Vampire Cadet (3 page)

And now, it remained to be seen as to what kind of assistant the army had burdened her with this time. Shannon stood. She had a great many things to do, chief among them was to check out the apartment address that Faris had given her. Maybe Ra’ad had left some clues regarding his mission over there.

Clever as he was, Ra’ad was no match for her. Shannon had been in existence for over five hundred years, and she had never ever failed to catch a man whom she was determined to find. Ra’ad would find her to be a worthy opponent.

And once she caught him, she would move on to her next mission.

But until this cat and mouse game was on, she was quite enjoying herself.   

Chapter Three

Shannon’s first impression of Bryce wasn’t good. He was skinny and short, but once he took off his sunglasses, she realized that he was handsome in a geeky sort of way. He had beautiful hazel eyes, an aquiline nose, high cheekbones, and thick brown hair.

“Staff Sergeant Bryce reporting for duty, sir.”

“Stand down, Bryce. I’m not that much into formal rank crap,” she said with a dismissive gesture. “I’m Shannon, and you are Bryce, until we’re in the presence of company. Alright?”

He looked surprised by her casual tone. “Yes, si…Shannon.” He walked over to where she was sitting on the communication desk, trying to feed data into the computer.

“Are you any good with this?” She pointed at the computer.

His eyebrows rose. “It’s all I am good at, Shannon.”

“Explain,” she barked as she vacated the seat for him.

“I’m a computer whizz . Part of my teenage years was spent hacking. The army only took me in due to my data analysis skills and the fact that I can use a computer to do impossible feats.”

“I see.” She rubbed a hand on her jaw. He might actually be useful. She would reserve judgment until she knew more. “Well, here are the details of our mission. Ra’ad Khan is a known terrorist and he is on American soil. Two days ago, he was in San Diego, although he may have left by now. I’ve got two cell numbers that presumably belong to him. Track them to see if he is using them. If possible, hack into the phones to listen to the conversation and record it.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Listening to phone conversation is illegal.”

“If you have any qualms about doing illegal activity, please leave now so I can request a new assistant. I’m only concerned about catching a criminal who may perpetrate violent activity in USA. He is a risk to our national security and threatens the lives of our civilians. If I have to use illegal means to catch him, I will do so without hesitation.”  

He stared at her, his expression unreadable. “Alright. What else do I have to do?”

She lifted her lips in a smile. If he was as good as with the computer as he was with his attitude, she might be on to something here. “I’ll give you all the data I have about Ra’ad Khan. Right now, I am going over to his last known location to see if I can dig up any information, but I want you to concentrate on his past and see if you can come up with any lead on his present location.”

“I’ll do my best.” He took the chair.

Shannon scribbled down the numbers Faris had given her. “These are the phone numbers. See what you can do with them.”

“If he uses them, I will get him,” he claimed with confidence.

“That’s the spirit,” she muttered. Just then Faris started screaming. Shannon winced at the sound of his voice. “Oh, dear. I had quite forgotten about him.” Shannon scratched her jaw.

Bryce looked startled. “Who is that?” He eyed her with suspicion.

“He is Ra’ad’s underling and he needs to be handed over to the police. I suppose I’ll take him there now.” She stomped her way back in. It would have been easier to drink his blood and dump his empty husk of a body in the forest – but Shannon hadn’t indulged in such a long time. A hundred years! Her control was impeccable. Why break it for such an unworthy creature?

AS soon as she entered the hall, Faris fell silent. Perhaps he’d thought she was gone and hence, decided to see if he could attract some attention and get someone to free him. His skin paled as she drew near and his teeth chattered with fright.

“I want…to go to the bathroom,” he said.

Shannon untied his chains. “It’s there. Go. And do it quickly. I am taking you to the police.”

He sat and slid away. Seeing that she wasn’t planning to do anything else to him, he went to the bathroom. Shannon waited. Even if he wanted to escape, he wouldn’t be able to get out. There was no window in the bathroom. And even if there was, how far could he run? She was much faster that he could even imagine.

She waited patiently until five minutes later when he came back outside.  “Are you planning to kill me after you take me outside?” he said.

Shannon cocked her head. How had he come up with that lame theory? “No,” she said. “Come on, now. I’m getting late.”

His tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip. “You are going to kill me. I know it.”

Shannon sighed. Why was she stuck with this fool? “I’m handing you over to the police, you moron. Now, move your ass.”

He shook his head and backed off. “I…I won’t go. You’re taking me someplace else to kill me.”

In a heartbeat, before he could blink, she was by his side, her hand around his throat, and her face inches away from his. “Listen to me, you spineless coward. If I want to kill you, I could do it right here, right now, and there isn’t a damn thing you or anyone else could do about it. I’m taking you to the police where you’re going to admit to helping Ra’ad. You will willingly give them all the relevant information.”

“But…won’t that hamper your investigation.” He managed to squeak out the words.

“I’ll have plenty of time to check the address of the apartment you gave me before they show up,” she said. “During the police interrogation, you will not mention my name, or the location of this warehouse, or the fact that I questioned you and the means I used to do so. Is that clear?” She stretched her lips to exhibit her fangs.

“Perfectly clear.” He nodded, his throat still in her grasp.

“Good.” She let him go. “Follow me then.”

After leading Faris out, she made him sit in the jeep she’d hired for her mission and zoomed off. After parking the jeep, she walked back with him to the police station. She took him inside, showed her ID to the duty police officer, and handed him over along with the photos she had of him with Ra’ad.

