PARTMENT OF SECURITY
IN ACCORDANCE WITH SBP PROTOCOLS,
SINCE YOU ARE NOT YET WITH CHILD,
YOU WILL BE PERMITTED
A MOURNING PERIOD OF TWO WEEKS
BEFORE HAVING TO VACATE THE PREMISES
AND MOVE BACK INTO
A SINGLE PERSON’S DWELLING UNIT
WE ARE SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS.
No longer bound by the need to remain patient or act cautiously, Jackie downloaded the video she filmed onto the internet. She used a program Bill wrote to make sure everyone heard it loud and clear.
After downloading it, Jackie sat back and waited for the coming storm. She was hoping it would be Ricardo who came walking through her door to arrest her, all confident and cocky, believing himself untouchable.
4
Back at the mansion, Dawson met with Dr. Penelope and SI Chandra, who the doc brought along at the special request of someone Dawson was never sure even existed.
“So the rumors are true.”
“The best ones always are.” Dr. Penelope said.
“Believe me. It was as much of a shock to me as I am sure it is to you.” SI Chandra said.
“So the old coot is still locked away up there. I guess Atera isn’t so paranoid after all.” Dawson said in response to the confirmed existence of the urban legend he speculated was responsible for helping Jacob retrieve the video footage of Ricardo planting evidence. He never knew for sure if he was still up there, until now.
“Well, that is just one of the things we came here to speak with you about.” Dr. Penelope told Dawson.
“But before we get into that, have you seen the news in the last couple of hours?” SI Chandra said as he inquired about current events.
“No. Why?”
“It’s better if you see it for yourself. Just turn on a TV or the internet, you cannot miss it.” Doc Penelope informed him how widespread the latest breaking news story was.
Standing in front of the hospital bed where the GAC laid prone, Dawson directed them to nearest information source.
“There is a TV in the kitchen.”
It took less than twenty seconds to find the story on the News Media Network (NMN), and under minute for them to air the sensational video the entire country was buzzing about within a few short hours of Jackie downloading it.
“He cannot be allowed to remain in power.” Dawson said. “He must be stopped.”
“I hope you will agree with our plan to do just that.” Chandra said seeking approval.
“I warned Atera it would mean trouble if she let him out of the cage he was properly locked away in. Except I believe she is blinded by their like-minded philosophy.”
“Everything we have in mind is legal. No one will be compromised because of it.” Chandra stated the legitimacy of their plan. “But we could use your help accomplishing it.”
“It would be my pleasure to do anything I can to put him back where he belongs. Too bad the video isn’t conclusive. There is no audio, and Ricardo does not appear on camera. It does positively identify Lorenzo Lacy as the interrogator. Something I knew was a big mistake and would come back to bite him when Ricardo let that disgrace back in a DOS uniform.”
“The video may not be a smoking gun, but it does put another round in the chamber. We just need you to help provide the killshot.” SI Chandra said in detective speak.
“What my gumshoe colleague is trying to say, if we can demonstrate Atera was not mentally competent when she pardoned and promoted Ricardo to Chief Magistrate, it would also nullify any appointments or decisions she made while not in control of her faculties.” Dr. Penelope informed him of the Constitutional Amendment Foster Gideon told them about.
Gideon contacted Dr. Penelope with an unprecedented task for him, to do something only the GAC had done before—recruit members for his ultra-secret spy network. He sent him two packages by special delivery service. Doc Penelope did not have to open the packages to know what they contained. Neither was for him, but he had seen packages like them before.
It didn’t surprise him if Gideon was going to ask him to approach potential recruits for the clandestine work, one of them would be SI Chandra. The highly regarded inspector would be a natural fit, even if he didn’t already have firsthand knowledge of the strange old man locked away in the Black Room.
“I know how loyal you are to Atera, Dawson.” Dr. Penelope continued, adding a bit of incentive. “But in helping us depose Ricardo, you will provide the GAC with the medical attention he needs.”
“I won’t stand in your way, and I will do what I can to support you.” Dawson gave his consent for them to proceed without any hindrance on his part, but without offering his full support either. He was on the fence about giving up Atera as the one who poisoned the GAC. Even though done without malice of forethought, it would surely win their case concerning her stability. Erring on the side of caution (or so he thought), he decided to try and speak with Atera before making up his mind. He owed her that much.
5
Over the past one hundred years, the existence of the Free Will Forever rebellion had been teetering on the edge of total extinction. The organization had suffered many crushing defeats over the years. Rebuilt over and over again, under the guidance of different leaders, after a while, it got so no one knew who was in charge. They operated under independent cells, each separately working toward a similar goal. After the word spread of finding the Prophet Warrior’s heir, the rebel group began to reform around their united cause.
Chandra had just about given up hope of ever achieving his self-proclaimed higher destiny. Ricardo regulated him to what he felt to be the trash heap of police work, the evidence locker, and he decided to put in for retirement at the end of the month. He thought what Foster said about him still being useful were forgotten hollow words, only used to motivate him at the time. Then he received a strange call telling him to get ready for what happened next. Recognizing the voice on the other end of the phone right off, even though he heard it only once before, Chandra sat up alert and aware, snapping out of his lethargically reclined state of body and mind.
“I hope you have not become to comfortably complacent, Inspector. Your special skills are much in need. Things will be happening at an expedited rate now. You do not have time for conformity. You need to be ready.” Foster’s voice came through in a serious, placid tone.
“I will help out in any way I can, but I don’t know how much good I can do in my present capacity.”
