Dividing Zero

by Ty Patterson

No. Just the wind.

  He passed it and a shadow moved.

  There was someone.

  A brown haired man stepped into view. Lean. Dressed in black. Standing casually. Dark eyes watching him.

  Kittrell didn’t stop his motion.

  He changed direction. Headed to the man who was less than ten feet away.

  Always attack!

  His Sig Sauer rose to shoulder level. His finger rested on the trigger. It started depressing.

  The man reacted instantaneously; he leapt at Kittrell, coming under the gun hand, and slapped it away.

  The shot went wide. His gun went flying.

  The man’s fingers tried to grasp Kittrell’s hand.

  Before he could apply a hold, Kittrell’s left arm flashed and his Glauca blade pierced towards the man’s middle.

  Always deceive!

  The man seemed to roll backwards. The knife cut air an inch away from his body.

  The man caught Kittrell's knife hand in an iron grip. His other hand descended to the lawyer's shoulder. He pivoted and threw the lawyer away.

  Kittrell flew through the air.

  He twisted his body, absorbed the impact, and rose to his feet easily.

  His gun lay a few feet away. His Glauca was still in his hand

  The man stood in front of him. Breathing easily. Regarding him curiously.

  He's faster than I thought he would be!

  Kittrell attacked. Coming low like a cobra strike. The blade ready for offense or defense.

  The man waited till the last moment; leaned back in a deceptively lazy move and let the knife go past him.

  The man evaded Kittrell's up-thrust knee and for a fraction of a second, the lawyer was off-balance.

  An elbow slammed into Kittrell’s ribs and his breath whooshed out.

  The man applied a hold and threw Kittrell again. This time, over his shoulder.

  Kittrell landed, rolled, and got up smoothly. His knife lay at his feet; before he could retrieve it, the man went on the attack.

  A blow went to Kittrell's throat. He ducked and counter punched. The man rolled with it.

  Kittrell followed up with an eye-gouge. His fingers slipped on the man’s face.

  Shots sounded in the distance. The man faltered for a moment.

  Kittrell head butted him. Hard. Split the man’s forehead and smiled in triumph when blood flowed down the man’s face.

  The smile disappeared when his neck was grabbed and a hammer blow struck his ribs. Broke one.

  Another blow. Broke another rib.

  He groaned deep and punched furiously and broke away.

  The man let him go.

  Kittrell fell gasping.

  A deep rage flooded him. He was a Type A; an alpha male. Some random dude wasn’t going to beat him.

  The gun caught his attention.

  He dove at it. Got a hand on it.

  Its grip filled his palm. He turned.

  The man was nearly on him.

  He curled his finger. Started raising the gun.

  No need to aim. He’s close.

  The man closed in, moving so fast, he seemed to blur.

  Too close to fire.

  Another hammer struck him in the ribs. The blow spread fire through him, sucking away his oxygen.

  Something happened to his wrists.

  They became liquid. He heard a scream.

  It was his.

  The dark eyes bore down on him. The Sig’s barrel turned sideways.

  Not sideways. Pointing at me.

  His breath caught. He tried to engage his mind. A thought came foremost to his mind.

  ‘Who are you?’

  Words were an effort. Pain seared his body with white heat. He knew his wrists were broken. As were his elbows.

  Time stood still. Life stood still. The woods strained to hear.

  ‘The man whose friends you harmed,’ came the reply.

  Kittrell thought he saw flame lance through the bore and shoot towards him.

  Then he saw nothing. Felt nothing.

  Chapter 41

  The cleanup took an hour and when it was finished, four shooters remained alive.

  Bwana and Roger cuffed and gagged them. The twins collected their weapons and dumped them in the clearing.

  Meghan knew Beth was smouldering and kept her distance. Her sister’s face was red, her eyes narrow in rage.

  When the last of the men had been secured, Beth raised her head.

  ‘You didn’t think of telling me?’ she took a long stride and confronted her, anger and the remains of fear exploding out of her in a burst.

  A snicker.

