by Doug Solter
Ryan slowly crawled to his feet. “Won’t thousands of people die?”
“Hundreds of thousands, most likely. Africans, Arabs, and Chinese people mostly. And who honestly cares about them?”
Nadia pushed against the man holding her to the wall and glared at Mr. Raymond. “You’re a sadistic man and a mass-murder.”
“Killing for a profit is even more cocked up,” Olivia added.
“Young lady, my competitors market and feed sugary sweets to obese children, giving them early diabetes and high blood pressure when they become young adults. All for profit and high stock prices. Now, who has the moral high ground in this scenario?”
Jacqueline pulled Mr. Raymond closer to her. “Please stop boring us with your plans. We have much work to do. First, we must dispose of our guests.”
“You’re right, of course. How should we proceed?”
Jacqueline’s eyes took in the Gems. “I see a horrible traffic accident involving four teen girls trapped inside their burning car.”
Mr. Raymond sighed. “Texting while driving. Such a tragedy indeed, Miss Boyay.”
Chapter 25
Jacqueline and the guards led the Gems back up to the skyscraper’s roof at gunpoint. The Raymond Foods corporate helicopter was waiting on the helicopter pad. Jacqueline motioned with her gun, warning the girls to stay away from the helicopter and climb up more metal stairs leading up towards the giant air-conditioning units on the roof, their AirTech company logos still fresh and new. Below the metal-grated platform they were walking on, Emma could see four shadowed silhouettes moving against the concrete roof. Four young souls who would never see their eighteenth birthdays.
“Line them up here,” Jacqueline ordered.
“Change your mind about burning us to death?” Miyuki asked.
Jacqueline grinned. “After we shoot you, of course. You should thank me for not burning you four alive.”
The guards lined up the Gems against the large air-conditioning units, then stood next to Jacqueline.
Emma caught Nadia looking down at what they were standing on, a concrete slab that supported the heavy air-conditioning units behind them. Jacqueline and the guards were still standing on the metal grating.
Jacqueline checked her pistol.
Nadia went down to one knee, her hand feeling around for something behind her. Emma wondered what she was doing. But Ryan’s voice made her look away…
“You should stop this craziness now, Dad. You haven’t done anything wrong yet.”
“Wait in the helicopter,” Mr. Raymond said.
Ryan didn’t move.
“Boy, you better run over there or I’ll toss you off this building, so help me God.” Mr. Raymond glared, very serious.
Ryan’s resolve disappeared as he headed back down the stairs towards the helicopter.
Emma checked on Nadia again. The girl had the access door open on the air conditioner behind her. What was Nadia doing?
“Arab girl. You. Stand up.” Jacqueline gestured with her gun.
Nadia came up slowly, her right hand clutching a tiny bundle of wires bound together in a rubber cable.
“Whatever that is you’re holding, drop it,” Jacqueline commanded.
Nadia did.
Right on top of the grating.
The live wires of the bundle sparked as they made contact with the metal. Jacqueline, the guards, and Mr. Raymond shook as electric current made contact with their bodies, instantly dropping them to the floor of the grating.
“Wait,” Nadia yelled before she picked up the rubber cable and placed it safely on the concrete slab.
“Are they dead?” Olivia asked.
“Not enough volts. These cables are to the accent lights for the air conditioners,” Nadia said. “But they did receive a decent shock.”
The guards shook their heads, trying to recover. Jacqueline struggled to get back on her feet.
Miyuki was on her in a flash with a down arm strike that knocked the gun out of her hand.
Olivia and Nadia ran forward, kicking the guns out of the guards’ reach. One grabbed Olivia’s ankle. She lifted her free leg and brought her heel down on his shoulder, causing him to release her with a shriek.
Emma looked around, seeing if she could help. One guard propped himself up using the railing. He aimed his gun at Nadia.
Emma ran at him and threw a strike at his neck which took him by surprise as the guard stumbled back, still holding the gun. Emma didn’t have time to think. She spun herself around, like Lioness had taught her, and launched her foot at his head. It struck him on target. The large man fell to the ground and was knocked out cold.