Almost as if on cue, a priority message popped up on his computer screen notifying Chandra of his promotion to Chief Special Investigator, a position giving him carte blanche to investigate anyone or anything.
Chandra smiled at the notification with a self-satisfied grin spreading across his face as he replied to Foster with a renewed vigor.
“How can I be of service?”
6
The day Norman Charlotte came across Hanna at the zoo and decided to present her as his candidate to match with the heir, it occurred out of pure happenstance. The day he picked Samantha to be Hanna’s replacement, Norman had specifically set out in search of a new candidate. If he could find another suitable match, it would have a big effect on his life, showing how he could be useful to the FWF after retiring from the DOS. If he knew the ramifications of his choice, he would have been content to remain at his boring occupation for another thirty years.
To save his own skin, Norman told Ricardo he had just joined the FWF, and this was his first assignment. So he didn’t know much about the inner workings of the rebel group or any other members, except for the guy who recruited him, and gave up Max as the only FWF member he knew. Through his job at the Nation’s new Capitol Building, located at the main branch office of the DOS in the District of Colorado, Norman inadvertently came across some information on Max.
Ricardo busted Norman red-handed at his second meeting with Samantha. She wore a wire and waited for Norman cooked his own goose before snatching him u
p. When asked about the unnamed heir, he said the FWF only revealed the heir’s identity to whomever they choose as a match for him. Ricardo decided to use Norman as a confidential informant, much in the same way a narc put a low-level drug dealer back on the street to try and hook an even bigger fish. He came up with a plan that would require Atera’s consent and full support to pull off, which she willingly gave.
Ricardo and Atera forged a common bond over their mutually shared hatred for the man everybody loved. Their animosity came from different perspectives, but led to the same emotional response of envious jealousy, which had never gone beyond scorn until now. After learning of the special treatment Guardian Administrator Cain was bestowing on Jacob, it became their final straw.
That is when Ricardo started to suspect Jacob might be the Prophet Warrior’s heir from the way the GAC always showed him great favor. He came up with the plan to humiliate Jacob by setting up his friends as traitors, thinking his association with them would cause him to lose public support. Atera went along with his scheme, which came back to bite him from his own stubborn pride. It was only because of his utter failure Atera elected to make a desperate move of her own.
Ricardo was still in the dark about what Atera did to free him from bondage and in the process raised him up to the new exalted heights he never conceived possible. What Ricardo did not realize, it was his decision to setup Jackie to spy on Jacob that would end up blowing back in his face in the worse possible way imaginable.
7
Jackie patiently waited with the sun setting on the horizon, closing out another hectic day. She had not moved a muscle, twitched an eyebrow, or scratched an itch since downloading the torture video of Bill onto the internet. She just sat there waiting.
Waiting and thinking about who was truly responsible for the situation she was in, which included herself in the blame game, Jackie felt the deepest betrayal came from someone she once called a friend. In taking responsibility for her own actions, she decided to let the chips fall where they may, and not run away from the consequences she felt almost as deserving of as the architect behind these tragic events.
She never believed for one second Bill would take his own life, no matter what they did to him. It was not in the nature of the man she never planned on getting to know, but fell in love with away. She kept thinking about something Ricardo told her before he left the interrogation room.
“Just remember this, Jackie. There is no place you can hide I cannot find you, so don’t go doing anything stupid. If you play your cards right, this might have a happy ending, and Bill will never have to know the role you played in the unfortunate events of the day. I will even make him believe it was all a case of mistaken identity.”
Less than three miles away, Samantha headed over to Jackie’s place with a six man HOUSE team in two DOS Eco-SUV assault vehicles. Ricardo advised her to take extra precautions. Jackie downloading the video onto the internet proved she might be unstable and capable of anything.
Ricardo was thirty-five minutes away, having to travel the greater distance after leaving the Guardian Administrator’s mansion, which was a total waste of his time. He felt if he had been around, he might have been able to stop Jackie from putting out the video. All he could hope to do now was silence her before things got worse. Ricardo was upset with himself for not searching her to make sure she couldn’t do what she did. After all, Bill Betty was a techno wizard, but he also turned out to be much more than that.
Arriving at Jackie’s with the setting sun illuminating the house in a fiery glow, Samantha and her HOUSE team parked out on the street. Stepping out of their vehicles, the HOUSE team immediately began checking their equipment and weapons in preparation to breech the home if necessary. Samantha did not want to make a big scene, wanting to avoid any more bad press.
She decided to do it as quietly as possible, taking what she considered at the time to be a precautionary measure to avoid any potential blowback.
“Captain Calley, take your men and surround the perimeter. I will go in alone to see if I can get her to surrender peacefully. We used to be roommates. I might be able to talk some sense into her.” Samantha said to the HOUSE Captain.
“Are you sure you do not want someone to go in with you, detective?” Captain Calley asked more out of concern for his reputation than her safety. He was the son of the DOS Committee Expert and wanted to impress his father with a show of bravery.
“That won’t be necessary, Captain. I will be fine. I doubt she has any kind of weapon, and I do not want to spook her.” Samantha said to the disappointed captain.
As the men took position around the house, Samantha received a called from Ricardo while heading up the walkway to the front door.
“I am on my way in as we speak.” Samantha said using her radio headset to communicate with him.
“I’m thirty minutes out, so be careful, and keep me on the line when you go inside.” Ricardo’s voice sounded out in her ear.
“Don’t worry, I will.” Samantha said upon reaching the front door as she unsnapped the holster on her recently acquired sidearm. She rang the bell as if it was Avon calling.
“Door is open. Come inside and step into my parlor.” Jackie’s cryptic voice came through the door.
