Code Name: Hunter
- The rugged black cell phone sat between him and Petras. Degare drove through the city he once knew like the back of his hand. Why did he suddenly jump in his car to do a bit of hunting himself? Well he couldn’t recall the exact neuron that made him jump for his keys, slip on a polo shirt and his shoes. But, he did remember the moment Petras silently slipped into the car besides him. Petras bought along with him two of the latest taser weapons they were small like a 22. Magnum. The Lithuania always believed in having protection and this was the only weapon they would use on the terrorists in the city. If they had been outside of the city limits, there would have been no ends to the weapons they could use on their enemies. But, these were people that could be used and recruited. These were their people and even though they resisted they were still useful. Degare turned the wheel as he drove by the city. Things had changed since he was a child. During those years they had been on the brink of destruction so near the end even the land could feel it. Now, there was no question destruction was at their door steps; in fact it was there. The place of his childhood was almost gone, which was perhaps best since most of his memories were gone as well.
The more they drove the more obvious it became that there were still a few places he recalled; some memories weren’t as distant as he wanted them to be. Land markers taunted him with the sound of young voices struggling to exist to survive. The car nearly came to a halt. Degare swore he saw a young man collecting children in a narrow alley way shearing with them food that had been stolen. There were so many hands, so many eyes such hunger. While Petras wondered just what was going on with Degare he did not speak a word. This was the place where Hunter had lived before he came into the program. And, if there was one thing Petras knew, it was that the past had a habit of grabbing you, especially when you were prepared for it. He watched the area around them and waited for Hunter to collect himself. The man would allow the past to enchant him but he would not be captured by it. Hunter, Degare was too cold for that now too calculated. The past was nothing, but the present held possibility for everything. They were words Degare himself spoke to his men and they were words he lived by.
There was no subtle shift of movement from Petras that distracted Degare. It was more his accepting silence that bought the man out of his stupor. Degare turned from the narrow alleyway of his past and continued on. There was no reason to look back; he knew there was nothing there but his own ghosts. And, they were battles he already wagged. They were wars he wagged and won long ago. Besides these were not the same streets from his childhood nor was he a young boy looking to survive. No, that young boy had been trained into the warrior that drove the black Mercedes with hands that were covered with the blood of his enemies even in their present clean state. He was a warrior and a defender of the strong; in this world it was no longer the weak that needed protection. Degare didn’t allow himself to think of the change he had made; the way his life transitioned from being the weak to protecting the strong. There were simply some thoughts you didn’t bask in, some thoughts you didn’t hold onto.
Nearly two hours passed since Petras made the call; he had yet to hear back from any of his men. Degare would say that it was when sixty minutes pass with still no word that spun him into action. But, it was not that. He could have done more damage breaking into the computer system, but he stopped his work on the system to find this woman. Within the hour at the computer her had not been able to get any information by hacking into the system. Whatever the reason for capturing this woman it was indeed top secret. There were too many people that didn’t know about this mission, too many people that should have been alerted that weren’t. It made him believe there had been no internet information passed about on this mission. And, what could be more dangerous than a mission that consisted of meetings held in person where no trail could be followed? This woman was something special and he wanted to know first hand what he was dealing with. Could he use this woman to his own advantage? That was really what it was all about. If there was something going on with the government and his possible termination then he wanted the best advantage he could get, which could very well be found with this woman.
Degare wanted to believe he was being paranoid, but he didn’t believe that. There was something going on even Petras picked up on it from reading the orders. It was always best to have a second opinion and his was telling him that he was right in his assumptions, there was something going on that was bigger than their small group. It could be that they were planning something on the boarder that they knew Degare and his group would not stand for. Petras offered him that suggestion on their way in town. And, Degare had not thought about it seriously. While it was possible, it all seemed to personal for him. Why would he be selected out of all of the people that had training in such areas? He was not use to dealing with these situations. No one in his group had been trained for such conditions. They were trained to exterminate. You never called them in to soften matters, they were the cleaners. This didn’t make sense, but he would get to the bottom of it all by the weeks end, so he believed.
In the night, I hear 'em talk
The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul
Kanye West, he didn’t know why he had the song as his ring tone other than it seemed to suit him perfectly. It was and old song but it seemed so right, seemed to depict everything about him. Degare looked down at his phone and as usual waited for the second ring. After the second ring he picked up the cell phone and braced it between his shoulder and cheek, “ what do you have for me?” Degare knew it could only be one of his crew. They were the only ones that had this number. Well not the only ones, but they were the only people that would call the number.
It was Hok’ee on the other land. Hok’ee’s ancestors were said to be the first natives on the land they all called home. Native Americans they were once called. Now, they were all a nation of Mercs there was no one better than the other. In a time of crisis when they were all fighting to stay alive there was no division of race. Where Degare was a born hunter, Hok’ee excelled in tracking and analyzing the next move. It was that very skill that saved them all more than once. He managed to save them from a few well organized captures. His skill also helped prevent their location from being taken , he prevented invasions that would have been worse than this simple scramble for control that occurred in the inner city. He didn’t have to say it but he did find it surprising they were on a mission that belittled the training they had. Hok’ee would not be the one to say it no. He was too humble. Unlike the others, he took things as they came and believed in a higher power, fate, destiny.
