Continued from here part 3
Guantanamo Bay, 5 years ago.
NSA agent Bob Thornton sits in a room as a man with a shaggy beard and long unkempt hair is brought in. He is heavily shackled on the wrists, waste and feet. As he sits Bob has a welcoming grin, "Hello, Its Thomas Kane, right? Or do you prefer Tom?"
Kane gave a nod, "Okay then, right to business. Do you know how much we spent to catch you?"
Tom shrugged, "Wasn't my idea."
Bob chuckled a bit before continuing, "We've spent $400,000,000 a year for the last half decade hunting you and the other subjects of project Sparta. That's 2 billion in total, you know how many we've caught?"
He noted Tom's blank stare then sighed a bit, "We've caught 1, and I think we both know that was just dumb luck. You might be a legitimate threat, but you are not worth the money or the man hours and frankly I don't want to spend it again on what will most likely be a fruitless endeavor."
Tom leaned over, "You coming to a point?"
Bob nodded, "I came with a deal for you. I want you to put your skills to work for us. So what I'll do for you is this. You agree we'll just leave the rest of them alone, on the condition that if one goes rogue they become your responsibility. Outside of that you'll basically be an agency unto yourself, there will be oversight of course and you will receive missions.
This is a one time only deal, if you don't take it you'll likely die here."
Tom sat in thought for a moment then looked up, "When do I start?"
***
Golden Roads, present
Joe sits on a bench with Roxie, "Okay, kid. Test time. Joe pointed to the top of a parking structure where he'd sat a small pocket knife, "You have twenty minutes to get up there and bring me back that knife without anyone seeing you."
She looked nervous as she started to walk. She looked back to Joe but he waved her off. He waited until she was out of sight then made his way toward the structure. He stretched up a few flights to a spot where he could keep an eye on her just in case.
After a few minutes she passed him, he stifled a chuckle about being unnoticed but was impressed that thus far he'd been the only one to notice her.
***
After she'd retrieved the knife she came back down two floors when a small crowd of people came in. She quickly hid but one of the people happened to be Agent Kane who'd come to pick up his car. He noticed her scurrying along under a line of cars.
When she thought she was completely unseen she crept out and headed down the stairs when a voice spoke, "You must excel at hide and go seek."
She turned to see Kane. He seemed to recognize her, "Roxanne Collins?"
Her eyes went wide and she bolted. Kane sighed as he jumped the rail and landed on the flight of stairs just below. She surprised him a bit by being able to side step him but he nearly caught up. He was stopped when something grabbed him from behind and tossed him a few feet away.
He stood to see Joe now standing between him and the girl. Kane loosened his tie as he stepped forward, "Milton."
Joe gave a nod, "Kane."
Tom then pulled off his gloves revealing hands that seemed to be made of smooth black crystal. Joe took a fighting stance as Tom spoke, "I'm taking the girl with me."
Joe shrugged a bit, "We'll see."
They charged each other. Kane went for a punch but Joe dodged before wrapping an arm around him and hurling him into a wall. Kane jumped back toward him as Joe stretched out a leg to kick him. Kane grabbed him sending crystal up Joe's leg immobilizing it. He then twisted sending Joe smashing into several cars. As Joe tried to get up Tom slammed him down encasing the rest of his body in crystal.
Tom then walked over to Roxie, "Its okay, your safe now...."
He was cut off by Roxie driving her foot into his crotch. As he keeled over he looked over shocked as Joe broke free of the crystal. He moved to attack again but Joe stretched out and caught both his arms before reeling him in and tangling the rest of Tom's body with his arms, while carefully avoiding the hands.
Tom looked worried as Joe spoke, "She ain't gonna be a lab rat."
Tom's face changed to a look of confusion, "Wait, what?"
Joe's anger faded a bit, "You're not here tracking her?"
Tom became indignant, "I'm here tracking the Indigo Butcher, she's the only living witness and I noticed her out of dumb luck. Why the hell would I be after......Oh, she's a carrier, isn't she?"
He sighed, "I'm sorry but she's the only real lead we have."
Joe loosened up a bit, "I'll save you some trouble, it's Victor Cole. She described him for me, right down to the bayonet scar I gave him back at the Facility."
Joe then squeezed around his neck a bit, "I let you go, you forget you saw her. Hell, I'll even help you get him but she ain't setting foot near any place the task force can grab her."
Kane nodded, "Deal."
***
Lewis came into an interrogation room where he noticed all the recording equipment had been disabled as he sat across from Kane, "What's with the cloak and dagger."
Kane looked up, "I know who the Butcher is."
"Well lets go..."
Kane shook his head, "You've been on this case for months so I figured you had the right to know."
Lewis leaned back, "You had no intention of letting this guy stand trial, did you? Just gonna put him down like some rabid dog."
Kane hushed him, "His name is Victor Cole and if you try to bring him in, you and anyone you bring along to help will die."
Lewis was about to make a joke but the look on Kane's face sent a chill down his spine, "What makes you think you can take him alone?"
"I won't be alone."
Lewis then seemed angered, "And what about that Collins girl?"
"She's safe, but we can't bring her in. The task force would take her."
Lewis dropped his shoulder's, "She's a carrier?"
Kane nodded as he continued, "So if we bring her in to id the guy, she gets rewarded by being a lab rat."
***
Roxie and Joe were in a seedy motel in Lovecraft. She paced the room, "How can you trust that guy, he's a carrier and he works for the government?"
Joe shook his head, "Trust me, Kane is a world class prick but he knows what its like being an experiment and he wouldn't make a kid go through that."
She glared at him, "You obviously don't like the guy, why defend him?"
"Let's just say, he did me a big favor a while back and I owe him."
***
Griffith
A retired Colonel, turned television producer entered his home and noticed his dog laying very still on his doggie bed at the end of the entrance hall of the house. He leaned down to pet him but noticed he didn't move. He was saddened but the dog was old and had no wounds so he assumed it died naturally. He then walked into the living room, "Honey, I have some bad news...."
He stopped as he saw the words, 'Mihi Vindictam' drawn in blood on his wall. He saw his young trophy wife sitting posed on the couch with a blood soaked shirt. He moved toward her but felt an invisible blade at his throat. His last vision was of the naked body of his wife's lover laying just off to the side.
Victor wiped the blood from his blade on the man's shirt and headed out.
(To be continued)
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