Emma couldn’t believe it. Did she really do that?
Someone grabbed her from behind and squeezed her neck. Emma gasped for breath. She kicked and kicked and kicked at the guard’s shins. But it wasn’t working. The man was determined to kill her. Emma tried to scream for help, but nothing came out of her mouth. She flailed her arms around like a crazy bird, hoping to get someone’s attention.
Miyuki ran to the rescue with a kick to the man’s side, breaking his hold on Emma. Miyuki then jumped into a handstand and kicked her legs forward for two strikes to the man’s face. The guard shook it off and threw a punch, just missing Miyuki.
Emma recovered and kicked the guard square in the back. The force dropped him to the ground and knocked the wind out of him. The man stayed down.
From the platform, Emma watched Olivia and Nadia chase Mr. Raymond down the steps as he headed for the helicopter. Miyuki jumped clear over the railing that separated the two levels and landed right in front of Mr. Raymond.
Now trapped, he took out a gun.
Miyuki dropped and rolled as Mr. Raymond fired. He then pointed the gun at Olivia and Nadia now frozen on the stairway. They were too far to engage him.
Mr. Raymond kept the gun leveled in their direction as he ran towards the helicopter, its blades rotating. He was getting away and the Gems couldn’t do a thing about it.
Emma examined the platform. All ten guards were down and out. But there was no sign of Jacqueline. She wasn’t with Mr. Raymond, so…where did the woman go?
To check the other side, Emma jogged around the massive air-conditioning units and searched the other part of the roof. There wasn’t much here. Only the roof’s edge, where jumping off from a hundred-floor building would mean certain death. But there was nowhere else Jacqueline could have…
Then Emma saw the fire escape hiding around a corner. The red door was open to stairs leading back down into the building.
Emma scanned behind her. There was no one else to help.
So Emma gathered her courage and plunged through the door in pursuit.
Chapter 26
The fire escape was dark. Only the dim glow from a few overhead lights supplied any vision to Emma at all. She leaped down the concrete steps in twos, just like when she was eight years old, using the railing to support her. Emma descended the staircase as it looped around and around and around. She wasn’t sure if Jacqueline was down here. The woman could have found a place to hide, like on top of one of the massive air-conditioning units on the roof. Emma could kick herself. Why didn’t she think of that earlier? That was probably where Jacqueline was.
Emma slowed her pace. How many flights of stairs did she—
A gunshot ricocheted off the railing.
Emma tripped on a step and fell forward, rolling across the landing and smacking into the door. Pain shot up her back and arm. Emma checked herself for a wound, but couldn’t find anything. At least she knew where Jacqueline was. But that woman had a gun and Emma didn’t.
A clatter echoed below her, signaling Jacqueline was on the move again.
Emma picked up her sore body and ran down the next flight of stairs.
Reaching the landing of the eighty-first floor, Emma noticed the door closing. Its hinges must be sticky because it took its sweet time closing. She opened the door and stepped onto an office floor. Th
e place should be quiet because it was Sunday. But Emma noticed about a dozen people pacing around in another glass-walled meeting room like the one they were in earlier. All these office workers were dressed casually, but still had their laptops and files all over the large table. Emma guessed they were Raymond Food employees who had already moved into their new offices.
Thanks to her fall, Emma limped down the wide hallway, with her head on a swivel, trying to find any sign of Jacqueline.
“We were just talking about you, Miss Boyay,” a man announced. “Our department would love to have a sit-down to see how we can help AgEurope improve their market share. How long are you in town?”
Emma stopped. Her eyes followed the voice to a man standing near the bathrooms. He’d spoken to a disheveled woman who didn’t want to be there. Jacqueline.
Emma limped toward her.
Jacqueline glued on a smile. “Sounds like a great idea, Donald. But Mr. Raymond needs me back in Europe Tuesday.”
The woman tried to leave, but the male executive followed.
