“You've always been an ass,” Nina interrupted. Obviously, their conversation wasn't quite as private as Purdue hoped it was.
“That may be so,” Purdue said over to her before lowering his volume and speaking directly to August again. “But I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions without more evidence. It was just...it's just been hard figuring out what's what since taking over the Black Sun.”
“No worries,” August muttered with a shrug of his broad shoulders. “It was just what those people up there in that chopper wanted. They wanted to see how we would all react.”
“Aye,” Purdue said, glancing up through the trees. “All of those bastards flying around must have had a real good laugh watching me. I'm sure I put on quite the show for them.”
“I'm just glad I'm not prime suspect number one anymore.”
“Case closed,” Purdue confirmed with some embarrassment. “I won't doubt you again.”
“Good,” August said, offering his hand. When Purdue took it, he squeezed Purdue's hand hard and continued. “If the day comes that I do betray you, I'll do it in a much more awesome way than any of that. Believe me, I wouldn't be slitting open old men in their sleep.”
Purdue winced at the strong handshake before pulling away. “Comforting, thanks.”
They returned back to the group who were all looking around nervously. They really should have been moving, but Purdue was glad that he tidied things up with August. Now, though, it really was time to figure out an escape plan.
“So what do we do exactly?” Riley asked, never drawing her gaze away from the sky above. “We can't hide from them forever. Not when they're swooping around like a dragon.”
“You're right,” Purdue concurred. He tried to think of their best option, but none of the options seemed like good choices.
“The only way we can really get away is by bringing that thing down.”
His team looked understandably bewildered. They all knew that it was no easy task to bring down a helicopter, especially without any kinds of weapons, but he did have one plan in mind. It seemed likely to fail but it might just be crazy enough to work. One thing Purdue had learned from traveling to the most dangerous places in the world for years was that there was always a way out, no matter how bleak or impossible the situation was. This wasn't any different...except that it could get very, very messy...
“You have a plan then? Right?” Yusuke inquired, looking eager to get some vengeance for Shin Wo.
“Aye,” Purdue smiled at them all but found very few smiles in return. “But you're all not going to like it...at all.” He turned to August and tapped the big man's shoulder. “How’s your throwing arm?”
18
HELICOPTER BLADES
Purdue walked out of the forest's tree line by himself with his arms raised high. He still held the bag of Genghis Khan's bones in one hand. The helicopter hovered in front of him, and he could see that blond man in the trench coat sitting on the side of it. The stranger placed the megaphone to his mouth and spoke again.
“Am I going crazy or is that you, David Purdue? Finally coming around and seeing some sense? It's about damn time. Where are your friends?”
Purdue looked up at that man, and despite the distance, knew that they were locking eyes.
“Well, come on over then!”
Purdue could have surrendered right then and there. He could’ve given himself over without any sort of fight. Maybe he’d spare them all if Purdue cooperated, but there was just as much of a chance that he’d slaughter them all the second he got the bones, if not before.
“Bring me the bones, Purdue. Now!”
Purdue had his own plans, and for those plans to work, he couldn't do that. He broke into a sprint to his left, racing away from the helicopter. He ran as fast as he could, making sure he didn't drop Genghis Khan's remains. He could hear the helicopter veer out of its idle hovering and then heard the voice yell out over the speakers again.
“What the hell do you think you're doing, Purdue!?'
Purdue didn't look back. He just kept running, staring straight ahead. He could hear the helicopter blades spinning behind him, coming closer. He wouldn't be able to outrun it long but that wasn't the point now. He just needed that helicopter in the perfect position. He sprinted past a hill, and waved his arm, giving the signal to spring his plan into action.
Purdue turned and faced the helicopter and the aircraft hovered over him.
“Really?” The man called over the megaphone. “What the hell even was that? Some piss poor escape attempt? Or just giving time for your friends to try to run? We'll catch them, too. So what's the point of that?”
Purdue snickered. He had the helicopter exactly where he wanted it to be. For the first time this entire expedition, he had the upper hand over these people that had manipulated all of their movements along the way. He was the one pulling the strings now, without them knowing it.
Now it was up to August—and he was right where he was supposed to be.
Purdue pointed past the helicopter and away from the man inside with the megaphone. The man looked away from Purdue and turned to his right. The whole aircraft followed suit and tilted in the direction that Purdue was pointing, so the pilots could get a better look.
August stood on the slope of a nearby hill, making him stand at a similar height to where the helicopter was hovering in the air. He held Galen's cane in his hand.
The thing about helicopters was that they were incredibly fragile vehicles. If one part went even slightly wrong or one bit was knocked even a little off balance, the whole aircraft could be compromised.
August had spent this entire trip having his loyalty questioned and being looked at as a possible enemy, all because these men in the helicopter had manipulated the entire expedition. They were the ones that put him in such an uncomfortable situation and nearly destroyed his relationship with the other members of the Order of the Black Sun. August needed some redemption, and in this case, that also meant some retribution. Purdue looked straight at the helicopter and saw that smug blond man sitting there, looking at him with confusion.
