Nightfall

by Peter Hoole

  “So far, it doesn’t sound like much,” Caleb pointed out.

  “Granted, it’s not. There is more, but let me ask you something first.”

  Dunleavy had been upfront; and now it seemed it was Caleb’s turn to do the same. “What would you like to know?”

  “Why do you think the President called you? You know, before the end?” Dunleavy asked.

  “I’ve been asking myself that same thing, ever since it happened. I haven’t been able to come up with anything. He told me to ‘Find the Source’. Do you know what that means?”

  Dunleavy frowned.

  “The Source? Are you sure that’s what he said?”

  “Yeah. Trust me, I’ve replayed that conversation a million times in my head.”

  “Never heard of it. Did it come up in any of your missions?”

  “Nope, not that I know of.”

  “Another fucking mystery then!” Dunleavy growled. “Can I ask you something else? Why did you come to me? I mean, what was the catalyst for you to come to Phoenix. You could have tried so many times before now. My whereabouts was never a secret.”

  Caleb explained the email Darcy had received, and their suspicion that Dunleavy would know more about it, having been sent the information from the Berlin mission.

  “The Tracker?” Dunleavy asked. “Shit, I sent the info off to the nerds. The ones in DC. They came back with, well, fuck-all, really. They knew it was advanced, and was something they’d never seen before. It basically turned any device which opened the program into some kind of homing-beacon – one they could track from a central location. You say you’ve seen the program?”

  “Yeah, it was on my computer,” Darcy spoke up, obviously tired of being left out of the conversation.

  “Okay then. We’ll have to call them,” Dunleavy said.

  “Call who?” Caleb asked.

  “The nerds… in DC.”

  “Actually, Caleb and I have our own nerd,” Darcy announced.

  “She’s right,” Caleb agreed. “How do you think we knew you were at the pub?”

  “Can you trust him?” asked Dunleavy.

  “About as much as we trust anyone right now,” Darcy replied. “Should I call him, Caleb?”

  Caleb pondered. It was true that Chuck had found Dunleavy. But, Dunleavy’s men knew the situation, and had worked with the tracking program before.

  “Mike, can you call your guys instead? I don’t think we can take the chance of going back to LA.”

  “Okay, I’ll give it a try.” Dunleavy dialled his phone. Caleb waited impatiently for him to say something, anything.

  Dunleavy spoke into the handset. “Hi, is Doug there? Tell him it’s Mike.”

  Dunleavy continued the conversation – asking about Doug and what Caleb could only assume was his offsider, Timothy. After a brief exchange, Dunleavy hung up the phone. A worried look had settled over his eyes.

  “Well?” Caleb demanded. “What did they say?”

  “Two weeks ago, Doug and Tim were on their way to work – and they were in a car accident.”

  “Both of them?”

  “Yeah,” Dunleavy said, rubbing his temples worriedly. “They’re both dead.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The only thing that surprised Caleb was that he wasn’t surprised. He had a suspicion the bodies might start piling up. “Wait… did they drive to work together?” he asked.

  “No. They didn’t even live close to each other, and, they were both employed at different offices when they weren’t working for me,” replied Dunleavy.

  Caleb let a low whistle slip between his lips. “One car accident… maybe. But two, on the same day? To two of the guys who are in the loop regarding what we know…”

  “Agreed. It’s bullshit.”

  “What about the person who answered the phone?”

  “Doug’s mother. She seemed very distraught, understandably.”

  “I guess they’re chalking it up to coincidence.”

  “Indeed. But, like I said, this group we’re up against, they seem to have a knack for doing just that. They give out just enough information to point toward the solution they want you to see.” Dunleavy turned to Darcy. “Darcy, do you trust this… what’s his name?”

  “Chuck,” Darcy supplied.

  “This Chuck…” Dunleavy began, before he stopped, arching an eyebrow.

  “Yes, we can trust him.” Replied Darcy, anticipating Dunleavy’s question.

