Man of Steel

by Dave Conifer

  “What’s going on?”

  “We heard from the reporters. They’re still right here in Morgantown.”

  “These kids have made your goons look bad. First they were holed up in the hotel, then they’re out of the city completely. Turns out neither was true.”

  “Well, it made sense at the time. Bremer’s car was gone.”

  “Don’t get me started on that again,” Braden replied sharply. “The car means nothing. And how that car was left unattended is something I’ll never understand. But that’s water over the dam now.”

  “They don’t know anybody here in town,” Marino said defensively. “We checked every motel room within twenty miles. It’s almost impossible that we didn’t find them.”

  “Some things are more impossible than others. You missed at least one room, or your man would still be alive.”

  “We got a message from Jonas morning. Apparently they still have Bremer’s radio. We know from the strength of the signal that they’re close by. Very close.”

  “I think it’s safe to say they were here all along. What did they say? Don’t be cute. Tell me everything.”

  “Jonas got on the radio a few minutes ago. It was completely out of the blue. He said his article went into print this morning.”

  “Is he bluffing?”

  “We haven’t found it anywhere so far but we only got the message about twenty minutes ago. We checked the Charlotte and Austin papers and it wasn’t in either one.”

  “Hmm. I’m starting to feel like I know these kids. They wouldn’t come out of hiding just to bluff us. Something’s definitely up. Maybe tomorrow’s the day.”

  “Maybe, but that isn’t what he said,” Marino insisted. “He said clearly that today is the day.”

  “I take it you heard it yourself?”

  “Yes. I happened to be there when it came over. We didn’t respond. Nobody knew what to say.”

  “Good. Don’t let them feel like they can jerk us around so easily.”

  “What do you want us to do next, sir?”

  “Just hold tight. If you get any more messages, handle it the same way. Listen carefully but don’t reply. In the meantime, check out every newspaper in the country. Check the wire services too. If anything is in print we need to know about it.”

  “Okay, Mr. Braden, we’re on it.”

  “Good. Get everybody you can out on the streets. Make sure everybody’s busy. There’s a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.”

  -- Chapter 40 --

  After twenty-five minutes of unacknowledged broadcasting Jonas had given up. The sun wasn’t even up yet and the escape plan already seemed to be unraveling. By then he had hoped to have gotten the word out that the assassination story was about the hit the streets, but there wasn’t anybody out there hearing the message. So far he’d remained out of view since escaping at the PRT station, but when it came time to rescue Reno there would be no place to hide, especially if his pursuers had nothing else on their minds.

  Rob had been up for hours. He was the one that answered the pre-dawn phone call from Ledger, who informed him that the column had indeed been printed in the day’s edition of The Daily Athenaeum. He had sat silently at the table with his chin resting on his hand while Jonas tried unsuccessfully to contact the enemy by radio.

  “They must have turned off their walkie-talkies,” Rob said after Jonas put the radio on the table and slouched back in his seat. “We never thought of that.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it. I just assumed they were always out there waiting to pounce. I still think they’re out there. Why would they give up now? But where are they?”

  “Maybe they heard the message and decided to scram. Isn’t that what we were hoping for? If only we could know for sure.”

  “Yeah, if only,” Jonas mused. “What do you think I should do?”

  “You have to stay the course,” Rob said firmly. “Look, if nobody’s around to hear the message that’s even better. And you’ve got to go get your partner. No two ways about that.”

  “You got that right. If only she hadn’t gotten hurt, it would all be so much simpler. But I guess I’d be at it all day if I let myself think that way.”

  “Maybe you should have told them where to look for the article,” Rob said. “Or at least a big fat hint.”

  “You mean in my walkie-talkie messages that nobody is listening to?” Jonas asked.

  “Yeah. Maybe somebody’s hearing them but just not answering. If they hear it they’ll probably check your North Carolina paper and then Abby’s Texas paper. If it isn’t there, which it isn’t, they might figure you’re full of shit. You don’t want that.”

