by John Carrick
Back down the trail was the only safe way off the sliver of high ground. The sweat soaked Mr. Dunkirk appeared at the mouth of the trail behind her and stalked forward.
Ashley backed out further onto the plateau.
Dunkirk paused in the shadow of the trees, just a few meters away. He hesitated to reveal himself, as the precipice could be seen by any of several residences, as well as passing traffic.
Ana waited, her scope was fixated on the big man, but the shadows, the heat of the afternoon and her angle unbalanced the shot. She waited for him to step out of the shadows and she would have him.
Reid watched from a lower position over her right shoulder.
With a muttered curse, Dunkirk stepped into the sunlight and raised the knife overhead.
Ash saw bits of green leaf streaked over dried blood. She backed away, moving further out onto the dangerous bit of mountain land.
Just as Ana’s finger tightened on the trigger, she was hit from the back. She released the trigger, the rifle stayed silent as she tumbled through the sky, trying to get her bearings.
Below her, two police cruisers filled the sky she’d occupied until a moment ago. The officers in the cockpits were focused on the action below. Utterly invisible, they hadn’t noticed her at all.
Ana’s back ached where the cruiser had punched her, killing her shot.
Below, Dunkirk continued forward, but instead of bringing down the knife, he surprised Ashley, leaping forward with a heavy knuckled backhand, knocking the girl from her feet.
So much for Don’t Get Hit, Ashley thought. She crouched where she had fallen, just a few inches from the edge. His rings had opened a wicked gash in her brow; blood ran into her eye. Her head rang like a tower bell.
He was so fast, she thought to herself.
"Sorry about your Mom," Dunkirk said.
Ashley didn't understand. She looked up at him but didn't reply.
"It was just a job, not like what you saw back there. Not like Shirley, that was spectacular."
Ashley and Mr. Dunkirk stared at each other.
He'd just admitted to killing her Mom! Ash was furious and near panicking. Her emotions were all over the place, but then something happened and she just shut off.
The words of Sihing Shou came back to her. It will be at that moment when you are weak, tired and probably very hurt, that is when you must act to save your life.
As Dunkirk stepped forward, she recognized his poor posture. He let his knees turn inward. They were weak, vulnerable.
Ashley struck. With her hands planted in the dirt, she kicked at Dunkirk's left knee. The joint gave with a splintering crack.
Martin crashed to the ground, screaming.
The knife lay between them.
Dunkirk clutched at his ruined leg, growling, howling and snapping at her. With a deep breath, he lurched up. Even on one knee, he towered over the small girl. He reached for the knife.
Ash moved, kicking again. Staying close to the earth, she unleashed a series of horizontal kicks to the large man's face, neck and chest.
Her persistence and coordination unbalanced him. She delivered the last three directly to his mouth and nose, stomping the deranged killer over the lip of solid ground and from her sight.
She heard him scream until his voice grew obscured by cracking branches and then silenced by a muffled impact.
The knife remained where it had fallen.
Ashley stood.
Above her, two police vehicles hovered, watching. Having just arrived, they were helpless to do anything but witness.
She saw the nearest officer grin and raise his fist in salute.
Ashley did not wave back or smile. She did not feel victorious.
They turned off to land in a nearby clearing.
Ash noticed her breathing had leveled out, her heart, calm.
Now, calm she did finally feel powerful, capable, more than just confident. She felt superior.
High above the action, Reid and Snow watched the cops land and check on Ashley.
“That fifth-wall…” Reid said.
“Completely intact,” Captain Snow answered. “Even at the cost of my spine.”
Reid laughed. “Nothing a little blue goo can’t fix, right?”
“Thank God for the blue goo,” Snow laughed.
Chapter 70 – Metachron Closing
Sunday, August 2, 2308
Later, Ashley sat in the open back of an ambulance parked at the end of the street, out past the Dunkirk house. An EMT checked her vitals.
The tech smiled at her, "I'd say you look perfectly normal, considering the excitement. Any shortness of breath?"
Ashley shook her head.
The tech removed the sensors and opened a first aid kit. He gestured to her eyebrow and asked her to look to the right. The tech cleaned the wound and applied nanotape to help heal and regenerate the damaged tissue.
"You know, that was really brave," he said, looking her in the eye. "From what the detectives are saying, you saved a lot of people's lives today. You're a hero."
Ashley looked away and lowered her head. "I'm no hero. I was scared. I ran." Ashley watched uniformed officers stretch yellow and black police tape across the Dunkirk property.
As the medical tech finished patching up her face, a pair of detectives approached. The older one said his name was Urich and that he would like to talk with her for a couple of minutes. He was going to send her back to the station with his partner Detective Cole, but before that, it was essential that she tell him as much as she could remember.
In the distance, Dunkirk was being airlifted from the ravine. Ashley watched the police vehicles winch up the killer's unconscious body. She remained silent.
Urich looked at his partner, "They're taking him to our place?"
"Should be, but I'll double check," Cole said, turning away to make the call.
Urich turned back to Ashley. "So, Princess. Can you tell me what happened?"
