by Siegel, Alex
"Gains is hiding somewhere under that pile of rocks. He probably has a secret room. If we have to search for him, it will take a long time. We could be here all night, and I don't want that. You're going to solve this problem for us."
"How?"
"Go down there and give yourself up," he said. "Don't fight at all. Insist on being taken straight to Gains because you have an important message for him. He'll be too curious to say no. We'll follow your tracking signal to you and to him."
She furrowed her brow. "What does that have to do with a weasel?"
"A weasel is a predator that goes down holes and kills vermin. They eat rats."
Tawni grimaced. She understood the plan but didn't like it much. She would be alone and defenseless in an enemy fortress, but she wasn't about to argue with her commander. She had learned that orders were orders, and Aaron knew best.
She looked down at a burlap sack on the grass. It was squirming and grunting like a pig. Rascher was inside the sack, at least what was left of him. After four solid hours of intense exposure to the red light, his mind was completely gone. Tawni didn't know why Aaron had brought Rascher along. Apparently, he still had plans for the doctor.
"Any questions?" Aaron said.
"Just one, sir," Tawni said. "What message should I deliver to Gains?"
"Tell him anything you want. He's a dead man anyway. Just keep him preoccupied until we rescue you, and be very careful. Don't touch anything. Don't make any aggressive moves. Now go. We'll cover your approach."
He patted a sniper rifle slung across his shoulder. Odelia also had a rifle, but her weapon was lighter than his. Both guns looked more than capable of killing at long range, and they would be in expert hands. Tawni had watched Odelia practice in the gun range. She didn't have Aaron's supernatural accuracy, but she was still a damn fine marksman. She had smoked Smythe in a shooting contest.
"Yes, sir," Tawni said.
She took a deep breath and headed down the hill.
* * *
Roger Gains was watching the news on his giant television. He was hopping between channels, hoping for more coverage of the Chicago riots. Another bad one had happened late last night. Twenty people had died, and two buildings had burned to the ground. There was serious talk of calling in the National Guard. The idea made him giddy with pleasure.
Suddenly, his television program turned to static. He switched channels but the static remained. It soon became clear he had no signal at all.
He smirked at the irony. The man who owned the cable system was without cable.
He went to the desk in his office. He was about to pick up one of his white phones when another started ringing. It was the damned emergency line again.
He answered it, "What's wrong?"
"This is Picket in the security center, sir. We just lost all communication."
"What do you mean?"
"Internet, phone, cell service, all of it," Picket said. "We can't communicate with the outside world at all."
"That's impossible."
"We're investigating, sir. In the meantime, I'm putting everybody on alert."
Gains frowned. "And post extra men around the castle. This could be a prelude to an attack."
"Yes, sir. I'll call back as soon as I have an update."
Gains hung up the phone.
It was possible the enemy was at his doorstep. Fortunately, he was well prepared for this contingency. Thick stone walls, men with guns, and the most modern security systems surrounded him on all sides. His castle was truly a fortress.
He was still nervous though. He walked back into his living room and looked at a door in the glass partition. He hadn't walked through that doorway in five years. The air and water on the other side wasn't purified. He would be exposed to foul odors and germs. The idea made him shudder with disgust. He wasn't ready to open that door yet, but it was worth keeping in mind.
* * *
Tawni walked up to a small dock on the shore of the lake. Several boats were tied to the pier, ranging from a small rowboat to a large yacht. A guardhouse with windows on all sides protected the dock. She saw four guards in green uniforms inside.
Two men came out immediately to confront her.
"Who are you?" one stated in an aggressive tone. "We weren't expecting visitors."
His head exploded as a large caliber bullet went through his face. His partner ducked and looked around fearfully. A bullet hit him in the jaw and neck with enough force to partially decapitate him.
Tawni proceeded down the pier as she considered what boat she would take.
She heard glass breaking as the other two men in the guardhouse were killed. She didn't bother to turn around.
She didn't know how to start a boat engine, so she climbed into the rowboat. The lake wasn't big, and she didn't mind a little exercise. She began to row towards the huge front gate of the castle. It looked strong enough to withstand a siege.
Guards were posted all around the castle and on the roof. She could see at least twenty of them just on this side. One by one, they went down and didn't get up. Most of them died without even realizing a sniper was picking them off. It was like watching a carnival shooting game. She didn't hear any alarms.
She landed her boat on a gravel beach. She walked across a perfectly manicured lawn and reached the front gate. It had a square door built out of wooden planks reinforced with iron straps. She pounded on it with her fist.
"Hello!" she yelled. "Anybody home?"
Bullets started striking the wood above her head. She watched as a smiley face was drawn with large bullet holes. It had to be Aaron. She was coming to appreciate his bent sense of humor.
The door barely opened. The first thing Tawni saw was a pistol pointed at her face.
"Come in slowly," a man said. "Hands up."
