by David Archer
They climbed into the car, with Sam in the back seat and Ken riding shotgun. “It's been a while since I've been in Rome,” Ken said. “What hotel have you stashed us in?”
Maria started the car and drove them smoothly out of the parking area, toward the street. “You've been put into the Royal Palace Hotel. It is a surprisingly luxurious hotel, one that your country has a contract with for visiting diplomats and dignitaries. I've never stayed there myself, but I've been told that it's a wonderful experience.”
“Separate rooms, I hope,” Sam said. “My wife will be joining me later, maybe tomorrow or tomorrow night.”
“Actually,” Maria said, “you are in a suite with adjoining rooms. I was told that there are others coming, a woman and another man, and to make sure that there were sufficient rooms for all of you. Unfortunately, the largest suite they had available has only two bedrooms. The two additional men will have to share a room.”
“That's okay,” Ken said. “If he snores, I'll just shoot him.”
Maria made a face, but said nothing. Sam laughed. “Ignore him, he's all talk.”
“You didn't say that in Israel,” Ken said.
“In Israel, we weren't being driven around by a young lady with no security clearance. Hush up, now. You can talk all you want after we get to our hotel rooms. I'll just shut the door, so I can ignore you.”
They made their way through the streets, with Maria handling the car like an expert. Ken grinned at her. “You drive pretty good,” he said. “How long before we get to the hotel?”
“Well, the hotel, of course, is in Rome,” she said. “That's about forty-five minutes away, and by the time we get through the city itself to the hotel, you're probably looking at about an hour. Are you hungry? I was told that if you wanted to stop to eat before you go to the hotel, I was to take you wherever you want to go.”
“Tell you what,” Ken said. “Why don't you pick us a spot to eat? Choose someplace you'd like to eat, since this is all going on the government credit card anyway.”
Maria glanced at him, shyly, but with a grin. “I know a place, a place I've always wanted to go to eat but could never afford. Would that be all right?”
Ken reached into his pocket and pulled out his stack of credit cards, looking them over. “Yeah, I think that'll be fine. It's not some kind of fancy place that only serves weird stuff, is it? I mean, do they serve steaks there?”
Maria nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, yes sir,” she said. “They have the finest steaks you have ever tasted. I have heard many who visit your Embassy speak of it, but I've never been able to go there. Are you sure this won't get you into trouble?”
Sam laughed. “Honey,” he said, “trouble is the last thing we're worried about right now. If we can make your day by taking you out to dinner at this place, then maybe it'll chalk up something good on our karma. Worth a try, anyway.”
She smiled brightly. “All right! This is exciting!” She drove on, talking rapidly about the restaurant and all that she had heard of it. By the time they got to Rome, Sam felt that he and Ken could probably make a living by simply telling people about this fabulous restaurant, and then charging them a few dollars to give them the name and address of the place. They'd heard all the wonderful features so many times that he was sure it would be impossible for them to forget any of it.
The place was called Primo al Pegneto, and Sam was glad they were using Ken's funny credit cards. Each course of the meal cost more than an entire meal at any place he'd ever been back home in Denver. The food was divine, however, and he happily ate his share of it.
* * * * *
Indie was packed and ready, and Kenzie was already figuring her take for putting up with it, this time. When both her parents were gone, it meant she had to stay with her two grandmothers, Grandma Grace and Grandma Kim, and staying with them meant getting lots of shopping in. Grace had a fair amount of money, and loved spending it on Kenzie, which meant that Kim had to spend some of her own money to keep up, and Kenzie had it made when they started competing!
“Tell Daddy I miss him, and I want him to come home with you,” she said to Indie. “I don't like it when he has to go away to work. Don't we have enough bad guys here for him to catch?”
Indie smiled, and let her eyes go wide. “Yes, we do, but sometimes there are people who are so bad that it takes someone special to catch them, and that's when they call your Daddy in. This bad guy was so bad that Daddy had to chase him halfway around the world, and now he has to go to another place to catch him, and he needs Mommy to help. Isn't that exciting?”
Kenzie nodded, her own excitement level still building on thoughts of a trip to the mall. Since George was taking Mommy to the airport, Mr. Harry had said it was okay for them to all go home, so Kenzie and her Grandmas would be going to Grace's house. Kim lived there in Grace's spare room, anyway, so it wouldn't be a huge issue.
Indie kissed her daughter goodbye, hugged her mother and mother-in-law, then got into the limo's big back seat. George hurried around to the driver's seat, and they were off, bouncing along the gravel road until they got down to the main paved road that led back toward the Interstate.
Rome! Among the many places Indie had always dreamed of one day visiting, Rome held a special spot in her heart, for it was one of the most well-known places in all of history. The Caesars, the Coliseum, the Vatican—there were so many incredible places to visit and see, and she found herself hoping that she'd get the chance to do some sightseeing while she was there. Maybe, if they were able to finish up whatever Sam had to do somewhat quickly, there would be a couple of days they could spend just being tourists. Indie would love that!
