The Rescue Pt. 01

Peace Corps Aid Station

Senegal Africa

The sounds of gunfire and explosions rock the make shift Aid station dropping debris on the frightened patients and staff that remain inside.

"It's getting closer Justin," Michelle Ripley states while looking up the lone dirt that leads out of the station.

Justin Busfield stands at her side looking worried. The Peace Corps mentioned things like this could happen he didn't honestly think that it would happen to him.

"This isn't what I signed up for," He thinks as his nervous patients file past him.

"Justin!" Michelle shouts jolting him from his thoughts. "We've got to get these people out of here."

His face shows indecision as his mind keeps conjuring up all the painful ways he could be killed in the next few minutes. "I've got to get out of here," He thinks to himself.

"Now Justin!" She shouts a second time, spurring him into action. Running out the door he grabs the keys to the one crappy truck they have available.

"Come on you piece of shit," He urges as he turns the key. The engine makes a low grinding noise then nothing. "Don't do this now!" He tries again. The engine sputters once, twice then silence. "Fucking third world piece of crap." Once more he tries the key and after anther fit of sputtering the engine catches and rumbles to life. "Thank Christ."

He backs it up to the door where Michelle starts loading the injured onboard. "Everyone cram in," She instructs them. "We've got to get everybody in so make room."

He leaps from the driver's seat and runs back to her. "Chelly, what the hell are you doing?" he asks grabbing her arm. Somewhere up the road the sound of rifles firing causes him to jump.

"We've got to get as many of these people out of here as we can," She tells him helping an elderly lady from a nearby village aboard.

"Fuck that, we have to get out of here. You and me," He states.

She ignores him for the moment continuing to fill the back of the dilapidated truck with people.

"Chelly, get in the truck. We're running out of time!" He tells her looking over her head towards the single lane muddy trail that leads to the aid station. The engine noise of the approaching vehicles growing louder and louder with each passing second adding to the already palpable tension that hangs in the air.

"There's more patients that need to get in," She says.

"Screw them, we've got to go!" He shouts grabbing her by the arm. She yanks her arm free and looks at him incredulous.

"These people trust us Justin. We can't just leave them," She states. "Do you know what they'll do to these people? The ones they can't put to work immediately I mean."

"Do you know what they'll do to the two of us?" He retorts. "Not me, I'm leaving," He declares hopping over one of the wounded and getting into the truck. "Are you coming?"

She looks to the road, her ears filling with the sound of engines approaching when she looks back another villager is there looking at her. She nods and helps the man with his broken leg aboard and looks at Justin.

"Tell my family that I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," She tells him then slams the door and shouts for the driver to go. He listens and speeds off down the lone gravel road towards the trucks.

"Damn it Michelle!" Justin shouts as they bound over the rocky terrain.

"She sacrifice herself for us and you leave her to die," One of the villagers accuse as the rickety truck flies past the militia vehicles so quick they haven't a chance to react. "You are not a man. You are a coward!" The man spits on the floor after calling him a coward.

"I told her to get in but she didn't. It's not my fault that she chose to stay," He tells the man who stopped listening. Justin slumps back in his seat and keeps his head down when a few stray shots ring out towards the escaping vehicle. The militia continues on to the aid station to raid what's left and find more than they bargained for when they get out. Outside the building Michelle and one other aid worker stand with their hands above their heads praying for a swift death. Several of the men get out of the first vehicle their eyes drawn to Michelle's blonde hair.

Multiple hands begin to paw at her body and tug at her hair. One of the hands grabs roughly at the breasts and she strikes out smacking the offender.

"Don't touch me," She tells them defiantly. The others laugh at the man that was struck wounding his pride. He reaches out and grabs her by the throat cutting off her air. She claws at the powerful hand that's choking the life from her but it's no use. As her vision beings to fade a gunshot rings out.

The leader steps out of his truck and yells to his men in their native tongue. "< Leave her.>"

The man strangling her doesn't obey at first. The leader steps to the man and presses his gun to the back of his head. "< I said let her go.>" Every syllable emphasized with poke of the gun barrel.

