Ten Little Spies - Episode 5

Episode 5: Dare to Scheme
by Toni Walker and Sabrina Carol

Kaye Corday and Dare Ransom in Ten Little Spies.

The quivering rings of the alarm grew rapidly until a shrill cry resounded throughout the entire ward. One-two quick flashes of pulsating light danced with a frenzy across the white walls. Dare Ransom's heart beat in wild unison with the warning siren, pounding hard against the inside of his chest. It will only be a matter of time before they know the truth, the voice in his head cautioned. He clenched the handle to the roller bed tighter, turning his knuckles white. Now is not the time to panic, he told himself as he bypassed a group of nurses.

Dare's brown eyes dropped down to the slumbering man on the bed. In a matter of minutes, Jared Quinn had gone from a sickly sallow to a deathly pale. A sheen of perspiration matted his hair to his forehead.

"That should keep him docile for the time being." The thought reverberated in his head.

Instinctively, Dare looked over at his accomplice. Kaye Corday's hazel eyes were narrowed with intent as they neared the elevators. She didn't seem to notice the sudden change in Jared's condition.

"The sleeping med you gave him was too strong." Dare's voice was quiet and fierce, but his face remained a mask of civility.

"Just keep going," Kaye ordered. She was petite in height and had to practically jog alongside the roller bed to keep with Dare's legged pace.

It didn't take long before they reached the end of the Sector 5 hallway. Kaye pushed the down button to both elevators. "Come on… come on…," she urged them desperately. It was the first time she allowed her nervousness to show. She yanked up the long sleeves to the surgical scrub she wore. Beads of sweat were beginning to form above her eyebrows.

Dare took the opportunity to wipe away the perspiration mustache above his lip. With each passing second his insides twisted and coiled like a snake. What they were trying to do was one of the most dishonorable things a Legacy operative could do to their own. If caught, Franklin Fairchild would make their world cease as they knew it.

"What's taking so damn long?" Dare demanded, letting his nerves get the best of him.

Kaye slammed the first elevator's button again with her thumb.

That's when Dare saw it, the large, red X steadily blinking across the button. "Oh no…," he groaned.

"Damn it," Kaye said, finally seeing it too. "They've blocked the elevators." Agitated, she started to tap her hands at her sides. "If the elevator's are blocked, then chances are so are the emergency exits." Kaye angrily tugged at her surgical cap. "This isn't the way it was suppose to be. I had everything so perfect."

Dare watched in silence as her face grew darker and her eyes colder. "How was it suppose to be Kaye?" he asked after a moment.

Kaye seemed put off with being caught coming undone. She prided herself on being flawless, and hated it when things went awry. "I already told you," she said, her already juvenile voice becoming even more childish.

Dare wasn‘t so easily swayed. He tried to block out the unyielding wail of the alarms as he sought to piece together what his intuition was telling him. "You told me Allison was in danger, and not safe in the hospital," he said in reflection. "You never fully explained why. I only took you at your word because you were willing to risk everything for your sister. But Jared wasn't apart of the deal, and now we're in over our heads. If I'm going to go down in flames I want to know why."

Kaye's pretty face appeared to become lost and abstract. "Everything I said is true," she said thoughtfully. "Allison can't stay here, and neither can Jared." She looked to Dare with solemn eyes. "What's going on is bigger than you and me. What happened tonight isn't about poisoned candles. It goes much deeper and is as black as midnight." Without even the slightest hint her entire manner changed, becoming icy and untouchable. "We don't have time for this. If Franklin catches us you know what will happen."

Dare ignored the chill that iced his spine. There was no turning back. They had to get out of there.

Reaching under the white lab coat he donned, Dare removed a pistol affixed with a silencer from his waist band. Kaye stepped into place to cover him. He aimed the barrel at the small lock to the emergency pull-switch door. Expertly, he fired two shots without notice amid the chaotic hallway, dismantling the lock. He pried open the silver box, and yanked down the red lever; automatically, the elevator doors opened.

They quickly pushed a still sleeping, Jared inside. Kaye punched in a series of coded numbers and the elevator hummed as it came to life. The floor numbers lit one by one until they reached the first landing. But the elevator didn't stopped there. Instead it continued downward to an unlisted floor that only a member of the Legacy would know about.

The double doors opened letting in a draft of cold air. They were below ground level. Kaye wheeled Jared from the elevator, and into the dimly lit tunnel. Dare started to follow.

