Night Eyes: Twilight

By Dallas Releford

In Yosemite National Park, on a sheer cliff face, Tracy Norton attempts to recover a DVD from another climber. She knows he is a SPIDER operative. During the encounter, the SPIDER operative is killed and Tracy falls from the cliff. Using advanced technology, she is able to survive the fall. Thus begins a long battle to recover the disk and destroy SPIDER. Ashley, Tracy and Jake battle SPIDER forces to recover the disk, which they believe contains all the plans for Norton’s planned empire. When SPIDER operatives escape with the disk, they follow in a top-secret aircraft. During their pursuit, they battle strange men who are obviously cyborgs. They can rejuvenate their bodies after damage indicating to the trio that Norton has advanced technology. The race is on to destroy SPIDER before they can do more harm.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dallas Releford
• Release date: Feb 5, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466009592

Book preview

Night Eyes

Twilight

By:

Dallas Releford

Published by

Dallas Releford at Smashwords.com

Night Eyes 2 - Twilight

Copyright (C) 2012 Dallas Releford

* * * * *

This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, places, events, organizations, areas, or locations are intended to provide a feeling of authenticity and are used in a fictitious manner. All other characters, dialogue and incidents are drawn from the author’s imagination and shouldn’t be accepted as real.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without explicit permission from the author or publisher except in brief quotations used in an article or in a similar way.

Smashwords Edition, License notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. The ebook may not be re-sold or given to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

* * * *

Dedication

I would like to thank my wife Sharon for her understanding while I was writing this book. She passed away on August 18, 2010 shortly before I finished writing the Night Eyes series. She is dearly missed.

I would also like to thank my agent and typist, Harriet Smith and Martin Smith, my advisor and typist. Their hard work and dedication has made this book much better than it would have been without them.

Both books in the Night Eyes series are entirely devoted to my loving wife, Sharon L Releford.

* * * * * *

Night Eyes

Twilight

Chapter 1

Clinging to the sheer rock surface of El Capitan, hanging from a nylon rope no larger than her small finger, Tracy Norton found it difficult to look up above her where her target was located. She hated heights. Climbing for over two hours, attempting to catch up to the man dressed in a blue polo shirt and black shorts above her, she felt the pain in her muscles that told her she’d been on the mountain a little too long. He was a professional climber—not to mention being a deadly assassin—while she was an amateur climber, and an expert assassin. Nonetheless, she knew she was quite capable of eliminating any assassin, no matter if they were a better climber than she was.

The other climber was only twelve feet above her. He was poised to her right like a giant spider trying to locate a crack where he could drive another spike. She felt an urgent need to move closer to him before he moved any higher, and away from her. He must not reach the peak alive. Even as she clung to the bare cliff with nothing except space below her, Tracy knew the score. Reaching high above her head she let her hand move along the smooth surface until she found what she needed, a small hole where a previous climber had anchored a rope. Her right foot rested on a small ledge about two inches wide while her left foot touched nothing except thin air. Her emergency rope was tethered to a spike ten feet below. If she fell, there would be a painful injury as the rope pulled her harness tightly against her flesh. The fall would probably result in at least a few broken bones, or perhaps a broken back. Still the risk was worth it, if she could kill the assassin before he completed his mission.

Driving a spike above her head, she watched him carefully. If he became suspicious of her intentions he might swing over and knock her off her perch. She knew she should move her emergency line up above her head except there wasn’t time now. She would have to take a chance that she wouldn’t need the line. The emergency line that was tethered to the hook below her would have to suffice. It would be the only thing that would stop her certain plummet to death on the rocks below.

Anchoring her main line with a hook to the pin she’d just driven she found another foothold and pulled herself up. Driving two more spikes she pulled herself up almost even with him. His name was Josh Kendall and he was handsome. As Tracy pulled her body up close to him she noticed his long blond hair—tied in a ponytail—and his sparkling blue eyes. A warm breeze touched her face and tossed her long dark hair into her eyes. Ignoring the wind she brushed her hair aside. He seemed surprised to see her.

