Krystal elbows me in the gut, prompting me to groan in considerable pain. I think her elbow is made of steel.
Montgomery wraps his arm around LeBeau’s shoulder (once again prompting the agents to nervously finger their firearms) and waves his right hand out in front of him in a theatrical manner. “Imagine the headlines. The same teen bounty hunters who helped uncover Klaxton’s conspiracy to ignite a world war are the exact same individuals who found the former president hiding in the Amazon Jungle like a coward. The image of Klaxton being taken away in shackles, while the famed teen bounty hunters stand behind you during your speech to the world announcing her capture… you can’t buy that kind of good press. You will have sealed your next three reelection races. You will have restored people’s faith in democracy. You will have saved the world.”
While I obviously see through Montgomery’s little facade, and I’m sure everyone else in the room does as well, LeBeau is a different story. She seems to have bought into Montgomery’s little fairy tale hook, line, and sinker. At least, if you go by the dreamy look in her eyes and the bedazzled smile on her face.
LeBeau turns toward Montgomery and, in a dreamlike stupor, says, “I must admit, the optics would most definitely work in our favor.”
LeBeau glances at me and the girls and says, “Alright, we’ll go with the covert operation. But I’m still wary of the three of you undertaking such a perilous mission without adequate backup.”
“I’ll be with them, we’ll be fine,” Grenade says gruffly, still puffing away on his cigar. He’s exhaled so much smoke that it’s saturated the entire room. Several of the agents have delved into coughing fits, and one has even pulled her shirt up over her nose.
LeBeau flashes Grenade a look of pure disdain and says, “Yes, well, I would still prefer you had some assistance.”
Boom Boom holds up her hand and says, “Now wait a minute, you all are just assuming we’ve agreed to this. What if we decide we’re done ‘saving the world’? We’ve been going nonstop for months now… chasing after Rasputin, chasing after Blackbird…. I don’t know if I have the energy for another global manhunt.”
I pull Boom Boom to the side and quietly say, “I thought this was what we wanted, Boom Boom. This isn’t just about ‘saving the world’. It’s about getting revenge for what she did to Arrow and Dorothy.”
Boom Boom heaves a heavy sigh and says, “I know, but I’m starting to have second thoughts. I mean, we’ve cheated death so many times already. Eventually our luck is going to run out.”
“I’m with Boom Boom, I don’t know if I want to do this shit anymore, either,” Krystal says.
LeBeau’s pale face suddenly turns fiery red. “What do you little twats mean you don’t want to do this? You just convinced me to see things from your point of view, and now you’re backing out?!”
Montgomery nervously says, “No Madam President, they’re not backing out. They’re just… I mean… they’re just burnt out, is all.”
Grenade scowls at us. “We’re doing this, and that’s final.”
“Now wait a minute, Grenade,” Boom Boom snaps. “We’re not some little pawns that are going to keep on doing the government’s bidding. This is getting out of hand.”
That’s understatement of the century. Things have ‘been out of hand’ for months now.
Before anyone can respond to Boom Boom’s declaration, Krystal says, “If we bring Klaxton’s ass back here, do we still get that $100 million bounty?”
“Yes,” LeBeau replies curtly.
“Then we’re in,” Krystal blurts out. “Don’t listen to Boom Boom, y’all know red-heads are crazy.”
Boom Boom starts quivering in anger, but she doesn’t say anything else.
LeBeau glares at Boom Boom for a few more seconds before turning toward Grenade and rattling on, “I’m only giving you a week to find her. If you can’t locate Klaxton in seven days, then I’m sending in the heavy artillery.”
“Fair enough,” Grenade replies, putting up surprisingly little resistance to such a stringent ultimatum.
“And I’m serious about adding people to your operation,” LeBeau says, wagging her finger. “I’ve already got a small team in mind. They’re down in the Amazon as we speak, special-ops soldiers who are helping quell the Chiquito insurgency. They know the lay of the land down there. They will be invaluable to your mission. I will send word that you are coming.”
“Wait, are they going to get dibs on the bounty?” Krystal says all incredulously.
“No, they are already being handsomely compensated,” LeBeau says. “The $100 million reward will be split equally amongst the four of you. That is, if you succeed in your mission. We will contact you in the morning with your travel arrangements. You may be dismissed.”
LeBeau gestures toward Blackbird, who has fallen asleep in his chair and is now snoring up a storm. “Take him into holding.”
Several agents grab the back of Blackbird’s chair and wheel him out of the room.
LeBeau looks over at us and frowns. “Didn’t I say you were dismissed?”
Krystal clears her throat and holds our her pudgy hand. “You didn’t pay us yet for Blackbird. If I recall correctly, he had a $5 million bounty on his head.”
LeBeau nods and says, “Er, yes, that is correct.” She turns to Montgomery and says, “Have the money wired to their account first thing in the morning. And please escort them out of my office.”
LeBeau turns her back toward us and starts talking to some of her agents in hushed whispers.
Montgomery sighs and says, “Follow me, please.”
We follow Montgomery out of the Oval Office and snake our way up the winding tunnel that leads back to the main part of the underground complex. We then start heading back up to the surface on foot. No one says anything for several long minutes.