"No," Kaye said abruptly. "You've done your part. It's best you get out of here." 

Dare shook his dark head. "We've come this far, we might as well finished what we've started."

"I can handle everything from here," she tried reassuring him.

A sharp whistle echoed through tunnel. By the exit door was a silhouette of a stocky built man. "The girl is already in the van. We've got to get going, the front lot is already crawling with security."

Dare grabbed the handle of his gun. "And who are you?"

"He's on our side," Kaye answered fast and signaled for the man to get Jared. She turned back to Dare. Standing on her toes, she kissed him softly on the cheek. "Thanks for everything. I'll never forget what you did for me."

Dare looked on quietly as Kaye and the stranger, along with Jared, disappeared through the door. Afterwards he stripped out of the lab coat and purposely made his way through the tunnel. "Sorry Kaye, but you're not getting rid of me that easily."

Once they were safely enclosed inside the covert passage exiting Franklin Fairchild's office the startling sound of alarm bells ceased. The panic and the urgency Dyan Ransom and Adrian Zeller were feeling only a few moments ago began to dissipate.

"Just follow me folks." Melanie said with her usual gusto as if they weren't in the middle of a hospital security breach. She quickly ushered them down the narrow corridor. "When you're outside you will immediately feel like you're standing in the middle of nowhere. But don't worry because at the end of the lot you will find a trail of gardenia shrubs. Simply follow them, and they will lead you to the visitors parking area. Is it okay to assume you can find your own car?" Franklin's assistant didn't bother waiting for an answer. With a bright smile and the snap of her wrist, she turned the silver handle to the right and pushed open the door. "Have a nice day," she sang all the while shoveling them through the secret exit.

Before an accosted Dyan and Adrian even had the chance to spin on their heels, the door closed with a convincing slam. They were shut out yet again--- this time for good.

Dyan smacked the cement flat that concealed the door enabling it to blend into the wall with her purse. "Now what do we do?" she asked the inanimate object instead of the man at her side.

"You wanted to play leader in this hide-and-go-seek, why don't you tell me," Adrian Zeller answered anyway.

Dyan glanced up at her employer in annoyance. She hated his smug expression. Only two things stood in her way of erasing it from his face--- her job and her livelihood. "I suppose doing things your way would have produced better results?"

The corner of Adrian's mouth curved upwards revealing an amused smirk. "With my way we would have at least been tossed out the front door."

In spite of the way she was feeling, Dyan couldn't help but find the humor in his sentiment. But as quickly as the feeling came it was just as fleeting. She had no idea what was happening with her sister Allison, or even what happened to her. The only thing Dyan was certain of was whatever was going on with Allison was very serious. "It's almost as if they are trying to keep us apart," she spoke her private thoughts aloud. "But why?"

"Who are they?" Adrian asked, curiously.

Dyan shook her head, brunette mane swaying from side to side. "It's nothing. I was just thinking."

The look on Adrian's somewhat boyish face revealed he didn't believe her, but nonetheless didn't try to press the issue. "It's getting late. We should be heading back."

They started the trek across the paved lot as Melanie instructed, easily finding the row of gardenia shrubs exactly where she said they would be.

"I understand that hospitals are looking for cheaper ways to cut corners, however, I must say that this is ridiculous," Adrian commented as they traveled the line of shrubs.

Dyan absently touched one of the many white gardenias. "I take it mother nature can't even satisfy you, Adrian."

Adrian‘s lazy stride came to a halt. At that moment, Dyan wished for once in her life she had bitten her tongue. She had more than her share of confrontations for today, and didn't feel like going a second round with her boss. Her violet eyes looked to his blue ones in weary uncertainty.

"As far as my eyes can see mother nature has done a remarkable job," Adrian said, unblinkingly.

Dyan found herself unexpectedly taken aback. She wasn't a fool, and was well aware of Adrian Zeller's love for playing the cad; but, the way he said those words almost made her believe he meant every last one. For the first time, Dyan was at a lost for a snappy comeback.

Adrian inhaled a silent breath. "I guess it's safe to assume that was less than impressive," he said, briefly reflecting a flaw in confidence. He gestured about him. "Still, the gardenias were not what I was referring to."

"Then what?" Dyan inquired, finding her voice again.