Hi. I was just on my way to the top and thought I’d stop and chat for a moment. She held onto the main line with both hands. They were face-to-face. She could have kissed him except that wasn’t what was on her mind. The thought of kissing a killer made little worms squirm in her stomach. The thought of being so close to death made her realize how dangerous her life could be sometimes.

He grinned. His purple helmet glistened in the noon sun. Charming. He reached up and snapped a hook into the pin above him. What’s a pretty lady like you doing up here on the side of a mountain?

Looking for something valuable. She reached up and popped a hook into a pin he had driven to the left of the first one. He watched her actions with great interest. They say you have it. He seemed a little impervious to her intentions. Confusion reigned in his eyes for a brief moment before he seemed to realize that something was amiss.

First you steal my pin and then you accuse me of having something that belongs to you. What is it you are seeking?

Tracy braced herself for a confrontation. I’m only borrowing your old pin. I want the DVD you have in your backpack. I know you have it and that you intend to give it to another climber when you reach the top. You see, that DVD is very important to me. I just can’t let you give it to somebody else, now can I?

The climber sneered at her. Come and get it.

Tracy moved so fast her actions were a smooth blur, like a rattler striking out at an intruder. Pulling a long knife with an eight-inch blade from a sheath hanging from her belt she slashed his emergency line and then drove the blade deep into his kidney just below his ribs. Writhing in terrible pain he jerked away from her as blood gushed from the wound. Using his left leg, he kicked at her causing her to loosen her grip on the knife.

Bitch! His voice was weak and he breathed hard. Anger swept through him giving him renewed strength. Jerking the knife from his side he slashed at her as she leaped away avoiding the sharp blade. As she watched helpless, he reached over and slashed her main line. She felt horror sweep down her spine when she realized that her emergency line was tied to a pin ten feet below her. She’d be lucky if it held at all. Ironically, she wished she’d lost a few extra pounds before taking on mountain climbing. Tracy wasn’t sure that if she did weigh twenty pounds less that it would really make any difference.

With her main line severed she only had one way to go, down. A million images flashed through her mind like pictures in a movie. She had planned to kill Josh Kendall, grab the disk from his backpack and then scamper down the mountain like a squirrel with a prized nut except things went wrong. Now they were worse than she had expected. Tracy found herself tumbling backwards, falling at an amazing rate of speed toward the valley below where her sister, Ashley Norton and Jake McBride, Ashley’s boyfriend, were watching the operation through powerful binoculars.

She felt heavy pressure on her chest and she couldn’t breathe as she watched the top of the mountain, the man and a blue sky rush away from her. She braced herself waiting for the emergency line to reach the first pin. All of a sudden her body stopped falling with an abrupt jerk and Tracy thought she might have broken her back. Dangling from what amounted to an eye screw hammered into a crack in stone she attempted to breathe as darkness beckoned her into its arms.

Hanging from the rope tied to a safety belt around her slim waist, she was on her back staring up at the sky and the man now twenty feet above her. Before she could begin breathing normally again, the man pulled an automatic weapon and fired a burst at her. Bullets whined around her and splattered chips of stone from the mountain into her face. Only her fiberglass helmet prevented serious injury to her head. As she watched, the assassin dropped the weapon. It tumbled down bouncing off small outcroppings on the mountain before finally missing her by inches. Tracy glanced up at Kendall wondering why he’d dropped the gun. Then she knew. His arms hung limp. He was dead and she was trapped several hundred yards from the ground in Yosemite National Park. Her violent thrust of the blade into his kidney had finally done its job. She might have been happy that she had been successful in killing him except she was now in a dire predicament wondering if the line would hold long enough for her to figure something out. Just as she became a little hopeful that she might be able to drive another pin into the hard rock surface and attach another line, she felt the pin giving away to her weight. She was going down, whether she wanted to or not.

* * *

Far below, Ashley Norton watched her sister through binoculars. Jake McBride stood nearby hurriedly looking through several backpacks and carrying cases on the ground. Finally locating the one he needed, he grabbed it and unzipped it. Taking out a long four-inch diameter tube he attached a handle and a tank of compressed gas to one end of it and shoved a bullet shaped projectile into the other end.

