Chapitre 107: Desert Run
QJ rejoined his housemates near the Martial Arts Hall exit; a few other OP members accompanied them, Ringo and Chainy.
Dozens of Exodus vendors were hawking academy souvenirs from all the Exodos games, including [Data Stream], the upcoming cyberpunk game in development by Horatio Media.
Wu and Sato walked on either side of QJ while the rest of the group tailed closely, talking amongst themselves.
"I'm drawing a blank with the name you gave me," Wu admitted. "There's no mention of a Lazun, first or last name, or any variation on any GnG servers."
"That's going to make finding her harder," QJ said with a sudden grin.
"Not only that," Wu started, "I can't find any mention of Engineer Samanth Trahern or the quest she gave you."
"I'll have to visit her parents then, perhaps take a look around Junebug." QJ was okay with the lack of quick evidence. "Not every quest rolls out the red 'solve me' carpet."
"QJ!" A lean Asperian called from behind them. He favored the Exodus group with a fanged smile; his verticle irises focused on QJ. "You don't call us anymore?"
"Tau..." QJ barely had time to speak before he was picked up and hugged.
A pale blond High Elf approached, bordered on either side by a young man and woman. She wore a silver circlet on her head and was dressed in formal robes.
[OP: Sato] Who is she?
QJ's smile widened considerably. "This is Deen and Tabi," QJ introduced.
Deen's serious demeanor faded when he smiled. His black hair hung down to his shoulders. "We've missed you this year."
Tabi waited until Deen shook QJ's hand before stepping closer for a hug. "You scoundrel... Leaving us alone in our last year."
QJ laughed and patted the red braids that she wore stacked on her head. "I told you guys my plans three years ago."
The High Elf looked at him coldly before extending her arms. "Well? Greet me properly."
QJ frowned at the woman; the tension between them thickened until both of them started laughing. He embraced the high elf; she kissed both cheeks before releasing him. "The majestic fellow with the scales is Tau, and this is the honorable Princess Luca Chamyl."
[Resolute: Luca] Welcome home, QJ.
[Resolute: Tabi] Nice to see you, brat.
"Just call me Lucky," the princess smiled warmly at the group standing with QJ. "This miscreant was part of our pod."
"This is Sato, Wu, Lotte, Nina, Breeze and Ringo." QJ felt nostalgic seeing the pod together. "In TAP, you are grouped in pods that stay together for four years. I only stayed three years, but these guys made it fun."
Tabi rolled her eyes. "The first year was a bit sketchy."
Luca nodded in agreement. "Dating someone changes your perspective."
[OP: Sato] You dated her?
[OP: QJ] Not really. I ran interference when her father arranged a marriage for her. We were just good friends.
"Wouldn't have worked out," QJ quipped. "You were too clingy."
Luca laughed. "Rogue... We're headed to the food vendors after this; we could all sit together."
QJ shook his head. "We don't have the time this afternoon; Nina's Captured team competes at 1600. I'll have you all over at the house when the games wrap up. We've set up to receive LAI visits."
[Resolute: Luca] Don't stand us up!
[Resolute: QJ] And have you put a price on my head again?
[Resolute: Luca] That was only a threat.
[Resolute: Tau] Party at your house when this is over.
[Resolute: QJ] Cya soon.
[Resolute: Deen] We'll be there.
[Resolute: Tabi] Brat...
[OP: QJ] Going to log and work out.
[OP: Wu] Lunch is on me. Feel like take-out?
[OP: Lotte] Yes!
[OP: QJ] I'm in. Give me an hour to work out first.
QJ stretched his wiry frame and removed the ceramic discs from his temple. He felt much satisfaction from watching Maya come away with a hard-fought victory. "I miss teaching..."
A quick knock at the door grabbed his attention. "Come in!"
A curly-haired carrot top peeked into the room. His freckled face grinning widely at his roommate. "Going to split the cost of lunch with Wu. I won quite a few credits on you and Maya today."
