Cross My Mind

A RACE AGAINST TIME PART 2

Dr. Reece Mallory has been driving for the last twenty two minutes towards the city of Pasadena, although she has gained considerable distance from CALTECH, she knows very well that whoever it is that Lockwood has sent to kill her would not give up so easily but can she trust the local authorities?

In her experience with Lockwood and his company Neuratechnologies, as well as being his girlfriend and even being engaged to him, she knows perfectly well the exact kind of man Jefferson Lockwood is, although docile and easy going, he can make some clear headed decisions when in need and especially under pressure.

She know s perfectly well that he also has enough money to buy all the Sheriff heads around California if he has to. With a final Thought, she decided she would not report the incident to the authorities and would instead have to first create a diversion that may allow her get away from the assassin who she is sure is probably pursuing her at the moment.

As the thought passes through her head, Reece drive past a sign by the road side the says welcome to Pasadena. She drives around the city in circles, thinking of where would be the least place she would be expected to go to and just at the moment on the opposite side of the highway, she passed a tall skyscraper that is full of people when it suddenly dawns on her that today is the day.

A few weeks ago, the student body of her Department has sent invitation to all the top Faculty staff to join them as VIP guests in celebrating their fifty eighth annual convention that brings back all the alumni of the entire faculty to celebrate their years of success and growth as people who were once students in the institution.

The yearly get-together organized by the students representative body of the faculty also serve many purposes as many attending try to establish contact or connection with those that have attained positions of power in academia, politics and government.

Like every other year, Reece has received the invitation to join the event as a VIP guests and just as she did every year, she had intended to sit the event out.

For the last seven years, Reece has been invited to the event every year but has refused to attend any of them simply because she has no interest in it. Although friendly, successful and beautiful. Reece has a single character that everyone knows her with and it is a sharp sense of duty and priority.

Although the charming middle aged computer genius who is also the head of a prestigious department in California Institute of Technology, refuses to attend the event yearly, as a head of department of a globally renowned institution for quality and standard.

The yearly organizers know fully well that it would be an honor to have her, so they send her an invitation every year although she always reject the invitation by not showing up at the event.

Reece surfaces from her thoughts and drive straight ahead, taking the next turn to the opposite lane of the road. As she drives back, she stopped at some meters from the tall building complex labelled Skyview Hotel, which is where the anniversary event is taking place.

She rolls up her windows and pulled a new pair of clothes from her back seat which she always keep in her car in case she has to attend any impromptu official event. This has been her habit since she became the head of her Department, sometimes she attends events such as fundraisers and other official ceremonies.

After she finished changing dresses, she drove straight to the parking lot of Skyline hotels and parked her car. Once she stopped, she tapped on the dashboard display screen and set a thirty minutes timed autopilot drive back home.

Reece went directly into the hotel complex and needed no direction to where the event is happening inside as a pile of people are lining outside in a single file, at the entrance of a hall.

Once Reece was sighted by some of her students, she was taken off the queue and taken into the Venue via a separate entrance reserved only for the VIPs attending the event. Once inside, from the uppermost levels of the hall where a view of all that is inside is see, she was asked to chose a seat that she likes among the other VIP guests scattered around the upper seating docks.

She looked around and found a seat located just next to one of the supporting pillars supporting the roof of the building that completely conceals the seat next to it, she walked to it and sat. Once her attendance at the VIP section has been recorded,, she sneaked out of the section, towards the Normal guest section to further cover her own tracks.

Just outside, the autopilot of Reece’s car came online, finished loading the calibration of the appropriate rout to take back to Catalina Villas just at the divide to Olive Heights, a small suburban paradise that fits the ideal home idea of Reece when she first accepted her job as a professor in CALTECH.

The car slowly by expertly turned itself around, drove out of the parking lot and entering the highway lane, driving several meters away from the hotel and taking the U-turn and start heading back in the direction Reece initially came from.

About fourteen miles away on the opposite lane of the same highway heading towards Pasadena, Agent Stone drove his black Dodge charger like a bat out of hell having realized that his target must have been heading to Pasadena. He pulls out another cigarette and lighted it, blowing the smoke as he drives as fast as he can.

As soon as he put the smoke on his lips for the second time, his phone started making a difference kind of beeping noise nonstop. He pulled it out of his jacket and press a button, making the phone to stop beeping for some seconds and then continued by beeping three time. As soon as it stopped again he placed it on his ear.

