Linear Shift, Part 1

Bonus Chapter

From Linear Shift, Part 2, available on Amazon.

Chapter 0

The penetrating briskness of the thin night air chilled Peter to the bone. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness of a moonless sky. The few scattered streetlights shone harsh in contrast to the gloom throughout the village, their hardened light causing mysterious, foreboding shadows. The cobblestone streets were vacant, just as they had been all night, and the sound of silence was louder than the thoughts in his own mind.

Peter glanced at his night-glow watch, only to find ten minutes had passed since his last inspection. What, he wondered, are they waiting for? He shifted nervously in his crouch and decided it was time to move.

He crept stealthily along the stone wall that bordered the winding road. As he neared the edge of the shadows, he slowed his pace and briefly leaned into the glaring light to see if the street around the corner was vacant. To his surprise, he noticed the silhouette of another person slinking along the face of the building across the street. At first he could not clearly identify the individual. Then the shadowy figure also slipped into the light and Peter could make out the silhouette of a woman. He exhaled softly. He recognized the high cheekbones and silky brunette ponytail. It was his partner, Julie Frey.

Peter pursed his lips together and made a short bird chirp to attract her attention. Julie glanced around and, a moment later, returned the call. Peter once again checked his watch. Their time limit was critical; this mission needed to be complete inside of two hours. It was now 1:37 a.m., and it had been ninety-seven minutes since they entered the small French village. They had begun their incursion from separate ends, headed as discreetly as possible toward the same destination: the small café near the center of town. They were currently on opposite sides of the narrow street, just a few hundred feet away from their target, and Peter felt confident they would have no problem completing the mission with time to spare.

Cautiously, he stepped into the deserted street and began to amble in Julie's direction, his leisurely pace belying his extreme nervousness about being exposed.

As Peter reached the halfway point, Julie also stepped onto the cobbled road and proceeded toward him. They met in a shadow at the edge of the light cast from the nearest light pole.

"Any problems on your end?" whispered Peter.

"I came across a few drunks stumbling out of a bar a few blocks over, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. You?"

"I haven't seen a soul all night. It's a little too perfect for comfort. Let's move before we're noticed."

With Julie at his side, Peter stepped from the shadows and walked confidently towards their destination. Despite the darkness, he could begin to make out the word café painted on the brick above the glass storefront. Seeing the familiar word, he instinctively relaxed; this was the closest they'd gotten all week.

With renewed energy Peter continued closer, but he stopped instantly when he heard the noise. Julie heard it too. It was the unmistakable sound of footfalls on the pavement. He could not tell which direction they were coming from, but he knew they were close. Their options were limited. They were out of cover and near the middle of the street. He intuitively reached out and took Julie's hand and began to walk in the opposite direction. As the two made it to the end of the block, they began to veer down a side street. But before they got around the corner, a loud voice startled them both.

"Arrêter!"

Peter's French was improving, and he recognized the word stop. He gripped Julie's hand tighter and halted. In unison, they turned to face the person behind the startling voice.