u/Acceptable_Ear_759

“You sure your lady isn’t gonna be pissed you were out an extra day?” said Reeves while he and Jake approached the clubhouse. Both of their jackets boasted a thick layer of gunpowder and in Jake’s case, blood too.

“Nah, I’m sure she’ll understand, she’s pretty level headed. Plus, she’ll probably just be worried about us being in a firefight anyway.” Jake reached for the handle, but was stopped by the door swinging open and Luna stomping out.

“Hey!” Jake said with a practically glowing expression. He was just excited enough to not notice what Reeves did — an angry girlfriend. Jake closed in for a hug, and was met with a surprisingly concussive left hook. He fell onto the wood planks of the porch below with blood gushing from his nose and onto his filthy hands. Reeves took a step back, and Luna prepared to fire on him as well. He raised his hands in surrender and chuckled.

“I’m not defending him, this is a y’all problem,” Reeves said. Luna nodded.

“What the fuck?” Jake asked while steadying himself on the porch’s peeling white rail.

“So where’s the bitch huh? Where’s your little side piece?!” Luna lunged forward once more, striking him in the left arm as he set his guard.

“What the fuck are you talking about? I told you we were doing recon!” Jake backed off of the porch and onto the neatly trimmed front lawn. He kept a high guard, something he learned would work from sparring Luna in the past. Despite his stance, Jake had no intention of going offensive, which for him was almost unheard of. Luna followed him down onto the grass and kept pressure on him as he retreated.

“Yeah? You don’t respond to my fucking texts and take TWO EXTRA DAYS, AND YOU THINK THAT’S ALRIGHT?!”

“My phone broke and I couldn’t find a pay phone, just listen to me!”

Luna closed the distance, and struck Jake’s still-healing right thigh with her shin, almost immediately incapacitating him. He fell harder than he would ever admit, and Luna seized the opportunity. She wasted no time in straddling Jake and unleashing a flurry of impossibly heavy blows into his jaw.

“I JUST GOT YOU, I FINALLY FUCKING GOT YOU AND YOU DO SOME STUPID SHIT LIKE THIS?!” Jake’s face, and Luna’s knuckles, were soaked and dripping with blood. The twins barely had a chance to unbuckle their seatbelts before Luna mounted Jake. They both shot out of the Sprinter and into action. Luna’s blows were interrupted by Liv tackling her to the ground, and Natalie rushing to tend to Jake.

“What the hell Luna?!” Liv yelled. Luna pushed Liv off of herself and stood up, facing squarely toward her.

“This isn't your fight,” said a remarkably unwinded Luna. She raised her guard once more, and was violently subdued from behind by an enraged Grace. Her bicep pushed against Luna’s throat as she fell backwards.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Grace asked. Natalie and Liv rushed over to subdue Luna’s flailing arms, legs, and everything else she could move in an attempt to break out of her containment. After two minutes of strenuous struggle, Liv made the executive decision no one else wanted to, and delivered a brutal knee strike to Luna’s jaw. The flailing ceased, and the twins backed off. Nobody talked, or moved, or even blinked. After a terse moment, Grace released her hold on Luna, and the twins returned to Jake's side. Grace lay on the grass with her arms outstretched while catching her breath. Jake stood up with help from the twins, and Luna stood up on her own. Grace sprang up and readied herself behind her, but relaxed once she saw Luna's posture. Her shoulders hung low, and her fists remained unclenched. The ensuing standoff was nothing less than unsettling, and Luna's labored breaths slowed as she started to speak.

"…My bad." Jake lifted his bloodied head up to meet Luna's dark red face. Jake spat the blood occupying his mouth into the grass, and cleared his throat.

"Let's… let's go inside."

Thank you for reading!

Jake didn't know what to expect, he was just glad Luna wasn't with him. It took him a while to piece together that his casual abduction was planned to not have her around. The woman's athletic figure slid into the same booth Jake was occupying with her left hand wrapped around a Glock's grip, and pointing out of her jacket inconspicuously at his thigh. Jake removed his hand from his own Glock, and rested it on the table in front of him.

"Let's go for a drive."

After going through a series of security gates and metal detectors, Jake was escorted to a room labeled Questioning #2 by the very same woman who abducted him. Every inch of the several hallways Jake was led through were completely devoid of any sort of detail. Solid white tile floors, concrete white walls, and a four-way intersection, that's all Jake could memorize, like it would matter if he did or not. The agent scanned into the room and ushered Jake inside. There were no windows, light-switches or anything but two chairs and a table visible in the room. A single manila folder with CASE #3403C1192 written across the side facing up sat on the table in front of them.

"Pick a seat, either is fine," said the agent, her laminated green keycard read, TIER 3 ACCESS, Amy Stetson, PAD.

PAD? What the fuck is that?

"Excuse me?" asked Amy. Jake's eyes shot over to meet hers.

"I didn't say anything," replied Jake.

"I know." Amy stared into what felt like Jake's soul for exactly one minute before abruptly speaking. "So… you're 'The Kid'?" asked Amy.

"I suppose," replied Jake. She nodded for longer than was necessary.

"Why do you think you're here?" asked Amy.

"No clue."

"Jonas Middus. You familiar with that name?"

"No, I am not."

"Interesting." Amy pushed the folder across the chrome table towards Jake. "Go ahead, take a look." He scanned her face for a moment, but only got exactly what she wanted him to. Jake gripped the folder, flipped the cover open, and skimmed through the densely packed pages inside. The contents were everything and nothing simultaneously. Dozens, if not hundreds, of full sheet images were littered throughout the multi-page Non-LEO Incident Reports. The most jarring of which was Jake's middle school graduation picture, which sat between his Learner's Permit photo, and a Snapchat selfie showcasing a prepubescent version of himself. His jaw tightened. His knee began to bounce before he quickly nipped the action in the bud. His eyes met Amy's again while maintaining his head's downward attitude.