  Beth whirled round and saw Bwana and Roger’s studiously neutral expressions.

  ‘You two. You didn’t think of warning me, either?’

  Her eyes flashed and looked in the depths of the woods.

  ‘Where’s Bear? Chloe?’

  There was a thud in the distance and shadows moved. One of them resolved into a tall man, a thick beard covering his face.

  He raised his hands defensively when Beth charged at him. ‘Not my idea! I was just following orders.’

  ‘Me too,’ a petite woman stepped into view. Chloe.

  ‘Whose orders?’ Beth snarled.

  ‘Yours, I am sure,’ she whirled back on her sister.

  ‘Babe? Sis? Beth?’ Meghan raised her voice above Beth’s tirade.

  Beth stopped.

  ‘You wear your heart on your sleeve. Your face would have revealed we had backup. We knew a lot, but we needed a confession from someone. This was the only way.’

  The red mist left Beth. Cool air cleared her mind. She started figuring things out. ‘You planned all this?’

  ‘Jeez, no! Coming close to dying wasn’t in the plan. I figured Keyser would confess or reveal Mr. M.’ She shrugged and waved her hands. ‘I didn’t expect all this.’

  Beth started trembling as shock set in. She blinked back tears and donned her jacket. She zipped it up, taking her time to get herself under control.

  ‘If Kittrell knew what a pain in the neck you are, he would have shot you outright,’ she wiped her eyes, and looked at her friends.

  ‘Where’s Zeb?’

  Zeb came through from the depths of the woods, moving languidly toward them.

  ‘Kittrell?’

  ‘Won’t trouble us.’

  ‘You cut it fine, didn’t you?’ Beth smiled to take the sting out of her words.

  Zeb didn’t reply. He exchanged a glance with Bwana.

  They had given the watchers in New York the slip. Had chartered a flight and come to Courtville before the rendezvous. They had taken positions and had watched the twins meet Keyser.

  If we had arrived earlier, we would have spotted Keyser and his crew. We would have checked out the surroundings.

  We lost time following them in the woods. Any longer and we would have been too late.

  He tossed a miniature recorder to Beth. ‘Everything’s in there. Kittrell’s voice is loud and clear.’

  Sirens wailed in the distance signaling the arrival of the law enforcement machinery. The local police scratched their heads and looked bemusedly at the bodies. The sheriff drove up along with his deputies. An hour later the state police turned up.

  Statements were given. The ticket agent was interviewed. He said he was to call a number when a pair of women turned up.

  The caller had said the women were his nieces and wanted to make sure they had arrived at the station safely.

  It was thin, but the ticket agent was, at best, guilty of stupidity.

  Calls were made to the NYPD. Chang verified the twins’ identity.

  The sheriff probed Zeb and his friends. They were carrying an arsenal and had waged a war.

  ‘Defending ourselves,’ Zeb protested mildly.

  He knew how this would play. The call came two hours later. First to the sheriff, then to the police chief and finally to the senior most state police officer.

  Chang and Piz
aka had pulled a few strings. Clare had yanked a rope.

  The cops straightened, listened, looked a few times at Zeb and hung up. The state police disappeared as did the sheriff.

  The police chief hung around till the bodies were taken away. The system would kick in, but no identities would be revealed.

  The cover story was that a meth gang had been busted in a violent showdown.

  ‘You look like a gangbanger, in any case,’ Roger drawled at Bwana.

  Three hours later, Meghan looked at her watch in surprise. It was just four p.m. They had met Keyser at eleven. It felt like they had been in the woods for the entire day.

  They shook hands with the police chief who was glad to see them leave and didn’t hide it.

  They climbed into their rides, in their usual formation. Meghan with Zeb, at the front of one vehicle. Beth in the rear with Bear and Chloe. Bwana and Roger in another set of wheels.

  Southern Illinois Airport, initially, and then New York. Home.

  ‘Maddie is still out there. So is Josh Kittrell,’ Beth spoke softly above the hum of tires.

  Meghan turned to face her. ‘I was wondering when you would mention that.’

