“I’m not sure…if I don’t return you’ll know something’s changed.”
The Phantom parted ways and jogged quickly to the garage portion of the mansion. He had no choice but to take his own vehicle and hope Mrs. Sullivan did not notice his departure.
He got into his jacked-up Wrangler, customized with every four wheeling accessories imaginable, its gray paint blending with the mauve exterior of the home.
Pulling out of the wooded area the Phantom observed a silver Porsche following Leo. “This is more complicated than I thought.”
The Phantom now had some confirmation he was not over reacting. He tailed both at a distance. When they entered town, Fox One broke off and continued straight to Halaby, instead of following Leo and the Porsche. He wanted to take up an observation point in case there was an encounter with “the suit” and Leo.
The Phantom took up an observation point on the grounds of Halaby and watched Leo’s interaction with the man from the Porsche. He had the feeling this snake in the suit would rear his head again. He thought about following and confronting the man but decided against it. Leo had left shortly after ‘the suit.’ He needed more information about the man, and specific instructions from Mr. Sullivan. He realized there were now a lot of players in this game of chess and he wanted to be on the winning team.
* * *
Stratus decided to leave this ‘berg’ since he had seen a restaurant on the way in that he might be able to tolerate. That would work out better anyhow as his plan is to visit the Pennsylvania mystery location Leonard visited earlier. As he ate, he people watched the locals observing most were couples dining together googley eyed and holding hands.
It was enough to make him sick. He had not dined with anyone for years now, with the opposite sex anyhow. His thoughts drifted to his last meal with a woman.
He remembered many details, but time had skewed some and he had forgotten other details altogether. Whether it was a deliberate lack of recollection, he was not sure. He twirled the ring on his left ring finger. His wife had been his world. His life was very different now.
He pushed his feelings down and drowned them away with the last of his Jack and Coke. Time to get going before he convinced himself another drink is what he needed. He returned to his car, stood at his driver’s door running a finger down the length of his car, and pulled it away. Filthy.
His face crinkled in a look of disgust. He quickly entered his vehicle and with the whirr of his engine darted across the countryside. Before he knew it he was at the mystery location’s turn off. Stratus pulled off the state route and onto the dirt road. He slowed his speed and reached the edge of the forest, coming to a complete stop before entering.
He reached under the driver’s seat and pulled out an empty shoulder holster and secured it tightly. He put his jacket back on and sat back down. “Nothing wrong with precaution,” he said, as he began to travel the wet deeply rutted dirt road.
The canopy blotted out most of the late afternoon sun, and he proceeded with caution into the thick woodlands. With Leo’s reemergence with the man from the hotel just hours ago there was no telling who he might run onto. While he was not intimidated or spooked easily, the uncertainty about this residence had him on high alert.
He expected to find an old cabin of some sort in this deep, dark, damp place and was surprised when he reached a large gate preventing direct access to whatever laid ahead. The large gate did not support the idea that a small cabin would be found within and the glowing green posts added a feeling of mystery.
A man approached from his driver’s side and he used the advantage of his distance as well as the darkness of the forest to prepare for him.
He reached down beside the center console and pressed a button below the seat. The center console slid up and opened revealing a concealed compartment, containing two silver plated 9mm pistols. He quickly slid them under his jacket into the holsters, and then whirred down the driver’s side window.
The man was dressed in military style gear, with a compact automatic rifle slung over his shoulder, “Hello, state your business please.”
Stratus reached into his jacket and the man swung his rifle hanging on its shoulder strap and aimed the barrel at Stratus.
“Hey, hey, no surprises. Hand out of your jacket and place them on the steering wheel. Answer my question and no sudden moves.”
Light laughter came from Stratus, not the least bit concerned at the man’s offensive stance.
“No surprises huh, well hell there’s no fun in that at all.” He casually placed his hand on the wheel. “Isn’t my presence here surprising in itself?”
“Sir, if you don’t have matters here it’s my job to make sure you leave.”
