Read Mission: Earth "Voyage of Vengeance" Online

Authors: Ron L. Hubbard

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"This is nuts," the pilot said.

"That's what you were paid to be," I said.

"Not from a racing car!"

"Five hundred more," I said. The emergency was my life.

"Here we go," the pilot replied.

But Madison got other ideas before he spotted ours.

He had passed the Williamsburg Bridge across the

East River. He had passed the Manhattan Bridge. He was on the Elevated Highway and heading toward the Brooklyn Bridge.

He looked back. Apparently he could not see the orange cab, as it was too far behind him.

He braked!

He turned right!

He went screaming down a ramp off the Elevated Highway.

With a yank of the wheel, he made the Excalibur turn violently, almost half about. He dived down the street below the Elevated Highway.

I suddenly knew what he was going to do. He was going to hide on a dock as he had done before!

There were a lot of long piers jutting out into the river.

I jabbed the pilot anxiously and pointed.

Sure enough, the Excalibur's nose was pointed at the long pier and it was coming out!

The pilot spun our craft. I gestured at Raht with the gun and he went down the ladder.

We were right in front of the Excalibur now, travelling at its speed. Raht on the ladder just ahead of the car tried to signal Madison to stop.

Madison was in such a panic, he was giving Raht no attention.

I leaned out of the door, wind whipping me from the blades, to yell at Madison to stop.

He was glaze-eyed. He just kept going!

I fired my gun to attract his attention.

That did it!

Madison saw us!

He only had about a thousand feet to go with the dock ahead of him.

The pilot was pretty good.

He put Raht right beside Madison.

Raht grabbed the man by the arm.

Madison, the crazy fool, grabbed at his suitcase in the back!

Up went the pilot!

Madison and suitcase came out of the car!

The vehicle was shooting forward.

IT WENT OFF THE END OF THE PIER!

There was a huge splash.

The copilot was rolling the ladder up.

Raht, then Madison, came to the floor of the chopper.

It circled away downriver.

Cars had stopped on the Elevated Highway above, drivers unloading to go to the rail and stare.

I saw the orange cab brake at the end of the traffic jam. And then I looked at my viewer.

"It went over!" said Bang-Bang. "I saw the tail end of it as it hit the water."

"The same car?" said Heller.

"The same car," said Bang-Bang.

"Was he in it?" said Heller.

"I couldn't tell," said Bang-Bang. "The warehouse obscured it. I think that chopper was trying to arrest him for speeding and drove him into the drink. I couldn't see what it did."

"I better go down," said Heller. "Take the wheel." He jumped out of the cab and ran off.

"They'll probably find the body," said the Countess Krak.

"Hell-beggin' your pardon, ma'am," said Bang-Bang, "that East River is so full of gangsters that got theirselves taken for a ride, you'd never be able to separate him out."

"Good riddance," said the Countess Krak. "Serves him right for talking about my Jettero that way!"

"Yes, ma'am," said Bang-Bang, "I've noticed it don't seem healthy. There's Jet signalling from below. That means in Army language he's spotted something and is going further."

I freaked. Maybe some bystander had observed the helicopter snatch.

"Head for the West 30th Street Heliport," I shrieked at the pilot, "clear over on the other side of Manhattan."

With luck, we would make it yet.

Maybe their Jesus Christ would hear me after all!

Then I heard the Countess Krak's voice on her viewer. "Maybe if we went over and got the yacht we could search the East River and make sure that Madison is dead."

I freaked.

That yacht was my target now. I had to get there first!

If I didn't, all my plans would come to an abrupt and horrible end!

Chapter 6

As we flew, J. Walter Madison raised himself off the floorboards.

Above the beat of the chopper blades, he said, "What were you shooting at?" His eyes were pretty wild.

"Didn't you see the sniper on the roof?" I said nervously. "He almost got a bead on you, but I nailed him."

"I saw him fall," said Teenie. "Nose dive."

