Promethean Shadows

by Patrick Jean-Jacques

  ✽✽✽

  Cameron’s mansion, two hours earlier… There were several computers spread across a table and Cameron was looking at them. The screens were displaying live feeds from his CCTV network across his mansion grounds. Cameron swaggered imperiously inside his operations room, ‘everything was going according to plan,’ he thought.

  Cameron had additional personnel placed around the mansion grounds. Extra security guards covered the front and rear gardens in roving patrols. Everyone looked extremely focussed and in a heightened state of readiness.

  Mounted on the back wall, there were very two large plasma monitors. Cameron stared intensely at the images at Throckmorton, King’s Green, Lulsley and Fernhill Heath, respectively. As far he could tell, everything appeared exactly as it should. Soon he would activate his EMP, he thought triumphantly and the country would become technologically inept.

  What Cameron hadn’t seen was that his CCTV feed had been skilfully sabotaged and manipulated. The ATU had shot several minutes of video before they’d disabled all four transmitters and looped the feeds.

  “All units in position,” Samantha Hannah said firmly into her radio.

  Everyone got into their positions and moved stealthily around the mansion’s perimeter. The ATU and Worcester police officer’s double-checked their equipment and ensured they were all wearing their body armour securely.

  Billy stumbled as the guard pushed him through the door but he managed to stay on his feet. Choosing to maintain his dignity, Billy restrained his anger and calmly turned to the guard calmly, “Hey man!” he said.

  “Whadda you want sweetheart?” replied the broad-shouldered guard sarcastically.

  “Ya got the time?” asked Billy innocently.

  “Why, you got a date?” replied the guard dismissively.

  Billy looked at the guard, “I just wanted you know I’m probably gonna kill ya with that,” he said casually, as he pointed to the man’s weapon. “Just thought you should know,” he added further.

  “I can’t wait to see you try,” said the guard, egging him on.

  “All units prepare to breach!” ordered Samantha Hannah. In seconds, the working parts of their weapons quickly slid forwards and backwards, and safety catches flipped on. Everyone prepared for the final assault.

  Cameron turned around, “Morning Billy, you seem to be in high spirits,” he said.

  “Ah’m just having a little fun with jarhead here,” replied Billy impishly, as he gave the guard a sideways grin. He looked at the CCTV and saw the guards patrolling the mansion grounds purposefully. “Hmm, you’re men seem a little edgy Cam’… you expecting company?” asked Billy.

  “Oh, you never know,” replied Cameron guardedly. “Anyway, you’re here because in no small part you made all of this possible. You deserve to see the fruits of your work,” he teased.

  “Okay, let’s go,” goaded Billy boldly.

  “As you wish!” replied Cameron coldly.

  “Standby!” said Hannah calmly.

  Cameron entered several codes into a computer and then thumped the ENTER key. A sequence of electrical reactions should have occurred. Four pulses should’ve fed into the central mast at Guarlford. The Guarlford mast would harness and amplify all the separate pulses and emit a larger, extremely powerful pulse.

  “Breach, breach, breach!” commanded Hannah.

  Everyone stared at the monitors looking mesmerized, as nothing happened. Billy looked at Cameron’s reaction and smiled sheepishly. Desperately, Cameron hit the ENTER key repeatedly but still nothing happened. Filling with frustration and rage, he struck the keyboard several more times before he’d realised the images weren’t real.

  A torrent of explosions reverberated around the grounds from different areas. The force of one explosion was so enormous that it blew the heavy black gates off their hinges. As the gates flew across the yard, the two guards standing right next to them took the full brunt. The sounds of semi-automatic gunfire echoed throughout the grounds and Cameron became enraged further.

  “Kill him!” he yelled at the guard, as he pointed at Billy.

  However, the guard was standing in shock, as his eyes began to water. He had a hand was over his neck, desperately trying to stop the blood from flowing through his fingers. Cameron saw the long bloodied nail in Billy’s hand and fumed at his guard’s incompetence.

  Fading quickly, the guard looked at his reddened hands and then looked up at Billy, “You said you were going… to kill me… with… my own… gun,” he whispered, before he slumped down face first.

