Deadly Target: Force of Nature

Chapter 2 The Black Marker

The day ended as normal. Joy was closing up, and I was walking to the door.

"Have a great night, Joy."

"You do the same Aza, don't do anything I wouldn't do." She was laughing at me.

I threw her a wave laughing as I walked out of the door. As I left the community center, my mind was still on the old woman. I could not figure out who the old woman was or how she knew so much about my docket. My documents are sealed for a good reason, and if someone gets a hold of it, it's blacked out. How would she know what it is, I thought. An unknown old woman that's so creepy, I kept thinking as I walked down the street. I went to the parking lot and jumped into my car. I was still thinking as I went down the road.

As I arrived home, I put the numbers into the gate keypad. As soon as the gate opened, I drove in and watched it close behind me. Still thinking, I went up to my house. When I stuck my key in to unlock the door, I was tired of thinking. I knew what I had to do. I headed straight to my basement. Under that was an underground study where I kept information from Elite Corp. I scanned the bookshelves looking for information on the older woman. I loved the fact that I kept company records. I like to know the people I work with.

"Oh, My GOD," I yelled out. There was nobody there but me, but I was still surprised.

The woman who goes by the name of Sue Flux is a Black Marker. A Black Marker is a person who goes through dockets of ex-Elites who have had special assignments and have unique qualities. They mark out vital information to keep it unknown to prying eyes.

Sue Flux is the woman's alias. Her actual name is Samantha Jones. She is one of the markers with experience in the field, and she has a photographic memory. She uses aliases to keep from being found by other agencies. I kept looking and looking, coming across a file that involved Samantha and The Organization. It didn't say much, just that she did a job for them. I was amazed at what I found with the resources that were in my study. I kept detailed records of everyone who worked at Elites. I just never bothered to read it until now. I wanted to learn more about Miss Sue. I looked at the clock and noticed it was midnight. I guess this would have to wait until tomorrow, I thought. I went to the kitchen, grabbed a snack, and went upstairs to bed.

The following day I headed to the retirement home to teach the men and women there to paint. I walked into the nursing home like there was nothing on my mind and had a smile on my face.

"Good Morning Ashley, how are you this beautiful morning?" I greeted the woman behind the desk. Ashley was kind of like Joy. She was just shy. Ashley has an innocent look and a vibrant smile.

"I am well Aza, how about you?" She took the coffee from me, smiling as if I had just made her day. "What's going on today?" I always brought the people at the front desk coffee. They always loved the caffeine boost. I didn't like coffee, so I drank tea.

She was just as curious as Joy, so I just smiled at her, never telling too much.

"Painting. We are going to paint pictures of dogs and cats or whatever animal that would make them feel good."

"That sounds like fun. The class is ready, and everything is set up in the room."

"Thanks, Ashely, you are a doll." I gave her a thumbs up. I proceeded to head into the room where the elderly men and women awaited. The conversation that they were having came to a halt as I waltzed in. It made it seem like they were sharing a secret, a secret about me. Damn, that woman made me paranoid. They don't know me, let alone want to hurt me. I shook the feeling off.

"Good Morning, everyone. My name is Aza Jameson, and I will be helping you all paint animals." I tried to keep my focus and smile bright so they would trust me a little.

"What kind of animals are we painting today?" One of the elderly men asked.

"Any kind you want, let your imagination run wild," I said. I sounded full of energy and was excited. I wanted everyone to feel my excitement for working with them.

As they began to paint, I scanned the classroom out of curiosity. There is no way that woman would be here, I thought. Was it a coincidence that she came to my self-defense class, or did my name pique her interest? After about an hour of everyone painting, I started to look at the art they had created.

"Ok, ladies and gentlemen, let's see how you are doing." I was walking around looking at the paintings.

I saw paintings of cats and dogs, which was good. I saw one painting of a cat and dog together, which was weird, but I didn't say anything about it. I told them to use their imagination. Then one painting grabbed my attention. The painting was left unattended. It was finished but still wet, was of a cat, with tan fur, hazel green eyes, and dressed in a black pantsuit fully loaded with weapons and ready for action. I looked around, amazed at the detail and the layout.

"This painting is unique and beautiful," I said out loud without realizing it. The painting caught me off guard.

"Who painted this one?"

I was amazed at the detail and the color. The residents just gave me an unknowing look. I guess I must've frightened them a bit. I took a deep breath to gain my composure.

"This painting is superb." I just kept muttering under my breath. They were staring at me.

Then, I examined the painting further and found a familiar name at the bottom not visible to the untrained eye. Samantha Jones.

"Ok, who's got jokes," I asked with a strong, loud voice. The residents just kept staring at me. I grabbed the painting and headed to the front of the building.

"Ashley!" I yelled at her to get her attention.

"What! Uh? What's going on? What's happening?" She was in her own world, so I surprised her.

"Did you see her? The person that left this here? Did they just come out?" I was asking one too many questions at one time.

"Ok, Aza, calm down. First I saw nobody, and second, that is a great painting. Who does it belong to?"

"Never mind, Ashley." I sounded defeated and retreated back into the room full of the residents. As the class finished up, I stood up and apologized to the class for the outburst earlier. "I didn't mean to frighten you all. I was just shocked that someone would leave such a beautiful painting. It is one of a kind."

I said this thinking that someone would at least admit to it or know who left it. It was kind of a test to see who would tell it first. Then one of the women stood up and said--

"I am sorry, Ms. Jameson, I left that there for you. This woman said you would appreciate it a great deal if it was placed in the class. I was careful and made sure that it did not get damaged because it was still drying. She said it was you at the brink of discovery." The woman had a sorrowful look on her face for not speaking up the first time around.

I placed a slight smile on my face and looked at the lady.

"It's quite alright, but there is no way that this painting is me in any familiar form."

But in reality, this painting was of me in uniform, off to do someone else's bidding. Out to do a dirty job and be brilliant at it. I was a black panther hunting in the darkest hour, ready for battle. I was more confused and less worried, a bit paranoid, and also in awe. Why is this woman stalking me, and how much does she really know about me? I was 17 when I enlisted in the Marines, and I learned so much, so quickly. I left there and went to work for the Elites. I didn't know what to expect. I better be ready to attack whenever she does, or this will not end well for me.

I left the retirement home looking over my shoulder and ready to brace myself for whatever was to come. I got into my car and drove away, and headed home. Here I am, going down this abandoned street, processing and thinking of a way to catch this woman to get the answers I so desperately need. I pull into my driveway. I notice the alarm on the gate has been set off, and the gate is tampered with. I reached for my glove box, preparing for a fight.