Dark as Daylight Ch. 09

"Yes, I like that idea very much."

He booted up his computer, opened the disc drawer, and hit play. What he watched turned his stomach, as the colonel explained what he was watching.

"These 2 men are alive, and with their families, because they told us exactly where they planted the explosives, who paid them, the exact amounts of the payments, and where we could find them."

"This man was cooperative up to a point, and then he lied to me. This was his reward. His name was Randall Smallwood; does that ring a bell with you Mister Watley?"

"No, I don't recall the name at all."

"Do the names Isstiron Intelligent Systems, General Scanning, or Agiligent Automated Intelligence mean anything to you?"

"No, nothing at all."

"Number 15, his right hand please."

As number 16 grabbed him around his neck, number 1 pulled his arm straight. Number 15 took a spike, placed it into the palm of James Watley's right hand and raised his sledgehammer I above his head.

"I know them alright; I know their names. I knew their owners until recently, that's why I'm getting out of town. I guess it was you guys who eliminated all of them to get to me."

"Very astute thinking Mister Watley, but again you are just another steppingstone on our way to the top. The choice is yours; do you want to live, as the plumbers are, happily with their families; or do you want to die like Mister Smallwood, Mister Flynn and his White Hill Gang, and Mister Parsons who inhabits a grave outside Las Vegas?

It was very cute of you to attempt to skip over yourself to Stansfield Turner, a member of Boeings Senior Staff. What you did not realize was that he is a heavily invested, and an initial board member of the 'Deep Space Science Project'. It was a terrible oversight on your part.

I want to cut to the chase this instant Mister Watley, I want copies of all your financial dealings, and everything the FBI will be looking for the day after tomorrow. Don't tell me they're not in the house, because number 15 will start with your palm, and work up to your elbow before he will stop."

"There are 2 recessed buttons on the left side of the wall unit. They must be pressed simultaneously, and the unit will roll forward. There is a safe underneath it. I have the combination."

"Number one if you would please."

After feeling for the buttons, on the bottom of a small ridge, number one pressed the buttons and the unit slid forward 3 feet. The safe was underneath the wall unit.

"Open the safe Mister Watley, and if anything comes out of there besides the discs you are in a lot of trouble."

"There is a gun resting on top of everything, as well as a great deal of cash. The discs are buried underneath everything."

"When you open the safe, use 2 fingers and hand the gun to number 1. Put the cash off to the side, and give the discs to number 1."

***************

"We are ready to transmit the information on the disc."

"1-919-516-543/ Ext- 5491."

"Thank you."

"Split the discs up between numbers 11, 12, and 13. Give them this phone number, and they will know what to do."

"Yes sir."

"How advanced is your HIV-AIDS, Mister Watley?"

"Is there nothing you people don't know?"

"If there was nothing we didn't know, we wouldn't be here asking questions, would we?"

"No, I guess not. I am very seriously ill, and I am on my way to a clinic in Bern Switzerland that specializes in cases like mine."

"You have 3 hours remaining to make your 2 o'clock departure time. It's a little more than 1 hour from here to O'Hare. Since you're going through a private terminal, it will only take you 30 minutes for boarding. That gives you 90 minutes to tell me who is at the top of this conspiracy. We can do this painfully, or peacefully. You can do this as a billionaire, or in a grave. It matters a lot to me, because 2 of the people who are going to be sitting on top of that rocket are sons of friends of mine. They are not blood relatives. However, I would have to attend their boy's funerals, look at my friends' faces, and feel their devastation. My friends can simply turn away from me, knowing there was something I could have done to save them from their pain, or could ask me to join their son's, because I failed in my mission to save them.

I will have to stand in a room, with their families in attendance, apologize for my failure, and blow my brains out in front of them. They would not weep for me. It would just be the final act in a tragedy that we were all caught up in."

"Now, Mister Watley, you know my situation. It is life or death for me, just as it is for you. I want names, and I want them now."

