Chapter 2: A Ghost in the System
The engine roared as Jasper Hawke tore across the desert, his motorcycle kicking up a trail of dust in the moonlight. Behind him, the convoy of SUVs surged forward, headlights bouncing across the uneven terrain. The men inside weren’t interested in capturing him alive.
A sharp burst of gunfire rang out. Bullets whizzed past, kicking up sand. Hawke leaned low, twisting the throttle. Speed was his best defense—at least for now.
“Langley, I need an exit.”
His handler’s voice came through the earpiece, tense but composed. “You’ve got a ridge three klicks ahead. There’s a ravine on the other side. Make it there, and you’ll lose them in the terrain.”
Jasper gritted his teeth. A calculated risk. If he made the jump, he’d disappear. If he miscalculated, he’d be a smear on the rocks.
He veered left, heading toward the rising slope. The SUVs adjusted course, their drivers realizing his intent. More gunfire erupted. A bullet grazed his shoulder, the heat of the round slicing through fabric. Jasper ignored the sting.
The ridge loomed ahead. Fifty meters. Thirty.
Then—he was airborne.
Time seemed to slow as he sailed over the ravine. The drop beneath him was sheer, rocks jagged and unforgiving. Then—impact. Tires screeched as he landed hard on the other side, skidding through the dust.
The SUVs screeched to a halt on the opposite edge. His pursuers weren’t about to risk the jump. For now, he was clear.
Jasper cut the engine, rolling the bike into a cluster of boulders for cover. He exhaled, adrenaline still pumping.
“Status?” Langley asked.
“Alive.” He flexed his shoulder, feeling the graze. “Minor hit. Nothing serious.”
“Good. But we’ve got bigger problems. That meeting wasn’t just a weapons deal. We decrypted partial comms—Karim’s buyers are tied to someone inside a government agency. This operation runs deeper than we thought.”
Jasper wiped sweat from his brow. “You’re telling me I was just in the middle of a rogue intelligence operation?”
“Exactly. And if they know you were watching, you’re not just a threat to them—you’re a target.”
Jasper glanced back toward the ridge. The SUVs were still parked there, headlights illuminating the desert. No movement. They were likely reporting back to their higher-ups.
“Then I need to disappear,” Jasper said. “Fast.”
There was a brief pause before Langley spoke again. “Already working on it. Get to Tangier. A contact there can help you get off the grid. But Hawke—”
Jasper tightened his grip on the handlebars. “Yeah?”
“This isn’t just an arms deal anymore. This is something else. And if you keep digging, you might not like what you find.”
Jasper smirked to himself, revving the engine once more.
“That’s what makes it interesting.”
With that, he turned toward the north, vanishing into the night.
