by Siegel, Alex
He locked the front door.
"Sir?" she said. "What are you doing?"
"I need to do some research about real estate transactions." He walked over and sat in front of her. "You and your computers have access to the information I need. I don't want to be interrupted while we work."
"But I don't..."
He took a .50 caliber revolver from a concealed holster and placed it on the desk with a loud thunk. The wide barrel was big enough to stick his finger down. It looked like a joke gun but it was very real.
"You were saying?"
The agent's face became pale. "What sort of research did you have in mind, sir?"
"I want to see a list of land purchases made in Chicago during April and May of last year," Xavier said.
"Chicago? There must be tens of thousands of deals a month in a big city like that."
"Let's restrict the search to commercial and industrial properties with a value of more than two million dollars. The transaction will be all cash. No financing. No real estate contract. A very abbreviated closing period, maybe even as short as a couple of days. The buyer will be a corporation, not an individual."
She stared at him. "I've never heard of a transaction like that. It sounds dirty somehow."
"Which means it should be easy to pick out. Get to work. I'll just sit here and watch. If you can find what I'm looking for, I'll give you a thousand dollars in cash. If not..." He tapped the revolver on the desk.
She looked at the gun and swallowed. She turned to her computer.
Xavier put the gun back in its holster. He got up and poured himself a cup of coffee while she worked. He needed the coffee to keep himself awake. He had been on the road for three days, and he had slept maybe ten hours in that time. Exhaustion was starting to degrade his ability to make smart decisions.
After an hour, the agent gave him a printout that listed ten real estate transactions matching his criteria. It took just a moment for him to identify the right one. The name Global Real Estate Partners jumped out like a neon sign. It was one of the shell corporations the Society used when making very large purchases.
"Tell me about this one." Xavier pointed to that item on the list.
The agent went back to her computer. "Let's see. Five stories. Built in 1942. Brick and concrete construction. Near Chinatown. Oh, this is very odd. It's listed as a hazardous waste site. The building was sealed by order of the federal government. Nobody is allowed inside without authorization."
Xavier smiled. That's the headquarters. He drew a semiautomatic with a suppressor and shot her in the head. It was a shame the girl had to die, but he couldn't risk her talking to anybody about him. This was war after all.
Chapter Twenty-one
Hanley and Norbert stood in opposite corners of a boxing ring. They were in the gymnasium in the basement of FBI headquarters. Both men wore blue sweats. Thick pads covered their heads, hands, and feet.
"Are you ready?" Norbert said.
Hanley nodded.
They had already sparred a few times, and Norbert had kicked Hanley's ass every time. The contests hadn't even been close. Hanley was enjoying the challenge though, and spending time with Norbert was fun. They had become great friends in the last few days.
"Let's begin," Norbert said.
The two men approached each other cautiously. Hanley's only hope of scoring points was making quick moves that caught Norbert off guard. A long match favored Norbert, who had much more stamina.
Hanley came in with a fast punching combination. Norbert swept the attack aside, spun, and nailed Hanley in the ribs with a kick. Hanley staggered back.
"Try to think two or three moves ahead," Norbert said. "Come again."
Hanley furrowed his brow as he planned his next combination. He lunged forward with a punch to draw Norbert's attention and then tried to kick Norbert in the thigh. He swiveled his hips to evade the low attack. He grabbed Hanley's outstretched arm and executed a perfect hip throw. Hanley landed flat on his back.
"A little better," Norbert said. He helped Hanley to his feet.
"Aaron taught you those fancy moves?" Hanley said.
Norbert nodded.
"I taught him some moves, too," a woman said.
Hanley turned. Marina had walked into the gymnasium. She wore a blue business suit and looked exactly like a real FBI agent. Her beautiful red hair had been cut short, and a large bandage covered the back of her neck.
"What happened to your hair, ma'am?" Norbert said.
"When you play with fire, sometimes you lose some hair." Marina faced Hanley. "Don't use our real names in public places. The wrong people might be listening."
"Yes, ma'am," he said. "Why are you here?"
He hadn't seen her since the night she had driven him back to the hotel. So much had changed since then. He was finally getting comfortable with the idea of being a Spear, and she was now his commander.
"My plane is in for maintenance at Andrews Air Force Base," she said. "I gave my squad the day off to relax and tour Washington. I wanted to meet my new recruit while I was in town. Mind if I join you gentlemen in the ring? I could use some exercise."
"Sure, but you can't fight dressed like that."
"I'll find something to wear." She looked around and then headed towards the women's locker room.
When she was out of earshot, Hanley got close to Norbert and said, "What can you tell me about the woman who is about to control my life?"
"She used to be crazy for one thing."
"Huh?"
Norbert nodded. "Legionnaires are God's living weapons. Our purpose is destroying His enemies. Marina used to take great pleasure in the... messier aspects of that job. She would slice her opponents instead of shooting them just so she could watch them slowly bleed to death. She had the temper of a grizzly bear."
"What changed?"
"Wesley fixed her mind. He made her sane. That was about the time I met her, so I never knew the old Marina, but I heard the horror stories. She's still a master torturer. She knows ways to inflict pain that would make the Spanish Inquisition queasy. I've watched her perform interrogations." Norbert shuddered. "Very unpleasant."