Adrian pointed east of them. Parked alongside the south-wing of the hospital was a dark van. They watched as a doctor and an unidentified individual hoisted a sheet covered stretcher into the back of it. Suddenly, an arm popped out and fell limply to the side. Quickly, the doctor tucked the arm back underneath the sheet.

"I don‘t know what‘s going on, but something isn‘t right," Dyan said, her every instincts telling her she was on point. Without hesitation she began running towards the van, each step gathering speed.

"Dyan, wait," Adrian called after her, but she wouldn't listen.

As Dyan came closer, the two figures began to take form. A red haired male quickly hopped inside the back of the van, while the doctor removed a surgical cap from their head, unleashing a mop of blond hair. It was a woman, one of familiar substance--- the hair, the body, and the way she stood, Dyan knew her all too well. The woman shut the van doors, and gave it three whacks with her hand. The van roared to life and hastily took its leave, tearing out of the open lot.

Dyan ran up to the woman, and snatched her arm from behind. Swiftly, the woman whirled around, slamming her in the sternum. Dyan cried out in pain as she was roughly thrown backwards. Tumbling hard, the very breath knocked out of her, Dyan clenched her chest as she struggled for air.

"It's okay, I've got you," Adrian's soothing voice was suddenly in her ear. Dyan blinked several times, and tears spilled down her cheeks. It took her a few moments to apprehend she wasn't lying on the ground, but still on her feet thanks to Adrian's support.

"Are you mad?," Adrian yelled at Dyan's assailant. His brownish eyebrows were furrowed in anger. "You may have seriously injured her."

Kaye Corday's face registered with shock. "Dyan," she squeaked in a child-like voice and rushed to her sister‘s side. "Dyan, are you all right? Did I hurt you?" 

"Did you hurt her?" Adrian mocked, still holding on to Dyan. "What do you think?" His features softened when he looked down at Dyan. "I think you should be checked out at a hospital." He glanced back at Kaye in disgust. "But certainly not this one. It's clear the doctors are as crazy as the staff here."

Dyan wiped her tear stained face with the back of her hands. "I'll be fine, Adrian," she assured, ready to free herself of his embrace.

"Dyan, I thought you were someone else, really I did," Kaye hurried to explain. "You shouldn't sneak up on someone like that."

A still riled, Adrian grabbed Dyan's purse off the ground. "Who did you think she was--- a wanted fugitive?"

Kaye's demeanor suddenly became stern, and she looked awful bigger than her small stature let on. "I said I was sorry, so back off."

"Do you honestly believe an apology is enough after what you did?" he countered.

"Stop it, Adrian," Dyan said, her voice hoarse from pain. "She's my sister, Kaye--- Allison's twin."

Adrian glanced Kaye from head to toe. "You have got to be kidding."

"My name is Kaye Corday," Kaye introduced herself. She tugged on the blue scrub she was wearing. "I, uh, work here. I'm studying to be a neurologist."

"And a practicing martial artist on the side," Adrian added rather unpleasantly.

"Adrian, could you give me and my sister a minute," Dyan asked. He hesitated before giving into the pleading look she gave him.

Once Adrian was gone, Kaye visibly relaxed, her shoulders slumping underneath the oversized gown she wore. She resembled a little girl wanting to playing doctor. "Were you here to see Allison?" she asked, immediately rolling her hazel eyes afterwards. "Dumb question. Of course you were."

Dyan combed a misplaced tendril back in frustration. "More like tried," she huffed. "No one would let me near her. Maybe you can tell me how she is?"

Kaye nodded in understanding. "Franklin is keeping everything pretty tight around here. But to answer your question, Allison is fine."

Dyan reached for her sister's hands. "So you saw her?"

Kaye seemed unsure how to answer. "She's doing much better."

"Well," Dyan sighed tiredly. "I guess that's all the answer I'm going to get." 

Kaye shifted impatiently from side to side, and tugged loose her hands from Dyan‘s. "Listen, I have to get out of here. I'll talk to you when I can."

"Wait a minute," Dyan seized her by the arm, this time without physical consequence. She eyed the surgical scrubs Kaye was wearing up and down. "Nice outfit. Is that the latest wear in spy land?"

Kaye didn't say anything.

"All right, then answer me this," she continued. "Why are you pretending to be a doctor, Kaye? And more importantly… who was the dead body you shoved into the back of that van?"

Don't miss a minute!

