Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 23:16:42 -0500 From: Eff Del Subject: Flights of Angels chapter 25 Flights of Angels-Chapter 25 By Eff Del In even the best lived lives, there are cases where we become lost due to the pressures of living, emotional misgivings, doubt, fear, anger and confusion. These bring us to a place that is beyond anything we had imagined. In these places of darkness, despair, loneliness and confusion, we can of course, surrender our will and be consumed by the emptiness. The other choice however, is to reject negativity and draw from within our core, the strength, will and knowledge required to rise above the lost existence we have stumbled into, and discover the way out. It is a choice we must make and how we choose makes all of the difference. Sometimes we find ourselves in the middle of nowhere but, sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, we actually find ourselves. I'd left the Command Center primarily because I'd needed to get out into the fresh air and clear my head. I was astonished to discover it was nighttime. A quick look at my Rolex revealed that it was actually one thirty in the morning. Going into the main house, I was surprised to spot Terry in the hallway. I made a mental note that I needed to familiarize myself with the staff schedules when this nonsense with Ambassador Chang was over. "Terry, do you have the night duty today?" I purposely tried to look and sound friendly because, I'd become aware that for some reason, I seemed to be curt with this particular young man and he always seemed so eager to please me. "Uhh...yes, yes I've the duty tonight Mr. Tucker. You're sure burning the midnight oil eh?" "Yes, several of us are currently working on an important project up on the third floor of the North Wing. Do you have any idea if the boys are in bed?" "Actually sir, Doctor Swaim said that if I ran into you, I should let you know that he's got Sean and Jack with him; spending the night at Fish Camp." "Good. That was a great idea. Now, Terry, I need you to rustle up whatever kitchen staff is on call this late and I need a mountain of sandwiches, chips, maybe some fruit...gallons of iced tea and lemonade put together and brought up to the conference room in the North Wing." "I'll get right on it Sir." He smiled as he spoke. "Thanks Terry. I'll probably see you up there. I'm running up to my room for a quick shower. Instinctively, I'd peeked into the boys' rooms just to confirm that neither of them was there and then, stripped down and entered my shower with each of the multiple spray heads set to full blast. I luxuriated for about twenty minutes before getting out, drying off and changing into clean clothes. As I headed downstairs, I reflected that I hadn't been alone without at least one of the boys for quite some time. *************************************************** As I walked back into the command center, I noticed that Walter and Richard were leaning over Barry's shoulders as he worked furiously at his multi-screened computer. "Any leads yet as to where they might have been taken?" I asked as I walked up to them. Barry's head shot up from his keyboard and he shot me a big grin. "We've got a hell of a lot more than leads Eric." Richard was also smiling as he answered. "We know exactly where they are." My look of puzzlement must have been obvious. It was Walter who responded,; "That guy Gary is the smartest, brassiest, most resourceful son of a bitch! Too damn bad I hadn't met him years ago...he'd have made a hell of a Skugga. I don't think that I'd have thought to do what he did I'll tell you that!" I continued to be completely confused. "What? What did he do? What are you guys talking about?" "He swallowed a bug Eric! " It was Barry who answered this time, and he seemed on the verge of breaking out into a fit of giggles. "What? Will somebody please provide me an answer that makes sense?" "It seems that our friend Gary, must have realized that he and Bobby were about to be captured, because he swallowed one of our "shadow flies'." Richard explained. " Not only have we traced exactly where they are, we can even listen in on what's going on. Of course, it sounds funny because it's being received and transmitted from inside Gary's stomach, but with some adjustments from Barry the wonder boy here, most of it is pretty understandable." "Man! That's amazing! I know I'd have never thought of doing that either. Will it hurt him? Will he need surgery to remove it?" "Nah!" Said Walter. "These things don't emit as much radiation as a glow stick and they're far too rugged to be affected by human digestive acids. He'll lose it next time he takes a crap...so we've got to move before his bowels do." That was enough to send Barry into the fit of giggles he'd been trying to avoid. Walter moved over to try and snap him out of them while Richard continued my briefing: "They've left Montana and are now on a private estate in Ketchum, Idaho. Based upon the conversations we've overheard, that Chang guy is there but there's no indication that Martin Longstreet is with them. We're suspecting that he may have dropped his hostages off and gone somewhere else but we're not certain. I've dispatched `Wolfman' with a large assault contingent and