Dead End

by Jeramy Gates

  He pulled out a sheet of paper, and started reading from it: “Felony possession of illegal firearms, impersonating a federal agent, trespassing, grand theft auto, grand theft snowmobile, and last but not least, murder. How’s that sound?”

  Val leaned back in the chair, smiling a little as she enjoyed being able to move without pain. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said. He leaned closer, glaring at her.

  “We found guns in your car. Lots of ‘em. Guns, knives, throwing stars. What are you, a ninja?”

  Her smile widened. “I don’t know where that stuff came from.”

  “It was in your car.”

  “That doesn’t mean I put it there. The car has been in your custody, hasn’t it?”

  He didn’t blink. “You stole my Caddy.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You probably left it in long-term parking at Reno International Airport and forgot it there.”

  Castillo gave her a look. He straightened, putting the first file aside. He opened the next and shuffled through it, producing a printed photograph. He flipped it around so she could see it. “Do you know this man?” he said.

  “Of course. His name is John Carver.” She felt a dull ache in her chest as she spoke Carver’s name.

  “And what is your relationship with Mr. Carver?”

  “We’re friends.”

  “You were friends,” Castillo corrected. “Carver is dead. Of course, you already know that, since we picked you up on the island where his body was found.”

  Val averted her gaze. Carver’s image came unbidden to her mind. He deserved better. She sighed. “What happened to him?” she said.

  Senator Booker leaned forward and slapped her hand down on the table. “Quit playing games with us!” she shouted. “I know what you’ve been up to, Valkyrie. I’ve read all the files. How dare you sit here in front of us and play innocent!”

  Valkyrie straightened, her eyes going narrow. Her fingers closed into fists, and she forced them open. She placed her palms on the table and leaned in, locking eyes with the senator. “How dare you, Senator. How dare you lecture me, when you took money to lobby for a corporation that created the monster who killed my family and then covered up his crimes? You turned that creature loose on the world, and when you saw what he did, you turned away and pretended not to know!”

  “That’s ridiculous-”

  “I’m not done,” Valkyrie said, glaring. “You think you can sit here and lecture me about the law -about the difference between right and wrong- when the blood of dozens of people is on your hands. How dare you, Senator? How dare either of you!”

  The senator rose to her feet, working to maintain her composure. She spoke in a level, controlled tone: “I understand your anger, Valkyrie. I know what happened to you. But even if any of this were true -and I’m not saying it is- it really doesn’t matter. We’re not here to talk about the man you’ve been chasing. This is about you.”

  Valkyrie’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “How can you say that? How can you think like that? Do you really mean to lie about everything that’s happened?”

  The senator exchanged a look with Castillo that Valkyrie couldn’t interpret. “You speak as if this is all black and white,” Senator Booker continued. “Truth is not really concrete, it’s fluid. You see, from one point of view we may have done all that you say we did, but from another point of view, Lester Hurt is a pathological double agent who got caught in his own web. I am simply a hardworking politician and lobbyist trying to raise much-needed funds to help protect our country. You see, I am a patriot.”

  “You’re a liar.”

  “Perception,” said the senator wisely, “Means everything. You know very well that a lie spoken often enough-”

  “Is still a lie,” Valkyrie interrupted.

  Booker gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “Whatever. What you think doesn’t matter, because you’re headed to the deepest, darkest cell in the worst prison we can find. I’m going to see that you’re locked up for so long that when you finally get out, you won’t remember what sunshine looks like.”

  Castillo’s phone rang. He drew his gaze back and forth between the two women as he pulled it out and looked at the screen. A frown creased his features. “Hello?” he said, putting it to his ear.

  Valkyrie heard the low buzz of a voice coming through the speaker, but she couldn’t make out a word that was said. She watched Castillo’s face as it went from a look of consternation to one of concern, and then shock. His eyes were wide as he took the phone from his ear and held it out in front of her.

  “What is it?” said the senator, observing his ashen pallor.

  Castillo licked his lips. He tapped the speaker button and placed the phone on the table in front of Val. “It’s for you,” he said in a hoarse voice.

  Valkyrie frowned. She leaned closer, staring down at the phone. “Hello?” she said.

  “Val!” said Matt’s voice. “Are you okay?”

  Her jaw dropped. “Yes, I’m… I’m fine. What are you doing?”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “When I lost contact with Carver, I called the Coast Guard. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “It’s all right, Matt,” she said in a reassuring voice. “You did the right thing.”

  “Okay. I’m sorry. I know what to do now. Everything will be okay.”

  “Matt, what are you doing?”

  “Just trust me. Senator Booker, can you hear me?”

  The Senator glared at Castillo. She came forward, leaning over the table. “I’m here,” she said in an impatient voice. “Who is this calling?”

  “This is your last chance,” said Matt.

  “Oh? That sounds like a threat. What does that mean, exactly?”

  “I’m sending you some files to your phone. I’m sending them to Castillo as well. You may want to look at them before we go on.”

  The senator pulled out her phone. It began to vibrate as the files started to arrive. She tapped the screen, and Val watched in curiosity as the blood drained from the senator’s face.