Hanley grimaced. "How many people has she killed?"
"I don't know, but it has to be a big number. My advice is to be very respectful at all times. Do what she tells you to do, and don't play games with her. If you become a pain in her ass, she'll retire you."
"I'll have to quit the Society?"
"Yeah." Norbert drew his finger across his neck. "Permanently. But if you do your job well, you'll have nothing to worry about. She's very loyal to her friends. One more thing."
"What?" Hanley said.
"You're about to fight her, which means you'll get clobbered."
"Why? I'm bigger than her, and I certainly know how to fight."
Norbert put a hand on Hanley's shoulder. "If you want her to like you, keep getting up. No matter how much it hurts, come back for more until she tells you to stop."
"Are you ready?" Marina said.
Hanley spun around. She was standing right behind him, and she was wearing a blue sweat suit now. Norbert chuckled softly.
"Where did you get that outfit, ma'am?" Hanley said.
"I found it in a locker," she said.
"Somebody else's locker?"
"Of course. I'll put it back when we're done. I'm not a thief."
"Those lockers are locked," he said.
She nodded. "Cheap locks though. You'd think the FBI would use better ones. Are you ready to fight me?"
"Sure."
Her foot slammed into his temple, knocking him down to the canvas. He sat up slowly. His head was spinning.
"I guess you weren't ready," she said. "Get up. Let's go."
She moved back a few paces. Norbert quickly cleared out of the ring.
Hanley staggered to his feet. Marina wasn't a very big woman, and he probably weighed a hundred pounds more than her. He also had several inches of extra reach.
He would have to use those physical advantages if he wanted to make a respectable showing in this fight.
He circled her with his fists held in front protectively.
She launched herself into a jumping kick aimed at his face. He dodged barely in time. She hooked his legs before he could recover his balance. He fell on his back, and she landed on his chest with her elbow. All the air was driven from his lungs. She was back on her feet before he could inhale.
"The San Francisco territory covers all of Northern California," she said. "Twelve million lives. Twelve million souls."
He caught his breath and got back up. She jumped forward and landed on her hands in front of him. Her feet slammed into his chest, and when he bent over, she gave him a double kick to the face. He fell backwards again.
"All those people will depend on our little cell," she said. "We are their divinely appointed guardians."
With some difficulty, he stood up. He tried to get into a good defensive position. She knocked his arms down with an axe kick. Then she lunged and punched him across the chin. She continued the motion with a back fist that spun his head around. While he was dazed, she tripped him.
"That's why we have to train so hard every day," she said.
He forced himself to stand again. She feinted to his head with a kick and then landed it in his gut. The impact made his eyes bulge. She rolled her body into his shins and knocked his legs out. He fell hard.
She was already on her feet. "We must always be the best."
Hanley was ready to quit, but he remembered Norbert's advice. Hanley pushed himself back up. Wobbling, he held his fists in front of his body. She landed a spinning kick on his cheek that felt like being struck by lightning. He was down again.
"But God is with us." Marina stared at him. "His breath gives us strength. His blessed light heals our bodies. His vision sharpens are eyes."
He got up on his hands and knees. He managed to push his upper body to a vertical position, but he was still kneeling. Her heel struck his forehead and sent him flying backwards.
"His will makes us relentless," she said.
The world was swaying back and forth like a stormy ocean. Hanley crawled over to the side of the ring. Using the ropes he pulled himself to his feet.
"In exchange, the Lord asks two things of us," she said. "First, we never forget who we work for."
She punched him in the gut several times. For a woman, she packed a vicious wallop. He gasped in pain and wanted to puke.
"Second," she said, "we never stop fighting."
She backed up and charged forward like an angry bull. Her shoulder slammed into his midsection. He bounced off the ropes, flew forward, and fell face down on the canvas. He could only lie there and drool.
She knelt down beside him. "Get up."
He twitched.
"Your commander is giving you an order," she said. "You are the Lord's weapon. Rise and fight again."
He discovered he could still move if he tried hard enough. He put his arms underneath his chest and pushed. Pulling his knees forward came next. One small step at a time, he got to his feet. It was like climbing a mountain made of gelatin. Finally, he put his fists up.
"I'm ready," he mumbled. "Come again."
She smiled. "Take a break. It's Norbert's turn."
He took a step and almost fell over. She helped him to the side of the ring. Her touch was surprisingly gentle.
Dizzy and holding the ropes for support, he looked back. Marina and Norbert were squaring off. This should be interesting, Hanley thought.
Suddenly, they were sparring. The kicks and punches came so fast he had trouble following the action. It seemed a fairly even match. Norbert was much bigger and stronger, but Marina was faster and more skilled. The way they moved struck Hanley as inhuman. Their reactions were too quick and their techniques were too precise. Like watching robots fight, he thought, or demons.
Other people in the gym wandered over and formed a crowd around the ring. Marina and Norbert seemed too focused to notice. They had expressions of pure joy as they battered each other. The blows were hard enough that they had to hurt.
