The Raid Project: A Time Travel Thriller: The REM Machine Series, #3

By Lena Raye Scott

She has memories, but they're not her own…

 

Abducted from her home and held against her will, Kara Danilenko is implanted with an experimental technology device that gives her the ability to experience extrinsic memories.

 

After a stranger helps her to escape, she realizes that while she may no longer be a captive, she's still not free. 

 

Because now she faces an even bigger threat, one connected to her newfound ability, and the only chance she has of surviving is to uncover the truth behind both her abduction and her rescue. 

 

The Raid Project is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller that follows on the heels of The Revenge Plan.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lena Raye Scott
• Release date: Jan 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393298410

Book preview

Prologue

Abraham Schneider met Simon at the park entrance. Simon grinned. He looked ridiculous with his bright blue flamenco shirt and oversized sombrero for a man pushing fifty.

You are living the dream, my friend.

If not for the fact that this was a secret meeting The Black Dove knew nothing about, Abe would’ve betted his freedom that those words were put in Simon’s mouth by their boss himself. Because one thousand miles away from America, he wasn’t living the dream.

Simon extended his hand, and Abe shook it. The gesture was clearly in Simon’s second nature as a lawyer. Meet, greet, shake hands.

Thanks for coming, Abe said. He started walking, heading along the cycle path, and Simon fell into step beside him. In light of what he was wanting to discuss, it was best they kept moving, and the cycle path would undoubtedly be less populated than other areas of the park. It’s the reason he didn’t ask Simon to meet him at one of the popular waterside restaurants in town, to avoid the risk of being overheard.

Are you kidding? I don’t need much of an excuse to visit my oldest friend in sunny Mexico.

Abe smiled. Simon really didn’t need an excuse. Whereas Abe was more of a winter soldier, Simon pretty much worshipped the sun.

How is he? Abe asked after a moment’s silence. Charles’ face flashed to the forefront of his mind, though it rarely strayed much further than that.

He’s doing well. I had that nurse transferred a couple weeks ago; you know the one he kept insisting didn’t like him?

Abe nodded. He remembered Simon bringing news that Charles was having difficulty with a male nurse. Although Chillingham would, of course, aim to employ staff that would remain impartial, Abe could understand if one nurse had slipped through the net.

Good. Thank you. Hopefully, Charles would be more comfortable, even happier now, which would go a long way to easing Abe’s conscience.

Oh. Here, before I forget. Simon pulled a folded envelope from his pocket and handed it to him. It took him forty-five minutes to write by the way. My ass was numb by the time he’d dotted every i and painstakingly crossed every t.

Abe transferred the envelope to his own pocket. It had been a good while since Charles’ last letter. In over twenty years, this would be his third, most of their communication being ferried back and forth via Simon for the sake of safety. If Charles had written him another letter, then, just like the other two, it must be of some significance.

I wonder if his letter is concerning Carter’s Bill. Did he mention anything to you?

Nope. Not a word. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know. I mean, he spends time in the lounge with the HoloBox, he interacts with the other inmates, he’s bound to find out someday soon if he hasn’t already.

Abe took a deep, calming breath, but it did little to dispel his anxiety. He couldn’t have Charles worrying about being sent to Alabama if Judge Carter was successful. He needed to take care of things while he still could.

You’re right. Which is why I needed to talk to you. I’d like to take care of this before Carter can go too far with it. But I need your help.

Simon shot him a concerned look. You think Charles will speak out against you if he learns about Carter’s plan for him?

No. He would never do that. Abe was quick to dispel the notion that Charles could soon become a liability to The Black Dove. If his boss ever got wind of a such a thought, no amount of pleading from Abe would save Charles’ life. Charles will always protect me, but then I will always do the same for him.

What are you saying? The way Simon’s eyes narrowed assured Abe that Simon knew exactly what he was saying. Glancing around, Abe noted the lack of activity in this area of the park and gestured over to a white wooden bench.

I want Carter taken care of. Permanently.

Abe sat and watched a Grasshopper Sparrow burrowing for insects in the short grass while Simon stood gaping at him.

You can’t be serious. When it became apparent to him by Abe’s silence that he was indeed serious, Simon sat heavily beside him on the bench. There’s got to be another way.

There isn’t, Abe told him calmly, keeping his voice low despite there being nobody around. Carter won’t stop until he achieves his goal. Therefore, I need this handled quickly—

This isn’t a good idea. We don’t have the approval to do something like this.

Abe gritted his teeth. Of course their boss wouldn’t approve. Abe knew better than to approach him about it. Instead of helping, he’d most likely see the solution as having Charles murdered in order to remove the possibility of having Abe do something he would surely deem stupid.

Which is why we’re not going to make it official. Make sure it doesn’t tie back to us and there shouldn’t be a problem.

Listen, I can get a target on his wife. Carter would never ignore a threat like that and—

No! Abe hissed. No threats! That will just put him on alert, and I need this done right the first time.