  “I wasn’t sure how seriously they’d take it if I admitted it was only in a college newspaper. Better to keep them guessing. Maybe they think I meant The New York Times.”

  Robin, still sleepy-eyed in her blue bathrobe, trudged into the room and fell into the chair next to Jonas. “Anything going on yet?” They explained to her that the column was published and the radio transmissions had gone unanswered. Without replying she rubbed her eyes before pulling herself up and walking over to the coffeemaker. After setting it up to brew a fresh pot she disappeared from the room.

  “It’s a pretty weird feeling,” Jonas said. “Today is the day. I know it’s over after today, one way or the other.”

  “And when you say ‘over’ you mean over.”

  Jonas snorted. “In twenty-four hours I’ll either be dead or far away from here.” He sighed. “I never thought I’d ever be in a mess like this. I still can’t get used to it. Somebody out there wants me dead.”

  “Yeah,” Rob said. “It’s a pretty heavy deal. We’ll do whatever we can to help.”

  “You already have. I don’t want you guys taking any more chances,” Jonas insisted. “No use getting anybody else killed.”

  “I know this is the part where I’m supposed to argue, but I don’t want to get my head blown off. I guess I’m a coward.”

  “No, you’re not. It’s not your battle. You’ve been great. I’d be screwed if I hadn’t run into you and Robin. I’d never have survived this long.”

  “I guess the first thing we need to do is go get the car,” Rob said. “That worries me. I was thinking. Wouldn’t it be better to pick Abby up in my truck and then drive out to the lake? You’re a marked man in that car. I wonder how long you’ll last in it.”

  “No, no way,” Jonas said. “I don’t want you exposed that way. You’ve done enough already. Once you get involved that deep it’ll be permanent.”

  “I just felt like I had to say it.”

  Across the room the coffee machine gurgled and sputtered. “Coffee’s done,” Rob announced. His chair scraped the worn linoleum floor as he got up and walked over to a cabinet. “Well, you can’t say your life isn’t exciting,” he remarked as he pulled out three mugs. “Or should I say ‘wasn’t exciting’?”

  “Exciting, my ass. You’re kidding, right?”

  “No, I’m not. Are you saying you wouldn’t have written the story if you knew it would turn out like this?”

  “Of course I wouldn’t! You’re fucked in the head if you think I’d do it all over again. Would you?”

  “Take it easy,” Rob said as he set a mug of coffee in front of Jonas. “I just didn’t think you’d let it go once you found it. Isn’t there some kind of Hippocratic oath for reporters? Leave no story unwritten?”

  “You don’t even know me. How would you know what I’d let go? Especially when my life’s on the line.”

