V06 - Prisoners and Pawns

by Howard Weinstein

  Tyler scuffed the floor with his toe. "Oh, yeah . . ."

  "You got the goddamnedest most selective memory I've ever seen, Tyler. You know that?"

  "Yeah," he growled. "You tell me that every time I see you."

  "Well, why the hell shouldn't I? You can't seem to remember my phone number, but somehow you remember me and find me every time you need a hand at somethin' dangerous."

  "I'm very selective who I ask on certain kinds of dates," he deadpanned.

  "Okay, what's the date?"

  "Just a local job," Tyler said. "You could do it with your eyes closed. Nothing dangerous."

  She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you back in business against the Visitors?"

  "How'd you know about that?"

  "I read papers, watch the tube. We got Cable News Network up here, you know. You were a pretty big man on campus after the so-called final battle. Wasn't too final, now was it?"

  "Nope," Tyler admitted. "And yeah, this has something to do with the Visitors. Interested?" "Hell, yeah," Halsey said. "Lizards're good for boots and that's about it. Be glad to help—-for my usual fee."

  "What ever happened to patriotism?" Tyler asked, shaking his head.

  "Patriotism? I got paid in El Salvador—why shouldn't I get paid on my home turf?"

  "I guess," Tyler said. "But 1 was CIA then. We don't have an unlimited petty-cash and dirty-tricks fund in the resistance."

  "We'll settle the fee up latei; Tyler Maybe something private between you and me. What's the job?"

  Tyler moved over and sat on the corner of her desk. "There's an old mine about two or three miles from here, up on the side of a mountain."

  "I know the one," she said with a nod. "Fastest way up is by horse."

  "Can you take us up there?" Donovan asked, finally able to break in on the conversation.

  "Sure, no problem."

  "How long will it take?" Donovan said.

  "Oh, maybe an hour." She saw Donovan react with surprise. "Hey, if it was easy to get there, you wouldn't need me, would you?"

  "I guess."

  "Okay now, how 'bout telling me who these people are and why I'm taking you up to Skokie Mountain, Tyler"

  "Fair enough. Mike Donovan, Chris Fabei; Kyoshi Maragato, this is my good friend, Annie Halsey."

  Donovan shook her hand, Chris nodded to her, and Maragato bowed in formal Japanese greeting.

  "Mr. Maragato," Ham continued, "is an esteemed member of Japan's intelligence service. He and a couple of colleagues were captured by the Visitors. We «rccaptured them. Now we're trying to get Mr. Maragato home to Japan, back to where he can do the most good fighting the lizards."

  Annie nodded, a neutral expression on her face. "Sounds fine and dandy, Ham, but Skokie Mountain mine ain't Japan, the last time I looked."

  He glared at her. "Mind if I finish?"

  "Be my guest."

  Donovan was having a hard time not laughing. He loved seeing Ham Tyler being verbally manhandled by a woman—or anybody, for that matter. It was fun sitting back and watching someone else do what he usually took upon himself.

  "Fine," Tyler said testily. "I won't go into great detail. It's better for you if you don't know. But we're meeting some people up here who're going to take him and ship him home."

  "And all you need me for is to take you there?"

  Ham spread his hands. "That's it, Halsey. Simple?"

  "Sounds simple," she answered suspiciously. "Though I can't say I'm thrilled about the part you said it's better my not knowin'."

  Donovan stepped in. "Believe me, it is better. For you and for us. If things go wrong and the Visitors get their scaly hands on you, you won't have anything to tell them."

  "Big deal," said Annie. "They'll probably still kill me just for the hell of it. You guys still get away 'cause I can't tell them what I don't know. Not so sure I like that. I'd rather have somethin' to bargain with."

  "Not when it's our lives, honey," Tyler said sharply. "Now, do you want the job?"

  "Sure, why not? But it's not entirely up to me. Hey, O'Toole!" she shouted toward a blanket-covered doorway.

  The blanket moved aside, pushed by a meaty hand, and a big man with reddish-brown hair and a pale freckled face came in from the back room. He wore a plaid shirt with the sleeves ripped off, and fatigue pants.

  "This is Frank O'Toole. He owns this place. Frank— Ham Tyler; Mike Donovan, Chris Faber, and Kyoshi Maragato." She filled him in on Tyler's request.

