Second That Emotion
by
Latikia
Copyright © 2006
Chapter 33
There is nothing quite as humbling as being forced to recognize and accept your own mistakes and shortcomings.
I sat on the backless stool before the small round table and examined the chess pieces arrayed over its top. I heard movement and looked up. Facing me across the table were my grandfather, my mother, Carlie and my dark shadowy self.
I looked back to the chess pieces. There were fewer of them than the last time I remembered being there. Izzy, Lilly and Peggy’s pieces were off to one side with pieces that looked like Dr. Wills and Mr. Jones and my own piece was alone in the center, flanked by two large blood red faceless figurines; lined up behind each of those were ranks of much smaller pieces of a similar color, each one equally faceless.
“I screwed up.” I said after an indeterminate period of silence.
‘Yes, you did.’ Granddad agreed.
‘You’re young and you’re going to make mistakes. It’s to be expected.’ Mom added gently.
“I let my ego get in the way. I thought I had everything under control. I should have listened to Jones. He told me to keep my guard up.”
‘You didn’t know there would be more than one.’ Carlie said. ‘You didn’t know they’d try to take one of the girls.’
‘Sure he did. It’s the one thing we were most worried about, but you got cocky and figured the kid was all there was.’ the darkness snarled.
“He’s right. I got sloppy and arrogant. And because of me Peggy and Anya were hurt.”
‘You didn’t hurt them. You may not have protected them as well as you could have, but you didn’t hurt them.’ Granddad argued.
‘There is nothing you can do to protect them all the time, lover. You’ve got to accept that even you have limitations. No one can be everywhere; no one can anticipate every little thing that can go wrong. If you mean what you say about letting them live their own lives you’ll have to accept the potential consequences.’ Carlie admonished.
‘Life sucks…but it’s better than the alternative.’ Granddad reminded me.
‘We need to stop reacting to their plans and start making our own. They have power of their own and they aren’t hesitant to use it against us. It’s time we hit back and kept them off balance.’ my shadow self advised.
‘Much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. The longer you wait, the more likely they’ll try again. And the more chances they have, the more likely they are to succeed.’ Granddad said.
‘Stop them and put an end to this foolishness.’ Mom said firmly.
‘Destroy their credibility, destroy their power base, and destroy them.’ Carlie agreed.
“Fine. Anyone got any bright ideas how I’m supposed to do that?”
‘Stop waiting for them to come to you. Take the war to them.’ the shadow snarled.
‘Put on your camouflage and get behind their lines.’ Granddad said.
‘Pick ‘em off from cover.’ Mom advised.
‘Crush them in front
of their own troops.’ Carlie said sweetly.
‘When you’re done with them, come
to
Huh?
I was trying to make sense out of that last sentence when the annoying electronic ‘boop-boop’ noise intruded on my thoughts and forced me back into the waking world.
Have I mentioned how much I detest that sound? It’s enough to make me want to stop my heart just so I don’t have to hear it.
Opening my eyes slowly I discovered that the room was dark, which was a welcome relief. I let my eyes adjust to the low level of light and looked around. To the left was the annoying machine that made the annoying ‘boop-boop’ noise, its little screen alive with a bouncing neon blip that danced endlessly across the backlit grid.
I suppose I should have been pleased to have concrete proof of my continued existence, but the dryness in my mouth and the pain in my chest and belly overrode any pleasure I might have felt.
On my right side was a tall metal stand with a pair of hooks on it, and from the hooks hung plastic bags, one half filled with what looked like pale blood and the other with clear fluid. Thin tubes ran from the bags to my right arm, disappearing beneath a heavy patch of gauze and white tape.
I looked around the room and saw a figure sitting in a chair next to the door. I linked with the person, ready to do terrible things if I didn’t like what I found.
The annoying little machine started making more urgent and demanding noises.
The figure in the chair sat up straight and got to its feet. I felt the heartbeat increase and a sensation of relief spread thru them.
“You’re awake.” the man’s voice said softly.
“I’m awake.” I admitted. “Who are you?”
“I’m going to turn on the overhead light.” he warned me.
He reached out and flicked up the light switch and the room filled with a blinding white florescent glow.
I blinked rapidly and refocused on the man. I’d seen this guy before, but I didn’t know him.
“I know you, but I don’t know you.” I mumbled.
“We’ve never met. You met my partner in the park across from your father’s house. You probably saw me sitting in the car.”
I nodded my head. That’s where I’d seen him, only a brief profile but enough to stick in my memory.
“You guys got stuck babysitting me again, huh?” I said weakly.
“Could be worse.” he said lightly. “I could be sitting in a cold car in the middle of a snow storm watching some drunken nut strip down and roll around on the ground.”
“Ahhhh. So you’ve seen some of my finest moments.”
