Michael could see the pain in his teacher’s eyes. He really did care. “It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re here.”
“I’m not going to leave you or your brother alone again. Our people will always be with you until this thing is solved. You did the right thing with those killers, Michael. You had no choice, and no one could’ve done it better. I’m serious. You did great.”
Michael brushed aside the compliment. It just didn’t seem right he should be praised for killing someone, even considering the circumstances involved. Instead of feeling relieved and proud, he felt sick to his stomach. He shuddered and closed his eyes. Now he knew how all those soldiers felt when the army thrust guns into their hands and told them to go kill some people in towns across the world. Now he was just like them.
Daley put a comforting hand on his good shoulder. “If this helps, from what Marvin Levy told the police, you’re a hero. You acted like a pro, listened to his directions under severe pressure, and didn’t freeze up. If you had, Herrington’s agents would have surely killed Marvin and his wife, and taken Danny. You stopped them. That—and only that—is what you have to remember.”
Michael glanced up, surprised. “Marv’s wife is alive?”
Daley smiled. “She’s a very lucky woman. Just got out of surgery about a half an hour ago. Took a bullet in her chest, which missed her heart by only a fraction of an inch. She’s expected to make a complete recovery in a few weeks’ time.”
“And Marv? Is he okay?”
“He’ll be just fine. Took the bullet in his shoulder. It went straight through. A few painkillers, some stitches, and he was as good as new.” He chuckled. “Ever since Marv found out Ester was all right, he’s been talking up a storm about his time in the military. Tough as nails, that guy.” He glanced at the next bed. “How’s the little one doing?”
They peered at the jumble of white blankets curled into a tight ball on the bed next to them. Tufts of dark brown hair escaped onto the pillow.
“He’s finally asleep. The doctor gave him a light sedative because his heartbeat was soaring so high,” Michael said. “Danny wouldn’t let go of my leg and they wanted to check out my shoulder, so the doctor thought it would be best if he got some rest.”
Daley turned to him. “And you? How are you doing, really?”
“I’ll be okay, I guess. What I really want to do now is just find my parents and end this. Are there any leads, yet? Any at all?”
“We just picked up one of Herrington’s agents. He’s now in custody in our field office in Southern California and being questioned as we speak.”
Michael was quiet for a moment, but then asked the question that was burning in his mind. “Do you think my parents are still alive?”
Daley looked him straight in the eye. “I know they are.”
He searched for any lie in Mr. Daley’s face, but didn’t see one. “How can you be so sure?”
“I’m sure because if they had died, they would have come to you as birds. They would have stayed with you until they knew you were safe.”
Michael breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that was exactly what would have happened. “Of course. And if they were killed, I think Danny would have known somehow.”
A few members of Daley’s staff completed the necessary paperwork to release them. Then, the agents gently picked up Danny, who was still fast asleep, and carried him out to the car. Michael followed behind with Daley.
“Want to ride up front, Michael?” Daley asked.
“No. I’d like to sit back here with Danny if that’s okay with you.”
“It’s fine.”
This time they drove to a much larger airport and were booked on a charter plane to the FBI’s field office in Southern California. Once the car reached the airport, Danny woke up. He immediately started to cry and grabbed for Michael. Michael held him until he calmed and then pointed to Mr. Daley who had turned around and was smiling and waving from the front seat. In fact, Daley was making all sorts of funny faces and expressions to get Danny to laugh.
Danny stared at him cautiously for a few minutes and then cracked a smile. One became two and soon he was laughing in the backseat.
Michael reveled in how a six-year-old could go from totally disoriented one minute, to completely comfortable the next. It wasn’t hard to understand why, though. That was the kind of kid Danny was. He knew those men had been dangerous and were partly responsible for what was happening to his family. He seemed to have a different perspective of life and death than most people, knowing that bad people really did get punished in the end.
Danny also trusted him and if he told his brother everything was okay, then it was. As only a six-year-old could, Danny put the events at Marv’s house behind him and immersed himself with the planes on the airstrip.
Approximately thirty minutes later they cleared airport security and were seated in the luxury cabin of a Boeing 747. It was the most incredible plane Michael had ever seen. It was set up like a living room with cream-colored leather seats, couches, and wooden tables. There was a whole computer area with top of the line equipment, and there were flowers everywhere.
“Like the accommodations, boys?” Daley asked.
Michael nodded. Daley leaned in and whispered close to Michael’s ear. “You know, the president and his family have used this plane. In fact, you’re sitting in the very seat he likes to sit in. So, sit back and enjoy the ride.”
The plane was staffed with two pilots and two stewards, all of whom were employed by the FBI. Michael felt like royalty when the steward asked him for a pre-takeoff drink and was ecstatic when they suggested Danny go up front to meet the pilots. Michael had not seen Danny this happy in the last week. As the plane taxied down the runway, Michael settled back in his chair and quickly fell asleep. It was Monday, 2:25 a.m.
Chapter Seventeen
Day 8 Monday 3:25 a.m.