  “I said probably,” grinned Billy. He looked at Cameron and saw his face contort with rage. “It’s over,” said Billy.

  Cameron gritted his teeth and remained silent. He massaged his fists angrily, walked over to a desk and pulled out his point-five calibre Desert Eagle handgun. Billy saw the empty look in Cameron’s eye and the size of his gun. He decided not to stick around.

  Bullets from Cameron’s gun blazed across the room with homicidal intent. As they splintered the doorframes and smashed large holes in the walls, Billy ran. He demonstrated exceptional athleticism, as he dived and rolled out of the room.

  Elsewhere, Will, Samantha Hannah and the armed officers were overcoming Cameron’s guards. The scenes around the mansion’s grounds resembled carnage, as casualties from both sides laid across the floor injured or dying. Sporadic gunfire cracked-off in all directions, as the team approached the white pillars of Cameron’s mansion.

  With great reservation, DI Hannah allowed Will to come along but she refused his request for a weapon. She ensured that Will was kitted-out with a Kevlar body armour and insisted, more than once, that he stay close to her.

  Despite the Hannah’s protests, Will raced blindly into the mansion concerned for Billy’s welfare. As she raced after him, a bullet from an unsighted gunman struck her in the arm. As Hannah fell backwards, she let out an agonising grunt and her gun tumbled out of her hands.

  The person who’d shot her, strolled out from his position arrogantly and walked over to her with his gun raised. As he got closer and closer, Hannah could see the twisted smile on her face. She glanced over to her gun and wondered if she could reach it but wouldn’t she wouldn’t have had a chance.

  Hannah heard the guard’s boots crunch against the loose pebbles, as she walked over to her. The guard stopped, pulled the hammer back and aimed her gun. All Samantha Hannah could do was close her eyes and wait for the end.

  Suddenly, two gunshots exploded in the air. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes very slowly and stared at the female guard who lay motionless on the dusty, gritty ground.

  “Thanks Anderson!” she said with relief.

  “Ma’am!” replied the armed officer. He helped her precariously to her feet and handed her back her weapon. “Try not to lose this ma’am!” he added cautiously.

  Sam Hannah nodded appreciatively and then checked her firearm. She winced as she lifted her gun to eye-level and adopted a tactical stance. Slowly and cautiously, Hannah entered the mansion.

  There was a violent ruckus in the bar area and Will was losing. Initially, he’d gained an upper hand and disarmed one of the guards by surprise. However, the difference in physicality was telling, as the guard who’d thrown Billy into the shed earlier was inflicting pain on Will.

  After several blows, some to the body and a couple to the face, the guard picked Will up and threw him effortlessly into the mini bar. Will tried to allow his body to relax, in order to lessen the impact but his landing hurt nonetheless. He crashed spectacularly into the mirrored wall at the back and fell over the bar.

  Several bottles smashed and crashed around Will, as he tried to protect himself. The guard started gloating and baiting him belligerently. He crowed to Will about all the different ways he was going make him suffer before killing him. After a couple minutes of bravado, he realised there was no sound or movement coming from behind the bar.

  Will was motionless on the floor, surrounded
by broken glass and a pool of mixed alcohol. Vodka gushed onto to the floor from an unbroken crystalline decanter near his face. As the shadow of the guard loomed over the bar, Will used every ounce of adrenaline and suddenly sprang to his feet. He grabbed the heavy decanter and swung it hard and fast.

  The decanter struck the guard full in the face and shattered into several pieces. Will looked at his hand then at the guard unsympathetically. The guard stood stunned for a few seconds, before falling to the floor with pieces of crystal embedded into his face and neck.

  ✽✽✽

  Cameron’s mansion, presently… Will searched frantically trying to find Billy, when he suddenly heard gunfire. With little regard for his safety, he raced towards the living room and saw Cameron with a huge gun in his hand, firing recklessly. Without any care for his own safety, Will launched himself into Cameron hard and sent them both crashing into a solid oak bookshelf.

