Quicker

by Laurence Dahners

  Ell stepped around the corner of the dumpster with a new pair of wire cutters from an Ace Hardware on the next block. As she cut Jamal’s wrists loose she also asked, “Will he really kill one of them?”

  Jamal shrugged, “Without a doubt. If I am to take you to them, you will have to act like you are my captive. Take off the hat and jacket and I will send Hamid video showing you as my captive so that they will let us in.”

  Ell looked at him warily a moment, then shrugged out of the jacket, hung it and the cap on the dumpster and turned her back to the wall. Jamal bent and handed her the plastic strap handcuffs she’d just cut off of him. “Put these on and kneel so that it looks like I have you in control.” Ell put them around her wrists with the breaks on the back side where they wouldn’t be visible. Jamal framed her in his HUD so that just her upper body in the light blue police shirt was visible. By itself the shirt didn’t look much like a uniform. “Look intimidated.” he said and Ell turned her eyes down at the ground. He contacted Hamid. “Here she is.”

  “Hah! You really have her! Ok bring her in, but remember what I said about being followed.”

  The Chief’s eyes widened as the tech directed Hamid’s feed to him. He bellowed, “Get that image out on the net to all personnel in the area. Reddish blond hair, light blue shirt, with an Arabic man. They must be nearby. They’d better not get down into that deck or we’ll all be deep in a load of crap! All eyes on deck!”

  To Ell’s surprise, Jamal stepped out from behind the dumpster, walked about fifty feet further down the alley and then bent over a manhole cover. He stuck a finger into the hole on one side and tried to lift it. It didn’t budge. Jamal swore. “It’s stuck!”

  Ell said, “Let’s find another one.”

  “No! This is the one that leads to the ‘retreat.’”

  “What do you mean? They’ve got to interconnect!”

  “Maybe. But this is the one I know how to find the retreat from.”

  She knelt, pulled out her wire cutter, pulled opened the handles and stuck one in the hole at the side of the manhole cover. Then she grabbed the handle that stuck up and said, “Help me pull.” They heaved together and the cover came up. They quickly climbed the rungs down into the cooler interior. Jamal reached up to try to pull the cover back over the hole.

  Just then Allan called Ell’s attention to her HUD where she saw Hamid angrily denouncing America while two of his compatriots dragged one of the Olympians up to a wall. Hamid said, “You have failed to deliver on our first demand. Donsaii has not been brought to us. We will now demonstrate that we are serious!” With that, he wheeled away from the camera and his Berretta came into view pointing at the athlete. It was one of the girls! The girl struggled, violently jerking from side to side so Ell couldn’t be sure, but she thought it was her nemesis Anna Kernova, the vaulter!

  Ell shouted at Jamal, “Leave it, let’s go!” As she climbed down the rungs Ell fought to stay out of the zone though the scene on her HUD horrified her. She saw the two men pull the girl’s arms apart as she shrieked and struggled fiercely between them. Hamid’s Berretta fired as the girl twisted in their grip.

  The girl shrieked even louder and Hamid turned back to the camera. Excitement gleamed in his eyes. “So,” he said, “she moved and the bullet did not kill her outright.”

  The camera moved closer and Ell could see that it was definitely Anna, holding her left side and sobbing on the floor.

  Hamid said, “You see now what happens when you defy me! In my mercy I will not shoot her again yet, but will leave her fate in your hands and the hands of Allah! Do as I say and we will let her go if she still lives! You have one hour to meet our next demand or we will shoot another athlete. The next one, I will shoot until dead. To comply you must close down the Olympics. Empty the arenas and announce to the world that you have abandoned these crass commercial endeavors! Don’t forget I’m also still waiting for you to deliver Donsaii.”

  Chief Bowers barked, “Start that sixty minute timer over. White! Analyze that video feed to figure out where to blow your way in with the lowest friendly casualties possible, SWAT goes in before the hour’s up! Jones, have you figured out their back door yet?”

  Jones looked up, “No sir! We searched on foot but haven’t found any evidence of recent digging around the deck. Maybe they dug their way in through the storm drainage system, we’re going to send folks down in there.”