On an isolated island one mile off the shore of a small village town in Southern California
“Gary, can you hear me?” Maddy whispered. “Please answer me if you can.” His head was in her lap and she gently stroked his face, trying to wake him up. After Herrington’s people had beaten him again, he had lost consciousness for the fourth time. Disgusted, they tossed him in one of the old storerooms. When they couldn’t obtain any more information from Maddy, they threw her in with him and locked the door. That was two hours ago, and she still couldn’t get Gary to wake up.
She pleaded with him, trying desperately not to cry, trying not to see the permanent damage the savages had inflicted on him from the poisons they had leaked into his system. “Honey, I’m here. Everything’s going to be okay. I just need you to wake up, all right?” She had been crying for days and was all out of tears. No matter how efficient her training had been at the FBI, they couldn’t erase her emotions. Watching her husband being tortured and knowing her sons were in danger had terrorized her to no end. But she knew remaining silent, only pretending she would give them the information they needed, and maintaining her alias—those were the things keeping her and Gary alive. They would have to kill her before she would do anything to put her children in jeopardy. Just then Gary moaned.
“That’s it, wake up and come back to me.”
Gary finally came to, groggy and confused.
“Maddy, that you?” he croaked. His voice was raspy and weak, and Maddy strained to hear him.
“Yes, it’s me,” she said.
He tried to sit up and fell on her shoulders. She cradled him in her arms.
He grabbed at her arms weakly, desperate to talk to her. “I’ve seen them. I’ve seen the boys. They’re okay, or were when I saw them a few days ago.”
She desperately wanted to believe him, but knew it was impossible. “You must have been dreaming, honey.”
“No, I wasn’t. After I passed out in the interrogation room, I left my body and saw them. I just haven’t had a chance to tell you.” His words came out slowly, haltingly.
She st
ared at him, gulping back her fear. If Gary had truly seen them, he had been close enough to death to travel to their children. She didn’t know how much more abuse he would be able to take and survive.
She tried to hide her concern, to put the hope back in her voice so her fear wouldn’t betray her. “Gary, tell me more, sweetie. Where were they? Was anyone with them?”
“No, they were alone. It was wild, Maddy. There was a white light above me, so brilliant and powerful, and next to me in every direction were miles and miles of birds. The light drew me in and gave me such comfort. There was no pain, no fear. But I wasn’t ready to leave, no matter how beautiful the light felt. I pulled away from it and felt my soul fly into one of the birds. As soon as I connected, I traveled straight to Danny.” He paused, catching his breath. “He’s like a beacon. You just see him and feel him—you’re drawn to him. I flew right to a windowsill outside of a hotel, and as I sat there, deciding what to do next, Michael pulled aside the curtain, and both of them were staring directly at me. I tried to speak to them, to Danny, when suddenly I was pulled away and woke up, back in the interrogation room. I could read Danny’s mind for that instant. They’ve been running from Herrington’s agents. I could tell a few times it had been close, but Michael had gotten them away. They don’t have them yet, Maddy.”
Maddy closed her eyes and was so proud of her eldest son she couldn’t even speak. Neither of them had ever told Michael anything about their pasts because they didn’t want him to be used as a pawn for any government or organization. They were so sure their covers would never be blown, that they would never be discovered. It had been a terrible mistake. She had put him in jeopardy. She could just imagine what he thought of them.
She sighed. “We should have told Michael about Danny. We shouldn’t have kept it a secret.”
“He knows about Danny,” he said. “At least, now he does. I could see in his eyes he knew. Maddy, I have to go back and find them.”
She turned to him, horrified. “You can’t mean that. You almost died on me. That’s why you were able to find the boys in the first place. If you try to get back there, you might never make it back to your body.”
“You know I have to,” he pleaded with her. “No one has any idea where we are, and I have to try to get word out of our location. We don’t have a lot of time left. If I can do anything to protect you, I will.”
“No, I won’t let you risk your life for me. As long as I know my boys are safe, I can live with the consequences. I can’t let you die for me. I couldn’t live with that. Please, I’m begging you not to go again.”
“Look, we’re not going to be able to resist much longer. If we don’t do something now, Herrington is going to kill the both of us and then the boys will have no one. This is our only chance.” He paused. “I don’t have to die.”
She was confused. “What do you mean? You’re going to be as close to death as you can get. How else can it be done?”
“I think I can connect to Danny when I’m unconscious, just like the last time. I remember leaving my body for a moment, almost like when you’re just about to fall asleep. You’re half in and half out of consciousness, and then suddenly you’re completely aware and alive, but in a special dream phase.”
Maddy’s eyes widened. “So you believe when we’re rendered unconscious because of an accident or a severe head injury, it’s as if the body is trying to decide if it’s going to continue to live or not? Maybe that’s the reason people always say they see a white light in a life or death situation and are drawn to it. Maybe they simply can’t resist the pull and just let it take them away.”
Gary nodded. “But I won’t let that happen. I think if I provoke them again and they beat me, I can go back to that state and find the boys and tell them where we are.”
“But what if you can’t find them? And then what if you can’t find your way back to me? The alternative is intolerable. You’ll be dead.”
