by Matt Ryan
“Julie, see if you can find her,” Joey said.
She sucked up the snot in her nose and pulled out her Panavice, scrolling the pages. Her mouth opened and she stared at the screen. Turning it so the group could see. “Recognize it?”
“Same one that took Samantha,” Poly answered.
“Yep, but this is a stealth helicopter, built by one country in the world. The US.”
“Wait, you’re saying our government captured Samantha?” Lucas asked.
“It wasn’t just that, they were trying to take the cure as well,” Julie said.
Joey leaned back on the booth seat trying to absorb the information. Why would the government want Samantha? She was just the face of the distributor. Plus shooting down the copter could have killed her. “Can you see where they took her?”
“Yes.” Julie scrolled her screen for a few minutes. “They took her to the Miramar Air Force base in San Diego.” Her face sagged as she stared at the screen.
“What is it?” Lucas asked.
“There’s no record of an authorized kidnapping. Nothing talking about seizing the cure. I think these soldiers went rogue, or are some kind of black ops.”
Lucas put his hands behind his head and laughed. “This is crazy.”
“After all we’ve been through, is there any limit to crazy?” Julie blurted out.
He lowered his hands to his lap and sunk in his seat. “Well, it might be easier to get her back from them than Marcus.”
“As stupid as that sounds, you may be right,” Julie said. “I can get into any military network, but that’s something I can’t do with ZRB.” She shook her head as she stared at the screen. “I don’t see any record of anything at Miramar involving this. I don’t like it at all.”
“Are they transporting her out of there?”
“I don’t know, but they may be hiding her if they do.”
Joey spoke up, leaning forward in the seat. “How long to get there by car?”
“Probably two hours or so. Depending on the roads,” Julie said. “Wait, I found something. There’s been internal chatter about a group of soldiers led by a man they call Judge. This group is off the grid. They’re acting on their own.”
“What do they want from her?” Joey asked.
Julie stared at him. “She’s the VP of ZRB, I am sure they want what the whole world wants . . . the cure.”
THE WIND BLEW AGAINST SAMANTHA’S face and panic set in as she realized they weren’t going to bring her all the way into the helicopter. She thought at first they were there to rescue her, but now she knew they were taking her. Zach would never allow this to happen. They left her strapped to the steel gurney, but she cocked her head to get a view of the city below. Just then, the first rig blew up. She felt the heat from it and then the helicopter moved.
Terror overwhelmed Samantha and she continued to scream as the gurney swayed next to the door. She was sure at any second she would disconnect, or the straps holding her in place would give way. The massive wind blew the tears from her eyes and streaked them back to her ears. Her throat felt hoarse as she screamed at the men behind her. She closed her eyes and tried to gather some dignity if this was going to be the end.
She thought of her mom. When Samantha had a bad day, her mom saw it in her face. She’d sit her down on the couch and put on a silly daytime soap opera. Her mom would sit behind her and comb her hair, trying to catch Samantha up on what was happening. It always made her feel better, even if she couldn’t care less that Joan was sleeping around on Terrence.
She hummed the tune to her mom’s favorite soap and kept her eyes closed. The noise of wind and the roaring of the helicopter motor drowned out the sound, but she felt the vibrations and used her mind to fill in the rest. She began to have rational thoughts and loosened one hand.
She opened her eyes and gazed up at the black helicopter with sharp angles all around it. It didn’t have any markings and it looked futuristic, like those stealth bombers the government used.
She blinked and the wind dried her eyes out almost instantly. She slammed them shut and ignored the gritty feeling. She thought of Ashley and how she’d said the president contacted her directly. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Ashley must have told them what they were planning on doing.
The helicopter skimmed the beach line and another big city came into view. It seemed like forever before they finally slowed down and hovered over a large airport. Samantha took deep breaths and felt happy to be still.
The helicopter landed on the tarmac and a dozen men ran up with machine guns pointed at her. The soldiers rushed to pull her to the ground and undo each strap holding her in place.
“Hey, easy.” They squeezed her arms and yanked her from the restraints. “Why are you doing this?” she screamed.
Six men held her and tied her hands and legs together with zip ties. Her body never touched the ground and the men never said a word.
“What the hell is going on?” Samantha demanded.
“He’ll tell you soon enough.”
“Who’s going to tell me what?”
The men carried her like a log toward a large hangar. She stopped struggling to save herself the pain from the ties cutting into her skin. When they entered the side door of the immense building, a voice sounded from her right.
“Put her down.”
They sat her down on a steel chair but left her constraints on. She felt the thin zip tie digging into her wrists. Frantically looking around, she took in all the uniformed men surrounding her and never felt so alone. She wished Zach would come crashing into the hangar with his machine guns. Too bad he was in Europe somewhere, trying to save them all.
A man in a suit walked toward her, an older man with gray hair and black, shiny shoes. He eyed the men around her and nodded his head. They moved away as he approached.
She sat upright in her seat and tried to look the part of a VP.
“Samantha Roslin?” The contempt in his voice made her name sound like a dirty word.
