Terregon (Book Two of The Red Diamond Saga)

by Jennifer Janne

  Suddenly her dedication to her job, and her passengers, reignited. She twisted the wheel back to the left and continued on her regular route.

  “Sorry guys.” She muttered as she brushed a hand across her forehead. “I don't know what came over me.”

  “She forced me out!” Corinne groaned with her eyes still closed. Amelia was so passionate about her responsibility that it was nearly impossible for Corinne to convince her otherwise. Lisa laid her hand lightly on Corinne's arm, imbuing her with a rush of energy as she knew that Corinne's actions could deplete her body quickly.

  “Keep trying.” She pleaded as Daniel had managed to weave between cars and had just made a right on to the main road, a few cars behind the bus. They could all see it nearing its stop which was littered with families, mothers and children being escorted to school, and teens that liked to show their independence by taking the city bus.

  “If they get on the bus,” Daniel said through gritted teeth, but he could not finish his statement. Somewhere in the back of his mind he hoped that the tip had been wrong, that Corinne was wrong, and that there was no man on the bus, with weapons and a bomb, plotting such a horrible crime.

  Aaron clenched his hands into tight fists as he felt more and more frustration that the cars would not move any faster.

  He was just thinking that he could walk faster than the cars were moving, when he opened the door to the patrol car.

  “Aaron, what are you doing?!” Daniel hissed quietly, worried that he would disrupt Corinne by speaking too loudly. Lisa leaned forward to see out the front window. Aaron was already on the sidewalk and running. He could run very fast because of the strength of his body, his muscles knew no limitations. It did not take him long to catch up to the bus. When it came to a top at the traffic light he pounded on the closed double doors.

  He knew he could not alert the driver to the issue and evacuate the passengers as it might make the man set off the bomb instantly. He did not trust that he would reach the next stop in time to get on to the bus.

  He could not let anyone know his intentions, in fact, he did not really know his intentions, all he knew for sure was that he could not be stuck sitting in a car doing nothing. The driver reluctantly opened the doors. She did not make a habit of picking up stray passengers but Aaron seemed so anxious, and as she gazed into his concerned green eyes she smiled at how handsome he was.

  Daniel punched the dashboard as he realized what Aaron was doing. Lisa gasped as she watched Aaron climb up the steps and on to the bus. She wanted to scream but Corinne was still trying her hardest to access the bus driver's energy.

  Daniel picked up his radio and spoke into it hurriedly. “Chief we need to evacuate the next bus stop.”

  There was no response at first. Daniel knew that the evacuation might tip off the man on the bus, but the closer he got to the group of waiting bus riders, the more certain that he was he could not let another person get on to that bus. If all of those people, about twenty from what he could see, piled on to the bus the body count would go from bad to horrible in moments. Unfortunately, if the man with the bomb noticed what was happening, he might not let the passengers who were waiting to get off at the stop leave the bus. It was a risk they had to take.

  “Understood.” The chief finally said though the trepidation was obvious in his voice as he replied.

  “Hurry!” Lisa hissed beside Daniel's ear as she gripped the edge of her seat. She wanted so badly to jump out and follow after Aaron, but she knew that Corinne would need her more, as from the looks of her level of concentration she had finally been able to access the bus driver.

  12

  As Aaron moved slowly toward the back of the bus he surveyed all of the people on board. He was searching for one man in particular. He did not have to look for long, as the man in the trench coat was standing up at the back of the bus, eager to get off at the next stop. Aaron met his eyes for just a moment, then glanced away casually. He slid into the seat behind the man who was traveling with his two children.

  Aaron paid close attention to every detail about the bus, from positioning of the passengers, to the density of its metal frame. He had never tried to pick up a bus before, but he imagined that he probably could. Unfortunately, the armed man at the back of the bus was going to prevent that possibility. As the bus rolled up to the next stop, the bus driver offered a glazed look over her shoulder.

