Ignoring the pain, Sullivan closed his fingers over the concrete as he heard boots running toward him. As the first head peeked over the rubble, Sullivan launched his projectile toward it. As the concrete bounced off the man’s skull, Sullivan jumped to his feet. He bounded back over the rubble and landed hard on the man with his feet. The sound of cracking ribs told Sullivan that at least one of his attackers was probably out of the fight.
Something hard came down on the back of Sullivan’s skull. He fell forward but kicked his foot out as he did, wrapping the toe of his boot around his assailant’s leg. The man fell on top of him, and Sullivan heard something metal clatter to the ground.
As blows began striking his body, Sullivan reached out blindly, still reeling from the fall, and found the gun by chance. As the man on top of him brought his fists down against Sullivan’s kidneys, he wrapped his fingers around the butt of the gun, half turned and fired into his attacker’s stomach.
Sullivan rolled out from under the wounded man. Two down. A boot met his side, and Sullivan looked up to see the last man brandishing a knife. Another kick sent the gun from Sullivan’s hand. The knife arced downward as Sullivan got up on one knee. He caught the knife hand and twisted the man’s wrist, making him drop the weapon.
The man kicked out, striking Sullivan in his upper thigh. Sullivan punched upward toward the man’s torso but caught him in the groin. The man doubled over and Sullivan, standing, looked down to make sure he wasn’t thinking about getting back up. Sullivan gathered up the gun and the knife and limped back to the vehicle the men had left. He got in and sped off down the street, zigzagging through the city to make sure no one else was able to follow.
RICK SULLIVAN TOOK his earpiece out of his ear and threw it onto the bed. “I’m still not getting anywhere.”
“Hall really doesn’t seem to want to meet with you, does he?” said Kate. She reached over to where he sat on the bed and put her hand on the back of his head. “You sure you don’t need a doctor?”
“I know what a concussion feels like. I’m all right.”
“I hope we get a meeting with Hall soon. It’s not safe for you here.”
“I’m sure he knows that. And I think he suspects why I’m on Edaline. He knows that ship isn’t his property.”
Kate frowned. “And as long as you’re not given an opportunity to ask him about it, he gets to keep it.”
Sullivan got up from the bed and paced the room. “There has to be a way to get to him. I hate to do it and put him in an uncomfortable position, but I may ask General Miller to arrange a meeting with Hall and bring us in on it.”
“He did say to contact him if there was any way he could help.”
“He did.” Sullivan exhaled loudly. “I suppose I’ll give him a call.”
A knock came at the door. Sullivan stepped over to it, peered through the spyhole then opened the door. Dale Hammond stepped in and looked around. “Well, I’m off.”
Kate moved toward him and gave him a quick hug. Sullivan shook his hand.
“Good luck to both of you,” Hammond said. “You sure you don’t want me to take you back, Kate?”
“Yes. I’m staying here with Rick. He might need me.”
Sullivan took her hands. “I always need you.”
Hammond made a show of looking away. “I’ll be gone in two seconds, can’t you guys wait?”
They laughed. “Take care, Dale,” Kate said. “I’ll try to get back to Silvanus within a year.”
Hammond said a final goodbye and closed the door.
Sullivan sat down on the bed. For a few months after the war, he, Kate, Allen and Hammond had been close. The four of them were nearly inseparable. Despite his worries, Sullivan considered those the happiest months he had ever spent. But then Hammond had been given a new job at Kate’s company, and Allen had begun to grow distant. They had still done things together, but less and less frequently.
Now Hammond was gone, going back to Silvanus, a planet Sullivan would probably never return to. Allen seemed just as lost to him. Even if they found him, even if they convinced him to go to Faris with them, Sullivan didn’t see a future in which he and Allen would again share the camaraderie they’d once had. All he had left was Kate.
Sullivan looked up at her. She smiled and went to sit next to him on the bed. He took her in his arms and held her tightly.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Yes. I was just thinking about those first few months after we all returned to Silvanus. Those were good times.”
