Chapter 2

Alex

The call coming in was from someone Alex had never intended to deal with again. He only answered out of duty. There was a small chance an old favor was finally being called in. He didn’t like the idea of General McNamara knowing where he was, possessing his new encoded phone number, or ruining his short vacation. The quick call explained enough to get Alex on a flight from Tahoe to a base in Nevada's southern part that wasn’t spoken about or generally considered in the ordinary world.

Getting off the plane, he was searched. He showed all his Army vet identification. Only a slim mark in the barcode hinted at his status as a retired Green Beret. He went through the short but effective process to enter the undisclosed base to be escorted to the General. The favor or job appeared simple: fetch the lost asset in the desert with the complication of a killer trying to tie up loose ends with her death. She worked for a private company with deep ties with the US government and military contracts. He could ID them easily. He had skimmed through the small file sent to him on the flight. She must be a geologist of some note and skill since they allowed her to stay in the desert to hide. Alex could only hope all the live data had arrived so he would have information on who the killer was before hitting the field, making his job more manageable.

The General’s office met the standards Alex expected, overdone and more like a politician’s than a military man. Still, McNamara had a unique history and a long list of friends to keep him in power. The small polite talk ended before it began as McNamara explained the situation as it stood, with one new piece: They had gotten footage of the killer and the bodies. The killer matched the few images of the recent appearance of Thomas Clark, serial killer and ex-military, before his dishonorable discharge. He was on the government and military’s most wanted list, killing people for money across the past decade. He would be going against someone with a similar skillset and fewer morals. The woman, Layla Black, was in definite danger. She had seen him, and no one had lived to tell that tale in years. Thomas Clark was an efficient killer, and now for once, they knew where he was and what he wanted. The orders shifted enough for Alex to get armed and an off-road vehicle to retrieve the woman and hunt down the killer.

Alex took only a short time to change into desert gear, camo, and light Kevlar and then check over the vehicle. The jeep had been loaded with supplies, weapons, water, and food for days, along with the survival gear. The medical supplies were in case Ms. Black was injured. Since she had spent the morning and afternoon on the run, he would be lucky to reach her by the time the sun set. Once she was retrieved, he was to keep off the radar with her to draw out Clark.

Taking the keys, Alex left all personal items within the base. He drove out into a landscape as harsh as the deserts he had been assigned to in the past. The drive gave him time to evaluate the civilian’s data. She was a doctorate student in Vegas, working for a high-end technology firm based in San Francisco. The pull to retrieve her went deep, and the company wanted her back alive. Enough to tug more strings than it took to get permission for her to dig in these restricted areas of Nevada. Alex followed the simple order to get her back and take care of Thomas Clark once located. He would use the woman as leverage to draw Clark out. For once, he agreed with some of his orders. Taking out Clark was critical. He just disliked the ‘by any means necessary,’ especially with the civilian thinking he was there just to get her out, not use her as bait.

Once in the desert, Alex flipped on the GPS tracker given to him by Titan Ki Technology, which had advancements in the fieldwork. It located Ms. Black deep into the mountain range, miles away from her starting point. She was making a good time. They had not found Thomas Clark. He probably didn’t have any technology on him that would leave a trace. Alex left the minor dirt road, utterly off-roading toward Ms. Black. His map tagged him as friendly, adjusting his path toward her to get him there swiftly and safely. Several satellites had been allowed to track through the classified territory.

The rough terrain made speeding impossible, keeping him down to a slower pace than preferred. When he got twenty minutes from Black’s current location, his satellite phone rang. He answered on speaker, loudly over the crunching of rocks.

“Yes, sir?” Alex answered, keeping the rigid politeness ingrained from years of service.

“The updates should have reached you by now. We're thinking heat exhaustion. Layla has slowed given the evening and has been given the code phrase. You will ask her where the rainbow is, and she is to reply with 'Seattle.' Understood, Douglass?”

“Copy that. The question 'Where's the rainbow?' has the answer 'Seattle.' A possible medical issue upon arrival.”

“Correct. We need a confirmation of the footage of the bodies and Thomas Clark. There will be a team sent to retrieve the bodies. You will tag them after retrieving Ms. Black.”

“Understood. I assume I'm to make sure no one else gets to skill set first?”

“Affirmative. Good, you are still swift on the pickup, Major Douglass.”

“Special Agent Douglass. I’m retired, General.”

