“I will,” West answered.
Sam looked out the window then replied, “I’ve got to get off at the next street.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’ve got some business to take care of. I’ll meet you back at your place late tonight or tomorrow at the latest. Are you going back to your apartment?”
“No, I think I’ll go down to the paper.”
The bus stopped and Sam leaned over and gave him a peck on his cheek. “I’ll see you later.”
West watched her leave the bus and it dawned on him that Sam had said she would meet him at his place, but he never recalled telling her where he lived.
The bus dropped him off a few blocks from his office and West hoofed it the rest of the way. He stopped in front of the coffee shop. He looked in the window and the Now Serving number that a few days ago had his Threat Assessment level posted was blank.
West walked into the newsroom and down to Simon’s office. “Hey, man,” he said to Simon, who was talking on the phone.
Simon looked like he had just seen a ghost and he put a hand over the receiver. “West, damn glad to see you. Close the door and sit down.”
West closed the door. Simon yelled a string of derogatory insults at someone then hung up the phone.
“Holy shit. I can’t believe you’re here after everything.”
“Neither can I. I guess I owe you a big thank you for getting me out of the city.”
“Don’t mention it. We’re kind of in this together you know.”
“Just out of curiosity, how’d you know what happened at the bar and that I was in the hospital?”
“I’d like to know that myself.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone whose voice I didn’t recognize called and told me what happened and that you were at the hospital and then they hung up. So I called Tank and arranged to get you out of the city.”
“Tank did all that?”
“Yep.”
“Who do you think it was that called you about me?” West asked.
“I have no damn idea.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter now. Well, here I am reporting for duty. So what am I supposed to do now?”
“Tank wants to meet with you this afternoon in the park.”
“He’s here in the city, already? I just flew in from his place. What the hell is going on?”
“Something big but I am not privy to that information.”
West thought for a second. “Where does he want to meet?”
“In front of the old Central Park Zoo at four.”
“Do I have any choice?”
“We’ve made our choices. Do you have an idea how many favors, let alone the risk he took to get you scrubbed from the System?”
“I just wonder what it will cost me.”
“Hey, by the way your article on the Mars Face and the WOW! Signal generated a huge response from our readers. And you know what is so weird?”
“What?”
“The 50th anniversary is only three days away. Wouldn’t it be wild if the signal was picked up again?”
“It’d be pretty crazy,” West replied, not really caring one bit.
He stood and stretched. He was exhausted and it was only ten o’clock in the morning.
“I guess I’ll head to my desk and kill some time before I go meet with Tank.”
“Hey West,” Simon called out.
“Yeah.”
“Be careful about that girl you’re with. She’s dangerous.”
“Yeah, and who isn’t?” West left Simon’s office and killed a few hours at his desk before his meeting with Tank.
He arrived a few minutes early for his meeting and sat on a park bench outside the old Central Park Zoo. The place was in shambles and all the animals were long gone. The city had run out of money to care for them properly and the end came after a couple hundred homeless people stormed the zoo one night and attacked the animals, presumably to eat.
But the human predators hadn’t counted on Homeland Security officers arriving who added to the carnage by shooting everyone in sight.
West watched his fellow New Yorkers stream past. They all seemed to have a mindless devotion to either survive the day or to accomplish some seemingly important task. A few weeks ago he had been exactly like them, but not anymore.
A sharp sting in the back of his neck caused him to jump up. Standing behind him was an albino wearing a dark suit and sunglasses.
“What the hell was that?” West demanded.
The albino flashed an evil grin and waved a little black tube. A boiling rage began to grow inside West as he stood up and approached him with clenched fists.
“I said what the fuck was that?” he repeated, getting ready to strike the asshole in the face. The albino took a step back and motioned to his side. West turned to see Tank approaching.
“What’s going on? What did he just do to me?”
“You were injected with a biological agent that is encapsulated in a timing device,” Tank calmly answered.
West sprinted toward Tank, who held up his hands in defense.
“Go ahead, kill me if you want but if you do, you’ll only be signing death warrants for yourself and Sam.”
The mention of Sam’s name quelled his rage a bit. “What the hell do you want?”
Tank motioned toward the park bench. “Let’s take a seat and have a conversation like two gentlemen.”
West forced himself to calm down enough to sit on the park bench. The stinging in his neck was diminishing but that didn’t bring him any comfort, considering he had a ticking time bomb implanted inside.
Tank sat next to him. “I’ll get straight to the point. The director of Homeland Security is holding a press conference where she will be touting micro-chipping the population for their protection. You will be attending that conference in your capacity as a reporter for that piece of shit tabloid you work for.”
“First of all,” West interrupted. “How the hell am I going to gain access to that type of a press conference? Most of those reporters are nothing more than glorified spokesmen for DC. Not to mention, don’t you think I might be on some governmental bad guy list? I’ll never clear security.”