“We’ll have good times again, Rick.”
“Maybe. If I’m lucky, I’ll see Dale maybe once a year from now on. And Frank… who knows if or when I’ll see him again?” He cleared his throat. “But you make me happy, Kate. If I didn’t have you, I don’t know what I’d do. I never want to be away from you again.”
“Then don’t be. No matter what happens with Allen, stay with me. If he gets off of Edaline, let him go.”
Sullivan nodded. “I’ll let him go.”
Kate pulled him closer. “I’m so sorry, Rick. But don’t give up on him just yet. We still might be able to change his mind, if we can find him.”
Kate broke the embrace and got up from the bed. She walked over to a chair where Sullivan’s jacket was hanging and took General Miller’s card from the pocket. “Here,” she said as she handed it to Sullivan. “Call him.”
Sullivan took his earpiece off the bed and put it in. He glanced at the card then tapped the earpiece.
15
ALLEN OPENED HIS eyes. Liz was lying on the bed next to him. He had felt the cold chill as she arrived, and it had pulled him out of his light doze.
“Hello, Frank,” she said. “Sorry to wake you.”
“It’s fine. I wasn’t quite asleep.”
“Things are progressing. Are you prepared?”
“Yes. Should I call Brooks?”
“Not yet. Another day or two.”
“Liz?”
“Yes?”
“Please tell me why you need Sullivan. I don’t know if I can do this not knowing what you want with him.”
Liz appeared to take a deep breath. Allen knew this was an intentional movement. She didn’t really have to breathe. “Frank, Richard Sullivan is a soldier. We have need of a soldier.”
“There are lots of soldiers. Why him?”
“Because he already knows about us. And we already know what he’s capable of.”
“Who are you at war with?”
“Us? No one. The war he is to fight is not on our behalf.”
“Then whose?”
“In due time, Frank.”
“But why make me lure him? Why not just tell him that there’s a threat and ask him to help you?”
“You know Richard Sullivan well enough to know the answer to that question. He doesn’t trust us. He never has. He doesn’t see us the way you do. He has to be convinced.”
“Then let me convince him.”
“He thinks you’re under our control. He wouldn’t trust you right now, either.”
Allen sat up. “And he shouldn’t. I’m betraying him.”
“No, Frank. You’ll be helping him to understand the situation.”
Allen got up from the bed, shaking his head. “Liz, how can I make him understand the situation if I don’t even understand it myself?” He walked over to the window and threw open the curtains. “You say he doesn’t trust you. Should I even trust you?”
Before Allen realized she had moved, Liz was beside him. “Yes.”
He didn’t know how or why, but when she was close to him, his will seemed to evaporate. A part of his mind was still suspicious, still unsure he wasn’t anything more than a puppet, but the rest of it felt only calm, trust and love in her presence.
“You should trust me,” she said. “You know me, Frank. You know me as well as you know yourself.”
The suspicion increased slightly but diminished again when he looked into her eyes. “I still f
eel like I’m betraying Rick.”
Liz smiled sadly. “Do you remember that Italian restaurant where we had our first date?”
Allen’s face brightened. “Around the corner from your apartment?”
“That’s right.”
“That place closed down, what? Four years ago?”
“About four years, yes.”
“That’s too bad. I mean, the food wasn’t the best, but I have fond memories of it.”
“That was before we became partners at the Bureau.”
Allen nodded. “There’s something I never asked you.”
“What?”
“We went on that date, and it went well enough, but when I called you again you didn’t pick up. The next time I saw you, you were being transferred to my department.”
Liz smiled.
“You acted like it was a big coincidence. But did you request that transfer? Did you do it because of me?”
Liz held her smile, but it seemed to tighten. Allen stepped away. “You don’t know, do you?”
The smile faded. “I don’t remember, Frank. That was a long time ago.”
