by Tom Hunter
She tried a new tactic. “Listen,” she began, her voice sweet as honey. “I know it’s hard to keep tabs on everyone these days. You’ve got to keep secrets to keep people alive and you’re responsible for seeing your team back safe to the fold. I get it.” A tinkling laugh caught the radio operator like a fish on a hook.
“I…”
Before he could say anything more, Miss Welker continued. “I don’t know if you know this,” she confided, “but Ramon and I worked on a job together recently. He can be a nasty fool, but I can’t fault his skills.” She heard the operator’s sharp intake of breath and drove her point home.
“And it’s those skills I am calling about today. My client has another job for Ramon and his men. Now, I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell him he missed out on a lucrative new offer. Would you?” She could almost hear the man on the other side of the line shaking his head vehemently.
“You don’t understand,” the voice explained. “It seems the Captain, er Ramon, and two guards have been…umm…kidnapped.” The man swallowed and found courage in the action. “Can you believe it? And right under our noses, too! Thomas Knight and his company were directly involved.”
She had to give it to Knight. He was one gutsy bastard. Persistent, too. And the balls on the man to kidnap the captain of a mercenary company! She couldn’t decide if it was impressive or if the man had a death wish.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” she breathed admiringly. She shook her head. Well, Ramon or no Ramon, she needed somebody from The Myriad. Into the phone, her face a mask of professionalism, she barked gruffly, “Okay, then. Plan B. Let me speak to your acting commander.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Miss Welker heard a click, a few moments of silence, then “Acting Commander….” Miss Welker’s mind was already racing and didn’t hear his name.
“Miss Welker here,” she explained. “My client has a job for The Myriad. I have a unique proposition for you.” An idea had come to her and Noah, who stood across the room. He’d heard the entire conversation and nodded his approval.
“How can I – er – we, help, Miss Welker?” the acting commander asked.
“At the moment, I think it’s more about how we can help you,” she said with a smile.
“Go on.”
“In exchange for seeing to the rescue of Ramon, we’d like to negotiate a new contract for future services,” Miss Welker paused, then in anticipation of his next question, added quickly “I’m sorry, that’s all I can reveal at this time.”
Twenty-One
Shuffling feet, muffled voices, and the clatter of instruments into plastic trays greeted Thomas Knight’s ears. His eyes were closed, but he tried to picture where he might be. The plane had taken a nosedive into the desert sands and the sounds of screams filled his memory. His eyes flew open. Was everyone safe?
He blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the light. His body was not his own. Every inch of it ached. Slowly, he turned his head to the right to see members of his team huddled together with a doctor. Their heads bowed low in conversation, Thomas Knight rustled in his sheets trying to sit up.
He heard a weak voice say, “Thomas, don’t. You’ll hurt – ” He swiveled his head to the other side and saw Alexia. They’d both taken the brunt of the crash. He’d moved too fast and excruciating pain seared up his arm and into his neck. He stifled a scream, then swallowed a laugh as Alexia’s broken voice tut-tutted him. “I told you.”
Thomas looked closely at Alexia. Her head and arm were bandaged. Cuts, scrapes, and bruises dotted her once smooth teak and caramel skin. “If that’s what you look like, what happened to the other guy?”
Alexia managed a small smile. There was more to her external injuries, he could tell. “Grab a mirror, kid. You are the other guy.” She nodded to the rest of their team. “You’ve been asleep awhile. They were getting worried.”
“They?”
“And me.”
“Whew, just checking.”
“We were worried about you, man!” Robbie playfully punched Thomas lightly in the shoulder. Every inch hurt and he winced.
“Oooh, sorry about that.” He dropped his eyes to the floor and stepped back. “I’m just glad to see you’re back with us.”
Thomas wondered briefly if cameras were rolling somewhere, then dismissed the thought just as quickly. They’d been through too much. Robbie had changed; he wouldn’t be recording this.
“We were all worried.” Pediah stepped forward between Thomas and Alexia. He took both their hands and squeezed gently.
