The Black Rose

Mo fired up his computer, churning out a message to Cassy in Seattle using his top-secret untraceable “owls” as he liked to call them. While Mo delivered the message, I had my own task. I withdrew the carbon fiber knife from my boot.

“What are you about to do?” Mia looked at me apprehensively.

“I need to extract something else.” I looked at her inquisitively.

“In your body?” she hesitated. I nodded, lifting my shirt.

“Wait,” she interrupted, grabbing my hand. I paused watching as she moved to her bag. She removed a small white bag.

“Come with me,” she commanded.

We marched to Mo’s bathroom and flicked on the light. “I took this from my house. I had a sneaking suspicion we may need it again.”

Mia laid out the bag and pulled out its contents. There was a scalpel, needles, syringes, vials, a clamp, everything a triage doctor might need.

“You are something,” I swooned.

“Now, where am I cutting?”

I raised my shirt, lifting it over my head. My pale skin and rippling muscles exposed. Mia’s eyes widened slightly, but she forged on, grasping the scalpel. I pointed to the place near my fourth rib. “It’s there, a small chip much like the one you pulled from my neck.”

“How did the X-ray not see this one?” Mia exclaimed as she cut an inch-wide incision.

“Because this one is untraceable, black-market style,” I grinned smugly.

Mia shook her head. I winced as she used the tweezers to pull out the tiny chip.

“Any more chips floating around in your body?” Mia’s brows rose.

The door swung open, “Oh, sorry,” Mo paused skittishly covering his eyes. “Um, when you guys finish doing whatever it is you’re doing…”

“Just spit it out,” I blurted.

He moved his hands away from his eyes. “Cassy will be on her way in a few hours. I didn’t give her too many details in case, you know who was watching, but I told her it’s urgent. She’s flying.”

“Good,” I nodded. Mia prepared the needle to stitch me up.

“We won’t be here when she arrives,” I looked to Mo. “I need you to take this,” I handed him the bloodied chip.

He scrunched his face, taking it in his hand. “This is the key to everything. This chip has all the missions, all the Intel I have managed to gather over the last three years, as well as possible locations for Shadow facilities.”

“What do you want me to do?” Mo looked questioningly at me, then to the chip.

“I want you to think of it as a puzzle. Find where Shadow is, who they are, how many, and locations of all current assets.” Mo’s eyes bulged. “But Mo, no one can know, you have to be completely untraceable.” He nodded gazing down at the chip as if I had just given him the golden ticket.

“Where will you go?” he asked.

“Mia and I will return to L.A. I have some unfinished business there to take care of. Once L.A. is secure, we will meet at the address in that chip. It will be in a file labeled paradise. Mo, I suggest you go there first. It will be safe, secure, and Wi-Fi is untappable. ”

“What is that?” Mia piped up, just finishing the last stitch.

“I bought a piece of property two years ago. I used some of my money to add some improvements,” I smirked. “No one knows it exists, not even Shadow. I was careful. So, I suggest you pack your bags and do something with Chuck,” I smiled lightly.

Mo huffed deep, “Right. Still, not sure what I am going to tell him.”

I rose from the sink counter. “If he is involved in any way, and we get caught, they will do worse than kill him.”

Mo gulped, “Understood.”

“Mia, are you ready?” I turned to her. “We need to get back to L.A. quickly before Damien suspects anything. We are supposed to be having dinner in a few hours anyway.”

Mia gathered and rinsed the supplies. I moved to the living room and Mo followed.

“You need to sterilize this place with bleach. Everywhere,” I turned to him. “There can be no traces of Mia’s DNA here or yours.”

“And yours?” he questioned.

“Don’t worry about mine,” I grinned slightly holding my palms in the air. “No fingerprints.”

“Cool,” Mo’s face lit up.

“I knew you’d think so,” I chuckled.

We shared an awkward glance and Mo’s face grew somber. “I can’t believe it’s you,” he muttered.

“I know,” I fumbled, my face softening. “Just sorry it is under these circumstances.”

Mo’s lips curled into a giant smile and he rushed towards me. His burly arms wrapped around me once more. “Better now than never.”

My lips curled into a smile as I hugged him back.

“I’m ready,” Mia uttered as she entered the living room from the hall.

I pulled away from Mo. “We were just saying our goodbyes.”

“Our see you soons,” he corrected.

I nodded, “Get to that safe house, make sure you aren’t followed, and take this.” I moved to the duffel Mia brought in. I rummaged to the bottom and pulled out a stack of crisp bills.