  "Anything to do with Visitors makes me very, very leery, gentlemen," O'Toole said in a cultured accent bespeaking Ivy League schooling—an incongruous contrast to an appearance that smacked more of the Australian Outback then Harvard Yard. "Excuse me, I left a yogurt sitting back there. Anyone want one?" There were no takers, and O'Toole left the room to retrieve the white plastic container.

  "Yogurt?" Ham whispered to Annie. "Is this guy for

  real?"

  "Real men do eat yogurt," she hissed back.

  O'Toole returned, spooning the yogurt into his mouth. "I suppose there's no reason not to take the job, but I don't want Annie going up alone. When's Alex coming back?"

  "He just went to grab a beer at the general store," Annie said.

  "All right, then, when Alex comes back, you and he can take these people up to the mine. And if he's not done with that beer, tell him to pour it down the sink. I want him sober for this trek."

  Annie nodded, and O'Toole turned to the resistance members. "So, Ham Tyler returns. Well, I must say I heard a bit more about you from Annie here since your last visit. Quite an interesting career"

  Ham started to crack a conceited smile and Annie noticed. "Yep," she said, "a bit more." She paused. "One or two things were even good."

  Donovan and Chris smirked and Ham shot them a look. At that moment, the screened front door squeaked on its hinges and a rawboned man in his early thirties entered, dressed in an old Army shirt and jeans. He eyed the strangers and came over to kiss Annie quickly on the lips. "What's all this?"

  "This is a job," O'Toole said. "Annie knows the specifics. I want you both to go."

  "Guys, this is my boyfriend, Alex Kramei;" she said, introducing him around the group.

  Donovan took special care to note Ham's reaction to the word "boyfriend." There was none that he could discern.

  "What time are you supposed to meet up with these folks?" Annie asked.

  Donovan looked at his watch. "In just about an hour."

  "If we're gonna make it, we'd better saddle up and get going."

  Donovan held up a hand. "Uh, do you mind if we discuss something first?"

  Annie shrugged. "Don't take all day. I'll go get the horses ready."

  She left and Donovan motioned the others to one side. "Not that we've got any reason to expect trouble, but I think we should split up and take some precautions here."

  "Split up? What do you mean, Gooder?" Tyler asked.

  "I think you and I should go up with the guides, and Chris and Mr. Maragato should wait back here. Don't forget, we're also meeting Barry up at the mine. If Lydia somehow follows him, I don't want Maragato caught in the trap too. His safety is top priority right now."

  Ham nodded. "Okay, makes a certain amount of sense. Hell, once we've all gone up to the mountain, we've all gotta come back down too. So we meet Grant's people and Barry, then bring Grant back here and hand Maragato over to him."

  "Agreed, then?" Donovan said. Chris and Ham gave their assent, and the Japanese agent had no objections. Donovan turned to O'Toole, who was scraping the bottom of the yogurt container. "Is that okay with you, Mr. O'Toole—having two of our people wait here for us to come back from the mine?"

  "Sure, no problem at all, Mr. Donovan."

  "Got your little friend with you?" Tyler asked Chris.

  The younger man opened his fatigue jacket to reveal a semi-automatic pistol tucked into its shoulder holster "Don't leave home without it."

  Ham grinned. "Good. Hard to believe you we
re never a boy scout." He checked his watch. "Donovan, are you sure we've got time for this?"

  "Yeah. Like you said, they have to come back this way anyhow. We've got the time built into the schedule. They'll have plenty of time to get back to Castillo Beach and meet the sub off the coast."

  "Okay then, we'll see you later," Chris said.

  Annie Halsey poked her head into the main room from the front doorway. "Ready to go?"

  Ham turned. "Just two of us going with you—me and Donovan."

  "Hell. You made me get two extra horses ready for nothing?" "I'll make it up to you."

  She gave Tyler a short laugh. "I doubt it, honey. Hey, O'Toole, you still want me and Alex to go?"

  The Irishman nodded. "Better safe, etcetera."

  Alex led Donovan over to a dappled horse and checked the saddle. Annie did the same for Tyler.

  "Gotta say I'm disappointed in you, Halsey," Tyler said quietly.

  She tightened the girth cinch of the saddle. "Oh, you do, huh?"

