The Phoenix Agenda: A Thriller (A Rossler Foundation Mystery Book 6)

by JC Ryan

  Two hours ago

  About two hours previously, Mark Bryant, John ‘Doug’ MacArthur, and Max Ellis, all of them ex-Marines, had walked into the 8th Cycle Canyon compound, sent on a rescue mission by Sarah Rossler. Her instructions were clear. “Bring our husbands back to us at the Rabbit Hole, dead or alive.”

  Hours before their arrival, John Brideaux had taken the four men they were to rescue hostage at gunpoint. After subduing the group, and in the process killing JR’s best friend, Rossler Foundation geologist Robert Cartwright and wounding JR, he’d instructed Joseph Yazzie, a Navajo translator, to tie them all up.

  He then started terrorizing Yazzie to produce the translations from the 8th Cycle information that would show him how to shut down The Beast, the fearsome device that he wanted to control and the Rosslers wanted to destroy. One of Brideaux’s tactics was to threaten Joseph that if he didn’t see quick progress, he would shoot one of the tied up men. That turned out to be no idle threat - in the first half hour he was not happy with the progress. He walked over to where Roy was sitting and shot him in the lower right leg. After that, he took potshots at Roy to ‘encourage’ Joseph.

  Despite the extreme pressure, Joseph had somehow managed to complete the translation just when Brideaux’s henchmen walked into the compound. They forced Roy to help them shut down The Beast, dismantled it, and moved it into the helicopters outside. They took all of Raj’s computer equipment and Roy’s robots and tools, tied Joseph’s hands and dragged him with them, and took off. That left the remaining four - Daniel, JR, Raj, and Roy - tied up on the floor in a pool of blood, groaning from the pain.

  Now, minutes later, when the rescue party walked in, JR recognized Mark first. “Hey, so good to see you guys!”

  Mark Bryant answered, “We heard you might have had some trouble. Where are the bad guys? We’ll take care of them.”

  “Gone,” Daniel, answered. “You must have missed them by minutes. Did Sarah tell you what was here, what’s at stake?”

  “Yeah. I guess they got that Beast thing, too?” Mark answered.

  “They did. Now we need to get out of here and get our people to safety.”

  “Already done, my friend. That’s one efficient wife you’ve got there. She told us to bring you to the Rabbit Hole, dead or alive. I assume you want to get there alive?”

  “That would be my first choice. JR?”

  Daniel’s dry humor made the others laugh as JR answered, “Oh, I guess.”

  Max Ellis saw Roy sitting on the ground in a pool of blood and ran over to him. “Hey why didn’t you guys mention this?” He looked around. “So who else is injured?” He took out the first aid kit packed for them by Dr. Rebecca Rossler, JR’s wife, and attended to Roy’s wound.

  They sobered, remembering Robert and pointing out where he’d fallen. “He has no family here,” said JR. “His mom is in Australia. Should we take him with us?”

  Daniel's voice was gentle as he made his regrets to his younger brother. “We won’t be able to contact her, JR, and she won’t be able to come and get his body. I think it's best we leave him here, outside in the canyon. We’ll bury him before we go.”

  JR’s left hand was throbbing with pain. He walked up to Max where he was working on Roy’s leg, sat down on the floor, and waited his turn for medical attention.

  Max glanced at him, “You too?” JR nodded.

  Later, as they stood in a circle around the cairn that marked Robert’s grave, they swore again to avenge his death. Sometime, somehow, even if they had to follow John Brideaux to hell to do it, they’d make sure of it.

  As they were walking up to the helicopter, Mark explained to Daniel that he thought it would be best if they headed out to Farmington, New Mexico to refuel. Then from there they could fly directly to the Rabbit Hole near Bozeman, Montana.

  “If we can get to Bozeman, I know a man who would store the chopper in a place where no one would question it.”

  “We're in your hands my friend - just get us to the Rabbit Hole as quickly as humanly possible. We need distance from here as soon as possible,” Daniel replied.

