Rex Chase: A Novel

by Tim Wheat

  In an instant the dusk flashed before it boomed. The light from the explosion traveled through the camp and lit up the entire sky. Ahiga, not wishing to kill the first guard, since, in all technicality they were on the same side, brought down a crushing blow to his neck and right shoulder with a piece of kindling. Without taking his eyes off the landscape in front of him, however, he noticed a slight, but very perceptible movement in the bushes across from the cabin and a slight distance to the right.

  Ahiga was lucky the sentries hadn’t detected him as much of his route had been viewable by the other guard. Perhaps his ancestors had watched over him, lending their apparition’s abilities. He had no time to ponder this, though, as he now had a perfect fix on the other guard who focused his attention on his slumping partner. Ahiga could see that he was trying to decide whether to leave his position and protect the girl, or sit tight and protect his partner. Another decision lay ahead for George. He could already hear a commotion inside of the cabin and he hoped beyond hope that they stayed inside and trusted in their guardians. Dispatchment of the second guard would be trickier than the first, since he still didn't wish to kill the man. Ahiga was about to leave his spot and move around the other side of the cabin when the second guard, who he had never taken his eyes off of, rose into the air, dropped his weapon, and clutched at the sky. It was the beginning of an assault.

  Pandemonium broke loose in the tent village as the men ran out of their makeshift homes. Most were drunk, tired, and armed with some sort of weapon. A lot of variables flooded through Ahiga's mind as he decided what to do next. Something more was going on here than he had planned. He lit the remaining two sticks of dynamite, counted to ten, and without giving away his position, threw them as high as he could, while still landing the on the second guard’s position. Fifteen seconds was how he had cut the fuse on the second bundle, however, guessing it to be a fifteen second fuse was more of a truth. He was glad that it hadn't been an eight second timepiece.

  As if on cue, the second set of dynamite burst in the sky a few seconds early. Ahiga rushed for the first guard’s semi-automatic M1 Garand, almost before the shock of the second explosion reached him. Like a choreographed scene from a movie, he fluidly scooped up the rifle, detached three extra clips from the sentry’s belt and grabbed a nearby bandolier. This guy had been ready for war, and the sound of men injured in the second blast now permeated the air. Ahiga was in pure automatic warrior mode. He moved with a mission, and when initial gunshots whizzed past into the side of the shanty his concern was not for himself, nor did he make an attempt to find cover. He got to the front door, kicked it in, and with bullets hailing, made an announcement in a voice so calm a baby would have fallen asleep to it.

  "My dear Angela, although your residence is much nicer than mine, I'd like to suggest we move."

  *******************

  11.

  “You poor baby, does it hurt?”

  Chase smiled as his mother cradled the egg on his head much the same way Mary Elizabeth had a few minutes earlier.

  “Nah, its fine ma.” These two were going to get along great.

  “Sir,”

  “Son,” Alexei and Rex shook hands as his father continued “I’d like to introduce you to General John Francis Reagan.”

  Chase shook the tall slender man’s hand.

  “THE General Reagan. It’s an honor sir.”

  “The honor is all mine, son.”

  “Well, I’d like to introduce the three of you to a very special woman,” Mary Elizabeth blushed as he referred to her that way, “Miss Mary Elizabeth Castle.”

  “My friends just call me Mary Elizabeth.” She managed to say without sounding as nervous as she felt.

  “Very nice to see you again young lady,” said The General taking her hand and kissing it.

  “Likewise.” Alexei beamed at the young woman, repeating the previous man’s actions.

  Luce, as Alexei called her, frowned at the two men’s apparent pre-acquaintance with the woman, and a quizzical look came upon Rex’s face.

  “It is very pleasant to meet you Mary Elizabeth.” Luce extended her hand, and the younger lady took it and curtseyed, a very respectful gesture, “THE Castle family.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Mary said.

  Castle Industries was the major munitions supplier to the Army of The United States of America. Mary Elizabeth’s father, Patrick Castle, had founded the business when he was a young man, first starting with small caliber bullets, and later turning it into the multi-national giant it had become. The business supplied anything from .45 caliber shells for pistols, to 30.06 shells for the B.A.R., to high explosive artillery rounds for the big guns. Castle Industries manufacture almost every bomb in the U.S. arsenal, and as of late, business was booming. Although the current political landscape was that of appeasement, and outright blindness, the military had begun to stockpile and spool up its arsenal.

  “So, tell me Mary Elizabeth, how is it that you already know my husband and The General?”

  Mary Elizabeth blushed once again as her stubborn nervousness refused to give way.

  “Well, I have known The General since I was a little girl. My father used to take me to all sorts of political and private functions. I met your husband a few months ago, in the company of the General of course.”

  Mary Elizabeth could feel Mrs. Chase’s eyes burning a hole through her. She had added that last part to cast off any thoughts that their acquaintance was anything but happenstance. A small wave of relief passed through her as Alexei spoke.

  “I’m afraid, Luce, that the reason I know her is just a bit of a secret. Nothing too crazy, but something I’ve been helping the General with. If it’s alright with the two of you ladies, could you perhaps give us a couple of minutes?”

