a couple of times to keep up. He worried that they would get away before his colleagues could get into position, but as they approached an alley on their right, a black van roared up in front of them and screeched to a halt, blocking their path. He stopped and watched as the side door opened and three men jumped out, making a grab for them. They didn't freeze or panic, but started backing away immediately, wary and tense, ready to fight or run. However, four more men came out of the nearest shop behind them, grabbed them, and pushed them towards the van. They put up a fight, each knocking one man down before the rest could subdue them; the one with the ponytail seemed especially strong and capable, and she needed four of the assailants to keep her under control. They threw them into the van, got in, and closed the door as it sped off past him, tires squealing, down the street. He pivoted and watched it turn left at the next street and disappear around the corner.
Smiling, he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. Mr. X should be pleased; they had caught the girls in record time. He hit a speed-dial button and it rang a couple of times before a message machine picked up.
"Yes, this message is for Ms. Maeve Cruacha. I have Sonya Hibur and Ellen Chiquita. If you wish to see them again, alive, you will make $100 million dollars ready for transfer to a Swiss bank account. I will contact you in a few hours."
He hung up, and checked the saved numbers X had provided. There were a number of other people who might be interested in paying for Sister Act.
A bidding war just might be a good thing about now, he thought.
The thugs threw Eile face-down onto the floor of the van, but as she tried to push herself up, she felt a gun jab into the back of her neck.
"Don't move, or I'll blow your head off."
She relaxed, and her arms were wrenched behind her back and bound, followed by a gag forced into her mouth and tied behind her head.
"That'll hold you."
She rolled onto her back and looked up at the men standing over her, but they all wore masks. She looked around, trying to find Sunny, and spotted her lying beside her, still on her stomach, with her arms tied behind her back and her mouth gagged as well. She shifted her head and stared at her. She had a worried look on her face, but she winked the eye closest to the floor, to reassure her they weren't licked yet. Eile nodded, but she didn't feel quite as confident.
The men didn't speak to them or molest them the rest of the trip, and after a half-hour by Eile's reckoning the van arrived at their destination. They hauled her and Sunny to their feet and blindfolded them, and she heard the van door open. They pushed her out and dragged her across a large open area into a huge room; she heard a very large garage door close behind them. They untied her arms, but then forced her to sit in a chair, and they duct-taped her arms and legs to the chair's counterparts. Only then did they remove the blindfold, but they left the gag in place.
She blinked and looked around. They were inside a warehouse. Sunny sat beside her, in a metal chair bolted to the floor. What she could see of her own seat confirmed it was the same. Most of the men gathered behind them, but four stood in front of them. Two kept an eye on them, holding semi-automatic pistols, while a third carried a video transmission camera on one shoulder pointed at a fourth; they all wore ski masks. About three feet to the right sat a parabolic antenna pointing at an open window in the ceiling.
The man being videoed said, "They've arrived, Mr. Ecks."
"Excellent."
The respondent had a Montgomery Burns voice. Eile couldn't pinpoint the source; it must have come from hidden speakers set up all around her.
"You may contact Ms. Cruacha in a few moments, but first, I would like to see them."
The man, probably the leader of the thugs, twirled his finger in the air, and the cameraman turned around.
"What?!" The Mr. Burns voice practically screeched. "You idiot! They're not Sister Act!"
Stunned, the leader ran around in front of the camera. "They have to be! They match the description you gave me: blonde and ponytail--"
"You nincompoop! I said the blond had a ponytail. Don't you read the papers? They don't look anything like the girls in today's edition!"
"Ish!" The leader turned around and looked at them. "I'm really sorry, Mr. Ecks!" Eile had to admit, he did a good job of groveling as he turn back towards the camera. "I could've sworn it was them."
"But they're not! And, I've already made certain deals that will now have to be cancelled because of your incompetence. We'll discuss this later. For now, get your men back onto the street and find me those girls!"
"What do we do with these two?"
"They've seen and heard too much. Kill them."
The leader nodded to the two men in front. They advanced towards the Girls, raising their pistols. Eile struggled against the tape as Sunny did the same, but even with her enhanced strength she couldn't break loose in time.
