The Harvester (26 page)

“Give us Senator Munley, and we can avoid this whole battle thing, and we’ll let you live,” the first Underworlder propositions me.

“Oh, really? That’s all I have to do to avoid battling you two? What makes you think you two won’t be the ones with your heads separated from your bodies? Just curious,” I say with confidence.

They scowl with confusion and I smell the intimidation and fear emanating from them like an odor coming out of a sewage plant. This stench always makes me feel complete. I must admit that it does stroke my ego when I inhale that stench. I stand my ground and keep my sword half raised and don’t move a muscle. This is another Miyamoto Musashi technique. To not do anything and let your aggressor grow frustrated to the point of attacking you under high distress. Sometimes to do nothing, means to do everything.

I know one of ’em will break soon. And I spot the one who will trigger our fight. The second Harvester’s hands begin to shake and his sword bobs up and down a bit. He’s going to snap any moment.

While I wait for this moment, I allow my eyes to shift just slightly, so slightly that they don’t even notice I’m now seeing how Dorian and Kelly Marie are faring. They seem to be handling business as usual, but they haven’t bested their opponents yet, yet.

I focus my attention back on these two, and I know it’s going to blow up any moment. The second Underworlder hollers some sort of war cry and charges me. He’s full of yells, not skill for the battle. Before he even raises his sword, I slice across his stomach, and his intestines spill out onto the unforgiving, cold concrete.

“I knew I shouldn’t have brought him on this job,” the first Underworlder says.

Just by his statement alone, I know this one will be harder to kill. Without looking, I swing my sword backwards and lop of the second Underworlder’s head. It rolls down the parking garage’s decline.

“Now it’s just the two of us,” I tell the first Underworlder. “I’ll give you the first move, Underworlder.”

I can hear the sounds of combat from Dorian and Kelly Marie and the sounds tell me they’re doing a good job. I don’t need to fret over them. I focus all my attention on this one, who has a shit-ass grin on his face. It’s almost as if he wanted to face me down one on one. Now I feel a bit perplexed. Is he really that good? I’m about to find out. And I’m eager to do so. I always love a good challenge. Put my skills and talents to the test and prove to me I’m as good as I am. I dare you, Underworlder.

“Come on, Underworlder. I give you the first move on me. Feel privileged. I don’t usually do this. The first drop on me? You know you want it,” I tell him.

“You must think I’m an idiot. The guy you just beheaded, well, he’s only been an Underworlder for about thirty years. Now, me, well, try four hundred years,” he tries to impress me. And actually I am a bit, just a bit.

He might be a force to be reckoned with and I welcome the challenge. My adrenaline pumps more and more. My endorphins kick in even more and I feel a natural high for a battle with this cat. Now, to think of what style I’m going to use to end this bastard of an Underworlder. And it comes to me in a flash. This guy could prove to be useful since he’s been an Underworlder for so long. He must know a lot and could be a bargaining piece with Vega. Another one of his scientists for him. With that said, I press the third button on my belt and without him knowing it a Black Door shoots up and out of the concrete behind him. I make a jostling move toward him, and he steps back a bit and falls into the Black Door and vanishes. I leap into it in order to escort him.

We arrive at the Agency’s Travel Center and two Harvesters rush over and arrest the Underworlder.

“Too afraid to fight me, Harvester?” he asks me with a condescending tone.

“There’s a time to fight, and there’s a time to be wise and gain something out of your thick skull,” I retort. “Take him to the Halo of Truth room, boys.”

They escort the Underworlder down the corridor.

I press the same button as I did before, and a Black Door shoots up from the floor. I step into it and disappear. The Black Door reappears back at the same spot at the parking garage. First thing I see when I step out of the Black Door is Kelly Marie casually sitting on the hood of our company vehicle and Dorian just lopping off the Underworlder’s head who he was battling when I left. He has a few flesh wounds. I stop in front of Kelly Marie with a smile.

“I say when we have some free time you and I go out for some drinks. Whad’ya say?”

“I say we have free time right now,” she comments with a sexy smile.

K
elly Marie and I sit at a booth to a rather swanky lounge. It’s kind of our first date, and I didn’t want to take her to my favorite watering hole because that wouldn’t impress her. It may make her think of me as quite the scoundrel. I definitely don’t want that. I feel rather connected to Kelly Marie in numerous good ways. I don’t want to ruin that. And I obviously don’t want Mr. Herald to find out that we’re breaking one of the Agency’s major laws: no relations with another Harvester.

