Disclosing the Secret

by Vincent Amato

  *

  The girls hailed a passing cab and shuffled into the back seat. After the taxi took off Natasha glanced back to see if anyone was following.

  Jackie probed Natasha with her green eyes. “Who were those two apes?”

  Natasha didn’t hear the question.

  “Where to?” the taxi driver’s gruff voice interrupted.

  “You were going to Jake’s later – you should go there,” Jackie offered.

  “They’ll just follow me there. I need to warn him first,” Natasha said, her voice determined.

  Jackie shook her head in disbelief. “Warn him about what? You’re not making sense. Just call him.”

  “They’ll know. Find out where the guys are.”

  There was a tense silence as Jackie sent a text message, then asked the obvious question. “They’ll know? Who are these people? Shit, Tash, what kind of trouble is he in?”

  Natasha didn’t answer. She was still peering at the following traffic, her eyes trained on a dark-colored SUV two cars behind.

  Jackie’s phone chimed in response to her text. “It’s them; they’re playing pool at some club called The Imperial.”

  Natasha turned to the driver. “The Imperial, you know it?”

  “Yeah,” the driver said, then whispered under his breath, “Finally!”

  Fifteen minutes later the girls were getting out of the cab in front of The Imperial and paying the driver. Natasha’s eyes were still trained on the dark SUV that had coincidently been headed for the same venue. It had pulled over behind them seconds after the cab had stopped. The large figures both wearing dark clothing were getting out.

  Natasha grabbed her friend’s arm before Jackie had a chance to notice the following pair, turning her toward the line of people waiting to be granted entry from the bouncers into the nightclub.

  Jackie did a double take. “Wow, it’s busy tonight.”

  A monstrous bouncer holding a clipboard was turning well-dressed hopefuls away. Behind him stood another security guard who was armed. Natasha stole one last glance over her shoulder at the approaching figures and recognized their faces. They were the pair observing them back in the cafe.

  Jackie forced a provocative smile, her eyes fixed on the bouncer. “Okay, usual routine then.”

  Both Natasha and Jackie had been fortunate in the genetic lottery. They were both graced with attractive features and elegant lines that had sometimes brought with it an abundance of male attention in social settings. Discovering early in their teens that such gifts could be exploited, they had fine-tuned the art of working their appearance to gain an advantage over males.

  Mindful there was no time to object to Jackie’s suggestion, Natasha followed her lead. In that moment they were Victoria’s Secret models strutting the catwalk as they strode past the roped-off line of waiting people and headed directly for the bouncer obstructing the entrance.

  The bouncer’s eyes bulged at the approaching beauties vibrant with confidence and purpose. There was no question of membership or of the girls being on the guest list. As if in a trance, the huge bouncer unclipped the red rope blocking the entrance, silently let Natasha and Jackie through the door and signalled reception to allow the girls in without charge.

  Sixty seconds later the bouncer was met with two hulking figures both wearing dark clothing.

  Shaken from his trance, the bouncer narrowed his eyes at the offensively dressed duo before him. “You boys on the list?”

  *

  The club was a dark cavernous labyrinth; its rooms pulsed and pounded to a myriad of hypnotic rhythms. Paul and Mark were shooting pool in a side room of the venue. Chris chatted and socialized as he watched.

  It was Paul who first spotted Natasha and Jackie emerging from the mass of bodies, finding the guys in the middle of a game.

  Frantic, Natasha ran to Chris. Paul abandoned the shot he had lined up to meet the approaching girls.

  Natasha arrived breathless: “These two big guys have been following us.”

  Paul’s welcoming smile deteriorated. His eyes slowly rose to find the two herculean figures part the crowd as they stepped toward the group. Paul instinctively swept Natasha behind him, readying himself as the two large strangers closed in. Jackie hid behind Chris, who fell in line alongside Mark and Paul, forming a defensive line protecting the girls.

