Ray Coleman was not Superman, nor was he Spider-Man or Captain America. He could not survive a fall from the rooftop. So he aimed for a lamppost and slid down from there. The pole was more than three meters away, and it took great effort for him to reach it.
The sniper was not particularly surprised to see him go to such lengths. He calmly turned around and pulled out a gun equipped with a silencer. This was exactly what Ray had expected, so he jumped off the pole before reaching the ground, and the bullets missed their target. The sniper did not pursue further; instead, he jumped into a Chevrolet parked by the roadside. He drove away, flashing Ray a sinister smile.
From that distance, Ray could see the sniper's face clearly. He had a face as ordinary as anyone you might bump into every day - except for his eyes. Those piercing eyes were something Ray would instantly recognize if they were to meet again. On that day, one of them would die. Ray was engrossed in deep thoughts about this sniper - so engrossed that he only realized someone was approaching when the person was near.
He quickly turned around and saw a familiar face: someone he never thought he would meet again.
"Private Morrison!" He still could not conceal his surprise.
"Sir, I'm glad you still remember me." It was the young female soldier who had shot him months ago but deliberately missed his heart by an inch. She was no longer in army uniform, dressed instead in a simple denim shirt and jeans. She looked like any other ordinary girl, yet more attractive with her slender frame and sharp, short hair - a contrast to her previous beret-clad appearance. With a look like that, one might wonder why she joined the army in the first place.
"Yes, I remember you. How did you find me?" Ray needed to know. If she could track him, so could General Richardson and his thugs.
"It's a long story. I'll explain later. For now, let's get out of here." Private Morrison gestured to a Corolla parked nearby. Without waiting for a reply, she sprinted toward the car.
"Okay, okay..." Ray hesitated but followed. He had no choice but to see this through.
"Morrison, where are we going?" Ray asked once they were inside the Corolla.
"To the safe house," she replied, starting the engine. "You can call me Kaia, sir!"
"Alright, call me Ray. Now, tell me who you're working for."
"Director Carter isn't the only one trying to bring down General Richardson," Kaia explained as they drove off. "There's a rivalry among the higher-ups. Whoever takes Richardson down first wins."
"Rivalry? So we're just their puppets? I assume you're working for Carter's rival." Ray's annoyance was palpable.
"Yes," Kaia nodded. "I didn't know you worked for Carter when Richardson ordered me to shoot you. But I knew you were a good man - I couldn't let you die a death without honor."
"And your boss told you where to find me?" Ray pressed.
"I returned to Cali weeks after your 'death.' Richardson had you killed over suspicions. My boss didn't want me to share your fate, so he replaced me and pulled me back. Later, intel suggested Richardson's money man, Frank Geldof, was under attack. I staked out his girlfriend's place and saw the man I'd shot in the heart!"
"So... you saw everything?"
"From the moment you parked. The sniper is Richardson's top hitman, codename Snake. They'll stop at nothing to eliminate you. Stay with me at the safe house - we'll plan our next move."
"My next move. Not ours," Ray corrected.
"Why not team up? You want Richardson gone; so do we. My boss can provide intel and weapons."
Ray paused. "I'll cooperate temporarily. Your boss seems better informed than Carter."
"Both sides have similar intel. Carter likely just withheld details." Kaia chuckled.
Ray frowned. She was right - Carter hoarded information, demanding blind obedience. To dismantle Richardson's empire, Ray needed broader insights. Allying with Kaia made sense. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
He had nothing to lose - or did he?
Kaia drove the Corolla away from Anaheim toward Santa Monica, just an hour's drive away. Soon, she exited the freeway and pulled up to a small, isolated wooden house near the beach.
"Here we are."
The house was compact yet cozy, with two bedrooms facing the sea. As Ray stepped inside, he noticed hidden surveillance cameras covering every angle. Standard setup for a safe house, he thought.
"Make yourself at home while I check the latest intel. There's beer and cola in the fridge," Kaia said, nodding toward the kitchen before disappearing into one of the bedrooms.
Ray grabbed a can of beer and downed it in one go. He then headed to the bathroom to splash water on his face. When he returned, Kaia sat rigidly with a laptop on the sofa, her expression deadly serious.
"What's wrong? You look like tomorrow's the end of the world. Will there be some alien invasion tomorrow?"
"It practically is - for you. Richardson's camp had activated Black protocol - their internal code for total elimination. They had posted a $1 million internal bounty on your head." Kaia's voice tightened while her fingers whitening around laptop edge. "Every member of his Anaheim team will be gunning for you. And they have to do it within twenty-four hours… starting at 18:00 today."
Ray glanced at the clock - it was 17:52. "Never thought I'd be worth a cool million. Not too bad for a small town boy like me, huh? By the way, what happens if they fail to kill me by tomorrow 18:00?"
"Failure means punishment," Kaia explained. "Richardson rules his hitmen with fear and greed. Succeed, and you get paid. Fail, and you face dire consequences."
"Let them come. I'd love to meet them all." Ray leaned forward with a grim smile. "No sense wasting their time, and my time either."