Finally, when we’re out of ear-shot of any of LeBeau’s trigger-happy goons, Grenade says, “What a bitch, huh?”
We all chuckle, even Montgomery.
Grenade turns toward Boom Boom and bluntly asks, “What was that all about, anyway? We finally convinced LeBeau to let us go after Klaxton, and you nearly got the whole planned nixed.”
Boom Boom gazes down at her feet and mumbles, “I know, I’m sorry. I just… I’m tired of all these games. It seems we’re always putting our lives on the line while everyone else sits back and reaps our rewards.”
“We did just get paid $5 million,” Krystal points out.
“Yeah, but money’s not everything,” Boom Boom says. “What about our happiness?”
“Money is happiness,” Krystal says all earnestly.
Boom Boom gives a little groan of annoyance. “Seriously guys, do we really need to do this? I think we’ve done enough. Why not let LeBeau handle this? I say we go pick up the kids, go back home, and enjoy our $5 million reward.”
I pretend to knock on Boom Boom’s head. “Hello, Earth to Boom Boom! We can’t go back to Sanctuary 7. Don’t you remember we nearly got killed by a bunch of Neo Nazi assholes? And did you just seriously say we should let LeBeau handle everything? She doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing! She’s in way over her head!”
“I’m afraid your blond buddy is correct, my dear,” Montgomery says quietly, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one overhears his borderline treasonous statement. “My so-called boss is in over her head. She makes her predecessor look like a certifiable genius in comparison.”
I grab Boom Boom’s hands and say, “C’mon, Firecracker, I know deep down inside you agree with me. We were the only ones who were able to find Rasputin. We were the ones to uncover Klaxton’s plans. And we’re the only ones who can bring her to justice.”
With a grimace, Boom Boom whispers, “Yeah, I know. I just wish we weren’t so damn good at what we do.”
That elicits a hearty chuckle from all of us, even Grenade.
“Yeah, you damn kids are the best at fucking shit up,” Grenade says. “Anytime you get involved in somethin
g, all hell breaks loose.”
It takes us about half an hour to reach the surface. Along the way, Grenade and Montgomery chat amongst themselves about their glory days as black-ops soldiers. Krystal keeps interrupting them, asking them how many people they killed on their various missions. Boom Boom and I pretty much stay quiet, but we continue holding hands as we walk. Boom Boom doesn’t know how much it means to me that she hasn’t pulled away. We may fight and bicker from time to time (okay, most of the time), but we do love each other. I’ve already lost so many people that I’ve loved, but somehow I’ve managed to survive. Most of that is because of Boom Boom. She’s helped me get through the darkest, most trying times of my life. And I’ve helped her get through hers. If anything ever happened to Boom Boom… if she ever departed from this Earth before I did… I would be totally lost. I’ve managed to survive everything life has thrown at me thus far, but I would never be able to survive a world without my best friend.
When we finally exit the subterranean White House tunnels and step out into the Alaskan darkness, we all take a deep breath of the fresh air.
“Thank God,” Boom Boom says, closing her eyes and holding out her arms so she can bask in Mother Nature’s invigorating breeze. “If I had to stay in those dark, dank tunnels another minute, I would have lost my mind.”
Montgomery clasps his right hand on my shoulder, momentarily taking me by surprise. I look up into his weathered face, which is partially obscured by his flowing white mane. Speaking so quietly that he’s nearly drowned out by the howling Alaskan wind, Montgomery says, “You guys have been entrusted with a vitally important mission, one that will undoubtedly have profound implications on the future of this country. As to whether those implications turn out to be positive or negative ones, that remains to be seen. But I do have one word of advice that I beg you to take seriously. If you find Klaxton… when you find her… hear her out before you make any irrational decisions.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I say, confused. “Hear her out? She’s an evil psycho bitch. She’ll be lucky I don’t shoot her in the fucking face the instant I see her.”
Montgomery grits his teeth and tightens his hold on my shoulder. He opens his mouth to say something, but then stops and drops his hand from my arm. I glance behind me and notice two secret service agents watching us from the mouth of the tunnel.
Montgomery leans in close and whispers, “Just consider my words, son. Things are… not as they seem. Stay alert and use your best judgment. And remember, sometimes in order to defeat evil you must become evil.”
And with those last, apocalyptic words, Montgomery gives Grenade one last nod before marching his way back into the tunnel. The secret service agents who had been watching us step back so Montgomery can squeeze past them. They then turn around and follow him, disappearing into the darkness of the White House labyrinth.
Boom Boom, Krystal and I turn toward Grenade. Grenade merely stares back at us, his cigar dangling out of his clenched teeth.
“Well?” Boom Boom says after an infuriating moment of silence. “What the hell was that all about?”
Grenade blows smoke into our faces before grunting, “Don’t look at me. I don’t know what the fuck he’s rambling on about. The guy’s a nutcase! That’s probably why we get along so well. I typically enjoy the company of the mentally deranged. They make me seem normal in comparison.”
And with that, Grenade spins around on his heels and stomps over to our helicopter-plane, leaving us no choice but to hurry after him.
Chapter Five: Boom Boom
“Wow.”
