by Mike Ryan
Upon hearing Hester’s voice, Cain could tell exactly where he was standing and that he’d relaxed a little by talking to Sanders. He wasn’t entirely focused on him at that point. Cain rolled over as quick as lightning and fired a couple bullets that found their way into Hester’s midsection. Hester dropped to his knees as he looked at Cain, shocked that he got the jump on him and made such a careless mistake. Hester raised his gun slightly but dropped it a second later as Cain put one more round into his chest. Hester fell onto his back and Cain got to his feet and checked on the man. He took the transmitter out of his ear and put it in his own. He waited a few seconds until someone spoke.
“I heard gunfire Hester, is it done?” Sanders asked.
“Looks like you lost one more agent,” Cain replied. “You failed again.”
“This isn’t over. I’m gonna keep coming and coming and coming. I don’t care how many agents it takes, but your days are numbered. I guarantee you that. There’s nowhere you can run, hide, or take cover.”
“Heartwarming.”
“And if I don’t get you first, maybe I can get Raines. You know, since he seems to be hiding your girlfriend and her sister right now.”
“You haven’t been able to locate him in several years. I doubt you’re gonna be able to do it now.”
“I guess we’ll see,” Sanders told him.
“We’re done here,” Cain said, tossing the earpiece on the ground and crushing it with his foot.
Cain held his shoulder and began running out of the cemetery when he stopped near the front gate. His mouth felt really dry and he licked his lips. He felt a shortness of breath and grabbed one of the iron bars on the gate to keep his balance. He squinted his eyes as he had trouble focusing on anything and his vision was slightly blurry. Cain knew what was happening and knew he couldn’t just stay there. He gathered up enough energy to stumble forward until he reached his car. His head was pounding and felt like it was about to explode. He wasn’t sure how much time he had left but didn’t want to pass out there. He got in the car and fumbled with the keys, finally able to start it after a few seconds. It was no use though. His breathing became very heavy and he closed his eyes. He turned the car off knowing he couldn’t drive anywhere without crashing into a tree somewhere. A second late he slumped over, his head resting on the passenger seat.
Chapter 9
Cain woke up, still laying in the front seat of his car. After staying in that position for a few minutes, he finally was able to sit up. His head felt a little foggy and he was breathing hard. It was dark out. He turned his car on and looked at the time. It was after ten. He wasn’t sure exactly where he was at so he got out of his car and just looked at his surroundings. Cain saw the cemetery sign and thought for a few seconds to remember what he was doing there. After a minute, it came back to him. He remembered everything that happened. A pain came out of his shoulder causing him to wince and look down at it as he dabbed the wound with his hand. He’d forgotten he was shot until the pain reminded him. He looked at his phone and saw several missed calls from Raines. He thought about calling him back but figured he’d do it later. With Heather gone he didn’t think he had much to discuss with him. Cain knew he needed medical treatment soon though and got in his car and started driving until he came across the first hospital he saw. Once he found one he went in and immediately got his shoulder looked at.
“You know I have to report this,” the doctor told him as he was getting the bullet out.
“Yeah.”
“Wanna tell me what happened?”
“I was walking downtown and saw a couple guys trying to rape some woman. So I tried to help and one of them pulled a gun and shot me.”
“Wow. Good thing you came along,” the doctor replied, not sure he bought the story.
“Yeah.”
After the doctor finished he instructed Cain to stay there for a little bit. Cain knew he couldn’t risk staying in one spot for too long though, especially once the authorities came after the doctor told them a gunshot victim was there. Cain stood up from the bed and stretched his shoulder. Another doctor came in to check on him, causing Cain to be a little suspicious.
“So am I good to go, Doc?” Cain asked.
“Sure am. I just have one more needle to give you to help with the pain,” he replied, holding a needle in his hand.
“Should I sit down?”
“If you’d like.”
Cain sat down and reached his right arm behind his back where his gun was tucked in his belt and gripped the handle. The doctor moved the needle closer to Cain’s shoulder when Cain suddenly knocked it away, the needle flying across the room. Cain withdrew his weapon from his belt and pointed it at the doctor’s chest as he stood up. The doctor backed away with Cain following until he backed himself into the corner.
“Who you working for?” Cain asked, the doctor’s fate depending on his answer.
“What’s it matter? If you’re gonna shoot me, then just do it.”
“Cause I haven’t decided yet if I’m gonna pull the trigger. So I’ll ask you again, who you working for?”
The doctor huffed as he decided whether to answer. “I work for Sanders.”
“You’re part of The Specter Project?”
“Surprised?”
“No,” Cain said as he pulled the trigger, firing three rounds into the doctor’s chest as he watched him slump to the ground. “Not at all.”
Cain then left, quickly walking down the hallway, taking care not to run to avoid drawing attention to himself. He couldn’t be sure if anyone else was waiting but assumed he would’ve run into them by now if they were. Once he got out of the hospital he ran to his car and sped off. As he raced down the highway he realized that they seemed to be on to him no matter where he turned. His wife’s house, the cemetery, the hospital, Specter seemed to know where Cain was going before he did. He slowed down and pulled out his phone and called Lawson.
