by Tina Folsom
“But isn’t Alcatraz open for tours?”
“The last night tour would have finished at nine thirty and normally the daytime staff doesn’t arrive till six am, but we’re in luck: Alcatraz is closed over the Christmas break. We won’t have any issues with civilians.” He paused for a moment. “Forrester wants you to deliver Katie. He asked for you by name.”
Luther’s forehead furrowed. “He doesn’t know me. How can he ask for me by name?”
“I can only assume that he’s been watching us all this time and figured out that you have a connection to Katie. Or maybe he sees you as less of a threat than somebody from Scanguards. I’m not sure. In any case, we’ll have your back.” Blake pointed to a small motorboat that was docked a few yards away from them. “Take the boat to the main dock on Alcatraz. Once you get there, he’ll turn on lights along the ground that will lead you to the location where the exchange will take place.”
“And then?”
“That’s all we have. Don’t worry, we’ll be there to swoop in as soon as he reveals himself. Your job is to secure Isabelle.” Blake addressed Roxanne, “You know what to do. Keep your cover for as long as you can so you can get close to him. You need to distract him from Isabelle. Understood?”
Roxanne nodded.
“I can’t give you any weapons. We must assume that he will be able to detect if you’re armed. We can’t risk it. It has to look like we’re ready to do the exchange.”
“Not a problem.”
“But I have one thing for you.” Blake dug into his pocket and pulled out a tiny item that looked like a button. “A camera.” He reached for Luther’s jacket and affixed the camera to the lapel. “That way we can see what you see. It’ll help us get into the right position. It doubles as a GPS so we’ll have an exact location on you.”
Luther glanced at the small item. It blended in with the color of his jacket, and if he didn’t know it was there, he wouldn’t have been able to detect it. “Guess we’re ready. Keys?”
Blake handed him the keys for the boat. “Good luck!”
Luther hopped into the boat and helped Roxanne into it. It had been a while since he’d been on a motorboat, but he still remembered how to steer one. He put the key in the ignition and started the engine. Blake untied them from the dock and tossed the rope into the boat.
In the distance, Alcatraz Island stood like a beacon in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Its main building, the cell block, which tourists visited during opening hours, was lit from the outside by large spot lights. The rest of the island, however, lay in total darkness. Abandoned buildings stood like eerie reminders of what this island had once housed: dangerous criminals.
A wooden water tower peeked out on one side of the island, a lighthouse overlooking it all. There was some vegetation on Alcatraz, a few trees and bushes near the dock where the tourists started their tour, but not much on the far side of the island.
Luther remembered a paved walkway spanning the whole island, as well as heaps of old concrete blocks that were dumped on the back end.
Luther gunned the engine and pushed the boat to its limit until he saw the dock appear in front of him. He throttled the engine down and pulled up alongside it. Roxanne threw the line out, catching one of the many hooks and tied the boat up. Luther turned the engine off and stepped onto the dock. He turned back to Roxanne and offered her his hand to help her out of the boat.
“Ready?” he asked.
She nodded, remaining silent so she wouldn’t give herself away by her accent.
When they reached the end of the dock, a string of lights sitting low on the ground turned on. He pointed to it. “This way.”
Luther jumped over a low railing and lifted Roxanne over it after him. She could have easily jumped herself, but they had to maintain Roxanne’s cover and pretend she was human, and he her gallant lover. It was evident that Forrester was watching them. He’d switched the guiding lights on the moment they’d reached the end of the dock.
Luther glanced around as he followed the lights with Roxanne by his side. They were on a path leading not toward the cell block but away from it. They were on the part of the island that was facing away from San Francisco.
As they walked, passing a large building on their left, more lights appeared on the path ahead of them. He glanced behind him and noticed that some of the lights he was following had already extinguished. Motion-activated lamps, he assumed. He had to hand it to Forrester. He was sophisticated and had obviously meticulously planned this exchange, whereas Scanguards had only had an hour or two to come up with any countermeasures. Luther could only hope that his old friends could improvise well and outwit their opponent.
