Purple light pulsed from the ground beneath the Beast, bathing it in a dark energy that writhed its way up from deep beneath the earth's surface. It had long ago selected this place because it rested atop one of the many nexus points around the world where ley lines converged. It had taken centuries to bring the nexus point under its control, but it had been worth it.
The Beast sniffed at the air once again taking in the scent of the distant death, decay, and charred flesh. Its snake-like tongue danced along its teeth as it purred in delight. The dark energies around it flashed from purple to red as it drew in its strength. How long have I been asleep? Did something change? It wondered. Did the dark energies that pool here in my home seep into the island above causing the humans to evolve into something beyond the simple creatures they were?
It would be nice to have a change, the Beast thought as it curled its reptilian lips into a semblance of a smile.
It reached up, clawing its ways out of the dark tunnels, knocking aside the large metal contraptions that it had lined the hole of its home with. It didn't know what these new creatures were nor did it care. All that mattered to it was to stop them from absorbing the dark energies that pulsed below so they wouldn’t be worthy of its time or attention.
As the massive Beast reached the crest of the tunnel, it delighted in the sensation of the breeze that flitted over its scales. It flexed the corded muscles of its legs; clawing at the ground and feeling the hard packed dirt give way to the strength of its mighty claws. The wind shifted ever so slightly, and the scent was gone, but the Beast could tell from which direction the scent had come. It stretched forth its enormous leathery wings, letting the wind tease and dance across the thin membranes.
Its muscles tensed for a brief moment before the creature launched high into the air. The setting sun was barely visible below the horizon as the last remnants of light glinted off the clouds, in hues of red, orange, and purple. The Beast's powerful wings beat the air, carrying it higher and higher into the darkening sky as it circled the remains of what had once been the village of Ardmore.
Dark clouds accumulated around the Beast as it ascended into the sky. Lightning flashed a bright blue across the sky before it felt the rumble of thunder. It circled the village two more times, allowing for the storm to build in intensity before banking to its left and flying off to the east towards the sweet scent of death.
Lenny awoke with a start. He bolted upright where he lay, panicked that someone would strike him again. Instead, he found himself lying on a plush leather couch in a fancy office. He groaned as the pounding in his head intensified with every move. He noticed a banged-up Henry standing next to the Union Forest’s vice president of Intelligence and Security, Mr. Perkins, near the window. Both men were hunched over the edge of a table looking at something. While they talked, Lenny tried to catch what they were saying but couldn't make out anything over the drumming in his head.
Lenny cleared his throat. "Excuse me, would it be too much to ask for a bottle of water and a couple of aspirin?"
Henry walked over and handed Lenny a bottle of water and some aspirin before sitting in a leather chair that was next to the couch. "I'm glad to see that you’re finally awake. I was getting worried. You've been out for several hours now."
"Yeah, that happens when you get the end of a gun slammed down on your face," Lenny whispered. He popped a couple of aspirins in his mouth and took a swig of water, washing them down. He looked at Henry with questioning eyes as he nodded his chin towards the other occupant in the room. "Would you mind telling me what happened to your face and what in the hell we’re doing in the vice president of Intelligence and Security's office?"
"How are you feeling?" Henry asked, ignoring Lenny's question.
Lenny reached up to touch the large knot on the side of his skull and winced.
"I guess I'm okay. I'm sure I'll survive. Henry, seriously, what the hell is going on? Why aren't we dead, or worse, rotting in some jungle prison, and why does it look like you and that Union Forest exec are good buddies?"
Henry patted the air with his hands to try to slow down the onslaught of questions coming from Lenny. Lenny quieted down, but he struggled to remain patient while Henry collected his thoughts.
"Let's just say that Mr. Perkins and I have come to a sort of agreement. A lot has happened while you were out. But he has agreed to provide and pay for transportation to Ireland so that I can get Rick and his team out."
"In exchange for what?" Lenny asked.
