"We believe Finn is hiding out within the cave system here, although it's possible he could be finding shelter any number of places out here on the mountain range. There are some old hiker cabins, plenty of rock formations, areas with dense foliage." Morgan concluded her explanation standing behind Sylvia's chair, both hands grasping the black leather, surveying the team to see what questions they had. Clearly, she had been doing this a long time, and Cadence was impressed with her polished skills--despite the odd looks she kept giving Aaron.
"How large of an area are we talking about?" Jamie asked from his seat next to Cadence.
"The Crazies are approximately forty miles long," Lucas explained. He pulled up a geographical map on the screen, which indicated various altitudes of specific peaks. "However, they're part of the Rockies, so really, if he gets wind that we are on to him, he has an endless amount of hiding places."
"And what do we know about the cave formations?" It was Aurora this time, and Cadence was happy to hear her speak up so confidently.
Again, it was Lucas who replied. "There are really only two major cave entrances to consider in this area," he explained, indicating where those were located on the map. "And they are frequented by backpackers and spelunkers this time of year."
"It would be more likely that he would try to lose us in the forests or mountainside than in the caves," Morgan stated pointedly.
"When was your last confirmed sighting?" Aaron asked, clearly considering all of the information and trying to formulate a plan.
"Yesterday," Sylvia replied. She had a thick accent that Cadence couldn't quite place and she wondered if the woman actually was from Africa. "One of the park rangers is an Independent Hunter," she explained. "He took the picture we showed you earlier."
"And where was that taken precisely?" Cadence questioned, leaning in to have a better look at the map.
Lucas utilized his IAC to place a small red dot on the map. "Right here," he responded.
"So, near the caves, but also near the hiking trails," Cadence concluded, and a nod of the Area Leader's head let her know that she was correct. "Why would he be hanging out so close to where hikers and others might see him?'
"Because he's an idiot," Christian offered.
Cadence looked at him dismissively. "Maybe," she conceded. "Or else..."
"He's waiting for someone," Aaron finished her sentence.
"And what if he's waiting for Sam and we move in and tip him off?" Jamie asked, nervously tapping the table.
Cadence knew it would be difficult for Jamie to be involved in this hunt, Meagan as well. They had both been badly wounded in the first incident. Jamie easily could have died if Cale hadn't extracted him so quickly. "I think it's a chance we have to take," she finally replied. "I mean, we can do our best to keep watch, in case he is making his way this direction. But it could be someone else. And I don't think we can afford to wait. Finn could potentially slip away."
"There's no reason for us to assume it is Sam," Aaron agreed. "I don't think we can afford to wait either. But if he's hanging out that close to trails, he is likely waiting for someone."
"Maybe, it's this guy," Morgan offered, pulling up another blurry surveillance shot.
"Who is that?" Meagan asked squinting at the unfocused image.
"We aren't sure," Hattie spoke up. "But we are pretty sure he's a Vampire. We've had some information from various sources that there has been some new activity in some of our outlying areas—and a body turned up yesterday."
Aaron was nodding, and Cadence was certain that meant he had heard this information already.
"We think he's a Rogue, just no idea who he might be. We haven't gotten a clear look at his face," Hattie concluded.
"This shot was taken outside of a Conoco near Harlowton," Morgan explained. "The clerk behind the counter said a 'weird guy' came in late and kind of hung around until the other customers left. He said he got a strange vibe from the man, and at one point, the 'creepy' guy seemed to insert some sort of weird Vampire teeth and lunge at him. He said that another group of customer came in at the time and scared him off."
Cadence looked confused. "Who interviewed him?"
"I did," Mark replied. "I run a little paranormal research center on the side. Helps feed us information. He contacted me through my website--wanted to make sure this wasn't a legitimate Vampire sighting."
"Interesting idea," Cadence said, nodding. "So you just assured him that he had nothing to worry about?"
"Essentially, but I also told him to make sure he called me if he ever saw him again," Mark agreed.
