A Temporal Trust (The Temporal Book 2) (21 page)

Two federal agents followed close behind Ian through the woods. All three men had on body armor; Ian was carrying a flame thrower and wore night vision goggles. The goggles were seated on his head like the upright ears of a cat frightened by some noise. The three men moved quietly, constantly aware of any stray noise or sign of life.

Sam, back at the Berkshire House, tried to monitor the area, but couldn’t be sure if there were Nephloc present. He had an inkling something was there or had been there, but the signatures were shallow and faded.

After some twenty minutes of hiking from the nearest road, the path following the winding stream opened up to a twenty-foot high bluff just as Hikari had said. There in the clay wall was a hole the size of a grapefruit.

“Looks more like a snake hole than an entrance to a large underground training area,” whispered one of the agents.

“Sam,” Ian said into the microphone taped to his shoulder. “How’s that radar of yours?”

At the Berkshire House, Sam continued to monitor the world’s Temporal as well as give aid to Ian on demand.

“I still don’t sense anything definite, but they could be masking their presence somehow.” Sam’s voice came loud and clear in Ian’s earpiece.

Ian spat on the ground. He was certain Hikari had either lied about the Nephloc factory or was planning a trap. Either way, this wild Nephloc chase took Ian away from Catherine. On the other hand, it also took him away from the poison that was Suteko. He knew that, but why did he still long to drink from it?

Ian knelt down and ran his hand in a circular motion around the edges of the hole. The dried clay crumbled at his touch. After a few seconds of this, his hands had found the borders of the hole or at least a part that didn’t crumble upon contact. The hole was now large enough for a single grown man to slip inside. Grabbing the flashlight on his belt, Ian aimed it down the hole and took a look. There was little to see, but danger rarely presented itself openly in the light.

“You two, wait out here. I will take a look and come back within five minutes. If you spot any activity outside or hear anything inside the cave, call in reinforcements and get out of here.”

Once Ian slipped inside the hole, he looked around, shining his flashlight in all directions. There was a passageway directly ahead. To his sides and rear was solid rock. He then looked up and received the tank holding the pressurized fuel for the flame thrower.

Putting on the thirty-five pound tank, he tested it with a one second burst. Having a modern electrical ignition system instead of a pilot light would normally give the advantage of stealth, but Ian would have preferred the constant natural light and tiny heat a pilot light would give—just in case a Nephloc was nearby.

“Sam,” he whispered into his microphone. “Anything?”

“Just a second,” came Sam’s reply. “No. You are still clear.”

“Roger that. Keep monitoring and let me know the moment you sense something,” Ian said in a whisper.

“Will do.”

Ian turned off his flashlight and snapped it to a hook on his utility belt. He brought down the night vision goggles from the top of his head. He held the nozzle of the flamethrower forward as he took a step into the now visible black. All he needed was confirmation of Nephloc presence. If this was indeed a training area, once all the world’s Temporal arrived, they could return from a position of strength and surprise.

The goggles worked well near the outside hole, but as he progressed, the ambient light from the opening behind him wasn’t enough for the goggles to penetrate the darkness ahead of him. Pressing a button on the side of the goggles, Ian turned on the infrared illuminator, a kind of flashlight that the naked eye can’t see, but the goggles can and use.

He stopped momentarily as his ears picked up some sound. His heart slowed; it was just a constant drip echoing from some unknown water source.

He continued forward for a few moments until he heard Sam’s voice in his ear.

“I sense something.”

“What?”

“I don’t know. It is masked or distorted somehow. I can’t tell if it is friend of foe, but it appears to be only one signature. Whatever it is, it is directly in front of you. Ma…e a hun…d f...ahead.”

“Sam,” Ian whispered with his head turned to reduce the possibility of his voice carrying forward to the unknown thing ahead of him. “You are breaking up.”

Ian’s earpiece blasted loud pulses of static into his ear. After a few of those, he grabbed the earpiece and stuffed it into his pocket. He had lost contact, but at least he had been warned.

Ian began the process of quietly retreating to the men waiting outside. He had no interest in picking a fight without knowing what he would be facing. He gripped the handle of his flamethrower tighter.

He kept facing the visible darkness while stepping backward toward the tiny circle of light pouring in from the distant exit hole. He held the nozzle of the flamethrower with one hand and fingered the trigger with the other.

With each step, his breathing became more labored. He felt sweat trickle down his cheeks despite the cool, constant fifty-four degrees in the cavern.

