by Neal Goldy
I was stunned and speechless. For the first time in my eighteen years of existence, I couldn’t frame a single alphabet phrase of reassurance. I could have said that I understood, but that would have been a pure white lie. How could I have understood the depth of self-conviction in which Neil had been engulfed?
You know the weight of that unbearable force that crushes down on you when you know you don’t want to do something, be something? It is like being pushed by some imaginary threat of heredity and lineage, when you force yourself to undeniably believe what is right and wrong just because you are told to. How can anyone else possibly understand that conflict, that self-conviction, that rapture of getting one chance to reverse it all? No, no one is capable of understanding it. Not me, not even Carl. Carl was searching for a way out, but Neil, he was still submerged halfway in it.
Neil noticed my inner turmoil and intertwined his hands with mine, “I know, I got a little bit carried away. I’m sorry. But the point I wanted to make is that I could have acquired anything I put my finger upon in the world, but not the one thing that really matters, liberty. And that’s why it’s a fantasy. Fantasies are bound to be out of reach, right?”
I pressed my hand more tightly in his, “Not anymore. The first ray of light the day after tomorrow will bring a new dawn. The Statue of Liberty awaits you, and a new life as well.”
Neil reached out and twisted a strand of my hair in his fingers thoughtfully, “You know, there’s one thing I would never tire of doing again and again.”
“And what is that?”
“Playing with your hair, I kind enjoy it.” A cute, carefree smile crossed his lips.
I laughed unceremoniously, which made him laugh too. And we laughed like maniacs for the next few minutes, as if someone had injected us with nitrous oxide. Amid so many happenings, these stolen short moments of ecstasy were precious. But as I proclaimed, short term happiness. Phew…..
Like a short-circuited wire, something crackled in the surroundings. For a moment we mistook it for some lost animal, but the cracklings soon increased in intensity. Neil checked his pockets, no weapon. God! Cut us some slack already. Miraculously, God answered my prayers. It was actually Chris and company with his entire entourage. Both of us sank down in relief. “God! I’m starting to be transformed into some ninja-cum-paranoid-cum-Valkyrie girl. Do you think we should go down?”
“Nah, they can’t see us; let them do some exercise first. It’ll be fun watching them burn some calories.”
“Do you two mind ceasing your suicide operation and honor us with your audience”, shouted Chris sarcastically. I practically jumped into Neil’s lap.
Neil grimaced, “How did he…”
I observed carefully and grunted, “Infrared goggles….. Night vision…”
“How did you? Oh yeah, it’s you…. Miss know-it-all….. Come on, we’ve got bad people to capture.”
Chapter 22
“Are you sure??”
We were all huddled in small groups around the hem of the same forest from which we had escaped with so much difficulty two days ago. Chris pinched his nose skeptically, “This is not going to work if you keep asking the same trivial question every five damn minutes like some recorded cassette.”
Neil intervened before the conversation could bend towards a different angle. “She’s just nervous as I am!”
“Oh, Neil, and nervous, that’s got to be in the headline of the hour”, I crooned whistling.
“Oh, shut up for a second, you two”, Richard entered into picture.
“What’s he doing here???” I wagged a reproving finger at “fatty the interrogating officer with a death glare”. He shot me angry glares worthy of his reputation. Somehow, he had gained a belly in less than a week. Ugh, why am I even bothering myself with petty fatty?
Richard stood between us, confused, “Did I miss something?”
“Miss Kanet, he’s the investigating officer on the Collins case, so he deserved to be informed. You just focus on your job here”, warned Chris.
I shot fatty my best “later” look and turned towards the ranch house nervously. Neil took my hand, and I felt like I could have even climbed Mt. Everest beside him.
We – Richard and fatty along with me and Neil – dawdled towards the house, treading through the rose garden surreptitiously. Plan A was to attract the fewest devil eyes and sneak inside the house unnoticed. Once inside, we had to analyze the numbers and strength of our fighting comrades and report back to Chris. Somehow, he was certain of the warhead being here, and we had to apparently search for it, too. All in all, the success of the mission relied on us.
If plan A failed to be executed properly, we would have plan B and C and D. Mind you, federal agents never fail in their planning. The prime purpose of sending Neil and me first was to create artificial mayhem in case we got caught and Neil would get to flaunt his acting skills by playing “redemption” boy in front of Majestic.
The first phase of Plan A went smoothly without any hurdles. We succeeded in skulking around the boundary and sneaking inside. Contradictory to our evaluation, there were quite a few guards here and there; but we had no disruption in our sweep.
We crept inside the big hall and instantly images of Storm invaded my mind. I brushed them away. There were three doors leading to different corridors and sections of the house.
“Now where to?” asked Richard.
I eyed the doors eerily, “My bet’s on the leftmost one or we can just toss a coin.”
“Duh, Angel, there are only two faces on a coin! What kind of science student does not use her common sense”, mocked Neil. I grimaced. Thus far, no guards appeared.
“There’s something not right!” voiced Neil.
