by Luis Samways
Frank McKenzie is standing next to him looking on. He gingerly raises his arm with a smirk on his face. The surrounding group of officers quietly laugh to themselves in anticipation of what Frank has to say. Mullins turns to Frank and sighs.
‘Yes Detective?’ He asks
‘Just one question Officer Mullins.’ Says Frank
‘Spit it out then’
Frank smiles at the tall scrawny officer
‘It’s just I’m a bit confused. Why is it that Chief Shaw teamed me up with a wannabe Power Ranger?’
The officers ignite in laughter. Mullins looks on in frustration.
‘That’s a good question Detective. I’m wondering something similar myself.’
‘Is that so…?’
‘I’m wondering why the Chief has teamed me up with an abusive, alcoholic asshole that only cares about himself. I mean Frank, if you don’t enjoy my company then why don’t you have a little chat with one of those voices in your head? Only a crazy fool like you can be that naive to think that everybody in the department hasn’t noticed what a fruit loop you are.’
The on looking crowd of officers quickly fall into silence as Frank gages his eyes at them. He slowly turns to face Officer Mullins and plants a stiff right jab on his jaw. Mullins falls back against the van behind him. A few officers come to his aid and break the fight up. Chief Shaw enters the car park to see the ruckus. He puts two fingers in his mouth and whistles. The noise echoes off the granite walls and pings the attention of the men in the parking structure.
‘What’s going on here?’ Screams Shaw as he approaches Frank and Mullins.
‘Nothing sir’ Says Frank
Shaw looks at Mullins whose nose is bleeding.
‘What happened to your nose?’ Asks Shaw
‘I get nose bleeds sometimes’
‘Whatever, that’s besides point. Something big just went down. The president was assassinated a few minutes ago in Washington outside some posh hotel. It was a professional job; the shot went clean through his skull, instant death. Washington fears that the events here are connected. They have called off the extraction mission until they know more.’
The room goes quiet for a long moment.
‘Did they catch the guy who did it?’ asks Frank
‘No, but whoever did it is now Washington’s number one priority.’
Eighty One
Sandra and Mike are stood at the train station overlooking the tracks. The station is nearly empty as passengers and workers have boarded trains and finished shifts. Mike sits down on a bench. Sandra joins him. He turns to her, his face glum and depressed.
‘This must be one of the worst days of my life. It’s minus three degrees and I’m stuck at a train station that is about as exciting as sucking on lemons. Not to mention me and you aren’t on our way to Washington to cover the assassination.’
Sandra cups her head in frustration.
‘God Mike give it a rest. This is our job, show a little decorum. We go where we are told to go. All I’ve heard from you today is you pissing and moaning about the situation. The president has just been killed and all you care about is the fact that you’re not filming the aftermath. Fuck sake just shut the hell up!’
‘You’ve been my cameraman for a long time and its only today that I have realized what a selfish prick you are.’
‘Have you finished?’ asks Mike
Sandra exhales and nods. She sits down next to him. Her breath is visible in the cold Boston air. ‘Look, I’m sorry Mike. I know it’s a shitty day. We just have to suck it up. You never know, we could catch a break. Maybe someone interesting is going to come off the train. And we will be the first on the scene.’
‘Maybe we’re just here because Bob wants us out of the studio and out on the field, waiting for some B list celebrity to give his take on the day’s events. I do know one thing, I’m done after this.’
Eighty Two
Connor Chase is sitting down in his makeshift office. He flicks his zippo lighter on and off, intently looking at the flame as he does so. He slams his fist hard on the desk.
‘Someone get the hell in here’ He shouts.
The door bursts open and two of his goons walk in. Both men are strapped with automatic weapons. Their heavy bulk fills the room as they stare at their boss who’s playing with the flame coming off his lighter. Connor runs his finger through the naked flame, his knuckles singe at contact. He smiles a sadistic grin. He looks up at his two employees. His smile washes off his face immediately.
‘How the hell did this happen?’ He shouts
The two men look at each other in confusion.
‘How did what happen sir?’ Asks one of the men
‘I don’t know, maybe the whole president getting assassinated on the same day I call for a 28 amendment, it’s a bit counterproductive don’t you think?’
Both men remain confused. One of them nudges the other to speak up.
‘I don’t know sir. Your guess is as good as mine.’
Connor gets up from his seat and swipes off the contents of his desk with his arm. The sound of breaking glass echoes through the room as the contents of Connor’s desk hits the floor.
‘That’s not good enough. I want answers. Find out who killed the president and report back to me. Whilst you’re at it, one of you get Jason on the phone. We need to get this situation under control. It’s time to sop fucking around. Get the camera back online and get twenty five hostages bagged up. I’m going to make sure that they regret keeping me in the dark.’
Eighty Three
‘Understood’ Says Jason as he hangs up the mobile phone; he snaps the LED screen into place and turns to face the terrified passengers.