  Dunleavy exchanged a look with Caleb, as though trying to gauge his response.

  “Like Darcy said, we can trust him about as much as anyone right now. Shit Mike, I’m still trying to trust you.”

  “Fair enough,” Dunleavy replied.

  “Darc, call Chucky. See what he can tell you over the phone.” asked Caleb.

  Darcy dialled the number. It took a little longer than the usual one ring, but eventually her nerd friend picked up the phone.

  “Hi Darcy,” Chuck said when he answered.

  “Hey Chucky,” Darcy began. “Thanks for your help before—”

  “Oh… you found Dunleavy?”

  “Of course, I mean, we only managed it with your brilliant help,” Darcy said, trying to keep the usual flirty tone going.

  “Good,” Chuck replied, sounding decidedly less flirtatious than normal. “What can I do for you?”

  “Everything okay, Chucky?” Darcy questioned carefully.

  “Of— Of course it is,” Chuck replied.

  “You don’t sound it. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah, of course.” Chucky replied guardedly. He paused, and let out a deep sigh. “I guess I’m just… shit, Darc, I’m nervous, that’s all. I just tracked down the former Chief-of-Staff…” He stopped for a moment, before his next words came out in a rush. “That’s max level crossing-the-line shit…”

  “Ahhh, fair enough,” Darcy replied, relaxing with the knowledge that Chuck had a decent reason for his trepidation. “Anyway, I hate to ask, but I need your help again.”

  “Of course you do.”

  Darcy frowned. “Chucky, are you mad at me?”

  “No, of course not. It’s just… well… um… what can I do for you?”

  “If I showed you a computer program, could you tell me about it?”

  She didn’t miss the interest in Chucky’s response. “What kind of program?”

  “We think it’s a tracker or something. I just need to know where it came from, who might have created it.”

  “Ah…” Chuck paused, considering the question. “Um… is it on a computer, or a phone?”

  “Laptop.”

  “No problem. I just need to see the file.”

  “Ok. I’ll forward the email.”

  “No, that won’t work… I need to see the laptop”

  “Really? Can’t I just send it to you? I don’t know… Isn’t an email attachment the same regardless?”

  Chuck again paused and stumbled over his response.

  “I don’t really have the ability to figure it out, without the machine… I’ll explain, Darc. I just need the laptop. If it is a tracker, I can get a lot more information directly from the machine it’s tracking. Can you get a hold of it?”

  “I guess,” Darcy began doubtfully. “Just hang on a sec.” Darcy placed her hand over the speaker of her phone, leant forward, and whispered to Caleb. “Can we go back to LA? Chuck says he needs to see the laptop.”

  “Why?” Caleb asked.

  “Chuck says he can understand the program better if he can access the laptop itself. He was pretty adamant.”

  “Well… is there another choice?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Caleb released his breath in a noisy whoosh. “I guess we’re going back to LA then.”

  Darcy uncovered the phone receiver, and spoke with Chuck. “Okay, we’ll be there in the morning.”

  “The morning? Ahhh… are you still in Phoenix?” Chuck asked.

  “Um… maybe…” Da
rcy didn’t lie. All the time Caleb had been driving around, Darcy had been so focused on the conversation that she’d lost track of where they were.

  “Oh… ok… Well I guess I’ll see you in the morning.” Chuck said.

  “See you then Chuck… Sweet dreams…” Darcy responded.

  “Darcy… wait…” Chuck added as Darcy was about to hang-up

  “What’s up?”

  “Um… there’s just a bit of heat on at the moment, so I’m gonna have to go offline. I’ll call you in the morning ok, and we’ll organise a time ok?”

  “Okay. Chuck, are you sure everything’s ok?”

  “Yeah… of course. I’ll just be offline until the morning though...”

  “Alright Chucky. See you in the morning”

  “Night, Darc.”

  With that, the phone call ended.

  “So…” Caleb asked. “I guess we’re going back to LA then.”