How come none of the men-in-black junior or senior version have noticed us? Are they oblivious of the dawn of the new technology called CCTV?
“There’s something not right!” Repeated Neil.
I rolled my eyes, “Yeah, you said that already!”
“It’s worth repeating.”
As if resolving our doubts, we were rewarded with bullet fare. I had to duck under a table with Richard. Neil and fatty vanished through the middle door. Some goons chased them. I uncapped my gun -- I mean figuratively. Richard readied himself.
“You go to the door, I’ll cover you”, he ordered. I nodded. “And wait, don’t go to the middle one. Divided we can save time.” I didn’t like the idea, but still nodded in agreement.
I ran for the third door and arrived without difficulty. It looked like they just wanted to stop us from going through first and second. Something was definitely fishy. A moment ago I thought I saw Nicole, but that’s crazy right? Richard soon joined me. Abandoning my dwelling on obvious facts, I chose to resume the search.
We ran past several rooms, but so far no luck. I suddenly stopped in my tracks. A low whimpering noise was emanating from somewhere nearby. I sprinted in the direction of the noise and found a woman all chained up and goons beating her. Richard took aim, “Left one’s mine, right one’s yours.”
“Gladly.”
We ran for the woman to help. She was in such a disheveled state that I couldn’t even recognize her at first glance. We freed her and she hugged me instantly. “Shh, it’s okay. You’ll be fine.” She was sobbing uncontrollably.
“I knew you’d come. I knew that you’ll never leave me to die.”
“Yes, Professor, I’ve come to rescue you.”
We helped her stand up. “Can you walk by yourself?” asked Richard.
She nodded. “Janet, there’s someone else they have held captive, another woman.”
“Mom!!! Professor, do you know where she is?”
She faltered for a second, “I guess so, come, this way.”
We followed her. “I’m updating Neil!” Informed Richard hastily. We zigzagged in the labyrinth and Prof. Collins halted in front of a room resembling penthouse. I wondered how she knew where mom was being kept. But my suspicions soon evaporated wh
en I saw the scene inside.
A lady was seated in a recliner, hands and legs chained just like Prof. Collins had been, a piece of cloth over her mouth. And so, after so many years, I saw my mother--bound, helpless, and entirely terrified. I quickly sprinted in her direction and knelt beside her.
“Mom?”
She opened her hazel eyes, which after much difficulty focused on me. Tears caressed her flawless cheekbones. I hugged her tightly unable to restrain myself. She sobbed on my shoulder, and suddenly her body stiffened like toasted bread. I broke away and noticed her staring past me.
I cupped her face, “Mom, mom, it’s all right, they are with me. She was also kept here, just like you. Remember Prof Collins?”
She shook her head violently, totally dread-stricken. God! What had Majestic done to my universally cheerful mom? I quickly untied her and yanked the piece of cloth out of her mouth. She shrieked, “Janet!!!”
A gunshot behind me made me swirl around. Richard was shot dead by Prof. Collins. I was dumbstruck, my mind refused to process the recent happenings using any sort of logic. Mom shot up on her legs and pushed me behind her. At that exact moment Neil and fatty decided to barge in.
“What’s happening? I thought I heard gunfire…”
Before Neil could finish the sentence and analyze the arena, fatty kicked the guns from Neil’s grasp and struck his own on Neil’s head hard. Neil collapsed onto his knees, clutching his head.
My legs refused to respond to the orders my nervous system was desperately sending to them, and my voice decided to take refuge somewhere far away from my throat. Neil looked up dizzily, his expression transformed from confusion to rage to surprise to absolute terror. He could speak only one word and that one word dislodged the ground beneath my legs and swallowed me whole.
“Majestic!!!”
Chapter 23
Imagine yourself an astronaut residing on the International Space Station, repairing an instrument outside the spaceship, attached to it by just a cord, and then someone snaps that cord and you start floating in the endless abyss. Yeah, remembered gravity?
Or imagine a never-stopping roller coaster ride where you keep screaming and screaming, but nobody listens to your pleadings.
These would just be 30% of what I was experiencing right at that moment. Prof. Collins sauntered towards us like a lioness taming her prey. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but my tongue refused to listen as well.
“Oh!!! My dearest protégée has had the shock of her life??” She asked several times, “Did you really think you were the only ones with spies here?”
“Stay away from my daughter!” There was more than a thinly-veiled warning in the way mom spoke each word.
Prof. Collins-turned-Majestic looked bored. “Daughter?? Who?? Oh her! By the way, did you know your so called daughter killed your son.”
How the hell did she know that?
Of course! We were such fools to think even for a moment that we had the upper hand. As Richard had said, Majestic was anything but stupid. I had this sudden urge to pierce a bullet into fatty’s dimwit brain.
“He was not my son. I have only one child and she is standing right by my side.” I almost sobbed, but decided that would be unwise in front of such lethal enemies.
Majestic executed a fake crying show, “How touching! But I guess I don’t even need to burst that bubble. You already know, right, that she’s not actually your child?”
God!!! Now how the hell did she know this?