"Must have taken a lot of searching to find those."

"We have an entire intelligence team, dedicated just to you, and it still took months of overtime," Amy said. "Now, tell me how someone like you could almost fully wipe his identity at sixteen."

"My mom told me social media would rot my brain, so I deleted everything. I dropped out of high school and ran away shortly after." Neither of the two were confident in the answer he provided.

"Was that before or after she died?" Amy's posture was the same as before, and yet, the room's aura had been completely shifted. "It was… breast cancer, right? It's really a shame, she might have been able to steer you on the right path. Maybe she could've stopped you from ending up in this room with me." Jake's knee slipped back into motion as his mind sought to understand the grenade Amy just dropped in his lap.

"Maybe she could've, but I'll never know," replied Jake. Amy chuckled.

"You're one tough nut to crack, huh?"

"I suppose so." Amy performed another soul-reaching stare on Jake, this time lasting thirty seconds.

"Flip to page thirty four, and tell me what you see." Jake obliged, and was close to dropping the folder upon seeing Luna smiling while wrapped around his arm. He remembered that day, it was their first real date. He could still recall what perfume she was wearing, and for just a moment, he forgot where he was. "She's way out of your league, how'd you manage to pull that?" Jake's heart beat faster than he thought possible, and his eyes refused to view Amy again. "Why don't you talk, for her sake." Jake bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood. Suddenly, and for reasons unknown to Amy, Jake's eyes reverted to hers.

"I think you should listen to the suit." A layer of Amy's composure peeled away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The keypad on the blast-proof door beeped once, then twice, then snatched the deadbolt out of the door frame. Amy gave Jake one last wrath-filled look as a pair of black Oxfords marched themselves into the room. Occupying them was Ian Marthos, donning an ID similar to Amy's, but with a black keycard labeled TIER 5 ACCESS.

"Agent Stetson, a minute?" asked Ian.

"I'm in the middle of something," replied Amy.

"I'm aware. Outside, now." Jake could feel the pressure bearing down on his skull as Amy hesitated to stand up from her seat, and it didn't cease until she had been out of the room for some time. Jake sat still in his chair as he awaited the man's return. He assumed Amy wasn't coming back, and if she was it wouldn't be to continue her interrogation. He didn't know why he knew that, and neither did Amy. Upon the door opening again, the man stepped through the threshold, and rested his hazel eyes on Jake.

"You're free to go, I apologize for the inconvenience." Jake stood up and approached Ian, immediately noticing his cross-face scar tucked behind his gray beard. Jake's face boasted a smug smile.

"I'm not one to kiss and tell."

"Amy, lead him out, and call him an Uber."

"Yes sir." Amy placed her hand on Jake's shoulder and they both began back down the featureless hallway. "Sorry about all this, I must have made a mistake." Nothing could have made her voice sound less manufactured. Amy's hand weighed down his shoulder with what felt like a ton of force. Jake broke a sweat channeling every ounce of focus he had to bolster the affected shoulder in order to maintain his facade. He knew exactly what she was doing, and she was aware of his understanding. After a terse moment, she lifted her hand, and the two made it back through the series of checkpoints and back to the lobby.

"Well, this has been fun, but I have somewhere to be," said Jake. What little of Amy's composure was left shattered. She leaned in close with a disgustingly facetious smile, and whispered in Jake's ear.

"You got lucky this time you little shit… Watch your fucking back." Amy swiveled around and waltzed back toward a guard-manned glass airlock, scanned in, and disappeared behind a corner.

Thank you for reading!

Jake didn't know what to expect, he was just glad Luna wasn't with him. It took him a while to piece together that his casual abduction was planned to not have her around. The woman's athletic figure slid into the same booth Jake was occupying with her left hand wrapped around a Glock's grip, and pointing out of her jacket inconspicuously at his thigh. Jake removed his hand from his own Glock, and rested it on the table in front of him.

"Let's go for a drive."

After going through a series of security gates and metal detectors, Jake was escorted to a room labeled Questioning #2 by the very same woman who abducted him. Every inch of the several hallways Jake was led through were completely devoid of any sort of detail. Solid white tile floors, concrete white walls, and a four-way intersection, that's all Jake could memorize, like it would matter if he did or not. The agent scanned into the room and ushered Jake inside. There were no windows, light-switches or anything but two chairs and a table visible in the room. A single manila folder with CASE #3403C1192 written across the side facing up sat on the table in front of them.

"Pick a seat, either is fine," said the agent, her laminated green keycard read, TIER 3 ACCESS, Amy Stetson, PAD.

PAD? What the fuck is that?

"Excuse me?" asked Amy. Jake's eyes shot over to meet hers.

"I didn't say anything," replied Jake.

"I know." Amy stared into what felt like Jake's soul for exactly one minute before abruptly speaking. "So… you're 'The Kid'?" asked Amy.

"I suppose," replied Jake. She nodded for longer than was necessary.

"Why do you think you're here?" asked Amy.

"No clue."

"Jonas Middus. You familiar with that name?"

"No, I am not."

"Interesting." Amy pushed the folder across the chrome table towards Jake. "Go ahead, take a look." He scanned her face for a moment, but only got exactly what she wanted him to. Jake gripped the folder, flipped the cover open, and skimmed through the densely packed pages inside. The contents were everything and nothing simultaneously. Dozens, if not hundreds, of full sheet images were littered throughout the multi-page Non-LEO Incident Reports. The most jarring of which was Jake's middle school graduation picture, which sat between his Learner's Permit photo, and a Snapchat selfie showcasing a prepubescent version of himself. His jaw tightened. His knee began to bounce before he quickly nipped the action in the bud. His eyes met Amy's again while maintaining his head's downward attitude.

