Three Months Later….

I awake from yet another sweated sleep, the humidity over the nights is at an all-time high, only two sounds do I hear; my heart rate and the air conditioner that so far recently has proven useless. To my feet I get, hitting the floor for a few limbs stretching push up reps, and then my feet take to the bathroom. Washing my face I look to the image of my clean cut scruff, my dark hair short and with a few drops of water at my fingers I spear it outward as I like. Twin scars on my right cheek always plain sight, my narrow eyes hazel in color always peering to see more, than what’s usually there. As I walk the hallway, my eyes shift to the door across from my own to see it open, and peering in as I knew it was again did the bed hold no body…she was with Nissa again.

Her daughters door was closed which lied just feet down from hers and was a no stress note that Maria was again cuddled on the floor by the crib her daughter slept in. It has been some time since she has had a good sleep. Three months is not bad for this stage, I could only imagine if she found him dead. He was found at home with the daughter at the daycare attached to the building Maria worked at, both were away and thank god they were.

I moved through the hall down by my front door, opening it quick only to grab my morning paper and close it again. Taking it to the kitchen I toss it to the table grabbing a cup and pouring a brew from the timed coffee pot set the night before, looking up to the clippings of newspapers articles I cut out from papers past. The cut-out with their burning beautiful estate home in the Czech Republic still haunts me to see it, and still brings fights to my home. Maria yelled at me constantly at the beginning after the fire as one of her own staff maids was badly burned during the blaze that went up so quickly; I still wonder if the charges they found in the wreckage had been there for some time.

“I just want to see her, send her flowers, I’ll make it anonymous I promise” Maria would bring up time and time again days after, but I knew her style and loving heart, some small note of a phrase she knew the maid would recognise to knew it was Maria and it was that fear that I still wage war. We fought about a lot of things and now looking back none of it was any great deal, she had lost everything since being pronounced dead but never recovered. We often spoke of her changing her name and identity but with no body to confirm death this rouse I pulled off will only stall the ones after her. She uses cash for everything and I hope I have kicked up enough dust to smoke her soul from them enough for her to now start anew.

As I sit to my computer in my study I had built to my home a small room not really elaborate by no means but enough to double as a home office my eyes peer to my busy desk littered with articles I was following at the currant time. The progress of the project Alec was working on a fully automatic drill assignment that held the possibilities to change the world for the better or in the wrong hands drive it into a monarchy worldwide. The United Nations was tabling the use of the drill since it was currently being built in the arm of a private developer by the name of Alliance Drilling, a company that hired Alec and his handpicked group of fourteen brilliant minds to aid him in his quest. Alec was well gifted having a degree in the ways of law but that wasn’t his true calling, he was one of the best program developers we had to this blue ball we lived on and on the side of all that did he delve into the chemical arts as well. The Alliance company knew him from previous meeting and projects and could see any other mind at the helm in co-partnership, the CEO of Alliance was the first I checked into after hearing of his death as he had the most to gain from his elimination but doing a thorough background scavenger hunt Mark Levers came up clean as a whistle and never in the times I had met him did he seem croocked. The man had built various satellite systems many military and telecommunication global mongers around the globe use today and such a talent was the back brace to the Alliance empire and good will. They as a company didn’t mind damn near giving the project to the direction of the United Nations in a continuing global effort to save the planet from using all of the dying fossil fuels. We were only decades from a global crisis and they knew it which is why the project began after an a amassing discovery only six years ago of a huge frozen concentrated frozen amount of oil in a heavy dense form located deep within the ice shelves of the Antarctic. But any type of continuous mining by humans would prove to be untimely to long to process, that is where Alec and his team came in. I showed up a few times as well and that information has not been told to Maria yet as I initially told her I hadn’t seen Alec in nearly six months before his death and I didn’t want the words clouded an unnecessary issue that held no suspicion. My objective was simple when I was there with him and that was to help him with the power system and the cooling convertors as my knack under my old name Rig Stevens came with my ability to work power mechanic very well, it was my use when I was in the military unit I was a part of until the accident occurred exiling me from that life. Alec again found me we again grew as best friends as we had been so long before.

I kept my word to Maria to not really involve her in the work I was doing and deep down she didn’t want to give up on finding who killed her husband but to the surface she hide it with the show of me not to pursue it….that it wouldn’t change what happened. That was true but I made a vow to my friend in the last days I had seen him, that if anything was to happen to him I would watch over his family and keep them from his life on this nightmare and indeed I will. I did a background check to all he worked with following them all with looks to their finances for big payouts or family issues and stamens of hidden partners to the United Nations all came up empty. Then as the next few week unfolded from the attack did I trail the new line headlines on some of the people Alec work with starting be found dead in bathtubs and ledged suicide showings which I never bought as legit, others were presumed missing and couldn’t be located and then only a few days ago was their another heading stating the Alliance company had been bought out by a massive rival called Vision-Tech which has their fingers in robotics on a global scale and for years had they always shadowed in the wake of Alliance success. The news made no one stitch of sense, why would a world hugging conglomerate suddenly give it all up to a privatised company only worried to benefit themselves.

The drill was operational but not in use yet as the mission of the drill brought must arguing to the world table from many countries, the votes were all over the place and unstable to be sure. Making something useful from a privatised company was harder than simply giving over the key and debates and discussions needed to be done. Many countries suffering were all on board with its use as it would benefit them the most but for some of the bigger worlds powers, their votes were not yet placed and every meeting wet with much stalemate. The rule was set if a decision wasn’t met by a year and a half the drill and all its availability would belong to the current owner which after the buyout became Vision-Tech industries. As much as I would like to be involved with all of the issues over there the one I was vowed to keep safe was just down the hall from me.

My Friend had done well for himself with the home and life and family he carved out, and just grateful was I to be named godfather to their bundle of joy. Today is a new day however as Maria has finally got the courage to apply for a position in this country, she went for a spot in the coastguard and with her exceptional credentials as a highly respected rescue officer I can’t see her not getting the job . I finish my coffee and hit hard to my work out routine to wake me up and two thirds the way through I hear steps to the kitchen followed by the gentle pour of yet another morning coffee.

“Good morning” I say to her seeing her hands to the paper I brought in, dressed in a navy blue blouse and dress pants she was ready for the day. She looks to me finishing the last of my buttons that was the last of my sport suit to put on,

“I’m really nervous”

“You’ll do fine Maria” I boast with confidence, “Little one still asleep” I question to which is met with an agreeing nod, “I trust Claire Maria, Nissa is in good hands for care, a doctor plus she has a gun”

Maria just looks to me with worry that could fill the whole world; I come to her side taking one hand into mine

“No one knows you’re here”

“We should keep it like that, what if they find us”

“Eventually they will Maria, however don’t let fear run your life. Finding you and trying to end you is two different things and they have a million rocks to turn over to find you…it’s time for you to have addition to your life”

She smiles a simple grin as it seems her touch to her child for calming is one I have grown to help with her, “Will you drive me there” she asks to which I laugh a short shot,

“Let me make a call to work, of course” I replied

Next Chapter: Chapter Two