“I’ll find my way back to you, Maddy,” he said. “I told you, Danny is like a beacon in this semi-conscious phase. There’s an aura around him, lighting him up. I can feel my soul actually seeking him out. He’s truly beautiful.”
“His power’s that strong?”
“It’s the strongest thing I’ve ever experienced. Our research never prepared us for the reality of what this boy can truly do. Trust me, I can do this. It’s the only way.”
They heard footsteps trudging down the corridor towards their cell. Wincing, Gary raised his head and kissed his wife. “I love you, Maddy. With all my heart.”
Herrington and the interrogator came into the room.
Gary called out to him, mockingly. “What’s the matter? Things not looking up for Marta?”
His eyes bulging in anger, Herrington reared back and punched Gary in the face.
Maddy would swear later Gary smiled as he blacked out.
Chapter Eighteen
Day 8 Monday 3:25 a.m.
In the air
Danny bolted up in his chair. “Daa,” he cried out.
“Danny, what is it?” Michael asked. “What’s the matter?”
“Daa,” he said again. Then he signed “Daddy” and glanced at Michael worriedly.
At the same moment, one of the pilots called for Daley over the intercom. “Could you please come up front, sir?”
Daley glanced at Danny curiously and then went into the control room. The intercom was still on, and Michael could hear the entire conversation.
“What’s going on, Captain?” Daley asked.
“Sir, we’re flying at an altitude of 25,000 feet and for the past five minutes we keep noticing a bird popping up around the plane,” he said. “I can’t explain it, sir.”
Daley’s voice sounded sarcastic. “You see a bird up this high? In the dark?”
“That’s affirmative. I know this sounds unbelievable, but it keeps appearing and disappearing. Hey, there it is again. Man, that’s one huge bird, like eight or nine feet with the wingspan.” Michael could hear the awe in the pilot’s voice.
“Never seen anything like it,” the copilot said. “It’s like it’s looking right at us. Wait, it’s gone again. See what we mean?”
“Keep this speed and maintain it until you hear further instructions,” Daley said.
Michael heard movement and then saw Daley striding through the cabin.
Danny had been staring intently out the window and Daley shook his arm to get his attention. Then he turned to Michael. “Sign for me. I need to ask him something.”
“Danny,” he said, “the pilots keep seeing a bird outside of the plane. Do you know anything about this?”
Danny stared at Michael wide-eyed and nodded.
“Who is it?”
“Is it a condor, Mr. Daley?” Michael asked. “The California Condor on the endangered species list?”
Daley didn’t seem surprised by the question. “It’s your dad, isn’t it?”
Danny nodded, “Me Daa.” Danny started to sign quickly and Michael had to hurry to interpret. “He says it’s our Dad, but the plane is too high up here for him to stay as a real bird. There’s not enough oxygen, and it’s too cold. If he stays, he’ll freeze in his bird body. He needs to meet us on the ground, where it’s warmer. Right now, he’s just a vision.”
Daley called over one of his officers. “Call Air Traffic Control and alert them that we need to drop to a lower altitude for the remainder of the trip, preferably ten thousand feet or less. I’ll explain later.”
The officer ran to the cockpit. Within seconds their ears popped and they felt the plane descend.
“Do you know how long before we land?” he asked another officer.
“About an hour, give or take, sir.”
Daley turned to Danny. “What does this mean, Danny? Does this mean your father has died?”
Danny shrugged his shoulders, frustrated. “I don’t know. It’s not like the others. All the other birds are surrounded by a light that always tries to draw them away from
me. Daddy’s light isn’t strong at all. It’s like he’s not real, like he shouldn’t be here. It’s like he’s a fake bird or something.”
“Danny, do you think Dad might just be trying to get to us somehow?” Michael asked. “To help us?”
Danny shrugged again. “I don’t know.”
“Do you think he’s dead?” Michael signed, afraid to know the answer, but too scared not to ask.
Danny started to cry and slammed his hands on the seat, rocking in frustration. “I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s not like the others. He won’t come to me because we’re too high up. I don’t understand.”
“It’s okay, Danny. It’s okay,” Michael soothed, glancing at Mr. Daley worriedly. “Once we get on the ground, we’ll see if we can find Dad. He’ll tell us what to do next.”
So, they sat for the next hour, waiting expectantly and nervously for what they would be met with on the airstrip. The pilots didn’t see the Condor again until they landed.
Chapter Nineteen
Day 8 Monday 4:25 a.m.
A private airport in California
The plane touched ground, and as soon as it landed Danny and Michael unhooked their seatbelts and ran to the front of the aircraft. Once the doors were unlocked and the steps installed, they raced down and stood on the tarmac, the lights on, searching around desperately for any sign of the condor.
They were met by an entire entourage of no less than fifty FBI agents and security vehicles, waiting to whisk them to safety.
“Michael, do you see him?” Daley asked, coming up behind them.
“No, not yet.” Suddenly, out of nowhere the condor appeared and flew directly at Danny. It landed next to him. Danny dropped to his knees and bear hugged the enormous creature.
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