Ever-Life the Two Book Set: The C.P.T Incident and Time Trust (55 page)

“Yeah, I heard about all of it. So terrorists bombed and killed millions. Now you have it. I don’t see any difference.”

“This was the Pearl Harbor of terror…And; yes, it made possible our acquisition of many companies down here. But, we brought their economy back, from anarchy.”

“Why don’t you just shut up; or tell me what flea infested hole you’re taking me to.”

“Ah; far be it from me to put your wife up in a flea infestation. We are going to the Copacabana Palace of Palaces, my friend; the best of the best. We rebuilt it, after the wars.”

Abby Johnson’s Knofer recorded and sent the coordinates of the Palace to Jake Burns, and the armed Ever-Life security team, inside one of Carriers. They reached the Corcodova station, within 10 minutes and were on their way to the Palace, before Jack arrived.

In the car, InVoy was dripping with arrogance and ego.

“Look at that crowd, Jack; everywhere, people. Everyone is so cramped, down here now; all we have to do is smile at them. They beg, for whatever will lift their spirits.”

“You mean you sell them drugs. I thought Brock was out of that.”

“He is; as far as I know.”

InVoy took a wad of rolled thousand dollar bills out of his pocket, waved it at Jack and said, “You have to know what people really want, my friend. Watch this…Kieth, pull over and stop a minute.”

InVoy rolled the back seat window down and called to a group of young people, in Portuguese, “Hay, you there, yes you; all of you; come here.”

He stuck his head out, just enough, so they could see his face with sunglasses on.

“You want to make a lot of money?”

Of the six who came over, there were 2men and four women. They each nodded yes.

“Are you all related?”

They said no.

“This is $100,000.00/cash. That’s $16,500/ for each of you.”

One of the girls asked, “What do you want us to do, have sex?”

“Yes, but with each other; right here; right now. What do you say?”

One girl turned and examined the others. “Sure, why not. What do you all say?”

“Give us the money!”

InVoy giggled at them and turned to Jack.

“You see, my friend, down here, money buys anything.”

Jack didn’t flinch, but replied, “Either let me out or take me to my wife, you pig.”

InVoy shouted at Kieth, “Vamos-We go!”

Fifteen minutes later, after driving through various streets; and, a long a beach road, the car pulled up to the Copacabana Palace of Palaces.

“Here we are, my friend. Feast your eyes…You come with me.”

Little did InVoy know, Johnson and her team were in place to follow the little snake to his lair. There were ten in the team, all inconspicuously dressed. Four at the front door entrance, two at the main elevators, two patrolling the outside back and two on the roof.

Jack had no idea he had support, until; as they lead him across the lobby, he noticed Abby, herself, sitting, facing the check in desk. He tried not to react; but, he looked surprised for just one, fleeting second. That was all the reaction InVoy’s fat man, guard had to see. Jack barely flinched; nothing the normal eye would catch; but, to the trained mercenary, it was more than enough. In an instant, the guard focused on Abby. He reached for his pistol and pointed it, at Jacks head.

“All right; you there, you girl; stand up! Stand up, or, so help me, he’s dead; and, so is the wife!”

InVoy turned, as Abby stood, and one of her team reacted from the elevators. He yelled, “Fire!”

InVoy’s guard turned and saw Abby’s man. At that second, a different Ever-Life man, at the front door, pulled his gun, as well, and fired it at InVoy, the guard and Jack. The airburst hit them all, and the three went down fast; but the fat man pulled the trigger of his automatic weapon, as he fell. Bullets spit out everywhere. The desk clerk was hit; and, as InVoy’s guard hit the floor, his gun shot toward
Abby. It was over in three seconds. Then, the screaming started. People ran in all directions, away from the lobby. Two more Ever-Life men ran in, from outside to the scene. It took only seconds to grab the shooter. One tied his hands behind him, and the other helped Jack to his feet.

