Four in the Afternoon, September 23, 2006. Wesselman Park
“It’s been twelve hours Sergeant Thompson, are your dogs losing their sense of smell?” Vix said he approach the map table. She was typing on her laptop in a makeshift command station along with several other officers busying themselves.
“We have 78 officers and over a dozen of dogs working on it, and their sense smell is just fine, thanks for being concerned, Agent Vixian.” happily replied Thompson. Vix stopped for a moment to shoot him a venomous glare. Finishing up a cup of coffee while looking over the Wesselman Park map, he ensures Vix of the search, “We’ll have a helicopter in less than an hour now. He can’t run forever.”
Vix stopped typing and turned towards Thompson. “Dan was a federal agent; this isn’t going to be a typical manhunt you’re used to. He has training and supplies,” implied Vix.
Thompson took that moment to ask a question that’s been bothering him. “That reminds me, why are you people down here in the first place? Evansville doesn’t have much happening around here these days, and now this,” inquired Thompson. He turns to face Vix to only see her glaring at him. Reaching to a sudden conclusion about the matter, he resigns, “Classified stuff, huh. Well I’m not going to go about prying, got a promotion in a couple of months.” He starts to head on out when he heard Vix say something under her breath that made him grin.
“Smart man.”
Returning back to her laptop, Vix continued to type her routine report when she received a message from a member of the Ranger team. It was easy for her to assume command due to the given circumstance with Dan. The surveillance of the lycanthrope subjects had to be maintained due to Ranger 6 being compromised. Vix needed to know what exactly went on during the meeting between Dan and Wendy and the only way she’ll know is through one of them. Vix quickly reviewed the message noting that collaboration from majority of the Subjects had occurred in the District Attorney’s Office. Her cell phone then started to vibrate next to the laptop. She immediately answered. “This is Vix.”
“Blackhorn here, what’s the update with Dan Ramer?” Vix stood up and went over toward the map table, examining the regions.
“Twenty-five out of thirty sectors has been thoroughly searched. We should be completed in 2 hours,” Vix responded, “Any progress on Agent Patel’s condition?”
There was a momentary pause. “Agent Patel was brought into consciousness forty minutes ago.” Vix’s eyes narrowed with the new found information.
“Why wasn’t I informed sooner?”
“Wendy has little bearing on you current objective. It isn’t necessary for her to go through another trauma,” said Blackhorn trying to protect Wendy. He knew that adding Vix into this wouldn’t go well.
Vix noticed the sudden change in Blackhorn’s tone as well as the transition of calling Agent Patel by her first name. “Agent Patel was in the confrontation with my target. She can help clarify Dan’s actions with the information she knows. I need to see her.”
“She is a wounded agent that doesn’t need to be criticized for matters beyond her control. It was Dan that brought her there and it was him putting her in the hospital.” Blackhorn felt his anger rising from the conversation. This didn’t bode well. Taking a small breath he continued, “There will be other agents to question her. You’re best needed where you are.”
Realizing the increasing tension in his voice, Vix thought of a different approach. Coldly, she explains, “Wendy has been infected. She is a compromised agent that knowingly with held information from her handler. Thus, she holds responsibility with her silence. All of this could have been averted if she had pulled herself out and been forthcoming of her own complication.” Pausing for a moment, she relays her request. “I am the only agent nearby that knows enough of what has happened to see if she is truthful. Let me prove her innocence.”
There was a long moment of awkward silence. Blackhorn knew that Vix was right. She was the only one that knows enough and that she could quickly respond. He rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache coming. With Wendy’s best interest in mind, he gave his response. “I’ll allow it, but…”
*Click*
Vix had heard enough. She mused herself as she took the batteries out of her cell phone and unplugged her laptop, “Unreliable connection, pity.” She promptly made her way out to her mustang parked outside.
Sergeant Thompson was getting prepared to send another team into the park when he saw Vix quickly exiting the command post. He called out across the lot for her, “Wha…”
“Sergeant Thompson, I Need You To Take Over The Search For Now. My Number Is On The Table. Leave A Voicemail On My Cell Phone If You Find Anything,” she hurriedly interjected.
“Where Are You Going!?”
She stopped for a moment before getting in her car, and smiled at Sergeant Thompson, “That’s Classified.” She then peeled out of the parking lot leaving behind some white smoke and a lot of turned heads.
“That’s a federal agent?” said a dumbfounded search member.
“Yea, and I have her number,” replied Sergeant Thompson as he makes his way into the command post.
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Four-fifteen in the Afternoon, September 23, 2006. Virginia Road
Dan was fatigued and his vision had started to blur, but finally he started his way down a two lane road. His knowledge on perimeter search and a bit of patience paid off when he found a hole in the patrols. Now he can finally get back to his plans. His thoughts wandered to the black mustang that chased him. He couldn’t get a good look at the passenger since its headlights were blinding him in high-beam. He knew that no one in his Ranger team had such a vehicle. “This had to be a new agent,” he figured, “but how did Blackhorn field another agent so quickly?” Dan notices a car approaching ahead and quickly duct off road until it passed. He continued to contemplate the fact that an agent was sent after him. “I’m going to have to be more careful from now on. None of this screwy shit like last night.” Another car whisked by. “I’m going to need a car though, walking isn’t going to cut it.”
Getting up, Dan left his pack and positioned himself in a middle of a lane with his hand out as he sees an incoming vehicle.
With the wind flowing in her hair and a pair of sunglasses, Vix felt good after being able to escape the mundane time of conducting a fruitless search. She figured Dan was already well on his way to his destination. Keeping at a steady speed of 120 mph, she sees someone standing in the middle of her lane. “Who is this idiot?” she remarked, trying to get a closer look. At first, she thought it was Dan, but quickly dismissed the notion. “He’s not that much of an idiot. Must be some hitchhiker wanting to jack someone’s car.” The idea of arresting the poor bastard was out of the question, it’ll take too much time to write up a report, and time isn’t something Vix had much of. Instead she did the next best thing, she accelerated.
Dan realized two things simultaneously when the car was coming at him. One, it wasn’t slowing down, and two, it was a black mustang. “Oh shit!” Dan yelped as he jumped, feeling the rush of air as the mustang narrowly passed.
Vix was going about 155 mph when she passed him. She caught a glimpse in the rear view mirror of the hitchhiker’s body on the pavement. “That’ll show him,” she smirked figuring she just knocked the wind out of the person.
Dan barely had the energy to roll himself over in the ditch next to the road near his pack. “Damn that was close,” he thought, slowly drifting off asleep.