The Watchmen Files || Shades of Reason || Chapter One || Targets Acquired

2013 || Boston, Massachusetts

Ginger's converse high tops squeaked on the steps as she pushed her way onto the crowded city bus. Flashing her school ID card, she edged to the back of the bus and settled into an empty seat. Sliding her script out of her backpack, Ginger began to study the first act's lines. She knew hers well enough, but remembering her cues from the other actor's lines was half the battle.

   "Is this seat taken?" a voice broke through her thoughts. Looking up with a start, Ginger's eyes traveled up from red high heels to a spotless white and black dress with a skinny red belt to a black blazer and a black and white scarf and red purse to messy brown curls paired with perfect pale skin and questioning hazel eyes.

   "I said, is this seat taken?" her voice, buttery smooth with a tinge haughtiness asked again.

   "Uhh... sure, I mean no, the seat isn't taken," Ginger stuttered, tugging her backpack off the seat and plopping it onto the scuffed floor at her feet. Several books, pens and her cell phone tumbled out of her bag as she tugged at the zipper. "Sorry."

   "It's fine," the girl slid into the seat and placed her leather purse neatly onto the floor in front of her.
After brushing a few bits of lint off of her dress, she turned to smile at Ginger. "I'm Cambria," she explained, offering her perfectly manicured hand.

   "Ginger," the flustered teen put in, self-consciously tucking her unruly wavy brown hair behind an ear with one hand and grasping Cambria's outstretched hand with the other, adjusting her grasp to avoid the several rings that decorated the other girl's hand.

  "Are you an actress?" Cambria questioned, dropping Ginger's hand and indicating her script with a sweep of her slender hand.

   Ginger shrugged. "Sort of, I just got Liesl in my school's play "The Sound of Music". But I've never been in a professional play before, though I would love to!"

   Cambria was smiling and nodding as she listened intently, but Ginger had failed to notice the tiny flesh-toned earpiece nestled in her seatmate's ear. Ginger had also failed to notice the scruffy young man reading a newspaper across aisle and a few rows back, and the fact that he hadn't turned a page on his paper in the last three minutes. But Cambria did. Even though she looked like a pretty, style-conscious twenty-something who wouldn't hurt a fly, she knew at least three types of martial arts, could shoot almost every type of gun and could do all of that in high heels.

   Cambria was in fact the eldest daughter of Lila and Quentin Norris, and elder sister of Briella Norris. She usually didn't do missions like this for her parents, but it was so simple that she'd taken it if only for something to do.

   "That man sitting behind you several rows back is Watchmen agent Daniel Shakes," Cambria's handler informed her over the earpiece. Lifting her smartphone as if to take a selfie, Cambria poised it to get a good look at the Watchmen agent. He still held the newspaper, but was staring intently at the back of Ginger's head. It didn't look like he'd even noticed herself.

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   Watchmen Agent Daniel G. Shakes glanced casually down at the newspaper that he was supposed to be reading. The girl he was tailing hadn't done anything interesting for two weeks. Ever since InterTech had started putting out its feelers for her brother Simon Hollens, the Watchmen started keeping an eye on all of the Hollens siblings. Unfortunately, because of a shortage of recruits, Daniel and his brother Victor (who were Watchmen partners) were tailing both Hollens women, which wasn't really the most desirable situation. There should have been a team for each person, but there just wasn't enough manpower.

   A pretty brunette settled herself next to Ginger and the two shook hands. Daniel could have sworn that he recognized her, and scrolled quickly through a list of all the female agents that InterTech employed, but none looked like her. He cursed the bad luck of not having his computer-geek brother here run her on the Watchmen database, but this was the best he could do.

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   Lifting her phone again, Cambria tapped at an app on her phone, and the tiny explosive that she'd stuck on one of the tires earlier blew. It was so tiny that all it did was blow the tire, which made a loud popping sound. The bus sighed to a stop as the driver slammed on the brakes, and all the people leaped to their feet and started pushing and shoving their way out of the bus.

   Ginger had jumped a foot when the tire blew, and she still looked shaken, but her eyelids were drooping and she was starting to look dazed. "Let me help you," Cambria grasped her by the arm and pulled her to her feet, and started leading her out of the bus.
  
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   Behind her, Daniel abandoned his newspaper and pushed through the remaining busees to follow his charge. Stopping on the bus steps to get a good view over the multitude of heads, Daniel spotted Cambria pulling Ginger through the crowd, in the direction of a parking garage on the right. Turning to look over her shoulder, Cambria's eyes met Daniel's, and with a jolt, he recognized her as the daughter of InterTech's heads, Cambria Norris.

   Snatching his phone from his pocket, Daniel hurriedly shoved through the crowd after Cambria and Ginger as he dialed. "This is Agent D.G.S. requesting immediate backup, we have a supervised civilian about to be kidnapped. Ginger Hollens by Cambria Norris," he practically yelled into the phone.

   "D.G.S. backup is on the way, but it may be a while. There's a traffic jam and it's morning rush hour," the agent on the other line reported.

   Daniel shoved the phone back into his pocket with chagrin, but he managed to negotiate his was out of the crowd and into the stillness of the parking garage. There was a sign in the front that read "full", and as he snuck between them, he listened for any noise that could give away where the two girls were.

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   Ginger glanced around confusedly at the grey walls of the parking garage. "Where are we?" she murmured sleepily.

   "Almost there," Cambria assured her, glancing behind them to make sure that the Watchmen agent wasn't too close behind. She led Ginger over to a large black van and slid open the door, "Here you go, Ginger." Ginger suddenly went limp and Cambria had to catch her as she slid towards the floor. That sleeping drug that she had used her ring to prick Ginger with was quite strong. A tall InterTech agent helped Cambria lift her target into the black van.

   "I'll be right back," Cambria whispered. "I'll have another one for you to secure back here."

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A sudden kick to Daniel's back made up his mind to at least where one of them was, and he peeled himself off of the ground to face Cambria. She was still wearing those red high heels, but that didn't seem to sway her at all. She aimed a kick at his face, which he blocked with his arm. Unfortunately for him, she used that arm as a step stool and had her legs wrapped around his neck Black Widow-style in three seconds. Then with sudden a jerk, she used her body weight to slam him into the side of a car, knocking him out easily.

   Releasing the inert form from her hold, Cambria stood up, brushed her dress off and patted her hair. The InterTech agent dragged Daniel into the van and secured him as she climbed into one of the passenger's seats, and nodded at the driver. The driver nodded back and pulled quickly out of the parking garage, and onto the road. About five minutes later, several black SUVs roared passed, and Cambria smiled contently. The Watchmen wouldn't be able to get them this time. Not this time.

 Hi guys. It's been a looooonnngggg time since either of us posted. But I'm back! I just randomly started working on SOR again and finished this chapter which I began probably more than six months ago. I'm trying to get back into my writing groove, which may or may not work *shrugs*.

Anyway, did you like the chapter? Like the new character, Cambria Norris? I'm going to have to adjust the prologue to mention her, but other than that...
Just to let you know, I might change this chapter later to instead of Daniel be Victor (Daniel's brother) so it depends.

Just saw Finding Dory last night, it was super cute! Only cried a little once!

Love,

Willow