The Hunted Chapter 4 snippet (100% new writing)

new writing and comments are welcome...

The silence on the other end of her neural link was deafening and it made Kate smile. It wasn’t everyday that she was able to get Reyes at his own game and savoring it would be something she would enjoy. However, in her defense, there was nothing she said that wasn’t true; a leak in Intelligence could be what it took for Kate to join Adams on the list of dead operatives.

Especially when operatives don’t normally live to be old women anyway, she reminded herself.

Kate rounded a corner, hoping for a quiet mission, and she found the internal security. With her enhanced vision, she could see the laser’s crossing the corridors at knee height. More memories from training filled her mind. When faced with security that seems impenetrable, take the time to analyze the situation closely because there was always a weakness. One you found it, her instructors said, exploit it to penetrate the system.

She knelt down and looked at the lasers intently. They were an infrared variety, which meant that they were a combination of motion and heat sensing. Kate found the fact that they chose to combine the two made them particularly nasty, but easy to work around at the same time. Why where they using the two combined instead of separately? Most people when they installed a system similar to this one kept those two functions separate but these people hadn’t, why?

Something is wrong here, she thought, licking her lips.

“Sir,” she thought. “Something isn’t right here.”

“It’s definitely overkill on the security system,” Reyes agreed.

The longer she looked at the security system, the more her stomach tightened into a knot. From the very beginning of this mission, something had been wrong and Kate couldn’t finger it. What was wrong with this situation and how did it affect her?

Maybe the best thing to do is to leave, she thought.

“I’m calling this off, sir,” she said. “I think they’ve made us.”

“It’s your call,” Reyes said. “I’ll stand by it.”

Kate was about to stand up when she heard a pistol click. A chill ran down her spine when the sound registered. Someone had just taken the safety off his or her firearm and it was pointing at her.

How could they see me with my suit on? She wondered. The only people who can see us are fellow Intelligence…

“Ah ****,” she whispered.

“Hello, Kate,” Rachel Adams said behind her with a chuckle.

###

Claudio Reyes couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Rachel Adams was dead! He had seen her bullet-riddled corpse with his own two eyes! How in the name of God was she standing there with a weapon on Almir?

The turn of events had his mind racing in multiple directions. Who had been behind her obviously faked death and why? What was the purpose of her penetrating his organization? Who was Adams working for? All of those questions ran riot in his head while he kept the link between Almir and himself open.

“Don’t do anything,” he thought. “Just do what she says.”

“Of course I won’t,” Almir fired back. “Do you think I have stupid written on my forehead?”

No you don’t, he thought, but I sure as hell might!

Reyes said down heavily in his desk chair and waited for the situation to play itself out. There was nothing he could do to help Almir from here other then send in the back-up agents he had. However, something told him that if that course of action were carried out, Adams would kill Almir.

Damn, he thought in disgust.

###

Kate reached up slowly and killed her camouflage suit. There wasn’t any point in keeping it active when Adams was able to see through its screen. If she was standing behind her right now, then who’s body was it they had found when Adams was ‘killed?’

“Don’t reach for you weapon, Kate,” Adams warned.

“I wouldn’t think of it,” Kate answered.

“Good,” Adams said. “Now stand up and turn around.”

With a sigh, Kate followed Adams’ instructions. She felt like a fool for having been lead by the nose this far. There was no way Andrews could’ve known who she was without Adam’s help and it was obvious who was behind the information Intelligence had gotten too. The question she had in her mind was: what did Adams want with her? Why didn’t she just kill her and get it over with?

“You’re looking well,” Kate said. “For a dead woman.”

“Well you know,” Adams said. “It’s hard looking as good as me.”

“You always were a arrogant bitch,” Kate sighed. “So what’s this all about?”

“Oh I was wanting you to come here,” Adams said. “So we could talk.”

“‘So we could talk,’” Kate parroted. “I’m listening so get on with it.”

“I came to offer you something that doesn’t come to very many people,” Adams said. “A opportunity of a lifetime.”

“And just what is that?”

“Have you ever heard of the Syndicate?” Adams smiled.

“Yes!” Reyes screamed in Kate’s head. “You-“

The admiral’s voice cut off in Kate’s head with a suddenness, which made her wince. Adams reached into a pocket and brought out a portable jamming device. Kate pursed her lips as she realized that no one would now see, or hear, the conversation between the two of them.

“That’s enough of that,” Adams said cheerfully. “No we won’t have any interruptions.”

“Okay,” Kate sighed. “I haven’t heard of this Syndicate…should I have?”

“In our line of work,” Adams said. “You should have.”

“Well I haven’t,”

“No matter,” Adams said. “They know of you and they want you to work for them.”

Kate snorted in contempt and she rolled her eyes at the other woman’s comment. Someone else wanted her to work for him or her? Jesus, she wanted out of Intelligence so why would she want to work for someone else? If the job was exactly the same as hers was now, then she didn’t want it. No thank you, it was nothing personal just a soul-weary exhaustion with killing and death.

“You should hear me out,” Adams said. “Rejecting their offer could have serious consequences.”

“Like what?”

“I’m not at liberty to say,”

“So I’m just supposed to take your word for it and work for these people,” Kate snorted. “Who the hell are they anyway?”

“A league of highly skilled assassins,” Adams said. “Along with bounty hunters and big game hunters.”

“Jesus, Rachel,” Kate said, running a hand down her face. “Don’t you know how goddamned tired I am of killing?”

“But you’re better at it then anyone they have seen in three centuries!”

“The answer is no,” Kate said firmly.

“Do you understand my superiors, and associates,” Adams said. “Won’t be happy with you telling them ‘no?’”

“Do I look like I give a ****?” Kate said, looking at the ground. “I want out of this killing game…not to go work for someone else doing the same damn thing.”

“Ok,” Adams sighed. “I told them that would be your answer but they insisted on me asking anyway.”

“It’s nice to know you understand how I think,” Kate said derisively.

“Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?” Adams said. “My superiors are going to try to get you to change you mind.”

“And you can tell them to screw themselves,” Kate said. “I want out of this game and the answer remains ‘no.’”

“Okay then,” Adams sighed. “I won’t stop you from leaving…you’re free. The security outside were actors…everything was a ruse to get you here to meet me.”

“I’m honored,” Kate said, backing away from Adams, not turning her back on the former agent.

“I’m not going to shoot you in the back, Kate,” Adams said.

“Well,” Kate answered. “You lied about your death, so how do I know you’re not now?”

“Touché’”

Kate disappeared into the night.