Hello everyone! Thanks for the follows and favorites and the two reviews! Here is the next chapter to this story. Sorry it took me so long to start writing this fic again, I just lost my inspiration after my last laptop crashed and took all of my written chapters with it. I'm not sure of the right name of the restaurant I know that there is definitely 'erfish' in it so I improvised. Enjoy and review.
CHAPTER FIVE
I was sitting in the very back of the red SUV while Jackson drove and Mitch sat in the front passenger seat with Jamie, Abe and Chloe sitting in the backseat. I was quiet happy with my seat as I got the nice space to myself, bar that of our various backpacks which took up some space.
"Look I don't want to be a buzzkill but it's about 7,000 miles to Zambia. It's gonna to take more than a Police scanner and some backroads to get us there." Mitch said. I snickered as Abe replied, "You're right…don't be a buzzkill. One thing at a time."
"Hey, listen. Do you guy's hear that?" Jamie asked rolling down her window, I moved up onto my knees and came up right behind her, looking out her window as well, listening. The birds sounded strange, like a grating kind of scream. Not something I had heard from any kind of bird before.
"Yup. We've been hearing it all day. Different species of birds all making the exact same noise." Mitch said. I hummed quietly in thought as I stared out Jamie's window at the birds. Jamie rolled up her window as Abe began to speak, "Mitch thinks the birds are developing a common tongue."
"You think the eagles can talk to the finches." Chloe said.
"Can talk to the skua, can talk to the black-headed grosbeak. There are maybe 300 billion birds in the world. Imagine if they could talk to each other." Mitch said.
I felt an ominous chill travel down my spine at the thought, "If that's true, they could send a message around the world and back." Jamie said. I began to chew on my bottom lip as I thought of the damage that the birds had already done with just one species, just imagining if they coordinated with other species of birds the destruction and death that would occur.. I was brought out of my thoughts by Mitch speaking up, "Let's just figure out a way to get to Zambia. Quick."
No one spoke again as we drove the only sound was the strange screeching sound the birds were making. After two hour's we stopped to get food and to let Abe change the back driver side tire which had went flat. The rest of the group stayed at a small restaurant called Wonderfish to eat and work out a plan of movement. I promised Jamie I would be back within the hour and left there were some things I needed especially since we were now by all accounts fugitives in the eyes of the FBI.
As soon as I split off from Jamie and the others I made my way to my private safe house, I had several set up worldwide and I always kept them stocked and ready. "A good thing considering what I've gotten myself into." I muttered to myself as I slipped into the old building and down into the basement. After getting through all of my security measures I entered the large room which had only the bathroom in an enclosed space.
I pulled out my duffel bag from the large hidden safe in the wall and checked out my weapons. I had to replace the Glock that I had shot into the ceiling at the warehouse with the FBI agent, knowing better then to get caught with anything that could tie me to what would be called 'an assault on a Federal Agent' and possibly, 'an attempt on his life'. Shrugging those thoughts away as I didn't have time for them I stripped down and then began to place various knives, throwing stars then I pulled on a black tank-top and put on my special-order strap that held my twin daggers in an upside-down position in the center of my back as well as two fully loaded Smith and Wesson's up just above my shoulder blades with three extra clips on both sides.
Then I strapped a small revolver to my left calf before pulling on a pair of black and green combat pants. I pulled on my black military boots and tied them quickly before slipping a covered small throwing knife in each of them on the inside of my ankles. I opened another safe, this one hidden under my bed and pulled out the TeleDart RD706 with a small case of animal darts knowing Jackson or Abe would like it. After pulling on an overly large hooded zip up sweater to hide my weapons for now I put two daggers in the small pockets I had made for them that connected to the hand pockets on the outside of the sweater.
I put several daggers and small hand gun's as well as some fireworks, flash grenades, teargas grenades and flares into a duffel bag, wrapping them all in various articles of clothing that I would need and share with Jamie and Chloe if they needed clothes.
Just before I left I remembered to grab my backpack from the bathroom, I called it my 'ghost' bag because it held everything I would need to disappear for several months at a time. Finally ready I left locking it up and heading back to Wonderfish to meet up with Jamie and the others. I got there just in time to see everyone starting to climb back into the SUV.
I just got close enough to hear Jackson say, "Let's go to Clearwater." I gently put my bags into the trunk of the SUV while asking, "Why?"