“Shelly, where are you?” Cain asked.
“I’m at home. Why? Where are you?”
Cain sighed. “I can’t seem to shake them. I just had a run-in with an agent at the hospital.”
“Hospital? What were you doing there?” she wondered.
“Shot in the shoulder. It’s fine though. No big deal.”
“So what’s your next move?”
“I’m not sure. Did you fax those documents?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Hopefully that does something. Soon.”
“Matt, depending on how far up this goes, they could take this operation down tomorrow or it could take months. If they do anything at all. We can’t count on help coming from that,” Lawson responded.
“I know. I’m just not sure where to go next.”
“Just lay low for a little bit. You don’t have to engage every agent you come across or seek them out. Just wait and see what happens.”
“Hiding out isn’t exactly my strength.”
“I know. But you can’t take down this entire agency by yourself. You can’t.”
“What other options do I have?”
“Wait and see if anything happens with the documents. Lay low for a few weeks. Find a spot they can’t find you and just sit tight,” Lawson told him.
“Easier said than done.”
“I know,” she said, trying to think of something to make him think her way was right.
“Maybe I should just walk into Sanders office and go down in a blaze of glory,” he thought.
“No. No. Don’t do that,” Lawson stated, suddenly thinking of what might work. “Heather’s alive!”
“What?”
“She’s not dead. She got off the plane before it took off and grabbed the next flight. Raines has her and her sister right now. They’re safe.”
“Are you sure?” Cain asked.
“Of course I’m sure. Sanders is having a fit about why they can’t seem to kill her.”
“That must’ve been what Raines was calling me for. I’m sur
e it’s killing Sanders that he can’t take out one woman.”
“His face gets so red when he’s told she’s escaped whatever plan he’s put in place,” Lawson laughed. “It’s so funny. He looks like he’s about to burst.”
“You really think laying low for a few days is the ticket?”
“Yes. I do. All I know is that if you keep looking for trouble then you will find it. And eventually, that trouble will be more than you can handle. You don’t need to take down everyone in one day.”
“OK. I’m gonna find a spot to settle down. I’m not sure where but I’ll find something. I’ll talk to you later.”
Cain kept driving, not sure where he was traveling to, but knew that he just needed to be invisible for at least a few days. He drove for hours, careful to avoid anywhere he might be spotted by a camera that could be picked up by Sanders. Once he got to Maryland, he settled on a small hotel just on the edge of the Baltimore line. He figured if he could stay there for a few days, hopefully something would break for him while he was there.
Three days went by without any more incidents. Cain effectively hid without being tracked by Sanders and didn’t try to engage any of his men. On Sanders end, they had no leads on where Cain or Raines went. They both seemed to just drop off the grid at the same time. Sanders was beginning to think that this was the beginning of the end. Two former agents that they just couldn’t find or kill. It just seemed that the wheels were beginning to come off and things were unraveling.
Sanders was sitting in his office reviewing some files when he noticed a commotion on one of the security monitors in the lobby. His security team seemed to be detaining a large group of men until what appeared to be the leader of the group started getting animated with them and showed them some papers. Sanders couldn’t quite tell what it was but he had a pretty good guess. He noticed a few guns in the crowd and detected a shiny badge on one of them to indicate they were some sort of government personnel. A few minutes later his security team let the group pass. The group quickly moved through the building. Sanders logged onto his computer and sent a mass email to his deputy directors informing them of the situation. He then started deleting the information on his computer. A few minutes later he heard loud voices emanating from just outside his office. His secretary was unsuccessful in trying to prevent a man from barging into his office. Sanders leaned back in his chair as he waited for the man to come in. A younger man emerged, probably in his early thirties, opening the door.
“Director Sanders?” he asked forcefully.
“And who might you be?”
“I’m Special Agent Whitfield.”
“By what right do you have barging into my facility like this?” Sanders angrily asked.
“Sorry to inform you that you are being placed under arrest.”
“By whose authority? I only answer to one man,” he stated.
“By order of the President,” Whitfield replied, putting the order on the desk. “Did you really think you could just blow up a plane with innocent civilians, Americans, and get away with it? That’s not to mention the money laundering, gun trafficking, and other things you’ve been dabbling in.”
Sanders gently picked up the papers and carefully read the contents. After he was done he nonchalantly put them back on the desk.
“So the plane was what did me in?” Sanders asked.
“They’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while. Once we received proof of some of the things you were doing, things were set into motion. The plane was the final straw. They couldn’t wait any longer to bring you in. Any man in control of a government facility who’s willing to blow up a plane with civilians on it is a man they felt was losing his grip.”
“These charges won’t stick,” Sanders noted, still feeling confident.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m placing you under arrest and I’m afraid you’re gonna have to come with me,” Whitfield replied.