Turning the doorknob, Samantha lightly pushed the door open, while keeping her free hand down by her unsnapped gun holster Ricardo insisted she carry. The door swung inward to reveal Jackie sitting like a statue on the couch, facing the door. Samantha stepped inside, slightly taken aback by the sight of Jackie’s blank-eyed, thousand-yard stare.
Seeing Samantha’s startled reaction brought on the slightest of grins creeping through Jackie’s stone hard countenance.
“I’ll be damned. I didn’t think anyone could get you to blink. What happened to the tough as nails tomboy I called friend and roommate for two years? What could possibly make you so nervous by simply being in my presence? Could it be some act of betrayal or just a guilty conscience?”
“Listen, Jackie. It does not have to go down like this. We can find a way to work things out. This doesn’t have to end badly. Maybe Ricardo can arrange another SBP match for you.”
Samantha attempted to reason with Jackie, who appeared quite poised, considering her present situation.
“As I am sure you know I never much cared about being matched to anyone before. And even though I believe Bill could sense that in me, he never said a word and always treated me with respect. He used to love talking about his work, and I was a good listener. I remember him telling me after the Caesar’s Palace bombing how easy it would be for anyone to make an explosive device out of everyday household products. You just need the right ingredients and know how to mix them properly.
An apprehensive feeling started growing in Samantha’s gut, trying to figure out what Jackie meant.
“So tell me, Samantha. Does Ricardo make his own bombs or did he get somebody to do his dirty work for him, like he did with you and me?”
Samantha started visually scanning the room with her eyes to see if anything was out of place, trying not to alert Jackie of her suspicions when Ricardo’s voice rang out in her ear through her headset.
“What did she just say?”
“I’m not sure what she is getting at.” Samantha said in a soft voice.
Jackie seemed to get a lift from realizing Samantha was in communication with someone. She leaned forward and picked up the CPU-HDTV remote off the coffee table.
“Is that Ricardo you are speaking to?” Jackie asked. “How long before he gets here?”
“He will be here in less than thirty minutes.”
“Too bad we don’t have time. I wish he could have been here for this.”
“What is she talking about?” Ricardo’s voice called out in her ear, hearing the same apprehension in his words Samantha felt from standing in the same room with Jackie. “I don’t like it. Get out of there.”
“Hey, Ricardo,” Jackie shouted out, making sure he heard
what she said next. “You broke my heart, and now I am going to break yours.”
Jackie pointed the remote at the CPU-HDTV.
Samantha followed her line of sight from the remote to the CPU-HDTV mounted in the wall and noticed for the first time a strange clay like substance molded around the edge of the screen with wires connecting to the control panel.
“Sam, get out of there. Get out now!” Ricardo screamed after realizing what was about to happen.
“It’s too late. Goodbye, my love.”
As Jackie clicked on the remote, the whole house exploded into a giant flaming ball of shooting debris. Samantha and Jackie where caught in the main blast area, killing them instantly. They never felt a thing. Engulfed in flames from sitting on the couch in front of the CPU-HDTV, the blast practically incinerated Jackie as it sent Samantha flying backwards and crashing through the door right onto the front lawn.
The brunt of the shock wave blasting through the wooden structure killed the six-man HOUSE team, propelling their burned and charred bodies into the air, torn to shreds from the flying debris.
A high-pitched screech sounded out in Ricardo’s ear for a quick second before going completely dead silent. On the distance horizon ahead of him, Ricardo could see a giant cloud puff of smoke rising up from the ground as the sun was on its final set before fading into a moonlit night.
By the time he arrived on the scene, the fire department had put out the fire, successfully preventing it from spreading to the other houses in the SBP neighborhood. Along with the fire engines, there were several different types of emergency vehicles, coroners’ vans, and unnecessary ambulances—since the victims were all deceased. No one survived the blast beyond a few garbled, blood spewed words from the lips of a dying man, who just happened to be the son of the DOS Committee Expert.
Ricardo said nothing, showed no emotions, and stood like a statue, much in the same way Jackie sat on the couch. He listened to the reports spoken in his ear with his mind far away in another place. Lorenzo stood by his side, affirming or countermanding inquires on how to proceed next.
“Yes, the medical examiner may remove the bodies. No do not send out any death notifications until all the deceased have been identified. I am sure the Chief Magistrate would rather take care of the notifications himself.”
When Ricardo and Lorenzo were the only ones left, Ricardo finally spoke.
“Lorenzo, go get our song bird. It is time for him to start singing about everything he knows, or else I am going to clip his wings.”
8
Bouncing hard off the solid concrete wall of the detention cell with a heavy thud, the man slumped down on the floor curled up in a ball of fear. Lorenzo’s rank breath exhaled down on him from an elevated position as the big man stood over the cowering man.
Ricardo stepped up behind Lorenzo with a supporting hand on the open cell door and issued instructions on how he wanted the interrogation to commence.
“Lorenzo, remember when I told you to take it easy on the other one. You don’t have to worry about that with this one. Do whatever it takes to get him to tell you everything he knows. I do not care how small the detail. By the time you are done, you should know how old he was when he stopped wetting the bed. Do you understand? Be thorough. I want complete and full disclosure. I don’t care if you have to break anything, just make sure he is conscious and can still talk.” Ricardo gave his orders to the delight of Lorenzo and outright terror of the man on the floor.
“No, wait. I will tell you everything I know. I’ll talk…”
“Save it, Norman. You had your chance to walk away unscathed. It is time to show you the cost of your silence. He is all yours, Lorenzo.”