He gave Roxanne a sideways glance. He still couldn’t see her vampire aura, and to him she looked entirely human. Wesley’s spell was working. And he hoped that Wes was right about the length of time the spell would cloud Roxanne’s aura and disguise the fact that she was a vampire. Her life depended on it. His and Isabelle’s, too.
They passed the ruins of the old officer’s club on their right. The water tower came into full view ahead, hovering over them to the left of the path. The old power plant appeared on the right.
Luther kept his eyes and ears open. Apart from the waves breaking on the rocks that surrounded the island and gave it its nickname—the Rock—there were no sounds. A steady cool breeze blew from the northeast, muffling even their footsteps.
The entire setting gave him the creeps. Obviously Forrester was a psycho, choosing a place like Alcatraz. A cold shiver ran down his spine. He didn’t like this place, and didn’t understand why Forrester had chosen it. One could reach the island only by water, which made an escape from it difficult. How was Forrester planning to get off the island with Katie (or rather Roxanne), once he had her? It made no sense. Even if he had a boat waiting for him, he had to assume that Scanguards would be easily able to track his movements on the water and follow him. Forrester was a sitting duck.
Roxanne’s hand on his forearm pulled him from his musings. “There,” she whispered and pointed to a spot in the distance.
He saw her immediately. A young woman dressed in a red period dress stood on a grassy, elevated area about fifty yards past the water tower, diagonally across from the old power plant and dilapidated storehouse. She was gagged and blindfolded. Behind her was a pile of rubble and from what Luther could see, she appeared to be chained to one of the rocks. She stood still, but even from the distance, he could see her chest moving up and down. She was breathing.
He exchanged a quick look with Roxanne, his heart pounding. “That Isabelle?”
Roxanne nodded.
“Good.”
“Welcome!” The male voice was distorted, coming from a loudspeaker somewhere from the right.
Luther’s gaze shot in the direction of the storehouse. He focused on the openings that had once held windows, but the glass had long been removed. Now the wind blew through the empty building, creating eerie sounds and shadows.
“Send Katie closer,” the voice demanded. “To the storehouse.”
Luther nodded to Roxanne, and she slowly walked in the direction of the voice.
“Stop!”
Roxanne stopped in her tracks. Luther held his breath, his eyes darting back and forth from Roxanne to Isabelle. He noticed Isabelle pull up her shoulders in fear. From one of the window openings, Luther perceived a movement, something reflecting for a brief moment. A mirror? Glass? He couldn’t be sure.
The sound of the ocean waves and the wind was louder now. It seemed to hum a rhythmic melody.
“Did you really think I’d fall for your deception?” the voice suddenly said.
Luther instantly shot Roxanne a look, but to his surprise her vampire aura was still cloaked. She still looked human. How did Forrester realize that she wasn’t Katie? From his hiding place in the storeroom he shouldn’t be able to tell. Only when standing within a few feet of Roxanne would he be able to realize that she wasn’t Katie.
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“You’re gonna pay for this!” the voice warned.
Shit!
Time for Plan B.
42
The loud sound echoed against the old buildings. Luther shot a look to Forrester’s hiding place, but he couldn’t see anything, only a movement behind one of the windows. A shadow shifting. Nothing more. Had he shot at them? Shit!
Luther sprinted toward Isabelle, jumping over a low chain link fence that separated him from the young hybrid, when he heard a loud whooshing sound from above. He glanced up and saw a black helicopter swoop down onto the path, cutting him off from Roxanne and in effect creating a barrier between Isabelle and Forrester’s hiding place. The wind generated by the rotor blades made Luther sway for a moment, but he continued barreling toward Isabelle.
“Isabelle!” he called out to her, hoping she could hear him over the noise of the helicopter. “Don’t be afraid! I’m working for your father.”
He saw how she jerked her head in his direction, her body trembling. The sight reminded him of what he’d done to her mother twenty years earlier. With silver handcuffs he’d tied Delilah to a pole and gagged her, though he hadn’t blindfolded her. He’d rigged the podium where she and Nina were standing to blow up once a motion sensor was triggered.
