ARKEN

With Friends Like These

Jordan followed Kiera through the city, constantly looking over his shoulder expecting the police to be there. At a casual walking pace, it took them nearly an hour to get to Kiera's intended destination.

It was an abandoned construction site. Jordan remembered passing by it occasionally and seeing the crews at work. They had only just begun when, about a year ago, budget cuts stamped the whole thing out. The company funding the construction of the new building suddenly decided to put their new office overseas instead of in Chicago.

Now the site remained as a sixty-five-foot construct of beams and half-built walls surrounded by dirt and sand, or at least until someone else bought the land up and demolished it. The sign out front still advertised it was the site of the upcoming new branch of the successful company.

"What are we doing here?" Jordan asked.

"Just wait," Kiera replied, "we're almost there."

Jordan relented and kept following her across the dirt and sand and gravel. They came to three shipping containers nestled in the back of the lot, two red ones and a blue one. They stopped in front of the second red container. Kiera lifted the latch and pulled the door open, waiting for him to go in. Jordan walked inside the container, unsure of what he would find..

Inside was a long desk with a computer under it and at least five monitors on top. There were several boxes stacked on top of each other near the front. Near the back were two people. One was a muscular African-American man with a shaved head and thin stubble on a square jaw. His brown eyes bore holes into Jordan. He wore a dark military-style jacket and brown pants with black shoes. He was in his early thirties and about six-two if Jordan had to guess.

The other was a Chinese woman with dark hair in a pixie cut. She was short, about five-foot-two, tiny all around. She wore a white V-neck tee-shirt and jeans with blue sneakers. Her brown eyes showcased an entirely different reaction to Jordan than the man's.

Behind him, Kiera closed the door. Small lamps kept the interior of the container illuminated. Kiera walked in beside Jordan. "Welcome to our little hideout. This is Vanessa Sūn, and that's Derrick Mattock."

"Charmed," Vanessa said, a big smile on her face. Jordan returned the gesture a bit nervously, "Hi, I'm Jordan Lancaster."

"I didn't you think you'd be bringing a friend, Kiera. Especially one so cute," Vanessa simpered. He was feeling a little embarrassed now, "That's quite flattering, thank you."

Kiera grinned, "Watch out for Vanessa, she's quite the romantic. You'll have to excuse Derrick, he's a little...abrasive until he gets to know you better."

Kiera joined Vanessa at the computer, "Anything?"

Vanessa replied, "Nothing yet. If anything comes up, I'll know about it."

The whole time the women were talking, Jordan and Derrick were locked in a stare. Derrick's expression was akin to that of an overprotective parent meeting his kid's date. He didn't trust or want Jordan there. Without taking his eyes off what he saw as an intruder, he voiced his concerns, "Kiera, why exactly is this stranger here?"

"He was in need of help and I helped him."

"Did we establish that we bring everyone we help back to the secret hideout?"

"No," Kiera looked away from the monitor and leaned on the table, "But, he's not just a random stranger who needed saving."

"What do you mean?"