Alice wanted to strike out at the white-haired woman but with her hands being tied she saw no opportunity.
“We have no intention of harmin’ this sweet thing. You had all of us worried little fella, runnin’ off like you did.” With effort the old woman bent over. Alice saw that she had to be at the very least in her late nineties. She looked at Alice. “But someone is comin’ to see harm does befall him.” She smiled genuinely at Matchstick. “I guess I don’t have to call you Gary no more.” She looked at Charlie Ellenshaw. “You call him Matchstick do ya?”
“Gary?”
The old woman stood with difficulty, shoeing away the teenaged boy who tried to assist her to her feet. “We had to call him somethin.’ Now that I think about it, Matchstick is far more apt than Gary.” She cackled like a hen laying an egg. “I just always liked that name and thought it fit the little thing.”
Charlie exchanged worried looks with Virginia and pursed his lips as if saying, ‘okay, we just entered nutsville.’
“But, with the distance we have to travel, I ‘spose it be best if the green child had someone other than strangers to keep him company. Someone he knows.” She stepped up to Charlie Ellenshaw. “You seem like you be best. Kind of spindly lookin.’ Probably far less trouble than the rest.”
“Ma’am, whoever you are, we have resources you wouldn’t believe,” Sanchez said as the old woman turned toward him.
“I ‘spect you do. Being from the gove’ment and all.”
“How do you know that?” Alice asked.
She turned toward Alice.
“I imagine with all of those resources this young man says you have at your ‘sposal, you’ll figure it out Mrs. Hamilton. That mean old fella, Garrison Lee would have in no time ‘tall.”
“Just who in the hell are you and how do you know things about us?” Virginia asked again as her ankles were bound.
“Oh, the same way I knew that little fella weren’t dead,” she laughed again, this time not as hardy as her earlier jovial cackle. “Imagine my thoughts when he came a poppin’ up out-a that grave. Just ‘bout made poopy in my pantaloons. But pop up he did, and now we have a fightin’ chance with what’s headin’ our way.”
“And just what is heading your way?’ Alice asked as she was led to the interior of the tent where she was placed on the nylon floor out of the rain.
The old woman stuck her head in the tent and smiled. Her teeth even and straight. Her blue eyes seemed to be illuminated from within.
“Even with all the amazing things you have seen in your young life Mrs. Hamilton, you would find it hard to believe what’s comin’ for us all.”
Alice wanted to ask more, but the strangers left as the others were pushed into the tent and their feet wire-tied, all except Charlie Ellenshaw and the Matchstick Man.
“We found him and lost him again in less than five minutes. The Colonel’s going to have my ass,” Sanchez said, shaking his head.
“Not after I tell him who we ran into he won’t.”
In the darkness of the tent and through flashes of lightning, they saw Anya Korvesky.
“You know her?” Virginia asked as she tried to force her way out of the plastic wire-ties.
“Back in Romania, my Grandmother used to tell us stories, you know old gypsy legends. One was about a cult of sorts in America.”
Alice got a sickening feel in her stomach at the mention of the word ‘cult.’ “Of sorts, what do you mean?”
“Did you catch her accent? I did. She tries to hide it with a country twang. But she’s not country at all.”
“What does that mean?” Sanchez asked, frustrated with his restraints.
“From the stories told, I believe we were just introduced to the most powerful conjuror in the world.”
“Who is it?” Virginia persisted.
“According to Grandmother, I think that was Elsbeth Barlow, known as the Witch Queen of Salem.”
* * *
Air Force Captain Henry Gonzalez was sitting in the pilot’s seat of the Blackhawk and was reading a paperback novel. His co-pilot was stretched out in the back trying to doze but found it hard to do with the lightning and thunder roaring across the desert skies. Gonzalez heard the sliding side door open. He closed his book.
“Any luck?” he asked. He started to turn when an old-fashioned, ball and cap navy Colt was shoved into his face. His co-pilot was on the seat with a gag in his mouth and was in the process of being wire-tied.
