Cursed Days

by J. M. LeDuc

“What the hell are you talking about?” Cocking his gun, he fired a shot inches from Maddie’s head and screamed, “Answer me, Infidel.”

  “Pull that trigger again and you will never get what you came for.” Brent took a deep breath and reigned in his emotion. “The arks in your possession are replicas. I am the only one who knows where the true arks are kept.”

  “Bull. . . you’re stalling.”

  “Am I. Open the Ark of the Endowment.”

  “You know as well as I do, if it is opened without the other two in succession, all the Brotherhood has fought for will be for naught.”

  Brent watched as Caleb and another soldier carried the two Arks into view. “This would be true if they were real, but they are only replicas.”

  Cocking his pistol again, Red’s upper lip began to quiver. “You’ve got ten seconds to convince me or you family dies.”

  “In the vault, you were unable to touch either ark—true?”

  “We both know the reason for. . . ”

  “The reason is because the arks in your possession are rigged with an electrical circuit which runs under the gold sheath. Touch them now and see what happens.”

  Red’s complexion flushed to the point his face was almost black.

  Brent couldn’t help but be reminded of Thomas, Donavan Ferric’s sadistic henchman. His face flushed the same way just before his death.

  “Go on,” Brent goaded him. “Touch it. If you get shocked, you have my permission to shoot my wife.”

  “Permission? I don’t need your permission to do anything,” Red screamed.

  Brent could see that Red was starting to lose his edge. That was what he’d been waiting for. As Red continued to scream profanities, Brent opened communication with Seven. “I need you to move the team to the posts we spoke of down in the tunnel. Have them fan out around the entrance of headquarters, and stay black. Affirmative?”

  “Affirmative, Colonel.”

  Turning his attention back to Red, he said, “Is such profanity worthy of a man of the cloth?”

  “Don’t call me that again or I’ll put a bullet in your unborn child.”

  Keeping his cool, Brent responded. “We both know if that happens all you’ve trained for, all those years of sacrifice, will have been for nothing. Now, do yourself a favor and open the Ark of the Endowment.”

  Red stepped next to the ark and grabbed it with both hands, fully expecting to be shocked. When the electrical jolt didn’t come, he looked up towards the heavens. A guttural cry of anger erupted from deep within him. He reached down and opened the lid of the box. The box was empty.

  Red quickly opened the Ark of the Enlightenment and found it too was empty. Years of pent up emotion erupted from deep inside him. He kicked the boxes until there was nothing left but splintered pieces.

  “We’re in place,” radioed Seven. “From my vantage point, our guest doesn’t look to happy. We’re ready to move in on your orders.”

  “Stand firm. I need him to think that everyone is dead except for me and his little clan.”

  Brent was on the move as he continued to stall Red. He ran through the tunnel system while he continued to talk to Red. “If you want the true Arks, we do this my way. If you touch either hostage again, you’ll get nothing. ”

  Red punctuated each of his words with venomous anger. “You do not call the shots.”

  Brent watched him, through his video phone, reach down to grab Chloe. Speaking to Seven, he ordered the squad to take out Red’s man furthest away from the group. Before Red could even bend and reach out for Chloe, the back of the head of his man standing next to the van blew off. The force of the shot threw him against the side of the van. Before his carcass could slump to the ground an arrow found its way through his chest pinning him to the van.

  “I’m so close you can smell me,” Brent seethed. “Touch either woman and you’ll be next.”

  Nervous laughter could be heard from Red. “Alright, Colonel, we’ll play it your way—for now—let’s make an exchange. The life of these useless females for the real Arks.”

  “Now you’re thinking like the soldier I thought you were.” Brent made his way with the speed and silence of a stealth bomber to a tunnel entrance in the woods near the front of the building. Strapping his bow to his shoulder, and holding his gun in his hand, he appeared out of nowhere from Red’s right flank.

  “Well, well,” Red said. “The Ambassador finally shows himself.” Waving his gun from one hostage to another, he continued. “Take me to the true arks or my friend here will kill them both.”