Henry sighed. "In exchange for the removal of whatever you placed in their system that is preventing them from shutting down Rick's emergency beacon."
Lenny's eyes went wide. "Are you freaking kidding me? You want me to log back in and let them kill Rick's beacon? How the hell are you supposed to find them once they kill it? Do you seriously think Mr. Fancy Pants is going to let us leave this building with what we know?"
Henry calmly reached over and placed his hand on Lenny's shoulder. "Yes. You missed a lot that’s happened in the last few hours. But trust me; Mr. Perkins will let us walk out of here. He's agreed to fly us to the military base in Norfolk Virginia, where we’ll board a military transport that will head to Spain. Once we arrive there, we’ll catch a ride on another chopper that will take us to Rick."
Lenny shook his head in disbelief. "Why would he help you rescue Rick?"
Mr. Perkins walked over and sat in the chair opposite Henry. "Because I need something on that miserable island. I've already told Mr. Morgan what it is, and the recovery of it is paramount. However, if, in the process, you are able to save your friend's life, then we both win."
Lenny looked skeptical.
Mr. Perkins sighed as he stood and walked over to pour himself a drink. "Always the skeptic, aren't you, Mr. Kolwalski?"
"When it comes to an evil corporation that’s sent men to their deaths, of course I am." Lenny said.
"I'm sorry,” Henry said. “I had to make compromises with him to save Rick."
"Yes, Mr. Morgan has been more than complicit, and, more importantly, he has the skills to do what I need. This allows for the two of you to show penitence for what you've done and for Henry to be the big hero who saves his little brother."
Lenny shifted his gaze between Henry and Mr. Perkins.
“It also allows you to save face and complete an otherwise disastrous mission," Lenny bitterly remarked.
"Agreed!"
Mr. Perkins returned to his chair, where he held his glass full of scotch. "Plus, by doing this, the two of you will avoid being sent to federal prison for corporate espionage and impersonating an officer."
Lenny started to protest, but Mr. Perkins held up the red card from inside the book jacket of his favorite book. When Lenny saw the card, he immediately went silent.
"I thought so," Mr. Perkins said. "However, I am curious as to how you were able to acquire this card without it being canceled or revoked. Normally, when a card of this importance goes missing, it’s immediately flagged and monitored. Yet through several of my inquires, I have found that this card is not being monitored at all."
Mr. Perkins took another sip of his drink. "I find this very interesting. I think you and I will have to talk after your return. There might be a job here at Union Forest for you after this is done."
Lenny looked over at Henry incredulously. Henry knew Lenny didn't believe a word Mr. Perkins said, so he stood and waved Lenny over to the table, where he and Mr. Perkins had been earlier. When Lenny got to the table, he noticed several maps of Ireland and its northern coasts scattered across it. He also spotted a notebook of Henry’s, showing key locations on the island and the intelligence given to Rick and his team. Henry waited as Lenny scanned through the many different reports, shock showing on his face. The reports showed everything from thermal scans to satellite images of the island. None of the images showed a massive creature on the island for the last six months, and so, according to the report, it had been deemed safe to send a team in for
the data core by a Union Forest committee.
Henry walked over and showed Lenny a few other reports about various kinds of animal mutations seen on the island by past patrol teams. Unfortunately, none of the images were clear or close enough to get an accurate estimation of their size or origins. But they still sent a chill down Lenny’s spine.
Henry sifted through the reports until he found what he was looking for. He then handed it over to Lenny.
"According to this, the Beast hasn't been seen on any satellite or drone images for the last six months, and it doesn't appear on any thermal images either."
Lenny picked up several of the thermal images taken of the surrounding area of Ardmore. "You're not seriously considering doing this are you?"
Henry shrugged.
"Who else is going to save Rick?" Henry asked. "You know for a fact this case is already closed in their minds. That's why they want to terminate the signal."
"How do we know these images haven't been faked and you’re not walking into a trap?"
Henry shrugged his shoulders again. He looked over at Mr. Perkins who sat comfortably in his leather chair sipping his scotch as though he didn't have a care in the world.
