Shadow Wars- Surviving Extinction Read online

  Angela’s Story

  Sofia’s Story

  Erika’s story

  Caroline’s story

  The Airport

  New Home

  Alex’s Story

  Training Begins

  Symbolism

  The First Mission

  The Gala

  Victor’s Story

  After the Gala

  Backstories

  Andreas Parker

  Andreas’ Story

  Epiphanies

  Caroline’s Realization

  The World Banks

  New Lead

  Intervention

  Planning the Bank Mission

  Preparing to Infiltrate the Bank

  Infiltrating the bank

  After the Bank

  Choices

  Planning the Assault

  Preparing for The Mission

  Assaulting the Mansion

  Escaping the mansion

  Returning Home

  Continuing the Fight

  Retribution

  Angela’s Story

  Alex is in his store listening to the sounds of nighttime San Antonio alive with commotion. His neighbor merchants busy selling their wares, the sounds of street performers entertaining visitors and locals alike, the constant aroma of world-class Tex-Mex cuisine being carried by the gentle breeze. The only drawback to this otherwise beautiful area is the humidity from The Riverwalk. It doesn't bother him as much as others, though, and in his mind, it's a fair trade.

  Angela enters his small convenience store with a commanding presence that he has become accustomed to every time she comes in. The ding of the door chime and clicking of her heels on the old tile catches his attention, and he looks up from his book to find her standing there in a short black dress, that is both sexy, but classy at the same time, and wavy blonde hair resting gently on her shoulders.

  “Hey there, another hot date tonight, I see," he asks in the same playful tone he always does.

  “Of course. A girl can’t get ahead in this world unless she works for what she wants, right?” she replies with a mischievous grin.

  “So, when are you going to let me take you to dinner?” Alex asks mischievously.

  “Oh, Alex, you’re a sweet man; you wouldn’t want to be working for me the next day, would you?” she replies with a flirtatious wink.

  “God forbids!” he replies, laughing.

  Angela places a pack of gum on the counter and opens her black clutch purse to grab some money, but he stops her, “It’s on the house. Consider it an investment in your future success.”

  “You truly are a nice guy. I’m surprised nobody’s snagged you up yet,” she tells him with a sweet and genuine smile.

  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost think you were propositioning me,” he leans in and tells her with a roguish half-grin.

  “Aren’t you a little too old for me?” she asks with a flirty smirk.

  “True, two years is a pretty big age gap,” he tells her with a slight bit of sarcasm in his voice.

  “More like four years, I’ll have you know. I’m only thirt…twenty-eight, remember? So, six years,” she replies facetiously, which causes Alex to laugh.

  “Oh, that’s right, I forgot you were only thirt…twenty-eight,” Alex jokes, causing her to burst out laughing.

  Hearing a car pull up, Angela looks over her right shoulder, “Looks like my ride's here.”

  “Alright, have fun, and be safe,” he tells her, smiling.

  Angela leaves, and he watches as she gets into a black Mercedes S 450. Her Chanel perfume lingers in the store for some time, but he doesn’t mind, it’s always a nice change in comparison to the musky way the old store normally smells. The Mercedes drives off, and he watches, hoping the way he does every time, that she'll be ok out there. She's a tough woman, but it’s still hard for him to not be a little worried.

  The next morning Angela walks into the store. Hearing the ding from the door chime, he turns around to see Angela standing there dressed casually in a baby blue tank top and ripped jeans with her hair in a ponytail underneath a baseball cap.

  “Good morning sunshine,” Alex greets her while handing her a cup of coffee in a way that shows she is more of a friend than a patron.

  “Good morning to you too handsome,” she answers back, smiling.

  He motions with his hand to their usual table in the corner, and she sits down with her coffee.

  “So how did everything go last night?” he asks as he sits in the open chair across from her to face the door.

  “It’s me, come on now,” she tells him, letting out a small, prideful laugh as she tells him about her night.

  “That’s good. One step closer to your dream, right?” he asks while taking a drink of his coffee.

  “Yeah, but sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever meet that goal, you know what I mean?” she tells him pessimistically.

  “Why do you think that?” he asks, confused.

  “Well, to be honest, you know I’ve always wanted to be a clothing designer, but after last night I’m afraid that will never happen now,” she tells him, sounding dispirited.

  “Why? What happened?” he asks concerned.

  "Well, I recognized someone I went out with a while back, and it got me thinking. What if I mess up and I grift someone that could potentially help me get into the industry? Or worse yet, what if I already have?” she replies, sounding even more disheartened at the thought.

  “So, why do you keep doing it?” he leans in and asks.

  “I don’t know. I keep telling myself that the guys I do this to deserve it, but sometimes I wonder if it’s because I’ve been doing it for so long that I don’t know how to do anything else,” she lowers her head and tells him softly.

  “Well, what is your goal in life? To be a fashion designer? You can't live in the past, and the future isn't here yet, all we have is the present,” he replies empathetically.

  Angela slouches her shoulders and stares distantly at the white lid of her coffee cup, “It’s not just that. I always dreamt of having a family one day. I know, hard to imagine, right?”