“I told you we took care of that. We scrubbed you out of DC’s system. We went to great lengths to create a security clearance for you. Don’t worry about that, you’ll have no trouble getting in.”
“I know you didn’t inject me with a neurotoxin to ensure I attend a DC propaganda speech and write a newspaper column about it. So cut the bullshit and tell me what you really want from me?”
“You will be given a laptop computer. You are to take the laptop into the conference room with you. After that you can do anything you want. You can either stay for the question and answer session, or you can leave. It is your choice. I’d personally try to leave if I was you.”
“And what exactly is in the laptop?”
“A Disintegrator Bomb.”
West leaned back on the park bench and stared off at the rusty metal cages of the zoo. “So the truth finally comes out. That is the reason you supposedly gave me safe passage to your compound and then miraculously got me back to New York. You intended to use me all along for this little job of yours.”
“We all have a job to do. You’ll be remembered as a hero.”
“So you’re willing to kill innocent people just so you can take out the Director of Homeland Security.”
“Yep.”
“That makes you a cold-blooded murderer.”
Tank folded his hands in his laps and looked out across Central Park. “We are at war. This is what happens during war. Anyway, most of the reporters who will be there serve the Machine. They are nothing more than glorified spokesmen for DC. I don’t care what happens to them, nor should you. They are traitors.”
“Not everyone in that room is a surrogate for DC.”
“Don’t be so damn naïve, West. I know there will be a few innocent people
who will get caught up in this but it is called collateral damage and it is unavoidable. You were there. You know what the LT’s intend to do if DC’s Final Solution with the micro-chipping continues. They’re going to nuke the fucking country and if you think I can stop them you’re wrong.”
“What about me?”
Tank shrugged. “You got a chance to survive. You just have to use your ingenuity and figure a way out before the detonation.”
“What if I refuse?”
Tank reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He held it in front of West. “Listen this is much bigger than me or you. Don’t take it personally but if you refuse or try something funny then I will punch in a three-digit code and the toxin in the capsule is released. It will take about 15 seconds to reach your central nervous system, where quite literally it will dissolve your brain into mush. But it does this slowly and very painfully. And once the toxin is released there is no cure, no antidote, you’re dead. West, you have to think of the millions of lives you will be saving by doing this. We can’t let DC start the micro-chip program and we can’t let the LT’s do what they voted for. You said it yourself back at my compound. This is a way to kill two birds with one stone.”
“If I do this for you and if by some miracle I make it out of the building alive you’ll deactivate this thing?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of a fool do you think I am? You really think I trust you? You can’t afford to let me live.”
“I guess you’re going to have to take a chance because it is your only choice.”
“Pardon me for asking a stupid question but how in the hell am I going to get that bomb in there? You know I will have to pass through multiple scanning devices and security.”
“Obviously, we know that. This is the best part of the plan. The bomb you will be carrying was developed by the Department of Homeland Security. It was designed to be undetectable and untraceable. And let me tell you, they did one hell of a job. Don’t worry, the scanners won’t pick it up.”
“If I get out of there alive, DC will know I planted the bomb.”
“Yes, they will. There is nothing we can do about that.”
“That is where you’ve made your mistake.”
“How’s that?” Tank asked.
“You’ve given me no hope of survival. I’m a dead man if I refuse. I am dead man if I stay and I’m a dead man if I get out of the building alive. Therefore I choose not to sacrifice others in order to save my ass. Go ahead motherfucker, enter the code. Release the toxin. I don’t give a shit.”
Tank smiled and put his phone back in his coat pocket. “Nice try, West. You don’t think we don’t know about you and that pretty assassin’s plan to leave the country?”
West didn’t say a word, trying to figure out how he would’ve known all that.
“We know she’s making arrangements to leave the country via Canada and we won’t stop her or you,” Tank continued. “It is a perfect solution for all of us. There is your hope and that is why you will do this.”
Game. Set. Match. West was playing checkers while they were playing three dimensional chess. It was clear Tank had planned for every conceivable outcome to ensure West carried out his plan.
Tank stood. “Two days. Meet me here at eight in the morning. And West, for once in your life, don’t fuck it up.”
“Undermine their pompous authority, reject their moral standards, make anarchy and disorder your trademarks. Cause as much chaos and disruption as possible but don’t let them take you ALIVE.”
– Sid Vicious
Chapter 26
West opened his apartment door and hesitantly peeked in, half expecting a DC agent to attack him. No one sprung out of the shadows and he walked into his dingy apartment. He went over to the refrigerator and opened it. There were three beers and a moldy block of cheese.
He shut the refrigerator because for once in his life he didn’t feel like drinking. A sudden overwhelming feeling of exhaustion engulfed his body. He collapsed on the couch where he drifted off to sleep.