  “Yeah.” Darcy said.

  Caleb turned to Dunleavy.

  “We can drop you off somewhere.” Caleb said

  “No fucking way, Caleb,” Dunleavy replied, “I’m coming with you. I’ve waited a long time for answers. I think it’s time we figured out exactly what was going on.“

  “Okay, then,” Caleb said. “Buckle up and get comfortable.”

  Caleb started the engine, and moved the car out of the vacant parking lot. He drove his way back to the I40, and they began their journey back to where they started that morning.

  Chuck disconnected the call, placing the phone on the table before he glanced over at the man who’d been monitoring. “How... how was that?” Chuck asked. He could feel the beads of sweat, trickling down his back and wondered if this man would be satisfied with what he’d done.

  “That was fine,” Pierre began. He glanced down at his phone, opened the tracking program, and saw the dot which indicated Darcy was heading back to LA.

  “It worked…” Pierre said with a smile, “They’re coming home.”

  “Good,” Chuck replied, clearly relieved to learn that he’d managed to convince Darcy to come home. “Does that mean I can go? Can I see my Mom now?”

  “Yes, Charles. Yes, it does.”

  Chuck smiled, his relief visible in his expression.

  His smile quickly vanished when Pierre drew his gun, aimed and pulled the trigger in one smooth move. The bright flash of the suppressed gunshot was the last thing Chuck would ever see. His large, pimple-ridden face was thrown backwards by the impact, his skull exploding and blood spraying across the Firefly poster behind him.

  Pierre admired his handiwork “You’ll be seeing her right now,” he said to the lifeless body in the chair in front of him.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Pierre admired his handiwork. It had been a while since he’d had to get his hands so dirty. But, as time was critical to the next part of the plan, he felt he had little choice. The fact that the kill was so easy was of little surprise to him. He’d killed many people for the cause, and over time, it grew easier with every new victim.

  He was comforted by his belief in his work, and that ultimately, once he’d claimed his place in the future, he would be able to further justify every life he’d taken.

  Besides, according to the plan, one death would be miniscule compared to the scale of what the plan was about to achieve.

  He took one last look at Chuck’s hefty, lifeless frame, and made his way up and out of the basement.

  As he approached the front door, he saw day had turned into night. Being suburbia, it was easy for Pierre to slip out of the house and not be noticed. Not that he really cared much at that point. Whether he was seen or not was irrelevant.

  He walked back to his car, the light breeze ruffling his sand coloured hair. He opened the door, entered the driver’s seat, and sat for a few minutes while he contemplated the situation.

  While his exterior seemed relaxed, Pierre’s mind was moving fast as he addressed the multiple scenarios in his head.

  His earlier conversation with James had spooked him.

  After thinking for several minutes, Pierre decided to play it safe. He would make contact with his young protégés and check their progress. Once established, he would then decide his next move.

  His first call was to Emmett.

  The phone only rang once.

  “Pierre?” the young man asked.

  “Yes Emmett,” Pierre replied, his soft, serene tone effectively masking his emotions, “just calling to check in. How’s the progress?”

  “Um… yeah… it’s all going well sir. I’ve organised the emails and files. I was planning to send everything to the usual places soon.”

  “Good… good” said Pierre, relaxing slightly. “I just wanted to check in, Emmett. We are so close to the end; I can taste it.”

  “How close sir?” Emmett asked, his voice pleading for information, his isolation starting to affect him.

  “Emmett…” he began, trying to reassure his young student, “Once the plane is down, I will tell you where the nearest colony is. Then you can join them and take your place.”

  The news surprised Emmett.

  “Really? Wow,” Emmett replied, unable to contain his enthusiasm, “and my parents will be there? Like you promised…”

  At this point in time, Pierre decided honesty was not the best policy.

  “Indeed,” he responded, trying to keep any hint of deception from his voice. “They’re waiting for you there.”

  “Excellent... was there anything else?”