“Ian.”

Her soft voice startled him as he whipped around. It came from behind him as if the woman had come from the opening. It wasn’t so much that it was a kind voice but that it sounded like Suteko’s.

“Ian, it’s me, Suteko.”

It was her voice. But it was absurd to think it could be her here in this forsaken cavern.

Or perhaps it wasn’t so absurd.

She could move incredibly fast and she had been the one to receive the information directly from the Nephloc. Perhaps she didn’t want to worry the old man and had come without permission?

“Suteko?” Ian turned around to see the ghostly image of a woman. Tearing off the goggles, he fumbled for his flashlight and upon turning it on, her kind face appeared before him in living color. It truly was Suteko. She took a step closer.

“What are you doing here? Why?”

“Why?” Suteko approached Ian with silky movements. He kept the light in her eyes, but she didn’t seem to mind. Her smile didn’t falter for a moment. She kept her head down, only partially revealing her face. “Because, dear Ian, we needed to be alone.”

She lifted her arms. Her fingers reached out to touch him, pausing as if to ask permission. He did not resist. She made contact.

“I forged the map. Hikari didn’t give it to me. I knew the old man would choose you to go. He has always used you.”

She placed her hands on his arms and slid them up to his shoulder and then around his neck, locking her fingers. Her arms were cold against Ian’s bare neck, colder than the cool cavern air. “He has never appreciated your talents for what they truly are.”

“Wh...what’s this all about, Suteko?”

“Marcus forbade me to seek you after...after we met. It kills me to see you so hurt. You were my savior. The man who did so much to help me. And then to see him continue to use you as a mere messenger boy. You are so much more than that, my love.”

“Love?” Ian wanted to say more and to say it with great protest and disgust, but the simple, repetitious one-word question was all that could come out.

“Yes, Ian, I love you. I have always loved you.”

“But what of your current lover, Sam?”

“I need Samuel—we need Sam, but that doesn’t mean that I want Sam.”

“What about what you told Catherine? That you had never had feelings for me?”

Suteko dropped her arms and looked down, partially hiding her face in the shadows. Ian held the flashlight steady.

“I lied. She was threatening to tell Sam about my feelings for you. She knew how much I long for you, and then she confronted me.” Suteko looked up at Ian and, gently batting away the flashlight, she moved in close and playfully bit Ian’s earlobe. She continued in a whisper, “Ian, she blackmailed me. I had to lie to her. For us.”

“This makes no sense. Why would you lie?”

“As detestable as he is, Samuel is integral to our plan.”

“Our plan? What plan?”

“Ian, have you ever dreamt of the power to control others?”

“No...No, never.”

“Yes, you have. You’ve dreamt of controlling me.”

“No, Suteko, I would never.”

She took a step back and positioned her face directly in front of Ian. “Look me in the eye and tell me you have never had...thoughts.”

He looked deeply into her eyes, still somewhat illuminated by the downward-facing flashlight. There was something strange about them, something compelling.

“It’s all right. I want you to take control.” She reached for his hands, cuddling them between her own. “I give you permission to take control.” She waited until his face showed total absorption before continuing. “Once we take care of Samuel and the others, you and I can rule the world.”

She smiled. He mirrored her smile.

“You would like that, wouldn’t you—as long as we do it together?”

“I’d go anywhere with you—I’d die for you, if you asked.”

Her face changed. It had a hint of panic. “Ian, Sam is calling you. He must not know that I was here. Dr. Bracker will instruct you on what to do next.”

Suteko handed Ian a folded piece of paper with a time and location.

“Bye, my love—remember we will be together, but only if you do not fail me or reveal our secret.”

In an instant, she was gone. Ian blinked a few times, clearing his head only slightly.
Was he going mad?
The flashlight was still on. He lifted it up, but instead of beautiful Suteko’s face, it was again illuminating wet rock.
No, she had chosen him.
He wasn’t sure what just happened, but he was smiling.

“Ian?”

Ian had heard some noises coming from the earpiece in his pocket. Upon placing it back in his ear, he discovered the interference had cleared up. It was Sam’s voice.
The loser.
Ian smiled.

“Yes.”

“Thank God. We were so worried. We lost signal for a few moments. Must have been the caves.”

Ian let out a muffled laugh.

“Are you all right? What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing. Just a little joke I remembered.”

“Did you see someone or something?”

“Who?”

