Devil's Daughter (closed)

[zydrate]

(closed, PM if interested)

https://i.imgur.com/4gkMxdL.png https://i.imgur.com/Na6Glfb.png

Zara Sutton

She was known as the Devil's Daughter... only because her father was one of the world's elite snipers. He had kept his identity secret for a long time but someone had found out he was living a double life. So someone made the smart (not smart really) move of going after his family. Had they known he had taught his one and only daughter how to survive just as he had, maybe they would have had an easier time getting to her. It took at least two-thirds of a squad sent after her to realize she wasn't going to come quietly. Zara had fought tooth and nail to travel from Brazil to the US where she was going to be guaranteed protection from those trying to kill her.

It really didn't make any sense that they wanted to protect her but she had to make her way to them first? It was all already pretty shady. But she did it, nonetheless. She wondered why she was going to be assigned security when she could take care of herself better than anyone else could.

But sooner than expected, Zara found herself in the US... well, in Tucson, Arizona to be exact.

Now, she was supposed to make contact with someone from the White House and from there, go underground but again, for some reason, that didn't sound too smart. She thought she was doing just fine on her own. As she sat at the small coffee shop, sipping on a black coffee, she went over her choices. If she called, she would be holed up somewhere, easily making her a target. Or, she could leave it and find out exactly who was after her. It would require more travel but that was fine with her... she had plenty of money, thanks to her father...

Her father... momentarily, Zara allowed herself a moment of grief... she had seen her father die in front of her eyes as much as it pained her, she listened to his last words...'run'... and that's exactly what she did.

Letting the grief pass, Zara became aware of her surroundings once more... she couldn't go there... at least right now.

Making her mind up, she grabbed one of the 4 burner phones she had purchased at a small gas station just outside the city. She dialed the phone number she had been taught to memorize... the other side rang twice before the call was picked up, Zara didn't answer right away as she was listening for any clues coming from the other side... nothing. She then spoke, "Midsummer Night". They wanted her location... Zara didn't answer. Instead, she tossed the phone on the floor under the booth and got up to leave. They knew her general location after 15 seconds of being on the line. Getting up, she dropped the phone under the booth and made her way discreetly out of the coffee shop and easily blended in with the college crowd...

 

[BeachBum25]

Cisco .... that was the only name he had gone by for the past 8 years. It wasn't a first name. It wasn't a last name. It was just a name. His name. He didn't remember how he got it, and, frankly, he didn't care.
He had enlisted in the Army right out of high school. His childhood was anything but ideal. He never knew his father. His mother died of an overdose when he was 12. Next came a series of foster homes; each one worse than the last. None of the people whose homes he lived in gave a shit about him. They were doing it for the money; none of which was spent on him or any of the other kids they were fostering.

The thing about growing up the way he did was that nothing was ever given to him. He had to fight for everything... sometimes the fighting was literal, which is why he had moved from foster home to foster home. He didn't take shit from anyone, especially the other kids.

When he turned 18, he was released from foster care despite the fact that he was still two months away from graduating from high school. Finding himself living on the streets, he got a job at a convenience store and gas station working the overnight shift. He actually didn't mind it. He went to school during the day, which meant he only had to be out on the streets for a few hours before going to work. He always went into work early, relieving his co-worker and agreeing to punch the girl's timecard at 11:00 pm. Despite the fact that he was working, he wouldn't punch in until his assigned time to make sure there were no problems.

His last day of work was actually the day he graduated from high school. he went from the graduation ceremony right to work. The girl that he relieved refused to leave early that night, and they just hung out and talked. She was his first real friend, even if it was just for a couple of hours.

He had been talking to military recruiters for quite a while. He had ruled out the Navy because he didn't want to be stuck on a ship for months at a time. Ultimately, it had come down to the Army or the Marines. He preferred the Marines, but he would not have been able to start Basic for four months after graduating. The Army was going to have him starting in a week.

After basic, he was shipped to several different bases around the country before eventually being deployed to Afghanistan. It was the first of several deployments for him. During down time on deployment, he spent his time working out; eventually getting to the point where he was in incredible physical shape. When he returned from his first deployment, he applied to and was accepted to Ranger school. He made it through with flying colors.

As a Ranger, he made a great impression; always performing his tasks flawlessly. He showed himself to be an incredible leader, and his superior officers took note. He was chosen to join Delta Force. As a Delta Force member, he was involved in several high level counterterrorism operations and had been responsible for special reconnaissance against several high level targets.

Having no idea what was up, he reported to his Commanding Officer's office as directed. Once there he was told to pack his gear and get to the airfield. He didn't ask questions. He did as he was told. Once there, he was directed to a private jet. On board, he was greeted by a suit. The man gave a name that Cisco didn't remember and a title that Cisco didn't really care about other than he had some connection to the White House.

"I am going to take you to Phoenix. There you will meet up with other people from my office who will go into the details of what is expected of you. The general task you are assigned is to find a particular person of interest. She.. yes, it is a woman, but she is unlike any other.. is not to be harmed or killed. You are just to locate her and detain her until we get there. You will get more information when we land."

Once arriving in Phoenix, they were ushered to a SUV and whisked away. At the meeting with the other members of the White House team, he was given more information on the target of his search. He saw pictures of the Devil's Daughter. He was given background information on her. Cisco was told of her plans to come in and how, after making the call, she had disappeared.

