The Price of Disrespect (Gray Spear Society Book 6) (43 page)

"Why?" Rascher said. "Are you going to kill me?"

"No."

Aaron turned on the DVD player. Rascher stiffened and made a sound like a dying animal. Tawni saw a tiny amount of red light leaking around the visor, and it was enough to cause pain inside her head. She winced.

Aaron stood up and said, "That's a two-hour movie. Not much plot, but you have to admit the special effects are almost supernatural. I'll let you see the whole show twice. You might miss something on the first viewing."

Rascher's whole body was quivering. An odd gurgling noise was coming out of his mouth. A puddle of urine was spreading across the floor.

"Go back upstairs, everybody," Aaron said. "I'm sure the good doctor wants to enjoy this experience alone. Norbert, let's go run that errand now."

"Yes, sir," Norbert said.

The rest of the team filed into the elevator.

As the door closed, Tawni got one last look at Rascher. He was chewing off his own lower lip. She swore to herself she would never, ever become one of Aaron's enemies.

* * *

"You're being very mysterious, sir," Norbert said.

Aaron winked at him. "I want it to be a surprise, like a birthday present."

"A nice surprise?"

"Of course."

Norbert held his tongue.

Aaron drove into a large rail yard in southern Chicago. Hundreds of train cars were sitting on a series of parallel tracks. Locomotives were shuttling cars around and putting them together like children playing with toys, except these toys weighed many tons.

He continued driving until he reached an empty lot at the far end of the yard. Scattered weeds had sprouted from the bare dirt. A solitary, green delivery truck was already waiting there. He parked beside the truck.

"You're going to meet one of our special couriers," Aaron said. "Don't use names. He doesn't know who we are or where we live. He simply delivers letters and packages to drop off locations like this one."

"But he works for the Society?" Norbert said.

"Yes, but that doesn't make him one of us."

Aaron opened the door and hopped to the ground. A man in a blue uniform got out of the green truck. The courier had a full head of blonde hair and seemed fairly young. He was quite tall.

Aaron grinned. "I can't wait to see this package."

"Do you have the access code, sir?"

"I received it a little while ago."

"Good," the courier said. "I need to watch you use it."

Aaron raised his eyebrows. "You don't trust me? You know my face. We've met before."

"This package requires extra security. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, sir."

"Don't worry about it. You're doing your job."

The courier walked around to the back of his green truck. He entered a long code into an electronic lock. There was a loud thunk, and he pulled the door open. The cargo area contained a steel box the size of a large safe. It sat on a wooden palette, and there was a forklift with it.

"I'm dying of curiosity," Norbert said.

Aaron climbed into the truck. He found another electronic lock on the box, and he unlocked it with a code he had received in a text message. A front panel swung open.

The box was full of thick books bound in leather. Each had a year on the spine printed in golden Roman numerals.

Norbert joined Aaron.

"May I?"

"Go ahead," Aaron said.

Norbert took a book from the top of the stack and opened it. His eyes lit up like a child opening a Christmas present. "These are the
tabella
!"

Aaron turned to the courier. "Can we have a moment alone?"

"Of course." The courier walked off.

In a much quieter voice, Norbert said, "They're even nicer than I imagined. This feels like real parchment."

"They're made to last five hundred years," Aaron said. "Every headquarters is supposed to have a complete set. These are ours."

Norbert flipped through the pages. "It's all in Latin?"

"Every word. I was hoping you knew Latin."

"I learned some when I was a monk."

"You'll teach me," Aaron said. "We're going to read these books together."

"All of them? That will take years."

"It will take decades, but I'm told it's worth the effort. The complete history of the Gray Spear Society is here. All the ancient secrets."

Norbert grinned. "Thank you, sir. This was a very nice surprise."

"My pleasure."

* * *

Tawni and Atalanta were standing at opposite ends of a blue workout mat in headquarters. Both women wore white karate uniforms and gray belts. Atalanta was holding her sword.

