Demigods (27 page)

What she did know was that they had truly passed this way, for she could still detect their faint scent. They were heading back to the city, and she now understood just how difficult a task this was going to be. Mirage was very talented, and she would have to approach them when the witch was completely unaware, unless she could somehow separate him from her.

The area would soon be crawling with military units, and local authorities, so Viper vanished into the shadows, and began to make her way in the direction of Ryan’s scent. It was still a long way back to the city, so she quickened her pace to a sprint, never leaving the concealment of darkness.

At first, she stood upright, for there was a text message that she needed to send, and it was rather brief. "T3-E5-L23," was all that it said, and she then put the cell phone back into her pocket.

Now that her hands were free, she dove forward, and in an instant, began to sprint like a cheetah. Although Viper was not quite as fast as one, her endurance would keep the pace for a rather long time, and this was enough to make any cheetah envious.

Such a feat would also make it impossible to believe that she were human, should a police helicopter locate her with their infrared cameras, and surely, they would be looking. It was only a matter of time, yet she had hoped to reach the edge of the city before they ever arrived anywhere near her location.

Ten minutes later, she entered a rural area, and stood upright, while slowing down a great deal. Now she appeared to simply be a late night jogger, and she was certainly too far from where the police or military would be looking for her, if they even believed she had survived the fiery crash.

Before reaching a local gas station, she slipped back into the shadows, and approached it from the rear. So stealthy she was that not even the neighborhood dogs knew that she was present. Only her scent could they detect, but never could they tell from where it came.

Slowly she approached, carefully examining the man that stood by a very fast looking motorcycle, with a small, black backpack in one hand. He seemed to be waiting for someone.

Before leaving Tallahassee, Viper had made a few phone calls to a certain organized crime boss in Seattle. Easily able to hack the FBI's computers, and most secret files, she discovered who he was, and bartered with a commodity more valuable than gold.

Once she had given the crime boss the location of one of the FBI’s bugs, and the name of a low-level informant as a gesture of good faith, she was easily able to get anything that she wanted. Information was all that was needed, and Viper had plenty of it.

The "T" in her text stood for transportation, and the "3" indicated the crotch rocket, while the "E" stood for the equipment that was to be in the backpack. Everything that she needed at the moment was there.

The "L" stood for location, and she was now here to retrieve the things that were owed her.

Stepping from the shadows, she smiled at the man that was there to deliver her things, and naturally, he was instantly enchanted. It was not until she spoke up, however, that he realized who she was.

"I seem to have lost my mittens," Viper told him as she ran her hand across his cheek, and though startled by the discovery, her beauty kept him at ease.

"Everything that you asked for is here," he told her as he handed her the pack, hardly able to blink.

Holding his gaze with her light green eyes, and brilliant smile, she turned to the bike, and began to don the red and black leather pantsuit that had been draped across it. As she did, she detected a slight tingle in the air that came from the seat, and when she had zipped up the suit, she reached beneath it.

"Tell your boss to keep his eyes off of me," she told him as she handed him the tracking device, without ever stepping out of her charm, and then she put on the pack, and mounted the motorcycle.

She could not help but to throw him a wink before pulling up her long, blonde hair, and putting on the matching helmet. All he could do was stare as she began to ride off, but she came to a stop next to a car that had been sitting nearby.

Reaching over her shoulder, Viper pulled a 9mm pistol from the pack, and pointed it at the man that sat behind the wheel. She did not have to tell him what she wanted, and he certainly did not resist.

After she pulled the film from the camera that he had been taking pictures of her with, she handed it back to him, and sped away.

Quickly down the city street she raced, pausing slightly at each intersection, until she found the one where the scent of Ryan’s car traveled to the left. She was only about ten minutes behind them, and was gaining ground fast.

A few more turns, and she soon found her way into a boatyard, where their scent had grown stronger, and she concluded that they were already out of the car. Nonetheless, their scent would give away any place that they might be hiding.

