by Alex Cage
17.
THE FIRST SOUND Black heard was a deafening pop, followed by glass shattering and a ringing in his ear. A cloud of smog coated the air and the smell of smoke swept across his face. People were screaming and coughing and running about the auditorium. Lying on the stage, Black peered in Ashley’s direction. She staggered to her feet, looking over at him. He scanned the room and, through a gap in the fog, he saw the dark-haired woman who was supposed to be Julie. She was near the top of the stairs and leaving the auditorium before she looked back at the stage. She stared into Black’s eyes, smiled, and removed her wig, exposing her long red hair.
“Johana,” Black grumbled as he looked to Ashley and pointed at Johana. “That’s her!” he shouted.
Ashley followed his gesture and raced up the stairs after Johana.
Black crawled to his feet and pushed the table that somehow had ended on top of the good-looking male panelist. “Is everybody okay?” he asked them. No one answered; they all seemed to be in a daze. They look fine, Black thought, dashing after Ashley and Johanna. He had to fight through a panicked gaggle of audience members to make it to the entrance. Near the front door, at the security station, he noticed one of the police officers rolling on the floor, cuffing his groin. Black continued through the crowd of frantic people, pushing his way out the door. On his exit, he coughed and brushed the debris from the explosion off his face and clothes. Outside it was bright and quiet. The rest of the park was operating as if there had been no explosion at all.
Immediately Black spotted Ashley at the bottom of the stairs hounding after Johana. He took four long hops and was at the bottom of the stairs, about six yards behind Ashley. Another five yards ahead of her was Johana. The group sprinted through the park, passing rides, souvenir stores, booths, dodging pedestrians and food carts. The sound of laugher, fun, and happiness permeated the air, along with the smell of popcorn, hot dogs, cotton candy, and funnel cakes. Johana glanced over her shoulder as Ashley slowly gained on her and Black on Ashley. Suddenly the sounds of a barrel organ, flute, and percussion triangle permeated the air. The group rapidly approached a carousel loaded with kids sitting inside spacecrafts and rockets which circled a planet.
Johana jumped on the carousel. Ashley grabbed the back of her shirt mid-flight but fell to the ground when Johana shrugged her hand off. Black increased his stride, circling around to meet Johana as she sprang from the carousel. He stuck out his foot and watched as she did her best to avoid catching her foot on his boot. She did anyway and stumbled a few paces before tumbling onto the pavement. She jumped to her feet, brushed her hair from her face, and raised her fist.
“You again. Ready for round two?” she panted.
“It’s over. You don’t want to do this,” Black said.
“You don’t know what I want. You know nothing about me.”
“I know enough, Johana Petrak.”
Johana winced. “Don’t call me that,” she demanded. “My name is Johana Howard.”
“We both know that’s not your real name. You’re the daughter of Milo Petrak.”
“No,” Johana denied.
“You even work for him,” Black continued.
“No,” she shook her head. “Just because I work for him doesn’t make him my father. I don’t have a father, never had one.”
“You do, but he abandoned you. This whole thing is about getting back at him.”
“Shut up!” Johana screamed as she rushed towards Black, throwing a jab at his face.
Relaxed, Black waited for her fist to get two inches from his face before he swung his leg behind him while grabbing her wrist with one hand and pushing the back of her shoulder with the other. He spun his opponent three hundred sixty degrees before rolling her to the asphalt. She bounced to her feet, lobbing two more jabs in quick succession, followed by a kick. Black parried both shots and blocked the kick with his shin. His attacker ended her combination with a right cross. Black was able to slip by the punch and hip-toss her, sending her sliding on her back across the blacktop.
She rolled to her stomach and crawled to her feet while removing a remote device from her pocket. “You thought I wouldn’t have a backup plan,” she jeered.
Black exhaled sharply as the sound of dashing footsteps approached.
“DHS, freeze!” Ashley ordered, gun drawn.