"Listen to me carefully, because this is not a lie. I can tell you where I get my information from as far as my stock dealings go. I have tried to follow the paper trail with them to find out their names, but they are extremely well hidden. There are between 2 and 5 of them that are involved. I can only tell you that I call them 'The Trident Commission', because none of their information comes to me via satellite or telephone. It always comes via cable, and in code. I have the translation for the code in my checkbook, as well as my computer passwords. When I enter their information, it re-scrambles it into information for me to make purchases on upcoming deals all over the world. Without the checkbook, the code, and the passwords, the information on the computer discs are worthless. What you just transmitted to your friends is worthless without the information on my checkbook."

"Where is your checkbook now?"

"Do I live or do I die?"

"How would you like to fly out of here on your Ultralight, so you can say to the police you escaped a criminal invasion of your property?"

"How do I know you have been tampered with the ultralight?"

"Why don't we go upstairs and check it out?"

********************

Watley tested everything, from the seats to the tension on every string, and even if there was a sugar or some contaminant in the gas tank. He ran the engine for 3 minutes, and it purred like a kitten getting a massage.

"Do you wish to fill up your tank Mister Watley? You can test that fuel also before you put it in. When you're finished we can put tape over the fill cap, with some sort of identifying mark you will recognize."

"Yes, let's do that."

When he was finished, he drew a picture of this corporate logo on the tape, with his initials in the center, and he affixed it to the fuel cap.

"Would you like to put your shirt back on, or a sweatshirt for your flight?"

"My shirt would be more believable in an escape attempt."

"When we return to your office you may put it on. However, I want the names of the people you know, or that shirt is going to have blood on it."

"I like your escape theory, rather than my blood on the shirt. If I stay alive, and you save your friends' sons, we will both live to see another day."

"Names please, I'm getting tired of conversation."

"Before I give you the names, I have one other piece of important information to give you. There is an attack scheduled on your South Carolina facility, for either Tuesday or Wednesday of next week between 2 and 4 a.m. At last count there were 700 men involved, using everything from automatic rifles, mortars, light armored vehicles, transport vehicles to keep their soldiers' undercover of direct fire, and bulldozers to get through the razor wire fences."

"How did you find out this information?"

"It came through as an ordinary cable. They forgot to put a code on the front that was supposed to keep me from opening it and forwarding it to our security team. They would forward it to another asset."

"Do you have a copy?"

"Yes I do, but it's in the drawer with the hand grenades, and I don't want to scare anyone when it's opened, and I'm about to fly away a free man."

"It's a matter of trust Mister Watley, and I'm going to trust you. Open the drawer, remove the cable, close the drawer, and hand it to me."

While Lucius sat in his chair, extremely calm and nonplussed; James Watley was sweating as he opened the drawer, moved the grenades, and the shotgun aside, took out the copy of the cable, and closed the drawer securely. He handed the cable to Lucius, who read it with great care. He opened his cell phone, and hit speed dial.

"Yes."

"911, 911, 911, on the way directly. Destroying chip, suggest you do same after receipt."

"Goodbye."

**************

Junior looked at his father and knew immediately something serious had just occurred. He didn't ask, he waited for his father to say something.

The 2 Williams' looked at each other.

"An attack is eminent in South Carolina. We will be getting the information by secure text in a moment. Change the chips in everyone's phones, and tell security to do the same."

Junior didn't say a word; he just did as he was told. He found Alfonse and gave him his marching orders. He went to the small safe and pulled out five new chips. He went to Patrick, Gwen, and his mother to change theirs. He also changed his at the same time.

He walked over to his father and handed him his chip, which he knew would be installed later.

The tone, and the buzzer went off on the secure text machine, and although you would not consider it running, it sure wasn't walking.

Just as they were closing in on the machine, 2 females, with fearsome faces, blocked their path.

"Go ahead mom, 7 months pregnant, I can still beat the shit out of the younger one."

"Only in your dreams dear."

"And the next time you are getting laid is?"

"Dad is it always like this?"

"Son, sometime you wish you could roll over and die."

"What's going on everyone; what's this confrontation about?"

"How do you always know when to stick your nose into the middle of something you're not supposed to?"

"I am a Zabo; it's a gift. When did you say you are getting your nose fixed?"

"Please dad, just a leg, maybe both of them?"

"We have to read the text first, then we will know what to do."

Gwen reached for the text.

"7 months pregnant or not, you won't be able to sit down for a week if you touched that text."

