G-Force (Book 1): G-Force

by Nye, Laine

  “I know Dad. I'm just so worn out from using all this g-force energy. Somehow, I keep recharging, but now I feel really drained. I need time before I can take us somewhere safe.”

  “Where is the car Brad?”

  “It was down in the middle of the boulevard. I think they probably towed it by now.”

  “We still need to get you out of the state. You're in deeper now than you were when you left home.”

  “Tell me about it,” Brad said dryly.

  “You'll have to take our other car. I can get a rental until we can pick up a different car for your Mom and I. Our car is parked two blocks east of here on Jefferson. We just need to get you there, and you can be out of here. Do you think you have enough in you to get us down from this roof?”

  “Not yet,” Brad said, unsure of himself. “I don't know how long it will be.”

  “Well, as soon as you think you can do it; we've got to go for it. I'm concerned that the police are going to find us up here. They were all over the place searching for you.”

  “Thanks for coming Dad. I feel better with you here. What's that you're holding?”

  “Supper for you. Your mom made it just before I left. Wouldn't let me leave 'til she made it.”

  Brad took the sack from his dad pulled out a soda and sandwiches. He wolfed them down in moments and drank all the soda. “I'm still thirsty,” Brad told his father. “That's why I brought you seconds.” He reached into his pants pocket and produced another can of soda. “It's kind of warm now, but it still should help.”

  Brad drank it down rapidly. “The food is helping. Thanks Dad.”

  There was the sound of a door opening. They turned toward a small section of the hotel which was perched on the back corner of the L shaped roof; the section was one more story up than the rest of the hotel. They saw a figure in the doorway. It was Sherman Greene!

  “I thought I might find you up here,” Sherman said. “And look at this, I get a bonus Shaw. I've got me a two-fer here.” He drew his Browning nine-millimeter from its holster as he rapidly advanced toward them.

  “Brad?” Steve questioned.

  Brad concentrated hard but could not lift Greene off the roof.

  “Oh! It feels a little spongy under my feet. You trying to lift me again Brad?” Sherman taunted. “Looks like you're all done in boy.”

  “I can't Dad. I don't have enough strength to lift him.”

  “It's Okay son. I'll take care of him,” Steve said confidently. But the confidence was in his voice only.

  “You will take care of me?” Sherman Greene asked incredulously as he took an aggressive stance with his gun “Dream on Shaw!”

  Steve was unarmed facing his worst enemy who had a gun pointed at both of them. Steve began to approach Greene. He had to buy some time for Brad to get his energy back so he could stop Greene, but if not, Steve had to find a way to disarm Sherman in case his son could not handle this new crisis.

  Sherman stopped walking and pointed his gun very purposely at Steve. He was sighting down the barrel. He was not about to let Steve get into arm’s length of him. Steve stopped moving forward, his mind frantically grasping at straws of hope from all of his training. Sherman was just a little out of his reach and Steve knew if he took one more step, Sherman would fire.

  “First you, then your son!” Greene was saying.

  As he was saying it, Brad used all of his will power, all of his strength and concentration for one more release of energy that would make a difference for his father. The gravity in the doorway of the rooftop entryway that Greene had just come through was suddenly increased several times. The door slammed shut violently and Greene found himself off balance and staggering backwards toward the door. This caused him to throw his arms upward to compensate for his sudden loss of balance. Steve, facing him and also being pulled towards the doorway, knew what was happening before Greene did and used it to his advantage. He jumped into the air as the gun was being realigned on him again and kicked Greene's gun hand knocking the weapon from his grip. It flew over Greene's head and landed behind him and to his left.

  Steve dropped back to the roof as Brad let out a groan from the strain that the effort had caused him. Steve had to ignore his son's plight at the moment. It was time to take down his old high school nemesis; a man that he knew to be powerful and dangerous.

