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Scene
One - Day One
Ethan
Fairchild cocked his head to the right and focused more
closely on the deserted highway before him. It was nearly
two am and here he was driving on the border of Bulgaria
pulling an all nighter on what was suppose to be the eve
of his vacation.
He
eased the rented Jeep down the Bulgarian back roads to a
location Philip Lancaster had specified. He knew Philip
wouldn't be the contact. Philip would be the drop off point
and Ethan was the courier. God how he hated that term. All
he knew of the mission was the carefully worded e-mail he'd
received on his digital phone this morning. Philip had put
a red flag on it meaning that it was important and to be
done immediately. As much as he hated the term courier,
it's exactly what he was. Well, today anyway.
He
pushed the pressing nature of the assignment to the back
of his mind. No need to worry about what hadn't happened
yet. Philip Lancaster was his boss, but somehow he always
managed to interrupt him at the most inopportune times.
Tonight was no different.
"Oh,
Ethan," Octavia purred. "So, nice of you to come to my country
and visit. We have to keep up Russian, American relations."
Her Russian accent was thick and throaty.
"You
told me to come up and see you sometime," he laughed propping
himself up on one elbow and gazing down at her naked body.
Her beautiful, naked body.
Moscow
definitely had to be his favorite tourist attraction because
this was his favorite place to sight see -- Octavia Kassoff's
apartment. They didn't build women like Octavia anymore.
Her only drawback was that she was a high ranking KGB Secret
Police Officer.
He'd
made a deal with himself long ago that he would overlook
that stain on her character. They each did what they had
to for their country. The only difference between them was
that her job was legitimate, his wasn't.
"Come
and see you sometime. Like your Mae West, yes?" Octavia
rose to her knees and shook her ample bosom at him. Her
mouth slipped into a slow, seductive smile and her eyes
lit with an erotic glow.
Damn
he liked Moscow!
He
let out a guttural growl and then a groan when his cell
phone rang.
"Don't
answer it, darling. Work will only take you away from me
and I don't' know when I'll be able to see you again." Octavia
batted her dark eyelashes at him and her long blond hair
fell over her shoulder caressing her breasts.
He
groaned again. Whoever this was, was going to die a painful
and horrible death.
Ethan
rolled off the bed and walked unclothed to the bureau where
his phone was hidden in his jacket pocket.
Damn!
It was Philip.
Double
damn! Red flag.
The
phone call was short and informative.
Ethan
marched across the room, grabbed Octavia by the waist and
pulled her toward him enveloping her in a passionate kiss.
Minutes later, without even a goodbye, he left, but she
knew he'd be back.
Scene
2 - Day One
Ethan
had a theory. Philip had been the one telling him to take
some time off from the Legacy, and Philip knew exactly where
Ethan would go once he was out of the country It would be
very easy for Ethan to slip into any country once he was
already in the area.
Damn
precept played him like a fiddle, and Ethan did not like
being toyed with.
First
light of morning broke on the horizon, and Ethan pulled
the rented black Jeep into the parking area outside a deserted
playground -- an almost deserted playground. He could see
two teenagers that looked to be brother and sister arguing.
He assumed them to be diplomat's kids when he recognized
the plates on the long black sedan. Probably two rich kids
out for a joy ride. Out for a joy ride and in the middle
of a secret spy operation. Figured. Just damn figured.
Isidor
was already there as Philip said he would be, playing a
game of chess by himself. Ethan occupied the seat across
from the elderly man.
"You
should protect your queen," Ethan said noticing the placement
of the other players two rooks.
"You
see only what I want you to see." Isidor moved his white
knight up and into position. Two squares up. One square
over.
Ethan
pulled a postcard from his pocket that he had purchased
the hour before and laid it nonchalantly down next to the
chess board.
"Bad
move my friend." Ethan smiled, moved his queen and took
the knight. With ease he placed the knight on his postcard.
As he picked it up again, a thin micro film was left laying
on the left upper right corner of the mailable item.
Ethan
glanced up at Isidor and grabbed a stamp from his pocket.