“Sorry about the bumpy landing. Flying the friendly skies is not my cup of tea,” said Thomas.
“Nor mine,” chimed in Alexia. “Well, we can fly okay, I guess. It’s the landing that causes trouble.” She smirked slightly. “But, what can you do?”
“The point is we’re all safe.” Abby came from behind Mochni. She’d been giving last instructions to the doctor. At their stares, she shrugged. “What? When I’m here and Thomas is…incapacitated. I’m in charge. When you’re underground, the pecking order is Thomas, then Pediah.” She frowned and moved forward first toward Thomas, then Alexia. She took their hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.
“You two must have been born under some kind of lucky star,” Abby began looking at the two ‘pilots’ in their hospital beds. “We were belted in. So, we had some modicum of restraint as the plane crashed. But, somehow, you two weren’t.” She paused to bite back the sadness of what could have been.
“You looked like rag dolls someone had flung against the windshield and you were unconscious. It’s a wonder you don’t have more than a few broken bones. As I said, you were lucky.”
Abby sighed a deep sigh of regret and sadness and another emotion Thomas couldn’t place. “There’s more isn’t there?” he asked softly. She nodded.
“Ramon is still alive. And the guards. The Rangers were ready to dump in the nearest facility for questioning, but we…suggested they alter their plans slightly and wait for you to wake up. We assumed you’d like to oversee the questioning.” Abby filled in the information regarding Ramon as if rattling off a status report of finances at a shareholder’s meeting.
From time to time, Thomas would arch his eyebrows and smile as Mochni interjected his feelings about the entire situation. “I am not meant to be in the air. I am not bird. I want to go home.” And he would point to the earth beneath his feet.
The room was silent. And then the odd feeling that had struck Thomas hit home. The entire campsite was silent. “Everyone has been sent home, yes?” he asked. “Or, if not home, we’ve got them moved offsite?” He hoped they were far enough away from the rumblings and tremors caused by Noah’s messing with the drum.
Abby nodded.
“And the other relics and antiquities have been airlifted to Donald’s museum?” Thomas added, his concern growing. He had a foreboding he couldn’t place and it went deeper than any scar could go. He drew his fingers through his beard, now a nervous habit. It had become something of a tic.
“Thomas, listen.
The quakes. There’s no more rumbling. Not really.”
He grinned widely and wondered if the medications were affecting his nervous system. When and who had given him medications…oh, wait. That was ages ago! But more
importantly was that it seemed as though Noah had given up his drumming career. For now.
He probably has no idea what it does and considers it useful only as an artifact for profit. The man thinks only in numbers, not in history and culture. Thomas tried to prop himself up, but the effort was too much. He fell back against the pillows with a grunt and gritted his teeth against the pain.
“Thomas, just sit back and relax. No one’s going anywhere. Not just yet. Ya got me?” she finished in a tone which brooked no response. Her direction would be followed without question.
“Abs,” Thomas wheedled. “The Rangers aren’t going to wait forever. He’s slippery and a
trained mercenary soldier.” Thomas frowned with the effort of speaking and trying to sit up. “We can’t take any chances. Not now. No one’s here. It would be child’s play to break him out. Quite honestly, that we captured him at all is an enigma to me.” He looked around at the faces of his team. He felt Alexia’s eyes on him. “We pulled off a coup against an army of mercenary soldiers. How did we do it? Surprise and dumb luck?” No one spoke.
It was Mochni who broke the silence. “Thom-ahs? I take Rah-moan…home. My home. He is bad to my people. My father. My mother.” Before Thomas could answer, Robbie chimed in. “I don’t know how you guys do it below ground, but up here bad guys get a trial.”
“Robbie!” Alexia and Abby said sharply.
His head swiveled between the two. “What?”
“Since when are you Mr. Law and Order?” Alexia asked, her eyes narrowing. “I’m pretty sure if I was Mochni I’d want to dole out my own brand of justice.”
