by Dan Kelly
This got a laugh out of everyone which reduced the tension that had started to build up when they arrived at the park as the reason they were there once more began to dominate their conscious thoughts.
They all got involved in setting out paper plates and napkins, plastic utensils and glasses, opening all of the cardboard containers of food, unwrapping the cold cuts, bread and rolls and Kirk fired up the portable propane grill to cook the hamburgers and hot dogs. A little after noon they dug into the fare with a passion. Allison mumbled to Barbara, “Might as well chow down. This could be our last meal.”
Barbara said, “Not if the Rangers have anything to say about it.”
Allison came back with, “Are you sure they’re even around? I haven’t seen hide or hair of them anywhere I’ve looked since we’ve been here.”
“That’s one very good reason why you should relax and enjoy the victuals. The Rangers are very good at what they do. If you saw them, so would the bad guys.”
“What the hell are victuals?”
“That’s a snobby word for food. I picked it up from a Brit friend of mine. I’m trying to increase my vocabulary. In my kind of work, it helps if you can mix in with all kinds of crowds.”
“Well, if I were you, I’d bury that one and never resurrect it again. Words like that will give you bad breath, the social kind that offends the listeners because they won’t understand what the hell you’re saying. If it’s gregariousness you’re after, words like ‘victuals’ won’t hack it.”
Smiling Barbara said, “Too snooty huh?”
Smiling back at Barbara Allison said, “Off the charts.”
Three hours went by with nothing happening. They were all beginning to wonder if something had scared their prey off. Then their adrenalin was slammed into overdrive when Lieutenant Distachio’s voice came through the ear pieces they all were wearing. “The enemy approaches.”
There was silence for a couple of minutes and then Distachio whispered, “There are twelve of them and they’re splitting up into groups of threes. It looks like they’re planning to attack from all four sides of the clearing. Don’t all of you stay together in one place. Move away from each other with no more than two people near each other.
“These idiots are only carrying side arms, most likely because they could be easily concealed until they got into the woods. There’s not a rifle in sight. They’re planning on making this up close and personal, probably figuring that you folks will be unarmed. That’s in our favor since their weapons are only accurate from a distance of 25 feet or so, maybe more if they’re expert shots. However, judging from the way they’re carrying them and moving about, these guys aren’t experts or professional hit men.
“Be alert. We should have these guys hogtied before they get off a shot, but just in case I’m wrong that’s why I told you to split up. That way there’s less chance of anyone getting hit by a stray bullet. We’ll not let any of them get within accurate shooting range of you.”
Hank told everyone to keep talking just like they would normally be doing so as not to tip their would be killers off that something was amiss. That was not an easy thing to do, but they managed it somehow. Ten minutes went by with nothing happening and then the fireworks began.
During that ten minute period, the Rangers had silently disarmed, captured and gagged seven of the gunmen, but one of the five remaining had stepped into a rabbit hole, fell, broke his ankle and his gun went off. With the need for silence eliminated, the other four started running for the picnic site with guns blazing. They were lousy shots, but the Rangers were not and the next stop for two of them would be on a slab in the morgue.
The remaining two had found someplace to temporarily hide. So far, nobody from Sentry had been injured, but it was a different ball game now. The remaining killers now knew the score and would be harder to find and bring down, and one of them might get lucky and take out someone from Sentry.
The next couple of minutes were a nightmare for Sentry personnel as they were out in the open with nothing to hide behind but the picnic tables they had turned on their sides. Collette had cut her leg on something when they all lunged to turn the tables on their sides for cover and it was bleeding pretty badly.
Barbara scooted over on her hands and knees to a pile of napkins lying on the ground about twenty yards away to get some to use to help stop the bleeding, but she never made it back. A big man came running out of a nearby copse of trees with his gun pointed at her and when he was about thirty feet from her he started pulling the trigger.
Barbara was waiting for the impact of the bullets going into her body to register with her mind and she was hoping her death would be quick and painless. When she didn’t feel anything, she realized that she hadn’t heard the noise of bullets being fired, only the click of the hammer falling on an empty chamber. When the guy realized his gun was empty he threw it at her, but Barbara ducked and it went soaring over her head. Still running at her, he pulled an ugly looking knife from a scabbard on his belt and started slashing at her.
If Perry was surprised at how fast and easily she took him down, he must have been awe struck when he watched her dispense with this piece of garbage in three lightening quick moves. The man lunged at her with the knife, trying to stab her in the stomach. Barbara blocked the thrust, twisted his arm into an unnatural position with such force that a bone could be heard snapping as the knife went flying and then she put his lights out with a kick to his chin.
