Hunter or Hunted?

ลำดับตอนที่ #2 : CHAPTER 1 JASON WEST

CHAPTER 1 JASON WEST         

Another boring day in the field, Jason thought. Standing on the top of an eleven-floor building, he looked down to the crowd surrounding some gathering, or accident, maybe. He used his eagle-like eyes scan into the crowd. There he is, he thought, the president. He turned around and opened the long iron package he brought with him. Inside, laid many parts of a powerful sniper. Jason assembled the rifle parts and threw a gum in his mouth. Like he did for usual, he lay down in the posture of a professional sharpshooter. Through his Barrett .50 Cal sniper, he saw the president’s head clearly. The wind speed is 20 miles per hours, that’s quite fast, he thought. Suddenly a voice appears in his Bluetooth radio on his right ear.

            “Jazon,” a deep, weird accented voice of a man called his name “there’s a change of plan.”

            “Come again?!” Jason replied with an aggressive voice.

            “That’s a decoy!” the man shouted.

            Jason jumped up from his position, put his sniper back in the package, and start running. A few meters before he reach the edge of the other side of the building, a helicopter rose from nowhere and leveled with him. Inside, a pilot wearing a black outfit and an eye on his helmet gave him a sweet smile. He clicked something on his piloting console and a small Dillon M134 Gatling Gun aimed towards him.

            But, Jason, of course, wouldn’t want to be killed, yet. He continued running and threw his iron box directly at the helicopter’s rear window. Little damage was made but it blinded the pilot for 2 seconds, which was plenty for him. He entered the helicopter through the side door and entered the pilot’s room.

            “What the!” the pilot panic and shook his control stick so hard that the plane dive down almost suddenly.

            Jason held on one of the rails on the wall and pulled out his Desert Eagle that he modified by himself. This semi-auto gun has the fire power of an M16 but the recoil and the weight is reduced by 70%. He climbed closer to the pilot room, but the spinning helicopter gave him a hard time. The pilot noticed that Jason kept getting closer so he pulled out a magnum, turn his seat around, and shot Jason. Jason let go of the rail he was holding onto, and landed on the other side of the helicopter seat to avoid those bullets, then counter attack the pilot. He shot the pilot two times. Both of his bullets hit directly in the pilot’s head and chest. He put back his gun in his vest and tried to get balance.

The young FBI grabbed a parachute and jumped out of the falling helicopter. He pulled the parachute immediately, but the speed is not slowing down. He searched for the most comfortable spot for landing. That park should do, he thought.

“Old man! I’m gonna land on the park,” he shouted to his earphone.

“’ell no! That’s a trap! The park is surrounded withs those bastards” the deep voice man replied, “Y’ur gonna get killed for sure.”

“No choice pops,” Jason demanded and scrambled through the barks of trees. He tried to dodge the trees but it was useless. The parachute clanged on a large bark and stopped. Jason was hanging on a maple tree 5 meters above the ground and swaying slowly. Oh great, he thought, I should’ve been in my house.

In just a few seconds, 4 guys in black suits came out of the nowhere, pointing all their guns at him. One of them is amazingly muscular and big, two of the guys have exactly the same face and body structure, and the other guy, the right side of his face has a large red scar, probably burnt. The fifth man came out a little later. He wears a white suit and sunglasses. His bald head makes him look like Morpheus from the movie ‘The Matrix’, except the part where his belly was pushed out from his shirt. He smiled wickedly at Jason and giggled a little.

“Well done boys,” he said, “Now we can get rid of the annoying trash that has been around for some time.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Jason put both of his hands in the air and made an innocent face, “I think I’m not the guy you’re looking for.”

“Stupid excuse!” shouted the bald man, “Bring him down here!” Right after the command was give, the twins climbed up the tree and cut down the ropes attached to the parachute. The big guy was waiting under the tree and caught Jason in the neck with one hand. He tried to struggle, but it was useless. The guy with the burnt scar searched Jason’s body and confiscated his Desert Eagle.

“Alright, where should I start,” the bald man gave a sigh “hmm, okay, my name is Argus Blackthorne, a chief officer in our community.”

“So?” Jason gave him an annoying tone of voice.

“You’ve been in our plan for quite a long time now,” Argus grinned, “I will give you two choices, join us or die.”

Suddenly, without warning, Jason elbowed the big guy’s face, pulled a knife out of his boots, and stabbed him. He dodged Argus’ fist, back-kicked him, and sent him flying 5 feet away from him. The twins and the man with the scar took out their guns and rapid fired at Jason. He used the big guy as a human shield and took a pistol out of the guy’s suit. In one-tenth of a second, he aimed and shot the man with the scar in the forehead and went back to his position. The incredible speed and accuracy he used consumed too much strength. He knelt down suddenly and was drenched with sweat.

“Jazon, come out now. You should’ve wait for a little longer. Backup is coming” the deep voiced man said.

“Roger.” Jason replied with a tiresome voice and panted heavily. If I went back alive, I swear I’m gonna train more, he thought. The meat shield started getting wobbly. The rapid gunfire that rained over the big guy’s body doesn’t seem to stop. Jason made his second move. He released the meat shield and rolled to Argus. Argus, who just have his conscious back, got knocked on the chin and became Jason’s next human shield. He pointed his gun to Argus’ head and gave the twins a threatening look.