“Well, they can’t all be Saint Crispin’s Day speeches, can they?”
“I don’t see why not. Where are we?”
“
“How are Peggy and Anya?”
He looked puzzled for an instant. “I don’t know. Wait a moment and I’ll have Mr. Jones come down and talk with you.”
“Thanks.” I rasped.
He opened the door and stepped out. I heard him speaking with someone outside the door then he came back in and shut the door.
“Mr. Jones will be up in a few moments. Would you like a drink of water? You’re probably pretty dry.”
“Yes, please.”
He approached the rolling tray that stood next to the annoying machine and picked up an ugly blue/green plastic cup with a rounded cover and a straw sticking out of it. He carried it to me and tilted it enough so that I could catch the straw between my lips and suck down some cold water.
I released the straw and let my head fall back against the thin pillows. “Thank you.”
He nodded and put the cup back on the tray.
There was a single knock on the door and my guardian whipped out his pistol and went to see who was there.
Mr. Jones came in and the other man put his pistol away and resumed his position in the chair by the door.
“You are going to make an old man of me if you keep doing things like this.” Jones said.
“Sorry about that. I fucked up and let my guard down after the kid showed up.”
“What kid?” Jones asked.
“A kid named Tim…he said he was
“Bloody hell!”
“I know, I should have called you right after it happened, but the weather turned and it was snowing and I got complacent, figured I had everything under control. It never occurred to me there might have been more than just the kid. I only got worried when Peggy and Anya had been outside for a while. How are they?”
“One of the bones in Peggy’s forearm was broken. It’s been set and she’ll have to wear a cast for a few weeks but otherwise she’s fine. Anya took a nasty blow to the back of her head. Her skull was broken and she suffered a severe concussion, but the doctors think she’s going to be fine. In fact, they’re amazed at the rate of her recovery. Almost as much as they are at yours.”
“She would never have gotten hurt if I’d been paying attention.”
“No, you’re wrong about that. Those men were pros. They knew what they were doing and if Anya and Peggy hadn’t stumbled on them outside, they would have gotten inside the house and things could have been much worse.”
“Things are bad enough now.”
“I was surprised that you left one alive for us to interrogate. Well, two, but we could only talk to the one with no eyes. The other one, I’m assuming he was the leader, was stark raving bonkers.”
“He held a gun to Peggy’s head and tried to use her for a hostage.”
Jones nodded. “And the blind man?”
“He put the knife in me. I was trying to get him to tell me where Peggy was.”
“Any idea who shot you?”
“Probably the one holding Peggy, but I’m not sure. Doesn’t matter anyway.”
“I suppose not. You lucked out though. That bullet missed your spine by an inch and a half. You could have been killed or paralyzed. The knife wound was bad enough, it punctured your lung, but at least you had enough sense to leave it in and call for help.”
“How are the girls? Are they safe?”
He leaned close and whispered very softly into my ear. “They’re with the Doctor.” He stood up and backed away a bit. “Anya is here, next door to you. We’ve got people in your rooms and covering the floor. No one gets in unless I or my people know who they are. So don’t go Code Blue on me or you could end up in the morgue and you know how pissed off Dr. Wills would be if that happened.”
I smiled at the man. “I’ll do my best. Do me a favor, would you?”
“If I can.”
“Tell Anya none of this is her fault. She did everything I could have expected her to. If I could get up I’d tell her myself.”
“I’ll tell her.”
I nodded and fell asleep.
Loud voices outside the door brought me awake with a start. I looked around the room and saw that the chair was empty. I tore the wires that connected me to that annoying little machine off my body and climbed out of the bed on the side with the stand that held the twin bags that dripped fluid into my arm. Pushing it with one hand I moved stiffly across the room to stand next to the chair. I waited while the voices outside gained in volume and virulence. The door swung open and someone stepped in.
“The bed’s empty.” the man called back over his shoulder.
“Check the bathroom.” someone else said.
The figure stepped fully inside and the door closed behind him. I reached out with my right hand and clamped it around his mouth and jaw. Linking quickly I flooded him with terror and fear. His eyes rolled back into his head while I continued to overwhelm his emotions. He stopped struggling after five seconds and I sat his body down in the chair.
Moving around him I opened the door and pushed the stand thru and followed it out. The man who’d been guarding me earlier was confronting another fellow. I linked with the man and crushed his feelings, ripping them out and filling the space with hopelessness and fear. He dropped to the floor. The guard turned at the sound of the door and saw me, then quickly turned back to watch the man in front of him fall down and start crying.
I looked up and down the hall. I didn’t see anyone else that wasn’t wearing white.
“What the hell is going on?” I demanded.
“Federal Marshals. They have a warrant for your arrest and came to take you into custody.”
