~Chapter 5~

~Chapter 5~


Josh stepped out of the black BMW and onto the front lawn of his Oregon home. It was a beautiful sunny day in early summer, and though hot, it was a pleasant change from the African sun he had grown accustom to. The Marine at the wheel got out and got Josh’s duffels from the trunk. He set them on the curb and saluted. Josh, still in his Marine blue dress uniform with white pants, saluted back and watched the Marine drive off. He turned back to the house, a contented smile on his face. Mariah had called him at the airport and said that she and five-year-old Mara would meet him in the backyard. Mariah, for seven years she had been the fire behind Josh’s life. And when Mara had been born, Josh had wondered if it was right to love to women as much as he did. He often joked to his wife that if she didn’t treat him well he’d run off with some beautiful little brunette he had met. Then Mara would ask to be able to bring her doll, Zuzu, and Josh and Mariah would laugh at her serious little face.
Mara had inherited her father’s rich brown hair, but her mother’s sharp blue eyes. She had also gotten her father’s clever mind, much to the dismay of her mother. No childproof lock or gadget was able to resist the little girl’s quick mind and slim fingers. Mariah would comment that she could break out of Alcatraz if needed, to which Josh would ask indignantly if that wasn’t his job.
Now, finally free from his obligations to the Marine Corps, Josh Taske stood outside of his house and thought of all the time ahead of the three of them.
Suddenly, the warm memories were driven from his mind by a scream from the backyard. He dropped his bags and took off running towards the back of the house. But his lags would not work right; it was if he was running uphill after running uphill all day.
As he reached the corner of the house two gunshots rang out sharply, and Josh’s heart fell within his chest. Everything seemed to speed up and the next thing he knew, he was looking into his backyard.
But everything was wrong, a man dressed in a black overcoat was standing between him and his daughter’s swing set, a smoking pistol in his hand. Mariah was on the ground against one of the metal supports for the swing set, blood running from a hole in her forehead. Mara had just fallen backwards off the swing, blood spurting from the hole left by the murderer’s bullet.
Josh looked down at his feet, blood was pooled around his feet, flooding the yard, covering the grass. Burning rage filled his soul, and he looked up to stare at the man who had just shot his family. The man turned, and Josh’ hatred grew.
The gloating face of Regent Taske stared with baleful red eyes at Josh. The devilish being opened a mouth full of sharp teeth, Regent’s voice sounding hollow and distorted as if over a great distance.
“Welcome home, Nephew.”
Josh came awake with a roar, a sai clenched in his sweaty grasp. The digital face on his nightstand said it was two o-clock on the morning of June 20th.
“Bad dream?”
Wolv sat across the room at the small table, a beer bottle resting in his hand.
Josh sheathed the sai with its twin, and got up. He sat down heavily next to Wolv and took the half-full bottle from the other man. Before answering he took a long drink.
“Yeah, same thing as always. It seems I can’t get that day out of my head.”
Nathan nodded, looking at the floor with a look of abject weariness on his scarred face.
“That’s going to be with you all your life. You can’t escape a memory like that.”
Josh took another drink, and then set the bottle on the table.
“I know. Hey, why are you up? Headaches again?”
Wolv nodded and rubbed his temple.
“Ever since that head wound in Africa, they don’t seem to ever leave me. Most people think I drink that stuff to just get drunk and party, but the truth is if I don’t, I’ll go crazy with the pain.”
Josh nodded, “I know how you feel. The past haunts us like a shadow we just can’t shine a light on.”
Wolv finished his analogy, “And since we can’t scare it away, we get good and drunk so we forget it’s even there. It sounds like one helluva life.”
Josh nodded, “Don’t it?”
Josh’s cell started to buzz on his nightstand. He rose and, retrieving it, sat down again as he answered it.
“This is Taske,” He listened for a moment, “Ok; we’ll be over in a few, lock down the premises.”
Josh hung up and looked at Wolv.
“They think they have a glitch on the perimeter cameras, but with the recent events they don’t want to take any chances.”
Wolv reclaimed his beer and stood up.
“Let’s check it out then, shall we?”

Fifteen minutes later Josh was looking at footage from one of the estate’s outside security cameras. Josh had gotten dressed and armed himself with his normal arsenal.
Wolv still wore the dirty white T-shirt and blue-jeans he had shown up in, and was armed only with his P.22 and nearly empty beer bottle. Whether it was his attire or choice of weapons he didn’t know, but Nathan noted a number of disapproving looks being shot at him from Agent Vale.
Agent Bono was showing Josh the glitch on the screen. Nathan’s attention was on Agent Vale and the other agents in the Security Bunker. Even though he was pretty sure none here knew a thing about him, and he had Josh to back him up, Nathan still felt uncomfortable among all the Feds. He saw himself like a yellow dandelion among a bed of yellow tulips. He fit in at first, but at second glance he was obviously out of place.
“It was just a minute or two before we called you. It showed up right about… there.”
Bono pointed to the edge of the area covered by the security camera. A dark-red something flashed across the screen. It was barely noticeable, even to Josh’s trained eye.
“You noticed it?”
Bono nodded proudly, “Yes Sir. And it was my idea to call you up and checking it out before just dismissing it.”
“It took you three minutes to call me after noticing the anomaly. Why?”
Bono deflated slightly.
“Well, I showed it to Agent Callaway and he wanted to call Vale before bothering you. And she said to call you, so we did.”
Josh patted Bono’s shoulder as he headed for the door.
“You did well, Agent Bono. But next time call me first.”
Nathan threw a disapproving glance at Josh.
“And where are you going!?”
Josh shot a smile at his old friend before exiting.
“I’m going to see what our anomaly was. I think I know, but I just want to be sure. Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
The door closed and Vale jumped up to follow him out. Nathan caught her arm and escorted her back to her seat.
Vale protested, “He shouldn’t go out alone. He’s still injured!”
Nathan’s voice was serious, but a rakish grin spread across his face.
“Honey, listen; if he wanted help, he would have taken someone with him. And even if he should have backup, he said for no one to follow him; and the one thing you learn early when working with him is to obey what he says, no matter what.”


