by Siegel, Alex
Ethel, Tawni, and Norbert came up the stairway to the roof. Norbert was carrying a gray canvas duffle bag, and it made a metallic clanking noise when it moved. Aaron wondered what props Ethel had chosen for tonight's entertainment.
The whole group climbed into the blue helicopter. Aaron was the pilot again, and Ethel took the co-pilot's seat.
"I know you can fly an airplane, ma'am," he said, "but are you also a helicopter pilot?"
"I'm sure I can figure it out if I have to." She smiled. "It doesn't look hard, and I'm a quick learner."
"Ah."
Aaron started the engines. The whine of a jet turbine was like the voice of an old friend. He loved this helicopter. He pulled the collective, and the aircraft leapt quietly into the sky.
He made a wide circle around the mess near the United Center as he headed towards downtown Chicago. Even from miles away, he could see hundreds of flashing red, blue, and yellow lights. The traffic jam had hardly budged. No doubt the feds were still searching for him.
He approached the Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center at a low altitude. The tall, narrow prison had a very distinctive architecture. The footprint was a right triangle, as if a regular building had been cut in half along a diagonal. The exterior walls were made of unpainted, thick concrete all the way up to the roof. Narrow slot windows were placed at seemingly random intervals.
Aaron spotted a parking structure just to the south of the prison. It was difficult to fly a helicopter in a stealthy manner, but he did his best. He touched down on the exposed, top floor of the structure. Only a few cars were there, so he had plenty of room to land. He immediately killed the engines.
"If it's all right with you, ma'am," he said, "I'd like to send Norbert and Boreas to fetch Olaf. He knows my face, so I can't go, and he might react badly if a black woman came for him."
"Fine," Ethel said.
Aaron gave the transfer papers to Boreas.
"We'll be back soon," Boreas said.
He and Norbert hopped out of the helicopter and jogged off.
Aaron stepped onto the parking lot and looked up at the sky. City lights made low lying clouds glow orange. No stars were visible.
Ethel and Tawni also got out. Tawni began to stretch her arms and back. Nobody had had time to exercise for the last few days, and she was probably feeling it.
"Attack me," Ethel said.
"Ma'am?" Tawni said.
"We have a few minutes. We might as well put them to good use. Try your hardest to knock me out."
Aaron smiled. He had sparred with Ethel many times and knew how this fight would go.
Tawni gave Ethel a fearful look. "Can I warm up at least?"
"Quickly," Ethel said.
Tawni hurried through a routine of stretches and calisthenics. Aaron could see the impatience on Ethel's face. She hated to wait.
"Enough," Ethel said. "Attack me now."
"Yes, ma'am," Tawni said.
She came at the legate with a flurry of punches and kicks. Tawni's martial arts abilities had improved dramatically since she had joined the Society. With her long legs and natural athleticism, her kicks looked almost elegant. Aaron wouldn't call her an expert, but she was skilled enough to defeat most ordinary opponents.
The legate wasn't an ordinary opponent. She dodged each attack with casual ease. Tawni used a variety of tactics, but it was like trying to hit fog. Just touching the legate required a great deal of talent and cleverness. Defeating her was beyond even Aaron's abilities.
"Don't get frustrated," he cautioned. "That leads to stupid mistakes."
"Yes, sir," Tawni said with a clenched jaw. "Do you have a suggestion?"
"Have fun."
Tawni charged forward and leapt with her leg extended in a kick. Ethel grabbed Tawni's foot and flung it sideways. Tawni spun like a helicopter in the air. She landed badly, stumbled, and fell onto her hands.
"That wasn't fun," she muttered.
"Get up," Ethel said, "and try again. Don't be so aggressive. You're rushing into your attacks without a plan."
"Yes, ma'am. Aaron tells me that all the time. I'd really like to see you fight him instead."
Ethel shook her head. "I'm enjoying my time with you. It's like meeting the daughter I never had."
Aaron watched the two women go back and forth on the parking lot. Tawni eventually settled down and got into a rhythm. She still couldn't hit the legate, but at least the misses looked good. Ethel didn't bother to hit back. She seemed content with dancing in the darkness.
