by Bob Cooper
***
The alarm buzzed as Stryker accessed his account. He was two million credits richer. Smiling, he popped open a fresh beer and took a healthy swig.
“Well, it looks like your friends came through,” he said to Hillary.
“Good, now take me to them.”
He said nothing as he continued to check his account.
“Wait. You said you would let me go if you got your ransom. You got your credits. Now let me go! “ Hillary said in frustration.
He continued to ignore her. Hillary knew he never had any intention of letting her go. “When they don’t find me as you promised, the Guard will be all over you.”
Stryker laughed and finished his beer.
“By that time, I’ll be long gone.”
***
Captain Ryan got the call he dreaded. Hillary was not found at the designated release location. These ransom situations were a crapshoot at best. In most cases, the hostages were already dead or never found. Regulations dictated precisely how the game had to be played. The worst part is telling the loved ones that Hillary’s chances of living are slim to none. Peering out the office window, he saw them pacing the floor in the hall outside his office.
When Dirk arrived, Raina filled him on the fake ransom deposit. It was time to face them. Drawing a deep breath, he opened the door and motioned them to come in. “Please have a seat. There is no easy way to say this, but Hillary was not delivered to the designated site as promised by Stryker.”
Captain Ryan got ready for the onslaught. But no one said anything. Acey stood beside Billy.
“Is she dead?” Billy asked in a hushed tone.
“We don’t know. My team is doing everything possible to find her.”
“What does that really mean?” Billy asked.
“I’ve called in some help from missing persons as well,” he answered, not really sure on how to answer his question.
“And how long before Stryker finds out the transfer was a fake?” Billy asked.
“When he tries to access the funds, he will get a ‘funds unavailable’ message, and the transaction will fail.”
“Can we tell when Stryker tries to access the funds?”
“Not really.”
Billy walked back and forth the length of the room several times before he spoke again.
“I want a news conference. I want it now. I want to address this bastard. And I want the transfer reversed,” Billy said without any hesitation.
“I really don’t advise you….”
“I don’t care what you advise. I want the transaction withdrawn now!”
Captain Ryan didn’t like this turn of events, but he was fresh out of ideas.
“Could Hakeem reverse this?” he asked Aidan.
“I don’t know, but I will ask,” he said, pulling out his com link.
“I’ll contact our local news station and have them set up on the front steps,” Dirk said, looking to Captain Ryan for concurrence.
“That’s okay with me. I’ll notify my superiors of the plan. Are you really sure you want to do this?” he asked Billy.
“Yes, I’m sure.
“Hakeem can reverse the transaction whenever we’re ready,” Aidan said.
“Good. Let’s get this done,” Billy said.
Raina, Dirk, and Acey were outside when the news vehicles arrived and told them what was about to happen while Billy and Captain Ryan discussed what he should say.
“Billy, that’s very risky if you say that.”
“We have nothing to lose. For all we know she is dead. He thinks he’s holding all the cards. I want to turn that around. We now become the aggressors.”
“Billy, this is not going to turn out well, the Captain said, shaking his head.
“We’re ready anytime you are,” Raina said.
“Okay, I’ll be right there. Aidan, tell Hakeem to reverse the transaction.”
Aidan nodded, made the call and waited on the com link for Hakeem’s confirmation.
“It’s done,” Aidan said, following Billy outside.
Billy surveyed the local media gathered on the steps of the Citizen Guard HQ. All the cameras focused on him. Acey watched him standing there, no longer slouched over but straight and erect. He was taking charge of this situation, and Hillary would be proud of him. She held back the tears as he started to speak.
“Thank you for coming and hearing what I have to say. My fiancé, Hillary Grant, has been abducted by a rogue element of the Earther movement, Colonel Jack Stryker. We met his ransom demand, but she was not delivered to us. We were able to rescind the transfer before he could access the funds. Hillary’s fate remains a mystery.”
Billy looked directly at the main camera; I want to make this perfectly clear to Mr. Stryker. First, I’ve instructed the Citizen Guard not to accept any calls. All calls will be forwarded to me. Second, I am offering a fifty thousand credit reward for information leading to the safe return of Ms. Grant. And third, I will use the rest of the ransom money to buy the finest private investigators and mercenaries to relentlessly pursue you, Mr. Stryker. You will never be able to rest again, never! You will be caught and brought to justice. However, if Ms. Grant is returned unharmed, I will not pursue you and ask the authorities not to do so either. That’s all I have to say.”
Billy struggled to keep it together. He believed what he was doing was the right thing.
“You say that Colonel Stryker is part of the Earther movement. What is their interest in all this?” a reporter asked.
Dirk did not want to get into this aspect of the situation at this point. Walking up to the podium, he put his arm around Billy and spoke to the journalists.
“I think we will have to leave it at that for now. It’s been a very trying few days for Billy and everyone concerned. We will keep you posted on any new developments. Thank you for coming,” he concluded, walking with Billy back to Captain Ryan’s office.
After they left his office, Captain Ryan watched the proceedings on his monitor. He was not at all pleased with the turn of events.
