The killer detective

3 - Isaac's personality

I didn't have to stand in the rain for too long because a Taxi rode by and splashed water on me before stopping.

"Isaac." I opened the back door for him and held it until he got inside. He sat down under a roof, while I had to load all the baggage into the trunk in the rain. At least we didn't carry any heavy equipment this time. I shut the trunk and sat in the front seat being obviously drenched. I told our destination address to the taxi driver and we set out.

"Basil should reach the general HQ in a while," Isaac said from behind me. He wasn't much of a talker, really.

"All right."

"And don't be too happy, you have to hand in the equipment and store it." Oh god, again?! Why meee. Why can't he do his job at least once? As a leader of the group, he's the one responsible for getting the equipment on a mission and then returning it back! Why did I have to be teamed up with Isaac again?

"I would rather write the essays instead of Basil," I murmured under my nose and sighed.

"Said anything?" His voice was sounding annoyed once again. Just WHY did he hate complaints so much every single time? Did he never complain?

"No, no way. Storing things is the best job in the world! I wouldn't change even for an office job!" My body tensed on the front seat, nearly saluting him again. I didn't want to have more laps to run!

"Then why did you choose this job? You could have been home, have kids and family." Isaac started talking more than was usual to him. A very special and unusual event. It nearly made me turn around in the seat to look at him. But I managed to stay cool. He was such a stuffy guy, really! He even hated any kind of attention.

"I am too young for that... Who would want to be stuck at home and wipe other people's asses?" I tried making a joke.

"My wife for example." Isaac leaned more towards the backseat. I could hear the leather behind his back make the deep creaky sound when you push yourself too hard against it. Damn. Bull's eye.

"She deserves my utmost respect for that!" I shouted out loud, making the taxi driver lose his concentration focused on the road for a while. I started feeling sweaty. This wasn't good. Not many people knew any close information on Isaac. Since he never really spoke much. How was I supposed to know he had a wife? And kids? My stupid mouth!

He only said the necessary things and many people just started believing he was living alone and probably, maybe had a dog. Or a chicken. One of those things. He would certainly kill a cat or any kind of mouse because they weren't loyal types of animals.

"Ten rounds around the hangar." The backseat spoke to me again.

"Shit." Why me, why do I have to go through all of this. Basil, you freak, let me do the paperwork instead!

"Said anything?" Isaac raised his eyebrows and grabbed my seat with his big hand. My heart jumped right into my throat the same second. I was scared shitless to turn around to even face him. I bet his eyes were trying to burn laser holes in my headrest. My phone started buzzing.

"Basil's calling." I quickly answered the phone and put it next to my ear. At least I didn't have to think about the scorching gaze of Isaac, which was definitely setting fire to the back of my headrest already. Maybe even melting the metal bars that were holding it.

"Tell Isaac I got here ok. Gonna report us to the central. Will write a report later. Bye." Just a few sentences.  Oh, how I wished the call was longer, really!  During that time Isaac could have just calmed down a bit at least. I think the back of my head is getting kind of warm. Is the seat really not on fire? Am I not smelling something burning? I sniffed the air a bit to make sure that I was only imagining things.

"So?" Isaac asked. Well, good thing you heard me all this time when I was murmuring for you to not hear but you can't hear the loud phone call since Basil always yells while calling? My ear always feels like falling off when he calls me.

"He's at the central, going to report us and he'll write a report later," I reported to Isaac, wanting to say more than this. But I didn't have the balls to do it. I was a girl, after all! 

"All right." Seems he might have calmed down. Better not try to look back. Don't look back. I'm not going to look back!

"Two hundred and fifty points." The car stated as the taxi driver stopped at our destination.

"I'll go get the stuffs." Isaac hurriedly exited the car, without even waiting for me to open the door for him.

"But..." I turned quickly to Isaac as he was already opening the trunk. Sometimes he was just too fast...

I put my right index finger to the scanner that was at the front desk right in front of me. There was nothing else I could do. I had to pay for this.

"You have three hundred and fifty-eight points on your account. Please top up your account." The annoying female voice told me. I know I don't have anything at the moment! You don't have to remind me, you stupid system! I hope I get paid for this work asap, they even restricted my regular job duties to make sure I went with them! I didn't even get paid for over three weeks because the duty called!

"Goodbye." I sighed, opened the door, and got out of the taxi. My points! I was silently crying inside of my head over my leftover money. Isaac was already waiting with all the equipment ready in bags and rifle cases out of the car. He was standing in front of a fence with a barbed wire on top of it. A long grassy field was behind it, leading to the first place, which looked like a building with windows. We were right at the main gate with concrete blocks on the road. The entrance for vehicles was in a different place.  Also a booth was next to the gate with a person inside.