  “What is this?” Booker said. “Where did you get this?”

  “You’re looking at files that I borrowed from Blackstar Fusion’s servers,” Matt explained. “As you can see, they document your work with Blackstar from the very beginning. They show your personal involvement in the program to recruit, train, and then assassinate double agents for your black-ops program in Syria and elsewhere. These records prove that you not only knew about the program, but you endorsed it and diverted federal funds into the program’s operations. They also document how you and Castillo worked together to keep the FBI uninvolved in the search for Lester Hurt -also known as the Collector- when he started killing Blackstar employees. You specifically told Castillo to keep the matter quiet, to which he replied that he’d see to it personally. You really shouldn’t put messages like that in text… You broke laws, senator. Dozens of them, including the attempted assassination of a United States citizen, which at the time was still a crime, although it has since been legalized by your fellow crooks in Washington.”

  Booker was bent over the table now, staring down at the phone. She looked white as a sheet. Her eyes were so wide that Valkyrie could see the full circumference of the irises. The senator pressed her lips together and shook her head. “You can’t prove any of this,” she said. “It’s a trick.” She glanced at Castillo, but the look on his face did not back her up. He lowered his head into his hands.

  “I don’t need to prove anything,” Matt said. “These documents prove it for me. I’m sure Wikileaks and the press will be able to verify their authenticity with little difficulty.”

  The senator was shaking as she began to pace back and forth across the room. She started to say something, paused, and then tried again. “All right,” she said, facing the phone. “What’s your offer?”

  “It’s simple,” said Matt. “You let Valkyrie go and drop all charges against her, or I’ll make you the
front-page headline of every newspaper in the world tomorrow morning. If you even think about double-crossing me, I have a protected zip file of all these documents that I’ve uploaded to the cloud. If anything happens, the key will automatically go to Wikileaks and every news outlet from CNN to Infowars.”

  “And if we agree? What reassurance do we have that you won’t release the information anyway?”

  “You have my word, first of all, which is better than yours. Second, if this story breaks, it will inevitably lead back to Valkyrie, since she’s the one who killed the Collector. It’s as much in our interest for this to go away as it is in yours.”

  Castillo sighed. He looked like he was about to get sick. “Is that it?” he said, his voice cracking.

  “No,” Valkyrie said, rising to her feet. “I also want my car back.”

  Chapter 28

  Valkyrie met the tow truck outside her hotel the next morning. It was cool and clear, and the air smelled of pancakes and sausage exhausting from a nearby restaurant. Her breath came out in steamy gusts as she stood leaning on her cane by the entrance, her long black coat flapping in the breeze as she watched the tow truck pull into the lot. Overnight, Castillo had shipped the Packard from the impound lot in Washington DC where he’d stored it for the upcoming trial. A trial that would never happen now, thanks to Matt.

  When she met the driver, he said, “Good luck with that car. That thing don’t run. I checked the battery, the fuel, everything. I can tow it to a shop for you for fifty bucks.”

  Val smiled. “I don’t think that will be necessary. Can you give me a minute?” She produced her cell phone and dialed Matt’s number. When he picked up, she said, “Hey, remember that issue with my car? The thing that happened on the bridge?”

  “Oh, I forgot! Give me one sec.”

  Val hung up. The driver shot her a grin. “All right, then,” he said. “If you want to hop in the cab-”

  The Packard’s horn beeped, cutting him off. The lights flashed, and the engine turned over and came to life with a low rumble. The driver stared at it with his jaw hanging open.

  “Thanks,” Val said, handing him a five-dollar bill. “Here’s a tip for you.”

  He nodded, still wearing that baffled look as she climbed into the driver’s seat and roared away.

  Val’s first stop was at a nearby shopping center. She traded in her old phone for a new model. There wasn’t anything wrong with the old one, but the feds had had it in their possession for most of the previous day. There was no way she could trust it anymore. She knew that even with the new phone, it was possible that they could spy on her, tracking her movements and eavesdropping on her conversations, but Matt had ways around that sort of thing.

  Not that any of that really mattered much now. With the Collector dead and the charges against her dropped, there really wasn’t any reason for them to snoop on her. Maybe it was just the force of habit, or the fact that she had become paranoid after her recent experiences. She just didn’t want to give anyone the opportunity.

  The clerk helped Valkyrie port her old number and contacts to the new phone. She called Matt on her way out of the store, and arranged to meet him for lunch. She wasn’t sure if the feds had figured out Matt’s identity yet, but she figured it was best to avoid going back to his place for now. Better to meet in a busy, public place where she could be sure they weren’t followed.

  In the parking lot, Val conducted a quick survey of her vehicle. She checked the bumpers and undercarriage, looking for tracking devices. She found one tucked into the front bumper, held in place by a strong magnet. She removed the tracker, and after a quick glance to be sure she wasn’t watched, attached it to the SUV parked next to her.

  Val searched the hood and then the trunk, but found no more devices. As expected, her entire weapon collection had vanished. She finished up by settling into the driver’s seat and pressing the hidden button on the console by the stereo. The face of the stereo flipped forward, revealing a secret chamber. She reached in and withdrew the compact 1911 hidden inside.