It wasn't a practice sword. The weapon was a real Japanese katana with a razor sharp edge. Just looking at it made Tawni nervous. She wondered how many people that blade had killed.

"A sword is an extension of your body," Atalanta said. "You must learn to control it as easily as your fingers and toes."

She performed a standing front flip while spinning her sword over her wrist. She landed in a perfect stance with the tip of the blade one millimeter from Tawni's nose. Tawni tried not to flinch.

"The motions must feel completely natural," Atalanta said.

She tossed the sword in the air, performed a double cartwheel, and caught it again.

"A master warrior kills without thought or hesitation," Atalanta said. "Her focus is absolute. This is the Zen state. The sword is the Zen weapon."

She leapt into the air and executed a whirling kick and slash combination before landing. It looked like she was defying gravity. Tawni could hardly believe her own eyes.

She was inspired. She swore one day she would be that fast, that strong, and that precise. She wanted to be much more than just a competent
legionnaire
. She wanted to become a legend like Atalanta.

"Your turn." Atalanta walked over and handed her the sword.

Tawni hefted the weapon. It was lighter and more balanced than she had expected. "Shouldn't I practice with something duller and safer?"

"Dull warriors practice with dull swords. You're holding the finest steel on Earth, forged by the greatest blacksmith alive. He's a personal friend of mine. That sword was my birthday present."

Tawni touched the gleaming blade and felt honored.

"We'll start with the basic attack stance," Atalanta said. "Widen your feet."

* * *

Tawni looked across the pristine, blue lake at the white castle in the center. It stood on a small, circular island which was so geometrically perfect it had to be artificial. The castle was authentic and had been transported stone by stone from Ireland. Tall round towers stood at all four corners. Square battlements ran along the edge of the roof. The castle was big enough to house a large family and a full staff of servants. It was a huge monument to the vanity and paranoia of Roger Gains.

Tawni turned around to face her teammates. Aaron and all of his
legionnaires
had gathered on a small hill with a good view of the castle. Wesley and his protection team were also there. Everybody wore black and gray body armor that looked great and fit like a second skin. They were heavily armed with just about every kind of weapon under the sun. The men also had bulky backpacks full of additional equipment. They were going to war today.

Tawni had no weapons or armor at all. Aaron had ordered her to wear just plain, gray tights and sandals. She didn't even have a pocket knife. Her only accessory was her phone clipped to a narrow belt. She felt almost naked.

"Our mission is to exterminate the enemy," Aaron said. "We'll move as a single unit. Yvonne will join my team for the initial assault. Wesley, Atalanta, and Charles will follow when it's safe. Tawni, you'll be our weasel."

"Our what?" Tawni said. That didn't sound nice.

"Gains is hiding somewhere under that pile of rocks. He probably has a secret room. If we have to search for him, it will take a long time. We could be here all night, and I don't want that. You're going to solve this problem for us."

"How?"

"Go down there and give yourself up," he said. "Don't fight at all. Insist on being taken straight to Gains because you have an important message for him. He'll be too curious to say no. We'll follow your tracking signal to you and to him."

She furrowed her brow. "What does that have to do with a weasel?"

"A weasel is a predator that goes down holes and kills vermin. They eat rats."

Tawni grimaced. She understood the plan but didn't like it much. She would be alone and defenseless in an enemy fortress, but she wasn't about to argue with her commander. She had learned that orders were orders, and Aaron knew best.

She looked down at a burlap sack on the grass. It was squirming and grunting like a pig. Rascher was inside the sack, at least what was left of him. After four solid hours of intense exposure to the red light, his mind was completely gone. Tawni didn't know why Aaron had brought Rascher along. Apparently, he still had plans for the doctor.

"Any questions?" Aaron said.

"Just one, sir," Tawni said. "What message should I deliver to Gains?"

"Tell him anything you want. He's a dead man anyway. Just keep him preoccupied until we rescue you, and be very careful. Don't touch anything. Don't make any aggressive moves. Now go. We'll cover your approach."

