(no subject)

46.

Even rushing the boys took several minutes to reach the Colonel’s office.

When they reached that inlayed door, both halted. They were not sure what news would be on the other side, but neither had a good feeling about this summons. If he had had good things to say, positive news to report, he would have told the entire base.

They hoped they were wrong.

As they raised their hands to knock the door opened. The secretary was looking at a monitor on her desk, and the boys turned to look behind themselves and saw a video camera mounted on the facing wall.

The secretary (a middle aged blond man named Shaunnesy) spoke quietly to the pair, “Go in boys, the Colonel is expecting you.”

His hand pointed to one of three doors in the room. His other hand hit a button, a buzzer was heard on the other side of the door, and the door opened.

The boys walked through as though in slow motion.

Behind a desk that belonged in a Fritz Lang silent movie, sat Colonel Stonedragon. He didn’t look up from papers he was reading.

It was only when the door slammed shut (the boys had nothing to do with the slamming, but didn’t feel they could say anything about it, and, hey, he probably knew it did that, right?)

He rose in a way that might have made others more at ease, but since it was him the effect on the boys was exactly the opposite.

“Please, Gentlemen,” He said, “Be seated.”

He could have said, “By the way I am going to set the pair of you on fire and then feed the charred remains to rats,” and it would not have unsettled them more than the word “Gentlemen.”

The only time adults called kids “Gentlemen,” was when there was major trouble. It was akin to having your mother call you by all three names. It was reserved for the end of the world and few lesser destinies.

“The word from our doctors is that your mother is, while severely stunned and bruised, going to recover completely.”

A boulder the size of Colorado lifted from the boy’s shoulders.

“But . . .” (There was always a but. Waiting behind every silver lining that justified every dark cloud there was a but waiting its chance to muck everything up.”

“But?” David ventured.

“I’d best let you watch this,” The Colonel said, and took a remote control from his desk and pointed it at a video screen that was at that moment descending from the ceiling on the other side of the office.

The screen went blue, and the Colonel moved the remote. Then the word “Play” appeared on the screen. A second later a picture came forth.

Not a picture they would have liked to see, but a picture none the less.

In a tight close up shot was the face of a furious Vadid Shastan. He looked like he might explode before he said anything, but, as luck would have it, he didn’t.

“Give me the woman. If she survived she is mine. If I don’t get her, in whatever condition, I will still have my vengeance.

“I may not destroy the world in this lifetime, but my time is endless. But I will kill her and her family. Yes, give her and those two brats of hers to me.

“If she didn’t survive I will still take the ‘little darlings’ of her life. They will die by my hand or I will rain down destruction on your beloved Thunderbase.

“I still have more than enough of an army to overcome you. You know I only let you think you won before to lull you into making a mistake and letting me have my heart’s desire.

“Well, now I have a new heart’s desire. Give me woman and her boys. If you do not, I will destroy all you value. I will put an end to everything you love in at dawn.”

He started to turn, and then looked back at the camera to say sarcastically, “Death is so much better at dawn, don’t you agree?”

Then he began that laugh, but was so angry he couldn’t maintain it. Then he started destroying the building he was in.

Then, the tape stopped, and the screen withdrew.

“Man,” David said, “He’s just so angry.”

“And deadly,” The Colonel added.

“And waiting,” Mickey finished.

© 2005 by C. Wayne Owens

(no subject)

47.

Mickey was struck by inspiration.

“I have an idea, but it will be dangerous, and I need to talk to someone before we make plans,” He said, already walking out of the office. The door opened before him and neither of the other people in the room said anything.

David sat uneasily in the car, occasionally smiling at Stonedragon.

After a while the Colonel ordered sandwiches to be brought in and the pair of them ate in complete silence.

After his secretary had cleared away the dirty dishes the Colonel sat with his hands in the “prayer” position, but David was sure he was not praying.

His tightness of jaw and refusal to look the boy in the eye said that he was beginning to lose his British cool. David did not want to be there when that happened.

A full 15 minutes after he left, Mickey returned.

“I’m sorry that took so long, but I had to work out some specifics.” The boy told them. Then his mother followed him into the office. She was as they had seen her before the bomb.

The sight of her took away both David and the Colonel’s breath. Then the Colonel said, “Madame Mimic I presume?”

The face of the boy’s mother faded to be replaced by that of the super chameleon.

“If the three of us give ourselves up to him,” Mickey began.

“Never!” Stonedragon shouted.

“At least that is what we want him to think,” Mickey assured, “If we have pulled all our troops out and placed them in an ambush position, we could still beat him!”

“Won’t he be expecting that?” David asked.

“First, we’re the good guys, we don’t cheat,” Mickey said with more than a little sarcasm, “Secondly, if we start moving them now they can be in place before he even suspects. It will look legit.”

No one in the room spoke.

Mickey continued, with more passion, “We’re going to have to fight him one way or another. This way we might get enough of an edge to finish him off.”

“But will it work?” Stonedragon said.

“You haven’t ever played chess with my little brother have you,” David said.

Another pregnant moment slowly passed.

“We’ll put it all into motion,” Stonedragon finally said.

“Already begun,” Mickey told him. "That plan, and another," He congratulated himself.

Stonedragon’s eyes narrowed.

“When this is all over. . .” He said threateningly, and then eased up on the words, “You and I must play chess.”

© 2005 by C. Wayne Owens

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