"Must have taken a lot of searching to find those."

"We have an entire intelligence team, dedicated just to you, and it still took months of overtime," Amy said. "Now, tell me how someone like you could almost fully wipe his identity at sixteen."

"My mom told me social media would rot my brain, so I deleted everything. I dropped out of high school and ran away shortly after." Neither of the two were confident in the answer he provided.

"Was that before or after she died?" Amy's posture was the same as before, and yet, the room's aura had been completely shifted. "It was… breast cancer, right? It's really a shame, she might have been able to steer you on the right path. Maybe she could've stopped you from ending up in this room with me." Jake's knee slipped back into motion as his mind sought to understand the grenade Amy just dropped in his lap.

"Maybe she could've, but I'll never know," replied Jake. Amy chuckled.

"You're one tough nut to crack, huh?"

"I suppose so." Amy performed another soul-reaching stare on Jake, this time lasting thirty seconds.

"Flip to page thirty four, and tell me what you see." Jake obliged, and was close to dropping the folder upon seeing Luna smiling while wrapped around his arm. He remembered that day, it was their first real date. He could still recall what perfume she was wearing, and for just a moment, he forgot where he was. "She's way out of your league, how'd you manage to pull that?" Jake's heart beat faster than he thought possible, and his eyes refused to view Amy again. "Why don't you talk, for her sake." Jake bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood. Suddenly, and for reasons unknown to Amy, Jake's eyes reverted to hers.

"I think you should listen to the suit." A layer of Amy's composure peeled away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The keypad on the blast-proof door beeped once, then twice, then snatched the deadbolt out of the door frame. Amy gave Jake one last wrath-filled look as a pair of black Oxfords marched themselves into the room. Occupying them was Ian Marthos, donning an ID similar to Amy's, but with a black keycard labeled TIER 5 ACCESS.

"Agent Stetson, a minute?" asked Ian.

"I'm in the middle of something," replied Amy.

"I'm aware. Outside, now." Jake could feel the pressure bearing down on his skull as Amy hesitated to stand up from her seat, and it didn't cease until she had been out of the room for some time. Jake sat still in his chair as he awaited the man's return. He assumed Amy wasn't coming back, and if she was it wouldn't be to continue her interrogation. He didn't know why he knew that, and neither did Amy. Upon the door opening again, the man stepped through the threshold, and rested his hazel eyes on Jake.

"You're free to go, I apologize for the inconvenience." Jake stood up and approached Ian, immediately noticing his cross-face scar tucked behind his gray beard. Jake's face boasted a smug smile.

"I'm not one to kiss and tell."

"Amy, lead him out, and call him an Uber."

"Yes sir." Amy placed her hand on Jake's shoulder and they both began back down the featureless hallway. "Sorry about all this, I must have made a mistake." Nothing could have made her voice sound less manufactured. Amy's hand weighed down his shoulder with what felt like a ton of force. Jake broke a sweat channeling every ounce of focus he had to bolster the affected shoulder in order to maintain his facade. He knew exactly what she was doing, and she was aware of his understanding. After a terse moment, she lifted her hand, and the two made it back through the series of checkpoints and back to the lobby.

"Well, this has been fun, but I have somewhere to be," said Jake. What little of Amy's composure was left shattered. She leaned in close with a disgustingly facetious smile, and whispered in Jake's ear.

"You got lucky this time you little shit… Watch your fucking back." Amy swiveled around and waltzed back toward a guard-manned glass airlock, scanned in, and disappeared behind a corner.

Thank you for reading!

Frozen breath billowed out of Jake’s mouth and into the air inside the cramped cabin of the Sprinter. He kept his head down and hands wrapped around an APC300. Jake had spared no expense in kitting out the compact rifle. IR laser module, white light, and pressure pads all adding up to more than three grand sat securely on the rifle’s picatinny rails. Faint electronic music seeped through his ear pro and grey balaclava and into the almost silent cabin. A single overhead light illuminated the otherwise pitch black interior, reflecting flat white light off the glossy wolf-gray walls. His head and index finger nodded and tapped to the rhythm bleeding through. The only streetlight outside was about one hundred yards away and flickering intermittently. Grace and Luna sat comfortably in the two front seats, their matching fur parkas and sweatpants juxtaposing Jake’s self-coined “Wendigo” kit. They traded glances before turning back to study Jake.

“You good?” asked Luna. Jake didn’t respond.

“Hellooooo?” Luna said. Luna swiveled her head to face Grace, who was sipping black coffee out of a pink Hello Kitty thermos. Grace kept the thermos at mouth level while looking at Luna with raised eyebrows.

“What?” asked Grace.

“The fuck is he doing?” asked Luna.

“I stopped asking that a while ago. He’s just weird, you know that.”

“Yeah but-… Why isn’t he going over the plan or- or making sure his gear is ready?” Luna stammered. Grace gave her focus to the dark eyed figures a couple hundred yards down the street, and set her thermos down.

“What, you worried you’ll lose your boyfriend?” asked Grace. Luna’s eyes shot open as her face burned fiery red.

“WHAT?! NO-… I mean-… no. He’s a professional, what’s there to worry about, right?” said Luna. Grace smirked as she let out a smug scoff.

“Oh my god… you have a fat ass crush on him.”

“What?… Just because I’m worried he can’t take on like a dozen guys?!” Luna yelled. Grace’s smirk grew larger.