I blinked. Did she just make things up or did she think she saw things that didn't happen? Maybe she was not only a pathological liar but also a pathological walking delusion! Oh, it was a good thing I was kidnapping her!

"Maybe they thought I drowned," said Madison hopefully.

"I'm afraid not," I said. "Three Corleone gangsters were pointing at the chopper as we flew away. They were shaking their fists."

"I saw them with my own eyes," said Teenie, her own oversized ones very round.

"Who's this?" said Madison, staring at Teenie.

"Miss Teenie Whopper, J. Walter Madison," I said. And then a cunning plan popped into my head. If I could get them interested in each other, Teenie would leave me alone. After all, he was a very handsome young man.

"I just graduated from college," said Teenie. "He tells people I am his niece. But there's no point in getting chummy if the Corleone mob is after you, Mr. Madison. You won't be around long enough to bother with."

"What am I going to do?" said Madison, looking pretty white.

"You're not safe yet," I said. "We've got to get you gone, Mad."

He appeared very agitated. "Yes," he said. "The Corleones are tough. I've read all about them in the papers. They thirst for blood even more than money!"

"With luck," I said, "we'll get you away. I can spirit you off so nobody will ever hear of you again. So don't worry."

"Wow!" said Teenie. "Real white slavery."

Madison looked rather disconcerted. So I said loudly to the pilot, "Land as fast as you can. We don't want to be shot out of the air!"

We swooshed down to the West 30th Street Heliport.

Right there, at Pier 68, a few hundred yards to the south of us, was my objective. The
Golden Sunset!

If luck was with me, I was going to steal my own yacht.

For it had occurred to me that, after all, I owned it. It had been bought on my credit card!

I paid off the pilots. Raht and Teenie unloaded the baggage and got it into two cabs, necessary even for that short haul.

We sped over and along the dock. I glanced anxiously up and down to be sure Krak and Heller weren't there yet.

"Wait," I told the cabs.

I raced aboard.

Captain Bitts was in the ship's officers' wardroom drinking coffee. Now came the real test. Would he believe me?

I pulled out my passport and threw it down in front of him. He picked it up languidly. Then he saw the name
Sultan Bey.
He stood up like he'd been goosed.

"You're the owner!" he said incredulously. "I thought you were in Turkey!"

"People have got to go on thinking that," I said. "That CIA man, Haggarty, stole my concubine. We must keep this hushed up to avoid any scandal. Don't even tell Squeeza I am aboard. Say no word to anybody. I am going to go to sea and try to mend my broken heart."

"Well, that's how it goes in these rich families," said Captain Bitts. "I will say that CIA man was awful good looking and that concubine was sure beautiful. Looking at you, I can see how it must have happened."

He was convinced! He was not going to query the Countess Krak! For once my unprepossessing looks had stood me in good stead!

I glanced nervously through a port at the dock. No sign of Heller or Krak.

"Sail at once," I ordered Bitts.

"Well, we're all right for fuel and water," he said. "But we don't have any fresh provisions. It will take a little while to get some from the chandler."

"My heart is so broken," I said, "that I can't stand the sight of this town another minute. Sail without them."

"How many in your party?" he said. "Just you? I ought to file a crew list."

"Omit it," I said.

"Where we going?" he said.

"Anywhere outside the United States."

"Bermuda. I can get provisions at Saint George, Bermuda."

"Good," I said, glancing out the port. "SAIL!"

"You didn't tell me how many there were in your party."

"Two. My niece and her boyfriend. SAIL!"

"Do you have any baggage?"

"It's on the dock. Send your crew racing down to grab it and get this ship to sea. My heart won't stand much more of this. SAIL!"

"You're the owner," he said.

At last!

I raced out. I looked up and down the dock. Still no sign of anyone pursuing. I saw a telephone cable to the ship. Oh, Gods, the Countess Krak might phone the captain.

Four crewmen came down the gangplank, followed by the Chief Steward. They began to shift the tattered baggage aboard.