  Greene spun around to get to his gun before Steve did. Steve considered for a split second going for the gun but figured that there was at best a fifty-fifty chance of him reaching it first. He went for Greene instead. He leaped forward and upward as Greene turned towards the gun. Pointing his elbows outward Steve came down slamming his elbows into Greene's shoulder blades. Sherman fell to the rooftop with a yell of pain. Rolling over, he reached out for his gun that was now next to him, but his reflexes had been slowed by the driving impact that had injured both sides of his back.

  Steve stepped to Greene's side and kicked the gun. It skidded across the roof top scraping the blue finish off the gun. It finally stopped when it hit the balcony type railing that bordered the hotel rooftop. Greene grabbed the Taser off his belt and aimed it from his hip at Steve's face. As he pulled the trigger, Steve lifted his right foot up and the Taser darts sank into the heel of his shoe. Most of the 50,000-volt charge was absorbed, but some of it got through and Steve threw his head back from the pain it caused him. Nevertheless, he was not incapacitated by the charge and was able to stay on his feet. He stomped on the wires with his left foot and jerked his right foot back so that the darts were pulled from his heel.

  While he was doing this, Greene rolled over with amazing speed and jumped to his feet. He threw his fists up and took a classic boxing pose as he began to close on Steve. Sherman would use all of his boxing training to take down this guy. He had wanted to get revenge on him ever since Steve had knocked him out.

  The injury to Greene's back was hampering his speed somewhat and maybe reducing the power of his fists, but Steve had no illusions about what Greene could do. He would need all of his fighting skills to win the fight. The guy was a fool and an idiot, but he was a dangerous idiot.

  Greene threw a combination of two jabs and a roundhouse swing that if it had connected would have been serious. But Steve had lightning reflexes from his training and was able to dodge all three hits. He stepped forward and punched Sherman in the mouth hard enough to split lips and teeth. But even as Greene's head bucked back from the blow, he threw an uppercut to Steve's chin which almost lifted Steve off his feet.

  They stood toe to toe swinging, ducking, dodging, and striking. Steve's speed and reflexes were intact but his martial arts training was not being utilized the way he preferred. This was not like taking on Mack Rowley who had no real training. Avoiding these rapid, powerful punches and jabs took all his concentration.

  Soon, Steve saw the three-punch combination used over and over. Always, the last punch was the one that Sherman put the most force into. Greene's attempt to maximize that third punch meant he hesitated very briefly to get the most from his swing. Steve studied this pattern as it was repeated and then used it to his advantage. When Greene started his combination, Steve absorbed the first two hits instead of stepping out of reach.

  When the third punch was winding up, he stepped in close and rammed his own combination into Greene's face. Stepping back, Steve then kicked Greene in the stomach with considerable force. Greene folded in half and Steve struck again with his other foot kicking Sherman in the shoulder while he was bent over and knocked him flying backwards.

  Greene laid spread eagled on the roof, trying to get his bearings back as Shaw stepped in close and landed another blow by stomping down on Greene's thigh. Greene was in serious pain from several locations, but a new level of fury struck his numbed mind and with a growl he kicked Steve in the shins with his heels almost knocking Steve's feet out from under him and threw himself to a standing position from his back, slamming Steve in the stomach while doing so.

  Then they were grappling
for a time. Each trying to overpower the other. Their strength was closely matched. It could only be their skills that would beat the opponent. They both knew this to be true. Steve was the more skilled when it came to close body contact and he hit Sherman with a stiff uppercut followed by a power drive to his chest.

  All the air was driven out of Sherman's lungs but he threw off the effects of the blow and threw two effective jabs at Steve's face. Only one got through but the other one hurt Steve considerably. Nevertheless, Steve caught the retracting fist and twisted it sharply nearly breaking the wrist. Sherman yelled out in pain, withdrew a step and jerked his hand free then kicked Steve aiming for his stomach. The power of the kick was neutralized by Steve folding over so that his stomach was farther away than Greene had intended. The kick was only mildly serious. He then stepped forward, threw a feint at Sherman's head who ducked right into the upcoming fist that Steve had planned.