  Bravo took a menacing step toward Paul, his tone abrasive: “Now listen, kid, I don’t want to have to hurt y…”

  The soldier didn’t get to finish his sentence. He felt his weight suddenly shift as something impacted the side of his face. For an instant he was airborne. TJ had appeared from the side to unleash a heavy right hook, the unexpected blow sending Bravo stumbling backwards.

  “That’s okay, I didn’t feel a thing!” TJ spat.

  In a blur of motion the second soldier produced a gas-operated semi-automatic Desert Eagle and trained it directly at TJ’s forehead.

  “STAND DOWN!” the soldier holding the gun commanded.

  TJ slowly raised his hands. The boys were battle ready in formation behind TJ. Jackie froze where she stood.

  Regaining his composure, Bravo shook off the surprise blow to his face. He stepped toward TJ as the second soldier maintained his aim. The crowd was now a mix of stunned onlookers and frightened faces.

  Bravo growled through clenched teeth to TJ, “Dare to try me, boy! Fortunately for you we’re here for DeMorea.”

  Chris and Mark exchanged alarmed glances at the mention of Natasha’s name. They turned back to the girls with puzzled looks. Jackie, frozen to the spot, recognized the soldier holding the gun to TJ’s head as being the same one from the bridge. Natasha was nowhere to be seen.

  CHAPTER 61

  Natasha was on the move. Snaking through the dense crowd she glanced back to check if she was being followed. The crowd behind her was being parted by two mammoth figures ploughing through in pursuit.

  She found the club entrance and rushed to the front lobby.

  Standing in the entrance lobby was the armed security guard; ahead of him was the large bouncer obstructing the roped-off entrance and the line of waiting patrons. Composing herself, Natasha slowed to again strut toward the security guard.

  The guard turned toward the approaching beauty, a smile materializing on his face as she closed in. She gazed at him and forced a cheeky smile. Natasha leaned in close and pursed her lips as if to whisper in his ear.

  Now she placed a hand on his chest. The guard didn’t object, instead slightly pivoting his head to offer his ear. As her lips closed in she reached down to feel his waist. Her hand found his belt, her fingers following it around to his holster to find both the trigger and safety switch on his firearm.

  Natasha DeMorea was a force of nature, barely aware of her own actions. With a quick snap she thumbed off the safety and fired three quick shots into the ground beside the guard’s feet. The sudden explosion sent the crowd near the entrance to the nightclub diving for the floor. The mass of suddenly panicked bodies behind her formed a roadblock ahead of the pursuing soldiers.

  In the confusion Natasha sprinted for the unobstructed entrance. More panic followed her has a frantic rush of bodies poured out into the street attempting to escape the chaos.

  Still running, Natasha left the frenzied crowed behind her as police sirens wailed in the distance. Spotting a taxi, she waved it down and jumped in.

  *

  Jake Marcel was floating in a lucid dream, teetering on the edge of consciousness. Lying on the couch in total darkness in his living room, the multi-colored light and sound frequencies of the mind machine had him deeply relaxed.

  The living room was a mess: his kendo armor and equipment were sprawled over an adjacent couch. His bike helmet lay on its side, resting on a nearby coffee table next to his keys.

  Jake was mesmerized by the hypnotic rhythm of the strobing flashes pulsing behind his closed eyelids; he felt almost as if he had left his body. In this trance he achieved clarity of thought far
beyond any natural waking state. His thoughts soared through the recent events and problems that had presented themselves: the scientist, his grandfather’s crash debris, the black-suited agent who confronted him on the bridge, Natasha now being caught in the middle of a situation that had been set in motion years before she was born.

  The images that played through his mind were intensely visceral, like he was able to consciously control his own dream. He was now standing in the middle of a desert; desolate emptiness under a clear blue sky. Not far from where he stood a cavernous gorge cut its way through the desert toward the horizon, a sheer cliff face visible on the other side of its gaping depths.

  Natasha’s elegant form stood before him; her bright arctic blue eyes seemed to luminesce with a deep sorrow. Her eyes, which had always held all the answers to his happiness in their depths, were now full of distress. They flashed a warning of approaching danger.

  Behind her a white star glistened in the distance; it slowly descended from the bright clear blue sky.

