The Scarlet Knight didn’t like the overpass. Unfortunately she didn’t have a better idea. At least on the overpass they would have a fairly clear line of sight and a relatively easy escape route. That was about the best they could hope for at this point given hers and Emma Earl’s lack of knowledge about the terrain.
She couldn’t see any sign of hidden explosives or anything else suspicious beneath the overpass. From what Marlin said, there wasn’t anyone else in the area at the moment. It was unlikely in any event that Bykov had been able to bring in a demolitions expert on such short notice.
With the overpass itself secure, the Scarlet Knight patrolled the area around it. She jumped along to cover ground more quickly than by running alone. From what she could tell, Marlin was right: there was no one around. Not even a farmer or a young couple out for a stroll. That worried the Scarlet Knight. It was the old adage of it being quiet—too quiet.
The Scarlet Knight returned to where the car was parked. She said to the Sewer Rat, “Everything is secure.”
“Good,” he said.
The Scarlet Knight peeked through the window at the backseat. Ivan Bykov had long since realized it was futile to try to break out of the chains. Maybe if he had a suit of magic armor—or that alien parasite back—he could have, but right now he was an ordinary man. “Comfy back there?” she asked in Russian.
“I have to use the bathroom.”
“So go. It’s your father’s car anyway.”
She turned to the Sewer Rat—she refused to think of him as “Jim.” “You have to go?”
“I fine.”
“Suit yourself. I can watch him for a few minutes if you want to stretch your legs or get a sandwich or something.”
“I fine,” he repeated.
“Consider it a standing offer.” The Sewer Rat was Emma’s boyfriend, not hers, and yet the Scarlet Knight couldn’t help but feel some affection for him. His sense of justice equaled her own while his sense of morality was far more flexible than Emma’s. He was a realist, not an idealist like her; life in the sewer had taught him it was a dog-eat-dog world—or rat-eat-rat world. Maybe that was why he hadn’t been chosen to wear the scarlet armor. “I’m going to look around again.”
She repeated this for the next six hours; she stopped only to use the bathroom herself and to eat a sandwich from the provisions in the back. In both cases she left the helmet on with her hair still tucked up. This wasn’t so much the Scarlet Knight’s wish as Emma Earl’s. She wanted to be on guard and alert, focused on making sure everything went smoothly instead of worrying about her daughter, her best friend, and the future.
After the sun set, the Scarlet Knight used the helmet’s visor so she could see in the dark. There still wasn’t any sign of anyone. There weren’t even any cars along the highway, which confirmed her earlier suspicion that Bykov had diverted traffic. He’d probably called a few of his buddies in the police or military to block off this stretch of highway for his personal use.
At fifteen minutes to midnight, Marlin appeared in front of her. “There’s a convoy coming down the road. Five trucks like yours. I’d say at least thirty blokes, most of them heavily armed.”
“What about the kid?”
“She’s there. Second vehicle with the scumbag.”
“Good.” The number of vehicles and armed guards worried her. Thirty-to-one were bad odds even for the Scarlet Knight. Their bullets couldn’t hurt her, but they could hurt the Sewer Rat or the child. And even if they managed to get the child, those five trucks could easily follow them or be used to set up roadblocks to stop them.
Those were problems she would have to deal with later. For now it was time to prepare for the exchange. She returned to the SUV and opened the back door to drag Ivan Bykov out. “Your father is on his way,” she said. While the Scarlet Knight wouldn’t have minded to drag Ivan the whole way, she used the Sword of Justice to cut the chains around his legs so he could walk himself across the bridge.
The Sewer Rat climbed out of the car and turned to her. “They coming?”
“They should be here in a few minutes.”
“Good. Then we get her back,” he said.
The Scarlet Knight said nothing to this, but she could hear Emma Earl both cheer and whimper as she considered the possibilities of what would happen. Let me handle it, the Scarlet Knight thought to silence her. I’ll get her back.
She left Ivan at the foot of the overpass and then planted herself in the center. She wanted Bykov to see her there, to know with whom he dealt. Blue-white lights appeared on the horizon like tiny stars. They grew larger, to finally morph into the SUVs Marlin had mentioned.