  He nodded. "Your boyfriend looks like a real wimp. I thought I'd broken you of that habit down in El Salvador."

  Her eyes flashed, but she reined in her angry retort. "El Salvador was El Salvador, here is here. People can't have real relationships with someone like you, Ham. Alex and I have somethin' nice."

  Ham managed a cruel impression of a smile, sarcasm obvious in the curl of his lip. "Nice? That the best you can say?"

  "It'll do," she said, slapping the horse's rump, making it bolt and catching Ham by surprise. He nearly fell off before snatching up the reins and grabbing the saddle horn to steady himself.

  Donovan sidled his horse over to Tyler. "What was that all about?"

  "Old rodeo trick. Mind your own business, Donovan."

  The Visitor skyfighter skimmed over the California mountaintops, sunlight glinting off its metal skin. Barry sat next to the pilot and kept an eye on the navigation computer.

  "This terrain all looks the same," the pilot said. She glanced at the navicomp.

  Barry pointed to a pulsing spot in the center of the topographical chart glowing on the screen. "We're almost there. Drop me off, then leave and wait for my signal. If there's any trouble, I don't want you to get caught in Lydia's web."

  "Trouble?" the pilot asked. "Zach said the locator beam would be disabled."

  "I know, I know. Maybe I'm becoming paranoid working so closely with Lydia and Diana, but I can never shake the feeling that one or the other of them is somehow always right behind us no matter what we do."

  The pilot nodded. "I don't think there's anyone in the fifth column who hasn't felt that way."

  The horses moved in a ragged line, Annie taking the lead as they picked their way up the rocky trail rutted by rain and years of use. Donovan rode second, with Ham behind him and Alex bringing up the rear. When they reached a level clearing with a shallow stream, Annie signaled a halt and dismounted.

  "Let the horses have a drink."

  The others followed her order. Donovan tried to do a deep knee bend but fell over midway, groaning as he stretched out on the ground. "Geez, trail riding's a literal pain in the ass."

  Annie sat next to him. "Outa shape, huh, Donovan?"

  "For this, yeah."

  Ham ambled over to Alex, who was lifting his horse's rear left hoof and checking the shoe. The young guide flashed him a warning look.

  "Hey, if you don't want the company, kid, I'll leave you to the horse's rear end," Ham said.

  "Look, Tyler, this is a job. I don't plan on getting terribly friendly with you."

  Ham narrowed his eyes, weighing whether this was a challenge worth taking up. "Kid, I've got no beef with you. You got one with me?"

  Alex put the horse's foot down and stood. "I know about you and Annie. I also know you hurt her by disappearing out of her life."

  "Annie? Hurt? She's as tough as saddle leather."

  "That's what I mean, Tyler. You don't understand her, you don't give a damn, and I wish you weren't here. But you are, I've got my job to do, so let's just keep it simple and civil. You stay away from her, don't even talk to her; and we'll get along fine."

  Ham bounced on his heels for a second. "I see what's on your mind."

  "Oh, you do, huh?"

  Ham nodded. "Sure thing, kid. Annie's done some wild things in her life. She's seen more danger and excitement than you've ever read about. You know this backwater doesn't hold a candle to any of that, and neither do you. So I come back into the picture and you're scared shitless she's gonna realize that and run off with me."

  "You're a conceited son of a bitch, Tyler."

  "I'm also telling the truth. You don't much like that, do you, kid?"

  "You call me 'kid' once more, it might be the last thing you say until your jaw heals," Alex said quietly.

  "I'll think that over"—Tyler turned his back on the trail guide, then said over his shoulder "—kid."

  Alex clamped a grip on Tyler's arm. Tyler whirled, fist held high, and punched the younger man on the chin. Alex fell back and Ham leaped, but the guide rolled and Ham landed in the dirt. The advantage was lost and they grappled evenly. Donovan and Annie rushed over to separate them. Somewhere in the dust cloud rising from the battle scene, Donovan locked an arm around Ham's throat and hauled him out of the fray, leaving Annie to grab Alex and prevent him from giving chase.

  "What the hell is this, a schoolyard?" Annie growled. "You two idiots don't have enough to keep you occupied on this ride?" She had a firm half nelson on her boyfriend and yanked him over to sit on a boulder.

