Vortex of Evil (3 page)

“Yes.  We both did.  But it was a fair fight.  If that matters.”

“Only if telling me that makes you feel better.  Fights are almost always judged fair by the winners.  For me, I know that my father died.  That is all I need to know.”

Erin was not in the mood to keep trying to reach out to Gaby.  “I am sorry for your loss.  Let’s leave it at that.  Do you need anything?  Water?  Food?”

“I am fine for now.  You can leave now without further discussion.”

Erin got up and left.  Without further discussion.  As she closed the tent flap behind her she thought that Gaby was going to be difficult to get along with.  She wondered what Doug had in mind.  It was not going to be possible to keep her as a prisoner for long.

Ying Chen was a scientist and she seemed to have less anger than Gaby.  She was just stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time.  The Chinese Admiral, who was the pirate leader until his demise at the hands of the vortex weapon, had taken her away from her position at the Shanghai Technical Institute.  He “encouraged” her to go along with his crazy venture to steal a submarine and a supposed super weapon.  Ying tried to tell the pirates that the “weapon” they captured on the island was not real, but they did not believe her.  When the shooting started during the attack on the camp, Ying had fled into the forest.  It was later that the new Peter had discovered her wandering around the camp and captured her.

Erin looked in on her in a separate tent.  The scientist was sitting quietly with a peaceful but slightly sad look on her face.  “Hello.  You are Erin, correct?”

“Yes.  I am Erin.  How are you doing?  Do you need anything?”

“A drink of water would be nice.  How long will I need to be your prisoner like this?  With my hands tied?  Do you plan to shoot me?  There are limited options available to you and your associates.”

“Please don’t worry about that Ying.  We won’t be shooting you. We are the good guys.”  Erin wasn’t sure what that meant any more, but she felt obliged to say it.

Ying smiled.  “What a charming concept to consider.  After the last two days, I am unsure that I could see any “good guys” involved.  But I learned long ago that arguing with your jailer usually meant a half ration of food.  Or worse.”

Erin took the cap off her water bottle and held it to Ying’s lips.  She took a few sips and said, “Thank you, Erin.  You seem to be a kind person.  I am just frustrated by this whole affair.   I would like nothing more than to go home to my job teaching physics.  I am not meant to be a pirate, a spy or an adventurer.  Certainly not a prisoner.”

Erin put her hand on Ying’s shoulder.  “Hang in there.  We just need to take stock of things and decide what to do next.  We aren’t even sure where we are or what year it is.  We will try to treat you fairly.”

“Maybe you can bring me something to eat later.  Thank you for the water.”

Erin stood outside the tent and looked out across the sea.  She was troubled by this new role of jailer, almost as much as she had been troubled by the shooting and killing of the past few days.  Holding these women like this did not feel right to her.  Even if they might pose a threat.  She would rather win their hearts and minds with kindness and collaboration on the problems they all faced rather than continue to treat them as prisoners.  She knew that it would become more and more difficult to continue being their jailer in the days ahead when they were going to be trying to find a way to go home.  Or start a new home here on the island.  Erin decided she didn’t want prisoners to deal with any more.  She drew out her knife and went back into Ying’s tent.

“Hello again.  What are you doing?  Decide it was time to be rid of me?”  Ying had terror on her face as Erin walked over to her.  Erin could feel her shaking violently as she put her hand on her shoulder, reached down with the knife and cut the ropes that bound her hands to the tent pole.

“I decided to trust you.  We need to work together to decide what to do next.  You are a bright and intelligent woman.  Please promise me you won’t do anything that will make one of us have to kill you.”  Erin heard herself say those words, but could scarcely believe how this situation had changed her so much she could even make such a statement.

Ying was breathing hard and didn’t stand up right away.  But as Erin left the tent she heard a quiet “thank you” follow her out of the tent.