"What choice do I have? Rick's in trouble, and if I don't go, they won't get another team back to that island for at least five years. If any of the creatures we've seen that have come out of Manhattan over the past few years are any indication of what Rick is facing, then we can't wait, and he doesn't have much time. They've already lost one man and another has been injured. I need to try; he's my brother."
Lenny tossed the documents and images back on the table in frustration. "The world is going to hell in a hand basket, and it's all their fault!” Lenny shouted while pointing at Mr. Perkins. “They're the ones responsible for letting that thing out of the ground."
Henry could see ire in Lenny's eyes intensify as Mr. Perkins, in his expensive, well-tailored suit, sat comfortably in his leather chair unfazed by Lenny's outburst.
"Lenny, please." Henry implored.
Lenny leaned forward and whispered, "Something doesn't fit. I'm not sure what it is, but something isn't right. This whole setup stinks to high heaven. Why in the world do they need that data core so badly? It's not like they can't afford to replace it. Plus, why have they tried multiple times to retrieve it without success?"
Henry reached over and pulled out a file from a folder that had been set to the side. He spun the file around for Lenny. When Lenny looked over the copy of Rick's military file, his whole diatribe about the evils of Union Forest fell silent.
Lenny let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, you win. How are we going to save Rick?"
Henry handed Lenny a laptop. "First, I need you to disable or undo whatever it is that you did to prevent them from killing Rick's beacon."
Henry slid a piece of paper with some writing on it over to Lenny. It read “Build in a back door that they can't find, just in case.” After Lenny read it, Henry covered it up with another file. Lenny smiled, powered on the laptop, and asked Mr. Perkins to log him into the network.
Mr. Perkins climbed out of his chair, sat his drink down, and walked over to the two men.
"Can I please see the laptop?" Mr. Perkins asked.
Lenny handed it to him.
Mr. Perkins swiped a card along the side of the monitor, and a few moments later, he pushed it back to Lenny. "You now have full access to the Union Forest mainframe. However, I do warn you that if any of our systems go down or if files are emailed to another location, or deleted, then our agreement is null and void. If that happens, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that both of you rot in a deep, dark hole, where no one will ever find you."
Henry noticed that Lenny's hands were shaking as he took the laptop back from Mr. Perkins. He mumbled something in what Henry thought was Mandarin.
Mr. Perkins smiled and went back to his seat. "I'm glad to see that we have an understanding. Please disable whatever it is you've done so that I can notify my tech team to disable the beacon."
Lenny pulled a metal stool over to the table and went to work. Mr. Perkins pulled out his phone.
While the others were busy, Henry carefully pulled out the note he had written to Lenny from among the stack and shoved it into his pocket. As he sifted through the many reports and images, something caught his eye. He looked it over and frowned. The report was from one of the Union Forest scientists named Marcus Silver. In the report, Marcus urged the Union Forest execs not to send a team to the island because he believed that the Beast could be masking its heat signature. His findings were due to some strange and irregular thermal images. In the end, Marcus was unable to convince them not to send the team and he was transferred to a facility in Paraguay.
Marcus left many detailed notes in his report concerning his theory which the execs did not deem worthy of investigation. Henry jotted down a few more notes in his notebook, regarding Marcus's findings. When he was done, he shuffled the report back into the stack of papers.
Henry cleared his throat, causing Lenny to look up. Lenny smiled and gave Henry a small nod, confirming that he had completed his task and had disabled his program. Henry mouthed the word backdoor, and Lenny nodded. Lenny's fingers flew across the keyboard. Henry gave him a quizzical look. Lenny just smiled and continued what he was doing. When he was done, he spun the laptop around on the table’s glassy surface and yelled, "Bingo!"
Mr. Perkins finished his phone call and walked over to the table. When he drew near, Henry noticed a frown appear on his face. When he looked down, he saw why. Lenny had set the desktop screen to show a cartoonish version of Mr. Perkins torching trees and kittens.