He shook his head. “No. You don’t know because you’re only what I know about Liz. Everything she never told me about herself… it’s gone.”
“But she told you so much, Frank. You’re right, I exist because of your memories of her. But what memories they are.”
Allen swallowed. He took a few breaths then looked at her again. As he expected, his doubts and fears began to melt away. He closed his eyes and tried to hold on to those feelings. He didn’t know why, but he had to hold on to at least some of them. “There’s just so much about this that….” He paused. That what? Was wrong? No, it wasn’t wrong. Not wrong. Confusing? Yes, that was all right. It was acceptable for him to be confused.
“There’s so much that’s confusing,” he said.
Liz sighed. Her expression was one of pain, of sorrow. “When this is all over, everything will make sense. And we will be together and happy, Frank. Trust me, darling. Trust me.”
And he did. Allen nodded slowly. He trusted her fully and completely. He felt sleepy, his body felt limp.
“Lie down,” Liz commanded.
Allen stepped over to the bed and fell down onto his back.
“That’s good, Frank.”
Allen nodded.
“Now go to sleep.”
Allen closed his eyes. He could feel a chill run down his arm and knew she was stroking it. But it was different this time. This time the chill didn’t frighten him, it didn’t put him on edge. It was soothing, comforting. He felt the chill pass across his arm onto his stomach, then down past his waist.
“Soon, Frank,” Liz whispered. “Soon.”
Allen smiled. “Soon,” he said. He sucked in a breath. The sensation between his legs grew more intense. He let out the breath as he felt himself release, then relax. Within moments, he was sleeping soundly.
16
PRIME MINISTER STEVE Hall paused as he stepped out of his office and into the waiting room. He glanced from General Miller to Kate to Sullivan. “Rick Sullivan.”
“Hello, Steve.”
Miller reluctantly took Sullivan’s hand as he glanced at Miller. “General, I take it you don’t have urgent business to discuss?”
“This is urgent.”
Hall nodded. “Come into my office, then.”
Sullivan had barely waited for the door to close before speaking. “It’s simple, Steve. A ship belonging to Miss Alexander was salvaged by your government. We want that ship back.”
Sullivan watched Hall’s face as he processed the request. Sullivan smiled. Hall was a good politician. He didn’t betray that he knew what Sullivan was talking about.
“A ship?”
“Yes. It’s one of the specially equipped hyper-hyperspace ships that were used to bring the invasion force to Edaline.”
“They were all destroyed, Rick.”
“Not this one. It was damaged but still salvageable.”
Hall shook his head. “There was a lot of confusion just after the war. There were several paramilitary factions who tried to take control of the city, loyalists plotting against the new government. It was nothing short of chaos. I don’t know who took the ship.”
Sullivan lowered his voice. “This isn’t a time for games, Steve. We’re not here to give you grief about taking the ship. But it is crucial that you tell us where it is.”
“Why?”
“It’s a complicated matter. Please, Steve. We need the ship.”
“I don’t have it, Rick.”
Kate stepped forward and put her hand on Hall’s shoulder. “Prime Minister Hall… Steve. My name is Kate Alexander. My father was Benjamin Alexander. Have you heard of him?”
“Of course.”
“You know that he was—that I am—very wealthy. I have more resources at my disposal than some planets. Those resources could either help you or hurt you. I could invest in the future of Edaline and make you look quite good, or I could invest in the political campaigns of your opponents. It’s really your choice.”
“You’re blackmailing me, Miss Alexander?”
Kate smiled. “Rick has told me a bit about you. Do you want to know what he said?”
“Of course.”
“He said that you are a self-serving man.”
Hall’s face tightened.
“But he also said that when it matters, you can be counted on to make the right decision. Will you make the right decision now?”
Hall licked his lips then smiled thinly. “Like I said, I don’t know anything about the ship, but I’ll find it for you.”
“Good,” said Sullivan. “When will you let us know that you’ve found it?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“You’re confident you’ll find it by then?”
