No More Swedish Meatballs Pt. 03

"No we're not. We're stronger than we've ever been."

God, it's true, Jim thought miserably. And now they've got me. I know too damned much about the Guardians and maybe enough to give Karl over to the Company. Jim wished he was dead. He hunkered down and tried to sleep. He was going to need a lot of strength in the next few hours. The pounding in his head kept him awake. He sighed and switched position. He decided to watch the scenery. As he looked out the passenger window he happened to glance in the side mirror. He noticed a battered little Pinto behind them. That looks like Kelly's car! Jim thought. Is it possible? He felt a small surge of hope.

Chapter

Kelly knew she'd blown it when she saw Hurst's flat, fishy eyes light up. She'd known for a long time that Jim wasn't just working for the Company. Hurst hadn't thought to ask her about Karl until today. She'd pled ignorance but something she said tipped Hurst off about Jim. She wasn't sure what it was. Hurst was so damned insightful. It's almost like he's a mind reader, she thought with a shiver. After Hurst left her and headed towards Jim's office, Kelly picked up her purse and followed along behind. She didn't know what was going on but she was scared for Jim. She cared a lot more for the big lug than she ever let on. Now she was getting older she realized she'd been a fool to let him get away. All her pretty plans for landing a high level executive had pretty much gone up in smoke. She'd sat at her desk as the years past working for Hurst, the son of a bitch, and watched Jim marry and have kid after kid. Kids that might have been hers. She'd let their affair drag on to preserve the memory of the best relationship she'd ever had.

Like many good secretaries Kelly was an observer and information gatherer. She knew there was something going on behind the scenes at the Company. She'd heard bits and pieces about Evelyn's disappearance a few years back. Then Jim and Karl went off to Princeton. Hurst had patted her butt and ogled her for too damn long. So she'd gone to Jim when she heard that Hurst was going to reassign Karl. Then Karl disappeared. She'd been damn glad to see the look of annoyance on Hurst's face when he got that news. She hoped Karl was okay. She was glad she wasn't in Karl's shoes – or Jim's for that matter.

She watched, appalled, from outside Jim's office as Hurst pulled a gun on Jim. Shit. Now what? She wasn't a courageous woman. Carrying on an affair with Jim was the most daring thing she'd ever done. She didn't want to see him hurt. She ducked around a corner and waited.

She trailed Hurst and Jim out of the building. She saw that Hurst was heading for his car. Her car, a battered little Gremlin, was parked a few rows behind Hurst's Lincoln. She made a dash for it. She prayed that Hurst wouldn't watch to see if he was followed.

Kelly was a good driver. She had no trouble following Hurst as he left the Company lot and headed towards 202 South. She checked her gas gauge. 3/4 full. Thank God! she thought as she pressed down on the accelerator. I wonder where they're going?

It was a hot afternoon. The Gremlin wasn't air conditioned. Perspiration beaded up on Kelly's forehead and trickled into her eyes, blinding her momentarily until she managed to yank a Kleenex out of the glove box. Her whole body was drenched with sweat from fear as well as heat. She tried to maintain a discrete distance from Hurst's black Lincoln as they sped up and down and around the hills of South Eastern Pennsylvania. It was stop and go with the red lights as the two cars made their way out of Great Valley heading towards West Chester and God knows where. Kelly had to run a few lights to keep up but luck was with her and no cops were on her tail. She didn't know what she would do if she was pulled over. The cops would never believe she was following a gun-toting ape who had kidnapped her lover. Christ. For all I know the cops would be on Hurst's side. The Company has connections in strange places. Kelly had a healthy respect for the power the Company wielded. She'd seen it in operation often enough.

The drive seemed endless. Where the hell is he going? she wondered as she looked at her watch. Four o'clock already. Uh oh, traffic's going to pick up, she realized as they passed through Delaware and entered Maryland. At this rate we're going to hit Baltimore at rush hour. I hope I can keep up with him. Where the hell is he going, anyway? Maybe I should give it up. What am I going to do when he stops the car? she wondered miserably. Well, at least I have my mace with me. As she drove she tried to think of a plan. I'll have surprise on my side. I'll have to act fast, whatever I do. Good thing he's out of shape. One thing Kelly prided herself on was her physical fitness. She'd been mugged and badly beaten up about five years ago. The first thing she did after she got out of the hospital was sign up for self-defense classes. She'd found them to be a great way to let off steam and stay in shape so she kept up with and was really very good at Karate.