"In Clearwater, there's a way to get back to Africa." Jackson replied turning towards me as I hopped into the trunk and shut the back after me.
"What's in Clearwater?" Jamie asked.
"Oh no, you're thinking about Ray aren't you?" Abe said sounding disturbed. I felt my eyebrows raise involuntarily at the disgust that was put into the name 'ray'.
"Yes I am." Jackson said looking proud of himself but in a bit of pain at the same time.
"No. Not that. Not Ray." Abe replied shaking his head his eyes seemed to plead with Jackson to be joking.
"Who's Ray?" Jamie and I asked at the same time, curious about the person.
Abe and Jackson exchanged a glance before Abe sighed and shook his head, "He's a nightmare."
"So I guess were going to Clearwater, Florida then?" I asked pulling a cup of fries out of one of the bags that had been set down in the back seat.
Once we reached Florida it was decided that Jamie, Mitch and myself would book two twin bed room's in a hotel and wait for Chloe, Abe and Jackson to go find this Ray guy and see if he would help us. As we waited I got bored with waiting and went out to buy myself a few packs of cigarettes and a few more Zippo lighters and some lighter fluid just in case I ran out.
When I got back to the room I entered to hear, " – interfering with poachers. That's how Abe and I met him." Jackson said. I put my things into my backpack leaving out only one pack of cigarettes as I already had a Zippo lighter on hand.
"He's crazy." Abe said from where he was leaning against the door that connected the two rooms we had gotten.
"He's not crazy. He's…he just….he's just not uncrazy." Jackson said. I walked up behind Jamie and tossed my arms around her shoulders leaning against her back as I smirked at Jackson, "Sounds like someone I would love to meet." I said.
"His group calls themselves the Free Animal Rights Militia." Chloe said as she read from her laptop."
"F.A.R.M. That's …. cleaver." Mitch said sarcasm dripping from his words and facial expression.
"I've dealt with these kinds of people before, they're zealots. Don't know the first thing about animal welfare." Mitch continued as he opened a beer and took a drink.
"Not to mention some of us are already wanted by the Police. Maybe committing another crime doesn't help our case." Jamie said. I nodded in agreement with her words before I stood up straight and went over to grab a beer for myself before plopping down on the couch.
"Well I agree but we've got to get out of here and we've got to get out of here fast." Jackson said. I took a swig of my beer as I waited for the final conclusion to come.
"I admit okay? Ray…ray can be a bit of a loose cannon. Okay maybe more then a bit but everything he has ever done has been for the animals." Jackson said as we all contemplated what to do.
"Look, I know desperate times call for desperate measures .. but this isn't desperate. This is ..reckless." Abe said trying to convince us.
"I understand your reservations Abraham but I'm with Jackson. I don't really think we have a better option." Chloe said.
"Look, no offense Chloe but you don't know Ray Endicott." Abe said. I choked on the sip of beer I had just taken.
"Did you say Endicott?" I asked coughing a bit as the beer went down the wrong tube. Abe nodded and I stood up, "I'm gonna go…have a smoke." I said leaving the room with my beer in hand feeling slightly dazed. "Seriously Ray Endicott…oh irony how you come full circle." I muttered under my breath as I walked down the hall and walked up the stairs to the roof finishing off my beer halfway up the steps.
Lost in my thoughts I reacted instinctively to the threat of someone approaching me from behind. I had them down on the rooftop with a knife to their throat while my other hand pulled their head up by their hair exposing their neck to my blade as I had them down face first on the rooftop. I nearly nicked their neck when their identity registered in my mind at the same time they said my name, "Jupiter!"
"Mitch. Sorry I just…well I'm a bit on edge." I said standing up and putting away the knife holding out my hand as he rolled over to help him up. He accepted it and I pulled him to his feet, "Well at least I know never to go against you." He said rubbing his neck. I gave him a grin and then walked back over to where I had been standing, pouting a bit at my unfinished cigarette had fallen to the rooftop. I smooshed it before putting it in my empty beer can and decided against lighting another.
"So what's been decided?" I asked having a feeling that I already knew what had happened.
"The Police put our names and pictures out on TV so we've decided that our only option is to help this Ray guy." Mitch replied taking a sip of his beer.
"Oh." I said nodding as I leaned against the rooftop wall threading my hands together as I looked out at the city sights, not really seeing them.