Ten Little Spies - Episode 4

Episode 4: Kevin's Nightmare

~ Chapter Four~

by Toni Walker

Maxie Demarco stumbled backward, yanking her hand from Kevin's grasp. Her pulse beat a tattooed rhythm that threatened to tear her heart from her chest.

"You're awake," she stuttered, stepping back away from Kevin's bed. The sterling silver bowl clattered to the floor dousing it with soapy water and bits of shaving cream.

Kevin Fairchild didn't know what was happening to him. The minute he woke up and felt the nurse's hands on him, he began to see things. Things he shouldn't be able to see without a monitor and a security system. What he witnessed was startling, especially upon waking. He was somehow able to see Jazz Demarco, which wouldn't have been a big deal if he was in his room, but she wasn't. He could see too much. He could see the horrified expression on her face as someone shot her in the back. Her body flinched, convulsed then dropped to the floor.

The strange things was, he knew she was dead. But she didn't have to be.

The nurse was her sister, Kevin didn't know how he knew that, but the image was so strong he couldn't deny it. He couldn't let his friend, Jazz, die if he could find a way to stop it.

"You have to call your sister RIGHT NOW!" Kevin reached for Maxie, but he was only able to grab her white lab coat. He used the leverage to drag her closer. His hand tangled in the white fabric of her jacket, clutching and tugging it to drive home his point.

It took a moment for Maxie to realize that Kevin had only taken the cell phone from her pocket. She stood transfixed as he punched in a string of numbers. Then he handed the phone back to her.

"Tell her to get out of the building. Tell her she's in danger." Kevin's face was white. He looked as if someone had crawled into his skin and died. Maxie had never seen him so intent or deathly pale. He collapsed back onto the bed, slumping in an awkward position.

"Tell her there is a corridor to her left hidden behind some boxes. They can escape that way." Each word seemed a struggle for him to whisper.

The phone in her hand was ringing the number Kevin had dialed. She nearly hit the end button when she heard her sister's voice.

"Hello?" Her sister's words were muttered incoherently.

"Jazz? Are you okay?" Maxie glanced nervously at Kevin's now prone form. Was he right? Was her sister in danger?"

***

"You deserve to die," Ezekiel said. His voice was quietly stern, but there was an edge to it that told of his insanity.

Ezekiel glanced down at the large tan man lying on the carpet, staining it with his blood.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way," he said to the dead man. "I have nothing against you, personally, but you had to die in order for him to pay. Don't you see? That monster kidnapped my daughter." Ezekiel's voice quivered with emotion. "I haven't seen her since she was very young, a babe really. But then again, it's so hard to tell the age of children when they're that young."

Rudy Kent couldn't respond to Ezekiel's monologue. It was impossible since he was dead.

"Your friend, Jared, wasn't as easy to kill. But he was lucky. Next time, rest assured, he will die. I will make certain of it. All ten of them will die ending with the climactic death scene. The monster will die, a monster that has haunted me for so many years. He will finally be vanquished."

***

"Are you okay?" Maxie asked her sister again. "You sound awful."

"I don't know. I feel funny. Very tired. I think I'm going to go back to sleep." Jazz started to put the phone down onto the concrete where she was lying. It was cold and hard, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She was too tired.

"NO!" Maxie shouted. "You have to listen to me. You have to get out of that room. There's a ...." She looked to Kevin and hoped this wouldn't sound like the strangest thing she'd ever said. "... a hallway to your right, behind some boxes. At least, I hope it's there. Take that hallway. Get up and go now. You're in danger, Jazz!!"

Jazz was disoriented, and it didn't help that she was trying to stand up straight while talking on the phone. She didn't think about the strange command, she merely followed her sister's directions. When had her sister ever steered her wrong?

"You're right," Jazz said with surprise. "There is a hallway back here. How did you know that?"

She could hear her sister shuffling along the hard floor.

"Now hide. Find a place to hide. Somebody is trying to kill you."

All movement stopped suddenly and Maxie only hoped that meant Jazz was out of sight.

"I think someone's coming," Jazz whispered. A small moan emitted from her mouth. "My head hurts." She glanced at the hand she had placed on her head. "Oh, my God, I'm bleeding." She stared in horror at her bloody hand. "Can't you die from losing blood, Maxie?"

Suddenly, the connection was lost when the phone clattered to the floor.