  Donovan loosened his headlock on Tyler. "If I let go, will you refrain from acting like an asshole?"

  "Sure. I made my point," Ham croaked.

  Donovan let him go. They faced each other as Ham smoothed his clothing and hair. "What point?" Donovan asked angrily.

  Ham waved the question off. "You wouldn't understand, Gooder. You're into these newfangled open and equal relationships."

  "Whereas you prefer the old tried and true Neanderthal methods." Donovan smirked. "I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but you're not as one-dimensional as I thought, Tyler As least one and a half, I'd say. It's interesting to see this other; romantic side of you."

  "Hey, this has nothing to do with romance!" Ham flared.

  "Why quibble over words? But we really don't have time for rutting season now, so keep it under wraps, huh?"

  Annie brought Alex back over; shaking her head as she looked from one to the other. "I had a feeling I should've put choke collars on both of you. Do anything like this again, I'll push you both off the nearest cliff. Let's go— we've got distance to cover."

  As they moved to the horses, Donovan leaned close to Tyler "Try candy and flowers sometime, Ham."

  Predictably, Ham swung, and Donovan ducked.

  The skyfighter circled over the side of Skokie Mountain until Barry spotted a clearing about a quarter of a mile below the abandoned mine where he'd agreed to meet Donovan. The pilot dipped the nose of the sleek vessel and gently set it down, its directional thrusters kicking up puffs of dust. The gull-wing hatch lifted and Barry ducked under it and hopped down to the ground.

  "This shouldn't take long once Donovan arrives, but I'm not sure how long I may have to wait," Barry said.

  "I'll find some secluded place not too far away," the pilot said. "That way, it won't take me long to get back and pick you up in case any emergencies arise."

  Barry nodded, tapped the hull, and backed away from the ship as the hatch drew down with a vacuum hiss. The antigrav engines whispered their farewell and the skyfighter drifted up, hovering for a moment and then accelerating away. It dipped around the mountain and was gone from Barry's sight. He took a small holo-reader out of his utility pocket and tapped in the code to call up the map Donovan had given to help him find the exact location of the mine. On the device's tiny screen, coordinate numbers appeared sequentially, along with a directional indicator. Barry glanced around, then started the rest of the way u
p.

  * * *

  After the fight, Donovan and Annie switched the order of those in the caravan, placing Alex in the lead and Ham at the rear. The remainder of the climb was uneventful, and they made good time. Donovan had always been amazed at the surefootedness of horses. Even as a kid, he'd loved to ride, knowing he could watch the scenery while the horse watched its own footing. Some horse people had warned him that he was giving the animals too much credit, but none had ever let him down. The dappled gelding he now rode was just as trustworthy as his past horses.

  The warm midday sun was tempered by a cooling breeze, and Donovan leaned back in the saddle, letting sunlight fall on his face as rays speckled through the canopy of leaves. The rolling rhythm of the horse's walk lulled him near sleep.

  "Don't get too relaxed," Annie said from behind him. "We're just about there."

  "How far?" Donovan asked.

  Annie pointed ahead. "Just around that corner there's a rise. The mine's just over that. Maybe ten minutes."

  It took less. The mine wasn't much, just a tumbledown shack, with planks of wood rotting to gray splinters and a skeletal wooden overhang attached to the cave that led into the mountain.

  "Anybody ever get anything out of this?" Ham asked while they surveyed the mine entry from cover of the trees.

  "Yeah, the Skokie family did okay," Annie said, standing in her stirrups. "But that was, oh, sixty years ago. Place's been pretty much shut up for half a century, except when some fool prospector thinks he's gonna find a fortune in tapped-out veins, goes in, causes a cave-in and the police have to come and dig him out."

  "How often does that happen?" Donovan asked.

  "Oh, about once every few years. People just don't like to take no for an answer." She gestured ahead and Alex kicked his horse, leading them out of the woods into a tiny clearing overgrown by scrubby bushes. A stocky figure stepped out of the shadows of the mine entry and the horses skittered nervously. The red uniform shouted against the subdued greens and grays and browns of the mountain and old mine. Barry shaded his eyes as he came into the open and waited.

  The mounted quartet crossed the sandy clearing and got off their horses. Barry came over to greet Donovan and Tyler.

  "Were you waiting long?" Donovan asked.