“But if I leave you, we can’t become friends. Lower that weapon out of my face unless you plan on killing someone today.”
Stratus still had his hand in his jacket and the guard yelled again, “I said no surprises! Comply now! State your business or leave.”
Stratus ignored the man and eased out a business card and extended it out the window.
“The name is Stratus, Stratus Lattamus. I’m not here to fight with you. The reason I’m here is not your business. I would like an opportunity to speak with your employer. What is this place exactly?”
The guard stood and stared, reaching for his comms buttons on his shoulder several times but never speaking.
“What brings you here? We don’t allow visitors in without prior appointments.”
“No visits without an appointment, huh? What about my good friend Leo? He didn’t have an appointment and isn’t that an MP5 you have pointed in my direction? I believe those are illegal, are they not Mr…?”
“I’m Fox Two and you’ve come to the wrong place to make threats,” Fox Two said as he finally pulled the business card from Stratus’s hand. “Financial Investment Advisor. Let me ask, how many investment advisors you think are aware of what an MP5 is let alone what it looks like?”
“I’ll leave that answer to the statisticians. I haven’t a clue. I’m here to talk financial certainty with your employer, not pop trivia.”
Fox Two flipped the card over; Stratus’s Bank Branch Manager information was printed on the back.
“I don’t believe your story.” Fox Two pocketed the business card and lowered his weapon, then pulled out a scanning wand and pointed it at Stratus. A series of beeps emitted from the device.
Frustrated, patience at its limit, Stratus popped open his door and got out.
“Go ahead scan me, let’s get this over with.”
Fox Two kept a safe distance while he scanned Stratus. The wand beeped when it went over Stratus’s pants pocket.
“Remove that slowly and give it to me.”
Stratus removed his cell phone and handed it to Fox Two who stowed it and continued his search. Stratus began to play several scenarios through in his head, move and countermove, what he might encounter and the avenue to take with the least harm done to the man in front of him. He wanted more information without confrontation, if possible.
The wand went off once again, this time when scanning his chest area.
“Same deal, hand it over.”
Stratus carefully pulled out his other cell phone and his wallet hoping that would be all he asked for. Fox Two laid the scanner on the hood of the car and opened the wallet. He reached to his comms button clipped on his sleeve and pressed it. “Fox Two, position Twelve. I have a Stratus Lattamus here asking to see you. His card states investments.”
Worry came across Fox Two’s face as he awaited her response.
“Position Twelve, where is Fox One?” said Mrs. Sullivan tersely.
“I am currently in position Twelve, subject is Code Six.”
“Thanks for stating the obvious Fox Two. Code Six is acknowledged; contact Fox One to support.”
“Negative on Fox One he isn’t in play. Code Six support isn’t possible Mrs. Sullivan”
Those words hung in the air
and played in Stratus’s and Fox Two’s heads. He had just used her name with a Code Six, with unknown intentions. Stratus knew things were not boding well for a peaceful option, the extra chatter, the use of code and the word support pointed toward confrontation.
He knew the guard made a mistake by revealing the name of his employer. Stratus did not have a lot of time before help arrived and even less time before Fox Two discovered his other identification of a less trivial profession.
Stratus knew he could not draw his weapon without taking a round, but he could take him down with force if he was quick. Stratus exploded toward Fox Two and ducked under his rifle barrel. He ripped his arms upward and collided with Fox Two. The MP5 let out a tat, tat, tat of gunfire, missing Stratus and spraying the forest.
Surprisingly, Fox Two did not go down; he was able to crouch and lower his center of gravity, regaining his balance. Stratus hoped to be on top of him and subdue him easily. Instead, he still had his rifle in hand. Fox Two sputtered out a few more shots, coming dangerously close to Stratus’s feet and legs as they both wrestled for control of the weapon.