Letting out a scoffing, satisfied sigh, the big man towering over Norman Charlotte was more than obliged to carry out his orders. Norman could tell this was a man who enjoyed his work and played his hold card in an attempt to lessen coming blow, but only managed to increase the magnitude.
“Hanna Scott is a FWF spy!”
Ricardo stopped in his tracks, causing Lorenzo to hold up with his appointed duty.
“What are you saying? Where is your proof? Why should I believe you?”
“I recruited her.” Norman said, reluctant to reveal the truth of his involvement.
“Well that just proves you are a liar. Because you were either lying to me when we met, claiming Samantha was your first recruit, or you are lying to me now, which would be a big mistake and really upset me.” Ricardo stated his conclusions attempting to reason what lie was true and which one false—a hard thing to do with logic and semantics getting in the way.
“She knows who the Prophet Warrior’s heir is.”
Norman gave Ricardo crucial information he hoped would shift the focus from him, but soon realized the adverse effect from holding back the pertinent data.
“Lorenzo,” Ricardo said nodding his head toward Norman.
Lorenzo stepped forward, grabbed Norman by his shirt collar, and gave him a few quick jabs in the face. The first punch broke Norman’s nose in three places as the second sent two red rivers a flowing from it. The third was for good measure, after which Lorenzo let Norman fall back onto the concrete floor.
“Norman, if you are lying to me, I swear I will have Lorenzo break every bone in your body. This has been a very costly day for me. So do not waste my time. What you are saying just doesn’t make any sense. I know the GAC handpicked Hanna for Jacob.”
Beaten, bloodied, and broken, Norman remained on the floor with tears rolling down his cheeks, mixing with the blood running from his nose and dripping onto the floor.
“It did not make sense to the FWF, either. It happened a week before she was supposed to be matched to the heir. She received an exclusive, For Her Eyes Only identity packet with the name of the heir and some personal information. I wouldn’t even know who he was until after they were successfully matched.” Norman’s confession was factual.
“If this is true, why didn’t you tell me about this back then? You could have saved yourself a great deal of trouble if you had.”
“After Hanna was matched to Jacob, I didn’t know what to think. How could I expect you to believe me? The FWF did not know what to do about her. They cut off all ties and left her to fend for herself. They believed she would never dare tell Jacob the truth.”
While it didn’t make much sense to Norman or the FWF, Ricardo was privy to some inside information they could not access. If he had known about this earlier, he would never have setup Jackie there, and poor Samantha would still be alive. Ricardo was going to crush Jacob with this so her death would not be in vain. He knew what he needed to do now. He had to go draft a warrant for Hanna’s arrest and material witness warrants for Michael and Eve. He would go and bring them back himself, unless of course anyone resisted arrest, and he surely hoped they would. His pent up rage was about to boil and ready to expel his furious wrath on those he felt deserved it.
But for now, Norman would do.
After getting a full video confession out of Norman, Ricardo gave Lorenzo a bone to chew on while he went and filled out the paper work.
“Lorenzo, keep Norman entertained while I get these warrant issued. Show him the cost of holding back vital information. Just make sure he is able to testify in court.”
“I understand completely, Chief Magistrate Danielle. I’ll teach him real good.”
“No, wait. I told you everything I know, please.” Norman pleaded for mercy.
“Yes. You did. But you should have told me sooner.” Ricardo said before walking away as Lorenzo closed in on the terrified man cowering on the floor.
9
Stepping out into the night air, Ricardo started heading down the long, expansive courthouse steps with his legal warrants. Before paying a visit to Norman’s cell, Ricardo informed the DOS Committee Expert of his son’s tragic demise, assuring his new ally he would totally destroy the FWF so completely they would never rise up again. He vowed extreme and
swift justice on anyone who had anything to do with it. Whoever was involved, directly or indirectly, would pay for their treachery.
After arriving at the courthouse, Ricardo never doubted for a second whether they would grant him the warrants and provide him with the means to seek out justice. The DOS Committee Expert never asked about the alleged torture video that didn’t show Ricardo on camera, and seemed unconcerned with the whole matter. The old war dog knew the need to extract information by any means necessary when it could be the difference between saving the lives of many over the discomfort of the few.
Seeing SI Chandra walking up the steps, Ricardo could not help but wonder what could possibly bring him out to court this time of night.
“Chief Magistrate Danielle, I would like to offer my deepest condolences for your loss earlier today. It is such a shame to lose so many fine young people in their prime. Det. Archer was a highly competent investigator and a credit to the job.”
“I appreciate your kind words. She was the best I have ever known. I will…I do miss her. Sadly, I cannot allow my heavy heart to get in the way of doing my duty to seek justice on anyone involved in the plots and schemes of these FWF rebels.”
“I can see you must be moving on some recent development in the case, if I am not mistaken about those being warrants tucked under your arm. Following up on a hot lead, I take it.”
“Yes, some new evidence has come to light that I am going to personally follow up. It is high priority, sensitive need to know information. So you will understand why I cannot tell you anymore right now. But I may inquire, what brings you to the halls of justice at this hour?”
“I have been called in by the Committee of Experts for a special assignment. They appointed me as a Special Investigator to look into the alleged torture video released earlier today and any connection with the bombing at Jackie Roberts’ home. I am sorry to have put you through this, but I’m going to need to get statements from you and Lorenzo when available.” Chandra informed him of his new promotion and required duties.
“No problem, we can schedule an interview as soon as I get back from serving these warrants. Congratulations on the promotion. I cannot think of anyone more qualified for the job. I will sleep better knowing you are working the case.
