Somebody, Save Me!

by Steve Beaulieu

  “That’s a lead,” Amy cut in, “but I can’t track a signal I don’t know is there. If you want me to track them down, I’ll need to at least know the brand of headset they were using. Knowing the model number would help, too.”

  “Or,” Jason smiled, “you can just track my phone.”

  “What?” Alan asked but Amy was way ahead of him, and the monitor Alan was working on was suddenly filled with a map of an area across town.

  “I slipped my phone into that guy’s jacket when I tackled him,” Jason explained to the still-confused Alan.

  "That was surprisingly clever of you," Amy snickered over the speakers.

  "You're not the only smart one in the family," Jason was mock-offended. "Just because I don't know how many pickles are on a high definition television doesn't mean I'm an idiot."

  It was Alan's turn to laugh. "I think you mean 'pixels,' not pickles."

  Jason raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that what I said?"

  "Anyway," Amy cut in. "I found your phone. It's moving, but the area has a few apartment complexes in it. It'll probably stop soon."

  Jason walked to the lockers where he kept his gear. "Then I should probably suit up, it'll be dark by the time I get there."

  In the last year, Team Guardian had seen a lot of changes to their gear. When the still-alive Amy had discovered his secret nighttime activities, she took it upon herself to upgrade his armament. Before she’d come along, he'd worn simple forearm guards with Kevlar sleeves and open-fingered gloves. When Amy started working her magic, his gauntlets were augmented to provide a debilitating electrical charge upon impact, giving the Guardian his shocker-sleeves.

  While Amy and her digital duplicate had been instrumental in inventing and upgrading his gear, the Guardian's newest tool was designed and built by Alan.

  He cruised the darkened nights on the back of a matte black four-wheeler. Normally, these machines were loud and could be heard long before they arrived on a location, but Alan had designed this one with an electric motor. This gave it the ability to move silently through the streets, and it was small enough that Jason could maneuver it down alleys and hide it next to garbage bins.

  The other big difference in Alan's design was the addition of a satellite link. With it, Amy could track the vehicle and even remotely drive it in the event of an emergency.

  The downside to having the vehicle was that he had to stick to the ground and his chances of being seen were increased. For that reason, he tended to avoid using it unless he needed to get across town quickly. Seeing as he wasn't sure what he would be facing when he caught up with the robber and his phone, Jason had decided the increased visibility might be worth the risk.

  He stopped the four-wheeler a little over half a mile to the apartment building in an alley Amy had picked out due to its low levels of traffic or security cameras.

  With the ATV hidden, the Guardian used several leaps to scale the side of the building and put the fire escape within reach. Once he was on the roof, he felt like he had returned to his roots.

  Running in the direction of the apartment building he needed to reach, Jason placed his foot on the edge of the building and leaped.

  His fingers grabbed the edge of the building across the alley from his initial jump and his feet planted against the side of the building. As soon as his legs had absorbed the impact, he kicked off of the wall and pulled himself over the edge. Almost never slowing, the Guardian continued in this manner. On the taller buildings, he would use the windows and whatever he could get a good grip on to continue scaling the side. His tuned-up brain and parkour skills always found him something to grab onto.

  Finally reaching the apartment building, the Guardian took a moment to check in.

  "What's his apartment number?"

  While Amy did have access to a drone Alan had outfitted for her to fly reconnaissance, they'd all agreed that a drone hovering directly outside a bank robber's window might tip their hand. Alternatively, Amy had access to the entirety of the internet and, as such, they had other means at their disposal.

  "Almost have it," Amy's response sounded distant as she ran her tracking software to track not only Jason's phone but also the phone's internal hardware and software for more data. "Alright," Amy already sounded proud of herself. "The nearest wireless access point is named 'TellMyWifiLoveHer,' and belongs to a rented Mid-Electric router. It's rented to a Warren Goff. His address lists apartment 419." Jason waited for the part he needed. "South side of the building. Three floors down, fourth window from the east."

  "Thanks," Jason said before running at the edge of the building and jumping off.

  It wasn't a dive so much as a toes-first drop. He twisted in the air to face the building. As the first set of windows began to pass him, he shot his hands out and gripped the first ledge, letting his feet slap against the brickwork before releasing and dropping to the next floor of windows. When he reached the correct floor, he hung by his fingers on the window's edge and used only his arms to swing to the next window, repeating the process until he was finally outside of Warren Goff's apartment.

  The Guardian pulled himself up to peek into the window. The apartment was bare—no decor and hardly any furniture. In the middle of the room, was a worn armchair and a small television stand. The TV was off and sitting in the chair was, presumably, Warren.

  "He's crying," the Guardian reported.

  "Then he's distracted," Amy returned. "Go in."

  Shifting his weight to one arm, the Guardian reached for the window with his free hand and attempted to slide it up.

  "It's locked."

  Amy's tone implied she thought her brother an idiot. "Are you sure? Nobody locks windows on the fourth floor."

  Jason didn't reply, deciding that the amount of help his digital sister could provide during this situation had reached its limit.

