The Phoenix Blade: Project Justice

by Andrew Hess

  “Take the right,” Joe whispered. “We’ll take the left.”

  I could see the soft glow of a light in the distance before splitting from the group. We rounded stone pillars; getting closer to the light until Natalya and Joe found the horrific sight.

  Lilly was handcuffed to a metal table that looked like they brought down to so they could be interrogated before someone broke their hand with a hammer of cut off fingers. Lilly’s purple studded dress was pulled up to the small of her back with Walters behind her removing his leather belt.

  Walters saw Joe’s shadow in the distance and quickly pulled his revolver; pointing it between Joe and Natalya.

  “Don’t move or I’ll blow her fucking brains out.” Walters pressed himself close to Lilly as he rested the barrel of the revolver on her temple. “Toss your weapons.”

  Joe and Natalya kept their hands in the air as they placed their guns on the ground slowly.

  Walters laughed. “Good, now you can watch while your sister gets pleasured.”

  “You really are a sick bastard,” Joe replied.

  “Is that any way to talk to the man who holds this pretty young lady’s life in his hands?”

  “I don’t care about her.”

  Lilly’s eyes welled up with tears as Walters dropped his pants. She could feel him pressing closer while he put his face next to Lilly’s.

  “You hear that? Your brother doesn’t care about you.”

  Lilly continued to squirm; trying to pull herself away from Walters while Joe watched. “No, I mean she’s not my sister. I don’t care what you do to her. But if I was you, I’d be more concerned about the other guy you pissed off.

  I maneuvered behind Walters. He was about to insert himself into Lilly. There wasn’t a second to waste. I threw the sheath to the ground and plunged the sword deep into his back; feeling it slide between his vertebras as it broke past the rib cage and nicked his heart. His body went rigid and fell to the floor; leaving a pool of blood beneath him.

  “Are you okay,” I asked while fixing Lilly’s dress. “Did he hurt you?”

  “I’m fine now that you’re here. Please, just get me out of here.” I knew she wanted out of the casino, but for the first time she wanted out of the group too.

  Natalya picked the locks on the handcuffs while Joe setup the explosives around the room.

  “We got five minutes to get out,” Joe said. “What should we do about him?”

  “Grab the guard and let’s go. We can’t waste any time.”

  Chapter 78

  Agent Peterson arrived in Vegas after Arcana alerted him of the Revolution’s mission. The Reece and Roosevelt Casinos were next on the Phoenix’s hit list, but Peterson didn’t understand why. He hoped to find the group and talk some sense into them before making their dangerous move.

  Peterson’s cell rang in the center console of his rental car. He picked it up on the third ring after noticing Arcana’s name on the caller ID.

  “What’s wrong,” Peterson asked.

  “Did you see the news? The hostages were found in a hotel in Burbank a little while ago.”

  “I know, my men are covering it as we speak.”

  “But I thought you were going to Vegas?”

  “I am; I went alone. They think I’m taking some time to go over the case while they check out the scene.”

  “Okay, but let me know if you find them.”

  Peterson hung up the phone as he drew closer to the Reece Casino. Police cars zoomed past him as they turned on to the strip.

  “This just in,” the DJ said on the radio. “We just received word that there has been an explosion at the Reece Hotel and Casino. Calls have flooded into the station saying they heard a blast and the building collapsed. No word on any injuries or fatalities at this time, but we will keep you posted as new information gets passed along.”

  Peterson shook his head in disbelief as he spun the wheel. The tires made a loud screeching sound as the car made a U-turn. Other drivers slammed their horns as Peterson zoomed in and out of traffic.

  “Damn it, they’re hitting the casinos tonight.” Peterson stopped at the first light he could and quickly input the directions to the Roosevelt.

  Peterson could hear the phone ringing again as he turned down the radio. “Peterson here, what do you got?”

  “Sir, this is Agent Kingsley. We believe the Phoenix and his group are in Vegas. There have been reports of a casino being attacked and the owner is nowhere to be found.”

