Engravings of Wraith

by Kiera Dellacroix

  Confused, he shook his head to the negative.

  “I thought as much,” the Colonel said amiably.

  “I take it I’m going to live?” he asked.

  “Your doctor should be here shortly, I’ll let him explain.”

  “That bad?”

  “Let’s just say you’re extremely lucky to be having this conversation. I’ll check in on you later. Good day, Major,” the Colonel said in parting.

  He had laid there wondering if the woman had just been a figment of his imagination until a man that he assumed was his doctor came in and looked at his chart. It was then that he was informed that he would be partially deaf in his left ear and had more than likely lost the use of three fingers on his left hand. Most of his ribs had been broken and he would require further surgery on his left arm. The doctor informed him that he was actually rather fortunate; the internal bleeding would have killed him in a matter of hours had he not arrived when he did. He had agreed; he was indeed a lucky man.

  His injuries guaranteed his discharge but it was a quick transition from Military Intelligence to MI6 and advancement was more than satisfactory. He became obsessed with the woman he couldn’t prove to himself even existed and it was a year later that he discovered that the assassination of the man he and his team had been sent to eliminate was credited to an American operative known as The Wraith. From that moment on he became an avid fan and was always vigilant for more news or information. He soon learned that The Wraith was the author of a body of work that most of his colleagues thought imaginary, but he knew better and he had a hunch that his mystery woman and The Wraith was one in the same person.

  It was two years later that he got the opportunity to confirm the theory to himself. In what was to be a collaborative effort between American and British intelligence to intercept and remove a group of Islamic radicals smuggling arms into Iran, he came across a coincidence he couldn’t ignore. The arms embargo was of concern to both nations, but what attracted the ire of the Crown was the fact that a recent shipment of armaments had been of British manufacture. A strike team consisting of six Special Air Service operatives and one American observer was to be assembled at Waddington RAF for deployment. The addition of an observer was a source of great humor to the British. Despite the image the United States strived to display openly to the world, the international intelligence community was all too aware that the Americans played very effective and very ruthless hardball in the shadows. It was joked that the observer would be as formidable as the strike team and it was a surprise to many that currently enroute to Waddington was a female US Marine Captain named Deirdre Brennan. As luck would have it the operation was canceled at the last moment, but upon learning that the observer was a female and had an Irish name, his alarm bells went off and on a hunch he found himself driving like a madman to Waddington. Upon arrival and after twenty minutes of being sent from one place to another he was informed that the Captain was on the tarmac awaiting an American transport. The sun was beginning to go down and any hope that he would find her was beginning to dwindle when he caught sight a figure sitting cross-legged on the tarmac just outside one of the larger hangers. As he approached from behind he saw that it was undoubtedly a woman and as he got closer he noticed with a sense of excitement that she had long black hair. He was about twenty feet away when he heard her voice and he knew that he had found her.

  “Can I help you?” she asked without turning around.

  “No, but maybe one day I can help you.”

  At that she stood up and turned around. She had a duffle bag on the ground beside her and she was dressed in the standard military fatigues. He walked up until he was about a body length away and he saw the black eyes that he remembered.

  “You may not remember me, but you saved my life,” he said noting that her face was completely devoid of any recognition or emotion. “You went through a great deal of trouble to do so and I wanted you to know that it was much appreciated, I’m in your debt.”

  She didn’t answer and only her eyes, which never wavered from his face, gave any indication that she was aware of his presence at all. He reached out and handed her a card that she took without looking at and put in her shirt pocket.

  “If you find the opportunity to let me try and repay the favor, you can contact me with the information on that card.”

  Never breaking her stare she just nodded.

  He had said what he came to say but his curiosity forced him to take a chance he later thought was extremely foolish, but never regretted.

  “I’m obligated beyond payment, Wraith. Again, thank you,” he said as he turned to go. He wasn’t sure what to expect or if he should expect anything at all. He had gone about ten paces when she spoke.

  “You’re welcome, Major.”

  He spun around but she had already turned her back and reseated herself on the tarmac. He nodded slightly to himself in understanding. He hadn’t been in his uniform for over two years, she had known who he was all along.

  ———

  “Richards and his team never stood a chance,” Keith DeSilva said shaking his head.

  Terry privately agreed but kept it to himself. The report from Mr. Phillips had been quite thorough and subconsciously he had been rubbing his neck for the last half an hour. She had effortlessly removed one of the best teams the Organization had and in the process made off with Satterfield and the file. What really bothered him was the fact that they now knew exactly where Satterfield was, but could do nothing about it. All afternoon he had been castigating himself; he was responsible for the current situation and he knew it. Despite his feelings on the subject, he should have seen to her removal years ago when it would have been a simple matter to set her up. Instead, he not only allowed her to go, but actually fought on her behalf, now the situation was becoming desperate. Not only for him, but also for the Organization itself.

  “What’s with the sword anyway?” Bob wondered aloud. “Couldn’t she have just as easily fired a round through the door?”

  Terry winced internally at both the question and the image of their dead operatives. He was beginning to wonder if anyone in the room had really read her file. No one seemed to quite grasp exactly how formidable she was. He decided another lesson was in order.