  “Might want to get off here.” She announced to her passengers. “There's a bad accident up ahead.” She had no idea how she knew that or why she was speaking the words that were tumbling out her mouth, but she was certain that it was important she encouraged the passengers to leave.

  Several more passengers stood up than had originally planned to get off at the stop. They would rather walk, than have to wait in traffic. The man with his two children knew that if he did not get them to school soon, not only would they be late, but he would be late getting to his job, which might get him fired. He was soon standing as well, holding the children's hands tightly.

  “Excuse me.” The man in the trench coat said roughly as he pushed through the waiting passengers to get to the front of the bus. Aaron noticed that he no longer had his bag with him. He cast a worried glance at the stop they had reached as the brakes of the bus began to squeal.

  The moment he caught sight of what was happening at the bus stop, he knew things were going to turn ugly.

  The man in the trench coat saw it too. Uniformed officers were escorting all of the waiting passengers away from the bus stop. The traffic around the bus was beginning to be redirected, however the patrol cars had not been able to surround the bus yet.

  Infuriated, and confused, the man pulled out his handgun and pushed it against the back of the bus driver's head.

  “Do not open the doors.” He growled. Then suddenly, as the other passengers began to holler and panic at the sight of the gun he twisted around, the barrel of the gun still shoved into the back Amelia's head, and shouted above the din.

  “There is a bomb on this bus and if any of you make a move toward me I will set it off.” His eyes were wild with anger and terror as he added. “It makes no difference to me if I get blown away, so you better think twice about any heroics.”

  He turned back to the bus driver and murmured in her ear. “Turn this bus slowly, down the side road. Do not look at any of those cops, just turn the bus.”

  The woman was surprisingly calm as she did as he commanded. Perhaps because she was only in partial control of her mind and body. Aaron was relieved that the other passengers had not gotten on to the bus, but his heart was pounding as he wondered what the man's next move would be.

  The man in front of him, with his two children, sank back down into his seat. He drew them close to him. The little boy was crying, the little girl appeared to be oblivious. As the bus turned down the side road, the attacker turned around again to face the passengers.

  “Everyone get to the back of the bus.” He commanded and flipped open the side of his trench coat to reveal the additional weapons it was concealing.

  The passengers began to move toward the back of the bus, all but Aaron, and the father with his two small children. Aaron noticed that the man was shaking so hard, his children were trembling from the force of it.

  Aaron leaned over the seat and spoke quietly to him. “What's your name?” He asked.

  “William.” The man replied in a wavering voice.

  “Okay William,” Aaron said sternly as the man with the gun began to aim it toward the man and his children. “Everything is going to be just fine. You and I, and the kids, are going to head to the back of the bus. Okay?”

  William nodded, his dark eyes brimming with tears. He was so scared he could barely move.

  “Hey, I said get to the back of the bus!” The man shoved the gun into Aaron's face. Aaron swallowed thickly, not from fear, but from resisting the urge to pulverize the man. He knew that in this situation he was going to have to take Corinne's advice a
nd control his temper and impulsive nature.

  “Yes, of course.” Aaron said as he stood and offered his hands to the children. William pushed the children toward Aaron, who grasped their hands firmly. As Aaron began to lead the children toward the back of the bus, William was grabbed by the collar of his shirt.

  The gun was pushed against his temple. Aaron turned quickly when he heard William cry out and the other passengers scream. William pushed the children toward the woman in her thirties, who had huddled close to the window in her seat. She pulled them close to her and tried to shield their eyes.

  Aaron held one hand out in pacifying manner. “Look, we're all doing what you say.” He said in a soothing tone. “Just relax, pal.” He pleaded.

  Tears slid down William's cheeks as he listened to the sounds of his children whimpering and crying. He would gladly give his life for theirs, but he would give anything to prevent them from witnessing that sacrifice.

