by Jay Cannon
“Get out of the car with your hands up,” an officer ordered over a loudspeaker.
“Honey, we’re about to be arrested. What will we tell our friends and family?” Lisa cried.
“Whatever we tell them, it’ll be a great story, sweetheart.” Albert laughed. “I hope someone is tweeting this.”
Chapter 19
Closing in on the Cheoili
That same evening, Sgt. Peters debriefed his men after the cab chase concluded in disappointment. When the prolonged and dangerous pursuit ended, they bagged a shaken-up couple of tourists and a cab driver with a stack of traffic tickets, while their quarry, the Cheoili, eluded them again. Peters felt it more prudent to let the cabbie and his passengers go than deal with the paperwork.
“Calvin, what did your men find out?” the captain demanded, when a downtrodden Peters walked into the squad room.
“It looks like the ladies ditched the phone in a cab and disappeared,” he told McKee, avoiding the captain’s eyes to hide his humiliation and frustration.
“The people in the cab are certainly not the women we’re looking for,” Peters continued, squaring his shoulders and hardening his features.
“How do you know they didn’t disguise themselves?” McKee persisted, hoping his team had missed some clue that would provide a new lead for his investigation.
“Unless they can change themselves into an elderly couple with valid driver’s licenses, it wasn’t them.” Peters’ misery overshadowed the hint of dry sarcasm in his voice.
“Fine, let’s call it a night and I’ll see you in the morning.”
***
The next morning McKee sat in his office, again shooting rubber bands at his poster of Mike Hammer, wishing the fictional detective would offer some words of wisdom to make him feel better about the previous evening’s fiasco. He glanced at his open door, looking for Adar and Peters to show.
It was almost 9:00 in the morning. He had already been there for two hours and had downed three cups of strong coffee from the kitchenette in the squad room. After reviewing video feeds, scanning reports and making phone calls, he had nothing. Finally, he saw Peters wave as he headed to his desk to drop off his lunch and computer bag. As the sergeant moved toward McKee’s office, Adar stepped out of the elevator.
“Thanks for being prompt, gentlemen,” McKee greeted them. “Have a seat, and let’s look at where we are. The phone is no longer of use to us. We don’t know where Daloi and Dholi are. Sharon and Sheila are clean, at least for now. Foster knows nothing. Charlie knows nothing. There is nothing in the apartment that is of any use to us. At least we know how Sharon and Sheila could be in two places at once. Adar, do your people have a way to track these aliens?”
“Only if they use their transporter recklessly,” Adar admitted. “And they are too smart to do that now.”
“So what are our options?” asked McKee, sounding desperate.
“Stake out Charlie’s and Sonny’s places and hope to get a bite,” suggested Peters. “We could also check in on the other mob bosses.”
“Okay, let’s leave it at that and hope we get lucky. And let’s connect every morning for a while, if that works for the two of you,” the captain proposed, looking at Adar.
“Fine with me,” said Adar.
“Me, too,” echoed Peters.
***
That same morning in Charlie’s office, Charlie found himself debating with Sharon and Sheila how to reward Daloi and Dholi on their achievement.
“Come on, Sharon, don’t be angry,” Charlie urged. “You have to admit, Daloi made a pretty impressive play. On live TV, surrounded by security. And they got away with it. So, they deserve something.”
“Now what?” asked Sharon, in disbelief that Charlie fawned over the newcomers.
“I think I’ll give them Jersey City,” Charlie mused.
“Isn’t Bobby trying to take that territory from the Russians?” objected Sheila, whose disdain for the twins was as vocal as that of her cousin.
“Those ladies seem pretty creative. I’m sure they’ll figure something out.” Charlie chuckled, gleeful anticipation lighting his expression.
“Charlie, I got a lady named Daloi on the line for you,” said the receptionist, opening the door and poking her head into the room after a brief knock.
“Thanks Caroline, I’ll take it in here.” Charlie picked up the phone receiver.
“Daloi, you totally nailed it last night. I owe you big time.” The mob boss laughed as he praised his new henchwoman.