“We don’t retire. We just pick up different hats.” The line ended. Alex shook his head at the General, knowing he meant it even if he was trying to put his military life behind him. Alex kept the steady drive, changing only when the tracking unit was updated. She had stopped moving, meaning he didn’t have to change. Slowing the jeep, he approached the outcropping near the tail end of the mountain range. He turned off the jeep, the small number of lights barely denting the approaching darkness. He pulled out the medical kit and grabbed a pair of water bottles before holding his gun toward the search of the area. The day had reached nearly one hundred four degrees but was cooling drastically as the sun disappeared behind the stone landscape.

Sauntering toward the spot where she was located, he continued to scan the area around him, seeing the ledges and rocks anyone could hide behind with little skill. He couldn’t make her out before he spoke the code phrase to ease the tension.

“Where is the rainbow?” The statement, the question, echoed for a moment around him before he heard a short sigh.

“Seattle.” Her voice came from within a crevice of rocks, barely audible over the distance between them. He continued to walk toward her hiding place. He stopped once she started to come out from the rocks. She was armed with an oddly shaped hammer and an oversized flashlight. Her dark hair was tied up in a long ponytail, pushed back with a colorful bandana. Her clothing was dust-covered, the typical climbing gear with a tank top, cargo pants that could zip apart, a belt like Batman’s with equipment attached, and several bags carried over her shoulders. Her dark tan skin had been cooking, showing fresh redness and the concern of dehydration and heat exhaustion. She tucked away the flashlight to pull off her sunglasses as she started to approach him. He could see scrapes and bruises, sun and sweat. Once she got close to Alex, she stopped to look him up and down as he had done her. Handing over the water, she took it to slowly drink as he tossed a poncho over her, keeping her from cooling too quickly like the desert had been doing. She was taller than he had expected, nearly six feet. He didn’t associate with teachers and grad students with a lean muscular frame, although she appeared to be both.

“You’re my knight in shining armor?” she asked, tilting her head. He could see her odd-colored eyes. The left eye was a nearly glowing golden amber shade and the right eye a pale husky blue color. It was marked in the file but seeing it up close, and personal was something different.

“I hope not. I don’t have a horse, nor do I know how to joust.” She gave a quirky smirk, finishing the first bottle of water. He handed her the second with a handshake. “I’m Special Agent Alex Douglass, Ms. Black. We need leave here to tag the bodies for the retrieval team and escort you to safety.”

“Just tagging them? We aren’t going to get them ourselves?” she asked, carefully sipping from the second bottle of water.

“Correct, we are not prepared for retrieval, and we need to keep ahead of the killer.”

“Do we know anything about him?”

“We do. His name is Thomas Clark, and he is a professional.”

“Shit.” Muttering to herself, she shifted closer as the sun finished disappearing on the horizon. The chill came suddenly as there was nothing to stop the temperature drop.

“You will be fine. I have plenty of guns, and we just need to go by the bodies before leaving this area.”

“I understand, but it was gruesome.”

“Duly noted, Ms. Black. Come, let’s get into the jeep before the weather continues to chill and check on your vitals.” He gave an arm for her to take. She picked up her remaining supplies and touched the edge of his elbow with a smile. He nodded, escorting her to the back of the jeep. He helped her put her supplies and bags inside, helping her up to sit on the back ledge of the trunk.

Alex started to assess the current damage; Layla didn’t have any broken bones or apparent bleeding from within. She did have scrapes and bruises up and down her skin. Layla handed over the GoPro for him to return to the military, who was waiting for all the data she had gathered. “Do you think I will get it back?”

“Not up to me. It is helpful, the data accrued, but we can keep it off now and turn off the tracking system. I don’t want our new friend to find out there is a way to track you.”

“I don’t think it is, the head units are well known.”

“Agreed, but as a professional, he will find any way to track you. Phones, electronics, whatever, is now game. The logo is distinctive. Even if he doesn’t know them, a few minutes on Google and he will know who you work for, find out who you are, all the basics.” She nodded, swallowing the minor lump rolling up her throat.

“Gotta love the internet age. Everyone can be found.”

“It does make finding someone easy unless they have taken steps to disappear,” he stated. He finishing wrapping her wrist swelling and bandaging several of the oozing cuts. “No need to worry. I am a professional and will keep you safe. He is hunting you; we need him to be gone before you return to normal society.”

“What are you going to, like, do? Kill him or drag him off to jail?”

“I have my orders. I will handle him.” She tensed under his hands. He stopped working on the last bandage to stare up at her strange eyes. Nothing for you to worry about. Let’s get to the bodies to tag them and disappear.”

She gave direction quickly and efficiently using the local landscape to get them around the mountain toward the crime scene.