“No, you’re worried you might lose your boo-thang.”
Luna slugged Grace in her shoulder, her face burning as a shy smile formed.

“Girl shut up…”

“How’s it looking?” asked Jake.

“HOLY SHIT!” yelled Luna. “DON’T FUCKING DO THAT!” Grace held back a laugh, then reset to her usual blank expression.

“Same as a few hours ago. Three on the north wall, seven confirmed armed inside. The drone died about thirty minutes ago so no more thermals.”

“What about the HVT?”

“The what?…” Luna asked.

“High value target,” Jake replied. Luna kept staring blankly at Jake’s mostly concealed face.

“The guy I’m supposed to kill…”

“Ohhhhhh. Yeah he’s still in there too, hehe—sorry…” Jake press checked his rifle and gripped the handle of the van’s sliding door.

“I’ll call over the radio when I need pickup.” Grace nodded.

“Got it, be safe—” Luna said, the sliding door slamming shut interrupting her. Jake adjusted his helmet with his rifle slung loosely and hanging halfway down his torso. He ran one last hasty check on his plate carrier, ensuring all pouches and magazines were secure. He flipped his PVS-14s down over his eyes and kept his rifle in low-ready as he approached the towering stone compound a couple hundred yards in front of him. After getting closer, he clicked his IR laser on and checked the functionality of the pressure pad his left thumb was resting on. He press checked his rifle once more, and did the same to his pistol.

“Why does he keep doing that?” asked Luna.

“It’s a nervous tic, but he’ll never admit to it.”

“He looks… serious.”

“Love to see him walk away huh?” Grace said while boasting a sly smile.

“I swear to god I will shoot you right now.” The cabin erupted with Grace’s laughter. Muffled singing pierced through Jake’s ear protection as he inched closer to the compound. Party in the USA echoed through the empty street for hundreds of feet past the compound walls. A lit grill radiated warm orange glow onto two tall feminine figures just beyond the chain-link gate facing the road. They both wore drop-leg holsters with differing Glock models snugly seated in kydex holsters. Two more figures stood directly behind the women, holding rifles disfigured by the darkness. Jake slipped into a nearby alley across from the compound and pressed down the button on his push-to-talk.

“One to One actual.” Luna practically jumped out of her seat and fumbled with the handheld radio until she reached the push-to-talk button.

“Yes?” Luna asked. Grace’s lips formed a smirk as she flipped through the pages of her manga.

“Are there any non-combatants inside the walls?” Jake asked.

“Nope, all bad guys,” Luna answered confidently.

“Copy, I’m about to open up, be ready to move.”

“Yes sir,” replied Luna.

“Don’t ever call me that again, out,” replied Jake.

“Yes daddy I love you!” said Grace mockingly before succumbing with laughter to her own joke.

“You are such a bitch,” said Luna.

“You still haven’t called me a liar though.”

“So what if I have a crush? It’s just a crush, nothing more, nothing less.”

“I agree with you, I just think it’s funny that you turn into a teenager whenever you’re around him.”

“Like how?”

“You follow him around all the time, you always make sure to say good morning to him, you always cook for him when both of you are alone at the house, it’s the little shit that adds up.”

“God forbid I try to be nice—”

A deafening blast ripped through the pin-drop quiet street. The sound of nails plinking off every hard surface within a hundred yard radius inundated the ears of all that were present. Shrapnel even pelted the front windshield of the Sprinter. The few that were left alive in the compound were injured, deaf, and most importantly, unprepared. Jake swung around the stone pillar that connected the right half of the chain-link fence to the six-foot stone walls. He raised his rifle, assigned his laser to the most combat-able figure, and fired. He repeated the action on whoever else stood a chance of resisting. Once the dust had settled, and the immediate threat was eradicated, seven corpses lay in the compound with gruesome exit wounds gushing their fluid onto the concrete floor. Jake dead checked the already blast-affected figures, and moved towards the three that remained alive. One was crawling, another was wheezing labored breaths, and the last was the HVT. Jake dropped his rifle into a sling position and drew his suppressed Glock 19x from the suppressor-fit holster fastened at his waist. He put two hollow points into the wheezer’s head, splattering brain and skull fragments across the ground. He followed the same protocol, and got the same results on the crawler. The HVT reached for his ankle, which was quickly fractured by a 158 grain projectile. The man screamed, but rusted nails lodged in his throat prevented anything more than whispers from emerging. Jake approached, produced his phone, and took a picture. The man spent his last seconds crying, and choking on his own fluid. Jake put three extremely unnecessary security shots into his temple, then holstered his pistol and ran from the compound.

“Move to evac,” said Jake’s voice over the radio. Grace shifted into drive and closely followed the route she and Jake had perfected, this time going much faster. Grace pulled in front of a closed coffee shop and Luna opened the van’s sliding side door. Jake reached into a dump pouch dangling from his belt, and unveiled an intricately constructed IED. Three jars secured together with zip ties, one of which was glass and the others plastic, and an igniter set on a timer in the middle of it all. He flipped a switch on the front of it and smashed a hole through the shop’s glass front door. Upon the device making contact with the shop’s hardwood floors, the glass jar shattered and spread gasoline throughout a two foot radius. Jake grabbed Luna’s extended hand and pulled himself into the back of the Sprinter. Luna’s immediate inspection of Jake revealed blood streaming from his brow and down past his eyes behind his balaclava. Jake jettisoned his helmet, and slid his balaclava off over his head. Grace sped off down the dimly lit street, following the pre-rehearsed escape route meticulously. Once Luna noticed the blood dripping onto the van’s floor, she gripped Jake’s head by the nape of his neck and examined his wound.