  “I was just about to call you. I received an anonymous tip earlier from someone claiming to have information on the Phoenix which brought me to Vegas. I heard about the Reece on the radio and on my way there as we speak. I need you to dispatch two teams to my location immediately.”

  “Why two?”

  “I have a feeling they’re not done yet. I want you to lead the team at the Reece and send another to meet me at the Roosevelt.”

  “Wait, why the Roosevelt?”

  “That’s where I was supposed to meet my contact. I just don't want to run into any surprises while I’m there.”

  Peterson sped the rest of the way to the Roosevelt; weaving in and out of traffic; honking his horn at anyone that stood in his way. The GPS on his car told him he was a quarter mile away from his destination, but couldn’t drive any further as swarms of people crowded the streets; fleeing from the casino.

  Peterson ditched his car and hurried towards his destination; grabbing nearby people shouting, “What’s going on?”

  A young man in his early twenties stopped when Peterson grabbed him. “Man, all hell broke loose; bullets flying everywhere.”

  “Was anybody hurt?”

  “I don’t know man; maybe a couple of guards. I was too busy saving my own ass.” The kid ran off through the crowd as Peterson pushed closer to the casino entrance.

  Gunshots rand louder as he entered and peered around the corner; finding two men hiding next to a turned over table; neither of them he had seen before, but they were taking fire from a few men dressed in all black.

  Peterson released his gun from its holster and peered around the corner; observing everyone’s locations. He took a deep breath; knowing his decision would draw a line in the sand on where he stood. Peterson pushed himself off the wall; running into the room and firing at his desired targets. Peterson’s aim was precise; hitting the three guards in the chest and head.

  “What the hell just happened,” the spiky haired man asked his companion. He looked over his shoulder; searching for their rescuer.

  Peterson hid himself from their view, but kept an eye on the larger man as he checked the dead bodies.

  “You do this,” Mike asked.

  “I ran out on my last clip three minutes ago.”

  “Then who shot them?”

  “I did,” Peterson shouted from behind an overturned blackjack table. He sighed heavily; watching the others search for the mystery shooter. “My name is Agent Peterson. I’m with the F.B.I. Arcana sent me to get your team out of here.”

  “What the fuck is he talking about,” Erik asked.

  “I don’t know, but Arcana is the guy Andrew saw in Burbank and dropped the video off to.”

  “You need to trust me if you want to get out of here before the police show up.”

  “Fine, come out slowly with your hands up,” Mike shouted.

  Peterson took a deep breath and raised his hands above his head. He could have waited for backup and took them into custody, but knew Arcana was trusting him to do the right thing. His biggest worry was the two he saved would use this chance to eliminate him from the investigation.

  Mike took Peterson’s gun while Erik frisked him. “I knew Andrew shouldn’t have trusted Arcana.”

  “It’s a good thing he did. Your team has been leaving a mark on this town and the police are already on their way.”

  “You son of a bitch,” Erik snapped; pointing the gun to Peterson’s head. “You ratted us out?”

  “You
did that by yourselves by shooting up the place. I just happen to be in the area when the call came in. But I can help you get passed them. I just need to talk to the Phoenix first. Where is he?”

  Mike nodded for Erik to drop the gun. “He went off with the rest of the group. Our target kidnapped one of our own and brought her down to the vault. We’re waiting for him to get back.”

  “You need to leave now. Get your truck or van or whatever the hell you’re driving this time and keep it running. We need to get as many of your team out before the police show up.”

  “We’re not leaving them behind.”

  “Listen to me. We have to do things my way for me to work out some kind of deal for your group. It won’t work if someone else brings you in.”

  There were sirens blaring in the distance; growing louder by the second.

  “They’re almost here. I’ll hold them off as long as I can. You need to get the others and get out now.” Peterson took a card from his pocket and handed it to Mike. “Take this and tell the Phoenix to give me a call when your team is safe.”

