By his best calculation, it was around ten o’clock, but his little nap may have skewed his internal clock. He shuffled along, his captors still flanking him. They were all shorter than him, but heavily muscled, built like fire hydrants with legs. He could only see their boots and pants legs, but nothing he saw could be remotely confused for Government Issue.
They stopped and the barrel of a M16 was placed under his chin. The guards in front had parted and flanked him. Two people stood before him, a halo of light blurring their features. The taller one walked forward as Jake squinted.
“Glad to have you back, Jake,” Eilif said.
Somehow, Jake was not surprised. Revenge was such a powerful emotion. He could attest to that. He was feeling the same thing right now. It completely formed his resolve.
“Nice to be back,” he quipped.
Eilif shook his head.
“You don’t even know why you are here. Have they completely wiped your memory, Jake? It would be too bad for you if we have to re-program you. You might not survive this time. From what I understand of the process, it is one step from a lobotomy.”
Jake smirked.
“If I had more brain to work with, I might be scared.”
“Your humor is weak, Mr. Monday. If you were not absolutely crucial to our plans, you would not be here now.”
“How about you? Why are you here? I thought you were in jail.”
He shrugged.
“Out on good behavior. Mr. Monday, I know it seems that I am a small player in this drama. However, your recruitment was my idea in the first place. Someone who is a common enemy to both of us plotted to use you against me.”
“I wish I cared. I thought it was unusual I did not just kill you.”
“Alas, it was against your programming. Clever little component that will compel you to turn on yourself before you will actually take my life.”
“So, why Peterson?”
“Why indeed? I feel at home here among these frosty peaks. Our bunker is a few miles off and we should head there before we are questioned by the good folks at the base.”
Jake tried to focus on the other individual behind Eilif.
“Why do you need me so badly? Galbraith has dozens of trained assassins, two divisions of mercenary armies, tons of pull in countries all over the globe. I seem insignificant to all that.”
“It would seem so, Mr. Monday. The only difference is that your father is the President. Our plan is to perform a grand-scale patricide of the current rulers of the world. In most cases it takes care of two birds: the ruler and the successor. However, in our case in America, it simply creates enough of a controversy for the citizens of this appalling nation to question their government.”
“I see. So you expect me to kill the President.”
“Your father.”
“I failed once. What makes you think I will succeed now? His security has been tripled, surely.”
Eilif squinted.
“Have you ever wondered why you are still alive, Mr. Monday?”
“It hasn’t escaped my notice, yeah.”
He reached behind him and pulled the other person who still stood in the backdrop of bright light.
“It has something to do with your half-sister,” Eilif claimed.
“Giselle?!”
Giselle stepped forward, her eyes staring blankly ahead.
“Your mother would be so proud to see you two working together again,” Eilif said.
“My mother? I don’t understand.”
“Of course not. Your mother and I conceived Giselle.”
“But, how?” Jake was not sure if he was more angry, shocked, or in denial.
“Surely, the memory of reproduction has not been erased?” Eilif teased.
“But, I was an only child.”
“The only child of Gabriel and Barbara Vine, yes. Barb and I had a relationship for years before your mother and father met. I saw her one day in Glasgow and she spent three days with me in the Alps. This was two years after you were born. She hid the pregnancy, took a trip to Europe for ‘humanitarian concerns’ and then gave me legal custody of Giselle.”
“That cannot be true.”
“Your mother hated your father. He had betrayed her while serving in the state legislature. She soon began to hate all that he stood for.”
He swallowed, realizing the implications, understanding for the first time why he found Giselle so compelling but so taboo at the same time.
“Why did they wait so long to get divorced, then?”
“Image matters most. It had to appear as though it was a natural divorce. And because of you, of course. They both loved you so much, Jake,” Eilif mocked.
“What have you done to her?” Jake asked, indicating Giselle with his eyes. He resisted calling her “my sister.”
