The Shadow's Code

by Miles Goodson

  Kioshi’s blood was rushing. He remained in a crazed murderous rage. The driver was exceptional making significant ground and speeding through terrain he wasn’t familiar with. But this wasn’t good enough for Kioshi and he continued to scream and shout. James could now see the lights of Kioshi’s Toyota behind his support vehicle. James decided to make his game play. He radioed his support vehicle.

  “Guys, in twenty seconds turn left. Try and get Kioshi to follow you.” James could see on the night vision camera of the drone that left of them was a heavily wooded forest.

  “OK sir,” came the response.

  “I’m going to send the drone your way to offer you support. Just try and get Kioshi stuck in the woods,” James said, then radioed Bill and told him to send the drone in support of his men. The support vehicle turned, but it didn’t trick Kioshi’s driver. He continued straight ahead and accelerated.

  “Damn!” James shouted as he looked back; his support vehicle was now stuck as it headed straight into the dense forest with the drone hovering above. Kioshi was still shouting at his men in both Japanese and English. Bill and James had both just lost their eyes in the sky as the drone continued to hover over the lost support team. To make matters worse the communications system began to crackle so loudly that they couldn’t hear each other and the military base commanding the drone couldn’t hear Bill.

  Lindon checked his scanner. No drone. His confidence grew. No one was watching over him again. The road was now less than one hundred feet ahead; he accelerated and emerged from the forest and onto the smooth tarmac.

  The radios finally stopped crackling for Bill and James.

  “Bill, can you get a shot on Kioshi?” James asked.

  “Negative. We’re too far behind,” Bill responded. James tried to answer but the bumpy ride knocked the air out of him. Roger was ducked down in the rear seats, trying desperately to hold on. Mercifully the ground smoothed.

  “Lindon is getting away. Did you get anywhere with local authorities?” James called.

  “They’re sending units.” Gunfire erupted from Kioshi’s vehicle again, both forwards and behind.

  “We need this asshole dead!” Bill shouted down the radio and at his team. James had followed in Lindon’s tracks and had now reached the road and was picking up speed. Kioshi’s driver took a left near a large tree deviating from the tracks made by James and Lindon. It was here that his luck and skill finally ran out. The ground dropped sharply on one side. Bill’s driver slowed as they reached the tree.

  “Turn right, RIGHT!” Bill shouted. The SUV missed the tree by a hair and continued in James’s tracks. Bill looked out of the window towards Kioshi. The Toyota lurched one way, then the other. The driver attempted to correct the motion but it was too late. The Land Cruiser flipped and went head first into two pine trees at high speed.

  “HE’S WRECKED!” Bill shouted and snatched his radio. “James. Kioshi’s crashed.”

  Bill’s car opened fire on the wreck in the distance as they sped away to catch up with James. The Toyota was now on fire and as the bullets rained onto the vehicle it erupted in a fireball. Bill and his team didn’t slow down; they needed to get to Lindon now.

  Kioshi crawled away from the vehicle just before it became a fireball. He had several broken fingers and his team was dead but Kioshi was not finished.

  Chapter 46

  Lindon traveled at over double the speed limit. The headlights of pursuing vehicles had now disappeared and he started to digest what had happened. He had several cuts on his face, arms and knees from scrambling to get out of his lodge. He needed to get out of Sweden. If he kept heading north he would reach the border with Finland, but he didn’t have a plan from there. Lindon thought about asking Chris for another favor and remembered that he was meant to be meeting with him tonight for a drink. Lindon didn’t know what to do. His bug out plan had always been to head north but now he didn’t know who he could trust or where he was safe.

  James’s SUV was pushing as hard as it could to catch up with Lindon. The engine strained as it revved, pushing every last bit of power to the wheels. James hadn’t seen Lindon’s taillights for over a minute and was beginning to worry.

  “Can you see him?” Bill crackled over the radio.

  “No, where’s the drone?” he asked.

  “It’s hovering over Kioshi’s car wreck, make sure that asshole is dead,” Bill said.

  “I’ve sent my support team to check out the crash site. I need that drone tracking Lindon,” James replied.

  Bill gave the orders and the drone raced to James’s location at only two hundred feet off the ground. James stared at the screen looking for his vehicle in the drone’s camera. It closed in on James and would be able to show Lindon within a few seconds. As it passed James’s SUV, it got a glimpse of the Land Rover. Then it inexplicably shut down. The video relay went black and the pilot lost command. It took seconds for it hit the ground next to the road. The force of the impact tore it in half. James was a helpless spectator witnessing his best shot of keeping track of Lindon smash into pieces.

  “Bill, you see that?” James asked.

  “Yeah, did you see the last bit of footage?” Bill had seen the road ahead of Lindon.

  “No,” James said in shock.

  “There’s a bridge up ahead. It looks like we’ve got him cornered,” Bill said confidently.

  “What do you mean?” James asked.

