by Joe Corso
Once inside the compound, the men cautiously and quietly headed for the rear entrance where a guard was stationed inside a small lookout office. One of the men threw a small stone at his door. The guard stood from his seat and opened the door. He instinctively slapped at his neck at the insect bite or bee sting that he felt. Within seconds, the dart rendered him unconscious. The tranquilizer gun, designed for individuals weighing between one hundred eighty and two hundred thirty – nine pounds, had done its work. One of the men removed the dart and placed it into his pocket while the other man dragged the guard inside, bound and gagged him, and closed the door. They were inside the compound. Once again, they checked their watches, aware of the fact that they had only thirty minutes to complete their assignment before the guard was to check in at his regularly scheduled half hour intervals.
The men raced up the rear staircase fully confident that they would not encounter anyone at this time of the night. There was the usual skeleton crew working at night but nothing that would pose any threats. At the top of the steps, one man pulled out a paper and the two of them paused to check the hospital layout, the one that Karl had given them, and followed their map right into the nurse supervisor’s office. As might be expected, the door was locked so they headed to the nurses’ station. There, they crouched in the hallway, taking note of how many nurses were on duty. Two nurses were visible. One was standing over her desk sipping her coffee. The dart landed right into the back of her neck. She collapsed onto her desk, coffee spilling across her papers and the floor. A second nurse, seeing this, rushed to her aid. Immediately, she bent down to check her pulse and as she did, a hand reached over her mouth. The man held her steady and whispered into her ear.
“We’re not here to hurt you. Tell me what I need to know and we’ll be on our way.”
She nodded her head indicating she would cooperate.
“Good,” he said. “Where is the woman who was admitted the day before yesterday? The one with no name.”
“She was moved to another V.I.P. area,” the nurse answered, her voice trembling as she fought to get out the words. She was hyperventilating. “She’s in a private room on the fourth floor.”
“Take me to her.”
The three of them made their way to the elevator, the man still holding the nurse by the neck. Once they reached the fourth floor, they walked down a long corridor all the way to the end, to the last room on the left. The nurse opened the door and the men quickly and expertly began removing the tubes from her arm, one by one.
“Don’t take her off of her I.V.,” the nurse insisted. “She must have her medication or she’ll die. Please, I’m under orders from the doctor.”
The men hesitated for a moment, shared a look, and decided against removing it. They placed the woman into a wheelchair still hooked up to the I.V.
“Please,” the nurse intervened again, “she’ll need these. She may die without them,” she said as she quickly placed the patient’s medicines into a paper bag and handed it to them.
The men reluctantly accepted the pills and ordered the nurse into a chair in the corner, where her arms were tied behind her. Using duct tape, the men made several revolutions around her chest and the chair until she was rendered immobile. They covered her mouth tightly with the tape while leaving her nose fully exposed. One man pushed the wheelchair while the other walked alongside monitoring the I.V. Eighteen minutes since entering the hospital, they were on their way out.
Chapter Seventeen
Mickey and Lucky hadn’t slept. Both were up early. They showered and dressed, and while shaving, they began to discuss Vlad’s not so veiled threats. Koros had not been the least bit happy when Lucky had told him that it was outside his ability to take him to visit his ancestor.
“You know,” Mickey said, “when you had that conversation with Koros, and you told him you couldn’t bring him to his ancestor, it was almost as if he was holding a trump card. It was as if he had a way of forcing you to do this. At least, that was the feeling I got.”
“You could be right Mickey. I get the same feeling, but I am not at all sure as to what it could be.”
There was a knock at the door. It was Karl. Lucky looked at his watch. Nine a.m. – Karl was right on time. He was efficient that Karl. He escorted both men to the breakfast room. Koros rose and greeted them with a warm, disarming smile. Lucky smiled back and as he did, his eyes scanned the room, paying close attention to the stone walls, the thick stone walls, the fortress stone walls, and he knew that getting out of this place would not be easy. His senses were screaming at him, warning him that something was wrong, that something was about to happen, yet he felt powerless to do anything about it.