  Both men were breathing raggedly. Both were exhausted. Sherman had the greater stamina from constantly working out but the long chase to catch Brad had worn him down. He knew he had to end this soon or his fists would no longer have the power needed to finish Steve.

  He threw another triple combination; only this time, he put all of his strength into the first blow. It was a jab to Steve's chin, and the two hits he took immediately afterward knocked Steve back a couple of groggy steps.

  That was the advantage that Sherman had been looking for. He spun and ran for his semi-auto with all his speed. He planned to dive for the gun, slide to a stop on his side, grab the gun and empty at least ten bullets into Steve. The other four would be for Brad. As he neared the gun, he threw himself at it with both hands reaching for it. Steve was close behind him. Good! That would make his aim easier.

  As his hands went to grab up the gun, it suddenly lifted up into the air, and he missed the perfect pick-up he had planned. Brad floated the gun ten feet above the roof. He may not have been able to lift another person, but this was easy, even now!

  Greene let out a garbled cry of frustration, rage and surprise as he twisted onto his back and tried to grab the gun as it was going upward. He missed again, and now the gun was out of his reach even if he were standing. He started to jump to his feet to face Steve again just in time to catch a powerful blow to his nose which emitted a loud cracking sound. He threw off the pain once again and looked for his retaliatory strike but took another crushing blow to the left side of his face, then the right. He was standing, but just barely. The world started spinning as Greene threw a punch at Steve.

  But Steve easily backed away from it, then suddenly stepped back in for several bruising strikes to Sherman's chest, face and stomach. Greene dropped to his knees. Even now, he was not ready to concede the fight. He looked at Steve's legs and prepared to tackle him. He lunged forward only to catch a solid knee that landed against his broken nose. He groaned loudly and fell on his side unconscious.

  Steve stood bent over with his hands on his legs breathing hard. He watched Greene who was twitching. Steve gulped in large breaths of air as he tried to get his breathing under control. He now knew he wasn't as young as he used to be. His knuckles were bleeding and his right hand was swollen. It would be a few days before his hands felt normal again. He slowly turned toward Brad and asked if he was okay. Brad nodded his best imitation of Albert and let the gun drift down into his father's hands. Steve broke the gun down and threw the barrel on top of the small section of the building that Greene had come out of. He dropped the rest of the gun on the roof keeping the clip and pushed the bullets out of the clip with his thumb. He made his way over to Brad.

  They heard a voice distinctly and very close by. They spun and looked at the roof's edge where the sound of the voice came from. There was Albert Belasco floating in the air and coming towards them until he touched down on the roof. “Mind if I join you boys?”

  “Albert!” Brad exclaimed. “It's good to see you, but... How are you doing this?”

  Albert chuckled as he shook Brad's hand and then Steve's. This time Albert made sure the memory exchange would not happen. “You have been wearing me down good these last three days boy. I had to go back to the hole for a recharge, and I just happened to pick up this little ability of yours in the process.”

  “I thought you said the hole wasn't producing energy at this time,” Steve said accusingly.

  “I lied. I didn't want you to get tempted to step over the hole Steve. I told you that you were not a candidate for it.”

  “How can you know that for sure, Albert? And how is it up to you to decide.”

  “I just know when it would not be good for a person,” Albert told him. “Plus, it's my hole, my discovery. I take who I want there.”

  “So, you just wanted to keep me away from the hole,” Steve stated.

  “Seemed like a good idea to me.”

  “You couldn't have got here five minutes earlier and saved me from the worst beating of my life?” Steve asked.

  Brad interrupted the conversation. “Albert, what do you mean I have been wearing you down?”

  “Haven't you felt the extra energy being restored to you Brad? Can't you tell that you have staved off total exhaustion several times?”

  “Yes. But I just thought it was this self-preservation thing that was restoring me.”

  “Nope. I have been lending you my strength for the past three days. Particularly yesterday and today.”