“Yes, and who do you think you people are, stuffing me in a helicopter and flying me across the state like some animal? I’m an American citizen and I have rights.”
“I’m sorry if you were harmed in any way. I’m Judge Spencer, but most of the guys here call me Judge. We brought you here because we want something from you. You give it to us and we leave. Give us trouble and well, things won’t be so fun for you. ”
“You’re threatening me? Do you know who I am?” Samantha tried to quell her anger.
Judge grabbed a steel chair from next to a table and scraped it across the floor to sit in front of her. “You’ve had an interesting life, Samantha Roslin. Being born on the same day as five other kids—they even called you the Preston Six. Not very inventive, but cute.”
“We didn’t name ourselves, some reporter did.”
“Ah yes, well sometimes the reporters like to put a name on things, don’t they?”
Samantha huffed and raised her bounded hands. “Is this necessary?”
Judge nodded his head to the soldier standing behind her.
Once her hands were cut free, she rubbed her wrists and stared at the red marks. She wondered how Zach would react to those marks.
“Last year, you and the Preston Six went missing for several weeks and then you all showed back up at the same time. Where did you go?”
Samantha glanced up at Judge and wondered if this was part of her trial or just some small talk to get the words flowing. If she’d told him the truth, they never would believe it. “We sort of ran away. We traveled to a few places but then ran out of money and the will to continue.”
“And in this time, did you or any of the Six have contact with Zach Ryan Baker?”
“No.”
“Can you tell me how you became employed with ZRB?”
“They were at a job fair at my school and recruited me.”
“Interesting, do you know that your school was the only job fair they have ever attended?”
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br /> “No, I didn’t.” She struggled with what that meant. Maybe it was some trial job fair for them, like an experiment. Samantha used her free hands to stroke some of the knots out of her ratted up hair. “Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to dangle from the bottom of that helicopter?”
“You don’t get to ask me questions.” Judge’s hand balled up in a fist on his knee. His face turned a light shade of red and he looked to be holding back a full-blown fit. Samantha waited for him to ask the next question. “Why did they hire you, and at which position?”
“I’m not answering these questions until you tell me exactly what the hell you want.” She felt good about the comment.
Judge leaned back in his chair with a smile. “Do you know any rich people?”
“What?”
“Rich people. You know, the Bill Gates and Warren Buffets of the world.”
“No,” Samantha said, confused as to where he was going with it.
“But you’ve heard of them?”
“Yes.”
“Well, the people I work for are the ones who decide those people are allowed to be rich. You won’t find their names on any Forbes list because they own the magazine. They own whatever it is that they want and every person of great wealth gets to know this universal truth at some point. Zach has avoided them by some very cunning maneuvers and has upset my bosses to no end. They cannot allow for Zach to continue what he is doing, unchecked. Now please, let me finish up my questioning here.”
Samantha nodded. These people didn’t want the money, they wanted the power behind the cure or a cut of it. This was extortion and Samantha tightened up in her chair, glancing at the armed men around the room. She couldn’t get out of this room if she had Zach and the rest of the six with her.
Judge crossed his leg and placed his hands over his knee, holding it in place. “You’re the VP and heading up the distribution of the cure. But Samantha, you’re nineteen, you have no experience running a company. Why would Zach choose you?”
Samantha shifted in her metal chair and tried to hide her inner struggle. She valued herself and what she was capable of. She had worth and she didn’t like for one second this man insinuating she didn’t. Images of her hunkering behind the rest of the Six flashed in her mind. She was her own woman now, she didn’t need them. “I was the best person for the job.”
“I think you are an amazing, beautiful, young woman, but there has to be more to this story. Were you and Zach in a relationship?”
“No. I got promotions on my merits.”
“We have a source saying you were seen kissing.”
“Who, Ashley? Wait, are you the ones who sent that group of soldiers yesterday?”
“Don’t ask me another question. Don’t do it.” The veins in his neck bulged and his fist shook. After a moment, he loosened his fingers and plastered a weak smile on his face.
Samantha realized she was in a life or death conversation with a mad man and slumped in her seat. “I’m sorry. No more questions.”
“Good. Now please, help me understand what it is you do at ZRB.”
Samantha went over her role as an organizer of the distribution of the cure and how she was to be the face of ZRB. Judge Spencer nodded and took interest in her answers. She made sure not to ask any questions in return and watched Judge’s body language as she felt at any second she was going to have to protect herself from his attacks.
“Now that we have an understanding of what it is you do, why don’t you tell me more about your boss, Zach?”
“I have a feeling you know more than I do about him,” Samantha said.
“Yes, we have all the records showing his life. Dated purchases, parents’ birth and death certificates, high school diploma . . . all found, all legit.” Samantha’s mouth opened to ask a question, only to close it as Judge raised an eyebrow. “But there’s a problem. How can a man who appears to have come from meager beginnings, accomplish what he has in the span of one year?”
Samantha frowned at the information. What was he trying to say? That Zach was some ghost who popped into existence? She pursed her lips together, and made sure to appear doubtful. Let them think their weak tactics of getting her to turn on Zach worked. She knew him better than any person in the world.