Erin entered Gaby’s tent and found her in a contorted position trying to find a way to untie her wrists.  She glanced sheepishly at Erin and said, “Well, I had to try.”  She also had a look of fear cross her face when she saw Erin’s knife.  But she quickly returned to her defiant attitude.  “So you have come to end the problem that I cause you?  It makes sense to save ammunition and just cut my throat.”

“No.  I came to help you get out of the ropes that bind your wrists.  I decided to trust you and Ying.  We don’t have time to deal with prisoners.  Join us and we can all work together to get out of here.  Fight us and we will have to kill you.  But nobody wants to kill you.  You have a lot to contribute to the struggle that is ahead of all of us.”  Erin cut the rope that held Gaby to the tent pole. 

“Do I have to decide right now if I want to cooperate with you?”  She held Erin’s glance with her icy stare.

Erin smiled as she turned to go.  “No, take your time.  But I would have it worked out before Doug gets back.”

Chapter 3

“You did what?”  Doug subconsciously gripped his rifle tighter and tried to see around Erin who stood between him and the camp.

“I untied Gaby and Ying and they are over there sitting with Megan and acting like normal people.  So don’t go getting all rough and threatening.  I already put the fear of God in them concerning when you returned, so if you just show up and act gracious it should get things off on the right foot.”  Erin looked at the startled faces of Doug, Peter and Tom as she had intercepted them returning to the camp after the burials.

“Are you sure that is a wise approach?  They were on opposite sides and may take a shot at each other.”  Peter looked at the three women chatting and wondered what was next in this adventure.

“It might have been good to discuss your plan with us before just cutting them loose.”  Tom was trying not to step over some line with Doug by being too critical of Erin.

Doug just smiled.  “What’s done is done.  Erin is right.  It would have been difficult, if not impossible, to keep them tied up forever.  We will be going to Peter’s camp tomorrow and it would be nice to have them with us if they are willing to be partners rather than enemies.  I support what you did, even though I am surprised.  So let’s go talk to the newly freed.”

Erin looked at him intently as he said that. “You really are ok with it?  You don’t think I am crazy?”

Doug touched her arm as he walked past her.  “No.  Not crazy.  I understand why you did it.  If I had to visit them in their tents tied up like that, I would have done the same thing.  I have a difficult time thinking of them as real threats at this point.”

Tom and Peter looked at each other and shrugged.  Doug was already heading back to the camp so they turned and hurried to catch up with him and Erin.

Megan, Gaby and Ying were sitting in a circle around a small campfire, drinking cups of tea.  They were chatting normally, if somewhat formally, as Doug walked up, set his rifle down and said “Hello ladies.  I hope you are well?  Do you have any more tea?”

They all looked at him with surprise, but when he and Erin sat on the ground across from the former prisoners it seemed to break the ice.  Gaby held his glance for a few seconds and gave him a half smile that he took as a peace offering.  Ying just nodded to him and Erin as if there was nothing unusual.

“Did you find much food around the camp?”  Doug decided to skip the drama and go right to the mundane. It would have been a good strategy except for the sudden sound of a helicopter approaching.

They all jumped to their feet in unison, and besides Ying and Gaby, they all went for their weapons.  The helicopter seemed to be coming from offshore to the north but the tall trees were obscuring the view.  “Let’s get over in the trees.  It will provide cover and prevent them from flying right over us.  And spread out.  I don’t want one rocket to kill us all.”  Doug was taking charge again as he did in life or death situations.

Tom turned to Erin.  “Did you find any more rocket propelled grenades?”

“There is one launcher left and ten grenades.  They are in the tent on the end of the row.  I will get them.”  Erin started towards the tent but Peter was already running in that direction. 

Megan, Gaby and Ying ran towards the large trees that were about fifty yards behind the camp.  Doug was carrying two assault rifles and a bag of extra clips.  Erin and Tom both had AK-47s as well.  Doug had hoped that the helicopter had perished when the sub exploded, but for all he knew, the temporal rifts may have duplicated the helicopter just like it had the Rasputin, Peter, Mr. Alpha, himself and Erin.  He hoped there wasn’t another sub full of troops waiting offshore as well.