  “Relax,” Rob said. “You’re right. You’re right. I got it. I wouldn’t either.”

  ~~~

  The haze of dawn was burning off when Rob and Jonas climbed into the truck. “I guarantee nobody found that car,” Rob said. “It’s in a barn in the middle of nowhere. I just hope nobody sees you cruising around in it once we get it out.”

  “I’m hoping they stopped looking as soon as they heard about that article,” Jonas said a
s the truck rolled through Morgantown. “I’ll try getting somebody up on the radio again.” He droned into the walkie-talkie for a few minutes as the truck climbed and descended hills and wound through a forest on two-lane blacktop roads. When they emerged from the trees into the morning sun Jonas stopped talking in mid-sentence. The tires began to hum as they rode over the grating of a steel bridge. Through the grate roadway Jonas could see the green waters of a lake thirty feet below. “Wow,” he said softly. “What is this?”

  “Cheat Lake. Beautiful isn’t it? I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve jumped off this bridge. We were out here just this last weekend.”

  The lake was completely surrounded by thick green forest except for a cluster of buildings that appeared to be some type of resort. On the other side of the lake, near the opposite end of the bridge, was a narrow beach. The marina near the beach was already beginning to buzz with activity. “Beautiful isn’t the word,” Jonas said. “I was hiding out in the wrong place. I should have been out here.”

  “I like it even better in winter. Robin and I spend half our time here or up at Cooper’s Rock. That’s right over there,” he said, pointing back over his shoulder with a thumb. “A crow could fly there in two minutes but it would take us all day to hike all the way to the top. When it snows there’s no other place I’d rather be. You can look right out over the river canyon that feeds this lake.” They reached the end of the bridge and made a sharp left turn. “My buddy’s place is just through these trees.”

  A minute later they drove slowly past a small house in a clearing. Behind the house was a rotting barn that looked as though it hadn’t been used in years. “He bought this farm, but he’s no farmer,” Rob explained. “I really don’t have any idea how he pays the bills. The place is getting pretty run down. Kind of a shame, really.”

  They both stepped out and walked over to the barn. Rob pushed up the latch and swung the door open and there it was – the stolen, shiny black Impala. Sunlight that filtered in through the decaying roof lit the inside of barn. “Gee, it’s a little less unnoticeable than I remembered. But whatever. It’s all I’ve got.”

  “It is what it is,” Rob said.

  “I’ll have to kill some time first. I’m not due at the hospital until seven. I sure don’t want to get there early and have to wait around.”

  “I made some maps for you,” Rob said as he pulled some folded sheets from his pocket. “The first one will get you back to the hospital on the back roads. Wait a half hour before you leave. If you follow my map you’ll get there at exactly the right time.” He noticed Jonas eying the Impala nervously. “My offer still stands. Take the truck.”

  “I couldn’t,” Jonas answered. He turned back to the Impala. “I have to admit, though, I forgot how flashy it is.”

  Rob rubbed his chin and looked around. “How about this? Why don’t you take that one?” He pointed at a boxy green sedan that was parked in the grass beyond the barn. “He just got it from his sister in law and he doesn’t know what to do with it.”

  “You mean I’d steal it?” Jonas asked. “From your friend?”

  “You’d be doing him a favor. And if you leave the keys to this badass Impala, he’s getting the better end of the deal.”

  They walked over and inspected the car, a huge Plymouth Fury with a metallic finish that was visible through a hazy layer of dust. “It would be safer,” Jonas allowed. “But—“

  “Dude. Your life’s at stake here. Do the smart thing. He’s not here but the keys are in it.”

  “Okay, I’ll take it.”

  “Good,” Rob said. “Hey, you should transfer the license plates over. You won’t get far driving around without any. I’ve got a screwdriver in the truck.”

  ~~~

  After he moved the plates to the Plymouth Jonas decided he had time to work the walkie-talkie. From atop a rusty barrel behind the barn he made a few half-hearted broadcasts. He was about to give up when he remembered the name of the man he’d talked to before taking Reno to the hospital. On his way to the Plymouth he made one final broadcast, this time including the name. Again, there was no reply. Just before opening the door to get into his new car he remembered the guns he’d left in the Impala, which he returned to the barn to retrieve.

  Clutching the guns in one hand and the radio in the other he slipped into the driver’s seat and dropped everything beside him. He was about to turn the key, which was already in the ignition, when he heard his own name. It was scratchy and barely audible but Jonas remembered the voice instantly. “Come again, Jonas. Ted Braden here,” said the voice through intermittent static.

  He froze. Should he break radio silence? He jammed the guns under the seat and took one last look at Rob’s map before backing out of the yard. After turning towards Cheat Lake he picked up the radio. There was too much that needed saying to pass up the opportunity. He crossed back over the bridge before turning right to follow the signs toward the interstate. Then he took a deep breath and went on the air.

  “Braden, this is Jonas.”

  “I know,” came an immediate reply.

  “Things have changed, Braden. Did you see the article? You’ve been exposed. Now it’s your turn to run. I outed you and ERC. The law’s probably on your tail already.” He knew he was overstating it and braced himself for Braden’s reply.