they should be in place in less than an hour. `Wolfman' is as good as they get Eric, so unless a problem should arise; I've given him orders to move in at his own discretion. Walter has informed every one of your command decision and told them that effective immediately, I am in charge of Skuggor ops and therefore, my instructions are second only to your own." "Good Richard. After Walter kicks the crap out of this cancer nonsense, I have other plans for him. " I was looking at the images on Barry's monitors that essentially were just showing exterior views of the Idaho estate when Terry and two other young men entered with the food that I'd ordered. "Great work Terry. Would you and your associates mind setting up a kind of buffet for the guys on that table over there by the wall?" I had no sooner spoken than the lights in the entire room flashed on and off three times and a warning alarm began to sound. I was momentarily stunned, but the many Skuggor in the room sprung to immediate action. Barry's fingers were flying furiously over his keyboard and Richard was talking frantically into his handset. "Walter...What the hell is going on?" "The perimeter has been violated! There are intruders on the property. I'm sending Skuggor to secure Martha and the boys' rooms!" "Walter, the boy's aren't in their rooms! They're spending the night at Fish Camp with Doc Swaim!" "Shit! I'll grab a few guys and get over there right now." "Calm down you guys! There's nothing to be concerned about. This is just a test of the security system." Every eye in the room suddenly turned upon Terry who was smiling and waving his arms in order to focus attention. "What in the hell are you talking about Terry? " Walter and Richard were both in his face and his smile quickly disappeared. "It's...it's a routine test of the security system. The company that maintains the perimeter security just wanted to see if there were any weak spots and tonight was their scheduled check. It's nothing to worry about." Richard had him by the neck and had backed him against the wall. "The...'company that runs the perimeter security'? There is no fucking company that runs perimeter security you dick wad...WE'RE the ones who run the fucking perimeter security! What did you do? What do you know?" "I...I...I but, he told me they needed to run this test! He...he said he was even authorized to pay me a bonus for helping them...he...he said they have to do this every so often in order to detect soft spots in the security. When I told him about the soft spot in the fence out by the construction on the new property, he told me I'd done a very good thing and...and he was even going to mention a commendation for me in his report to Mr. Tucker. I told him I could give him my gate code if that would help and he said it would be a big help...he told me he was sure Mr. Tucker was going to be very pleased with me for all my help. I don't understand what you're all so upset about. This is just routine. He TOLD me so." "We caught a break by their using Terry's code." It was Barry speaking though his eyes and fingers were still madly engaged with his computer. "See, Terry is on night duty in the house tonight and so he's not supposed to have access to any of the gates. Our system runs a self-check every fifteen minutes and it must have just recognized an improperly used code and set off the alarm. If they'd broken in on a night when Terry was on regular duty, the system would never have suspected anything was wrong. Whoever they are, they've been on the property over fifteen minutes already without us knowing it." "What else did you tell this guy Terry?" Richard was actually lifting him up off the floor by his neck. Walter interfered with this and after gasping for breath, Terry, who now looked like the famous `deer in the headlights', managed to answer. "Nothing important. He wanted me to tell him where the boys sleep because they didn't want them to be disturbed by this exercise and I told him he didn't have to worry about that tonight because the boys were spending the night in the cabin by the lake. He told me that was very good and that I..." Walter's punch caught him square on the chin and he dropped to the floor like a rag doll. "Richard...secure the perimeter! Nobody leaves this property! Place security around Eric, I'm taking some men and heading to the cabin. Barry, get more Skuggor out here onto the property and around the perimeter." "I'm five minutes ahead of you Walter." I grabbed Walter by the shoulder. "I'm coming with you. This is my property and those are my boys! Don't waste time trying to stop me Walter!" He didn't, instead, we went down the stairs and out into the yard just as twelve grey clad Skuggor converged in the parking lot. Walter, eight of the Skuggor and I took off in three golf carts while the other four grey `shadows' followed on foot. I swear that I didn't know a golf cart could go so fast. Of course, that was most certainly an illusion caused by adrenaline and my racing heart. There were lights on inside the little cabin as we pulled into the clearing. The building only had a front and back door and the Skuggor silently split up and we entered the building in unison. Doc Swaim was sitting on the staircase holding a towel to his