  Will fell to his knees winded, gasped heavily and tried to fill his lungs with oxygen. Every muscle in his body ached from the physical intensity of his mismatched struggle with the guard. Blood dripped profusely from the open wound inside his mouth, which he spat out on the floor, deliberately staining Cameron’s expensive rug.

  Desperately, he looked around to find Billy but all he saw was carnage, broken windows and bullet-ridden walls. As Will tried to regain his composure, he saw the soles of Billy’s boots pointing toward the ceiling. He then saw part of his legs and quickly realised he wasn’t moving. Drawing on his remaining energy, Will got to his feet and staggered over to Billy.

  Will stumbled to the floor bedside Billy and prayed that he wasn’t dead. Disorientated, he found it hard to concentrate, as he looked at the motionless body. He grabbed Billy’s wrist and found a weak pulse, then saw Billy’s chest rising and falling weakly. Will sighed with relief and continued examining Billy’s body.

  There were three wounds to the body and thigh, “Please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead,” mumbled Will fearfully.

  “That should be you lying there,” sneered the cold, angry voice. Will Cox froze instantly and feebly attempted to raise his tired arms.

  “Father!” said Will tiredly. “How’s it going?”

  “I think we can agree that Billy’s the least of your troubles William,” said Cameron ultimately. “He’s paid for his treachery and now, so will you.” He spitefully pressed the hot barrel of his gun into Will’s neck, leaving painful imprint.

  “Go to hell,” Will said fearlessly.

  Cameron Cox crouched onto his knee beside him and cocked his handgun coldly. He pointed the barrel inches away from Will’s forehead. As he placed his finger on the trigger, they looked into each other’s eyes.

  Undaunted, Will fixed his gazed, “Goodbye father!” he said. “If only you’d been half the person mother was!” he goaded him.

  The gun made a clacking noise, the sound all guns made when they were empty. Will sighed with relief, as Cameron reached for another magazine in the breast pocket of his shirt. He slapped the magazine into the butt of his gun firmly, re-cocked it and sent a bullet into the chamber.

  Cameron raised his arm and was about to pull the trigger, when a round from a police issue semi-automatic tore through his shoulder. Cameron spun him around and tried to return fire but successive rounds thundered into his body causing him to fall backwards heavily.

  “That’s for Don Limberg, you bastard!” said DI Samantha Hannah.

  Will scrambled over to Billy, who was wheezing heavily and Samantha Hannah rushed over to help him. She applied pressure to Billy’s wounds and fashioned a makeshift sling. The thigh wound was the least severe but Hannah wrapped a clean cloth around it. Fortunately, Will knew where he could get some alcohol and used it to sterilise Billy’s wounds.

  During the confrontation, Billy had pretended to be dead, an act that surely saved his life. Will and Sam protested but Billy insisted on getting to his feet. Arm-in-arm, Will and Billy supported each other and stood over Cameron. They looked down at him without a trace of emotion, as incredibly he clung to the barest threads of life. His eyes were glassy and staring upward,

  “My sons,” he hissed. “Look… my s-sons!” he repeated and wheezed his final breath.

  Will and Billy looked at each other, “You know what the irony was?” asked Will, as Billy looked at him, “He wasn’t anything like Prometheus.”

  “No, no he wasn’t!” added Billy, before collapsing again.

  “Sam, help! We need an ambulance,” shouted Will, as he saw blood seeping through Billy’s dressing. “Billy? Billy? Don’t you die on me, please!” pleaded Will desperately. “Sam, where’s the bloody ambulance?”

  EPILOGUE

  Billy and Will were extremely relieved to leave the hustle and bustle of the Arkansas Northwest Regional behind them. With the airport behind them, they headed southbound along the typically busy I-49. After an hour, they headed west along the quieter Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on Route 62. From there on out, the drive to Tahlequah was more serene and gratifying.

  It was a warm day but a little hazy, so Will peeled back the convertible roof of the elegant Mustang. Billy reclined in the passenger seat to a position, which caused him the least discomfort. He looked up and smelt the air, as the sun-kissed air flowed over him.