  Brent walked forward, never taking his eyes off of Red. “Hello, Caleb. I commend you on the rouse you played on my team in Jerusalem. You are more than you seem. I thought you were just a wife beating loser.”

  Caleb said nothing, but looked with hatred at the man he broke bread with just days before.

  “Now you’re just a wife beating dead loser,” Brent said. With blinding speed, he moved his gun from Red to Caleb and shot him in the neck with a tranquilizer dart.

  Red smiled and laughed as Caleb fell to earth. “Dust to dust,” he said, kicking dirt on him. “Well done, Colonel. You saved me from having to kill the fool myself. Now where were we?”

  “You,” the Colonel said, walking closer, “were about to release the girls.”

  “Now why would I do that? Every first year economics major knows the value of collateral.” Waving his gun from one to the other, he said, “They are my collateral.”

  “Not anymore.” Brent removed his bow and let it fall to the ground.

  “What the hell is he doing?” Malcolm whispered in his Bluetooth.

  “Bringing the pig to slaughter,” Seven answered. He smiled, spit out his tobacco and repacked his lower lip. “I love this part of my job. Watch, ladies and gentlemen and you’ll see the slyest fox you have ever seen.” He spit a healthy bit of tobacco and continued. “Look in the Colonel’s eyes. What do you see?”

  “Nothing,” Scarlet said.

  “Exactly,” Seven whispered, his adrenaline starting to rise. “He is in total control.” He silently moved into a position where he could see the facial expressions of both adversaries. “Don’t let your guard down. Our Vatican emissary could blow at any minute. Keep your weapons trained on him and wait for word from your commanding officer.”

  Brent stepped closer, keeping his pistol trained on Red at all times. He walked over to where Maddie was lying and bent to help her up.

  “No,” Screamed Red. “Do not touch her.”

  Continuing to bend toward her, Brent’s eyes burned a hole into Red’s. “Or what? You’ll kill the only person who can give you what you want?” Brent reached and held his hand out for Maddie to take. Pulling her to her feet, he directed his words toward her although all his other senses were directed at the enemy. “Are you alright, Madame Director?”

  “I’ll live, Colonel.”

  “I said no,” Red seethed as he pulled the trigger and placed a bullet inches from Chloe’s head.

  In a movement unseen by Red, Brent shot his gun and nicked his inner left thigh. “One centimeter to the center and I would have transected the Femoral artery. You would bleed out in less than three minutes. The next time you do something so foolish your dead. Now, here is how we are going to play this.” With his free hand, the Colonel swept his waistband releasing a switchblade. In one continuous movement, he sliced the plastic cuffs off Maddie’s wrists, closed the blade, and handed it to her.

  “The Madame Director is going to cut Chloe loose and the two of them are going to walk away.”

  In a fit of rage, Red cocked his gun and aimed it at Chloe’s head.

  The Colonel clucked three times into his Bluetooth. In response, Scarlet loosed an arrow which pierced Red’s wrist, cutting all the tendons which went to his fingers. Before he could even respond, his gun fel
l to the ground. The arrow passed straight through and embedded itself into the side of the van right next to the dead man.

  Red screamed out in pain as he clutched his wrist with his free hand. His head spun as he tried to figure out his next move.

  Maddie walked over to Chloe, cut the cuffs off of her wrists and pulled her to her feet.

  “Are you alright?” Brent and Maddie asked simultaneously.

  Chloe nodded, but her facial expressions showed different. For the first time in her life, she wanted to kill. She ached to see Red dead. She looked behind Maddie and saw the Smith and Wesson M1911-A1 that was tucked in her belt. Before Maddie could stop her, she pulled it out and held it with both hands and aimed it at him. Her hands shook, but at that range, she wouldn’t miss.

  “Easy, sweetie,” Brent said. “You don’t want to do that.”

  “There is nothing I want to do more.” The words spat from her mouth.

