by Bruce Buff
Dan was thunderstruck by the idea. Perhaps the isolation and separation from the world he had felt weeks earlier had been way more than he had thought; perhaps he’d been losing a battle he didn’t know he was in, his humanity was diminishing, his soul really had been at risk, and now he had a chance to win once and for all. Too much to fathom, too much to risk.
All Dan could say in reply was, “Then pray for me.”
“I have been, ardently, for a long time,” Father Michael said.
“Thank you. I hope that means something.”
In the void of the silence that followed Dan’s words, Brother Cletus burst through the door saying, “Brother Vincent ran off after we caught him going through your office again!”
Chapter 70
Who’s Brother Vincent?” Dan asked, springing to his feet and thinking that they might need to get out of there, fast.
“He’s a new administrative aide, a transfer from Rome,” Father Michael said. Addressing Brother Cletus, he asked, “What was he was looking for?”
Interrupting, Dan said, “I think we have to assume the worst—that he is working with someone that we don’t want to find us.”
“Who could be waiting out front for us at this moment,” Trish added.
“What about the passageway below?” Father Michael said to Brother Cletus.
“I have the keys. The alley is usually empty,” said Brother Cletus.
“Where did you plan to go after this?” Father Michael asked Dan.
“I hadn’t decided,” Dan replied. He didn’t want to say more in front of Brother Cletus, uncertain of what to make of him, and even of Father Michael.
“They could wait in the old parish house,” Brother Cletus suggested.
Nodding, Father Michael said, “Yes, that would be good.”
“To throw off anyone watching out for us, we’ll need to make it seem like we came out the main entrance,” Dan said. “Can you find two people that we could pass off as us?”
“There’s a couple that works the souvenir stand. Brother Cletus could tell them what we want them do,” Father Michael said.
“Let’s do that,” Dan replied.
After Brother Cletus left, Dan said, “I have to talk with Evans about helping us get out of here.” He exited Stephen’s files and initiated a secure video conference call.
On the small screen of the tablet, an enraged Agent Evans said, “Lawson, this time you nailed us both with that prank. What are you up to? It’d better be worth a cut in my pension and years in a cell for you, that is if the bad guys don’t get you first. There happen to be a lot of them after you, not to mention my guys, who have instructions to be forceful with both of you.”
“Never mind that. I got what I came for and would like an escort back. Once home, I’m sure we can work something out,” Dan said implying that he still had Viktor’s fusion files as leverage.
“That may be a little harder than getting you there. It actually may have been good that you gave my guys the slip. The Commission must have a mole here and found out you were headed over there. After we tried tracking you, we reviewed video and spotted a bunch of their people getting ready to make a play for you. It could have really cost you and your lady friend, not to mention my agents,” Evans said.
Upon hearing those words, Trish leaned into view of the webcam on Dan’s tablet and said, “My name is Trish, and I’d appreciate you’d remembering that. I’m not just an attractive travel companion and have important interests at stake as well.”
“Just making sure you understand your predicament hanging out with that guy. No disrespect intended,” Evans answered.
“He’s proving more capable than you may have thought,” Trish said, turning slightly to wink at Dan.
“That’s good, for all of us. Now, about getting you back,” Evans said.
“We’re in Bergamo, in a chapel in the old part of the city. That’s a forty-five-minute drive from Milan. We can’t stay here. Your guys can meet us in the basilica’s old parish house. What about your mole?”
“I’ll only tell the two agents who are going to pick you up. They can drive you to the airport and fly back with you. I have an idea where the mole may be and will keep that area in the dark about the plans.”
Father Michael tapped Dan’s shoulder and pointed to his watch.
“We have to go,” Dan said to Evans.
“Good luck,” Evans replied.
“You, too,” Dan said, ending the call.
“Now what?” he asked Father Michael.
“As soon as Brother Cletus sneaks back in with the couple covering for us, we can go.”
Chapter 71
Brother Cletus entered the chapel with the confused-looking shopkeepers.
Speaking in Italian, he instructed the couple to put on the hats and cloaks that were in the shopping bags they carried, to make it seem like Dan and Trish were sneaking out in disguise. Hesitantly, they did as requested.
Pointing to a small door, he began walking toward it. Father Michael, Trish, and Dan followed him through it and then down a narrow stone staircase to the basement crypt. On the far end was another door that creaked noisily as Father Michael opened it. An arched, gray-stoned passageway extended fifty feet to iron gates that stood between them and the outside.
“Once I signal, Brother Cletus will escort you to the old parish house. It’s about to undergo renovations and is vacant. You should be safe there until Evans’s agents arrive. Now go. I have to get upstairs and pretend I’m smuggling you out of the front of the chapel,” Father Michael said.
With an appreciative look and a handshake, Dan said, “Thank you. I’ll find a way to repay you for this, someday.”
“Doubtful, even if you live, but that’s okay. I mean the repayment part, not living,” Father Michael answered with a poignant smile.
Surprising himself, Dan gave him a hug, saying, “That crazy Kevin guy turned out pretty well.”