‘Okay here’s the deal. I’m splitting the passengers up. I’ll randomly select people to move and sit near me. After that, every one of you will help me tie the remaining passengers up. Then I will take you to the back of the train and you will be free to go. The train will stop five miles before the station. The remainder of the passengers will stay on. I will escort you guys out to the wooded area before the station and tie you up. You will remain there until the police find you. The passengers that remain on the train will be picked up by the police at the station.’
The crowd of hostages mumble in confusion. One of the passengers puts his hand up. Jason smiles and nods at him.
‘Why don’t you just let all of us go?’ The man asks
‘Because by splitting both groups up it takes the police longer to find me because they are too busy being heroes and saving you guys.’
The hooded man looks on as Jason eyeballs him.
‘You got something to say?’ Asks Jason
The hooded man shakes his head calmly.
‘Good. Anyone that declines to either help out or do as I say will get a bullet in their heads. I hope that’s clear.’
Jason starts pulling random passengers up by their arms. He pushes them to one side as he makes his way through the first row. The hooded man looks on as he clenches his fist. The dark woman next to him holds his clenched fist and shakes her head. Jason reaches the second row as the hooded man continues to watch and wait biding his time. Waiting for the right moment to strike.
Eighty Four
‘What do we do now?’ Asks Frank as he rattles the ice at the bottom of his glass.
Shaw looks on as he lights his cigar.
‘There’s nothing we can do. The president is dead and the folks down at Washington don’t want any attention taken away from the assassination.’
‘That’s BS, we can’t let one mad man risk the capture of another. Sorry to be so blunt here but at the end of the day the president is one guy. One guy killed. Connor has killed a lot more people in the past two days then one single guy, no matter how important the president is, we owe it to the hundreds of people still being held hostage to make sure they don’t end up swallowing a mouth full of lead live on television.’
‘Your right Frank, but we still can’t g
o over their heads. This is Washington for Christ’s sake. I sure as hell don’t want to be stacking papers for the rest of my life because I didn’t follow orders.’ Interrupts Eddie as he hands Shaw a coffee
‘You want a coffee Frank?’
Frank looks down at his whisky and shakes his head. He starts pacing the room as both Shaw and Smith talk about the situation. Frank zones out as his eyes glaze over. He is interrupted by a pat on the shoulder. He turns around to see Eddie talking. He can’t hear what he is saying. He can only see that DA’s lips move. The sound snaps back in.
‘You okay Frank?’ Asks Eddie
Frank’s head is doused in sweat.
‘Look I need to get some air. I’ll be back in twenty minutes or so.’
At that moment Frank’s mobile rings. He flicks it open and puts it to his ear.
‘You got Frank’
The quiet hiss on the other end of the phone is interrupted by a familiar cackle.
‘Do I now?’ Laughs the voice on the phone
Frank quickly grabs a piece of paper and awkwardly jots the name “Connor” on it. Eddie and Shaw sit down in silence as Frank switches the loud speaker on.
‘It’s been some time in the making now.’ Says Connor
Frank clenches his fist at his side. Shaw pours him another drink and slides it across the table. Frank grabs it and belts it down his throat.
‘Speak up Frank my boy’
‘What do you want Connor?’
‘Oh so the bitch does talk! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for some time now Frank. Have you been avoiding me?’
‘No why would I do such a thing like that?’
‘Maybe because I killed that office slut you liked so much.’
Frank kicks the chair next to him across the room. Eddie looks shocked as Frank bangs his fist on the table.
‘Now you listen here you mother fucker. When I get hold of you I’m going to gut you like a fish, you hear me you no good murdering son of a bitch?’
‘Tut tut, I look forward to it!’ Says Connor as the phone goes dead. The dial tone invades the room as Frank desperately catches his breath. He grips his phone and hurls it towards the wall. The impact shatters plastic in all directions as he kicks the chair once more. He takes another swig of whisky and storms out of the room leaving Eddie and Shaw stunned in their seats.
Eighty Five
Officer Mullins is sat in his patrol car stationed in the parking lot. He stares at his steering wheel as a tap on the passenger window startles him. He looks to his right and sees his partner gesturing him to open the door. Mullins flicks a switch on his dashboard and unlocks the heavy set door. The bolts snap and the door sucks open. His partner gets in and closes the door with a thud. Mullins looks on in angst.
‘Don’t slam the damn thing’ He says
‘Whatever. Look you got any news on what’s happening?’
‘If I did do you think I’d be in here staring at the wall?’
‘I don’t know. It’s just you’re the one who is supposed to be leading this operation’
‘Well not any more. Since the president was gunned down they don’t want us to go in after Chase’
Mullins partner looks on sympathetically.
‘What’s wrong?’ He asks
‘Maybe I’m pissed off at the fact that I had a chance to advance in my career and it was blown away in seconds. Now I’m going to be stuck in the patrol car with you for the rest of my life’
‘Charming’
‘Look if you haven’t got anything more to say then I’d appreciate it if you leave me alone.’