head. He appeared to be bleeding profusely. At his feet lay two unconscious men dressed in black shirts and slacks, their faces were covered with black ski masks. The large man was glassy eyed but seemed coherent. He didn't seem to notice me, but he recognized Walter at once. "Well, I got two of them at least...I had the boys jump out the window...I told them to run to some place safe...I held the fuckers off for at least five minutes so the boys have a head start and besides, they know the property. There are another six of these bastards out there after them though." Just at that moment a cart with two medics pulled up to the cabin. One of our contingent must have called them. Walter had dispatched our team out into the darkness and was calling in re-enforcements. "If we only knew where the boys were running to, we could close in on these bastards quicker." "I know...I know exactly where Sean would go Walter...the place he'd feel safest in all of Joyous Gaurde." I had dawned upon me like a flash of light. Sean would be leading Jack up Hawkes Hill and if they could make it...into the cave. Lying on the floor, next to one of the fallen invaders was a large Glock. I picked it up, checked the clip and quickly retrieved two more from the man's belt. "Follow me Walter, I even know the shortcut Sean will be taking." We traveled like Indians in a hokey old Western Adventure. I knew the property by heart and Walter was ghost like as he and I moved swiftly through the darkness. We were almost surprised when we spotted two of the intruders moving along the pathway obviously out of breath. I heard a metallic click and just caught the slight gleam from the blade of Walter's knife as he glided, silent as a shadow, behind the two men. He took the first down so swiftly and silently that the second didn't realize anything had happened until he also felt Walter's sharp steel. "Now there're only four to worry about." There was no mirth in his whispered comment. Shortly, we reached the steep path that led up the hill. The boys had obviously gotten at least this far because I could see the beams of flashlights as the four intruders were pursuing them up the trail using a great deal of caution. Walter had been listening to information he was receiving through his earpiece, after a few moments, he drew me down into a crouch and whispered to me. "There are more of them than the Professor thinks. We've captured twelve at the gate by the condominiums and our guys are tracking and engaging at least twenty more on the property itself. Three others were probing around the executive condos...probably looking to take out Barry. Instead, they encountered Chris who seems to have mauled one of them while still in his underwear. I'm told he broke both of the creep's arms and one ankle and the other two fuckers ran away right into the arms of our Skuggor. I guess we'd better keep that kid on board Eric." I smiled in the darkness and my heart felt warm thinking about Chris defending himself so well. "Walter" I whispered. "Let's assume the boys have made it to the top of the hill. They will go to a place that no one could possibly find in the dark. There is another path on the other side of the hill. Let's loop around and take that. I'll bet we get to the boys long before Longstreet and his thugs do." Walter tapped my arm in agreement and he followed me as I worked my way over lifetime familiar paths . It never seemed like we were moving in the dark of night because this land was so well known to me and Walter was a magnificently trained `shadow'. As we topped the hill, I could see the beams of flashlights working along the far side of the crest. They were quite a distance from the cave and I silently led Walter to the entrance. Like myself, he had to stoop as we entered the private enclosure. Walter finally turned on a light and there they were just as I'd anticipated. They were sitting together on one of the benches around the fire pit hugging each other tightly. They were naked which wasn't a surprise because they had been sleeping at the time the cabin had been invaded. Thanks to Doc Swaim, they'd at least been able to put their shoes on so they'd run swiftly through the rocks and the bramble. They were on their feet at once and into my arms. After we'd hugged and reassured each other, both boys were wrapping Walter in their arms in a loving and happy hug. To my surprise, he didn't react aloof or formally, instead, he wrapped his arms around both boys and drew them close into a tight hug all the while assuring them that they were very brave and that he was so proud of them. "We've got a small problem Eric." He finally whispered to me. "Our guys behind us are suddenly engaged with boogeymen we hadn't realized were there. I think it's going to be up to us to take out these four guys on this hill. You stay here with the boys and I'm going out there to try to flank them. Remember that we're playing for time. Our guys know where we are and they'll be up here as soon as they can...it's just that...I'm ashamed to say it...we've been caught with our pants down." With that he was out of the cave silently and swiftly. I sat on the bench with the two boys at my side and the big Glock resting at my feet. Time was almost at a standstill. It