by Alex Cage
“No,” Boyar answered, “but I know he lives in Arlington, Virginia. He’s originally from upstate New York and served in the military. In the Army—leading a Green Beret unit. Guess who was part of his unit.”
“Reeves,” Black answered reluctantly.
“That’s right, but why the doubt in your voice?”
“I had a couple of run-ins with Reeves—he didn’t fight like a Green Beret. But then I thought, excess alcohol and drugs will do that to you.”
“Wait, a couple of run-ins? I thought you only ran into Reeves once, Black,” Toben contended.
Ashley’s mouth gaped, forming an O-shape. “I… um… I forgot to mention we were tailed by Reeves and Guo,” she said.
“What?” both Toben and Boyar blurted in tandem.
“What happened?” Toben continued.
“Uhh… um…” Ashley searched for words.
Black saw her struggling to formulate an answer. “Nothing much happened,” he said. “We noticed them following us as we left San Francisco. They tailed us all the way to a gas station in Bakersfield and it was there we got the drop on them. Tied them up in the bathroom and called the local law enforcement.”
“Okay, but did they say anything?” Toben asked.
“Guo didn’t have a chance to say much. But Reeves mentioned Stokes wanted him to come after me because I had something that could hurt Stokes’ family. And before you ask—I have no idea what he was talking about.”
“I don’t get it.”
“That makes two of us. Boyar,” Black redirected the conversation, “you said Stokes led a unit and Reeves was part of it. Who else was in his unit?”
“There were three other guys,” Boyar answered. “And, unlike Reeves, these three are still active. They all either participate in military training programs or head small ops for the government. I’m surprised the government still uses any of them from that unit.”
“Why?” Ashley asked.
“The whole team was under investigation for an operation that went wrong in Colombia. Apparently, some money went missing from a drug bust the unit was involved in. I think the investigation is ongoing.”
Black nodded. “I take it these other three members of the unit live on the East coast.”
“Yep, two have residence in Maryland and one in D.C.”
“What did you guys find at Fantastic Galaxy?” Toben asked.
“They didn’t find anything,” Ashley answered. “But they’ll have a small SWAT unit and a few officers at the 324 event tomorrow. We’re going to be there too, of course.”
“Okay. Boyar and I will see if we can track Stokes and this Tyler down. If Tyler is going to Fantastic Universe, he’s probably already in Orlando or on his way there. You two be careful and get some rest.”
“Toben,” Black said, “before we adjourn, is there any news on Petrak?”
“Oh yeah. Mr. Petrak is denying having anything to do with the bombings. He denies having anything to do with the firearms or the sauce,” Toben said.
“So that means he’s probably denying having anything to do with his daughter.”
“Yep. According to him, she acted all on her own.”
“What a pig and coward,” Ashley condemned. “He supplies all the unmarked firearms for the Bay Area and denies it, even to the point of betraying his own daughter.”
“Don’t get worked up. We finally have him and he’s going away for a long time. Now you two get some rest and, remember, be careful. I’ll call tomorrow,” Toben concluded.
“Good night,” Ashley said.
“Good night,” Boyar echoed.
The call ended. Black stood from the couch and Ashley placed the phone back in her pocket as she stood.
“I guess we should get to bed,” she said, walking the chair back to the desk. “I want to make sure we get to the park early. If there’s a chance we can catch Johana before she does something to hurt others and completely ruin her life, I don’t want to miss it.”
“You seem to have a soft spot for her,” Black commented.
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then what is it? Because this girl can be pretty dangerous. She almost blew me to pieces. I don’t want you freezing… because she’ll exploit the opportunity.”
“I don’t know… I just see a little of myself in her.”
“Attitude, good-looking, and dangerous. I can see that.”
Ashley chuckled. “Yeah, but not exactly where I was going. I meant… my father wasn’t around, and I often think how different my life could’ve turned out.”
“But you turned out okay because you made okay decisions. I understand where you’re coming from, but this girl made her own choices.”
Ashley said nothing.
Black stared into her eyes and she looked into his. They stood that way for a long five seconds.
“I should get to my room,” Ashley said, walking towards the door.
Black trailed a couple of steps behind.
Ashley pivoted at the door, facing Black. “Oh yeah. Thank you again,” she said.
Black moved closer to her. “For what?”
“Covering for me. I didn’t know Reeves and Guo were tailing us until we were near Bakersfield.”
Black said nothing. Leaning in closer, he could hear Ashley’s heart rate increase.
“It was nice working with you today,” she said as her breathing became heavier.
Black remained quiet and continued to lean in until he was within kissing distance.
Ashley bit her bottom lip. “It—it was great working with you today, Black, but…”
Black moved in closer. He dodged her face, reached around her, grabbed the door handle, and opened the door. “We have a big day tomorrow. We better get some rest.”
Ashley brushed her hair behind her ear. “Oh yeah, o—of course. I’ll see you in the morning,” she said quickly, clearing her throat and stepping into the hall.