About twenty minutes later, Boreas and Norbert returned with Olaf held between them. Olaf wore a red prison jumpsuit, and his hands were cuffed behind his back. His long, red hair desperately needed to be combed. His lower lip was swollen and cracked.
Olaf stared at Aaron. "Rip?"
"The name is Aaron, and just so we're clear, we're not friends. I hate everything about you. This is Ethel. She's your worst fear: a powerful black woman. She'll be your interrogator this evening."
"Interrogator? What's going on? Who are you?"
Ethel walked up to Olaf with a cruel smile. He stood tall and tried to appear aloof.
"Tie him to the outside of the helicopter," she ordered. "That piece of shit isn't riding inside with me."
* * *
Tawni was bubbling with excitement. She was about to see Ethel torture the shit out of a guy who really needed it.
Olaf was kneeling on the dirt with his hands behind his back. His wrists were bound with barbed wire, and a few of the spikes had pierced his skin. He was completely naked. His neck was chained to a stake in the ground, which prevented him from standing up. There was just enough slack for him to kneel with his head bowed.
Ethel stood in front of him, but everybody else was well back. This was her show.
The interrogation was taking place in an empty field south of Chicago. A slow-moving river gurgled nearby as the water made its way to Lake Michigan. Weeds and brush covered the rest of the landscape. Tawni could see the headlights of cars on a highway in the distance. It was a cool, misty night.
Ethel held two long, aluminum rods in her hands. She was spinning them with her fingers so quickly they were humming in the air.
"You want my people to become slaves again," she said in a soft voice. "You want to turn back the wheels of social progress and justice. You want to oppress us. Tonight I'll teach you how it feels to be a slave."
"Fuck you," Olaf growled.
"Imagine you've been working in the cotton fields. Your muscles ache from the hard labor. There is pain in your knees from bending and lifting all day."
A rod lashed out like a lightning bolt and struck his right knee. The blow sounded like a baseball bat hitting a ball. Olaf cried out and fell onto his side.
"Pain in your feet from standing on hard dirt," Ethel said.
She struck again and mangled the toes of his right foot.
"Your shoulders and your elbows," she added.
Olaf suffered a smashed collar bone and a fractured elbow. The attacks were too quick for Tawni's eyes to follow. He already looked like he had been in a car accident.
"And it's not just your joints," Ethel said. "There is pain in your belly from a poor diet."
She struck his stomach so hard his whole body moved. He wheezed.
Her eyes gleamed. "Of course, this is before modern dentistry. A man your age will have lost most of his teeth by now."
She cleaned out his front teeth with a vicious whack to the face. He coughed and spat blood.
Ethel walked over to Boreas and gave him the rods. He gave her a piece of thin, steel cable clamped to a wooden handle.
"The slave experience wouldn't be complete without the feel of the master's whip," she said. "Unfortunately, there wasn't time to get a real whip. This will have to do."
She returned to Olaf. She reared back and laid the steel cable across his thighs. It left a red welt that hurt just looking at it. He screeched. She struck five more times, decorating
his body with long stripes. By the time she was done, he was weeping from the pain. He lost control of his bowels.
Tawni was impressed. This was more than just torture. It was an actual history lesson.
"I think you're finally starting to appreciate how my ancestors suffered," Ethel said, "but that isn't the only reason we're here. Aaron has a few questions."
Aaron walked over and knelt before Olaf. "I know you weren't working alone. You had help with the assassination attempt. Who helped you?"
"Nobody." Olaf shook his head.
"You're a bad liar."
"I won't talk," Olaf said with a lisp because of his missing teeth.
Aaron stepped back.
Ethel turned to Tawni and said, "Darling, I shouldn't hog all the fun. Would you like to take a turn?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Tawni said excitedly.
Ethel handed over the crude whip. Tawni noticed her hands were cloaked in flowing, black mist. Her shadows were just as excited as she was. She gripped the wooden handle tightly.
