Part 46 (1/2)

Stone took another step forward, blocking Captain Jack's line of sight to Hemingway. ”Why don't you kill me me? You were always second best, so it'd be a thrill for you to take out the top man, wouldn't it?”

”You're still one c.o.c.ky b.a.s.t.a.r.d,” Captain Jack growled.

”Unlike you, I earned the right to be. How did you screw up again? Oh, that's right, you used the wrong barometric reading and you missed your target. They had to send me in a year later to do it right. Face it, you were a second-rate bungler.”

Captain Jack pointed his pistol at Stone's forehead. ”I won't have to worry about barometric pressure this time.”

Hemingway leaped and hit the light switch, plunging them into darkness. Captain Jack fired. There were screams and shouts and scuffling and finally one horrific cry and then the sound of a body falling.

The lights came back on, and Captain Jack was lying on the floor, his guns gone. Stone was standing over him, holding a knife covered in blood, fabric and skin. He'd taken it from the room of truth.

”You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!” Captain Jack groaned as he grabbed his lower calves where Stone had cut him, immobilizing the man.

Captain Jack screamed, ”Why didn't you just kill me?”

”Because I didn't have to,” Stone answered.

”Listen to me,” Captain Jack gasped. ”Ten million dollars to each each of you if you kill Brennan.” They all looked at him in disgust. ”He's just a man,” he screamed. of you if you kill Brennan.” They all looked at him in disgust. ”He's just a man,” he screamed.

”If you don't shut up,” Alex snapped, ”I'll kill kill you you.”

Hemingway managed to lever himself up against the wall. ”You have to take President Brennan and leave him at a certain spot, to finish this the right way.”

Alex looked at him in disbelief. ”I don't know what the h.e.l.l your crazy motivations are, and I don't care. You've left the entire world on the brink of war. So the only thing I'm doing is taking the president back where he belongs. And on the way we're going to make a call and stop six million people from being incinerated because of what you did.” He pointed his gun at Hemingway. ”Now you either open the cell door or I'll kill you.”

Hemingway struggled to his feet. ”I'm not a traitor to my country, no matter what you or anyone else might think. I did this for for my country. I did this for my my country. I did this for my world world.”

”Open the d.a.m.n door!” Alex yelled. ”Now!”

Hemingway took out a set of keys and unlocked one of the doors.

”I thought you said it was b.o.o.by-trapped,” Captain Jack snarled.

”I lied,” Hemingway said.

Stone and Alex carried the unconscious president out and sat him up against a wall. They found Chast.i.ty and placed her on the floor next to him.

Alex pulled out his cell phone. ”d.a.m.n it, I forgot there's no signal in here, so we need to get out of here to call Was.h.i.+ngton and-”

A man's voice interrupted. ”I don't think that'll be necessary.”

They all turned and stared at Carter Gray and six men holding machine guns.

CHAPTER 68.

”THANK G.o.d,” SIMPSON SAID, stepping toward her G.o.dfather. However, Gray turned his attention to Hemingway. stepping toward her G.o.dfather. However, Gray turned his attention to Hemingway.

”The president was in the chopper that you flew me home in, wasn't he?” Gray clearly didn't expect an answer, and Hemingway didn't provide one. ”You corrupted my my files, a.s.sembled an army of dead men and kidnapped the president.” Gray shook his head. files, a.s.sembled an army of dead men and kidnapped the president.” Gray shook his head.

”The president's fine, Carter,” Simpson said. ”He's just drugged.”

Gray said, ”Very good. Well, we'll take over from here.” He motioned two of his men to go get the president.

”Wait!” Hemingway shouted. ”He needs to be returned the way I planned! You can't let all those people in Pennsylvania die in vain. They sacrificed themselves for a better world.”

Gray's face screwed up. ”You are insane!” He calmed and turned to Stone.

”h.e.l.lo, John. I can't tell you what a shock it's been finding out you're alive,” Gray continued. He glanced over at Captain Jack lying on the floor still clutching his bloodied legs. ”Two old friends I believed to be dead. Resurrection seems to be a theme of the twenty-first century.”

”I wasn't ready to die on your timetable, Carter,” Stone said.

Simpson looked between the two men. ”What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?”

Alex interjected. ”Look, people, we're running out of time. We have to notify the White House that we have the president back. They'll stop the launch.”

Gray ignored this and said, ”Jackie, I want you to step over here with me.”

”What?” she said. ”Didn't you hear Alex? We have to stop the launch.”

”When you and I leave here together, you are never to speak of anything you've seen or heard tonight. Do you understand?”

Simpson looked at the others. ”I'm sure you can trust all of us not to reveal anything that would damage the country.”

”I'm not worried about the others, Jackie, just you.”

Stone looked at the woman. ”You're the only one leaving here alive, Agent Simpson.” He glanced at Gray. ”And I believe that includes the president.”

”What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?” Simpson shouted. She looked at her G.o.dfather for rea.s.surance, but the truth of what Stone had just said was instantly revealed in Gray's features. She pointed at the unconscious Brennan. ”This is the president of the United States!”

Gray said, ”I'm aware of that. And there's a man in the Oval Office right now who's equally equally capable of running the country, which, unfortunately, isn't saying much.” capable of running the country, which, unfortunately, isn't saying much.”

Simpson stared at the men with Gray. ”He's going to kill the president. You have to stop him!”

”These men are all loyal only to me, otherwise they wouldn't be here,” Gray answered.

She said pleadingly, ”Six million people are going to die if we don't make the call to the White House, Carter.”

”Six million Syrians, Syrians,” Gray countered. ”Do you know how many terrorist activities dear old Syria supports? And they're the clearinghouse for virtually all the suicide bombers going into Iraq. We should have nuked the d.a.m.n country years ago.”

Simpson looked at her G.o.dfather. ”You're insane.”

”This is bigger than any one man, Jackie,” Gray replied very calmly. ”This is strictly a war of good versus evil, and we have to ensure that those two sides remain clearly defined. And to do so, sacrifices have to be made, for the good of all. Even the president is not above that. And to accomplish that the world has to believe that his kidnappers have killed him.” He paused and added, ”I'm sure your father would have no problem with any of this.”

”Bulls.h.i.+t!” Simpson roared. ”He'd be the first one to throw you in jail.”