Black watched as she fiddled with the key card reader. She entered her room, turning around with a forced smile and waving before closing the door. Black smiled and waved back as he shut his own door. He chuckled to himself on the way to the bathroom before taking a shower and preparing for bed.
EARLY THE NEXT morning, Black rolled out of the sheets. Within thirty-five minutes, he had performed his push-ups, sit-ups, and stretches, gotten dressed, and packed his travel sack. Exiting his room, he was surprised to see Ashley standing in the hall already dressed and packed.
“I was just about to knock on your door,” she said.
“Well, no need to now. Good morning.”
“Good morning. The hotel has free breakfast. Let’s see what they have.”
“Let’s go.”
They took the elevators down to the lobby, where they found the dining room and had breakfast. Forty minutes later, they were entering Fantastic Galaxy. The sun was just dawning when they reached the ticket stations. This time there were a lot of cars in line. Ashley angled for the ticket station to the far right. She pulled up to the station and flashed her badge. The guy nodded as if he was expecting her and signaled for her to go through. She crawled past, steering in the direction of the main office.
“Didn’t have to buy a ticket or anything,” she said.
“That’s a good sign,” Black said.
“What makes you say that?”
“The ticket clerk was expecting you. More than likely that means the park staff has been informed and they’re on the lookout for Johana.”
They found a space in the parking lot outside the main office. Standing out front was the park manager.
“Aw… I really don’t feel like dealing with him,” Ashley sighed.
“I know what you mean, but don’t let him get to you.”
The two stepped out of the car and walked over to the manager.
“Good morning, Agent Chapp,” the manager said with a smile on his face.
Ashley squinted her eyes and slightly tilted her head back. “
Good… morning,” she said with reluctance in her voice.
The man moved his attention to Black. “And you’re Mr. Black, right?” he said. “Good morning to you.”
Black responded with a single nod.
“I was told to take you to the clubhouse, where the event will be held. Follow me,” he said, walking in the direction of a golf cart.
“Why is he acting so nice?” Ashley whispered to Black.
Black shrugged.
The group hopped on the golf cart. Black and Ashley together in the back seat. On their way to the clubhouse, they passed a number of roller coasters, restaurants, theaters, and game booths. There were employees dressed up as various characters, astronauts, aliens, space rangers, and kings and queens of planets all around the park. The place was empty and quiet for the most part, with only the employees running around getting prepared for the park to open, from what Black could tell. The cart stopped in front of a long set of granite steps. At the top of the steps was a concrete structure. The front and the sides of the building were flat like most buildings, but the back was rounded outwards. The roof was made of something that imitated the sparkle of crystal.
“This is the clubhouse,” the manager said. “Go in and help yourselves to the drinks and refreshments. I’ll be back once I finish up at the main office.”
Black and Ashley skipped off the cart, watching the park manager as he waved and wheeled off.
“He was acting strange,” Ashley said, looking at Black, gently shaking her head.
“Maybe he had a change of heart,” Black commented, before reading two large signs near the steps.
One of the signs read The Galactic Clubhouse and had a large arrow pointing to the building up the steps. The other had the number 324 with a circle around it and a line crossing through it, just like Black had seen on the fliers at Fisherman’s Wharf three days ago. Under that sign was written, No child’s life should be taxed. For our kids. For our families. For our futures. Come join the conversation! There was also a large arrow under this sign pointing to the same building.
“They make it easy to find the party,” Black said, throwing his head towards the signs.
“Yeah… I guess so,” Ashley replied.
The two hiked up the steps, approaching the front entrance. The doors hissed and pulled open with a dramatic swooping sound, providing the impression of entering an actual galactic space station. The inside felt cool and had the scent of newness. It was bright with a lot of different shades of white assaulting the eye—the floors were white, the walls were white, the counters were white, and the ceiling was white. To his right, Black noticed a counter which had dozens of different buttons and lights blinking at the top. On the other side of the counter were a few employees dressed as space cadets standing behind computer screens. To Black’s left was a long white hall. There were fake windows along either wall which contained screens playing animated movies of stars and planets moving past, which gave guests the effect of walking down the hall of a real station in outer space.
“This is pretty neat, huh?” Ashley enthused.
“It’s interesting,” Black replied, taking note of a holographic image of the solar system at a circular terminal located near the center of the lobby.
A couple of seconds later he saw Captain Stuart walking around the hologram terminal towards him and Ashley.
“You two made it,” Stuart said. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” they replied.
“Okay, so let’s get to it. Walk with me,” Stuart continued, leading them towards the back of the building. “I’ll have two guys outside at the front and two in here during the event. I’ll make sure we have a metal detector and security checkpoint in the lobby and, as I mentioned yesterday, I have a small SWAT unit in a nearby parking lot ready to go. The park is on board and the employees have been briefed.”
“So how did you get the park manager to change his tune?” Black asked.
“Yeah,” Ashley echoed.
Stuart looked over his shoulder. “I just told him I’ll charge him with obstruction,” he said, shrugging with a smile on his face.
“Good play,” Black said.
