"Are you sure?" I looked around where we were.
Alexander and I were currently in the middle of nowhere. There was one single road here and the rest were tree upon trees. After we had breakfast and he showed me the little encrypted message my father had sent, we both took our morning to decipher it using the games that my father played with us years ago and drove a few hours through the rain to our current location. We also made sure to contact Emmaline and Victor to inform them of where we were headed just to let them know we wouldn't be at Headquarters until later.
Lucky for us, the rain stopped a few minutes before we arrived.
Alexander was quiet as he led me a few paces away from where we just abruptly stopped the car in the middle of the road. His face was a blank mask, so different from how he was this morning.
When Alexander stopped moving, I stopped walking to stand next to him. We were standing right in front of a tree; a very thick, tall tree. Alexander stooped down to eye the ground carefully as he slowly walked around the tree.
"The ground doesn't look to be overturned," Alexander commented as he stood up straight once again. Then, he looked upwards and I understood what he meant.
"You think whatever my dad wants us to find is up a tree..." I trailed off as I circled around the tree while looking upwards, trying to see if anything was up there.
He didn't reply as he unbuttoned his suit jacket.
"Wait, I'll go up." I reached out and grabbed his hands to stop him from moving.
Alexander eyed me carefully.
"You're a bit bigger than my dad, who knows if a tree branch will snap or not under your weight. I'll go."
A small frown appeared on his face as he reluctantly agreed.
"Stay and stand guard," I ordered him and turned towards the tree.
Ignoring the amusement radiating off of him, I grabbed one of the thick bottom branches and hulled myself up. Planting both of my feet solidly on the first branch, I glanced around to see if there was anything out of place. However, unable to see anything, I grabbed another branch to climb higher.
"Of course, dad would climb a tree in the middle of nowhere," I grunted as I lifted myself higher, eyes scanning around the entire tree as I did, "to hide something. I mean," a small gasp left my lips as my foot slipped slightly from loose bark, "couldn't he have chosen a safety deposit box or something?"
"See anything?" I heard Alexander's baritone voice from the ground, just barely loud enough for me to hear from up in the tree.
"Not yet." I rolled my eyes as I reached higher. "You'll be the first to know if I did."
I was around fifty feet off the ground when I saw a small, thin black box the size of my index finger stuck solidly into a hole at the root of a thick tree branch. Hooking one arm around a branch to stabilize myself, I reached with my free hand to yank out the box. The little box loosened from the branch as I wiggled it. Getting frustrated and utterly impatient, I gave a tug and the box slipped out and soon it was solidly within my grasp.
"Blades," I called out while carefully making my way down, hoping that I don't slip and unluckily fall the rest of the way downwards.
"Yes?"
"I think I got it," I huffed as I stepped down on another sturdy branch.
When I arrived close enough to the bottom, I jumped and landed on my feet. I gave an exasperated sigh when I saw that Alexander was casually leaning against the tree I was climbing, staring deeply into his phone.
"Hey, Red." I stepped closer and waved the black box I retrieved from up in the trees. "Got it."
Alexander put his phone away and stared at me. I pulled my eyebrows downwards when I didn't understand why he wasn't saying anything nor moving.
"Oh." I raised an eyebrow towards him. "You want me to open it now?"
There was slight irritation that flashed across his eyes and I bit back a smile.
"Sure, okay," I grumbled as I turned the box around for a bit before lifting the lid.
Taking a quick glance up using only my eyes, I saw that Alexander's eyes were solely focused on what I was doing with my hands. I looked back down and saw something that seemed to be a USB flash drive.
"We found it," I muttered in awe. The thing that everyone was looking was for was finally in our hands.
Suddenly, Alexander stiffened. "Do you hear that?" His eyes scanned quickly around the forest to find the source of the sound he must have heard.
I quickly closed the lid and shoved it firmly in my pockets as I too began scanning around the forest. That's when I heard it. The distinct sound of the engine of a car and its wheels rolling across the cement. Since my back was to the road and Alexander was facing it, he must have seen something before I did because before I could blink, he pushed me against the tree so that the tree stood between us and whoever was driving the vehicle on the road. I was about to argue as my back slammed against the thick tree trunk when I heard guns firing and Alexander grunt softly in pain as he took cover behind the tree with me. He pressed himself close enough against me that our chests were touching.
"Red?" My eyes widened as I quickly scanned him over for any bullet wounds and reached for my gun.
Alexander didn't answer me as he quickly got his gun out and flicked off the safety while peeking out from behind the tree to look for whoever just fired against us. Whoever shot at us must have seen Alexander because they fired a few more bullets before pausing.
"You hit, Blades?" I steeled my voice as I got my gun ready in my hands.
"I'm good."
That was an absolute lie.
I looked over him once more and from his unbuttoned coat, I could see a patch of red growing larger near his ribcage. Cursing under my breath, I turned around so that my back was no longer facing the enemy.
"There's one," Alexander whispered as he stopped me from peeking out.
"Sit. Stay. I'll be right back." I told him and before I could do anything, his arm snaked around my waist and gripped me tightly so that I couldn't move.
