Todd opened the channel on his headset as he spied Firefly and Jasper strolling down the middle of the road, shouting and tossing the occasional stun grenade.
“Grab that boy with the backpack and bring him with you. He’s one of us.”
He watched as Firefly redirected his path towards Damba, grabbing him by the pack and yanking him along. The boy started to resist until Jasper slapped him, pointed towards the tower and shouted something Todd couldn’t make out. The two larger men picked Damba up and carried him between them. As soon as they were out of the blast area, Todd pressed the detonator followed almost immediately by a loud, deep explosion. The tower shook, then appeared to settle for a moment before listing in the direction of the street. Seconds later it came crashing down exactly where Damba had been standing just moments before.
As the three approached, Todd grasped either side of Damba’s face and peered into his eyes to make sure he had the right boy. Still holding him in such a fashion, he smiled reassuringly.
“I’m Todd. These two are Firefly and Jasper. We’re all here for the same purpose; to bring all of the Kindred to safety. I must insist you come with us. We’re heading towards Falcons Lair which is also where Alp is. Understand?”
Damba nodded. His eyes flickered over to the rubble of the fallen tower that had almost crushed him. “Thank you,” he replied in a husky voice on the verge of cracking.
“You’re welcome,” Todd replied finally releasing him. “Maybe to make up for it, you can follow orders for a while.”
Damba nodded with an embarrassed smile. “Sure thing. I just wanted to be sure Alp was all right.”
Todd nodded towards Firefly. “Stay close to him, and do exactly what he says. Got it? Now let’s get going.”
As the four of them headed off in the direction of the Hollywood section of Falconcity of Wonders, Todd connected with the other two members of his team to direct them to the pickup rendezvous point.
“When you check in with Flip, let him know that we have Damba and that he’s safe,” he told Python, then added. “By the way, two Hummers filled with security goons are heading your way. Stay alert. How’s Shark?”
“A-OK,” Python replied. “He’s looking forward to numbing the pain with a fifth of Crown Royal.”
Todd chuckled. “I’ll be happy to join him in that.”
Napping
The deck of cards lay scattered on the desk, abandoned after a few hours. Pat and James had taken turns napping on the single bed, but both found it difficult to sleep; the adrenalin rush of what they are about to undertake keeping them too hyped up. James had played with the idea of offering Pat a more effective way they could use the bed to work off some of the pent up energy, but then thought better of it. If he ever did get up the nerve to make a serious pass at her, he wanted the conditions to be more conducive resulting in a romantic evening they would never forget.
James sat on the edge of the bed after his latest failed attempt to sleep and studied Pat’s shapely back, once again noting how much better the years had treated her than they had him. He glanced at his watch as the sound of the adsan began.
“It won’t be long now. You ready?”
Pat turned to him smiling and nodded. “Just glad the waiting is over. Shall we head out?”
James raised a hand. “Wait for it.” He counted off the seconds in his head. He had gotten to nine when he heard a loud explosion in the distance. “Now.”
He picked up the tranq gun from the night table. “Stay close to me. I’ll take out the guards, you round up the girls.”
“How come you get all the fun?” Pat joked.
“I have a feeling there’s be plenty to go around,” James replied. “Besides, I have a little history with some of the girls. It’s likely they’ll be more cooperative with you.”
Pat nodded.
James opened the door, glancing both directions down the hall to confirm no one else was around before stepping out. Pat followed close behind. As they walked briskly in the direction of the harem’s sleeping quarters, James turned to Pat.
“There should be a second…” but before he could finish warning her, he heard the distant rumble of another explosion, followed by the lights going out.
“Wait for it,” he said again. A few seconds later the emergency lights in the hallway flicked on. “Okay. Let’s go.”
As Pat stood in the hall waiting for the lights to come back on, her thoughts returned to the strange meeting with Hassan. Something about it had been nagging at the edge of her consciousness ever since he’d touched the crystal around her neck. The look on his face had been odd, almost like he recognized it but not quite. She couldn’t put her finger on what had her feel so uncomfortable, not yet, but one thing was clear to her. Hassan was a bad man, maybe a much worse man than anyone knew up to now. He had to be taken out.
As she had that thought, she knew in her heart that it was the right decision. She caught up with James and reached out to stop him.
“Hold for a sec,” she said as he turned toward her, a confused look on his face.
“I know this is bad timing, but I think we need to alter our plans just a bit.”
“What? Why?”
Pat took a deep breath. How could she explain what was going on, when she didn’t have a handle on it herself?
“Do you trust me?”
“What?” James stared at her?
“Just answer the question. Do you trust me?”
“Yeah, I guess…sure.”
“I can’t explain why I feel so strongly about this, but I do.”
“What are you talking about? Can’t this wait? We’re…”
“We need to take Hassan out. He’s much more dangerous than we first thought.”
“Oh, I see.” James paused. “And why…”
“I can’t say for sure, but I know it’s true. That’s why I need for you to trust me.”