They dodged the hologram and walked towards the back of the building, where there was a small auditorium with stadium seating and a stage at the far back wall. The platform was decorated with anti-324 posters, and on the back wall of the stage was a large circular window providing a view of one of the popular attractions of the park, a planetary-shaped roller coaster ride. Against the far right wall of the auditorium was a long table heaped with refreshments. The group took the steps down towards the stage.
“We performed another search of this building and park and didn’t find anything,” Stuart informed the other two. “I guess now we just need to be on the lookout to ensure nothing happens.”
“I guess so. Thank you for all the hard work, Captain,” Ashley said.
“My pleasure. Now excuse me for a moment. I have to speak to one of my men,” Stuart said, walking to an officer on the left side of the auditorium.
Ashley looked at Black. “It’s time to do your favorite thing—wait.”
“I don’t have anywhere to be,” Black said, shrugging and following the scent of coffee to the refreshment table.
Ashley paced behind him. He grabbed a cup and filled it with coffee, and she did the same. Then they waited for about two hours while chatting, enjoying coffee and pastries, and watching the employees and local law enforcement set up for the event. Black went to the restroom and on his way back he noticed the park manager in the auditorium talking to a younger man who was dressed in jeans and a blazer. The man had creamy skin, great hair, and a glowing smile—movie star material.
Black walked over to Ashley. “Who’s the young Brad Pitt?” he asked.
“That’s the star panelist. He’s probably the most popular of the activists that’ll be here today.”
“Well, I guess we better keep a close eye on Mr. Pitt.”
After a few minutes, the park manager walked over. “Did you two get any refreshments?” he asked with a smile on his face.
Both Black and Ashley nodded.
“Good. Enjoy the event,” he said, walking over to the food table and speaking to a tall girl with dark hair. “Hey, Julie.”
The girl turned to face him. “Sir?”
“We need to make sure the refreshments stay filled.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied.
“Thank you,” the park manager said, walking in the direction of the lobby.
ANOTHER HOUR WENT by and the auditorium seats filled with guests. On the stage were three panelists and one person behind a podium facilitating the discussion. The really good-looking guy sat between the other two panelists. Black stood near the refreshments table as people filtered in and out, keeping his eyes on the stage as the panelists continued on and on about problems he felt a little common sense could easily solve. Soon Ashley approached and stood next to him.
“The security checkpoint at the entrance is working well,” she said. “Did I miss anything?”
“Not a thing,” Black sighed.
“You seem uninterested.”
“That’s because I am.”
“This is an important subject.”
“Very important. That’s just it. I don’t understand why we need a law to tell us how to take care of our kids.”
Ashley gestured at the crowd and smiled at Black. “I believe that’s why people are here. They don’t want any laws telling them how to take care of their children.”
“That’s one way of looking at it,” Black said as he glanced around the auditorium.
“What do you mean?”
“Most people in this auditorium don’t look like they have one child, let alone five. And none of them look like they’re on welfare. So how is the law impacting them negatively, is what I’m wondering.”
Ashley turned to face the auditorium. “I don’t disagree with you, but maybe p
eople feel they have rights.”
“That’s the same thing a young couple at Fisherman’s Wharf told me, and guess what—they had no kids.”
“You’re for the law, Black?”
“No, I’m for doing what’s right, considerate, and makes the most sense. If you can support your family and children emotionally, relationally, financially, and parentally, have as many kids as you want. But if you can’t or are not willing to, then maybe you need to really give it some thought before having kids or… any more kids. I know everyone’s situation is different.”
“Sometimes kids just happen, Black,” Ashley pointed out with a faint giggle.
Black smiled. “One maybe, but three or five? Not likely,” he laughed.
“Like I said, I don’t disagree with you.”
They both turned their attention to the stage, listening for another fifteen minutes as the panelists discussed humanity and what they felt a family should or shouldn’t look like. As Black was listening, something caught his eye. It was one of the park employees—a girl, average height and dark hair—walking towards the stage with a tray of water bottles. It was difficult to determine her shape because her long-sleeved white shirt and dark slacks were a bit loose. Black continued to watch as she placed the waters on the table in front of each panelist and hurried off the stage. At that very moment another employee, a young black man, walked over toward him and Ashley. He seemed to be taking a break and catching what the panelists were talking about. Within a few seconds, the park manager appeared at his side.
“Hey, Reggie,” he said to the young man.
“Yes, sir,” the young man answered.
“Did you get the waters to the guest speakers?”
“Julie was supposed to bring them out.”
Black quickly turned to Reggie. “Julie? The tall girl?” he asked.
“Yeah, that’s the only one I know,” the young man replied.
“What’s wrong?” Ashley asked Black.
“The girl who brought out the water was shorter,” he answered, racing towards the stage.
Jerking to a stop in front of the speakers’ table, he studied the water bottles and easily found what he was looking for. The untouched bottle in front of the guy at the center was bubbling and beginning to shake. Black grabbed the bottle and tossed it high towards the circular window at the rear. He lifted and flipped the table over and behind the panelists to serve as cover, and diving to the ground, he yelled, “Get down!”