“I get it. I do,” Robbie conceded. “But Ramon isn’t Woidnuk and he hasn’t committed crimes only against them. He’s committed crimes against all of us. All of humanity. I think the world needs to see who the real monsters are.”
Twenty-Two
A sense of foreboding permeated the dig site. It was little wonder, as the life had been sucked from the area with most of the staff and volunteers gone.
As Thomas Knight and his team walked the site, no one said it, but they all felt the ice pricks of danger raise the gooseflesh on their arms.
There were no ghosts here. Not even ghosts would brave this region of Death Valley. It was the calm before a storm.
Thomas Knight, lost in his own thoughts, followed his feet. He’d walked these paths until he’d worn trenches in the dirt and holes in his shoes. But this walk had begun with purpose and it finished at its intended location. A symbol melted into the thick canvas of the tent identified it as a security facility.
When Thomas pulled back the tent flap to step inside, he was greeted with the awkward setting of a Park Ranger, a federal official, and Ramon. It was the beginning of a bad joke. Ramon’s head swiveled toward the opening and glowered at the intrusion. The three had only just settled into a comfortable stalemate.
Ramon’s hands were tied in front of him. “That was dumb,” Thomas thought idly when he saw it. He tilted his head, curious at the reactions of the three men. Ramon had seen him then turned back to stare dourly at the other two as if he didn’t know or didn’t care who Thomas Knight was.
“Ahem.” Thomas cleared his throat and the officials deigned to turn and look to see who had entered their tent. One opened his mouth, presumably to ask who he was, but at the sight of Abby, the man’s mouth clamped shut. Taking the lead, the Park Ranger asked, “Thomas Knight, right?” Abby and Thomas both nodded as Thomas stepped forward and extended a hand.
Each official took it as introductions were exchanged. Then with a sidelong glance toward Ramon, the federal official beckoned Thomas closer. “We need to talk.”
“I gathered,” Thomas agreed.
“Miss Hogan?” the Ranger began.
“Mrs. Hogan. Or Abby.” The Park Ranger’s face flushed red at his mistake. He swallowed and moved toward Abby, ushering her out of the tent.
“My apologies, Abby. But, we…we have some business to discuss and must ask you to leave. It is confidential and since Mr. Knight is the Team Leader, we can only discuss it with him.”
“Relax, I understand.” Abby almost laughed at the young Park Ranger working so desperately to not offend her. Over her shoulder, she called back to Thomas, “I’m going to keep Alexia company. When you’re finished here, you’ll know where to find me.”
Thomas grunted his agreement and turned back to the officials. “Adam, is it?” he asked the federal official.
“Yes, that’s me,” he confirmed, nodding to the space Abby had recently vacated. “Abby and Dr. Cunningham have filled me in,” he explained.
“Then why – ?” Thomas jerked a thumb toward the tent entrance and looked from Adam to the Park Ranger and back again confused.
“Why did we ask her to leave?”
Thomas nodded, at a loss for words.
“Protocol.”
“Fair enough. Now, him. What’s the plan? I wanted to interrogate him first, but I was just too weak after the plane crash. What have you found out?” Thomas asked Adam eagerly.
“Nothing. I mean, not much.” Adam’s face was resigned.
“What do you mean, nothing?” Thomas spoke each word slowly and deliberately.
“Listen, he’s not talking and I doubt he’ll sell out his own people. But if we can find something, anything to pin on him, maybe he’ll change his mind in the face of a long prison sentence.”
“Okay…” Thomas started to say more then changed his mind. After a pause, he asked, “What’ve you got?” He jerked his head in Ramon’s direction.
Adam looked down at the papers on the table and shuffled them. He was stalling. “I’ve been trying to establish a link between him and the troubles in the mines and caves…”
This was it. Thomas could feel it. “Go on,” he encouraged.
Adam threw up his hands. “I got nothin’.”
A small smile tugged at the corner of Ramon’s mouth. He’d never been so happy that his decision to destroy Noah’s campsite could have had such lucky ramifications.
