Put Down The Monster

"Madam Odette, it's time."

I put down the book I'm reading to look up out the window overlooking the back of the manor. Everyone is blissfully unaware of what's been going on. Our "guest" is just a business partner to them. He's my military liaison. He showed up over two weeks ago when they noticed that Red had left the country. They began working with me as a contingency should they need to move on him. It worked so well for them last time.

Last week, their fears may have justification. There was a shift in the world as though a new, greater power was born. I know where it comes from. I know who it is. Red has finally gained his final tail. Usually, I would be pleased but… He's changed so much since he left. I'm not sure I can say he's the same person anymore.

Red doesn't understand the response he stirred. On the surface, they tried to play it cool. They worked in the background to create a contingency plan for him. After his fight in Death Valley, everything had to change. That was when they came to me. They gave me a choice at first. I didn't want to get involved but the more I heard about what he was doing, the more he became a threat to the countries of the world.

His want to spread magic put a target on his back. I guess he succeeded. He got what he wanted. There have been many influential people from entertainment to politics that have come out as a mage. There are still non-believers who just do what they can to deny the existence of magic. I know that was something Red was dealing with. I watched his interviews.

I don't have much of a choice now. He's disappeared again causing an alarm to go off. They're going to send me and a team of operators to track him down. No one is allowed to know where we're going. I only know we're going to Ireland, somewhere in the highlands. From what they've learned, he went with three others and just fell off the Earth. Two returned but Red and one other are still missing.

They suspect that I know something. I couldn't begin to fathom where they would have gone. My hands are tied on this one. Their liaison tried to work with me in the early stages. He's been reporting back that I've been uncooperative despite that I don't know anything. Red left. He started living his own life. Our paths crossed a few times but nothing beyond that. I was worried sick about him for a week but I had to realize that he has his own life.

They've got a gun to my head, metaphorically. They threatened my livelihood. They've threatened my people. They plan on taking everything from me. I see why people are siding with Red after he started this movement of his. It's opened my eyes to just how deep the governments of the world had a stranglehold on the magical community. They're doing what they can to keep that grip.

Danny escorts me from my room to the front door where our guest is waiting. He's standing with two other men with a black SUV out front. Red spoke about the time when these people tried to abduct him. I wonder if they're going to do the same with me. Much like Red, they will be in for a surprise if they underestimate me.

The joy of living out in the middle of nowhere is the long car ride to get anywhere. The town closest to us doesn't have the ability for planes to land. My helicopter can fit but nothing else. We'll have to drive six hours to get where they can land a plane to take us to another airfield to switch to a plane that can take us across the ocean.

The amount of red tape they've cut through to make this happen astonishes me. First, they have to authorize what is essentially the polite kidnapping of a private citizen to conscript them into fighting an individual who they have labeled as a domestic terrorist. My handlers are quiet. I wonder what they do and don't know.

The airfield has a small plane waiting for us. We don't go through the normal method of boarding. I'm ushered around and straight to the small jet. We are off within minutes. Maybe another 3-hour flight before we land at a military base near the coast. There is no time to rest for me. I am walked from one plane to the next. The large 4-prop plane is already spinning. I'm not even sure I was sitting when I felt everything start to move.

I strap myself into my seat looking at the other people on this plane. Everyone has their faces covered in a mask. They're all uniformed so I can't even tell what species they are. All of them look at me as I look at them. No words are spoken as we all sit back in our seats while we take off. Once in the air, there's nothing more I can do. I am at their mercy. I have to ask myself; am I doing this because they've forced me to or am I doing this myself?

Did I have the option to tell them no? Maybe I'm not doing this for them. Red... I hope that you're willing to work with me. I don't want to have to take down Red. That is not a fight either of us will win. I don't know what they want me to do. Judging by the equipment that they have stacked, they're going in with the expectation of a fight. Most of it is hidden away. The body armor is very different than what they normally use. These aren't impact plates for ballistics. Even I can see that.

They don't like me being nosey. I can feel their eyes looking at me while I try to gauge the situation. They gave me nothing to go off of yet are upset when I try to get anything to help me understand. They must be treating this as a "need to know" basis and I don't need to know. Or they think I already know something.

I'm not afraid of falling asleep with these guys around. I just don't think it's a wise idea. Something in the back of my mind is nagging at me that there's more to this than just we're going after Red. The roar of the engines fills the plane as we cross the ocean. Nothing happens the entire flight.

The landing was not smooth. This big bird is not meant to be graceful. It bounces before we start to roll on the ground. Once at a stop, everyone else except the pilot is up and moving as fast as they can. There are five guys in the back of this plane. Each one grabs a bag on their way off from the netting that held everything. I just stand up and walk out behind the rest of them. For the first time since we started this trip, someone finally greets me, "Odette! Glad you could make it."