Hurry, Jake. I think the bullets missed her although I don’t know how. She’s still hanging there.

I’m ready, Ashley. Maybe she can get another main line strung. If she can get to him she can recover the disk and use his line to get down.

I don’t know if she will think of that or not, Jake. She isn’t answering her cell phone. We’ll just have to be ready and hope Tracy figures it all out.

Jake picked up his binoculars from a picnic table and focused them on Tracy. She only has one line and if it breaks, she’s in trouble. I may have to go up there, Ashley. Jake shuddered at the thought of climbing that mountain. Heights scared him.

Ashley lowered her glasses and stared at Jake. Have you ever climbed a mountain, Jake?

No. This is Tracy’s first time. She made it that far. I can do it too. She just needs a little help.

Shrugging her shoulders Ashley brushed her long blonde hair out of her eyes and stared at her sister through optical lenses of powerful binoculars.

* * *

Despite her weight on the pin, it held and Tracy breathed a little easier. Tracy felt colder than she had ever felt before as cool wind blew across her perspiring body. Was she in shock? Summoning all the strength she had she reached up and grabbed the line and pulled herself up until her nose was almost touching it. She was hanging in space. Her toes were about two inches from the wall with nothing she could stand on. She had a plan. She would climb up to the body above her, recover the disk and use his ropes to descend. It sounded like an easy thing to do except his ropes were six feet to her right and the wind was tossing them in every direction except toward her. She had one fifty-foot coil of rope left. It was tied to the underside of her backpack. If she could get to her line, she could use the pins she’d already driven to get up to him except it was going to be difficult reaching the line hanging from her backpack. Hearing something snap, feeling the thin line that meant life or death to her jerk, she looked up at it and blood froze in her veins. One of the bullets had struck it. The line was cut in half and there was no way she could reach it before it finally broke. There was little hope in her heart that the line would hold her weight long enough for her to attach another emergency line to the cliff.

The inevitable happened and Tracy was plunging toward the ground before she realized that she was really falling this time. She had been right; her emergency line hadn’t been able to sustain her weight. Her stupid mistake, or perhaps, her inattention to details was going to cost her something she held dear, her life. Of course she hadn’t considered the unpredictable element in the equation, the bullet that had partially severed her line.

Managing to flip her body over so she could free fall she hoped to slow her descent a little, not that it meant much now. Down below, she could see two small figures that looked like ants. Jake and Ashley knew she was coming by now. Tracy hoped they remembered their parts well. Her life depended on them.

Tracy spread her arms and legs as her clothes fluttered violently in the wind as if she thought she might turn into a giant bird and fly off into the autumn blue sky. Was she descending too fast for what she had in mind? Using momentum she managed to roll away from the cliff. She had been dangerously close to the sheer face of the rock wall. Facing the ground that was rushing up at her, she reached up to her chest and pulled a ripcord.

A glider-parachute erupted from her backpack and she felt her body jerk as the chute unfurled. The chute resembled a hang glider and by pulling the right cords Tracy was able to control her direction. Jake had been right, although the chute wasn’t able to slow her descent as much as she wished. She was coming down too fast, and the thought of crashing into a tree or maybe land in a lake terrified her. Tracy always hated flying. It was time for the alternative plan.

She could see Jake and Ashley clearly now. Jake was aiming a large weapon at her. Jesus, get this right the first time, Jake. There will only be one chance. Jake fired and something flew from the barrel of the weapon leaving a smoke trail behind it. As it neared her she felt like the red dot on a bulls eye. The projectile opened up like a banana being peeled and as it slowed it became a silver ball about the size of a basketball. Come to mother, she whispered hoping that even the wind would not hear her silly remark.

The silver orb was close, except it was not close enough so Tracy pulled the left cord trying to aim her plummeting—fast moving—body toward the target. This was the situation they had hoped would never happen and now they had to deal with it. Wasn’t it always that way, most of the time? If she could have glided from higher up on the mountain the parachute would have worked better except now the trees were coming toward her fast and the only chance she had was a silver globe hanging in space like a small moon.