Finally, Marina executed a crazy spinning move that required the flexibility of a contortionist. Norbert went down.
"You win again," he said. "One day I'll beat you."
"No doubt," she said, "but not today."
The audience broke out in applause.
Marina looked at the crowd with an anxious expression. "The show is over folks," she said. "I hope you enjoyed it."
Hanley realized she had made a mistake. Ordinary people weren't supposed to see that kind of thing. It was dangerously close to witnessing a miracle.
Marina came over to him. "We have to get out of here. Can you walk?"
"Yes, ma'am." He stood straighter. "I'm OK now. Let's get dressed and go to my office."
Ten minutes later, the three of them were walking through the hallways of the huge FBI headquarters building. They had changed back into their suits.
Hanley was sore but less than he expected. "Thanks for the lesson, ma'am," he told Marina quietly.
She gave him a curious look. "You're thanking me for beating the snot out of you?"
"I'm thanking you for not injuring me. You stopped short of doing real harm. I appreciate that kind of control."
"You're welcome." She smiled.
"Will I ever learn to fight like you?"
"Of course. When Norbert started, he was even worse than you. I was convinced he was hopeless."
Norbert blushed.
"And I'm not that fabulous," Marina added. "By Society standards, my skills are merely above average. The legate can defeat me quite easily, and there are people out there who are much tougher than her. People that terrify me."
"That's hard to imagine," Hanley said.
"When God is angry, He makes monsters. Sometimes He gets very, very angry." She stared into the distance with a sad expression.
They arrived at his office a few minutes later. Hanley sat behind his desk, and Norbert and Marina sat across from him.
She looked around. "Not bad for a civil servant."
"I guess so." Hanley shrugged.
There was a huge pile of paperwork on his desk. He was still trying to catch up after his trip to Wisconsin. In addition to the usual blizzard of mind numbing forms, he had to write a complete report for each dead soldier explaining exactly how they died. The prospect was depressing enough to make him want to get drunk.
"Do you have paperwork in the Society?" he said.
"Just the commanders," Marina said, "and not that much. Aaron spends a half-hour to an hour a day in his office. I expect I'll do the same."
"A life without forms. Sounds like heaven."
"As soon as Xavier is dead, that will be your life. Speaking of which, I need you to work on a project for me. You have free time right now."
"I do?" Hanley looked down at the pile of paperwork.
"Forget that shit," Marina said. "This is much more important. We're going to build a new headquarters in San Francisco, but that will take years. So, we'll need a temporary place for a while. Start checking the real estate listings. It needs to be a big building, like a warehouse or a small factory. A bad neighborhood is good. We don't like nosy neighbors. Think about security, too. We'll turn this place into a small fortress."
"Do you have a budget in mind?"
"The budget is whatever it costs. Stop worrying about money."
"Yes, ma'am." His phone rang and he answered it. "Hanley here."
"This is Xavier," a familiar voice responded.
Hanley was too startled to speak for a moment. Finally, he said, "Why are you calling me? You're the most wanted man in the country!"
Marina and Norbert leaned forward with very interested expressions.
"My mission hasn't changed," Xavier said, "even if my circumstances have. I'm still trying to stop the Society. I just found out the address of their headquarters in Chicago."
&n
bsp; "What is it?"
"500 West Cermak Road, near Chinatown."
Hanley jotted the address down on a piece of paper and gave it to Marina. She grinned as if the address were a joke. Norbert looked over, but he didn't seem to get what was so funny.
"That's interesting information," Hanley said. "What do you expect me to do with it?"
"Attack them! The Special Missions Unit was created to kill terrorists, and I just gave you their home address."
"Xavier, I would, but..."
"Are you still whining about what happened at Camp Zonta?" Xavier said. "Don't be such a pussy."
"I'm responsible for the lives of my men."
"You're responsible for protecting the United States of America from organizations like the Gray Spear Society. I need your Unit to be in Chicago in three days. We have to move fast. I'll lead the attack personally this time and make sure it goes off right."
"You're coming to Chicago?" Hanley said.
"Damn right. I wouldn't miss this for anything. In fact I'll get there ahead of you. I'll scout around and pick a good staging area for the attack. You and I will be brothers in arms. We'll go into that hell hole together."
"You're sure this intelligence is good? I can't afford another costly mistake."
"This is going to work," Xavier said. "Trust me. Just get all your people to Chicago."
Hanley took a deep breath. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt one more time. My men and I will be there."
"Great! I'll call again after I do my reconnaissance. Bye."
Hanley hung up the phone.
"Nicely done," Marina said. "You're a natural liar. I like that."
"Is that actually the address of your headquarters, ma'am?" he asked.
"Sort of." She nodded. "It's one of our properties. Aaron finished purchasing the building this morning. I hear it's a very impressive structure and full of toxic waste."
"What?" Norbert stared at her. "How in God's name did Aaron convince Xavier we actually live there?"
"I honestly don't know. My lover has been coy with me lately."
Hanley leaned forward. "That's not even the craziest part. Norbert, do you remember the message you gave me Monday morning? Aaron knew Xavier would call. My orders were to play along."