by Stuart Jaffe
Nathan opened his mouth to point out that he stood beyond the reach of the man’s chains, but thought better of it — in this dark, sound would give away his exact position better than sight. No sense in letting the enemy know more than he had to.
He backed away, one careful step at a time, until he felt a firm wall at his back. Then he hurried off to the front door. He yanked it open, without thought or care, and found Octavia standing outside, arms crossed and a dark scowl set upon her face.
“What is that guy?” he asked through heavy pants.
Octavia took two long strides towards him, and she punched him in the eye. She looked at the blue door, and Nathan swore that he saw a quiver in her lips as if she might shed a tear.
“That is the Cardinal,” she said. “Now get the fuck back to your room.”
Chapter Eight
Nathan had no idea why Octavia let him go, but he wasn’t about to argue. If all he suffered was a black eye and a scolding, he would take it. He scurried back to the hotel, keeping on the well-lit path, and rode the elevator to his floor. Victoria stood in his room holding an ice pack.
“You’ve been a bit naughty.” She snapped the pack out to him.
With a sheepish grin, he placed it on his eye. “I suppose so. But come on, I’ve hardly given you two ladies any trouble since we started training. Almost a year now.”
“And I suspect that’s a big reason you’re still alive.”
Nathan had no desire to argue. He needed to get some sleep — especially because he knew Octavia would make him pay during the morning’s training session. Yet Victoria appeared so sweet and bright and happy to be there, that an idea struck him. “Will you answer some questions?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
Ignoring a year’s worth of evasive non-answers, he replied, “No reason, I guess.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Will you tell me about the Cardinal? I think he tried to kill me. Or hurt me, at least.”
“No, he tried to kill you. He’s one of the few originals left. The first souls. The prime bodies. Different groups call them different things, but the idea is the same. The Cardinal discovered his body had the ability to hold two souls and make him immortal. Unlike the rest of us, the Cardinal has never lost control of his body to another soul. He is the original owner of that body.”
“Why is he chained up then?”
Victoria lowered onto the edge of the bed. “He’s been alive for over a thousand years. The same body, the same soul, the same mind. He’s mastered more skills, learned more languages, read more books, than any of us combined. But when you live that long, you lose touch with human beings. You’ve seen too many of them come and go. You’ve loved too many that will only die. You discover nothing is permanent except you. Nothing is important except what you decide is important. We all recognize that we are different and our difference from humans gives us a different set of values, but with an original body, their values are even different from ours.”
“Are you saying that the Cardinal is chained up like that because he’s different?”
“He’s dangerous. He is detached from existence as we see it. So, we only let him free when there is no other choice.”
“But why keep him like that — all chained and —”
“That was by his request. See? Different values. We accommodate him in the way he desires because we respect who he is, and in return, when we need his help, he provides. Understand?”
Nathan shrugged. “As much as I understand any of this.”
She took his hand and guided him to sit next to her. “I know it’s confusing. That’s because you still cling to your human side. You still see life as a stretch of seventy, eighty, maybe ninety years. Most of us were like that, too. Usually by the time you pass your nineties and have gone through a few deaths of your own — and I don’t mean training deaths — well, then your perspective shifts, and a lot of what you’re learning now will make tremendous sense.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.” Clapping her hands on her knees, she said, “Now, are you interested in sex yet?”
“Excuse me? What?”
“You’ve been here a long time and have not once requested sex. That is highly unusual.”
“I’m sorry. I mean, you’re beautiful, and don’t get me wrong, I’ve thought about you, but —”
Victoria laughed. “Oh, you foolish boy. I told you from the start that would not be happening. I’m here to assist you. I’m not your whore. If you want sex, let me know and I’ll see that a proper whore is brought in to service you. That’s all I was offering.”
Nathan reddened. “Oh. My apologies.”
“No need. I can see why the confusion happened. And I am quite attractive. So, do you require sex or not?”
“No, thank you.”
“If you change your mind, don’t hesitate to call. I had assumed you knew all along and that you had chosen not to ask or that your sexual urges were quite low, but I figured since we had this moment to talk, I should make sure. You are sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Octavia takes all my energy. I haven’t had a strong desire in months.”
A smile crept upon Victoria’s lips. “Yet you had enough energy to go where you shouldn’t. Well, you know how to reach me, if you need me. Is there anything else you require tonight?”
“No. I’ll be fine. Thank you for the ice.”
Victoria beamed. “My pleasure. Good night.”
“Good night.”
After she left, Nathan flopped back on the bed and chuckled. He was living in a madhouse. That was the only explanation that made any sense. He never died. He had suffered a mental breakdown and all of this was in his head. He probably spent his days in a filthy bathrobe standing by a caged window looking out at the Hudson River while drool fell from his lips.
The pain around his eye argued otherwise.
He took three slow breaths and cleared his mind. Jennie. The rest — reality or madness — mattered not. Only Jennie. He had to find her and put all of this behind him. He closed his eyes.
And opened them only seconds later. Except dawn had arrived and the digital clock on the bedside table read 6:11 am. He was late for PT.