Peter caught up with them and they split up as they ran into the trees.  Each one took a large tree for their hiding place and got ready for whatever was coming next.  “Don’t shoot unless they shoot at us.  If we can get them close enough, we can use the RPG, but make sure we have a good shot.  I would hate to waste the heavy stuff in case more pirates show up.”

Gaby ran over to Doug and knelt down next to him.  He looked at her with a startled expression.  “There are some shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles hidden over by where we set up the fake vortex weapon.  We put them there in case anyone showed up to try to steal it but their attack was too fast and well planned.  We didn’t have time to get them ready.”

 Doug tried to decide what to do with this new piece of information.  “Do you know exactly where they are?”  Gaby nodded.  Doug started to say something when the helicopter came around the trees and buzzed the campsite.  Doug pulled Gaby back behind the tree and everyone stayed behind cover as the helicopter made a sweeping circle over the camp.  It appeared to be looking for targets, but as it turned Doug could see a white flag hanging out the door on the left side.  Doug yelled over the sound of the chopper, “Hold your fire.  They have a white flag.”

The chopper made a slow circle over the camp and then landed between the shoreline and the tents.  About where it had been when the pirates were seen loading the fake vortex weapon on it the day before.  Seeing it there Doug had a sudden flashback of the tense moments when he and the original Peter had tried to stop it, and ultimately had died in the attempt.  Doug was sorely tempted to open fire as he saw the pilot emerge with the white flag but he respected the gesture and got up to go meet with him.

“Are you crazy?”  Tom asked Doug just as Peter planned to say the same thing.

“No more than ever.  Keep me covered.”  Doug set his rifle against the tree and turned to look at Gaby.  She met his stare without blinking and said simply, “I will only use it to protect the group.  You can trust me.”  Doug nodded and turned to go when he saw Erin walking towards him.  He started to say something but she held up her hand and continued to walk.  She took his arm and together they walked towards the helicopter.  “Don’t look, but there is a pistol tucked in the back of my pants, covered by my jacket.  If things go south, you at least have a fall back plan.”

Doug looked straight ahead but laughed slightly.  “Ok, my dear.  I am glad you are looking out for me.  Likewise, should you need a gun, I have one in the back of my pants as well.”

Erin didn’t turn to look at him but she smiled.  “I am glad you made it clear it was the back of your pants.”  She took his arm and they walked to the pirate pilot in the blue camouflage outfit and wondered what would come next.

The pilot was tall and thin, and seemed like a tough, seasoned professional.  He spoke perfect English.  “We want to talk.  No strings.  No threats.  Just talk.”

Doug wondered how long the “no threats” would last, but he was willing to give the guy a chance.  One chance anyway.  A brief one.  There were three other men on the far side of the chopper.  He wished he had a better view of them.

“How many of you are still around after the sub accident?”  Doug wanted to define what he was up against.

“Why don’t you tell me how many of you there are first?  You seem to have a distinct advantage over me since your people are all hidden over in the forest. You can see that I have only myself and three men standing over behind the helicopter.” 

Doug didn’t like the way this guy was so smooth in his speech and yet so menacing in his demeanor.  “So you don’t think having an armed helicopter gives you a distinct advantage should we decide the key to working things out isn’t through talking?”

The pilot laughed.  “I don’t believe those things matter since I am here to propose a truce. We have a small helicopter.  You have a small boat.  Neither of us has enough gas to get very many people off this island.  But if we work together and avoid killing each other, we could get the Viking boats or those Haida canoes and get back to the mainland.”

Doug stared at him without emotion.  The man seemed pretty well informed if he knew the canoes belonged to the Haida, a warlike native people who lived on the islands off the coast of British Columbia and southern Alaska.

“What did you have in mind?  I would think that with the helicopter you could just go take those boats without any help.   What can they do against your machine guns and rockets?”