“Wait, wait!” Jack shook him off and turned to see InVoy was face down. Jack bent down and turned him over, to see his belly was gutted, from the shots. InVoy flopped into Jack’s lap, as his innards splashed all over. But, he was conscious enough to say, “Too late my friend…”  InVoy opened Jack’s hand, and placed a two inch round wad of money in his palm. And a key slipped out, from the center of the roll. Then, the Chief of Staff, and henchman of Marion Brock stared into nothing. He was dead. Jack gently laid his head back, onto the floor, and stood up, with a twisting, sick feeling in his stomach, looking at the money and key.

“Sir! Here, over here; it’s Ms. Johnson.”

Jack rushed across the room to her. She lay on the lap of the Team Commander. She was clearly hit in the heart. Jack took the man’s hand and put it on the wound.

“Press hard; here! Abby, Abby, can you hear me?”

She opened her eyes. “It’s okay; do you know where Rachel is?”

“Hang on, stay with me.”

“Ask for Rosse, Charlie Rosse. Don’t forget the…” She looked at Jack with a dead stare. She was gone too. The Commander looked up and spoke quickly.

“Sir, we will clean up here. You go with those three. Find your wife. I’ll meet you back at the rendezvous point, the station under the statue. I’ll have a car for you, in the back of the hotel…Sgt. Strom, stick with the doctors. You get them back to the Carriers.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Jack kissed Abby’s forehead and then got up. They all heard sirens, while Jack took one last look at Abby.

“Come on Sir; we have to go.”

Jack looked at the key, in his hand, and read the tiny red etched word on it, “Base…Christ, what is this? What do you make of this, Strom?”

The Sergeant looked and shook his head.

“I don’t know; ‘Base’; maybe basement?’

“Christ, we have no time.”

As pandemonium reigned in the lobby, the three ran to an elevator, entered and Jack pushed ‘B’ on the panel. When the door opened, Jack was ready to jump out, but the guards held him back. Strom shushed him and looked out, carefully, to see nothing but the laundry staff, crisscrossing the hallway, wearing those silly head-nets.

“Even if there was anyone here, we couldn’t hear them over the sound of those washers and dryers.”

“Come on, let’s go. Easy doctor; you stay between us.”

They walked down the hallway, to another door, about 25 yards away. Strom tried the knob, but it was locked. He looked at Jack and said, “You don’t think?”

Jack took the key out, stuck it in the door and twisted the knob. He slowly opened the door.

“It can’t be that easy.”

The Sergeant looked down the hall and saw a man closing another door. As their eyes met, the man froze for a second; and then, he ran the other way, leaving the door opened.

“After him!” Strom said.

One guard ran after the man, out the far door at the other end of the hall, while Strom, Jack and the other guard walked through the door.

“Holy shit; what the hell is this?” Strom said.

Jack walked in behind him. “It’s a lab; a fully loaded lab, at that.”

They studied the room. There were instruments rivaling those at the Complex. In the far corner, they saw a gurney, with a bright light over it, shining on what looked like a woman’s body.

“Christ!” Jack ran to her. “It’s Rachel! Help me!”

She was barely breathing and clothed in nothing but a hospital gown. She was a wreck. Three needles stuck in her; one in both arms, and one in her neck. Jack quickly checked her vitals.

“What the hell are they doing to her? She’s alive, thank God. Hold her, while I get these out of her.”

At that point, the third guard came back. “He’s gone, Sir; disappeared.”

Strom gestured, “Quickly, help us here!”

Jack rushed around the room looking for anything medical that could help. “Damn; where do they keep the good stuff? What a shithole.”

He noticed several pieces of glass on the floor, blue glass. He bent down to pick one up; and there it was; a corked small two inch blue vial that he couldn’t mistake. He picked it up and studied it; but he didn’t notice the figure standing at the door with a gun.

“Yes, Jack; it’s a vial, like your magic potion, but enhanced. Stop! All of you! I am a pretty good shot. Stay calm, and you all might live through this.”

“Rosse; you bastard; let me tend to my wife.”

“First things first, my friend…Get over there with them.”