***

Kevin fell back into the comfort of his bed after yelling at his nurse. He didn't know what was going on with this "you're in danger" nonsense. He'd never seen such visions before. He'd always been one to think psychic powers to be a bunch of mumbo-jumbo.

Kevin couldn't explain the clear as crystal vision of Jazz Demarco being shot in the back. He could see the scene in his head even now. It felt like he could even walk inside the vision and converse with the players.

His body was so tired. That was why Kevin didn't realize when he'd fallen asleep.

***

Dream Number 1

"What are you doing?" Kevin stared at his brother, Ethan, who was on the other side of the room wearing a strange contraption on his face. It was covering only his eyes, and looked like one of those virtual games he'd seen at the mall.

"It's called virtual reality. Quite ingenious, really." Ethan walked around the room, the goggles attached to his eyes like sunglasses.

"What are you seeing in there?" Kevin couldn't help but ask.

"Many things. Three years of my life was spent in here." Ethan didn't seem concerned by what he had just said.

"How could you have spent three years like that?"

"I don't know," he said. "At the time, I thought it was all real. Everything after the Bulgarian Underground monastery wasn't real." He could tell his brother wasn't convinced. "Oh, it seemed real to me, but not to anyone else.

"You're talking so nonchalantly about this. Doesn't it concern you that someone trapped you inside a virtual world for three years?" Kevin was shocked by Ethan's admission.

"I only react like you expect me to react. It is your dream, after all." Ethan removed the VR goggles from his head. His eyes were a haunting white.

"Do you know who did this to you?"

"No, no, I don't. They'll tell me I'll get my sight back completely after my eyes heal. Not before."

Kevin sat down and asked his brother to do the same.

Suddenly, Ethan changed the subject. "I'm glad you're out of your coma. That nurse, Maxie, has a thing for you, you know. She talked to you nearly every day even though you couldn't talk back.

Kevin seemed surprised. "How could you know that if you were in VR for so many years?"

"I don't know that, you idiot. You know that. This is your dream, remember?" Ethan smiled. "You're just dreaming that I am talking to you. It's your new gift that allows you to see the truth."

"I don't want this damn gift!" Kevin shook his head. "Why is this happening to me?"

"You need answers." Ethan motioned to the audience neither of them could see who were reading these words as the two of them spoke. "They need answers too. You can provide that for them."

***

Dream Number 2

The scene with Ethan faded. It felt like someone had turned off a television in one room and flipped on a different one somewhere else. A spotlight lit another portion of the landscape of his mind. It took a few seconds to clear the fuzziness of his vision, but then he saw her. His sister, Faith sitting in a dungeon-like cell. Her hair was stringy, and it looked as if she hadn't bathed in weeks.

Kevin ran to her wanting to make light of her obviously precarious situation. He crouched down next to her on the floor. "How's my favorite sister?" he said with a smile.

"I'm your only sister, you dope." Even though she had been through a lot in the last three years, she still managed to give him a smile.

Faith stood, her legs were weak. He helped her to remain upright, but she couldn't venture far. Her leg was shackled to a spot on the floor.

"Where are we?" Kevin took in the medieval surroundings that his sister found herself in.

"I don't know exactly where I am, but I do know we were moved from the monastery in Bulgaria. Where, I'm not sure. We've been here since then. I thought I was going crazy for awhile." Faith threw her arms around Kevin and held on for dear life. "I'm so glad you're here." She embraced him so tightly he didn't want to let her go on like she was. He could feel the love in that embrace, their almost psychic connection that enabled them to know when one needed the other. And right now she desperately needed him. She needed family.

He held her back a bit by the shoulders just to look at her. The dirt on her face didn't matter. Nothing mattered except that she was here.

"You keep saying 'we'. Who is 'we'?"

A noise from behind had Kevin spinning around.

"I can probably answer that." Phoenix Gray looked worse for wear, but his spirit still seemed strong. Kevin knew he'd be a real champion when the chips were down.

"So, you both survived the monastery explosion in the Bulgarian Underground? That's good. That's really good."

"Yeah, we're pretty happy about that ourselves, but we're even happier if someone could find us. You'll try, won't you? You'll try to find us?"
"I'll do everything in my power." Kevin noticed a crest carved into the cell door. The letters W and A were greatly prominent. He somehow knew this image would be important later.

"You want to ask me about Jonah Sogard?" Faith asked.

