Jacqui chugged the water from the container like a thirsty beast. She just couldn’t get enough of it. Water never tasted so good, better than an orgasm, Jacqui thought, as she splashed some straight into her face. Jacqui was parched, grimy, and her body ached like she just came through a meat grinder. She was up at 0400 hours in her jogging suit and trainers. Uncle Max met her at the door of a building that resembled a huge hangar.
When Uncle Max said yesterday that training started today before the crack of dawn, Jacqui thought he meant some light exercises that would involve some sit-ups and jumping jacks. She was never further from the truth. The next couple of hours had been the most intensive Jacqui ever subjected her body to. And she knew this was just the start.
Uncle Max led her through a routine of squats and crunches, lunges and hamstring curls until her ass had no more feeling left in them. “C’mon Jacqui, move that body,” Uncle Max shouted like a drill sergeant. Then he moved on to pull ups, sit-ups, bicep curls, and bench press. Her arms and legs felt disconnected from her body. Her hand was shaking so hard she almost dropped the water bottle she was holding. She was grateful for the fifteen minute break the old man gave her.
“Alright, Jacqui… back to work…” Uncle Max shouted from the sidelines.
She wanted to complain but didn’t have the courage to. When she arrived yesterday, Uncle Max told her exactly what to expect for the next couple of weeks. He was dead serious as he went through the program with her. If he was trying to discourage her, he almost succeeded. But Jacqui was too proud to say it. She had come this far to become a bounty hunter.
Before she even got settled into the bedroom that would be hers during her stay, Uncle Max talked to her privately in what he called his ‘interrogation room.’ It was a small building at the back of the property. The walls were lined with an assortment of maps indicating the different states of the United States. There were yellow pins tacked on certain cities within the map. Jacqui looked around curiously. She noticed the different surveillance gadgets like GPS tracking, high resolution cameras, night vision goggles, an assortment of pens, and spy gear which she was seeing for the first time in her life.
A bank of television sets was stacked near the wall manned by a single individual. Jacqui saw it was streaming live from some part of the country she did not recognize. A huge glass cabinet held an assortment of guns, some she recognized from her dad’s own collection.
“Take a seat Jacqui,” Uncle Max indicated a wooden table with hardback chairs in a small corner of the room. He did not speak for some time and Jacqui had a strong desire to squirm under his intense gaze.
“Are you sure this is what you want because right now I am here to tell you, it’s not going to be an easy life,” Uncle Max said. Jacqui nodded her head, indicating she understood. When she came to her decision back home on the night she called Uncle Max, she quit her job the very next day. She told her boss she wanted to do some travelling. Her boss gave her the go-signal. “It’s probably what you need right now,” he even said.
Jacqui wasn’t sure what Uncle Max thought about the whole idea. She hadn’t heard from him since she made the call. But a few days later she found an envelope that was left on her porch. There was no forwarding address and it didn’t look like it came by mail. Inside was a one-way ticket to Utah and strict instructions what to bring along. Only a small backpack was needed for the clothing list. It became pretty obvious this was not going to be some luxurious holiday.
She was met at the airport by a burly, bald-headed man, wearing dark sunglasses on a stern face. He reminded Jacqui of an ex-marine or military man. He ushered her into a waiting SUV, got behind the wheel, and started the engine.
They left the city behind until all Jacqui could see were tall mountain ranges in the distance. A few miles onward, they turned into a small dirt road and followed a winding path until Jacqui noticed a copse of large evergreen trees where they seemed to be headed. The trees covered a large expanse of land, save for small clearings with structures that resembled warehouses or large barns. They drove past these until they came to a smaller building where she saw Uncle Max waiting by the door. He greeted her warmly, but Jacqui sensed a certain formality in his demeanor.
Looking at him now, sitting behind the table with a grim expression on his face, Jacqui was suddenly filled with an overwhelming insecurity. Did she make the right decision after all? But Jacqui remembered the downward spiral she was on. The sex with random guys. The orgasms she needed to get some sleep so she could stop thinking about the tragic events of her life. And she needed a purpose… to find some meaning in her life. To honor her dad’s memory so she would never forget. For her mom who supported him all the way, and for Danny, who was never given the chance to experience what life was all about.
“Yes, Uncle Max. I have never been surer about anything in my life,” she declared with a certain degree of conviction. Uncle Max smiled, and for the first time since she arrived, Jacqui felt relieved. She knew whatever lay ahead, Uncle Max wouldn’t spare her, wouldn’t try to make things easy for her. She knew that.
“Ok then, let’s get you started. I am The Agency. I will be responsible for your training. You will not question my decisions… you will do as I say. The training will be rigorous because you will meet all kinds of low-life scumbags. A lot of times your life will be in danger. But you will be trained in self-defense and handling weapons until I feel that you are totally capable of protecting yourself out there. Then and only then will I send you out on a mission. Is that clear?” Uncle Max asked. Jacqui nodded her head in agreement.
“Alright, settle in. You will be shown to your room. Tomorrow your training starts. And for the next couple of days you will only remember pain,” The old man warned her. He wasn’t kidding. After five hours of the most intense exercise routines she had ever done, Jacqui couldn’t even remember her name. Her body hurt even in places she didn’t know existed. And this was just her first day in boot camp.
Lunch had been sparse, with just some fish and vegetables. She was given an hour to rest inside her room which was composed of a bunk bed and a footlocker for her personal stuff. No TV, no telephone, no computer or laptop. Then she was called back again and told to run around a circuit she didn’t even notice earlier in the day. She tried counting in her head the number of times she completed a circuit before fatigue settled in and lost count completely. It took all her will power to put one leg in front of the other. By the time Uncle Max called for a halt, dusk had settled and stars appeared brightly in a cloudless sky.
“Supper will be brought to your room. Tomorrow we do the whole routine again,” Uncle Max declared before he left. It wasn’t a request. It was an order. Jacqui trudged slowly back to her room. There is no time to dwell on the unfamiliarity and sparse surroundings. The bed was a most welcome sight and calling her name. She groaned in pain as she stretched her arms over her head to remove her workout clothes. Her back was racked with pain as she bent to unlace her trainers.
Jacqui managed to splash some water onto her face before falling face down into the soft covers with only her undies on. Sleep came easy for Jacqui that night. A sleep so deep she hardly noticed the appearance of two figures in her room.
“You think she’ll make it?” an older voice inquired. “I don’t know Uncle Max. You put her through the wringer today,” the other replied. Uncle Max sighed as he looked at the sleeping form of the girl on the bed. “You’re hoping maybe she’ll give up and just go back home?” the second figure asked curiously.
“Yes… this kind of life isn’t for her. She’s been through a lot already. But I also can’t accept throwing her life away with all those men in strange hotel rooms,” Uncle Max replied. “Well… you said the same thing about me too, remember? I didn’t turn out too badly,” the younger man said. “No, Adam, you are doing very well. The fact is… you will play an important role in this girl’s future,” Uncle Max replied.
“I can hardly wait…” Adam replied, taking in the full breasts and rounded ass of the sleeping form on the bed. “Just learn to keep that cock of yours inside your pants…” warned the old man, with a hint of indulgence in his voice.
The two figures departed slowly out of the room where Jacqui Schneider slept an exhausted, dreamless sleep.