Putting all thoughts aside Tracy focused on the ball. Her descent was so fast she had the ball in her hands before she realized she’d actually grabbed it. Practice made perfect.

Hugging the ball with both arms, clutching it to her breasts, she issued a verbal command. Slow descent. Immediately, she was drifting slowly toward where Jake and Ashley were waiting for her on the ground. The tops of tall evergreen trees wavered in the wind and she missed long limbs by mere inches as she descended. When her feet touched ground, she let go of the sphere and collapsed.

While Jake gathered the silken chute in his arms Ashley ran to help Tracy. That was a close call, sis. Ashley put her arms around her younger sister and hugged her. Tears stung her eyes. Her heart was pounding. Are you okay?

Tracy frowned. Except for my pride, I’m fine. Brushing leaves and dirt from her clothes she glanced up at the cliff that was world famous as El Capitan. The disk is still up there on that cliff. Except for my pride, I’m fine. She reached out and grabbed Ashley’s arm. We have to get that DVD. Who knows what SPIDER is planning, Ashley? We have to find out.

Jake put the folded parachute in a large green plastic bag after unhooking the lines from Tracy’s climbing harness. We better find out exactly what and who SPIDER is. All we now know is that they are a super secret organization linked to your rogue father, Senator Frank Norton. They seem to be very powerful and we have information that they have infiltrated the government. That means we can’t even trust our own government.

I can only thank God we have OCTOPUS working with us now. Without them, our resources would be extremely limited. Ashley helped Tracy to her feet and brushed leaves out of her hair. They keep us supplied with money, information and the latest technological gadgets. We’ll ask them for intelligence on the government problem. There isn’t much we can do about that right now except try to bring SPIDER down and put them out of business. We can only hope that SPIDER is the only organization that Frank Norton established before we killed him.

Tracy removed her harness and tossed it on a picnic table. That anti-gravity device sure saved my ass.

Jake laughed. He was used to her tough demeanor. Things were looking a little worrisome there for a while. What now? He knew she meant what she said. If Tracy said she would kill you, your death was imminent.

Tracy sighed. "Good thing there aren’t too many people in the park today. That rumor we started about the mad bear kept most of the visitors away. Well . . . Jake as soon as I drink something cold and soothing, I’m going back up there. That operative was going to give that disk to another climber. I’m sure the other SPIDER operative is up there and when he sees what is going on he’ll be going down to recover that disk. We have to hurry. This park is probably crawling with SPIDER operatives.

Jake nodded his head toward the forest and a collection of rocks. Some of them were twenty feet high. We have a few surprises hidden in there, remember? I’ll go up this time. We’ll try out that new flying platform with the laser engine the developers at OCTOPUS was bragging about.

Ashley moved closer to Jake and put her arm around his waist. Jake, there is no way I’m letting you ride that flying platform up the side of that mountain. I’ll go this time and―

Before Ashley could finish speaking Tracy grabbed her arm and pointed toward the woods at the end of the glade. Seven armed men, dressed in black were running toward them firing their weapons as they ran. Jake groaned pitifully and fell to the ground.

* * *

Chapter 2

High above the Pacific Ocean, a rotary wing aircraft with a white streamlined body, trimmed in blue cruised at six hundred miles an hour. Six pulsed laser engines silently turned the rotors without leaving vapor trails. Powerful laser beams focused on parabola mirrors created the energy that turned the rotors. The batteries that powered the lasers allowed the craft to carry twelve passengers halfway around the world before the batteries needed recharging. And yet, only a few people even knew of the existence of the aircraft.

The aircraft was host to two men in the forward passenger compartment and a crew of four in the control room. Today, two small stealth jets armed with advanced laser weapons and high tech detection gear flew high overhead protecting the Doran S-211 from attack. Of course, advanced fighters were never far from their leader in the S-211. They were not too distant from the destination where he would be landing shortly.

Eric Brunner, tall with graying hair and blue eyes sat near the front of the craft facing another man named Wilber Riley. A smile slowly developed on Eric’s face as he stared at his laptop.