"Did he look like he had a scar from a tracker removal?" Aaron asked. "It's hard to tell in the picture."
"Yes," Morgan confirmed. "He said he had a strange scar on his forehead."
"It's gotta be Travis then," Aaron stated. "Short, stocky thin-haired older guy with his tracker cut out. Couldn't really be anyone else."
“All of the information I’ve been able to gather has him headed in this direction,” Meagan confirmed.
Morgan nodded in agreement. "So it makes sense that Finn is waiting for him then. Good call, boss," she smiled.
Cadence's raised eyebrows got only a shrug in return, and she returned to the question at hand. "So what's our next move?" she asked "Boss?"
He snickered at her addendum before replying, "You tell me. I'm sure you've got this all figured out."
"Well," she began, concentrating for a moment, "I think we intercept him. We know what he wants, and we can track him. If he can lead us to Finn, then we'll have them both."
"Or we can make him think we want to work with him, get him to lead us to Finn, and then take them both out," Morgan countered.
"Are you saying you want to work with this guy?" Cadence asked, her eyebrows knit together.
"No, I'm saying we let him think we want to work with him, and then we don't," Morgan replied.
"But if we promise him amnesty, we have to deliver," the Hunter shot back.
"Says who?" Morgan countered. "First of all, I'm not about to promise him amnesty. Lenience, perhaps, but not amnesty. Secondly, I don't think there was a whole lot of honest negotiating going on at the Sierraville Incident. If I can get a hold of our little fanged friend here, I'll get him to lead us to Finn, and we'll talk about what happens to him as an afterthought."
"But if you do that, we'll never get another Vampire to work with us again," Cadence shot back.
"I'm not concerned about anything but bringing in these two bastards right now. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to bring them in while they are in my territory," Morgan returned.
The last part of that phrase spoke volumes to Cadence and she was about to respond when Aaron interrupted.
"All right," he interjected. "Maybe we don't need to negotiate. Maybe we can just pick up on his location and track him. If we can, he'll lead us to Finn."
"Eventually," Morgan scoffed. "But that could also give him time to escape. And you have other names on your hit list, remember?"
"I'm aware," he replied, the calmness in his voice precipitous, "but if we can take them both out without double crossing anyone, then don't you think that's the way we need to go?"
"He's a Vampire," Morgan argued. "I could care less about his feelings of betrayal."
"Look," Cadence chimed in, "I understand that you want to help us bring these guys in quickly, and I appreciate it. No one wants to get them as badly as I do. But if we can pick up his trail--at all--I can track him. I guarantee you that. And if he gets us to Finn, I won't hesitate to take them both out."
Morgan seemed to hear the conviction in her voice and take it into consideration. "It's just such a large area," she explained. "I don't think you understand what we're dealing with."
A light bulb went off in Cadence's head. "What about helicopters?" she asked.
"Helicopters?" Morgan repeated, confused. "We don't have any. These are mountains."
"I understand that," Cadence replied. "But if we brought in helicopters--pilots who are used to navigating around similar terrain--we would have a better chance to track them, should they escape the perimeter."
"That could work," Aaron agreed.
"Helicopters would be awesome," Lucas agreed. "But, where would we get them?"
"I have a friend who will let us borrow his," Cadence assured them.
Morgan was listening intently. After a long pause, she finally said, "Fine. Let's try it."
"Great," Cadence smiled. "I'm glad we could all agree. I'll make the call."
Morgan nodded in either consent or agreement. From Cadence's perspective, it didn't matter. "One last question," she stated. "How are we planning on bringing Finn in?"
"What do you mean?" Cadence asked, a confused look on her face.
"Well, he's a Hunter, so I assume we're bringing him in unharmed," Morgan shrugged.
"Oh no," Cadence explained. "There will be no bringing him in--unless it's in a body bag. Don't mistake my verisimilitude for benevolence. I can be rancorous, too."
Morgan smiled. "I like you, Cadence Findley."
