True Conviction

by James P. Sumner

  “So you expect us to believe that you’ve pulled your funding from Dark Rain and screwed them the way Jackson screwed Pellaggio?” I ask. “And that’s supposed to immediately absolve you of any accountability and make you the good guys?”

  “Adrian, I think we both know that, in this world, things are too gray to simply have good guys and bad guys. But yes, whatever ties my company had with Dark Rain are now severed. We’re actively looking to clean up the mess Jackson made, which is why I’m asking for your help. Also, for the record, I think Jackson was a greedy little prick for trying to go behind everybody’s backs and do a deal with the mob, and he got what he deserved.” He smiles. “But that’s purely my opinion.”

  I’m starting to like Bob.

  “So what happens now?” asks Clara.

  “We need to stop Dark Rain,” he says to her. “They’re heavily armed, well prepared and have roughly three thousand men tucked away at their compound, ready to fight for them, according to the last status report from Jackson.”

  “I’m assuming nobody’s informed Ketranovich of these recent developments yet?” I ask.

  Clark smiles and shakes his head. “Don’t worry. We’re working on a strategy to neutralize Dark Rain as we speak. They’ll get the message soon enough. For now, you’re part in this is officially over.”

  “Just like that? After everything we’ve been through?”

  “Just like that. Adrian, you can’t take on an army by yourself. You need to get your affairs in order and get out of town. You’re almost done here.”

  “Almost…?”

  “There’s just one tiny thing I need you to do for me first.”

  “Which is?”

  “I need you to give me the deeds to the land. I will personally sign them over, on behalf of GlobaTech Industries, to the U.S. government, who will make sure the land gets mined clean and the Uranium disposed of safely.”

  “That’s a big ask, under the circumstances,” I say. “I appreciate you saving my life, but that doesn’t mean I trust you.”

  “Fair enough,” he says with a curt nod. “Perhaps this will put your mind at ease a little...”

  He pulls out his phone, dials a number seemingly from memory, and puts it on speakerphone as it rings. He places it on the edge of Clara’s bed, so it’s in the middle of the three of us. He smiles at us both as the person he’s calling finally picks up.

  “Yes?” says the voice on the other end of the phone.

  “Sir,” he says. “It’s Robert Clark, GlobaTech Industries. I’m sorry to disturb you at this hour, but I have you on speaker with Adrian Hell and Clara Fox. We spoke of the situation in Heaven’s Valley yesterday.”

  “Ah, Bob, good to hear from you,” says the voice, in a distinctive Texan drawl. It then speaks slightly louder, to address the room.

  “Adrian… Clara… This is Ryan Schultz. I’m the Secretary of Defense for the United States.”

  19.

  00:57

  HOLY SHIT!

  I mean, I know it’s obvious this whole situation is bad, but it’s hard to believe I’ve managed to get myself wrapped up in something that’s on the White House’s radar.

  Schultz continues. “Adrian, I’ll make no secret that I dislike what the rumors say you do for a living, son. But I cannot deny you’re a resourceful sonofabitch. Your actions so far in Heaven’s Valley have been impressive and of significant value, and you’ve done your country a great service.”

  “Well, Mr. Secretary,” I say. “I didn’t do it for my country. Everything I’ve done, I’ve done for no other reason than to stay alive. But I appreciate you calling and thanking me—that means a lot. I just did what anyone else would have, I guess.”

  “Well, whatever your motivation, your contributions have proved invaluable to our efforts,’ says Schultz. ‘But if you ain’t doin’ it for your country, you need to help us now as a service to your fellow man. I need you to hand what paperwork you have relating to that there Uranium mine over to Bob Clark. GlobaTech are one of our biggest independent contractors and we trust them implicitly in this matter.”

  “With respect, sir, how can you trust an organization that funded an underground militia and attempted to supply them with nuclear material?”