"So…you know this guy? Endicott?" Mitch asked curiously. I let my head fall forward as I let out a deep sigh, "Yeah.." I replied softly.
Mitch didn't press it and after a few minutes we went back down to our rooms where I was told what was happening and then asked how exactly I knew Ray Endicott. Sighing I pinched the bridge of my nose trying to stave off the headache that always came when I thought about Endicott. "Really all I can tell you is that when he was a Marine he…made some choices that were questionable and had repercussions that I was personally involved in stopping. We met once and I put him in the hospital. We were both wrote up for the incident however my superiors agreed with me and my actions as his actions had caused…several things to happen…..needless to say it's probably best if he doesn't know about me until the last possible minute otherwise he might not help us no matter what." I said.
There was silence for a minute before it was unanimously agreed that while everyone else would go meet up with Ray I would wait for Jamie to call me and tell me where to meet up with them when they were done helping Ray. I left my duffel bag and backpacks in the SUV and pulled my hood up to cover my face as I took a walk waiting for the call I knew wouldn't be coming for hours.
Twelve hours later on my way to meet up with Jamie and the others I was sporting white gauze wrapped neatly over three additional tattoos, a pair of full red lips with a white skull and bones in the center of the full lips which was placed on a horizontal tilt on my right shoulder blade. The second tattoo was the Warrior Ethos which I had placed on my left bicep in black ink in cursive, each line starting with a capital letter and ending with a period before moving down. The last tattoo was a black, silver and white tiger that had turquoise eyes that held purple flames standing over several piled-up skeletons it's bared teeth had a touch of dark red on them, it was on my right bicep and it had taken the longest to get done the tattoo artist would have preferred to do it over a few days however I paid him well to do it within a few hours so he didn't complain.
Jamie met me outside of the abandoned warehouse and explained what had happened before leading me into the building and down to the others. As I walked down the steps behind Jamie I heard Jackson saying,
"We had no other options, Mitch. None."
"People got shot, Jackson. By masked gunmen. We were among those masked gunmen." Mitch said, I could hear his turmoil through his voice.
"Well at least you got your electroporator." Jackson replied with a tight half smile on his face.
"Ray's still out huh?" Jamie asked as we walked over to them where they standing at a table close to Ray's sleeping body.
"Yep and I say we leave him." Mitch replied zipping up the bag he had been packing.
"We're not leaving the guy okay? He's hurt." Jackson said gesturing to where Ray was laying bandaged up.
"I'm a veterinarian. I didn't take the Hippocratic Oath." Mitch said before he turned and walked away. I felt my lips twitch as I smirked at his comment, however not wanting to draw any ire from Jamie I kept my face as straight as I could as she looked at Jackson first and then at me. I knew that look on her face and held up my hands,
"It's hard enough being a fugitive in a group never mind taking care of a wounded guy who's an outsider of the group." I said before turning and walking up the stairs close behind Mitch. I nodded to Chloe upon seeing her and she gave me a nod back as she and the others finished packing up their stuff.
As we walked around the front of a large truck Jamie spoke up, "Are we really just gonna leave him here?"
"Could put a bow on him. Leave him in front of a police station." Mitch said I silently agreed with that idea as I walked in-between Mitch and Jamie as we all spread out in a vertical line as we walked towards the SUV. I was a few steps ahead of the others as I wanted to make sure everything in my duffel bag and backpacks was still untouched. Behind me I heard,
"We'll call an ambulance once we get to the airplane. Then we'll call the zoo, tell 'em where they can find their animals." Jackson said as I searched inside of my sweater pockets and pulled out the small package of mini peppermint paddies I had picked up while waiting for Jamie's call. I opened the trunk of the SUV and zipped open my duffel bag immediately starting to check everything out as I opened the package and popped one in my mouth, putting it under my tongue to let the chocolate melt a bit.
"And to use extreme caution when approaching them." Chloe said adding it to the end of Jackson's sentence as they got closer and I found everything to be in place in my duffel bag.
An instinct called me to pull out one of the Glocks I had hidden in my duffel bag I pulled it out and cocked it just as I heard the annoying voice of one Ray Endicott speak up.
"Hold on everybody."
I glanced up staying hidden behind the SUV as I waited for the opportune moment to make my presence known as Jamie, Mitch, Jackson and Chloe turned around to meet Ray head on.