After they finished briefing him, the original guy he met on the plane asked him if he had any questions. "It isn't my job to ask questions. It is my job to do what I am instructed to do." He put all of the paperwork they had given him into his backpack. He took the credit card they handed him and put it in his wallet. "That is for all expenses that you incur. There is no limit."

"Okay, then, unless you have something else for me I am out of here. The longer I stay here, the farther away the Devil's Daughter gets."

 

[zydrate]

Zara kept on moving... she knew not to cause a scene or stand out in any way to make her an easy target. She was dressed like most people, a pair of jean shorts, white T-shirt and white sneakers. To wear anything else in this heat would be too much and show that she wasn't from around there.

Ok, the heat she could do without...dry heat wasn't her thing but she adapted. She had to, this wasn't some luxury vacation as she was used to when she was just a nobody. Now, people knew who she was, not just the people who her father worked for but also, those that had hunted them down and were still looking for her.

Finding herself at the Phoenix bus station, she hadn't known it would take so long to travel from Tucson to Phoenix... and the only reason she travelled in that manner was because she couldn't drive. She hadn't needed to know how before. She couldn't travel via airline as she didn't have the proper ID needed. So basically, she had to travel in this manner, even though it was slow, it was still under shadow to where no one would think she would do.

Now, she found herself on a 4 hour layover. It was risky but what could she do? She kept to herself and made sure no one could sneak up on her. Her hair was piled under a baseball cap and in her leather backpack, she had a change of clothing, the remaining inactive burner phones, $4k, a gun and a knife. In the waistband of her jean shorts, she had a taser, which was hidden by her T-shirt.

Her weapons were also a reason she could travel via airlines.

So now, she just found herself waiting. What else could she do? Looking at her watch, there was still a couple of more hours to wait.

***
Getting herself a soda and a hotdog, Zara walked around as she was getting tired of sitting around, not doing anything. She made sure not to be too obvious. As she threw away the hotdog wrapper, she looked up and noticed a pair of security guards walking with a uniform cop. They had a paper in their hands and were looking at it while occasionally looking at people as comparing them to what was on the paper. She quickly turned away, looking around once more and saw another out of place sighting, 2 more guys in suits, talking to people they walked up to.

Keeping calm, she saw the nearest exit and walked toward it, keeping her head down and making sure not to look rushed. She shoved her hands into her pockets and calmly walked out of the bus depot. Getting onto the street, she saw it... 4 more cop cars.

Sure, it could be for someone else but she couldn't take any chances. She kept walking down the street, speeding up to a faster pace. There was a city bus stop up ahead and she walked directly and purposefully to it just as a bus was slowing down and so she started to run to try to catch it.

 

[BeachBum25]

As Cisco was leaving, the suit called for him to stop for a second. "She was spotted by security guards at the bus station. They notified city police, but they haven't been able to locate her. That means that she is still in Phoenix."

Cisco looked at the suit and shook his head. "So, before you got me, you were relying on security guards at the bus station to find this high priority individual? And, your instructions to them were to contact police if they saw her, or think they saw her? What the fuck? Do you realize that now that she knows you have people looking out for her that she is going to go deeper underground? My first stop was going to be the bus station, followed by the airport. If you had kept all of the rent-a cops out of the way, my mission might have been over this afternoon."

He turned and walked out; shaking his head. Cisco went to the bus station. He wasn't necessarily convinced that the security guards had seen her, so, he had to confirm it. After talking to them, he was certain it was her, and he was certain that she was going to be even harder to find, now.

After thanking the security guards, and looking around the area where they had originally seen the Devil's Daughter, Cisco walked around the area of the bus station. She would not know him, and he needed to make sure that she was not still in the area and checking things out to see if the police were searching for her. As he walked around the area, he noticed that there were several city bus stops around. Cisco looked at the route map on the wall of one of the bus stop shelters, and realized that if the Devil's Daughter got onto a city bus, she could be just about anywhere in Phoenix.

Deciding to call it a day, Cisco went to a luxury hotel in the downtown area and got a suite. He booked it for a week, although he doubted he would be there that long. Hell, he might only be there one night, but he wasn't paying for it, so, he didn't care. He gave the clerk the credit card that the suit had given him for expenses, signed the statement and went up to his suite.

After ordering room service, Cisco opened his computer and did some of his own research. He needed information on the Devil, so that he could know more about the Devil's Daughter. Once he gathered that information, then, he could determine where to look for her next. It was obvious that she was trying to get out of Phoenix since she was at the bus station. The question was, where would she go? Where could she go?

 

[zydrate]

The library. Zara found herself at the main public library of Phoenix. After following the most convoluted bus map route she ever had the pleasure (or in this case, displeasure) of deciphering, she finally found her way to the library.

It was a solace for her. It was also a place that provided information which she couldn't get unless she had an active phone or laptop. Both of which she didn't have or really necessarily needed. She needed to stay off the grid as much as possible.

Once in the library, she took a moment or two to just stare. This was supposedly the main library in the city so it would have everything she needed.

She looked around for a bit, just to get a feel for the place. She noted the exits just to make sure... she also noted the location of the security guards by the entrances. There was a self service kiosk by the help desk and so she went up there and found out where the maps were kept...

