That Year
Page 15
white leather seats. Looking out my window I watch as the jet slowly rises into the air.
“What exactly is the plan,” I ask. “Play the same way they have played. Dirty,” Alex answers. “Every summer the Pyramid agents like Fontane from all the high schools they operate in have an annual meeting at their headquarters in Miami. It’s then when we tear their whole operation apart,” Alex says with conviction. “Are you sure that’s the best way to go about this,” I ask. “You don’t think I tried to do this clean. The whole operation is protected with corrupt officials on their payroll. No, they are going to pay for taking away my son,” Alex raises his voice. He’s right this has to be the way, if we are to make sure they pay for what they’ve done.
25
The hot humid air hits me instantly as I exit the private jet. Alex opens the back of an old rugged white van that awaited our arrival. Inside are 6 other men in tanks and t-shirts. “Most of the agents are coming down next week for their annual meeting, until then we sit tight.” There are no windows in the back, but I feel the van drive off. The others talk to each other while I sit there in silence and listen. Finally I feel the van come to a stop. Alex swings open the back door. I’m the last one to jump out.
I walk with Alex on the crowded boardwalk. I look out onto the white sanded beach and admire the clear blue water. “Right over there is Pyramid headquarters,” Alex says. I turn to look to where he points on the opposite side facing the beach, through the palm trees a skyscraper built of clear glass 100 stories high sits with a beachfront view. I tilt my head back to look at the top of the building and see top lighted letters that read “Pyramid Company”.
“Nice building,” I say. After a day of Alex showing me around he knocks on the back of the van door. Another one of our team members opens it. “Charlie why don’t you show Matt around the building,” Alex says.
“Come over here,” Charlie tells me. He wears a black tank top with tattoos covering both his arms. On his laptop he takes me through 3-D rendered blueprint of Pyramid Company headquarters interior. “This is where the pyramid agents will be meeting,” Charlie says pointing to the 100th and final floor. I examine the rendering of the last floor closely. In it is a meeting room that takes over half the room with other offices on the opposite side of the hall taking up the other half. “We are going in loaded,” Charlie tells me.
I restlessly turn on my side again in my motel bed. “Can’t sleep,” Alex asks from the other bed beside me. “I don’t know if I want to die, I knew I did before,” I say. “Hey who said anything about dying,” he says. “How many Pyramid agents do you think will be there,” I ask. “75 give or take,” he answers. “And the 8 of us are going to take them all down,” I ask with doubt in my voice. I hear Alex shuffle out of his bed and turn on the light. I protect my eyes from the light with my right arm. “They took my son away, Joey Fontane and the rest of that organization needs to go down. I want to watch their lifeless bodies collapse onto the ground, and so do you,” he says. “We can’t take down the organization if we’re dead,” I say. It’s obvious that I’m on a team of men like me who lost someone and are in desperate need to revenge their deaths. I don’t respond, instead I turn to on my side and close my eyes until I finally fall asleep.
I’m at a college campus. Kayla smiles as she notices me from a swarm of students surrounding her. As she gets closer to me I hear her talking, but I hear nothing. I look around me at other students and watch their mouths move, but I still hear nothing. Without warning, people run past Kayla and I with fear in their eyes. Fontane and his gang scroll in our direction with assault rifles, killing everybody in their proximity. I watch as students fall to their death. “We have to go now,” I yell, but Kayla continues talking to me in same manner as before. I try to pull her. She doesn’t budge and continues talking with her expression unchanged from before. Fontane and his gang are now a short distance away. I hear nothing but I see Kayla fall to the ground in front of me, a bullet wound in the back of her head. I knell down next to her
I open my eyes drenched in sweat. Alex is putting on a shirt in front of his bed. “Bad dream,” he asks. “No, I’m fine,” I get up and walk into the bathroom. Many students including Kayla died because of me. I have to make things right. It’s selfish of me to not be willing to die to avenge their deaths. I have no choice now. My choice was already decided when I became responsible for putting innocent lives at risk.
