The Adventure Begins - Chapters 1 & 2

Chapter One

Northwest Territory three years later…

         The ground beneath her feet trembled from the force of the blast. A visible wall of heated wind, expelled by the blinding flash, roared across the land reducing everything it touched to smoldering ashes.
         The once fresh autumn day scented with the aroma of lazily smoking chimneys now stank with the odor of burning flesh. The joyous laughter of young children running through large piles of dried leaves turned to screams of horror and pain as the skin melted from their bodies.
         Incapable of stopping the grotesque slaughter, she could only watch as mothers sensing danger threw their bodies over their young. It was an instinctive yet futile attempt at saving their babies from certain death.
         Time slowed to a crawl as the wall of boiling smoke and debris rushed toward her. Beads of perspiration burst from every pore of her body as the moisture was sucked from her. Each passing millisecond brought new pain and horror. Small bubbling lumps formed on her hands and arms only to disappear beneath the growth of larger ones. The pain became unbearable as her flesh quickly turned into a boiling black-red mush and her screams blended with those around her.
         Through the pain and horror of being burnt alive, she felt the wall of wind descend upon her. What little air remained in her lungs was ripped from her as she was slammed to the ground.
         Standing on the brink of death, her mind registered a minute change, which rapidly turned to joyous comprehension. The wind and heat were gone!
         Hesitantly she took a small breath, then another and another as the sweet taste of oxygen filled her lungs and replenished her starved mind and body. As her surroundings came slowly into focus, she realized the pain was also gone. Cautiously opening her eyes she slowly raised her hands and was shocked to find them normal. Not a single mark blemished the surface of her skin although she had seen the melting flesh and had felt the pain.
         There simply was no way for anyone to have lived through that inferno. Yet, if she had somehow managed to lived then maybe...just maybe...
         All coherent thoughts vanished from her mind as she struggled to her feet. Eyes already blurred by tears of relief filled with those of despair as they took in the scene before her.
         The gleaming skyline of buildings, the large trees with multicolored leaves and the play yard filled with laughing children were all gone. As far as her eyes could see, all that remained was a vast wasteland of smoldering ashes and melted skeletons of steel.
         The realization that she was the only living thing standing amidst the ruins of a once thriving civilization, was followed by a soul robbing feeling of isolation and drew forth a single worded heart-wrenching response..."NO!"
         The sound of her own voice jerked Beer from the dream. Sitting among the rumpled sheets of her bed, she struggled to quiet her speeding heart while taking stock of her surroundings.
         The quiet darkness of the bedroom with all its familiar belongings soothed her rapidly beating heart. Although there was no sign of the devastation that she had seen in her dream, a small groan escaped her lips when her eyes saw the time on the clock.
         "Three twenty-four in the morning and here I am wide awake." She moaned, flopping back against her pillows. That meant she had only been asleep for less then two hours. Judging by the way she felt now; it was unlikely she would get any more rest tonight.
         Lying there recalling the details of the dream a shiver worked its way through her body. Counting tonight, this was the third time this week that her sleep had been haunted by the dream. The distant rumbling of a gathering storm echoed the troubled state of her mind.
         Rolling on to her side to stare vacantly out the window, Beer compared tonight's dream with the last two. As far as she could tell, they all were exactly alike with only minor changes. Well, not so much changes but a continuance of the first. With each occurrence, the dream became more detailed. Images, scents and feelings became sharper and more enhanced to where the dream seemed more like a memory rather than a mind concocted slide show.
         She had read somewhere, probably in one of the many books littering the apartment, that dreams...especially recurring ones, was the subconscious's way of getting your attention about a situation or problem you have been ignoring.
         Well, if that was the case, then her subconscious better learn how to talk, for she had no idea what it was trying so hard to tell her. Nothing that she experienced in the dream had any relation to what was happening in real life. The only problem she had was finding a way to get more sleep without a repeat performance like tonight.
         A bright flash of lightning followed by a loud clap of thunder instantly brought forth the image of the explosion in her dream. Flinging off the image and her covers at the same time, Beer sat up and turned on the bedside lamp.
         Deciding that her mind needed something other than the dream to focus on Beer got up and headed for her desk. If she could not sleep, then she might as well get some work done. Maybe dealing with boring figures would cleanse her mind of the dream and make her drowsy.
         If not, then it would turn out to be a very long day.

