The Phoenix Blade: Project Justice

by Andrew Hess

  The Benefactor

  “Why did he say to call him when the deal is done?”

  I knew it; the question I’ve been dreading this entire trip was on the tip of her tongue. The same question she wanted to ask the entire time, but was afraid to hear the answer.

  “What deal is he talking about, and what are you hiding?”

  “I haven’t felt right since Texas. The missions are getting too dangerous and felt very uneasy after meeting Arcana.” I told her about the meeting with Arcana and how he had a storied past with the Benefactor. “Things are just getting too complicated; so I arranged a deal with the Benefactor to get you out of the country. In return, I had to recruit Joe and Erik.”

  Lilly pushed herself towards the front seat; placing her arm around my neck; gently stroking my hair. “I’m glad we’ll have a few more people helping us.” Her soft happy features faded as she took a handful of hair; pulling my head back. “But if you think I’m going anywhere without you, then you got a big problem on your hands; because I’m not going anywhere.”

  Lilly was being stubborn; something I liked about her, but the new forceful side of Lilly was more of a turn on. But this was not the time for it.

  “It’s not safe for you anymore. I promised you a future and that’s what I’m giving you. You’ll be free to live your life and free from prosecution.”

  “I don’t care. It wouldn’t mean anything to me unless I get to spend my life with you.”

  “But we don’t know when or how this will end, and I refuse to put you in any more danger than I already have. It was selfish of me to involve you in all of this.”

  “Well, you don’t get to make that call.”

  Mike pulled the truck into the parking lot of Roxy’s; finding it nearly empty except for a few cars that belonged to the employees and a few customers. In the distance I could see a shiny black Hummer coming down the road. It was drawing closer; closer; close enough for me to realize the driver wasn’t going to stop until he barreled into us.

  “Lookout,” I shouted.

  The Hummer swerved before Mike could put the truck into drive; stopping inches from us with the driver’s side windows resting next to each other. The Hummer’s tinted windows slowly crept down; revealing a stocky Italian man with a crew cut.

  “Wow, you guys scare easily,” Joe laughed.

  “What the hell are you trying to do; kill someone,” Mike shouted; remembering he just saw his life flash before his eyes.

  “It’s what I do best. And my guess, that’s what you need our help with.”

  I edged forward to see Joe. “How did you know?”

  “Why else would you track us down? You know what we do, but if you want our help you better keep up or else you came here for nothing.” Joe rolled up his window and sped off; challenging Mike to follow him.

  “Hold on guys,” Mike shouted as he slammed on the gas.

  We shot forward in pursuit; weaving in and out of traffic as if we were in a high speed chase with the police. We needed to keep a low profile and this wasn’t the way to do it.

  Mike’s foot barely touched the brake as our bodies flung from one side of the truck to the other; trying to keep up with Joe. He was quick to turn down a side street as we followed suit; smacking our bodies against the truck doors.

  There were two more sharp turns before Mike slammed on the brake; pulling the truck to a screeching halt. “I guess we’re here.” He turned towards us; seeing the look of terror in our eyes as our hearts beat a mile a minute and our stomachs were left back at Roxy’s.

  The truck sat in front of a large brick wall with an open iron gate. Joe’s Hummer was parked on a large circular driveway just in front of the house.

  “What are you waiting for?”

  Mike pulled the truck through the iron gates as they closed. We stumbled out of the truck; not knowing if we wanted to kiss the ground or throw up on it.

  “Come on, it wasn’t that bad.”

  “Remember the time you drove us from Farmingdale to Uniondale in ten minutes; cracking ninety on the Southern State?”

  “Yeah, that was a fun night.”

  “This was much worse. Don’t ever do that again unless we have the cops on our ass.”

  “Wuss,” Mike whispered loudly as he grabbed the bags from the truck to bring them inside.

  We looked up from the truck and found Joe standing in front of a massive two story beige house with green roof; the kind of house that a celebrity might buy if they were just getting started in the industry.

  “It’s about time you guys showed up,” Joe shouted from the front door. “This isn’t a sightseeing trip. Grab your shit and get inside.”

  There were security cameras everywhere; focusing on the driveway and front door as steel shutters covered the windows and doors.

  “What are those for,” Lilly asked.

  “It’s our way of keeping our enemies out.” Joe unlocked the shutter over the door as it rose quickly and revealed a forest green door. “Wait till you check out the rest of the place.”

  We entered; finding wood floors in every room, a nude colored carpet leading up a spiral staircase, and a large living room with a dark green couch, fireplace, and sixty inch flat screen TV.

  “You went all out on this place,” I said while marveling at the luxurious house; knowing I could never afford anything close to it.

  “We do well with our business,” Joe laughed. “Leave your bags on the floor by the door; you can take them to the room after we heard your pitch.” Joe checked the time on the grandfather clock in the hall. “Erik should be here in a bit. For now, have a seat on the couch and relax.”

  I watched Mike and Lilly enter the living room, but I had something more important to take care of. I pulled Joe aside.

  “Hey, do you happen to have a scanner I could use?”