Kevin wanted to say no, but then he realized that Jonah was a part of Ethan's virtual world. "In this moment in time, right now, do you know who Jonah is?"

"No," Faith answered honestly. "There was a sort of alternate time line that only Ethan experienced. In that time line Jonah protected me at your request, but that never really happened. It only happened in Ethan's mind. Kinda nice to know that even in his delusions he wants to protect me." She sighed and motioned for them to let her sit down and rest. "The entire time Phoenix and I have been here we knew someone would find us. I know someday you'll find me. You'll find us. I'll try and be strong for you until then. You always have been my strength, Kevin."

Faith hugged her brother again before she and Phoenix faded away.

***

Dream Number 3

The next scene was another unfamiliar place. It was the campus of a university. He had barely gotten his bearings when someone hurtling down a bisecting sidewalk crashed into him. Neither fell over, but both were startled by the collision.

"Sorry about that," the man mumbled. "I wasn't watching where I was going." The man was large, nearly 6'5" and good looking. For a moment, he seemed like a virtual stranger. Maybe because that was exactly what he was.

"You seem in a hurry," Kevin noticed.

"Yeah, I'm late for a class. You can't let these kids stay alone for a second. If I don't grab their attention at the beginning of the year, they'll snooze during lectures for the rest of the semester."

"Or just not show up at all," Kevin laughed. He extended his hand. "I'm Kevin Fairchild."

"Carter Wayne. Nice to finally meet you."

"You know me?," Kevin asked.

"No, not really. I was familiar with your brother, Ethan. I was hired by a man named Lucian Black to play a character in a virtual reality world called Darkstone: Secret Agent. I was on hiatus from school and it seemed like a fun assignment. In the real world, I teach theater and dramatic arts at this college. Some of my friends took the assignment with me to play pretend spies on a pretend spy series. We all had a blast, especially Rachel who got to portray Solitaire, the sexy assassin. In fact, it was so realistic, at times it almost seemed real."

"Is there a secret you wanted to reveal to me?" Kevin had no idea why he had asked that, but so far, he'd learned a lot from this dream.

"The only thing I can think of is that I changed my name after I escaped from the clutches of a madman. He had me believing my name was Carter Wayne Fairchild. It seemed so simple to believe him. It seemed so natural when new kids arrived one after another. He changed most of their last names to Fairchild. Some he farmed out for trusted friends or relatives to raise. I felt like I was a part of some special zoo with only him as an audience."

Kevin shook his head. "It must have been a confusing time."

"It was," Carter agreed. "A very confusing time. But once I ran away, I slowly began to recover my real memories and remember who I was. You'll know what I'm going through soon enough."

Like Faith and Ethan, Carter faded away as well.

***

Kevin awoke with a start. The dream was prominent in his mind, but seemed jumbled and disjointed. Maxie, his nurse, wasn't in the room any longer. It had probably been hours since he'd fallen asleep.

Lying on the table next to him was an elaborately carved box. Curious, he opened it. Inside was a candle shaped like an apple. It was bright red with so many tones you almost couldn't distinguish it from the real thing.

Maybe that was what he needed, some candle light to soothe him from the strange nightmare. He found matches in the bedside table. The candle gave off a subtle glow. Kevin didn't realize that soon after he laid his head back on the pillow that a noxious gas began to billow out of the wax creation. Soon the room was filled with the substance. Still Kevin slept on. Even his new found psychic powers couldn't warn him about this.

Moments later, Maxie came in to talk to him about her phone conversation with Jazz. She was startled to find the room filled with a yellow smoke. She quickly moved into action.

"Code Red! We have a Code Red in Room 526!"

Ten Little Spies: Episode 3

Episode 3: The Midnight Hour

~ Chapter Three~

by Toni Walker

Dyan Ransom pushed her way into Franklin Fairchild's office. She was not the type of woman who sat back and waited docilely while others ran roughshod over her civil liberties. She rested both hands on the edge of the director's desk, and gave Franklin the evil eye.

"I have the right to see my sister!" Dyan said the words calmly yet firmly. Everyone in the room knew she seethed inside.

Franklin Fairchild, the Director, stood. He rose to a height that made Dyan and Adrian Zeller both look up at him.

"I agree, you do have that right. But we also have a duty here," he said "There is an investigation going on, Mrs. Ransom. Your sister is in our safeguard. Her condition is guarded, but we expect that to change soon bearing no unwanted interruption in her care."