The first two SUVs turned onto the exit ramp and wound up the overpass. They stopped at the west end of the overpass and the doors opened.
The time had finally come.
***
Two bodyguards came first; one stepped to each side with an AK-47 at the ready. Only then did Bykov finally appear, dressed in an expensive suit as if to attend a board meeting. Instead of a briefcase, he carried Louise, her chin on his shoulder. From where she stood on the bridge, the Scarlet Knight didn’t know if Louise was acting shy or asleep.
Bykov answered this question by cooing softly into Louise’s ear, “Katya, wake up. We’re here.”
The girl raised her head to look about her. The Scarlet Knight raised the visor of her helmet so Louise could see she was a person, not a monster. It didn’t come as a surprise when the girl’s eyes widened and she pointed to the Scarlet Knight. “Papa, who’s that?”
“This woman is here to take you away.”
“Take me away? Why?” Louise’s pudgy cheeks turned red as if she were on the verge of tears. “Have I been bad?”
“No, my dear, you haven’t been bad at all. But your brother is in trouble and so you need to go with this woman for a little while.”
“How long?”
“Not long,” Bykov said. He glanced at the Scarlet Knight ominously.
“But why?” Louise asked with a child’s whine.
Bykov gave the standard parental answer, “Because I said so.”
Louise finally began to cry when Bykov set her down on the road. In her arms she clutched a bright green stuffed turtle; its plush shell muffled her sobs. “I don’t want to go!” she shouted between sobs.
Bykov knelt down while the Scarlet Knight watched impassively, despite the wail that came from Emma Earl. He brushed tangled red hair from Louise’s face to look her in the eye. “This is for the best, sweetheart. But I promise I’ll come back for you.”
“You will?”
“Of course. We’ll all be together again very soon.”
“Even Mommy?”
“No, dear. Mommy had to go away for a long time.”
At this the Scarlet Knight had to bite down on her lip to keep the Emma Earl part of her mind from screaming, “I’m your mother! I’m right here! And I love you!”
During this conversation, the Sewer Rat walked Ivan up next to her. He still had the chains around his arms so that he could shuffle along like a prisoner. Bykov looked up from his stolen daughter to his natural son. “You fool. I told you to watch out for them.”
“You didn’t say what she was,” Ivan said. He gestured with his head to the Scarlet Knight.
“It wouldn’t have mattered in any case. You’re as dumb as an ox.”
“Are they going to hurt Ivan?” Louise asked.
“No, my dear. No one is going to hurt Ivan. Not so long as you’re a good girl and do what you’re told. Do you understand?”
Louise considered this for a moment and then nodded. Bykov patted her head again. “Very good. Now, you go over to the woman and her friend.”
“Can I take Slowey with me?”
“Of course you can.”
Louise stood on the toes of her glossy black shoes to kiss Bykov’s cheek. “I love you, Papa,” she said.
“I love you too. Now go on. And behave yourself.”
&nbs
p; “I will.”
At last they began the exchange. Louise toddled towards the Scarlet Knight and Sewer Rat while Ivan shuffled towards his father. As much as Emma might have wanted to bend down and reach out towards Louise, the Scarlet Knight remained erect, vigilant. This turned out to be warranted as Marlin appeared to hiss in her ear, “Something’s coming this way. Fast.”
“What—?” She didn’t need to ask the rest of the question as she heard the sound of helicopter rotors. She slapped down the helmet visor and saw the Hind gunship approach at full speed. Beneath the overpass, the three other vehicles of the Bykov convoy spread out, no doubt to block any attempts at escape. The guards in front of them lowered their rifles.
“You might as well make it easy on yourselves and surrender,” Bykov said as he took shelter behind his bodyguards.
Louise had stopped; she looked around uncertainly while Ivan had picked up the pace. He knew, as the Scarlet Knight did, what was happening. Bykov had predictably betrayed them; he’d called in air support to keep them from completing the exchange. This might have worked if he hadn’t underestimated the Scarlet Knight’s capabilities.