“Enough of the word games, Professor. Get to the point, what in hell do you want from us? And how the hell did, you succeeded in fooling everyone?”
She watched me curiously, “Oh! You’re out of your initial shock already? My hearty wish was to watch a zombie Janet for at least fifteen minutes. You disappoint me, child.”
“What do you want?”
“How about we chitchat about your brother first?” She continued as if I hadn’t spoken a word.
“What do you want, Majestic?” I asked again, this time louder and with menace.
“Your pendant! I want your turquoise pendant. Now I don’t see it around your neck. Where have you hidden it? I’m warning you, I don’t tolerate betrayals.”
“Betrayals…… you’re the one to talk. You betrayed everyone you ever called family and friends; my dad, me, your husband, the entire university, and last but not in this freaking world the least, your own daughter. How could any mother jeopardize her own children? Or wait! Are they even your children?”
My words had not even an infinitesimal impact on her. She chuckled deeply, “About time I introduced my children.”
I decided that she had gone beyond crazy. Well, obviously no sane woman would qualify to be a terrorist mastermind. You’ve got to have a few essential traits to be crowned this position, namely craziness, madness, the despicable urge to destroy the whole world, etc., etc.
The windows on either side of the room cracked open and two teenagers hopped in: Rusty and…Nicole!!!! What the…Rusty smirked at me and Nicole showed no recognition at all. She was blonde, and if you observed closely, her features were quite different: her chin was pointed rather than curved and her eyes were a totally different color. But all in all, if you had not known her as well as I had, you’d totally fail to recognize her as Nicole.
“Nicole’s in the hospital!” I said, the only thing I could think of.
“Wasn’t it a perfect cover story? Professor Lucy Collins abducted and indefinitely missing, her husband in a war, her son had run away scared, her “daughter” hospitalized. No one could ever doubt all this.” She beamed at her own intelligence.
“But, Nicole is in the hospital!!!!!”
“Oh dear, don’t stress your already roasted mind. Let me spill the beans. This…” she gestured towards the girl, “is my daughter Nicole. That girl was an alias.”
What!!! Oh, mother earth, swallow me whole right now. My best, almost best friend who now was my best friend, was not actually my best friend.
What was I saying?? This was insane; this was not real. This was one of my twisted extended nightmares. Oh lord! Richard was dead; we were being betrayed; and Chris and Co. had no idea what was happening here. We would have to somehow warn them. If this was a well-planned ambush, not from our side mind you, but Majestic’s, we were all doomed. Okay, God, for the last time..HELP.
I thought: Come on, Janet, think….. It’s 3 against 4, but we’re weaponless and mom’s in no condition to even activate her defense mode. That leaves 2 against 4. But prior to anything, we need to rescue one thing that is most valuable, but almost a forgotten topic right now, and that is--the warheads. Okay Prof., you wanna play, then let’s play.
“What is it exactly you want from us? It’s not like we could be of any use to you. Just finish this and get it over with.”
“Janet!” Mom spoke, astonished.
Majestic herself was mildly surprised. She beckoned me over to touch my cheek. “Don’t touch me!” I jumped backward.
“Oh dear, don’t you understand. I don’t want to harm you. You’re a precious gem. Join me and I’ll even spare Monika and Neil for you. They can stay and cooperate.”
“Are you out of your goddamned mind? No amount of alcohol could dull my senses enough to agree.”
“Why so pesky, my child? Your parents would love to see you redeem yourself.”
“Redeem!!!” I scoffed. “No amount of illegal drugs would encourage my parents to wonder such a drastic thought.”
“Where’s the arsenal, Majestic?” Neil questioned ardently.
Between all this mayhem, I completely forgot about him. Majestic made a U-turn and blasted him with annoyance in her words, “Neil, Neil, the most wanted traitor in the underworld. Your godparents are searching for some secluded corner in which to hide their blackened faces, all because of you. Don’t you have a little bit of regret?”
So she actually didn’t know about Carl. That was a score in our basket.
“Where are the warheads?” I questioned with emphasis.
She stared at us amusingly, “How touching. Now you complete each other’s questions, too. Are your so-called parents aware of your romantic escapades, Janet?”
I sighed, “Stop dodging. It’s not working. Where are the warheads?”
She shrugged, “What makes you think I’d tell you.” She grimaced at all of us.
“Because you enjoy playing petty games.”
“Not here, sorry. You’ll lose your lives for nothing at all.”
“Where are they?” Asked Neil.
“Oh, you already know, Neil. They were there when I first hired you and they are still there. What will you do about it? Tell me.” She crooned triumphantly and then stretched out her palm before me.
“What? The beggar’s association is your part-time job now?” I mocked coldly.
She was now losing her temper like a third degree differential equation. “Now, Janet, hand over the key.”
“What key??”
She slapped me hard on my cheek. Lights swirled in front of my eyes. I watched her with so much fire in them that a normal person would have blinked away. But she…
“Your pendant, Janet. Stop your futile efforts to improvise. Give it to me like right NOW.”