Chapter

Jim had watched the Gremlin in the side mirror for about an hour. He was pretty sure it was following them. It's gotta be Kelly. I wonder what she's up to? He tried to stay alert but after a while the motion and the hushed engine sounds lulled Jim to sleep.

Kelly knew she'd only get one chance at Hurst. She'd been thinking long and hard about what to do when Hurst stopped and got out of the car. Just as Kelly expected, Hurst was off guard when he drove up the driveway and stopped the car. She followed him in fast. When he stepped out of the car she side swiped him neatly and knocked him down. She jumped out of the car with her mace in her hand. She sprayed his eyes, blinding him as he tried to rise from the ground. He screamed in agony. She kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious.

Jim awoke slightly disoriented when the car pulled up in front of the mansion the Company was using as a safe house. The next thing he knew the car was bashed in and Hurst was down for the count. "Way to go Kelly!" Jim said, awed by her attack. "Get me out of here."

Kelly stepped over Hurst, who was still unconscious and climbed into the Lincoln. "Hey there," she said with a broad smile. "Guess you and I are going to be looking for new jobs." She spent a few moments struggling with the bindings on Jim's wrists. Once he was free they stepped over Hurst's inert body and slipped into Kelly's car.

"Those self-defense classes of yours really paid off," Jim said. "Thanks. How'd you know…?"

"It was my fault your Hurst found out about you, I'm not sure what I said when Hurst was questioning me but his fishy little eyes suddenly lit up and he headed off towards your office. I followed him. I didn't want you to get hurt" she said as she started the engine and pointed the car towards the highway. "Who do you really work for anyway? You want to fill me in? I've known you were up to something for a long time. Now I think I'm entitled to an explanation."

Jim began explaining as they started their journey back towards Pennsylvania. Kelly kept a careful eye in the rear view mirror to be sure Hurst hadn't followed them. After about a half hour Jim asked Kelly to stop at a gas station so he could phone home. He wanted to check in and be sure Wanda was okay. He was vastly relieved to hear about Wanda's rescue.

"She's alright," he said happily. Then he gave Kelly a guilty look. "I'm sorry. I know this isn't easy for you."

"Oh, hell, Jim. After all we've been through…. I don't know. I was crazy to let you go all those years ago. But I made my bed. You've got a good life with Wanda. I know that. The fact that I got you out of a jam doesn't mean you owe me anything. All we have now is history."

"And friendship. We'll always have that," Jim said.

"True. So what do you think you'll do now?" Kelly asked. "You can't go back to the Company."

"I don't know. I'll have to give it some thought. What about you?"

"I don't know. I'm not too worried. Good secretaries are always in demand. Who knows? Maybe I'll find my perfect executive at the next place. I probably should have moved on a long time ago. But the Company was comfortable. And you were there. I shouldn't have let it get in my way."

"Some lucky CEO is going to fall at your feet some day, Kelly. You've earned it," Jim said.

"You don't always get what you earn, you know. Life's not like that. Things just happen. There's no cosmic bank account out there," Kelly said acerbically. "If there were, the Hurst's of the world would be eating out of garbage cans instead of raking in big bucks."

"That's the truth. And people like you would be rolling in diamonds and cruising the Mediterranean with their knights in shining armor."

"The armor would rust," Kelly said cynically.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah. Thanks."

They drove in companionable silence for a while. The setting sun was at their back and the sky went from blue to orange and red and then purple as dusk fell. The traffic through Wilmington was heavy and it was slow going for a while. Jim fiddled with the radio passing over the news in favor of some slow jazz. It was fully dark by the time Kelly pulled into Jim's driveway.

"Why don't you come in and meet Wanda?" Jim asked.

"I don't think that would be a good idea" Kelly said. "Just kiss me one more time like you mean it. It's time we both moved on. I'm thinking of moving to California. I have a sister in L.A."

Jim kissed Kelly heartily. "You're the best. Thank you, Kelly. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't…."