  “There’s a set of stairs in the living room that take you to a little nook; it’s our office area. You can do what you need to up there.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Just make sure your business deal is worth our time.”

  “Oh it is.” I grabbed the laptop case and found the stairs hidden behind a wall in the living room.

  It had a charcoal metal banister with a piece of carpet on each step; matching the spiral staircase by the front door. The steps led to a small black metal desk overlooking the front of the house.

  I setup the computer; connecting it to the scanner and copied all the documents the Benefactor sent us onto our computer. All the evidence against our targets; the mission briefings and directives were compiled into an email along with two pictures of agents from our hotel in Burbank.

  Everything was ready to go. One push of a button would send everything the Benefactor was working towards into the hands of a man that hated him. But I couldn’t do it; not yet. I needed to make sure Lilly was out of the country before I made my move. No matter how this turned out, my main goal was to get her out of this mess safely.

  There was a loud deafening buzz over my head; followed by Joe shouting from the living room. “Erick’s home; you better get your shit ready.”

  Chapter 64

  Our heads flashed to the driveway as a hot red Corvette sped through the iron gates; circling the driveway before coming to a halt next to the Hummer. The doors opened revealing a man around five six with short spiky hair and scruffy five o’clock shadow, He walked towards the house with a swagger; leaving his arm available for the long legged brunette in a cream colored dress and black stilettos to hold on to as they walked up the concrete path to the front doors.

  “Glad to see you guys made it in one piece,” Erik said as he entered the house. He took my hand and ushered me back into the living room. “So let’s hear this big business proposal you have for us.”

  I gave them the short version of how the government contacted us; blackmailing us into becoming hired assassins; killing corrupt politicians, greedy corporate leaders and others that were guilty of heinous crime
s that found their way around the judicial system.

  Their expressions never changed as if they knew something like this was bound to happen. They just found it funny that the quiet boy they used to pal around Long Island with was the figure head for the group known as the Revolution.

  “We’ve come to a difficult point in our mission and could use your help.”

  Joe sat down across from Erik on the couch. “We’ve seen your handy work all over the news; taking down the Governor of Florida; killing the Mason family and now you’re here for what?”

  “We’ve been ordered to takedown and eliminate two casinos and need extra man power, a strategy, and some explosives.”

  “Two casinos; that’s pretty ballsy of you. Which casinos?”

  “The Reese and the Roosevelt.”

  Erik and Joe huddled together; whispering something about our targets. “What are they guilty of?”

  “They’ve been rigging their games; causing their customers to lose everything.”

  “So, why should we care?”

  “Because the casinos are laundering money for a terrorist organization; headed by a man called the Reaper.”

  They shrugged their shoulders. “So what’s stopping us from turning you into the cops for the reward money?”

  I could feel Lilly and Mike staring at us; ready to make a run for the door. They thought we were in trouble, but I knew better.

  “For starters, you hate the police. You guys like chaos, mayhem and blowing shit up. I figured we would ask the best for help, but if you’re not interested…”

  Erik held a finger; needing a minute as he huddled together with Joe as the woman paced behind them; her heels clicking the wooden floors with every step.

  They wasted no time in giving us their answer. “Count us in.”

  Erik’s female companion strutted to the other side of the couch; placing herself between Erik and Joe. “Count me in too.”

  “And you would be,” Lilly asked aggressively.

  We didn’t know who this woman was. To be honest, I thought she was just Erik’s arm candy, but there was something dangerous and mysterious about her. She sat with her arms folded and her foot gently tapping the floor; her eyes fixated on our group.

  “You can call me Natalya and I’m the one who started these two in this line of work.”

  Erik put his arm around Natalya’s waist; giving her a little squeeze. “She’s one of the best.”

  I didn’t know how good Natalya was or how useful she was going to be, but Erik and Joe trusted her; which meant we had to. “We can work out the details later, but I need to make a call first.”

  I stepped away towards the office on the second floor and stared at the computer as I dialed Tino Arcana’s office. He picked up by the third ring.

  “Hey it’s the Phoenix. I don’t have much time.”

  “I hope you reconsidered my offer.”

  “I’ve thought about it. I need that video on air in the next ten minutes or else the Benefactor will know something’s wrong.”

  “What about our deal?”

  “Just play the video. Once it airs, check your email.”

  The tone in his voice became soft as if he were afraid to tell me what was on his mind. “I need to be upfront with you. I talked to Agent Peterson with the F.B.I.”

  “I guess we know who we can trust.”

  The bass in Arcana’s voice increased. “Hey, you showed up in my office with your story; telling me you wanted out of this mess. Well, how do you think we set that up? We need someone that can pull the strings to make deals for your group without the Benefactor knowing.”

  “And how do you know he’s not on the Benefactor’s payroll?”

  “Peterson has a long standing reputation for hunting down criminals; which was why he was chosen to go after your group. I expect him here in a half hour. That should give you enough time to get out of town.”

  “What makes you think we’re still there? Time’s ticking Arcana; don’t disappoint us.”

  Chapter 65

  Everyone gathered on the couch; watching TV as the multicolored peacock symbol appeared on the screen. The logo disappeared; replaced by a man clean shaven man in his forties with dirty blond slicked back hair.

