Story: To Catch A Killer (chapter 6)

Authors: Ororo

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Chapter 6

Title: Red Fox

Part 5

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"What the hell is going on!" Matt yelled, confused by what he'd just seen. Elisa's hand had been uncharacteristically shaking when handling the rifle, and Fox's excitement became evident when she'd stepped away from Elisa; her swollen nipples pressed against the front of her silk shirt.


Matt was certain that for a moment they'd forgotten he was in the room. He blushed, pushing down his own arousal. The chemistry between the two women palpable. It was obvious they were no longer enemies, but when had they become more than just friends? He asked himself.


He glanced at the woman in front of him. She'd taken a wide stance, hands held one over the other in front of her. Instinctively, he took a defensive position, squaring his shoulders and planting his feet.


She was half-human and no one knew for sure the long-term effects the Eye of Odin had on her. He wasn't certain he could control her in her current state, but he couldn't let her go after Elisa either. He had no intentions of backing down. "Don't even think about it," Matt warned. For several tense seconds they faced off, staring into each others eyes. She blinked. He tried not to flinch. She dropped her hands to her sides and took a step back. Matt released the breath he was holding.


"I'm sorry, Detective, it's been a long day." Fox had the grace to look contrite. Matt relaxed his stance, nodding his silent acceptance of her apology. "The idea of spending the next ten years in a foreign prison doesn't appeal to me." Fox offered a smile. He frowned not following her last statement. "The International Court of Justice, a division of the
U.N., can charge me with aiding a terrorist group if those weapons end up in the wrong hands," Fox explained.


"What makes them think terrorist are involved?" Matt asked pulling out his own pen and pad. Fox walked back to the glass wall behind her desk. She stood inches from the tinted surface, one foot in front of the other, arms folded across her chest, staring down. Matt was certain from this distance, forty stories up, she couldn't see Elisa. "A few years ago I was approached by a group calling itself the Ibrisima Liberation Army. The I.L.A. was a militant faction out of Eastern Europe. They'd heard about the X-10 laser and made me an offer for the prototype." Fox stated.


"How much?" Matt asked. Fox threw her head back and laughed. He waited, tapping the tip of his pen on his pad. "The offer was the prototype or my life. I was given twenty-four hours to produce the weapon and all my father's research." The red head turned around. She leaned back resting against the glass surface. Matt watched an airplane flying in the distance. He pulled his gaze back to Fox. A sense of foreboding took hold of him as he asked his next question. "What did you do?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I consulted with some business associates and received authorization to make a counter offer," Fox said. She glanced at the pen and pad in his hand, then back into his eyes. He capped the pen he was holding and placed it in the coiled rings of the pad, then shoved them into his pants pocket. "Off the record," he assured her. "Obviously, I survived. The thugs that were sent did not." A chill raced down his spine at the cold tone in her voice. Matt stared at her, his mouth frozen in a silent 'O.'


Long before transforming herself into Fox Xanatos, she'd been known to the FBI as "Red Fox." Red Fox was a trained mercenary who's targets included politicians, military officers and government witnesses. A network of informants placed her in several countries during assassination attempts, identifying her by the tattoo over her eye. The FBI had never found any physical evidence linking Fox to any crime, and all attempts to question her were blocked by the CIA.


"Soon after their visit, I heard about the Adriatik massacre." Fox shook her head. "Over eight thousand people were slaughtered - dragged from their homes and shot. Most of the bodies found were males. The women and girls were taken to prison camps." She let out a heavy sigh. "Unspeakable things were done to them." Matt had read about the allegations. He'd hoped the stories had been exaggerated, that no government would allow its own people to be murdered and do nothing to stop it.


"You think the same group stole the rifles?" Matt asked. Fox walked to her desk and picked up the morning paper. The caption on the front of the New York Times read: 'Ibrisima Ambassador, Zoran Puzic, moves into diplomatic residency.' "He was a general in the Ibrisima Army." Fox hesitated a moment.


"One of his son's was part of the group that threatened me." Matt rubbed his fingers across his face. "Jesus, Fox," he uttered in disbelief, "does Puzic know about your involvement with his son?" He could see it clearly on her face. She looked wary. A few years ago, she didn't have a family to worry about.


Things were different now, and they'd both seen and done enough to know that you reap what you sow. "Do you need protection? I've still got connections with the Feds. I can get you into witness protection," Matt offered.


Fox shook her head. "Mother is coming to get Alexander, and Halcyon will be moving into the castle." She turned away, gazing back down at the street below. "I'll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine. But I intend to get those weapons back by any means necessary." The phone on her desk started ringing, cutting off any response from Matt.


Fox reached into her front pants pocket and pulled out an ear piece, clipping it over her ear. She pressed a fluorescent green light, and the phone on her desk went silent. "Fox Xanatos," she announced into the ear piece. "Yes, General, thank you for returning my call." Fox glanced over her shoulder at Matt.


She covered the mouth piece with her hand. "Zoran Puzic sees those of other races and ethnic groups as expendable. He's probably in this country to avoid testifying against the government that sanctioned his crimes. Once the genocide trial is over, he'll be sent home. Keep Elisa away from him," Fox warned.

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The drive back to the precinct was silent. Matt kept glancing at Elisa, trying to determine her mood. He didn't think it would be a good idea to ask if it was "that time of the month." He cringed imagining her reaction. "You wanna tell me what's going on between you and Foxy?" he asked.

She slammed on the car brakes, stopping at a red light. "Absolutely nothing!" the brunette snapped. She refused to return his gaze, looking straight ahead. "Ooookay, but it didn't look like nothing." He knew he was pressing his luck, but sometimes the only way to get Elisa to talk was to piss her off.


"I mean it looked like you wanted to rip each others clothes off and€¦" He drifted off, imagining the two women locked in a passionate kiss. He stared into space, a blank expression on his face. "What was I sayin'?" he asked, snapping out of his fantasy. She peeled off, tires squealing, when the light changed.


"Oh yeah, you and Foxy Red." Elisa groaned, not sure what annoyed her more: his nicknames for Fox or that he wouldn't let it go. "She's sexy in a mysterious, dark past, kinda way." He paused. "She's kinda scary, though." He sat up in his seat. "Not that I'm afraid of her," he quickly added.

Elisa rolled her eyes. She tried to suppress the smile that lifted the corners of her lips. "What were you and Fox talking about for so long?" Elisa asked, curiosity getting the better of her. Matt pulled a tape recorder out of his front pocket. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe it." He pressed play on the tape recorder. "So just listen."

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