After an hour of looking at the maps and making out an informal route of where she wanted to go next. She had made copies of the map and shoved those papers in her backpack. She sat there for a moment more, thinking of her next step. She needed something to eat and then find some place to stay for the night. Again, she had no ID on her so... she had a plan to get one before nightfall.

In the restroom, she quickly changed from her white shirt to her extra blue t-shirt she carried with her. She doubted that she was spotted at the bus station but it was best to be safe than sorry. Keeping her hair up in the hat, she just cleaned up a little more before walking out of the restroom.

Stepping outside, she was hit once more with the hot, dry air. It felt good now since the library was air conditioned. Zara walked back down the street where the bus stop was and kept walking, keeping as close to the buildings both for cover and of course, shade.

 

[BeachBum25]

Based on the information that he was provided, Cisco knew that the Devil's Daughter was travelling with weapons. That severely limited her ability to travel. She would have to travel by bus or by car. Getting a car would be difficult unless she had some sort of false identification. Cisco didn't think that was the case... at this moment, anyway.

Checking the bus schedule, Cisco looked at the various destinations that buses had been scheduled to travel to in the hours after the Devil's Daughter had been spotted at the terminal. Tempe, Tucson, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Houston, Laredo, and San Antonio. It was a wide range of places, and this was narrowed down to the four hours after her sighting or else the list would have been way too large to manage.

He eliminated Denver, because he felt that she would not go further into the United States and make it more difficult to find her way back to Brazil. Any of the other locations would keep her within striking distance of getting out of the United States. As he went through each of them, he eliminated Las Vegas because of the tourist nature and the cost to be there. Cisco eliminated Tucson, because she had just been there and travelled to Phoenix; he didn't think she would backtrack.

Albuquerque was eliminated because.. well, because it was Albuquerque, and why would anyone want to go there. Tempe was a possibility, only because it wasn't too far and it provided the Devil's Daughter with an opportunity to keep moving. Los Angeles was a possibility due to the large population and the ability to get lost in the crowds. LA would be a difficult place to find her. All of the places in Texas was definite possibilities. Each got her closer to the border and once out of the US, she would have a much easier time travelling back to Brazil.

So, what was his plan. Well, he would start early tomorrow morning by sitting at the bus station. The Devil's Daughter had no idea who he was, so, finding a place to observe the terminal would be easy to do and he would not set off any alarms with her if she saw him.

The next morning, after having an early breakfast brought up by room service, Cisco headed to the bus station and found a perfect location to observe from. He was only carrying his Glock 19, and he knew that the Devil's Daughter would be much more heavily armed. That just meant that he had to use his other skills if he saw her.

Sitting at a table with a large cup of coffee, Cisco leaned back against the wall with his sunglasses on and watched... and waited. He wasn't sure this would work, but it was the first step he had to take.

 

[zydrate]

The rest of the day and on toward the evening were pretty uneventful. Zara was able to find a place to stay for the night, a seedy motel that needed ID but the fat guy behind the desk changed his mind when Zara placed $500 in front of him in lieu of ID. While in the room, she had spent a good portion of the night studying the copies of the maps she had gotten from the library.

She was up early the next morning as she needed to get going seeing that she had a rough idea of where she wanted to go next.

The problem was, she didn't want to go on foot so, after a quick breakfast at a local McDonald's, it was back to the bus station. This was her only choice as going by foot was possible, it was too hot and it would be too slow. At least by bus, she would be able to get around a little faster.

She had stopped at a store on the way and grabbed another change of clothes to change into in the restroom, this time is was a pair of jeans and green t-shirt. She knew it was going to be a long while between stops so she even got herself some protein bars and a couple of bottles of water. After that, It took some time to get to the bus station but she had arrived. Her hair was pulled back and she had a pair of sunglasses on.

It would be nearly 50 hours just to get to where she was heading but she was ready. She walked in with a group of people and looked around for any lingering security guards or cops. Nothing. Well, there were some guards but they were just standing around talking with each other. She found a kiosk to print out her ticket which she had to get via website as it required a lot of personal information. Of course, Zara had no choice to use a fake name and quickly made up email... but she also had an ID from a woman she had passed in the McDonald's and lifted from her purse. Although they didn't look exactly alike, but Zara figured if she just flashed the ID when needed then she'd be OK.

Walking up to the kiosk, she started to enter the required information needed for it to print out her ticket. She had wanted to take the soonest bus but that wouldn't be for another hour so, again, she would have to wait.

Once her ticket was printed, she took it and shoved it in her pocket and looked around for a place to wait. It was surprising that even though it was early, there were still a lot of people there that morning. Again, she found a place to seat near one of the street exits and all she could do now, was wait.

 

[BeachBum25]

As he sat at the table and drank his coffee, Cisco's eyes darted around the bus station. He looked at every person that he could see enter the terminal; taking them all in... trying to figure out if they were in a disguise... looking for the Devil's Daughter.

Standing up, he moved toward. Heading toward the ticket counter, he got behind a woman at one of the kiosks. Pretending to be paying no attention to her, Cisco watched as she punched buttons and took note of where she was travelling to. Once she was finished, he approached the kiosk and bought a ticket to the same destination while managing to keep an eye on where the woman moved to.