"Hey, what's this?" said Teenie, having finally gotten my attention. She was pointing at the
Golden Sunset.

"It's my yacht," I said.

"Well, Jesus Christ," she said. "That's the biggest God (bleeped) yacht I ever saw. Man, you run this white-slave ring in style!"

"Go aboard," I begged her. "And take Madison with you."

The Chief Steward said, "The young lady, sir. I take it she goes in the owner's suite?"

"No way!" I said. "Give her one of her own. And give that young man another one." My eyes were on that phone cable going up to the ship. It was still connected! Krak could still call.

I grabbed Raht. I had seized Krak's activator-receiver and 831 Relayer from a box. I pushed them into his hands.

"The woman's eye bug," he said. "I'll put it with the man's, back on the Empire State antenna. You better keep Crobe's. He'll be back at the base by now."

"I'm giving the orders around here," I snarled at him. "Take this." I pushed the Teenie letter to Adora and Candy at him. "See that it is mailed in two days to the apartment: that won't make the disappearance coincidental."

"Ah," he said. "You ARE kidnapping her. I swear, Officer Gris, you do the craziest things. Of what possible use to you is a teen-age Earth girl? Thin as a rail. No (bleeps). Leaping around. You could get into trouble, kidnapping her."

"You got no idea how much trouble she could be if I DIDN'T kidnap her," I said. "Shows you're not experienced in this profession at all. In addition to the charms you mention, she's also a pathological liar and even believes she sees things that aren't there. It's NOT kidnapping her that would cause trouble. So when I need you to teach me my business, I'll tell you." Riffraff. Always getting out of line.

I hastily wrote out a note. "Now see that this gets to Fatten, Farten, Burstein and Ooze, the advertising firm, today without fail."

He took it and read it. It said:

F. F. B. O.,

The jig is up on Madison. He has just been murdered and his car is at the end of the dock under Brooklyn Bridge, fathoms deep. Know positively the enemy is going to blow up 42 Mess Street. Close that operation at once.

Smith

"Why this?" said Raht.

"Covers the trail," I said.

"Yes, but doesn't that leave this whole Whiz Kid campaign up in the air?"

"You knew about this?"

"I have a bug on the Royal officer," said Raht.

"Well, the Whiz Kid double is in their hands," I said. "They know who has been shooting at them. We've got to cover the trail."

"I get it," said Raht. "You've abandoned your orders from Lombar Hisst."

I peered at him. With a sudden shock it occurred to me that he might be the unknown spy that was supposed to kill me if I failed. I snarled at him, "No, I haven't! This is just a strategic withdrawal to regroup forces. I mean to counterattack."

"It looks like you're the one getting attacked," said Raht. "And if you take this yacht the woman bought, she'll have you followed!"

He had a point! Hastily, I scribbled another note. "Send this as a radiogram," I said. "To her condo address."

He read it. It said:

MADAM.

REGRET TO INFORM YOU YACHT HAS BEEN INDUCTED INTO THE TURKISH NAVY.

THERE'S NOTHING ANYONE CAN DO ABOUT IT.

HAVE SAILED FOR TURKEY. SORRY.

CAPT. BITTS

I thought it was pretty clever. The last place in the world I would go was Turkey.

Captain Bins himself was at my side now. "Sir, the pilot is aboard and the tug is on its way. We're singled up on lines and ready to cast off." He saluted and went up the gangway to await me on the deck.

I said to Raht, "I'm sailing now. I won't be back to the U. S."

"Can I count on that?" said Raht.

I ignored his insolence. "You can count on the eventual demise of that Royal officer and that (bleeped) woman," I said.

I glanced along the dock. There was no sign of Heller or Krak. And then something caught my eye. The dock telephone man had parted the cable!

I could make it!

I rushed up the gangplank and they swung it away.

The tug was there.

Lines came off the dock bollards.

Space gaped wider and wider between the hull and the pier.

Still no sign of Heller or Krak.

I had made it!

The props were stirring a froth of river water at our stern.