by Luis Samways
Crystal is at a panic at the sound of the toilet door opening and Jason stepping out, looking pleased at himself. He turns and sees Crystal leaning against the second cubicle door. She has a look of terror and embarrassment in her eyes, awkwardly fused into one intense and unpleasant feeling. On the other hand Jason is the complete opposite with a look of hunger and fortitude in his eyes. He shuts the toilet door behind him and moves closer to Crystal, touching her hand as he stares deeply into her flustering eyes. She immediately pulls her hand away at the feeling of his cold harsh touch.
‘You liked what you were hearing or do you just enjoy spying on me?’ says Jason in a calm and seductive voice.
Crystal’s expression openly squirms at the sound of his question.
‘I was just going to the toilet, you caught me as I was about to go in’
Jason laughs
‘Sure. Next time maybe you won’t have to be a spectator, maybe just maybe you and me can have some fun.’ Jason says while looking at crystal’s curly brown hair that curved and waved until it bounced off her shoulders. Her tight white blouse that teased her cleavage was growing ever more attractive in his mind. Her hazel brown eyes filled with sparkle and life as she looked at him in shock of what he had just said.
‘I’m not interested Jayson. Not one bit.’ She says forcibly.
Moving closer to her he leans in ready to whisper something into her ear. The smell of perfume on her neck was enticing yet another erection which was visible to crystal who did not dare look him in the eyes. He laughs and walks off leaving crystal standing by herself, tightening her fists.
Twenty Five
The pills that Frank would usually take were strewn all over the bathroom floor. He had just come to after blacking out. His eye sight wasn’t at its best, as the bathroom was looking dimly lit, but he knew that his vision would kick in again and sure enough it did after he sat up and gasped for air.
‘I got to get a handle on this’ he says to himself, still sitting down on the bathroom floor like a lost soul seeking answers in the most unlikely places. Frank gets up and straightens himself up, patting down his clothes to get the invisible feel of helplessness off him. He picks up the empty pill container off the floor and looks at it, a static gaze forms in his eyes, one filled with pain and retribution, a heed for vengeance that he feels he must take on himself, but one he knows that is caused by his Veratril dependency. He stands there for a long while and finally comes to a decision, one that he had entertained since the moment he woke up that day.
He picks up the pills from the floor and puts them back in to the container; with one last look he throws the pill container in the waste paper basket while holding a smile on his face. Frank walks over to the broken mirror and catches a glimpse of himself on a shard of glass that remains embedded into the fragile frame. He walks out of the bathroom, back into the incident room’s long corridor leading to the control center. As he strides down the corridor he notices the blank expressions on the agents walking in the opposite direction to him. Their faces were expressionless holding nothing but a futile spark in their eyes, as they make their way to wherever they are heading. Not one of them makes eye contact with him, but every one of them acknowledges him with a candid “Sir” as he walks by. Frank does nothing but nod, preventing himself from engaging in conversation in his fragile state.
He finally reaches the control room where he is met by Chief Shaw, as he walks over to greet Frank with a stern look on his face.
‘We just got word that Chase will be going live in a few minutes.’ Says Shaw
Frank’s expression grows wary but he keeps a brave face on.
‘Okay. What have we got on Connor that we can use to our advantage?’ Frank asks
‘I’m afraid we haven’t got anything new on the guy. Every one that knows him is either dead or being held hostage. It sort of makes our job a lot harder.’
Frank shakes his head in disappointment.
‘Are you saying that a man that blew up the downtown police precinct and is holding his former co-workers at ransom is harder to nail than a guy done for speeding down the five seven interstate?’
‘It’s not that simple Frank. Speeding tickets and infraction felonies are not dangerous cases. Sure we could go in all guns blazing and lose more hostages then we save. But the bottom line is this, we need to plan our entrance into the building so we can neutralise the threat as quickly as possible. We can’t lose any of the hostages or even Connor or any of his men. They are more valuable to us alive then dead or we would have nuked the place 5 hours ago.’
‘This is bullshit chief! I’m tired of sitting here waiting for that piece of shit to dictate his terms. Why the fuck are we endearing this guy? Are we that weak that we can’t show some pressure on him? Is that what this is, some pin the tail on the donkey game? This is not a game and I am tired of people around here forgetting where they put their nuts!’ Frank says loud enough to draw the attention of the surrounding officers gawping at the TV set waiting for Connors stream to start.
‘That’s right, keep looking. All of you should be working out our next plan, not sitting back here waiting for his god dam speech. Your voluntarily giving him what he wants, and that’s our attention. We should be half way to the insertion point by now, gearing up and putting some one on point, then breeching the building and taking out those scum bags.’
Chief Shaw leans into Frank.
‘I think it’s best if you go get some rest. You’re burning yourself out Frank. That won’t be good for any of us. ‘
‘You know what Chief, I’m leaving but it isn’t to get some rest, after all that’s all I’ve been doing since I’ve gotten here. I’m going to get the job done; I’m fed up of twiddling my thumbs waiting for something to happen.’
‘You leave here Frank then consider yourself off the case.’