  “Why is that hard to imagine?” he asks, noticing her fingers gently interlocked around her cup.

  “What would I tell my kids? If I meet a guy and he asks what I do for a living, what would I tell him?” she asks softly and with a slight stutter in her voice.

  Alex leans in closer, places his forearms on the table, and locks his unblinking eyes on her, "Angie, listen. You think I don't see you out there, how you interact with people on the streets? I've seen you outside of work mode, and you're an amazing woman. This whole façade you put on for your marks isn't the real you, that woman is someone completely different. I know that to play the game, you have to be that woman, but I've noticed you take her off and put her in the closet until it's time to work. And honestly, I agree with you, some of the people you’ve conned deserved it, and more. You did tell me once that you wanted to become a lawyer so you can fight for the little people. You also told me that you wanted to design stylish clothing for low income and underprivileged kids to help build their confidence, why not let more people see that side of you? Show the world that there is an intelligent mind and loving heart behind that pretty face.”

  “You’re just saying these things because you want to date me,” she looks up and tells him smiling, and in the same flirtatious tone that she has when she wants to redirect a conversation.

  “You are pretty freaking hot, but date isn’t quite the right word. Something a little less ‘strings attached’ is more what I was thinking,” Alex tells her with a mischievous grin.

  “Whatever jerk,” she
tells him, laughing.

  “Seriously, why don’t you just quit and leave this life behind?” he asks candidly.

  “And go where? Do what?” she looks down at her cup again and asks.

  “Well, where have you always wanted to go?” he asks while taking a drink of his coffee.

  “I don’t know,” she replies somberly.

  “Sure, you do. Think of your happy place, the one place that you’ve always fantasized about.”

  Lifting her head, she looks up at the plain white wall behind him, “I guess if I had to choose somewhere, it would have to be Europe.”

  “Well, there you go. I’m sure you have enough money saved, why not find a country and take a vacation? I’m sure that the woman’s shelter would understand if you missed a couple of donations," he asks with a small shrug.

  “I don’t know; I've never really traveled before," she tells him with a slight stutter in her voice.

  “So, do it then. What’s stopping you?” he shrugs subtly again and asks.

  “I don’t know, to be honest,” she locks her eyes with his and tells him flustered.

  “Well, if you can’t think of a good reason, then why not do it?” he asks, grinning as he notices the crinkle in between her eyes she gets when she’s processing things.

  “I’ll think about it. I need to get going, though, I have a few things to do before tonight,” she tells him, smiling sweetly as she stands.

  “Sounds good. You’re meeting here again tonight?” he asks while standing with her.

  “But of course. Have to run my outfit by my fashion expert first, right?” she tells him with a playful grin.

  “I would hope so. I’m the only one that’s allowed to approve, considering my great taste in fashion and all,” he replies with a smug grin.

  “That’s true. The whole plain black tee and jeans every day is all the rage now because of you,” she tells him with playful sarcasm in her voice.

  “What can I say, I’m a trendsetter,” he replies, causing her to burst out laughing.

  “You’re so dumb. Seriously, though, I’ll see you later tonight,” Angela tells him with a small laugh again.

  “Alright, I’ll see you later,” he replies with a good-natured grin.

  That evening Angela walks into the store. Hearing the ding from the door chime, and the clicking of her heels on the tile, Alex looks up from his book and is rendered speechless; seeing her standing there in a floor-length, off the shoulder, green bodycon dress with V-neck cut that seems to make her blue eyes pop.

  “Wow!!” Alex blurts out with his unblinking eyes locked on her.

  Seeing his reaction, Angela feels herself blushing and looks down with smiling eyes at the tile.

  “I’m so sorry, that was very inappropriate,” he tells her embarrassedly.

  “It’s ok, that’s the reaction I was going for,” she tells him while brushing her wavy blond hair over her ear.

  “You always look amazing, but… um…," he stutters while doing his best not to stare.

  “Thank you,” she replies with a tight-lipped smile.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Alex notices a black limousine pull up, "I think your ride is here.”

  Angela looks over her right shoulder at the idling limousine and watches as the driver exits, “Um… yeah, that’s for me.”

  “Really fancy date tonight, huh?” he asks playfully, causing her to let out a small, nervous laugh.

  “Hard work pays off, right?” she replies, winking at him and with her coquettish grin.

  "Be safe out there," he takes a deep breath in and tells her.

  “Always,” she replies, smiling sweetly at him before exiting his store.

  Alex watches as she enters the limousine and finds himself feeling a little more on edge than usual but doesn’t know why. He steps out of his store and lights a cigarette as the limousine drives away, watching intently as it turns the corner. Thinking that it might just be one of those times where he’s feeling hyper-vigilant over nothing, he finishes his cigarette and walks back inside.

  Late in the evening, Alex is counting the register so he can close his shop when the same limousine pulls up to the store. Something seems off, so he places the cash back in the cash register and slams the drawer shut, being a firm believer that if something doesn't feel right, then it isn't. Stepping from behind the counter, he watches the idling limo suspiciously and can feel his adrenaline strangely starting to rise and his heart beating faster with each passing second.