“That’s a shame. Say, what are you doing right now?” He motioned towards the conference room. “Today I had to drag in my staff to meet a deadline. But we can change gears and show you some concepts we’ve been working on.”
“Wish I had the time.”
The encounter gave Emma enough time to reach Jacqueline. But now she wondered what to do. Should Emma throw a karate strike right in front of all these people? Spies were supposed to be discreet, right?
Jacqueline noticed Emma. The two stared each other down, both waiting to see what the other would do.
The executive stared at Emma too. “Well, this is a surprise. Miss Rothchild? You might not remember me, but we met at the opening gala Friday night.”
Emma didn’t remember. “Of course, I remember you. Donald…?”
“Hendricks. Raymond Foods vice president of marketing.” Donald balked. “Oh, I didn’t realize you’re giving Miss Rothchild a tour of the new building. No wonder you’re busy, Miss Boyay.”
Jacqueline smiled. “I hope you understand.”
“No need to explain.”
Jacqueline grabbed Emma’s arm and forced her to stand in front of her. Emma was about to twist around when she felt an object poking her back.
Emma reasoned it must be her gun.
Donald the executive withdrew into the meeting room, leaving Emma and Jacqueline alone.
Jacqueline pressed the muzzle of the gun into her back. “Walk to the elevator.”
Emma bit her lip and did as she was told.
“Push the down button.”
Emma complied. The doors of the elevator slid open.
“Move.”
Emma stepped inside the large box. Jacqueline forced her to face the back wall at gunpoint while fishing for something inside her own coat pocket. Jacqueline came up with a key and inserted it into a hole near one row of floor buttons. She turned it and pressed the lobby button. The elevator doors closed.
“Executive key. Bypasses all the other floors,” Jacqueline said. “You and I don’t need any more visitors.” The woman relaxed slightly, but kept the gun pointed at Emma’s back. “For a daddy’s little rich girl, you have remarkably thick skin. I would say The Authority has trained you well.”
Emma didn’t answer.
“Your friends are quite impressive. Most likely they’ve captured Mr. Raymond by now. Oh well. I’ll have to leave without him.”
“What will you do with me?” Emma asked, trying to sound confident, but her voice wavered.
“Kill you. Eventually. But you might have information in that blond-headed brain of yours that could be of interest to my superiors. The location of your headquarters. Lists of operatives. The real names of your friends. Or we could use you as bait to lure them into a trap and kill them. So many options.”
“I won’t tell you anything.”
“We hire the best in the world. Men who invented the art of torture. I’m afraid you’ll coo like a dove, Emma.”
A sense of dread settled in Emma’s stomach. A new hopelessness that told her this was it. The idea of being tortured didn’t sit well with Emma. Or the idea of being left alone in a room with some sick man who enjoyed doing awful things to girls. If Emma had a choice, she would rather kill herself.
Emma took in a deep breath.
Or she would rather risk getting killed.
Emma pressed her palms against the cold back wall of the elevator and pushed off. She spun around and shoved Jacqueline into the opposite corner, holding the woman’s arms down to prevent her from using the gun. Emma held the woman there with all her might. But Jacqueline was strong too. She managed to peel herself off the wall.
Both women strained against the other.
Each trying to gain the advantage.
Jacqueline managed to shove Emma off with her leg, causing the girl to fall to the floor. Jacqueline then aimed the gun. “I changed my mind. You’re far too dangerous to be left alive.”
A fury overtook Emma, that survival instinct that turned nice girls into animals. Emma launched her leg upward into Jacqueline’s arm, smacking it against the elevator doors. The gun fired, splitting their eardrums. Next, Emma struck Jacqueline’s shin with her heel. The woman went down with a thud.
Emma scrambled to her feet and noticed the gun had dropped to the floor.
“You little bitch.” Jacqueline pushed against the opposite wall, using it to pull herself back up. The woman stopped when Emma pointed the gun at her.