  Returning both arms to the edge of the window, the Guardian lowered his waist and walked his feet up the wall. What he was going to try wasn't something he liked doing for a multitude of reasons. Not the least of which was in the likely event that it went wrong, he would hit the ground with fatal force.

  Flexing his knees twice was the only test of his grip he allowed himself time for before quickly pulling himself up and toward the window and letting his legs propel him forward.

  Warren jumped as the Guardian came through his window head first and rolled across the floor.

  "Oh, hell," Warren shouted as he jumped from his seat and slammed his back into the wall. He was a middle-aged man with wisps of blond hair that dotted his mostly bald head.

  The Guardian came out of the roll and onto his feet in one fluid motion before taking to quick steps at Warren, closing the gap between them and getting close enough to feel the bank robber breathing. He didn't want to come off more aggressive than leaping through his window had already made him seem, so he didn't grab him.

  "Why did you rob the Darden Valley Credit Union?"

  "What?" Warren seemed confused behind his fear.

  "You heard me," the Guardian said quietly.

  Warren's shoulders visibly sagged. He pointed to a small Bluetooth earpiece sitting on the television stand. "They made me."

  It was relieving to have his theory confirmed, but the Guardian didn't miss that this man was obviously in terror. "Who?"

  Warren shook his head. "I just came home one day, and there was a phone and that ear thing with a note. The note said to answer the phone, and then it rang."

  "How did they make you rob the bank?" the Guardian pressed. "What do they have on you?"

  "My mom," Warren was crying again. "They know where she lives and they are going to kill her if I don't do everything they tell me to."

  The Guardian softened his voice. "Next time they call, don't answer. I'm going to get you out of this." He held out his hand. "I'm going to need your phone, though."

  Warren's face went white, and Jason noticed for the first time that the man's hand had been in his pocket. He grabbed
Warren's wrist and pulled his hand out with the phone. Taking it from him, Jason saw that Warren had called someone and they were still on the other end.

  He put it to his ear. "Who is this?"

  A slow laugh started on the other end before a voice said, "We'll meet you outside." The line disconnected.

  Glaring at Warren, the Guardian put Warren's phone in a pocket. "For what it's worth, I'm still going to get you out of this."

  "Really?" Warren's eyes lit up.

  The Guardian nodded. "Yes, but stop working against me or this promise might get harder to keep."

  Chapter 3

  Jason pressed himself against the wall near Warren's shattered living room window. At first, he couldn't see anyone, but it didn't take long before he saw the subtle movements of someone behind the only tree on this side of the road. From there, Jason located five more people hidden behind different objects and within the apartment building’s blind-spots. They were hoping for an ambush.

  The Guardian would give them one.

  Ignoring Warren, Jason went out through the apartment's door, stopping at the pile of coats and shoes on the floor to get his own phone back.

  Using the stairs, he made his way back to the roof.

  The men outside were beginning to get restless. They knew who the Guardian was and they didn't like waiting to fight him. Even the most confident of them wanted to get the fight over with. Then they could take care of Warren and the other two they'd blackmailed into working for them.

  The leader of the group, a round-faced man by the name of Lloyd, jumped as the phone in his pocket began to vibrate. Taking it out, he saw that he had a text from Warren Goff.

  In the alley. Come and get me.

  Annoyed, but without options, Lloyd gave the hand-signals that directed his men to the alley. Raising their guns, the nearest of them to the alley led the charge. Traditionally, Lloyd would’ve preferred to be in the front, but he wasn't an idiot. He was already having issues with their assignment. Nobody with any sense would have been at the front of any efforts against the Darden Valley Guardian.

  As they positioned themselves in the alley, being sure the dumpster, rooftops, and both exits were covered, Lloyd gripped his automatic rifle tighter. This is what he did. This was his life and if anyone was ever going to take him down it wasn't going to be some asshole in spandex with a God complex.

  A sharp ping of metal on metal echoed at the dumpster and then from a pipe on the opposite wall. Before Lloyd could command his men to ignore it, they all swung their rifles in toward the sound.

  Lloyd, on the other hand, brought his rifle up and searched the rooftops. As the Guardian crested the apartment building roof and fell toward his men, Lloyd briefly noticed a cable fire from the Guardian's side as he fell. Obviously, this device was to help him slow or guide his fall. Lloyd brought his gun around and fired at the falling mass. His men caught on, but not nearly quick enough, swinging their rifles up to the sky as Darden Valley's hero landed between them.

  The three closest to the Guardian were only a few feet from his landing position and were the first into battle.

  The Guardian planted his foot on the nearest, propelling him away and into the wall as he took his tonfa, a martial arts weapon similar to a policeman's nightstick in that it was long with a handle that was perpendicular to the rest of the weapon, and hooked it under the ankle of the next man.

  As the second fell to the ground, the Guardian kept the momentum of his tonfa going and brought it up and through the path of the third man's rifle. The rifle went skyward as the combatant fired it. The Guardian took his other hand and punched the third man in the throat, causing him to drop his gun and grasp at his neck for breath.

  Lloyd and his men were able to bring their rifles to bear on the would-be hero, but the Guardian grabbed the man he had previously kicked against the wall and kicked him again but this time toward the two remaining men and Lloyd. The impact caused their shots to go wide as he slapped his knuckles together and an electric whine filled the alley.

