Finding The Red Dragon

NDA's do not scare me.

Sal handed Allan a messenger bag and then excused himself to the other side of the plane before Allan pulled out a large packet and sat it in front of himself. He then pulled out two ink pens and another smaller envelope.

"Ms. Harding, first things first, we need to go over one very important thing before we begin anything else. My number one rule, one that can never be broken." He looked as serious as they came and she nodded, waiting for the catch to all of this.

"No matter what you see, hear, or learn, everything is 100% confidential and covered by this NDA. Everything." He said the last word sharply as he laid the agreement in front of her. "You will not speak to anyone, nor share documents, details, or information of anything to any other person except those I deem important. You will not have contact with the outside world for a few days until we all agree that you are worthy of this delicate information. Do you understand?" Allan's stare had hardened, and she knew he was serious.

"I have had NDA's before, I understand what they mean." "Ms. Harding, I want you to read this carefully. This is not a normal NDA, and I want to make sure you understand it fully before we proceed." He laid the pen down and waited as she read over it.

"Punishable by death?!" She jerked her head up as read the line again. "Yes, Ms. Harding, punishable to the full extent." "Damn, are we digging up Jesus?" She exhaled and picked up the pen, but he stopped her by laying a hand on hers.

"Ms. Harding, Jesus would be easier to comprehend." He looked at her and she shivered. "Ok, I get it. No talking to anyone but your team. Allan, I have been on many secret digs before and have had very important research in my hands. I understand the lengths people go to keep discoveries close to the chest. If this is important enough to be punishable by death, I'm in." She picked up the pen and signed it, sliding it back to him. She noticed him glance at Sal, who tried to hide a smug smile.

"Rules." He slid another sheet of paper to her. "One. All rules are for your safety as well as ours and must be followed exactly. Two. You must always stay in your designated areas. That is unless asked to join myself or Sal. Three. You will not wander aimlessly in the woods. It is a dangerous place and should be treated as such. This goes along with #2. Four. You will give up your personal cell phone immediately and will be provided with another one that will be monitored." He paused as she reached into her backpack and pulled out her cell, sliding it over to him. He nodded and handed it back to Sal.

"You will get it back after we know we can trust you." "Understood. I have no one to call, except Todd, which I assume you will at least let him know we made it safely." "We would be happy to do that." Allan smiled at her before continuing.

"Five. If at any time you feel unsafe or in danger, you will immediately let Sal or myself know. Things that seem unreal, are most certainly real, and you would do well to remember that. Six. No images, documents, or recordings will be taken off grounds or sent to anyone. No exceptions. Seven. If approached by anyone other than Sal or myself, you will tell them you are doing research for the Nightshadow Manor and leave it at that. Eight. You will never, under any circumstances, be outside after dark. Nine. You cannot leave the grounds for any reason, unless escorted by myself or Sal, until you are released to go home. Period. If you run away for any reason, well, you know the outcome." He paused to look at her and she nodded.

"And ten. You are not to become involved with any of the men at the manor physically or sexually. If any of my men come on to strongly, you report it to either of us. Do you understand these rules?" He waited as she looked at the paper.

"May I ask a question." "You may." "I am fully on board with all the rules except the after dark. I am a night owl and tend to do a lot of my thinking under the moonlight. Would you consider finding me a safe place to sit outside in the fresh air?" She asked and Allan fought back a smile.

"Ms. Harding, if that is the only thing bothering you about these rules, than yes, I will find you a safe place." He laughed. "Deal." She made a note on number 8, then signed the document and pushed it back over.

"For such a young woman, you seem to have no fear." Allan placed the pages inside his messenger bag. "Very little. I grew up in a tough environment and for the record, I am not that young." "27. That is young in my book." "And what are you like 40?" She asked and he laughed loudly. "Oh, sweet girl, if you only had a clue." He shuffled the folder around and then pushed it over to her, not giving her an answer.

"And last, but not least, your research assignment. Before you open that folder, I need to know you are 100 percent on board, because once you open that, there is no going back. This is an all-in project. There is no changing your mind after. And for the love of all things, please, do not cry." He exhaled as Sal sat a beer in front of her and a glass of reddish liquid in front of Allan.

"With all due respect, I may be a woman, but I do not cry. And nothing could scare me enough to run. I am all in already as my curiosity is peaked. I signed the contract, now, let's see what I am up against." She pulled the folder over and studied the front.

The dark red folder was embossed in black with the name Nightshadow Manor and under that was an imagine of a dragon with his wings spread out and his tail down. Interesting. She ran her hand over the cover, then slowly slid her fingers around the edge to open it.

The first page was a white sheet of paper with the same emblem and name, only in red ink. She turned the page and saw her picture and a data sheet, detailing out her information. Description, height, weight, oh God, and her age. Then a list of her accomplishments and awards, along with some of her research projects. Basic data found anywhere.

The next page was a picture of a large complex. "That is Nightshadow Manor. Our home." Allan said softly. "It's beautiful." "Wait until you see it in person." Sal had moved to the table and she had not even noticed.

The next page was a map of what she assumed was the estate grounds with areas in green and red. "Green areas are designated safe. You are not allowed in the red." Sal pointed to the picture. There was a house, a lake, and three other buildings far off in the distance, and all were in the red zone.

The next pages were about the manor, the town surrounding the manor, and the wildlife that was found there. And then she came to the page that she had been waiting this entire trip for. Her eyes suddenly grew to double their size as she stared at the page, her hand over her mouth. NO WAY.