"Go on in to your wife. She's waiting for you. Good bye Jim," Kelly said with tears in her eyes.

Wanda was beside herself with relief when Jim walked in the door. "Thank God, Jim. I was terrified. What happened to you? I want the full story."

"Yeah dad," their youngest son, Mark said. "Why do we have an armed guard? What's going on?"

Mark listened, fascinated as Jim and Wanda exchanged stories about their day.

"So you picked up on my reference to Ryan Peters," Jim said when he heard about Wanda's rescue. "Thank God. I didn't know what else to do. Hurst had a gun to my head."

"But I didn't get what you meant by the Mickey Rooney comment,"

"That's simple, Mom," Mark said. "Dad wanted you to slip your guard a Mickey."

"What's a Mickey?"

"Gosh, Mom, you're so out of touch. Dad wanted you to drug his drink."

"Oh. I'd have never thought of that. So your secretary really saved the day, didn't she?" Wanda said. "Why didn't she come in when she dropped you off? I'd have liked to meet her. Thank her for saving you."

"She's not my secretary," Jim said uncomfortably."

"Oh, right. She's Hurst's. What's she going to do now?" Wanda asked. "She can't go back to the Company tomorrow. 'Hi boss. Sorry I maced you and knocked you out. What do you want in your coffee?'"

"I don't know," Jim replied. "But she's got talent and experience. She'll find something."

"You'll give her a job reference, won't you? You owe her."

"Yeah. I'll do what I can." He looked at his watch. "I'd better call Ryan before it gets too late. Let him know I'm safe."

"I don't think he's home," Wanda said. "He gave me this number before he left."

Jim dialed the number. It was busy. "I'll have to try again later."

"Why don't you wait 'til morning?" Wanda suggested. "You look done in. Let's go to bed."

Chapter

Karl didn't have much of a plan when he left the house the week before. He was just plain mad as a hornet. He felt pushed and pulled in every direction and badly used. Christ, he thought each group is worse than the next. First it's Evelyn and Max and the Goddamned Cabal. Then it's the freaking Company. What's next? Everyone thinks they own me. I'm bloody sick of it, he fumed. My life's not my own. Why don't they all just leave me the fuck alone? All I ever wanted was to make a living and raise my damn kids. I didn't want any of this geo-political hocus pocus. Why me? He was feeling abused and sorry for himself when he drove off.

He didn't even know where he was going when he started driving. He drove down to the Valley and got on Route 202 South, taking the same route Hurst was to take with Jim a few days later. As he drove he mulled over the information Ryan provided. So Evelyn's dead. A bullet in the head. Christ, she didn't deserve that. All she ever really wanted was a bit of adventure. What a cold son of a bitch Max turned out to be. God. They're all alike. Everyone wants to run the world but no one has a shred of humanity left by the time they get their power. Children starve and teenagers shoot each other in a jungle thousands of miles from home while the goddamned puppet masters jockey for superiority in a fucking office in New York or Washington without getting their hands dirty or bloody. They oughta' have to ferret out the Viet Cong themselves, or explain to a kid why money for guns is more important than a decent meal and good medical care. The world's just too damned screwy.

So what the hell am I going to do now? he wondered as he drove past Wilmington and through Baltimore. I wish I could just start over; get a job working with my hands and never see modern technology. An idea crept into his mind. The kids are just about grown. Evelyn's gone. Why not? He'd read about ways to establish a new identity. After a few months I'll contact the kids just to let them know I'm okay.

If I fake my death the kids'll get the money from the house and the bank account. That'll give them a good start. He didn't like the idea that he wouldn't get to see them grow up and make their way in the world. But I can watch from a distance and after a while things'll calm down. The Company and the Cabal will forget about me and move on to other ventures. Yes!

Karl plotted and planned as the miles slid by between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. D.C. was the perfect place to create a new identity. It had every agency he would need to re-invent himself. First he would go to the Bureau of Vital Statistics to find a death certificate of someone born close to the year he was born. Someone who died very young.

