by Peter Hoole
“No babe…” said the man.
“Caleb!!!”
Darcy could hardly believe what she was seeing. She had not really believed Murphy’s words, as her only proof that the Source worked was the brief encounter she had had the previous day with Helen.
Now, her love was standing in front of her, having survived a bullet wound that should have killed him.
She ran over to him and threw her arms around him. As she approached, Murphy picked up the other man’s weapon, and pointed it at Jane.
As she did, Caleb swung around and returned his girlfriend’s embrace.
Darcy held him tight, so tight that she could feel his heart beat. She could feel the warmth of his arms around her.
She once again, felt complete and safe, a feeling she had not truly felt since they had left Haven.
“It worked?” she said to Caleb.
“I guess so.” Caleb replied, looking down upon Darcy with a warm smile.
Murphy, poised with her weapon pointed at Jane, waited as the couple had their moment together.
“We need to move, Cap.” She said, “I know these three were in there, but I’m not sure about any others.”
Caleb turned to Murphy, a slight sneer across his face.
“Fine.” He said with little emotion.
Murphy moved towards the dazed Jane and turned her to face the exit of the alleyway. As she turned her, she brought her arm around her back, and placed the muzzle of the gun into her lower back.
“Move,” Murphy said.
Jane seemed resigned to her fate and moved as Murphy moved – slowly towards the alley exit.
Caleb spoke into his radio.
“Mike, bring the car up, we’ll be at the exit in ten seconds.”
“Will do.” replied Mike over the radio.
The four of them moved towards the alley’s exit. As they approached, Darcy noticed that more people were out and about in the area, completely unaware of what had just happened in the alley.
Darcy knew it could either be a good thing or a bad thing. It was good that there were more people, as they had more cover in which to escape. However, more people also meant a greater risk of being noticed.
In the end, it didn’t matter.
As they reach the precipice of the alley, the ‘Bat pulled up.
Caleb ran to the back door and opened it up. In the process, he grabbed Jane’s arm.
“You first.” He said tersely to Murphy.
The lieutenant did as she was told.
As Murphy entered, she shuffled along the seats. When there was room, Caleb shoved Jane into the adjacent seat, and followed her in. He gave her no opportunity to run.
Darcy ran around the front of the car, and jumped into the passenger seat, next to Dunleavy.
When they were all in the vehicle, Caleb spoke up, again assuming his role as the team’s leader, “Mike. Drive.”
“Where to?” Dunleavy asked.
“Just drive for now… we’ll figure it out later.”
***
Deanna prepared the leave her apartment.
Her first task was she had plenty of supplies for her journey.
Much to her dismay, her contact was unable to organise a plane ticket to where she needed to be. What would have been a simple five-hour plane journey had expanded into a full day on the road.
While she was not unaccustomed to long journeys, Deanna was less than happy with the situation.
According to her contact, all flights were still grounded.
She at least understood why.
Such was the nature of the attack that the Federal Air Administration (FFA) was unable to guarantee that any flight would be safe.
The terror attack had served its purpose, as it had brought most of the country to a grinding halt. It caused Deanna to consider how much she had relied on air travel.
Now that she had to drive, the rest of the country felt a lot further away.
Still, she knew she had no choice. The answers she was looking for were in North Dakota, and a sixteen-hundred-mile journey was the only thing between her and finding answers.
She left her bedroom, dressed in comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. The weather did not call for any heavier attire.
As she walked to the door of her bedroom, she took one last look around, hoping she hadn’t forgotten anything.
Satisfied she was as prepared as she could be, Deanna made her way through her small living room, past her kitchenette, and out the door.
She locked her door and walked down the taupe coloured hallway.
As she ventured to the elevator, she saw her neighbour – Mr. Dreslin.
An elderly man, Mr. Dreslin had always taken pride in living independently, able to look after himself.
“Hello dear,” he said to Deanna through his bristly moustache.
“Morning Mr. Dreslin. How are you today?”
Deanna was always friendly to the older man. He was always available for her, and even checked her mail for her while away.
“Not so good,” he replied, “Terrible thing that happened in Seattle.”
“Yeah. It’s awful,” Deanna replied.
“What’s the world coming to, when someone kills that many people just to make a point.”
“I know.” Deanna responded.
While she enjoyed talking to Mr. Dreslin, Deanna knew she had to get moving. She thought of the perfect way to leave the conversation.
“Mr. Dreslin,” she began, always being respectful by keeping up the formalities his generation was accustomed to, “Can you do me a favour? I’m heading out of town, and it may be a week or so before I get back. Can you keep an eye on the place? Grab my mail.”
“Another exciting case?” the man asked.
“Something like that. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.”
Mr. Dreslin, ever the helpful soul, agreed instantly.
With that, Deanna was on her way, giving him a wave as she wandered towards the elevator.
After a short wait, she entered the elevator. Alone, she was able to think further regarding what she had gotten herself into.
