Chapter 16

Yellow pages is not an option

There was no body or no place where they could get the proper intelligence. Catherine and the others had been sitting here in the hotel for awhile now thinking into things and where they should start. They couldn't figure out who in the French or German military who would be able to leak or even know what they wanted for the obvious fact that the whole O.L.G.A project was extremely top secret that it was only known by a few people but who were the few people... and where could they exactly find these people. The question came to her mind during the most aggravating moments while snooping around...

The French resistance gave them a room to do all their work in which had been checked form under the carpets to the panels in the ceiling to make sure there weren't any bugs. We wouldn't want anyone to listen in on what they were doing either so they had a sound proof door installed and had dark blinds cover the windows. It was as much as they could do in this town and Paris had still been on full alert.

"You know the high end military leaders must know a lot about that weapon." Marcus had been sitting there across from Ron at table right by the desk she sitting at debating.

"Maybe but before Francis... passed on he told me a few things" "Yeah I know you told us about them not even knowing about that Sh prison in Germany..." Ron shook his head, she could tell he was getting mad. Interrupting him in mid sentence was the one of the last things you wanted to do with Ron from what she learned but actually held in his anger.

"...okay yeah I told you about that sorry.." He managed to grunt out. She decided to freshen it up "We're trying to figure out the same thing so lets calm down a bit alright fellas." Marcus scratched his scalp then crumbled up a sheet of paper.

"Damn it lads there is nothing..." The three of them fell silent to brew solutions individually in their minds. She continued on to think until the scratching noise of a writing pencil threw her off. At that instant she knew it was Jake who had been sitting at his own desk in the corner of the room, she was about to ask him politely to stop writing excessively but before the words came out of her mouth she noticed he was indeed jotting down objectives.

All at once the three who had been struggling sat and watched as the Mcarcher brother kept at it without pausing once. "Do you think he really has anything?" Catherine quietly ask Ron, one of the many people who knew him best. With his baby face grin Ron nodded and confidently said "If its anyone who'd figure it all out it'd be that guy right over there.. he's always been like that "

Watching the young man across the room scribble down solutions without stopping once fascinated her, she didn't know why but in her life she never really saw men concentrate on subjects other than blowing the enemies head off, he was different alright and she kinda liked that.. Natalie had herself one fine chap...

After realizing what was going through her shook it off, what the hell was she thinking there wasn't time to be thinking of stuff like this... and he was taken anyway. Without thinking she silently giggled to herself so the others couldn't hear her. Then with her bad luck the buzz cut head turned to take a glance back at her and whispered with his childish smirk "Why you blushing?" Had she been oh gosh. "I don't know but its a little hot in here" She lied with a silent nervous laugh, Damn he had the ears of a hawk even without his SH activated. Ron just chuckled and turned back around. That was close...

On that occasion Marcus's curiosity got the best of him which made him cook up the question "What are you writing down lad?" without looking back or saying a word Jake continued to write like he never heard them then asked again but with a higher tone. Jake jolted around like he had been shocked then came back to reality. "Well.." he mumbled as if he didn't want to tell them.

"Go on its okay lad what you got is better than what we have.." it took him awhile then finally "I'll tell you guys a brief sum up of this sheet only if none of you interrupt me." the room was silent then abruptly "Okay" "Alright" "Sure thing" everyone agreed.

Jake cleared his throat before speaking then shared "It won't be an easy task but we should try capturing a higher ranked Apprentice and maybe in the top ten, put him up for questioning until he or she cracks..."

"Its an idea but a risky one and those guys are very loyal too it would take awhile to get them to speak up" Ron added without complaint, Jake looked as if he were surprised by the response "Didn't think you'd agree... anyways what about you guys?"

She was never too sure about the Apprentices, she had seen a lot of them in her on going career in the resistance.. they were always so unpredictable but what else did they have on their plate to chow? Nothing. "Its better than nothing" "Agreed"

"Good lets ask the others." She followed Jake out the door while everyone else was still sitting in the room to talk to him face to face. "Look.. Jake I've been around these evil bastards many times and even though their mind less tools that follow every order given to them I've seen them go far and beyond just to accomplish their commands, one of them is to kill us and..."

Jake calmly hushed her "I know that Catherine but don't forget that we have our own objectives don't to mention that we're the one's who actually have minds of our own which is a lot more powerful than what they have which is... nothing..." as he finished his sentence he turned around and made his way to inform the others.

It was a good idea but you could never be too sure when you confronted one of them, they'd not only play with you psychically but torture you mentally and she didn't want that to happen to anyone... especially her comrade.