“You’re becoming someone good yourself.”
“Better late than never.”
Before the priest left, Trish said, “Thank you. I hope we get to meet again.”
“Me, too,” he said with a smile. Gesturing to the outside gate, he added, “Better hurry. There’s evil about,” then stepped back inside as the door swung closed with a loud click as the latch reengaged.
Very quickly, the passageway felt problematic. It was the perfect place for a trap. Thick stone walls surrounded them through which no sound could escape. A locked door behind them. An iron gate ahead, and beyond it, anything could await.
Out of the blue, a battle he thought was already over was re-forming for a last stand. Was existence manifestly good or futile? Could humanity be trusted to use Stephen’s work well or were people so flawed that the only way there’d be a future worth having was if a select, wise, few ruled magnanimously?
The dank cylinder seemed to be closing in on him. Shadows appeared to move as if the absence of light allowed something manifestly dark, yet not inert, to fill the void.
Doubt reigned. Rather than accepting Evans’s protection, should he seek out those who would use technology and power to prevent suffering, even if it cost freedom and the illusion of meaning? Wasn’t that a worthy exchange? Was The Commission as bad as Evans said, or should Dan see if he could trade Stephen’s work for a cure for Ava? Or, instead of following Brother Cletus to a rendezvous with a future he couldn’t control, should he strike out on his own, even if it meant Ava would not get a treatment that could save her?
Seconds later, Brother Cletus’s watch beeped as a text from Father Michael indicated that he was headed out the main entrance with the decoys. After checking the mirror mounted outside the passageway’s gate to be sure the narrow alley was clear, Brother Cletus unlocked the gate. The heavy metal groaned as it opened slowly outward.
Dan onl
y had a moment left to decide what he’d do; continue on the path he’d set with Evans or strike out on his own.
Without hesitation, Trish followed Brother Cletus into the alley. Dan went after her. Once again in the light, his doubts vanished.
He glanced around as they skirted the buildings on the left and descended the alley, trying to stay out of sight. Soon they approached a small intersection and turned right onto a narrow street opposite a three-story, stone building. A set of two tall windows, blocked from the inside by tapestry-like drapes, were to the right of the solid wood door.
Leading the way, Brother Cletus pushed the door inward and crossed the threshold. Watching their back, Dan entered after Trish into a dimly lit vestibule.
Immediately, the door slammed closed as the butt of a gun struck Brother Cletus’s head and sent him crashing to the ground.
Chapter 72
The rope around Dan’s hands was uncomfortably tight but not painful. The slight strain in Trish’s face suggested the same.
They were both tied to straight-backed chairs in what had been the living room of the old parish house. Brother Cletus was hog-tied on a couch, out cold.
Microphones and speakers had been placed around the room in an odd arrangement.
The room was fifteen feet wide by twenty long, and bare save for the two chairs, couch, table, large oval rug, and several floor lamps that dimly lit the area. A door, opposite the hallway through which they had been marched in, provided access to the exterior. A fire extinguisher hung on the wall, close to the door.
The man who had struck Brother Cletus sat on table top near Dan. Another, wearing a sinister, gleeful smirk, blocked the door to the hallway that led to the vestibule where they had been ambushed.
The woman he’d encountered with Sergei outside the Salk Institute stood before him. Dan strongly suspected that a third encounter with Sergei, perhaps including the shadowy Sarastro, was imminent. Whatever came next, their situation was dire.
Thinking through the possibilities, he figured The Commission was after Stephen’s work and thought Dan could provide access to it. That meant they would be aggressive with him and the others but wouldn’t seriously hurt him until they either obtained what they wanted or were convinced they couldn’t get it. Then things could get very nasty for all of them. Their best option was to play things out until Evans’s agents arrived, hopefully before Sergei or any others showed up. If in the process he could find out whatever The Commission knew about a treatment for Ava, so much the better.
Any doubts about whether the woman held a grudge from their prior encounter were erased when she began tapping the barrel of her gun against the left side of his head.
Dan looked into her eyes and saw a burning beauty, borne of exquisite features and a heart full of hate. He could see that it was a hate capable of scorching everything within its range and that it would eventually consume her. Until that time came, she was every bit as lethal as Sergei.
She returned his stare, tapped the gun against his head again, turning the barrel so that the sight dug sharply into his scalp. Then she finally spoke. “Willy, go up front and keep watch.”
With a guttural grunt as acknowledgment, the brute by the door walked down the hall.
The woman grabbed Dan’s hair with her left hand, pushed his head back, and placed the barrel of her gun against his lips. Dan realized immediately that he had seriously miscalculated what could take place.
Trish’s eyes opened wide in terror.
Agitated, the man sitting on the table exclaimed, “Elena! You know our orders. He’s to remain unharmed until Sergei arrives and Sarastro talks with him.”
“He hasn’t been damaged. Not yet,” Elena said with a smile that could crack steel with its fierce coldness.
