to take a bullet."
Zeta smiled as I then asked.
"You just expect them to stop after we kill these guys?"
Nodding she replied.
"Yes. These guys are army contractors. Quite far from home. They won't get any support all the way from China. It'll be the last I deal with them hopefully."
"So what's your plan?" I then asked as she now sat up to reply.
"As soon as the storm passes I'm going to get running. The contractors have every reason to think I'll be trying to leave the country now that the skies are clear."
"Do you even have a way of doing that?" I then questioned as she smiled.
"I came in by plane a few weeks back. I left it at the airfield due north maybe five six miles outside the city limits. I'm sure they know I won't try driving my way home. Or risk the airport. They'll ether be waiting there or watching to see if I leave the city. Might try cutting me down on the way there."
"So what's your idea? You don't seem too worried."
"Well I didn't plan on staying any longer then I had too. So I already had a plan ready for leaving. I have a truck a few buildings down parked in a garage. I'm gonna take that and head for the border. The contractors won't attack in the city or anywhere near the borders. So I'd like to believe I'd have a mile or two to try and lose them in the desert."
"That's not going to happen. I know the place your talking about. It's wide open desert miles around. Not even a dune to hide behind. They'll gun you down."
Smiling Zeta then urged.
"Hold on. I have more tricks up my sleeve. You think I'd just try to run?"
With a chuckle she stood up to go over to one of her bags in the corner of the room. Watching as she grabbed something from one of the pockets, I widened my eyes as she tossed me a pair of keys. Looked like bike keys.
"That truck won't get me all the way there."
Watching in interest, Zeta came back over to the table to place down a brown bag. It sounded heavy as she then urged.
"Go ahead. Look."
With the keys in my hand, I leaned in to open the bag. Inside was nothing but smoke and frag grenades. Had to be at least thirty of them. All of which had a strange wire strapped around them. In confusion I asked.
"What is this?"
Now next to my side she replied.
"A little contraption I made. When the truck stops I'll pop this off. No matter how many of them there are they won't see a damn thing. Covers all directions."
"And the frags?" I questioned thinking she planned to nuke us.
"They are wired to blow after twenty seconds of the smokes going off."
"Okay? Then what?" I asked in confusion as she pointed to the keys.
"I have a bike in the back of the truck tucked away. We pop the smoke, get the bike, and head the rest of the way to the airfield. The grenades have enough power to take out anything within fifty feet from where it goes off. If the contractors are even anywhere near the smoke they won't be around much longer. We just need to make sure we go as soon as I hit the switch. Call it a good buy of time."
"This girl was insane. Who would ever come up with this kind of plan? Let alone this kind of a device?"
Smiling still to my reaction, she then went on to say.
"Once we reach the airfield we will get to the plane and the rest will be history."
"That's it?" I wondered as she chuckled and made her way a few feet in front of me to reply.
"Of course not. Trust me. It'll be quite a sight to behold."
Handing her back the bike keys I let out a sigh and stated.
"I'm putting my life on the line for you. You better keep your end of the bargain."
Now serious she replied.
"I've already put my life on the line in even deciding to talk to you. Hell letting you in here was even a stretch. You could easily have been one of those fuckers trying to kill me. I've never heard your voice up till now. So how was I to tell?" She asked as I went silent.
"I keep my contracts. I preform and do what I am paid to do. Or in your case...I'll be keeping a promise. You get me to that plane alive and you have my word I'll find Gorgon."
Gently standing up I offered her my hand. With her eyes looking to it I then urged.
"I'll make sure you get there. But I need a weapon."
With her smile now wide she took my hand and replied.
"That I can help with."
With her grip firm I smiled slightly back and said to myself.
"This might be the death of me, but something about this seemed right."
mT Shadow.