“Jim, run!” she shouted. At the same time she lunged forward and seized Louise with one arm. The little girl screamed as the Scarlet Knight hefted her into the air. Louise kicked and punched at the armor, her tiny limbs doing no real physical damage. Inside the Scarlet Knight’s mind, Emma Earl screamed with a mixture of rage and sadness.
There wasn’t any time to dwell on that as the Hind gunship came into sight. The Scarlet Knight saw the missile pods on its winglets; she knew it would target the east end of the overpass to prevent the Scarlet Knight and the Sewer Rat’s escape. A moment later, a tongue of fire came from behind the left winglet of the gunship as it fired a missile. The Scarlet Knight pushed the Sewer Rat to the ground and covered him and Louise with her body.
Concrete and asphalt showered down on her; the armor protected her from the larger chunks of debris. She saw the west side of the overpass had disappeared except for a few twisted metal rods. The gap in the overpass was too far to jump—at least to someone who didn’t wear magic armor. The problem was that the gunship had already positioned itself over the hole. While the armor could protect her, Louise and Jim would be unprotected.
Even as she considered this, three more bodyguards had joined the two with Bykov and his son. The bodyguards began to edge forward, their weapons aimed at where the Scarlet Knight lay to shield Louise and the Sewer Rat. It wouldn’t be difficult to take them out, but again Jim and Louise would be left unprotected. “We’re between a rock and a hard place,” she whispered.
She slipped her right hand down to the Sword of Justice’s hilt. The sword could cut through anything, so it could easily take out the gunship that hovered over the bridge. The question was if she threw it at the helicopter if it could destroy the gunship and return to her before the bodyguards closed in. The Sewer Rat said, “Give me cape.”
“The cape? Why?”
“I turn invisible. Take out guards. You take helicopter.”
She thought about it for a moment and then nodded slightly. With her other hand she reached up to her neck to untie the cape. The Sewer Rat slid it away from her at the same moment she tossed the Sword of Justice into the air. He rolled out from under her and disappeared with the cape around his body. Meanwhile, she guided the Sword of Justice towards the helicopter. She first sliced through the cannon at the front of the gunship and then brought the golden blade up to attack the rotor.
Though she didn’t watch, she could hear Bykov’s bodyguards go down and cry out in pain as the Sewer Rat descended upon them. She held out her hand to recall the Sword of Justice as the gunship crashed onto the road below. The drop was small enough that she figured the crew would be able to get out alive. In the meantime, the Sword of Justice zipped back to her. She tightened her hand around the hilt and turned to look for the Sewer Rat.
Then a shot rang out and she heard Jim scream.
The shot didn’t come from any of the bodyguards, the last of whom was on his way down to the ground. The Scarlet Knight saw Bykov on the opposite end of the bridge with night vision goggles over his eyes—goggles that had allowed him to see the Sewer Rat. Before the Scarlet Knight could react, Bykov fired again; the bullet tore into the Sewer Rat’s chest.
The cape fell away from the Sewer Rat’s shoulders and he sank to one knee. “Jim!” Emma Earl screamed. He turned to face her and nodded solemnly. Then he raised the pistol he’d taken from Ivan Bykov’s cabin. Jim brought it around towards where Bykov stood and fired. The shot hit Bykov in the chest. Before Bykov could hit the ground, Jim fired off the rest of the clip.
Emma covered Louise so the little girl wouldn’t have to see as Bykov, the man she imagined to be her father, collapsed in a bloody heap on the pavement. Her real father remained on one knee for a moment before he too sagged onto the road. With Bykov, the bodyguards, and the helicopter gone, Emma finally scrambled to her feet and raced over to where Jim lay.
The rat he’d brought along nosed at Jim’s neck. She couldn’t understand exactly what it said, but she knew it wasn’t good news. Jim’s eyes opened to focus on Louise, who had her face pressed tightly against Emma’s shoulder, as if she knew what was happening. “She safe.”
“Thanks to you,” Emma said. She brushed hair away from his face so she could kiss him on the lips one final time. “I love you so much.”
