Dark as Daylight Ch. 12

"Admiral, you have to let me in, so I can get out."

As the Admiral opened the door, the men who were trapped inside got out, as quickly as possible. They had enough of being restricted inside that space. They would get their weapons when they were assured they would not be held captive with them.

Lucius walked in, backwards, to the applause of his men, and to the distain of the Admiral.

Lucius took a knife out of his pocket.

"Admiral, am I allowed to use this?"

"Go right ahead."

"Someone call out the minutes for me please."

Lucius started fiddling with the lock from the inside, with no visual reference to the lock. He appeared to be having no luck at all.

"Since you're looking forward to spanking me, you are coming up on one minute... now."

"Thank you Patricia."

Lucius kept working on the lock and about 40 seconds later, the door opened. He walked out, stood in the middle of the frame, and raise his right hand in victory.

The Admiral was impressed, as was everyone else.

"Lucius I'm going to have to call the lock makers. They guarantee these locks cannot be picked."

"I get to use your boat?"

"Okay dammit, but I'm going to pilot it."

"You have a deal, but you know you are walking into a war again."

"It won't be the first time Lucius, but I hope it's the last."

Lucius opened his left hand, and showed the Admiral a piece of gray tape, which he had put over, and into the locking mechanism of the door. It kept the lock from closing securely.

"You cheated; you son of a bitch."

"I never cheat. I just take advantage of a situation. This time I needed your boat to help save as many people that are left alive at the Science Center, especially those two boys. My son will be the last one to go down, before they get to those boys, and I don't want to lose him."

"Okay, you are forgiven. Are these all the men you taking?"

"Yes, there was supposed to be another group here, but apparently the weather held them up also."

"It took us a while longer, Lucius, because we used smaller boats."

"Alfonse, you look like a drowned rat."

"I thought I looked like a drowned rat when the freight train stopped running, and we started walking. There was no one at this marina we passed, so we piled in some boats, took extra gasoline, and stayed close to shore, when we could find the shore. Then we started following street signs, and here we are. The guys are upstairs changing into their last set of dry clothes. I hope we have more here than to take with them."

"I'm sure we can accommodate them. How far away where you when you started walking?"

"I have no idea, but the town's name was McClellanville."

"Sounds like a nice place not to visit."

"I wouldn't know Colonel. We couldn't see a thing. I depended on my GPS to get us here, and thankfully it did."

"Admiral, what do you use to move munitions around with?"

"We use motorized carts, and manpower forklifts."

"If we put 50 men on your boat how much weight will she be able to carry?"

"She's an 84-foot ocean going catamaran, and she only has a draft of 5 feet. I built her for racing, not for stuff like this. The site is over 60 miles from here. If we can take her to the Ashley River, I can put 8 to 10 tons of munitions in the living spaces, and at least 60 people topside. She uses hybrid electric engines, and she moves at about eight knots. As long as this rain holds out it will take us about 10 to 11 hours to get there."

"Admiral, have your men bring the boat here. Your men are in charge. My men will do whatever they say, without complaint. If you know where extra dry clothing is that's a priority. I will stay by you, and anything that you want done by my men, I will make sure it's done."

"Okay Colonel, let's get to work."

Patty called Lucius over so she could speak to him.

"Colonel, if you even think of leaving me behind, you may as well think of leaving your balls behind with me. You know I don't make empty threats. Arm me, as you would arm any other man. I can out shoot all of them, and you know it. If you want to do your one-thousand-yard test, I'm up for it now. I will ruin your day. When this is all over, you and I will go after the tip of the spear, because I know who he is. It came to me by process of elimination. It was you who gave me the final clue. You can take care of the three that are in Finland getting their faces changed. They were only the facilitators. When I tell you the clue you missed, you will want to kick yourself in your behind. If you leave me here, I'm going to take care of him myself, and you will wonder for the rest of your life how I knew it, and you didn't. Are we on the same page Colonel?"

"Patty, you are bluffing."

"When was the last time you saw me bluff, and if I am, would you be willing to take the chance that I am this time? Don't tell me I'm a bitch, because we both know I am."

"How does Stephano put up with you?"