What do you find so amusing, Mr. President? Wilber Riley removed his black-rimmed glasses and laid them on the seat near him. Brushing his black hair back where it had fell out of place he watched Brunner’s face looking for a clue that would tell him what the President had seen that was so amusing. Riley’s hair too was showing signs of gray and his brown eyes weren’t quite as sharp as they used to be.

Brunner stared at a color, full-faced view of a young woman— displayed on his laptop screen—with long blonde hair and the prettiest blue eyes he’d ever seen. Ashley Norton, the first genetically engineered woman on this planet. She has talent even she isn’t aware of. Now, if she doesn’t put iron in your pants, her sister, Tracy Norton will. He clicked a mouse button and Tracy’s face appeared. Her black, silky hair fell to her shoulders and her brown eyes stared right at him. Of course, Tracy is the more aggressive one. I love aggressive women. Damn, I bet she’s good in bed.

Riley stared at him not quite sure about what to say. She’s the second daughter Frank Norton created and she’s the most dangerous one. You have to remember that both of these women have special powers that were genetically engineered into them before birth. That makes them extremely dangerous. Why, those two women destroyed Norton’s lab and his underground complex. That was quite a feat. His complex is now buried under sixty feet of river water near Billings, Montana. Both women are endowed with telepathic and telekinetic powers along with a lot more talent we may not even know about. If they ever find out who we are, we may have a problem on our hands.

You worry too much, my friend. I have plans for them and their friend Jake McBride. Brunner clicked another mouse button and a face appeared on the computer screen. You really think poor old Jake can handle both of those biologically advanced women? Jake’s sullen face glared at him from the computer screen. For a few seconds Brunner thought a cold chill was forming between his shoulder blades. Then, he was sure of it. There was something ominous about Jake McBride. Did he have special powers too?

They destroyed an entire complex. It was lucky for us that Norton had the foresight to build many complexes including Dumas Island. Brunner closed the lid on his laptop and resting his hands on it stared at Riley. Have you heard anything else about the Yosemite Park operation?

Riley stared out the window at the ocean passing by them below. It was almost a blur. As Chief of Intelligence and Security Operations, it was his job to gather information and to keep his boss informed. The last I heard was that our operative was to meet their man at the top of El Capitan and give him the DVD. Their man was to be picked up by helicopter and taken to a safe place. That disk is the most dangerous item on the planet, Mr. Brunner. That’s why we had to transfer it in complete isolation, on top of a mountain where nobody was likely to interfere with us.

Brunner nodded his head in complete agreement. Keep on it. As soon as we are sure that the disk is safe I want our troublesome trio brought here. Maybe Senator Norton couldn’t handle them, but I’m quite certain that I can.

The pilot’s voice came over the intercom announcing that they were approaching Dumas Island. As the pilot swung the enormous bird to the northeast so he could line up with the airfield they both got a good look at their pride and joy. On the horizon the island looked like a long cookie sheet turned upside down floating on the ocean’s surface. Brunner leaned forward and gazed at Norton’s creation. No matter how many times he looked at it, the ten-mile square manmade island mesmerized him. There it is, Riley, the largest, most elaborate manmade island in the world. The most extraordinary thing about it is that it is entirely self sufficient. We pump our own oil from the ocean floor and we have our own oil refinery.

Riley smiled and his eyes glistened. The most amazing thing about Dumas Island to me is that nobody knows it is here, except us. From the sky all you see is a blue ocean. Even satellites haven’t picked it up. You’re the President of Dumas Island and from here we will conquer the world.

Brunner leaned back in his seat and relaxed. First, we have to build another island way out there beyond the moon. As soon as we capture Ashley and her pals we’ll begin that operation. Brunner fastened his seat belt as the aircraft began its approach to Dumas Island. As soon as we land call our operative and find out about that DVD.

* * *

As bullets flew through the air like mad hornets, Ashley dived behind a nearby tree and pulled a small pistol from her purse. Jake was on the ground holding his shoulder. Tracy was attempting to pull Jake to safety. Jake thought everything was happening in slow motion. Nonetheless, he wasn’t sure of anything except he had been wounded and the pain was intolerable.