She slipped inside with her hands above her head. The front room of the castle was two stories tall and made entirely of stone. Light fixtures disguised as torches provided flickering yellow light. Suits of armor stood against the walls and carried medieval weapons. A huge tapestry showed a hunting scene, and the faded colors suggested it was an actual historical relic. There were modern touches, too. Surveillance cameras and motions sensors were tucked in the corners.
Four male guards in green uniforms surrounded her. Their faces were pale, and they shuffled their feet nervously. One began to pat her down.
"Are you serious?" Tawni said. "I'm unarmed. I couldn't hide a nickel under these tights."
He ignored her. She clenched her jaw and waited impatiently for him to stop fondling her. Knowing he would be dead soon brought her comfort. He took a long look at her phone but let her keep it.
"I have a message for your boss," she said.
"What's the message?" the guard said.
"It's for your boss, not you, asshole. Take me to Gains. Tell him I'll answer all his questions."
* * *
Gains was sitting at his desk when his emergency line rang again. He immediately reached for the white phone.
"What now?"
"Two things, sir," Picket said. "First, there is a sniper outside the castle. He killed a good number of our men before we realized what was happening. I pulled the rest inside for now."
"We have rifles, don't we? Snipe that fucking sniper!"
"We tried. It cost us two more men. That guy is a phenomenal shot."
Gains pounded his desk with his fist. "Are you telling me one sniper is besieging my entire castle?"
"It could be two," Picket replied softly.
"All of you are incompetent idiots. I may have to clean house when this is over. What's the other thing?"
"There is a woman at the front door. She wants to talk to you. She claims she has information you need."
"What kind of woman?" Gains said.
"Black, mid-twenties, attractive. She's unarmed. She walked right up to the gate."
Gains worked his jaw as he considered what to do. Inviting the enemy into his private q
uarters was dangerous, but a lone woman didn't seem like much of a threat. She might actually tell him something useful. If she didn't give up the information voluntarily, his men would extract it from her. Gains was desperate for any hint about who was attacking.
"Bring her down," he said. "Make sure she is well guarded. I don't want any possibility of trouble."
"Yes, sir."
* * *
"This way, miss," a guard said.
Four men were escorting Tawni through the castle. She couldn't help but gawk as they went from room to room. It was like strolling through a world-class museum. Fabulous art and antique furniture was everywhere. This is how the super-rich live, she realized, like kings.
Despite the elaborate furnishings, the castle depressed her. Her footsteps echoed from hard stone walls in big rooms devoid of people. She saw a few other guards running around, but there were no regular folks. Not even a maid.
"What is Mr. Gains like?" Tawni said.
One of the guards shrugged. "I don't know. He never leaves his quarters."
"He lives in a giant castle full of expensive stuff, and he never looks at it?"
"The art is for investment purposes only."
Tawni shook her head in dismay.
They eventually stopped in front of a fireplace big enough to burn an entire couch. One guard pulled a fake torch at one end, and another guard pulled a torch at the other end. The stone back wall lifted up. Tawni grinned and was reminded of old horror movies she had seen.
A loud thud made her look back. It sounded like something outside the castle had exploded. The assault had officially begun.
The guards glanced nervously at each other.
"Keep moving," one man said. "Mr. Gains is waiting."
They proceeded through the fireplace and down a circular stairwell. Tawni guessed they were going into the ground. The air became damper and cooler.
The group entered a stone chamber with more guards in it. There was a huge, steel door with a rotating handle. It looked like a bank vault.
One man unlocked the door by typing in an electronic code. It swung open automatically. Tawni was escorted through a long, circular tunnel with solid concrete walls. They emerged into a white room.
Tawni squinted in the sudden brightness. Everything in here was perfectly white and clean. A glass wall divided the room into two sections, one side for visitors and the other for Roger Gains.
Gains was a tall, gaunt man. He was completely bald, which made it hard to guess his age, but Tawni judged him to be in his sixties. He wore plain, white clothes that looked like pajamas. His feet were bare and his toenails were cut very short.
His side of the room was comfortably furnished. He had a plush couch, a recliner, a stereo system, and the largest television she had ever seen. It was showing static now. Bethany and Leanna had used their magic computers to black out all forms of communication in the area. Tawni was growing very appreciative of the twins' extraordinary skills.
"I was expecting someone more impressive," Gains said. "You're just an ordinary woman."
His voice came through an intercom system in the ceiling.
Tawni smiled at him. "And you're just an old, skinny, sick mother fucker."
"Charming. You have something to tell me?"
She heard a phone ringing.
Gains frowned. "Damn. Wait here. I'll be back shortly." He hurried off.
* * *
Gains jogged into his office. The emergency line was ringing again, and that sound was growing very tiresome.
He grabbed the handset. "This better be good news."
"It's Picket again, sir, and I'm afraid the news isn't good. Intruders are on the roof of the castle."
"How is that even possible?"
"I don't know," Picket said. "Maybe they used a rope ladder or something."
"How many are there?"
"I don't know. Several."
Gains gritted his teeth. "I'm getting very weary of uninformative responses. I pay you people to give me answers, not I don't knows."
"The intruders killed everybody on the roof before we could get a clear report, sir. They're moving faster than we can respond."