Karl started to feel like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. He started to hum along with the car radio. It would take some time. Once he got a name he could get a birth certificate. Then he'd get a Social Security Card, a library card, a driver's license. Once he had his new identity he'd get a job at a furniture store or a thrift shop – somewhere he could tinker all day if he wanted to. He'd get a small apartment. A cat. He'd find just the right time and dump his car into a river or a swamp or something. Karl Hansen would be presumed dead. And he would go on with his life without the Goddamn Cabal and the Company. Maybe I'll open my own repair shop. He was smiling when he pulled into the parking lot of the Lucky 7 Motel. I'm going to live life the way I want for a change.

Chapter

Kristen woke up in bed next to Ryan. It was very early morning. The sun was just creeping up over the horizon. How did I get here? The last thing she remembered was finishing off the bowl of pot and starring at the stars. Ryan must have carried me to bed last night. And I slept right through. She yawned and stretched. I wonder what time it is. Oh, this is going to be an interesting day. 'Red sun at morning, sailors take warning,' Kristen thought as she peered through the window at the sunrise. Looks like we're in for some stormy weather. We can't let that get in the way of our plan. She looked at Ryan who was sprawled out flat on his back, snoring lightly. Gosh, he's gorgeous. I sure got lucky. No way am I gonna spend four years crammed in some stuffy old college while Ryan has all the fun. Kristen didn't know about the rigorous training, the nasty jobs, the rotten hours and the danger and discomfort of traveling in strange places with bad food and poor sanitation that were part and parcel of being a Guardian.

Kristen had to pee so she slipped out of bed and wandered down the hall to the bathroom. The house was quiet. She was the only one awake. She didn't feel like going back to bed so she headed downstairs and decided to brew a pot of coffee. The smell woke her stomach so she began to forage for something easy to make for breakfast. The larder was surprisingly bare. Ryan's gonna be hungry when he wakes up. Guess I'll go down the street and pick up some bagels or something.

She grabbed her purse and slipped out the front door into a bright summer morning. The sun was fully up and the sky was clear blue except for the silver disk of the waning moon and a few puffy clouds. The world was fresh and clean and Kristen was in high spirits. She sang as she skipped down the street towards the bakery. This is going to be a magical day Kristen thought.

She strode into the bakery with a broad smile on her face, made her purchases and was back in house in a matter of minutes. When she got to the kitchen she pulled out a poppy seed bagel, slathered it with cream cheese added a sliver of lox and a ring of red onion. Heaven, she thought as she bit into her sandwich. Then she poured a cup of coffee and headed for the porch. As she munched her breakfast she contemplated yesterdays events. She picked a daisy from the lawn and idly plucked the petals saying "he loves me, he loves me not." In the end she got the answer she wanted. Can it really be true love? she wondered over her feelings for Ryan. How many people meet their perfect mate at age sixteen? Maybe there's something to what Ryan says about my needing to have some normal years in college. Meet other men. Hell. I know what I feel. I don't think it gets any better than this. I need to talk to Leslie about it.

It was as if her thoughts had summoning power. As she finished the thought Leslie appeared on the porch with a cup of coffee in one hand and a bagel in the other. "I guess I have you to thank for this marvelous breakfast. I was worried when I woke up that I didn't have any food in the house."

"Yeah. I was starving when I woke up. Left over munchies I guess. I'm not much for breakfast but this morning my stomach was hollow. That was fun last night, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Leslie agreed as she set her breakfast down on the table. "I haven't slept so well in a while." She stretched her lanky body and yawned. "It's a pretty morning."

"It's gonna storm tonight. I hope it doesn't interfere with our plans," Kristen said worriedly.

"Probably won't. Thunder storms usually run out of steam well before nine o'clock this time of year. We'll will them away if they look like they're going to be a problem."

Kristen was surprised. "I thought I was the only one who believed in that kind of magic. When I was a kid I used to think snow storms would end if I didn't watch them carefully enough. I imagined I could feel where a storm was brewing and give it a push so it would go where I wanted it. And I could make them stop if I tried hard enough. Do you really think people have that kind of power?"

Leslie laughed. "No. It's more a matter of observation. You can see and feel a storm and maybe know where it's been and where it's headed. But as much as you wish, your mind can't control the weather. But it can do other things."

"What do you mean?"

Leslie paused to take a sip of coffee and a bite of bagel. "You remember how I knew you and Ryan did 'the deed?'"

"You said something about auras. I'm not sure I know what that means."