“See you when you get back then. I still have some preliminary investigating to complete. I am sure it will turn out to be nothing when seen in a proper context.”
“Yes, I am certain of it. We will talk more when I get back.”
“Once again, accept my condolences for your loss.” Chandra said as Ricardo left.
Having called ahead, Lorenzo was waiting for him parked at the bottom of the courthouse steps. Getting in the car, Ricardo could not shake the feeling that there were outside forces working against him, colluding with his enemies.
“Get me to Tracy, California as fast as possible, Lorenzo. We need to move quickly from now on.”
“Does this mean you are willing to fly, Chief Magistrate Danielle?” Lorenzo asked, knowing Ricardo’s fear of flying always kept him firmly planted on the ground, but sensed his urgency and decided to ask.
“No. Just drive as fast as you can.” Ricardo said unable to conquer his fear when faced with responding urgently to a situation. He knew it was an irrational phobia. One he could not find a rational explanation to expel the terrifying fear of not being in control.
10
Max and Jean traveled incognito, driving out to Tracy, California with a forty-mile head start on Ricardo and Lorenzo. They had what seemed like an insurmountable twenty-seven miles more to their destination. While they left three hours before their traveling foes, Max and Jean had to navigate through the back roads with Jean doing the driving in order to keep Max out of sight and their cover intact. Not wanting to travel during the day, they waited until sunset instead of leaving directly after Jean’s impromptu meeting with Chandra sent them on the unscheduled road trip. It was a decision they soon found themselves regretting when Chandra called to warn them about Ricardo being on his way with some warrants.
When Chandra approached her walking through the park—her favorite place to go think and get away from it all—Jean didn’t expect anything out the ordinary that day, since she was not there to meet Max. She was strolling along when Chandra stepped out from behind a large tree on the path she was walking as he tried to set her on another one.
Unsure of why he was there, or what he could possibly want from her, Jean’s initial reaction was one of frightened uncertainty. Her first thought, however ridiculous, was to run. Chandra seemed to sense his presence was causing her concern and attempted to alleviate the notion of hostile intent.
“You have nothing to fear from me, my good lady. I assure you. I come in peace and bear you no ill will. In fact, my purpose is quite the opposite. Since, I come bearing a gift and one humble request.” SI Chandra said, illustrating his good intentions.
Letting out a gentle sigh of relief, Jean could feel her heart start beating normally inside her chest again. Put more at ease, she refused to let her guard totally down.
“You will have to excuse my confusion. I do not understand what it is you think I can do for you.” Jean said.
“All I ask of you, my dear, is to do me a favor by simply passing on to a friend of yours, should you have occasion to see him, this old maxim; ‘When you see after dark into forever tomorrow, the written words of The Author can be found hidden in between the lines on the pages of The Book of Tomorrows’. And give him this gift.” Chandra said in a tactful manner, not saying whom, only insinuating she might be in a position to pass on something to someone.
Coined by the Good Doctor, the passcode dated back to the roots of the free will rebellion. Originally devised as a code phrase and counter phrase, the first half was an introduction with the second half given in response, reminiscent of the old cold war days. While Jean was not familiar with the odd phrase, Max knew the old adage well. He just had not heard it spoken in over twenty years. Chandra also told her the gift he was passing on to her was not for the person he wanted her to say the passcode to, but someone else they both knew and imperative she get it to him as soon as possible.
Even though Chandra did not know whom the warrants were for or how many there were, he warned Jean to be careful. Ricardo was acting much too calm, almost absent of any emotions, only focused on the task ahead of him. They were blanket warrants, legally issued with the name redacted from official and public records until served to the person whose name appeared only on the actual document. It could be anyone of them. The only other tidbit of information Chandra could dig up had to do with a black-bagged detainee suspected of being a member of the FWF.
Max and Jean knew it could mean only one thing.
Somebody’s cover had to be blown, and it wasn’t hard to figure out who’s, especially since they were the ones who recruited Eve and very few people knew who she really was, or Michael, for that matter. As for them, Max was already a wanted fugitive, thanks to Norman Charlotte lying to Ricardo about Max being the one who recruited him. They barely knew each other, but Norman resented the fact Max always manage to move around freely. It was a mystery to most FWF members, including Jean, who was one of the few not suspicious of Max because of it. After her meeting with Chandra, Jean finally learned why and understood the need for secrecy.
Chandra gave Jean the implant to pass on, which was not for Max. He didn’t need an implant, since he already had one given to him by the GAC when first starting his ultra-secret spy network. Max was a sleeper agent with no contact whatsoever with the other members of the group. Operating under a deep cover mission, he could not even tell Jean the truth. His single standing order from the GAC was to wait. When the time came, he would know it on the day someone told him the secret passcode phrase.
Their lead on Ricardo had diminished considerably by the time they reached Tracy, with Ricardo able to travel as fast as he could, while they had to remain off radar. Pulling into th
e Tracy motel adjacent to the airport, Jean parked her recently acquired Eco-Camper Van in front of Michael’s and Eve’s room, next to Jacob’s and Hanna’s. Jean had the van allocated for her new job traveling around to the country’s National State Parks giving lectures and teaching children about the wonders of nature. It was a great way to travel without drawing attention and also something Jean enjoyed doing.
Getting out of the van and looking around the motel parking lot for anybody passing by or loitering around, Jean waited a moment before approaching Michael and Eve’s room. Before she could knock on their door, the door to the other honeymooning couple’s room opened up halfway as Jacob poked his head out.
“Jean, we are over here.”