Throwing on the clean jumpsuit Victoria had put out, he stumbled into the hall and toward the elevator. Why hadn’t Victoria woken him? On the few occasions he attempted to sleep in for an extra ten minutes, she rang his phone to remind him of his training. Yet this time she let him sleep for over a half hour. Octavia was going to be furious.
As he rushed outside, he sensed something had changed. A quick glance in the direction of the Cardinal’s prison relieved his mind of that possibility — the door looked secure. Plus, if the Cardinal had escaped, he suspected there would be a whole lot of panic going on.
A noise. That’s what was setting off his internal alarms. Instead of the quiet of an empty island, instead of the only sounds being the breeze and the surf, he heard the whine of a powerful engine.
Turning the corner of the locker rooms, he saw a helicopter in the middle of the field — a CH-47 Chinook transport. Its distinctive twin rotors and long-barreled cabin were unmistakable. Even if he had not spent hours upon hours training to identify various military craft by their appearance and even their sound, he still would have known this helicopter. After the Huey, it was the most famous air support vehicle to come out of Vietnam.
Octavia and Victoria stood nearby. He shuddered. Perhaps they had changed their minds about what he did. Perhaps seeing the Cardinal meant they were going to throw him out of a helicopter.
As he approached, Octavia made a winding motion and the pilot started up the rotors. By the time Nathan reached them, the helicopter blades were pressing the air down with great force. Nathan ducked, because that was what he had seen people do around helicopters, and followed the ladies into the cab. Once Victoria closed the door, most of the noise quieted down. Nathan also noted that the chairs
were leather upholstered with a drink holder in the arm and a reading lamp above. Apparently, they had made a few modifications from its original military specs.
The Chinook lifted into the air. Through a round window, Nathan watched the land drop away, and for the first time, he saw the whole island. It was larger than he had expected. The resort only comprised one section surrounded by a large forest. On the other side of the forest, however, he spied a small town. Cars drove around while trucks made morning deliveries. People. People were down there.
Octavia answered his unasked question. “You really think we would build all of that on an island and only use it for you?”
In silence, he observed her face. She showed no anger over his breach of the previous night. She showed no joy as if about to relish in revenge. Perhaps, then, this sudden change was not going to be a punishment.
Victoria handed him a file folder as Octavia spoke. “Congratulations. You’re going on your first mission.”
Chapter Nine
As Nathan leafed through the file, his stomach gurgled its displeasure. Octavia ignored the sound and outlined his task.
“This should be a simple one. We don’t want to tax you with anything complicated your first time out. But it is still an important mission. Vital to the national security interests of both the US and UK.”
“You’re going to trust a vital mission to a newbie?”
Victoria gave his shoulder a teasing nudge. “Silly, all of our missions are vital. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be hired.”
Octavia pointed to a photo in Nathan’s lap. It showed a bearded man, graying, with a deep scar running along his left cheek. “That is Lucas Fremont. He’s in New York City for the next day, possibly two. After that, he’ll be leaving the country. You are to locate him and take his black book of names.”
“Are you serious? A black book?”
“Have I ever joked about anything?”
“Can’t you just hack his laptop or something?”
“Lucas Fremont doesn’t trust computers or people. Rightfully, in his case. So, this is the only way.”
As Octavia went over what transportation to use and what to avoid, how to pay in cash without drawing attention, and other things she had taught him before, his mind took a step back with a simple thought — this is really happening. They really expected him to use all his training as part of some kind of espionage game. Not only that, but this kind of thing had been going on for centuries and would continue on for centuries more. These people have always been out there, just beyond sight, altering the course of humankind to fit whatever they thought it should be.
Until that file hit his lap, Nathan had fallen into a world that consisted of an island and two other people. Suddenly, the other several billion were crashing into his existence along with the reality of the purpose of his training.
“Why are these names important?” he asked.
Octavia bristled but kept her voice low. “It doesn’t matter. We do the mission, not the details.”
Nathan nodded. He meant it, too. She was right. It didn’t matter. Not for him, at least. Because he had no intention of doing the mission. He had spent over a year with one goal in mind, and they were taking him right to her — well, to her city, at least.
“I got it,” he said. “I’ll read the file and ask if I have any questions. But after last night, I’m still exhausted. How long until we reach New York?”
Victoria pulled a blanket from a compartment above and handed it to him. “Several hours. Get some sleep. We’ll make sure you’re awake in time.”
They landed on another island, transferred to a plane which brought them into Florida, and then took off in another helicopter — a Koala this time, mostly used by the FBI — and headed for New York City. By the time they touched down at La Guardia airport, the noonday sun burned bright. Nathan hopped out, happy to be on solid ground once more, and noticed that nobody followed him off. He turned back as Octavia handed him a cell phone.
“This is a solo mission,” she shouted above the engine’s roar. “Once you’ve got the book, call the number in that phone for extraction.” She checked her watch. “If you haven’t got the book by tomorrow morning, you’ve failed. We never fail. Understand?”