"You feeling okay, Sato?" QJ teased. It's not like you to pay."
"Bruh... that makes me sound like a mooch," Sato complained.
QJ nodded in agreement. "Agreed."
Sato snorted, and the messy pile of curls on his head bounced in all directions. "It's on me, bro!"
Wu's head popped over the upstairs railing, scanning for his roommates. When he spotted only QJ and Sato, he rushed down the stairs. "Where are the girls at?"
"They went over to Lotte's house to help with something." QJ had planned on getting a workout in since they had time before Nina's match; he laced up his running shoes and glanced at the time. "I'll be back by 1300!"
Wu waved from the stairs overview. "I'll wait an hour before I order then."
QJ grabbed his keys from the small drawer near the front door. " My favorites are marked on the take-out menu."
"Got it!" Sato replied. "Thought you were running, QJ? Why the keys?"
"Driving out to the dunes for a hill workout." QJ donned his shades and headed out with a quick wave.
Wu shook his head slightly. "Those Riley dudes workout way too much."
QJ slid behind the wheel and backed out of their driveway. He slowed down when driving past his parent's house a short while later, half-expecting to see signs of his family or Lotte's, but no one was around.
"Checking out, QJ?" QJ stopped at the guard shack that monitored their fenced-in development.
"Hey, Mike! I'm heading to the dunes for a workout. Be back in a couple of hours."
Mike keyed his hud and opened the gate. "Keep it up! You'll be glad you did when you're my age."
"No doubt." QJ grinned at the guard; Mike was ex-military like the rest of the guard staff. Tal had personally handpicked them.
Given that the city was constantly shrinking, the drive out of Vegas was quiet. Dust from construction sites hired to remove old residential areas hung in the air like a morning fog. The City Board had decided to return several parts of the city to their original state: desolate, sandy, and hot as hell.
QJ turned off Highway 22 onto a recently graded dirt road. To keep the dust down, a plant-based oil had been sprinkled over it. It worked on the dust problem but sucked when you were forced to wash it off later. The oiled dirt stuck to the undercarriage of vehicles as a child clung to candy.
QJ's dune workout was nothing more than a series of sand-covered foothills in quick succession; he would run a short loop and rest for a few minutes before doing it again. It was meant to burn up the legs quickly.
"What are you doing?" QJ noticed a black SUV coming up behind him; automatically, he slowed down and eased to one side. The narrow dirt roads weren't made for passing. "What's the hurry?"
A sudden impact caused his truck to lurch suddenly, throwing him forward until the seat belt engaged and held him in place. "Sweet Mother!" QJ tapped the brakes lightly; the back end of his truck threatened to fishtail, but he regained control. A second impact sent his truck into a skid, where it went sideways off the road before tipping into a roll.
QJ released the wheel and crossed his arms over his chest; a moment later, the windshield and driver-side window shattered as he was pelted with glass. The truck rolled twice before coming to a rest upside-down.
Before the truck had come to a complete stop, QJ had grabbed his water bottle and hit his dashboard's panic button. Without pausing, he slid out of the shattered driver window and activated his hud.
[HUD communications are currently offline.]
In the truck bed, just behind the cab, was a hidden compartment with a small survival bag. His mom referred to it as the "Mad Bag." It contained a small Black Forest boot knife, steel matches, compass, and folded mylar blanket like the ones handed out at marathons. He grabbed it quickly, keeping low to the ground.
*************
Mike glanced at the status board; one of the green lights had changed to yellow with a loud ding. He leaned closer and noted the time. Yellow meant a loss of signal; it wasn't uncommon when traveling in the desert. He noted the time and logged it in.
Nearly an hour later, Mike was gathering his belongings for shift change. He clicked his metal lunchbox closed, his eyes glancing up to the status board.
"Why are you moving so slow?" Khadira's smiling face caught Mike's attention. Khadira Mizrahi was former Israeli special forces; her dark face was marred by a long cut that ran from the edge of her eyebrow to her jaw. Her thick black hair was cut to shoulder length and worn up in a simple ponytail. Khadira never wore make-up and wasn't what anyone would call traditionally attractive, but she had a way about her that made people look twice.