Cautiously looking over at Jacob, Jean had no reason to doubt his loyalty. He knew the truth about Michael and Eve, along with Hanna revealing her own hidden identity, uniting them all in a common cause. Jean still could not be sure about someone so close to the GAC. Her concern was for Max’s safety, but she decided to trust Michael and Eve’s instincts.
“I have someone in the van.”
“Tell Max it is safe to come in out of the cold. We are all on the same side now.”
With the dark of night providing ample cover, Jean ushered Max into the motel room with only a starry sky bearing witness, but even the stars have eyes sometimes.
Once inside the safe confines of four walls and a ceiling, the odd alliance of mutually forged new friendships discussed what had been and what was to come in their fight for truth and justice.
“After getting your call, Michael and Eve went to prepare the plane for their extended trip.” Jacob said in reference to the need for their hurried night flight.
Hanna sat on the edge of the bed, presenting a picture of calm, even though her stomach was churning with the worry Jacob freely expressed through his body language. Pacing back and forth, his concern for Hanna’s safety came from knowing Ricardo was on the way, believing he knew whom he was coming for and why.
“Is it close? Can I walk there from here? I have something very important to give Michael from Foster Gideon.” Max asked, informing them of his intentions.
“You can get there unnoticed through a path out back by the pool. It leads to the hanger where Eve stored the plane they commandeered for the trip.” Jacob told Max. Then tilted his head toward Hanna and said. “I have been trying to convince Hanna to go with them.”
“I already told you, Jacob. They don’t have the room and cannot afford the extra weight with their fuel. Eve had to outfit the plane with an extra fuel tank just to make the long trip over the ocean possible.” Hanna insisted Jacob was not thinking clearly.
“Ricardo is on his way. I believe he is coming for you. If he has a legal warrant, I will not be able to stop him without a fight.” Jacob said, indicating that would not stop him.
“He won’t be far behind us. So it might be better if I wasn’t here when he arrives.” Max said about his presence being a bigger problem.
“I will go watch for them coming.” GP Sally volunteered, wanting to improve his position, which had a poor sightline to see anyone approaching until it was too late to do anything about it.
“Good idea, Harvey. Check it out. Don’t let them know you are here. If we can get out of here undetected it will take more time to figure out where we went. I don’t think Ricardo knows Eve is a pilot.” Jacob said.
Harvey went out to make sure the coast was clear, walking around to the front of the building’s inverted horseshoe design as the airport motel curved around an in-ground pool located out back. He was able to get a better vantage point of the entrance, a hundred yards up an asphalt driveway. There was an old bi-plane fuselage mounted on the roof of the aviator motel, setting down in a valley off the highway.
Back in the motel room, Jean took off a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant and cupped it in her hand as she reached out and touched Max on the back of his shoulder.
“Max, give this to Eve for me.”
“Hun, what is that? Why don’t you give to her yourself?”
“Jacob and Hanna will show you the way to the plane. I will wait here to see if I cannot delay them. I have a legitimate reason for being here. It will take them time to question me and buy you more time.” Jean said, explaining the plan she made up in her mind the moment she walked in the door.
“Jean, you don’t have to do this. I do not trust Ricardo. He is unstable and capable of anything.” Max objected to her plan.
“If it is my safety you are worried about, then it would be safer for me to stay here. Don’t you think?” Jean pointed out the risk of hanging out with known fugitives.
“She is right, you know. The longer we stay here the more danger she will be in.”
Jacob agreed with Jean’s reasoning. Accenting his point, GP Sally came barging back into the room.
“Ricardo just pulled up with a HOUSE team. They stopped at the manager’s desk to get your room number.”
Jean gave Max a big hug and a kiss, placing the necklace in his hand and closed it around the sentimental memento.
“Tell Eve and Michael goodbye for me and to make it back home safely.”
“If we are going, we got to go now.” Jacob said as he guided Hanna toward the back door.
11
The death of the DOS Committee Expert’s son removed all bureaucratic red tape in Ricardo’s way, giving him the impunity to operate freely with the stout belief he could get away with anything. Unlike the ultra-secret spy group created by the GAC, HOUSE members were a close, tightknit group, a band of brothers and sisters living by a code of honor to let no offense go unpunished. Ricardo had a six man HOUSE team assigned to do his bidding, along with Kara and Aidan, who were no longer in Ricardo’s good graces for not keeping a closer watch on Michael’s and Jacob’s movements.
Stopping in front of the manager’s office, Ricardo and Lorenzo stepped out of their vehicle with the rest of his team remaining stationary.
“Lorenzo go rattle the night clerk’s cage and find out what rooms they are in.”
While he did not openly show it, Ricardo deeply felt the pain of his loss. Devastated on the inside, his broken heart freely bled, filling his lungs with the bloody breath of vengeance.
Lorenzo loudly banged on the manager’s door, ignoring the intercom system provided for after-hours visitors. The loud knocking caused a short, little man, almost a midget, to answer his rude visitor in an angry tone as he pulled his robe tight around his stocky body.
“What is the meaning of this? Who do you think you are banging on my door like that at this hour?” The little man’s high-pitched voice fell to a near silent whimper after looking up at Lorenzo’s menacing presence. “What I meant to say was, how may I serve you this fine evening, kind sir.”
12
Grabbing an ice bucket from off the nightstand, Jean went out to see if Ricardo was on his way over. She could hear Lorenzo’s loud banging as she stepped outside. Looking back over to where the airport was located, Jean nearly panicked after seeing Max and the others would be out in the open field they had to cross to get to the runway, in plain view if Ricardo and his men came around the corner too soon.