Instantly the man relaxes his grip letting Michelle slip from his fingers. She drops to her knees coughing and rubbing her neck. Tears roll down her dirty cheeks as she realizes just how close to death she came.

"I am so sorry my dear; please forgive my men's... how you say... eagerness towards you," He says in his thickly accented English. "Most of them have never seen a blonde haired woman before. They were most curious about you. We meant no offense. My name is Senghor Ballo and I promise you that you are safe now, here with me."

Michelle nods her head not trusting her voice to work just yet. The man reaches out and gently stokes her hair. "You are a very beautiful. I think you will fetch us a fine price from some rich man."

"Wh... what do you mean?" She asks nervously.

He shakes his head and makes a tsking sound. "Men will pay to have a fine sex slave such as you at their beck and call. Now they will pay me."

"Please... please don't," She begins to say. She is cut off when he turns and slaps her hard across her face. The suddenness and force of the blow drives her to the ground where she tastes blood in her mouth.

"You must learn your place woman!" he tells her crouching down so close to her that she can smell the sickly sweet smell of tobacco on his breath. He grabs her face and pulls it up to look him in the eyes. "Never talk back to me."

He turns and yells to his men. "< She is not to be touched. She will fetch us a better price as long she remains unspoiled by the likes of us huh?>" He chuckles and the rest of his men join in. ""

He then turns back to Michelle and drags her to her feet. "Speak out of turn again and I will turn you over to my men and let them rape you until there is nothing left and you beg me to kill you, understand?"

Michelle nods meekly as she wonders what kind of hell she now finds herself in.

2 days later

The late afternoon sun is playing hide and seek behind clouds as a sleek new fishing boat is slowly makes its way to its berth to drop off its last customers of the day while. I'm standing on the stern absent mindedly fingering the shark tooth that hangs around my neck along with my old dog tags. I tell myself it's just a nervous tick I've developed but I know it's a lie. Every time I feel it against my skin, I can't help but think about the beautiful woman who gave it to me before she walked out of my life. Michelle Ripley, I wonder where she ended up after her shark expedition in Australia and what she's doing now.

"Taking personal time is all I know," Chloe Watson, her friend and coworker at the Carolinas Aquarium told me when I took her to dinner one night a few weeks ago. She shrugged when I asked her what that meant so I let it drop from the conversation. It wasn't exactly good date conversation but then I didn't think of our dinner as a "date" anyway. Chloe patched me up last year after my run in with the kidnappers while I worked for the Voss's. I figured a dinner would make us even.

A few days later, I was tiptoeing around the same subject as I sat beside the pool at the Voss estate catching up with Mr. Voss and his daughter Addison. The Voss's are the reason I met Michelle in the first place since she's a friend of Addison's and was staying at the estate at the same time I was working as a bodyguard for the family.

"Kenneth, if you want to know about Michelle just ask," Addison had said.

"Just tell me, tell me that she's okay. I can let it go at that." I told her.

"She's okay. She's," She began to say but I stop her.

"As long as she's good then that's all I care about, okay?"

She nodded in understanding and let it drop much to my relief.

I shake those thoughts from my head and tuck the tooth and tags back under my shirt as if out of sight would truly mean out of mind. "If only it were that easy," I mutter to myself.

I make my way to the flying bridge to relieve Joe, my partner in this charter gig as well as my private investigator job, so he can write up a receipt for our customers. As I take the wheel, Joe looks up from writing and notices a figure standing on the docks, a familiar figure that causes him to shake his head.

"Looks like we've got a VIP waiting for us," He tells me snapping my mind back to the present and I look up. Instantly I recognize the woman standing with the breeze blowing about her loose sundress.

"Play nice Joe. Let's see what she could possibly want with us," I tell him as I head towards the bow to help our customers get ready to unload.

"You caught some big ones out there today guys. Same time tomorrow?" I ask.

"We've got golf tomorrow, how's about the next day?" one of the men asks.

"For you guys, I'm sure we can work something out," I tell them. They look over at the very attractive woman waiting at our slip and give us a smile.

"One of you guys is very lucky man," One of them says as they shake our hands before departing.

Addison Voss waits there in the failing sunlight watching as our fares to make their way off the dock, her eyes hidden by large dark sunglasses.

