Dark as Daylight Ch. 03

"That's 200 push-ups Steven."

"José why are you here?"

"To protect you, sir."

"Correct. The rest of you owe me another 200 push-ups."

"Now, here are seven folded pieces of paper. It gives you your objective, and the amount of men you're allowed to take with you. Do your job well, and I may reduce your teams' push-up count."

Everyone thought he was going to put them on the table. He didn't, he threw them in the air, and backed safely out of the area.

It looks like a rugby scrum. Not one piece of paper was caught in the air. If you jumped, you were elbowed, kneed, or simply shoved away. The competition was fierce, but it was also fun for these elite fighters. They were brothers. They would go to hell and back for each other, and they would kill each other for a tiny piece of paper.

The after 3 minutes, the Colonel whistled, and everything stopped. One by one they helped each other up and began assessing the wounds that were inflicted on each other

Lucius called everyone to attention, and didn't have to ask twice. Kathy walked over to him and asked, "What happened; why were they all fighting?"

"Gregory present your piece of paper."

"How do you know he has a piece of paper Colonel?"

"I know my men."

"Gregory are you going to make me ask you again? I know how you love leg lifts."

Gregory removed a piece of paper from under the collar of his shirt.

"That's what they were fighting for. It gives them their instructions, and how many men they can take to complete those instructions. Gregory can I have the second piece of paper please?"

Gregory lifted the inside sleeve of his shirt and took out another piece of paper, and handed it to the Colonel.

"Gregory, the one in your mouth should be getting sticky by now. May I have it?"

Gregory handed it to the Colonel, and turned to walk back to his position.

"Gregory while you're here, can I have the one that's under your belt?"

"Dammit Colonel how do you always know?"

"I haven't asked for the one in your pocket yet."

"Paul, how the hell do you deal with him?"

"It's easy, he was my first girlfriend, and I never left her."

Even Kathy exploded in laughter.

"Colonel, I'm finished packing, and I'm ready to go. Would you like me to make dinner for everyone; I love cooking."

There was a very loud, "YES MA'AM!"

"That's a very nice thought Kathy, but these men could eat the right wing of the house off before they were done. They will break into their groups, and stop for dinner wherever they choose.

Someone yelled, "Headlights in the driveway."

"Positions everyone, Kathy to your bedroom."

"Second set of headlights in the driveway."

Moments later there was a coded knock on the front door.

"Enter slowly, hands above your head."

"You idiots, you know I can't do that. I have to bend down to get in the door."

"Who told you to be so damn tall Andy?"

"My mommy and my daddy."

"Get in here Andy, she's ready to go."

"How often should I check in sir?"

"Check in with the service, by landline, any place near Albany, but never the same place twice, every two weeks. If there is an emergency, I will call your mother and ask her if she's renting out her bulls for the spring stud season. You will know to get Kathy into hiding immediately, and contact me."

"That will be fine sir. I will advise my mother as soon as we get home."

"The box by the door is Kathy's. It contains a $700,000. It's for the money we paid for the house, and the money that was in Mister Smallwood's safety deposit box, which he said was for her. Try not to lose it, she might bite your pride and joy off."

"She's already threatened to do that for another reason sir."

"That's two strikes Andy, you don't want the third. She's too nice a girl to lose."

"I'm going to let her decide that after she seen something of the world. This house has been her prison. She's never seen downtown Boston. I'll let her finish her Master's in school, and then make her go for her PhD. She'll meet a lot of people her own age, and possibly decide that I'm not the person for her. I will continue to guard her, and probably love her, but I'm not going to keep her in prison like that asshole did."

"I knew you were a Teddy Bear, Andy; that's why I put you two together. Go-get her, and get on the road."

Moments later, Andy was carrying Kathy out of the room, much to her distress.

"Andrew you're pissing me off. We can't leave without my luggage."

"I will quote the Colonel: Go get her, and get on the road. He did not mention anything about luggage."

Lucius said to him, "Andy, I also didn't tell you about my three divorces."

"Oh, okay Kathy, stand here, I'll be right back."

"Kathy go back into your room and take your blanket, and pillows. It's a long boring ride, and you will get cold."