“The same thing we will do to you if you refuse to submit to new programming voluntarily.”
Jake squinted, anger welling into his throat. He felt his right eye twitch. He took another look at his sister (half-sister) and relented.
He allowed himself to be taken to a black Ford Expedition and shoved inside. His friends from the C130 sat beside him, behind him, and in front. Eilif and his charge were escorted to another vehicle and they quickly exited Peterson. Soon, they were climbing the mountain passes on the west side of Colorado Springs.
When Jake saw the massive doors of the underground facility open and the dozens of security personnel, his heart sank. The bright flame of his revenge and resolve burned white coal hot. If he ever got out of here, everyone would pay.
Chapter 7
Apocalypse Later
Eilif stared through the glass separating the bank of computers and instruments from the brightly lit room with simple furnishings and a solitary chair with straps. Jake sat limp in the chair, his hands and feet held securely in place by leather and steel.
“He looks totally harmless there in the chair, doesn’t he?” Clarence asked behind him.
Eilif was irritated that Clarence had shown up just as they arrived. Giselle was removed and hidden by his team before Clarence could see her. He could not abide his daughter being used against him like Jake had been.
Eilif tried to swallow his pride, but the thought that Clarence had been involved with the Mystery Man since the start really brought out his competitive spirit. Actually, his murder-at-all-cost spirit.
“If we gave him half a chance, he would take out every one here.”
Clarence scoffed.
“You are beginning to think like an American. He is not Rambo or Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is human. He can be pumped full of chemicals like now or pumped full of bullets.”
“You underestimate him. I am surprised you do not have a greater concern.”
“Oh, he can put a knife where it hurts most. He can twist a man into a pretzel in four seconds. He has an uncanny ability to move through a room full of armed men and not get shot. He has instincts for violence and defense that are finely honed and made even sharper by our treatments.” Clarence shrugged. “He is the perfect assassin. Especially for our purposes.”
“You know, you make it sound like it was your plan all along, Clarence.”
Clarence smirked smugly. Eilif wanted to strangle him right then.
“Of course, we took your initial plan to use Jake to assassinate his father to even greater use. Your motivation, you have to admit, is rather petty and vindictive.”
“Killing the most powerful man on earth is petty to you? How is your plan grander than the one I initiated over ten years ago?” Eilif hated when he had to raise his voice. It made him seem small and whiny.
Clarence rolled his eyes and sighed.
“You are allowing your emotions to overcome your judgment, Mr. Nicholaisen. Surely you see that your purpose was completely driven by personal vendetta, pure and simple. We have taken that plan, genius as it was, and improved upon it by multiplying the effect and giving it a greater purpose. Not only do we create a powe
r vacuum that only our consortium can fill, we also undermine the public opinion of governments worldwide. ‘They cannot protect you,’ we will say. ‘They are only interested in your money and your votes. ’ ‘They only want to control you. ’ ‘Here, look, we have the key to world hunger, clean drinking water, security, the cure for cancer, the cure for this terrible disease that is running rampant. Only we can help you. Only we can help the world find peace and prosperity.’ We will suck them in and then we will truly have the rule for the first time in centuries. We should never have relinquished it in the first place.”
“Very melodramatic, Clarence. I think you are over reaching.”
“Perhaps you are underestimating us, Eilif.” Clarence looked at him, his smugness and superiority emanating from him like a beacon. “I thought you were on our side, Eilif. One of us. Were we wrong?”
Eilif swallowed his anger. He pushed down on the fear that wrenched at him, realizing that his words and attitude were necessary to keep his head above the waters that threatened to drown him. He thought he had control. The longer he hitched his wagon to these mongrels, the more he realized he had made a mistake. It did not matter. To resist would have meant death or worse anyway. He did not have a choice. You were either for them or against them.
“Of course not,” he said gruffly. “I simply want credit where credit is due.” He pointed to Jake through the glass. “The first tool in our plan is my brain child.”
