Chapter 12

“What did you say to him?”

“Huh?...Gabriel you made it?” Emmalin realizing it was me who asked the question.

“Well I said I would be here to help.”

“I know, I’m just excited to see you here.” Emmalin had been busy the past couple of weeks with prom just two weeks away. Our time outside of phone calls have been limited, so I took it upon myself to help her with prom projects so I could spend some time with her.

“Here sit down next to me and watch what I’m doing.” I looked around the gym and saw what I can only describe as a workshop for pinterest. There was a fair amount of people in the gym all working on designs, signs, decorations and all sorts of projects.

“So what did you say to Tony?”

“Tony? Oh he asked me out to Prom.”

“Really? And based on excitement I take it you said no?” I grabbed some lights and followed along what Emmalin was doing. Her project dealt with lights and large sheets. I paid attention to her as she was sowing, stitches so the lights stayed on the sheet. She did ever few inches to make sure the lights were secure.

“I said no.” focusing on the stitching.

“Prom is two weeks away and you still don’t have a date. I know you been asked many times, I can’t imagine you having any trouble in that department.”

She pulled out a thread and move over to the next stitch. “I have, many times, even Craig has asked me.”

I didn’t know that, he hadn’t mentioned it and we‘ve seen each other enough for him to have brought it up but I guess he didn’t need to say anything if he didn’t want to…maybe that was part of the reason for his attitude lately, still it was weird he wouldn’t say anthing

“Did he now and…?”

“Nope.”

“Okay…so are you planning on going with anyone or just go alone?”

She was hesitant like she didn’t know to respond but she found one quickly. “It depends, if the right person ask, if not I will go alone.”

I stood up after I heard that, “Okay where is he? so I can knock some sense into him…and who is this right person?

Emmalin laughed as she grabbed my arm pulling me back in the chair, “Sit down and hopefully that person can figure it out.”

“Do I know them?” I was secretly bothered by asking the question and didn’t really want to know the answer but I was having a good time with Emmalin to pay any real attention to it. Any other time and I may have noticed it and paid more attention to it.

“You can say that, but I want him to figure it out.”

“Okay…” not liking the answer “but he needs to hurry up and figure it out, it’s getting really close. Do you think he will ask? What am I talking about its you of course he is going to ask you.” I bumped my shoulder into hers. 

“I hope so.” She looked at me with a smile and I couldn’t help but smile back at her. She had a way of doing that.

“Next subject, what are you doing this weekend?”

“Depends.”

“Oh yeah, want to go out this weekend?”

Her fingers slipped pricking herself in the hand with the needle.

“Are you okay?” I grabbed her hand checking to see if anything was wrong.

“Yeah I just got myself good. See no blood.” She took her hand back and checked it again. “So are you asking me out?”

“Well yeah, I figured we really hadn’t hanged out together in a while. I saw that the fair we used to go to is coming to town and I thought I would love to go and I came up with the best idea ever which leads me to asking you. I can’t think of anyone else I would rather go with than you.”

Emmalin blushed at my response but went back to sewing the lights to avoid me seeing it. “So you kind of miss me?”

“Uh yeah…kind of why I’m asking you, you’re kind of getting into stranger status and I can’t be having that. I miss you, point blank.”

She smiled again “Of course I will go with you, what time you want to meet up?”

“I will pick you up at 7ish?” I started working on my portion of the sheet.

“You’re picking me up?” surprised.

I was surprised how surprised she sounded. I gave her a questionable look, “Is that bad?”

“No,” She smiled bigger this time, “I would like that very much.”

“Good, me too, now let’s finish this up so we can get out of here.”

And that’s what we did, we worked on her project for the next hour or so, I didn’t know what it was for and Emmalin was very secretive about it, she said I had to come and find out in case I did I decide to go. Whatever it was, it looked pretty cool once we finished with the couple we did. “I just might have to go and see.” Emmalin froze but caught herself before I had a chance to question her about it. Afterwards we went over to help others with their projects, talking the whole time, I did miss this interaction and towards the end I was more than happy I got the chance to spend the time with her that I did. I want to say she did too.

“So I will see you Saturday?”

“Don’t be late?” She giggled

I went up and gave her a hug. “ I won’t, but I need to get going my class starts in a bit, I will talk to you later or see you tomorrow.”

“Be careful.” She yelled as I ran out

“Always.”