When she would happen upon them, Mirage would surely use her witchery to confuse her, yet Viper had a different approach in store for her. This time, she would vanish into the shadows the moment that she found them, and then she would close her eyes, and begin her meditation.

Shortly thereafter, her mind would be as still as the calmest pond, with nothing for Mirage to detect, and that is when she would begin to stalk them with closed eyes. Her other senses would be her guide, and when the moment arrived, she would steal Ryan's heartbeat before the clever witch could ever realize what had happened.

Soon, Viper came upon the abandoned, black sedan, and was determined that they would not get a chance to escape her within it again.

Reaching into the backpack, she retrieved the pistol once more, and then attached a silencer that she pulled from one of the side pockets. Two shots through the hood disabled the starter, and two more took out both of the right side tires, just to be certain.

Slowly she rolled down the wooden dock, careful to keep a watchful eye for any possible ambush, but never did their scent deviate from the path straight ahead. Every yard brought her closer to the conclusion of this final hunt, and the end of this sacred reckoning.

Finally, the trail veered off to the right, and she rode the slender motorcycle onto the moderate sized yacht. It would be a difficult place for her to carry out her plan, yet not impossible, though something else disturbed her more than this.

The scent seemed to lead directly to the stern of the ship, where there was no place for them to hide, except they were not standing there. For that matter, she could not hear a heartbeat from either of them, and her sense of smell made it clear that they had traveled out into the vast waterway. The missing lifeboat only verified what she had already figured.

Reluctantly, Viper ended her pursuit, for the time being, and out of frustration, she tossed a C4 charge into the sedan on her way out. Hardly did she care what attention the explosion would bring.

Adrift upon the water, the ocean's breeze found its way into Ryan's emotions, and a romantic side had come to the surface. She was the most beautiful creature that he had ever laid eyes upon, and no amount of patriotism would ever be able to erase it.

At first, he tried humor, and though she laughed in a way that accentuated her charm, he could tell that he was not getting inside of her.

Then he tried playfulness, and pretended to accidentally splash her with the salted water, yet she covered her beautiful face before he was even able. She could see everything that he intended to do, and despite his tries, he would never be able to catch her off guard.

Finally, he broke out the big gun, and began to serenade her. He already knew that she would know what song it was that he was about to sing, but he surprised her by how well he could do it, and that delighted him more than anything. Sure, she could see inside of his thoughts, though certain actions could be an unexpected gift.

"When this is over," she giggled, "I will never again look into your mind."

He understood why she needed to do so at this moment, because Viper was not to be trifled with, and he was counting on her to keep him alive. The funny thing, he thought, was that he had never feared any man before, yet now found himself fearing such a petite lady.

All of his life, even in his childhood, he had been conditioned not to fear, but never did such conditioning include ghosts and monsters, and Viper was the worst parts of them both. All she lacked was the ugliness, and he understood that this made her even far more dangerous than anything his childhood fears could imagine.

After such thoughts, Mirage crept slowly upon him, and softly kissed his lips, leading his mind away from anything that caused pain to his heart. She was very good at this, and he found no reason to fight it, though was slightly disappointed when she arose, and told him that it was time to wade into shore.

The next part of the journey was as equally enchanting, as she held firmly to his hand as they made their way to a more populated part of the city. He felt such comfort with her, and told her of things in his childhood that helped shape the man that he was.

"I don't even know why I bother telling you," he told her, "since I’m sure that you already know."

Her reply, however, made him love her even more.

"Seeing your memories and your thoughts might be an easy thing for me," she explained with a smile that accentuated her light blue eyes, "but your emotions are something that I need you to show me."

He was more than happy to oblige, and he turned her to him, and showed her his emotions in the form of his lips upon her own.

When they had reached a place where it was easy to hail a cab, he did so, and though the ride back to the hotel was a bit on the silent side, he did not mind it at all. The way that she had rested her head upon his chest was all the communication that he needed right now.

Once they were back in their room, however, he felt compelled to find some answers, and he began by sending a message on facebook. It was a message that only one other would understand, for this was where he would reach out to an old friend, and he was the one that either knew the answers, or would be able to find them.