When the gun play started, Lieutenant Distachio had run to the clearing to protect the Sentry people, but when he broke into the clearing he saw Barbara cleaning this guy’s clock without breaking a sweat and the last one of the bunch was nowhere to be seen. “Damn, I wonder if she’d be interested in becoming a Ranger.” He stayed with the Sentry folks in case the remaining guy showed his puss and told his men to continue with the search for the last of the lot.
They never found him. He had gotten away. It was Little Caesar Prevot. The first chance he got he notified Feldman about the trap and their failure to wipe out Sentry once and for all and then he disappeared. He didn’t want anything more to do with IISS. One narrow escape from the U. S. Army Rangers was enough motivation for him to get out of Dodge.
Chapter 64
-Breuil Cervinia, Italy-
For the first time since The Last Resort started on its quest, Feldman is beginning to have doubts about their chances of success. The government has captured Malcolm and nine of his men. “The government will use fear, offer deals and eventually someone will start talking. Fortunately, none of those captured know where we are hiding out, but they can give the authorities my name and soon my picture will be all over the news. None of those people know about the others in our group so that’s a big plus too, but I’m going to have to live like a mole in a hole until we are ruling the roost. Halkias is not going to be a happy man when he hears this news. I hope he doesn’t kill the messenger.”
Surprisingly, Halkias takes the news quite calmly. “That’s life, Bob. You win some and lose some. We lost a battle not the war.
Feldman can’t believe his ears. “I don’t get it, Basil. I thought you’d go through the roof when you found out what happened. What gives?”
Smiling he said, “While you were on the phone with your man, the head of your research team called and told me that they have found a way to get around the requirement for two people to launch a missile. There are some bugs, but he is confident that they will have them worked out shortly, definitely within the next ten days. We are so close to the goal line, Bob. It’s hard for me to imagine anything that could stop us now.”
The butterflies that had started to jump around in his stomach were put to rest with this news and Basil’s attitude. “Maybe I’m worrying needlessly. Maybe.”
Two days later those butterflies were back big time. All of the Italian TV channels broadcasting in Northern Italy started to show their names and pictures on all of their news programs and the accompanying commen
tary said that American warrants have been issued for their arrest for treasonous acts against the government of the United States and its people. All of the recent attacks on the infrastructure of America were recounted and the viewers were told that the fugitives were hiding somewhere in the Italian Alps. The commentary also included the fact that a reward of $1,000,000 is being offered to the first person who provides information that leads to the arrest of these traitors and a number to call was flashed on the screen.
Everyone is silent and glued to the TV, weighing the effect this public revelation will have on their plans when James Hollingsworth screams out, “How in the hell were they able to ferret out all of this information on us?” We’ve been more careful than a 350 lb. man on thin ice.”
Everyone is extremely upset over what they are seeing and hearing, but these people didn’t get to where they are by panicking when things didn’t go their way. Basil realizes, however, that he’s got to quickly calm them down or his leadership might be challenged.
David Zadikoff was a step ahead of him and challenged him with, “You don’t seem to be concerned about what has happened, Basil. If you can’t see how damaging this news is, perhaps someone else should be calling the shots. I have no desire to be a guest of the federal government for the rest of my life.”
Basil accepted the challenge and said, “When you agreed to join the rest of us, you also agreed to my being the final decision maker of the group no matter how dicey things got. Are you a man of your word or only when it suits you?” Without giving him a chance to answer, Basil continued on with his reprimand. “We figured they might be on to us and that’s why we set up shop here, remember? If you had bothered to ask me why I’m not bothered about what we’ve been seeing and hearing, you would have learned that I have a very good reason to feel this way. You see, David, I haven’t had a chance to tell all of you yet, but Bob’s people have found a way to circumvent the requirement for two men to launch the missiles in North Dakota. We are now a hairbreadth away from victory. There are a few bugs that must be squashed, but Bob’s head researcher has assured me that they will be history in no more than ten days.”
Silence once again settled over the room and the TV was forgotten. Gradually, their curiosity dampened their fears to the point where questions started to be asked about such things as likely targets, what demands would be made and how, and after surrender how they were going to be able to rule without fear of being overthrown since they were just seven men and not a conquering army.
