Embers of Empire

by Mark Goodwin

  Ulysses quietly approached Chip’s door, stepping over the dead guard who lay bleeding on the floor. Ulysses stepped past the second dead watchman on the red-stained hall carpet. He signaled with his hands for Ava to search the guards for the key to Chip’s apartment. She slung her rifle around her back and pushed it behind her. Ava bent down and rooted through the first man’s pants pocket. She looked at her father and shook her head.

  He gestured with his chin to the second guard and she repeated the task. When she located them, Ava held her hands tightly around the keys to keep them from jingling. Ulysses motioned for her to pass them to Foley and get ready to make entry.

  Foley moved slowly and deliberately to unlock the deadbolt, then the doorknob. He opened the door in a smooth, even motion. Ulysses walked in first. Ava was next with Foley behind her. Foley locked only the deadbolt once inside.

  The soft glow of Chip’s floor-to-ceiling fish tank illuminated the kitchen and living space. The soft hum of the pump for the tank’s filter helped to conceal the sound of their footsteps. Ava nodded to the bottles near the sink. A bottle of Woodford Reserve Bourbon contained only a few remaining ounces. A bottle of Grey Goose Vodka next to it appeared to be bone dry.

  Ulysses nodded and gestured for Foley to lead the way toward the bedroom. Foley reached the bedroom door and opened it. Ulysses and Ava made their way in silently.

  Chip lay facing them with his mouth open and tongue hanging out. Raquel slept on the other side of the bed. Ava recognized her by her slender frame covered only by a thin sheet and her short black hair.

  Ulysses quietly slung his rifle behind his back and put his arm around the front of Chip’s neck. He braced his other arm around the back of Chip’s neck, wedging his hand in the elbow joint to put Chip in a sleeper hold.

  Chip began to thrash and kick, trying to free himself from Ulysses’ grip. The ruckus awakened Raquel who screamed when she saw Ava’s team in the bedroom.

  Ulysses continued to apply pressure to Chip’s throat. “Foley, get her gagged and bound with duct tape.”

  Raquel screamed, “No! Please! I’m naked!”

  Ulysses’ brow wrinkled into deep rows. “Ava, get her a robe. Foley, if she moves, kill her.”

  Ava quickly searched the bathroom for a robe. She came back and flung it at Raquel. “Put this on and get on the floor. Don’t play with us. We will kill you.”

  Raquel slipped into the robe and then lay down on the floor. “What are you going to do with us?”

  Chip’s body fell limp in Ulysses' arms. Ulysses rolled him over and began restraining his hands and feet. “Don’t worry about that right now. We want your boyfriend. You’re extra credit. So, if you make things hard for me, I’ll put a bullet in your head and leave you on the floor. Your choice.”

  Foley finished wrapping Raquel’s hands and began running a length of duct tape around her mouth. “Boss, we’ve got a problem.”

  Ulysses sighed. “What is it?”

  “She’s wearing an alarm around her neck.” Foley unsnapped the thin metal chain from around Raquel’s neck and held up the small alert device.

  “Panic button. We need to move!” Ulysses hoisted Chip up onto his shoulder. “Ava, find Chip’s laptop and phone and stick them in your purse. Keep your rifle ready to fire. Foley, you go out first. Keep the girl in front and use her as a shield. Press your rifle against her head. If she gives you anything less than 110% compliance, drop her. I doubt she can tell us anything that Chip can’t. She’s expendable.”

  “Roger.” Foley lifted Raquel off the floor and pushed her with his rifle. “Move! To the stairs. Slow and steady.”

  Ava found Chip’s phone on the nightstand and stuck it in her bag. She located his laptop on the coffee table. That was also quickly stowed away in the large purse. She spun it around to her back and readied her rifle.

  “Keep moving!” Ulysses held Chip over his left shoulder and gripped his rifle with his right hand.

  Ava filed out of the apartment behind Foley and Raquel. She looked down at the footprints of blood being put down by Raquel who may or may not have intentionally walked through the puddles outside the door. “We’re not going to be hard to track.” She gestured toward the prints of Raquel’s feet.