I have no idea who this person is. I have no idea why they are being friendly. I already do not like them. Some brass with some inflated ego from what I can tell. "We've got a team set and ready to go. I'm…"

I cut him off, "I'll be honest, I don't care who you are. I don't want to be here. And I'm not pleased with how this has been handled."

Being told off by someone seemed to throw him off. He's not going to be in charge of this. I will not just be a tag-along. "Do you know where he is and do you have a plan to handle him?"

"We have a last known location and you are our primary plan. Secondary is the team we are sending in with you makes their move."

"And when do you think this would have been wise to tell me?"

"Your liaison should have…"

"Your liaison told me nothing. He just slept in my house and ate my food!"

He went quiet after being snapped at. "What are we doing here, Major? Where are we?"

"We're about a two-hour drive from Red's last known location. This was the closest we could land."

I look around to see the group of guys that I was flying with loading their stuff into some heavily armored vehicles. Their bags were loaded into the back while they piled into two vehicles. He continued disturbing my observations, "The team we are sending with you has already been briefed. They know who you are and they know who they are going after. There should be no surprises."

"There will be plenty of surprises. You have no idea what Red is capable of."

He seemed rather off-put by that though. The last time they saw him, he was ruining an entire force of their people. From the disturbances I've felt, he could remove a country from the map if he so desired. And they think sending five guys and his teacher will change anything.

I still have to go. At this point, it's for me. I want to know what Red wants to do. He showed so much potential. He was such an innocent kid when he first showed up and grew up into a powerful man. Then he went off on his own and the world proceeded to beat him down. I want to see if there's still any of him in there or if he's turned into the monster everyone believes him to be.

I'm directed to the vehicle I will be riding in. I get the honor of riding passenger in the lead car to watch where we go and direct if something happens. They're given explicit orders that they are to listen to me as we get closer to where Red is supposed to be. I am their expert on their end goal.

I still don't know where we're going. They loaded me into the vehicle and we took off down a road. No one said anything. There wasn't banter. There wasn't any idle conversation to pass the time. The two guys in the back seat sat in silence. The entire two-hour ride was just the roar of the engine and the blowing of the AC. Eventually, it's joined by the sound of a gravel road.

Their radio scarred me when someone popped on, "Approaching last known location. Over." No one responds as both vehicles pull over to the side before a line of trees. The road continues beyond the tree line into the oddly dark forest. Everyone comes out of the vehicles to stand around and look at the path forward.

They all continue to keep quiet. It's becoming infuriating. They all refuse to say anything. They just keep looking around at one another, waiting. I look down the path once again. This darkness is unnatural. It reeks of something unworldly. It's just not natural. There is a strange feeling coming from it that seems designed to repel anyone who tries to get too close. I wonder if these guys can even feel it.

Turning back to them, they all seem uneasy. Maybe they can feel it. I'm tired of this. I'm tired of them being quiet. I need to know what they know so that when we inevitably head down this road they know what to expect. "Can any of you speak?" The driver of my vehicle answers with a short "yes" and that is it. I lean forward expecting anyone to follow up. They all just stare at me. I rub my face with my paws with a groan.

"One of you needs to start communicating with me! This keeping quiet nonsense isn't going to work! If someone has questions, please, ask!" I swing my arms around trying to keep their attention. It feels like my words are falling on deaf ears as they keep the same stone-cold faces. Is this what Red had to deal with when he was serving in the army? My frustration begins to boil over until, finally, one of these guys steps forward and says actual words. "We were instructed to keep conversation to a minimum. We don't know our enemy's capabilities and how far their sphere of influence can reach when it comes to communications."

I'm left slack-jawed. They refused to talk because they were told bad information. I can't be surprised. Red is an anomaly when it comes to the abilities of magic. However! They refused to say anything for the fear of eavesdropping! I rub my eyes trying to relieve the stress they have caused me. "I cannot express how asinine that is!"

"Ma'am, we are professionals."

"You are morons! Who of you are a mage?"

They all go quiet. No one steps forward. No one says anything. That's a great sign! "I need someone to tell me what you know to fill in the gaps otherwise this is going to be messy." They all continue to stand there saying nothing. I look back to the one who did speak to me, "What's going on now?"

"It's classified information."

That's where I snap. "You called me to travel thousands of miles away from the comfort of my home to assist in this manhunt. I've been told nothing because they just expected me to assist. After all, I have a deep knowledge of the individual you are going after. If you want to tell me that it's classified, fine. Then we can head back." I start moving toward my vehicle. As I open the door I hear one of them stop me with a cough.

