I nod at the six Heads, turn around, and walk off.
Back to business as usual.
A bit later, I’m with several Harvesters who escort Vega to his underground prison cell with Underworlders imprisoned on either side of his cell. He has a constant slight smirk on his face, and this makes me suspicious.
However, I must admit, I’ll miss the Hunt for Vega. But just like any well organized syndicates, as soon as one leader goes down, another springs up in their place and takes charge. The Harvesters Guards place Vega in his cell, and I quickly make my way down the hallway that leads to the six Heads’ room to be nosey. I put my back to the wall and eavesdrop.
“We’ve got to move Vega out of this facility as soon as possible,” Mr. Herald mentions.
“Why? We already relocated the Agency years ago when Vega became a traitor in order to keep the locale a secret. Why again?” Mr. Laveaux interjects.
“Exactly. Now we have Vega in the most secure prison cell in a location even he doesn’t know the whereabouts,” Ms. Hernandez states.
I know my friend, Mr. Herald, will state his case. “To use your word, Ms. Hernandez, exactly. He doesn’t know the location of this Agency, right? Not to mention we don’t know the locale of his Master Hole, remember?”
I’m glad Mr. Herald brought that piece of information into the conversation. I peek around the corner and the Heads appear worried now.
Mr. Chan squint with concern and curiosity. “What are you hinting at, Mr. Herald?”
“Well, it’s possible he wanted to be caught.”
Mr. Herald’s comment makes me worried. I sprint down the hallway which leads to Vega’s prison cell. I see him sit down in the middle of the cell and meditate. He lowers his head. Even though Vega awaits trial where he will most certainly be found guilty and sentenced to death, a one-way ticket to the After, the Hell, not Heaven or Purgatory, I won’t believe it’s over between us until I see his dead, lifeless body being torched or his head severed from his body.
Simply because I wouldn’t put anything pass Vega and his diabolical mind.
I spy on Vega, and I see him raise his head and evilly smiles. The words of Mr. Herald echo in mind. “It’s possible he wanted to be caught.”
Now thoughts of suspicion run rampant through my mind.
A month later, early in the morning, I had a disturbing nightmare. I’m chased through the Sonoran desert of Arizona by an unknown shadowy figure. I’m exhausted and can’t run any longer. The figure dashes over to me, and now I realize it’s Naes with his sword raised at me. I’m confused, discombobulated. Why him? Is this some sort of disturbed premonition? I hate and love dreams at the same time. Sometimes, they are just plain horrific images, and sometimes, they are messages of the future delivered to you during your REM time of sleep. Which is it for me this time?
Now we battle each other, and Naes makes an impressive move, and he catches me off guard. He strikes me, and my stomach is ripped open. I drop to the dirt. I’m worried, scared, and shocked. Naes wickedly smiles at me and promptly lops off my head. Some say when you die in your dream, you die for real. However, I lunge forward out of my nightmare, sweaty, with a gasp for breath, and then I hyperventilate. I look at my alarm clock nearby.
“Shit! I’m late.”
At the Agency’s headquarters, I meet with Mr. Herald in his beautifully decorated office. Ancient weapons of all sorts adorn the walls and shelves. I let him know that I’m upset.
“It has been a month now. Why hasn’t Vega been transferred yet?”
“I’m trying, believe you me. But the vote has gone against me. They think this is the safest, most secure place to keep him. They feel as though the Underworld will never find him, and if somehow they did, they’re not stupid enough to attack us.”
I can’t help but to shake my head. “The Underworld hasn’t lasted as long as it has on stupidity. I think Vega’s up to something other than just finding the Agency’s location. They’re plotting as we speak, Gerald.”
“I know it. You know it. We just have to convince the other four Heads who voted against me and Mr. Zundu.”
I think for a few seconds, and this makes him as well.
“You’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, aren’t you, Harvey?”