  Luce smiled and nodded, taking the hand of Mary Elizabeth and moving a short distance away. In recent years her husband had been able to work in physics again, and in the past few months he had seemed to come alive, more alive than he had been since coming to this world more than twenty years ago. Along with an extra spring in his step, Alexei had made certain other areas of Lucille’s life were much more active, and she held a deep appreciation for that. Even though she had sought to intimidate her son’s most recent girlfriend, she knew Alexei would have nothing physical to do with her. The looks he had given the girl were that of a proud father, not a dirty old man. Still, it never hurt to stake your claim on the man you love.

  “So, dad,” began Chase, “that was odd.”

  A huge smile crossed Alexei’s face as he patted his son on the back.

  “Mary Elizabeth Castle,” he said, “It doesn’t get any better than that my boy.”

  “In all honesty, I just met her. If she’s a famous bank robber, or actress or something, I haven’t ever heard of her.” Chase replied.

  “Well,” Interjected The General, “ever heard of Castle Industries?”

  The light of recognition clicked in Chase’s head and it was evident in his expression. Castle Industries made weapons, Alexei Chase was a physics genius in projectiles and some types of theoretical weapons, therefore his father’s recent forays back into the physics world weren’t all because of his son. Rex had assumed his own growing reputation had prodded others to seek out his dad, but that no longer seemed the case. His father reached over and tousled his hair.

  “That shot in the head must have loosened a bolt or two.” Alexei said. “Or did you credit my successes to yourself?”

  He had walked right into their ambush and the two older men seemed to be enjoying themselves. Chase had brought Mary Elizabeth along which had made their fun easier and even more gratifying.

  “Fine guys, so I’m dumb, you’re smart. Now what?”

  The men wound down their hearty laughs, and the mood grew serious. General Reagan was the next to speak, and the tone in his voice suggested playtime was over.

  “Edward…”

  “Please sir, Rex.” Chase said.

&nb
sp; “Sorry, I knew that. Rex. It was almost three years ago when I first met your father. How the United States let a resource like him sit untapped for two decades is a travesty. Over the course of those two decades, though, your father and his friends came up with a few very interesting theoretical ideas. I have been the head of a government agency known as The Organization for a number of years and when a friend of mine you might know, Robert Ahiga, suggested I might learn a few things from your father, I arranged a meeting. Your father and his friends blew me away with their presentation. Alexei will have to fill you in on some of the finer details of the science behind what we are speaking, but…”

  “Sir, I apologize, but I’m not interested in weapons research, or giant bombs, or anything like that. I’m not sure why you’re telling me all of…”

  The Genera cut Chase’s interruption short.

  “Son, I will tell you why I’m telling you what I’m telling you. What you need to do is stand still and pay attention to me for a few minutes. This is important.”

  Chase averted the glare of The General. It wasn’t often that another man made him feel small, but this diminutive, skinny man, had just made him feel like a bug.

  “What I’m getting at, Rex, is that I need your help. Your father tells me you’re looking for something to do; the next step, the next adventure. I can give you all the adventure you’ll ever want and I expect you’ll learn a few things along the way. More important now, though, is that we have an asset, and you have a friend, that could use our help. George…”

  “Chief?” Chase asked.

  George Thomas “Chief” Ahiga and Rex Chase had been best of friends since they were little boys. They weren’t just best friends, they were practically brothers. The idea had always been that they would go away to college together, marry girls who were friends, and have some kids while living next door to each other for the rest of their lives. That dream, though, got put on hold when Chief had joined the Army.

  His grades in high school weren’t the best. He was by no means of below average intelligence, but he also didn’t excel enough to get into an Ivy League school. Robert Ahiga had attempted to use some of his powerful friends to persuade the brass at Harvard to let him in, but without the checkbook to back him up, all of the glowing recommendations fell a bit short. Whether Chief would admit it or not, he had gone into the army because he didn’t want to experience the failure of being denied Harvard. When the two had separated for the first time four years ago the going had been rough, but they kept in touch and would always be best friends. Chase hadn’t heard from Chief in almost six months, though, and the last he had heard, he was heading out into the Pacific somewhere. The General continued.

  “Yes, George has become a fine officer and done some amazing things in his short time in the army, and a few months ago I tapped him to join The Organization. He has been investigating an old friend of your father who we believe has gone into business for himself and may be selling classified secrets to the Germans.”

  “Is Chief OK?” Chase asked with obvious concern in his voice.

  “In all honesty, as of this moment, I don’t know” said The General. “Rumors have filtered into the nearest town of some explosions and a firefight in the camp where he was conducting his investigation. I had hopes that you would join The Organization, get in there, and help us out.”

  The gravity of the situation hit Chase hard.

  “Sir, with all due respect, may I give you an answer tomorrow?”

  “You may son, but the faster you do so, the better. I’m sure George would be happy to see you no matter what the circumstances. Your father tells me that you can read with tremendous speed and remember almost every word?” Chase nodded his head and The General continued, “Would you mind if I sent you home with some light reading?”

  “No sir; that would be just fine,” said Chase.