"It's very easy for him to put up with me. He loves me, and I love him. When we have an argument, we have a room we go into, close and lock the door. We don't leave that room for any reason, until our problem is solved."

"What happens if you have to pee?"

"We have a wastepaper basket."

"What happens if you have to do number two?"

"We put a plastic bag into the garbage can, when were finished we tie it off and leave it in the corner. Sometimes it comes in very handy as a weapon."

"You two people are insane."

"Yes we are, insanely in love, and we anticipate staying that way. Don't try to leave me behind Lucius, it will be your worst day ever."

"I'll make sure you are on the boat."

"Excellent decision, I knew my father chose well."

"Your father did not choose well, I chose well. He gave me a list of protocols he wanted me to follow, and he was willing to pay me $450,000 a year to do it. I told him since I had to do one thing in duplicate, I wanted $500,000 a year. He said goodbye, and I said goodbye. I believe he went into shock when I left. He believed I would come running back after seeing the error of my ways. After five or six minutes, he told everyone in the gym to find me. It wasn't very hard, because I was sitting only two cars down from the entrance. They took me back in and your father said, "I knew you wouldn't leave."

I replied, "I knew you would let me go. I began working for him that second, for $500,000 a year. He never argued with me, when it came to his personal security matters again."

"I know you left him for a while. What happened between two of you?"

"We are two very strong-willed men. Sometimes personalities get in the way of one another, and you have to separate for a while. He always knew where I was, and I always knew where he was. I believe I was more involved in his security, when we were apart, then when I was three feet away from him."

"After we connected when my mother was killed, I felt the same way. I think he calls me a pain in the ass about five minutes after we got into the airplane. He's been calling me one ever since."

"I cannot imagine why."

"Where the hell is Paul? Normally he's attached to your hip?"

"Paul is guarding Richard and Holden. Holden said he would never leave the building site, and I needed someone I knew would guard him with his life. There was no better answer to that question then Paul."

"I couldn't agree more. I wonder what they're doing now? It was supposed to be over by now, and they are in those armored boxes."

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

"Holden, there is a science to hitting a baseball, and there are no better scientists on this planet then you and Richard. I want you to hold that rubber tube in a 45^o angle, while keeping it parallel to your body. When I throw the ball towards you, and it is at the appropriate distance between you and the bat, judging its forward speed, you swing the bat, striking the ball with all your might. It will send the ball in the opposite direction using Newton's first law. Every object in motion will tend to stay in motion unless hit by a larger object. It's also Galileo's law of inertia. Do you understand now?"

"Why didn't you say so in the 1^st place Paul, instead of telling me all that other garbage. Throw the ball, and I will see if I can hit it properly."

"There is more to it than science Holden, there is also an art to hitting a baseball."

"Throw the ball Paul. I'll show you where to put art later."

Paul was a little miffed. He decided to throw the rubber ball as fast as he could from 30 feet away, to see what Holden could do with it.

The Attorney General was catcher, and he yelled, "Come on Paul, burn it in here."

Paul wound up like a professional pitcher, and threw the ball directly down the center of the makeshift plate they had on the floor. The ball never made it to Tim Kenshaw.

Holden swung, and hit a line drive that Paul had to duck under in fear of his life.

Holden asked, "Is that the way it's done?"

"Yes Holden, that's exactly the way it done."

Richard was playing outfield, and was scrambling to find the ball. When he found it, he threw it back to Paul off the wrong foot, and with all the strength of an infant.

Paul was going to explain the mechanics of throwing the ball to Richard, when Tim Kenshaw said, "Oh no, you explained hitting to Holden. I'll explain throwing to Richard."

What both men forgot is they would have to go over this again, because each boy was only getting one lesson at a time.

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

While there was a lull in the fighting, Joe grabbed Laura by the hand, and dragged her up to the sixth floor for some private time.

Tom did not let this go unnoticed. He posted a six-man guard at the stairway and told them that no one, not even the general, goes upstairs, without his permission.

As Joe's head cleared the top of the stairway, it was hit by a line drive. He dropped to the floor like a stone, unconscious. The ball bounced high into the air, and Laura heard, "I have it. I caught it on the fly is that count?"