Fox Two released his grip from the weapon and allowed the MP5 to slide down his arm to the ground. Fox Two slid out a spade tip knife with a ring that secured it around his middle finger and swung the blade. Caught off guard by the fluid motion, Stratus threw his forearm into the crook of the arm wielding the knife. The forward motion of Fox Two’s upper arm halted but his lower arm swiveled at the elbow sending the knife ripping through Stratus’ suit and swinging inches from his jaw.
Enraged by the suits defilement, Stratus slammed his fist downward into Fox Two’s forearm, causing the man’s hand to open and enabling Stratus to swipe the knife off his Fox Two’s finger and onto the ground.
Stratus used his opposing arm to deliver a forearm shiver to Fox Two’s chest, finally catching him off balance. Fox Two stumbled and fell backward onto his back.
Stratus drew one pistol from his holster and collapsed violently onto Fox Two, straddling the man. It wasn’t his intention to kill the man, just subdue him. He had pulled the gun to dissuade him from struggling. Stratus pulled back his gun, preparing to strike Fox Two, but the man grabbed Stratus’s suit and pulled him close.
Stratus’s knockout blow was sent into the dirt. Fox Two now had access to Stratus’s other gun in his holster not to mention he had drawn the intruder close folding his arms giving him little leverage.
Stratus heard the distinct noise of a knife being unsheathed by Fox Two’s free arm and knew he was in trouble if he did not act immediately. Stratus slammed his forehead down on Fox Two’s nose, breaking it with a crack.
Fox Two blinded by immediate tearing of his eyes mixed with blood, swung his K-bar knife wildly toward Stratus’s rib cage. Before the knife could contact him, Stratus rolled his body, pinning down Fox Two’s arm. Stratus moved his knee to pin the man’s knife hand and Fox Two released his grip on his suit and swung it toward Stratus’ face and arms.
His punch contacted Stratus’s gun hand and the gun shot boomed, which surprised and stunned them both. With their ears, still ringing Stratus stood up and looked at the injured Fox Two. He had a bloody nose, face and a bullet wound to the chest.
He did not have to contemplate his next move. He needed to flee and quickly. He ran to the gate, placed his hands on the wrought iron and a mind-numbing jolt ran through his hands to his feet. He wretched his grasp free and took a step backward. The fence radiated a pulsing green glow as he rubbed his hands, numb from the jolt.
Not wanting the situation to turn out any worse than it had, he turned and ran to his Porsche without giving Fox Two a glance. Panting, he reached for the car’s door handle. He heard a whir in the air and a long blade knife slammed into the door an inch away from his hand.
Adrenaline rushing, he fired up the car, put it in reverse and peeled out, sending dirt flying, slamming the driver door shut. Stratus left the knife in the door wondering who had thrown the blade. He was not about to stick around and find out. His headlights illuminated the still-prone Fox Two for a moment as he jammed the stick shift into first gear. Fox Two sat up and was now resting on one elbow loosening his bulletproof vest.
Relief set in that he had not killed the man. He accelerated from first to second gear putting the gate and its contents in his rear-view mirror. The Ka-bar knife sticking in the door confirmed that it was Fox Two who had thrown the large blade, but he wanted to see if anyone was arriving to help the man.
He could not resist a glance in the mirror one last time. Status thought he saw an animal near Fox Two observing the man. The creature shifted its eyes to Stratus just before he moved his attention back to the road ahead.
When he looked again, the figure was no longer there. It looked like a dog of some sort. He just figured it was his eyes playing tricks on him in the dark forest and dismissed it. Stratus saw the clearing ahead and was relieved he was exiting the dismal, dreary forest. As he passed through the last set of trees Stratus saw a pair of green glowing eyes in the branches above, that tracked his movement intently.
Stratus did not know what he was seeing but felt unprepared for what lay on these grounds. He was not sure what kind of company Mrs. Sullivan had, but the thing that watched him leave felt malevolent, and dangerous.
* * *
Fox Two roused himself, surprised the sun had set. Within the forest, the only light came from the nearby gate. The faint green light shone onto him as he finally controlled his breathing. The gun shot at close range had felt like a sledgehammer to the chest. He wiped away the blood and tears caused by his broken nose, turning to the sound of footsteps. A man approach and become clearer.