A smug look came across Judge’s face. “Something isn’t right about this guy. A very dangerous game he’s playing and you’re just another pawn in his plan. Can you see that now? This man is not the one who should have sole control of the cure. I need your help to get to him, to make him understand the stakes at which he is playing.”
“He’s trying to save the world, not control it.”
Judge laughed and looked around at his men who also laughed. “Do you really believe that?”
She couldn’t look Judge in the face and instead focused on a button on his lapel. Two triangles with a circle between them. “Yes, he’s making a better world.”
Judge wiped a hand over his face and kept smiling. “So, we have a simple task for you. Make contact with your boss and in exchange for your life, we want him to sign over fifty-one percent of his company to my people. A very generous offer that will skyrocket Zach to the top of the Forbes list, a mile ahead of number two.”
Judge waved to the person behind her. “We have your cell phone here and see you have communicated with him recently, sweet little texts you guys sent each other.”
Samantha sneered at Judge and grabbed her phone from the guy holding it to her.She sucked in a breath and stared at the screen. What could she possibly say? Hey, honey, these guys are threatening me if you don’t hand over controlling equity in ZRB. And what if he chose the company? She had a sick feeling of being stuck as an option to another man. Her hands sweat and shook as her thumb hovered over the screen. “I can’t do this.”
Judge’s eye twitched and he shot out of his chair, face turning red. He raised a clenched fist over her face and she crunched up in fear.
“We can’t hit her,” the soldier from behind Judge said. He stepped toward them. It was the winker. “It’s not right.” The soldier regarded her with a soft face and expressive eyes. “It’s okay, Miss Samantha, you can contact him.” He gave her a quick wink and then Judge shoved him to the ground.
“Don’t ever interrupt me.” He kicked the soldier in the stomach and then again in the face.
None of the other soldiers looked their way. They kept to their routes, pacing and watching the building.
Samantha shook her hands and wanted to be far away from Judge. He turned to face her and swiped his hand over his sweaty forehead. He stomped back to his seat and slammed it closer to her, so when he sat down his face was a foot away from hers. She felt the heat from his body and the stench of his breath on her face. She recoiled, but he tapped the screen with his finger.
“Put in the message, we’ve already sent him all the paperwork.”
Samantha stared at the digital keys, anything was better than the man’s face. Then it struck her. The soldier had called her Miss Samantha. She shot a quick glance at the man on the floor.
Putting her fingers to the keys, she typed in the note telling Zach of the situation.
Judge smiled and read each words as she typed it. “See? That wasn’t too hard.”
Samantha slumped in her chair. She’d wanted to put up a fight, but the Miss Samantha comment threw her. The man must have been sending her a message from Zach. She fidgeted her fingers and felt like a traitor.
What if the man on the floor had just been part of their plan? They could have known about her name thing and he used it to give her an edge of comfort? She felt as if she might throw up. If she had just handed over Zach into a trap, she didn’t know how she could live with herself.
She stared at the screen, waiting for his response. It dinged and his message displayed.
Zach: Hand the phone to Judge.
She stared at the words and then handed the phone over. She had to trust in Zach. He would know how to get her out of this m
ess better than anyone.
Judge’s face was smiling as he typed into the screen. A few more dings as Zach’s texts came across the screen, and his face changed, taking the blood out of it at first and then contorting it with rage. He got out of his seat and slammed the phone onto the floor. It shattered on the ground and then he stomped on it repeatedly. In one motion, he reached over and smacked the side of her head. She blocked most of it with her hand, but it sent chills and thumps of pain down her spine. Her eyes hurt from the impact and she blinked to get her vision clear again. She rubbed the side of her head and slammed her eyes shut.
What did Zach text him?
“Guess your life isn’t as valuable to him as we thought.”
“What did he say?” Samantha jolted from her seat.
Judge swung and hit her on the side of the head.
Crashing to the floor, Samantha groaned. She grabbed the side of her head and rocked back and forth on the cool concrete. “He’s going to kill you for doing this,” she said. “He’ll find you. You know he will, he’s everywhere.”
Judge laughed and walked away.
The soldier he’d kicked earlier moved to her side. Samantha expected comfort or help from the man, but he grabbed her and shoved her on her face. She felt zip ties move over her wrists once again. She raised her chin off the floor and stared at the hangar door, waiting. Someone had to come to her rescue, she couldn’t die like this. Zach was in Europe and every friend she’d ever had was in Preston. They didn’t even know where she was. The fear of dying and no one even knowing it happened, filled her thoughts.
“Miss Samantha,” the soldier whispered, “it’s time for you to go with me.”
“WE NEED TO GO FASTER,” Joey said. He was going to lose it if they couldn’t get out of this damned traffic. He knew Samantha was in danger and every second they wasted felt like she was one second closer to death.
“Dude, you’re seeing the same thing I am.” Lucas squeezed the steering wheel with frustration.
Joey sighed. They were the only car heading south. Both sides of the five lane freeway had turned into northbound traffic. Everyone had headed to LA in search for the cure.