“Put your guns down, or this bald-headed pig dies,” Jason commanded out loud.

The twins looked at each other for a second and lowered their guns down. Then, a bunch of S.W.A.T. team came from the behind of the twins and captured them successfully. Jason handed Argus to one of the officer and headed towards the black S.W.A.T. van. On the way, he took his Desert Eagle out of the man with the scar and wiped it with his Armani suit.

He opened the backdoor of the van and entered the communication team room. An old guy gray-haired with a Mexican mustache, dressed in pajamas sat in front of the most expensive desktop computer you can look for. The computer doesn’t match with the old man’s dress, but you won’t be disappointed with his skills.

“Ah, Jazon. I thought you were dead,” said the old man.

“Oh, hello…best greeting ever,” He mumbled his last sentence and lay down on the sofa near the door to the driving room. He took his smart phone from under his shoe and gulped with terror.

“Hey old man, did Kristen come back from Austria?” Jason got up from the sofa and asks with a shaking voice.

“Yea, she just called ‘n hour ago. She said she will be arriving at your penthouse in 15 minutes.” The old man said with a cigarette in his mouth.

Jason bashed the back door and start sprinting down the street. He jumped over three or four cars and continue running on the other street. His running speed is incredible. Now, his speed is almost 40 kilometers per hour. But, like other super humans skills, it drains a lot of calories and energy. He suit was drenched with sweat when he found a man on a Ducati stuck in the traffic and thought of a plan.

“FBI! Get out of the bike. It’s mine now,” he took out his FBI badge and threatened the poor guy with a loud voice. The poor guy looked at him with fear and jumped out of his bike at once. He jumped on the bike and thundered through the street. He almost got hit by a car and a truck, but he dodged them all. The Ducati was roaring so loud that the engine shook unnaturally.

“Where are you going, Jazon?” the old man called him through his Bluetooth radio.

            “I’m going back to my penthouse! I have to arrange everything before Kristen gets there!” He yelled to the Bluetooth radio because driving with the speed of 200 miles per hour, normal talk won’t work. He drifted and turned left to another street. 100 meters left, he thought hopefully.

            After a few seconds, he hit the brake. The Ducati stopped before the tall silver building with gold stripes. The large golden letters on the door says Golden Pelican. He jumped out of the bike and ran into the Golden Pelican. The lobby was shiny with the floor made out of cement and pearl, the pole was decorated with Ancient Greek art, the ceiling was painted with Greek Architecture, and the decoration made the person who came in feels like he or she time traveled to the Roman age. I don’t have time to explain the details, Jason reminded himself. The receptionist saw him hurried to the elevator and recognized he was Jason.

            “Hey Max! Tell Kristen I’m here for the whole day, okay?” Jason yelled to the receptionist while the elevator door was closing.

            “Okay, sir,” Max, the receptionist, said.

            Jason pushed the first button from the top which is 60 and lean against the wall. Now, his suit became the newly washed clothes from the laundry, but sweat laundry. He wiped his sweaty face and wait for the elevator. Suddenly, his phone rang. He crouched and pulled out his smart phone. He calmed his breathing and heartbeat, and answered the call.

            “Hey honey,” Jason said, trying to hide his panting.

            “Hey Jason, I’m going to the penthouse. Are you there?” a smooth voice of a young lady enters Jason’s ear. You can never find a voice like this anywhere.

            “Yes…yes I’m here the whole day.” Jason said.

            “Better tell the truth, darling,” Kristen said with a half smooth and threatening voice.

            “Of course it’s the truth. Come on now, I’ve got a surprise for you,” Jason said.

            “Okay, see you there,” the girl said and hung up.

            After the call ended, Jason resumed his panicking mode and can’t stand still. He walked around the elevator and scratched his chin. Bing! The elevator rang and the door opens. Jason dashed out of the elevator and entered his penthouse through the large glass door. The picture was a mess. Every meter in the penthouse was messy and full of trash. The couch was not in its place, the fireplace was not put out, the grand piano was pasted with leftovers, the refrigerator was scavenged, the bathroom was flooding, and there are bottles of boosts everywhere.

            Oh crap, I’m not gonna make it, he thought, I guess I have to use that service again.

            He picked up the penthouse phone from the trash bin and dialed.

            “Again, Jason?” the person picked the call and spoke with nuisance.

            “Yeah, I need your help. Yesterday’s party was…uh, too aggressive, I guess that’s the right word,” Jason explained.

            “Sigh… how many do you want,” the man asked.

            “All of them.”

            “Alright,” and the call ended.

            In just a few seconds, a dozen of man and 3 to 4 women dressed in orange janitor suit came into his penthouse and started arranging things. All the trash were picked up and one of them drove a floor-cleaning machine inside and drove around the room. The women cleaned the kitchen, wiped out all the mess and leftover, rearrange the refrigerator, wash all the utensils, and put it back to their places. Everything went back to the normal state within 5 minutes. The kitchen is sparkling, the living room is cozy as usual, and the bathroom is fixed.