"I think I'll mail this to the family. Emme and the two
kids will love it," he joked as he licked the stamp and
placed it over the micro film.
"Many
of my people died for that."
"Trust
me. I know."
Scene
3 - Day One - The Park
"You
see, I told you we wouldn't find anything. The only people
even around are those guys over there playing chess." Phoenix
Gray nodded toward the men across the park. "So, little
sister, can we go now?"
"How
do you know they're not the ones the guy is after?" stated
Scarlett simply. "I know what I heard. That man is coming
here to kill someone!"
"All
the more reason we not be here when and if he does arrive.
I don't think dad would be too happy if we went off and
got ourselves executed like mom did."
Phoenix
leaned on the trunk of the black sedan loaned to them by
the American Embassy and crossed his hands over his chest.
Phoenix didn't want to be here, and his sister knew that.
But she was relentless when it came to stuff like this.
She fancied herself akin to Sherlock Holmes except with
long straight red hair instead of the pipe and weird hat.
This wasn't the first time he'd found himself sneaking around
on one of Scarlett's wild goose chases. More often than
not, what Scarlett overheard or uncovered had led to solving
a case. She just couldn't leave it alone and couldn't keep
her nose out of other people's business. This by itself
was why he didn't want to be here. The man Scarlett had
easedropped on was going to kill someone, and in his opinion,
they were way too close to the two men playing chess over
there. He wanted to be far away driving in the opposite
direction. That would ensure they'd both be alive tomorrow
when their father was finished with his NATO business.
Scene
4 - Day One - The Park
No
one noticed the nondescript sedan pull in behind a grove
of trees east of the park. From that distance, not far from
the chess players, the assassin cocked her rifle. It wasn't
exactly the firearm known for accuracy, but today, that
wasn't the point. She listened to the microphone in her
ear and followed their curt and direct orders.
"Maintain
a good distance," said the disembodied voice.
God,
what did they think she was, an amateur?
From
her oversized purse she pulled what looked to be a can of
hair spray. It wasn't. It was a high powered scope. The
scope had excellent optics, and offered a good view of the
chess players. From this distance, they couldn't possibly
see her yet. Not unless they had similar scopes of their
own, and knowing how difficult it was to get this particular
brand, she wasn't worried.
She
couldn't see who her targets were but knowing didn't matter.
The voice in her ear commanded. She only obeyed.
"Move
forward till you're two hundred feet from the chess players."
The disembodied voice was demanding. Almost like this mission
was a personal vendetta. To her it didn't matter if it was
a vendetta or a tea party. She only wanted to be paid. And
she would be paid well. They always could be counted on
for that.
The
elderly chess player glanced in her direction. She kept
her expression neutral even though she wanted to smile.
His life was ticking away and he didn't even know it. The
younger man's glance followed. They both sized her up, dismissed
her, and continued on with their conversation. The fools.
Their visual dismissal was based on good reason. For what
the agents saw was an old lady, easily seventy, hunched
over and walking slowly.
From
her ear piece she could hear a silent curse.
"Pan
the lapel camera past the chess players and to the kids
across the way."
She
did as she was instructed and moved to give the voice a
view of another grouping of people.
The
curse came again. This was not good.
"Make
sure you don't involve the children. They're not a part
of our deal. The chess players only."
"Getting
soft in your old age, Phil?"
"The
chess players only!" he stressed again.
"He's
leaving," said a much younger voice. From her assumption,
he was probably Phil's technical controller. The one who
knew all about the equipment but not much about anything
else. It was his mission to stay abreast of the situation.
She
was only fifty feet from her target when she recognized
one of them. Father? It couldn't be. Her father was dead,
and the other man was who? This was beginning to feel like
a trap. Not only for them, but for her as well. The younger
chess player turned and looked at her again offering up
a smile this time. She couldn't help but smile back. It
was Ethan.
"Shoot
now!" commanded the younger voice.
Her
head throbbed. At least she didn't have to kill them both.
But which one? How could she choose?
"Shoot
Octavia! Shoot now!"
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