"Yes it does, but let's go see what damage we did to the man we hit with it."

Laura was tending to Joe's injury, as Tim Kenshaw started down the stairway.

"What are you doing up here?"

"What are you doing out of your boxes?"

"I asked you a question first."

"I am a federal agent, and you are only the Attorney General. Answer my question or I'll put you in jail."

"We are playing baseball."

"I can see that, but what are you doing out of the stasis units?"

"We were only supposed to be in there for 10 to 12 hours. No one thought about bathroom breaks, or food. Paul let us out, when the rain started. He knew there was going to be no battle today."

"Who made you so smart Paul?"

"Colonel Lucius Canyon."

"I won't argue with that. Has everyone eaten?"

"It wasn't gourmet, but it was good food."

Joe groaned. "I didn't do anything. Why did you hit me?"

"I didn't hit you, you idiot. Tom did."

"Where is he, I'll kill him."

"Why are all men so dumb. You got hit by a line drive hit by a 15-year-old boy. Be thankful it wasn't real baseball, or you would be having a face to face with God, and I wouldn't have to worry about getting married."

"So that's a yes?"

"We were going to talk remember?"

"My brains just got scrambled, remember?"

"I watched it happen, otherwise I wouldn't believe you."

"Kiss me so I'll know I'm still alive."

"I can't, the Attorney General is here."

"I don't see him. Kiss me."

"He's here by my right hand."

"I thought I was the one that got hit by the baseball. Now you're seeing things."

"Kiss him Burkart, I'll make believe I'm not here. The poor man is hallucinating."

"Bullshit, he just wants me to kiss him in public."

"So kiss him, what's the big deal. People kiss every day when they leave work. By the end of our workday, 50 percent of us could be dead."

Laura could not argue with that logic. The Attorney General stood up and began walking away.

"Are you all right in there?"

"I don't know who hit that ball, but being on the receiving end, it knocked me senseless."

"In that case, you will not remember this at all."

She lay down beside him on the steps, and kissed him. It was a nice, sweet, innocent kiss, until he felt her left hand moving below his belt line. His eyes popped open, and so did his mouth.

Laura inserted her tongue, and searched for his.

Joe's senses kicked back in, and rolled over on top of her.

Tim yelled at them. "There will be no sex on my stairway. There are impressionable children up here, and I will not have you two corrupting their morals. Find a room; there were plenty of them up here."

Laura was out of breath, so Joe replied for them, "Yes sir."

She looked up at Joe and said, "I really wanted to talk."

"We still can, if that's what you really want."

"My head is saying one thing, and my body is telling me another. Where is Tom when I need him?"

"If he showed up now, his jaws would be wired for the next six weeks, and that's only because he's my friend. If he wasn't, they would be wired for a year. Shall we find a room, or a library?"

"When I was in college, I made love in a library, a computer science lab, during a boring English lecture, and several other places."

"Did you ever try a room?"

"I don't think so. I slept and studied there."

"Then this will be a novel experience for you."

"Will you two get out of the stairwell. You are becoming a traffic hazard."

"We are discussing our next move Tim. She is being very verbose about it."

"The best place to keep a woman's mouth shut is in a bedroom Joseph. It works most of the time."

"You know the Attorney General?"

"No, not really, my father and he were friends. My father died of ALS several years ago."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a blessing for him, and the family, believe me."

"We are a traffic hazard, make a decision, bedroom or library?"

"You're telling me to make the decision. Stand up little girl, we're finding a room."

"If you call me little girl one more time, you're going to wind up on your ass."

"I think I will enjoy trying that with you."

"Many men at Quantico said the same thing. What they forget is I have a lower center of gravity, and when I bend my knees, it's even lower. You big guys fall like timber, because I'm at your knees all the time, and you have nothing to grab."

"That is cheating. I outweigh you by 100 pounds. My wingspan is 30 inches longer than yours is, and you are going to be on the floor banging away at the back of my knees."

"Men, I've have to take you to the gym and teach you everything about your body. It's so weak that any woman with brains could take you down."

"I refuse to believe that."

"We can either go to a bedroom, or to the gym; which do you prefer?"