She was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that a teenage boy from Colorado could be responsible for the attack.
And there was only one place she could find answers.
As she exited the elevator, she stepped into the apartment’s buildings undercover garage. She didn’t even look around, as her car was parked in the same place as always.
The dark blue Hyundai sedan was ideal for her line of work. It had enough flair that it could sell her as a success to new clients, but it was also subtle enough that she could follow and watch people if required.
It was her baby, her first ever new car.
Today would be the first day she had taken it on such a long journey, but she knew the car was more than capable.
After loading her bag into the back seat, Deanna entered the vehicle.
While she had a long journey ahead to ponder the situation, it felt as though this was her last opportunity to stop. As though it was her last chance to walk away from what she may be getting herself into.
It wasn’t so much a feeling of dread, but trepidation that was flowing though Deanna at that time.
She knew that, should it prove that Matthew was indeed the terrorist the FBI thought, she could be getting herself into real trouble even asking about him in North Dakota.
And then she thought of Matthew’s parents, Jill and Frank. She knew she would not be able to live with herself unless she could provide some answers to the family.
And with that, Deanna started the car, and drove away, beginning the first few minutes of the very long drive ahead of her.
Chapter Eight
Zach was about to board the jet when he looked at his watch. He was anticipating a call within minutes, so he decided to delay his departure.
His phone rang, and he answered the caller.
“Garrick… It is done I assume.” Zach said.
“Good.”
With that, Zach hung up the phone.
Still upset about what had happened to Helen, Zach had no desire to heap praise on one of his protégés.
Normally Zach was very receptive and open to the people that worked for him. He had always believed himself as a good, nurturing leader, allowing those who worked with him to understand how they were helping the cause.
It had, at times, brought him some regret, as he often found he spent a lot of time coddling some of his people. He sometimes felt distracted by it.
But he knew they were going to have to work well together, particularly when the ‘next life’ began.
He knew they would have to work together for a long time.
But not today.
Today was different.
Today he had other, more pressing concerns.
Not only was he in the early stages of mourning his daughter, he was also mindful of the direct threat to the plan.
The reporter and those with her knew about Haven. What else they knew he could not fathom. It was largely part of the reason he was travelling back to Zone One – to gather some intelligence.
His other motive was much more personal.
He was going to get revenge.
As he entered the plane, he signalled to the pilot to leave. The door closed behind him and he made one more call.
“John…” he said without waiting for his colleague to respond, “I’m on my way.”
“Good luck,” said John on the other end of the phone, “See you in the next life.”
“See you in the next life.” Zach replied.
***
They had driven around the city for more than half an hour. There was no real destination planned, so they just drove. It was long enough for Caleb to watch for any Colonials that may have been following them.
He directed Dunleavy on which way to turn, noting each car that was behind and in front of them. When he was satisfied they had gotten away clean, Caleb knew the next move was to find somewhere to lay low.
While he had previously done some work in Sydney, in was much more of a fly-in fly-out scenario. As most of his missions were clandestine in nature, talking to and meeting people in Australia was strictly forbidden.
As such, Caleb had no idea where they could go.
So, he asked the only man in the car that may know someone friendly, “Mike, do you have any contacts here?”
Dunleavy spoke over his shoulder, “We finally going to fucking stop?”
Caleb didn’t respond.
He didn’t need to, as his silence said all he needed it to.
“I might know someone.” Dunleavy continued, “but we’re gonna have to find a phone somewhere first.”
Caleb was still coming back from his comatose state and was still piecing together his own personal situation.
With each conversation and flash of a person’s face, more and more of the preceding day was coming back to him.
“You’re right.” Caleb said, “See if you can find a pay phone somewhere.”
Caleb’s request was problematic.
As with most of the developed world, Australia had slowly begun to reduce its number of public telephones. As Dunleavy drove around, it appeared they were out of luck.
“Well… any bright ideas, Jackson?” Dunleavy said to Caleb, “Doesn’t look like there’s a single fucking one around anywhere.”
Dunleavy was right, as Caleb too had failed to spot one.
“Find a gas station or something...”
“Not me,” said Dunleavy, “You remember I’m probably the most wanted person on the fucking planet right now, thanks to those Colonial assholes.”
“What should we do then?” Darcy asked, trying to have Caleb’s back.
“It’s too risky…” Dunleavy began. As he spoke, he was cut off by Caleb.
“Everything we do is a risk, Mike.” Caleb began, “We’ve all put ourselves on the line.”
“Yeah… but your face isn’t plastered fucking everywhere.”
Darcy put her hand on Dunleavy’s shoulder, “Mike, they’re probably not looking for you here. We’re on the other side of the world.”
Dunleavy was silent.
“She’s right, Mike. Even if your face is on TV here, they surely wouldn’t think it was you.”
Dunleavy shrugged, “What if you’re wrong? Then I’m fucked.”