 

“Well that was an interesting take on silent night.” Jace said rubbing his head

“Yeah, that was different.” Silent night was exercises we did in the dark. This time we actually fought in it. It was pretty cool for the fact we were able to keep up, granted we were hit a lot but I felt my senses were strengthening.

“You did good.” Leon said turning on the lights. “Next I want you to work on the third on eye program. I want you to do research for upcoming missions and provide any information you can that will be useful.”

“Anybody specific?”

“The name is on the desk. I showed you how to use the program now show me what you can come up with. I want to know his patterns, history, and anything else that may be relevant.”

We both nodded and headed towards the computer station. There laid a sheet with a name Malcolm Lynwood and a social, I didn’t ask how he was able to get a social but I was pretty sure he had already did his homework on Malcolm. “Jace start with good ole google and see what you can come up with. I will start with the police records.” I was familiar with the network of the police station well because of my dad, I use to play around with them when he would take us to work. It wasn’t even a couple minutes and we both came gathered information about Malcolm. “Shocker, he was known to the police department as a drug dealer with a combination of other things. Uhhh also he was recently released a couple of months ago and is living around in our area actually not to many blocks away.”

Jace continued, “It’s scary how close this is getting to us, what is happening to our neighborhood?” Jace started pulling up cameras around the area to see if there was something we could work with.

I was able to access his bank records showing he liked to make purchases at the AMPM on the corner of Spring Mountain and Durango. “The gas station around eleven pm. Pull up yesterday footage, he made some purchases there.”

“Alright and we are rolling. Gas station uses a closed circuit system so outside it is.”

I looked over at Jace screen looking for a man at the register. The screen was kind of grainy from across the street and got a little worse as Jace played with the zoom function. I pulled up the photo from the police records and sent it Jace’s computer.

“Thanks, it looks like we have a match.”

There was a grown man matching the description in height and weight provided from the record. “Hello Maxwell Lynnwood.”

“Good,” Leon started, “Just on what you have, what can you tell me?”

“Well according to his bank records he likes to visit this gas station on certain days like clockwork, his spending cost is pretty consistent so he likes to buy the same thing every time he goes there.” I started

“What else?”

“I didn’t see them at first but he has a couple of buddies, they keep looking at each other and around. Must be his lookout.” Jace said pointing to the screen.

I brought up Jace screen onto mine to get a better look. Jace jumped around camera from camera to see if there was another angle he was missing. Maxwell made his way outside to joinup with the rest of his crew and they just talked. Someone eventually came up and there was exchange of some sort, it was quick, but there was definitely one. A couple minutes later two appeared with money in their hands, but they were as secretive about it as the first exchange. I looked at the cashier to see if he acknowledged what was going on outside of station, if he did he gave no indication he knew. I kept looking and watched another person come up and again another exchange then it dawned on me.

“He’s a distributor, he’s not a dealer, this is where they make the exchanges.”

“In the open? That’s pretty risky.” Jace asked

“Who is going to do something about it, the cashier?”

“The days, they are consistent for a reason, my father told me about this. Remember the recent budget cuts on the police department, this is a result of it. They can’t police every single area of Las Vegas so they are spread out thin. If you were to look in on the GPS on each squad car there is not one near, it’s even possible they have that information but that would be giving them too much credit.”

“Oh then it’s not as risky then.” Jace replied

“No, good job, what else?”

Jace had a map of an apartment complex “He lives in an apartment, its walking distance from the gas station, lives towards the back of the complex on the second floor. You think he keeps a nice hefty stash there where the drop off happens.”

Maxwell started walking in that direction and pulled out a phone. “Let’s see if we can pull out his phone records see who he has been talking to.” After quickly looking nothing came up. “He uses a temporary phone.”

“Not bad you two, that was more information than I expected you to gather.”

“I guess I do have some of my dad in me” I replied

“and some of that rubbed off on me too.” We both laughed.

“Well it looks like we have our mission, according to the records this happens again Friday night, two nights from now. The phone is key but I need to be able to follow him to his apartment. We will plan and go over everything again on Friday.”

“Now that we have that covered I have something for you both.”

“Sir I need to ask you about Saturday night. Is it alright if we train early? I’m assuming were training.” I interjected

“What reason do you have?”

“I actually have plans Saturday night with someone?

“Jessica?” Jace quickly asked

“Emmalin”

“Oh cool, about time.”