“Wonderful. Is Anya still in the room next door?”
“Yes. They only wanted you.”
“How the hell do they keep finding me?” I wondered aloud.
“Well, you do kind of stand out.” he said.
“Yeah, there is that. That and most people seem pretty incapable of keeping a secret. We have to get out of here. There are probably more of them downstairs watching the exits. Where is Mr. Jones?”
“Headquarters. Dr. Wills called him back earlier this morning.”
“Okay. Have you got a secure way to get in touch with him? One that can’t be intercepted by the Marshals?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m afraid we’re on our own for the moment.”
“Shit!” I swore. “Okay, here’s what I suggest. Get two sets of surgical outfits for you and your partner and hustle back to Anya’s room, oh…and bring a wheelchair and a gurney as well. I’ll be waiting in her room.”
He assisted me to Anya’s door and knocked once. The door opened slightly and I saw the face of the man who’d been in the park and had given me the throw away pistol.
He opened the door wide enough for me and the stand to move inside. The two men spoke softly and rapidly then the second man hurried off.
I sat down in the chair and looked up at the man.
“Nice to see you again.”
“And you, sir.”
“Ike. My name is Ike.”
“I’m Joshua. My partner’s name is Grant.”
“Pleased to finally meet you, Joshua. Grant is rounding up your disguises and a means of transportation for Anya and me. Since we appear to have been found out again the four of us are going to have to try to break out of this joint.”
“Emergency Room?” he asked.
“That’s what I was thinking. We can try to steal an ambulance and make a run to headquarters.”
“Bad idea. Going to headquarters, I mean.”
“Think they’ll expect that?”
“I’m thinking that they’ll be waiting for us in the
emergency room and I think that if we get that far they’ll definitely be
waiting for us at
“Okay, got a better idea?”
“Remember the house where you did your first ‘interview’?”
I noted that he refrained from saying where the house was. I looked around the room.
“Bedbugs…in the hospital to the stars?” I asked. I remembered how Mr. Jones had whispered in my ear where the girls were.
“It would explain a lot.”
“Yeah, it would at that. Okay, the interview house then.”
I looked at the bed where Anya lay sleeping. Her head was heavily bandaged, but she looked peaceful.
“How is she doing?”
“She sleeps most of the time. When she does wake she keeps asking for someone named Peggy.”
“Peggy is the woman she was guarding when she got clobbered.”
There was a single knock on the door and Joshua moved to open it. Grant stepped in, a bundle tucked beneath his left arm.
The two of them hurried to put on the green scrubs over their suits, even going so far as to put paper booties over their shoes. Grant went out and wheeled the gurney inside. Grant produced a roll of gauze which he proceeded to wrap around my head and face, covering my hair and face completely, but leaving my eyes uncovered. The pair of them helped put me on the cart, laying their overcoats atop my reclining form then covered me with a thin sheet and hanging my drip bags from a short hook at the head of the gurney. They wheeled the gurney out into the hallway, took the wheelchair into the room and left me out in the hall while they prepared Anya. Moments later they emerged, Joshua pushing the chair and Grant holding the door.
Grant started pushing me and the gurney down the hall, with Joshua and Anya following behind us. I lay back and wondered if we were going to make it with out being caught.
There was an open elevator waiting for us, so the two of them maneuvered the rolling table in then went back for the wheelchair, backed it in and then pushed the button for the ground floor.
When the elevator door opened Joshua wheeled Anya out and parked her, coming back to help Grant haul me and the gurney out, then we made a bee line for the Emergency Room.
There were three ambulances parked outside the wide double automatic doors, lightly dusted with snow. There was also a pair of tall, strongly built men in suits standing next to the doors. I linked with both men, feeding them the pain in my chest and stomach, amplified. They moaned and collapsed to the floor. A nurse from behind the counter called for one of the doctors and they rushed to the two fallen men just as we rolled out the doors. Joshua opened the back doors and lifted Anya out of the wheelchair and carried her into the back of the ambulance and laid her down on a side stretcher. Hopping out the two of them pushed the gurney into the back of the ambulance, the wheels collapsing up under the rolling table. Joshua closed the doors and they moved around front, Grant driving and Joshua taking shotgun. I heard the engine start up and we pulled away from the hospital and out onto the road.
I dozed off again.
The back doors opened up and Joshua climbed in, lifted Anya up and handed her off to Grant, who carried her away.
He pulled the sheet off me and picked up the pair of overcoats.
“Can you walk? We’ll play hell trying to get this gurney into the house.”
“I can walk.” I said sitting up carefully, taking the nearly empty bags off the hook and duck walking my way out of the ambulance and putting my bare feet onto the snow covered driveway. Joshua closed the back doors and helped me navigate my way over the snow and ice covered steps, up the porch stairs and into the old house.