"I want to leave everything about him behind me."

"Like your pictures, he can't hurt you anymore. They are your pillows and blankets, and tomorrow, if you want, you can go to a store and buy new ones."

"Thank you Colonel, thank you for giving me Andy. I know that was your intention. I don't know how you knew, but I'm very happy that you did."

"Thank you, blanket and pillow, and if Andy forgets, the box by the door, $700,000 is in it. Payment for the house and what was in the safety deposit box he said was for you. Get Moving Young Woman."

She snapped to an awkward looking attention, did a terrible salute, but said, "Yes Sir", perfectly. She kissed him on the cheek and ran towards her bedroom crashing into Andy midway. She fell to the floor like a lump.

She looked up at him and said, "I think I'd rather run into a concrete wall then run into you."

"Thank you, it means all my exercises are working."

"Would you get out of the hallway so I can get to my bedroom?"

"You said you were finished in there. You should have no need to return to that room if you were finished."

"Do you take orders well."

"It all depends was giving them."

"At this particular moment it's me. Get out of the hallway so I can get to my bedroom."

"No, you told me you were finished in there."

"Fine, I'll just tell the Colonel I wasn't able to complete my task, because some big oaf would not get out of the hallway, and allow me into my room."

"You didn't tell me you were following the Colonel's orders."

"Common courtesy would have told you to yield passage so I could go to my room. Does the word manners mean anything to you, sir?"

"That's another thing I forgot to talk to you about this morning. I have bite marks all over my chest. It's going to take decades of spankings for me to get even with you."

"I demand visual proof of that allegation."

"I took still and motion pictures of what my chest looks like this morning. Your ass is going to be as pink as your cheeks for the next 20 to 30 years or longer. I'm going to have to buy an abacus to count that high."

"Have you heard of the computer?"

"Yes but they confuse me."

"Are you two leaving tonight, or are you going to stand there and argue, until the morning?"

"He's being obstinate. He won't let me by."

"Why are you not letting her into her room Andy?"

"She said she was finished in there."

"Would you two like to know what started the downhill slide of my third marriage?"

"Yes sir."

"A red sock accidentally made its way into a white wash, and everything turned pink. My wife's tennis outfit, her white tennis socks, her white summer dress, and three of my military white dress shirts. When I took them out of the washing machine I screamed in horror. My wife came running. She looked at what I did and said three words to me, and they were not I love you. At the top of her lungs she yelled, "Leave, Leave, Leave." I remember those words distinctly, because 8 months later she filed for divorce. In one of her papers she mentioned a red sock."

"Andy get out of the hallway."

"Yes sir, I'm sorry sir."

"Don't tell me Andy, look at what she's bringing out of her room, and tell her."

"I believe I am an idiot sir."

"When it comes to women Andy, all men are."

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

The attack on Mickey Flynn went off precisely as planned. First, the glass was gone, and then from his perch under the table, he waited for the next attack. It came when a Dragon Missile slammed through the wall of the table next to him, blowing a 4-foot-wide hole in the dense concrete and steel substructure. He decided to make a run for it, otherwise he was dead.

He crawled over broken glass, got to his feet and immediately heard bullets zipping by him. He ran, slipping on the glass, towards the kitchen. He would be protected in here, because they were no windows. He moved a panel aside, hit a button, and pulled on a lever three times, and a section of the floor popped up. He crawled in, grabbed the handles, closed and locked the section of the concrete flooring.

He was safe. He walked leisurely down the corridor, and opened the panel to his secret 'Safe Room.' The door opened, he stepped inside, and pushed the red panic button. The door slammed shut behind him and locked. No one could get in from the outside, and he could not get out, unless he put in his secret code.

The Colonel said, "Good afternoon Mister Flynn, did you have an interesting breakfast?"

Flynn turned, and went for his gun. His right arm was wrenched behind his back, and nearly pulled out of its socket. He fell to the floor screaming in pain, and lost consciousness.

Lucius said, "Strip him, put the electrodes on him, and attach him to the board."

When Flynn returned to consciousness, and recognized his situation he became incensed.