The megaphone clicked on and the man's voice called out, loud enough for everyone around them to hear. “And just what do you think you’re...?”
August couldn't help but smile, and he hoped that the man in the chopper saw it. He wished that he saw just how happy he was to do this and would know that he was the wrong person to try to frame. August took Galen Fitzgerald's cane in his hand, gave it one last look, and then threw it at the helicopter with all of his strength. The walking stick shot through the air and smashed straight through the windshield of the helicopter. The pilot was knocked out on impact, leaning forward on the control panel.
The helicopter buckled off to one side unsteadily and the leader sitting there in the doorway of the transport looked shocked. He grabbed hold of a rigging inside the chopper to steady himself and his mouth fell open before the helicopter careened downward toward the ground below. They never saw it coming; and even if they did, they probably wouldn't have thought it would matter—but it did. August watched the helicopter spin out of control. The blades on top of it rattled against the rocks and snapped and the vehicle smashed down onto its side as smoke and fire rose up from it. Moments before, it was in the sky, in complete control of the situation, now its wings were clipped and the people inside had completely lost their advantage.
Purdue waved up to August and never felt so grateful to have that behemoth on their side. Purdue had wasted so much time questioning August, interrogating him, and accusing him of being nothing more than a traitor. Hopefully August could forgive him? Purdue shouldn’t have just jumped to conclusions but at that time, it had seemed so clear. It was a bad way to start a relationship between a boss and their worker, but Purdue was going to fix it. He was going to make sure that any bad blood between them was cleared up because it certainly was now from Purdue's end.
That was one hell of a shot that he made. No one else c
ould’ve thrown that cane that hard or that accurately but those big arms August had sure came in handy. He may have entered this expedition as nothing more than muscle to have in case of an emergency, but that was exactly what they needed in the end.
Purdue walked toward the site of the helicopter crash. Hopefully, it was a hard enough hit to knock these bastards out of commission. Otherwise, they might not be completely in the clear yet. Pieces of the helicopter's blades were scattered about the area and the vehicle itself was all smashed in from its fall. Purdue peaked through the shattered cockpit window and it looked like both people in the front were dead as could be. He moved around the vehicle and that was when he saw him—that man that had shown up demanding Genghis Khan's bones.
That man was pinned inside of the crashed copter, the upper half of his body practically hanging out of it. He was bloody from the crash, but he was blinking, still alive—good. Purdue wanted him alive. If the enemy had died when the helicopter went down, that would’ve been fine since it meant Purdue and his team would live. Getting rid of him would have been a victory, but by him still being alive, there was a chance to learn just who he even was.
Purdue stepped in front of the wounded man, wanting to just tear him apart for this whole ambush of his, but refraining so he could go after him with his head instead of with his fists. Purdue took a step closer to the copter and glared down at him. The man looked up at Purdue but didn't look afraid. He actually kind of looked happy to see Purdue. Still, this was the best time to get answers and that was what Purdue knew he had to do.
“Who do you work for? Galen?”
Purdue had to ask, but he already knew the answer. There was no chance that Purdue's earlier theory was correct but he wanted it confirmed for good.
“That Irish guy? Didn't you see me shoot him? Are you really that paranoid to think that it was some kind of act? How is he, by the way? I'm an excellent shot.” The man stared laughing, even as he coughed up blood. His injuries from the crash couldn't dampen how funny that prospect was to him. “Does anyone actually work for him? No. Especially now that he's dead, dead, dead.”
Purdue was surprised by how angry the taunts about Galen were making him, but it was infuriating to hear a murderer mock his victim. He’d already done them the biggest insult by taking his life. There was no need to keep going after them after you had already killed them and ripped any chance away for them to defend themselves.
“Then who?”
“Wouldn't you like to know...” Purdue pressed down on the open gash in the man's shoulder and the laughing was replaced by pained grunts and growls. He bit back the pain and kept talking. “Careful, Purdue. We're already disappointed. Start torturing people and you'll look more and more like Julian Corvus. We’d hate to see that the Order of the Black Sun hasn't really changed after all. We all hoped for more--”
“Who is we!?”
The man's gazed drifted to the fire on the ground. His expression sunk and he suddenly seemed very distant, lost in his own thoughts. His eyes were wide with dread. He didn't seem to care much about the wounds he’d suffered anymore. He was far more concerned with whatever outcome he was playing out in his head.
“She isn’t going to be happy with me. That old crone is going to be furious. Furious...”
“Who!?” Purdue shouted.
There was a cracking sound behind the man's bloody lips and white foam oozed out of his mouth. His eyes rolled up and he started choking on the liquid that now flooded his maw.
A cyanide capsule.
Purdue grabbed at the man's jaw, in some futile attempt to save him from the poison but it was too late. The man collapsed back into the wreckage as the cyanide ate away at the last little bits of life he had left.
All of the answers and information he had were washed away by the cyanide, and died with him.
Purdue stood over the stranger, staring down at the fresh corpse. Who was this man? He couldn't have been part of the Order of the Black Sun...and apparently hadn't been working for Galen either. What about all of those things he’d been saying during his last moments?
We’re disappointed.
She isn’t going to be happy.