  “Stop! I said no!” Angela screams from the back of the limousine.

  Hearing Angela screaming, he runs outside and opens the back door to find a man trying to force himself on her. Alex grabs the back of the man’s jacket and rips him from the back seat, throwing him violently against the wall of his store. Angela, still not fully realizing what just happened, hears the loud thud of her date’s head bouncing off the brick and looks out through the open limo door to find that Alex has her date pinned against the wall.

  She quickly crawls out of the limo to intervene and starts to call out his name but freezes once she sees Alex’s hand wrapped tightly around her date’s throat. Hearing her step out of the limo, Alex turns to her. Locking eyes, she can see a fierceness that she’s never seen before, and it’s shocking; it’s as if he’s an entirely different person. The closest she’s ever seen him like this was when her ex came into his store, but even then, he wasn’t this frightening.

  “Go home!” Alex orders her.

  Finally, regaining enough of her senses, she starts to run but stops abruptly and turns around to go back. This was her mess, Alex shouldn’t have to be involved; she needs to be the one to clean it up, not him. Running back towards them, she sees the limo driver open the door to save his passenger; but before he can exit, Alex aggressively throws a back kick, slamming the driver’s door shut, preventing him from getting out. Witnessing this, she stands there frozen once again, watching the ordeal through a hazy mind as if it were some strange nightmare.

  "If you ever try this again with someone, I will come and find you, and next time I won’t hold back,” Alex whispers into the man’s ear as he slowly continues to squeeze the man’s throat.

  “Do you know who I am?” the man asks arrogantly while struggling to breathe.

  “I know exactly who you are, Anthony Taylor. Do you know who I am?” Alex asks while applying even more pressure.

  “No, should I?” the man replies, struggling harder to breathe, and feeling more frightened about what Alex might know.

  “The fact that you don’t know who I am, but I know who you are, is exactly why you should be afraid of me,” Alex tells him in a soft, but aggressive whisper.

  Seeing the merciless look in Alex’s eyes, the man becomes horrified as he realizes what Alex is implying. Releasing his grip from around the man’s throat, Alex grabs him by his jacket and throws him violently into the back fender. Finally, able to breathe normally again, the man coughs and jumps back in the limousine, quickly slamming the door to escape Alex’s wrath. With his passenger finally safe inside, the driver screeches down the road, trying to get away as quickly as possible.

  Alex watches readily as the limousine speeds around the corner and disappears into the night, making sure that they were gone before going back inside. If they were dumb enough to come back, Alex would be the first one they would see, and he would be more than happy to make good on his promise. Feeling confident that the limousine is gone for good, he turns to go back inside and finds Angela still standing there looking at him, stunned by everything she just witnessed.

  “I said, go home!” he orders her again as he stares into her terrified eyes.

  Angela, still unable to speak, nods her head and walks away rapidly, wanting to get home as quickly as possible so that this night can finally be over. Maintaining his diligence, and still, on high alert, he watches her until she makes it to the doorway that leads to her second-floor loft. Seeing her enter the stairwell and knowin
g that she’s finally safe at home, he lights a cigarette to try and calm himself down.

  Several days later, Alex is in his store waiting hopefully for Angela to walk in. She hasn’t been seen or heard from since that night, and all his calls and texts are being ignored. He finds himself not only worrying about her now but starting to miss their morning chats as well. Hearing the ding from the door chime, he looks over eagerly and feels slightly disappointed when he sees a shaved-headed Mexican guy in his early twenties walk in.

  “Hey, Zeke. How's it going?" Alex asks as he extends his fist.

  “Not bad, just getting the day started. You?” Zeke replies while bumping his fist with Alex’s

  “Not bad. Marlboro Reds?” Alex asks as he turns to face the cigarette display.

  "Yeah, please," Zeke tells him while pulling his wallet from his back pocket.

  "So, how’s the office building coming along?" Alex asks while placing the cigarettes on the counter.

  “It’s coming along good. We’re putting up the drywall tomorrow,” Zeke tells him proudly.

  “I don’t see how you do it, work construction ten hours a day, and go to school at night, plus take care of your mom and brothers,” Alex tells him as he takes the cash from Zeke.

  “Well, I’m the man of the house now. Now that my dad’s gone, I need to set a good example for them the way he used too,” Zeke replies with a somber smile.

  “That’s cool, man,” Alex clears his throat and tells him.

  “Plus, once I finally get my civil engineering degree, I won’t have to be swinging a hammer anymore; I’ll be in a nice cushy office telling other people what to swing a hammer at,” Zeke jokes.

  “Just a few more months, right?” Alex asks with a small laugh.

  “Yeah. Would have been longer if you hadn’t talked me out of quitting so I could pick up a second job,” Zeke tells him

  “Short-term pain for long-term gain,” Alex replies, grinning.

  “You know, I remember that night you and I sat here bullshitting. I don’t remember everything you said, but that stuck out to me, and I tell myself that every time things get hard and I want to quit school. Now look at me, just four more months, and I’ll be the first college graduate in my family,” Zeke tells him with a proud and emotional lump in his throat.