"Do you guys know who you're fucking with? You are all dead. My men will follow you to the ends of the earth, and put you in meat grinders while you're still alive."

The Colonel asked, "May I interrupt you for a moment Mister Flynn?"

"Go ahead you little bastard."

"Simon teach him some manners please."

"Yes sir."

Simon walked over to Flynn, and in a flash Flynn was trying to breathe. He never saw the punch coming. He thought he was going to be hit in the stomach or in the face, but never in the throat. It took him over four minutes to recover.

"Mister Flynn, my name is Colonel Lucius C. Canyon. You can call me Colonel, or Sir. If you call me anything else Simon will have to teach you manners again. You have just wasted four minutes of my time, and my time is extremely valuable. Your golden boy, Mister Smallwood, is no longer among the living. As far as your people coming after us, as with all members of your ilk, they rushed to the scene of an incident and looked for their boss. Your number two, three, four, and five people are dead. The White Hill Gang does not have organizational leadership anymore. There will be infighting for a decade or more to take over the top spot. Isn't that just terrible Mister Flynn?"

"I don't believe you, my people aren't that stupid."

"Show him the News please."

After watching it, he shook his head in pain. His top men were all dead, and what the Colonel said was true. All his years of work ended in one day.

"I am going to join them soon."

"You are going to join them, but how soon, and how painfully is up to you. We have been told this is your favorite method of torture. We have decided to give you a taste of it. When we put the helmet over your head and wet you down, you will die as if you were in the electric chair. However, there is not enough voltage, and amperage to make you die quickly. You will die but in a slow, and agonizing way. Your hair will burn, your brain will boil, and your eyes will melt, before your heart stops. We will not be here to watch you die, because it is too awful a thing to watch."

"You can't get out of here without my code."

"Oh, that silly thing. Your children's dates of birth backwards from the youngest of the oldest. The date of your marriage, and your wife's date of birth. It took us 17 seconds to break your code Mr. Flynn. People like you are very predictable. Now I'm going to begin asking you some questions. If I believe your answer, I will continue. If I don't, this will happen."

1000 V of electricity at one amp passed through his body. He went rigid, and screamed expletives at the Colonel.

"Simon, manners please."

When Flynn saw Simon coming at him he yelled, "I'm sorry Colonel, it will not happen again. I swear it will not happen again. Please don't let him hit me."

"Simon stay close by my side; I don't believe him."

"Yes sir."

"Mister Flynn you attended a meeting at which 2 Boeing representatives were in attendance. Please don't tell us you weren't there because we have seen video evidence that you were in attendance. What happened between you and the two Boeing people, and were you the one that ordered the bombing of the spacecraft."

"I was at that meeting. The two Boeing people were scared shitless about a new propulsion system. They asked me if I could take care of it for them, and I told them 'NO.' I said we were getting out of the violence business, and trying to become legitimate. It was more profitable for us, and the feds were looking for other ways to get to us. I told them to find someone else, and that is the truth."

"That is exactly what Mister Smallwood told us. Do you believe they went to the Italians, or to a private contractor?"

"The timeline was very close, and I don't believe the wops would've taken it. I believe they went to the Russians, or to private contractors, but that is my best guess."

"I didn't think the Russians were into this sort of thing."

"I don't either, but I had to mention them."

"Who are the most terrifying private contractors in the area?"

"My money would be on the Malloy brothers. I kicked them out nine years ago, because they use their guns before they use their heads."

"Carlos, Glenn take your people and check them out. If the opportunity presents itself, bring one, or both of them back here. I don't want any of you hurt, is that understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Mister Flynn now we have to talk business, and your business arrangements that Mr. Smallwood has given us a great deal of information about. I want the names of everyone involved in this operation. I don't want you to leave one name out. Like today, I am going to relieve those people and those companies of the top five people, and leave them headless. I know you're going to say no to me. It is the reason you are attached to the board."

The Colonel stood up, removed his jacket and tie, and opened the top three buttons of his crisp white shirt to make himself comfortable.