“Please sit,” Koros said. “Breakfast is about to be served.”
Karl took his position next to his boss. Fritz then entered with a pot of Budapest finely blended coffee. He presented the men with menus of offerings that included sweetbreads, croissants, bacon and eggs. Mickey ordered eggs. Lucky didn’t have much of an appetite but ordered sweetbreads anyway.
When the coffee was served, Koros spoke.
“Mr. Campo, I’m afraid that we got off to the wrong foot last night. I respect you, both as a businessman and for your abilities.”
Lucky was quick to respond.
“Look, Koros,” he said, jumping right into the conversation. He wanted to ward off any unpleasantness. “Last night you asked me to take you to your ancestor. I told you that my unique ability has limitations, which unfortunately prevents me from doing that . . .”
At that moment, Vlad’s nostrils flared. It was obvious that this man was not accustomed to hearing the word ‘no’. Mickey and Lucky just stared at the guy as he tried to contain his anger. Vlad interrupted Lucky.
“You must make a concerted effort to find a portal to take me to my great ancestor,” Koros said in a firm manner, talking through his teeth. “I must meet him,” he continued. “Now that you are here with me, in my home, I know that we are closer to succeeding. I can feel it. You must try harder. You have to take me there.”
“Let me tell you of some of my experiences in traveling to different time periods,” Lucky said, changing the subject. Perhaps, once hearing how dangerous and unpredictable, Koros might back off this idea. Lucky began his stories.
Karl sat listening with a look that was a blend of incredulity and admiration. He didn’t know what to believe, but he listened intently as Lucky told of what had happened to the many men who had wronged him, threatened him. He explained how one was now trapped in the twelfth century and another in ancient Egypt. The implications were clear – mess with me and this can happen to you. Karl understood but he didn’t completely trust Lucky enough to believe that he was telling the truth. There was too much he didn’t know about the man. Karl dealt in black and white, not in abstract fantasies. Koros, still intent on getting his way, seemed unfazed by it all. It was nothing that he did not already know. Lucky’s file noted that the two men who tried to kill him had disappeared soon after Lucky’s recovery from the “accident”. If Lucky could “time travel, then it all made sense.
Lucky tried once again to explain.
“I have found a number of portals since recovering but none of them would take me to your ancestor. I’m sorry but I’m afraid I can’t help you.”
“So that is it? You cannot do any more for me. I didn’t want to resort to such undisciplined methods, but you leave me no choice.” Koros was angry and yet disappointed. His face said it all.
“I don’t like issuing threats, especially toward one of the few men that I respect, but as I said, you leave me no choice. One last time – Mr. Campo, will you take me to my ancestor?”
“There’s nothing you can threaten me with Koros,” Lucky countered. “I believe my friend and I have overstayed our welcome,” he said as he rose from his chair and began walking toward the door.
“Not so fast, Mr. Campo,” Vlad shouted. “Before you leave, there is something I want to show you.�
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“I really don’t need to see anything else that you have, Koros,” Lucky said. “I have things to do in my own life that require my attention.”
“But you must,” Koros insisted. “After you see this, you are free to go. You have my word.”
Lucky nodded to Mickey as if to say let’s do this and get it over with. The men followed him. Koros guided Lucky and Mickey to a room near the elevator. When he opened it, they were shocked to see the Princess, sitting in a wheel chair, stable but unconscious, her head held upright, secured by a ribbon, bottles hanging, medication dripping into her system to keep her from awakening.
Lucky bit his lip. He was furious.
“I’m sorry it had to come to this,” Koros said, “but you left me no choice. All I ask is that you take me to see my ancestor and then when you leave, the young lady leaves with you.”
“Vlad,” he said calling him by his first name for the first time, “you sonofabitch. Your problem is, you don’t listen. I’ve been telling you for two days that I can’t do anything for you. I haven’t found a portal that will take me there. Can’t you get it into your thick head? I can’t help you.”