“Oh my god, are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine, I just caught a ricochet.” Jake reached into his belt-mounted IFAK and produced a roll of gauze. He leaned back against the sliding door and gestured it towards Luna. Luna kneeled in front of him and accepted the offer, holding pressure on his brow with the gauze.

“Hold still,” said Luna. “How bad does it hurt?”

“Not bad, definitely not fractured or deep.”

“Good.” Luna looked down at Jake’s empty drop pouch. “What’s up with the bomb in the coffee shop?”

“The cops are probably already coming. When they get there and see a coffee shop set ablaze, their attention will be taken away from the dead people in the compound.” Luna nodded.

“Smart.” She continued holding pressure until a second, significantly less audible blast rang out. She loosened her pressure on Jake’s wound, and dropped the blood-soaked gauze into a plastic grocery bag. She took one last glance over his brow and sighed in relief. “You’re all good.”

“What was that first explosion?” asked Grace.

“A big-ass nail bomb. It killed three of them immediately, and I may or may not have over-packed it with explosive.”

“Regardless, this was an overwhelming success, and I’m glad you didn’t get hurt any worse.” The trio eventually made their way back to the clubhouse, where the twins and Maurine were already waiting to celebrate. Jake wasn’t really in the mood to celebrate though.

He was activated, he was planning, he was back.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Thank you for reading!

I don’t know if my action sequence hits right.

Chapter 10:
Frozen breath billowed out of Jake’s mouth and into the air inside the cramped cabin of the Sprinter. He kept his head down and hands wrapped around an APC300. Jake had spared no expense in kitting out the compact rifle. IR laser module, white light, and pressure pads all adding up to more than three grand sat securely on the rifle’s picatinny rails. Faint electronic music seeped through his ear pro and grey balaclava and into the almost silent cabin. A single overhead light illuminated the otherwise pitch black interior, reflecting flat white light off the glossy wolf-gray walls. His head and index finger nodded and tapped to the rhythm bleeding through. The only streetlight outside was about one hundred yards away and flickering intermittently. Grace and Luna sat comfortably in the two front seats, their matching fur parkas and sweatpants juxtaposing Jake’s self-coined “Wendigo” kit. They traded glances before turning back to study Jake.

“You good?” asked Luna. Jake didn’t respond.

“Hellooooo?” Luna said. Luna swiveled her head to face Grace, who was sipping black coffee out of a pink Hello Kitty thermos. Grace kept the thermos at mouth level while looking at Luna with raised eyebrows.

“What?” asked Grace.

“The fuck is he doing?” asked Luna.

“I stopped asking that a while ago. He’s just weird, you know that.”

“Yeah but-… Why isn’t he going over the plan or- or making sure his gear is ready?” Luna stammered. Grace gave her focus to the dark eyed figures a couple hundred yards down the street, and set her thermos down.

“What, you worried you’ll lose your boyfriend?” asked Grace. Luna’s eyes shot open as her face burned fiery red.

“WHAT?! NO-… I mean-… no. He’s a professional, what’s there to worry about, right?” said Luna. Grace smirked as she let out a smug scoff.

“Oh my god… you have a fat ass crush on him.”

“What?… Just because I’m worried he can’t take on like a dozen guys?!” Luna yelled. Grace’s smirk grew larger.

“No, you’re worried you might lose your boo-thang.”
Luna slugged Grace in her shoulder, her face burning as a shy smile formed.

“Girl shut up…”

“How’s it looking?” asked Jake.

“HOLY SHIT!” yelled Luna. “DON’T FUCKING DO THAT!” Grace held back a laugh, then reset to her usual blank expression.

“Same as a few hours ago. Three on the north wall, seven confirmed armed inside. The drone died about thirty minutes ago so no more thermals.”

“What about the HVT?”

“The what?…” Luna asked.

“High value target,” Jake replied. Luna kept staring blankly at Jake’s mostly concealed face.

“The guy I’m supposed to kill…”

“Ohhhhhh. Yeah he’s still in there too, hehe—sorry…” Jake press checked his rifle and gripped the handle of the van’s sliding door.

“I’ll call over the radio when I need pickup.” Grace nodded.

“Got it, be safe—” Luna said, the sliding door slamming shut interrupting her. Jake adjusted his helmet with his rifle slung loosely and hanging halfway down his torso. He ran one last hasty check on his plate carrier, ensuring all pouches and magazines were secure. He flipped his PVS-14s down over his eyes and kept his rifle in low-ready as he approached the towering stone compound a couple hundred yards in front of him. After getting closer, he clicked his IR laser on and checked the functionality of the pressure pad his left thumb was resting on. He press checked his rifle once more, and did the same to his pistol.

“Why does he keep doing that?” asked Luna.

“It’s a nervous tic, but he’ll never admit to it.”

“He looks… serious.”

“Love to see him walk away huh?” Grace said while boasting a sly smile.

“I swear to god I will shoot you right now.” The cabin erupted with Grace’s laughter. Muffled singing pierced through Jake’s ear protection as he inched closer to the compound. Party in the USA echoed through the empty street for hundreds of feet past the compound walls. A lit grill radiated warm orange glow onto two tall feminine figures just beyond the chain-link gate facing the road. They both wore drop-leg holsters with differing Glock models snugly seated in kydex holsters. Two more figures stood directly behind the women, holding rifles disfigured by the darkness. Jake slipped into a nearby alley across from the compound and pressed down the button on his push-to-talk.

“One to One actual.” Luna practically jumped out of her seat and fumbled with the handheld radio until she reached the push-to-talk button.

“Yes?” Luna asked. Grace’s lips formed a smirk as she flipped through the pages of her manga.