Those are the only words I manage to utter upon gazing out my window at the Amazon Rainforest. Flying a mile above the Earth, I’m given an unhindered bird’s-eye view of one of our dying planet’s last bastions of wilderness, untouched by the cancerous hand of man. For as far as the eye can see, there are rain-speckled treetops glistening under the sunlight. Using the telescopic function on my visor, I’m able to zoom down and see brightly-colored parakeets and toucans flying over the canopy, without a care in the world. Several of the treetops quiver, most likely from monkeys swinging from tree branch to tree branch. Way off in the distance, a gorgeous rainbow splits the sky in half. It’s as if the Creator Himself has painted a picture, using the Earth as his canvas.
“Look outside, guys,” I call to the others. “You’ve got to see this scenery. It’s breathtaking!”
Krystal hollers from the cockpit, “Yeah yeah, I see it. A bunch of trees and shit. Whoopty-fucking-doo.”
Good ole Krystal, ever the romantic. I know for a fact she’s not actually looking out the window. She’s got her visors down over her eyes, and I can hear one of her trashy reality TV shows playing in the background. She’s pretending to fly the plane, but we all know she’s had it on autopilot ever since we crossed the Great American Desert several hours ago.
I focus my attention on Lance and Grenade, who are sitting at a table in the back of the cabin, swilling back beers and playing poker while trash-talking.
“Did you guys hear me? You’ve got to check out this gorgeous scenery!”
“We’re in the middle of a game, Boom Boom,” Grenade growls in his trademark raspy voice. “If I lose, I have to give Lance my cyborg arm.”
“Don’t think I’m going to let you off the hook, either,” Lance says, crumpling up an empty beer can and reaching for another one. “If you lose, you gotta fork it over. It’s not my fault you lost all your money.”
“I still think you’re cheating,” Grenade grumbles. “Who gets a full house two hands in a row?!”
“Oh now that’s ridiculous,” I say with a shake of my head. “How are you even going to remove your arm?”
“I think I saw a chainsaw lying around here earlier,” Lance says in between gulps of his beer.
“You guys are really missing out,” I say. “We’ll probably never get a chance to see something like this again.”
“I did a ton of black-ops shit in the Amazon back in the day,” Grenade says while lighting up his umpteenth cigar. “I’ve seen enough of the rainforest to last a lifetime.”
“And I’ll look at the trees when we’re actually on the ground,” Lance says before laying his cards out on the table. “Read em and weep, asswipe. A royal flush!”
Grenade slams his cyborg arm against the table, causing it to crack in the center.
“Son of a bitch! I’m about to kick your ass!”
Lance scoots back and says, “Er, how about I let you keep your arm?”
“Smart choice, punk,” Grenade snarls.
I roll my eyes at my juvenile companions and go back to staring at the awe-inspiring view outside my window. It boggles my mind how enormously colossal the Amazon is. Even though the rainforest is a mere 10% of its original size after centuries of rampant deforestation and desertification, it’s still a massive expanse of wilderness unrivaled anywhere else on Earth. I just wish Harpoon was here to experience this with me. When she heard we were going to the Amazon, she freaked out. She’s always dreamed of visiting the rainforest before it completely disappears. She loves animals and nature, so of course the Amazon would be a dream destination for her. But I obviously couldn’t bring her along. She and Blade are far better off staying with Audrey.
While I was upset we didn’t get a chance to spend Christmas Day with the kids, I’m glad we were able to spend the past two days with them. President LeBeau gave us a couple days to recuperate from our grueling odyssey to Antarctica before sending us on this even more dangerous mission to South America. The two-day vacation was much needed. I think I ended up sleeping through half of it. I feel more refreshed than I have in months.
As with all things in life, however, the good times came to an abrupt end earlier this morning. Secretary Montgomery and a few of his aides stopped by Grenade’s condo to brief us on our clandestine mission. They also gave us a bunch of weapons, ammunition, and sparkling-new body armor. It was nice to not have to waste our own
hard-earned money on such things. I mean, sure we have $5 million in the bank and all, but I’d rather not spend it on stuff meant to kill people. Montgomery also provided us with several cases of bottled water, beef jerky, canned fruits and vegetables, and other nonperishable food items. The group we’re joining up with only have enough supplies for themselves, so we have to bring our own sustenance. Montgomery also had a doctor give us several vaccines for the various diseases we’re likely to encounter in a lush, tropical environment. I hadn’t even thought about that, so I’m glad Montgomery and his crew were looking out for us. Say what you want about LeBeau and how unqualified she is as president, but she certainly went above and beyond her duties in terms of preparing us for our impromptu bounty hunting mission.
I’m snapped out of my thoughts at the sight of a weather drone zooming past our helicopter-plane. I press my face against the glass and gaze at the trail of artificial rain clouds being dispersed by the drone. As soon as the clouds hit the air, they unleash a torrential downpour of rain. I’d heard how effective these drones were on the news, but it’s another thing entirely to see them up close and in person. If it weren’t for these hi-tech weather drones, what little is left of the Amazon would have dried out years ago.
World War Forever (Highway To Armageddon Book 2) Page 19