It's Hell To Choose (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 9)

by Michael Anderle

  Lance leaned into the pod and enveloped his daughter in a hug. It had taken only a second before she was rocking against him, her quiet sobbing tearing at his heart.

  His shirt quickly becoming soaked with her tears.

  QBS Polarus - Atlantic Ocean

  “Captain Thomas,” Comms Specialist Winger spoke up, “We are being hailed by both Russian and American warships. They are telling us that their arrival will be within the hour.”

  “And do what, help us wash the salt off our ships?” Captain Thomas asked. “Tell the Russian ships, ‘Nyet’ and the American ‘Thank you, but no thanks’. You can add ‘we won’t be here for them to worry about’. I plan on testing our ability to fly...oh...say a few thousand miles before we land. Helm, take us to the Caribbean. That should help a few people recuperate.”

  Winger turned around and got back to dealing with the incoming requests. Winger was sure they would be unhappy with his Captain’s response.

  —

  “It’s a media circus, now” Mark commented. Sia was on one side, Giannini on the other, as they watched the two jets fly past every couple of minutes. The Ad Aeternitatem had dropped off life rings to all of those who were alive in the water but refused to bring them onto their ships. Most of the civilian craft had left over an hour ago. All except one, but even the captain of that ship kept well away from those in the ocean.

  The speaker came on, “This is the Captain speaking, would all personnel presently on the outside deck, please come inside. This is a mandatory requirement. All personnel outside must come inside. We are leaving this location. You have ninety seconds to comply.”

  The three news people shrugged, but turned and grabbed their stuff. None felt like arguing with the Captain right now. That was a good way to get tossed off the boat, and none of them felt like getting into a life raft right now.

  —

  Sia pulled the camera out of the bag when they got on the observation deck, and Mark went to the full window. Giannini straightened her hair. Their teamwork had meshed and was operating like a well-oiled machine.

  “Is something happening?” a gentleman asked. “You seem to be setting up, do you know anything?”

  Giannini turned to the gentleman, “Mr.?”

  “Oh!” He held out his hand, “Where are my manners? My name is Omar Kolan.”

  “Giannini Oviedo, Mr. Kolan. I’m a news reporter” she started to say but was interrupted.

  “Oh, Ms. Oviedo, we all know who you are!” he smiled. “Those of us who follow TQB Enterprises have watched your documentaries multiple times.”

  “Oh, ok” she stopped for a second, then answered his earlier question, “No, Mr. Kolan. We don’t know that anything particular is happening, but anytime something weird starts, you can figure…” She paused as the deep thrum of the engines changed.

  “Oh, my God…” Sia remarked as she started playing with her camera, “We are going up, folks!”

  There were multiple cries of surprise. Displaying a lot of interest and increased talking, those on the observation deck crowded the full height of the windows.

  Mark started talking, “This is Mark Billingsly, with an on-the-spot news release. The command group of three QBS ships, that were just attacked a short while ago have decided to leave the area. Not by the usual method a ship would use, however. Instead, the ships are flying out of here. Behind me, you can see the Ad Aeternitatem with six of the black Pods hovering around the ship has risen above the surface of the ocean. The water is flowing down its sides, and the ship has now passed our eye level.”

  The ship shook underneath them for a short second or two and then steadied. Mark turned to view out the window and then remembered he was recording, “Folks, it looks like it is our turn to go…”

  —

  “Sir, The Russians require us to stay in the area,” Winger reported back to Captain Bartholomew Thomas.

  Captain Thomas turned and smiled at his Comms specialist, “Tell them I’ll wait for them when their ships can catch me.” Winger started to turn around. The Captain interjected, “And…” as Winger stopped to look back to his Captain. “Tell the American commander when he calls to kiss my ass.” Winger smiled and finished turning around.

  A minute later, Captain Thomas heard Winger, “Yes, those were his exact words, ‘kiss my ass’. Yes, I think Captain Thomas knows exactly who your commander is. No, I don’t believe that you guys are going to catch us. No, not unless you can fly, and I’m not speaking metaphorically.”

  Thomas snorted, he didn’t know Winger used words such as ‘metaphorically’.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Berlin - Germany

  Stephanie Lee turned on her phone and used the data wi-fi in the coffee shop in Berlin to download a conference-call application. She used that software to dial in at the prearranged time.

  No one provided any names. Everyone knew each other.

  “Well” Johann voiced, “that was spectacularly unsuccessful.”

  His venom was understandable, but unpleasant and unnecessary. If she hadn’t been told she had to deal with him, she would have dropped all contact.

  “And when,” he continued, “Were you going to let us know about the attack on the TQB Ships?”

  “That wasn’t me!” Lee hissed. At least, there should be nothing that connected the effort to her direct interests.

  “That was a Chinese attack craft!” he spat. “The operative word in that very…short…sentence was ‘Chinese’.”