  “First off,” he started. “A round being fired through an object to reach a target is by no means a guaranteed success. Secondly, if indeed the round struck its target it would have the opposite effect of what she was trying to accomplish.”

  He was glad to see that he now had the attention of everyone in the room. “Like you said yourself, Bob. The Wraith is one of the elite and she didn’t become so by being stupid. In fact, she’s far more intelligent than I think everyone here realizes. If our man at the door had been shot, he would have fallen or been forced backwards, thereby providing an alternative exit for escape. And since a four-story drop is not an option, her tactic assured that our man would fall forward and block the door. And after dispatching him it was a simple matter to walk next door and wait for Richards to choose the obvious. Richards would neither expose himself or an associate by attempting to remove a body from in front of a door where the enemy may be waiting, if another option existed.”

  He gave them a few moments to think about that before moving on. “What’s the status of incoming assets?”

  “We have two junior operatives that should be arriving in Atlanta as we speak. Their team leader is about a day behind them. As for the others, by tomorrow afternoon we should be close to having all our resources domestically available,” Bob said.

  “Why the delay on the team leader?”

  “With the cancellation of all Ops, some of our assets were delayed in the recall to safely withdraw from ongoing operations.”

  “Understandable.”

  “Are we looking at putting everyone in Atlanta?” Bob asked.

  “Yes, we’ll need our surveillance people round the clock on Cameron and if it comes down to a confrontation we need
to have the rest standing by to move on her.”

  “Should our people be made aware of who Cameron really is? With that many assets in one place they’re gonna wonder why all the manpower is dedicated to one woman.”

  “I think that we should. If anything else it would make them far more cautious. If they respect their target they won’t be so quick to make hasty decisions. Anyone disagree?” Terry asked and scanning the faces gathered at the table he saw that no one did.

  “Okay, Bob. Get a dossier on Cameron to the people you have in Atlanta now. No history, just her Identifier and the information they’ll need to begin surveillance.”

  “With that many assets in one place, how are we going to coordinate or shelter them?” Keith asked.

  “Good point,” Bob said.

  Terry nodded. “Yes, that’s a good question. I’ll have Mr. Phillips look into finding a suitable base of operations, but for now let’s centralize the surveillance teams in one location and the others we can spread out in the hotels closest to C-Corp. Let’s make it painfully clear to everyone that Cameron is aware that she is being watched and that they are there to report her whereabouts only. Under no circumstances is anyone to engage her in so much as a conversation unless directly authorized to do so. If she feels threatened in any way, we could rapidly have a situation that we are not wholly prepared for.”

  Terry stood from his seat. “As of right now, Cameron has made no mistakes and that trend will continue, that is unless we can force her into making one. I believe that this should be our goal and we should bend our minds to achieving it. I’ve toyed with the idea of using her family as a catalyst to this end and everyone should take this into consideration as well, as it is the only card we currently have in our favor. But keep in mind it is a dangerous card to play. If it were to blow up in our face, the situation would swiftly turn into a free for all.”

  He picked up his mug and sipped his coffee as he slowly made a circle of the table. “Bob, anyone express interest in a contract yet?”

  “It’s in circulation, none yet,” Bob replied.

  “Damn.”

  “There aren’t that many out there willing to take a risk that great. However, there is an Australian free lancer that might present her with a formidable challenge. I was going to ask for opinions regarding contacting him directly,” Bob said.

  “Have we used him before?” Terry asked.

  “No, but several of our counterparts have. The Brits and the French have used him several times.”

  “Let’s wait a couple of days and see if the paper on her draws any attention.”

  “Alright.”

  “Okay. Bob, get that dossier to Atlanta, and unless we get a priority, I’ll see all of you in the morning.”

  Terry took up his chair and finished his coffee as everyone collected their things and exited the room. He had the inkling of a plan, but was reluctant to share it at the moment. He could make no more mistakes and dealing with her family was a potential firestorm if the walls fell in on him.

  Well into the night he remained seated until finally, he rose and made his way back to his office.

  ———

  “Heya, Pippy.”

  “Heya, Nanny,” Piper said to her best friend and the person she shared her house with as she closed the door behind her and kicked off her shoes. She threw her purse on the coffee table and plopped down on the sofa next to her.

  “Long day, kiddo?” Nancy asked.

  “Yep,” Piper said with a sigh but brightened immediately. “Hey, where have ya been lately? I got all sorts of news,” she added excitedly.

  “Ooo, gossip. I can’t wait,” Nancy said cheerily as she rearranged herself on the couch until she was sitting cross-legged facing Piper. “Some people called in sick and I got tabbed for duty. So tell me, what’s up?”

  “Well, first off I have a date...” Piper started.

  “NO WAY!” Nancy interrupted loudly. “What’s the occasion? You’re not dying are you?” she asked seriously, looking Piper up and down.

  “No, I’m not dying,” Piper said with a sigh and a slap to Nancy’s arm.

  “So who’s the lucky girl?” she asked brightly.