Josh strolled almost casually across the lawn to the corner where the camera picked up the anomaly. He crouched down and inspected the ground by the fence, noting imprints left by a pair combat boots. The size was too small for a man, and the pattern was different from the standard combat boots his team wore. Next to the tracks was a large red-fletched dart. He picked it up, a smile spreading across his tired face.
“You can come out, Elaine. I know it’s you.”
A woman’s voice sounded from behind him.
“Well, Taske, what did I do wrong?”
Josh turned around to face the woman. She was dressed in a dark red coat, with a gray v-necked tank top underneath. The tank top was skintight, and showed much of her athletic figure. Her black leather pants also were skin-tight, with a pistol and miniature crossbow slung in quick-draw holsters from the combat-belt around her waist. Her shoulder-length hair was a deep red, her piercing green eyes were full of a desire no man could ignore. Her lips were a deep, luscious red. She held herself in a seductive pose that reminisced of a ballet dancer or gymnast; her very presence was intoxicating.
She was all too familiar to Josh.
“You forgot to secure your bolts again.”
Josh tossed her the dart he had picked up. She caught it deftly and returned it to the small quiver attached to the back of her belt.
Josh looked her over, “My dear Scarlet, you look overdressed.”
Scarlet’s green eyes met Josh’s gray ones, and she took a gliding step forward.
“It was a cold night. And besides, men aren’t as interesting as they used to be. They are too easy to control.”
Josh smiled, remembering Scarlet a few years back. She had always reminded him of a cross between the comic book character “Electra” and a Victoria Secret model. She dressed to kill and, as an assassin, it suited her.
“I don’t suppose you came to play games then.”
Scarlet glided right up to Josh, placing her hands on his chest and pressing her body against him, her mouth just inches from his.
She spoke softly, using what Nathan had once described as her “bedroom voice”.
“That depends; do you want to play games, Joshua Taske?”
Sparks seemed to flash between her body and his. He had to admit, her offer was tempting. And maybe, in a different lifetime, he might have taken her up on it. But even with all the pain he had gone through, even if he of all people deserved a night in heaven, he knew he would regret it later. And there was Matt and Lexy. He had a duty to perform and he was honor bound to carry it out. Besides, Scarlet was not the kind to stick around for long. She said she would settle down one day, but she never seemed to be able to stay with someone long enough. Or they never stayed with her.
He took hold of her shoulders and, gently, pushed her away from him. His voice was soft, almost sad. Her appearance had reminded him of other memories.
“No, Scarlet, we’ve talked about this. It would be bad for both of us.”
Scarlet pressed forward and kissed him on the mouth before pulling away again. She looked at Josh with a mix of pride and disappointment.
“Still the honorable one, eh Sharktooth? I knew there was a reason I stuck around you.”
“I provide a challenge?”
“No, you provide morals I normally seem to be lacking. But now to business; I have a report from Wraith.”
That caught Josh’s attention. Wraith was an ex-Marine who Josh had helped fake his own death. Now Wraith was Josh’s eyes and ears in the crime world. He could go places no one else could go; he could hear things no one else could hear. He had perfect eyesight, perfect hearing, and perfect memory. He was one of Josh’s most valuable assets, and one of his closest friends.
“Wraith? What did he say?”
Scarlet handed him a folder she had under her coat. Inside were two people profiles and a number of surveillance photos of Regent Taske and another man that was identified as Pyros Lite. One of the profiles belonged to Pyros; the other belonged to an assassin by the name of Carl Mash.
“As Nathan has probably told you, Regent is out for your head again. This time he’s gotten the Board’s full approval to send two assassins after you. The first is Pyros Lite, also called “Firelighter”. He’s a professional arsonist and assassin, and personal bodyguard for your Uncle.
The other is Carl Mash; he’s a European hit man who has never lost a contract. He got into New York this morning and was met by some chick called “Athena” and your Uncle. It seems Regent wants Mash and Pyros to work together to take you out.”
Josh nodded, scanning over the photos and documents.
“Okay, I’ll keep my eye out and warn Matt. Can you stay and help out?”
Scarlet shook her head, “Sorry, Taske, but I have to get back to Wraith. I tracked Nathan from your Oregon home to here and ran into Wraith in New York. Wraith recruited me to do some jobs for him and I still have a few to finish. But after I’m done I will be back to do what I can.”
Josh put the papers back in the folder, then looked at Scarlet with something akin to sadness.
“Thanks for the heads-up. I miss working with you.”
Scarlet had walked over to the fence and was about to pull her self over. She looked back at Josh, the same look in her eyes.
“I know the feeling. As I said, you are my conscience.”
With a flick of her coat she disappeared over the fence, leaving Josh looking after her, holding the file from Wraith.
Yes, he missed her a great deal.