  The road dipped and Lindon’s Land Rover came into view in the distance. The bridge was pitch black but as Lindon reached it the whole construction lit up with blue flashing lights. There were several police cars parked across the road. At least eight cars had formed a complete road block. The Swedish riot police had been called in from a larger town and they had sent all the men and vehicles they had. Police Volvos lined the road. The Land Rover’s brake lights lit up and its weight shifted forward. The front tyres screeched to a stop. Lindon paused then lurched into reverse. Police officers were on both sides of the road. They threw spike strips one after the other. The first three strips Lindon managed to get over and the run-flat tyres held out. Lindon attempted a U-turn but James’s car had finally caught up. He slowed, then drove straight into the side of the Land Rover at 30mph. Officers quickly surrounded Lindon but couldn’t unlock the doors or break the glass. Lindon had knocked his head against the window during the impact and was dazed. James leapt out of the SUV. His shoulder ached after the seatbelt had dug into him as they crashed.

  “Get out, Lindon. We’re not here to harm you,” he shouted.

  Lindon’s mind floated away. He thought of Stephanie. He thought of how great last night had been and how he was looking forward to seeing her again. Then he began to realise what had just happened. He didn’t see James, who was now standing at the driver’s door. There were flashing blue lights in every direction and an army of men in uniforms.

  “C’mon, Lindon. Just get out. We need to keep you safe,” James said again.

  It echoed through Lindon’s mind. He looked right and could see another man who wasn’t wearing uniform. It was Roger, he was shaken up and was pinning a cell phone against his ear but not talking. Lindon opened the door and swung his legs out, he struggled to stand. James supported him for a second, wincing as the pain of his shoulder shot through his body.

  “C’mon, give me a hand,” James said to his men. Bill’s SUV pulled up next to Roger. James looked at Lindon. “Well, we’ve been looking for you for a long time, Lindon.” He pointed towards Bill. “Glad to have you alive,” James said with a smile.

  Lindon didn’t respond. Instead he looked at the edge of the bridge and on towards the pitch-black sky. Surely this isn’t how it was meant to end, he thought.

  Chapter 47

  Kioshi managed to crawl from his wrecked vehicle and into some thick shrubs before anyone saw him. As he writhed in pain his phone rang. Kioshi answered but didn’t say anything.

  “You’ve missed your chance now. The authorities have
him, but I can take care of him…” Kioshi listened intently, ignoring the pain he was in. “You destroy Washington D.C. and double my paycheck,” the man said. Kioshi could hear a truck driving towards him. It was James’s support vehicle.

  “D.C. and double the payment, you always did hate the White House, didn’t you?” Kioshi said, taking shallow breaths.

  “Deal?” the informant asked.

  “Deal,” Kioshi said. The caller hung up.

  A black SUV stopped near Kioshi but didn’t see him in the undergrowth. Five men got out and looked at Kioshi’s car that was on its roof. Kioshi stayed hidden.

  “Looks like three bodies to me,” one of the men said; the smell of burning fuel lingered in the air.

  “Let me see,” another replied. The men argued for a moment.

  “OK, you see any tracks?”

  The men stared at the dark forest floor, shining a torch in all directions. The black SUV they had arrived in was empty and the doors were open. Kioshi took his chance. He grabbed his ankle gun and fired. The men ducked down and fired aimlessly into the trees. Kioshi ran for the car, he leapt into the driver’s seat and hit the accelerator. Immediately the men realized they had been duped. Kioshi sped off towards the road.

  “OK, yeah, OK,” James said on the phone. He turned to Bill.

  “Kioshi’s still alive. He just stole my men’s truck in the woods.”

  Bill’s jaw dropped. “What…HOW?” he shouted as his face turned dark red.

  “Let’s worry about that later and get Lindon somewhere safe,” James said calmly. Bill guided Lindon into the back of his truck. James jumped into the driver’s seat.

  “Room for one more?” Roger asked rhetorically as he got in the back next to Lindon. The police cars surrounded the truck. They drove to the nearest police station where they would wait for back- up and extraction.

  “Did you call the president, Roger?” Bill asked, leaning across Lindon.

  “He’s staying in the air until we have a confirmation on Kioshi’s status,” Roger said quickly.

  When they arrived at the small regional Swedish police station a convoy of American military vehicles greeted them. A military base was fifty miles from their location. Bill had told the commander to send the cavalry. It was the most attention the police station had ever got. There were so many SUVs and pick-up trucks that they spilled over from the small car pack into the road. James was greeted hastily by the commanding officer. He advised that they had a chopper in the air that was going to land and transport him, Lindon and Bill to the base. The agents and soldiers who had accompanied Bill and James would travel via road in the military convoy. The police officers walked into their small building and began their paperwork routine; they wanted no further part in what was going on. Bill and the commander walked to the door of the small building and blurted out military jargon that James pretended to understand.

  Lindon remained silent; he was unsure what do. He could run, but in minus temperatures with little equipment he knew that option was foolhardy.

  Roger remained in the car. He moved to the driver’s seat of the SUV and cranked up the heater and rubbed his hands together to try and bring the blood back to his fingertips. James walked over to the car.

  “Roger, you’re going with this guy over here, Commander… Rhineburg…. I think.”

  “Where are you going?” Roger asked with a frown.