Simon sighed, and Abe could understand his dilemma. Torn between his loyalty to a good friend or his boss. But Abe had covered Simon’s back nearly as much as he’d covered his when they worked together in the field all those years ago, and decades of friendship and sharing cutthroat decisions on the fly ultimately triumphed, and Simon nodded.

Okay. I’ll take care of it. Simon blew out his cheeks, looking slightly overwhelmed. "But on one condition. If we get found out, you’ll be the one explaining to a very angry man why we went behind his back."

Abe nodded once in agreement. I’m not worried.

You’re not?

No. Because you are the most meticulous person I know and trust. With your careful planning, nothing will go wrong.

Abe stood. An indication no more would be said on the matter. They were silent as they walked away together, and Abe imagined Simon’s thoughts now drifted to shrewd ways he could eliminate a judge on the judicial panel.

Abe delved his hand into his jacket pocket, his fingers closing around the envelope in his pocket. He could never write back to Charles. He couldn’t ever visit him, and that knowledge was like swallowing a bitter pill each day. But that pill would become his own executioner if anything ever happened to Charles because of him.

Chapter One

Two Months Later

Max again swallowed a wave of panic as he raced through the emergency tunnel that stretched between New York and New Jersey. He was ten minutes away, and the fear that collided within him just got worse every second that passed.

He had just checked in with the four technicians in INDA—nicknamed the quadruplets—and they again reported no sighting of Kara on their facial recognition system or anything on her GPS. Mia had called him as soon as her mother had been kidnapped—and the quadruplets still had yet to determine it was in fact a kidnapping and not NSA agents that had taken her—and that had been almost thirty minutes ago.

He’d spent the first few moments in INDA with the quadruplets trying to locate Kara via her GPS, which had mysteriously gone dark, and scanning cameras in the local area from where she’d been taken, but the few cameras available overlooked main streets, and without a description of the vehicle or license plate, they’d turned up nothing. Now, the INDA technicians were in contact with the U.S. Marshals trying to halt the arrest warrant they were gunning for.

His decision to drive to New Jersey was a personal one, and had Sean been back from his vacation, Max knew his boss wouldn’t grant him permission to go since this case wasn’t under the New York ATF jurisdiction. But Kara’s neighbors might have seen something that could help him find her, and Max wasn’t about to turn any evidence over to local troopers because he trusted no one else to give every effort in finding her—if they even bothered to use their resources trying to find an ex-con, that is.

Max? One of the male quadruplets was in his ear.

Please tell me you got good news.

The tech’s hesitation told Max he wouldn’t be getting his wish. The U.S. Marshals have a warrant out for her arrest. We tried, Max.

Max slammed his hand against the wheel. Damn it! Why would they think Kara would stage an escape with only a few weeks left to go of her sentence? It didn’t make sense, but then, they didn’t know Kara, and knowing her was key to believing that something terrible had happened.

Anything from the NSA?

No. Nothing official anyway.

The tech’s comment was leading, and Max made his decision. Hell, they’d asked the NSA nicely and been completely stonewalled with a lack of desire to share if any active investigations involved Kara Danilenko.

Well then, it’s time to get unofficial. Cover your tracks, alright?

Please. That’s so elementary it’s not even worth mentioning. The tech disconnected the line, and Max smiled. He didn’t know this tech’s name either since, for Max, they all blended into one genius brain, but he liked his confidence. And if the tech was going to hack into the NSA’s files, then he’d need that confidence in his own skillset.

Max didn’t need his GPS to find the house that Kara Danilenko lived in with her friend and daughter. It was a two-story brownstone, and the last time he’d been here he was saving Kara from Cole, his Body Protection Android. It felt like a lifetime but, in fact, was only four days ago.

Max pulled up outside the house and messaged Mia that he’d arrived. He had told her to go to a neighbor’s house and wait for him, and he stepped out of his car to look out for her. The street was quiet and definitely not an indication of a kidnapping having taken place less than an hour ago. Clearly, Haroldsville had residents that kept to themselves. Nobody had even bothered to call the police.

A door a few houses down across the street opened, and Mia peeked out. Spotting him, she ran over. Max glanced at the concerned faces of the older couple watching after her from their doorway as if too afraid to venture outside in a world where a woman could get abducted from her own home in broad daylight. Max would start with them, as they may have seen something worthwhile from their window.

You okay? he asked because it might be too insensitive of him to just dive in and start bombarding her with questions.

Mia nodded and wiped at the free fall of tears that Max assumed had never stopped flowing since her mother had been taken.

Have you found anything on my mom? Mia’s voice wavered, and her lip trembled in a heartbreaking display of absolute distress, making her look much younger than her fifteen years.

Not yet, but we will.

It was Max’s job to ground her, to not let panic overwhelm her, and he could only do that if he implied there was still hope. It wasn’t lost on him that only a few days ago he had been trying to keep Kara grounded in the same way when the situation had been reversed and it had been Mia that was missing.

Those men weren’t NSA, were they? Her green eyes glistened with tears. She looked exactly like her mother, the striking resemblance between them almost surreal.

