Manhunt

Chapter 15

"Put those on as we get closer to where we need to be. I've sent you all the coordinates of where the drop will occur." Red instructed before slinking into the darkness, motioning her trainees to follow. She strayed from streets that contained any light, and the only illumination afforded to them was the moon above.

They crept towards an ally way while pressing themselves against the back walls of hotels and clubs, repeatedly scanning the area so they wouldn't have any surprise guests visiting them during the mission. It could end up in a violent blood bath, and if their enemies happened to increase to the point that they were outnumbered, it would spell disaster. Within minutes, they reached a series of long, connected apartments that were only one floor high. When Red abruptly stopped, they did the same.

"Isaiah, Bryan, and Michelle—I need you guys to scale the walls and travel through the roof tops." Red whispered in the dark. "While you do that, Julia, Steven, and I will cover lower ground area." She lofted her hand and her finger pointed to a larger ally way about 300 feet away from where they stood, indicating the location of where the mission would be held and where they should meet. Isaiah's group swiftly disappeared behind a tight opening once they slid their masks on.

Once their masks were in place, Julia's group took off, making sure to travel in the shadows to prevent any wondering bystanders from spotting them. A group of people dressed completely in black were too suspicious even for this kind of area, much less with the kind of masks they were wearing.

Walking down the path, Julia started to notice Red hovering closer to her.

"I need a word with you." Red spoke in a hushed tone. Julia nodded just as she heard Steven shuffle away from them, slowing down so he could be a few feet behind.

"What's up?"

"That rose...it's not the first time that your parents and the agency have seen it." She began, her voice level and cool. Julia's forehead wrinkled in thought. She had suspected it since the day she had first displayed the rose to her parents, but to receive confirmation not just from her parents, but from Red as well settled things. "The very first time was sometime after you were born, when your parents and I were part of a mission group. I'll spare you the details on how we found it for another day." Red inhaled deeply before continuing. "Your father already explained to you about Mortifer, correct?"

"Where the assassins that leave those roses behind are from."

"Right." Red paused, seemingly contemplating something with parted lips before continuing. "I'll just be straight with you, Julia. We've been watching Zane Martin after your first encounter with the rose." She confessed, observing Julia halting her steps. Julia's heart thudded against her chest, anxious to hear what Red had to share.

"And?"

"We looked into him," she explained, watching Julia carefully. "The series of events was too glaring to ignore. He arrived at your school the same day that accident in the art room occurred, making him a prime suspect." Julia hadn't told her or her parents that Zane had openly confessed to being an agent, and that she had tried to fight him. As far as her parents knew, Julia made an assumption that he was just last night. He had pleaded not guilty, and she'd believed him.

"Zane's the enemy now?" Julia asked in a whisper, her voice cracking. He had tried so hard to convince her that he was innocent. Even hugged her when things had settled down. She couldn't believe he'd betray her trust like that. She closed her eyes and shook her head, irritated with her line of thinking. Look at me...I don't know the guy for even a week, and I'm already trying to defend him. She should have known he was involved.

"No. After running a check on him, we found that he's an ally agent from Solaris." Red replied, prompting Julia's head to snap up at her in shock. "Over a month before Zane came to your school, one of the higher ups received a bundle of blood-stained roses during a mission. It's possible that Mortifer used Zane's status to create a coincidence that would cause us to think of him as the enemy. If we can gain access to student files, then so can they."