  “There’s a chopper coming for me, Bill and Lindon. There is a space in the jump seat if you want it”

  Roger flexed his neck and huffed. “The president said I must remain with Lindon until he is back on US soil.”

  James shrugged his shoulders.

  “Roger. You can travel in the convoy with the heater on and an army keeping you safe… why would you want to be on a cold military helicopter racing through the clouds being rocked left to right?” James said in a friendly manner with a read-between-the lines nod. An icy cold breeze whistled past them both.

  “The president has asked me to keep close and report back if anything happens… I’d much rather be in Washington at my desk with a hot cup of coffee and crisp copy of the Wall Street Journal to paw over, but instead I’m here and I’m here on the orders of the big man so I’ve got no choice”

  Roger sounded genuine for once. It was the first time James had seen this side of Roger and so he didn’t respond. He couldn’t argue with what Roger had said and it meant that he didn’t have to make ‘the call’ to the president if someone screwed up. The CIA director had put James on a long leash, but if he messed up then he was taking the rap for it. Bill was a Two Star General; he would get early retirement if anything went wrong. James wouldn’t. But as long as Roger was around James had someone to blame, so he nodded.

  As the helicopter landed in a car park adjacent to the police station the snow lifted off the ground and sprayed in all directions. James rushed Lindon to the door. Bill and Roger followed. Within sixty seconds the turbine was revving up and propelling the helicopter upwards. The snow turned to a white haze around them as the rotors created a storm of turbulent wind. Lindon stared out of the window. As the helicopter turned and the lights of the small down faded, everything around them became dark.

  For the first time since his capture Lindon had a chance to reflect on what had happened. He wondered why such a high-ranking military general was there and why was the CIA there. Even more worryingly the secretary to the president was sat next to him rubbing his hands together and shivering as though he was about to catch hypothermia. The three men looked like the oddest international rescue service in history. Lindon remained silent; before he answered any questions, he needed some answers.

  After touchdown the four men marched into a grey building. The military base was Swedish but a joint task force occupied it. The American military leased over a quarter of the site. The British and Germans also had a small proportion of the base that was used for special operations training. The buildings were dull and anonymous. Two Swedish army officers walked over to the men. They were covered from head to toe in cold weather gear. The temperature was minus eighteen.

  “You have Building ‘T’ at your disposal. It contains everything you need,” said one of the soldiers.

  “OK, thank you,” Bill replied as he looked in the direction the man pointed.

  The four men walked over to the building. Lindon looked around, scanning the area and trying to familiarize himself in case he needed to escape. The door to building ‘T’ was locked. Bill knocked and waited. All four men tried to not show how cold they were as their jaws quivered. Lindon was the only one adequately dressed but even he was beginning to shiver. Roger moved side-to-side and continued to fiercely rub his hands together. He was used to hot coffee in the White House with his feet up, not standing in the cold without feeling in his feet. The men stared at the door until they heard two clicks followed by a buzz. The door swung open. There were four Americans soldiers standing in front of them.

  “Sir,” one of the men said, standing to attention.

  Bill nodded. “You know who I am,” he said.

  “Sir. Yes sir,” came the sharp response.

  Bill walked past the men and into the heated corridor. He had to be seen to be senior and in charge, as any Two Star General should when he is in front of his juniors. However Bill was tired and cold and his adrenaline had stopped surging so he could only manage an expressionless face and stern walk to assert himself. James, Lindon and Roger followed behind in a line. Bill stopped and turned to the soldier.

  “Is it just four of you?” he asked.

  “No sir! Four at the rear door. One on the roof and two on the first floor. Sir,” the soldier answered loudly. Bill grumbled to himself.

  “When the convoy arrives I want a six man team patrolling this building, double up on the front and rear door and ask the commanding officer to see me immediately.”

  “Sir. Yes sir,” the soldier said quickly. Bill looked down the long corridor; there was a metal
staircase half way along it leading to the first floor.

  “Where can we get a coffee and some private space?” he asked.

  “Upstairs. On your first right there is a coffee machine. The rear two rooms are soundproofed and have a briefing room between them, sir,” the soldier said, gesturing with his hands.

  “OK. My friend here from the CIA will have some men arriving when the convey get here. Send them to us with the commanding officer,” Bill ordered.

  “Sir. Yes sir.”

  James and Bill walked ahead and discussed a file that James was holding onto tightly. Lindon walked next to Roger who was only just getting feeling back to his fingers and toes. The briefing room was a two-tone grey and white. There was a table in the middle of the room surrounded by metal folding chairs.

  Lindon looked at James who nodded forward and said, “Sit down, I’ll grab you a coffee.” Lindon nodded. Roger was already grasping a plastic cup of coffee when James walked to the machine.

  “Roger, you can sit with us but you’ve gotta keep your mouth shut. Bill and I need Lindon to trust us and I don’t want you screwing that up,” James said.

  “That’s fine. I can sit in the corner if you want.” There was a hint of sarcasm in Roger’s voice. James ignored the comment and pressed a button on the coffee machine. It began spewing piping hot coffee. Lindon sat with Bill, who was grabbing papers and looking at his phone.