I threw it on the counter. “Only pay in cash. Don’t stop to stay in a hotel, and Mo, get yourselves some fake identification. My secure contact is on that chip.”

“Is that twenty thousand dollars?” he asked, ignoring my instructions.

“That should be enough to get you everything you need.”

Mo fanned the money in his face. “This is like a real-life video game.”

“Except in this game, you will die if not careful.” I reprimanded, grabbing the duffel and slinging it over my shoulder. “Oh, and one more thing.” I paused looking at Mia. “We need to trade cars.”

Mo looked confused. “We brought an electric one that has run out of juice.”

Mia handed him the Tesla key card. “I get to drive a Tesla?” Mo beamed. “Which one?”

“The X,” Mia shrugged bashfully.

“Mo, you can’t drive it,” snapping him back to reality. “They could easily track you in that mobile electric box. It should stay here.”

Dejected, Mo sighed. “Fine.”

Moving to the wall where his keys used to be, “Where…” he trailed. I held up the jangling keys.

“How did you do that?” he asked perplexed.

“Magic,” I grinned sinisterly.

“Well, since you already have the keys, ours is the third car on the right when you exit the elevator.”

I rummaged in the bag and pulled out another band of cash. I tossed it to Mo, “Buy a used car, only in cash, make sure you don’t fill out any paperwork.”

Mo nodded, “Just be there.” I gave him a reassuring nod, and we moved to exit the apartment.

“Dani wait,” Mo called. I paused. My old name still foreign. Mo turned on his heels and ran to his bedroom. After a few seconds passed, he returned with a weathered folded piece of paper.

“After you went missing,” he paused, handing me the paper, “We snuck into your apartment. We took everything we thought you may want for safe keeping, and when I opened your nightstand, I found this.” I opened the folded paper and my breath hitched. It was Annie’s letter. I swallowed thickly.

“I got rid of everything else we kept except this. I was going to put it in your casket, but couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, interrupting him. My eyes met his. I was speechless. Every emotion and memory of Annie overwhelmed my senses. I could tell Mo was dreadfully curious and wanted to ask who she was to me, but he refrained.

“No need to thank me,” he smiled. “In a way, I felt I had a small piece of you with me wherever I went.”

I folded the paper in half again and placed it in my jacket pocket. Now was not the time for sentimentality or remembrance. I placed the hood over my head and so did Mia.

“I will see you soon, my friend.” I smiled and nodded at Mo. He did the same.

Mia and I donned our masks and entered the dimly lit hall that led to the contrastingly bright elevator that led us to the parking garage. I couldn’t think straight. Insufficient sleep and the surprise letter made my brain dizzy with thoughts and emotions.

“Are you okay?” Mia asked worriedly.

“I’m okay,” I sighed. “Are you?” I looked to her.

“Well, that sleep helped.” She looked at me accusingly.

“I knew it would,” I smiled slightly. “You should probably get some more rest. We have a long drive ahead of us again.”

“You should get some rest,” she interrupted, placing her hand on my wrist. The electricity jolted me awake.

“I will be okay,” I smiled.

The elevator door opened and we exit. I hit the unlock button on Mo’s keys and sure enough, the third car on the right lit up. I laughed, of course, Mo would have a VW station wagon. In college, he talked nonstop about buying a VW bus and turning it into a camper. I guess for Silicon Valley this was close enough.

Mia walked to the driver’s seat and put her hand on the handle. “I insist. You need your strength, way more than me.”

My eyes narrowed. I was exhausted and she did provide a reasonable point. “Fine,” I relented. “But if you need to stop for anything you wake me up.”

Mia nodded as she slid into the driver’s seat. I moved to the passenger seat.

Starting the car, Mia drove us out of the garage and navigated to the highway. It was now close to eight am and while it had been only yesterday, I was in the belly of the beast, it seemed like a week ago.

“I never properly thanked you,” she mumbled, her eyes staring straight ahead.

I looked at her with intrigue. “You don’t need to thank me,” I uttered, “Besides, I have done nothing to be thanked for yet.”

“What is the next step in the plan?” Mia asked. I could tell her brain ran twenty-four-seven like mine.

“I need to deal with my handler,” I pressed, not wanting to go into too many details of my definition of dealing.

“Are you going to kill him?” she blurted, staring at me with those wide, beautiful eyes.

“That depends,” I aired, which was the truth. “He could be valuable alive, but if he doesn’t want to join, I have no choice.”