I turn to look at him still holding on to the door. He looks uneasy as he tries to find the words. I can see that he finally gives up, "We don't know jack-shit. They showed us a bunch of interviews and footage from the destruction in Death Valley. After that, they just told us that were going after this fox with some mystical abilities."

"So you don't even know why you are going after him."

"Just that he attacked us first."

I stare blankly at him. I take a deep breath as I contemplate informing him of anything more. Their eyes are all hidden behind those uniform masks of theirs. I can't get a read on their faces or reactions. I could tell them everything they could ever need and I wouldn't know if they were paying attention or if they were ignoring me. "Now I have to ask, what did they tell you about me?"

"Just that you were an expert on the target."

"Nothing more?"

"Nothing more."

That might be for the better. If they find out I took care of him or trained him, they might think I'm working with him. They already think that Red has some unspeakable power that allows him to see everything. The last thing they need is to be suspicious of me. I'm here to help them. On the surface. I still have my reason for this.

I want to wrap this up. I don't want to deal with these guys any more than I have to. I also don't want to feed them to the beast. If they were to go in on their own, Red would kill them in a heartbeat. The only thing acting as their shield is me. I just hope that there's still some of that sweet boy that showed up at my manor still there. I don't think I could stand up to his power anymore.

How do we proceed? What can I tell them that they don't know and will be helpful without destroying morale? No matter what, we're going to have to make this trip to try and find Red. This forest is unnatural but not of his doing. But I can feel that he would have come this way. I should also get these guys up to some sort of speed. "They didn't get you up to speed on anything. Red is a mythical being known as the nine-tailed fox. He has a tremendous amount of magical power. I imagine that he has gained access to all his power by this point. It would be unwise to take him in a head-to-head fight but there is no way to take him by surprise. I'm hoping I'll be able to talk to him and find a non-violent solution to this."

"And if he doesn't choose a peaceful option?"

"We hope he lets us walk away."

Their faces are still obscured by their masks but they look around to one another. I can feel the concern emanating from them. I'm not one to sugarcoat things. We still have to press on. They know what they have to do. I know what I need to do. The one who was being talkative takes a deep enough breath I can see his shoulder rise and fall, "Ok! Load up! Through the forest, we go." No one seems pleased about the call to move forward.

I take my seat in the lead vehicle. My driver looks uneasy about going forward. I tap him on the shoulder with a light nod. He knows what he has to do. The headlights illuminate part of the way forward as we begin to roll into the forest. The lights from the vehicle behind us are dimmed as we traverse the rough trail. We have our lights on as bright as we can but it seems that the forest is fighting the light.

It was broad daylight as we entered. You couldn't tell now. The canopy seems to block out all-natural light. Emphasis on natural light. The headlights can barely pierce the darkness. As long as the following vehicle stays close, there shouldn't be anything weird. I can't tell what time it is anymore. I can't tell how long we've been driving. The ground leads up to a small curve that straightens out to a speck of light. The closer we get, the larger it becomes.

It feels like passing through a gate as we are flooded with light once again. The driver pulls off to the side of the road to wait for the other vehicle to pull off with us. There's a moment of pause as we look back to see they're not there. The stress is relieved as we see the black vehicle pull around to our right. They were right behind us but pulled over before we saw them come out.

With everyone here, we continue forward down this road. It's a rough road up to a small hamlet-looking village. The homes look well preserved for how old they look. We've run out of daylight. We find a place that looks roomy. Knocking on the door doesn't illicit an answer. It's unlocked as I walk in announcing our presence. There's still no response.

The entire building looks like it hasn't been touched in years but has been maintained the entire time. There are no modern luxuries. Everything looks roughly made from hand but quite quaint. The plan is simple then. We will pile into a couple of buildings with a rotating guard schedule. A few of the soldiers head to the back of the vehicles pulling out their kits. They've got rifles and sidearms at the ready. They set the roster for the night leaving me to get a full night's sleep.

I try to lie down in the strange bed. It's beaten as though it was used a long time ago. How has everything stayed intact for so long? This entire area feels strange. There is only one thing that feels familiar. It lets me know that he is here. I can hear their voices as they finally make small talk amongst themselves. The house goes quiet after an hour or so. I can hear the crunching of boots outside as the one on patrol moves around.

This place has a very uneasy feeling about it. The others seem to be doing just fine in this area. They haven't noticed that their functions have essentially stopped. I haven't felt hungry since we stepped into this place. They brought food with them but haven't touched it. Everything seems to have just stopped in time. Is this Red's doing or just this place? Its something I will have to deal with tomorrow. I should try and get some rest.