  “GO, GO, GO!”

  White said, “There is no way we can blow a hole in a foot and a half thick concrete wall without producing shrapnel that hurts people inside Chief! Permission to start cutting into the wall to weaken it?”

  “Yes, yes! But I’ll bet they hear you and threaten to kill someone if you don’t stop, so figure you’re going to have to blow in anyway.”

  “Smitty! Try to find video of everyone leaving the stadium yesterday and see if you can dress it up and revise the timestamp so it looks like everyone’s leaving today. Cut the terrorists’ antenna and insert yourself so we can approve any contact he gets from the outside. Do it so you can insert that video of folks leaving and try to make it look like it’s a news-feed. Get the mayor to provide a video statement for us to feed them saying that he’s ‘canceling’ the Olympics.”

  Jamal led Ell through the storm drains only a few feet before it became too dark to see. Neither of them had a flashlight and he thought they’d have to go back. To his surprise she stepped in front, took his hand and began leading confidently down the tunnel. “I have a military AI with infrared light and receivers. I can lead but how will we know that we’ve arrived at their hideout?”

  Jamal said, There are two manholes then the next one is the entrance. It is a grate just overhead rather than a manhole tube going up like the one we came down.

  She continued to lead him silently. He could tell when they passed each of the two manhole tubes by the sound of traffic overhead and one of the manhole covers leaked a little light. Then Ell whispered, “I see a big grate just ahead, I want to go see what I can see. Stay here a moment.”

  Jamal could see light spilling down through the drain grate from the hideout. The grate was propped up on one edge. Hamid had ordered it left in this position, propped open with a two by four so that they could exit quickly if needed. Ell walked closer to the opening then turned to the side of the tunnel where rungs were welded and stepped up until her head was just below the entrance. Jamal saw her detach and unwind something from the front of her HUD headband and slowly raise it with one hand. He remembered that someone was supposed to be guarding the opening! He moved closer so that when the guard saw her he could claim to have brought her.

  Ell carefully studied her HUD as it showed her the intake from the tiny detachable camera she’d lifted off her headband. The bus was on the far side of the room with a large metal rolling “garage type” door behind it. Several large cardboard boxes and a welder were near the front of the bus. A portapotty stood next to it. One of the Arabs stood by an ordinary metal door in the far corner with an assault rifle. Another leaned against the wall about ten feet from the storm drain. The rest of them seemed to be arguing amongst themselves near the bus. She counted seven of the terrorists, though she couldn’t be sure there weren’t some in the bus. The athletes still sat in their cuffs on the floor in the middle of the room except for three that clustered near one wall. Ell recognized that two of the girls from the gymnastic team were huddled over another who was lying down, presumably Anna. She looked back at the big group and saw Phil’s broad shoulders. The man who presumably was supposed to be guarding the storm drain lit a cigarette. Ell considered trying to attack him and take his assault weapon but she didn’t recognize the weapon type and might not be able to find the safety or use it well. If he carried a Berretta like she was familiar with from using Jamal’s she couldn’t see it. Her use of the weapon to shoot at the bus tires gave her confidence in a Beretta. Not only did she know the location of the safety but also had intimate knowledge of its kick
because it had made her miss her first shot at a tire. She decided that she had to get out in the midst of them in order to get one of their Berettas.

  Ell descended the rungs to go get Jamal and then realized he already had come close. She whispered to him, “Ok, take me in and turn me over to them.”

  Jamal whispered back. “I’m not going in there! I’ll call out that I’ve delivered you and that I’m going back out to the city. You’re crazy to go in there!”

  She shrugged, “Ok call out.”

  He looked at her a moment more, whispered, “Crazy.” Then he tipped his head back and called out, “Hamid I’ve brought Donsaii.”

  A moment later the guard loomed over the drain opening and pointed his rifle down at them. “Send her up,” he barked in Arabic. Ell’s AI translated it for her just before Jamal repeated it in English as well.