Listen to me, talking about human life as if I had any sympathy for it. Mia nodded her head as if to convince herself that was the right thing to do.

“My plan,” I continued, “May involve a minor coercion from you.”

“What sort of coercion?” she probed.

“Damien’s boyfriend, Landon, he works for a biotech company as well. I need you to invite him over to your place to talk research, and by your place, I mean my place.”

“So, you want me to lure Landon in so you can do what?”

“Just have a little chat is all,” I shrugged, even though I knew it would be much more than that. My fingers ached the adrenaline almost stagnant from insufficient excitement.

Mia grew quiet, simply gazing ahead at the highway. My head lulled to the side against the cool window. So far, everything had gone smoothly. I just knew, sooner or later, my luck would run out. I just hoped that was later as opposed to sooner.

I could feel my eyes grow heavy, my vision blurred, my mind blank...

Suddenly, I found myself inside of Shadow. The dark metal walls, metal floors that reminded me of egg crates, the fluorescent lights shining down on you making every step feel like you were being followed by floodlights. I gazed around. I wasn’t being followed or escorted. I was alone.

I started walking down the empty hallway. Where was everyone?

I opened the first door on my right, it was unlocked. That was odd. I opened the door and Dr. Marlo’s smug grin greeted me.

“Oh, Alex, it’s about time,” he sang. “We have a very special guest waiting for you,” he chirped, pointing to the walls. I slammed the door closed and moved to the second. Unlocked also. The door slid open and Dr. Marlo reappeared with the same smug expression. I ran to the third, his manic face glared back at me. What was this?

I moved from door to door until I hit the last, my old training room. My heart hammered as the door slid open unveiling a solid white canvas. Dr. Marlo appeared out of thin air, snapping his fingers, the glass box of hell appeared. Within its four walls stood Mia. She paced frantically, beating the glass cage with her bare fists. Fear oozed from her pores. I zeroed in on Dr. Marlo. The rage within me exploded. “Let her go,” I growled.

“Oh, silly child, we don’ t need to,” he chuckled boastfully.

In the blink of an eye, my hands wrapped around his neck like a noose. Dr. Marlo gasped, but he just gurgled bursts of manic laughter. “You can’t win,” he jeered. “You can’t win.”

I snapped. My hands shook as I squeezed as hard as I could. Hard enough to snap his neck in two but it didn’t cave. Mia began to sob, pleading to be let out as a fire ignited within the chamber. I lifted Dr. Marlo high in the air, slamming him to the ground, but his laughter continued. That should’ve crushed his ribs.

Frantic, I ran to the glass box, beating it with my fists and legs. It wouldn’t budge. The fire began to grow now, the red-orange flames eating away at the space. Something within me shifted. I turned to Marlo and watched as my hand penetrated his chest straight to his heart. Blood sprayed across my face. I turned in time to see a door appear on the glass box. I ran, but two guards appeared blocking my path. I lunged, knocking one to the ground, snapping his leg like a twig. I reached for his gun, firing a bullet at the second. Another guard appeared and I shot. Mia’s screams turned manic. She was being burned alive.

The final guard falling, I fired shot after shot at the door, but it didn’t crack. I watched in horror as the box engulfed in flames. I dropped to my knees, and as they hit, the flames evaporated. Tears welled and fell down my cheeks. Mia had vanished. I rose, stumbling towards the glass.

“What is this?” I called aloud. “Where is she?” I yelled, the enormous white void echoing. I spun, glancing in every direction, until something reappeared in the box.

“No,” I moaned. Annie was strapped to a hospital bed, monitors and lines everywhere. “Annie!” I screamed, pounding the glass walls, but they wouldn’t give. My head spun, searching frantically for something that would break the glass.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I found a weight and chucked it at the glass, but it bounced off like a ball would a wall. My hands hit the glass, sliding down as I watched Annie’s monitors. Her heart rate was dropping. “No,” I wailed.

“I told you, you couldn’t win,” a sinister voice sounded behind me. I turned to see Dr. Marlo, a gaping hole in his chest smiling.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The machine’s alarm started to sound as Annie slipped further and further.

“No,” I sobbed, backing away from the glass, I began firing at the walls, but nothing. It wouldn’t break. Annie started to convulse. My gun out of bullets, I pounded with my feet and fists on the glass until I could no longer distinguish my sweat from the tears. I watched as Annie faded away and all I could scream was no...