  Brent walked over and placed his hand on the barrel of the semi-automatic. With no emotion in his voice, he said slowly and with authority, “Let it go. Don’t let this piece of dung change you into someone you’re not.”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks as she began to loosen her grip.

  With the gun in Brent’s hand, Red laughed. “That’s why we don’t allow women in the Brotherhood. I would have pulled the trigger.”

  “That’s what makes us different, Father Reilly,” Brent responded. “We don’t kill out of emotion and we don’t kill when it’s not necessary.” Still eyeing his prey, he placed his arm around his wife and kissed the top of her head.” She wrapped her arms around her husband and hugged tight, not wanting to ever let go. Brent tossed the gun over his bad shoulder. It dropped into Maddie’s hands.

  “Now, would you like to hear the rest of what’s going to happen?”

  Still holding his wrist to retard the blood flow, Red looked around and shrugged. “You seem to have me in a compromising position.” His eyes continued to dart left and right as if he was expecting help to arrive. In a louder voice he said, “So why don’t you tell me, Colonel, how is this is going to play out?”

  “First you can lower your voice, your inside man is long gone.”

  Red’s upper lip quivered. The tick gave away his nervousness. “You killed your own man.” A sadistic laugh escaped his tight pursed lips. “I didn’t think you had it in you. He spoke of you as if you were family.” As he spoke, he reached down and pulled his shirt from his pants. He looked at the Colonel and asked, “May I?”

  Colonel Venturi nodded, allowing Red to tear a piece of fabric from the bottom of his shirt. Using his good hand and his teeth, he wrapped his wound, placed the end of the cloth in his teeth and pulled tight. Holding it there, and again using his good hand, he tied it off, temporarily stemming the flow of blood.

  “Answering your question, Tommy was no longer my man—he was yours—and I had no choice.”

  Gasps could be heard in his ear as his squad listened in. “I’ll ask you one more time. Would you like to know what is going to happen and why you no longer need these women as collateral?”

  Red raised his hands as if in defeat. “I’m all ears.”

  “In a moment the girls are going to walk back inside SIA where they can receive medical care in the infirmary.” Brent nodded to Maddie to take Chloe with her and do as he commanded. “Once I get the word that they are safely inside, I’m going to give you my gun, therefore giving you the best ‘collateral’ you could ask for.”

  “Why would you do that? You’ve won. Why would you give me back the advantage?”

  Brent stepped closer to Red. “The way I see it, if I keep the weapon and you keep mouthing off, I may not be able to restrain myself and I will blow your head off. By relinquishing my weapon, you will know that I am a man of my word and I’ll take you to the Arks.” Brent hesitated before continuing. “That is of course, if you have the Ark of the Covenant in your possession.”

  Red turned behind him and threw open the sliding door of the van, revealing what could have been the Ark covered with a white sheet. In a fluid movement, he pulled the sheet, letting it slide off of the ark. All eyes were glued to the Ark of the Covenant. He turned back to Brent once more wearing that cocky grin.

  “I have my part, what about you?”

  The girls hadn’t moved. They couldn’t figure out what Brent had in mind. He eyeballed both of them and ordered them inside SIA. “When you are safely inside the medical center, radio me.”

  “But. . . ”

  “That’s an order,” he said. His expression and his words told Maddie that there would be no arguing the point. “I’m sorry for pulling rank on you Director Oliver, but this is the only way this can play out.”

  Hearing him call her by her married name, gave Maddie and Chloe the assurance they needed to know that all the others were safe and in position in case anything should go awry.

  CHAPTER 67

  Brent and Red stood eye balling each other, sizing one another up. Neither spoke, but each knew the others thoughts—victory. Once he received word from Maddie that they were safe inside the infirmary, Brent released the clip from his pistol and emptied all but one bullet. He replaced the slide and handed it to Red.

  Red released the safety and chambered the bullet. He briefly looked back at the Ark of the Covenant and said, “With all my men dead, how do you suggest we transport the ark?”

  Brent brought his fingers to his mouth and blew a high pitched whistle. The sound of a car could be heard approaching the driveway. It stopped behind the van and Bishop Jessup stepped out of the car.