Jean dropped the ice bucket on the ground and picked up a stone from rock gardens lining the flowerbeds under each motel room window. Without taking time to think, Jean acted on pure instinct, doing whatever she could to slow Ricardo down. Using the large stone, she broke out both the headlights on the Camper Van, which was the only way to turn them off at night.
When first arriving at the motel, Jean took note of the narrow turn she had to make in the parking lot driveway to get around to the side of the building, thinking how two cars would never fit at the same time should they meet.
Getting in the Camper Van, Jean started it up and drove blindly around the bend at an accelerated speed.
Bright lights briefly blinded Jean for a moment as she turned the corner just before crashing into blackness.
The metal crunching sound reverberated out over the grass field separating the runway from the motel. The darkness lasted for a few seconds as light brightened night once more.
Jean felt a small trickle of blood dribble down her forehead from a cut she received after bumping her head on the steering wheel. Several armed men surrounded the van, pointing flashlight-affixed guns at her.
“You, in the vehicle, slowly place your hands, palms down on the dashboard, and do not make any sudden movements,” a strong voice of authority bellowed orders from outside the van.
Another armed young man yanked opened the crumbled and dented driver’s side door, causing the metal to cry out in scrape scratching anguish. Propping the door open with his body while maintaining a sightline on the occupant, the soldier shouted out more commands.
“I want you to listen to me very carefully, and do exactly what I say, when I say it. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, I understand.” Jean said.
“Okay, I want you to slowly step out of the vehicle and place your hands, palms down, on the side of the van. Do it now.”
Jean did as instructed, taking advantage of the time delay impeding them from reaching their objective, even though the situation had gotten a little scary, not expecting their reaction to be so intense.
A female HOUSE agent patted Jean down for weapons then backed up, giving space for Ricardo to come over and question her.
“I am really sorry about all this, but it was just an accident, you see. I did not mean to get you boys all riled up. I am quite harmless, I assure you.” Jean said trying to convince them of her non-hostile intentions.
The HOUSE agent who opened up the van door conducted a plain sight, visual scan of its interior. Picking up Jean’s purse from off the passenger seat, he did a quick search of its contents, removed her Allo-Card I.D., and handed it to Ricardo as he came walking over.
Taking the Allo-Card and scanning it on a portable card reader attached to his wrist, Ricardo waited a second for it to tell him what he already suspected about the woman. He had seen her somewhere before, but could not place the face.
“My name is Jean Stephens. I am a Naturalist traveling our National Parks and Wildlife Preserves teaching school children the beauties of nature.”
“You were also Eve Adams’ Career Counselor for the past fifteen years.” Ricardo said, elaborating on Jean’s previous employment relevant to finding his objective. “Where is she?”
“I am a registered guest here, but I have not seen Eve. Do you mean to tell me she is staying here, too? I had no idea. What a small world it is.”
Ricardo gave her a silent, doubtful look, knowing full well she was lying as he tried to decide how far he would go to get her to tell him the truth.
13
Going through her pre-flight checklist, Eve wanted to make sure everything was in perfect working order before heading out on the long, dangerous flight nearly seven thousand miles over open sea. Michael stood watch outside the hanger Eve stored the plane in so she could outfit the twin engine Cessna with a spare fuel tank for the extended trip down under.
Michael was looking out for Jacob and the others, who he could see stepping off the grass field and onto the runway as the sound of Jean’s van crashing into Ricardo’s vehicle echoed out in the night.
Max stopped and turned around. With an involuntary impulse, he took a few steps back toward the hotel before stopping again.
Michael ran across the tarmac to see what happened.
“What on earth was that? Where is Jean?”
“Buying us time, so let’s not waste it standing around.” Max kept a strong resolve.
Busy going through the final prep procedures, right down to kicking the landing gear tires, Eve did not hear the crash from inside the closed hanger, unaware Jean was not with them until they entered the hanger without her.
“Ricardo is coming. We got to get going, or we never will.” Michael told Eve, who was looking around for Jean, finally asking.
“Where is Jean?”
“She wanted to be here to say goodbye, but thought it imperative to do what she could to delay Ricardo so you could get away.” Max said reaching out and taking her hand. “She wanted you to have this.”
Max placed the necklace in her hand and gave her two kisses, one on each cheek from each of them as Eve choked back her tears.
“You can always count on Jean to make the hard choice when protecting those she cares about.” Eve said to Max, trying to hide her concern for Jean.
“Or those she loves as do I.” Max added as he gave Eve a big hug.
Michael walked over to join them, sensing Eve’s sadness in not getting to say goodbye to her mentor, surrogate mother.
“Michael, I have something for you from Foster Gideon.” Max said as reached in his pants pocket and handed Michael the retinal implant. “It works like a contacts lens. Just put it in your eye, and it will give you access to Foster whenever you need it.”
Harvey stood outside the hanger watching for approaching vehicles, knowing it would not take Ricardo long to figure out where they went.
“Somebody has to turn on the runway lights.” Michael said.
“I’ll do it. Where is the switch?” Max volunteered his services, adding. “It would be better if I was out of sight when they got here.”
“It is in the office on the other side of the runway. The switch should be on the wall behind the main desk. Wait until you hear the engine start, then light it up.” Eve said.
“Consider it done. You two see if you can get there and back again before your baby is born. Or he won’t be considered a citizen of New America.” Max said injecting a small moment of levity and giving them each a hug before heading over to the office, with friendly nods to Jacob and Hanna on the way out.