But we were having such a great time, I truly felt the both of us didn’t care. Besides, we’re just having drinks.

“So which one of the Heads do you think is the traitor?” I ask her.

Her head cocks to the side a bit. “How about we don’t talk shop, okay? This is our time.”

I nod. “You’re right,” I reply.

“So, Harvey, we haven’t had any free time in quite a while. What do you like to do for fun?”

“Fun? Uh, well . . .” I try to search for an answer.

“You have to do something for fun. It just can’t be work all the time for you is it?”

“You know, now that I think of it, work is fun to me. I thoroughly enjoy being a Harvester,” I tell her.

“I do as well, but you need to set aside a bit of time for some sort of hobby or just plain you time,” she informs me.

“You’re right, Kelly Marie. You’re right. I guess you and I hanging out right now can be considered me time, right?”

She smiles at me with a nod. “Absolutely. And I’m glad you invited me out with you,” she states with a come hither type of expression on her face.

Being a Harvester can be a lonely life and when you have a connection with another one, you run with it. Even though you’re always working with others, your personal life is usually very lonely. So with her and my connection, it makes us feel happy and desired. Two emotions I haven’t felt since I was married so long ago.

“I don’t mean to get too personal, but I’ve wondered this about you for a long time,” she states.

“No problem. Go ahead,” I assure her.

“Okay. Well, was it hard being a Harvester and being married to a human?”

I pause for a moment.

“I’m sorry. I offended you.”

“No, no, no. Not at all. To be honest, when I proposed to her, I had my doubts and concerns. But soon after getting married, all that melted away, and we were like any other happy couple. We had a nice house, a dog, and a cat, and then my beautiful daughter was born. It seemed to me my family was the only sense of normalcy I had, and I loved it.”

“Wow. The way you explained that was amazing,” she sincerely says.

I reach across the table and gently hold her hand.

“You’re amazing, Kelly Marie. I stand up, lean over the table, and softly press my lips against hers. She reciprocates, and our soft kiss grows into a hot, passionate, deep kiss. We slowly pull away from one another, and we can’t help but smile like teenagers enjoying their first real, beautiful kiss.

“I haven’t done that in years,” she informs me.

“Likewise. And I rather enjoyed it,” I tell her with a slight smile.

She smiles back. “Me too,” she replies and kisses me again.

I pull back.

“What?”

“You want to get outta here and go to my place?” I ask her.

“Let’s not move too quick. Let’s be happy with where we are now and build from there,” she tells me.

I feel a bit embarrassed. “Oh, yeah, sure, of course. I apologize. I’m kind of rusty at this,” I embarrassedly tell her.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Harvey. I’m rusty too. How about we be rusty together and relearn how to do this relationship thing. Whad’ya say?”

I can’t help but to smile wide with a glow to me I haven’t experienced in decades.

“That sounds great, Kelly Marie.”

“Want to shoot some pool?” she asks and then slams back her shot of whisky.

This woman, I believe I have truly fallen for her. “This swanky place has a pool table?” I shockingly ask.

She takes my hand and leads me away from our booth. “I’m going to kick your ass at pool, Harvey.”

“Oh, I see. You’re a hustler, aren’t ya’?” I’ve known her for many decades and knew we were so much alike. I wish I could tell her how I feel and say, “I’m in love with you,” but I can’t just yet.

T
wo weeks later, Dorian, Kelly Marie, two well-trained Harvesters, each with a particular skill set, and I walk the streets of Rome, Italy. All of us wear disguises to not be recognized by any Underworlders. Mr. Herald assigned us here to find out any info on Vega.

Senator Munley is still in an awakened sense of a coma, and there has been zero progress with him, so that’s why we’re here. There are rumors that Underworlders have even infiltrated Vatican City. Is the pope himself under Vega’s control? If he is, that would be a most horrifying predicament for not just the Agency, but the world.

Of course, we have our weapons, but they are well hidden on our bodies, and our attire was purposely picked out by the Agency to further cloak our weapons. We do have some connections here who will aid us in our plight, especially with navigating the series and miles of catacombs and the layout of this sprawling, ancient, beautiful city.

“The last time I was in Italy, I was shot nine times and barely survived WWII,” Dorian tells us.