“Sorry I have to do this young fella, but we can’t have you followin’ us.”
The man was a giant. His checkered shirt was rain soaked and his blading head shiny with rainwater. The man with the funny accent cocked the pistol and fired the ancient Navy Colt rounds into the control panel of the Blackhawk. Sparks flew and ozone permeated the air.
“What the fu—,” Gonzalez started to say.
“As I said, sorry.” The large man backed out of the helicopter just as Gonzalez was pulled from his seat and yanked into the back where he soon joined his co-pilot in captivity.
The large man walked to the old beat up Ford station wagon. Behind it were several old and rusted cars and pickup trucks. The man walked to the station wagon. He averted his eyes from the strange alien riding in the backseat with a bug-eyed Charlie Ellenshaw next to him. He faced the old woman in the front seat as she was eating Oreo cookies from the package.
“Okay Granny, that whirlybird ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
“You didn’t hurt them fellas, did you?” she asked as she removed the top half of cookie from the bottom and licked the crème filled center.
“Granny, you knows I only hurts them that tries to do us harm.”
The old woman patted the large man’s arm as the rain started to finally diminish.
Suddenly a driver from one of the trailing cars rushed forward just as the morning sun started to rise in the east.
“Granny, we have another one of those dragonfly lookin’ choppers coming right at us!”
The old woman shook her head and leaned forward through the lessening rainstorm.
“Damn, it’s them folk’s friends. I was hopin’ to be far from here by the time they showed.” She opened the door to the station wagon and stepped out.
“Oh, oh,” the large man said as he stated backing away. “Look out boys, Granny done got her dander up.”
The old woman closed her eyes and faced the large helicopter coming at them from the north.
* * *
“See anything?” Jack asked through the intercom.
Ryan shook his head. “We have a group of cars close to the lake, that’s about it. I see the Air Force Blackhawk, so Sanchez and his advanced team is still on the ground. Want me to sit it down there, Colonel?”
“Yeah, Anya and the others shouldn’t be that far.”
After Jack had picked up Carl, Ryan, Will and Tram at the airport, they used an available Blackhawk to fly out to lake Mead. An angry Niles Compton had been fooled for as long as fifteen minutes after Alice, Virginia, Charlie and a coerced Sergeant Sanchez had left the complex. He informed Jack on where they were headed.
Before Ryan knew what was happening, the Blackhawk jinked to the left. Everyone in the back was thrown.
“Get off! Mendenhall shouted at Tram. “That’s why you wear your harness when Ryan is flying!”
Ryan fought the stick and then just as suddenly felt the control column as it was yanked from his gloved hands. The Blackhawk swerved right. Then left. It was as if invisible hands were wresting control from him.
“We’re having major issues here,” he said loudly as even Jack was holding on for dear life in the co-pilots seat. Then they all saw a bright flash approach the Blackhawk like a sparkling blue wave. It hit them.
Ryan saw the control switches that electronically sent signals to the engine as they started flipping down to the ‘off’ position. Then he felt his rudder pedals being forced in the opposite direction of the pressure he was applying. All this happened
as the electrically charged blue wave in the sky hit them.
“I don’t have control!” Ryan called out as calmly as he could.
“Get over the lake!” Jack called out.
Ryan tried with all of his strength but with the hydraulic system failure he had literally no control. Then an amazing thing happened. He felt the pressure on the foot pedals go limp and for a brief moment he had control of the tail rotor again. He swung the giant Blackhawk into a tight turn left. Then both G.E. turbines stopped cold and the helicopter started to auto-rotate, meaning the Blackhawk was allowing the powerless rotors to give them enough lift to keep them upright and level.
“I think we’re about to go swimming,” Mendenhall yelled.
Later all would describe the strangest crash landing any had ever known. It was if a cushion of air hit the helicopter from below, cushioning it moment before it struck the water.