  Gunfire erupted from the hallway intersection, in the direction of the elevator. Ulysses grunted, “It won’t matter now.”

  Foley yelled. “Ten hostiles, incoming.” He pushed Raquel to the ground, then took a knee and returned fire.

  “Can you hold ‘em back until we get to the stairs?” Ulysses asked.

  “Roger!” Foley continued to fire.

  Ulysses looked at Ava. “When I say go, you run for that door. Hold it open for me.”

  “Got it!”

  “Go!”

  Ava ran past the intersection while Foley laid down suppressive fire.

  “Hold your fire! I’ve got your boss hostage over here. You’ll kill him if you shoot.” Ulysses yelled before running. He positioned Chip’s limp form to be between his head and the gunfire before running across. POW, POW, POW! Still, the hostiles fired at Ulysses when he crossed the intersection.

  Ulysses reached the stairwell unharmed. He looked at Ava. “This bunch is out of hand. They don’t seem to care if they kill Chip. We have no leverage. We’ve gotta move. Foley, we’ll cover you. Send the girl first, then come to us.”

  “Roger.” Foley lifted Raquel by the scruff of her robe and pushed her toward the door. He sent another volley of bullets down the hall and turned to run.

  Raquel’s eyes showed her deep distress as she ran with her mouth gagged and her hands bound behind her back toward the stairwell.

  POP! POP! POW, POW! POP! Gunfire echoed off the walls of the hallway.

  Ava watched while a splatter of blood exploded from Foley’s shin. He continued to run to the door, then collapsed in pain once he reached the stairwell landing. Foley quickly rolled over and began shooting at the hostiles who’d rounded the corner. From the cover of the door frame, Foley, Ava, and Ulysses gunned down four hostiles, sending the others back around the corner for cover.

  Ulysses dropped Chip to the floor. He looked at Raquel with blazing eyes. “These people have no problem killing you either. I should blow your brains out right here and right now for pushing that button.” He raised the butt of his rifle and slammed it against Raquel’s head, knocking her out and sending her to the ground. Ulysses bent down to look at Foley’s leg. “Is it bad?”

  “It’s bad, sir.” Foley changed magazines.

  “I’ll help you down the stairs.” Ava put her arm under Foley’s shoulder.

  He pulled away. “You can’t carry my weight. Especially down eight flights of stairs.”

  Ava looked at Ulysses. “Then Dad will carry you down. We’ll leave Chip here.”

  Foley shook his head. “Somebody has to hold the other six off so you can get down the stairs. And you have to go now. They’ll be all over the exit if you don’t leave right this instant.”

  “I’m not leaving you, Foley!” Ava was shocked at what he was suggesting.

  “You have to. I love you, Ava.” He took her hand for a brief second. He put his thumb and index finger on the homemade ring around her finger. “I’ll always love you. But you have to go. Now!”

  Ava’s heart stopped beating. The blood drained from her face. Paralyzing fear rushed through her capillaries causing the surface of her skin to feel like it was burning. “No!” She gasped for air and turned to her father. “Dad! Tell him!”

  Ulysses' face revealed his resignation to the unthinkable. “He’s right, Ava. We have to go. And someone has to hold them off.”

  She shook her head, pleading with Foley. She sobbed, “Please don’t do this! I need you. I love you.” She grabbed his hand.

  “I know. And I love you, too. But you have to go right now.” He gently pulled his hand away from hers.

  “I can’t leave you. I won’t!”
<
br />   “You have to. You have to now. I’ll always love you.” Foley broke his gaze into Ava’s eyes. He turned away and took aim. He prepared to spend his final breaths holding off the enemy so Ava could get away.

  “Come on.” Ulysses hoisted Chip back upon his shoulder. “We have to go.” He let his rifle hang from the sling and tugged Ava away by the back of her jacket.

  “No!” She cried as she reluctantly began to descend the stairs.

  “I know, baby. I know. Just keep going.” Ulysses was behind her, hurrying her along.

  Ava reached the sixth floor, her body wracked with grief and horror. She heard the exchange of gunfire above her.