30 hours later, his shirt was still crisp, but Michael Flynn did not have 1 ounce of energy left in his body, nor did he have a heartbeat. He had given up everything he knew, even though he valiantly tried not to do it.

Just as they were wrapping everything up, the two teams that were sent out to check on the Malloy brothers walked in with them. The brothers had their heads covered, their wrists and arms shackled, and they were obviously in pain.

"To what do we owe the honor of the company of the Malloy brothers?"

Carlos responded, "I was in a bar standing next to them, and they took exception to the color of my skin. I told them I was born with it this way, and there was nothing I could do about it."

They thought I insulted them, so this one took a swing at me. I ducked, grabbed his balls and squeezed until they were marshmallows. He was out of the fight for good. Our guys were sitting at the tables, and they were applauding me, as the other brother came after me with his beer bottle, and missed. I grabbed his arm as it went by. I pulled him down to the floor, and jumped on it. I heard the bone snap, and that was it for them. The guys stood up and gave me a standing ovation. We hooked them up, and here we are."

"No push-ups for you Carlos, everyone else has to do theirs'."

"Why sir, the ending was a foregone conclusion. We applauded at the appropriate times, and we even gave Carlos a standing ovation."

"You had to stand up, you were coming back here. Okay no push-ups, 100 leg lifts instead."

"Oh damn Colonel."

"Uncap the Malloy brothers please."

As their eyes adjusted to the light, they looked at the man attached to the board, and one said, "Holy crap, you got Mickey Flynn?"

"Yes, and if you listen to the news today all of his top advisers too. The White Hill Gang is no longer an effective force in New England. Now, I'm going to ask you one question and one question only. If you lie to me one of you is dead. If you lie to me again you're both dead. You're both going to be dead anyhow, but I would like my answer before that happens.

'Who told you to give $40,000 to two men to blow up the Good Luck 1 Spacecraft? I want that answer now."

"Two guys from Boeing approached us, gave us the name of the targets, $200,000 for us, and $100,000 for them. When we cased the targets, we knew we could get them to do it cheaper. We threatened them and their families, and gave them 40 grand and seven days to do it. We wanted proof that it had been done, but they were so frightened, they forgot to take a cell phone with them. That was it."

"How do you know they were from Boeing?"

"It was on their jackets."

"Thank you, go with Carlos please."

Lucius took the Beretta from behind his back, and in quick succession put two bullets into the back of each Malloy brothers' heads. They would never hurt anyone else, and their testimony ended that thread of evidence.

Coded Microwave Transmission: WSJ / 7 c- / Secured

Message to W: Believe Boeing has nothing to do with this. Someone is playing them.

Message to L: Everything points to them, even in your reports. What's up?"

Message to W: Everything is too obvious. It doesn't feel right. Someone very high up the food chain is pulling the strings."

Message to L: The NSC?

Message to W: IT FITS.

Message to L: Pincer Attack; I will work this end.

Message to W: Let the Chinaman break his bones on this one. Be his advisor, and let him know about his assets. It will serve him and you well."

Message to L: Are you out of your mind? If the Chinaman gets hurt the matriarch will dismember me."

Message to W: The matriarch will leave the important member attached. The Chinaman has to jump into the fire sooner or later. It's best if he does it, while his important assets are still around to guide him.

Message to L: If the matriarch kills me, I'm going to hate you for the rest of my life. I will start making arrangements with the Chinaman at the embassy tonight. May my ancestors be kind to me. I liked the tea you provided, after the vermin were boiled out of it."

Message to W: Before leaving for the highest mountain top, the tea producer was very forthcoming about his blends. Leaving Hong Kong tonight for R and R in Las Vegas. Impart to the Chinaman the lessons that left us with a bad taste in our mouths first. Best of luck with the Matriarch.

End of Transmission

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

9. Paging Doctor Finch

He had put himself on one bitch of a schedule and as time marched on he was paying for it. Every time he walked into his apartment, Sandy attacked him like a wolf seeing raw meat for the first time in a week. It didn't matter that she had a belly, although she was carrying very small, she wanted him now, and with no excuses. It didn't matter to her if the door was fully closed or not, she was horny, and he was her medicine.