  The whistle was also Seven’s cue to move out.

  “So, we meet again, Bishop.”

  Bishop Jessup stared at Red as he stood at Brent’s side. “So, we do, Father,” he said.

  “I didn’t come here to make friends,” Red said. He pointed to the front doors. “Now how about the two of you lead me to our destination?”

  “They’re not here. We need to drive to where the Arks are hidden,” Brent said.

  The Bishop tried not to show any emotion. He knew the Arks were down in the tunnel, at least he thought he knew.

  “You drive, Ambassador.” He cuffed Bishop Jessup and threw the keys to Brent. “When we get to our destination, you can un-cuff him.” He pushed the Bishop forward. “You, in the back seat. I’ll ride shotgun. No pun intended,” Red smirked.

  Brent drove the back roads of the city, stalling for time. He needed to give the squad time to get into position. A half hour later, he pulled into the ally in back of the library and stopped the van by the back door.

  He glanced over at Red and saw his lip twitching. Emotion will get you killed. He turned off the ignition and stepped out of the vehicle. The others followed suit.

  “You two carry the Ark into the building,” Red ordered.

  “First I need to un-cuff Bishop Jessup and I need to unlock the door to the building.”

  Red placed the gun against the back of the Bishop’s head. “No heroics, Ambassador or your friend dies.”

  Brent didn’t give him the satisfaction of even looking at him. He walked over to the door and unlocked it. Bishop Jessup and Brent placed the poles through the gold rings on the Ark and slid it out of the van. Moments later, they were in Brent’s office inside the library.

  Red was getting more anxious by the minute. Not seeing anything in the cramped office, he cocked the trigger and demanded to know what the hell was going on.

  “Easy with the gun,” Brent said. “You don’t think I would have them in plain sight, do you?”

  “Enough talking,” Red said with rising emotion. “Show me the Arks or die!”

  Brent calmly walked over to the bookcase and moved the books aside revealing a lever. He pushed it down unlocking the case from the wall. Red watched, his lip twitched in a near spasmodic fashion. Br
ent saw him through a mirror. It was Red’s ‘tell’ that he was losing all control. The bookcase slid to the side revealing a hidden door.

  “You’ll find what you’re looking for on the other side of this door,” Brent said.

  “Open it and remember, no heroics.” Red’s words were stammered, partly from fear, mostly from excitement.

  Brent pushed the door open activating the lights. From his position, Red could see the two Arks sitting on top of a large table. He looked at Bishop Jessup and saw a surprised expression. The shocked look in the eyes of the Bishop gave him renewed confidence.

  “Carry the Ark of the Covenant into the room and place it on the table next to the others.”

  CHAPTER 68

  Back at headquarters, Maddie received word from Seven that Brent was bringing Red to the library. “I’m going to meet the squad at the tunnel entrance to the library,” she said.

  “I’m going with you,” Chloe said.

  Removing the ultrasound head from Chloe’s abdomen, Nurse Collins shook her head, “You’re not going anywhere. Your child is in distress.”

  “But. . . ”

  “And you’re bleeding. You need to stay right here or you may lose your baby. The stress of all that’s happened in the past days has put your pregnancy in danger.”

  Chloe, lying on the exam table, reached down and felt between her legs. Bringing her hand up, she saw blood on her fingers. Her eyes welled up with tears.

  They all turned toward the door and saw Lucille standing there. She walked over to Chloe and held her hand. “God didn’t take you this far to let anything happen to my grandchild.” She turned her attention to Maddie and said, “You better get moving. They may need your help.”

  Before she finished speaking, Maddie was running toward the tunnel. She radioed Seven and gave him her ETA.

  She slowed as she neared the entrance to Endowment headquarters, afraid she might be heard from the other side of the wall. Maddie turned the corner and saw Seven and the others next to the ramp which led to the library entrance. Her heart swelled when she saw him. He smiled, feeling the same emotions that she did. This was the first time they had seen each other since he left with the Covenant team a week ago.