“Are there any non-combatants inside the walls?” Jake asked.

“Nope, all bad guys,” Luna answered confidently.

“Copy, I’m about to open up, be ready to move.”

“Yes sir,” replied Luna.

“Don’t ever call me that again, out,” replied Jake.

“Yes daddy I love you!” said Grace mockingly before succumbing with laughter to her own joke.

“You are such a bitch,” said Luna.

“You still haven’t called me a liar though.”

“So what if I have a crush? It’s just a crush, nothing more, nothing less.”

“I agree with you, I just think it’s funny that you turn into a teenager whenever you’re around him.”

“Like how?”

“You follow him around all the time, you always make sure to say good morning to him, you always cook for him when both of you are alone at the house, it’s the little shit that adds up.”

“God forbid I try to be nice—”

A deafening blast ripped through the pin-drop quiet street. The sound of nails plinking off every hard surface within a hundred yard radius inundated the ears of all that were present. Shrapnel even pelted the front windshield of the Sprinter. The few that were left alive in the compound were injured, deaf, and most importantly, unprepared. Jake swung around the stone pillar that connected the right half of the chain-link fence to the six-foot stone walls. He raised his rifle, assigned his laser to the most combat-able figure, and fired. He repeated the action on whoever else stood a chance of resisting. Once the dust had settled, and the immediate threat was eradicated, seven corpses lay in the compound with gruesome exit wounds gushing their fluid onto the concrete floor. Jake dead checked the already blast-affected figures, and moved towards the three that remained alive. One was crawling, another was wheezing labored breaths, and the last was the HVT. Jake dropped his rifle into a sling position and drew his suppressed Glock 19x from the suppressor-fit holster fastened at his waist. He put two hollow points into the wheezer’s head, splattering brain and skull fragments across the ground. He followed the same protocol, and got the same results on the crawler. The HVT reached for his ankle, which was quickly fractured by a 158 grain projectile. The man screamed, but rusted nails lodged in his throat prevented anything more than whispers from emerging. Jake approached, produced his phone, and took a picture. The man spent his last seconds crying, and choking on his own fluid. Jake put three extremely unnecessary security shots into his temple, then holstered his pistol and ran from the compound.

“Move to evac,” said Jake’s voice over the radio. Grace shifted into drive and closely followed the route she and Jake had perfected, this time going much faster. Grace pulled in front of a closed coffee shop and Luna opened the van’s sliding side door. Jake reached into a dump pouch dangling from his belt, and unveiled an intricately constructed IED. Three jars secured together with zip ties, one of which was glass and the others plastic, and an igniter set on a timer in the middle of it all. He flipped a switch on the front of it and smashed a hole through the shop’s glass front door. Upon the device making contact with the shop’s hardwood floors, the glass jar shattered and spread gasoline throughout a two foot radius. Jake grabbed Luna’s extended hand and pulled himself into the back of the Sprinter. Luna’s immediate inspection of Jake revealed blood streaming from his brow and down past his eyes behind his balaclava. Jake jettisoned his helmet, and slid his balaclava off over his head. Grace sped off down the dimly lit street, following the pre-rehearsed escape route meticulously. Once Luna noticed the blood dripping onto the van’s floor, she gripped Jake’s head by the nape of his neck and examined his wound.

“Oh my god, are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine, I just caught a ricochet.” Jake reached into his belt-mounted IFAK and produced a roll of gauze. He leaned back against the sliding door and gestured it towards Luna. Luna kneeled in front of him and accepted the offer, holding pressure on his brow with the gauze.

“Hold still,” said Luna. “How bad does it hurt?”

“Not bad, definitely not fractured or deep.”

“Good.” Luna looked down at Jake’s empty drop pouch. “What’s up with the bomb in the coffee shop?”

“The cops are probably already coming. When they get there and see a coffee shop set ablaze, their attention will be taken away from the dead people in the compound.” Luna nodded.

“Smart.” She continued holding pressure until a second, significantly less audible blast rang out. She loosened her pressure on Jake’s wound, and dropped the blood-soaked gauze into a plastic grocery bag. She took one last glance over his brow and sighed in relief. “You’re all good.”

“What was that first explosion?” asked Grace.

“A big-ass nail bomb. It killed three of them immediately, and I may or may not have over-packed it with explosive.”

“Regardless, this was an overwhelming success, and I’m glad you didn’t get hurt any worse.” The trio eventually made their way back to the clubhouse, where the twins and Maurine were already waiting to celebrate. Jake wasn’t really in the mood to celebrate though.

He was activated, he was planning, he was back.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Thank you for reading!  

Jake's mind turned on him. A gut wrenching vision annexed his head space. The woman he loved, the friends he fought to keep, a respectable job he was skilled at. All of them, snapped away. The anger turned to misery, then to despondence, all within the span of a minute. Everything he worked for— Gone. Not even rage could offer a semblance of feeling to the shell of what he was. Lucy's plan worked, and her wicked grin would be branded into Jake's brain for as long as he lived.

"You'll never be more than an over-valued piece of street trash," said Lucy. "You're lucky that whore even took a sorry chance on you." Jake's skin slowly ripped open, revealing the impossibly black flesh beneath. Strands of it dangled from his wounds, attaching to the asphalt. Soon he was restrained with searing hot black pillars impaling his appendages. Lucy stood over him, donning the same grin.

"It's pathetic. You were born with such a magnificent gift, and you choose to throw it away for some bitch and her friends. You are truly the worst case I've ever taken." Jake struggled for a moment, then ceased. "What? You're giving in that easy?" Jake smiled, then chuckled, then laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Come closer," Jake whispered, his voice hoarse from screaming. Lucy obliged.