The ride to the airport, with one stop at Sam and Indie's house to pick up her passport, took a couple of hours, and then George handed her off to a young woman who led her through the diplomatic processing line, and fifteen minutes later she was on a plane. The airplane wasn't as big as the one she and Sam had flown on to Hawaii, but it was still pretty large, and she was surprised when the flight attendant had her sit in the front row, then began closing the doors.
“Excuse me?” Indie asked. “Aren't there other people on this flight?”
“No, Ma'am,” the attendant replied, shaking her head. “This is a specially authorized flight, and you're the only passenger. That's all I was told. Can I get you anything before we take off?”
Indie shook her head, her eyes wide. A whole airplane, just for her? What on earth was going on?
The flight took off, and the attendant asked again if Indie wanted anything. “Maybe something to drink, for right now,” she said. “Are we flying straight through to Rome?”
“Oh, no,” the attendant said. “This flight is only going to Philadelphia, then you're getting on another plane there that'll take you to Rome. Again, that's all I know.”
Indie swallowed and smiled. She took the half size can of Coke and tiny glass of ice she was offered, and sat back to enjoy the flight.
The flight was only a little over three hours long, so Indie landed in Philadelphia at just after three in the afternoon, eastern time. She let the flight attendant lead her to the diplomatic gate, where another young woman was waiting to take her into another room.
“Hi, you're Mrs. Prichard, right? I'm Stephanie, with HS. I work with Harry, sometimes, when he needs something from the home office. He told me to meet you here and make sure you get introduced to your fellow passenger.” She led Indie through a second doorway, and a short, skinny kid stood hastily to his feet. Indie broke into a big smile.
“Stony?” she asked, and Gary Stone's eyes went wide.
“Oh, wow, are you Herman?” He smiled, and Indie dropped her bags and wrapped him in a hug. “Wow, you're even prettier than I...” He trailed off, and his face turned red.
Indie giggled. “Gary, I'm Indie,” she said, “and I'm delighted to finally meet you! When they told me we'd be working together, I was tickled! I've never gotten to work with another real hacker before. This
is gonna be exciting!
Gary got out of the hug, and stood there trying not to let his shyness get the better of him. It wasn't easy, especially when one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen was standing there smiling at him, but he kept his cool until Stephanie announced that it was time to get them onto their plane.
This time, they were going on a commercial flight with British Airways, but because of their diplomatic status, they were boarded first. They were seated together, and even though Gary had the window, he willingly gave it up to Indie when she said she wished she'd gotten it. They chit-chatted a few minutes about normal things—Gary talked about his boring life, and Indie showed him pictures of Sam and Kenzie on her phone—as the other passengers were boarded, and then the announcement of impending takeoff came over the loudspeaker. The engines began to whine louder, and the big plane moved backwards for a moment, then began rolling toward the runway.
Indie was always amazed that something so huge could move so fast, but when the scenery alongside the runway began moving past at racetrack speeds, she felt her face split into a big smile. A moment later, the nose of the plane rose into the air, and then the rumbling of the wheels fell silent as she found herself on her way to the land of the Caesars and the Gladiators. Gary was leaning forward to look past her, and she grinned at him.
“We're on the way to Rome, Gary,” she said, and he smiled back.
Too bad she's already married, he thought.
6
Rome is a city full of history and atmosphere, one that is so blessed with art and beauty that it has become a cliché as far as tourism is concerned. A visit to Rome is merely to be expected when one is going on vacation to Europe, for no one should ever pass up the opportunity to see all the wonders that exist there.
Sam Prichard was as amazed as anyone else by the sights of the ancient city, and he and Ken had spent most of their first afternoon and evening acting like automotive tourists, just driving around in their beat up sedan. He didn't want to get out and wander around too much, considering that they were both armed and there seemed to be police just about everywhere.
They'd taken the two suitcases from the trunk up to their suite, and Sam had been tickled to find another Glock in one of them. He had threaded its holster onto his belt within a second, and then spent ten minutes filling four magazines and stuffing them into pockets.
Sam had his Homeland Security ID, which theoretically authorized him to carry a concealed weapon in any country that was an ally of the United States, but he didn't want to test it. Ken, on the other hand, had several different forms of ID, none of which were real, that would almost certainly get them both locked up if they were scrutinized too closely. Sam didn't want to test those, either.
There's only so much a man might want to do, however, without his wife, at least in a place like Rome. They cruised around the city for a few hours and then went back to their hotel. Sam didn't know how long it would be before Indie arrived, but he wanted to be refreshed and sharp when she got there. He hadn't seen her in days, and he'd missed her terribly.
For what was reported to be a luxury hotel, the Royal Palace had some amenities there were normally found only in discount lodgings. One of those was a laundromat for the guests, and after one whiff of the inside of his travel bag, he just picked it up and carried it to the laundry room. The whole thing, duffel and all, got dumped into the washer, and he fed it coins until it was ready to start. Another machine dispensed laundry detergent, and Sam was sure he paid it far more than the actual prices listed, just trying to get the box out of the stupid machine.
A half-hour later, he transferred it all into the dryer, which resulted in another battle with the coin slot. Since the dryer started up, Sam figured he must have won. Another hour saw him as the true victor, as he carried a bag full of clothes back up the elevator and didn't worry about whether the other passengers might be offended by the odor.