  The doctors had insisted that Billy needed complete rest, to recover from his wounds. They explained to him that the healing process would be slow and would take four-to-six months. Will and Billy agreed his recovery should spent in a warmer climate, and it seemed an appropriate time to return home.

  Over the last few weeks, they’d endured a hectic schedule of high-profile meetings and clandestine gatherings, which they were obliged to attend. The new PM had absolved Will and especially Billy of any wrongdoings, and praised their personal contributions and sacrifices.

  Will Cox and Billy Johnson were awarded one of the country’s highest civilian honours, unofficially. Behind his sunglasses, Billy looked down at the red presentation case in his hand and smiled broadly. Will saw the look of pride on his face and laughed.

  Billy caressed the box then opened it and stared at the silver disc inside. He thought about his life with Cameron and accepted the award as his redemption, a small measure of peace.

  As they pulled up to a junction near the small town of Westville, Oklahoman, Will felt his phone vibrate again in his pocket. He couldn’t bear to hear his phone ring one more time, as it had rung several times earlier. Before the lights changed Billy and Will exchanged looks, and had only one thought on their minds, “Food!” they said at the same time.

  They pulled into the nearest diner, which was half-filled and sat down in one of the booths. Within seconds, the waiter had taken their orders and was strolling back to the counter. Billy made an obvious point of admiring her form, as she walked off and Will simply smiled and shook his head.

  “Can I ask ya somethin’?” asked Billy.

  “Anything,” replied Will.

  “You never said what happened to Alannah,” suggested Billy.

  After a long pause, Will took a breath and spoke, “She died in Scotland Beej,” said Will sadly. “…I buried her in the bottom of a loch, where no one would ever find her,” he added. When he saw the confusion on Billy’s face, he explained it was a lake.

  “Why there?”

  “It was beautiful and peaceful,” replied Will. “It was a place named by Queens. Also, it reminded me of the quietness of the creek.” He stared out of the window and looked at the parked Mustang and felt shades of sadness.

  “You sure it was good idea to bring that over?” asked Billy carefully.

  Will looked at him, “The car and the locket are the only memories I’ve left of her,” said Will sadly, as he thought of Maya.

  There was an intermittent vibration against Will’s thigh, so he took the phone out of his pocket and began to listen to his messages. Billy saw the intense look of concern on Will’s face, “What?” he asked.

 
; “You need to listen to this,” said Will. He turned the loudspeaker high enough, so they both could hear the message.

  “Hello Will!” the voice in the message said.

  “Hey, it’s DI Sam!” interrupted Billy excitedly.

  “Shhh, listen!” said Will.

  'I hope the two of you have arrived safely, you must both be shattered! I just wanted to update you on a few things. We did a full sweep of Cameron’s mansion and found some encrypted hard drives hidden away behind a partitioning in the wall. It didn’t take long for our computer experts to break through his firewalls.

  Anyway, it seemed the main source of funding for Cameron’s Promethean organisation came from the States, an organisation called 'Hyperion'. He also sourced income from somewhere in Asia, which we’re looking into.

  There’re some BIG names on here Will, current Vice-President Randall Cleveland, a Chinese national named Ling, Xiao and an Asian minister named Khurshak, Jamil Khurshak. I don’t know if any of those names mean anything to you. One last thing and you’re not going to like this…

  Worcester MET found a body in the back of a burnt-out van, just outside the city. Dental records confirmed the identity of one Kim McKenzie, I’m sorry I know she was an old friend of yours. Your other friend, Wes Mathurin still hasn’t turned-up but we’re searching for him.

  Sorry you had to hear it like this. Give me a call when you can, speak to you soon… Bye!'

  Billy looked at the pained expression on his Will’s face, as he cut an angry and frustrated figure. Will explained to him who Kimmie McKenzie was to him and how he knew her. He didn’t mention Wes but found his sudden disappearance curious.

  After some reflection, Will’s demeanour immediately changed. He stared out of the window thoughtfully looking at Maya’s Mustang convertible again. Then, he turned to Billy and looked at him with a tenacious glare.