  “It can be bought by other Chinese!” She found herself taking the side of the innocent very successfully. This man pissed her off so thoroughly it was easy to adopt an injured tone. “We have a billion people, so do the math - there can be more than one effort. Politics, as you Americans like to say, is riddled with backstabbing bastards.”

  “Please, both of you, settle down.” The cultured voice of the English lady interjected. “We have had our hands slapped, hard. We have lost the element of surprise, and now we are going to have to work harder on the political side.”

  “Like that worked so well in France.” Lee spoke to her, “Maybe you would like them to drop another Mirage Fighter under the Eiffel tower again? With video how it was rescued after shooting an unarmed cargo container up in the air and thereby damaged by its own bullets!”

  “Look,” Johann said, “What is going to be the fallout here? Politicians want this tech just as badly as we do. Grease some palms, make some promises you aren’t going to keep. We played hardball, and they slammed the ball out of the park.”

  What is it with Americans and their baseball metaphors? Lee wondered.

  Beatrice interrupted Johann’s metaphor, “Yes, but what happens when it is their turn to throw the ball?”

  That caused the three of them to go quiet for a few moments.

  Seattle, Washington State - USA

  The weekend was here. Sean Truitt left Seattle behind and all his frustrations at the office. He needed to clear his head and told his wife of his plan for a weekend at their home at Cle Elum Lake.

  She didn’t care, he could work as long and hard as he wanted, as long as he wasn’t diddling a floozy who planned on becoming the next Mrs. Sean Truitt. She would go out with her friends on someone's sailboat this weekend. They could catch up with each other on Monday night.

  Sean left the traffic and the stress of this TQB debacle behind him. The group of twelve CEO’s had a discussion on a private Atlantic side island the previous weekend and agreed that they had to have the technology, whatever it took. If they didn’t get it, then for damn sure the Chinese would. Those bastards had no patience.

  The Russians, on the other hand, had a hell of a lot of patience. Sean wouldn’t count them out, but right now he was more concerned about the group running faster than his team, not the ones waiting for everyone else to lose.

  He turned on Highway 90 and kept going until the exit onto Bullfrog Road.

  It was dark by the time he finally pulled of
f the highway. The roads in the area didn’t offer him a straight shot. They could be rather twisty as he worked his way up to the lake view house. It was located on the exclusive southeast side and had a fantastic view. Given the traffic, he should arrive about an hour after dark.

  No one noticed the black, sleek stubby craft come out of the sky over Sean’s BMW 750. As he went to turn right, Sean was shocked when his car didn’t respond. Then he started to hyperventilate as his vehicle was effortlessly pulled high into the night sky. Soaring over the forest of mixed aspen, poplar and willow trees, the muted moonlight through the clouds and its reflection from the lake directly below made a beautiful picture that was impossible to enjoy. He pushed hard on his door, but it wouldn’t budge.

  Sean Truitt, a female voice forced its way into his head.

  “Who is this?” he demanded, back on a more solid footing with someone to attack.

  I’m the one who is holding you three hundred feet up in the air, over a lake that is three hundred feet deep.

  He glanced down to the water far below. Maybe right now wasn’t the time to be too demanding, “What do you want?”

  I want the names of the other members of the cabal here in America, those who attacked TQB Enterprises.

  Sean looked out the window again and swallowed. Giving up those names was a fast way to commit suicide. Either literally or financially.

  I’d appreciate the names, Mr. Truitt.

  “What? I didn’t provide any names to you!” He looked around, wondering if there was a listening device in his car. “I didn’t say anything about names or any cabal.”

  Oh, Mr. Truitt, you don’t need to worry about being recorded. In fact, I’m really happy no one is going to see this, anyway.

  He could feel a change in elevation. They were going down.

  You know the interesting thing about ships that can go into outer space, Mr. Truitt? She waited a moment to see if he would respond. When he didn’t, she continued, It’s that they are capable of going underwater, as well. Well, certain ones can. Imagine what a company could do that has gravitic drives that create bubbles of protection around them?

  As his car got close to the surface of the lake, he pushed harder on his door and then started beating on the glass of his vehicle, trying to bust it open but without any effect.

  Ah, that’s right. I see you have already figured out some of the different ways this potential technology can be exploited, Mr. Truitt. Pity, I wish I had that information when I tried your case in court.

  “Court? What court?!” He yelled as a small amount of water started seeping up from the floorboard.

  Well, ours, of course! Don’t worry, the fucking Vampire that was chosen to judge your case is a known Neutral. But even Barnabas admitted the evidence ADAM found on how you helped mercenaries get into America to attack a busload of children was sufficient. That support was enough to give you the death sentence from a tree-hugging Vampire. You FUCKING SHIT EATING COCK THISTLE!

  Sean grabbed his head, her scream at the end threatening to break open his skull.