"If she is in no physical danger, I must insist you allow Mrs. Ransom to see her sister," Adrian couldn't help but interject.

"You must insist?" Franklin stared at the billionaire as if he had lost his mind. "Alison Corday works for me and is currently being protected from whomever has harmed her. Think of it as protective custody. Until we know that the danger has past, we will keep her here with us."

Franklin was about to usher Dyan and Adrian from the premises when a loud, piercing squeal sounded, echoing through the building. A short blond woman ran down the hallway, her high heels clipping at a rapid pace. She nearly collided with Franklin as he stepped into the corridor.

"Oh, Mr. Fairchild," Melanie said, nearly out of breath. "We have a security breech in the infirmary."

Franklin shoved the secretary into his office with Dyan and the man dressed in the pin striped suit. "Get them out of here," he whispered "Take them out the back way."

Melanie started to complain about the assignment, "But..."

"I don't care what you do, just get rid of them."

Melanie nodded, her short blond hair moving with the swish of her head. Franklin then closed and bolted the three of them into his office.

"Sorry about that," Melanie said, shrugging her right shoulder. She now appeared much calmer. "There is a problem in Sector 5. Mr. Fairchild apologizes, but asked me to show you out."

Melanie reached under the desk and pushed a hidden button. The fireplace to their left yawned open revealing a secret passageway.

"This is a short cut. I use it all the time. Easy as pie." She walked through the opening then motioned for them to follow.

"What is going on?" Adrian wasn't venturing anywhere near the passageway. He grabbed Melanie by the elbow knocking all the papers and folders from her grasp. They fell to the floor, flying in all directions. "I insist you tell us why we've been locked inside this office."

"Chill," Melanie hissed. Adrian didn't stoop to help her pick up the papers he had knocked from her hands. But considering who he was, she knew he wouldn't.

Adrian's eyes fastened on one paper, an inter office memo. He stepped on it, hiding it from the secretary's view. He wanted to get a better look at it.

"I'm not locking you in this office, although I might like to. Mr. Fairchild asked me to take you to safety, and during a crisis, this is exactly how we get you out. Now please follow me."

Melanie gathered the last paper then shuffled them in her arms walking into the passageway. Dyan followed. Adrian bent to pick up the memo and skimmed its contents, before following.

"Interesting," he quipped. " Very enlightening."

"What is that?" Dyan and Adrian fell back a few steps behind Melanie. "You took that from Fairchild's office. You really don't have any morals at all, do you?"

"Ever heard the notion of finders keepers?"

Dyan rolled her eyes.

"Hello. You up there." Adrian said with a sly smile. "You neglected to pick up this paper and I thought you might need it."

"Thanks. I always seem to drop things when people grab my arm. But thanks for thinking of me." Melanie took the memo from Adrian and stuffed it into the stack.

A warning sensor began to pulse with a more rapid urgency. "We have to leave NOW! Move your butts. They've compromised this sector!" Melanie waited for the two newcomers to pass her before she pressed them to move forward quickly.

***

Marian Noble glanced over at her employer, Alexi Kassoff. She wanted to impress him, but to know exactly what it was that would turn his head was hard to guestimate.

"I'm leaving tonight to meet the source who claims to have a manuscript stolen from the Vatican." Alexi's accent was Australian but he was born in Russia. His accent was an odd combination of both. He spoke Russian as fluently as he did six other languages.
"Are you sure you don't want me to assist you?" Marian wanted to attend the meeting, but she didn't dare tell Alexi that. She knew he was protective of her and that these meetings could be dangerous.

"No, I'm not quite sure my mystery caller is completely reliable. And you are due for a week off. So, we'll be killing two birds with one stone."

"It was generous of your sister, Octavia, to invite me along on her holiday in the mountains. I do love to rock climb and ski." Marian's accent was British.

"I know she'll enjoy seeing you again. I can't remember the last time she took a day off much less a vacation. It will be good for both of you." Alexi gathered his supplies, waved a final goodbye and dashed out to greet the taxi.

Marian felt an emptiness after he was gone. She wished she could be there when he acquired the manuscript that revealed the location of the Inca idol he had searched many years to acquire.

A helicopter whirled above the estate reminding Marian to hurry and gather the remaining items she wanted to take with her to the lodge. A blonde woman exited the craft. Her hair blowing in all directions.