Ashley looked at the man's face. He wasn't being condescending with her when he said Princess. Her father never called her that. Ash decided she didn't mind, In fact, she kind of liked it.
"Mr. Dunkirk killed his family," she said.
"That's whose house this is, with all the dead bodies in it?"
"Yes, the Dunkirk's."
"So, what happened?"
Ashley paused for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts.
Urich misread her hesitation for distrust. "Look. We're here to help you. We need to know what happened. The more you tell us, the more we can help you, better." he smiled. It was disarming, despite his otherwise gruff appearance.
Ashley laughed at the detective's unintended humor. She took a breath. "I met Bobby Dunkirk in the forest, he lives here. He said he needed my help, that his dad was going to kill his mom and would I go in and check."
Ashley blinked into the afternoon sun. There was no quick or easy way to explain everything, so she started with the important facts. "He's a lot younger than me, and he was scared."
"Where's Bobby now?"
"I don't know. He was gone when I came out. Did you get the pictures I sent?" she asked.
Urich looked over to Cole.
"These?" Cole held out the photos Ashley had sent to 911 on his screen.
"There's more," she said.
"What do you mean, more? More what?" Urich asked.
"More bodies," Ash answered. "Out that way." She pointed out into the canyon. "A lot more."
"Could you show us?" Urich asked.
Ash nodded, "It's not far." She climbed down from the back of the ambulance and led the detectives down into the forested canyon.
Two uniformed officers accompanied Ashley and the detectives as they hiked down the trails.
Fifteen minutes later they stood at the bottom of the stuffed gorge. The two young officers threw up, as did Detective Cole. Only Urich held it together, and Ashley although this was her second time around.
Just as the officers m
anaged to regain their composure, Cole's radio went off. "Detective Urich, Detective Cole, we've got feds up here. They'd like a word with you," the officer on the radio explained. “They’re pretty agitated.”
"Already?" Urich sighed and shook his head.
"What's that about?" Cole muttered, reaching for the handset.
"They're looking for me," Ashley said.
"It has nothing to do with you," Urich replied.
"Two weeks ago my parents were murdered. An hour ago, Mr. Dunkirk told me that he killed my mom. He told me that he was hired to do it, he said it was business and that he killed his wife for pleasure."
"He talked to you," Urich asked. "You didn't tell us that he talked to you."
"I didn't tell you lots of things. If I had told you my name, I might be dead already."
Urich looked up at the stack of corpses and remained quiet for a couple of moments. "Two weeks ago, huh?" he asked, after a prolonged silence. "And he said he was hired to kill your mom?" Urich asked.
"One of the Agents shot my dad. They were waiting for him. They had the whole house surrounded."
"You saw them?" Urich asked.
Ashley nodded. "This morning they caught my little brother."
She was beginning to tear up.
Urich gestured for the two officers to spread out, guarding the paths leading into the little clearing.
Once they were out of earshot, Urich knelt to meet her at eye level. "Well, then, your name has to be Ashley Fox, doesn't it?"
Ashley didn't answer but became much calmer.
She realized that she had no reason to consider herself safe, surrounded by these four men. For all she knew, they were every bit as dangerous as everyone else she'd encountered recently.
Urich stood up straight.
He looked around the forest, not at the pile of corpses, but at the trails leading to and from their position. He scanned the tree lines and horizon, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
“We heard about your parents," he said. "Me and Cole here, we're homicide detectives. That means when someone turns up dead, they call me, or one of my friends.
“It's not as if you can call some other police department, there's only one. You could say we’ve got a monopoly on solving murders. So even if the victim is a famous whatever, it's all the same clean up crew.
“When we don't get a call, on a double homicide, like what happened to your parents, then we just know something's rotten somewhere.
"Oh, we heard about it. The Feds are required to file paperwork with the state, in order to clear it with the Attorney General. They filed your address. We got notified, after the fact. We should have been there."
Urich looked up to the towering gulch of limbs and dirt then back to Ashley.
"So, what I'm telling you is, I believe you, and I'm going to order my partner to believe you. He has to do whatever I tell him. We're going to help you, but you have to help us too, okay?"
Ashley nodded.
"Tell him everything. Don't leave anything out."
Ashley realized Detective Urich was about the same age as her father, maybe a little older, maybe the age of Mr. Dunkirk. She also realized the heavily muscled detective could eat Mr. Dunkirk for breakfast.
"My partner is going to take you back to our office. You stay right next to him. Tell him anything that you think may be significant. We need to find out who's behind all this."
"I know who it was," Ashley said. "It was National Intelligence Director Joseph Stanwood and Deputy Director Wolfgang Von Kalt."
Urich turned to Cole, "Take her back to the station. Get her statement."
Urich looked to Ashley. He took the time to kneel, getting eye-level with the girl again. Urich held up his finger and looked around at the other people. He pointed at Cole. “Tell him everything.” Then he pointed to the other officers, just out of earshot. “But when there’s people around…”
“Not a word,” Ashley agreed.
Urich nodded and stood, summoning the uniformed officers back.