"Hi Addison, what brings you down here" I begin to say but before I can finish she wraps me in a tight hug cutting me off. She sobs nearly incoherent for a full minute before I gently push her back.

"Addison, slow down, take a breath and tell me what's wrong?" I ask her. "Here take a seat first."

I steer her towards the boat where Joe helps her aboard and to the bench. I grab a bottle of water from the cooler and hand it to her. She accepts it clutching it so tightly that her knuckles start to turn white.

"I'm sorry Kenneth, I didn't want to break down like this," She says trying to compose herself

"It's all right. Just take a breath and tell me what's going on." I tell her as I stroke her shoulder length raven colored hair. "Is it your parent's or Karly?"

"No, they're all fine. It's Michelle... she... she's gone," she manages to say before sobbing again. Inside I feel like a cold hand just curled it's icy fingers around my stomach and squeezed.

"What do you mean she's gone?" I somehow manage to ask as I pull her into a hug.

"We think... she may be... dead," she whispers as if it saying it aloud will make more so as she begins to cry again. I manage to keep my hand from shaking as I lay it on her shoulder to try and comfort her. I want to ask questions, find out what's going on but I can't seem to make any more words come out as stand there trying to come to grips with this news. "She can't be dead." I think. "She just can't be." The shark tooth around my neck feels like a ten ton weight dragging me down into despair.

Several minutes later we've retired inside of the cabin away from any prying eyes even though the docks are pretty deserted this time of day. Addison doesn't like to make scenes if she can help it especially when there could be paparazzi around. Joe hands her a steaming cup of tea which she gratefully accepts.

"Grayson doesn't do coffee, just tea I'm afraid," He says as he takes a seat at my small table.

"That's all right Joe, thanks. You're a really nice guy and I appreciate it."

Joe shrugs as he's not one for accepting compliments. She turns to me and lays her hand atop mine. "I'm so sorry I just sprung that on you like that Kenneth. I wanted you to hear it from me before you read it some place. I know the two of you were... close."

I shake my head. "We were only ever friends, nothing more," I answer simply. Instantly my mind flashes back to when I first met Michelle.

1 Year Ago

Private Beach outside the Voss Estate

"You know you're trespassing right?" A female voice asks as I jog up onto the Voss's private beach after my early morning swim. "I mean there's a fence and everything," she continues. I grab my towel and take a glance at my accuser who's standing about ten feet away from me. She has long blonde hair that's pulled back in a ponytail and even from behind her round rimmed glasses I can see a pair of striking blue eyes. She pushes the glasses cutely up the bridge of her pert nose and I give this beautiful woman my best smile.

"There is huh?" I ask after taking a moment for me to catch the breath she's taken away from me. "Then how'd you get in?"

Michelle wonders what she's doing talking to this stranger like this. Normally she'd have seen the guy and went back to the house without a peep but something about this guy, maybe it's his smile that causes her to answer his question. "Oh I'm a friend of a friend," She states smiling as well.

"Friend of a friend huh?" I ask.

"Something like that." She answers and offers her hand after walking over to me. "Michelle Ripley I'm Addison's best friend, well one of her best friends."

"Kenneth Grayson," I answer shaking it. "I'm working security here on the night shift. Sorry to be in your way this morning but I'm new here. I was just trying to find a way to unwind after my shift and the ocean looked so... inviting." I'm kind of babbling but she just dropped the cover up to reveal the one piece swimsuit beneath it. And yes, bikinis are sexy but some people can make a burlap sack look sexy and I'm finding out that she is one of those people first hand as she begins stretching. "Don't stare at the woman, look at the ocean. Don't stare at the woman, look at the ocean." I try telling myself but find it to be a losing argument as my eyes drift back to her. She notices my gaze and smiles shyly.

"Well don't let me stop you," She says still limbering up. "It's a big ocean after all and I don't mind sharing the beach, they barely use it anymore," She gestures towards the house. "Seemed like a waste so I started coming here in the mornings before classes begin, with permission of course."

Guess I'm not the only one that feels like babbling this morning or the only one checking the other out. She quickly looks away which is a dead giveaway that she was checking me out too so at least we're even.