“The last time I was here, I was on vacation, and numerous romantic Italian men thought they could woo me within five minutes and get me to sleep with them,” Kelly Marie adds.

I can’t help but to laugh a bit.

“I only slept with six of them,” she further adds.

My face drops and she notices my facial expression and laughs out loud. “I’m just kidding, Harvey.”

A sense of relief washes over me. “You have a sick sense of humor, Kelly Marie.”

“And?” she asks me.

“And I love it,” I tell her.

Dorian scowls with suspicion. “Is there something I should know about between you two?” Dorian asks with a hint of suspicion in his tone.

“Say what? No. Anyway, just mind your own business, Dorian. We have work to do. Stay focused on that okay,” I instruct him.

I see Dorian crack a smile as if he knows the truth and you know what? I don’t care. He’s a good friend of mine, and he wouldn’t say a thing. I can truly say that I wholeheartedly trust him, and that’s rare to say in this day and age, especially being a Harvester.

“Where we meeting our Italian Harvester at again, Harv?” Kelly Marie inquires.

“A few blocks down the street we’re on, Via del Plebiscito. We make a left and go to the Hotel Coronet. In there will be a quaint café and bistro. She’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” I answer her.

“Oh, an Italian female Harvester. Nice,” Dorian enjoyably comments.

“Oh is right, Dorian. I can’t wait for you to meet Avianna,” I reply and then wink at Kelly Marie.

We make our way down the cobblestone street and through groups of locals, shoppers, and tourists.

“We’re most likely walking over some catacombs,” I inform them.

We cross the street and make a left and head toward the amazing Hotel Coronet. The hustle and bustle of this block is much more than we have experienced yet here in Rome. The hotel is a sprawling structure with absolute brilliant architecture. The richest of the rich come here to play. Expensive vehicles line the street. Fancily clad people stroll in and out of the hotel. Women wear hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and the men wear fifty thousand dollar suits. This hotel is on the, if not higher than, level of the Bel Air or all those grandiose hotels James Bond is always frequenting and gambling at. I know all of us must feel out of place here. And we also know soon everyone will be staring and judging us. Uh, well, let me take that back. They already are doing just that.

We ascend the stairs to the eloquent archway entrance.

Several people we pass scowl at us with a snobby huff. We couldn’t care less as we proceed into the hotel. If they knew who we really are, they wouldn’t even dare to treat us in such a manner. I point to the right to let the others know the café and bistro is over there. I lead them to a table by the front and we take a seat and wait. A waitress makes her way over to us with a slight look of confusion as to why we’re here. In Italian, she asks us what we would like to start off with, and I tell her in Italian that we want coffee. She nods and heads off.

“I feel so out of place it’s like I’m a scantily dressed hooker in Sunday school,” the first Harvester says.

We look at him for a moment to process his comment, then we collectively erupt in laughter. This causes more attention to be drawn to us. Like I stated before, we couldn’t care less.

The waitress brings us our coffees.

“Graci,” I say thank you to her, and she leaves to wait on another table.

“Where’s this Avianna at? She’s late and if it’s one thing I can’t stand is people not being punctual,” Kelly Marie states.

“I agree, Kelly Marie,” I say to her. “She’s always on time, early even in order to stake the locale out. I’m beginning to get a bad feeling.”

“I’ve had one of those since we landed in Italy,” the second Harvester replies.

His comment and Avianna being late really gets my thinking gears going. What’s our next move? My choice.

A choice that could get all of us sent to the After if I screw this up. Tension? Yeah, a whole lot of tension and stress on my shoulders, let me tell you. I want to capture Vega so bad that now I can honestly say I might put some of my crew at risk to do so. Something I can’t admit to the others no doubt. Am I being selfish, or am I doing a grand job to accomplish what needs to be handled? Whatever makes me sleep better at night, right? At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

All of a sudden, a shadow is cast across our whole table. We turn and see Avianna standing behind us. She stands 6’ 8”, is incredibly muscular, with a shaved head.

Hence, the reason I winked at Kelly Marie earlier. I notice Dorian’s eyes grow wide and his mouth is slightly agape.

“Everybody, this is Avianna. Avianna, this is my crew.”

“Pleasure to meet all of you. Harvey, we got work to do and I think we should get on it,” she explains to me.

“I agree. We can’t waste any time,” I reply. “Let’s move out, guys.”