The PS-42 Legend Laser pistol had been developed by the best engineers OCTOPUS could locate. Its blue beam had a diameter less than the width of a lead pencil, yet it could cut a hole through a four-inch armor plate in mere seconds. Its power supply consisted of hundreds of tiny capacitors, transformers and miniature switches. Powered by a special Lithium battery it could be charged from an electrical outlet or sunlight. Ashley carried a spare battery in her pocket.

Ashley knew she had to slow the intruders down and kill as many as she could while Tracy tended to Jakes wound. Already, she could see at least twelve heavily armed men using trees and boulders for cover as they concentrated a steady barrage of bullets at them. On her stomach, she crawled up to an enormous tree trunk and fired at the enemy. She could fire quick bursts by pressing the trigger and quickly releasing it or she could fire an intense beam for one minute by holding the trigger down. The pistol had an automatic circuit breaker that prevented the beam from remaining active for more than one minute. Otherwise, the constant heat from the beam would burn out the circuits in a few seconds.

She squeezed the trigger six times and hit two of the men. Smoking holes appeared in their chests and they collapsed where they were standing. Undaunted by the success of the deadly weapon, three of the men charged. Pressing the trigger down Ashley used it like a laser sword. Moving the beam across their path, she let it slash their bodies in half before releasing the trigger. The men let out mournful screams before death claimed them. The other men retreated into the forest to lick their wounds. She knew they would be back.

Engaging the safety, she rolled away from the tree and down a slight embankment where their supplies were stacked near the picnic table. Recovering a large black bag Ashley ran toward Jake and Tracy.

Kneeling next to Jake and Tracy she opened the bag as she spoke. Out of the corner of her eye she kept close watch on the trees. Just thought you guys would appreciate some weapons and a first aid kit.

Tracy was busy cutting Jake’s shirt open near his left shoulder. He was perspiring heavily and his face was white, almost as pale as snow. Laying the scissors aside she looked at Ashley. I can fix him just like I reattached his hand when that creature bit it off. The bullet passed through his shoulder so it’s just a matter of forcing his body to repair itself. It’ll take about thirty minutes. We should be able to hold these bad boys off that long, shouldn’t we?

The situation—Jake wounded and Tracy trying to help him—reminded Ashley of the time a few years ago when the three of them found a secret lab and a town her father Senator Frank Norton had built. Norton had created thousands of genetically engineered creatures that would be part of his new world where Norton would rule over a government similar to Nazi Socialism. Norton had held Jake hostage hoping to force Tracy and Ashley into surrendering. Norton had genetically created both of his daughters, Tracy and Ashley and endowed them both with superhuman powers. Learning that he was creating a super race with world conquest in mind they rebelled and destroyed his lab. Norton had ordered a creature to bite Jake’s hand off. Seeing Jake suffering so much forced Ashley to admit to herself that she really did love Jake McBride. Seeing him suffering now, she knelt near him and held his hand. Jake, are you okay?

Jake opened his watery eyes and looked at her. He didn’t know if he liked her more as a blond or as a brunette as she once had been. You got to do something about that hair, love. He smiled as she leaned forward and kissed him. Other than that, I’m just fine.

Ashley pulled a handful of hair away from her shoulder and looked at it. What’s wrong with my hair, Jake? It helps to change my appearance.

That’s the . . . ugh . . . problem. Tracy was using hydrogen peroxide to clean his wound. The area around the wound was red and tender resembling a fresh pork chop from the grocery cooler. I guess I’m just a brunette lover. I’ll always love you though, no matter what color of hair you have.

Ashley let her hand drop to his and patted it. I’ll always love you too. Tracy will take care of you. I’m going to try and draw those goons away from here so she can perform her magic.

Jake had a sudden look of alarm on his face when he looked at her. "You be careful, Ashley. Those soldiers out there are real and well trained. Do you still remember how to ride those Laser Cycles? We got one down there amongst the boulders in our weapons cache. It’s armed with two short-burst laser cannons. If you remember how to maneuver it between those trees like I showed you, it should be your