They were standing in front of the elevator door while talking. Impulsively, Pat reached out and pushed the down button.
“What are you doing?”
“Change of plans,” Pat replied. “I need you to go get the girls so I can go find Hassan. That way, you don’t have to get involved. I’ll meet you in the garage.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“Let’s just say that the parents of the Kindred will never have to worry about the Sheik kidnapping their children, again. And beyond that, the less you know the better. Then you can say to anyone that asks that I went rogue on you.”
Pat glanced at her watch. “If I’m not down there in ten minutes, head on out. That’ll mean Hassan wasn’t only more dangerous but also stronger.”
The elevator pinged and the door opened. Pat stepped inside, then turned back to James and smiled. “Go on. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Then, as their eyes locked on each other, she quickly stepped out of the elevator and kissed James full on the lips, before stepping back in and pushing the button.
Perks
As James approached the harem suite, he thought back to better times when he’d made visits to the Sheik’s harem; of course, without Hassan’s knowledge. He considered it simply as a perk that came with working for someone intent on acquiring as much power as possible. But today’s visit would have its own pleasures.
Approaching the harem’s entrance, James heard several loud voices and what sounded like large objects crashing against the wall. What in the world was going on, he wondered? He opened the door to find his sight blocked by a cloud of thick smoke. Had one of the Kindred started a fire? The image of Mel’s face flashed across his mind. But how…? No, not smoke, he realized as he sniffed the air and felt the moisture of the cloud caress his face.
Through the mist, James could just make out Zillah and a security guard in the midst of a heated argument. Zillah shouted in Arabic at the red-faced guard, his face growing redder as her arms gesticulated wildly inches away from his nose. The guard tried to interrupt, but Zillah was on
a roll and simply raised her volume a couple more decibels.
James wasn’t sure, but he thought he could just make out Alp standing behind Zillah and the guard, with a few other indistinct forms about the same size beside her. He stared through the mist trying to identify them when one of them took a step forward and waved her right arm in the direction of Zillah and the guard. He was still trying to remember which one of the Kindreds it was when a piece of sculpture in the shape of the falcon crest flew through the air conking the security guard on the head. The large man collapsed hitting his head on the floor where he laid unconscious. Clearly the Kindred had decided to take matters of their rescue into their own hands.
Once again I’m going off half-cocked and without a clear plan, Pat thought as she felt the elevator start down. Having pressed the button for the first floor, she decided to check Hassan’s office, praying he’d be there or by the pool. She doubted James would leave after ten minutes without her, despite her order, but the longer the delay the greater the chance her rash action would jeopardize the entire mission. Maybe I should have thought this through a little more, she admonished herself. She could still return to the second floor and continue with the original plan, but as she reached out to push the button to return, the door opened onto the first floor lobby.
Well, it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick look around, she thought. If I don’t find him in the next few minutes, I’ll scrub this crazy idea and go back to help James. She exited the elevator and started running in the direction of Hassan’s office. As she approached the office, she saw someone through the office’s glass wall walking towards the door leading to the outside. It was Hassan and it looked like he was talking to someone on his cell phone. In his other hand he held a nasty looking pistol that looked large enough to punch a hole through a concrete wall.
As he reached the door, Hassan stopped and started to turn around. Pat jumped behind a thick indoor palm. Had he seen her? Probably not, she thought. Holding her breath, she counted to five then peeked out from behind the plant in time to see Hassan exiting the building. She could now hear him yelling at whomever was on the other end of the phone.
Great, Pat thought. He’s angry as hell and armed to the teeth. This idea of hers to take him out suddenly felt like a bad one, but then she remembered the look on Hassan’s face and the gut wrenching feeling she’d felt as he touched the crystal around her neck. No, she’d not let her fear stop her. Somehow she’d just have to find a way to get a jump on him.
Todd and his team ran along the streets of Falconcity towards the Hollywood district, easily identified by the large sign that stood on a man-made hill in the center. As they ran, they tossed the occasional stun grenade to keep the crowd scattered and confused. Python kept one hand on Damba’s shoulder to make sure the boy kept up and didn’t try anything foolish. Within minutes they reached the street where Falcon Lair sat at the end of a cul-de-sac.
As they neared the house, Todd stopped to review their plans. “You two fan out in either direction. Take out any security cameras you see and neutralize the guards.” He paused a moment before adding, “But remember, no one is to be killed unless absolutely necessary. Use your tranq guns and whatever other means necessary, but no killing. Understood?”
Both men nodded.
“What about me?” Damba asked. “I want to help. Can I have one of those?” He pointed to Python’s tranquilizer gun.
“You’ll stay with Python,” Todd replied ignoring the boy’s question. “Do exactly what he tells you to do and nothing else.” He turned to Python. “He gives you any trouble, tranq him like a rogue animal. We’ll pick him up on the way out.”
Python nodded again smiling. “It’ll be my pleasure.”