"Realm."

Black. Everything was black. That's even if there was anything at all, or if there had ever been. Lucy could feel her channels being drained, along with what little focus she had reserved. Her body failed to keep her upright and her silver hair slammed against what she assumed was the ground, but she felt nothing. She was standing again, but her head was still resting on ground like void. The program taught her body to resist fear, and any other emotions for that matter, but this was different. This wasn't fear, it was a primal urge to escape. Her vision went blurry, then black, then clearer than ever. She was back on the street, as was he. What could only be described as evil incarnate orbited him. Visibly dense black wings extruded from his back, raising high into the air above him. His entire body was coated in a thin layer of contained black fog, leaving only glowing maroon eyes visible.

"You did this," said a voice she assumed was Jake's. There was no way of telling for sure where it was coming from, or if anything was even real. It was as if Lucy's body had blocked and bottled all of her emotions up, and Jake was releasing them at will. Lucy couldn't focus on anything for more than a second before it seemingly phased away. Streetlamps turned into gray nothing, and the street below her fluctuated between deep ocean and lush tall grass with every blink. Every part of her body was detached, and floating away from her. Every breath moved the stars in the sky above, like they were breathing with her. He inched closer, and closer, then further, then gone. She reached out in front of her, but her hands weren't there, they were never there. Each passing blink felt like it killed and revived her thousands of times. Suddenly, everything stopped— Like a record had been screeched to a halt. It was black again, then gray, then… normal. Lucy was back on the street, and she could move. Her mind raced to piece together if what happened was some sort of cast, or just impossible.

She settled on the latter.

Thank you for reading!

 

Chapter 17:
 
The first few days after Maurine's death were hell on earth for all involved parties, and it was a miracle no one was arrested. Getting rid of the Tahoe had proved to be an inexplicably difficult feat, specifically because of the brain matter disseminated across the interior. Jake had spent the better part of two days disposing of all organic matter inside the vehicle before driving it to an abandoned paper mill outside the city limits. Burying the contractors in the wooded hills of Voorhees State Park proved to be the easier task at hand, mainly because of his past experience. Jake dug three graves at the site, and filled two. The crew gathered to lower Maurine into the third and say their goodbyes. Jake stayed twenty yards back from the grave, insisting it was for "Security Purposes". Everyone knew he was lying, but didn't dare to push any further. He had already slipped back into a state of operational insanity, only speaking when spoken to and actively avoiding non-business interactions. Luna's mood was at an all-time low, which she took out on Costco wine. Liv and Natalie took leave, and Grace was losing hair by the handful. Going home was never the end, as days' worth of scrubbing had occupied Jake's every second while he was home. Eventually Grace snapped and forced him, somewhat physically, to stop. She bought two hotel rooms from a client, and ordered Jake to get rest.

"I'm not going in there, I don't care if we have to spoon on this tiny ass bed," said Luna. Grace finished brushing her teeth and rinsed her mouth out before shutting the bathroom light off and returning to Luna, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"His room has a pull out couch, or you can ask him to spoon in his bed, either way you're not sleeping in here."

"If I go in there, I'm just going to stress him out, and I get headaches around him when he's upset."

"He hasn't really gotten energy control down yet, but it doesn't happen while he's sleeping, you'll be fine."

"You think he sleeps? He's either building reports or staring at the wall all night."

"Then just sit silently next to him, you don't have to talk with him. Just be there if he needs someone, he likes you the most anyway." Luna paused for a moment, like she was building composure, then her shaky voice made itself known.

"Did he ever talk about it?" asked Luna. Grace didn't need Luna to clarify what she meant, they both knew exactly what she was referencing.

"No, but Liv watched it happen." Luna's face blushed to the point of being hot to the touch.
"I—what happened? I only remember the kiss and waking up on the couch."

"You told him to take you to bed, he declined because you were drunk, then you threw yourself at him."

"Damn it… no wonder he's been weird lately. He doesn't want me and I forced myself on him."

"I wouldn't say that."

"What? You just said I threw myself at him."

"Yeah you did, but he didn't pull away. In fact, he leaned into it." Luna's face reddened more than ever before. She quickly hid it by lying face down on the white cloth bed sheets below her.

"I'm so fucking embarrassed right now," said Luna's muffled voice. "How can I get drunk and just whore myself out like that."

"Drunk actions are sober thoughts, and you got really drunk with some strong thoughts." Luna lifted her head up to see Grace.

"Do I need to talk to him about it?"

"Can you work alongside him without talking about it?" Luna didn't have to answer for Grace to understand. "Then yes, you do. I'm your friend and I'm here for you, but I'm the boss first. If you or Jake aren't focused on the job you can— no, you will die."

"What do I even say?"

"That's up to you. Just be yourself, that's the you he likes." Luna had to take a deep, composure-gathering breath before even thinking about moving towards the door. She collected herself, at least as much as she could, and left the room. Luna walked three steps forward and squared herself up to the door of Jake's room. She thought about knocking, but decided that would be worse than barging in. She scanned her keycard against the keypad, waited a moment, and walked through the threshold. Jake sat on the left side of his bed, facing the window. Luna thought about how to initiate the conversation, but was interrupted by noticing the pistol in Jake's right hand. She debated tackling him, or pleading with him, or even just leaving the room, then something came over her, something unprecedented. Luna walked over to the bed and sat down shoulder to shoulder next to Jake. His only reaction to her was sliding his finger off the trigger and resting it on the frame of the pistol.
"Is there anything I can say to stop you?" asked Luna. Jake's already watering eyes stayed locked on the floor-mounted air conditioner in front of him.