“Good, because we are ready to do some serious business. We have an idea we want to run by you,” said Daloi, pausing to hear Charlie’s response.
“Sure, though you know I had planned to give you Jersey City,” Charlie suggested.
“The Russians run Jersey City. I don’t want to work that hard for my money,” said Daloi, sounding dismissive. “Anyway, Dholi and I have a plan to bring in a lot of cash for you, but we need your help getting the idea off the ground.”
“You’ve piqued my interest,” replied Charlie, raising his eyebrows. “Tell me more.”
“I’d love to, but I don’t want to do it over the phone. Can you have Sharon and Sheila meet us at the Village Underground in Jersey City?” suggested Daloi. “We want to include them in the plan.”
“Sure, but why all the cloak and dagger?” asked Charlie, a little suspicious of the request.
“Because the police are after us, okay?” Daloi said, sounding nervous.
“Sharon and Sheila, you down with meeting the ladies at the Village Underground tonight? They say they’ve got a big deal brewing and they want to include you.” Charlie briefly placed the handset against his chest.
“Yeah, we can do that,” said Sharon, curious about Daloi’s interest in working with them.
“Sharon, I don’t trust them,” said Sheila, nudging Sharon.
Charlie paused and glared at the two ladies.
“Sheila, it will be okay,” replied Sharon. “If they cross us, we’ll take them out.” Sheila shrugged in capitulation. “We’ll do it!” said Sharon.
“Did you hear that, Daloi? It’s a go,” Charlie said, smiling.
“I heard it,” replied Daloi. “Tell them to get there around 10:00 tonight.”
“Got it. By the way, I really enjoyed watching Kanye screech last night.” Charlie chortled again.
“Glad we could take care of that minor irritation for you,” Daloi said, hanging up.
***
Daloi should have trusted her feelings about not using her phone to do business, because the police definitely listened in on everything they said. Their conversation gave the police and Adar the lead they needed to track the twins down.
Adar sat in his apartment across from Ahmed, eating a raw steak, when he received a call from Wylyy.
“Did you get all that, Adar?” asked Wylyy, who had been listening in on the conversation in Charlie’s office and patched the audio to Adar.
“Yes. This makes up for your slip up last night,” said Adar, grimly.
“You won’t let that go, will you?” asked Wylyy, annoyed by Adar’s unforgiving attitude.
“I’ll let it go when I have those two in custody. I’ll meet them there, and we will end this tonight. Adar growled. I want you monitoring Charlie’s and Sonny’s places just in case,” warned Adar.
“I’ll be watching.” Wylyy ended the transmission.
“Adar, did you find out anything new?” asked Ahmed, who eyed him from across the dining room table.
“Those two aliens I am after will be at a club in Jersey City tonight. I plan to intercept them there and bring them to justice,” Adar said, his face firm with conviction. “I need you to tell Captain McKee to meet me there at 9:30. And tell him to be discreet.”
“Did you check in on Aundria?” Ahmed asked, hoping he could interest Adar in saving her.
“I went to Jerome’s place and found it vacant. I will have to revisit the issue later. I’m certai
nly not going to kill Toni,” Adar said, taking another bite out of his steak.
“What’s with the hoodie?” asked Ahmed, having never seen Adar wear anything other than his long black coat.
“I don’t want the aliens or Charlie’s people to recognize me if they happen to show up,” Adar said, pulling it over his head. “I’ll step outside and have Wylyy transport me to the meetup.”
“What do you want me to do?” Ahmed asked, hoping to get involved in the alien chase.
“After you call McKee, do what you can to find Aundria. Or at least find Jerome for me. He can’t stay hidden forever. I may be gone for a while, depending on how the evening goes,” Adar said.
“No problem. You can always find me at the apartment or the Whiskey Tavern,” Ahmed replied, smiling.
***
Adar arrived at the Village Underground early and settled down to wait in a shadowy corner outside the club. He could hear dance music blaring from the open door, unlike the other bars he frequented. The clientele entering this venue appeared younger and dressed differently, in more flashy, fashionable clothing. McKee showed a few minutes later, and Adar met him as he climbed out of an unmarked police car.