After the ticket was printed, Cisco moved to a spot against the wall that was close enough for him to keep an eye on the woman, but far enough away that she would not be alerted by his presence. Using his peripheral vision, Cisco looked away from the woman and sipped his coffee while still being able to keep an eye on her.

When an announcement was made to board the bus, Cisco allowed the Devil's Daughter to board the bus ahead of him, and he allowed several others to board between the two of them. Once he climbed onto the bus there were only a few seats available on the crowded bus. He had a decision to make.

One of the empty seats was the aisle seat next to the Devil's Daughter. The other empty seats were much further back on the bus. He made his decision. He sat down next to her. Cisco didn't say anything, he simply nodded in the direction of the Devil's Daughter and put his backpack on the floor at his feet.

Leaning back in his seat, Cisco pulled the bill of his hat down and closed his eyes. He did nothing to let the woman know that he knew who she was, and he did nothing that would make her suspicious of him in any way. He acted like a traveler that was preparing for a long bus ride.

 

[zydrate]

The ride... the sitting. Zara wasn't used to just sitting. She liked being active but she didn't let it show and kept to herself, holing her backpack in her arms, hugging it to her. She paid no attention to the man beside her as he was just some guy who sat next to her. Thank goodness he wasn't a talker as she had no interest in being hit on or being talked to. Even if her English was passable, she wasn't ready for the questions about where was she from...where she was going...

Even in the past 8 hours they were going they had a few stops where she was able to get out and stretch her legs and walk around a bit. She had knew she had to keep hydrated but didn't want to have to use the restroom each time they stopped. At one of the stops, she was able to get a portable radio with headphones but only wore one earbud as she listened to whatever news channel she could get.

As the bus pulled up to the San Bernadino bus port, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. It was so tempting to stop here for the night and get a room and wait until morning to continue her journey but no, she knew better. It was nearly a 2 hour wait for the next bus so once she departed her current bus, she walked straight to the restroom as she wanted to look over the map once more.
Perhaps it would have been easier to activate a burner phone so she could have GPS but she didn't want to. In the restroom, she pulled out her maps and looked at it. Then she looked at the schedule she was on and saw that it was a while more to go... she was hungry and did have a 2 hour layover...

***

Heading out of the bus depot, Zara saw a few small cafes and diners, as well as some fast food places to sit and eat. It was early evening so it was still light out as she walked into a small café and ordered an ice water on the way to the booth she was given. She looked around to make sure no cops or anyone shady looked suspicious. She took a seat and looked at the menu. Perhaps it was a common menu for these sort of places but it was all still new to Zara...

 

[BeachBum25]

It was a long bus ride, but Cisco was in no hurry. He had located the Devil's Daughter, which was the hardest part of the task. Now, he needed to get information from her. In order to do that, he would have to find a place where he could get her alone. The bus certainly wasn't that place.

As they rode, Cisco kept his sunglasses on and his baseball cap pulled down in the front. He used the ride to get some sleep. He had learned early on in his military career to get sleep when you could, because you don't know when your next chance to sleep will be. He chose not to make any contact with the Devil's Daughter. He did not look in her direction, he didn't say anything to her. Cisco wanted to make sure that he didn't do anything to make her suspicious of her.

Departing the bus in San Bernadino, Cisco allowed some distance between him and the Devil's Daughter. She was, however, never out of his sight. Well, while she was in the restroom, he couldn't really see her, but he knew where she was and where she would have to come out.

When she left the terminal and started walking around, Cisco gave her plenty of space. Noticing her go into a cafe', Cisco entered a fast food restaurant and order a burger and fries. Taking a seat in the window where he could watch the cafe', he chowed down on the greasy food; washing it down with a soda. It wasn't the healthiest of meals, but it provided some food and gave him the opportunity to keep an eye on his target at the same time.

While sitting there, Cisco wondered if he should just let the suit know he had located the Devil's Daughter and let him take it from there. However, Cisco was intrigued. He wanted the opportunity to talk to her. He wanted to find out what it was that high level government people wanted with her and from her. Yes, he was overstepping the boundaries of his assignment, but he was curious as to what they wanted with this woman.

Finishing his food, he sat in the booth and watched for her to exit the cafe'. When he finally saw her, he got out of the booth, discarded the trash, and walked back toward the bus station; keeping the soda in his hands so that if she saw him it would just look like he was returning from eating and not following her.

Finding a seat where he could keep an eye on her that was far enough away not to arouse her suspicions, Cisco sat down and waited. He hoped to find the opportunity to get her alone soon, but he was patient.

 

[zydrate]

Zara made it back to the bus station, thankful to get somewhat of a decent meal. Despite everything listed on the menu, she had only ended up ordering a chef salad with extra cheese as well as an iced tea. As she ate, she looked at the maps and did her best to figure out what to do next.

As she walked back to the bus depot, she made sure to keep the taser within easy reach. To be honest, she wasn't looking forward to more travelling on a crowded bus but it had to be done.

When she walked back into the depot, she found a seat by some TVs and would glance at a few as she looked around the depot. She saw some familiar faces sitting around, waiting like her. She figured they must be going in the same general direction and besides, although most looked suspicious, she figured they were just regular travelers

There were a few cops walking around as well as security but it didn't look like they were looking for anyone in particular but that didn't mean much. She kept herself discreet and made sure not to make direct eye contact with anyone that wore a badge.