  “You shut your mouth.” The man shouted at Aaron who backed up slightly. “Ever since you got on this bus everything has gone wrong.” He moved the gun from William's temple briefly to point it directly at Aaron. “You're a cop aren't you?” He accused, spit coating his words.

  Before Aaron could answer the bus began to slow down.

  The attacker swung around to face the bus driver, still holding on to William's collar. “Why are you stopping?” He growled.

  “It's a red light.” The woman said, her eyes glazed as they glanced at him.

  “Go through it!” The man shouted. “I don't care what is in front of you, if you stop this bus I will blow it up, period.”

  The woman nodded and flashed her headlights as she began to roll the bus through the red light.

  When the man turned back around his gun pointed directly at Aaron again, William trembling and weeping in his arms he spoke professionally and clearly.

  “Everyone needs to just settle down. This can end two ways. The first is an explosion, the second is going home to your families.” He turned the gun back toward William's temple. “Just to let you know how serious I am, I will demonstrate what will happen if any of you try anything.”

  William winced in anticipation of the bullet striking his head. Aaron was certain he would pull the trigger, his heart was in his throat, and his mind was dizzy with panic. He had never felt so out of control before. All of his instincts screamed at him to tackle the man and disarm him, but that would only trigger the bomb.

  “Wait!” Aaron shouted. He glanced at the other people on the bus, and then back to the man in the trench coat.

  “You were right.” He said as he took a slight step closer. “I am working with the police, and if you want to make an example of someone, let it be me.”

  13

  Corinne cried out and lurched forward as abruptly the connection between herself and the bus driver was severed. It was not because the woman had pushed her out, but because she witnessed Aaron's actions. He had announced his affiliation with the police and was offering to be the first victim. Corinne's emotional reaction to that had launched her out of the woman's energy and right back into her own.

  “What is it?” Lisa asked desperately. Daniel had managed to join a fleet of patrol cars that were now surrounding the bus. None had dared to pull in front just yet, but the roads were being closed ahead of the bus and all traffic was diverted. An evacuation order was in place for four miles in all directions around the bus, however it would take hours to actually enforce.

  Meanwhile, people were still pushing strollers and walking their dogs, right next to the flood of police cars, and the bus, that they had no idea was carrying a bomb. Trying to get the information out to everyone, while not aggravating the hostage situation was causing a logistical nightmare.

  Corinne could not speak at first, she was so winded by the expending of her energy to connect with the bus driver. When she was able to form words, her voice was slightly slurred.

  “Pull them back!” She begged Daniel. “Pull all of the police cars back now!”

  Daniel shook his head as heat flooded his face. “Corinne there's no way we can do that, it's too dangerous.”

  Corinne slid forward in her seat and glared directly into Daniel's eyes. “He is going to shoot Aaron. Tell the chief to back the cars off.”

  Lisa had to cover her mouth to keep from groaning, her eyes sprung with an odd sensation of tears. She regretted not getting on the bus with Aaron, if she had, maybe she could at least be there to heal him if he was hurt.

  “We need to pull the cars back, he's threatening the hostages.” Daniel barked into the radio which was directly connecting to Ernie's radio. “Pull the cars back now!” He shouted more fervently when he chief did not immediately respond.

  They heard the command to pull back go out over the main radio and the police cars began to slow down and back away from the bus.

  On the bus William had been thrown aside and Aaron's forehead had met the barrel of the gun. He stared hard into the eyes of the man who was threatening him, showing no sign of fear or hesitation. “I knew it!” The man growled as his finger twitched on the trigger of the gun. “You're the reason all these cop cars.” He glanced out the window in time to see that the cars were beginning to back away. His finger faltered on the weapon for a moment.

  “You're the reason for the cop cars,” Aaron hissed. “I'm the reason they are backing off. I promise you, if you pull that trigger, you're going to have to blow up this bus, because as soon as you kill someone they are going to take you down.”

  The man looked back to him, ready to argue, but before he did Aaron's words sunk in. He had planned on taking a ride on a bus, dropping off a bomb, and walking away. He had not planned on dealing with hostages and police.