***
Stryker watched too. He was furious as he fumbled with his computer and accessed his account. It showed a zero balance.
Hillary watched the monitor as well. She was so proud of Billy. If she never saw him again, she would remember him—strong and brave.
“You’re dead meat!” she yelled at him. “They’ll hunt you and find you no matter how long it takes.”
Stryker shoved the computer off the table and grabbed Hillary by the throat squeezing as hard as he could until her eyes bulged.
“Shut up. Shut the hell up, you bitch. They will never see you alive again,” he screamed, pushing her to the ground.
Hillary gasped for air, slowly returning to normal breathing. The com link buzzed. Stryker looked to see who it was. Tim Arden’s name flashed across the screen. Stryker didn’t answer it. Instead, he waited to see if he would leave a message. He did.
“You stupid fool! I saw the news! You betrayed the cause, and now you’ll pay!”
Stryker let out a string of expletives. He paced rapidly back and forth muttering to himself, trying to put another plan together. Hillary watched the half-crazed Stryker talking to himself. She was of no use to him anymore, and there was no way he would let her live. Stryker pulled out his blaster.
“Get down on your knees now! He screamed, shoving it in her face.
***
Billy wanted to get things back on track. The major gala event at the Gallery was canceled due to Hillary’s abduction, but Acey and Raina convinced him to keep it open. They offered to fill in at the Gallery and give Billy a break to get some sleep. Neither of them knew much about the Gallery, but they were determined to help out. Acey looked at the artwork, especially the pieces Hillary created. She had definitely come a long way from her early days—much more refined and mature, Acey thought to herself. Running her hand along one of her sculptures, memories of their early friendship rushed through her h
ead. Raina put her arm around Acey.
“I know you miss her. We all miss her. We’ll get her back,” she reassured Acey.
Acey looked at her. Doubt was in her eyes.
“We will get her back,” she reiterated, holding her close.
“Thanks,” she said. I can’t tell you enough how lucky I am to have you here.”
“That’s what big sisters are for,” Raina said.
The door swung open, and Billy walked in. He didn’t get much sleep. He looked disheveled, at best.
“Why don’t you ladies go home? I’m okay now. I’ll stay for a few more hours, and then close up. I’ll call you if there are any new developments,” he said.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Acey asked.
“Yes, Yes. Now go home and get some rest.”
Acey was exhausted and took him up on his offer. Raina stayed on with Billy. Once at home, Acey called Dirk and left him a message telling him she was home and Billy was at the Gallery with Raina. She promised to meet him for breakfast the next morning.
Dirk made the final arrangements with the media team to make the first in a series of broadcasts about the artifacts late that week. As she undressed, she noticed something sticking out of her back pocket. It was the note from Annie. Unfolding it, she read the letter—I LIKE YOU. SO DOES SAM. SO DOES AIDAN. Stick drawings of the three of them with smiley faces appeared underneath. She lay in bed, holding the note before falling asleep.
***
Hillary heard the blaster recycle when the com-link buzzed again. At first, it looked like he would continue with the execution, but glancing over, he saw Myra’s name flashing. Lowering the blaster, he picked up the com link.
“Are you ready to deal or should I blow her away right now?” he said before Myra could say anything.
“No, don’t do that. We are interested.”
Hillary could hear the conversation but remained frozen on her knees.
“Then here’s what I want you to do. Deposit the credits, and I’ll tell you where to find her.”
“And we’re supposed to trust you that she is alive.”
“That’s exactly right. If you want her, then you’ll do as I say. Goodbye.”
“Wait. Don’t hang up. I want to talk to her first.”
Stryker hesitated but then gave the com link to Hillary.
“Say something,” he said.
Hillary took the phone.
“Hello.”
The female voice spoke to her in a hushed tone.
“Hillary, don’t say a thing and listen. We have Tim and Myra in custody. We’ll get you out. Hang in there. Give me back to Stryker.”
Hillary was confused at first but then stifled a sigh of relief.
“You will never get away with this. Never! Do you understand?” she said, playing along.
“Are you satisfied?” Stryker said.
“Yes,” said the female voice. We will transfer the funds shortly. When you receive them, call me and leave the location where we can pick her up.”
Hillary fell back on the floor and cried as the stress of the situation poured out. Stryker didn’t notice. He was too busy basking in the fact that he was going to get the credits after all.
***
Captain Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. Capturing Tim and Myra was a stroke of luck. With information from his snitch, Frank Simpson, his team was able to track them down and apprehend them. Once they were in custody, they confiscated Tim and Myra’s com links and extracted Stryker’s secured line.
Of course, Frank expected to get the reward that Billy offered as well as all his other demands.
Using the voice synthesizer, Myra’s voice patterns were replicated and used to fool Stryker.
“Good work, Sara,” he said to his agent. “You simulated Myra’s voice perfectly. Get Aidan Carter here with his hacker friend. Get the team together and be ready to head out to get Ms. Grant.”
The agent looked skeptical.