Walking over to the table, Elena picked up Dan’s tablet, then asked him, “What’s the password?”
Dan didn’t answer.
Turning to Trish, Elena said, “Sergei didn’t say anything about the girl, Peter,” as she raised her gun, apparently preparing to pistol whip Trish.
Peter stood up and took a step toward Trish.
Dan yelled out the code: “Alpha*689!Beta?Omega&&&787.”
Elena lowered her arm, turned on the tablet, then said, “Again, slowly.”
“Don’t tell her,” Trish urged. “They’re going to kill us anyway. Remember, Sam died protecting it. We can’t let them have it.”
“Whether you die or not is up to your friend. He has to convince Sarastro that he can be useful and trusted. Sergei and I don’t think that will happen,” Elena said with a look that made it clear she looked forward to what would come next if it turned out that way.
“They can’t—” Trish started to say before Dan cut her off.
“Trish, it’s useless. As bad as their tactics, and people, are, Stephen’s work shows that their organization’s objectives are right. Humanity will evolve and we either adapt or vanish,” Dan said, trying to buy time.
Trish looked crestfallen, injured by how easily he had acquiesced.
Dan wasn’t sure if it was an act on her part or if she genuinely thought he felt that way. Slowly, he repeated the password.
“I’m disappointed. I get excited playing with men who aren’t afraid of getting physical. You are softer than I thought,” Elena said dismissively as she typed.
Before she hit Enter, Elena’s face turned grim as a thought occurred to her. “It will go very badly for you if the code is a trigger to erase what’s on here.”
“It’s the right code,” Dan replied.
Pressing Enter, Elena smiled, looking self-satisfied, when it worked.
As she scrolled around, looking at things that she could not possibly comprehend, Brother Cletus groaned and shifted.
Concerned for him, Dan said, “He needs a doctor.”
“You shouldn’t worry about someone who betrayed you,” Elena said. Smiling at the shocked look on Dan’s and Trish’s faces, she said, “That’s right. He brought you to us.”
“We don’t have time for this. You need to rendezvous with Sergei,” Peter said, suddenly more assertive with Elena.
She bristled. “While I am gone, you can have a little fun with the girl, before Willy does. After he’s through with her, there won’t be anything left for anyone else.” Pointing at Dan, she added, “Leave the guy alone. The only one who gets to mess with him is Sergei or me.”
Peter watched Elena leave, taking the tablet with her. When he heard the front door close, he quietly closed the door to the hallway, then walked over to Trish.
Dan’s mind worked frantically, trying to figure out what he could do to protect Trish and forestall anything from happening until Evans’s people arrived. Even then, he’d need a way to ensure his and Trish’s safety through any ensuing conflict.
“I didn’t want things to turn out this way,” Peter said softly to Trish.
Trish looked at him, meeting his eyes, and something in his manner seemed to change.
“How did you end up here?” she asked gently.
“I served in the Special Forces for twenty years. I was forced out by what I had experienced in defense of our country, only to be treated by the VA and our government like a decrepit, embarrassing relative. I needed work, and there was only one thing people were going to pay me to do.”
Alarmed, Dan began working on his bonds. They were strong. The narrow cords cut into his wrists as he strained against them. He shifted his weight, seeing if he might be able to break the chair and free himself, but it was metal and well made.
Trish kept her eyes on their captor.
“I have a young boy to support,” Peter said as he reached out and stroked Trish’s face. She didn’t pull away from his hand. Pain briefly crossed his face, replaced by an eerie calm.
Dan went ballistic, trying with all his might to stand and
break free, but he just crashed to the floor, helpless, squirming.
Peter pointed his finger at him and said, “Don’t try that again if you want to get out of here in one piece.”
Chapter 73
After righting Dan’s chair, Peter said, “I needed to feel innocence one more time. I’m sorry,” Peter said.
“I know you are,” Trish replied quietly.
After a pause, he pulled a knife from a belt holder. “Do you think it is too late for me?” he beseeched, more than asked, Trish.
“It’s never too late. You are free to be who you were always meant to be,” Trish answered with a strong yet incredibly soft voice.
“What are you going to do?” Dan said to Peter, loud enough to be forceful but quiet enough that Willy wouldn’t hear it. He didn’t know what to make of what was going on. The guy who was supposed to be keeping them captive seemed to be turning. Was Trish somehow causing this?
Ignoring Dan, Peter said, “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. Something in me broke when I saw what they had done to the guy in Seattle. I was repulsed—I felt damned. There was a voice in me urging me not to let go of my last bit of humanity, to stay horrified at everything, and myself. But I’ve felt that slipping away, like this is my last chance to decide my fate.”
“How did it get to this point?” Trish asked.
“I was broke, applying for private security jobs. One of them must have been a front. Someone saw something in me they liked. An ambiguous organization I had never heard of called. I had doubts from the beginning, but the pay was high and promised to be even better. Slowly, over time, feeling less and less human, I found myself following progressively worse orders, doing things that I never would have imagined doing just months before.” He broke off and took a deep breath.