* * *
As the sun rose in the east, dispelling the last of the great storm, debris started to float to the surface of the now still and calm lake.
* * *
On shore, the old woman watched the helicopter go down into the lake. She shook her head and seemingly with great effort as if she was zapped of all energy, slowly opened the car’s front door. She hesitated before entering. She looked again at the spot the flying machine had vanished. She saw one person break the surface of the lake, then another. She smiled and nodded her head.
“Gettin’ old, I guess. Took far more workin’ than it used to.”
The caravan of cars with the old Town and Country station wagon leading the way, left the state park at Lake Mead with their guests Charlie Ellenshaw and the being they now knew as—The Matchstick Man.
* * *
Carl, the strongest swimmer, was the first to reach the calm shoreline as the sun made its first full appearance. As he started to stand and check on the others, a hand took his and assisted him to a standing position. He looked up into the face of Anya Korvesky. He started to say something, but she cut off her words when she hugged him, sapping his anger before it was released. He gave in and hugged her back. After releasing her he saw Alice and Virginia, looking like drowned rats helping both Ryan and Mendenhall out of the water. Jack, helping Tram, fell to the sand lining the beach, exhausted from their swim.
Jack automatically felt something was wrong. With hands on his knees he tried to catch his breath before asking. Alice beat him to it.
“We found Matchstick, he’s alive.”
“Where is he?” Carl asked seeing the strange look on Anya’s face.
“Where is Doc Ellenshaw?” Jack finally asked.
“Its all my fault,” Alice said. For the first time since they had known her the men of the security department saw Alice’s eyes tear up as she looked east. “They took both matchstick and Charlie.”
“Who? Who took them? Will asked, nearly losing his cool.
Alice shook her head, not wanting to bring up the subject of witches and that of Salem as Anya had put it.
“What do we do now?” Virginia asked.
“We go and get our people back.”
They watched as an angry Jack Collins left the beach not caring if anyone followed.
Chapter Six
Event Group Complex,
Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
Jack, Carl, Will and Jason rode the elevator in silence. The doors opened on level seven and they immediately went into the director’s reception area. They came to a sudden stop when they saw the supervising men and women of the varying departments standing idly as they waited outside the conference room.
“What in the hell is going on?” Everett asked one of the three assistants of the director as he tried to scramble by.
The harried assistant stopped and spoke softly so the other managers couldn’t overhear.
“The Director has Mrs. Hamilton, Assistant Director Pollock, Major Korvesky and Sergeant Sanchez in his office. He doesn’t want to be disturbed.” The male assistant leaned in closer. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Director this mad before.”
The assistant moved away as a conspirator would.
“Niles has breached protocol and ethics by bypassing the security office and bringing one of our security men without informing us,” Everett said, looking at Mendenhall to make sure he hadn’t given Niles permission to pull their man in without notification. Will slightly shook his head, not really wanting to add to Mister Everett’s anger.
“We’ll drop the issue for now,” Jack said. “They disobeyed an order from the director and with this Congressman Briggs scandal developing, Niles didn’t need his most experienced people going rogue.”
“But—,” Jason Ryan started to say.
“But nothing Commander. Not only did they lose Matchstick, they allowed Doc Ellenshaw to be snatched. That’s why we don’t breach the subject of not following protocol.”
Ryan, after seeing Jack’s point, didn’t pursue the subject.
Jack heard the pneumatic elevator behind him stop and the doors slide open. He half-turned and he smiled as Sarah stepped out. Then the smile faded as he saw who came out next—Henri Farbeaux. Sarah walked up to him and hugged him.
Will Mendenhall noticed immediately the reception area as it became as quiet as a church. Most were polite enough not to look at the trio, but you could tell the subject of Collins, Sarah and Farbeaux wasn’t far from the management team’s mind.
Sarah stepped back and Jack decided then and there on how he would act. He held out his hand to the Frenchman.