“But you will find a way, Mr. Campo … or your lady friend will never leave here alive.”
The men tending to the Princess were told to follow Koros and Karl back down to the dungeon they had visited the day prior. Lucky looked at Mickey. They both followed as well, this time into the elevator that opened directly into the dungeon. Once there, one of the men opened the door of an empty cell as the other man stood next to the chair that held the Princess.
“Put her there,” Koros said, nodding his head toward the empty cell. The men set about lifting the Princess and placed her inside the barred area onto an empty bunk bed.
“I will remain here with her,” Lucky said.
“I had a feeling you would say that, Mr. Campo. Quite noble. How about you Mickey?”
Mickey nodded yes.
“Certainly. Well then, Karl and I will leave the three of you here. I’m afraid I will have to lock you two in your cell with the young lady. After all, I can’t have you wandering around my castle. No one knows what sort of mischief you might cause or find. But don’t worry, one of my men will remain outside of your cell, and when are you ready to co-operate, please let him know, but gentleman-to-gentleman, you are both free to go upstairs with me as long as the woman remains here in her cell.”
Lucky shook his head. “Thanks the offer Koros, but we’ll stay here with the Princess.”
The billionaire and his bodyguard then left the room with the men standing inside the cell of the Princess, unbound, in a cold, damp dungeon.
Lucky went over to the Princess and immediately removed her IV in order to wean her from her “medication.” He would need her to be ambulatory. He didn’t know what to expect from her when she woke up. This was going to be traumatic for her, no matter what, and he didn’t have a clue as to how she would handle it or what he could do to alleviate the situation. This was a quandary. He had never intended for any of this to happen. All he had wanted was to restore her health and take her home without her ever knowing that she had visited the future.
Lucky was seething. Mickey, meanwhile, was lying in a bunk in the bowels of the castle, fast asleep, and as miserable as Lucky felt, he had to laugh. Nothing fazed Mickey. Lucky looked at the surrounding cells hoping to see a portal but there wasn’t one. Frustrated, he sat down on one of the six bunks, his mind racing, trying to come up with a plan. Nothing came to mind, except . . .
Nah, he thought, it wouldn’t work. For the next hour he thought and thought until he exhausted his brain with ideas, trying to come up with a solution. His eyes closed and he found himself wishing, hoping for a portal. Of all the times that the damn things appeared, he thought, why in hell couldn’t they appear now? He began hoping, wishing for a portal, and even visualizing a portal shimmering with energy, before him. Oh how wonderful if he could create a portal using this gift he had – this gift that was a blessing and a curse. There was no way out of here, he thought. Other thoughts swirled in his head – his many excursions into the past, the adversities he had overcome, the wealth that he had amassed, all because of the portals, yet now, when he needed one the most, it was not to be found. Finally, his mind began to clear and his body relaxed. He drifted off to sleep and dreamed, dreamed that he created the portal that would take him to Vlad’s Castle, Vlad III.
A stirring of some sort awakened him. Mickey was snoring, that much was clear but when Lucky opened his eyes, to his surprise, there to the left of the cell door, was a portal, hovering in front of him. It seemed brighter than the others. Lucky could hardly contain himself. It was true. The power he had could be summoned. Not only did the portals exist, but now with a little practice, he believed he could summon them or create them through the power of his mind. All it took was total serenity within his body and visualization. This was big news, an exciting discovery!
As Lucky started toward the portal, he began to wonder – if he could create a portal, could he also request where the portal might take him? For now, that would have to wait. All that mattered now was where this portal led, so slowly and quietly he tiptoed into its center trying his best not to disturb Mickey. He shimmied to his left about six feet and looked out. To his disappointment, he was still in the dungeon, but there was something different. He was now on the other side of the cell bars. Quickly, he stepped back into the portal and re-attached the Princess’s I.V. For certain, she couldn’t awaken now. Lucky nudged Mickey. Mickey shot straight up into the air clearly startled.