“You know me all too well. But it’s a valid point that needs to be observed. I mean, think about it. Why haven’t they moved Vega out of this facility? Why haven’t they even begun his trial, which should’ve started two weeks ago?”
“So do you think one of the Heads is working as an Underworld Spy or what?”
“Maybe even more than one. You know to never underestimate the reaches and power of the Underworld.” I stand and motion to leave.
“Hey, Harv.”
I stop at the door and look back at him.
“Listen, I . . . uh . . . never got the chance to tell you how sorry I am about Anastasia and—”
“Enough said, Gerald, enough said,” I cut him off because I don’t want to think about my loss.
“Right. One more thing. Remember, you and Naes need to report to Leon Noel for new partner training in Sonoita. Sooner rather than later, huh?”
I appear distracted and concerned. I release a sigh.
“What’s wrong, Harv?”
“Oh, just a dream I had.” I exit his office and see Naes waiting for me. We walk abreast down the hallway crowded with Agency Reps and Harvesters.
“What’s the plan?”
Even I don’t know that answer. “The plan? I’m not sure yet.”
I swipe my security clearance badge on the elevator panel on the wall. The door opens, and we step into the elevator that leads to the underground prison cells.
There’s an uncomfortable silence between Naes and myself. I can’t allow his confidence in me to be jeopardized. The elevator takes us thirty levels below ground. We stop our descent, and the doors open. We exit and head down the hallway which leads to Vega’s cell. Two Harvester Guards allow us access into the holding area and we head to Vega’s cell. He’s busy doing pushups and can’t see us. Two more Harvesters stand guard on either side of his cell.
“Harvey, Harvey, Harvey,” Vega says and continues with his pushups. “I’d imagine you bringing me in must have made you the Agency’s golden boy again. You’re welcome, brother.”
“He never said thanks, asshole,” Naes retorts.
“Oh, so feisty. This must be your new partner I’ve heard so much about, Harv. Didn’t you learn your lesson about partners?”
“I most certainly did. Listen, Vega, I’m not here to have a few beers, get buddy-buddy, and joyfully reflect on the good ole days.”
“Let me guess. You’re here to attempt to extract info out of my mind.”
Vega stops his pushups and positions himself in a meditation stance.
“You know as well as I do that the Halo of Truth won’t work on you since you were once a Harvester. I know you’re up to something, Vega. I get an anonymous tip on the first day of my trial to show up at the rose garden atrium. You wanted to be caught, huh? I wouldn’t be surprised that one of your own soldiers made the call for us to have our little encounter.”
“Little encounter? Your ass was mine until your cronies had to step in and save it. I was aiming to take your head, not get caught.”
“Something tells me you’ll get another chance.”
“Damn right I will!”
“I should kill you myself right now for killing my Anastasia.”
“Oh, boo-hoo.” Vega hops out of his stance and continues to do more pushups. I can’t help but to stare at him with hatred and animosity. I turn and walk down the hallway with Naes in tow.
“I want two more Harvester Guards at his cell, Naes.”
“You got it.”
We continue to the elevator.
Ten minutes later, we’re in my Barracuda.
“Thanks for driving me home, Harvey. My car won’t be out of the shop for a few days.”
; I rev up my 410 engine, and it hums with power. “No problem.” I rip it out of the secret underground parking lot.
Naes looks over at me. “You look like death warmed over. You need to get some sleep, man.”
“I’ve only slept an hour here, an hour there. Ever since Anastasia’s murder.”
I speed down the freeway, and it only takes me about fifteen minutes to get to Naes’s home. I pull up curbside and stop in front of his moderate, yet quaint home. Kids play football in the middle of the road.
“Get some sleep, okay. Even the badass Harvey needs rest.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll have plenty of sleep when I’m dead.”
Naes laughs at my joke. “Good one. When you’re dead.”
“See ya’ in the morning.”
“Yup.”