There was a bewildered pause before Sam answered. “A Nephloc, a bear, or a coal miner—anything. Did you see anyone?”

“Oh, Suteko? Why, no. No, I haven’t.”

“Suteko? Look Ian, get back outside. I also couldn’t get your guides and although I don’t sense anything now, something was there. It could come back.”

“Relax, junior, I’m coming out.”

Ian removed the ear piece and threw it to the rock floor. Sam’s voice faded into silence as Ian climbed out of the cave.

Exiting, Ian saw the most natural sight. He almost expected it even. Both of the agents had their throats slit and lay dead at the entrance of the cave.

Ian removed their weapons and despite the absurdity of the situation, he smiled. He had been right all along. This was vindication. Her eyes had shown him. This was love.

Horrified, General Gordon closed his phone with a shaking hand. His suspicions regarding Dr. Bracker had been limited to the petty political ambitions of a Washington ladder-climber. This new revelation raised his concerns to a whole new level. This was treason.

Worse.

He feared Dr. Bracker had corrupted the president. Repeated calls to the president’s office had fallen on deaf ears. Never before had it been so difficult to reach his boss’ ear. But after the call from Marcus, it was all too clear.

Gordon called Dr. Bracker’s secretary for his itinerary, and he decided to confront the man directly. If it was true that he was working with the Nephloc, he must be stopped at all costs. But he had to be sure. According to the secretary, Bracker was at his home for the rest of the evening.

Gordon met two uniformed servicemen in front of Dr. Bracker’s home.

“Yes, General,” Dr. Bracker said after opening the door. He had anticipated their presence before the men reached the front door porch. “Welcome. Come in, please. Bring your friends, too. I must say that I’m a bit surprised. I didn’t think you would be one for a late night visit.”

“I’m here on a serious matter. I would like to ask you a few questions.”

“But, of course. Please come in.”

The three men entered cautiously and headed in the direction of Dr. Bracker’s pointing finger. It was a luxurious living area with a lush black suede couch and several comfortable looking recliners. There was no television, but one wall was lined with leather-bound books from floor to ceiling. Another wall housed a well-stocked bar. General Gordon spotted a pair of night vision goggles on a stool at the bar. It was the Anvis 9 Night Vision Goggles—the same model his department stocked, the same model given to Ian when he went to the cave. Gordon made a point to remember to ask Marcus about that.

Dr. Bracker was dressed in a silky, deep crimson evening robe. His left hand swirled a large rimmed glass of an amber colored drink, his right hand hidden in the robe’s deep pocket.

“Scotch? Brandy? Coffee? What can I get for you gentlemen?”

“I apologize for the abrasive nature of this meeting, but I wanted to bring witnesses purely for the record.”

“Armed witnesses, I see.”

“I would like to know who you were calling while we were preparing the mission.”

“Who I was calling? Oh, you mean in the waiting room. Why, the president, of course. He gave me strict orders to keep him in the loop. And while I didn’t have much of a loop to report, I did feel it my duty to tell him all that I knew.”

“I checked the White House records and no calls came from you that day.”

“Look,” said Dr. Bracker, setting an empty glass on a table. He had a hint of a smile on an otherwise serious face. “I know you don’t like me, but that’s no reason to snoop on me. The phone call would be registered under the name Becker. Check the records. It should be there.”

The general motioned with his right hand and one of his men pulled some papers from a briefcase.

Dr. Bracker continued, “The president is a little paranoid about a leak. I didn’t like it, but he asked me to use this secondary phone when discussing the Temporal—against the name ‘Becker’ should be the phone number 202-965-8773. It was his intention to keep it as secret as possible.”

“There were two calls from a Becker with that number on that day, sir.”

“The president is, however, a little concerned,” Dr. Bracker paused mid-sentence to pour another glass of brandy, “about you. Only this morning, he expressed some mild concerns regarding your loyalty. I, of course, made every effort to assuage his fears, but, as a piece of friendly advice, I would be more worried about your career than pointing unwarranted fingers at others.”

Gordon remembered something Marcus had told him. Marcus had said that Dr. Bracker claimed he, General Gordon, had told Bracker of the Temporal and various aspects of the operation. The general had done no such thing.

“Thank you for your concern for my career. One more question regarding something you told Marcus. You claimed that I told you of the Temporal. I never did. You lied to gain access to information. But I am curious. How did you know of the Temporal? Who told you?”