  “No, Emmett, you’re doing well. Just make sure you send the files out. It’s the most crucial part of your mission.”

  “Will do, sir, will do”

  “Good. I’ll speak to you in a few hours.”

  Pierre disconnected the call. He experienced little remorse in having to deceive Emmett, and was unsure how he would take the news of his parent’s demise. Though it had been a necessary task, Pierre had taken no pleasure in murdering Emmett’s mother and father.

  If only they hadn’t asked so many questions, Pierre thought, they’d still be alive.

  “Such is life,” Pierre said aloud, using the words to inspire himself to continue.

  His second phone call went to Matthew. Once again, the phone only rang once.

  “Pierre?” Matthew answered, sounding happy to hear from his mentor.

  “Matthew, I’m just checking in.”

  “Everything’s fine, sir. I got here about an hour ago, but the target hasn’t arrived yet.

  “That’s fine,” Pierre said reassuringly, “Do you have a good view of the apartment?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Will you have him covered?”

  “Sir, there’s no chance he’s getting out of there alive.”

  “Good Matthew. Excellent.”

  “Easiest task I’ve had so far,” Matthew quipped, and Pierre suspected he was trying to impress his mentor.

  “Well done.” Pierre paused, considering his next move. “I don’t need to tell you how critical the mission is, Matthew. Settle in, as the target will be there soon. It might be some time before he completes his task. I’ll come and join you soon.”

  Pierre heard the surprise in Matthew’s voice. “Really? Okay,” he replied.

  “Don’t worry Matthew, it’s not a comment on your abilities. I trust you, and I know you will do exactly what you need to do.”

  “Okay.”

  “I just need to be onsite in case your target fucks up. From what I’ve heard, he may just do that. It’s imperative he completes his mission too.”

  “Okay then.”

  “So, tell me where you are, exactly.” Pierre listened intently as Matthew gave him the address. Just before Pierre hung up, he reassured Matthew once again. “Don’t worry. Your place in the colony, and the future, will be assured once this task is complete. On that, you have my word.”

  “Gentlemen, this is where we part ways.”

  The three men stood inside a han
gar. It was a vast open space, almost the length of an aircraft carrier. Standing so close to one another was the only way to communicate without losing the sound in the echoes.

  James looked at his two life-long friends. They momentarily stood silent, contemplating how far they’d come since that first endeavour, so many years ago.

  “We’re nearly there,” Zach said. “We’re so close, I can taste it.”

  “Indeed,” replied James, his face beaming at the thought.

  The silent joy lingered for a moment, and was broken by the first pilot.

  “Sirs; we’re ready for you,” the young female pilot announced.

  Zach and John shook each other’s hand, then turned to James. As was the case with their leader, both men had reverted to their much younger selves.

  “Reminds me of when we first arrived,” James said. “How young we were, and how excited we were.”

  The three men savoured the moment, each experiencing a sense of satisfaction to know their plan had come so far.

  “Good luck lads,” James announced. While he enjoyed reminiscing, there was still much work to be done. The sight of his friends, returned to their former youthful looks, was almost enough to bring a tear to James’s eyes. Before his emotions could get the better of him, he ushered them away. “Go on, off with you both then” he said.

  With one last smile and nod, the two men turned away, approaching two identical jets parked about two hundred feet away. Both were sleek in design and looked magnificent as the below ground lights reflected from them. As the men approached, they were each greeted by their pilot, who ushered them to their planes, each bound for a separate destination. Zach would be travelling to London, John’s flight would soon be bound for Berlin.

  As he moved away, Zach turned around and jogged back towards James.

  “Now James, make sure you look after Helen for me.” Zach said.

  “I’ll treat her as though she were my own.” James replied

  “Are you sure I can’t convince you that we need her in London?” Zach asked already knowing the answer.

  “I’m sure Zach,” James replied, half smiling at his friend. “Trust me, she’ll be fine here.”