  Aaron looked so certain of his words that the man was inclined to believe him. He began to lower the gun, but at the last moment he lifted it again, and pushed it hard against Aaron's head.

  “You want to get off this bus alive, you don't work for them anymore. Now you work for me.” He shoved Aaron down in one of the seats closer to the front of the bus as William scurried to the back of the bus and huddled close to his children.

  Aaron lowered his gaze submissively and nodded his head with the pressure of the gun still pushed against it.

  “Just tell me what you need.” He said in a compliant tone of voice. He could play the role of a servant very easily.

  Since Corinne had disconnected from the bus driver, she had begun to cry. She was shaking so badly that she could barely drive the bus and when she saw the police cars pulling away her panic increased. She could feel her heart tightening as if it might burst and it was hard for her to breathe.

  She assumed she had been so distant from her decisions because she had gone into shock, but she could come up with no real reason that she had allowed Aaron on to the bus or had attempted to turn off her route.

  “What I need is for this to all start over.” The man muttered as he reached up and swiped the back of his hand across his forehead. It was the first time he had shown regret, although it was obvious it was not for endangering the passengers, but more for not being able to get off the bus.

  “You can end, it whenever you want.” Aaron said docilely. “You're in control.”

  The man glared sharply at him. “You're damn right I'm in control.” He curled his upper lip in disgust as he surveyed Aaron closely. “You sure don't act like a cop.”

  Aaron did not say a word, he just stared straight ahead, waiting for his next command.

  As the police cars pulled away another call came in, this time to Daniel's cell phone. He almost did not answer it, until he saw who it was. He picked it up quickly.

  “Stanley this is not a good time.” He said flatly. When he listened to the man's words on the other end of the phone, his face grew pale. He shot a furtive look over his shoulder at Corinne and turned away, he hoped, before she could sense his thoughts.

  “Find her.” He growled into the phone,
too quietly for the others to hear. When he hung up the phone, he knew he was taking a huge risk by not telling Corinne the truth, but at the same time he was sure she would not be able to focus if she was aware that Stanley had arrived at the apartment and Cori was nowhere to be found.

  14

  Mr. Reynolds was watering his rooftop garden. He sprinkled the liquid sparingly, as he liked them to struggle to survive, in his mind it made them stronger.

  “Sir.” A voice said from behind him, carefully speaking so as not to surprise him.

  Mr. Reynolds’s turned to face the younger man, who was dressed in all black, and standing at attention. “She's here.” He said when his boss looked at him expectantly.

  “In my office?” Mr. Reynolds asked with a pleasant smile.

  “With your wife.” The man replied as he folded his hands tightly behind his back.

  “Good, good.” He could not resist a grin. “And how is our esteemed associate Wayne fairing?”

  The man before him lowered his eyes swiftly to the ground. “Uh, sir.” He hesitated, wanting to delay revealing the truth for as long as he could.

  “Out with it.” Mr. Reynolds barked as he slammed down his watering can, splashing out what water remained.

  “It has become a hostage situation.” The man said carefully as he braced himself for the consequences.

  “Raymond,” Mr. Reynolds laughed. “I must have misheard you. Did you say hostage?”

  Raymond nodded, his lips tight, his jaw clenched. A strong set of knuckles struck his chin just as he expected they would. He was able to stand his ground despite the fierce pain that rippled through him.

  Mr. Reynolds exhaled and ran his palm across his now irritated knuckles.

  “You recommended Wayne. You told me he could do a simple job.”

  Raymond straightened his shoulders and did his best to ignore the throbbing soreness of his chin as he spoke.

  “Sir there were some unforeseen circumstances.”

  Mr. Reynolds smirked as he brushed past Raymond. “Well, my little pets are more clever than I thought.” He snickered. Before he stepped all the way into the stairwell that would lead him down to his office, Raymond reluctantly added.