“Lied? I simply told Marcus that the president authorized me back. Marcus filled me in. Perhaps he’s feeling a bit repentant about being so loose with his tongue, but I assure you I have kept that information sacred. Have you considered the possibility it was Marcus who was the leak? He was and is, after all, the only one with all the information.”

“No.”

“No? Well, excuse me, but you weren’t there.”

“And neither were you. The president assured me he had told no one.”

The general was bluffing. He still hadn’t been able to get in touch with the president, but by Bracker’s reaction, he would also know if the president had any knowledge of Bracker’s betrayal. While the whole idea of getting information through a dream seemed a bit too Area 51 for him, he trusted Marcus far more than he trusted Bracker and Marcus was absolutely sure about the accuracy of this accusation.

Bracker paused awkwardly before speaking.

“I’m sure the president said that for fear that you would disapprove. He knows how much you hate me. It would simply be easier for him to tell a little white lie rather than risk an upset general. You know what politics is all about. I’m sure,” said Bracker with a dismissive wave of his hand, “if you confer with the president once more, I am certain that he will affirm my words.”

“That’s just what we are about to do.”

Dr. Bracker’s smile didn’t slip as his fingers touched the outer rim of the cell phone deep in his hip pocket. Immediately, the phone began to ring. Dr. Bracker casually pulled it out, and after looking upon the blank screen, he said, “I’m afraid, I must take this call. Please wait here. I won’t be a moment.”

Rushing out the room, Bracker dialed a number and waited for a response.

“General Gordon’s office.”

“Yes, this is Dr. William Bracker and I need to get in touch with the general immediately. Where may I find him?”

“I’m sorry sir, but I don’t have authorization to give out his home phone number. If you like, I can relay a message to him.”

“So, he is at home?”

“Yes, I don’t have him scheduled for anything tonight.”

“In that case, I don’t want to bother him. He just left my house for a personal visit and I completely forgot to invite him to a dinner engagement next week. Would you be so good as to relay that message?”

“Certainly. I’ll let him know in the morning, Dr. Bracker.”

“Much obliged. Good night.”

A second later, Bracker was returning to the room. He knew Gordon had lied about speaking to the president—he had made sure Gordon wouldn’t have access. That meant Marcus also had knowledge of who he was—an old adversary, erstwhile friend. It was of no matter. His role as Dr. Bracker was quickly coming to an end.

The three men were standing and preparing to leave.

“Good sirs, please do not leave in such haste. I have something to show you.”

“Bracker, I have nothing more to say to you.”

“Now, General, you accuse me of treason and then walk away like it was nothing? You owe me at least a minute more of your time.”

“What is it?”

“I have proof one of the Temporal is working with Kaileen.”

“How did you know her name?”

“Marcus. Do you want to see the file? It is just downstairs.”

“Which Temporal?”

“It’s Ian. Come. Follow me. I have proof.”

Dr. Bracker had already opened a door and was going down a set of dark stairs. The door closed behind him.

The men looked at the general.

“Keep your weapons ready,” he said in a whisper to the other two men.

The general was the first to enter, the servicemen followed close behind. It was difficult to see even a foot in front of them. There were a few soft lights in the distance like the glow of LEDs on a computer tower. The room was otherwise pitch black. Gordon pulled out his phone and turned it over, letting the backlighting act as a weak flashlight. It was enough to see a few steps in front of him, but not much more.

“I apologize for the lighting,” came Dr. Bracker’s voice from within the darkness. “The stair bulb burnt out. I’m almost at the main switch. Ah, there.”

Suddenly, there was light. It was dim, but a marked improvement from the previous deep darkness. In front of the men was a well-stocked wine cellar. The source of the lights they had seen was indeed a computer on a desk on the far wall. A large furnace blocked much of the room straight in front of them. Dr. Bracker was not in the immediate view.

“What’s this all about? Why did we have to come here?” asked the general.

From the other side of the furnace came some muffled sounds.

“You were right.” Dr. Bracker’s voice also came from beyond the furnace. “And as to why we are here, it’s all very simple. The living room is just too lovely to soil.”

A terrible screeching sound of wood against concrete filled the room as Dr. Bracker reappeared dragging the back of a wooden chair on its two back legs. Letting it go, it wobbled into place. Tied to the chair sat a man, gagged and bound. Behind him stepped a third figure. The general didn’t need to adjust his eyes to the low light. He immediately recognized the identities of both men.

“My God, Bracker, what have you done?”

The men behind the general lifted their guns and took aim.