  “How did you know I needed your help that way Albert?”

  “I know whenever you use your skill, Brad,” Albert informed him. “Every time you use it I am aware of it.”

  “I guess I'm the same way. I thought I could feel when you were using the energy,” Brad told Albert. But not when you transferred it to me. I didn't know that could be done and I felt nothing.”

  “How did you find us?” Steve asked.

  “There had been so much energy emitting from Brad in this area that I was able to pinpoint right where he was. So, I drove down the canyon to see if I could help.”

  “What should I do?” Brad asked. “I don't have any strength left. Can you give me more?”

  “I'm afraid not son. I've used up all I can except what it will take us to get down from here, which we need to do pronto. The ride over the hole gave me a new ability but my overall strength still feels quite depleted”

  “They're coming up the fire escape Brad,” Albert told them in alarm, “I can sense them drawing closer. They will be using the elevator as well. We've got to get out of here.” Steve knew other Police would soon come out on the roof from where Sherman had emerged from.

  They ran over to the other section of the L shaped roof and went to the side. Brad whispered to Albert, “Any ideas on how to get my strength back? I've got to get out of here Albert.”

  “It's time for you to get a recharge,” Albert whispered back. “Before you go wherever it is that you're going, and I don't want to know where that is, you have got to get to Huntsville. You need to take a ride over the hole.”

  They stood at the roof's edge. They could hear that those who were coming up the fire escape were getting close to the roof.

  “You guys ready?” Albert asked. “It's time to jump.”

  “Let's do it,” Steve said.

  They leaped together from the roof. Albert let them fall about 30 feet before slowing their descent to a safe speed so that they would quickly be out of sight of the encroaching police.

  “The reason I knew you weren't a candidate for the hole Steve is because I felt within you that you have exceptional skills at taking action defending or attacking someone. I knew that the day we met,” Albert whispered on their way down. “But the main reason is it was too likely to affect you adversely. And don't ask me how I knew that. Besides, you don't need any help like your son did. He was a target for every bully in his school from an early age.”

  Steve had heard this once before but had not addressed it with his son. “Why didn't you tell me back when all of this was happeni
ng Brad?” Steve asked.

  “I guess I just felt ashamed and embarrassed,” Brad said.

  They touched down on the ground and started walking swiftly towards Jefferson Avenue watching for the police. They would be cutting through properties and flying over obstacles such as fences that were in their way. As it turned out, it was near where Albert had parked his car as well. There were still police cars racing back and forth with emergency lights flashing and spotlights on. Now spotlights were being put on the back and front of the hotel. There were seekers everywhere trying to find the missing fugitive, Brad Shaw. Stealth would be required for them to get to Jefferson Avenue without being spotted.

  They ran from the hotel in between the cars driving by that were looking for Brad.

  Sometimes they separated and went one at a time. They hid behind cars and houses, only darting out when it was clear. Finally, they were just a half block from Jefferson Avenue when they ran full out for the street and to their respective cars. Albert said, “Follow me up the canyon and I'll take you to the hole.”

  All three jumped into their respective cars and started them quickly. They drove through 25th and over to 24th Street where they turned right heading up to Harrison Boulevard. Turning left, they were quickly approaching the road that would take them to Ogden Canyon and on to Huntsville. When they passed Rainbow Gardens a few minutes later, Brad was reminded of when he brought his friends here to show off to them. It was only three days ago, but it felt like a lifetime. He knew he should never have brought them there and showed them his skill. Into the mouth of the canyon they drove, passing the man-made waterfall on the left side of the narrow canyon. Soon, they would be at the hole. At last, Brad was safe from those with murderous intent. With Albert and Steve with him, he felt relaxed and calm for the first time in 48 hours. He fell into a deep sleep as his father drove him up the canyon to the valley.

  Sherman Greene woke up when the police found him on the roof of the hotel. After some probing questions, he was taken in handcuffs to the police station. Later, he was charged with several crimes.