  Peterson ran from the building; holding his gun and badge in the air as he approached the first squad car. “My name is Special Agent Peterson with the F.B.I.”

  “What do we have here,” the officer replied.

  “There are no sign of any suspects, but counted five casualties; all security guards that seemed to work here. I need a bomb squad here before to search the building before going back inside.”

  “Why; weren’t you just in there?”

  “The Revolution already destroyed one casino tonight. You wanna be in there if they decide to blow that one too?”

  The officer entered the car to radio in the request as Peterson watched the Roosevelt. A small group of people ran from the building with the leader of the group made brief eye contact with Peterson.

  There was a loud rumble; shaking the ground violently as if Las Vegas was being hit by an earthquake. A deafening blast erupted from the Roosevelt; letting them know the Phoenix and his Revolution were there.

  Part 3: Plan B 

  Chapter 79

  It felt like hours had passed since the last time I drew a breath. The adrenaline continued to course through my veins as we crossed into Utah, but couldn’t help but stare into the night’s sky; replaying the carnage over again in my head.

  Our mistakes almost cost us too much. Joe and Natalya were almost died protecting Lilly, Erik and Mike withstood a barrage of well-trained shooters that posed as security, and Lilly almost lost more than just her life. If we hadn’t stopped Walters, Lilly would have lost her innocence and freedom. So many innocent people got hurt from the explosions and stray bullets.

  How could we have been so reckless? But there was a bigger question weighing heavy on my mind. How did we get passed the police?

  I remembered seeing a man talking to the police as we exited the casino. He wasn’t dressed like a cop; maybe it was someone telling the officers what happened, but there was something off about him. He stared at me for a moment, and for some reason I thought it was Agent Peterson.

  I wanted to question Mike and Erik, but my cell rang loudly in my pocket. I was cramped into the back seat of the Hummer next to Lilly and a few of our bags.

  “Hello,” I answered somberly.

  The Benefactor’s cool commanding voice boomed over the speaker on the phone. “I hope you’re out of Nevada.”

  “Yeah, the mission was a success.”

  “I’m well aware of that. I’ve been watching the news. What I’d like to know is why Agent Peterson was there with the police when the Roosevelt blew up?”

  My worst fears were coming true. The man I caught staring at me as we left the casino must have been Agent Peterson. I wondered if Arcana gave up the details of our mission or if Peterson was as good as the papers made him out to be.

  “Peterson was there?”

  “Yes, and I’m beginning to think there might be a leak in your group.” I could tell by the menacing tone in the Benefactor’s voice meant business. “Rest assured, I will find out who leaked information and will terminate them.”

  My heart was in my throat. I knew exactly who the leak was, but I thought I covered my tracks well enough. I used Joe’s internet, created a new email account and sent the message directly to Arcana.

  “Impossible,” I lied. “The whole group has been together nonstop. No one could have or would have tipped him off.”

  “That doesn’t mean someone didn’t slip up.” He paused; thought about his comment and continued. “I’ll have my people look into it and find out how the info got out. In the meantime, I suggest you hurry back to Long Island.”

  “Where are we going after Lilly’s flight?”

  The Benefactor laughed; reveling in my anticipation for the next mission. “One of our agents will pick you up and bring you in for your final mission.”

  “Final; as in last mission?”

  “You heard correctly. I’ll be in touch.”

  I sprang to life after hearing the words final mission and pushed myself closer to Lilly; placing my hand on hers. She flinched and pulled away instantly.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I should’ve been there sooner.”

  She looked up at me with her big brown eyes. The warmth of her stare was missing. “It’s not your fault. I knew the risk and volunteered for it.” She paused and sighed heavy as she returned her focus to the starlit sky. “Maybe it’s a good thing I’m leaving. I don’t think I could handle another mission.”

  I placed my arm around her head. “I’ll make sure you get on that flight and promise to get you out of this. The good news is I might be able to join you soon.”

  “What; how?”

