Deadly Weakness (Gray Spear Society) (46 page)
Read Deadly Weakness (Gray Spear Society) Online
Authors: Alex Siegel
Paramedics hopped out of the back. They quickly checked his medical condition and then loaded him onto a gurney. The bullet wound made him wince with pain whenever he was moved.
Finally, he was secured in the back of the ambulance. This wasn't the first time he had been injured. He was very familiar with the procedure.
The paramedics jumped out and closed the rear doors, leaving Hanley alone. The ambulance drove away.
"Hey!" Hanley yelled. "What's going on?!"
"Hello," a man said.
Hanley craned his neck to see the source of the voice.
Smythe was in the ambulance, wearing a white doctor's coat. "Let me take a look at that." He knelt down and used a pair of scissors to snip away Hanley's clothes around the bullet hole.
"Do you know who shot me?" Hanley said.
"Aaron."
"What? That bastard could've killed me!"
"Not likely." Smythe shook his head. "He placed the bullet perfectly."
Without warning he pushed his hand into Hanley's abdomen. It felt like an animal was crawling around inside his guts. Hanley squirmed reflexively.
"Hold still," Smythe barked.
Hanley tried but it was difficult. His instincts were telling him to run away from the man with the magical hands.
Smythe pulled out a small bullet and gave it to Hanley. "A souvenir."
Hanley studied the bullet. It looked like a .22 caliber, and the soft nose was smashed. The pain in his side was gone, and when he checked the wound, he found it was fully healed. This didn't seem strange for some reason. He was getting used to witnessing the occasional miracle.
"Thank you." He sat up.
Smythe wiped his hands on his coat. "But in a way Aaron did kill you. The official report will state that Race Hanley died of internal hemorrhaging on the way to the hospital. It seems that bullet hit a major artery. You're a very unlucky man."
"Won't you need a body?"
"We know a guy in the medical examiner's office. Making bodies appear or disappear is a problem we can deal with. Take off your armor and weapons. They won't let you walk around the airport dressed like that."
"I'm going to the airport?" Hanley said.
"Marina will meet you there. Both of you will be in San Francisco by nightfall."
"Does that mean it's over? Xavier is dead?"
Smythe nodded. "The legate did the deed personally. I imagine it was very satisfying for her."
Hanley sat back. He had known this moment was coming but he still felt emotional. He would never see Peggy again. He wasn't chief of the Special Missions Unit. He wasn't even an FBI agent anymore. His former life and all its accomplishments had been wiped away.
"What's it like? Being a
legionnaire
?"
"Well," Smythe said, "it's a job that will eventually kill you. But until it does, it's the greatest thing you can ever do. You're going to love it." He grinned.
* * *
Aaron was walking past the ticket counters in O'Hare Airport. The lines everywhere were ridiculously long, and he was very glad he didn't need to catch a plane. The line for security was like a cruel social experiment testing the limits of human patience.
He spotted Hanley sitting on a bench. He wore a blue shirt with a hole cut out of the side. Blood had spotted his blue sweatpants. He had no luggage and appeared like he had just wandered in off the street.
Smythe sat beside him. He was sporting a white doctor's coat that looked even stranger in this setting.
Aaron walked over. "Hey!"
"Sir!" Hanley looked up. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"I came to say goodbye to my girlfriend. I didn't have a chance to see her in Chinatown. The situation got a little messy at the end. The police showed up despite our best efforts at keeping them away."
"I should be angry at you for shooting me."
Aaron shrugged. "You're not hurt now, right? You were healed?" He glanced at Smythe.
"That's true, sir," Hanley said, "but it was still a mean trick. You could've warned me."
"I wanted a realistic effect. You're lucky I didn't use the gun that I used on Xavier. It would've cut you in half.
That
was a mean trick."
Hanley remembered hearing the sniper rifle earlier. "Congratulations on a successful mission."
"I am rather proud of the way things turned out." Aaron smiled.
He noticed Marina coming towards him, and seeing her beautiful face made him sigh. The legate was with her, which disappointed Aaron. He had wanted a tender moment with Marina, and that probably wouldn't happen with Ethel around. Both women wore plain gray sweat suits that looked rumpled. It was what they had worn underneath their body armor. Guthrum trailed behind them.
Marina ran over and kissed Aaron firmly on the lips. He held her tight and put his head on her shoulder even though Ethel was standing there.
Let her watch.
However, he couldn't ignore the presence of the legate for long. He eventually looked at her and said, "Ma'am, can I help you?"