"Of course, well I'm done for the day but if you don't mind, I could always use a swim buddy that is if you get here about the same time in the mornings?"

"A swim buddy?" She asks eyeing me. "Is that really the best line you can come up with?"

"Line? Did that sound like a line to you?" I ask. "I was being serious. This area of the Atlantic is notorious for all sorts of dangerous marine life."

She stares at me for a moment as if trying to judge if I'm being serious or not. "Uh huh, I should tell you that I'm finishing up my degree in Marine Biology so that line was even worse than the swim buddy one. Just so you know."

"So you wouldn't buy into the danger of the Box Jellyfish around here huh?" I ask.

"Nope."

"Stonefish?"

"Strike two."

I stroke my chin like I'm thinking hard and notice her smiling then say. "Great White?"

"Okay I'll have to grant you that, we can get some Whites around here but it is very rare."

"Rare or not, if I run into one out there surely I'll need an expert such as yourself along so I don't become lunch for the thing."

"Don't look like a seal," She says.

Being a former Navy SEAL, I have to laugh at that. "That might be a little hard for me but I'll try my best."

She gives me an odd look for a moment, trying to figure out why I found that line so funny. "With you being a Marine Biologist, what would you say my chances are if I were to head back out there and see about swimming to England?"

"Why would you even try something like that?" She asks.

"Well I made such a fool of myself already with you that I'm trying to decide whether I should try that or go out for a minute then come back and start over with you."

"Your choice, but I will tell you that if you try and swim to England the Gulf Stream will probably push up towards Iceland. Unless you run into a Great White or Bull Shark first that is," Michelle says with a smile.

"So what you're saying I should come back out with my game face on then?"

"Too late for that don't you think Kenny?" She asks and I like that she's got informal with me already. "I mean I already know that you have no game, so you'd just end up embarrassing yourself all over again."

I place my hand over my heart and give an exaggerated stagger backwards. "Ouch. Wow Michelle, kick a guy when he's down why don't ya?"

"The truth hurts, I can't help that," She says. "I guess I could cut you a break since your tattoos remind me of someone."

"Thanks." I tell her. "I don't suppose I could press my luck a little further and ask that you not reveal my lack of game to anyone. If the rest of the guards found out, they'd never let me live it down."

I give her a smile so she knows that I'm joking.

"I don't know..." She says tapping her chin with her finger as if she's thinking. "I guess that since we are going to be swim buddies I shouldn't start us off on the wrong foot. All right, I won't say anything about your lack of game to anyone as long as you keep me safe from the box jellyfish."

"No worries, there. I have it on good authority from this marine biologist I just met, really nice woman, that it won't be a problem around here," I tell her getting her to smile. It's the kind of smile that once you see it, your whole day is just better for it.

"Careful, she might not be as nice as she appears."

I shake my head. "Nah, I think she's even nicer than she appears to be. Well, I should probably be heading in but I hope I see you again soon." With that I toss my towel over my shoulder and head towards the house leaving her to watch me depart.

"Yeah, hopefully." She whispers to herself. I turn towards her and she turns beet red thinking I may have heard her but I hadn't.

"And Michelle, thanks for keeping my secret." and give her a wink. She smiles that wonderful smile again and gives me a nod before heading into the surf.

That exchange blossomed into a friendship then threatened to turn into something more before I went and screwed it all up. The night of the party, up on Addison's balcony, I kissed her and I thought she kissed me back but then she backed away suddenly and told me that it shouldn't have happened, that me kissing her was a mistake. The next morning she was gone, I was told to Maine to visit her parents before her trip to Australia and I haven't seen her since.

"It was a mistake," Addison echoes shaking me from my reverie and I realize I have no clue as to what she's talking about.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought there for a minute. You were saying?"

She gives me a knowing half smile. "About Michelle? I knew you guys got close but I didn't know the whole story I guess."

"All you need to know is that it, whatever it was, was a mistake."

"Come on, I saw the way you two were with each other. That wasn't a mistake Kenneth."

"Her words not mine," I tell her. "So what mistake are you talking about?"

"She had told me that she felt like she made a huge mistake but she wouldn't tell me about it. I assumed she meant the Appaloosa thing."