He patted a sniper rifle slung across his shoulder. Odelia also had a rifle, but her weapon was lighter than his. Both guns looked more than capable of killing at long range, and they would be in expert hands. Tawni had watched Odelia practice in the gun range. She didn't have Aaron's supernatural accuracy, but she was still a damn fine marksman. She had smoked Smythe in a shooting contest.

"Yes, sir," Tawni said.

She took a deep breath and headed down the hill.

* * *

Roger Gains was watching the news on his giant television. He was hopping between channels, hoping for more coverage of the Chicago riots. Another bad one had happened late last night. Twenty people had died, and two buildings had burned to the ground. There was serious talk of calling in the National Guard. The idea made him giddy with pleasure.

Suddenly, his television program turned to static. He switched channels but the static remained. It soon became clear he had no signal at all.

He smirked at the irony. The man who owned the cable system was without cable.

He went to the desk in his office. He was about to pick up one of his white phones when another started ringing. It was the damned emergency line again.

He answered it, "What's wrong?"

"This is Picket in the security center, sir. We just lost all communication."

"What do you mean?"

"Internet, phone, cell service, all of it," Picket said. "We can't communicate with the outside world at all."

"That's impossible."

"We're investigating, sir. In the meantime, I'm putting everybody on alert."

Gains frowned. "And post extra men around the castle. This could be a prelude to an attack."

"Yes, sir. I'll call back as soon as I have an update."

Gains hung up the phone.

It was possible the enemy was at his doorstep. Fortunately, he was well prepared for this contingency. Thick stone walls, men with guns, and the most modern security systems surrounded him on all sides. His castle was truly a fortress.

He was still nervous though. He walked back into his living room and looked at a door in the glass partition. He hadn't walked through that doorway in five years. The air and water on the other side wasn't purified. He would be exposed to foul odors and germs. The idea made him shudder with disgust. He wasn't ready to open that door yet, but it was worth keeping in mind.

* * *

Tawni walked up to a small dock on the shore of the lake. Several boats were tied to the pier, ranging from a small rowboat to a large yacht. A guardhouse with windows on all sides protected the dock. She saw four guards in green uniforms inside.

Two men came out immediately to confront her.

"Who are you?" one stated in an aggressive tone. "We weren't expecting visitors."

His head exploded as a large caliber bullet went through his face. His partner ducked and looked around fearfully. A bullet hit him in the jaw and neck with enough force to partially decapitate him.

Tawni proceeded down the pier as she considered what boat she would take.

She heard glass breaking as the other two men in the guardhouse were killed. She didn't bother to turn around.

She didn't know how to start a boat engine, so she climbed into the rowboat. The lake wasn't big, and she didn't mind a little exercise. She began to row towards the huge front gate of the castle. It looked strong enough to withstand a siege.

Guards were posted all around the castle and on the roof. She could see at least twenty of them just on this side. One by one, they went down and didn't get up. Most of them died without even realizing a sniper was picking them off. It was like watching a carnival shooting game. She didn't hear any alarms.

She landed her boat on a gravel beach. She walked across a perfectly manicured lawn and reached the front gate. It had a square door built out of wooden planks reinforced with iron straps. She pounded on it with her fist.

"Hello!" she yelled. "Anybody home?"

Bullets started striking the wood above her head. She watched as a smiley face was drawn with large bullet holes. It had to be Aaron. She was coming to appreciate his bent sense of humor.

The door barely opened. The first thing Tawni saw was a pistol pointed at her face.

"Come in slowly," a man said. "Hands up."

She slipped inside with her hands above her head. The front room of the castle was two stories tall and made entirely of stone. Light fixtures disguised as torches provided flickering yellow light. Suits of armor stood against the walls and carried medieval weapons. A huge tapestry showed a hunting scene, and the faded colors suggested it was an actual historical relic. There were modern touches, too. Surveillance cameras and motions sensors were tucked in the corners.

Four male guards in green uniforms surrounded her. Their faces were pale, and they shuffled their feet nervously. One began to pat her down.