  “I’ll have it sent over.”

  And with that, the meeting ended. The men exchanged pleasantries, called the women back over and everyone parted ways. Rex Chase had just experienced one of the longest days of his life, and his body was telling him about it. He had a lot on his mind as he put his arm around Mary Elizabeth, but her touch put everything else on the back burner. Edward Rex Chase was now spoken for, and to his surprise, content.

  *******************

  12.

  Dietrich Hoff had quietly become the most powerful man in Germany. The Nazi rise to power had only been because he allowed it. Over the years Hoff went from a munitions supplier during the Great War, which had made him a rich man, to an underground criminal. He wasn’t your run of the mill opportunist, however, and even before the First World War he had begun planning for the future. Unlike what he had everyone duped into thinking, Dietrich Hoff didn’t hold to German ideals any more than he did British, American, or Russian. The Nazis were a convenient pawn in the elaborate game of chess he had played for the better part of a quarter century. They were consolidating all of Germany’s power, and looked to be on their way to dominating the entire continent.

  Hoff had sat back and watched as the power struggle in his homeland had played out. He had those who were against his interests removed, and those who helped his interests promoted. This grand Fuhrer, as he called himself, was of little consequence in the larger scheme of what Dietrich had planned. The culmination of all his efforts, and vast resources, was nearing a conclusion, and in less than a few days he would be in possession of the single greatest weapon the world had ever seen.

  Hoff’s original plan had backed the efforts of nuclear physicists to get him the kind of weapon he desired. He had spent millions, perhaps billions, of his company’s marks to develop the atom, until one day, through a back channel, he had become aware of a new kind of weapon. A weapon not a single major player in the world scen could come close to matching. He knew that he would have to use each and every one of his hundreds of businesses and corporations to achieve his goals. His contact had assured him that the effort would be worth it, and Hoff had taken some steps to insure his interests.

  With stealth he began liquidating his assets, trying to erase his name from paper trails around the globe. The elite in Germany knew full well what he was capable of, but throughout the world he had strived to keep a low profile. He visited his corporations in person with rarity, and most of his millions of employees worldwide didn’t even know he was their ultimate boss. Things had been going quite well until an American started sniffing around a number of his operations. Hoff didn’t often let emotion influence business decisions, but he did hold a true contempt for the Americans. They always thought they were so smart, when in fact Germans who had fled to the U.S. executed all of the science he had put his faith in.

  As he sat in the cramped vehicle by himself, Dietrich Hoff couldn’t help but feel proud of the young man he saw crossing the field toward him. He wasn’t his uncle, and had used him to achieve a very specific goal, but that didn’t bother Hoff at all. Without him the streets of New York would have swallowed the boy; or he would have died of syphilis, or something else awful. No, Hoff was a humanitarian. It was no matter that he had deceived the boy his entire life, or that he was sending him out to do some awful things. Hoff had made the boy what he was today, and that was a professional, cold-blooded, killer. In his younger years Dietrich Hoff had often taken pride in the killing of his enemies. He enjoyed looking into their eyes as the last remnants of life left their bodies, reveling in the fact that the last thing they took notice of on this earth was his face, and the realization that he had killed them. His entire empire had started with the killing of just one man whose face resided, forever etched into his mind. Right now, however, Hoff had bigger problems. Someone was getting close to figuring out his game. The preliminary report was that a dynamite attack had occurred at the old mine in Arizona had. That was disturbing indeed, and he needed to get ahead of the game again.

  *******************

  13.

  The young spy, wi
thout even looking, flung open the door to his Model A Ford and hurtled himself into the driver’s seat. In an instant he became aware of the huge man sitting next to him.

  “Mr. Hoff.” He said, in an even tone, without looking over, “I wasn’t expecting you until the morning.”

  “Hans,” Hoff smiled and patted the boy’s leg with his monstrous hand, “I thought I’d come in early and say hello. Are you hungry? Would you like to join me for dinner?”

  Hans knew that Dietrich Hoff did not deviate from his schedule. Never had he deviated before. Never. If he was here now either things had gone wrong, or he was about to be killed at the hands of the only real father he would claim.

  “Sir, I’m not hungry. If you’re going to kill me, I would be very pleased if you would afford me the honor of taking care of it myself.”

  Hans believed with every fiber of his being that his time on earth was about to end. He had heard from many of the men he worked with through the years about the brutal nature of his uncle. Most of those men were no longer around to spread such rumors, and Hans had been careful to never utter a word to anyone about them. The truth was, no matter what anyone said about the man, he still loved him. Dietrich Hoff smiled again and tousled the young spy’s hair.

  “I’m not here to kill you Hans, you’re like one of my sons. Haven’t I always treated you like one of my own?”

  “Yes sir, you have,” came the measured reply.

  “Well then, I can see that you’re in no mood for pleasantries, and since you are right in noticing that I don’t often change my schedule, I’ll get right to the point.” Hans nodded as Hoff continued. “I’m here because we’ve had some setbacks and need to move up the timetable. I need you to get out to Arizona as fast as you can and straighten out a problem for me.”