  “We have to move fast, Ava. You have to keep moving.” Ulysses coached her.

  She wailed as she reached the lower floors and the reality of what just happened set in. The rifle fire from above became more muffled.

  “Stop when you get to the bottom,” Ulysses said. “If we have trouble outside, you’ll run to the truck with my keys and start the engine. I’ll use Chip as a shield and lay down cover fire while I run to the truck. If I get hit, just go. Meet up with Charity like we planned. Cross over to Oklahoma. You’ve got the address to my place. You and Charity take care of each other. That’s all I want. That’s all Foley would want.”

  Ava couldn’t believe this was happening. This was supposed to be a simple abduction. How had this plan turned so terribly wrong? “No, Daddy! Don’t say that!” She continued to bawl.

  They reached the exit door. Ulysses let his rifle hang and pulled the keys out of his pocket. He handed them to Ava. “You remember the plan, right?”

  She took the keys and nodded, unable to formulate words over her sobbing.

  “On my count.” Ulysses adjusted the weight of Chip’s body on his shoulder, then positioned his rifle. “Three, two, one, GO!”

  Ava threw all of her anger and rage against the door, throwing it open and slamming it against the outside wall. She charged toward the pickup while two black Humvees screeched to a halt. SJL soldiers armed with AK-47s poured out of each. Bang, Bang, Bang! POW, POW, POW! Gunfire erupted all around her.

  She thought of nothing but getting to the truck. Her legs filled with adrenaline. She pumped her feet against the pavement, the bag and rifle slapping against her back with each stride. She reached the pickup and spun around to see SJL fighters trying to shoot Ulysses without hitting Chip.

  She leveled her rifle on the hood of the truck for cover and began firing. POP! POP! POP! Two of the soldiers fell to the ground. POW! POW! Ulysses dropped one more. He continued rushing toward the vehicle. He let Chip roll off his shoulder into the bed of the truck. “Get in and drive!” he shouted.

  Ava emptied her magazine on the assailants before complying, but eventually opened the door and started the engine.

  Ulysses rolled down his window and fired upon the remaining SJL soldiers while Ava drove off. “Take Lamar north out of town. It’s 4:45 in the morning. Hopefully, not many people are on the road. Run the red lights.”

  “Wouldn’t it be safer to take I-35 or the expressway?” She checked the rearview.

  “They’ll be looking for us there. This is our best shot at getting out of town. And turn off your headlights.”

  “Run red lights with no lights on? This is suicide!”

  “We’ll be harder to tail with no lights. Just for the first couple miles. Once I’m sure we’re not being followed and no helicopters are after us, you can turn them back on.”

  Ava glanced over at her father. “You’re bleeding. Your stomach!”

  Ulysses looked down. “Must have got grazed.”

  “Is it bad?”

  “No. Superficial.”

  “Are you telling me the truth?”

  “Yes, Ava. I won’t lie to you, even to save your feelings. If I was in bad shape, I’d want to spend my final moments saying goodbye; not covering up the inevitable.”

  Her brows pressed together. She was still horrified at having left Foley to die. It was an event she might never get over.

  “Once we get out of town, we’ll have to check the one in the back for leaks.”

  “I hope he bleeds out. No. I hope he’s still alive so I can kill him when we pull over.”

  “I’m angry, too. But we have to keep him alive. Otherwise, Foley’s sacrifice will have been in vain.”

  She checked the rearview once more. Seeing no one behind her, Ava’s fear and anxiety slowly gave way to sorrow and a broken heart.

  Seconds later, Ulysses said, “We’ve got company.”

  She glanced again to see a pair of headlights behind her. They appeared to belong to a large vehicle. “Is that one of the Hummers?”

  “I think so. Go as fast as you can.”

  Fright and terror returned, clouding out the sadness. “What should I do? Turn off onto a side street?”

  “No. We could get trapped. I don’t know these back streets. Just keep going until I tell you to slow down.” Ulysses pulled one of the bricks of explosives from beneath the seat.

  Ava looked long enough to see that it was covered in nails and marbles.

  “Okay, pull to the side of the road.” Ulysses held the brick in one hand and the detonator in the other.