Frank smiles at Chief Shaw and walks out of the control room.
‘I mean It Frank don’t you do anything stupid!’ Shaw shouts out loud trying to change franks now made up mind. As Frank disappears out of the door, the room erupts into a low but audible bustling of gossip. DA Eddie Smith walks out of his office looking perplexed and curious to what is going on. He strides over to Chief Shaw who is looking nervously at the District Attorney.
‘You okay David?’ asks the DA
‘Frank McKenzie has gone on some vigilante justice spree or something to try and obtain the capture or kill of Connor and his team.’
‘What are you on about? We need to stop him from doing anything that would jeopardise the case’
‘It’s okay sir, we have a large amount of agents based just outside the M.I.T public relations building covering the whole perimeter, its impenetrable sir. No one is getting in or out without us knowing.’
‘That’s all good and well but you don’t know Frank. Once he gets something into his head, that’s it. He’s going to do it. I have known Frank for a very long time. The man is not only one of the most upright and straight-shooting person I know, he is also a killing machine.’
‘You’re also forgetting he is a man of the badge. I have known him long enough to know that the badge means everything to him.’ Says Chief Shaw
‘It’s the only thing he’s got since his family were killed, because of the badge. Then you took it away from him. Now he has nothing to lose; Thanks to us.’ Says the DA
Shaw looks at Eddie Smith in contempt but holds back his tongue to not start another argument in the incident room. Plus Eddie is the DA and what Eddie says, no matter how provocative, Shaw must hold back.
A senior officer walks over to the DA and the Chief who look as if they are about to go at it tooth and nail.
‘Sorry to interrupt but Connor Chase has just gone Live’ says the officer
Chief Shaw and the DA follow the senior officer to the big screen TV where the rest of the team are standing watching the live broadcast that Chase is streaming. Eddie looks at the faces of the men that surround the TV. Each
one of them anxious and intrigued to hear what Connor has to say next. Eddie had that same very look on his face as he zoned into the television screen.
‘Hello again, I’m not going to bother to reintroduce myself as I’m already aware of the fellowship I have on the web and the news. You’re probably sick of seeing me by now and rightfully so. After all I did ruin a sunny day in Boston by murdering a bunch of people and what not. But you, the people, the people of the United States of America need to realise my motivations behind this. I’m no barbarian that craves blood at the drop of a hatchet. I am a man with a mission and that mission is to make the world a better place! That’s right, I said world. My goal isn’t only to make the US a better place; it’s to make everywhere else an exact mirror image of our progress. I figure that shouldn’t be too hard considering the rest of the world always uses us as an example. Today I am going to test that theory; More on that later though.
In the mean time I am here to bring to light the corruptness of the so called protectors of this city. They are the same people that are tasked with capturing me and sentencing me to prison time or death. I am obviously talking about the Boston PD. They have been working their asses off trying to get a lead on me. The usual protocols are as follows: A man murders people, capture the man dead or alive within the boundaries and rules of the law. I am glad to say that they are sticking to this rule. Apart from the obvious fact that they have yet to capture me, but I have no doubt on whether they are capable. I know dam well that the police in this city are capable of arresting me. It’s just the odd few that worry me.
I am aware that the standard procedure with most attempted Capturing’s of a criminal is to do a psyche report on the said perp. I accept that and fully expect it. I’m just not comfortable with the idea that a detective can waste the tax payer’s money on talking to my former boss, and then have sexual relations with her on the same day of these testing times! I thought that the golden rule of police work was: NEVER FUCK A WITNESS. Well I know that’s probably inaccurate, seeing these filthy bastard pigs don’t have rules in the fear that when they break said rules, there would be consequences. I know the person who slept with Tasha my boss, well I know of him. Don’t get me wrong I’m not jealous of the guy nor do I wish she had slept with me. It’s just the simple principle that an officer of the law would be so consumed with finding me and my crew, who have disrupted such a sunny day, and then would still find time to bang a girl just because he could? That’s running a real bug risk! Having sex with the only witness and then watching her die at my hands because of his actions! Tasha would still be alive if she didn’t sleep with Frank McKenzie.’
Twenty Six
Nathan was staring into the eyes of the man who was shackled to the table now for about 15 minutes. He wasn’t sure what to do. He knew what was expected of him but he did not think that he could pull it off. The man was still unconscious due to the heavy backhand that he had received a mere quarter of an hour ago. Nathan did not have any smelling salts to wake the man up, nor did he want to wake the man up. The longer the prisoner was knocked out for the longer he had to figure this whole thing out. Nathan was standing across the room starring at the operating table where the man was laid out. He was leaning against the cold wall trying to shock himself into relevant thought. He was starting to panic at the thought of being found not doing anything. He was being made to torture the prisoner and if the guard walked in and found him lolly gagging then there would be consequences.
‘Think God dammit!’ Nathan mutters to himself.
At that moment the man on the table came to and started moaning in pain. He tried to sit up but was being restricted by the shackles around his arms and legs that held him firmly in place. Nathan shot across the room and confronted the prisoner. He put his hand on the prisoner’s shoulder which startled the man even more as he looked up at Nathan’s stern face.