“All I’ve got on him,” Adam confided, “is possession of illegal firearms and explosives. The plane you stole, er, borrowed, had explosives in the back. You’re lucky they weren’t set off during the crash.”
All Thomas heard was ‘possession’. He frowned. “So, what you’re telling me is he gets off with illegal possession? That’s it?!”
The Park Ranger had gotten up and was trying to calm him. It only made Thomas more furious. Ramon worked to control his laughter.
“You do know the man has tried to kill me, right? More than once.” Thomas Knight spoke evenly as if discussing baseball stats with a buddy.
Adam shot Ramon a glance. “No. I did not know that.” Unsure what to say next, Adam remained silent.
“Yes he’s tried to kill me, and caused a host of damage on university lab grounds. Fine, he’s in illegal possession of firearms and explosives. But there’s actually a bigger problem than him.”
“Bigger?” Adam and the Park Ranger asked in unison.
“Yeah. His boss.”
“Ah, I see. Then we’re going to need to get…creative in order to get the information we need.” A gleam of danger sparked in Adam’s eye as his mind raced to lay the foundation for their interrogation tactics.
The Head Park Ranger, Adam, and Thomas Knight gathered around the table. “What’s the plan?” Thomas asked. “Do you have one?”
Adam proceeded to explain the plan in detail. When he’d finished, the Ranger simply stepped back in awe. Thomas was impressed, too, but wore his feelings closer to his vest.
“Ever seen a plan like this in action?” Thomas asked, trying to gauge its viability.
“It’ll work.” Adam was confident in his plan.
Thomas threw a sidelong glance toward Ramon and held up a finger. “Actually, I think I may have an ace in the hole…”
Adam’s eyebrows shot upward in surprise.
“Really? What is it?” A shadow passed over his face and Thomas felt a twinge of guilt. He’d stolen the man’s thunder.
“Before I tell you, let me just say this. I don’t think it will be one plan or the other. I think we need both.” Thomas had leaned conspiratorially, his eyes never leaving Ramon’s face as he spoke to Adam.
Ramon just shrugged. He was working awfully hard to remain nonchalant, Thomas thought as he watched Ramon’s micro-expressions tell the real story. He could use this.
“Care to take a walk?” Thomas asked Adam. “We could discuss things in private and without interruption.”
“Even tied up, the man managed to kick us out of a secure tent,” Adam complained, once they w
ere out of earshot.
“Relax, that’s part of the plan. I want to catch him…unawares. It worked once, but will it work a second time?” Thomas had begun thinking out loud, but Adam caught on quickly.
“And that’s where our two plans will merge. He knows how you operate, but not me. Besides, I do things a little differently than my superiors would care to admit.” Adam reached into his pocket and pulled out one black leather glove. Thomas laughed.
“Sorry, Adam. I think he might be a bit out of your league, even tied up, for the “beat ‘em up” tactic to work.”
“I’m not going to beat him up. He’s twice my size! Oh no, this little beauty is a bit more technologically advanced than it first appears.” Adam put the glove on. A slight suction sound caused Thomas to take a closer look and the glove seemed to adjust itself to Adam’s hand.
“Well, that’s great, but how is that going to help in an interrogation?”
He wondered briefly if Adam was yet another of Noah’s henchmen infiltrating the camp. With everyone gone now, he and his team were sitting ducks. He grabbed Adam by the wrist. “Who are you?”
“Hey! Let go of me! You know who I am.” Adam twisted his wrist, but Thomas held tight.
“Actually, Ramon is here and you suggested we leave the tent. You show me some black leather glove that doesn’t seem to have a purpose. And I’ve had just one minute too much of Noah Ashbridge and this whole sordid business.” Frustration and anger spilled from his lips.
Adam wrestled his wrist from Thomas Knight’s grip and rubbed it. “I am Adam Lane, Special Inves – “
“Fine. You are who you say are. Great. So, what’s the deal with the glove?”
“I think first, perhaps, you had better tell me your plan.” He waited, but when no answer came, Adam continued. “That way I can see how our plans might fit together.”