“Why the sudden cooperation, Sergeant Major? Usually you army people don’t like to mingle with the police.”

Territory issues within the security forces were common. Shannon didn’t think they served any purpose. All of them were doing the same thing, and that was to uphold the law to the best of their ability. Barring a few exceptions, of course. The image of Faris's naked body flashed across her eyes. Certainly, she had broken a few laws there but then her intentions had been good. He’d served her purpose, and now he would remain behind bars for a long time.

It was all she could hope for.

“I’m not a usual army person,” she said dismissively before she signed all the necessary paperwork and sauntered out.

At Ra’ad’s former apartment, she found a meticulously clean space. Someone had taken much effort to make sure nothing important was left behind, including hand prints. But Shannon had an idea of where she might find something worthwhile. She searched through the garbage and found what she was looking for. A torn list that contained the names of various equipments told her that Ra’ad still didn’t have all the materials he needed for the bomb as yet. This was good news.

She put the list in a clear plastic bag to see if she could salvage some prints off it and went back to the warehouse. Bryce was hunched over the computer, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the keyboard as he stared at the screen.

“Found something yet?”

“Have patience, Shannon. This isn’t a piece of cake. I’ve set up the tracking system. Whenever he uses these cells, this computer will pick up the signal and start recording the conversation. I’ve also hacked a private satellite and it will try to pinpoint his current location as he talks. Of course, keep in mind that it’s only possible if he actually uses the phone and only for the duration of the call.”

Shannon lifted one eyebrow. “You’ve hacked a satellite?”

“You did say there would be illegal activity involved.” His face was expressionless.

Shannon chuckled. “You learn fast. Here is something else that may help us.” She deposited the plastic bag in his lap. “See if you can come  up with the names of the manufacturers who make this equipment. He may try to outright buy this staff or else make an attempt to steal it. We could catch him then.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” He stared at the list through the plastic bag and made a note of the stuff that was scribbled in there.

“How old are you, Bryce?” Shannon picked up a chair and brought it over to sit with him.

“Thirty-two,” he muttered as he entered the data into the computer.

He looked much younger. It was perhaps the fact that he wasn’t particularly tall or muscular. “You should have been a Master Sergeant by now. What happened? Did you screw up somewhere?” She leaned back and put her hands behind her head.

He glanced over. “Sort of. I’m not soldier material apparently. If it wasn’t for my skill with the computer, I would probably be out of the army by now. They need me to do shit like this, which everyone can’t do. But somehow it’s not enough to make me eligible for promotion to the next rank.”

“The army is a stickler for what they deem to be necessary qualities in a soldier,” she mused.

“And you seem to have them all, Shannon. I read your record. You’ve been awarded with two silver Stars and one Bronze Star medals within a short span of last seven years. Hero seems to be your middle name.”

“I got lucky,” she said.

“Catching two terrorist and battling seven people on your own in enemy territory can’t just be luck, Shannon. You seem to have an extraordinary ability to detect trouble before it has begun, not to mention, you have excellent fighting skills. Someone even went as much as to say that in hand-to-hand combat you’re like Rambo and Bruce Lee combined together.”

Shannon stood. She didn’t like the direction of this conversation. Bryce was unnaturally intelligent and curious. “People exaggerate.”

“Would you teach me how to fight like the way you do?”

“What?” She frowned.

“After I help you catch Ra’ad, will you teach me how to fight like a real solider? I really could use some help. It’s important for me to do well in the army, not only because I like it, but also because I am tired of being the butt of the joke. Other soldiers taunt me, tell me that I am not man enough to be in the army, and that I should take up some desk job in some private firm and be like all the other nerds who stay in air-conditioned offices all day long.”

“People can be unnecessary cruel,” she said, feeling sympathetic towards him. The army was a tough taskmaster. The soldiers went through a lot of tension, trouble, and physical pain. Sometimes, it took away their patience, especially for those whom they perceived to be weak or different. “You’ve other skills that are extremely important for all of us. Not everyone can do what you can.”

“Yeah, well.” He shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, not as much as earning three medals in seven years.”

Shannon picked up the folder she’d placed on his desk for review. “Have you read all the details about Ra’ad Khan’s life? There are a lot of in-depth reports about him from various sources.”

“I read them,” he said as he turned back to face the computer which was pulsating with eerie lights. “I’m doing some research of my own. There are a few video footages of him in the army’s archive. I am going to watch them now.”

“Those are old airport footages. What are you going to learn from that?” She tucked the folder under her arm. Maybe she needed to read it again. Perhaps there was something she’d missed in there, something that could offer her a clue regarding his mindset. Maybe she could figure out what he planned to do next.

“There is something to learn from everything.” He took his chair closer to the computer as he began to play the first video. “I’ll be right here if you need me for anything.”

“Ok.” She sashayed off, making a mental note not to get too close to him. He was way more perceptive than she’d given him credit for.

And she had secrets that Shannon needed to protect at all costs.

Chapter Four

Two days later, Bryce called Shannon while she was out canvassing the area to see if she could find any sign of where Ra’ad had taken refuge. The fact that she was going around randomly, trying to locate him in a city of this size showed how desperate she was. All her leads had panned into nothing – and she was left with the option of either sitting at the warehouse and twiddling her thumbs or seeing if she could find any news about him in the city’s more unsavory areas. 

“I’ve got some news,” he said sharply. “Better get back now.”

Since all he’d done in the past was sit hunched at the computer, typing and fiddling with the various programs he’d downloaded, she was glad that at least he had something to give her. But damn it! Couldn’t he have given her a hint as to what it was that he found?