Basil answered all of their questions and provided explanations for his answers when appropriate. He ended the Q and A session with this explanation. “If we can convince the U. S. military that we have the ability to lead and can be trusted to keep our promises to restore the freedoms that have been legislated away from the American people or somehow subjugated to the whims of the rich and powerful, to put all of the lying and crooked politicians behind bars where they belong and replace them with honest, intelligent and caring representatives and to rebuild the nation so it is once again the most powerful and respected on earth, they will see to it that we get the chance. Fear of the nuclear missiles under our control will buy us the time needed to convince them. Our military leaders are very smart, some even brilliant. They will soon see the light.”
George Palmer is thinking, “That’s a mighty big if, Basil. Here’s another big if for you. What if the military refuses to go along with you? How long do you think it would take these intelligent warriors to pull off a coup?
“It looks like Zadikoff has been placated and judging from that look on his face is once again under Halkias’s spell.
“Damn! It looks like these zealots are ready, willing and able to start firing nuclear missiles at American cities. I’ve got to warn somebody before it’s too late, but who and how. I don’t dare try to call that number that flashed on the screen. There’s always someone around who will see me. Shit! I had to be out of my mind to get mixed up with these kooks.”
As Basil led everyone out onto the veranda he made one final point. “Fortunately, we’ve not made a habit of venturing off the grounds of the chateau as all of our needs have been filled by deliveries which have been handled by the household staff. The locals don’t know who the new owners of this chateau are and have never seen our faces.”
Baltzinger asked, “What about the staff? They must have seen us on the news today. There are TVs on all over this place.”
Feldman answered with, “I’ve already spoken to them and assured them that they are in no danger from us. I told them that what is happening in America is a good thing for the American people and that they would understand when all facts came to light. I also gave them a substantial financial incentive to stay in the chateau for the next 30 days and keep their mouths shut, half of which I gave them up front. There should be no trouble from that quarter.”
They all drifted over to the bar area to relax with their favorite drinks, all but Basil. He sat down in one of the comfortable lounge chairs and watched some birds flying overhead. On the outside, he appeared satisfied about the way things were going, but on the inside he was seething, seething over the way Sentry had managed to once again thwart him, seething over the audacity of Zadikoff to challenge him and seething over the possibility that Palmer might have become a turncoat.
“I didn’t like the look on his face when I was talking about the U. S. military. I’m becoming more convinced with each face-to-face encounter that he is becoming a serious threat to The Last Resort, one that will have to be dealt with posthaste before he manages to muck up the works.
“I’ll have to deal with Palmer myself. A fatal accident would be the best way to eliminate that threat. I don’t want to do anything that will generate any distrust of me in the minds of my fellow ‘traitors’, not when we’re so close to grabbing the brass ring. I’ve got to come up with something that will fool the rest of the group.”
A couple of days later he’s worked things out. George Palmer is going to sneak away in the dead of night because he’s lost his nerve and wants nothing more to do with The Last Resort. There will be a typed note taped to the veranda door explaining the reason for his departure. In his haste to get away, he drives too fast for the curving roads and goes off one of the cliffs to his death hundreds of feet below. The place of the accident will be forty to fifty miles from the chateau, so if his facial features are still recognizable and/or his personal identification hasn’t been destroyed in the crash the authorities won’t know where to start looking for the rest of them.
Basil’s going to take a drive two days before to find a steep enough precipice that is within walking distance of a car rental. He’ll wear a hat low on his forehead and sunglasses so the person behind the car rental counter won’t recognize him. He’ll rent a car using one of the credit cards and false IDs Feldman got for all of them to use if the need arose and park it somewhere where it won’t attract attention for a couple days. He’ll use it to get back to Breuil Cervinia, abandon it in the village and walk the rest of the way back to the chateau.
Basil’s going to tell whomever is around when he leaves that he just wants to get away by himself for a couple of hours to enjoy the countryside and clear his head for the final phase of their mission.
The tricky part of his scheme is going to be the drugging of everyone’s food or drink with the powerful liquid sedative that Palmer gave him a while back to help him deal with his sporadic insomnia. George has warned him to stay with the recommended dosage which will induce such a deep sleep for at least seven hours that a bomb going off wouldn’t wake him. An overdose could put the taker in a life threatening coma.
Basil is not worried about being able to get a zonked out Palmer who will be dead weight dressed and into the car even though Palmer’s a lot bigger and heavier than he is. Basil is much stronger than he looks and figures a fireman’s carry will make the walk to the car doable.
Chapter 65
-Chicago-