Movement above caught her eye. Looking up, she saw nothing in the open window, but an object fell through the air. It landed at their feet and bounced towards the four men in front of them.
A flash-bang!
Eile squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head as far as she could to minimize the effect on her vision. She couldn't do anything about her ears; she just hoped it wasn't close enough to deafen her. A moment later the stun grenade went off; she saw the bright glare of light through her eyelids and heard the loud retort, then her ears started buzzing and she couldn't hear a thing.
Opening her eyes, she saw the dazed men stumble around as they shook their heads and rubbed their ears while blinking. A rope stretched suspended from the window to the floor, and a curvaceous, copper-haired woman wearing a blue catsuit with a red cross over a white X on the front, and white gloves and boots and goggles, repelled down as she fired a machine pistol. She picked off each man with a shot to the head or heart, and by the time she reached the floor, they all lay dead around her.
She detached herself from the rope and strode towards them. Eile recognized her as the woman from the cover of that magazine. She barely took half a dozen steps, though, before she stopped dead, a dumbfounded look on her face.
"You're not Sonya or Ellen!"
Eile rolled her eyes; she would have said "Duh!" if it wasn't for her gag.
The woman recovered in an instant and jogged over to them. "I'll have you free in a moment." She cut the tape binding them to the chairs and pulled it off one arm so they could take care of the rest. She then stood guard as they freed themselves and joined her.
"Follow me." Her manner was curt and professional. She led them to a side door and across the street to a waiting car. Eile noticed their bags were in the back seat. They got in and she drove off, at a normal speed so as not to attract attention.
"Not that we're ungrateful," Eile said, "but just who are you?"
"My name is Disraeli Serasu Haelsing--"
"Halsing!? You mean, Helsing?!" Sunny exclaimed.
Disraeli turned and favored her with an irritated look.
Intimidated, Sunny shrank back into the seat as she twittered in a nervous tone. "Sorry."
"I am bodyguard to Sister Act. When their manager learned of their kidnapping, she alerted me so I could rescue them, but someone appears to have goofed."
"No shit, Sherlock," Eile replied.
Disraeli glanced up into the rearview mirror. "Is there somewhere I can drop you two off?" She sounded exasperated.
"Yes, please," Sunny said, "the nearest hotel, or wherever else we can spend the night."
"I know just the place." She turned right at the next intersection. "Who were those people?"
Eile shrugged. "Beats the livin' crap outta us. They didn't explain themselves, and the only name we heard was 'Ecks'."
She watched in the rearview mirror as Disraeli's eyebrows climbed into her bangs. "Are you sure it was 'X'?"
"Yeah, we remember because it was so distinctive," Sunny said.
"What's this all about?" Eile asked.
Disraeli glanced at them agai
n, and her eyes had a concerned look. "...Nothing. At least, nothing that concerns you."
Eile looked at Sunny, and from her expression she figured she was thinking the same thing: this woman must've learned evasion from Medb.
But she shrugged her shoulders. "Yer right, it's none of our business. We just wanna part company as soon as possible."
"Here it is, Ladies." Disraeli pulled into the court of a swanky hotel called The Ritz-Carlton Downtown. "Just give the desk clerk the name 'Kitty Galore', and they'll get you set up, all free of charge. Just don't run up a huge bill." She stopped in front of the main entrance, and the doorman hurried down to open the passenger door.
They started to get out, when Eile paused. "Hey, Disraeli, we don't wanna give you the wrong impression. We're grateful you rescued us, really we are. Thanks."
She turned to look at them with a soft expression and a slight smile. "Don't mention it. Seriously, don't mention it to anyone."
She and Sunny nodded, and they got out. As soon as the doorman closed the car door, Disraeli drove off.
Eile felt only mildly surprised when everything turned out as Disraeli predicted. They were checked in without having to show a credit card, and a bellhop escorted them to the one of the better rooms, a suite with separate sitting, dining, and bedrooms, and a luxurious bathroom. The Jacuzzi tub looked more like a small swimming pool, and despite the fact that they didn't need a bath they couldn't resist trying it out. They soaked and cuddled and fondled each other for close to an hour before
The Adventure of the Double Image Page 3