  “Then what?”

  “When I say go, punch it all the way to the floor!”

  Ava nervously complied.

  The Hummer quickly caught up with them and stopped behind them. Three fighters came out the side doors and approached Ava’s vehicle with their rifles up.

  Ulysses flung the brick out the window toward the back of the truck. Ava watched in what seemed like slow motion as the device spun in the air. She saw it come perilously close to landing in the bed of the truck next to Chip. The explosive hit the tailgate, bounced off, and fell to the ground behind the truck.

  “Go!” Ulysses yelled.

  She slammed the gas pedal to the floor, causing the tires to spin and smoke as the truck gradually caught traction and sped away. She watched the side view mirror when her father pushed the button of the detonator.

  BOOOM!!! Fire and shrapnel quickly caught up with the SJL combatants who tried with futility to jump out of harm’s way.

  Blazing through intersections and blowing past red lights, she didn’t let her foot off the pedal for three miles.

  “I think we’ve lost them.” Ulysses had been turned toward the rear of the vehicle. He faced front. “You can turn your lights back on now.”

  Ava breathed a little easier, but the sense of loss still sat on her like a lead weight. She wondered what Foley’s last moments were like. She prayed silently asking God that He would retroactively spare Foley from the pain. She asked Him for strength to keep going, to live a life worthy of the sacrifice Foley had made. Ava knew in her heart that she would never ever love another man the way she’d loved Foley. And she was certain she’d never forget him.

  Three days later was Christmas Eve. Ava had not been out of bed since the remnants of the team arrived at her father’s farm in northeastern Oklahoma. Buckley had remained by her side, except to go eat or to go outside to do his business. But it was time to get up. Like it or not, she had to get on with life.

  Ava forced herself to get out of bed. Charity was still mourning her loss, but she’d found the strength to pitch in. She did laundry, washed dishes, and fed the chickens.

  As much as Ava’s heart hurt over the loss of Foley, she would not let herself sink beyond the point of no return. If she did, that would mean that Markovich had won. It would mean that Foley’s death had been in vain.

  She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of cold coffee. She didn’t bother reheating it. She drank it cold. She opened the cupboards to look for something to eat.

  Ulysses came in the back door, walked to the kitchen sink and washed his hands. “How are you feeling?”

  She toyed with the homemade engagement ring on her finger. “Not good. Not good
at all. But I’m not going to sit around and feel sorry for myself. I’m going to town today. I have to get some hair color. I can’t keep looking at this person with the short black hair in the mirror. It sounds stupid, but getting my hair back to normal is important.”

  He dried his hands on the towel hanging from the handle on the stove. “If you’re going to town, you should go soon. It’s Christmas Eve. Lots of places will be closing early.

  “But it’s not stupid to want to fix your hair. You need to mourn. And you need to feel like yourself to do that.”

  Her father had articulated her feelings very well. She appreciated his ability to understand. “Once that’s out of the way, I want to help out around here. Tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll try to do my share.”

  “That’s a good attitude, but give yourself time to grieve. The pain won’t go away, but it will become manageable. You can’t rush it. Time takes time.”

  She swallowed hard, intent on not breaking down right now. She pulled a box of bakery mix from the shelf. “How about some biscuits?”

  “That will be fine. If you’re up for it, I’ll eat some with you. But like I said, don’t push yourself.”

  Ava put the box next to the sink and found a bowl to mix the ingredients. “Did Chip give you any information yet?”

  Ulysses rolled his sleeves down. “He gave me his computer password in exchange for eight hours of sleep. But so far that’s it. I’m in no hurry. If I can avoid torture, I will. Extracting information like that has its toll on the interrogator. It costs you part of who you are. I’ve spent a good amount of that already.

  “Anyway, he’s not a true believer. The impression I get is that Chip was in it for the money and the power. After a couple days of nothing but water, he’ll be ready to trade Szabos’ location for a ham sandwich.”

  She preheated the oven. “You think he knows where George Szabos is?”

  “Yeah. He’s probably not in the country, but Chip will tell me the location of whoever is serving as his lieutenant.”