“This is my building,” Sanders puffed. “You think you can just waltz in here and place me under arrest and get away with it?”
“Don’t make this difficult on yourself. It’ll be easier for you if you come peacefully.”
“You mean easier for you,” Sanders said, standing up. “Not one of these charges will stick.”
“It’s not up to me.”
“I assume you have a car waiting to take me away?”
“Yep.”
“Mind if I call my wife first just to let her know what’s happening?” Sanders asked, starting to smoke a cigar.
“They’ll be time for that later. First we need to get out of this building,” Whitfield told him.
“We have the first three floors secured,” a voice called out over Whitfield’s radio.
“I’m coming down with Sanders in a minute,” he replied.
Sanders put the palm of his right hand on the edge of the desk as he puffed on his cigar, the index finger going underneath the desk and hitting a button.
“I guess I’m ready,” Sanders stated.
Whitfield led Sanders out of his office as they walked down the hall to the elevator. People were looking on, wondering what was going on. For someone being arrested, Sanders looked extremely calm. Whitfield thought it was somewhat strange how carefree he was being but figured Sanders didn’t really have much choice in the matter. They stepped on the elevator and Whitfield hit the parking garage button.
“You really think it’s gonna be this easy?” Sanders asked, blowing smoke from his cigar into the air.
“What do you mean?”
“You really think you can just come in here and do this? This is my building. These are my people.”
“We’ve got them taken care of,” Whitfield responded.
“Oh do you?” Sanders shrugged, amused. “I think you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
Whitfield was starting to become concerned that maybe Sanders had something up his sleeve. He pulled out his gun as the elevator stopped. The doors swung open and Whitfield was pleasantly surprised that there was nobody there waiting for him. He took Sanders’ arm and they stepped out of the elevator. They walked over to the black car with the tinted windows that Whitfield had waiting for them. He opened the door and put Sanders inside before getting in next to him. Whitfield was immediately horrified when he saw three of his men sitting there dead, bleeding out due to gunshot wounds. He quickly got out and pulled Sanders with him. As soon as he closed the door he turned around to find five guns pointed at him. Sanders took the gun off the young agent.
“As I said, this is my building. These are my people,” Sanders said with a smirk. “Did you really believe I didn’t have a contingency plan for the day this happened? I’m always two steps ahead.”
“You’re making a big mistake,” Whitfield responded.
“I don’t think so. I knew this day would eventually come. I used this agency for everything I could. Now it’s time for me to disappear.”
Sanders then took Whitfield’s arm and led him back over to the elevator.
“You’re gonna make the call saying you’ve got me and are on your way back,” Sanders said.
“I’m not doing that.”
“You will or you’re dead,” Sanders threatened. “Make the call and I’ll put you back on that elevator unharmed.”
Whitfield sighed, knowing he had no choice but to comply with Sanders’ wishes. He got on the radio and told everyone that he had Sanders in the car and they were on their way. Sanders smiled and pushed the up button on the elevator.
“See, I’m not unreasonable,” Sanders said, putting the agent in the elevator. “Unfortunately for you though…I am untrustworthy.”
Sanders raised the gun he took from Whitfield and shot the agent with his own gun. He fired three rounds, all three hitting Whitfield in the chest. The force of the bullets knocked him back as he fell to the ground, blood smearing against the wall. Whitfield was dead as the bullets lodged inside his chest, the first one going through his heart. Sanders securi
ty team whisked him away to his car and zipped out of the garage before anyone knew what had happened.
“Is my jet ready?” Sanders asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Excellent.”
“What about Cain and Raines?” the agent asked.
“They’re not our problem anymore. Let them deal with them. Our only focus is disappearing.”
Lawson was in her office, sitting at her desk, talking with one of the agents in charge of the raid. They were having a very cordial conversation and Lawson was being extremely helpful and forthright. The subject turned to Sanders, Lawson very interested in what they were doing with him.
“So Sanders is in custody?” Lawson asked.
“Yes. He’s already on his way to detention,” Agent Powell replied.
“How many men did it take?”
“Just one.”
“One? Are you sure?” Lawson asked, surprised.
“Yeah, why?”
“Was there a struggle?”
“No. He went without a fight,” Powell responded. “Why do you sound surprised?”
“Because I’ve spent the last eight years working for that man, going over reports with him, going over missions, everything you can think of. He’s always aware of what’s going on, always has a backup plan. The fact that he let himself be arrested without a struggle concerns me. Something’s not right.”
“Well we didn’t give him a chance. He never saw us coming.”
“Sanders always knows what’s coming,” Lawson stated. “Call your man.”
“What?”
“Call whoever’s with him and make sure everything’s alright.”
Powell was unconvinced that there was a problem but reluctantly called for Whitfield on the radio. After unsuccessfully trying to reach him for several minutes, Powell started to get concerned and come around to Lawson’s way of thinking.