“ I’ve been watching this particular pharmacy. There hasn’t been much activity until about ten minutes ago. This man was a bit too calm to calculated as if he was trying to throw off anyone that might have been looking for him. It may be nothing….but it may be something worth looking into. It might eventually lead us to our prey.”
Petras had filled the crew in on what was going on. He transmitted to them as much information he could in the small window frame of time Degare gave to him. Where there groans? Possibly over the delay of warm women underneath them but at the news of a mission? No there were no complaints there. The men liked to keep active. It was a curse and a blessing. The more active they were the least likely they would be haunted by the things of their past. Things they had done, missions they accepted and lives they were forced to take in the name of patriotism. Nightmares couldn’t handle you if you never slept. It was a silent motto a creed of theirs, so they never slept. Too many times, they watched good men loose their minds to sleep. They lost the battle with the evils of their own hands in their sleep.
“ What’s the location?”
“ Already uploaded the map to your phone. We’ll keep an eye on the target until you get here…if movement occurs I’ll keep you up to date through phone notices.”
“ Don’t let him out of your site. Heading your way currently.” Degare took the phone for his ear and shifted to the new ifnromation that was sent to him, “ fifteen minutes tops. Bringing Petras…keep Siyu updated.”
“ Dove is in position with target in plain site.”
“ Keep it that way.”
“Clear.”
He didn’t speak until Degare was off of the phone, “ they found something?”
“ Possibly. Nothing concrete, maybe a link to the prey but just a subject for now.”
“ Either he’s with the prey or a diversion. It’s too well organized for them to be able to pick up out someone. What did they say?”
Degare was already thinking along the same lines of Petras’ words. It was how he knew his thoughts were going down the right path. It was that second reassurance that always sealed the deal, “ said the subject was too controlled almost as if he was expecting to be watched. They tracking.”
“ Yeah..good call…they know what their doing. I’ll put my gun on their instincts. This guy knows something. How far are we from the site?”
Good call? When the hell didn’t he make a good call? Degare wondered if Petras thought he was distracted because of the possibility of some secondary scheme going on behind this mission. He knew something was going on, but he was not about to forget all of his training simply because it was possible he was being betrayed. No, if anything he would ensure he had the upper hand in this situation. And, he was making those steps to getting that upper hand. “ Few blocks. We’ll park the car and walk over, maybe stroll into the pharmacy.”
Petras laughed. The hunt was on and hunter was never a shy one. Neither man spoke for the rest of the drive. The sleek black Mercedes pulled up to the curb and the two well dressed men slipped out of the car. Degare set the alarm and they both walked towards the pharmacy. Their entire demeanour changed. They were no longer cold and calculated, in fact they looked like old friends walking through the city. From their clothes, one would think they were apart of the elite of the city. And, they were elite just not in this society. What the men didn’t do was walk in unisons. Petras had a relaxed stroll and though he wasn’t sloppy he didn’t seem to have a care in the world. Degare was another story. He walked with measured steps. And though he seemed relaxed there was an edge to the way he walked. There was power and a hint of the predator that laid beneath in his walk. They walked by Hok’ee and Siyu. Siyu came from a family with of Chinese decent. He was called the dove because his moves were peaceful and if there was a way to bring about peace and resolve a situation he always thought of it. No one would think to call him soft however. The man was a killer born not trained. His hands though filled with compassion were deadly.
The dark haired duo walked towards the pharmacy and the other two moved around back as soon as they walked into the building. Petras moved to talk with the cashier and Degare walked towards the cooler. As he moved he scanned the pharmacy looking for the picture that Hok’ee uploaded to his phone. It was through the glass above the isles Degare spotted him. The man seemed to be picking up a bit too much for himself. And, the products were not manly at all. “ I spy with my little eye…..” Degare moved towards the man. He didn’t care much about cameras, they were not his problem. It was his job to see to his mission and that was what he had come to do.
Never a man to waste time, he walked up to Quinn and touched his shoulder. Degare set a small tracker in the middle of his palm and he pressed it into Quinn’s close when he grabbed his shoulder, “ did you think we wouldn’t notice…or was it her idea? I would hate to have to hunt her down. She should make it easy and turn herself in. This is …her first warning and yours.” The man stiffened under his grip and Degare knew the man would put up a fight if they were to drag him out and in this part of town that might not be the best move for him nor his men. But, with the device in Quinn’s shirt he would at least be able to keep tabs on the man. The man wouldn’t go back to the woman, but he would give her the message and that was what was important. He wanted to spook her out of her hiding place. If she was on the run then she would be easier to find.
Degare knew the man wasn’t going to take being bullied. But, he didn’t expect the quick sweep of the man’s feet. One minute he was standing and the next his knee had been slammed by the man’s foot. His leg dropped out from under him. Degare refused to let go of the man’s shoulder, something Quinn thought he would perhaps be able to get out of. Instead, Degare applied pressure to the man’s shoulder until he was sure he would break the man’s collar bone. As Quinn sank to the ground Degare stood up, “ consider that a lucky shot...next time you won’t be so lucky.” He slammed Quinn’s head against the shelf and then the shopping cart before letting the man fall to the floor. Degare checked to make sure the device was still attached to Quinn. Then with a smile he stepped over the man and walked pass Petras.
From the smile on Degare’s face Petras knew he got the message across. With a smile of his own he followed the man outside and back down the street they came from.