"Woooo! Lookie here men... isn't she pretty?"

A group of 4 men... well, if they could be called that, approached Zara and surrounded her.

Perfect. There wasn't time for this. Standing, she tried to ignore them and walk between the men only to be stopped by the one that she assumed was the leader. He held his hand up and put it in front of her like a toll.

"Where are you going pretty thing?" He said, keeping his hand up and leaning toward her. Zara just sighed and tried to push his arm away as she told him, "Away from you.." her voice steady but her Portuguese was a bit too thick. She tried to move again but his arm remained where it was at. Stepping back, Zara looked at them and wondered where security was at now? She walked forward once more, but to no avail.

In one swift movement, Zara raised her arm closest the guy and pushed with the back of her own arm to the side of his face. She stuck out her leg and pushed the guy which caused him to fall over her leg and to the floor.

"Stop right there!" Oh sure, now security shows up...

The other guys picked their buddy up and ran out of the depot as security chased them. No one really paid attention as Zara sat back down, waiting for the next bus.

 

[BeachBum25]

Watching DD, Cisco noticed the four men approach her. He watched to see if the security guards or policemen that were walking through the bus depot would intervene. He didn't see them make any move to help her.

Standing up, Cisco made his way toward where the four men had DD surrounded and were harassing her. He watched as she put the one guy down on the floor. Cisco was impressed. "She certainly can handle herself. Duly noted."

Continuing to move in her direction since she was still outnumbered, Cisco stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the security guard shout. He watched as the four men retreated out of the bus station. He also noticed that the security guards didn't check to see if DD was okay.

Seeing an opportunity to initiate a brief conversation with her, Cisco approached the Devil's Daughter. Keeping his distance so that she wouldn't perceive him to be a threat, Cisco cleared his throat. "Listen, I just want to apologize to you for what they just did. Not all Americans are like that. It is those creeps that give us a bad reputation." He paused for a second. "I hope you are okay. I just wanted to check on you since nobody else seemed willing to."

In order to keep up the non-threatening position, Cisco turned and moved away from her. He sat down at a table not too far away from her, and pulled the bill of his cap down some. Using his peripheral vision, he could see her looking in his direction, but he did not turn to look at her. He knew she was sizing him up and wondering what his deal was.

When it was announced that the first bus out was boarding, Cisco watched as DD got up and started making her way to the gate. Moving between tables, he made his way to the gate also and arrived at the bus before she did. He boarded the bus and found a row with two empty seats. He sat down on the aisle seat and watched; making sure that DD boarded the bus. When she did, he lowered his head so that she didn't think he was watching her.

 

[zydrate]

Zara took a deep breath and calmed herself. She braced herself as she noticed another person near her, but had stayed a safe distance away. He spoke, telling her that not all Americans were like that...

Wait? Was he just assuming she wasn't from here? How the hell would he know?

He was the same person who sat next to her on the bus... that's why he seemed familiar.

She ignored him for a bit and just nodded her thanks. Zara made no sudden movements and just continued to sit there, wondering what she should do.

Over the intercom, her bus was announced it was boarding. She waited for a bit and then, at the last possible moment, she got up and boarded. She waited only because she was making sure they didn't have any bag checks. As she got onto the bus, she took a quick glance around and saw that guy again. Coincidence? Perhaps... he could be going the same way and stopping elsewhere...

She couldn't take that chance, jumping up, she told the bus driver she needed to get off now and to go without her...

Once she got off, she ran back around the backway of the depot. She hoped she was able to get off in time and that the man in the bus didn't have time to get off. Zara couldn't wait around to find out.

 

[BeachBum25]

There was no need for him to panic. He saw her get up and get off the bus. Cisco did not follow her off. Instead, he waited until the bus pulled out of the station and was about a mile down the road. He then approached the bus driver, said he had an emergency and had to get off. The bus driver resisted at first, but then, with some convincing from Cisco, agreed to let him off.

Once off the bus, he waited until it pulled away and then took off his hat and sunglasses and put them in his backpack. Obviously, it had been a mistake to approach her in the terminal after her confrontation with the four men. He had miscalculated. He took a different shirt out of his backpack and changed. He didn't think that this would hide him from DD, but if it gave him an extra second or two advantage, it would be worth it.

Making his way back to the bus station, Cisco stayed well off the road. He didn't want anyone to see him. No longer would he be able to follow the Devil's Daughter on the bus. If he was going to talk to her, it would have to be here in San Bernardino. The question was... how was he going to do that in a crowded bus station?

As he approached the terminal, he saw the Devil's Daughter behind the building. Making his way up behind her, Cisco put a gun into her ribs. "Don't do anything stupid. I am not going to hurt you unless you don't do as I tell you. All I want to do is talk to you. If you choose not to talk to me, I will turn you over to the men who sent me to look for you. I don't think they will be as nice to you as I will be."

Waiting to see what she would do, Cisco kept the gun in her ribs. Sensing that she was trying to weigh her options, he shook his head. "I have killed hundreds more men than your father could have imagined killing. There is nothing that you can think of trying that I haven't already already killed someone for doing. So, just give me your backpack and let's have a little chat."