  Ell started back up the rungs. She had no difficulty acting fearful. She recognized this was certainly the most dangerous thing she’d ever done. She continued to suppress the zone, she didn’t want to go into the zone now and then find herself exhausted when she actually needed it. She hesitated near the top.

  Hamid appeared and said, “Get up here! Jamal, don’t you move!” He pointed a Beretta, presumably at Jamal.

  Ell slowly climbed two more rungs. She said, “You’ll let some of the others go right?”

  Hamid laughed, “I’m not ‘trading’ for you. Jamal brought you in.” Impatiently, he knelt and grabbed for her. Ell had to restrain the impulse to avoid his grab but when he ripped upward on the cloth at her shoulder she just let the loose shirt slip up over her head. Surprised at the lack of resistance he fell back onto his buttocks. Embarrassed, he lunged forward again and grabbed the shoulder strap on her leotard. Worried that he would rip the strap, Ell came up with him when he pulled this time. The lack of resistance again overbalanced him and he fell back again, pulling Ell over on top of him. She considered trying to take his Beretta but she was a long away from the rest of the terrorists. Instead she scrambled off of him but then crouched on her knees, trying to look non-threatening. Hamid rose to his feet, stood over her a moment, then clubbed her to the ground. Ell saw the blow coming and rolled with the punch but it still hurt. She lay as if dazed and passively allowed Hamid and another guard to drag her by the feet over to the middle of the room with the other athletes. Through slitted eyes she saw the two men’s eyes fixed on her body as it bumped along behind them. Ell’s AI translated for her as they started arguing about whether to broadcast her capture on the net. Hamid wanted to broadcast it as a triumph but the other, named Arat, pointed out that it would alert the Americans to the presence of a back entrance. When they dropped her near the other athletes she looked around, trying to appear dazed. Arat knelt to cuff her wrists while Hamid went back to yell at Jamal. Arat rolled her over to her stomach, managing to fondle her breast while doing so, then pulled her wrists back and cuffed them to one another and left her on her stomach. He pulled off her AI and tossed it and the HUD headband across the room where the other athletes’ AIs lay in a messy pile.

  Face against the floor but turned towards the others. Ell saw Phil scooting on his butt over to her location. He leaned over her and whispered, “Ell! Are you OK?”

  The concern in Phil’s voice gave Ell a warm feeling. She moaned and rolled a little away from him, turning her head slightly up toward him. When she could see him through the slitted eye that was closest to the floor she winked at him with it. His eyes opened wide, then he grinned. Then his face fell, “I’m so sorry you got dragged back into this, they shot one of your team mates!”

  She turned her face back toward the floor and whispered, “I know, they broadcast it on the net.”

  Thinking about Anna’s desperate struggles to avoid being shot, Ell found herself suddenly torn by conflicting emotions. She wondered what she had been thinking to have voluntarily entered the lion’s den? Yes, she was fast, but fast enough to take on seven armed terrorists? With handcuffs on?!

  Ell gritted her teeth and took a couple of deep calming breaths. She had come to the lion’s den, best try to pull the lion’s claws, not whine about her poor decision making. She rolled her head back toward Phil, “Can you get your arms under your feet and around front?” Ell knew she could, but worried that Phil’s flexibility might be limited by his muscularity.

  Phil, dismayed at the tremor he heard in Ell’s voice said, “I think so, but anyone who tries to do that gets a beating.”

  “Shut up! No talking!” One of the Arabs had come up behind them and he kicked Ell painfully in the side to punctuate his command. Phil lunged violently toward the guard. He made no contact but adequately distracted the guard from Ell. The guard started kicking Phil viciously in the back.

  Phil startled Ell by grinning and winking at her before rolling face down and yelling, “Sorry, sorry!” in a piteous tone that Ell had never thought she might hear from Phil Zabrisk.

  The guard tired of kicking Phil who was making surprisingly realistic blubbering sounds. With one more warning to “Stay quiet.” The guard stalked away and Phil rolled back to give her another wink.