Heart pounding, Luther stopped dead in his tracks. What if Forrester had had the same idea? What if he’d set motion sensors that would trigger the countdown to a bomb as soon as somebody got close enough to Isabelle? Forrester had used motion sensors to switch on the lights to guide him to this location, why not use them to blow up Isabelle the moment somebody approached her? Why else would he leave her out here, seemingly easy to reach, rather than keep her with him in the storehouse and only release her once he had what he wanted?
Shit!
“Stay calm, Isabelle!” he instructed her, shouting over the noise. “I’ll have to check your surroundings first.”
She appeared to nod though he couldn’t tell for sure. Maybe she was trembling and shivering too much, fear making her body shake. A twenty-year old girl, even a hybrid, had to be scared, standing in the middle of a commotion, which she couldn’t even see. The noise was deafening now. Luther glanced over his shoulder. Several dark figures had descended from the helicopter and were charging toward the storehouse. Others were coming from the rocks to the left of the building, from a path leading up from the water. He focused his eyes on them. Frogmen? As they came closer, Luther realized that they were wearing wetsuits and had swum to the island, most likely from a boat not too far from the shore. They were surrounding the building now.
Luther turned back to Isabelle. About twenty yards separated them. He scanned the ground with his eyes, carefully zooming in on every shadow and every rock or patch of unevenness he saw, making sure it wasn’t an electronic device. Slowly he crept closer.
“I’m almost there, honey,” he said, trying to reassure her. “Nod if you’re uninjured.”
She nodded instantly.
He sighed in relief and took another step closer, continuously scanning the ground. “Isabelle, did you hear him setting any charges around you?”
She hesitated, but then slowly shook her head.
Gunfire erupted behind him, making him swivel. Bullets seemed to be flying, and men shouted orders and instructions. But the helicopter blocked most of Luther’s view. Nevertheless he saw the Scanguards men storming the storehouse.
“Bomb!” somebody suddenly screamed above the noise.
“Fuck!” Luther cursed and charged toward Isabelle.
It was now or never. If there was a bomb, he didn’t have the luxury of scanning Isabelle’s surroundings for any motion detectors. He had to act.
From the corner of his eye, he saw flashes ignite the darkness, but he didn’t stop to look what it was.
“I’m here, Isabelle! I’ve got you!”
He reached her and pulled the gag from her mouth, then jumped behind her.
“Help me, please get me out of here!” she choked out.
Luther examined her ties. She was chained to the remnants of a fence, a metal post. The blisters on her wrists confirmed that the chain Forrester had used to tie her up was silver, the only metal that was toxic to a vampire, so toxic that no vampire could break a silver chain with his hands, no matter how thin.
“Stay still, I’m gonna break the chain, okay?” He searched the hovel of rubble behind her and found what he was looking for: a piece of metal rod slim enough to insert into one of the links of the heavy silver chain. As long as he didn’t have to touch the silver himself, the metal rod would do the work for him.
“Hold still, Isabelle,” he instructed her and slid the rod into position. He twisted it, and the link broke, separating the chain. Snatching the bow of her dress and wrapping his hand with it, he grabbed one end of the chain and unwound it from Isabelle’s wrists. Even through the fabric he felt the silver burn him, but he was able to untie her completely.
Isabelle pulled her arms forward. “Thank you!” She reached for her face, pulling her blindfold off. Her eyes fell on the helicopter and the firefight beyond it. “Oh my God!”
An explosion rocked the island. Instinctively, Luther threw himself over Isabelle, tumbling to the ground with her. He felt her breathe hard underneath him, but he knew she wasn’t hurt.
Listening for the sounds coming from the storehouse where Forrester had been hiding, Luther heard voices he recognized. He realized now why. The helicopter’s blades weren’t turning anymore. The pilot had switched off the engine. Suddenly it was quiet.
Blake’s voice drifted to him. “He’s dead. We got him.”
Relieved, Luther lifted himself off Isabelle and helped her up. “Blake, we’re here. I’ve got Isabelle. She’s fine.”
Several people came running toward them. Samson was the first to reach them. He only had eyes for his daughter.