“No Mike, we’ve got your back,” Darcy responded, her hand still on his shoulder, “Besides, you’re the only one than can make the call. None of us know anyone here. If we call your contact, they’re far less likely to help than if they hear your voice.”
It was Dunleavy’s turn to interrupt, “That’s another thing. My contact may not help us. What if…”
“I know what you’re about to say Mike.” Caleb said, “But we really don’t have a choice. We need a place to lay low. We need somewhere to hide. Somewhere safe that we can ask these two some questions.”
Cables motioned to William and Jane as he spoke.
Dunleavy took some time to respond. The older man was obviously considering what Darcy and Caleb had said.
“Fine, I’ll find a gas station.” Dunleavy eventually said, “But one of you is coming with me. I haven’t had a decent sleep in about forty hours, and I’ll need some back-up.”
“I’ll come with you,” said Caleb.
Caleb knew he was the obvious choice. Casey was watching William, and Murphy would look after Jane. He could trust Casey to do his job. And while he still wasn’t sure about Murphy, in the short time since he woke up and overheard the radio conversation at the club, Murphy had done nothing to further lose his confidence.
Caleb figured Darcy would appreciate the small window of doing nothing. She had done so well in his eyes, and he was exceptionally proud of her.
Plus, he didn’t want to put her in danger so soon after the shooting in the alley.
“Good.” Dunleavy said.
They continued to drive for about five hundred yards up the road, when they approached a gas station. The familiar sight of the green and yellow British Petroleum logo shone like a beacon in the inner suburbs of the New South Wales capital.
Dunleavy pulled the car into the station and stopped in one of the car park bays.
He exited the vehicle and waited on the verge.
Caleb looked at Casey, and without speaking ensured William was covered. He then turned his attention to Murphy and did the same.
It was only a quick check, and somewhat unnecessary. But through his years of training, Caleb had been conditioned to do the small things without thinking. It was almost a reflex action.
After he was comfortable, he reached out and placed his hand on Darcy’s shoulder in the front seat.
“I’ll be back in a jiff.” He said, reassuringly. He was looking forward to having a better catch-up with her, but the time was not now.
Darcy put her hand over his and squeezed.
After a few fleeting moments, Caleb left the car, and joined Dunleavy on the verge.
They walked towards the doors and were only a few yards away when Caleb stopped.
“Before we go in Mike, who are you calling?”
“A guy I know from here.” Dunleavy gave a stunted response.
“Mike, I need more than that,” began a somewhat frustrated Caleb, “Who is he, and how do you know him.”
Dunleavy paused briefly.
“It’s best if I don’t give you his name, but I can tell you I trust him. And you should too.”
Caleb was surprised by the line, “Why should I?”
“How do you think you got here last time?” Dunleavy asked. “While I could sneak you in most places, I needed help with this one. Australia is friendly to the States, but they didn’t need the stress of a black ops team operating within their borders. This guy helped me get you in and out.”
“But who is he?” Caleb continued to ask.
>
“He works for ASIO. Think of it as the Australian CIA. I trust him, and I think I can get him to trust me. He’ll have a place for us.”
Caleb shrugged. He knew they didn’t have a choice, and that they needed to start finding some allies.
If the Colonials were as big and organised as Caleb thought, he knew a lot more allies would be needed.
“Fine… let’s go give him a call.”
With that, they moved into the store. Fortunately, there was no one else inside, save for the young man behind the counter.
The man, while as tall as Caleb, would only have been half his girth. His appearance also indicated his heritage was the subcontinent, possibly Sri Lankan or Bangladeshi.
Dunleavy and Caleb approached the counter, trying to look as natural as they could.
“Hey guy,” said Dunleavy, “Any chance we can borrow the phone? My cell’s fried and it’s kind of an emergency.”
“Sorry sir. Not allowed.” said the young man, his heavy Australian accent reminding Caleb where he was.
Dunleavy reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.
“How much will it take it to be permitted?” Dunleavy asked, as he pulled out a fifty-dollar bill.
The young man was easily bought, and he took the cash. When he noticed it was USD, he looked apprehensive.
“That’s worth more than yours, right?”
The young man nodded and walked over to the security door that barricaded him away from the rest of the shop. The door beeped as it opened, and Caleb and Dunleavy walked into the secured area.
“Good thing we’re not trying to rob you, isn’t it?” Dunleavy said.
Caleb froze. He was annoyed with Dunleavy’s recklessness. While he assumed the former chief-of-staff was only trying to lighten the mood, Caleb knew that they couldn’t afford any mistakes.
Fortunately, the young man took the joke as it was, and showed them through to the stores office, and pointed to the phone.
“We’re gonna need some privacy,” Dunleavy said, handing the young man another fifty.
The clerk smiled and closed the door as he walked back to the counter.
Caleb double checked the door and stood guard. He had no real idea who Dunleavy planned to call, so he waited.
Dunleavy dialled the number.
“Geez… you remember his number?” Caleb asked, somewhat impressed.