Even if he was the chosen one he wasn't trained enough to take it even she wouldn't be able to and she's been an SH since the age of 10 which had been 9 years now. Her father never wanted it that way... but at the time it was the only way for him to keep her alive. She remembered everything...

9 years ago...

It was a dark night and the french resistance had just recently recruited more members from a small town on France's country side, she couldn't remember the name at all but she never wanted to know the name of it anyway. The resistance was quietly sneaking through the corn fields toward a barn that they used as a hide out.

"Dad when are we going to eat?" Catherine tugged at her father's sleeve. He looked down at her with a smile and told her "Very soon my little girl we are getting close to home"

The great man who was her father Francis reached down to hold her hand. "Okay" She said cheerfully and lightly grabbed it.

Back then... well still she never really had a real home since they always moved from place to place with the resistance. She rarely had any friends either.. the only person she really ever shared her feelings was with her dad.

"Well mate you sure are treating that cute gal like a princess" The tall Australian man who's name was Buck was also an SH but well... he wasn't around either. He scratched the top of her head messing up her well comb black hair but she welcomed it with a playful giggle.

He was also another one of her friends as well as her Dads and his comrade in the resistance. "Have you seen anything?" "No" While they both chattered about the usual resistance stuff she liked to call "boring talk" back then she looked up at the night sky full of bright stars.

Trying to connect the stars to make bunny's and flowers she liked to make up her own instead looking for the recorded constellations like the big dipper. She was so absorbed with looking up at the night sky that was all she could remember from till this day at that moment was nothing but the stars in the sky and her walking along her father...

Even up to now when she looked up in today's stars she would think about that peaceful moment with her dad. With nothing to fear as her mentor and protector guided her through the darkness with only the beautiful blazing white lights hovering around the roof of darkness to help shine down on their path their way to safety.

And then it happened...

A red flare not fired from them but from the enemy shot up the air over them. "Get down!" Her father grabbed hold her and laid on top as gun fire from all directions slaughtered men and women one by one.

She was not only scared but horrified as the loud crackles of automatic weapons burst in the air made her ears ring. She wanted it to all stop all she wanted was to have peace again... she closed her eyes were closed trying to escape from reality while the tears ran down her cheeks.

"Make it stop... make it stop... make it stop... make stop..." she said over and over. She must had said it loud enough for her father to hear. She could feel the lovable man become anger and hateful then came out his side she never liked and before he left her side he told her. "Stay right here and keep those eyes closed you don't want to seem me this way."

She felt him get up from where he laid with her and moved. The last thing she heard were French troops shouting out orders... then screaming in pain. "No! No please! I have a Fam!" The French men was silenced following with the sound of gushing blood.

She cried more and more while listening to the unavoidable screams of death while trying the best she could to go away to another world another than her own. The concentration was broken when she felt a sharp by her shoulder. When she reached up to touch it was wet and sticking and stung even more as time passed. Finally she disobeyed and opened her eyes to see she had been shot.

At first site she began to panic, the feeling of her wound felt worse as well. The bullet that had pierced her left shoulder leaving a good sized hole in her shirt with a dripping blood stain that ran down her whole torso.

Then she made the mistake of looking back up to see the battle that had begun. Her eyes widened with shock while watching people dying left and right armed and not armed falling to the ground silently or with a thud.

"Catherine!" She looked over to where the familiar voice called her to see it was her father. He was standing above her with his yellow glowing eyes staring down at me with worry. "Just stay calm everything will be alright"

Before she knew it she became dizzy and numb then... fell over onto the ground face up. The world to her turned into a muffled mute. "Dad" She groaned in pain. He was talking to her while trying to put pressure on her wound but she couldn't make out a single word.

So this was what dying was like, looked a lot more dramatic on the movies she watched. Her dad didn't focus on anything around him but her. Well if she were to die right here at least it would be next to the person she dearly loved with all her heart... her mentor and protector.

Her body felt even weaker as the environment around began to darken and close around her. She looked up to take a glance up at the stars for one last moment. Dying under the stars ain't that bad after all...

Just as she thought she'd would slip away into eternal darkness a swift movement with a gleaming object lifted up into the air caught her eye. She turned her head toward her father who was now holding a medical needle. What was he doing? Then unexpectedly thrust it into her chest and injected the serum.

From there Catherine couldn't remember much but knew she woke back up at the barn where the resistance had been hiding out that day and headed out. It wasn't until a later age when her father told her what really happened that night and trained her how to use it or even activate the SH that flowed in through her blood stream.

At that moment Catherine came back to reality realizing she had still been leaning up against the doorway where Jake departed. "Hey you alright?" a voice who she knew was Ron's asked her.

"Yeah I'm just fine" Let's hope this idea of Jake's will go into full blast and work.