In his dream state West felt like he was suffocating. He woke suddenly and realized someone had covered his mouth. His eyes focused and Sam was standing over him with a raised finger to her lips. She removed her hand from his mouth and West sat up.
He watched as she pulled some type of electronic device out of her jacket. She flipped a switch and sat it down on the table. “It’s okay now.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s a long story.”
West pointed to the device. “What’s that?”
“It’s an anti-surveillance bug like the one at Harry’s apartment. It blocks out our conversation from any listening devices. Your place is bugged.”
West rubbed the sleep out of his eye. Sam was an absolute mess. One eye was swollen shut, her hand was wrapped in a crude bandage and there was blood everywhere. “Holy crap. What happened to you?”
“I… “ She looked like she was going to faint. West grabbed her arm and eased her down onto the couch.
“Where are you bleeding from?” He asked, frantically looking for any signs of injury.
“Most of it’s not mine,” she answered.
“Tell me where you are hurt?”
“It looks worse than it is. I’ll be fine. I just need to lie down for awhile,” she barely finished the sentence before losing consciousness.
West carefully carried her into his bedroom, laid her on his bed and took off her jacket and shoes. He grabbed a wet towel from the bathroom and tried to clean her up as best as possible. She didn’t move a muscle. He didn’t see any signs of serious wounds except for the fact that her body had been battered. He hoped she didn’t have any internal injuries.
West pulled over a chair and sat beside her. He watched her for a long time before succumbing to sleep. Sometime later that night West woke with a startle. His heart skipped a beat, Sam was gone. He jumped up in a panic just as the toilet flushed.
Sam limped out of the restroom and smiled meekly when she saw him. He grabbed her arm and helped her back to bed.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“What in the hell happened to you?”
She shrugged but didn’t say anything.
“Hold on,” West went to the kitchen and grabbed a large glass of water and some aspirin. “Here take these.”
She took the aspirin and chugged down the water.
“You cried out in your sleep a couple of times,” he said.
“I have nightmares.”
“What about?”
She didn’t answer.
“Look Sam, you’re just trying to do your best and survive in this crazy ass world like everyone else.”
“I haven’t told you everything about me.”
West sat down in the chair. “Alright, I’m listening.”
She looked away then said, “I kill people.”
“I know. You told me, but like Tank said, we are at war.”
“No. You don’t understand. This is not about my relationship with Tank and the LT’s. I don’t really work for them.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m what you might call a double agent. I kill DCers on behalf of the LT’s and I kill Lt’s for DC but ultimately I serve only one, the Hessians.”
“Hessians,” West repeated. “Who the hell are they?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Are you kidding me? After the last couple of weeks I’d believe anything. Just tell me.”
Sam laid back against the headboard of his bed. “I’m a member of a stateless, leaderless entity whose origins go back to the Middle Ages in Europe.”
“Sam, what are you talking about?”
She looked back at him. “You wanted the truth.”
“How did you get involved in this?”
“I was chosen, but I believe it was always my fate.”
“What exactly are the Hessians?” West a
sked.
“You ever hear of a guy name Vlad Tepes?”
“Yes, I have. I hope you are not going to tell me you are a vampire?”
“Don’t worry, vampires don’t exist. Anyway no monsters can match the cruelty inflicted by humans on humans. I don’t know how much you know about Tepes but he was a prince who ruled a portion of Romania during the 15th century and was a member of a military-religious society called the Order of Dragons that was financed by the Holy Roman Emperor.”
“And the function of this society was?”
“They were formed to defend the Catholic Church from its enemies, which at that time was the Muslim Turks who were invading the Balkans.”
“Are you saying you work for the Catholic Church?”
Sam laughed. “No, but to understand the Hessians and my true mission I have to tell you about Vlad.”
“Okay, I’m listening.”
“Vlad was born into a tumultuous world in 1431, the same year Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy. He lived during the Middle Ages, which was highlighted by calamities, upheaval, famines and constant war. Vlad’s territory was in the center of a geopolitical storm because Eastern-Central Europe was constantly fighting one battle or another with not only its own neighbors but with the Ottoman Turks, who were hell bent on conquering all of Europe. The collapse of Constantinople in 1453 opened the floodgates and the Turks made a relentless push westward. For Vlad that meant he was directly in the crosshairs of the battle between the East and West.”
“Doesn’t sound all that different from today,” West replied.
“Except back then the killing was more personal since there were no drones, rockets, robots, lasers, guns. You looked into the person’s eyes you killed. Today, people are killed on a daily basis without ever seeing the face of their executioner.”
“Death is death,” West replied.
“So it is but Medieval Europe was a cruel, vicious era and it was truly live by the sword or die by the sword.”
“So what,” West said a testily. “What’s the point of this history lesson? Nothing has changed all that much.”
The Unraveling Page 21