Grant came clumping down the stairs and met us near the living room.
“The only beds are upstairs. The girl is in the one farthest back on the left.”
I nodded. “Okay, thanks guys. Who’s taking the ambulance back?”
“I am. I’ll drop it off and pick up our vehicle and go see Mr. Jones, let him know where you and the girl are. He’ll let Dr. Wills know.” Grant said.
“Okay. Well, have a good and uneventful trip. Joshua, make yourself comfortable. I’m going upstairs and lay down. I’ve had more than enough excitement for one day.”
I walked slowly up the stairs, leaning heavily on the banister as I went, down the narrow hall to the room farthest on the left. Anya was still asleep, the comforter pulled up beneath her chin.
I walked over to the bed and sat down next to her.
“It’s not your fault, Anya. I messed up, not you. You did the best you could.” I linked with the woman and fed her my appreciation and respect, understanding and admiration.
I got up and went into the room next door. The drip bags were nearly empty and I was fed up with hauling them around. I disconnected the lines from their spigots in my arm and tossed the plastic mass into a small trash can near the door. I layed down on the bed, pulled the blankets across my body, and closed my eyes.
I stood before the massive hand carved oaken doors and listened to the raucous sound of muted human voices behind them. It was like hearing bottled thunder.
I stepped forward and shoved the doors wide open, striding forward into the sea of roaring voices and clapping hands. A short stubby little man dressed in a very expensive pin striped suit with a fancy chain and medallion of office over his deep chest stepped into my path and tried to block my approach. I swung one arm and knocked him back into the wall where he remained. Moving down the walkway and into the amphitheatre of the Senate floor, the girls flared out behind me; Izzy in the middle, Lilly to the left, Peggy to the right, all in matching men’s three piece suits with wide snow white ties. Anya marched behind them in a knee length black strapless evening gown, her AK-47 held across her body and ready to fire.
The noise level dropped slowly as the huge number of people filling the place recognized that something was going on. I saw Supreme Court Justices, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Senators I recognized from the news, faceless members of Congress that I’d never seen before in my life, camera men and women, news media, TV cameras and congressional aides who scurried about like the drones they were.
I strode down the walkway, thru the little gate and up to the tall lectern, behind which stood the most powerful leader in the free world. I climbed the steps that put me on the same footing with him and looked down at him.
Secret Service Agents scrambled to get to me, but Anya raised her AK and backed them up.
“What is the meaning of this?” the President demanded.
“I’m one of your many employers who aren’t very happy with the way you’ve been running things. I think it’s time for a change.” I said and picked the man up by the collar of his expensive tailored suit and launched him out into the sea of bewildered faces. I brushed off my bone white double breasted jacked and shook back my shoulder length hair.
“You have all been fucking around for long enough. We’re tired of it and there will be changes made, here and now!” I said loudly into the microphone. My words bounced around the room and it became so quiet you could have heard a fly fart.
“We elected you to make things better for us, not so you could get rich from payoffs and kickbacks, skimming the money you raise for election campaigning and putting it in your own pockets, taking money from foreign governments, trade unions and big business and sticking it to the rest of us. You are supposed to work for us, not the other way around. You are not medieval lords and we are not serfs.”
I started broadcasting menace and anger at them.
“Two of your esteemed number have been waging a private war against me personally, with the aid of the President’s hand picked CIA Director. Bring them out!” I ordered.
Mr. Jones, Joshua and Grant escorted out two figures, a man and a woman, both with black bags over their heads, and walked them down to stand below my position.
“Senator Mortenson and Congressman Bustamante decided that I was a threat to this country. What they really decided was that I was a threat to their ambitions and had to be gotten rid of. Kidnapping, attempted murder and assassination, illegal warrants for arrest and incarceration. They tried and they failed! I was willing to put up with political incompetence and stupidity, but no, they had to come after me and people I care about. Now I’m not willing to put up with anything!”
I linked with the two hooded figures below me and fed them raw hatred and rage. They burst into flames and turned into smoking piles of gray ash before the eyes of the assembled Congress.
“I hereby disband the Congress, the Senate and the Supreme
Court. I suggest you all get the fuck
out of
I looked out over the stunned sea of faces before me and grinned.
“Take a good look and tremble with fear, you sorry sacks of shit! I declare myself Ike the first, King of America.”
Anya turned around and leveled the barrel of her AK on my chest. I frowned.
“Anya…why?” I asked, disappointment in my voice, and turned her into ashes.
Peggy, Lilly and Izzy turned around and faced me; each of them drew a pistol from under her suit jacket and pointed it at me.
“You too…?” I whispered sadly as they fired in unison and the bullets tore into my heart.