Jackson spoke up, "Seriously, Ray? What is it with you guy's and guns?"
"Well my charm only gets me so far pal. Where's Anissa?" Ray asked getting closer to the four I kept my breathing even as I watched and listen to everything transpire.
"She's with Abe. They went to the plane." Jackson said.
"Good. Let's go get 'em then. It is my plane, after all. " Ray replied waving the gun in a gesturing motion.
"Fine. Come on." Jackson replied and everyone started to turn to head back towards me and the SUV.
"No, no, no. No. The plan abides. We're taking the animals." Ray said.
Chloe spoke up, "We can't."
"Sure we can." Ray replied emphasizing his words.
Chloe shook her head, "No, it's impossible. Something is wrong with them."
"And we can make it right by setting them free. So get in the truck, and let's go to Africa." Ray said his voice starting to get louder as he became more emotionally unhinged as his pain was getting to him. Not wanting him to have a weapon near my sister regardless but especially when emotionally unstable.
The Glock raised as I peeked my head around the SUV and called out, "Ray shut up, give the gun to Jackson and either forget about the animals or drive them yourself and risk dying and killing them to as well as other innocent people when you faint of blood loss."
"Menhit?" Ray called out. I held the Glock up steadily and stepped out from behind the SUV.
"Give the gun to one of the four in front of you now Endicott." I replied firmly, keeping my emotions on a tight leash as I kept my focus solely on Ray. Ray's eyes told of his anger and determination however as he knew he was wounded and I had a clear shot of him he handed his gun over to Jackson.
"Look, we already got the animals let's just take them along as well." Jamie said. With the gun safely out of Ray's reach I lowered my own and shrugged.
"Whatever you guys want to do is fine with me." I replied.
In the end Jackson, Chloe and Ray rode in the truck with the animals while Jamie and Mitch rode with me in the SUV which I drove to the airport to meet up with Abe.
"Sooo Menhit?" Mitch asked as we drove, I gave him a smile and a side glance,
"I was wondering how long it would take you to ask." I replied before turning onto the rode Jamie instructed me to turn onto.
"Menhit, it's the codename I had in the Seals. It's an Egyptian lioness depicted goddess name. It means she who massacres." I said answering Mitch's earlier question.
"Ah." Mitch replied and then I turned the radio on keeping the volume down enough so I could hear when Jamie gave me instructions as I drove towards the airport.
Jackson, Chloe and Ray were right behind us but suddenly they began to swerve around catching my attention. "Jamie call Chloe now. Somethings wrong." I said watching the truck behind us from my rearview mirror.
Immediately Jamie called Chloe and reported, "The animals are doing something, moving around making the truck go out of line. They don't have control over it!"
"Tell them to stop and get out now! They can ride with us to the airport. Forget the truck and animals!" I said as I began to slow down, Jamie told Chloe and I saw the truck began to stop behind us while Police sirens began to approach.
I pulled to a stop and watched as Chloe, Jackson and Ray hurried out of the truck, somehow the door had come loose and the animals had started to escape the truck, Ray seeing that we couldn't get the animals started running towards the SUV along with Chloe and Jackson. They hopped in and I took off, passing car's as I hurried us towards the airport knowing the police wouldn't be far behind.
"Thankfully the trucks pulled sideways blocking the rode and the police will be busy with the animals for a little while." I said as I speed way past the speed limit getting us to the airport in record timing. We all jumped out and grabbed our things from the back as we hoofed it over to the airplane when we were within range of the plane Jackson began to holler, "Go! Go!"
We all ran up the plane and Jackson hollered to Abe who was piloting us, "Hey! Go! Go!"
"Hold on!" Abe hollered as the plane began to move.
"Do you know how to fly a plane?" Abe asked me as I went up to the front with him.
"Yeah but don't ask me for a license." I told him as I sat down in the co-piolet seat and after putting my duffel bag and two backpacks at my feet I began to help him out.
"No! NO!" I heard Chloe yell from behind as we started moving rapidly down the airstrip getting ready to take off.
"Chloe!" I heard Jackson holler at the same time Ray hollered, "Anissa!"
I didn't know what happened until we were up in the air and on our way to Africa, Jamie came up beside me and Abe and told us in a quiet voice what had happened, Abe and I exchanged a glance and then continued our work in silence.