"Do you find this humorous, Mr. Kowalski?" Mr. Perkins asked.
Lenny chuckled. "Don't piss your drawers. I did what I said I would. Call your techs. They’ll verify that they can take down the beacon now. The desktop image, however, is just my little gift to you."
Still frowning, Mr. Perkins picked up his cell and called his techs. As promised, Lenny had taken down whatever was preventing them from disabling the beacon. Mr. Perkins disconnected his call and sat his phone on the table.
"It appears that you have indeed followed through with your promise. Since I am a man of my word, I will follow through with my promise as well. I will go and make the arrangements we agreed upon. Your equipment and helicopter will be ready to go within the hour. Until then, I ask that you stay here as my guests. If you need any food or drink, just pick up the phone and dial nine-one-six. You can have them send up anything your heart desires. If you're bored, you're welcome to use any of the monitors to watch a show."
He then headed for the door but stopped before he reached it. He turned around and quickly walked back to the table to snatch up the laptop and his cell phone.
"I will be back within the hour, gentlemen."
Mr. Perkins turned to leave again. Lenny grinned as he watched him walk towards the door. Henry wasn't sure what Lenny was up to, nor was he sure he wanted to know. Henry followed Mr. Perkins, tapping him on the shoulder before he reached the door. Mr. Perkins turned around, and Henry leaned in, asking for a word. The two stepped off to the side for a few moments, talking. When they were done, Henry extended his arm to shake Mr. Perkin’s hand. Mr. Perkins nodded to Henry and Lenny and then exited the room, closing the door behind him.
"Dang!" Lenny exclaimed. "I was hoping he'd forget about the laptop, but at least I was able to clone his phone."
Henry shook his head as he walked over to the couch and took a seat. "I need to ask you a question, and I need you to be dead honest with me."
Lenny made his way to Mr. Perkins’s chair and sat. "Sure. What's up?"
Henry placed the files he'd been holding down on the coffee table in front of him. The top file was labeled General Carmine.
"Who is General Carmine?" Henry asked.
Lenny flushed a bit, which Henry found odd.
"Do we have to talk about this now?" Lenny asked.
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Henry nodded as he spoke. "I need to know what's really going on here. I feel like a mouse trapped between two extremely large cats that are playing with me. I know there is no way you could afford even half the tech you have in your Batcave. Then there is the little matter of this." Henry placed a red card on the table.
"Wait, did you lift that card back off of Perkins?" Lenny asked.
Henry smiled. "I still know a few tricks from the old days."
Lenny laughed. "I'm impressed! You just lifted a confiscated card from the vice president of one of the most powerfully connected companies on the planet, and you're not worried he's going to come running in here, threatening to throw us down that black hole he promised earlier?"
Henry tossed the card towards Lenny, who awkwardly tried to catch it, but missed. Lenny leaned over to pick up the card from the floor.
"I'm pretty sure the least of his worries at the moment is you and that card of yours. He probably has some board members breathing down his neck which is why he is so willing to work with us,” Henry said. “However, I need to know who General Carmine is. What does he have against Union Forest? What is it that you're doing for him, and how the hell I'm going to convince you to come to Ireland with me?"
Lenny bolted upright. "Convince me to do what?"
Henry leaned forward on the couch, pulling out several of the thermal satellite images of Ardmore from the files on the table. When he found the ones he wanted, he slid them to Lenny.
"I’ll need a tech to access the data core when I find it, and you're the best techno-geek I know. Plus, I'm pretty sure that you'd love the chance to see what's on that core before the Union Forest execs get it. You were right when you asked me to question why they so desperately wanted it recovered. They’ve wasted too many lives on retrieving it."
Lenny sat transfixed, unsure what to say or do. For the first time in as long as Henry could remember, Lenny Kowalski was speechless. After a few moments, Lenny rambled about something unintelligibly.
The Shadow Above The Flames Page 13