 

[zydrate]

Yes, she was thinking about to do next... As she was about go ahead and take off on foot, she grabbed the taser from her pocket and had it ready as now, she would have to walk to some place and find some where to stay for the night, if not, the next several nights. She grabbed a map of the city which she picked up in the terminal and looked at it in the dim light.

Just as she finished putting it away, she felt the gun in her side... and then that voice. The same one that belonged to the that guy on the bus... in her mind, she mentally cheered as she knew her instincts were right.

She listened to what he said and thought about it... if he did shoot her, then at least that would alert someone? Even if he had a clear shot to kill her, it would still alert someone... if she added a scream to it all, then yes, it would surely alert someone.

He asked for her backpack... she still had the taser in her hand. He mentioned her father and for some reason, that got to her. Acting as if she were giving up and complying, she slowly raised one hand up to unsling her bag from her one shoulder. If he wanted her to talk, she wasn't going to give him the pleasure of it. With her other hand, she carefully and slowly moved the taser back toward him. On purpose, she dropped her bag... Would he fall for it...?

 

[BeachBum25]

"Think carefully before you do what you are thinking of doing. Like I said, if I wanted you dead, you would already be dead. If I wanted to just turn you over to those who sent me looking for you, you would already be in their hands. I just want to talk with you. However, if you are going to try to scream, or hit me with that backpack, or use what you have in your hand, then things will not end well for you."

Adjusting his body, Cisco was ready for the Devil's Daughter to make a move. He wasn't sure what it would be, but he had a feeling that she would try something. She had not demonstrated any tendency to go out without a fight, so, he really didn't think she would do it now.

"Let's just take a little walk. You can put away whatever is in your hand. I will put my weapon away. Just a short talk... maybe 10 minutes is all I am asking you for. I think I have been very reasonable so far. Anyone else they sent would already have you in custody..... or dead."

Stepping back, Cisco lowered his weapon as a sign of good faith to DD. He kept enough distance between them so that he could counter any move she tried to make. He also kept his gun at the ready in case he needed it to address any aggression from the Devil's Daughter.

"I have shown you that I am willing to work with you. Now it is up to you. We can do it the easy way with a chat, or we can do it the hard way. Trust me... I have dealt with many people who want to take the hard route."

 

[zydrate]

What choice did she have at this point? She tried running but look where it got her. She still got caught.

The man said someone had sent him so... they must have either gotten her message OR someone else found her.

Maybe both?

Her heart began to beat faster as she thought about, either way she was dead. Or maybe not because he said he just wanted to talk. Yeah right. With slow movements, Zara placed the taser back in her pocket and then slung her bag back onto her shoulder. She turned to look at the man, sizing him up.

"Fine. 10 minutes. No more, no less." He indicated for her to start walking by taking her by the arm and guiding her along. It wasn't a hard grasp, but firm, nonetheless.

They had rounded the corner of the back of the bus depot when they were met by the same 4 guys that had approached Zara inside. Perfect. The other guy was probably embarrassed she had floored him earlier and now they were back with their gang.

Ignoring Zara's new 'companion', they pointed at her, "I knew we'd find you... time to pay up for what you did in there."

 

[BeachBum25]

Taking a hold of the Devil's Daughter's arm, Cisco led her around the building. It was not a controlling grip he had on her, but it was a grip that let her know that it would be a good idea for her to follow him'

When Cisco saw the four guys that had approached DD earlier inside of the bus station, his only reaction was to shake his head. Then, he chuckled a little when the guy said that it was time for the woman to pay up for what she had done to him.

"So, the lady embarrasses you in front of your boys, so, you decide that you are going to need them to get back at her. You really are such a man." Briefly Cisco looked at DD. "Now, don't you wish you had just stayed on the bus so that you did not have to interact with these four pieces of shit."

The four guys started talking and posturing. "Who the fuck do you think you are? We might just have to beat the fuck out of you before we get our revenge on your pretty little girlfriend."

Remaining incredibly calm, Cisco looked from one guy to the next. To him, this was not a stressful situation. This did not even qualify as a low level confrontation in his mind. He had experienced much worse and had maintained his composure through each of them. "Now, boys, I really do not want anyone else to get their feelings hurt. I think you suffered enough embarrassment for one day."

The guy who had approached DD inside earlier stepped forward in a threatening manner, "I am going to fuck you up." Before anyone knew what happened, he was on the ground grasping his throat; the result of a swift throat punch from Cisco. Without hesitating, and while maintaining his focus on the other three, Cisco kicked the guy on the ground in the head... knocking him unconscious.

"Now, you have two choices.... one, you can join him on the ground, or number two, you can pick him up and carry him away and live to be assholes another day. Of course, you could choose a third option I guess, and that would be to just get out of here and leaving your asshole buddy laying here. Choice is yours." The three men looked at each other. At first it was like they were trying to decide how to attack Cisco, but then one of them pointed at their boy on the ground, and they decided that they would just scoop him up and go.

Once they were gone, Cisco looked back to DD. "That didn't count against my time, right?"

 

[zydrate]

Zara watched as the same man she had floored earlier had been floored again by the man holding her arm...still all through this. His grip never changed as they watched the man's buddies carry him off.