  “I’ll get to that. You remember me telling you that I might have to look for another job, because my boss was killed in that mugging?”

  “Yeah, I left the day you went to his funeral. I take it you still have a job?”

  “It’s better than that. The day after the funeral, the owner called and asked me to be her assistant.”

  “The owner? That Irish chick that you say everyone calls the Princess of Darkness?”

  “Yep, the Princess herself,” Piper said with a wide smile.

  “Hmmm, I sense something here,” Nancy said with a grin.

  “Anyways, yesterday I not only got to see her up close for the first time but she asked me to take over John’s job and if I do okay, she said it might become permanent and…” She paused significantly. “… I got a twenty-four thousand dollar raise!” she finished excitedly bouncing up and down in her seat.

  “Wow, that’s great!” Nancy said giggling at her excitement. “I guess two years of doing most your boss’s job for him finally paid off,” she added with a little scowl.

  “Yep, anyways that’s not the best part.”

  “Ooo, there’s more,” Nancy teased.

  “She’s beautiful, Nanny,” Piper said with a long sigh and fell dramatically against the cushions.

  “The Irish chick?” Nancy asked. “What’s her name?”

  “Bailey Cameron.”

  “What’s she look like?” Nancy asked curiously.

  “Well, she’s got to be about five-seven and she’s got a figure to die for,” Piper said excitedly as she sat back up. “She’s got the most charming accent and gorgeous black hair to her waist. She’s the most striking woman I’ve ever seen,” she sighed again. “Oh, and she has completely black eyes that are really, really intense.”

  “So what’s the scoop, she ask you out?”

  “No, I asked her,” Piper said with a slight blush.

  “What a slut,” Nancy laughed and Piper joined in.

  “Well, I asked her to lunch yesterday…and well... I kissed her on the cheek after… and then…” she glanced up at shyly at Nancy, “…well, I bought her a rose and left it on her desk, and she asked me to dinner tonight.”

  “You kissed your boss after a business lunch? Jesus, you must be desperate,” Nancy chuckled.

  “Be quiet, it wasn’t like that.” She paused and considered. “Well… it was like that but you don’t understand.”

  “What’s not to understand? You threw yourself at your boss. Did you fall over with your legs in the air too?” Nancy teased and was rewarded with a punch to the arm.

  “No!” she said indignantly.

  “Then what?” Nancy asked still chuckling at the scowl on Piper’s face.

  “She’s different, Nanny,” Piper said quietly.

  “How so?” Nancy asked intrigued.

  “Well, she’s like so in charge and confident at the office but when I asked her to lunch I thought she was going to sink into the floor.”

  “Huh?”

  “She looked totally lost but she went anyway, she sat at the table for like thirty minutes looking out of place and uncomfortable and she didn’t say a word.”

  “Really? I find that kind of odd. How old is she?”

  “She can’t be much older than I am, early thirties I guess.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “Anyway, I started to feel insecure and asked her if she had a problem with me.”

  “What did she say?”

  “You should have seen her, Nanny. She explained with great difficulty how she wasn’t used to being around people and felt out of place. It took such an effort on her part to explain I thought she was going to cave and run from the restaurant. In a way though, it was kind of endearing. I got her to come out of her shell a tad and got her to laugh once.
She’s got the most attractive laugh.” Piper smiled.

  “How does a woman who runs a corporation like that not be used to being around people?” Nancy asked curiously.

  “She pretty much lets others run it and reaps the benefits I guess. You know I worked there for almost two years and just only recently saw her, she’s very reclusive.”

  “Hmmm,” Nancy said suspiciously.

  “Nanny, she’s not like you expect at all. You approach her at a personal level and she’s painfully shy, almost innocent like.”

  “Huh?” Nancy said unbelieving. “A woman who looks like what you describe would be far from innocent I’d think.”

  “I don’t know about that, she’s certainly not worldly innocent, but I think she’s relationship innocent,” Piper said. “It’s kinda hard to explain but she said she’s had a pretty solitary life.”

  “Do I get to meet her?”

  “She’s coming to pick me up at 6:30 and you better be nice to her.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be nice?” she asked mischievously.

  “Because I know you, Nanny,” Piper said with narrowed eyes.

  “Well, I’ll try my best,” Nancy said putting on a smile.

  “Look, Nan. Wait till you see her okay?” Piper said eyeing the nefarious smile. “She asked me to choose a place because she isn’t familiar with many. I don’t think she was lying.”

  “Alright, I’ll be on my best behavior,” Nancy conceded.

  “You’d better, I get the feeling you don’t want to mess with her.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. You’ll see for yourself in a little while.”

  “You really like her a lot?”

  “Very much, there’s something about her,” she said thoughtfully. “I’d like to see where it goes, but I think she’s special.”

  “Alright, girly, you’d better get ready,” Nancy said with a look to the clock.

  “Oh, no. I should have said 7:00, I’m gonna be late,” she said as she hopped from the couch and made for the bathroom.

  “Hey, Pippy,” Nancy called after her.

  Piper stopped and turned around. “What?” she asked impatiently.