Gwen retracted her hand, as if she had put it into an open flame.

Jemma looked into her husband's eyes, and didn't move her hands away from her body. She moved out of the way so he could take it off the machine, and read it for the first time

"What are your restrictions on travel, Gwen?"

"I just entered my seventh month, dad, I don't have any restrictions yet."

"Wonderful; Jemma, you, and half of our security team are going to Patti's tomorrow morning. Take enough clothes for one month, although it will not be that long before you return here. An attack is eminent in South Carolina. William, Patrick, and I will not be there, but I want the enemy to have to split up his forces to find us.

Underneath Patti's house, where she keeps her computers, is a safe room that is akin to a nuclear bunker. If anyone decides to attack you, while you are there, they would need the equivalent of a hydrogen bomb to get you out. Now, have the team help you bring the luggage down, and start packing.

This is not a game. I will have Paul fly the helicopter in, and you will be in Glenn Falls by early afternoon tomorrow. The security team will leave early in the morning to get there before you, and do a security sweep of the entire area. I am not taking any chances with any of you. You are too precious to both of us, and we will not lose you. Other forces will be brought into play to protect you, while you are there also."

The wives kissed their husbands torridly, and then looked at each other.

"I guess they do love us mom; unless they're going to Washington to find a Monica Lewinsky look-a-like, while they're away."

Patrick yelled, "Can I get one too?"

The 4 elder Zabo's joined in saying one word very definitively.

"NO!"

"You guys are never going to allow me to have any fun. I'm even missing out on my dancing lessons, because of this fiasco. I'll make you a bet it will be a three-pronged attack. They will make it look like their heavy forces are coming in through our most heavily defended areas to keep a majority of our forces pinned down. Their main assault will come by light truck straight down our normal entryway. They will drive down into the bowels of our building complex, and once they get in there, the damage they will do will take more than 15 years to undo. Then we will have to start all over again, if that's possible."

Junior looked at his little brother, and then at his father.

"Where did we get this military genius from dad? If they did it exactly the way Patrick said it should be done, every penny we spent so far is wasted.

If they kill Holden, and Richard while they are in there, the entire project is dead for at least 50 years. It will take that long for anyone to come along to match their genius."

"You have just come up with a scenario that could kill this entire project, Patrick. Patricia's mother told her if she came up with a program to hurt someone, she had to come up with a program to reverse the process, otherwise it was useless. You have just hurt us severely; now show us a way to defend against it."

"Dad, we already have it, and it is as simple as baking a precooked pie. 'The Bear Traps.' This time we dig them deeper, and wider for the attacking trucks to fall into. We make them U-shaped, around the entire perimeter of our front fences. We take the extra dirt and line it up against the surrounding fence to give it extra support if they try to ram through them. Our men will have the extra protection, as they repulsed the enemy.

The text says 700 men. If you raise it to 1000, and take 150 each for the false attacks in the rear, we still have a 2 to 1 ratio in the front, and we have neutralized their element of surprise.

We also build a 'Bear Trap' on the entry road. We use huge steel construction plates to cover the 'Traps.' As soon as we hear the firing start, we have tractors pull the plates off, and open the pits. It's dark as hell outside at that time of night. As they are trying to speed away, they will never know what hit them. Fifty men will be able to hold off 300 men, who are either dazed, or hurt because of their retreat posture."

"You should write a book Patrick. That stuff is amazing."

"I can't do it Will; someone else already did."

"Who was he? How long ago did he write it? It should be part of everything taught at the military academies."

William Senior began laughing. 1 + 1 now equaled his best friend. Patrick was going to lower the boom on his older brother again.

"Don't hit him in the nose Patrick. Just spit it out and get it over with."

"You know the answer dad?"

"Patrick please?"

"The book was written in 1977 by Major Lucius C. Canyon, United States Army. The military hierarchy called it a piece of junk. However, he was the most decorated military officer in the Balkan theater of war.

His men, and the teams he supported in battle, loved him. He was discharged from the Army for the Good of the Service. The men of his division refused to reenlist, because they did not want to work for an officer who went strictly by the book, and get them killed."

"Would you get me a towel, Gwen; I seem to have egg on my face."