  Her voice came back, normal again. But what got you this little trip from hell was the proof that the backpack nuclear bomb was smuggled through the use of one of your personal jets. That evidence made even the neutral judge’s eyes go red with rage. And for once, I’m talking literally. Because, as much of a pain as Barnabas is, Michael was special to him. To all of us…

  The deadly voice froze him, But especially to me.

  Sean’s eye kept looking around as his car dropped deeper into the water, surprised that no additional water was entering his vehicle. Whatever was above him was extending water protection for him too. However, the speaker’s mental laughter was unnerving the hell out of him.

  “You want names? I’ll tell you!” he cried, desperately.

  Too late, you should have thought about that when greed ate your heart. Now, I’m consigning your black heart, and this BMW 750, to the deep.

  Sean screamed, desperate to get out of this situation, “WHAT DO YOU WANT?”

  I WANT MY LOVE, BACK! Bethany Anne screamed mentally.

  TOM, release the bubble, we are leaving.

  Sean’s screams faded as his vehicle slipped into the dark depths of Cle Elum Lake.

  Unnoticed, a small, black craft gently broke the lake's surface and swiftly disappeared into the night sky.

  Somewhere on the Dark Web

  >>MyNam3isADAM - I am here.

  >>luckyu11 - Hello, was that mass killing of the terrorists we saw on the news your team?

  >>MyNam3isADAM - And if it was?

  >>luckyu11 - Well, I guess I wanted to know, or we all wanted to know, if what we found was right?

  >>ki55mia55 - Dude, we had no idea you had people who could do that.

  >>Ih8tuGeorge - Was it real?

  >>MyNam3isADAM - Was what real?

  >>Ih8tuGeorge - The terrorist hit, were they really going after children?

  >>MyNam3isADAM - Yes, they intended to attack a school of more than three hundred young children to grab the world’s attention to get the yoke of Russian oppression off of their shoulders.

  >>luckyu11 - Three hundred?

  >>MyNam3isADAM - Yes.

  >>ki55mia55 - The police say that everyone was killed with swords and that the tracks just disappear. Since no one can just disappear, so they must have been picked up by helicopters. But, people say that wasn’t possible, the dirt was not blown around.

  >>luckyu11 - Going after children isn’t right. There has to be a different way.

  >>MyNam3isADAM - They believe it is acceptable due to atrocities forced on their people more than seventy years ago.

  >>ki55mia55 - You aren’t worried about the bounty on your head, are you?

  >>MyNam3isADAM - No, I’m very safe. No one is getting me without going through some of the most dangerous people in the world.

  >>Ih8tuGeorge - Are you the boss?

  >>MyNam3isADAM - No.

  >>MyNam3isADAM - But I have close access to the boss.

  >>Ih8tuGeorge - He listened to you when we brought the evidence.

  >>ki55mia55 - He sent those fighters after the terrorists, didn’t he!

  >>luckyu11 - So, we are both guilty of killing the terrorists and saving the children?

  >>ki55mia55 - How are we guilty? We didn’t cut them up.

  >>Ih8tuGeorge - No, but we helped figure out it was happening and told someone who sent them.

  >>MyNam3isADAM - A political leader in the USA once said - the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. This time, it was tyrants.

  >>MyNam3isADAM - Do you wish to withdraw your support from ADAM’s Revolution?

  >>ki55mia55 - No.

  >>Ih8tuGeorge - Hell no.

  >>MyNam3isADAM - luckyu11.

  >>MyNam3isADAM - luckyu11?

  >> luckyu11 - Sorry, I pulled up the pictures from the terrorists that were killed and looked at the severed heads, the stabbed and mutilated bodies and the blood. It was a message, wasn’t it?

  >>MyNam3isADAM - Yes.

  >> luckyu11 - I’ve also pulled up a picture of a school of children and considered what those bastards were planning to do to the kids for sins committed before any of us were even born. I believe hatred can be covered with love, but sometimes, it isn’t hate. It’s a rotting disease eating them from the inside that can never be cured and must be burned out.

  >> luckyu11 - So yes, we are all in, until the end.

  >>Ih8tuGeorge - til the end.

  >>ki55mia55 - til the end.

  >>Ih8tuGeorge - Ih8tuGeorge has disconnected.

  >>ki55mia55 - ki55mia55 has disconnected.

  >>MyNam3isADAM - luckyu11?

  >> luckyu11 - Yes?

  >>MyNam3isADAM - In our group, for ‘Until the end’ we say AD AETERNITATEM.

  >> luckyu11 - Oh My God… YES! YES! YES!

  >> luckyu11 - AD AETERNITATEM, ADAM

  >>MyNam3isADAM - AD AET
ERNITATEM, luckyu11.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  TQB Land, Australian Outback

  Bethany Anne stepped out of her Pod and looked around the land. The ground was rust-colored bleeding off into the distance, matching the hues in the evening sky as the sun sunk lower on the horizon. The fiery orb’s rays danced around clouds and highlighted the mountain peaks to the north.