"Don't. You. Dare." He hissed right next to my ear.
"You're..." I was about to curse but I quickly bit it back, trying to seem a little more calm and civil, "injured. I got it."
"I'm fine." His stance was immovable, voice ice cold.
"Fine," I snapped. Growling at Alexander absolutely pissed, I listened closely to my surroundings, trying to pinpoint where this guy was. There was a crunching of branches on our right and when I looked towards the sound, I saw the tip of a black boot at the root of the thick tree.
"Cover me," I heard Alexander whisper smoothly in my ear. Before I could even protest, he disappeared, giving me no choice but to fire at where the man was hiding to distract him from whatever Alexander was doing.
Whoever the man was, he had his full attention on me, firing rounds after rounds at me.
"Put the gun down." I heard Alexander's voice say and I saw that he was standing at the tree where the shooter was, pointing his gun at the enemy's back.
The firing stopped and when I was sure no more bullets were going to fire my way, I sprinted towards Alexander. When I arrived, I pointed my gun at a man wearing all black, from thick boots, black pants, and a black shirt. His face was hidden by a black mask that covered half his face. With dark brown eyes and midnight black hair, he pointed his singular gun towards us, more specifically at me.
"Who sent you?" I demanded as I pressed my finger tighter on the trigger. When I looked closer at his collar, I saw a bit of the shape of the snake that all Viperidae Clan members had.
The man didn't answer as he pulled down his mask with a glint of recognition flashing in his eyes as he looked at me. The recognition made it seem like he saw me before, but I couldn't remember and it pissed me off.
"Who were you after?" I spat out through gritted teeth, my gun unwavering from my target's skull.
"How are you, Vita?"
I stiffened when I heard my name pass his lips. "You know me?"
He raised an eyebrow at me as he looked genuinely shocked that I didn't know him. "You don't remember me, Vita?"
"What?"
"Interesting." He let a deep guffaw. "So unbelievable."
I aimed and fired a bullet, tilting last second so it just brushed past his face. The man immediately stopped laughing and his eyes widened visibly.
"Simmons," Alexander called out briskly in warning.
The man's lips curled up slightly in small smirk as he looked at me once more when the shock faded away. "You asked me who I was after."
I kept my face impassive as I stared at him and his eyes never wavered from mine.
"Him."
The moment the word left his lips, he started changing the direction of his aim so that he could point his firearm at Alexander. His finger tightened on the trigger and I instinctually reacted to his actions. In just the blink of an eye, he face-planted the floor, but not before firing a bullet in Alexander's general direction.
"Blades!" I shouted as I quickly turned towards him.
Alexander was unmoving from where he was standing and ice ran through my veins. I stowed away my gun and my hands shook as I reached up to cup his face.
"W-were you h-hit?" The fierce adrenaline that suddenly started to consume me made it harder for me to speak properly. Maybe not adrenaline. Perhaps fear.
"No, I'm fine." Alexander's gaze was steady and his voice was calm. "You got him before he fully aimed at me."
My entire body started shaking in relief and I quickly wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and pulled him towards me. My breathing stuttered as I buried my face into the crook of his neck, inhaling his familiar yet comforting scent, trying to convince my pounding heart that he was okay.
I felt Alexander wrapping me warmly into his embrace and leaning his head on the crown of mine. "I'm good, Angel."
I nodded my head and closed my eyes. In a few moments when my heart calmed down, I let go of him and took a step away.
"I'm going to call Victor and Headquarters to send someone to pick up his body." Alexander informed me quietly while his dark greys stared straight into mine.
With another nod, Alexander pulled out his phone after tucking away his gun while I went to the dead man's body to look for any identification or technology. In his pant pocket, I found a phone but there was nothing else. It looked to be an average, regular smartphone. When I turned it on, it told me to type in a password. Since I was finished with my search, I walked over to Alexander, who still had his phone to his ear.
"...she and I are both fine... we found it. We can get there in two and a half to three hours." Alexander paused, listening to Victor, while I scanned him over to make sure he was really okay and was not reassured when I saw a rip on the right side of his torso.
"Good. I'll see you soon." He ended the phone call and eyed me cautiously as I opened his jacket.
I saw a large blossom of red near his right ribs, vividly contrasting against his stark white button-up. Almost the entire right half of his torso from his mid chest downwards was covered in blood.
"You said you weren't hurt, Red," I growled as I examined his wound closer.
Alexander gave me a small sigh. "It grazed me."
"From this amount of blood, absolutely no big deal." I clenched my jaw and narrowed my eyes at him as sarcasm dripped off my tongue.
"You have any first aid in your car?" I asked.
Alexander put his hands on mine over his jacket, clasping each of mine in his large warm ones. "Angel, you okay?"
Raising an eyebrow at his question with a frown on my face, I slipped my hands out of his grasp. "I wasn't the one that got shot."
He was quiet for a moment as he studied me intensely, grey eyes piercing into my own. "You've told me before that the tattoos looked familiar and now a man from the Viperidae Clan says that he knows you."