We’re still trying to verify that.

Hacking into a government agency hell bent on keeping their secrets hidden took time, but the quadruplets were masters at their craft and wouldn’t allow a few hundred firewalls to stop them when an innocent life was on the line.

I had a bad feeling about them right away. I should’ve just shut the door. Fresh tears fell, and Max placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Hey, it’s not your fault, alright? You had no idea this would happen.

I should have gotten the license plate. Instead, I just stood there and let them take her away.

Guilt was a harsh accuser, Max would know. He still dealt with it after what happened with Zoe. But unlike him, Mia was completely blameless.

"Hey, there’s such a thing as shock. It takes over you completely and what you think you should be doing, you just can’t. Your whole body shuts down. It’s real, and it’s probably what happened to you. So don’t torture yourself about what you should have done. Because no matter how hard you tried to do it, you couldn’t have done it."

His words seemed to calm her, and he indicated the phone she held in her hand.

Did you call your mom’s friend?

Mia nodded. She’s on her way back. She should be at the airport in a couple of hours.

Erin Mason. Max had only spoken to her once ten years ago and that was to gain access to Kara’s safety deposit box at WestMore Bank which held evidence to the true identity of the Supplier.

After instructing Mia to a safe haven at a neighbor’s home, he’d told her to call and have Erin cut her trip short and meet them in New York where he would be arranging for them to stay in one of the ATF safe houses in case the men came back to the house. It still baffled Max that they’d left Mia behind. Aside from the fact she was a witness to the abduction, Kara would be at their complete mercy if they had taken her daughter too.

Wait in the car, I want to have a talk with a few of the neighbors.

Mia headed toward his car, and Max headed for the house that Mia had come out of. The couple had gone inside, but Max noted the frilly curtain in the living room twitching ever so slightly.

After spending close to an hour talking to nine people that had actually witnessed some, if not all, of the event, including the older couple Mia had been with, Max had come to a very disturbing conclusion. He was no longer wondering why Mia had been left behind as a witness or why the men had chosen to abduct Kara from her home in broad daylight. When Max had questioned all nine neighbors about the vehicle’s license plate, they had all said exactly the same thing: there wasn’t one. Those men knew they could never be found.

Chapter Two

Honey? Honey, are you okay?

Kara jolted, the sensation similar to what it was when one caught themselves falling. Only, glancing around, it seemed she had never been in any danger of falling foul of gravity. It looked like she was at some sort of … party.

Men and women milled around her in beautiful dresses and tuxedos, all of them chattering away happily as they mingled within in the large room, their conversation and laughter nothing more than a backdrop to her confusion. Bright lighting dazzled the room, reflecting off the elegant decor and bronze statues placed around the room.

Honey, you’re looking peaked. Do you want to get some air?

Kara turned toward the voice, focusing on the woman who was speaking to her. She looked to be in her mid-forties, with coiffed blonde hair and concerned brown eyes, and for every second that Kara didn’t respond to her, her brow puckered a fraction more.

Maybe we should go home. You don’t look very well. The woman placed a hand on Kara’s arm, trying to lead her gently away from the wall, but Kara violently pulled back, and the woman gasped. Kara didn’t know what the hell was going on or who this woman was, but she knew she wasn’t going anywhere with her!

James, are you alright? The woman sounded truly shocked, her eyes fixated on Kara’s own, and Kara stared back at her, confusion deepening into fear. Who the hell was James?

Everyone around them was oblivious to Kara’s growing panic and the woman’s obvious upset as she stared at Kara like she’d just been bitten by her faithful and trusted hound.

Kara tried to back up, but she was flush against a wall as it was with the woman hemming her in. Kara wanted to ask, no scream, at this woman for an explanation to what was going on, why she’d called her James, but the woman looked just as scared as she did. She didn’t look like someone with answers.

The last thing Kara remembered was being dragged out of her home by four men claiming to be NSA agents. They’d bundled her into a vehicle and then … and then she woke up here surrounded by strangers.

Kara spotted a door up ahead, less than five feet away, and the need to escape overwhelmed her. Shoving the woman aside—who cried out in surprise—she made a beeline for the door and twisted the knob. Once inside, she flipped the light switch and slid the metal bolt home. Only then did she turn around to see she’d locked herself inside a small bathroom.

The scent of jasmine hung in the air, and it was a sharp reminder of home and the incense Erin occasionally burned after cooking. A glass shelf ran along one wall with more than a dozen miniature porcelain figurines.

Kara eyed the window. It looked too small for her to fit through but maybe running away wasn’t the answer. Maybe she needed to kill herself to leave, like she’d done with the REM machine? But this didn’t feel like she was inside the REM machine … that woman outside had called her James.

Oh geez, what the hell was happening?

Kara raked both hands through her hair and then froze. Her hair felt different, thinner. Greasier. She kept exploring, her fingers creeping, afraid of what else she’d find, and almost screamed upon feeling a rounded hairless patch of skin in the middle of her