[color=8dc73f][b]Lt. Gomez Los Angeles, CA 06:01HRS[/b][/color] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tN875A3Bj8&list=PLgrB1Ula7FI8K7DAYQdbnOBLH1VHAdb-j&index=4][b][i]: ::PHONE BUZZING:: :(Music)[/i][/b][/url] It was early in the morning when the call finally came through on the prepaid cellphone that was provided. She knew it would come, and she had already done a good bit of packing to prepare. She had already taken a leave of absence from work and after everything had gone through the proper channels was cleared by her superiors and she was now considered to be on extend work leave. She had also spoken to her parents and sister as soon as she had found out that she might be taking a new career path, but her mother disapproved just as much about this job [i](which she could know absolutely nothing about)[/i], as her mother had hated her for joining the SWAT unit. The phone vibrated and jostled about wildly on the coffee table until in nestled up against two empty beer bottles and the clanking of the glass and the rattling was horrendous. Serena had just poured a hot mug of coffee for herself and was about to set it down right when the phone went off. This made her jerk as it had startled her and she spilt coffee on the back of her hand while setting it down. [i]Fuck that's hot![/i]- she thought as she wiped the steaming liquid off the back of her hand. She quickly grabbed the cellphone as to silence that goddamned clamoring. Her head was slightly thick from the night before, perhaps she had a little too much. you know, [i]one too many[/i]. The sound was wretched and made like huge hammers pounding away on the inside of her skull. She picked up the phone and answered, putting it to her ear. [color=6ecff6]"Lt. Gomez..."[/color] she said after gathering herself a bit. She tried to make herself sound as loud and as astute as possible. It was early but Serena could snap to in a hurry. On the other end of the line was a man's voice, scruffy and agitated. The man's tempo was brisk and it was all very matter of fact-ly. He proceeded to tell her that she had roughly twelve hours to get her affairs in order, say her goodbyes. She was told to [color=8dc73f]"be on a plane departing from LAX International Airport at 18:00 hours"[/color]. It was all very brief and to the point. She grabbed the small notepad she had on the table and began to scribble everything down. She was also informed that she would be flying to Charleston, WV, and that there would also be [color=8dc73f]"a black 2017 Chevy Suburban waiting for you at the airport. There'll be a set of keys for the SUV and your new place of residence located in a magnetic box under the passenger side fender-well."[/color] the man continued. [color=8dc73f]"Inside the glovebox will be your new identification, as well as a passport, a bank card with petty cash for expenses, and a bit of information to help you get acquainted with your new self."[/color] Some serious sounding shit for anyone to hear, to be fair. She began to question whether or not she was making the right decision- [color=8dc73f][b][i]"Ma'am, you with me?"[/i][/b][/color] He said as if she had steeped away from phone, his voice bellowing over the line and into her ear. [color=6ecff6][i]"-Yessir[/i], please continue."[/color], she said abruptly. The man soon fell back into the rhythm that he had before, not skipping a beat. [color=8dc73f]"There'll also be a sidearm and some ammo for you in the glove box as well. Do I need to remind you of the seriousness of this assignment? You are in no way to tell anyone where you're heading, do not bring your cellphone, nothing in the way of personal affects. Loose your ID once you land and make certain that you leave no trace of yourself there back home. Are we clear Lt. Gomez? Do you understand?"[/color] [color=6ecff6]"Copy."[/color] [color=8dc73f]"Very good. There'll be a text message with the address to the safehouse sent to this phone. Do not give this number to anyone. Godspeed Lieutenant."[/color] The conversation was over very fast, but the words rang out in her mind for a long while after it was over. She knew the call was coming.. So why was she acting like she was going into shock? She set the phone and the notepad down and picked her mug up from the coffee table. There was a new ring beginning to form where she had spilled it, right over top of a few old ones. She took a good sip of her coffee, still hot. The smell in the steam was pungent and bit a little as it cleared her head. The worst of it was to come. She at least had to notify her mother and father, and her sister, that she was going to be taking the job. She dreaded the call. She already knew the storm her mother would have already prepared, ready to unleash upon her in full Latino dramatization. She finished her coffee and went to take a hot shower to let everything sink in. The words [i]West-fucking-Virgina[/i] resounding in her head, over and over. [i]What the fuck could possibly be in West Virginia? Why'd they pick her? What for?