  “That was a deal brokered by a clandestine group of individuals operating independently within a larger company. Those people have ceased all activities on the project, and management of the resources has been given to Bob Clark. Bob here is one of us, do you understand?”

  “I do.”

  “Good man. I read your file, Adrian. You were a helluva soldier. You’re wasting your life as a hired gun. And if we could actually prove you’d done half the shit I’ve heard rumor of, I’d personally make sure they gave you the chair, and I’d throw the damn switch myself!”

  “Well, while I appreciate the sentiment, sir, I am who I am. What I do or do not do is my own business. This country trained me to be the best and that’s exactly what I am.”

  “That’s as maybe, but you’re still a goddamn killer. I don’t condone it, goddammit. But this once, I’m willing to overlook it.”

  “That’s very kind of you.”

  “Now, obviously, it should go without saying that the details of what’s happening down there are classified at the highest level. I would hate to think there’s any risk of information getting out about such things.”

  “You have my word, Mr. Schultz—the moment I’m outta this city, the whole thing will be completely forgotten.”

  “We appreciate your co-operation on the matter, son.”

  Clark picks up the phone and takes it off speaker. He has a quick, one-sided conversation, during which he agreed a lot, and then he hangs up.

  “So, shall we?”

  I look at Clara, who nods and smiles. I let out a heavy sigh and hand him the paperwork.

  “Screw me over and I’ll hunt you down,” I say to him.

  He takes the deeds and smiles. “I expect nothing less,” he replies. “But you have nothing to worry about. We’re on the same side and want the same thing. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get these over to our Legal department. Thank you again, Adrian.”

  “Don’t mention it,” I say.

  He turns and leaves the room, closing the door gently behind him. I stand and start pacing the room, running everything through my head.

  Am I right to trust GlobaTech after everything they’ve done? Maybe not… but my gut’s telling me I’m right to trust Robert Clark, regardless of whether or not the Secretary of Defense vouched for him.

  But now what? I can’t just leave, can I? I know I’ve got no chance taking on Ketranovich and Dark Rain on my own, I admit that. But I still feel responsible, and consequently obligated, to finish what I’ve inadvertently started. There’s no doubt Dark Rain are out to kill me. And Pellaggio is definitely going to want my head on a spike after everything that’s happened... I’m not convinced it’s as simple as just picking up my bag and taking the first Greyhound out of here. Ketranovich might be as good as dead if GlobaTech and their private army are after them, but Pellaggio won’t let me walk away. He’ll keep coming until I decide to stop him.

  I look over at Clara, who’s lying comfortably now. I can see her fighting to stay awake. What about her? Dark Rain is after her too. I’m assuming she still has the money I took from Jackson. I just have to convince her to use it and get out of town. I don’t want her to go through anything else—she’s suffered enough already. If she lies low until GlobaTech finish dealing with Dark Rain, she can then start a new life somewhere else.

  I know that sounds a little hypocritical—we’re both in exactly the same situation. I’m contemplating how I can fix things by staying when anyone in their right mind would be telling me to cut and run, yet here I am thinking of how to get Clara to leave because it’s stupid staying…

  Maybe it’s a male pride thing. With all due respect to her, I’m sure she’ll understand to an extent. But I also know she’
ll think like me—she’ll want to see this thing through 'til the end.

  “So, what’s the plan, Adrian?” she asks. “I can see you thinking.”

  I figure I’ll go down the chivalrous route first.

  “Once you heal up, you should get out of town,” I reply. “Use that money I gave you and start a new life. Between me and GlobaTech, I promise I’ll stop Dark Rain.”

  Clara laughs. “You macho asshole! I’m not going anywhere and you knew that before you even opened your mouth and fed me that bullshit line.”

  I smile and hold my hands up. “You got me.”

  “So, seriously, what’s the plan? Me and you—we’re in this ‘til the end, no matter what, right?”