Chapter Two

         When he first accepted the assignment, Caruso Blackthorn had no idea it would take this long to simply locate his quarry. As days turned into months and months into years, his hope of a quick resolution to the problem slowly fell by the wayside.
         Within days of beginning his search, he found himself smack up against a brick wall. When word leaked out about whom he was working for, his once lucrative sources of information quickly dried up. Shunned by the once talkative locals, Caruso could only following the leads he had already received. As lead after lead failed to produce one single reliable result, he was forced to accept the fact that this might be the first failure in his career. The proverbial black spot on a spotless record.
         Then three months ago, on the verge of admitting defeat and walking away from a king's ransom in gold, he received a small glimmer of hope. The break came in the form of information received from a close source to the Duchess. An hour later he was on a plane heading for the mainland and hopefully the completion of this assignment.
         Ten hours after leaving the tiny island of Kappa Colada behind, Caruso was enjoying the luxurious accommodations of the finest hotel in Manhattan. His informant had managed to get Caruso a suite directly across the hall from the room where the Duchess stayed.
         The reaction of the little weasel he worked for even now brought a smile to his lips, when Caruso had relayed his location. At first, an ominous silence had filled the air only to be broken by the high pitch sound of the weasel's insignificant ranting. As a professional mercenary, Caruso knew how to blend in. His mastery of disguise allowed him to research his target with out fear of being recognized. No one had ever seen his true face, not even the small slimy despicable rat that hired him.
         Thirty-six hours after installing the mini surveillance camera, he saw the door to the Duchess's suite open and what appeared at first glance, an old beggar lady step out. It was her actions, the quick turning of the head as she checked to see if the hallway was empty; the gentle closure of the door followed be another check to see if anyone had heard her, that had tipped Caruso off. Waiting until the elevator door had closed, Caruso left his room to follow the Lady Julia.
         Lady Julia, the Grand Duchess of Kahlua Colada, had spent the past 25 years searching for the last member of her family. If anyone had any idea where this person might be, it would be the Lady Julia. He had been completely surprised when her nightly excursion ended at a small bar in the seedier part of town. After a respectful amount of time had passed, Caruso entered the bar and found the next object of his investigation.
         Stepping back outside the bar, he made mental notes on the layout of the immediate area surrounding the bar. Directly across from the bar was an old 5-story apartment building with corner rooms and a first floor parking garage. Based on the information he had received, the second floor corner apartment would be the ideal spot from which to observe his target. From that vantage point he could watch not only the bar, but also her residence located just down the street.
         The following morning when he went to lease the apartment, Caruso ran into a slight problem. The corner unit was already rented.
         Refilling his empty coffee cup, a small grin creased the otherwise granite like features as he recalled how simple it had been to gain possession of the apartment. A day after his inquiry into the availability of the apartment, he received a phone call from apartment superintendent asking if he was still interested in renting. The man went on to explain that the previous occupant, a little old man with failing eyesight had accidentally fallen down the stairs, breaking his neck. It never failed to amaze Caruso how much a few measly dollars could accomplish.
         Although the rundown building and apartment were no where near his usual accommodations, it did provide him with an excellent advantage point from which to observe his targets activities.
         Like now, he thought sitting his cup down and taking a seat by the window. Looking through the lens of the scope, he slowly adjusted the focus until he could clearly see his target sitting at her desk.
         "Having trouble sleeping again sweetheart." He said watching as she yawned and stretched. Although his observation was strictly business, he could not help but notice how the thin material of the long tee shirt she wore, clung to her body revealing the soft roundness of her breasts. Normally she wore her long dark hair braided, but tonight she wore it loose and the long curly black tresses swayed with each of her movements. He could feel his heart rate increase as he imaged how it would feel to be caressed by their silken touch.
          The image was suddenly shattered by the shrill ringing of his phone. Releasing the breath he did not realize he was holding, Caruso muttered a curse and grabbed the receiver. "Yeah," he answered roughly.
         "Sounds like I caught you at a bad time."
         "No, not really." He answered taking another quick look through the eyepiece before sitting back in the chair. "What do you want?"
         "I am calling because I have not heard from you in over a week. I told you that I expected to be kept up-to-date." Came the peevish reply. "My orders were to keep me appraised of the situation. Orders that you continually fail to follow. Now, would you care to tell me what is going on?"
         Caruso purposely delayed answering by taking a sip of coffee, knowing it would agitate the hell out of the man on the other end of the line. He did not have to wait long for a response.
         "I was led to believe you where a professional. If you can not give me the results I want, then I shall find someone who can." Caruso could almost see the smirking look on the weasel's face when he added, "Needless to say, you would forfeit the rest of your retainer and I would personally see to it that you would never find another job."
         Controlling his temper, Caruso retaliated, "I am a professional and like I told you before these things can take time. Before I jump in with both feet, I intend to make sure this is the woman you have been hunting and that she has possession of the object. This whole project has taken more time than either of us thought and I do not intend to screw up now. Besides, it would do neither of us any good if she turns out to be the wrong one. Wouldn't you agree?"
         There was a moment of silence before the man answered. "Yes, you are correct. However, I do not plan to wait forever. The last time we talked, you said that she might be suffering some sort of amnesia. Do you still believe that?"
         "Yeah," Caruso answered hesitantly, wondering were this was leading. "It's either that or she is an excellent actress. From what I've observed, she has shown no signs of recognizing the Duchess. Thinks Lady Julia is a beggar woman. Why?"
         "I have talked at length with doctors who deal with amnesic patients and the general census is that she could be purposely blocking those memories. In which case, all it would take to restore her memory would be a specific catalyst. Something that would force her to tear down the wall she has built. I want you to find that key. I do not care how you do it. Just remember, it is important that she is not physically harmed." There was a second of silence followed by "At least not yet."
         "Don't worry I remember the conditions of our contract. If she does get hurt it will not be by my hand."
         "What is that suppose to mean?"
         "Exactly what it means. Seems the object of your attention has made a few enemies, who would be thrilled to see her gone."
         "Then consider this next task as part of your contract. Until I deem appropriately otherwise, you are to make sure she comes to no harm. Understand?"
         "Understood. Now if you don't mind I have some things to do."
         "Of course, I will..."
         Hanging up the phone before the weasel finished, Caruso sat for a moment thinking over their conversation. Based on what he knew and had learned over the last three years, he could understand her reluctance to remember. All he had to do was come up with something equally traumatic or equally threatening. Wonder what it could be, he thought once again looking through the scope at the unsuspecting victim.
         His heart did a silly little jump on the sight that greeted his eyes.
She was still sitting at her desk, but sometime during his conversation, she had gotten a cup of tea and was now lounging in her chair with her feet propped on the corner of the desk. He had always been a leg man, so took the opportunity to carefully inspect hers. Zooming in on the spot where the hem of the shirt lightly touched the top of her thighs, he slowly moved the lens along the length of her legs, coming to rest on her feet that were covered with...doggie slippers!
         For the first time in a long time, Caruso actually laughed. Zooming out so he could see the full woman, he took one final look before picking up his empty cup and standing. Going over to the sink Caruso had but one thought.
         This was not going to be as simple as he thought.