[/i] Serena pops the open the fridge door and grabs a cold one before walking back into her room to finish packing. Her hair was still wet and dripping onto her shoulders, leaving darkened water spots on her crème colored blouse. She took a swig from the longneck with one hand, her other drying her hair with a now overly damp towel. Her [i]Ipod[/i] blasting [i]The Breeders[/i] as she finished getting ready, her endorphins in full swing. She had already done most of her packing over the past few days. A few outfits, mostly semi formal stuff, a few lazy outfits, a bit of stuff for the gym, a pair of tennis shoes. She was instructed to pack light so she did. A bag full of the regular girly items, curling iron, hairdryer, the necessities, an excessive array of feminine hygiene products, tampons, pads. [b][i]Pants. Where are my fucking pants?[/i][/b] She sat her beer down and threw the towel in a corner, landing on a small mound of laundry that had already found a home there. She put one leg in, then another, slinging herself down on the bed as she pulled the pants up to her waist. She liked her jeans a little on the tight side. Two beers later, Serena makes the call. Her sister answered the phone.. [color=8dc73f][i]"You're doing it, you're leaving aren't you?"[/i][/color] she said. [color=8dc73f][i]"I fuckin' knew you would! Here's Ma. MAAAAA!! Serena's taking the job. Hold on a sec."[/i][/color] yelling across the house. [i]Fucking fantastic-[/i] she thought to herself. Soon a volley of muffled Spanish erupts from the other side, her mother relentless in her thwarting. [color=6ecff6]"Si, Momma.. I know, I know you worry about me Ma.."[/color] Serena said. The conversation went on for a while and soon was going in circles. [color=6ecff6]"I've already got my bags packed and my plane leaves at 6.. I'm doing it Ma."[/color] the muffled rambling slows in pace, but the sobbing and the sniffling ensued. [color=6ecff6]"Si Momma, I'll come by before I go."[/color] she said in the most reassuring voice she could muster. [color=6ecff6]"No, I can't tell you where I'm going. I love you too, [i]gottagobyyyye[/i]."[/color] - click. [i] Whew, sure glad that was over.[/i] Almost two and a half hours of relentless pleading and begging. Scolding. They had been through this before. Neither her mother nor her father were enthused about her career choices. They were very disappointed, but they were also very proud. She had came a long way. She later made good on her promise. She had called a cab. The last call she would make from her phone before disconnecting the battery and removing the card, placing it all into a drawer in the kitchen. The very same drawer that seems to catch all of the odd shit that has no business in a kitchen. batteries, various cords and old remotes. A bent screwdriver. [i]Everybody has one..[/i] The cab picked her up around one o'clock and she got to her parents around two pm. She made sure to keep the cab running so that she could make a speedy getaway. She said her goodbyes, as her mother and father showered her with hugs and tears, her sister cutting sharp eyes in her direction out of utter disgust from all the swooning. It was all very overbearing, one thing Serena and her sister would agree on. She hopped back in the cab after about twenty long minutes and it was on to Los Angeles International. [color=8dc73f][b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEWiJR9qeoc&list=PLgrB1Ula7FI8K7DAYQdbnOBLH1VHAdb-j&index=1]15:33[i](Music)[/i][/url][/b][/color] LAX, [i]Los Angeles International Airport[/i], was a swirling cesspool, alive and writhing with heavy traffic. Herds of pedestrians bustling about in every direction. [i]Madness.[/i] She checked in with American Airlines desk and retrieved her ticket for flight #5410 leaving at 18:00hrs, but was notified that there would be a 35 minute delay as well. She grabbed her ticket and checked her luggage with clerks at the check baggage line. One fairly large suitcase on rollers was all that she had. She then made her way through the security checks. She had left her badge back home so there would be no swift run through for her. It was all very exciting. The intrigue of it all was perhaps what was driving her the most. So many questions that she was going to want answers to. [i]but did she really want them?