"Eggs have a great deal of protein. They will help your nose heal, and the swelling go down."

"Don't make me say it Gwen. Pat is here, and he will want to watch."

"Can I? I promise I won't tell anyone what I saw?"

"NO!"

"No fun, no fun at all."

Alfonse walked into the room, and asked William Senior a question.

William nodded his head in ascent.

Alfonse made a phone call and asked number 20, for permission to hire a man, who was known to the entire group, to assist in protecting the 4 Zabo females. The request was granted.

Alfonse dialed a number in New York.

"Hello."

"May I speak to bear please?"

"This is little bear, who may I tell him is calling?"

"The adjutant."

"I will get him."

"This is 'Bloody Nose'."

"This is 'Right Field.' The man wants to know if you are available?"

"The man never has to ask me that question. He only has to tell me what, when, where, and who."

"What is close body protection: 2 large, 2 small. When is now. Where is Glenn Falls New York. Who is worth your life."

"I am bringing an addition, who is part of my current contract. We will be there in 3 hours 45 minutes. Text me the address. I will be bringing a full armament package."

"My team will be coming in several waves. I will not be with them. You will identify: 'Hoosick.' They will identify: 'Trumpet.' 'The Packages Are Your Absolute Responsibility, Regardless Of The Addition."

"Understood."

****************

"Kathy, we are going on a field trip. Pack jeans and enough clothes for 2 weeks, plus walking boots and sneakers. This one does not sound like fun."

"Well, thank goodness you taught me how to shoot the mini-gun."

"They just informed me that the people we are going to guard are worth both our lives. Whoever they are, they are at the very top of the food chain. Whoever is coming for them will be too."

"Should I bring my play clothes?"

"You little devil you. You still look 14 years old, and I love every tiny bit of you. Bring your play clothes, and your toys; it may throw them off our scent for a short time."

****************

37. Flight and Fight

"Let's go Doctor Aubrey; the rocket is ready to fly, and almost time for you to die."

He stood up, and walked confidently out of his cell.

"We have about 10 minutes yet before we turn, Monty; why don't we play catch?"

"That sounds good to me; how about you Doctor?"

"I don't care."

"Here you go."

Jack threw the rounded piece of C-4 to Aubrey. He caught it and threw it to back. The next round went to Monty and she threw it to Jack. This went on for a few minutes, before Monty asked, "Have you noticed anything interesting about this ball of ours, Doctor?"

As Aubrey looked at it, and something registered in his mind. He dropped the ball to the floor, and jumped away.

"What's the matter Doctor, haven't you ever played catch with C-4 before?"

"You people are out of your mind. If this gets too hot, it will explode."

"Yes, we know Doctor. That's why we're in an enclosed space. I'm keeping track of how many times we are throwing the ball. The critical temperature will be reached when we throw it 48 times. You will never guess who is going to be holding the C-4 at that time, would you?"

"This will blow up the entire section of the ship."

"You're wrong Doctor. That would only happen if it received an electrical charge through a blasting cap. That is the force multiplier. Heat, when applied to C4, will only destroy a section of 63. You will disintegrate, but you will not harm Monty, who is standing only a few feet away from you. We decided to do it this way, when we found this block of C 4 in a landing gear shaft. The other block of C 4, which you planted in the rocket was given to the 17-year-old engineering student, who found it, while micro-welding the scratch on the inside wall of the rocket body. It was a great diversionary tactic doctor. The senior engineers missed it completely. You are a genius of the highest order."

"So all my work was for nothing. I couldn't destroy the computer. I couldn't get away with changing the pages in the manual. I couldn't destroy the nuclear engine. I can't keep you from contacting Earth, and I can't keep you from crash landing on Atwater Luck. My life's mission is a total failure."

"You must remember Doctor Aubrey; you went up against some very brilliant people. You mustn't get down on yourself. Doctor Even Luck was the most brilliant engineer Earth has ever known. His son, Gordon, developed the Nuclear Fusion Engine. He knew it better than everyone. Even for someone as brilliant as you are Doctor, and everyone on this ship realizes how brilliant you are, ran into the makers of these magnificent machines, and they are the only reason we are still alive.