“It’s all right, Mickey,” Lucky said. “I found a portal and it takes us outside of the cell. Let’s see what we can do with a little freedom of movement.”
The two men began to walk past the other cells and were headed to the stairs when they noticed something else.
“Lucky,” Mickey said, “these cells were empty when we came here a little while ago. Where did these prisoners come from?”
It suddenly dawned on Lucky. They were still in Vlad’s dungeons, but in a different time.
“Let’s get back to our cell,” Lucky said. “Let’s wait for Koros to return. I have an idea.
A few hours later, Koros visited his three prisoners in his cell.
“So, Mr. Campo,” he said, “have you had a change of heart?”
Lucky smiled and in a calm reassuring voice said, “Koros, I want to thank you for bringing me down here. You forced me to test my gift in a way that it had not been tested before, and I am happy to report that I have discovered that not only can I create a portal, but I’m also able to manipulate it to accommodate my needs. I didn’t know before that I possess this ability. This is quite exciting to me and one with which I will experiment with later but for now, I believe that I can take you to see your ancestor.”
Lucky then looked at Karl, the ever-faithful bodyguard and said, “Karl, I wouldn’t come with us if I were you. I’m telling you this one soldier to another. Don’t come.”
Karl turned and looked at his employer, as he considered the words he had just received.
“Mickey, I’d like you to stay here and take care of the Princess. Mr. Koros, this is a quid pro quo. I’m giving you something, but I want something in return.”
“What is it that you want, Mr. Campo?”
“As soon as we return, I want the use of your jet to take the Princess . . .”
“Princess, what Princess,” Koros asked? “What, this young woman is a Princess?”
Lucky ignored him.
“I want your jet to take the Princess back home, but I want you to arrange it before we leave. I want to know that your plane is available for a quick departure and I also want my weapon in my hand before we leave the portal.”
“Karl, take care of the jet for Mr. Campo. Tell the pilots to be ready for takeoff when Mr. Campo calls them later tonight. The gun, on the other hand, is out of the question, Mr. Campo. I cannot risk you poin
ting a gun at me as soon as we are alone.”
“Then we have a problem as you will not be able to see your ancestor and I will be gone when you return. And after the Princess is safely back home, I will return here and take care of you. You will never see me coming Koros.”
This presented a real problem for Koros. Lucky had just told him that he had discovered a new aspect of his talent. Lucky could be bluffing, but he could be telling the truth. If he was telling the truth, why had he not used his gift to escape? Why did he wait for him to return to request a deal? Why hadn’t he just taken the woman and Mickey and left the area? If Lucky was telling the truth, when Koros returned, they might all be gone.
“Karl, get Mr. Campos’s weapon. Remove the clip and bring both to me. Do it now.”
Karl left and returned a few minutes later with the weapon and its clip.
“Mr. Koros, I suggest that Karl remain here with the Princess and Mickey. That way, you can make sure that we return and besides, when you have your special moment, the one you looked forward to for so many years, you would most likely prefer it to be private anyway.”
“It will be a very special moment won’t it?” Koros stated more than he asked. “I really shouldn’t share it with anyone, not even you Lucky.”
“No problem with that Koros. I’ll take you to your ancestor and I’ll stay outside. My weapon won’t be used on you. You have my word on that, but trust me when I say, there may come a moment when we will need a weapon to get us out of there. Generally speaking, whenever I visit the past, I make an effort to avoid killing anyone as it may alter the future in unforeseen ways. Who knows? I could unknowingly kill an ancestor of yours causing you to never be born. Something to think about, isn’t it?”
Chapter Eighteen
Lucky asked Karl to move the Princess out of the damp, depressing dungeon environment to somewhere warmer and more comfortable. Karl looked at Koros for approval and he received a slight nod in return. He then asked him if he needed Mickey’s help. Koros just waved him off.