"Can I think about it?"

"If you have to think about it, we're going to the gym."

"Are you two still on my stairway?"

"We were just leaving Tim."

"I'm counting to 10, and if you guys are not gone by then, I'm calling out the guards."

While the Attorney General counted, Laura and Joe stood up, brush themselves off, and casually walked up the stairwell.

"Who hit me with the line drive?"

"That was Richard, and he's not half as good as Holden yet. He will come around, and both of them would be major-league prospects in about two months."

"Why would they bother taking salary cuts to play baseball?"

"Good point Joseph, good point."

"We are going to find ourselves in a room."

"Enjoy yourselves, when the time comes the alarms will go off."

"Thank you sir, we won't be too far away."

Joe said, "How long do you think Tom is going to leave us alone? He will come up with some excuse to tell the Attorney General we are needed downstairs for briefing or some other important get together, and he has to find me. Tim will tell them we are on this floor and one of the bedrooms. He will search everyone until he finds us. He's going to be very disappointed, because we're not going to be here."

"Where are we going to hide?"

"In the last place he would ever look. Come with me."

They walked down to the fourth level, where every room had a nameplate on it. They crossed a large metal grating, and Joe pulled her to a stop. He pushed a button and the grating separated into two parts. He put a metal anchor between the beam and through the grating which prevented it from closing. If anyone wanted to get to get to this side, they would have to walk around the entire circumference of the Good Luck 2.

Laura asked, "What did you just do?"

I just told Tom where we are. We play this trick on each other all the time. Instead of walking all the way around, which is an awful long walk, we go up to the 'Systems' level and rappel down. He will be so pissed we're not here he will go crazy."

"Where are we going to be?"

"All the way down at the bottom."

"That's an awful long walk."

"Do you trust me?"

"Can I think about that?"

"If you are thinking about doing, about what I'm thinking about doing, you'd better trust me, or we should not be doing it."

"Okay, what do you want to do?"

"Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly."

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

"Okay I think Mister nice guy from more than an hour and I can't take it anymore. Does everyone have his cell phone ready to take pictures?"

"Yes sir."

"Okay follow me."

They walked up the stairway to the sixth floor, and asked the Attorney General where Joe was, because he was needed at a meeting with the general in 15 minutes.

"Tell the general that Joseph Constantine is on extended leave until I tell him otherwise."

"Sir, you do not have the authority to do that. You are a civilian, and this is a military matter. Where is Joseph Constantine?"

"Joseph Constantine is on this vessel."

"Where on this vessel sir?"

"Last time I saw him, he was on this floor."

"By two's search every room, and do it quickly."

"Mister Kenshaw, we both know he's not on this floor. Where did Joe go?"

"If I had a pretty young lady on my arm, and a room available to me, where do you think I would go?"

"He wouldn't be that stupid. He knows I would go there first."

"If you're going to that room first, why are you here?"

"A slight miscalculation, which I will rectify now."

"Everyone listen up, we are moving to level IV, section C, numbers 101 to 125."

As they charged down the stairwell, Tim went to two of the armored Stasis Units, and opened the ends.

"You to come out now, and find a proper room. They will be searching for you forever."

When Laura's feet touched the ground, Tim asked her if there was something wrong with the air conditioning unit.

She said, "No, it's just I've never had phone sex before, and he is very good at it."

"His mom said the same thing about Emile. He was a good friend, and a terrible loss."

"You are not supposed to be telling tales out of school, she may run away before I get a chance to get to know her."

"The first three in your life were losers, and best left aside. If you let this one go, I'll find a place in the legal system for you, and you won't enjoy the view."

"You're not putting any pressure on me though, are you? She's already told me she can beat me up, and how she can do it. Now I have you to worry about. As soon as I turn my back, my mother is going to know about it. She will tell my aunts, uncles. They will inform my cousins. Do you see what you've done to my life Laura, and I haven't known you a full day yet?"

"The stasis units were your idea not mine. Tom could've found us sitting on two chairs reading comic books and been so disappointed instead of being down at the fourth floor now wondering who was fooling who. Do you still want a room, or shall we go to the gym so I can kick your ass?"