“Agent Stone, code Triple zero six on the line” he said.

The phone made a few waves of static noise and on the other end of the line, the man with the accent said.

“Agent Stone, we have managed to track your target’s vehicle after a lot of headache and spending a lot of our resources. You will receive the update in a few minutes but be warned, our GPS location tracking has a few minutes delay ranging from one to ten minutes. Be advised that any further services we offer you after this will be charged.

I only allowed this one for free because the first information we gave you was incomplete. II have also pulled out a few millions out of our client’s ass and prepared a treat for you to make this job go easier on you since you are now old and sloppy, your target will be announced as a prime suspect in a murder case of the unknown variable you took out, as well as serious charges for arson and intentional damage of property. Use this to your advantage and make sure you don’t f**k it off this time around, you may if there has to be any casualty then you better be f*****g sure to burn them as well so that all can be pinned on her”.

Once the man was done talking, the phone call ended and Agent Stone put the phone on the dashboard, showing Dr. Reece’s current location to be at the entrance of a hotel named Skyline hotels, situated some Miles ahead inside the city of Pasadena.

He shifted the gear stick and stepped on the gas and his Dodge charger heaved with a sudden pull, at seventy miles per hour. Unfortunately for Agent Stone, a highway police patrol officer was parked on the opposite side of the lane and once he saw the speeding black car, he quickly got in his car, blaring police siren, driving straight through the nearest U-turn and chasing the black car.

Eager to get his target and the sudden complication that arise with the mission has gotten Agent Stone out of his usual sharpened self. It took him a twelve minutes of speeding to realize a blue and red flash that has been flashing on his side mirrors, his car's engine roar has naturally drowned out the police siren. He slightly raised his foot from the throttle and the siren slowly begins to reach him.

He hissed in disappointment and begin to slow down his vehicle, putting on his signal indicators and slowly coming to a stop at the side of the road. Agent Stone removed his pistol and slide it into a spot next to the glove compartment and the gun fit into the space, filling the gap that was there before.

The police officer parked his car in a rush and walked to the black Car. He stood a few steps away from the car window where he can see what Agent stone is doing.

“Do you know you are speeding over the limit and intentionally refused to stopped when you saw an officer’s vehicle,” the officer said.

I’m sorry Sheriff, the car has a such a seducing sound that makes me do beyond speed limit without even knowing, and believe me the engine sound drowned out your siren so o didn’t Notice you chasing me right away” Agent Stone politely responded in the hopes that the officer wont escalate the situation.

“what is wrong with fellas these days and who even legalized this exhaust system that pollutes the environment with noise. Anyway License, identity card and car registration please” The officer said

As Agent atone reached his hand to the glove compartment, his jacket got pulled a little, exposing his other pistol strapped to his waist. The police officer was completely taken by surprise and in a sharp reflex reached out to his own waist and pulled out his pistol, but before he can aim it at Agent Stone properly. The Agent has pressed a button next to the glove compartment, springing out the pistol into his hand and within a split second he has pointed and shot the officer on the head. Killing him easily.

He quickly got out, pulled the officer back near his car, pulled out his badge and went back to his car, pulling another can from the second glove compartment, spraying the contents of the can on the officer and his car, lighting a cigarette and throwing the match stick on the officer, setting the body and vehicle ablaze. He got in his car and start to drive once again towards the city of Pasadena.

On the other lane, opposite where The Agent is, just as he is driving away from the blazing police vehicle, Reece's car driving on autopilot passes right past without him noticing it.

Back at Skyline hotels, Dr. Reece sat among the audience looking intently at the VIP guests section and scanning for anyone that may look like they are Searching for her.

****(Back on the unknown island)****

“I understand Sir, we will do as she demands in the meantime, once we get your confirmation on her successful elimination we can always get out subjects back without any problem and we don’t have any issue with the subjects since Akihiro has what we can all agree to be the most potent chemical memory loss inducer. Your own agents used some of the stuff a few years back I heard so we will await your good news.” Senator Baker said and put down his phone.

“It seems like your ex fiancé is giving the agent sent to take care her a tough time, we currently cant get any contact with her so we need to do as she demanded to avoid having her breaking her end of the deal not to release the information she has to the press, that must not happen at all cost so prepare their departure documents and put a million dollars in each of their accounts to keep them occupied when they are released”. He added and Akihiro nodded at him in agreement and brought out his tablet.