“Don’t get too confident, Eilif. Understand that our plan will be initiated whether we have Jake available or not. Timing is everything. We cannot allow the election to take place. We need President Vine removed immediately so that we can move forward. We need to leave the world with no choice. It has to happen soon.”
“We will have to run some tests. We are safe here. It will buy us some time to make sure there are no mistakes this time.”
Clarence turned his attention to the bank of computers. The technicians had been relieved of their duties for the night. The monitors were on auto-pilot.
“There can certainly be no more errors. I am now in charge of ensuring that the American portion of this operation succeeds. I will not allow failure,” Clarence said.
He kept his back to Eilif. Eilif bristled at his gall. He was in charge? He would not allow failure?
“What could go wrong?” Eilif asked, grasping at a response that would hide his contempt, his anger, and his hurt pride.
Clarence turned to him, a quizzical look on his face.
“Really? ‘What could go wrong?’ First of all, Jake can resist your programming. Despite your best efforts, he can spoil this most important mission. Second of all, you can have a change of heart and allow your daughter to continue to live, disregarding a direct command. Third of all, you can continue to pretend you have it all together when we all know you are falling apart. Your entire organization is in shambles. Your inner sniping between executives, your questionable loyalties, your shady dealings with terrorists and drug cartels, and even your vaunted real estate holdings are all coming apart at the seams, like an over-worn garment. What could go wrong? You can continue to question me as though I am your employee.”
“Who do you think you are?” Eilif asked, seething.
Clarence turned and grabbed Eilif by his ascot, pulling it from his inner vest.
“Not some bloody pretender, that is for certain,” he said, his lips in a snarl of anger and disdain. The knife he held at Eilif’s gut was short but double-edged and almost two inches wide.
Eilif backed up, sweat beading his upper lip, his eyes distended. He would never have imagined Clarence reacting violently. He was such a proper gentleman. And the veiled threat about Giselle. That had almost stopped his heart. He knew!
“Sinegem is not entirely my mistake!” He proffered.
Clarence’s eyes darted from the knife to Eilif’s vest. Eilif stood, his hands out in a warding gesture, his chest heaving in panic.
“That is true. Mr. Chen is mostly responsible for that mess. Maybe I am placing too much blame at your feet, Mr. Nicholaisen. You are merely a stakeholder who has been allowed a voice. Understand, though, that we will allow no such error of judgment in the Coalition.”
“Of course not. You have my loyalty,” Eilif said, his voice coming out in a squeak. He had to stop himself from saying, you have my fealty.
The knife disappeared. So did the demon that had inhabited the body of Clarence. That was surely what had transpired, Eilif thought. His eyes had seemed to glow red, his nostrils to smoke, and his body to grow taller and broader as he had threatened him. Now the physically meek and calculating Clarence had returned, his manners perfect, his voice sounding superior rather than threatening.
“If only we could ensure that loyalty, Mr. Nicholaisen. Alas, we only have words. Of course,” he glanced behind him, a smile edging at his thin, pursed lips, “we can always manufacture loyalty to some degree, I suppose.”
The threat was not lost on him. He could feel his hands tremble with rage and fear. To lose control to a man he felt was inferior was one thing and to be threatened with a total lack of control was another entirely.
“That will not be necessary. Proof of my loyalty will be provided once Mr. Monday has performed his mission.”
“How can we know that is loyalty, Eilif? Does it not still fulfill your dream of vengeance against Gabriel Vine? And how exactly do we interpret the further existence of your daughter? She was not in the lab at Galbraith. She was not at the facility at Sinegem. Is that what passes for loyalty these days?” He wiped his hands with a pocket kerchief and smiled gently.
“I don’t know...”
“Of course you don’t,” Clarence snapped, turning away. He opened the door.
Giselle stood there flanked by two of his security personnel.