  ‘I know how to contact them.’

  Seven p.m. New York. Still on the twentieth day.

  The city was unchanged. Snarls of fumes. Traffic like thick fat snakes. People in a hurry. High-rises lit up, reflecting the approaching sunset.

  It was their city. Bear stretched. Chloe snuggled into him.

  Zeb was impassive as his eyes flicked between the front and the rear mirror. Bwana and Roger were following.

  It took forty minutes to reach Amy Kittrell’s home.

  Forty minutes during which Meghan didn’t disclose how she would make contact.

  Beth rushed out before they came to a stop and rang the bell.

  Darien Kile opened the door, as immaculate as ever, the same smug expression on his face.

  He opened his mouth. Beth darted around him and went to the lounge.

  Amy Kittrell looked at her face, saw something in it, and rose.

  Meghan arrived. Her face was shining too.

  ‘Ma’am, it’s over.’ Meghan saw the dawning light in her eyes and nodded vigorously.

  ‘The lawyer is dead. The cops know what went down,’ she spoke loudly in the room even though it was quiet. ‘Maddie and your husband are safe. They can return.’

  The mom collapsed back, her eyes bright with tears that spilled and rolled down her face.

  She moved her lips. No sound came out of her mouth. Beth went to her and clasped her hands.

  ‘It’s true. Your nightmare is finished.’

  ‘Something the lawyer said, stuck with me,’ Meghan explained when they were back in their ride, heading to Columbus Avenue.

  ‘He had Kittrell and Keyser’s phones tapped.’

  ‘Get to it,’ Beth cut in impatiently.

  ‘You remember, we never figured out how the father got our cell details, to send us those messages,’ Meghan reminded her.

  Beth snapped her fingers when she made the connection. ‘He bugged his own home. He heard us when we gave Amy Kittrell our numbers.’

  ‘Aren’t you good! A bit slow on the uptake though,’ Meghan sniggered.

  Beth’s phone rang as she was preparing for bed.

  An excited yell came through and brought a smile to her face.

  Maddie Kittrell had returned.

  Chapter 42

  Two weeks later.

  The watchers in New York were arrested and interrogated. They didn’t have much to reveal. They were local thugs, paid to follow the twins and the men, and to relay reports to a cell phone.

  The job had been arranged by a middle man.

  The dead lawyer’s gloating confession was listened to in One PP and in Washington D.C. His movements, his backstory, his entire life was examined minutely by the cops.

  A set of offshore accounts was finally discovered, buried deep under a maze of shell companies. In a deposit box in the Bahamas, a ledger was found.

  The ledger was the lawyer’s insurance policy. It would bring down everyone who had used his services.

  Events moved swiftly. Discreetly.

  Several senior officers in some of the largest defense contractors in the country were quietly arrested. A raft of charges was filed against each one of them.

  Prosecutors were rubbing their hands in glee over a slam-dunk case. Defense lawyers were dreaming of the fat fees they would charge their clients.

  Dividing Zero was never mentioned.

  Clare said there were heated discussions in the White House about its disclosure. The program had come into existence several administrations back; however trust in government was at an all-time low. That little trust couldn’t be risked by another shocking revelation of government misdeeds. The program would never be mentioned.

  There was fallout, however.

  General Klouse was tasked with coming up with a set of recommendations; to make the defense industry more accountable.

  A four-star general in the Pentagon took his own life. His death received widespread coverage and on hearing some of his past interviews, Zeb stilled.

  I know that voice. I met him.

  The families of the Toccoa and Connersville men were given generous compensation.

  Billy Bob Feitz was never found. He didn’t have a family to compensate. Several other names in Kittrell’s ledger were identified and their families received settlements.

  Federal and state databases were quietly cleaned up. Several backdoor entry programs were discovered. It wasn’t just Dividing Zero or Kittrell’s software that had access to them.

  Those discoveries spawned a new set of investigations that would ultimately bring down several criminal gangs.

  Several Pentagon generals appeared on TV and exhorted whistleblowers to come forward.