“That is fine, we will train early Saturday. It actually works out, I had plans for a new training exercise at the warehouse for close combat.” Leon said with a slight grin.

“Sounds joyous…”

“Thank you sir, I also thinking of taking her to Prom a couple of weeks from now.”

Both Jace and Leon were surprised, Jace was all smiles and Leon held his eyebrows high. “No, by all means, that is a big step for you, why the sudden interest in taking her?” Curiosity getting the best of Leon.

“I found out today she wasn’t going with anyone, I mean she’s been asked…” I looked at Jace “To include Craig, but she’s turned them all down. Anyways it doesn’t feel right if I don’t take her to the dance or least ask, who knows she may say no to me too, but she’s always been there for me for everything I ever accomplished so I want to show her I am there for her especially on the dance she put together. Yeah my past and all but I need to look beyond that and be there for her.”

Leon spoke first after the awkward silence. “You care for Emmalin, that is no surprise, show her. This is a big step for you, of course you can go.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about her saying no either.” Jace continued.

“Thank you.” A small smile crept to my face.

“Okay, now come I still have something to show you two.”

I glanced over at Jace then followed Leon over to the supply area. Leon stopped next to two duffle bags. “Go ahead and take a look.”

We both hesitated, waiting for the catch to happen, it was a couple minutes before I fully committed making a move to the bags. Once I touched the bag and felt better nothing was going to happen I let my guard down to see what was inside. The first thing my hand touched was fabric, I pulled it out and it was a shirt top, then pants, and finally an assortment of items. It was full set uniform.

“Try them on.”

The excitement I felt to see how and what I would look like had me quickly change. The pants slipped on nice and felt very familiar, it was loose and carried the same advantages as our martial arts gi. There was some extra weight in a few areas realizing specific areas carried padding, very thin but it felt heavy and strong, enough to absorb some of the power of an attack. Then on my knee it was noticeably thicker than the other areas, when I tapped it a thud was heard. It dawned on me quickly, the cushion not only served as protection but on certain areas it was there to add extra damage to an attack. The top was very similar, certain areas were padded with the thin layer but my elbow shared the same as my knee. I could feel it throughout, my thighs, my ribs, even my spine had protection, and to my surprise none of it hindered my movement, it felt very natural. The outfit held plenty of pockets and slips to put items in, and I felt a hood attached to my top, when I put it on it covered most my face.

The accessories were next, I held the gloves and like the outfit it came with padding but different much sturdier on the knuckles. Leon informed us it was metal, almost like a brass knuckle. There was also baklava to cover our head and faces, nothing special about them but later it was explained we could customize the front ends. Leon had an extra piece that went towards the front and attached to the back of his baklava, the design carried the mouth of a dragon. It was pretty cool looking and I started picturing different designs of what mine could look like. Lastly were the shoes, black just like the rest of the outfit, but Jace and  I were different, both shoes given were to our style and liking. Jace was more the heavy boot type and he made the comment they were lighter than regular ones. Mine were sneakers, much lighter and I feel the steel toe in the front.

“There are times you will have to fight. The situation may not always be in you favor but the uniforms help and provide the needed protection and support as well. In this business we need any advantage we can get and this is one way of getting them.”

I felt what he meant. “Thank you sir these are pretty incredible.” I looked at both Jace and I, we looked like variations of the unknown.

“You will wear these uniforms from now on. You will train, fight, and become one with them.”

I raised my hand not to interrupt him but couldn’t help myself to still blurt out the question. “How do you know all this?” The question was plaguing me from the beginning but something about now felt like it was a good time. “I mean the fighting, techniques, drills, even the uniforms.” Pointing to myself.

“I was raised by a special tactical group. Some may even call them ninjas.” He said it without batting an eye.

“Wait, so your saying you were raised by ninjas, I thought that was just a running joke you would tell us.” Jace shocked.

What he meant is over the years we would joke with Leon in class about his abilities and he would always respond he was trained by ninjas, but then we would just laugh at the response. No way I believed he was being serious.

“No, I meant it, but it’s much more than that, the funding, the items you see, they all have stories behind them. I tell you what, if you can defeat me I will tell you everything you want to know about the operation.” Leon dropped into his fighting stance.

Jace and I dropped down in our stances. We didn’t find out any more information that night but the uniform and its advantages helped.