Black looked back and pushed his palm towards her. “Wait!” he yelled, turning his attention back to Johana, who had a grin on her face. He froze, staring, and she pressed her remote. She dashed off just as a loud blast resounded from fifty feet to his right. There was a concrete structure suspending a replica of the planet Mars in the air. The supporting structure tore into pieces instantly and the Mars replica collapsed to the walkway and started rolling his way. Black estimated the sphere was about eighteen feet in diameter, not too big, but large enough to possibly hurt someone. A mass of people was running, yelping, hollering, and leaping out of the path of the large ball.
“I got her,” Ashley said, jetting after Johana.
Black went to follow her but something his subconscious felt was urgent drew his eye again to his right. At that very moment a little girl tripped and sprawled in the path of the giant sphere.
Get up, kid!
The girl lay on the ground and began to cry.
Great. Black sprinted to the kid, quickly heaving her under his arms and darting out of the path of the huge globe with only seconds to spare. It rolled and bounced until it crashed into the carousel.
Black sat the crying kid down. He knelt and leaned in close. “You’re okay now,” he said gently.
The girl whimpered, drying her eyes with her forearm.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
“Where are your parents?”
“I don’t know,” she answered, tearing up again.
At that moment a woman brushed past Black and scooped the little girl up. “Ah—thank goodness,” she said, embracing and kissing the child.
“That answers that,” Black muttered, bolting in the direction he had seen Ashley chasing Johana. He ran for ten seconds before spotting them through a crowd. Ashley had her gun aimed at Johana, who had her back pressed against a chain link fence. He dashed over and stopped ten feet behind Ashley.
“Johana,” Ashley said. “It’s important you understand I don’t want to hurt you. I know you’ve been through a lot. What I need is for you to turn around and put your hands behind your back, slowly.”
Johana stood still, glaring at her.
“I need you to do as I say.”
“And if I don’t?”
“I won’t hesitate to shoot you. I really don’t want to, but I will.”
Johana’s gaze dropped for a couple of seconds before she looked up with pursed lips and dull eyes. “Okay,” she said in a flat voice.
“Okay,” Ashley said. “Okay. Turn around slowly and put your hands behind your back,” she ordered, moving closer.
Johana did as she was told.
Ashley kept the gun trained on her with one hand and used the other to remove the handcuffs from her belt. Holstering her gun, she stepped closer, reaching for Johana’s wrist.
She’s being too compliant, Black was thinking. “Ashley, watch out,” he warned aloud.
Before he could get the last word out, Johana pivoted and grabbed Ashley’s wrist with one hand and pushed the back of her shoulder with the other. The cuffs fell to the ground as the force sent Ashley staggering into the fence. Black stepped forward to help, but she had already recovered, hurling a spinning back fist to Johana’s jaw. Black stood at bay, watching as the two circled each other.
Johana held her jaw as she scowled at Ashley with bulging eyes and flared nostrils.
Ashley stared back at her with tightness in her eyes and curled lips. “If this is how you want it. Let’s do it,” she said, raising her hands, fists open.
Johana pitched a quick jab, connecting with Ashley’s shoulder. The DHS agent absorbed
the attack and countered with a front kick to her opponent’s gut. Johana ignored the pain, returning a kick to Ashley’s ribcage, grabbing her throat and pushing her against the fence.
Black noticed Ashley was in trouble and moved closer to help, but she gave him a nasty look.
“Don’t you dare, Black,” she strained under the pressure of Johana’s choke hold. “This tramp is mine,” she finished, breaking the grip her adversary had on her. She struck Johana in the throat with the curve between her index finger and thumb.
Johana immediately clutched her own throat, gasping. Ashley continued the assault with a knee to her opponent’s stomach before grabbing a hand full of red hair and slamming her head to the pavement. She picked up the handcuffs and stooped to restrain the unconscious Johana.