  I’ll admit I find the sentiment touching. I think I’m getting soft in my old age…

  “Well, forgetting that we’re top of Dark Rain’s hit list for the moment, we still need to find this scientist. Once Ketranovich finds out that GlobaTech have turned their backs on him, and realizes he’s lost any chance of access to the Uranium mine, that scientist is as good as dead.”

  “Agreed. But where do we start?”

  “You said you knew a few places Dark Rain could use to house them, right?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t know for sure if they’re in use.”

  “It’s okay—right now, that’s all we’ve got to go on and it’s worth a shot.”

  I pick up a pen and some paper from Clara’s bedside table and take down the address details as she reels them off. Then I take out my phone and call Josh, putting him on speakerphone.

  “Hey Boss,” he says in his trademark cheery voice. “Still alive then?”

  “Just about,” I reply. “Josh, you’re on speaker and Clara’s here. We’re in her hospital room.”

  “You found her? How’s she doing? Sorry—Clara, hey. Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine,” she replies, laughing. “I just got shot a little bit.”

  Josh laughs. “I can see why you like her, Boss,” he says.

  “Thanks, asshole,” I say, laughing while avoiding Clara’s gaze. “Listen, you had any luck on our missing scientist yet?”

  “There's no one of any significance that’s been reported missing in the last six months, sorry.”

  “Try searching back eighteen months,” offers Clara. “Dark Rain will have been planning this for a long time, so it’s feasible this scientist has been in play a lot longer.”

  “Huh, good idea,” I agree. “Also, Josh, Clara’s got a few locations of safe houses that Dark Rain use. Can you look into them, see if there’s any recent activity, et cetera?”

  “Yeah, of course,” he says.

  I give him the address details and ask him to ring me back if he finds anything. I hang up and the room falls silent again.

  I like to know how something is going to end before I start it. I like to play out every possible outcome first, so I can prepare for anything going wrong. I hate surprises. Josh, along with everyone else, apparently, thinks I have OCD, but I just like being thorough and covering my ass.

  This whole thing has been a disaster from the moment I entered Heaven’s Valley. I need an exit strategy. I need to stop Dark Rain from doing whatever the hell it is they’re doing. I know it’s not going to involve Uranium anymore, which is a small comfort, but if they have the numbers, the weapons and the token megalomaniacal leader with a grudge against the western world, nothing good is going to come of whatever they decide to do instead.

  I also have the mob to contend with. Whichever way you look at it, Jimmy Manhattan has a point—I did go back on my contract by not fulfilling every stipulation of it. And I told them to shove it up their ass when they questioned me about it. That’s something I’ve never done before and in doing so I’ve broken the only golden rule in the world of contract killing... Nobody wants to hire someone who might not do what you pay them to. I know these were extenuating circumstances, but nobody else will ever know that. I can’t outrun Pellaggio’s far-reaching empire, or any bad press they put out about me.

  I look over at Clara. She’s fallen asleep. I smile to myself and look at the clock on the wall. It’s the middle of the night and it’s been a long couple of days with very little respite. I sit back in the chair and put my feet up on the table in front of me. I rest my head back and stare up at the ceiling in an effort to stop my mind racing at a hundred miles an hour in every direction at once.

  I close my eyes and take a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

  At least the pain in my ribs is easing…

  08:45

  I startle myself awake, snorting a little. I’m still sitting with my feet up on the table. Outside, the sun is shining brightly through the blinds. I look around, a little dazed. I must’ve nodded off.

  Where… oh yeah, Clara’s room in GlobaTech’s hospital—I remember now.

  I look over at her bed. Empty... What?

  I stand and check the time. I’ve been asleep over eight hours, Jesus!

  I massage my temples and think for a moment. One thing at a time…

  Now, I don’t know whether it was just because I got some sleep and I’m thinking more clearly now, or whether it was an epiphany or divine intervention or whatever, but in my head right now is a very clear and concise plan of how I can solve my current list of problems.

  Excellent.

  Right, now where’s Clara?