“I love you,” he said. His eyes fluttered and his breathing turned shallow. “You take her away. Take her home.”
“I will take her home. I promise.”
“Good.” He nodded to her. His mouth opened but no sound came out. Then his eyes closed and his head lolled to the side. He was dead.
Emma wanted to scream, to cry, to pound the pavement with frustration. But she could do none of those things at the moment, not with more of Bykov’s men on the way. She heard Ivan scream obscenities as he saw his father’s dead body. “You!” he shouted at her. “You will pay for what you’ve done!”
Emma said nothing to this. She turned and ran for the ruined end of the overpass. She charged up a jump; she easily made it over the gap the gunship had opened up. She landed on the opposite side and paused a moment to see Jim still on the pavement. “Goodbye,” she whispered.
Then she hurried over to where the SUV waited. She still had to get Louise out of here, to safety, as she had promised Jim she would do. It was a promise she intended to keep, even if she had to give her life as he had.
Chapter 19
Becky could tell from the firm yet gentle squeeze that it was Dan who held her hand. She pretended to sleep, so she wouldn’t have to talk to him. That didn’t stop him from talking, as it hadn’t for the last two days. Short of calling for security there was nothing she could do to stop him.
“This is my fault,” he said as he had often over the last two days. “I should have seen how badly you wanted a child.”
Another time she probably would have comforted him by telling him it wasn’t his fault. She would have squeezed his hand and told him it didn’t matter. Even if he had been more enthusiastic that night at dinner, it wouldn’t have stopped her from going to the city council meeting. It wouldn’t have stopped her from being shot.
She didn’t do anything; she continued to lie still with her eyes closed. In the last two days she had refused to say more than basic pleasantries to anyone but Dr. Pavelski. To the doctor she described any pain she felt. There was some pain in her midsection now that the drugs had worn off. Not an unbearable amount, enough to keep her from trying to lie on either side of her body.
She appreciated the attempts her friends made to cheer her up. Dan had brought her enough flowers to start her own florist shop and Megan had fetched some CDs and other personal items from home. Her sister Bambi had given her a bunch of colorful balloons. In addition to these gifts, they had all spent hours in her room to comfort her. Still, she didn’t feel any better about t
he situation. It had become increasingly clear she never would feel better about this situation.
The same thought repeated in her mind: she was thirty years old and she had had a hysterectomy. Thirty years old and she could never give birth to a child on her own. The average person lived nearly eighty years, which left her to face fifty long, childless years. What would she do with the rest of her life?
She tried to comfort herself the way the others did by saying she could try to create a baby in the lab. But even if the child had her genetic material, it wouldn’t really be her baby. She would never feel the same closeness as a mother did to a baby that had come out of her own womb. It would be like adopting her own flesh and blood.
Adoption was of course another avenue to explore. But unmarried and from a broken, abusive home, her chances to adopt on her own wouldn’t be the best. If she and Dan got married, then they might have a better chance, especially if he slipped a bit of his family’s money underneath the table.
Becky didn’t know anymore if she wanted Dan to propose to her. Days ago, before the shooting, she had yearned so badly for him to get down on one knee and pull out a ring. Now whenever she imagined it, she had to fight back tears. If he proposed to her now, would he be doing it because he loved her or because he felt guilty? What kind of marriage could they have if she always wondered if they ever would have gotten married if not for an assassin’s bullet?
She wished there was someone she could talk to about all of this. But Emma was still in Russia—presumably—to try to bring her daughter back. Not that Emma could give her much advice on marriage anyway. Emma had dated the Sewer Rat for nearly three years now. Their “dates” consisted primarily of hanging around in sewage pipes. Aggie would be the one far more qualified in this situation. She had been married to a man for nearly fifty years and now she was married again—in every sense except in the eyes of the law. But Aggie had gone to try to find out who wanted to kidnap Renee. Becky had no idea where she might be, if that niece of hers hadn’t already turned on her.
Tales of the Scarlet Knight Collection: The Wrath of Isis Page 126