  The image was suddenly ripped from his mind. He now saw boots silently standing on a roof. As the confusing image became clearer, he perceived the outline of a dark figure. It was now descending down the side of a building with the aid of a rope.

  Jake awoke with a start. He catapulted to his feet and vaulted over the coffee table to the other couch to seize his shinai, the wooden sword used during kendo training.

  Instinctively, he assumed a sword-wielding battle-ready stance. Moving silently, he approached the window facing the street and pressed his back against the wall. His senses tingled; something told him there was a presence directly outside, on the other side of the wall behind him.

  The window exploded inward as a black figure sailed through feet first like a battering ram. Attached to a harness and rope, the figure had apparently abseiled down from the roof, kicked off the wall and burst through the window with the momentum of his inward swing.

  However, there was no way for the intruding figure to know Jake was ready. Within seconds of the intruder’s entrance, Jake was already on him. His initial attacking blow knocked off the intruder’s helmet, the energy from the impact instantly snapping the helmet’s clip that gripped under the soldier’s chin.

  Jake’s follow-up blow caught the intruder as he simultaneously freed himself from the rope and leveled his weapon. It snapped the intruder’s head sideways, the momentum throwing his limp body to the floor.

  Maintaining his fighting stance Jake studied his assailant, his shinai pointing at the unconscious body motionless on the ground. The intruder was dressed in black military fatigues; a utility vest held ammunition clips. There were no insignia or military branch patches that Jake could see. Still attached to the downed soldier’s head was what looked like a futuristic pair of goggles.

  With the tip of his wooden sword, Jake cautiously lifted one side of the goggles. An eerie green glow emanating from inside the headpiece bathed the man’s closed eyes.

  Night vision, Jake thought.

  A creak disturbed the quiet darkness, drawing Jake’s attention. His pulse quickened at the thought of another armed soldier in the house.

  Jake’s back hugged the walls as he silently reached the entrance to the dining room. He felt a slow, spiralling horror as he realized the truth; Sabre’s men were closing in. The prospect sent a tremor through him. Why did they need to be so heavily armed and attack with stealth?

  He stole a peek through the dining room entrance. On the other side of the dining table, also adorned in back and wearing night vision lenses, another armed intruder approached.

  Jake snapped his head back, again pressing his back against the wall. A fierceness crept into his eyes; he felt his central nervous system electrify as a rush of adrenalin flooded his body. Like a gathering storm, he prepared to advance on the soldier.

  With incomprehensible speed, Jake flicked on the dining room lights and charged toward the end of the dining room table. He launched off a chair and was on top of the table, eyes blazing. In a rush of thunder he had instantly traversed the length of the table and was almost on top of the soldier.

  The dining room lights had blinded the intruder. The soldier recoiled, instinctively flicking the night vision apparatus off his head. In a stunned daze, he strained to refocus on the dark silhouette jumping on the table and approaching fast.

  White knuckled, Jake cut a wide arc through the air; his wooden sword an apocalyptic flash before the intruder’s straining eyes. There was a millisecond of blurred vision before a painful burst of white heat was followed by stars. The sickening crunch rendered the soldier immediately unconscious as Jake came down on him from the table top with all his body weight fuelling the blow. The strike crashed down on the soldier’s head before he had time to raise his weapon and he dropped to the floor in a limp heap.

  Jake landed over his body, kicking the dropped weapon away, sword poised for another strike. But the soldier didn’t move.

  Heart hammering, Jake stared down at the motionless body. He breathed deeply, as if to absorb the terrifying truth. Sabre’s men were now after him.

  The scientist’s voice echoed faintly in his mind, sending a chill through Jake’s flesh: “Yes, it is dangerous. They are very, very powerful people.”

  The shock lasted only an instant before he heard a faint rustling from upstairs.

  Jake was on the move again. Silently, he crept far enough up the stairs to peer down the upstairs corridor. There was nothing.

  Now gliding down the corridor, Jake caught a glimpse of a faint shadow cast onto an open bedroom door. He instantly leaped into the adjacent room.