"Don't you want to be there for that?" Cole asked.
"Sooner the better. I'm going to be here for a while, and we need her on record now. Don't file, just take it and sit on it. She’s just another juvenile witness, confidential identity; need to know only, like any juvenile, nobody special. Don't let her out of arm's reach, handcuffs, if necessary, understood?"
Cole nodded.
"I'll go back up this way with the uniforms. Once you get out of this mess, just call the car over to you, I'll put it on remote once I get up there. It took fifteen minutes to get down here, so give me twenty or thirty to get back up there. Don't even call it for an hour. If the spooks see our cruiser pull out empty, they'll know something's up."
"What the hell are we going to do for an hour?" Cole asked.
"Well, I'd appreciate it if you'd get the fuck out of dodge. What's an hour? I just don't want the car taking off two seconds after I walk away from it. They're feds, but they're not stupid."
“We can just call a cab, they’ll be here in five minutes.”
“Are you a complete asshole, James? Why not just race me back and hand her over? Call a cab?”
“Sorry, wasn’t thinking.”
“I don’t have any coffee, but oh, wait, here’s a cup full of Wake The Fuck Up!” Despite the cruel nature of his words, Urich was half-joking.
Cole nodded. “No cab, I get it. Okay.”
Urich rolled his eyes and smiled. He looked to Ashley and raised his finger to his lips. He then looked at the two uniformed officers and said, "Same goes for you. What you saw here today, you take it to the grave, understand? Direct order."
The patrolmen nodded.
If Urich had some hidden agenda, Ashley thought he was doing a marvelous job of disguising it.
Deputy Director Von Kalt stood at the center of the maelstrom. The agents infested the crime scene, questioning and badgering the municipal investigators.
He could smell the girl, but something was off. She had been here, just minutes ago. He could feel the presence of the Micronix, but there was something else, something broken, and fragmented.
He was better, greater. He was the Metachron. He had the power of forty thousand. The child was only one.
Detective Urich crested the hill with the uniformed detectives. One of the crime scene techs directed him over to the Federal officers, standing near the cruisers.
“Where is she?” Von Kalt demanded, not even waiting for proper introductions.
“You mean he? The suspect has been taken into custody.”
“She is extremely dangerous. We believe this child has been in contact with terrorist organizations. She has information that is vital to national security.”
“I’m sorry, you must be confused. We’re investigating multiple homicides here. You feds must be so used to muscling in, you must have gotten your parties mixed up.”
Urich moved to walk past, but Von Kalt drew his weapon, he kept it pointed at the ground. “I am Deputy Director Von Kalt of the National Security Agency. This is a matter of national security.”
Von Kalt then raised his pistol to Ulrich’s face.
Every officer at the crime scene drew their weapons and pointed them at Von Kalt.
Urich smiled.
Von Kalt didn’t need the multiple surveillance angles of the Metachron to see he was outnumbered. Then he smelled a third scent on the breeze, something different. Despite the dozens of weapons in his face, he looked across the canyon.
Bobby stood, watching them from a nearby rise. He was still wearing his all white suit, and Oscar sat at his feet.
Von Kalt could not see the power Bobby held, but he knew it was there. He lowered his weapon. “I’d like to speak to that witness,” he said.
Von Kalt waved to his new crew of agents and pointed at the little boy in the white suit. “Go,” he ordered.
The agents set out in the direction of the small hilltop.
Bobby turned
and walked from the rise. Oscar remained where he’d been sitting, untroubled by the boy’s exit.
Urich nodded, and several officers set out to assist, or interfere, with the Federal Agents attempting intercept and interrogate Bobby.
All anyone found was Oscar, who happened to wander across their path some time later.
Chapter 71 – Faith Without Works
Sunday, August 2, 2308
Von Kalt returned to Stanwood’s Angel City office after being utterly unsuccessful in the canyon. The news stream from Calistan Way played on a wall-mounted display. The reporter’s commentary on the grisly procession of white plastic body bags being pulled from the canyon was thankfully muted.
Stanwood was speaking to President Conway on his desk terminal. “I completely understand Sir.”
“I hope you do, because nephew or not, I can’t protect you from this.”
“Yes, Mister President.”
“This could take down my entire administration. If that happens, I promise you Joseph, you will pay the ultimate price.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“You do that, Joey. You do that.”
The terminal clicked off.
Stanwood grabbed his terillium jacket and with his newest accessory, a silver-handled cane, he limped past Von Kalt.
“What do you need the coat for,” the deputy asked. “It’s the middle of summer.”
Stanwood ignored him, but Von Kalt followed anyhow. “I told you Dunkirk was a mistake,” he muttered, unable to help himself.
“He wasn’t the only one,” Stanwood replied.
Cole let Ashley take the lead as they hiked out of the forest. She headed for a street that ran parallel to her own, but went up the opposite wall of the canyon.
They saw no one as she and Detective Cole walked up the block, soon arriving at their destination. The house was at the apex of the hill, facing the open canyon. Ashley was worried that she wouldn't recognize the structure from the front, but it wasn't difficult.