  The Guardian leap-frogged over the pushed member of Lloyd's team and brought his fist down on the face of the next closest man. The fist released an electric charge that flipped the man over before he landed on his chest, unconscious in the alley. This man in armor and with no firearms never stopped moving. As he landed, he spun and punched outward, taking the last of Lloyd's men in the chest. While the Guardian's gauntlet discharged its electricity, it didn't fully penetrate the man's armor. The Guardian moved like he never expected it to, swiping the gun away and punching the man in the throat once before knocking him out with two blows to the face.

  Lloyd was proud he’d blocked the Guardian’s first two swings after the unarmed hero took away his rifle but then he felt the crack of the Guardian’s boot against his knee. Lloyd went down with a yelp of pain and tried to bring up his own fist into the Guardian's nether regions. He was blocked before the Guardian’s next fist came down on his temple and everything went black.

  Jason took a moment to examine the men he’d just fought. Each was outfitted with body armor, but they also had the telltale signs of mercenaries. Those signs included scars and combat skills that the average thug didn't normally possess.

  Amy and Jason had encountered mercenaries in Darden Valley before in the form of a group known as the Shades. Amy had defeated the Shades entirely on her own by using her internet and computer skills to take over their bank accounts. Nothing controls a mercenary more than their money, and Amy had threatened to hit them where it hurt if they ever returned to Darden Valley. In one quick decision, they all left that night.

  It was unlikely a second mercenary group would be in the Iowan city, but it was also unlikely any of the Shades were dumb enough to think Amy's threat had been an empty one.

  Jason bent and searched the last man he’d taken down.

  Aside from weapons and zip-ties, Jason only found the mercenary’s phone. He turned it off and put it into his pocket.

  The crunching of alley trash alerted Jason that someone was behind him and he spun around to see his ATV, with no visible driver, rolling up.

  He held up the phone before shoving it back into his pocket. “Mercenaries. Not the Shades, though.” Jason looked down at them one last time. “I don’t think so, anyway.”

  “Get back here,” Amy’s voice said over his earpiece, “and we’ll dive into that phone and figure it out.”

  “Not yet,” Jason answered his sister. “We need to move Warren somewhere safe before these men wake up.”

  “The police are already on their way,” Amy countered. “Get to the roof and keep an eye on them until the police show up, and then you can get out of here. I’ve already filled in the department with what we know and advised them to move Warren Goff to a secure location.”

  With all of Amy’s power, it was inevitable someone in law enforcement or in the course of the Guardian’s duties would have discovered her presence. To minimize that effect, Amy outed herself to the police under the pseudonym of “Eve.” She hated the name, but Jason had been the one to come up with it in a spur of the moment, and now she was stuck with it. The positive result of having her own secret identity was she could communicate securely with the police without compromising anyone from the Guardian’s team. It also meant she could communicate secure information, such as the situation regarding Warren Goff, and have them respond accordingly.

  “Hopefully, they’ll be able to get the names of his accomplices and kidnappers before we can figure it out,” Jason said as he climbed onto the ATV and drove it into a set of bushes where it wouldn’t be seen.

  As he dismounted and headed back toward the apartment building, Amy argued, “We don’t want them to figure everything out.” She put mock hurt in her voice. “I’d like to still have something to do during all of this.”

  Chapter 4

  Jason set the mercenary’s phone down on the desk, and Alan didn’t hesitate to plug it into one of the many cables stretching
from Amy’s computers. After a second of digging through his uniform’s tight pockets, he set Warren’s phone down next to the first.

  “How long before we can track them or hear their communications?” Jason asked.

  “It’s good to see you, too,” Alan smirked.

  Amy’s voice echoed around the room, “I’m tracking every number in both of the phones. I’ve also located Warren’s mother and am emailing that information to the Darden Valley Police.”

  “Any idea who they are?” Jason leaned onto the desk, watching as maps tried to locate each of the cell phones listed in the mercenary’s contact directory.

  “Not yet, but I need you to hold your horses,” Amy replied. On the map, a cluster of red dots indicating cell phone signals were gathering together. “I think they are on the move.”

  “Where are they going?” Jason’s heart was pumping.

  The collection of red dots began to move north.

  “Give me a minute,” Amy paused as the map zoomed in on two locations. The first was the cluster of phones representing the mercenaries while the second zoomed-in screen was stationary and alone. “It looks like they are headed toward this dot.”

  “If this is a contact in their phone, who is it?” Alan asked.

  “Ellen Hartman,” Amy brought up Ellen’s Facebook profile.

  Jason’s eyes scanned it. “She’s no mercenary. She’s one of the other bank robbers.”

  Alan’s brow furrowed. “How can you tell?”

  “For starters,” Jason smirked, “mercenaries don’t tend to use Facebook accounts with their real names.” He pointed at all of the pictures with her kids. “And there’s the leverage they’re using to get her to steal for them.”

  “Jay,” Amy’s voice sounded pained, “they are going to kill her.”

  “Do you know where the third bank robber is?” Jason realized that he couldn’t just race the mercenaries to Ellen. He was going to have to stop them.