[b]January 8th 2010[/b] The ring sparkled brightly on her finger, the stone was big but not overly so. Ryan took her hand and kissed it before moving up to kiss her face, the ring reminded him of her eyes, somethjng in the way it caught the light. They were stood on the balcony of a 5 star hotel in Seychelles, the honeymoon had finally come around after Ryans insistence that he put it off no longer, he managed to get the time off. Fran turned to him and told him she was going to get ready for dinner, Ryan smiled and playfully grabbed her arm and pulled her back for another kiss before she bumbled off. Ryans view returned to the skyline outside where the stars were now visible in dark blue sky, a smile crept over his face, he was finally away from home, from work, from the stress. He turned back inside the room and closed the balcony doors.... --- [b]April 22nd 2016[/b] Things at work had gotten strange of late, Ryans department were getting alot of work on a number of strange orders. Ryans research team were being sent top secret reports, which wasn't exactly news to him, but the nature of the reports was. His team had never dealt with situations like this. [b]'What are they trying to catch?'[/b] Was Ryans first thought as he put the pieces of the puzzle together in his mind. At home things weren't much better, Fran wasn't herself by any stretch, she was overly stressed, agitated and very paranoid. When Ryan came home he noticed she eas peering round the curtain to see who was coming up the driveway, her greeting was empty, void of any attachment to the man she loved. Ryan sat her down and pushed a button on the remote control sat on the arm of the sofa flicking on the television, before passing her the remote. He headed into the kitchen and fixed them both a drink, Bourbon on the rocks for him, a Bourbon and coke for her, something was seriously wrong and he felt they deserved something stronger than tea. As he picked up the tumblers from the work top he accidently knocked over the cutlery stand which fell to floor with a loud clang, in the other room her heard Fran scream and jump from her seat on the sofa. He knew something was really wrong now. He bought over her drink and assured her that nothing was wrong as he headed back to clear up the mess. On his return, he noticed her glass was already empty, his face screwed up and he felt an overwhelming sadness fill him, his wife was a mess and he needed to find out why. Slowly he moved over to her and crouched, taking her hand in his he asked what was wrong. His eyes were searching her face for signs, any signs, fear, worry, sadness all were present. Her eyes were empty with the exception of the tears that were collecting at the ducts. She stared into his eyes. [b]"I'm scared... I'm really scared!... something terrible happened..."[/b] she explained, her body began to shake. Ryan wrapped an arm around her as he spoke. [b]"Something terrible? at work?"[/b] Her shaking became erratic and try as she did, she broke down, the tears were in full flow and all she could manage in response was a nod. --- --- [b][u]Ryan Bishop[/u] August 13th 2017 1203hrs Somewhere off of Route 44.[/b] His vision blurred as he managed to crack open his eyes, the metallic taste of blood lingered in his dry, dirt ridden mouth. He was laying on the ground, face down, he put a hand to his mouth and felt the inevitable sting caused by a big gash on the inside of his cheek, he attemoted to wipe the blood and dirt from his mouth but it had already dried. He made a move to stand and felt a wave of pain fly through his body freezing him to the ground. looking over his left shoulder he saw a black SUV on its roof, the front end had been crumpled in, a fragmented pole hung out the front of what was left of the windscreen. It was definitely a government vehicle, he didnt need to look at the plates to know that. He tried rolling onto his back which proved easier than standing, and managed to get a better look at the crash site, there was petrol spilling out from the engine which he noticed was pooling on the ground next to another pool of what looked like blood. He traced the pooling blood back to the car, in the drivers seat was the motionless body of the driver and saw where the other end of the pole in the windscreen ended up, he grimaced at the scene and felt his stomach turn. There was another body too, outside the car and a short way behind it, this body too was motionless. Ryan slowly eased himself up to his feet, fighting back the searing pain coursing through his body. He took a step, his legs were ok, thankfully, and saw for the first time what this city had been reduced to. A searing pain reverberated through his head, he clutched it and gritted his teeth. He noticed another small patch of blood by the rear door of the car and remembered how he had scrambled from the wreck, trying to distance himself from it incase it exploded before he passed out. He rubbed his head tenderly before heading over to see if the motionless man was alive, Ryan moved as fast as his damaged body would allow and practically collapsed next to the man. No vital signs. He was gone, on closer inspection he noticed half of the mans face had been sheared away, the result of being flung out of a high speed vehicle with nothing to slow you down but your face. Ryan exhaled deeply as the image before him burnt itself forever in his memory, clambering to his feet for a second time he decided he needed to find shelter, he took a deep breath and fought back the pain riddling his bones as he moved over to the wrecked SUV, something glinted in the afternoon sun, catching Ryans attention, a small gunmetal grey pistol lay in dirt the other side of the car, he moved closer to the weapon and crouched down, a whimper of pain escaping him in the process. It was very familiar to him but at first glance he didnt recognise it, turning it round in his hands he saw a small logo with the words Bishop & Strauss emblazoned. It was his, it struck him to check for any other possessions he may have with him. He found only a wallet in his pocket and a backpack with his name sewn on it resting on the ground, half in and half out of the vehicles smashed in rear window. He checked the pistols chamber, one round sat neatly inside, the mag had a few rounds missing, Ryan looked around for any sign of what it may have been that he was shooting at but could see nothing in the immediate area, the smell of cordite was lingerng in the air around him, he snapped on the safety before holstering the weapon in his waistband. He moved slowly back to the dead body behind the car and searched it, he found a pistol, again one round in the chamber but this one had less in the mag than his own. Again he looked around in confusion. "What in the hell were we shooting at?" He questioned. The otherside of route 44 he saw a hotel, it looked as deserted as the rest if the area, he really needed a decent lie down and a relaxing shower, try and get his head straight and remember what happened before the crash. He dragged his bag from behind him, he ejected the mag from the second pistol and stored it in his pocket, he hoped he wouldnt need it, he opened his bag and stuffed the second pistol inside before onve again climbing to his feet and cautiously heading over to the hotel. ---- The lobby was was lifeless, it looked as if someone had been in a struggle of some kind, papers, chairs and plants were strewn about the floor. He proceeded past them and approached the receotion desk which he found in a similar manner to the lobby. He headed knto the back room and found himself a key to a room located on one of the higher floors, he wanted a better look at the city. It was eerily quiet throughout the hotel and noticed a few of the rooms had been vacated in a hurry, the rooms a mess, their doors wide open. Heading up the first staircase he found himself on the fifth floor, where his new accomodation was located. The room was locked when he arrived and upon entering noticed that it had been left as one would expect from a low key hotel, he closed and locked the door behind him and headed straight for the shower.