The sign on the fence behind Isaac had been recently replaced because you couldn't even read the letters on the old one anymore.  

System area 28.

Army base.

Restricted area.

No entrance.

"Should I stand here for a week or two?" He looked at me. No, that wouldn't be even nearly close to enough! Stand there for a few years! And then I might come to check up on you. You better freeze and sweat!

"Take these two bags and all rifles." He gave me an order to take the heaviest bags and equipment we had on the mission with us. Whereas he was taking only the very light ones with clothes. Or maybe no checking up on you. Just stay there forever! Wish I could kick him...

"Yes, sir. Right away." I said half murmuring. I put the rifle cases on my shoulders and moved them towards my back and took the heavy bags into my hands. At least there were only two. We didn't need many tools for tracking a single person. I slowly took a step. Damn this is heavy. I gripped the bags in my hands firmer.

"Is ten rounds not enough?!" Isaac shouted at me after stopping and turning towards me. He was quite far away from me. His legs were longer and he wasn't carrying any heavy bags! No, even one hundred laps will not make up for this! You should go running with these bags! I was killing him with the suddenly-appearing flamethrowers in my eyes.

"No, sir! It's more than enough!" I shouted and ran towards him. The rifle cases were hitting my back and the equipment bags were pulling me down.

The first building on the road was the thorough security check-up point. I let the bags fall on the ground and had to squat for taking the rifle cases off of my back. There were more than I could handle taking down while standing and not damaging them.

We passed through the security scan frames and were let to the second part of the entrance checks. Each of us had to enter a small office, which was actually made out of materials used for building bunkers. They would stand even an atomic bomb explosion. They were called the houses. Before entering I had to scan my retina in the small black device next to the door, so I could even get in. There was no other way for me if I wanted to get home alive!

The only safe and official way out of this place is through another side of this whole guarded area. If I decided to go back the way we came, I would be shot at least into my leg. Just so they could drag me back, interrogate and imprison me. In the better case scenario, that is... Sometimes the higher-ups were overly cautious. Just who would want to go against the system this much anyway? They don't even need the concrete blocks here to block possible car attacks!

The heavy metal thick door opened with a clack and I entered as it closed behind me. There wasn't much in the room, just bright light, white walls with nothing on them. A boorish-looking clean table and a couple of chairs around it. On my right-hand side, there was a person sitting at the top of the table already.

"Sit down." 

Long live the interrogation!

When I finally got outside, Isaac was still hanging out inside his interrogation house. I chose to use this time to change into common military pants, T-shirt and wear combat boots. They always had these after leaving the houses here because not everyone came wearing the ACU*. Like me today.

I took out my dog tag and let it hang visibly on my chest, so the passers-byes would be able to quickly identify me. Isaac was still inside. I squatted down and leaned my back towards the concrete wall, while I was waiting for him. I could hear laughter coming towards the metal door near me from his interrogation place. It had been over an hour since I was waiting for him there. I decided not to check the time anymore, it would be only a waste of time.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow!" He got out of the house finally. I looked at him with killer intentions. He seriously took his time having fun with the interrogation officer!

"Got a problem?" He looked down at me as I was still squatting. Couldn't nearly even feel my legs anymore.

"You haven't seen each other for over three weeks. What problem should I have?" I threw in the time he was away from his friend. There was no way he had so much to say to him!

"Important stuff."

"And you were laughing while talking about important matters." I finally stood up and shook my legs one at a time to wake them up.

"Even important things can be amusing. But you probably wouldn't understand that. You're too stuck up." He mumbled and started walking out by the stairs. I was the one who was stuck up? Whoa, that's news to me! I thought that you were the one making the atmosphere tense all the time! You should get your brain tested, Isaac. I turned my nose up. When we got out of the building, we saw a lot of grass again. It was supposed to be cut at least twice a week to keep it short. Just in case a five-centimeter enemy could have hidden in it.

"Want to run around the whole area?" With his neutral voice, he was reminding me that I was surely taking my time.

"A hangar is more than enough." I sighed. This place had the best view when the sun was setting. But now it was before noon and the sky was finally kind of clear with few white elongated clouds. It felt peaceful. You wouldn't even be able to guess that this was an army camp. Until the personnel started moving the army cars around. They were disturbing the tranquility of the place. 

"OK, I'm going to the command, we meet in the storage." Isaac sent me on my way and he went to enjoy coffee with others at the commanding headquarters.

"Leaving the hard work to me once again! You sly ffff... fox!" I swore at him once he disappeared from my sight!

*ACU - Army combat uniform