[/i] The anticipation was crawling all over her. She finally made it through after having to remove her belt and her shoes. She was quick to let them know she spoke good English.. She had about an hour to kill before her flight took of so she decided to grab a quick drink at one of several little bars dotting the airports lobbies. Two fingers of strong tequila should do the job. The first flight from LAX to Charlotte Douglas International was a blur. She had a three hour layover in Charlotte due to the delay at LAX. [color=6ecff6][i]"Great fucking start."[/i][/color] The weather was cloudy and it had been raining all day. Plenty of time to let her head clear a bit. She finally made it Charleston, WV, touching down at Yeager CRW around 06:50. She retrieved her luggage and rolled it down the long corridors past all the other people still quickly hurrying about to catch flights. [i]The worst of it is over[/i]-she thought to herself. She made her way to the parking decks and just like the man said there it was. Black Suburban, with a 30 day tag? [i]Whatever.[/i] She reached under the fender-well and felt around for the magnetic box.. nothing there. [i]Oh wait.. he said the PASSENGER side, fucking idiot..[/i] She made her way around to the passenger side and tried again. Score. She retrieved the set of keys from the box and put it back in place. [i]Might come in handy later.[/i] She hit the locks on the SUV and opened the back only to find that it already had the oversized utility drawers in the back for gear but were completely empty. [color=6ecff6][i]"Nice."[/i][/color]. She shut the hatch and opted to put her luggage in the backseat instead. She sat in the driver's seat and unlocked the glove box, giving way to her curiosity. There it was. A rather large manila envelope with a few prepaid phone cards, a new ID, passport, all there. A [i][b]Suntrust[/b][/i] Bank card. [i]A Beretta, a CC holster with an extra mag, and two boxes of 9mm hollow-point rounds, [I][b]Black Talons[/b][/i] at that. These bad boys weren't fucking around. [/i]Whatever it was that she was getting herself into was some [b][i]legit deep shit[/i][/b].. She loaded both mags, putting one in the pistol and one in the holster. The drive was another couple of hours through some beautiful country. Serena had lived in California her entire life and she was unaccustomed to the Appalachian region. She stopped along the way for some coffee and a handful of [b][i]Slim Jim's[/i][/b]. She also picked up a bottle of lighter fluid and a lighter. The gas station wasn't very busy and the rain had left everything damp. She paid the grungy hick-toothed cashier with her new bank card. A good opportunity to see if it worked or not. She smiled on its approval and gathered her things and walked out. [i]The ball's in motion-[/i] She made her way back outside to her vehicle and she opened the door. She was parked towards the edge of the lot so that she had a good bit of cover on the driver side. She pulled out her ID and threw it on the ground beside the SUV. She pulled the lid open on the lighter fluid and she squirted a healthy bit onto the plastic setting it aflame. It all became very real to Serena right then. She watched as her information and her face bubbled and hissed, as her life melted away. There was no turning back now. She soon was back on her way, in an out on those long smoky roads. She arrived some four hours later, sometime around eleven thirty, or little past then. Having made more than one wrong turn along the way. There were already a few cars already in the drive so she definitely wasn't the first one to the safe house. More like a shack than anything. She parked. She put her gold rimmed aviators on, and the Berretta on the small of her back before exiting. Her hair was neatly braided down the back. Very professional, [i]she thought[/i]. She straightened her jacket from where it had gotten snagged on the grip of the Berretta and spit out her gum before making her way into the safehouse to greet the others. Time to find out why there was such a big party way out here in [b][i]West-fucking-nowhere Virginia[/i][/b]. [i]All very cloak and dagger.. [/i] [h3][i]Time to get some answers..[/i][/h3] [color=6ecff6][b]"Lt. Gomez. Reporting in."[/b][/color]