Black walked over to her. “I guess that Krav Maga is paying off,” he joked.
Ashley quickly looked up, giving him a stern eye through a slit in her messy hair before chuckling and shaking her head.
Within the next few seconds loud voices drew nearer.
“Police!”
“Stand back!”
“Out of the way!”
Captain Stuart approached with three SWAT members in full tactical gear. Stuart stopped near Black while the small unit surrounded Ashley and Johana.
“I guess it paid off to stick around after all,” Stuart said.
“We’ll see,” Black replied.
FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER, Black was in the Fantastic Galaxy’s parking lot with Ashley and Stuart, all standing in the midst of emergency responder vehicles and workers.
“This is what we found on her,” Stuart said, handing Ashley an evidence bag.
She examined the bag for a few seconds before passing it to Black. Inside the bag were keys, some cash, a key card, and a pack of Alka-Seltzer with one tablet. He took note and swung the bag back to Stuart.
“We’ll get it all processed,” the captain said.
“Sounds good. Where is she?” Ashley asked.
Stuart pointed to a police cruiser. “Over there.”
“Thanks.”
Black and Ashley walked to the car. Johana was sitting in the back of the cruiser staring towards the front of the car, lips turned up. She glared at the pair as they approached.
Ashley opened the door. “How’s your head?” she asked, sincerity in her voice.
Johana rubbed the bandage on her own forehead. “How’s your ribs?” she sneered.
Ashley sighed. “I don’t think you realize just how much trouble you’re in.”
“I don’t think you realize how little I care.”
“Tell us what you know about Tyler Robinson and I’ll see how I can help you.”
Johana shrugged. “Who’s Tyler Robinson?” she withheld.
Black, standing behind Ashley, released a deep audible breath. This girl is working my last nerve.
“What’s wrong with him?” Johana said, eyeballing Black. “Is he out of breath?”
Black nudged Ashley to the side. “No, he’s out of patience,” he hissed. “The guy at the pier, the one whose face you aimed your gun at. What do you know about him?”
Johana pursed her lips, widened her eyes, and raised her eyebrows. “Could it be you got the wrong person?” she asked, hunching her shoulders.
Black was quiet for a moment, thinking. “Well, Tyler sure knows who you are,” he said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He’s been telling us a lot about you.”
Johana huffed and shook her head. “He wouldn’t do that. You’re messing with me.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because he knows better.”
“He knows better,” Black echoed. “Hmm. Does that mean you have something on him?”
“Maybe.”
“What you have on him wouldn’t happen to be in a large white envelope at your place in Presidio Heights, would it?”
Johana eyes narrowed. “You been to my house? Who do you think you are?”
“Someone who’d rather be somewhere else, but instead is here because a little girl who feels the world did her wrong threw a temper tantrum.”
“You think you know everything, huh?” Johana said before looking away.
“Not everything, just enough. For instance, I know you’ve been sneaking into your father’s warehouse and stealing some of his contraband. Using some of it to supply your little vendetta and selling the rest to street thugs and corrupt cops.”
Johana turned back around. “Corrupt cops,” she said, squinting her eyes. “I don’t know anything about any corrupt cops. So keep that to yourself. I’m not going down for something I didn’t do.”
“Honey, there’s plenty you’re going down for,” Ashley chimed in. “You used a deadly explosive multiple times in places you knew would be greatly populated.”
“Deadly explosive?” Johana played dumb.
“Yes. The one you nearly blew a guy’s head off with earlier.”
“Oh… I thought that was water. Unless you can prove it was something more,” Johana grinned.
Ashley stepped closer to the door, but Black extended his arm to block her.
“Oh, it won’t be hard to prove,” he said. “That liquid explosive, sauce, needs carbonic acid to combust. Water by itself wouldn’t have been enough. A chemical agent that could excite carboxylation would’ve had to been introduced to the water. So I’m thinking when the crime lab examines the contents from the explosion debris, they’ll find compounds that match the synthetic makeup of that Alka-Seltzer tablet found in your pocket. It’s not a question of if you’re going down, it’s a matter of how fast and far down you’ll be going, and that’s up to you.”