  I pick up my phone from the table and check it. There’s a missed call from Josh a couple of hours ago. I ring him back.

  “Josh, it’s me.”

  “You sound half asleep. You alright?”

  “Yeah, I nodded off in Clara’s room. I just woke up and saw your missed call. Clara’s gone from her room as well.”

  “Uh-oh...”

  “What do you mean, ‘uh-oh’?”

  There’s silence on the other end of the phone.

  “Josh...?”

  “Well, I rang you and she answered,” he explains. “She said you were sleeping. I told her I’d had some luck and got a hit on both the missing scientist and one of the locations you gave me.”

  “That’s good news, isn’t it?”

  “I told her what I had and… I think she may have gone off on her own to rescue them...”

  “What?”

  “That’s why I tried ringing you back, but there was no answer.”

  “What exactly did she say?”

  “She said she’d go and check out the address. I said she should probably wait for you. She said she felt fine and wanted to go on her own. Said she felt responsible.”

  “Ah, shit! What’s the address?”

  “It’s a few miles from the hospital you’re in, so you’re gonna need a car. Listen, Adrian, I’m sorry—I had no idea she was basically a female version of you!”

  “It’s okay, I just need to find her. I’ll ring you back.”

  I leave Clara’s room and run down the corridor to the waiting room where I’d met Robert Clark a few hours ago. A couple of the soldiers are walking around, still dressed in their nondescript black and red fatigues. I walk over to one of them.

  “I need a car,” I say.

  “What for?” he replies.

  I quickly explain why, strategically omitting any details about the scientist that Dark Rain has kidnapped. The soldier looks over at his partner, who shrugs back at him. He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a set of keys.

  “It’s the black Jeep out front,” he says, handing them to me. “Don’t scratch it.”

  I take the elevator on the other side of the front desk down to the ground floor and run outside. The 4x4 is right outside the entrance. I climb in, start it up, and pull out of the semi-circle driveway. The tires screech as I hit the gas and navigate the light traffic on the street. I ring Josh again, putting him on speaker.

  “Right, I’m on the road now—give me directions,” I say.

  “Okay,” he replies. “Keep straight for another two miles, then turn right at the junction.�
��

  “Will Clara be there by now?”

  “Easily, yeah.”

  “Shit.”

  “Adrian, I’m sure she can take care of herself—you worry too much.”

  “They sent a hit squad to shoot up an entire building, just because she was in it. And now she’s heading to one their safe houses to try to save a scientist who just became disposable. Plus, as far as I know, she’s unarmed.”

  “All valid points. You wanna know about our missing scientist?”

  “You’ve found out who it is?”

  “Well, the search results were surprisingly narrow. Once I filtered by location, I was left with literally one name: Jonathan Webster. He’s a nuclear physicist who worked out of Columbia University in New York. He apparently went to a conference about fifteen months ago and never came back. He sent a note to his colleagues a couple of weeks later saying he was resigning from his position at the University. No explanation, and hasn’t been seen since.”

  “Sounds like our guy. We sure he’s at this particular safe house?”

  “Satellite imagery from the last three weeks shows regular movement at this particular address. Out of all the locations Clara gave us, there was only one other that showed any activity, but I ruled it out because it’s miles away on the other side of town, close to the state lines. It makes no sense to keep him there, plus this other place is in reasonably close proximity to the mine.”

  “How the hell do you find this stuff out?”

  “Trade secrets,” he says, clearly smiling smugly down the phone. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

  “Even if you could kill me, you’d have to take a ticket and get in line at the moment.”

  “Yeah, you do seem quite popular at the moment, eh?”

  “Looks that way. Good job I’m not heading to a building that’s likely to be filled with people who have guns and orders to shoot me on sight... Oh, wait!”

  Josh laughs. “Even when faced with such adversity, it amazes me how you always find time to practice your sarcasm.”

  “I’m glad someone’s impressed. I’m turning right now. Where do I go from here?”