Mike pointed at the board. "QJ is running at the Sand Dunes again; his status went yellow nearly an hour ago."
"Why didn't we have him followed?" Khadira's smile faded immediately. "What was his timeline?"
"We only follow him when he's on foot; said he'd be back in a couple of hours." Mike sat the lunchbox down. "He is usually back before that. One of us should take the bike and check it out."
Khadira pointed to herself. "I'll go."
Mike watched as she grabbed a helmet and slipped on a leather jacket. "Putting the SkyTeam on alert."
Khadira buckled the helmet on with a quick nod. "Good idea."
Mike grabbed the radio. "SkyTeam, this is Frontline; you are now on alert.
*Understood Frontline, SkyTeam is now on Alert Status.*
Mike sat down the radio just as the Yamaha's familiar rumble pulled away from the Guard Shack. The Guard Shack's Holo buzzed suddenly; he muttered a curse when he saw the ID. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Riley."
Talia's pretty face was all business. "Why is the SkyTeam on alert?"
"Signal loss from QJ while running the dunes; he's been gone for fifty-seven minutes." Mike had known Tal for many years; he didn't mind admitting that he was scared to death of the former Combat Engineer.
"Fifty-seven minutes isn't too long; normally, he's be gone longer." Tal's blue eyes stared through the Holo for a long moment. "Signal loss for that long is odd. Did you send someone out?"
Mike nodded. "Khadira took the bike out three minutes ago."
"Make sure you log it, Mike. I'm heading over to SkyTeam."
"Understood." Mike breathed a sigh of relief and logged Khadira and the Yamaha out.
*************
Khadira hadn't turned onto Highway 22 yet when she spotted the black smoke. She immediately activated her bike's hud. "SkyTeam, this is Frontline mobile, Redline! I repeat, SkyTeam, this is Frontline mobile, Redline!"
*Frontline mobile, this is SkyTeam; I read your location as one mile east of Highway 22. How copy?*
"SkyTeam, this is Frontline mobile, affirmative on location."
Khadira turned off-road and hit the accelerator. Sand and rocks sprayed into the air behind her as she took the direct route toward the smoke. Three minutes later, she braked near the start of the skid. "Chara!"
Parking the bike, she followed the tracks a few meters, stopping when she spotted the burning truck. There was no easy way down; the steep rocky bank made footing precarious. She braced her feet shoulder-width apart and let herself slide downward. When she arrived at the bottom, she broke into a sprint, only stopping when the heat from the flames forced her to.
*Frontline Mobile, this is SkyTeam! Can you see inside his truck!*
Khadira grimaced at the sound of the voice; Tal's voice carried a mother's worry. "Affirmative, SkyTeam. The truck is empty! SkyTeam, this is Frontline Mobile; the truck is empty."
By the time Tal reached the burning truck a few minutes later, Khadira was already searching for tracks. The blonde's blue eyes were ice cold when she approached the vehicle.
Tal studied the scene. "Compartment is open; that means he has the Mad Bag." She gave the fire a wide berth and walked towards Khadira.
"Found tracks, Tal. The first set has running shoes on, three individuals in standard combat boots are following him." Khadira gestured toward the truck. "QJ set that fire?"
Tal nodded. "A fire would make the pursuit sloppy and maybe break up their timeline."
Khadira nodded in agreement. "Comms are back up; one of them must be carrying a jammer. How do you want to proceed?"
Tal turned at the sound of falling rocks. Rhino and Mike had arrived, and both of them were armed. She considered the situation for a moment. "Both QJ and the pursuit are on foot. Let's get back in the air. I'll be able to figure out where he's headed."
Khadira fell in step beside the tall blond as she limped up the Ravine. "Should we notify the authorities?"
Tal nodded. "As soon as he's in the helicopter."
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
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