He asked if that incident counted toward his time and Zara looked up at him, "We'll see." she replied before they continued on. She had no idea where he was leading her but she had no choice but to go with him. As they walked, Zara wondered if she could get away from him... she could probably break his grip and floor him long enough to run into traffic and hopefully get away...

Or she could run into traffic and accidently get hurt... yeah, for sure, they would find her and take her away.

She had told him she'd give him time and that's what she was going to do.

To her surprise, they went to the small diner she had had dinner at during the layover. It was practically empty as there were only one couple and an older gentleman at the counter. All the booths were empty and he walked to the back booth as he made her sit down opposite of him while he sat with his back against the wall.

Almost immediately a waitress arrived with menus and asked what they wanted to drink, "Ice water please." She then took the man's drink order and disappeared. No one said a thing as they sized each other up. When the waitress came back with their drink, she asked if they wanted anything to eat. Zara wasn't hungry, that was for sure. Her stomach was in knots wondering how long it would be before she was turned over to the 'others'.

 

[BeachBum25]

Sitting across from the Devil's Daughter, Cisco sized her up as he waited for her water and his coffee to be delivered. He was very impressed with her confidence... at least with the confident look that she maintained up to this point. When the waitress returned with their drinks, Cisco ordered pancakes and sausage. He had learned that you eat when you can when you are on a mission.

When the waitress walked away, Cisco looked back at DD. "Understand something before we get started, I have no idea why they sent someone who has fought in battles in the most hostile parts of the world, who is among the most elite military forces in the country and the world to look for you. That is not me bragging. I have been to places that, if given the choice of there or hell, I would probably choose hell. I tell you this because, to be honest I am confused. In part, I believe that they think you are dangerous... to them and to whomever they send to find you. I don't need any suits to tell me that someone is dangerous, I treat everyone as a threat until I am 100% positive they are not."

Pausing while the waitress brought his food, Cisco took a sip of his coffee. "Thank you ma'am."

Once the waitress had moved away, he continued speaking to the Devil's Daughter. "I don't know much about you. I know more about your father, because the suits had a lot of information on him. I know that you had agreed to meet them. I know that you made the call to them once you were here. I know that you decided not to meet with them at some time during the call. I know you have weapons in your bag, which is why you are travelling by bus, and I know you have taser in your pocket that you were going to try to use on me. Other than that, I have nothing on you."

He took a couple of bites of pancakes as the Devil's Daughter remained quiet. Someone, probably her father, taught her well. "So, tell me why I was sent to find you. Then, you can tell me why I shouldn't just make the call and have them come get you."

 

[zydrate]

It took a few minutes for Zara to figure out what this man was talking about when he said 'suits'. He was talking about those she had called back when she was in the other city. So, that's who sent him.

But how? How did he find her so fast? Sure, her general location was a dead giveaway when she made the call but she didn't think they'd get to her this quick.

"You still sound like you are boasting about yourself. You say you know about my father? How do you know what you were given is the truth?"

She didn't let up. Keeping her voice steady and confident, Zara shrugged, "No matter what I tell you, you're going to turn me in anyway. It's what your kind do. Follow orders like a dog," she pushed the metal napkin holder toward him, "So, finish your food and take me to my... how would you say, my hanging."

Sitting back, she took slow sips of her water, waiting... Yeah, she was caught. What else could she do now? This man didn't look like someone who would disobey orders. He said himself, he considered anyone a threat. Now, she wasn't necessarily a threat, but more of a key. A key several people wanted to get their hands on.

He continued to eat and didn't take his eyes off of her and she did her best not to fidget. It was then the waitress came over and turned her attention to Zara, "Honey, are you OK?" she glared at the man and then looked back at Zara, "You were here earlier and now, you're back again with his man... he's not trying to get you to do something you don't want to, right?"

Zara was going to answer that yes, he was bothering her and she didn't want to be there... just to see where it got her but, as she started to speak, gunshots rang out, shattering the window where she and the man were sitting. Zara instinctively got under the table and pulled her bag over her head as glass continued to shatter around her. She needed to get out of there. It seemed like the shooting continued forever but in reality, it was probably only a few seconds.

Holding onto her bag, Zara crawled out from under the table and a quick look showed people on the floor, also covering their heads. She started to run for the back way but a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and dragged her down. She tried to fight it and felt her elbow land against a body. But it wasn't enough to do any real damage...

 

[BeachBum25]

Cisco looked up at the waitress when she approached asking questions. Then, he looked at the Devil's Daughter to make sure that she didn't say anything that could cause any problems.

The shattering of glass resulted in Cisco hitting the floor at the feet of the waitress, who then fell next to him; riddled with bullet holes. He looked at her. "That will teach you to be so fucking nosey."

Maintaining his composure in a firefight was one of the many strengths that Cisco had. As more bullets came flying through the window, he looked to see where the Devil's Daughter was. Seeing her under the table was a good thing. She would have to go past him to get out and try to make her escape.

When there was a lull in the firing, the Devil's Daughter made a dash for the back door. Cisco moved quickly and grabbed her and pulled her into the kitchen. The elbow she delivered to his ribs, might have cracked one, but it wasn't going to allow her to get free. Once in the kitchen, he pinned her up against a freezer. Staring into her eyes, angrily, Cisco screamed at her, "You are fucking welcome."