Certainly, his phone would tell him that there was a message, and they had set this up long ago. They were professionals, and friends, and they both understood the need to have such a place, for who can you trust.

Soon, he received the response, and although it was in the form that appeared to be a meaningless sentence, it was actually a code. They were numbers hidden in the words, and Ryan knew exactly what to do.

Pulling one of several sim cards that were hidden in a secret compartment in his laptop, he placed it in his phone, and made the call.

"Where are you?" Brandon answered back, and the way that it came straightforward made him realize that his friend was also a part of the hunting of Viper.

"It's best if I don't tell at the moment, since I’m the one she‘s looking for,” he said into the phone, while feeling a little better about actually hearing words from someone on the outside that he trusted, but this person was also the one to believe that he had killed Mirage.

"We’ve got a good lead on Viper," Brandon said, "but it would really help if we knew where you were."

Ryan wanted to tell him, but he understood that Mirage was his best hope for survival, and she made it clear that he should not tell anyone. It was a fight that she had well in control, and he needed to trust her.

He did, but it was not easy, for Ryan was a man that was used to taking care of himself, and he really did not like the idea of a female monster stalking him. This was about as abstract an idea as there could ever be, and there was not any comfort there, except for his sweet Sangmu.

"I really can't tell you right now," he finally answered, holding his breath slightly as he glanced over at her, understanding that she was aware of everything that was going on. "Just be careful, because she’s as evil as they come."

“Aren’t they all,” Brandon replied, having seen many hours of combat. “I’ll send word when we’ve finished the job.”

*            *            *

A little girl lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. It was a ceiling painted black, and it mocked the mood that she often found herself in, for her captor had the blackest of hearts.

Today, however, there would be far less pain than the other days would always bring, for it was her tenth birthday, or so he had told her. It may have been or not, for he would never allow her to keep track of the days, or the hours, but the fact that he had told her so meant that she would have some time alone.

This place was her dungeon, and he had tortured her here for years, making time alone to be the best that she could hope for. She wasn‘t, however, entirely alone.

As she lay there, a small rat climbed up the blanket, and scurried up her leg, to find a spot on her chest. It was dirty gray in color, with beady little brown eyes, and long whiskers that fanned back and forth, as it searched for something to eat.

She reached forward, and began to pet her furry friend, for Abigail had been her only companion since she arrived here so very long ago. As much as she tried, she could not remember life before this place of horror, and could not recall the day that she had first befriended this tiny creature.

Sitting up, she held Abigail close to her as she listened carefully for the sound of the man that delighted in her torment. She was never allowed to set any of her dinner aside, and she always had to eat every bit of it, or she would be punished.

Regardless, she would always manage to keep some back for the only friend that she had, and although it was never the most appetizing of dishes, Abby always seemed to enjoy it more than she did. Tonight it seemed like some sort of liver paté, and she had hidden some of it by smearing it under her computer desk.

After scraping it out from beneath its hiding place, she offered it to her friend, and the little rat seemed to find it far more delightful than she had. For that matter, everything that he brought her seemed to be so very bland, and the fact that Abby would always seem to enjoy it brought her a tiny bit of happiness.

She set the tiny rodent on the desk, and pulled a little more for her to nibble on from beneath it. She was such a precious sight, and a rare smile found its way to the little girl's face.

At this, she pulled up a picture that she had hidden deep within her computer. It was one that she had been working on for quite some time, and to anyone else it would have appeared to be a photograph, yet to her, it was never finished.

It was a place that she could only dream of, with butterflies, and wildflowers that adorned the perfect waterfall. She would often imagine the sounds that she would hear in this perfect place, but never could she imagine such beauty perfectly, and she would often spend much time working on the picture, one pixel at a time.

She looked over at her little friend, who had now finished her little meal, and was wiggling her little nose up at the young Viper, who understood exactly what she wanted.

