Chapter 3 - The Waitress
The waitress stared at Rex through the scope of her customized rifle.
Her name tag still read Betty but there was nothing sweet about her cold expression.
"Get in, both of you," she snapped without lowering the weapon.
Hale pushed Rex into the dark interior of the van before climbing in behind him.
The tires squealed as the van tore out of the alley and left the shootout far behind.
Rex slumped against the metal wall and panted heavily.
"Who the hell are you people?" Rex demanded while glaring at the old man.
Hale pulled a medical kit from under a seat and began patching his bleeding shoulder.
"My name is Arthur Hale and I am the architect of a shadow agency that officially does not exist," he said calmly.
Betty kept her eyes on the rearview mirror and drove like a professional getaway pilot.
"Miller sold us out, Arthur," she said grimly.
"The entire network has been compromised from the inside."
Rex looked at the silver hawk patch pinned to his leather collar.
"You said you buried your son in this patch," Rex said with a shaking voice.
"My father told me his father died a hero."
Hale stopped wrapping his bandage and looked deeply into Rex's eyes.
"Your father lied to you," Hale stated flatly.
"My son died in a fiery helicopter crash forty years ago."
"I personally placed that silver hawk on his chest before they closed the casket."
Rex shook his head and refused to believe his entire life was a lie.
"Then how did it end up with me?" Rex asked defensively.
Hale pulled a tablet from the van’s dashboard and plugged in a secure drive.
"That is exactly what we are going to find out," Hale muttered as he typed rapidly.
A blue light scanned Rex's face from the tablet screen.
The database searched for familial DNA matches using government medical records.
The screen flashed red.
"Access Denied," a robotic voice announced.
Hale frowned and bypassed the security wall using his highest clearance codes.
The screen flashed green and revealed a classified file with Rex's biological lineage.
Hale’s face drained of color as he read the name on the screen.
He slowly turned the tablet around so Rex could see it.
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"You are not my grandson," Hale whispered in horror.
"You are the grandson of the man who blew up my son's helicopter."