“It’s an honor to finally meet you Sir. The subject left via his vehicle. I was able to prevent entry. The man is clearly a professional. I am sorry I wasn’t able to subdue him to question him.”
Silence filled the air and apprehension set in on Fox Two.
The clean-cut man towered above him, dressed in a fine suit, his voice deep, mixed with a slight accent, “Yes, he is indeed a professional and you were not his equal. You didn’t subdue the subject and you allowed him to flee as well. Others will now follow due to your inadequacies. Worst of all you revealed names over the radio right in front of a Code Six insurgent. The name allows research and research allows answers. Fortunately, that name doesn’t exist which will draw no results for our visitor. But the lack of answers will drive him back here when all his findings don’t bear fruit.”
Fox Two splayed his hands, and pleaded, “I apologize for his escape, but my job is to keep others out.”
“Spare me the typical Fox One excuses. Nothing can dismiss your insolence. Take pride, Fox Two, you did fight bravely...until the end.”
Fox Two took this as a compliment, and then the wording sunk in. Terror set in as the man raised a pistol from his side and stepped onto Fox Two’s arms, pinning him down. The man was immoveable and the events inevitable.
Two shots rang out loudly, fading to a thud in the distance. Fox Two grabbed at his chest with both hands. He looked down to two holes ripped in his chest. The rounds had perforated his lungs causing him to choke and gasp, resulting in the sound of wet liquid gulps.
The cold figure stared as he watched him writhe, unable to receive enough oxygen. As Fox Two died, his body became limp, no longer rigid from his fighting tensing muscles. This time there was no question there was a corpse at the Sullivan residence.
Chapter 42
Leo did not waste time traveling to the town near his new lab upstate. During his drive, Leo told Marty their meeting point, a pizza place in a small town nearby. He arrived at his destination a couple hours later.
Leo was early and decided to sit and wait for Marty at the restaurant. The pizza place looked like a log cabin, and stood in a semi-rural area, the perfect place for brunch. His growling stomach called to him, the smells of pizza wafting by tortured him. He looked at his iPhone, Marty had ten minutes.
; Leo sat by a window and glanced out at the beautiful woods that backed the property. A vintage dark red Buick in immaculate condition carefully eased into a spot. A wiry haired middle-aged man with a bushy mustache beneath a bulbous nose got out and made his way to the entrance. Leo’s attention went back to his view of the woods, lost, until a bell chimed indicating a new patron had entered.
It was the wiry haired man who had entered and, instead of waiting to be seated, he looked through his cell phone. Leo watched him raise it to his ear and then looked away to check his watch. Leo’s iPhone rang and as he pulled it out of his pocket, he had the sinking feeling he knew who it was. He looked back up and as he answered. Yep that’s Marty. Oh great, this better be worth it. Leo stood up to show his location and the man came over.
“Leonard, I presume?”
Leo held out his hand, but Mr. Naublock sat down without taking it.
“We don’t have an agreement to shake on yet. I’ll wait for that handshake.”
“I thought you said you have no choice?”
“Yes, but I want to know the terms and the scope first. You see several months back Mr. Sullivan offered me the opportunity to create something for him for a pretty penny. After I…well I really shouldn’t get into it.”
“Well let’s go over my proposition then.”
“Yes let’s. I’m starving and so thirsty. Waiter!”
Frustrated Leo played along and quickly put in an order for pizza, so they could get down to business.
“Well spill it, let’s get down to it,” insisted Mr. Naublock.
“I need you for metal work. I will supply you with renderings to fabricate from. The parts must mesh perfectly, be flexible yet durable, rigid when necessary, and porous in certain circumstances.”
Laughter came from under the machinist’s mustache, “You want a super alloy that’s breathable? You’re crazy!”
“Is it possible? Where there’s a will there’s a way I always say. And you come highly recommended according to Mrs. Sullivan.”
Dawn of Tomorrow Page 20