  As they were climbing into the helicopter, Daniel asked, “So, what’s its range?”

  “Oh, four hundred miles or so, depending on weight. With our current load maybe two hundred and fifty,” Mark said, grinning.

  Daniel thought fast. The chopper had already flown from Flagstaff to here. They could probably make no further than Farmington on the remainder of the fuel in any event.

  “Will it be able to carry all of us?” Daniel inquired.

  John smiled. He knew from experience it could carry three crewmembers and up to six stretcher patients in the back. “Yes, it can, unless you think the combined weight of the four of you and your gear is over two thousand pounds.”

  “No, I guess we’ll come in a few pounds below that, but only just. If it turns out we’re a bit overweight, we can draw straws as to who gets pushed out the door midflight.” Daniel’s answer had them all laughing despite their dismal circumstances.

  Within a few minutes, the seven of them were on their way above the Navajo reservation to Farmington. Daniel’s thoughts turned to Joseph, now in the claws of that maniac Brideaux. He could just hope that Joseph would be treated well. He had no idea where to even begin to look for the elderly man for a rescue attempt. One more friend left behind among many, and this one was particularly painful.

  Can we reach Farmington?

  Daniel looked at the lights on the control panel, but he couldn't make out head nor tail of it. Which one was the fuel gauge? Even if he could figure that out, he would still have no idea how to read it. “Doug, what’s our fuel situation at the moment? Can we reach Farmington?”

  “Yeah, no problem with that. We’ll make it there in about an hour at the current cruise speed.”

  “Great. How many gas stops from there to Bozeman do you reckon?”

  “From Farmington to Bozeman is about five hundred and fifty or so nautical miles. With our load, we might need two fuel stops. I reckon if we can get fuel when we need it, we can make it in about eight to nine hours, barring any mechanical problems.”

  The way the tone in Doug’s voice changed when he mentioned mechanical problems caught Daniel’s attention and made his ears prick up. “Any mechanical problems that you’re aware of, Doug?”

  “Not sure exactly what it is, but the power isn’t what I expect it to be. I’m not too worried about it for now, but we’ll have to check it when we get to Farmington, before we go any further. This is an old chopper - its best-by-date is long gone - and with so many hours on the clock, mechanical failures can be expected.”

  Initially, they were going to Farmington for two reasons. Doug and Mark had a good friend there who owned a small aircraft pilot training school and could help them with fuel. The second was to throw off anyone who could be tracking them, making it appear as if they were making their way back to Boulder. With the emergence of the possible mechanical problems, a new reason had just become apparent.

  Daniel turned the conversation to their current situation. "We have to assume that Brideaux will discover the nasty surprises waiting at the Rossler Foundation within a few hours and raise all hell. You can bet your bottom dollar that the names and faces of the four of us will be all over the news and in the hands of every law enforcement agency shortly. Brideaux will realize his mistake by not taking us hostage and will immediately send his hatchet men back to the canyon to pick us up."

  Mark agreed, "Yes I guess that's about the size of it. What we can bank on for now, however, is that Brideaux won’t know about Doug, Max, and myself, nor that you were rescued by helicopter. They might be under the impression that you would be on foot and could very well spend some time looking for you much closer to the canyon. Certainly not as far away as Farmington - at least not in the first day or two. However, I do agree with your earlier idea to put as much distance between the canyon and us as we can until daylight comes. Then we’ll have to l
ay low until it's dark again."

  Doug, being a bit more risk averse than Mark, pointed out, "Yes, that might be true, Mark. But we shouldn’t make too many assumptions. My understanding is that this Brideaux character is a man of considerable means and influence, and it will just be a matter of time before he’ll have things figured out. When he discovers our friend who sold us the chopper, he’ll know who rescued them. Then our faces will be all over the news with those of Daniel and his crew. He’ll also have one more way of finding us then - look for the chopper."

  "Well, guys," Daniel said. "I have to agree with Doug. We shouldn’t make too many assumptions - you know what they say about the word “assume”. My take on it is that we don't have many options. But as much as I want to get to our new home and our families as quickly as possible, we shouldn’t take any unnecessary risks. I’d rather walk and turn up there alive a few months from now than never.”