Eilif was stunned, his mouth agape. He could not move. He felt his knees weaken and his hands wrench against the table behind him for balance.
“How did she...” he began, already forming lies and denials in his head. He had never been an effectual liar. He dealt in truths, even when those truths hurt.
“Oh, do not worry, my dear Mr. Nicholaisen. We are fully aware of your love for your daughter. Why else would you subject her to these petty games of vengeance and incest? What? You did not know that we were aware of her lineage?” Clarence traced the lines of Giselle’s cheek and stared at Eilif. “Why, the bones! The fine-china complexion! The absolute class and sexual energy. Those could only be traits she received from her mother, Barbara Vine. Or should I say Barbara Monday?” He glanced at Jake in the next room.
“Let me ask, though: did you tell Giselle this truth? Surely she would have wanted to be reunited with her mother, the great Barbara Monday. Why not? Barbara was philanthropic, she supported the arts, she gave to the poor, she championed the little guy, and she fought the kind of corrupt bureaucracy that her husband served. And she paid the price, didn’t she?”
Eilif felt his lip trembling. He did not want to answer. He knew he would sound petulant, fearful, or resentful. He would certainly not sound loyal. He kept his eyes on the men beside Giselle. They seemed placid, peaceful, their rifles at the ready. They wore no emotion. It was then that he understood.
“You have enthralled all of our forces, haven’t you?” It came out as accusation, much to his displeasure. He cringed as he asked the question. Clarence seemed not to mind, though. He seemed absolutely giddy.
“Why yes. We did. It was quite the feat, I must admit. There were so many. Several resisted, I am afraid.” He looped a finger around in a circle near his head, the kerchief dangling from his fingers, a wicked smile across his face, “Tends to scramble the insides when they do that, doesn’t it? Bloody mess, really.” He shrugged. “I suppose we win some and we lose some.” He glanced back at Giselle. “Did she, you know, resist?” He asked, a look of fake horror mocking Eilif.
“It is a stasis program. She is functioning normally but cannot speak or act on her own.”
Clarence nodded in appreciation.
“Well yes. I see now. Well, it looks as though she has wet herself. How embarrassing. Perhaps this program needs some modification.”
“She is scared,” Eilif said defensively.
“Scared? Well, I suppose that would be an appropriate response to death.”
“What are you going to do?” Eilif asked. He was desperate. He was almost sitting on the chrome and maple table behind him. His legs could no longer support him.
“Good question, Mr. Nicholaisen. Maybe that should have been your first response. Perhaps we could have dispensed with much of this...unsavory behavior.”
“You have my loyalty. I will...”
“We don’t need your loyalty. I thought you knew that by now. Tsk. Tsk.” His voice was high-pitched and grating. “But, rest assured, Eilif. I think we can find some creative uses for your good daughter. Maybe when this is all settled, we can tell her the truth. How would you like that? Some father-daughter time where your daughter learns of your manipulation of her life, of your lies, your betrayal, and your petty revenge for a woman who used you for your wealth and your political ties in Europe.”
“I will not allow you to talk about Barbara like that!”
Clarence looked shocked.
“I was not aware that I needed your permission. I will leave you here now to your pet project. See to it that the testing goes well. I will leave you in the good hands of our newest recruits. It seems they have a high level of loyalty. The kind that even money cannot buy.” He raised his eyebrows. “I have to say that I am most impressed, really. It is shame you cannot have more credit.”
With that, Clarence turned and began to walk back toward the door.
“Wait! What about Giselle?”
Clarence shrugged.
“She will not be faking her loyalty, I am sure. We will just manufacture it.”
Chapter 8
With or Without You
Hallie waited impatiently for the elevator door to open. She did not want to be in New York. She had no choice. She knew of nowhere else to go. She could have called. Should have called. It was late. Barney at the front desk said that, to his knowledge, Mr. Evers had not left. Hallie had waited forty eight hours and then when she did not hear from Jake, she went into action.
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