  “I don’t think so. You didn’t try hard enough. It’s just a college newspaper. You’ll have to do better than that.”

  “It’s a start. Somebody will notice it and pick it up. You can bet your ass there are reporters all over the country getting a new assignment right about now.”

  “You flatter yourself. And you’re fooling yourself. You think you’ve bought your freedom with this? You’ve done the opposite. Before, it was private. Now that you went public it’ll all move fast. All you did is light a fire under somebody’s butt.”

  Jonas swallowed hard. His stomach suddenly ached. “Where are you?” he asked. “I thought you’d be on your way out of town by now.”

  “I thought the same about you two,” Braden answered. ‘So my question is ‘where are you?’”

  Jonas’s heart leaped. They still don’t know Abby is in the hospital. So they don’t know where I’m going next.

  “Sorry it’s going to end this way for you,” Braden continued. “I’m sure you’re a good kid. It couldn’t be helped. God help you, Jonas. You’ll need it. Over and out.”

  -- Chapter 41 --

  Ted Braden decide d to talk with his superiors about what needed to be done. His actions over the next hours would have repercussions for the rest of the lives of everybody he was working with, most of whom he’d never laid eyes on. Although he had the authority to make day-to-day decisions, this time he had to be sure. He owed that much to everybody else who had dedicated twenty years to the same task that he had.

  Knowing the reporters had access to at least some of his over-the-air communications, he chose a more common medium. Normally he wouldn’t hold such a sensitive conversation over an insecure channel, but there was no time to search for an alternative. Besides, who’s going to be staking out a random pay phone in West Virginia? He dialed the number, voiced the appropriate codes and was quickly put through. Without wasting words he explained what was happening. When the briefing was complete he was told to ensure that his team had blanketed Morgantown and then head back towards Pittsburgh just in case he was needed there.

  -- Chapter 42 --

  As he watched the exit signs Jonas wondered if he’d made a tactical error. Perhaps it would have been wiser not to contact Braden and his thugs until after he‘d retrieved Reno from the hospital. Had he been aware of how little Braden actually knew, he might have chosen not to reveal himself on the air. To make matters worse, the benefit of warning Braden about the published article looked negligible. Braden didn’t regard a column in a student newspaper as a serious threat, or at least that was the impression he’d tried to give. He’d have to hope that Rob’s roundabout rout
e to the hospital would keep him out of view.

  While waiting at a traffic light after leaving the highway he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Rob’s red cap reminded him that he had forgotten to change into the clean clothes that Rob and Robin had donated. When the light turned green he zoomed into the parking lot of a video store and parked next to a dumpster. Before changing into Rob’s fresh jeans and polo shirt he watched the road long enough to assure himself that nobody was watching. When he was finished changing he balled up his torn, bloody clothing and tossed the heap into the dumpster without leaving the car.

  For most of the ride Jonas stayed calm, but when the football stadium and hospital came into view he felt so nervous that thought he would vomit. As he eased past the stadium his eyes darted in all directions. The problem was that these people were very good at not being seen.

  The original plan was to drive to the back of the hospital and get as close to the loading dock as possible. Two complications presented themselves after he drove around behind the building. The first was the presence of a large truck backed up to the dock. Half a dozen men were unloading blue-tinted water jugs from the truck and wheeling them into the building. The path was much less clear than he had expected.

  He convinced himself that the crowded scene on the loading dock wouldn’t be a problem, and might actually work to his advantage. The truck itself would provide cover, and a distraction. The door to the hospital was propped open, which presented opportunities he hadn’t expected. If necessary, he now had the option of going inside.

  The second complication was the menacing presence of a Morgantown police cruiser parked at the opposite corner of the building, visible directly through the group of men on the loading dock. There was no way to know if the police presence was routine or if he was still being hunted. He would have to stay on his toes.