I Am Your Shield: AOS

1

November 8th, 2013

A 1980s blue CJ5 Jeep Wrangler drove through the flat empty valley late at night. Headlights shining a path for the driver as the off road vehicle continues to push forward to it's destination. Shifting gears and accelerating at the wheel was none other than nineteen year old Jack Coulson.

Jack was looking forward through his windshield as he was trying to see if he was getting closer to where he was heading. Once he got close enough, he shut off his lights and moved the Jeep towards a brush to hide it. He shut off the engine and then unbuckled himself.

He grabbed his backpack and climbed out of the Jeep. He ran towards a mountain, and sprinted towards the pathway that hikers usually take. He climbed up the hike trail as quiet and carefully as possible, without light as to not draw attention to himself.

Once he reaches a peak, he glanced forward to see what he was looking for. He set his backpack down on the dirt and dug around in it. He grabbed his binoculars and put them up to his eyes. From this point, Jack was able to get a better sight of the situation below.

Below was some sort of set up by some government agency. Jack had overheard through their small town that the Feds were coming out here to check out some sort of rock formation. Jack moves his binoculars around the sight, he sees a lot of people standing around the rock formation that has been there for generations. Jack pulls the binoculars away from his eyes and then to his backpack. He zips it and puts it back on his back.

The teen continues through the trail, but keeps a good safe distance away from these government guys. He had no plans on getting caught. Jack knew the land better than these outsiders. He carefully moved forward and lower near an edge.

Jack lifts his binoculars again and this time he is able to get a better look at the people. None of whom he recognized, he didn't know any Fed anyways. Although, he did spot something that made him think he knew who was there.

'Unmarked black SUVs,'  Jack thought.

Jack furrowed his brows. 

He knew from the movies and cop shows that most government agencies used unmarked SVUs like that, but Jack had a lingering feeling that it wasn't just any organization. 

Jack looks around more through the binoculars and then froze. His eyes lingered on a person that shouldn't be there. He dropped the binoculars and it hit the ground with a thud, not loud enough nor was he close enough for them to spot him.

Shaking his head, Jack quickly grabs the binoculars to go and look again, only this time he felt something on the back of his head.

"Don't move," A stern female voice said.

Jack froze.

Jack could only image the cold metal he felt on the back of his head was a barrel to a gun, a small round like the kind his uncle taught him how to fire when Jack was thirteen.

"Who do you work for?" She asks.

Jack swallowed the nerves, "Work for?" He stammered out, "I- I'm just a local. I- I heard that- that some government group was going to look at some rocks. I- I- I was just curious."

The barrel did not move.

"Pl- Please," Jack pleas, "I'm just a stupid nineteen year old who was supposed to be in bed but snuck out despite being told by my mom not to go."

Jack closes his eyes, fearful that this might be the end of his life right here and now. Instead, he felt the barrel pull away. Jack exhaled and felt his body shake. He heard movement and then the person stood in front of him.