“What have you done to her?”

“Did you bring the papers, Jack? A deal is a deal. Give them to me; and she’s yours.”

“Fine, I have to reach in my pocket; they’re in my phone.”

Rosse pointed, “Over there, the printer; get going, or she will be the first to go. Even if you get me; she’s dead.”

Jack moved to the printer and took his phone out. He looked into it, to verify the retina scan. Then, he pressed his thumb on the corner; and, lastly, he plugged the phone connector into the printer port.

“Print them, Jack.” He pointed the gun at Rachel’s head.

Jack held his hands up. “Fine, wait; I’m doing it. Watch, look! See?”

He pushed the printer button. One paper came out, then two; then, finally, the third.

“Pick them up! Hand them to me!”

Rosse grabbed them out of his hand, and slowly backed up to the desk, in the middle of the room. On it was a cylinder, sitting vertically, roughly twelve inches high, with characters on the side. He pressed several and a display on the top read, ‘Insert’.

Rosse fed the papers, into a slit on the side, and then, turned to Jack. “Now we wait.”

It seemed like hours to the doctor. Finally, the cylinder beeped and the display read, ‘Confirmed; proceed.’

The cylinder did not spit out the papers; rather it displayed the following message, ‘Self destruct in five minutes.’

Rosse looked at Jack and smiled. “Thanks Jack, you can keep the vial. She’s all yours”

Then, he backed out the door, while pointing the gun at Rachel. He slammed it shut, behind him.

Jack ran to Rachel. Two guards ran to the door. “It’s locked!”

“Sir; she’s alive, but in a coma; look at her neck.”

“They were experimenting; Christ! We have to get her to back to the Complex; fast.”

Strom took his Knofer out, requested escape directions and the team’s car. The Knofer displayed a model of the Palace and notified one of the outside’s team guards of the exit location. Then Strom turned to the doctor. “Jack, the door; the bastard locked it.”

They both thought the same thing. Jack took the key out, again, and ran to the door…Bring her!”

They all took a breath, as Jack stuck the key in and turned the knob. The door opened. He held it for the guards, carrying Rachel. Strom went next. “My guess is, we follow Rosse’s exit. We can’t go back the way we came; the lobby will be filled with police. Let’s go!”

They ran as quietly and quickly as they could, up the narrow staircase, which led directly to a door, exiting to the alley behind the Palace. An Ever-Life crew member waited in a car, to take them all to the Carrier rendezvous station.

Chapter 26

Marshall’s Revenge

In the basement of the Arden City Courthouse, Angie Bellos and Brian Sheldon were about to be escorted back, up the stairs by the jailer. Halfway up, they all heard the scream:
“YOU FUCKING BASTARDS… LET ME OUT! BROCK! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!”

Then they could hear a crowd of cell mates yelling and banging on the doors. The guard turned and rolled his eyes. “It’s that shit, Marshall, again. He provokes everybody. I hope he gets the chair.”

Angie was quick to reply, “Excuse me, I am his niece. I’ve come to see him, for the last time. Maybe I can quiet him; before he drives you all crazy.”

The guard looked at her, as her eyes filled with tears. “I have never seen you here, before. He knows you?”

“I have been overseas. This is my friend, he is a lawyer. I wanted to see Davy, before the verdict. I have to go back, leave for the airport. I won’t be able to see him, otherwise. Please, I just want to say hello, and good bye; give him a hug. I can quiet him, really?”

Marshall let out another wail, and the three of them looked at each other.

“That bastard; sorry Miss; he has been a thorn in my side, ever since he came here. How can you stand to be related?”

“Please, it’s just to say hello and goodbye; really.”

The guard thought, and sighed, and finally, during another yell, he agreed. He led them down the stairs and back to the cells. As they walked down the general hallway, the guard yelled, over them all, “Hay; hay; quiet you wolfhounds; temper down.”

He stopped at Marshall’s 7X10 enclosure. “I have a surprise for you, Mr. Marshall.”