could have been minutes and it could have been hours all I knew was that I heard a voice calling; "Mr. Tucker, it's OK! We've got them. We have a team out here waiting to escort you and the boys back down to the residence. Just come out and follow our lights. We're all set to protect you Mr. Tucker." I hugged the boys tightly and then stood up. "Let's go guys, we'll talk about this when we get back to the house. This hasn't been our best night ever has it?" They both hugged me and headed to the short opening that was the door to the `cave'. I was the last out and walked into a circle of flashlight beams. "Thanks Mister Tucker. We weren't really sure there was anybody in there behind those rocks. You're co-operation is truly appreciated." I was stunned and frightened. "What? Who? Who are you? What do you want?" "I've already got what I want Mister Tucker. I've got these two boys and after you pay the price we'll be asking, I'll REALLY have what I want." In the dancing illumination of the flashlights I barely was able to make out Jack and Sean in the grasp of two men on the other side of the clearing. I could hear noise from down below the hill and I knew a battle of sorts was taking place. I didn't think, I just lunged toward the boys and was rewarded with a sharp pain in my left leg. I fell face first to the ground. Almost at the same instant, two loud pops emitted from the bushes and two of the invaders dropped like rocks to the ground. Despite my pain, I rose to my feet and lurched in the direction I'd seen the boys being held but they weren't there. I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Follow as soon as you can." It was Walter's voice and I staggered to my feet and followed the sound more than anything else. I realized that we were heading to the rock pile that was essentially the top of Hawkes Hill. As I topped the hill I saw the scene and my heart was cold with pure horror. On the pinnacle stood a stocky man who I vaguely recognized. `This must be Martin Longstreet' I thought to myself. He had a gun in each hand and one was pointed in a forward direction but the other was pressed against Sean's temple. "Well boys, what's it going to be? Either I slide out of this place with this kid as my hostage or this kid dies right alongside of me." He didn't react well to the silence and suddenly and belligerently, he snarled; "I'm going to show you how serious I am. You're stupidity just cost this other kid his life." He turned his gun in Jack's direction and that was when Walter made his move. He almost flew across the clearing and dived directly at Longstreet's knees. Just before he made contact, Longstreet reacted and turned his pistol in Walter's direction. Among the rocks at the top of Hawkes Hill, the detonation was astonishingly loud. Time seemed to freeze for me. In complete slow motion, I saw the crimson eruption from Walter's shoulder. In horror I watched him crumble into an agonized bloody pile. I had been trained since a youth to react quickly to situations and I pulled up my pistol and quickly fired at the black clad man to the right of Longstreet. Walter had trained me well and I noted the red explosion in the center of his chest. Taking advantage of the darkness, I slipped left and attempted to flank Longstreet but I'd forgotten the other man. Suddenly and violently, I fell almost face first to the rocky floor as my legs were yanked from under me. As I regained my senses, I looked up at Longstreet. He was grinning and his gun was pointed at my head. "Well Tucker...Charlie Chan or whatever the fuck his name is, said I wasn't supposed to hurt you but that don't mean I can't teach you a lesson by hurting these kids. That old fucker you had as your guard was a tough son of a bitch, but youth beats age every time. I gotta say though, I'm sorry I had to kill him. Now you, You've gotta learn a lesson. I just don't know which it's gonna be cause I know Jack...an I kindda always liked his spunk so maybe it's gotta be the little one eh? Or maybe, I should just tell Charlie Chinaman to go fuck hisself and kill you huh? "T-That's the right choice Martin." I somehow managed to say. Me...certainly not the boys." We were lined up at the edge of the steep cliff and I was mentally weighing the odds of a successful jump for all three of us but suddenly he was standing upright with his pistol pointe at me. `Good ` I thought. Let it be me and not one of the boys. For some reason, I stood there staring intently into the barrel of his gun when suddenly it erupted into and explosion of red pink and grey. As soon as I realized that I wasn't dead, I looked around. There was enough new daylight to see that Longstreet was crumpled over grasping his arm, another eruption sounded and suddenly on the stone floor another black clad man was writhing in pain. I turned around and in the dim morning light, perched upon a pile of rocks was Andy. There was smoke pouring out of the barrel of his shotgun. As I passed into unconsciousness, the last thing I remember think was; `what a strange world I live in." (To be continued) I can't express anymore love for you readers than I already have. You are my rock and my support and every email I receive makes me stronger. Some of you have become true friends.