Her first attempt was a clumsy failure. She did more damage to the ground than Olaf. It was hard to get the distance and timing right. She tried again and again, getting more accurate each time. Soon, she was drawing screams of agony from her victim. Fiery red welts crisscrossed his skin.
Her shadows began to flow along the steel cable. She didn't understand what was happening. She stepped back abruptly, and the darkness retreated.
"Why did you stop?" Ethel said.
"My shadows were acting strange, ma'am," Tawni said.
"Try it again. Let me see."
"No!" Olaf cried. "Please, no!"
"Feeling talkative, yet?" Aaron said.
"It was Jed! It was always Jed. He came up with the plan. He designed the bomb. He smuggled the dynamite."
"Does Jed have a last name?"
Olaf shook his head. "I don't know."
"Where did you meet him?"
"A bar. He bought me drinks."
"Do you know why?" Aaron said. "Did he explain his motives?"
"No," Olaf said. "He just wanted to help me kill the President. I was good with that."
Aaron narrowed his eyes. "Let me get this straight. A total stranger gave you the means to perform a high-level assassination for no obvious reason. He even provided the necessary plans and materials. Did it ever occur to your puny, redneck brain that this was suspicious?"
"Well..."
"Jed set you up," Aaron said. "You're the fall guy, the mark. He should be lying here in his own shit, piss, and blood, not you. How do I find him?"
Olaf hesitated.
Aaron grabbed the whip from Tawni and snapped it across Olaf's face. The hard blow tore off the top of his ear.
"Talk!" Aaron roared.
"Jed has a farm south of Huntley," Olaf blubbered. "Lumber Road, where it bends north."
Aaron took out his phone and walked off. Tawni presumed he was calling Perry to verify the information.
She looked down at her hands. The darkness was behaving normally again. She wiped her right hand across the air and left a streak of greasy smoke behind.
She turned her attention back to Olaf. His whole body was a bloody, broken mess. He moaned in pain. She almost felt sorry for the stupid cracker.
Aaron returned a few minutes later. "His name is Jed Parker. I have an address. We should go immediately." He nodded towards the helicopter which was parked in the field nearby.
Ethel nodded. "Let me just finish up here."
The gray canvas duffle bag was on the ground. She went over and pulled out a gasoline can and a lighter.
"The southern plantations were hot as Hell," she said. "My ancestors suffered in the blazing sun, year after year. For your final slave experience, you're going to feel that heat."
She poured the gasoline over Olaf. Tawni could smell the fumes.
"Please, don't," he whimpered. "I'm not a bad man. I just..."
"Just what? I saw your poisonous literature. You spew hatred and fear at the world God created. He isn't pleased, but I'll let Him have that discussion with you."
Ethel lit the gasoline and hopped back. Fire consumed Olaf. He screeched and writhed on the ground.
She headed towards the helicopter. "Let's go."
* * *
Aaron was walking along a dirt road between two huge fields covered in loose straw. The night was very dark. Even though his eyes had adjusted, he kept his hands out to feel for unseen obstacles. A line of brush on his left provided limited cover.
He was still wearing his FBI costume from earlier. He had added a black and gray vest, but he wanted more armor and better weapons. He expected the mysterious Jed Parker wouldn't allow himself to be taken without a fight.
Ethel, Boreas, Norbert, and Tawni followed Aaron in a line and were as quiet as ghosts. He couldn't even hear Tawni's footsteps, and he was proud of her for that. The only sound was from crickets.
He came to a driveway that cut through the brush. This was the location of Jed's farm. Aaron sniffed the air and smelled smoke. Damn, he thought. We're too late.
He already knew what he would find, but he walked up the driveway anyway. The buildings had been reduced to piles of smoldering ash. Even the outlying sheds had burned down.
Aaron walked over to what was left of the main house and kicked a pile of charcoal.
His phone rang, and the caller ID showed Perry's code number. Aaron answered, "What?"
"Bad news, sir," Perry said. "I was looking for other members of Pure America for you to interrogate."
"You told me there were plenty more in the prison."