Emma touched the cold, metal trigger and secured the weapon with both her hands. Jacqueline was so close; there was no way Emma would miss. She didn’t have to be an expert about guns to know that.
Jacqueline slid back down to the floor and flashed a crazy smile, the type of smile that made normal people nervous. “Do you have what it takes to kill, Emma?”
“Don’t try me.”
“I’m not so sure. You could have shot my operative in the forest. But you hesitated.”
Emma paused. “You were the assassin with the crossbow?”
“Asset Twenty-One was weak-minded. He became sloppy and unreliable. Twice he failed to kill you. Venomous doesn’t accept failure well. Besides, the man was going to turn, wasn’t he? We couldn’t allow that.”
“Did you give the order to kill my father?”
That sick smile returned to Jacqueline’s face and Emma wanted to blast it off.
“Ah, yes. Revenge. You might kill to revenge your father. I understand you better now. You didn’t partner with The Authority to save the world or to be a good public citizen. You wanted blood.” Jacqueline observed her for a moment. “We have more in common than I thought. Venomous could use a smart girl like you. Would you consider switching sides?”
“Answer my question.”
“You know the answer…must I say it?”
Emma tightened her grip on the weapon. She could feel the power coming from it, seducing her into pulling the trigger.
Jacqueline glared and lowered her chin. “Our venom flows through the veins of the animal. Its death is certain.”
Emma paused. What the hell did Jacqueline mean by that?
“Time is ticking. What’s the verdict?”
“Stop talking.”
An unbalanced laughter bubbled up from the woman. “Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.”
The elevator dinged. The door opened, unleashing sunlight into the box. Jacqueline crawled towards the light. Emma followed her with the gun, but couldn’t pull the trigger. Something was stopping her and she didn’t know what.
Outside the elevator, Jacqueline noticed something out of Emma’s vision. The woman turned hysterical. “Oh my God. Please don’t kill me! She’s crazy! That young woman is crazy!” Jacqueline stumbled to her feet. “Help me! She’s crazy.”
Emma lowered the gun.
“Hey!” A lobby guard appeared, saw Emma’s gun and reached for his holster.
Emma retreated back int
o the elevator and pressed a button for a higher floor. She hid behind the panel as the elevator doors shut. The gears and the sounds of the elevator dominated Emma’s hearing as it went back up. Emma backed up against the rear wall and let gravity take her down to the floor. And that was where she wept.
Chapter 27
Her bedroom lacked any comfort. The light from her ceiling fan cast a harsh light against her soft skin, emphasizing the spots of acne trying to form on the surface. Emma stared past the image of herself in the mirror as her mind drifted a thousand miles away. It was still inside that cramped elevator. Still holding a gun on Jacqueline. Still wanting to kill her, but didn’t.
So why didn’t I? Emma wondered. Did she question her right to kill another person? Was she just scared?
Yes. Emma was scared…of herself. She’d felt real power holding that gun, as if something inside Emma wanted to pull that trigger and obliterate that person in front of the muzzle. Realizing that fact…shocked the hell out of her. When she’d hit Snoopy with her car, Emma felt evil inside. Taking a life, which was so precious. What right did she have to do such a thing? Only evil people killed defenseless creatures.
Well, Jacqueline didn’t have the gun. Emma did. If she’d pulled the trigger…wasn’t that murder? Wouldn’t she be as evil as Jacqueline? Or Bertrand?
Emma didn’t have a clear answer to the question and that bothered her.
But there was plenty of good she did help with. Through their network of US contacts, Mrs. B and The Authority leaked Mr. Raymond’s conspiracy to the FBI, Interpol, and other intelligence agencies overseas. Raymond Foods subsidiaries around the world were raided and evidence gathered. The FBI then “discovered” Mr. Raymond hiding out in a truck stop near Amarillo, Texas and arrested him. It was all clean and tidy. Something The Authority specialized in according to Olivia.
They were still looking for Jacqueline, but thanks to her Venomous contacts she had effectively disappeared from the face of the earth. Emma hoped she would stay that way.