Clean clothing in hand, Sam went for the shower, blissfully unaware that Ken was pulling the pillow over his head in the other bedroom as Sam sang his heart out about how beautiful his wife was. The shower, unfortunately, wasn't sufficient as instrumental music to back up his vocals. Ken told himself that he would have a talk with Sam about this issue come morning, just like he'd done every time he heard Sam singing in the shower.
The sound of the water and the singing ended abruptly, and Sam vigorously toweled himself dry. He slid into his clean underwear and a T-shirt, then made his way back to his bedroom, fell onto the bed, and rapidly slipped into dreamland. His dreams, however, were of the screams Grayson Chandler had uttered as Natasha carved bits of skin from his body. Sam would never forget either the sight or the sounds that he had experienced that day, and only the knowledge of the things Chandler had planned to do to thousands of people, including many thousands of children, allowed him to go back to sleep after the nightmare woke him up.
In the next room, Ken wasn't having any trouble sleeping. While Sam was new to a world where you sometimes ignored the Geneva Convention in order to save lives, Ken was right at home. This was his element, and he was very good at moving through this world. Men like Chandler, who thought they could literally rule the world, were ultimately terrified of men like Kenneth Long, who would let nothing stop them from doing what they believed was the right thing to do. You could not dissuade them, you could not escape them; the only thing you can do with men like Ken was to kill them, but that wasn't often an easy thing to do.
Both of them slept until the sun came through their windows in the morning, and then each of them rose, looked out the window, then rolled over and went back to sleep.
* * * * *
Their flight landed at da Vinci airport at just after nine thirty in the morning, and Indie and Gary were hustled off the plane before anyone else. This time, it was a young man who met them as they were brought into the terminal.
“Hello, and welcome to Italy,” he said. Unlike Maria, he had no discernible accent, which made sense just a moment later. “My name is Joshua Smith, and I've been assigned to get you to your hotel. I understand you'll be meeting the rest of your team there?”
Indie extended her hand, and Joshua took it. “Hi, Joshua,” she said. “I'm Indiana Prichard and this is Gary Stone. Yes, we're meeting my husband and another man here this morning.”
Joshua smiled as he nodded his head. “Then, let's get you on the way! From what I understand, whatever you're up to is pretty important. Let's not keep the others waiting. If you’ll follow me, we'll go collect your luggage, and I’ve got a car waiting right out front.”
“Sounds great,” Indie said, and Gary only nodded as he followed along. Joshua led them through the airport terminal to baggage claim, past the diplomatic line where they only had to flash their passports at a clerk who was just as bored as the one who waved Sam and Ken through the day before, and out to a waiting limousine. The two of them climbed into the back, while Joshua stowed their luggage in the car’s big trunk. A moment later, he climbed in with them and tapped on the glass that divided the car into two segments. The driver apparently got the message, because the car moved out smoothly. Moments later, it was on the road toward Rome and the Royal Palace Hotel.
“Your team is being housed at the Royal Palace Hotel in Rome,” Joshua said. “I'll warn you that, although it is considered a fairly luxurious hotel, this isn't going to be the most awesome hotel experience of your lives. The plumbing rattles, the air conditioning is sporadic at best, and rumor has it that at least a half-dozen ghosts are wandering through the hallways. On the other hand, thanks to a special contract with the United States government, it has the best Wi-Fi you'll ever find anywhere in Europe. That's because it has its own dedicated satellite uplink connection, and that's tied right into the hotel's Wi-Fi. Now, most guests don't get access to that particular Wi-Fi connection, of course, but Mr. Winslow made it clear that he wanted you guys to have the fastest and most powerful Internet connection possible. Well, in Rome, that me
ans the Royal Palace Hotel.”
Indie laughed. “Gee, all that and a haunted hotel, too? What more could a girl ask for?”
“You can ask for whatever you want,” Gary put in, “but when Uncle Sam is paying the tab, what you're going to get may be completely unrelated to what you asked for. I learned that months ago, when I first took this job. I had to throw a royal fit just to get a decent computer to work with. Anything that has to go to the government accounting office for approval is likely to get chopped and slashed as if it was an actor in a low-budget ninja movie.”
Joshua chuckled, and he and Gary did a fist bump. “Amen, brother, you got that right! I had to raise Cain this morning just to get this car, Your other guys were picked up in one of our old beaters. Don't get me wrong, the car will run fine, but it looks like crap. Somebody said they would need a car to get around in, so that's what they got assigned to them. Personally, I think that stinks.”
“Yeah, well,” Indie said, “if I know my husband, as long as it has four wheels and a motor, he'll be happy with it. He loves cars, any kind of cars.”
The conversation dawdled along, but Indie and Gary were more interested in the view outside the windows of the vehicle. Coming in on highway A91, they were treated to some amazing views, including the Coliseum and the Trevi fountain, two of the most recognizable landmarks in the world. It wouldn't have surprised Indie to know that her husband had driven past both of them several times the night before.