“Where are you going?” Damba asked a bit petulantly.
“Up there for a little surveillance,” Todd said pointing towards the roof. “Okay, we’ll all meet in the garage where we’ll rendezvous with James and the children.”
James watched as Zillah knelt down next to the unconscious guard and began to remove his gun from the holster, but before she could pull it out, a young woman with short red hair that James didn’t recognize appeared from out of the fog carrying a long brass lamp minus its shade. She swung the lamp at the back of Zillah’s head.
“That’s for not treating my friends with more respect,” the woman shouted, as Zillah collapsed on top of the guard.
As James looked around for any other threats, the fog suddenly cleared. He noticed Mia standing a few feet from Alp as she opened her eyes and waved her hands as though to clear the air. Hadn’t she been the one on their helicopter flight to Bermuda who’d controlled the weather? It looked as though her powers had once again come in handy. But who’s that woman with the red hair and nasty swing? James wondered.
Alp ran up to him and gave him a hug. She pointed to the mystery woman. “That’s Mimi. She’ll be coming with us.” She glanced around. “Where’s Pat?”
James paused for a moment before answering. “She’s on another part of the mission. She’ll be along shortly.” At least he hoped that was true. “Looks like we have everyone here.”
Alp nodded. “Yes…well, almost. There’s one more person to collect.”
James counted heads again. “Really? I count eight sisters plus slugger here.”
“It’s my brother, Mel,” Alp replied. “According to Tabitha, he’s locked up in some small cell by himself.”
“That would probably be down in the basement area not far from the garage,” James said. The news that Mel was still alive didn’t surprise him, but he also didn’t like the idea that Flip’s only male offspring was in Falcon Lair. One more unexpected wrinkle with which to contend. He studied Alp’s face.
“I hope you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking.”
“He’s my brother, James. I can’t leave him, you know that. I’ll take full responsibility for him,” Alp replied.
It felt like the mission was beginning to unravel; first Pat going rogue and now Alp wanting to save her demented and dangerous brother. James still remembered what it had felt like when Mel had entered his mind and forced him to land his helicopter on one of the buildings next to Bio Vita Tech. Creepy didn’t begin to describe it adequately, but it would have to do for now. There were more pressing matters with which to contend.
“Come on everyone,” James said breaking his eye contact with Alp. “To the elevator.”
As they headed towards the exit, Alp sidled up to him. “Just give me five minutes. If I can’t find him in that amount of time, I’ll come back and he’ll have to manage on his own. Okay?”
James considered his options. He could refuse Alp’s request, but he was pretty sure there’d be hell to pay if he did. It would take a few minutes to get everyone in the truck and ready to go anyway.
“Okay,” he replied. He watched the elevator door open, and everyone pressed in. “Five minutes max. I don’t want to leave you behind, but I can’t afford to jeopardize the entire mission for just one or two people. You got that?”
Alp nodded. “Got it…and thanks.”
“When we get to the garage, I’ll have one of Todd’s men go with you…”
“No,” Alp interrupted. “It would be better if I go alone. Mel knows me. He won’t trust anyone else. If he sees I’m with someone else he doesn’t know, he might freak out.”
The two of them stepped into the crowded elevator, and James pressed the down button.
“All right, have it your way,” James replied. “But remember, five minutes max.”
When the elevator arrived at the ground floor and the doors opened, James pointed down the hall away from the garage. “Down that way.” He reached down to his left ankle and removed a small derringer, but Alp held her hands up.
“He’s my brother,” she repeated. “I won’t need that. I’ll see you in just a couple minutes.”
It didn’t take long for Damba to find a way to slip away from Jasper. After all, the two merce
naries were busy neutralizing Falcon Lair’s security. It was during a particularly frantic struggle with four guards who suddenly appeared from nowhere that Damba decided to take his leave.
If they wanted my help, they should have given me one of their weapons, Damba thought, trying to convince himself that running away wasn’t a cowardly thing to do. They have their mission and I have mine, he thought.
Since arriving at Falcon Lair Damba had felt the invisible bond with Alp. He’d not seen the mysterious blue cord since that first night on the boat, but the feeling of closeness and connection had become a constant companion, especially at certain times…like now. It felt almost like their two hearts were connected. At times he could swear he could detect the beating of her heart.
He waited for his tall baby sitter’s attention to be diverted to fighting two of the guards, sweeping the feet from under one of them as he blocked a head crushing blow from the other.
That’s my cue, Damba thought as he quietly slipped around the corner of the building where he paused for a moment to get his bearings. Alp’s heart rate had suddenly skyrocketed. She must be in trouble, but where? There the answer came. In that direction. Damba followed his instincts with a growing feeling of dread. Would he be in time?
Through the fog of his drug induced sleep, Mel felt the return of one of his guards. With his head still down, he watched the man’s two legs through slitted eyelids, watched as one hand made its way to the knife strapped to his right leg, saw the gleaming metal as it slipped from the sheath.
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