“Daddy!” Isabelle cried out and threw herself into his arms. “You came!”
Samson pressed her to his chest and stroked her hair. “Of course, sweetheart.” Then he turned his head and looked at Luther. “Thank you, Luther. I owe you so much.”
Luther shook his head. “We’re even now.” With a nod at Isabelle, he walked toward the storehouse.
Blake met him halfway. “Good job.”
Luther motioned to the structure the explosion had originated from. “What happened there?”
“He blew himself up when we charged the building. Guess he didn’t want to be taken alive,” Blake replied and walked alongside him.
Luther shook his head. “I don’t get it. He put himself in a position he couldn’t escape from.”
“Maybe he wasn’t as smart as we assumed after all.”
Several men from Scanguards were already extinguishing the flames. Luther pointed at the storehouse. “Can’t have been a very large explosion.”
“Didn’t even blow out any of the walls,” Blake confirmed. “No collateral damage. None of us got hit.”
“In there?” Luther motioned to the door and entered upon Blake’s nod. He glanced around and noticed a spot close to a window where some debris pointed to an explosion. “Suicide vest?”
Blake came closer. “Kind of looks like it, doesn’t it?”
Though there were no remains of the vampire, there was other evidence: pieces of shiny metal, fabric, and wood. Even what looked like part of a radio or a speaker.
“You sure he was here and didn’t just blow up a doll?”
“Positive. We got a visual on him before we went in. It matched the photo we had of him. It was definitely Forrester. You can see for yourself when we get back to HQ. We got it all recorded on our personal cams and were feeding it back to Thomas. He confirmed via the comm system that he’s our guy. No doubt about it.”
“Hmm.” Luther rubbed his chin. Something was bothering him. “He didn’t make any attempt to harm Isabelle. Why didn’t he keep her with him in here until he knew he had Katie? Why tie her up out there, where we could get
between him and Isabelle. He was practically giving up his bargaining chip before he even had a chance at getting Katie.”
“Blake,” a man said from the door. Luther recognized him as John. He was dressed in a wet suit, his hair wet.
Blake pivoted. “Yeah?”
“My team is ready to leave. Clean up outside is done. I radioed for the boat. It’s pulling up alongside the power plant. Are we good to take care of the inside now?”
Blake nodded. “Go ahead. I’ve seen everything I needed to see.”
John waved to somebody outside, while Blake stepped out. Luther followed him, tossing a last glance at the remains on the ground. A few links of a chain sparkled silver for an instant when the light from the helicopter fell onto it.
Blake was waiting outside for him. “You can ride back in the helicopter with us. I think Samson will want that.” He waved Roxanne closer. “Nice work, Roxanne. Are you okay with taking the small motorboat back? One of John’s team can ride with you.”
Roxanne nodded. “Sure. No problem.”
Luther stretched his hand out to her. “Thanks for everything, Roxanne.”
She smiled and shook his hand. “My pleasure.”
Blake patted him on the shoulder. “Let’s go back to HQ. My guys will finish the cleanup and make sure we don’t leave any evidence behind.”
By the time Luther got into the helicopter ahead of Blake, Samson and his daughter were already sitting in it. The pilot had switched on the engine and the rotor blades were turning, picking up speed.
Luther took the seat opposite Samson.
Blake slid in next to him, then gave the pilot a sign. “Back to HQ.”
It was too loud to talk in the chopper, and Luther was glad for it. He looked out through the window, looking back at the location Forrester had picked for the exchange. His forehead furrowed. It was an odd stage he’d set for himself. He’d basically set himself up for failure by choosing a spot he could neither defend nor escape from. It seemed like a suicide mission.
“Something bothering you?” Samson suddenly said from across the aisle.
Slowly Luther turned his face to him. “Lots of things. It was too easy.” He glanced at Isabelle, who pressed herself to her father, seeking comfort in his arms. “No offense, Isabelle, I know it must have been horrendous for you, but that—” He pointed down to the island. “—was a clusterfuck by Forrester. He had no way out. And no way to fight us. If I’d try to pull something like that off, I sure wouldn’t have chosen a place where I was totally exposed.”