"I hope so," replied Jake. Luna let out a deep sigh.

"It wasn't your fault."

"But it was. I got complacent and Maurine died because of it."

"You can't know everything that's going to happen, whether you're complacent or not."

"This is the only thing I know how to do, and I still fucked it up." The slide of Jake's pistol rattled as his hand shook subtly. Luna disarmed Jake carefully, and gripped his hand between both of hers.

"Bad things happen, I'm sure you know that more than anybody. This is just the first time you had someone else to care about." Luna was more than spot on. Her words cut a hole in Jake where he thought he was armored. The tears couldn't be stopped anymore.

"I think…" Jake paused and wiped his eyes with a shaky right hand.

"You can tell me, I'm here for you."

"I think I'm in love with you." Luna's grip tightened around Jake's hand.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear that."

Thank you for reading.

Chapter 17:
 
The first few days after Maurine's death were hell on earth for all involved parties, and it was a miracle no one was arrested. Getting rid of the Tahoe had proved to be an inexplicably difficult feat, specifically because of the brain matter disseminated across the interior. Jake had spent the better part of two days disposing of all organic matter inside the vehicle before driving it to an abandoned paper mill outside the city limits. Burying the contractors in the wooded hills of Voorhees State Park proved to be the easier task at hand, mainly because of his past experience. Jake dug three graves at the site, and filled two. The crew gathered to lower Maurine into the third and say their goodbyes. Jake stayed twenty yards back from the grave, insisting it was for "Security Purposes". Everyone knew he was lying, but didn't dare to push any further. He had already slipped back into a state of operational insanity, only speaking when spoken to and actively avoiding non-business interactions. Luna's mood was at an all-time low, which she took out on Costco wine. Liv and Natalie took leave, and Grace was losing hair by the handful. Going home was never the end, as days' worth of scrubbing had occupied Jake's every second while he was home. Eventually Grace snapped and forced him, somewhat physically, to stop. She bought two hotel rooms from a client, and ordered Jake to get rest.

"I'm not going in there, I don't care if we have to spoon on this tiny ass bed," said Luna. Grace finished brushing her teeth and rinsed her mouth out before shutting the bathroom light off and returning to Luna, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"His room has a pull out couch, or you can ask him to spoon in his bed, either way you're not sleeping in here."

"If I go in there, I'm just going to stress him out, and I get headaches around him when he's upset."

"He hasn't really gotten energy control down yet, but it doesn't happen while he's sleeping, you'll be fine."

"You think he sleeps? He's either building reports or staring at the wall all night."

"Then just sit silently next to him, you don't have to talk with him. Just be there if he needs someone, he likes you the most anyway." Luna paused for a moment, like she was building composure, then her shaky voice made itself known.

"Did he ever talk about it?" asked Luna. Grace didn't need Luna to clarify what she meant, they both knew exactly what she was referencing.

"No, but Liv watched it happen." Luna's face blushed to the point of being hot to the touch.

"I—what happened? I only remember the kiss and waking up on the couch."

"You told him to take you to bed, he declined because you were drunk, then you threw yourself at him."

"Damn it… no wonder he's been weird lately. He doesn't want me and I forced myself on him."

"I wouldn't say that."

"What? You just said I threw myself at him."

"Yeah you did, but he didn't pull away. In fact, he leaned into it." Luna's face reddened more than ever before. She quickly hid it by lying face down on the white cloth bed sheets below her.

"I'm so fucking embarrassed right now," said Luna's muffled voice. "How can I get drunk and just whore myself out like that."

"Drunk actions are sober thoughts, and you got really drunk with some strong thoughts." Luna lifted her head up to see Grace.

"Do I need to talk to him about it?"

"Can you work alongside him without talking about it?" Luna didn't have to answer for Grace to understand. "Then yes, you do. I'm your friend and I'm here for you, but I'm the boss first. If you or Jake aren't focused on the job you can— no, you will die."

"What do I even say?"

"That's up to you. Just be yourself, that's the you he likes." Luna had to take a deep, composure-gathering breath before even thinking about moving towards the door. She collected herself, at least as much as she could, and left the room. Luna walked three steps forward and squared herself up to the door of Jake's room. She thought about knocking, but decided that would be worse than barging in. She scanned her keycard against the keypad, waited a moment, and walked through the threshold. Jake sat on the left side of his bed, facing the window. Luna thought about how to initiate the conversation, but was interrupted by noticing the pistol in Jake's right hand. She debated tackling him, or pleading with him, or even just leaving the room, then something came over her, something unprecedented. Luna walked over to the bed and sat down shoulder to shoulder next to Jake. His only reaction to her was sliding his finger off the trigger and resting it on the frame of the pistol.
"Is there anything I can say to stop you?" asked Luna. Jake's already watering eyes stayed locked on the floor-mounted air conditioner in front of him.

"I hope so," replied Jake. Luna let out a deep sigh.

"It wasn't your fault."

"But it was. I got complacent and Maurine died because of it."

"You can't know everything that's going to happen, whether you're complacent or not."

"This is the only thing I know how to do, and I still fucked it up." The slide of Jake's pistol rattled as his hand shook subtly. Luna disarmed Jake carefully, and gripped his hand between both of hers.

"Bad things happen, I'm sure you know that more than anybody. This is just the first time you had someone else to care about." Luna was more than spot on. Her words cut a hole in Jake where he thought he was armored. The tears couldn't be stopped anymore.

"I think…" Jake paused and wiped his eyes with a shaky right hand.

"You can tell me, I'm here for you."

"I think I'm in love with you." Luna's grip tightened around Jake's hand.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear that."

Thank you for reading.