“Do you really think Stryker will leave her for us to find?”
“I don’t know Sara. I really don’t know.”
***
Aidan and Hakeem raced up to Captain Ryan’s office. Billy was already there.
“Get Hakeem ready to transmit the fake funds again. I don’t believe that Stryker had any clue that they were fake. Let me know when you’re ready.” Captain Ryan said to Aidan.
Annie was with Aidan, and he could see she was restless. Andrea was not available to watch her, so he had no choice but to bring her along.
“I know you’re tired, but this is really important. I need to help Acey and her friend, Hillary,” he said, bending down to her level.
“Are they in trouble?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.
“Yes, Hillary is, and I have to help find her.”
“Can I help?”
“Yes, try to get some sleep for now. This is going to be a long night,” he said.
Annie looked around. There was no one in the waiting room except for the officer on duty behind the desk.
“Alright, I’ll go there in the corner with Sam and try to sleep,” she said, pointing to the far side of the room.
“Okay, I’ll be right in Captain Ryan’s office,” Aidan said.
Billy called Acey and woke her from an uneasy sleep. She stirred but jumped up when she saw Billy’s name.
“What happened? Is she okay?” Acey asked frantically.
“Calm down. Captain Ryan talked to her, and she’s alright. We have a plan to get her out. Come down to HQ, and I’ll explain. I have to go now,” he said, hanging up abruptly.
Acey arrived as Hakeem transferred the funds. They sat waiting for confirmation from Stryker. It wasn’t long before Myra’s com link buzzed. His team now had Stryker’s secured line and was able to trace his position. Sara picked it up, ready to talk.
“You can find her at the old warehouse where we used to meet,” Stryker said before hanging up.
“He hung up. Did we get that traced?” Sara asked.
“We’re working on it,” her team members said.
“Do you know where this warehouse is that Stryker mentioned?” Sara asked the Captain quietly.
Captain Ryan drew a deep breath and whispered back.
“No, we don’t.”
19
Hillary waited for Stryker to stop gloating. In a matter of minutes, they were headed for an old abandoned warehouse in the city center. He forced Hillary into the trunk of the cruiser and sped away.
Arriving at dusk, he slowly pulled into the side street that led to the warehouse complex. Broken glass and debris littered the streets. Very few residents lived in that area anymore. There were plenty of abandoned houses and buildings in various states of decay. Most were so bad that not even the homeless wanted to occupy them.
Stryker stopped the cruiser at the gated entrance where several chains secured it. Signs warned of security guards on-site with the permission to shoot trespassers, but Stryker knew no one in their right mind would be there. Tim and Myra had used this place several times, so it was the logical choice to leave her here. Cutting the chain and pulling the gate open, he drove in.
After driving slowly through the complex with his lights off, he was satisfied no one was there. He doubled back and headed for the usual spot. Stryker paced through the garbage strewn on the floor of the building and set about the task at hand. The flickering light stick was at the end of its life and fading quickly. He tucked Hillary away in an adjacent room in darkness, except for the moonlight coming in through the broken window.
Closing her eyes, she rubbed her stomach gently, trying to make contact with the new life within her. This can’t be how my life ends, she thought. She quickly dismissed the notion of dying and stood up to look out the window. She was at least on the third floor, so jumping out didn’t seem feasible. In her back pocket, she pulled out the small scissors she’d taken from the motel. Not big enough to do any real damage, but if shoved in the right place, it c
ould incapacitate him for a while. She kept it in her hand and waited.
***
Captain Ryan viewed the maps displayed by the AI—over twenty-two warehouses in the city district that could be potential hiding places for Stryker.
“AI, calculate the probability for the top places Stryker could be hiding,” he commanded.
The AI acknowledged by displaying the results in ascending order according to the latest crime stats, demographics, and Stryker’s psychological profile. He studied the results, trying to decide where they would look. The trace his team conducted pinpointed an area where Stryker and Hillary were initially located, but that was miles away from even the closest warehouse. Looking out the window into the waiting room, he saw what was becoming an all too familiar scene—Billy and the group pacing back and forth, waiting. This irked him to no end, but he could understand their situation. He called in his team, waiting on standby.
“Here’s the situation. We don’t know where they are. We have three warehouses that are the most probable, but not enough of us to check them out. At best, we have enough to check out two of them, and that’s if we ask for help from other teams. We’re running out of time. We need to pick the two and hope for the best.”
A lively discussion ensued based on data provided by the AI until they were in agreement as to which two warehouse complexes they would pursue.
“The Sergeant here will head up the first team and take the first location. Remember your hostage training and be careful. The rest of you will come with me to the second location,” he said.
Aidan watched as the agents piled out of the office. Captain Ryan looked at him and called the group in. Once seated, he wasted no time.
“We are targeting two complexes where we think they are. Based on the probabilities of the computer…..”
“Wait a minute. You don’t know for sure that they’re there? Suppose you’re wrong!” Billy yelled.
Acey and Raina calmed him down as Captain Ryan struggled to come up with an answer.