Who was he talking about? Purdue thought that his days of facing mysterious groups of enemies would be over once he had the Black Sun under his control. Evidently, he was mistaken. There was another player out there, and Purdue had no idea what game they were even playing.
But there was someone who might.
19
THE DEMON IN THE BOX
The flight back to the Order of the Black Sun headquarters was long and quiet. They were all exhausted from the search. Everyone passed out from fatigue at least once on the flight. Purdue woke up from one of brief intervals to see everyone else with their eyes closed, breathing slowly. He was so proud of all of them for not only making it through such a surprisingly difficult expedition, but also proving just how beneficial they were to have on board for his new vision for the Black Sun.
The bag of Genghis Khan's bones was casually resting in Purdue's lap. He usually would have felt awkward having a dead guy's remains in his arms while he slept, but he didn't feel that at all. He just wanted to be sure that those bones were safe, and he wasn't going to give them up until he was face to face with Elijah and ready to hand them over to be stored in the Black Sun's deep vaults. Those remains had been lost since their burial, since Genghis Khan's body had been carted away in the dead of night and buried after the slaughter of the slaves who prepared his resting place. Now they were found and out in the world.
Still, it was a bit gross to think he'd been holding someone's bones for so long.
Yusuke's eyes drifted open, and he smirked at Purdue. Yusuke let out a yawn and then slowly walked over, taking the seat beside him. He looked like he was barely awake, but was self-aware enough to give Purdue a pat on the shoulder.
“You got him, Purdue,” Yusuke uttered with a quiet snicker. “You got the Great Khan. After eight hundred years, you were the one to get him.”
“Stop flattering me,” Purdue said. “We all found them. I'm just the one who pulled them out of the dirt.”
“And put together the whole search,” Yusuke stated.
“Technically, that dead bastard with the helicopter put together search. I was just the ass that followed all the clues he laid out for me. I was merely the fish that took the bait and let himself get reeled in...but also the fish that then came up with the plan to kill that fisherman...” Purdue wasn't sure his musings were making much sense with how tired he was, but he hoped Yusuke got the point. “This was a joint effort. Whether we were manipulated or not, we found Genghis Khan's tomb. We all did. Whoever that man worked for might have found them first, but as far as I'm concerned, they forfeited their bragging rights the second they put those bones back to trick us.”
“Who do you think they were?” Yusuke asked.
“No one good, and I may have a way to find out.”
Purdue continued to think about their attackers for the rest of the flight. Someone out there was powerful, and had enough resources to completely take control of Purdue's expedition for the tomb. Once he got back to the compound, Purdue would try to learn more, but for now, all he could do was sit there in his seat, trying to determine who this new enemy was.
PURDUE WAS glad to see Sam as Purdue entered the compound. As much as Purdue enjoyed his team and had grown to trust them through all of the trials and tribulations, Purdue was so happy to see such a familiar face. He’d felt a little guilty about leaving Sam behind. They’d been on all kinds of adventures together, and they had been side by side while trying to gain their lives back from Julian Corvus. They butted heads sometimes but usually made it through to the end together and on good terms. It must have been alarming to Sam to be excluded from the search, but Purdue couldn't rely too much on his old friends. Having Nina there was one thing, but Sam being there too would only have been a crutch. Plus, Sam probably wouldn't have bonded
with Riley, Yusuke, and August as well as Purdue did. This was about new connections, not leaning on old ones, and it had proven successful at the end of the journey.
Sam approached, putting on a fake pout before breaking into a smile and holding out his hand, which Purdue happily took. Sam glanced down at the burlap sack in Purdue's grip. He pushed it partially open and looked down inside of it.
“Is that really him? Genghis Khan? He's shorter than I expected. Thinner, too. And older. He looked so much younger in all of those paintings.” As usual, Sam's delivery of humor was dry and he barely looked like he was even trying to kid around. Purdue was surprised how much he actually missed that type of talk while on this quest. “Really, are you sure you found the right guy?”
“Hilarious,” Purdue said and pulled the bones away from Sam. He started walking toward the deep vault doors and Sam followed right on his heel. “Believe it or not, Sam, we really could have used you out there in retrospect.”
“Really?” Sam looked unconvinced and was still pretending to pout. “You guys found the tomb well enough.”
That was true. It had been a success, but they could’ve used another semi-capable fighter. August was strong and had more than proven that he could help protect the team and Purdue could hold his own in a fight. Even Nina had shown that she was capable in a pinch, but Sam had been in more scraps than Purdue probably, so Sam would’ve been helpful in that sense.
“We did, aye,” Purdue said. “But not without incident and kicking over what might be a very big nest of bees. We'll see...”
“What do you mean?” Sam perked up with some worry. “How big of a nest? Bigger than us? Bigger than the Black Sun?”
“Maybe,” Purdue suggested. “I'm actually hoping to find out now.”
Sam glanced from Purdue to the giant deep vault doors ahead and the cogs in his head were very clearly turning. His face contorted into a mix of confusion and anger. “Please tell me you're going to be going through the files to find out...and not...”
The Tomb of Genghis Khan Page 16