"Very unlike you to beat around the bush, Red. Why don't you just ask me exactly what you have in your mind."
"You really don't remember him?"
The fuse in my anger was lit and fury was boiling in my veins. "If I knew who he was and why the tattoo seemed familiar, we wouldn't be here right now. We would have had my parents back by now. So, Alexander, no I do not fu*king remember him."
I turned and started walking back towards our car. He could just treat the wound by himself for all I care. There was a soft crunch behind me and I knew that he was following me closely back to the car.
"Hand me the key and get into the passenger seat," I demanded from him icily as I reached out a hand in his direction.
Alexander reached into his right pant pocket with his right hand. Even though he didn't make a sound nor visibly wince, I could see the strain on his face from trying to keep his expression steady.
"Where is the first aid?" I growled as I felt him put the keys into my outstretched palm.
In his eyes were a look of curiosity. "Trunk."
I point to his car. "Get in the passenger seat." With that said, I made my way to the trunk and got out the first aid kit, then climbed into the driver's seat. Adjusting the seat so that it suited my shorter legs better, I placed the kit on to my lap. "Take your shirt off."
Quietly and without complaint, Alexander took off his suit jacket then his dress shirt.
"Lift your arm, let me see." I grumbled and Alexander once again did as I asked.
The wound was right under his ribs and he was right was he said it grazed him. "Think you might need stitches." I told him as I cleaned my hands then proceeded to clean his wound. To his credit, he didn't flinch nor make a sound.
"Do you want me to drive? You can get started on the USB or the phone," Alexander cautiously offered, obviously knowing that I was still fuming at what he asked me earlier.
"I don't have everything I need here," I told him as I covered the area with a bandage. "When we get back, you're going directly to the medical wing. Understand?"
His head moved in an almost imperceptible nod.
"Good," I sighed out as I started the car, and then made a U-turn to head to Headquarters.
*
It was late afternoon by the time we arrived to Headquarters. As soon as I parked, I made sure Alexander went to the medical wing and then I headed towards our team room. Victor and Emmaline were quietly working when I arrived.
"Where's Blades?" Victor frowned slightly as he asked me when I sat down.
"Medical wing." I shrugged.
"What?!" His eyes almost bugged out.
"Bullet grazed him."
He walked over to me and shook my shoulders. I reluctantly told him what had happened and Emmaline also scooted over to listen.
"I got the USB and the phone that was on the Viperidae clan member." I pulled out the box and revealed the USB flash drive I retrieved from the tree.
Both Victor and Emmaline's eyes widened.
"This is what everyone was trying to get," Emmaline mumbled.
It was at this moment that Alexander entered, shutting the door firmly behind him. "Everything about today stays in this room, especially the fact that we've found the USB. At least until we figure things out."
All of us gave him a solid nod.
"Where are we at for tomorrow?"
Victor explained that all the prep for a special forces tactics team was nearly done and we simply needed to finalize things tomorrow. Emmaline informed that my alias was ready to go and deep enough that Katrina would not be able to link me at all to my alias.
"Alright. Emmaline, LeBlanc and I will meet with the team we will be working with tomorrow and figure out a plan for Katrina's party. Simmons, the phone and the USB." Alexander told all of us and we agreed.
Emmaline, Victor and Alexander walked out of the room, probably into a meeting room, while I stayed. I pulled out my laptop and got to work. Knowing that the security on the USB would be insane, I started with the phone.
I noticed that the style of the coding written to protect this phone was the same as what I found yesterday, the one that eerily resembled Cadence's.
Soon, I was able to gain access into the phone. It was fairly new with nothing much on it, but there was a phone number in the call log. Knowing that this must be an important number, I waited for the others to come back in here to share the news and decide what to do with it. In the meanwhile, I started on the USB. Like I suspected, the encryption was insane. Time flew by as I started working on it and before I knew it, two hours had passed the team came back with a plan ready while I barely made a dent on the security of the USB.
Alexander took a glance at me as he arrived.
"I got through the phone and there was only one number on it," I informed the team as the door closed. "What do you want to do?" I looked over at Alexander and asked him.
He was quiet for a moment.
"Call it."
Everyone came over to my desk, Alexander and Emmaline standing next to me while Victor stood more so in front of me. When I finished making sure that there was no way to track our location through the call, I clicked the number and put in on speaker so that we could all hear. Placing the phone closer to Alexander, I waited.
The call rung a few times before it was picked up.
"Job is done?" The voice that belonged to a man, gravelly and very deep, demanded through the phone.
Immediately upon hearing the voice, a sudden chill went down my spine. I started to break out in cold sweat and I couldn't move, frozen by absolute fear. Now I understood the reason why the tattoos seemed familiar and the man we met today said that he knew me.
Some of my memories may be hazy, but there was no way in hell I would have ever been able to forget his voice.
****
Another chapter uploaded this week, yay. I will try my very best to upload the next chapter in less than a week. Wouldn't that be great :D
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Until next time,
InvincibleBunny