Back at my apartment, I open the door. I look like some sort of zombie. I lock the numerous locks on my door, drop all my gear on the table, and plop onto the couch. My wall of screens is now fixed on several places within the Agency, especially on Vega. I’m so exhausted I didn’t even view any of them. You would think that being already dead, you wouldn’t get tired, but you do. If I did, I would’ve seen something very important live, but I don’t view the footage until the next morning.
I sit in front of my wall of screens, and the first footage I view is that of two Harvester Guards in a surveillance room. One is about to nod off, and the other is busy doing a crossword puzzle.
“How’s our favorite Underworlder doing?” he asks and the sleepy Harvester Guard jolts awake.
“Huh? Oh. Uh . . .” He views Vega’s cell monitor while letting out a loud, long yawn. “He’s still sleeping.”
“Damn, he sleeps a lot.”
“Well, I guess being the leader of the Underworld must be tiring at times.”
They laugh.
“Must be.”
One of my monitors is fixed on Mr. Herald’s office.
The reason: I have learned a lot in my many years, and one thing I learned is to keep tabs on everyone. Mr. Herald quietly enters, looks behind him to see if anyone is following him, and then shuts the door. He heads over to his computer, inserts a flash drive, and waits for a few seconds. It beeps once, and he grabs it and quietly exits the office. This makes me suspicious.
He walks down a hallway and appears semilost.
A representative passes him. “Good evening, Mr. Herald.”
“Huh? Oh, yes, good evening. Listen, it has been a long week. Which is the quickest way to get out of here again?”
The rep scowls with suspicion, and so do I once again. He points down the second hallway. “Uh, that way.”
“Thanks, buddy.” Mr. Herald disappears down the second hallway.
The rep waves over a Harvester heading toward him, and he tells him what just transpired. The Harvester calls it in on his headset CB radio.
Back at Vega’s cell, the four Harvesters there hear the report. They nod at each other and quickly draw their guns.
One unlocks his cell and two enter and two stand guard. The first one shakes Vega to wake him up, but he does not. He shakes him harder, and Vega’s fake head rolls off the bed and lands on the tile floor. I spring to my feet in shock.
The second Harvester Guard calls it in as the third one outside the cell hits the alarm on the wall beside him.
On the main exit monitor to the Agency, I view Mr. Herald heading toward the exit. Two Harvesters sprint his direction, but he is too fast for them. He grabs one by the head and snaps his neck with ease, killing him instantly.
He karate kicks the second one in the stomach so hard, he flies backward through the air and slams into the wall and drops to the tile unconscious. A third Harvester catches up to him and puts Mr. Herald into a tight chokehold. He thrashes around to get free and in the midst of the commotion the Harvester inadvertently slices a portion of Mr. Herald’s face off, revealing Vega’s face underneath it. The Harvester is absolutely dumbfounded.
More Harvesters quickly approach as the five-foot-thick security door is activated and lowers. Vega flips free of the Harvester’s grip and rockets toward the exit.
Only a foot or so from shutting and trapping Vega inside, he perfectly slides on the smooth tile and under the security door. It shuts a second later.
Early in the morning, I take a hot shower. I hear a slight noise, so I slice through the shower curtain with my sword to reveal Naes standing there with a terrified expression on his face. Maybe because my sword edge is an inch away from his eyeball.
“Shit.”
“You just almost died, again. Haven’t heard of knocking?”
“I knocked, but I guess you didn’t hear me.”
“Oh, I heard you. Was just enjoying my shower. How’d you get in anyway?”
“I picked the window lock.”
“Should’ve known. What’s wrong, Naes? You look like you’ve seen a Section 520 creature.”
“We got big problems.”
I grab my towel and dry off. “I know. I watched the footage.”
“Do you normally shower with your sword?”
“Don’t you?” I nonchalantly ask.
I’m absolutely livid as I pace in Mr. Herald’s office an hour later. He sits at his desk and drums his fingers on it. Naes stands guard by the closed door.
