1:05 am A Novel

Killing Spree

     "It's just Gears," he told Karma as another knock sounded.

     "At 1:05 in the morning?"

     "Gears has no sense of time."

     Rea unlocked his door while behind him Karma loaded one of his pistols. He was going to tell her not to, but a piece of him said to let her be. In fact, her getting armed was a comforting sensation. She probably thought she needed to protect him. She was always saying things like that.

     After a quick glance to check that she was dressed, Rea opened the door.

     Gears stepped into his bedroom and gave an awkward smile at Karma before looking at Rea's bare chest.

     "I'm sorry to wake you, or not wake you if you were..." He looked down at his coat and touched one of the buttons. "I forgot that you could be doing..." Gears stopped again. Rea exhaled with frustration. For a man who was considered a genius, Gears wasn't good with simple things, like talking.

     "We were sleeping, Gears. What'd you want?" Rea closed the door.

     "The power is out in my room."

     Rea reached over and flipped the light switch. No light in their room either.

     Karma rose from the bed and went to the bathroom. He heard the click of the switch, but nothing illumined. Frowning, he pointed to the camera on his computer.

     "That's working. I can read the time, and I can see the hall—" The word died on his lips as the computer screen went dark. The last of the light in the room had disappeared. The room was thrown into complete blackness.

     A sinking feeling settled into his gut. Fletcher was here. There was no question.

     Rea took a deep breath as he tried to quell his frustration. He should've been ready, but here he was, half-dressed and in the dark.

     "Don't panic." Karma's voice was soft next to him.

     He gritted his teeth. "I'm not going to panic. I'm pissed. I should've known he was here. Where the hell is Ken and all the men? Damn it, I should've been ready for this." When Rea paused, Karma cut in.

     "You can't know everything and always be working. You have a life, Rea. We have a life," she ended softly. "And I was telling Gears not to panic, not you," she added.

     Karma grabbed his hand in the dark. He felt the familiar shape of his Glock pressed into his palm.

     Rea nodded. That's what he wanted. A life. He wanted a life where the men did their job, and he was able to do a different job on the base. He wanted a life with Karma in it—him and her cuddling in bed and building a home.

     Was something as simple as that out of his reach?

     No.

     He wanted her and he would figure out a way to keep her. He was going to trust her, and after Fletcher was no longer a threat, Rea would convince her to stay. He would ask her to give up her freedom for him.

     "How did you know that the power was out, Gears? Did someone tell you?" Better to ask Gears about the power so he didn't pour his heart out. There was no way he was going to bare his soul while they were in the dark waiting for an assassin to show himself.

     "I was sleeping, but I knew the power went out when the incubator lights turned off. I was worried about my lizard babies, so I came here to talk to you about it."