I have made some changes following my last draft.
I have changed Lily's age to 16. It still follows on from the events after 'Seven Ancient Wonders' and encompasses a plot following the template used in 'Scarecrow'. It may make the story a little more realistic perhaps?
I have also decided to make this more of a prologue, rather than an action packed fanfic. I will indeed go over the word count for this particular brief and I think I've achieved what I wanted to in this story. As the reader you'll be informed a little about the actual background of the characters involved. This includes Lily.
I am still open to comments. If there's something that you think is unclear or could be written better, then feel free!
Thanks once again. And enjoy.
Date: August 10, 2012
1200 hours
"Chairman! I think you’ve left an important document behind!"
Sigh.
He doesn’t hear me at all, and continues to speak to another colleague as he walks further into the distance. Only the walls are able to translate the words I've spoken. Once again, I feel invisible. I guess some things never change around here.
Glancing back at the boardroom table with the document in full view piques my curiosity. Being inquisitive by nature, I pick up the two-page document. It is titled ‘For Authorised Personnel Only’. Upon processing this new piece of information, my attention is drawn instantly to the content and I proceed to read on.
I filter through the information, not thinking twice that I could be criminally prosecuted for it. I register the names of fifteen people who are ex-SAS, USMC, spies, terrorists and to my surprise, an Anthropologist. I then realise that these individuals are some of the worlds’ most talented in their field of choice. The appearance of an anthropologist in the list I find to be quite out of joint.
I look over the names again. Two names stand out; Jack West Jr. and Shane Scholfield. I immediately begin to question why the leaders of the world have a sudden interest in these individuals; even more so because Jack West Jr. is my father and Shane Scholfield is his long time best friend. Scholfield is also the long lost brother I’ve had to live without.
A sudden, icy jolt travels through my body. Instinctively, I know something is not right.
I begin to think about the events that have taken place today.
A meeting amongst the worlds' superpowers has concluded. A document addressed to ‘Authorised Personnel’ is left behind through careless handling by the Chairman. And what is with the list of fifteen people who are the very best in their field???
I read the fine print underneath the list and stare in shock.
“The targets listed above are to be removed by the deadline set: 1200 hours UST, tomorrow. No exceptions. We will only allow twenty four hours to complete the task.”
Realisation strikes hard.
These individuals are highly prized possessions to the world because they are now…
The worlds’ ‘Most Wanted’.
And my heart falls.
"The asking price is $18.6 million, per head. To be delivered in person to a secret location somewhere in Southern France. There are no rules, no boundaries and certainly, no mercy.
Eliminate the target. Obtain the head. Transport the prized goods to the designated location ready to undergo an authenticity check scan. If the scan is a success; you are within your rights to claim the bounty. A failed or false attempt will result in fatal consequences."
My panic levels begin to pulsate violently. My thought processes are on high alert as I come to realise that I am now a pawn in a game of real life chess. One wrong move and the world I know now will cease to exist. While I don’t know where to begin, I start to reflect on the two men who don’t realise how important they are to me.
Jack West Jr. is not my biological father, but he has been there since I was born. A dedicated anthropologist devoting his time to ancient artefacts and civilisations, he has been on some of the deadliest adventures I’ve known, and all because of me.
I didn’t know that I was born a twin Oracle; something that is unheard of in history. I didn’t know that I’d be the one to read the Callimachus Text or understand languages unintelligible to almost any linguist in the modern world of today. To think I was only ten when I mastered it.
From the centre of a volcano in the depths of Africa, I was rescued by Jack West, having performed a caesarean on my mother to save me and placing his arm into the viscous layers of molten rock. For that, I owe him a great deal for his sacrifice. It’s no wonder they call him ‘Huntsman’.
As for Scholfield, he is one of the craziest men I know. He also has a great heart, if you are willing to look past the scars. A former member of the USMC, I know that he has been through hell and back, tenfold. The marks that appear in a criss-cross fashion over his eyes are permanent scars as a result of being held captive at Guantanamo Bay, having undergone a series of brutal interrogations.
Father tells me of how cruel the world has been to a man like Scholfield; what it’s like to see his friends fall and listen to the way the love of his life perished. It is why he is as ruthless and daring as he is. The nickname ‘Scarecrow’ seems to fit perfectly.
Regaining composure and attempting to analyse the new situation before me, I place the document in my bag and proceed to leave the premises. To any onlooker, I remain calm and focused. On the inside I was a wretched young girl wanting to ball her eyes out.
But for the sake of my father and Scholfield, I make a silent promise to make sure they stay alive. I get the slight feeling that I won’t see the end result.
Whether I like it or not, I know one thing is for certain.
The race is on.
Meanwhile, somewhere out of sight, a young, dark figure looks on.
“You are clever indeed, Lily. What you don’t know is that you will lead the honourable Huntsman and the famous Scarecrow to their downfall.
And once they are dead, I will celebrate your tears of sorrow as a day of joy.
I can promise you that,
my dear sister.”
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