‘Don’t hurt me!’ the man said.
Nathan tried to reassure the prisoner with a gentle rub on the shoulder.
‘Don’t worry. I’m here to help you. Everything is going to be fine as long as you give them what they want.’
The prisoner starts to cry in anguish.
‘I don’t know what they want! I haven’t done anything wrong. They picked me out from the hostages and knocked me out. The next thing I know I wake up here. And then they knock me out again. And now you’re here. So forgive me if I’m a bit sceptical of your promise that everything is going to be alright. I’m just fed up of being knocked out!’
‘I can assure you that I am not going to knock you out! Just give me your name.’
‘The names John, People call me Hodgey though, stuck with me at high school.’ Said the man
‘Okay Hodgey. Are there any reasons you can think of as to why these people want you interrogated?’
The man shakes his head forcefully as if to make a point of his innocence.
‘I don’t know man. Sometimes all it takes is just a look. One single look and I’m dog meat.’
‘I’m sure you won’t become a dog’s dinner John.’
‘Either way I’m still stuck here, tied up to a bloody operating table like an animal. I feel like an inmate on death row just about to serve his bid. ‘
‘Nothing is going to happen to you Hodgey. Just relax. What’s your clearance level at M.I.T.? I would assume you fall on the top layer of staff here.’
The man shook his head forcefully again.
‘I’m just a janitor man. I clean all the mess up in this building. You know; shredded paper and polystyrene cups from the water dispenser. That’s about my entire work load, not exactly Mr Important around here.’
Nathan nods in confusion.
‘So what is it that they possibly want from you?’
‘As I already said, I have no idea. You tell me!’
‘I was sent in here to get you to talk. That is what I’m trying to do.’
At that moment Nathan heard footsteps outside the door walking down the hallway towards the room he was in. He knew that these guys meant business so he had to protect himself from being found out. He grabbed a mallet that was lying on the table beside the bed, which was littered with sharp objects that Nathan knew were not intended to operate but to disfigure. He looked down at the man on the table who started to reel at the sight of the mallet and was going to let out a shriek when it was stopped by Nathan’s glove covered hand. He sighed in deeply and raised his arm in the air in a striking motion.
‘I’m sorry Hodgey. I know I said that I would not knock you out, but I’m afraid that’s likely the safest option for you right now. I’ll be back to free you when I can. You have my word. ‘Nathan whispered to the man on the operating table, his hand still engulfing the man’s face.
Nathan swung the mallet down hard onto the man’s knee. His screams were muffled by Nathan’s large hand still pressed on John’s face. The footsteps stopped on the outside. Suddenly the door opened and the guard that escorted Nathan earlier walked in, this time meaner than before, the bulky man strides over to Nathan and smiles. He looks down at Nathans hand that is covering John’s mouth.
‘Let him scream. Were all friends here Nathan’ the guard says
Nathan lets his grip go on the man’s face; John lets out a massive scream in pain.
‘My knee my god dam Knee, you bastard!’ John shouted in agony.
The guard looks down the table at John’s shattered knee, which looked like it had buckled and cracked. Painful looking indeed
‘Stop being a baby! You’ll be fine as long as you tell us what you know. Luckily for you, our friend Nathan here knows nothing about breaking knee caps. Yours is not broken. It’s dislocated. You will walk again, if you tell me what I want to know that is.’ The hefty guard said.
‘I told you everything I know honestly, I’m not lying hon…..’ Before John could finish talking the guard had swung the mallet and hit him on the jaw, instantly knocking him unconscious. The sound of the impact was harsh in t
he cold silence of the room. The cracking of the jaw made Nathan even more wary of the seriousness of this situation. The guard turns to Nathan and hands him the mallet.
‘When he wakes up, go for round two.’
Twenty Seven
Crystal had been sitting in silence now for a good thirty minutes, unsure what to say to her best friend who in her eyes had just gone against every principle that she thought they lived by. Crystal never thought of herself as a prude of such but more of a level headed person. She always made sure that Jenifer and her friends made the right decisions. She always took it upon herself to make sure that her friends never made any detrimental mistakes, mistakes that could cause them future harm. She saw it all too often, young bright women who had it all going for them, a future that consisted of more than just getting by. She hated when the people she knew threw everything away just for cheap thrills and eighteen years of responsibly. You could say that’s why Crystal has only ever been in one intimate relationship. That being said, she was with him for five years until she realized that the guy she was with had been playing the field behind her back. That’s probably the reason why she felt so strongly about putting her career first and sexual appetite second.
Jenifer was sitting across from Crystal, trying to avoid eye contact with her friend. She knew how Crystal would react, she knew her all too well. She turned her head to the left to see Jason dozing off in his chair next to her. Jenifer finally gathered the strength needed and turned her head to face Crystal who by now was staring a hole into her. Crystal signalled Jenifer to get up and follow her. She did. Crystal got up and made her way to the toilets, closely followed by Jenifer. They both reached the toilet cubicles and Jenifer followed her friend into the cubicle. Crystal locked the door behind her and turned to Jenifer who looked on nervously at her.