"All of them were transferred out tonight, including the lighting technician. I can't locate any of them."
"In other words, they're dead." Aaron sighed. "The opposition is cleaning up all the loose ends. Jed Parker's farm was burned to the ground." He rubbed his eyes. "You might as well go to sleep. We'll start again in the morning with fresh energy."
He hung up. His team gathered around, and he related the news.
Ethel nodded. "You have a guest room for me?"
"Of course, ma'am, but I'm not sure where Boreas will sleep. Norbert and the twins are permanent occupants of the other guest room. God ordered the girls to always stay in headquarters."
"I'll sleep on the couch," Boreas said. "It's fine. I'm used to couches."
Everybody turned around and headed back the way they had come.
Ethel took out her phone.
* * *
President Haley, Vice President Darrow, Bernard Templeton, and George Seferis were riding in the back of a stretch limousine. They had driven far from the city, and it was very dark outside. Haley could hardly see anything through the tinted windows.
He was exhausted. The day had started early, and now it was late. Just escaping from the United Center had taken an hour even with the Secret Service pushing every step of the way. He couldn't wait to get into bed. Any bed would do.
"We'll have a news conference first thing in the morning," Haley said. "The American people need to see I'm alive. They need to hear my voice. A press release isn't enough."
"Yes, sir," Seferis said. "I'll try to set something up. Mr. Templeton, what kind of telecommunications do you have at your ranch?"
"A video conference system," Templeton said. "I use it to talk to my business partners."
"Maybe we can tie into that. I don't want to bring reporters out. Our location has to remain a secret."
Haley's gaze drifted to a bottle of champagne in a built-in bar. He was thirsty, but he didn't want alcohol.
White, supple leather covered the interior of the limousine. Strips of tiny green and blue lights oscillated slowly. Randomly scattered bulbs twinkled on the ceiling like a field of stars. The presidential limousine wasn't nearly as fancy.
A black partition separated the front from the passenger compartment. The partition rolled down and a Secret Service agent looked through the window.
"Mr. President," he said
, "you have a call."
"If it's not a matter of national security, I'm unavailable," Haley said.
"I don't know, sir. She says her name is Miss Pickenpaugh."
He frowned. He didn't know what to say to Ethel or even if he should talk to her at all.
"Don't keep her waiting," Darrow said in a low, urgent voice. "You don't want to make her mad."
Probably good advice, Haley thought. "Put her through on the intercom."
"Roy?" Ethel's voice came through overhead speakers. "Are you there?"
"Yes, I can hear you."
"This isn't a secure line, so I'll refrain from mentioning certain things. Please, do the same."
"OK," Haley said. "Are you calling to apologize?"
"For what?"
"You don't know what you did wrong?"
"We saved your life," she said firmly. "We're still saving your life. We did nothing wrong. I called to tell you we have new information. The real threat is still out there. We confirmed Pure America was just a front."
"How do you know this?"
"We interrogated Olaf Wagner."
Seferis leaned forward with an alarmed expression. "But he's in prison. I put him there this afternoon."
"Mr. Seferis?" Ethel said. "Who else is there?"
"Please, answer the question," Haley said loudly. "How did you interrogate him?"
"We got him out of prison, of course. He was easy to break. A weak man."
"Is he still alive?"
"No," she replied with no shame in her voice.
Hearing about Olaf's demise brought Haley unexpected pleasure. He also felt jealous that Ethel could do such a thing without any legal consequences. He pushed aside those feelings as unseemly and unethical.
"You busted a man out of federal prison, abducted him, tortured him, and killed him?"
"I wouldn't use the word 'busted,'" Ethel said. "We presented our paperwork and received the prisoner without any trouble. It was handled in a civilized manner."
"What about the torture and murder? Was that civilized?"
"Roy, you're not listening. Your real enemy is still on the loose. We don't have any idea who it is. You're in tremendous danger!"
Haley gritted his teeth. It seemed she honestly didn't understand why he had an issue with her behavior.
Templeton appeared alarmed and confused. Seferis was fuming.