Leaning forward, she gently rubbed her nose against Abigail's, for that is the way that most mammals show affection. A little kiss from her only friend was the best gift that she could hope for on her tenth birthday.

Just then, she heard him coming. He was still a ways away, though he would definitely be arriving soon, so she grabbed up her furry friend, and lay back down upon her bed.

She held Abigail close, as the sound of him drew near. It was her birthday, and he should not even be coming, though he certainly was, which sent fear throughout her.

She laid as still as she could, stroking her friend from beneath the covers, hoping to keep her hidden from the monster that was surely to enter the room soon.

Abigail, however, seemed to become a bit frightened of his approach as well, and began to struggle from beneath her grasp, but Viper needed to protect her. He was the evil man, and he would probably eat her head if he found her.

She heard him stop at the door, and as he did, Abby began to struggle even more. It was as though her furry friend had known that he had come to torment her, and Viper did not want her to go through such torture. If it hurt so badly to her, how much more would it hurt to her tiny little friend.

A tear fell down her cheek, as she grasped her little friend by the head, and twisted it until she felt it snap. Abigail was her friend, and because of this, she would never allow him to hurt her. She was free now, yet he tormented her more by never opening the door.

She swore that she could hear laughter in his heartbeat as he walked away from her door, and she then swore that he would someday pay for the death of her precious little friend.

Then Viper awoke upon the bed in her hotel room. It would have been called a nightmare, but Viper did not have normal dreams. She only needed an hour of sleep each night, and what would be called dreams where always lucid memories.

*            *            *

Tiny little pebbles lay upon the rooftops, and Shin Tzu could have placed himself there, but wouldn't that be obvious?

The garage across the street would have also been obvious, which is why he made certain that someone was there. He was a star pupil, but certainly not the only one near by, for there were three more in various places.

His design was to allow her to encounter as many obstacles as he could think of, in order to get her distracted for just a moment, and that would be the moment that he would end Viper’s life.

To be true, he had been following her across the country. He had not always been there, but he was far more than the US government thought that he was, and he would never allow them to realize it.

His family was the Shojin clan, and they had been hiding in the midst of American society since before the civil war. Nearly three hundred of them existed today, and they had eyes from coast to coast.

Shin Tzu was the grand master, and under normal circumstances, would never be out in the field, but he understood how important this task was. Not only was Viper inhumanly deadly, but he was on her primary target list. If he did not get her first, she would eventually discover that he was not actually the one that she had found dead in the woods.

He sat there on the bench for a time, knowing that she should be coming soon, yet she was late, and this made him rather uncomfortable. She had requested an SUV, with a cargo of surveillance equipment, as well as an assortment of weapons, and other various devices, but it had been sitting there for twenty minutes.

Finally, she pulled up on the motorcycle, but when she dismounted, not one of his people attacked her. If she had gotten to them, why would she have then left, only to return?

He folded the paper that he had been pretending to read, but before he could stand, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck. Suddenly he found that he was incapable of moving at all, for she had paralyzed him with a narrow blade, and now wrapped her arms around him, preventing him from falling over.

"You can't believe how delighted I am to find you alive," Viper told him as she placed a tender kiss upon his cheek. "I felt a little empty thinking that I wouldn’t be able to kill you myself."

"If you kill me," he told her, "then my clan will be looking to make you their new master, and I hope that you will accept."

After a brief pause, she looked him in the eyes, and smiled.

"There is nothing that I would ever want from you," she growled at him right before she snapped his neck, and laid him down gently on the bench. “I detest everything about you.”

She stepped up to the curb, as her stand-in pulled up in the vehicle, and stepped out. Removing the helmet revealed that she was a brunette as petite as Viper, who rewarded her with a passionate kiss before sending her on her way. Perhaps when her business was finished, she would give her a call before leaving the city.

Pulling away, Viper headed for an abandoned warehouse where she would stash her new toys. She had not decided where she was going to use them, and to do so would be a little premature, considering that she needed to first find her prey. Where they were hiding would as much determine how she would proceed as anything else, and she would not allow them to escape her a second time.