            “Thanks guys,” Jason scratched his head with shyness and thanked everyone.

            All of them smiled and said, “It’s our duty,” and they all left his penthouse.

            With everything back on its place, now, let’s describe the penthouse while Jason went to take a bath. The 60^th floor has only 2 penthouses which is a special model that covers half of the floor and have a 60.5^th floor in each room. But, Jason bought the whole floor and combined the two penthouses, which is all for Kristen sake. The structure of the 60^th floor is round. The living room covers half of the 60^th floor, facing the large glass window. Beyond that is a corridor that provides a panorama view if the whole New York City. The kitchen, including the dining room and the library cover the rest of the room. In the middle, there’s a hall way that leads to the glass door and the elevator. Jason’s and Kristen’s bedroom is located in the 60.5^th floor in the penthouse. The 60.5^th floor is a light concrete floor that has a shape of a semi-colon which is facing the same direction as the living room.

            Jason got out of the bathroom and went into the dressing room. He wore a black casual, long-sleeved shirt and jeans. He came down from the spiral staircase and went to the kitchen. He pulled out one of the drawers and brought out a normal TV remote. Jason kept the remote in his jeans and sat on the grand piano. He noticed that Kristen is walking in the hall way and started playing her favorite song, ‘la campanella’.

            The sweet sound of the music travels throughout the house. The smooth melody ran through the glass door and hit the brunette haired, brown eyed girl and made her smile. Kristen entered the penthouse and found Jason playing on the piano like he usually does. She put her luggage down and walked slowly toward Jason. She swung her arms around Jason’s neck and kissed him in the cheek.

            “I missed you, honey,” Kristen said with a smooth voice and hugged Jason tightly.

            “I missed you, too,” Jason turned towards the most beautiful women and kissed her lips. He can smell her perfume and her hair that he longed for.

            “So what’s the surprise?” Kristen wondered.

            Jason got up and hugged her waist, then he said, “Close your eyes, baby.”

            She did what he told and Jason pressed his lips against hers. While they were kissing, he took out the remote quietly and pressed the red button. The ground shook a bit and the platform on the living room flipped. Instead of a cozy living room, an empty space with a white Porche Panamera standing like it wanted to be driven so badly.

            “Happy birthday,” Jason gave her a sweet smile. In Kristen’s opinion, a black-haired guy with a sweet smile won’t look bad in a groom’s suit.

            “Oh my God!” Kristen grasped out loud. She ran towards the Panamera and patted around the car. Her eyes were sparkling with joy and excitement. Jason walk slowly after her, smiling and laughed sofly.

            “I can’t believe it. You never bought a birthday gift for me, but this is the best birthday gift ever!” She said it out loud. Whether that sentence was to attack or to thank Jason, he is still happy to see her smile.

            “By the way, how’s Austria?” Jason asked. So, Jason changed the platform back into the living room and sat and talked with his girlfriend. She was sent to Austria, the country of Mozart, to study the Ph.D. in violin. She came to visit Jason every time she has vacation. This is the last time she will come back to New York, because the next time she goes to Austria, Jason will accompany her for her Graduation Day.

            “So, where were you today?” Kristen asked seriously.

            “Uh, I told you, I was here the whole day, didn’t I?” Jason said with a cold sweat running down his back.

            “If you were here the whole day, you should have dried your hair from showering, have no snacks scattered on the floor in the living room, and you should not be wearing this jeans because this is not your favorite one,” Kristen said with a boredom voice. Jason looked at his jeans and found out that it wasn’t his favorite one. He touched his head and felt wetness in is hair. Everything she said was true.

            “Uh, hehehe. I…uh went outside for…” Jason is thinking of an excuse.

            “You went to a mission again…right?” Kristen pressured him even more.

            “Umm…yeah, sorry I have to accept it” Jason apologized to her and told her everything in his mission today. He couldn’t meet her eyes because he is afraid that she’s going to get mad at him.

            “Sigh… It’s okay. I’m just worried about you,” Kristen said and gave him a sweet, worrisome smile. This is not the first time that Kristen had been worried about Jason going in the field. Since Jason got in to the FBI, Kristen objected him to do missions in the field and work in the communication team.

            “I’m sorry, I tried to propose my boss for a one year-off vacation, but he said he’ll think about it,” Jason said.

            “Hahaha…you should give your boss the sweet smile you gave me, maybe he’ll fall for it,” Kristen said and they both laughed.

            The happy time won’t last forever. Jason’s phone rang and he picked it up.

            “Jazon! You’re being followed! Get away from Kristen if you don’t won’t her to be hurt!” the old man screamed in panic. Jason’s eyes widened with anger.

            “Dad! Are you okay?!” Kristen shouted.

            “Honey, I’ve to go now. Get away from me as fast as possible,” Jason gave her a warm kiss on the forehead, “I love you.” Jason pulled a modified Desert Eagle from under the sofa and rushed outside the balcony.

            “Jason!!!” Kristen tried to grab his hand, but she failed.

            Jason leaped out of the balcony and entered a free-falling mode from the 60^th floor of the Golden Pelican.