“Colonel, I appreciate you coming. Sorry to come after you this way.”
Henri took Jack’s hand after only a brief hesitation.
“I figured if you could swallow your pride and send such a valuable asset to make the offer, the least I could do is come and see what mess your Group has gotten into now,” he said with a smirk. “My rather tardy congratulations on your recent nuptials. It seems the Jack Collins luck has been proven once again.”
Jack eased his hand from Henri’s and his eyes went to Sarah. “Thank you, Colonel.”
Carl felt the tension between the two. The last they had seen each other in Mongolia hadn’t been a tense parting. Now there was. It had to be the wedding of Jack and Sarah that had now driven a new wedge between the two men.
“Henri,” Carl said curtly offering his hand.
The large former SEAL intentionally cut the handshake off short. Farbeaux did however smile at Will Mendenhall. This handshake was more cordial. After all, during the battle of Antarctica the two men had resigned themselves to die together. Now they had that shared experience, and both felt the bond. The greeting between Ryan wasn’t as such. The handshake was so quick it was almost unnoticeable.
“Jack, what’s going on here?” Sarah asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence after her homecoming.
Jack looked briefly at Henri. “We’ll get into that later. The short story is Matchstick has been found alive and now both he and Doc Ellenshaw have been taken.” He looked around at the gathered department heads. “By who, we’re not sure yet.”
Sarah walked over to Ryan. “I heard you had some problem out at Lake Mead?”
Ryan looked at the Colonel briefly and Jack nodded his head, indicating that he could talk.
“Problem my ass, we were knocked right out of the sky.”
“What?”
“Look, I can’t explain, but whoever was controlling that Blackhawk wasn’t named Ryan.”
“I know you like to joke, but I’m not getting it,” Sarah said looking from Jason to her new husband.
“We were all there, the Commanders right, someone or something took control of that bird and sent us into the drink.”
Behind them the doors opened again and out stepped three security men from their own office. Marine Staff Sergeant John Calhoun stepped forward and stood close to Jack and Carl.
“What’s up?” Collins asked, curious as to why his men were there.
“
The director called down and said he wanted a security detail to come to the conference room.”
Jack and Carl exchanged confused looks.
“What’s this about, Colonel?” Calhoun asked.
“I guess we’ll see. Carl you come too.”
The five men walked to the double conference room doors and opened it. Once inside Jack saw Niles standing and Alice, Anya, Virginia, and Sergeant Sanchez were sitting at the empty conference table.
“Doctor, what’s going on?” Jack asked as if it were a mere question, but his blue eyes told a different story.
“Colonel, you and Captain Everett have a seat. “I understand you had quite a swim this morning. Also lost a rather expensive UH-60.”
“Yes, sir. Now, can we have an explanation as to why you have sent for a security team?”
“Yes, I can. As of this moment, Major Korvesky is under house arrest,” his eyes met Carl’s and didn’t blink as if challenging him to say something. Everett just raised his brows. “She is to be limited to her private quarters where her meals will be delivered to Crypto on level eighty-seven. The only reason I am granting her that privilege is for the simple reason Professor Ellenshaw is now missing.”
“Niles—,” Jack started to say.
“Sergeant Sanchez is also under house arrest. As a courtesy I will allow you to set the parameters of that arrest. Assistant Director Pollock is relieved of her duties and suspended pending my consultation with the President.”
Jason Ryan started to stand up.
“Sit Mr. Ryan. I’ll get to you soon enough,” Niles said as he angrily tossed his thick glasses onto the conference table. Sergeant Calhoun, you will escort Mrs. Hamilton to her home in Las Vegas where she will immediately commence her official retirement.” This time Niles Compton showed his first emotion outside of his anger. He placed a hand on Alice’s shoulder and squeezed. “I’ll keep you updated as best I can within regulations.”
“May I speak?” Carl asked as he slowly stood up.
Season of the Witch Page 10