‘Look Mullins, the county is in a state of emergency. We have a psycho killer holding several hundred people hostage and the president was assassinated. All you can think of his how bad you have it. Just man up and do your damn Job.’
‘Believe me I am going to do my job. Don’t you worry about that.’
Eighty Six
‘I don’t want to hear that right now... You can’t be serious...Fuck sake!’ Screams Eddie as he slams the office phone down. Shaw looks on as Eddie pours himself another drink.
‘Are you alright Eddie?’
Eddie swigs his whisky back in one motion. He slams the empty glass down and looks at Shaw who’s sitting across him.
‘What does it look like?’ Says Eddie as he wipes his nose with his sleeve. His head is dripping with sweat as he pours himself yet another shot.
‘Don’t you think you need to slow down?’ Asks Chief Shaw
Eddie takes another swig, demolishing the contents of the crystal like glass.
‘Nope’
Shaw shakes his head as he stands up and makes his way to the door.
‘You need to pull yourself together; you’re the god dam DA. You can’t be drinking on the job like this. Plus you sound half cut. And you’re ringing Washington up in that state! You’re not going to achieve anything like that Eddie.’
Eddie pours himself another drink as he scornfully stares back at the Chief.
‘I’ll do what the hell I want when I want, you got me Chief Shaw?’
Eddie swigs another shot. The brown liquid hits his mouth hard, as it burst through the sides and dribbles onto his white shirt.
‘Oops’ Says Eddie sarcastically
‘Like I said, pull yourself together.’ Says Shaw as he makes his way out the door, slamming it behind him
Eighty Seven
Jason reaches the dark woman first. The train’s metal flooring creaks with every turn of the train. He looks down at the dark pregnant woman and then at the hooded man next to her. His eyes land squarely on the hooded man for a good few seconds. The man’s fists are clenched ready for attack. Jason smiles at the man and raises his hand high in the air. He swings it and lands a backhand firmly on the dark pregnant woman’s face. She hits the deck fast as the passengers watch on in horror. Jason laughs a prominent chuckle as the hooded man bolts up from the floor and tackles Jason to the ground. Jason’s head pings off the grated metal floor and clangs loud in the tin like cabin. Jason’s eyes widen as a fist makes its way towards his face, the hammering force hits him hard as his head ricochets back to the floor. The crowd cheer as the hooded man reigns down a fury of rights and lefts. He stands up and surveys his downed opponent. Jason’s vision focuses as he snaps his leg back and kicks the man’s right knee out. The sound of the man’s leg breaking is met by a torturous scream. Jason eases himself up and stands over the reeling man as he grabs his leg in agony. Jason pulls out his side arm 9mm and aims it straight at the man’s head.
‘I was wondering when you were going to make your move.’ Says Jason as he cocks the hammer back and fires one shot into the hooded man’s head, the fabric on the man’s black hood reddens as blood seeps out. Jason puts his gun away and turns to the other passengers.
‘Like I said, any one doesn’t do as I say, then its good night for them.’
He looks down at the pregnant women whose holding her face in pain. He kneels down in front of the terrified women and removes her gripping palm from her face, revealing a red bruise on her cheek. He looks deep into her brown eyes.
‘You’ll live.’ He says
He gets back up and grabs his AK47.
‘Now let’s get this party started!’
Eighty Eight
Frank is leaning against a brick wall as he surveys the traffic driving by. He looks to his right and sees the incident building in the far distance. He looks to his left and sees Boston’s skyline. His sight dwindles at the ground as he slouches down and sits on the pavement. His hands slide across the coarse pavement as he feels the cracks in the concrete. He looks at his right hand and spots an ant running across his finger. He remains seated for a long moment as he watches the cars drive by. Car by car his spirit drifts. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a new pill container. He sighs as he unscrews the child safe locked top. He peers in and sees an assortment of pills. He pours three into his palm and chucks them into his mouth. He
swallows them dry. His face remains placid for a while as he drifts in and out of consciousness.
His vision goes black as he sees specs of light dance around in front of him. The haze of light remains vibrant as he relaxes in his designated spot. He can’t hear a single thing as he watches the white lights dance. He smiles as he sees the image of his wife. Her luscious blonde hair drapes down her slender shoulders as she blows him a kiss. Her white blouse glistens as the white lights bounce off her vibrant skin. A tear drops down his face as it casually rolls off his chin, hitting the floor with a splash. He swallows hard as the image of his wife in front of him is vaporised. A car horn beeps and springs him out of his daze. He looks around and sees its night time. He looks at his watch and sees he has been there for three whole hours. A woman walks by him just as he is about to get up. She flicks a nickel on the ground as she walks away. He looks at the nickel in confusion as he sticks his arms out in front of him. His clothes remain tattered and dirty.