Johana shifted in her seat and bit her lip but said nothing.
“Tyler Robinson,” Black pressed. “What’s his part?”
The detained woman dropped her gaze briefly before looking up with parted lips. “His part is… I—I’m sorry, I can’t remember. I bumped my head pretty hard,” she diverted, smiling.
Ashley’s phone rang. “Good. I’m done with her,” she said, taking the phone out of her pocket and walking away.
“Have it your way,” Black said to Johana, easing the car door closed. Noticing a smirk on her face, he quickly pulled at the door again. “One more thing I think you should know. Your father is in custody and has been protecting himself.”
The sly grin on her face pulled straight.
“That’s right. He denies any involvement with the bombings, the firearms, the explosives—or you.”
“You smug bastard!” Johana snapped. “You don’t know me!”
Black continued to speak from where he left off, perfectly calm, unmoved, unshaken by her. “Your own father is saying you acted all by yourself and he has no clue about your motives or where you got your supplies.”
Johana looked straight ahead, glaring towards the front of the police cruiser, blowing heavy breaths.
Black exhaled. “I’m telling you this because I thought you might want to start helping yourself. Your father is protecting his own skin. So being angry at him and taking it out on innocent people is not doing you any favors. It’s only showing the rest of the world just how much you hate yourself.”
She glanced up at Black.
“Look, there’s a young man who is about to ruin his life and possibly the lives of many other even younger kids. I decided I’m not going to let that happen. If you have any information that can help resolve this quickly before anyone else gets hurt, now is the time to share.”
Johan faced the front, quiet.
Black shrugged and began to close the door.
“Tonight,” she said, still looking straight ahead.
“Tonight what?”
“He’s going to hide in the park and set up for the event tomorrow. Tonight when the park closes.”
“At the Fantastic Universe theme park in Florida,” Black confirmed.
Johana nodded yes before hang
ing her head.
He shut the door completely and walked to Ashley, who had her back turned and was finishing up a call.
She spun around. “That was Toben. He said he had something urgent to talk to us about.”
Wrinkles crossed Black’s forehead. “What, he wants to do another conference call?”
“No… he actually said he’ll be here in thirty minutes.”
18.
TWENTY OF THOSE minutes passed and they were in the main office waiting on Toben. Black was busy in the kitchen area while Ashley was seated on a couch in the lounge, resting. He walked to her with two cups of coffee in his hands, one black, no sugar and the other with cream and sugar.
“Here you go,” he said, handing her the latter cup.
Ashley adjusted in her seat. “Ow. Thank you,” she said, favoring her ribcage and reaching for the cup.
“You might want to have that looked at,” he said.
“It’s okay. I’m fine. Trust me.”
Black shrugged, sitting in a chair next to her. He took a sip from his cup and placed it on the coffee table in front of them. Ashley did the same with hers.
“Did Toben give any clue as to what was urgent?” he asked.
“Nope. And he got off the phone so fast I didn’t get a chance to give him the details of what took place here. All he knows is we caught Johana.”
Black nodded.
“This has been a rough morning. It’s pandemonium outside,” Ashley said.
“At least it’s quiet in here.”
“Yeah, we have the whole place to ourselves,” she smiled, glancing around the silent lounge before lifting her cup and taking another sip. She fixed on the cup for a moment. “Black, how did you know all that stuff about the sauce needing carbon combustion and all?” she asked, circling her finger around the brim of her cup.
“Oh, that. I made most of it up. I remember Toben saying how it can cause an explosion just being mixed with a carbonated drink. All I did was draw off of the bit I know about the carbonation process and the role the Alka-Seltzer plays in it. Will the crime lab figure it out? I’m not sure.”