Nathan snatched the cell phone and walked off the tarmac. He wanted to flip her off but refrained — partially because he knew she could kick his ass; mostly because he didn’t want that to be the last thing she ever saw of him. And he intended to never see Octavia or Victoria ever again.
Once inside the airport, he went straight for a yellow cab and into the city. As long as Jennie still worked in sales at a jewelry store, he knew she would take her lunch at one of three places — China’s Apple, Mario’s Pizza, or Schaum’s Deli. He started with the Chinese place, and twenty minutes later found her downing a slice at Mario’s.
He stood by a tree on the other side of the street and watched her. She looked staggeringly beautiful — not just her physical beauty which had pulled his interest from the start, but the way she sat alone and confident, the way she glowed with promise and hope. Nathan worried that over the past year, he might have created a version of her that went beyond reality, but his entire life had gone beyond reality, so he saw no harm. And this wasn’t a case of denying a scientific fact. This was his heart. Whatever the reality, this was how he saw her. He could not think of a single thing that would ever change that.
His toes tingled and his fingers tapped against his side. He crossed the street and entered the pizza shop. The lunch crowd was thick and noisy but he barely registered any of it. Though his training had him noting the one exit in the back near the restroom and the one exit at the front which he had entered through, his focus stayed on the woman wiping pizza sauce from her mouth.
“Jennie?” he said, hoping that his voice did not jump.
She looked up and underneath her charming smile, he saw her bite her lip and check around the room. She clearly decided that he wouldn’t attack her in such a crowded place, and then squinted as she inspected his face again. As the tips of her ears reddened, she shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to remember who you are.”
He tried to hide his disappointment. Of course, she had never met Jake, so she had never seen his face, but Nathan had held a secret hope that she would see his soul within, that by some magic, she would leap into his arms and all would be right. In a softer tone, he said, “I’m a friend of Nathan’s.”
Her face dropped, and Nathan realized what he had said. “Oh. You don’t know, do you?”
“I’m sorry,” he sputtered. “I do know. I forget sometimes.”
“I do, too. I mean it’s been a year and I still catch myself referring to him in the present tense. Please, sit.”
“I’m Jake,” Nathan said.
She shook his hand. Feeling her skin sent a charge through his body. Even through the overpowering aroma of garlic and cheese, he could smell her perfume. What was its name? He wanted nothing more than to lean across the table and kiss her.
“I don’t recall Nathan ever mentioning you. Jake? Doesn’t ring a bell.”
“We only knew each other for a very short time, but he had a great impact upon my life. I would’ve come sooner but I was kept away for quite a while.”
“Kept away?”
“Not really important.” He flicked his fingers in the air as if tossing aside the thought.
Jennie looked stricken. “That’s something Nathan always did. I said he was using his fingers to dance away a problem. I called it —”
“Dancing fingers. Yeah, he told me that once. Sorry, I didn’t even realize I did it, too.”
“It’s okay.” She smiled but it seemed more for herself. “It’s kind of nice to see it again.”
They grew quiet. Nathan strained for a comment, a thought, anything to keep her there and talking. But every word out of his mouth had a lie attached to it, and if that was where he began this reunion, then he would never be able to gain h
er trust in order to tell her the truth. Better to blurt it out and deal with the repercussions than betray her with lies.
He opened his mouth, ready to reveal everything, when he saw her eyes glisten. She dashed at the tears and said, “I shouldn’t cry. I’ve certainly done enough of it since he died. It was hard at first. Really hard. You ever lose anybody?”
“Sort of,” he said.
“Those first months — I hope I never have to go through anything like that again. Spending each day in a fog, praying that somehow the whole thing was a mistake, that he was still alive and would come back to me.”
“What if he could?”
She pulled out a compact and checked her eyes. “No. I mean, back then, yes, I would’ve jumped through flaming hoops, heck, I would’ve killed someone, if it meant getting Nathan back. But things never stop rolling along, and I’ve rebuilt my life. I miss him all the time, but I realized I couldn’t spend my life waiting for something that can’t actually happen. It’s not like we’re going to live forever. Death is part of the deal.”
Nathan noticed her right hand. The nails were manicured and the compact she held had a fancy, gold trim. She wore expensive things, too — a silk blouse and a diamond tennis bracelet. “Nathan told me you two were struggling to make ends meet. He was all excited about law school because of the money you’d make eventually. Looks like things have gotten better for you.”
She raised her left hand and wiggled a diamond engagement ring with her thumb. “I only started dating a few months ago,” she said. There was a gentle warmth in her voice as she looked at the ring. “My sister kind of forced me into it. But then, the strangest thing happened.”
A man’s voice cut through the crowd. “You found love right under your nose.”
Jennie radiated joy and love in a way that Nathan had always thought belonged to him alone. It burned the air around her, pouring out of her face that lit up as her mouth opened wide enough to flash her teeth. He turned around to see the fiancé. His heart froze ice cold in his chest, when instead, he saw his old friend, Charlie. Charlie took Jennie’s hands and kissed her lips.