She nodded. Her wistful expression was very unusual for her. She actually looked sad.
Aaron let go of Marina, and both of them faced the legate.
"It seems I have a weakness I didn't know about," she said. "There is a blind spot where my heart should be. I'm completely unqualified to make decisions regarding love and friendship. I may have made a mistake when I separated you two."
Aaron stared at Ethel. If he had made a list of words he ever expected to hear from her, those wouldn't be on it.
"Actually," he said, "I think that decision was correct. As much as I want to be with Marina all the time, I can't avoid the truth. It's a dangerous arrangement. Neither of us can operate at full effectiveness. Some distance is probably safer for us and certainly better for the Society."
Ethel smiled, and for once the expression was gentle instead of frightening. "I just hope I never hear about you sneaking off to rekindle the romantic flames occasionally."
"You won't, ma'am."
"Let me be very clear." She stared at him with her dark eyes. "I don't want to
hear
about it. It would be irresponsible for me to allow my commanders to engage in such shameful behavior, if it came to my attention in a prominent way. Or if it interfered with their important duties.
He paused. He could hardly believe his good fortune. "I understand completely, ma'am. I promise you won't find yourself in that awkward situation. And I presume you also don't want to hear about Smythe and Odelia behaving similarly?"
"If that news reached my ears, I would be appalled." She nodded. "I can't imagine you and Yule, two of my wisest commanders, making such arrangements behind my back. I choose to believe it's impossible. I have too much faith in both of you."
"Then it's a very good thing you won't hear about that, either. I wouldn't want to disappoint you, ma'am. But if Yule and I were to do such a shocking thing, we would make sure neither team was compromised. We're both commanders first and foremost. We understand our responsibilities."
She cocked her head. "I'm just curious. When were these non-existent arrangements made?"
"Monday morning." Aaron cleared his throat. "The relationship between Smythe and Odelia must be protected, even if it's very inconvenient. This fact shouldn't surprise you. You're the one who had the divine inspiration to bring them together."
She looked into the distance for a long moment. "God agrees. I'm indebted to you for helping me avoid a terrible mistake. You're still my friend." She rubbed her eyes and seemed lost for a moment. "Marina, take note. True loyalty comes in many forms." She inhaled deeply. "I have to go back to Houston now. My work there isn't nearly done."
Ethel and Guthrum walked off.
Aaron watched her go. Every time he believed he finally understood her, she managed to surprise him. There was a reason she was the
legatus legionis
.
He grabbed Marina and gave her a second kiss. He knew he might not get another for a while, so he made this one last a good long time. She was happy to oblige him. Hanley and Smythe didn't interrupt the moment.
Finally, Aaron and Marina separated.
"As soon as you get settled," he said softly, "I'll ship all your stuff to you. Just tell me where to send it."
She smiled. "Thanks."
"And if you need any advice or technical support, I'm always available to you. Rebuilding your team and your headquarters will be tough. I'll do everything I can from here to make it easier."
"I know." She hugged him. "But let me struggle on my own for a little while. I want to see what I can do without your help."
"Of course. I'll let you call me first."
She sniffled. "You're the best." She gave him one more kiss. Then she turned to Hanley and said, "Come on. Let's buy some plane tickets."
"But we don't have any luggage, ma'am," he said. "We're both a mess."
"You have your phone and the credit cards Norbert gave you?"
"Yes, ma'am. I have my wallet."
"Then we'll buy what we need as we go," she said. "It will be a fresh start. Isn't it exciting?"
The two of them left together.
Aaron turned to Smythe. The second in command had a big, sloppy grin on his face.
"Why are you so damned happy?" Aaron said.
"The legate gave me permission to see Odelia."
"Not quite. Our love lives are still a major problem for her. She's willing to ignore the issue as long as we don't make it an issue. She trusts us to handle a messy situation responsibly. I won't betray that trust. Neither will you. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir." Smythe nodded. "Very."
Aaron slapped him on the shoulder. "Let's go home, finally. Tomorrow morning we'll get started on our next project."
"Which is?"
"Recruitment! We have space on our team for two more
legionnaires
. I'd like them to be women if possible to balance things out. It's going to take a long time to find the right candidates. And when we find them, it's going to take even longer to train them. We'll see how good a teacher you are. I bet you thought being my right hand man was going to be light work."
"No, sir," Smythe said. "I never thought that."
THE END
Table of Contents