Holding his weapon in his right hand, he told everyone to stay on the floor. Then he looked back at the Devil's Daughter. "If you had gone out the back door, you would be dead. The reason for them firing through the front window was to force you to go out the back, where they have people waiting for you. In fact, the correct course of action would have been to go out the front, because they probably had one, maybe two at the most, men out there firing into the building."

Taking a second to calm down and slow his breathing. "Okay, our best course of action is still to go out the front. They will not have re-deployed their manpower... yet. Once they think we are hold- up in here, they will add men to the front. Right now, they are thinking we are still trying to figure out how to find the rear entrance. That is why they stopped firing in the front."

Cisco motioned for DD to move out into the front. "Move toward the door so I can see what is out there." Once there, he could see two men with semi-automatic weapons and at least four black SUVs. "They probably have 8 to 10 people out back. Here is what we are going to do. We are going through the front door. I will take out the two before they know what happens. You will run to the first SUV and get in the passenger side. I will get drive and get us out of here. Understand?"

He paused for a second. "Go."

 

[zydrate]

It was all happening so fast that Zara didn't have time to make sense of it all. He yelled at her, telling her she was welcome... for what?

Her elbow hurt where she hit him. It probably didn't hurt him but it hurt her as she felt the wave of pain travel from her elbow down to her hand...

That poor waitress... Zara only got a glance of her but she had seen she was no longer alive. Her diner uniform was covered in more than just grease and coffee stains, it was also covered in blood. There was no time to mourn or even to react to what she had seen. She was in pure fight or flight mode but of course, she didn't make it far.

She focused on the man before her...he was so angry... so he really had the ability to show his emotions but those same emotions were soon masked as he held on tight to her, telling her that they needed to go out the front.

Of course, Zara listened to what he was saying about the vehicle. He wanted her to get in and wait for him... it was then she was kicking herself for not knowing how to drive a vehicle so she could just ditch him and drive away. Instead, she did what he said as he pushed her out the door and she ran toward the SUV. The doors were unlocked as she quickly got in the passenger side and closed the door behind her. She got down in the front seat and to her surprise, she still had her bag with her.

Staying down, she looked up long enough to see the man get in the driver's seat and quickly put the vehicle into gear. She stayed down as they drove off even with gunfire hitting the SUV. A few moments passed and he said it was OK, that they were far enough away and she should be OK to sit up.

Zara didn't immediately get up as she didn't trust him but after a moment or two, she sat upright in the passenger side and tried her best to catch her breath.

The man was paying attention to the road and looking back to make sure they weren't being followed...

He asked if she was OK and she just nodded... Zara took a deep breath and brought up her gun, pointing it at the man's head, cocking the weapon, "Go ahead and pull over right here." She needed to get away from him. She was doing OK until this guy showed up... "I said stop!"

 

[BeachBum25]

It only took two shots to eliminate the men out front of the diner. Cisco fired additional shots to flatten the tires of the remaining SUVs. However, those shots as well as the SUV pulling away, alerted the others who immediately came around to the front and opened fire at them as they pulled away. The SUV took a lot of hits, but they were able to get far enough away so that they were out of range of the weapons.

He asked her if she was okay and the Devil's Daughter responded by pointing a gun to her head and cocking the weapon. He heard her tell him to pull over, but that was not going to happen. "This is probably why they want to eliminate you instead of simply speaking with you. You are a danger to yourself and everyone around you. You don't think things through. You just act." He turned his head and looked at her as he hit the accelerator. "Go ahead, put one between my eyes. We will die together."

He waited for her reaction; pressing the accelerator down even more. He turned to look where they were going. "Go ahead and shoot me, because I am not stopping. You see, you have to know when you have leverage, and right now, you don't. You see, if you shoot me you are going to die. However, if I shoot you, I can just push you out onto the roadside and you are out of my life. Then, I can go about seeking revenge on the people who just tried to kill me despite the fact that I was following their orders. They made an enemy or the worst possible person, but that is their problem."

He turned and looked at her. "Put the gun down on the console now." He made sure that she saw his weapon in his left hand was pointed right at her. "If you want to live, you will do what I say."

 

[zydrate]

He sped up the truck but Zara did her best to keep her gun steady and trained on him. He had to be joking but as he continued, she narrowed her eyes at him as they made eye contact.

It was then she saw his own weapon pointed at her and for a moment, she did flinch and took a few seconds more to consider his own command about putting her gun down. She knew that once she relinquished it, she would be totally in his custody until it was time to turn her in. She then uncocked her gun and had considered throwing it on the dash but didn't. Instead she placed it where he said to and sat back... acting like none of that just happened.

Waiting is the hardest part of getting out alive... she could hear her father tell her that. Yes, all she had to do was wait...

He finally slowed the truck down as they continued on their way. Where were they going to go now? She thought about what he had said earlier about how she probably wished she had stayed on the bus. Either way she was going to get caught.

"Fine... now what? You ran from them and hurt their men so now they're going to be after you too. So just drop me off where ever and go about your night. I can fend for myself.. which I was doing just fine until you came into the picture. They probably followed you first so all in all, this is your fault."