  Ell pondered the situation. She wanted to wait a while before doing anything, just to allow the guards to lower their attention levels. But not so long that Hamid might sacrifice another victim! Without her AI to keep time she didn’t have a good feel for how much of an hour had passed since Hamid had shot Anna. Ell pulled her hands under her butt to the back of her knees and struggled up to a sitting position like most of the other athletes. Ell studied their captors hoping for inspiration. There were seven of them, five at the front of the room near the bus and the two in the corners near the entrances. Each of the seven had a Beretta.

  Jamal made an eighth but didn’t appear to have a weapon. He sat dejectedly on the stairs in the door of the bus, shoulders sagging. Hamid must have successfully derailed Jamal’s plan to leave after delivering Ell. The guard on the storm drain did indeed have a Beretta in addition to his assault rifle. It was in a holster on his right hip and she just hadn’t been able to see it earlier. There were more assault rifles leaning against the bus but only the door guard and the drain guard actually carried rifles at present. All but one of the guards carried their pistols in hip holsters rigged for right handed draw.

  Ell flexed her wrists and realized that if she could get her hands in front of her she’d be able to handle a Beretta in a two hand grip with the cuffs on. But, and this seemed to be a big ‘but’, how was she going to get near a guard with her hands in front of her? She pictured herself with the Beretta in her hands and then wondered if she would be able to bring herself to shoot a person, even someone who fully intended to kill her? She thought again about Anna struggling and crying piteously as Hamid lined up to shoot her. Yes, I damn well could shoot these bastards!

  Then one of the athletes struggled to his feet. Ell saw that it was Michael Fentis the sprinter! A guard pulled his gun and walked over near Fentis. Stopping about six feet away, he motioned with his pistol and then followed Fentis over to the portapotty. A second guard stepped up behind Fentis and undid the cuffs while the first guard kept the gun on him from a distance. The guard opened the portapotty door so Fentis could step inside. After a bit the portapotty door reopened. The guard re-cuffed Fentis’ hands behind him and the sprinter was walked back to where he’d been sitting.

  Under the cover of this activity she whispered to Phil, “I’m going to head to the portapotty in a few minutes. Can you arrange a distraction after I’ve been in there a minute?”

  Phil stared at her round eyed. “What are you going to do?” he whispered back.

  Ell tried to grin confidently but felt her lip tremble a little. There would be no way that Phil would cooperate with what even she thought likely was a suicide mission. “I think I’ve got a way to get us some help. But I need a distraction for it to work. Something sexy by one of the girls would be better than one of the guys doing something threatening that got their guard
s up.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “It would take too long to explain. Can you help?”

  Phil studied her a moment then nodded and nudged the guy next to him. “Pass the word for one of the girls to do something sexy to distract the guards after Donsaii has been in the john for a minute.”

  That guy stared at Phil like he was out of his mind. But after a moment he turned to his left and seemed to be whispering, hopefully to pass the message on. Ell could see the wheels turning, seemed crazy but anything was better than sitting, waiting to die. Ell could only hope that someone on the other side of the room would be willing to try to provide a distraction.

  With great trepidation, Ell rolled to her stomach, put her hands behind her, then hunched up to her knees and slowly stood up, acting like it was much more of struggle than it was. She stood swaying a little until the guard who’d kicked her earlier came over, negligently pointed his Beretta at her and motioned her toward the portapotty. She looked around as she walked, noting an open toolbox a few feet from the toilet. As with Fentis, when she arrived at the portapotty a second guard stepped up and inserted a pin into the ratchet mechanism of the plasticuffs, releasing her right wrist and leaving the cuffs dangling from her left. She stepped into the foul smelling portapotty, glad she didn’t actually need to go bad enough to have to use it. She listened carefully, then leaned forward and peered out the crack in the door. The guard stood just outside the door as she hoped, but stared at something out of Ell’s field of view. Then he yelled in a thick accent, “Sit back down until this one is done!”

  Ell shifted to look to her right out the crack and saw two of the girls standing, she recognized the swimmers who had asked for her autograph that first night! They’d shrugged their jackets back off their shoulders to expose their swim suits. They were both writhing in place and Ell had to admit they did look pretty sexy. She let the zone she’d been diligently holding off, start to crash back over her.