  Mayo and Kane collapsed. Spectacularly. The law firm was investigated and, even though all signs pointed to Kittrell being a rogue operator, its clients deserted it. Other law firms expressed shock and outrage in public. In private, their partners fist-pumped in joy and courted Mayo and Kane’s deserting clients.

  Josh Kittrell, the husband, cooperated fully. Pizaka and Chang and a couple of other cops interviewed him at his home, the day after he returned. Beth and Meghan were in attendance.

  ‘Kittrell threatened me. With Amy and Maddie’s life. He said we were watched continually. If we made any attempt to contact the police, or anyone else…,’ he shuddered and hugged Maddie tighter.

  ‘Every word we spoke was listened to. Every so often, the lawyer mentioned something we had discussed at the dinner table. He knew which dress Amy wore. The color of Maddie’s socks.’

  ‘Making Maddie believe I was hitting Amy…hoping she would tell someone. Maybe her teachers, or anyone else. That was the only plan we came up with.’

  He laughed shortly, with no humor in it. ‘It was a long shot, but then I didn’t have a lot of options. We couldn’t reach out to anyone.’

  He paused when one cop returned from the depths of the house. He opened his palm. In it were several listening devices.

  Miniature cameras too.

  The husband had cached bundles of cash and fake identity documents in different locations in the city. ‘As a just in case. I didn’t have a plan.’

  He had heard about Feitz two days before grabbing Maddie. A furious exchange with the lawyer had resulted in more threats. This time directed at Maddie.

  The day of the grab, he had gone in early to the office and heard a voice. The lawyer’s. He was relaying instructions on his phone, unaware that he wasn’t alone.

  ‘Get the girl today. Then the wife. Grab the man when he leaves the office.’

  ‘I didn’t know Maddie had reached out to you that very day. I didn’t have any other choice,’ Kittrell ran his fingers through Maddie’s short hair. ‘I couldn’t tell Amy anything. I hoped she would understand.’

  ‘I d
idn’t,’ the mother cut in, with a shiver. ‘I wasn’t expecting him to disappear. Then you folks said he wasn’t who he was. My world crumbled.’

  ‘I couldn’t tell you anything,’ she apologized to Beth. ‘I didn’t know what was going on. No way to contact him. If I revealed something, it could endanger him and Maddie.’

  She took the paper towel Beth handed and wiped her eyes. ‘I haven’t stopped crying. At least this time, they are happy tears,’ she smiled wryly.

  ‘Kittrell deployed the program on me,’ the husband continued. ‘I didn’t expect that. The only choice I had, was to contact you. Send you clues. Hope that you picked up on them.’

  Pizaka’s jaw jutted forward. His shades glared at the husband. ‘You could have contacted us.’

  ‘No, sir, I couldn’t. My wife would have been next. Her collapsing and going to hospital probably saved her life.’

  In the two weeks that followed, Amy Kittrell made a speedy recovery and resumed her work with Carey Landsman. Her husband was still at home, still piecing together his identity.

  Darien Kile, offered to file a lawsuit on behalf of the family, against anyone and everyone. Lawyers didn’t discriminate, besides, there was ample cause. Amy Kittrell brushed his offer away.

  Maddie was a star in her school. She had stories to tell. Adventures to share. The school gave her an award for bravery.

  She went with Peaches and Lizzie, Gramma in tow, to Beth and Meghan’s office one day.

  She showed them the certificate. Gulped down the cookies Beth brought out. Played for hours.

  She crooked her little finger as they were leaving and planted a kiss on Meghan’s cheek and then Beth’s.

  ‘Thank you.’ A wondrous smile followed and set the world right.

  Meghan stretched and sipped her second cup of coffee. Beth and she were in their favorite hangout, the coffee shop, a block away from their office.

  General Klouse had asked them to make a report of their investigation; that report was now mandatory reading material for several generals. A copy of it was with the NYPD.

  There was a lull in Agency missions. A down time that Beth made full use of, by spending her evenings with Mark.