  “The Benefactor told me they’re picking us up for our last mission once you’re on your flight. You know what this means? We’ll be free once we complete one more mission.”

  Lilly’s eyes came alive as she flung her arms around me and shoved her body into my chest. I pulled her in tightly; not wanting to let go, but I caught something suspicious out of the corner of my eye. Mike was playing around with his phone; something I hadn’t seen him do since we were given new cells from the Benefactor. I pulled out my cell and sent a quick message to Arcana; saying we need to talk.

  Chapter 80

  The Benefactor arrived at his private office early the next morning before Joyce showed up for work. There were dark circles under his eyes, his hair was a bit messy and his suit was a mass of wrinkles. He knew Agent Peterson being at the Roosevelt was no coincidence; he didn’t believe in such things. The Benefactor knew someone had given Peterson a heads up.

  He threw his office door open and barely hung up his jacket as he rushed to his computer; finding an invite for a video chat. He clicked the link instantly and found four dark squares pop up on his monitor.

  “It seems like we’re all here,” the Benefactor said as he fixed his tie. “Shall we begin?”

  “You look like shit,” Principle said.

  “It’s been a long rough night,” the Benefactor replied.

  “Why did you call this meeting,” Viper asked. His voice was as cold as the Benefactor’s usually was.

  “I don’t want to waste your time; so I’ll get right to the point. Last night the Phoenix and his group completed their mission in Las Vegas; destroying both the Reece and Roosevelt casinos as well as eliminating Sanders and Walters.”

  “We already know that,” Militia interrupted.

  “Yes, but Agent Peterson was found by one of our men at the Roosevelt moments after it blew up. We didn’t plan on him being there until much later; which means someone leaked the info to him.”

  “It wasn’t any of us; if that’s what you’re implying,” Militia snapped as he slammed his fist on a table; shaking his camera.

  “I’m not accusing any of you of anything. The group encountered someone from my past and I believe he’s using them to get information on our little project.”
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  “That’s your problem and you need to fix it,” Viper shouted; his voice getting angrier by the moment. “We put you in charge of this group and we trusted you to keep them in line. I suggest you get control of them immediately.”

  “Do whatever is necessary,” Militia replied. “Or we will.”

  The four squares combined into one as each member of the Committee exited the chat; leaving a picture of the Benefactor and his family. He stared at the screen wondering if everything he worked hard for was about to come crashing down on his head.

  The Benefactor ran his fingers through his hair nervously while looking at the clock on his computer. “Where is he? I told him to be here by eight with the paperwork.” The Benefactor exited his office and waited in front of his secretary’s immaculately organized desk. There were any papers or folders anywhere, but rows of nail polish and stacks of magazines that sat next to her phone.

  The door opened behind him; causing the Benefactor to jump back clutching his chest.

  “Sorry sir,” Agent Fields said. He was dressed in a black suit carrying a steel briefcase.

  The Benefactor grabbed him by the jacket; bringing Fields inside and shut the door. “Did you find anything?

  Fields opened the briefcase and pulled out a thick folder filled with papers. “This is everything I could find.”

  The Benefactor thumbed through the pages. “Is this what I think it is?” Agent Fields nodded while the Benefactor read each email.

  “They copied every mission briefing and sent them to Tino Arcana via email.”

  “How do you know they sent it?”

  “I installed a mirror program on their computer before giving it to them. Everything they did and sent on that computer was backed up on a separate file that I could access remotely.”

  “I knew there was a reason I hired you for our team. Were you able to see who sent them?”

  “Not directly, but I believe Mr. Lancaster sent them. He’s the only one with phone records and text messages sent to Arcana.”

  “Then we need to move onto Plan B.” The Benefactor led the way into his office; stopping at his desk. The Benefactor took out a black leather briefcase, removed a sealed envelope and handed it to Agent Fields.

  “You know what to do.”

  “Fields broke the seal and read the contents. He flashed a devilish grin as he returned the papers to the folder. “I’ll need two extra men, a set of blueprints, and…”