"I don't care if they can break the sound barrier. Stop them. Now!"
Gains slammed the phone on its cradle.
He went back into his living room and took another look at the woman. Her flawless, brown skin reminded him of fine chocolate. Wavy, black hair went down just past her neck. Her gray tights showed off a strong body, but she was too tall for his taste. There was an arrogant toughness in her expression that made her look punkish.
"It seems your associates are on my roof," Gains said.
She smiled. "Already? That's impressive."
"You came to talk, so talk. You can start by telling me who you are."
"I'm Tawni. We're the Gray Spear Society."
He shook his head. "Never heard of them."
"We protect the Earth by destroying assholes like you."
"Are you some kind of international police force?"
"Sort of," she said. "We work for God."
He snorted. "You're a cult. I'm being attacked by religious fanatics. That would explain why none of my people knew anything about you. Why do you hate me? You don't like the programming on my cable system?"
"I was in your factory last night. We burned it down. Have you ever been inside?"
"No."
"That was some very sick shit," she said. "Rascher was holding people in little cages like animals. They were screaming and banging around. Some of them were cut up. There were rooms full of dead bodies."
"The doctor was performing important research."
"Not anymore." She had a nasty look in her eyes.
"You caught him?" he said.
She nodded. "We killed your hit man, too. We blew his brains out."
That news disturbed Gains. He had counted on the Housekeeper for years to take care of nagging problems. Now Gains would have to find new talent.
"How did you hook up with the doctor?" Tawni said.
"I was looking for a man who could accomplish certain things for me. He was known to possess a technology that was perfect for my needs."
"The wave generators that are causing the riots. Did he invent them?"
Gains frowned. She knew far too much about his operation.
"He told me it came to him in a dream," he said. "Somehow the key equation just appeared in his mind. Regardless, the technology works, and there is nothing you can do to stop it."
"We shut down all your wave generators last night."
He stared at Tawni. "You're bluffing."
She returned the stare confidently. "We got the access codes."
He heard a phone ringing in his office again. "Damn!" He ran to answer it.
"The intruders have breached the top floor!" Picket said in a breathless voice.
Gains yelled into the phone, "How?"
"We blocked up the stairwells, but they blasted a hole in the ceiling. They dropped down and hit us from behind! We were overrun. It was a massacre!"
"What are you idiots doing up there? Having a tea party? Kill them!"
"We're trying very hard, sir. We've already lost more than half our men."
Gains heard a loud argument in the background.
"What's going on?" he demanded.
Picket hung up.
With a feeling of total disgust, Gains went back to the living room. Tawni had an annoying smirk on her pretty face.
"Why are you doing this?" he said. "Are you going to hold me hostage and demand a ransom? Are you going to make a statement to the press? Do you have a political axe to grind?"
"No. Nothing like that. Your death is all we care about. I have a question for you. Why would a respectable billionaire want to destroy Chicago?"
The lights flickered and went out. A couple of seconds later, every third bulb turned on. The emergency generator had kicked in, but it couldn't supply full power to the whole
castle. Only basic lighting and utilities would work now.
Gains grimaced. The guards looked at each other nervously.
"Well?" Tawni said.
"Conflict makes us stronger. We must tear down before we can rebuild. Man's greatest achievements were accomplished during times of war."
"This was for the people?"
He nodded. "That's right."
"Bullshit." She shook her head. "If you gave the littlest fuck about anybody else, you wouldn't be buddies with a psycho like Rascher."
He heard a thud above his head. It would take a powerful explosion to be audible down here.
"They're coming for you," Tawni said.
"I have the best security. There are a hundred and fifty armed guards in this castle." And more than half are already dead, he realized.
Her eyes widened. "We are God's warriors, His secret assassins, His private army of monsters. His anger makes us strong, quick, and relentless. I can feel it burning in my muscles now." She clenched her fists. "All those men will be killed today."
She looked at the four guards around her. They had their guns pointed at her, but she didn't seem the least bit afraid. If anything, they were scared of her.
"You really believe that," Gains said.
Tawni nodded slowly.
He hurried back to his office. It was time to get an update from his security team.
He picked up the phone that normally put him through to the security center in the castle. He heard ringing but nobody answered, and after twenty rings he gave up. He tried the phone that connected to his personal secretary. The line was dead.
There was a hollow feeling in his chest. The situation was very bad and getting worse in a hurry.
He walked back to his living room.
"I know that look," Tawni said. "You're thinking about running."
"I have powerful friends who will protect me."
"From the Gray Spear Society? I don't think so." She sneered. Her phone began to ring. She unclipped it from her belt and checked the display. "I have to take this call. It's my boss. Sorry."
Gains was too dumbfounded to complain. He had noticed she was carrying a phone, but that fact hadn't seemed important until now. He had assumed her service was cut off like his.
"I'm fine, sir," she said. "We're having a nice conversation. Look for a huge fireplace. Pull the fake torches on both sides. Yes, sir. I'll wait for you." She closed her phone.