“I have been here for a few minutes and I haven’t seen or smelled them yet. What are your plans?” Adar asked McKee, as he continued to scan the parking lot.
“I’ll have those two plainclothes police officers inside,” McKee said, pointing to a man and woman stepping out of an unmarked car nearby and nodding to McKee and Adar. “And I’ll have several more outside. My men won’t engage anyone until I give the word. I’m counting on you to identify the aliens, as well as neutralize them. I’ll do what I can to help you out” McKee worried about all that could go wrong with the operation.
“I appreciate you identifying your people to me. I’ll let you know as soon as I see something. If I can take care of the situation quickly, I’ll do that,” said Adar, turning and walking towards the entrance to the club.
Adar walked into the club and took a quick look around. He was surprised to see the flashing lights, people dancing and the more flirtatious atmosphere of the crowd. He found a dark, out of the way corner where he could spot the Cheoili if they decided to show up. He sniffed the air and monitored his DNA scanner, hoping to notice Daloi and Dholi before they noticed him. He ordered a tonic water from a server and found himself tapping his hand on the table to the beat of the song, “Bad Blood,” playing over the speakers. When his drink arrived, he took a sip and settled in for what could be a long wait.
Where are you two? You’ve been evading me long enough. I can’t believe I’m missing the boredom of the ship, Adar thought. Aundria has been the most worthwhile experience I’ve had since I’ve been here. Well, fighting those extremists in Syria was pretty rewarding, but I would probably pick Aundria over them.
Still, as much as I like Aundria, I can’t take her with me, and I can’t bear to stay on this backward planet any longer than I have to. The archaic state of treatment for illness and disease on this Earth is astounding. And they make people PAY for it. Aundria would have died if I had needed to rely on these Earthlings to save her. Now she’ll probably die anyway, which is her fate.
Why are people dancing? It’s an odd way to get exercise and an even odder mating ritual. The music is too loud to have a conversation. Adar sat in the corner, bored and frustrated. There we go. Finally, some action.
Sharon and Sheila walked into the club dressed to impress, wearing short shimmering dresses with low necklines. Adar made a quick pass by them with his hoodie up and dismissed them as being human, but kept his eye on them.
“Do you see them, Sheila?” Sharon asked, taking a short stroll around the large one-room club.
“No, I don’t see them. If we have to be in this dive, we should at least have a good time,” said Sheila, smiling and doing a quick shimmy, keeping time with the beat.
“I heard that,” said Sharon. They strutted to the dance floor and spent the next half hour getting their swerve on. That’s when a strange man approached them.
“Hello, ladies. Daloi and Dholi want to meet you out back where they say it’s quieter,” said the unknown stranger.
“As soon as “Bitch Better Have My Money” ends, baby,” said Sheila, dismissing the man. “I’m not walking off the dance floor with Rihanna blasting over the speakers. Daloi and Dholi better be listening to this,” she shouted to Sharon, giving her a high-five.
Once the song ended, the two women sashayed down the hall to the back of the club and out the exit door. As they stepped into the alley, they looked around for Daloi and Dholi.
“Hey, let Captain McKee know Charlie’s ladies are here and on the move, then follow me,” Adar said to an undercover cop, before following Sharon and Sheila.
The officer made a quick radio call to McKee and both undercover officers trailed Adar to the back of the club.
“Hello, Adar,” said Daloi in Euclidian as she approached him, grabbed his throat and forced him against the hallway wall. Being taller than Adar, the Cheoili used her leverage to shove the Ossie off balance. She didn’t realize that the hoodie tied tightly under his throat protected him from the enzymes in her fingertips. Adar grabbed her crotch and slammed her into the ceiling before tossing her down the short hallway.