“What kind of weapons do we have,” I ask. “Assault rifles, smoke grenades, and explosive grenades,” Alex says. “We set up a time bomb in the middle of the building. We expand our team and we have a helicopter pick us up at the top of the roof of the building for a safe passage,” I say. He laughs. “We are relying on too many outsiders. I’m telling you they have the money and resources,” he says. “If we are going to take this organization down, this is a better way,” I reply. “I have trusted connections to get us the helicopter, but expanding our team is a no, they would sell us out.” “What about the bomb,” I say. “I’ll see what I could do,” he answers.
I sit on the white sand people watching. “I got it,” Alex says from behind me. “What,” I ask. “We pick up the bomb tomorrow,” Alex says. “That’s good,” I say. A volleyball rolls to the side of me. I pick it up and throw the ball back to a girl in a two piece swimsuit. She catches it and giggles. “What’s your name,” she asks. “Matt,” I say. “Want to join our game” she asks. I look at Alex and then back at her. “Sure,” I say getting up. “I’m Sarah by the way.
“I had fun today Sarah. Thank you for showing me around the city,” I say as the sun begins to set behind the ocean. “You know the fun doesn’t have to end. My friend has beach house nearby. Her parents aren’t home,” she says. “I have other plans. I’m sorry,” I say as I walk away from her.
Alex opens the motel room after the third knock. “Have fun today,” he asks. “Too much,” I say as I take a sit at the edge of my bed. “It’s okay to have fun.” he assures me.
In the early morning, the rest of the team along with Alex and I enter the back of the white van heading to the Pyramid Company headquarters. I prepare my riffle, pack extra ammo, along with my smoke and explosive grenades. I take a deep breath. I’m going to make it alive and even if I die, I would in an attempt avenging the deaths of the ones close to me. Something I am willing to die for.
I feel the van stop in its tracks. “Victor you understand what you’re doing with the bomb,” Alex asks. “Yea man, I understand.” “Good. Just to confirm, Matt, Thomas, Paul, Nick, George, and I will head to the 100th floor where all the agents will be, including the man who started the operation Nicolas Fontane, or Joey Fontane’s dad. They both are our main targets, but they all deserve to die. Charlie you make sure to protect Victor while he plants the bomb. Once set the bomb will explode in fifth teen minutes. Charlie and Victor just make sure you get out of there. The rest of you are to be at the top of the roof within 5 minutes, the view should be nice from the helicopter while the building collapses.” Alex says.
I feel the knot in my stomach as the van door opens. My feet touch down on the pavement. The surrounding area is quiet and peaceful at 8am. We walk side by side heading toward the Pyramid Company front entrance. “You’re not allowed in here,” shouts a guard. Charlie aims and fires at the guard without looking as he falls to the ground. A chandelier hangs from the center of the luxurious main lobby. Alex presses the elevator button, and it opens. The entire team squeezes in. The elevator door opens on the 50th floor. “This is where we part ways,” says Charlie as him and Victor exit the elevator. I hear a firefight as the elevator slams shut. “Charlie, Victor what’s happening,” Alex shouts into his headset. “Just a little resistance, nothing we can’t handle,” Charlie says back. Stay calm everything is going to be okay. I look at the buttons displaying what floor we currently are on, number 90 is brightened. The elevator stops on floor 93. A man wearing a suite looks at us and before he runs away from the elevator is
shot dead from behind.
“Bomb is set, fifteen minutes,” Charlie says through our headsets. The whole team simultaneously sets the timer on their watch for fifteen minutes.
The elevator door opens and stalls on floor 98, so we spread out finding cover behind office desks or furniture. Each one of us aims our assault rifles at a guard also aimed at us. “Drop the guns now,” shouts one of the guards behind cover on the opposite side of the floor. I don’t blink my eyes or take my focus from the guard I’m aimed at. “Uhhh no,” shouts Alex firing his gun from across the room. “Mr. Fontane, 6 armed men are attempting to make their way up to you,” I hear a guard shout over the firefight. I notice that across the room is a door that leads to a stairwell. I take out my smoke grenade. “Stairwell across,” I yell. I toss my smoke grenade and walk straight into the smoke using my memory to find the stairwell. I feel as I have lost all sense of direction. Just walk straight. Just walk straight. I stick my hands out attempting to feel the stairwell door. My hands finally find the door. The smoke begins to clear from the room and the rest of the team is able to