  Doug and Mark nodded their heads in agreement.

  “For now, while we’re sure Brideaux doesn’t know where we are, let’s stick with Plan A. Get as much distance between us and the canyon as quickly as possible. By the time Brideaux is wiser about our rescue, we’ll be much closer to home. Although I have to admit, I don’t have the slightest idea what ‘home’ looks like these days," Daniel said with a bit of smile.

  That settled, they turned their discussion to a strategy for the Farmington pit stop.

  “We can’t take any chances,” Daniel continued. “Doug and Mark will be the only ones to show up at the flight school. The rest of us with our gear should be dropped off at a safe location outside town.”

  Daniel reminded them they didn’t have much food or water left – maybe two more days. Although they hoped to be home in less time than that, they decided to be safe rather than sorry.

  Doug said, “While we’re visiting our friend to refuel and check the engines, Mark can go into town while he and I look over the chopper. Mark, you’ll get some supplies and hide them outside of town, to be picked up when we can resume our trip.”

  Mark and Daniel got busy studying the topographical and aerial maps, picking what they thought to be a safe and isolated location about fifteen miles out of Farmington.

  About twenty minutes before they reached the spot, Daniel alerted everyone to switch their headsets on so he could explain the plan to them.

  “Gather your stuff and be ready to evacuate quickly. We don’t want to hover or sit down for more than a minute or two, as it could raise the suspicion of locals. Everyone understand the plan?” They nodded their agreement.

  Daniel and Raj reminded everyone that they were incommunicado, “Under no circumstances can we use any electronic communications whatsoever. No mobile phone, no internet - nothing. Don’t forget our lives and those of our families depend on it.”

  As they were descending to their hideout, Mark and Doug gave them some last minute instructions. “Guys, make sure you hide very well. Don’t make any fires. Whatever you do, don’t leave this place. We have no idea how long it’s going to take to fix the engine trouble. It might even take a few days. Remember we can only pick you up at night - don’t expect us during daytime. We’ll be back for you, hopefully within an hour or two, but don’t hold your breath.”

  Doug brought the chopper to within a few inches off the ground on the escarpment above the river and signaled to Mark, who moved to the back to help the others unload. They helped Roy out and led him a few paces away, where he could sit down. They unpacked their stuff, and forty-five seconds later, the chopper was airborne again. Mark and Doug gave the Rossler party and Max the thumbs up as they moved away.

  ***

  In a warehouse in Denver, there was a lot of excitement and anticipation. John Brideaux’s plans seemed to be working out exactly as he expected. The raid on the Rossler Foundation offices a few hours ago produced what appeared to be the precious 10th and 8th Cycle libraries and lots of additional information stored on the captured computers and servers.

  The men who raided the Rossler Foundation offices were just waiting for Brideaux to arrive and give them the go-ahead. He finally turned up with his entourage and gave them the nod. As the men got busy, their excitement was quickly replaced by frustration.

  First, none of the computers would boot up – none of them had a hard drive in it. John Brideaux, not used to being outwitted by anyone, descended into a foul and dangerous mood.

  Next they hacked into the blade servers and were saluted by Raj’s special welcome screen - every one of them with a full colored photo of his hand showing a middle finger! Each server was loaded with nothing but movies and games.

  What was supposed to be his final victory, taking control of the 10th and 8th Cycle Libraries before finally taking over the world, was turning into a horrendous nightmare for Brideaux. He couldn’t recall the last time, if ever, he had been so outsmarted and utterly humiliated.

  “Those fuckers knew we were coming!” he screamed

  An uneasy feeling of doubt slowly crept into his stomach. The straw that broke the camel’s back were the boxes from the vault, containing only rolls of toilet paper. Brideaux was in such a fit of rage that he had to be sedated before he stroked out

  ***

  After the chopper took off, Daniel and his party moved a few hundred yards away and remained quiet for about an hour. That was to make sure the noise of the helicopter hadn’t alerted some of the locals who might get it into their heads to investigate or send the police their way.