  With his back pressed against the wall, his nerves tingled as he sensed a presence pass by in the corridor.

  His breath came in shallow gasps; his blood alive with another rush of adrenalin as he stepped out into the corridor. He followed the third intruder silently as he moved down the corridor toward the upstairs TV room. Jake slowly raised his shinai, his arm flexed ready to attack.

  Jake’s voice crackled with aggression, “Surprise!”

  The intruder turned instantly, his eyes wide with shock.

  Jake watched as a gun barrel swung around in his direction.

  Fueled by adrenalin, Jake unleashed. Only barely conscious of his actions, his muscles worked instinctively, his arcs swirling at light speed. He was a blur of kinetic poetry as he slammed the automatic weapon out of the soldier’s hand then landed a heavy strike to the backup pistol that was instantly produced by the intruder’s other hand. The backup pistol discharged as it was catapulted across the room, a bullet slamming into an adjacent wall.

  With the vigilance of a trained killer, the soldier now produced a knife. His thrusts and counter swings were as precise as they were powerful. But Jake’s defense was fluid; with a double-swinging motion he hit the arm gripping the knife, following up with a powerful blow to the soldier’s thigh.

  The intruder was still holding onto the knife, but searing pain shot up his leg, crumpling him to one knee. The soldier drew in a seething breath, clearly preparing to attack again.

  With a powerful lunge, the soldier’s hulking form was racing toward Jake in a blur of rippling muscles. With all the grace of a trained swordsman, Jake managed to block and counterstrike the intruder’s attacks. The colossal figure seemed to let the rage pour out of him as he bore down on Jake.

  Jake fought his own rising fear as he struggled to keep focused, waiting for his attacker to give Jake an opportunity.

  When Jake saw it, he lunged, swinging with all his body weight. The huge soldier had left his ribs unguarded as he swung. In a triple-swinging motion Jake slammed his attacker’s ribs, driving the wind from his lungs, knocked the knife out of his hands and landed a strike on his aggressor’s jaw.

  The soldier arched in anguish, the pain exploding through his skull.

  Jake’s attacks, however, only served to harden the soldier’s resolve.

  CHAPTER 62

  Jake f
aced his attacker squarely, his wooden sword drawn ready to fight. The herculean presence was before him in the upstairs hallway and had so far been stripped of two automatic firearms and a knife.

  The soldier charged, Jake readied his defenses. He blocked the soldier’s penetrating front kick across his raised forearms, but the momentum from the blow lifted Jake off his feet, throwing him into the closed door of the upstairs study a couple of feet behind him.

  The door exploded from its hinges; Jake catapulted through then tumbled across the floor of the study, landing hard on his back. The air was crushed from his lungs in penetrating bolts of pain.

  His pulse thundered. He waited for the stars to clear from his vision. Reaching out, he swept the floor for his shinai and found his feet, gasping to find his breath as he stood to face his attacker.

  As the dark figure emerged through the doorframe with its hinges now missing a door, Jake heard the characteristic click of a gun’s safety mechanism being disengaged. Apparently while Jake was on the floor his attacker had found his weapon. Blinking hard to clear his vision, Jake again assumed a fighting stance, his sword pointed at the throat of the approaching aggressor. The adrenalin coursing through his veins was now muting his pain and sharpening his sensors.

  “Drop your weapon,” the soldier ordered, nodding his head at Jake’s sword. “Place both your hands on the back of your head and drop to the floor, face down!”

  Jake paused. The shinai fell to the floor with a thud. His fingers met at the back of his head. As the soldier stepped closer in, Jake felt his stomach tighten. The dim light filtering through the room’s windows showed him it was one of the large soldiers from the bridge, who now had his gun trained at Jake’s head.

  “Impressive…but it’s over.” The hulking figure cocked his head. “You’re quick, Flash, I’ll give you that! Think you can beat a bullet?”

  Jake stiffened but said nothing.

  “You still have something that does not belong to you.” The soldier’s voice intensified. “And there are some people who would like to talk to you. You WILL come with us NOW!”