“How could this happen? The Agencies have the most secured facilities and holding cells in the world! Magneto himself couldn’t escape from this facility, so how did Vega?”
“We’re still trying to figure that out. But what we do know is Vega has gained the powers to mimic other people’s forms,” he informs me.
“We boosted security on him and had a special laser barrier, so he couldn’t time-shift or use his Master Hole. So how could this happen, Gerald? Shit!”
“Somebody on the inside must’ve aided him,” Naes chimes in.
I point at Naes. “Exactly. Just like I had said before, remember?”
Mr. Herald sighs and nods in agreement.
I continue with, “Which means the perp would be on a short list of people who could’ve helped him because only a small handful of people have access to take control of the cameras.”
Naes gets fired up. I can see it. “Exactly!”
“Get on that, Naes.”
“You got it, partner!” Naes bolts out of the office like a soldier storming the beach of Normandy.
“I love that kid’s drive,” I comment.
“Close the door for me, Harv.
I turn around and shut the door. I look at him with a scowl of curiosity. “It gets worse, doesn’t it?”
“I didn’t want to say anything in front of the kid.”
“Yup. It gets worse. What did he download on that zip drive?” I ask, not knowing if I really want to hear the bad news.
“Well, we found out the hard way that Vega did want to be caught but not to find out our locale. Although that most likely was a bonus for him. Ever since the creation of the Agency, there has always been a list that all the Heads vowed to always keep secret from the Underworld and even the Agency’s members for safety reasons. Obviously, one of the Heads must be the turncoat because only the six of us know of its existence. And now, Vega has it due to hacking my computer.”
“List? What exactly is on this list, Gerald?”
“Everything. The list contains complete and thorough information on every Harvester from day one, their families, addresses, strengths, weaknesses, etcetera.”
Now I grow even more upset and enraged. “You got to be kidding me! So what you’re telling me is that Vega has his very own personal hit list? And not only that, he knows the location of the Agency? Is that what you’re telling me?”
“Lower your voice. But yes. I’m afraid so, Harv. Hence, the reason why we’re already in the process of relocating the Agency as we speak.”
“Until we find the traitor, that would be pointless.”
“Good point.”
I slam my clenched fist on his desk.
“I knew he was up to something.”
“He definitely was and is because the first thirty-six Harvesters on the list have been eliminated by Vega and his bounty hunters.”
“I’ve got work to do. My brothers and sisters are being slaughtered.”
“Because of our drastic shortage of Harvesters, I can only allow two of them to join you and Naes.”
I rise out of my seat. “I understand. Thanks.”
“Keep in mind, we’re on full code alert, Harv.”
“That goes without saying.” I walk to the door.
“Be careful. I have a bad feeling.”
“I’ve had a bad feeling,” I say as I leave his office.
My first stop is in the surveillance room where Naes and the same two Harvester Guards are reviewing footage. I tap Naes on his shoulder. “Anything?”
“Nothing yet,” Naes replies.
“Because of the newfound info I have, I can speak in front of you three. Everyone keep this to themselves, or your heads will roll. Understood?”
All three of them nod in agreement.
“One of the six Heads aided Vega with his actions and escape. I want to know who aided Vega, who the traitor is, why Vega chose Mr. Herald to mimic, and also tell the six Heads that they need to report to the new, disclosed Agency relocation before the traitor escapes and or finds out the location. All six are possible suspects. Do all this within the hour.”
Naes nods at me. “No problem.”
“Not you, Naes. You’re coming with me.”
With excitement to do it for me, the first Harvester Guard jumps to his feet. “We’ll take care of it, sir.”
“You better. We’re running out of time. It’s imperative you accomplish this.”
I exit the room with Naes in tow. I look back at the Harvester Guards with a stern look.
“Don’t mess this up, guys.”
My next stop, in my ’Cuda with Naes parked curbside across the street from a bar. I view the area with a specially enhanced set of binoculars. Naes looks over at me.
The Harvester Page 6