  “We interrupt you scheduled programming with breaking news out of Burbank. We have word that the group known as the Revolution has dropped off a video at our studios and has demanded it be broadcasted immediately. We urge our viewers to watch with caution.”

  The large screen faded to black and was replaced with the familiar setting of a cabin that we recognized as our safe house in Texas. The brown couch had five young children with black hoods over their faces sitting around a tall woman with black pants, white shirt and a black hood. The camera focused on the three individuals dressed from head to toe in black.

  “Hello America. My name is the Phoenix; the man responsible for the erratic murders and cryptic messages you have been hearing about on the news.”

  It was my voice echoing through the speakers on the TV, but it was distorted.

  “First I’d like to say these were not random; they were chosen; chosen to be executed for their crimes they committed against the public.”

  The large hooded man stepped forward; knowing it was Mike. “The people we disposed of were guilty of crimes against people, states, and even this country.”

  “We are merely cleaning up our country; something the judicial system refuses to do.” They let Lilly’s voice be heard on the video without manipulating the sound. “The government and reporters will mislead you, but no innocent people will be hurt.”

  “But mark my words,” the cloaked version of me said on screen. “We will track down those responsible for ruining our country and deliver justice to their front door.”

  There it was. Our message was broadcasted to the country. I didn’t know how many people it would reach, or if the video aired online.

  The anchor sat in stilled silence; thumbing for the words to describe what they just watched along with the rest of the country.

  Joe looked up at the office; meeting my eyes instantly and smiled. “I’m guessing this is your doing.”

  “Why? Did it peak your interest?”

  “I’m strangely okay with it. But you weren’t joking about being in deep with this Benefactor guy.”

  “It’s why we need your help.”

  “What’s the plan?”

  I walked down the stairs; wondering what would be our best course of action. “We need to split into two teams tonight to check out the casinos. We need to find a way to get to the owners and a way to demolish the casinos without causing excessive damage to bystanders or to other buildings.”

  Natalya stood up from the couch; sashaying over to me. She put a hand on my chest and winked. “That won’t be a problem. I always find a way to get what I want.”

  Lilly lunged forward but was held back by Mike as Joe snapped his fingers. “I know the perfect bomb for this. I can make an implosive bomb that should cave in the casinos instead of making it fall onto the streets.”

  I pushed Natalya away. “Great, that should do the trick. I think we should get rooms at both casinos so we can get everything ready.”

  Natalya had a satisfied look on her face. “Consider it done. I’ll pull a few strings to get us two rooms at each casino.” She walked away; pulling Lilly aside. “You don’t have to worry about me; just wanted to show some of my skills in persuasion.”

  Lilly’s hands were balled into fists, but dropped them for the sake of the mission. “It’s fine; don’t worry about it.”

  “Here, come with me.” Natalya directed Lilly up the spiral staircase. “We need to look devastatingly hot tonight.”

  “Looks like we’re in for a couple of long nights,” Erik said as he stood up from the couch. “I suggest we all get some sleep.”

  Chapter 66

  I knew it was going to be a rough night, but there was more planning I needed to do before g
oing to the casinos.

  I hit the speed dial on my phone; hearing the Benefactor’s cool condescending voice. “Mr. Lancaster, this is a surprise.”

  “I’m calling to confirm our deal. Joe and Erik are on board.”

  “Excellent, I’ve arranged Lilly’s flight. She leaves in five days from JFK airport.”

  “We’re going back to New York?”

  “Yes which means you need to hurry this mission along and get back there immediately. If she misses her flight, there won’t be another opportunity for her to leave.”

  I was heartbroken to hear I only had five days left with Lilly. I didn’t expect her to leave so early, but I knew it was for the best.

  “Don’t worry, she’ll be on that flight.”

  “Splendid, but I expect a call when your mission is complete.”

  I hung up the phone and returned to the office upstairs; finding the laptop open with the email ready to send to Arcana.

  A pair of cold hands touched my shoulders. “What did he say,” Lilly asked.

  I hung my head low. “You leave in five days.”

  “That doesn’t give us a lot of time for the mission.”

  “He said if you’re not on the flight, there won’t be another.”

  “Then I guess I’m not going.”

  “No, you need to get out of this.”

  “I don’t want to go without you. Maybe there’s a way to sneak all of us out of the country.”

  “He’ll know; he’ll find us. I have to see this till the end. It’s the only way to keep you safe and everyone else out of jail.”

  “Then end this quickly before something bad happens.”

  It was exactly what had been on my mind the last few days. I didn’t want the rest of the group to know the deal with Arcana. The more they knew the greater risk everyone would be in.

  “That’s just what I intend to do.”

  Chapter 67

  Arcana rushed back to his office after ordering the video to air across the country. He knew his job would be on the line if his bosses found out about his involvement, but it was the line of Federal Agents entering the fourth floor that worried him. He hid behind the smoked out windows of his office and tapped the DVD case the Phoenix gave him.

  “Time to face the music.” Arcana stepped away from his desk, opened the door just enough to see several men in suits barging through the hall. “Shit they’re here already.”