Hall smiled. “For the hero of Edaline, I’ll move mountains. You’ll have you ship, Rick.”
ALLEN FELT THE chill. Before he could turn around to look for her, Liz spoke. “Now, Frank. You have to move fast. Call Sullivan.”
“You have the number?”
“Yes.”
Allen spoke the number into his earpiece as Liz gave it to him.
“Hello?”
Allen smiled at the sound of his friend’s voice. “Hello, Rick.”
“Frank? Where are you?”
“I’ll tell you in a minute. But there are some other things I need to tell you first.”
Liz moved to stand in front of Allen. She fixed his gaze. Behind the smile, Allen sensed displeasure.
“Rick, I’m sorry.”
“For what? What have you done?”
“I’m sorry for lying to you and Kate.”
“It’s all right, Frank. We just want you to come back with us. Whatever you’re going through, we can help you. We’re here for you, Frank.”
Allen swallowed hard and fought back tears. “I know, Rick. But I can’t leave just yet. I have to take care of some things.”
“I know about the ship, Frank. You want to get back into hyper-hyperspace, don’t you?”
Allen glanced at Liz. She nodded.
“Yes. I want to be with Liz.”
“That’s not Liz. You can’t trust her, Frank. Look at the way she’s been manipulating you.”
“No, it’s not like that. Everything I’ve done, I’ve done voluntarily. I’ve done it because I wanted to do it.”
“You wanted to betray your friends?”
“No, I….”
“Listen, I know you never would have done that if you weren’t being influenced. You can end this.”
“I don’t want to end it, Rick. I don’t want to leave her. I can’t leave her.”
“It’s not her.”
“No, I know that. But she’s as close as I’ll ever get.” Allen looked at Liz again.
“Set it up,” she said.
“Listen, Rick. I want to say goodbye in person. Come meet me.” He took out his tablet, un
folded it and tapped on the screen. “I’m sending you an address. Be there in one hour.”
Allen tapped on his earpiece and ended the call.
“Good,” said Liz. “Very good. Now call Brooks again. Make sure he’s ready.”
17
PETER HAD INTENDED to speak to Father Curtis after evening prayers, but as he caught Curtis’s eye, he felt the same reluctance creep into back of his mind. Instead he smiled at Father Curtis and bade him goodnight.
He tossed and turned for several hours in bed. The last time he’d checked, the clock had read two thirty. Peter looked again. Two thirty-three.
“Dear Lord,” he whispered, “please bring me peace so that I might sleep.”
Peter turned onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. There, just as he had seen it on the wall and in his mind every night since then, was the crucified Jesus. Peter blinked several times to make sure he was truly seeing the image. Remembering an old trick—he didn’t recall ever having done it before, and he felt silly doing so now—he pinched himself on the arm. He squeezed his nails into his flesh until the pain became unbearable. He couldn’t remember ever having felt pain in a dream before, so he knew he had to be awake.
This was the clearest he had ever been able to see the vision. The appearance on the wall of his room had been brief, and the vision he had seen when he closed his eyes, even though it had been constant, had seemed blurry and far away.
As his heart began to race, he took in the details. If he truly was seeing Jesus, he wanted to remember everything about how he looked. The crown of thorns around Jesus’s head could not diminish the beauty and nobility of the face. His hair was shoulder-length and curly, and he wore a closely-tapered beard.
Peter cast his eyes across the arms of Christ. Multiple lacerations could be seen where the whip had missed his back and curved around his shoulders and upper arms. Jesus was nailed to the cross through his hands, not his wrists as skeptics had been insisting upon for hundreds of years.
The spear wound in Jesus’s side was dripping blood which ran down the side of his leg. Peter glanced at Jesus’s feet. A single long nail was driven through both feet. They were resting on a small block of wood, also nailed to the cross.
Sullivan Saga 2: Sullivan's Wrath Page 6