  All remained quiet, and they began to relax. Daniel asked Max to stay with Roy and JR, both of them still a bit shaky from the morphine, while he and Raj found a hiding place.

  Given the difficulties of stumbling around in the dark with only a flashlight, the two of them were a bit surprised when, a few minutes after they left the other three, they stumbled across an old footpath, which led them down to the river. As far as they could see, there were no signs that anyone had used that path in a long while. That was good.

  “Raj, I think it will be good if we can find a spot down here and get everyone settled before the sun comes up. According to the aerial maps, there’s a lot more vegetation and potential hiding places than up there.”

  “Yes I agree, and it should also be relatively easy to move Roy down this footpath,” Raj whispered.

  Arriving at the riverbank and searching at the base of the cliffs for about twenty minutes, they found an overhanging rock amongst some dense bushes about twenty paces from the water. This looked promising as far as they could tell from what was visible in the light from the flashlights.

  “Not sure about you, Raj, but I reckon this is perfect for now. We can do a bit of scouting in the morning to see if there’s a better place, if necessary. “

  “Okay, it looks ideal to me Daniel. Let’s get the others down here.”

  They moved everyone quickly to the lair and made themselves as comfortable as possible.

  Max was aware that Roy and JR’s wounds needed regular attention, and as soon as everyone was resting, he checked on them again. Thanks to the first aid kit that Rebecca packed, Max had the best medicine and medical equipment a field medic could ever desire. Some of the stuff in that bag was not even supposed to be in the hands of an unqualified person. Max, however, did not think it necessary to worry about any legal repercussions. He was just very glad it was there.

  “JR, I don’t know what scenarios were going through your wife’s mind when she packed this kit, but she surely planned for all emergencies. I’m darn grateful for that, and I reckon you and Roy should be too,” he said over his shoulder to JR. He used a serious tone while he was changing the dressing on Roy’s wound.

  The syringes that could be injected into a wound to stop bleeding almost immediately while disinfecting it at the same time, the morphine, and the special antibacterial bandages had already proved their value. Both the wounds had stopped bleeding, and the pain was a lot more bearable for the wounded men. His main concern now was to make s
ure neither of their wounds became infected. He’d already given them antibiotics and would monitor the injuries and their temperatures closely.

  The duration of eternity

  “Hey, Patrick my friend. It’s great to see you!” shouted Mark as he and Doug walked into the small office and surprised Patrick Roland, owner of Farmington Aviation School. They found him sitting behind a desk, burning the midnight oil on some aviation regulation paperwork.

  “What the hell? Mark! Doug! What are you rascals doing here? Man, what a pleasant surprise.”

  The next few minutes were spent in hand shaking, back slapping and asking about each other’s and families’ health, wealth and well-being, and of course comments about how fat and ugly they’d all become.

  Mark the eternal prankster, put a serious look on his face, and winked at Doug. “Patrick, I have to ask you something serious now. Do you know what the duration of eternity is?”

  Doug could barely control himself but kept a straight face. He knew what was coming - he’d heard this one before, and it always cracked him up. Patrick had a puzzled look on his face as if he wondered what had gone wrong with his friend. But all he could get out was, “What the …” before Mark started.

  “Someone once explained it like this to me. If a bird landed on the Rocky Mountains once every thousand years and wiped his beak on the rocks, by the time the Rocky Mountains had been worn away, the first second of eternity would not have yet passed.”

  “Huh? What are you ... ”

  Mark interrupted him, “Another explanation I heard recently is that eternity is the elapse of time between arriving on Patrick’s doorstep and being offered coffee!”

  Patrick looked at him for a few seconds as if he were an alien being, before he finally got it.

  “You crazy SOB! For a while there, I thought you’d lost your marbles! Yes, of course, let me get that plunger going right away. Or wait a minute. Before I get another lecture about some weird topic, are you guys up for something a bit stronger?”