Daloi’s home planet of Cheoili had stronger gravity than Earth. This meant Daloi was stronger and more agile on Earth. She twisted in mid-air and grabbed a nearby door jamb to reverse her momentum and lunge back at Adar, kicking him in the chest and sending him crashing to the floor. The Ossie quickly jumped up and ran at Daloi, who bounded over him while reaching down and grabbing him by the face to sling his body to the floor, where she held him tightly between her thighs.
“You like the feel of my hands on your face? Stop resisting. Did you really think wearing a hood on your head would protect you?” Daloi said mockingly, pulling down his hood and lifting him off the floor. “Nod and let me know you’re my bitch,” Daloi whispered into his ear. Adar slowly nodded. “Now tell me what you did with my baby brother,” Daloi demanded, slamming his face against the wall.
“He’s dead and soon you will be.”
“Not before you are. Your time on this planet has just come to an end,” Daloi chided, with a menacing tone.
The two undercover officers attempted to intercede on Adar’s behalf, but Dholi appeared and stunned them with two quick blasts from her photon gun. She then dragged them into a storage room, waving off nosy patrons who came to investigate the noise with a curt smile.
“Good work, sister,” said Daloi in Cheoili, looking over at Dholi. “Now let’s get rid of this Ossie for good. Why don’t you take his weapons, and get out of here. I’m going to wear his personal shield for a while, then meet you at the rendezvous point.”
“I remember the plan. See you soon, sister,” said Dholi, giving her twin a quick hug.
Dholi grabbed Adar’s weapons and walked out the front of the club and down the street to wait for Daloi.
Daloi, meanwhile, pulled Adar down the hallway behind her by his neck.
“Hello, ladies,” she said, stepping into the alley. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”
“We kept ourselves busy,” said Sharon. “What do you have there?”
“This is the ferocious Adar who took out Luigi’s crew, and now’s he’s my little bitch,” Daloi said, patting Adar’s cheek with her free hand.
“You’ve got to show me how you do that,” said an admiring Sharon.
“I will. Right now, I need to get rid of this pest. You can come watch if you like, but stay back.”
Daloi walked down the alley toward the front of the club, dragging Adar to where the police stood waiting by their cars. “This is for Tatan,” Daloi whispered in his ear before pulling out a gun and shooting at the cops until they returned fire, sending dozens of rounds toward her and Adar. She let Adar fall to the ground and retreated to the back of the club.
�
��How the hell did you survive that?” asked Sharon, in shock.
“Using this little device right here,” said Daloi. “You just attach it to your body like this. Turn it on with this switch and you are protected from things being fired at you. People can still punch you or tackle you, but other than that, you are pretty safe. I stole it from a government research center. To show you there are no hard feelings, you can have it.”
“You are totally my BFF now,” said Sharon, hugging Daloi.
“Sorry ladies, I don’t have time to go over the new project Dholi and I cooked up. Let’s get together soon. Right now, I need to run,” said Daloi, disappearing through the back door of the club, and walking out the front with a new identity. She walked down the street to where Dholi was waiting to transport her to safety.
Chapter 20
Saving Adar
Adar slowly came to. He could make out a light in his face and a blurred image hovering over him. What is this? Have these bastards locked me up again? “Arghh! Why am I restrained?” He struggled against metallic mesh restraints that bound his wrist, ankles and waist.
“Adar, this is Valera. You’re aboard the Andrea. I need you to calm down. You’re being restrained because I’m afraid that you will hurt yourself or others. Once you have shown me that you won’t harm anyone, I will release you.”
“Again! Why does this keep happening to me? Valera, I don’t feel well, but I promise you, I can contain my violent tendencies,” Adar growled.
Though he felt no physical pain, a wave of mental anguish over his inability to capture the Cheoili threatened to swamp his spirits. Moreover, the wily fugitives repeatedly got the drop on him, this time bringing him close to death.
Adar had killed many different species, mostly in battle, or while protecting diplomats, or as a sniper. However, investigative work to bring someone to justice wasn’t his bailiwick.
“Tanya, go ahead and free him from his restraints,” Valera instructed her assistant, who was a human and previously a nurse on Earth.