Michael and Eve shared a brief moment for sad goodbyes with Jacob and Hanna.
Looking at his good friend, Michael let out the heavy sigh of a weary soldier who had seen too much blood spilled on the battlefield, and knew there would be more to come before the war was over, with no guarantee of a happy ending reuniting old friends. He started to feel like a deserter, abandoning the brave men and women risking their freedom and lives fighting for his legacy.
“I cannot help feeling like I am running out on you at a time when everything is coming apart at the seams. All because of whom I am supposed to be, but I still don’t know what it means, if anything.”
“You cannot think like that. You need to stay focused on what you are doing. Because where you are going, you will be the one taking the greater risk.”
Jacob contradicted Michael’s feeling of desertion, giving a quick eye glance over to a very pregnant Eve, who looked more like Amelia Earhart in her aviator’s jacket and pilot’s goggles, than a mother-to-be as she stood next to Hanna.
“Oh, let me help you with that.” Hanna offered Eve her assistance in putting on the necklace Max gave her from Jean, and then voiced her concern in a softer tone only Eve could hear. “Do please be careful flying in your condition.”
“No need to worry now I have my good luck charm to keep me safe from harm.”
Harvey rushed into the hanger through a small side door with an alerted presence.
“Two vehicles approaching from the motel just turned off the highway into the airport. The second vehicle has frontend damage and no headlights. Ricardo figured out where we are.”
“It is time to start your engines, Eve.” Hanna told her as she gave her a quick hug. “Be careful and come back safe.”
“You be careful, too. It is going to get pretty heavy around here after we are gone.” Eve warned her, giving Jacob and Harvey hugs of solidarity before getting in the plane.
“Jacob, I will never be able to thank you enough for everything you have done and are doing for me.” Michael expressed his gratitude to his good friend as Eve started the Cessna’s twin engines. “Believe it or not, I think I am going to miss you most of all, scarecrow.” He t
old Harvey with a satirical reference he was sure he wouldn’t recognize.
“Just get going, now. Jacob and I will get the hanger doors. Once they are open, don’t stop for anything.” Harvey kept his stoic demeanor.
Over in the office, Max waited, anxiously listening for the sound of the plane’s engines roaring to life so he could flip the switch to light her way. But it was the headlights he saw pulling into the airport that concerned him more. He had a straight on view of the hanger from the front office on the opposite side of the runway.
Max saw two assault vehicles pull around the front of the hanger and stop. Everyone exited the vehicles. He could see Jean stepping out of the one with the broken headlights, held under guard, but still alive and well. Ricardo directed his men to surround the hanger. Max decided to give them someplace else to focus their attention.
The runway lights came on moment before the Cessna’s engines started up, quickly followed by Jacob and Harvey shoving open the hanger doors. Temporarily discombobulated by the blazing bright lights lining the runway, Ricardo did not know which way to turn when the sound of the plane moving out of the hanger caught his attention. It moved past him in between the two assault vehicles, barely squeezing through, and cutting Ricardo off from Lorenzo and everyone else with his back to the office building.
“The plane, the plane, they are in the plane.”
Ricardo heard Lorenzo yell out, as Eve turned left to taxi onto the runway. After a delayed reaction, Ricardo pulled out his gun and fired several shots at the Cessna, hitting the fuselage on the pilot’s side.
As the plane continued down the runway, picking up speed, Ricardo attempted to fire more shots at it, but Max ran out of the office and plowed into his back with a violent force. Taken off guard, Ricardo’s gun fell from his hand as he went to ground with Max landing on top of him. He punched Ricardo in the face several times, before reaching over and picking up the discarded gun.
Max stood over Ricardo and was about to put one right between his eyes when two bullets blasted into his chest. Falling to his knees and dropping the gun, Max could hear Jean screaming as Ricardo got to his feet. Pulling out his specially made staff from inside his jacket, he hit the trigger release and the two spear-tipped ends shot out. Ricardo spun around and ran it through Max’s stomach.
“Max. No.” Jean cried out, breaking free of her guards as she tried to run over to Max.
Sending her sprawling backwards halfway across the runway, Lorenzo elbowed Jean across the bridge of her nose. Both her eyes were black before she hit the ground, with the rest of face covered in the blood flowing profusely from her nose.
Lorenzo, his gun still smoking from shooting Max, stood over Jean unsatisfied with the damage done and decided to finish the job.
Harvey, in a moment of spontaneous rage, grabbed a gun from the holster of one of the HOUSE agent who instantly surrounded him, Jacob, and Hanna after the plane left the hanger. With one precise shot, Harvey put a bullet right between Lorenzo’s eyes as the Cessna left the runway and flew off into the dark night.
Harvey surrendered the gun to the HOUSE agent he took it from as the others pointed theirs at him.
“Shoot him.” Ricardo yelled running over after seeing Lorenzo lying dead on the tarmac, a pool of blood forming around his head.
“Sorry, sir, I cannot obey that order. He has freely surrendered, and I personally do not blame him for what he just did. I might have done it myself if he didn’t.” the HOUSE team leader said with a defiantly righteous conviction.
“Arrest him, then. Arrest all of them, especially her.” Ricardo ordered, pointing an accusing finger at Hanna as he pulled out his warrant. “She is a wanted FWF spy, and they were aiding and abetting.”
“Yes, sir, Chief Magistrate Danielle,” the team leader barked out his response then turned to Harvey, speaking in a lower voice. “I am sorry about this, sir, but we have orders. Nice shot by the way.”
“This isn’t over yet, Ricardo.” Jacob said.
“No, it is just beginning.