  With a smile, she tucked it into her shoulder holster. The compact was a small backup weapon, chambered in 9mm. It was much lighter than what she was used to, and didn’t really feel the same. For now, it was better than nothing. Besides, she shouldn’t really even need it anymore anyway. After all, the Collector was dead. That part of her life was over.

  But deep down, Valkyrie knew she could never go back to being that sweet, naive person she’d once been. She could never again stand with her back to a window, or let her guard down in a crowd of people. Her experiences had changed her, and Val doubted she’d ever be “normal” again.

  A short while later, Valkyrie pulled up to the diner Matt had suggested. She found him inside, waiting at a booth at the back. He jumped up to greet her when she came in. They exchanged a hug, and then Val looked into his beaming face and broke out laughing.

  “What?” he said. His cheeks reddened a little. “Do I have a pimple or something?”

  “No, Matt. I just can’t believe what you did. You should’ve seen the look on Senator Booker’s face when you called. Do you know how much trouble you could have gotten into?”

  “Don’t worry, they’ll never trace it back to me. Besides, it doesn’t matter now. We’re free. It’s all over.”

  “I suppose it is,” she said in a quiet voice. She settled into the bench across from him, with her back to the wall. A waitress appeared to take their order. Val ordered the “Cowboy burger” with garlic fries and an iced tea. Matt ordered the same, but with a malted chocolate shake on the side. Val grinned at him.

  “Are you going to make fun of my drink now?” he said.

  “Not at all. You’ve earned it. As far as I’m concerned, you can live off milkshakes and chocolate cake if you want to.”

  “Not a bad idea,” he said, bobbing his head up and down. “But I don’t think I could go very long without fries. Or pizza!”

  Matt opened up his laptop computer and asked for her phone. She handed it over. “Are you sure this is necessary?” he said.

  “I don’t know. I just feel so exposed, knowing you haven’t checked it yet.”

  Matt started the process of reprogramming the new phone and then set the computer aside. He leaned back, staring at her. “So what now?” he said. “Are you going to go back home?”

  Val gazed through the window at the traffic on the street outside. “I don’t have a home anymore, Matt. I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately, but… There’s just no place I can think of that I really want to be. Not for any amount of time.”

  “Then what will you do? Travel?”

  “I suppose. There’s something the Collector said before he died, something that stuck with me. I didn’t understand it then, but I think I get it now. He said that this wouldn’t end with us; that it wouldn’t ever be over. He said that we’re just dominoes, and when we fall, there will always be more.”

  Matt considered the comment. “I’m not sure what he meant, but it sounds depressing.”

  “I don’t take it that way. This is a war of good and evil. It’s bigger than any of us. He saw that, and I guess I see it too. We’ve had our battle, which we won this time, but that doesn’t mean the war is over. The fight will go on. There will be more like him.”

  “Yep,” Matt said. “I was right. It is depressing.”

  “Not to me. It’s better to be fighting than to have already lost.”

  “I suppose so.”

  She tilted her head. “Is there something on your mind?”

  He seemed reluctant to answer.

  “Spit it out,” she said. “What’s bothering you?”

  “I have… I have a job offer.”

  “That’s great! Is it something you want to do?”

  “Yes, but that’s the problem. It never seemed real until now. I always knew that this was what I wanted to do, but I guess I never really thought about what it would mean.”

  She narrowed her eyebrows.
“And what does it mean?”

  “They want me to move to Silicon Valley. The offer I have -it’s a good one- but I’ll have to drop out and move to the other end of the country. And I’m not sure Jennifer will want to go with me.”

  “Ah. You’re serious about this girl, then?”

  “I think so. I’ve never really felt this way about anyone before. But you know me… I’ve never really had a girlfriend before.”

  Val smiled. She squeezed his hand. “Matt, you don’t have to rush anything. There will be other job offers. And believe it or not, there will be other girls, too.”

  “I get that, but what if this is the one? What if she’s the woman I’m meant to be with? On the other hand, maybe this is the best job offer I’ll ever get! How can I know which is the right choice?”

  “Let me put it like this: You don’t have to make the right choice, but you do have to make a choice. That’s how life works. It seems to me that you have put a lot of work and time into this career. It’s the one thing you’ve been clear about for your entire life. Giving that up for a girl won’t make either of you happy in the long run. On the other hand, if she’s unwilling to help you follow your dreams, then that tells you something about her, doesn’t it?”

  He sighed. “I suppose so.”

  “Then it’s not so much about Jennifer as it is about you. Is this the career you’ve been waiting for? Are you willing to make the sacrifice for it? Or is it the other way around?”

  “I don’t know… Do I have to decide right now?”

  Val laughed. “I wish I could help you more Matt, but what you make out of your life is up to you. If you let others make your decisions for you, then you’ll end up unhappy.”

  “All right. You’re starting to sound too much like my mom.”

  “That’s because she’s a very smart person,” Val said with a wink.

  They finished their meal, and a short while later, Valkyrie was back on the road. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she didn’t have a destination. She had nowhere to go, nowhere she needed to be. She simply filled up the tank, drove onto the highway, and headed down the road.