"Are you ready for the vacation of a lifetime?" Octavia Kassoff yelled, trying to keep her voice above the squeal of the helicopter blades. She was a beautiful woman, even bundled in layers of clothes.

Marian smiled. She'd never actually been on a holiday before. At least, not in the last few years, maybe once when she was ten.

"Maybe next time we could talk Alexi into it. That brother of mine needs to be reminded what fun is." Octavia grabbed one of Marian's suitcases and ushered the British woman toward the helicopter.

"His idea of fun is trying to figure out where a treasure has been hidden by a culture centuries ago." Marian lugged the second suitcase. The pilot helped her load it in the craft. She hesitated a moment before climbing into the helicopter.

"Alexi told me you were afraid of heights. I never realized that." Octavia said, then motioned for the pilot to lift off once they were both safely secured inside.

"I'm not fond of them, no. I've been trying to conquer my fear by rock climbing, but I'm afraid it still unnerves me."

"Don't worry. Irish here is the best pilot in the fleet. If he can't keep you safe, no one can."

***

Marian didn't know what had happened.

First, they were flying smoothly over the mountains, then they were careening toward the earth at an amazing speed. She looked around to Octavia hoping to hear that this was some sort of bizarre mistake. They weren't about to crash in a fiery ball and die.

"Octavia? Octavia? Where are you?" There was no response. Marian poked her head into the cockpit where Irish Quinn was trying to slow their descent. "What happened?"

"Explosion in the back compartment. Didn't you see it go off?" Irish couldn't focus on Marian and the fear he knew she was experiencing. He had to save them.

"No, I was sleeping. I felt a jolt and when I opened my eyes Octavia was gone and everything was smoking. Smoking is not a good sign, is it?"

"Gone? What do you mean, gone? She's not back there?" Irish's rough face turned ashen. "The explosion must have knocked her out of the helicopter.

The aircraft made a faint scream as they hurtled faster toward a building atop a snow capped mountain. They were going to die!

***

"People are disappearing under our noses. Doesn't that concern you?" Bobbie Sullivan paced frantically while searching the database for any clues to where the kidnappers might have taken Jared and Alison.

"Sullivan, we have everything under control. Don't concern yourself with this scenario. It would do either of them any good." Franklin Fairchild turned on his heel to check with his secretary that his two visitors had made it out of the building safely.

Bobbie couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Don't concern myself? You've got to be kidding."

"That's an order, Sullivan," Franklin warned. "Proceed any further with this and face major jail time, or worse."

Bobbie watched as Franklin walked away, as if nothing important had taken place. "Sorry, chief," he whispered to himself. "Jared and Alison are my friends, and I can't leave them out there vulnerable and alone." He pushed his chair closer to the computer and searched the security archives a little closer.

***

Maxie Demarco had been a nurse for a long time, and she'd been concerned about her share of patients. But this patient had a strange hold on her. She couldn't get him out of her mind.

It was funny because before he came to the hospital, she had never once talked to him. In her mind, she had imagined what he would be like. Would he be tough and brash or sweet and kind? Her sister, Jazz was certain he was a stand-up guy. He had saved a group of people from a monastery in Bulgaria He was the real thing, a true hero.

Her hand quivered as she dipped the damp cloth into the water basin. Maxie had washed him many times, knew every inch of his perfect body. But today there was something different, something more intimate about the task.

After she washed him down, she set her mind to shaving the beard that shadowed his face. Her hands glided the green gel across his cheek watching it as it turned into white puffy foam. She took her time shaving him, making his face perfect, but from what she could see, even with the beard, he was beautifully made. Handsome as sin.

Maxie kept wondering what he sounded like. Was his voice gruff and manly; she thought it might be.

With one last swipe across his cheek, she rinsed the razor off and set it on the rolling table Kevin Fairchild had never once used. He'd been in a coma since he was admitted three years earlier.

"Are you ever going to wake up?" she whispered in her husky alto. She wiped the last remains of foam from his cheek, then grabbed the stainless steel bowl filled with dirty water and readied herself to attend to her next patient.

It was in that moment something bizarre happened. Kevin moved. First his leg twitched, then his body convulsed. Maxie jumped up to move away from him and call a doctor, but his fingers closed around her wrist and tugged her closer with muscles that should have atrophied with disuse.

When she was pressed close to his chest, Kevin's eyes popped open and presented her with an intense pointed stare. "Your sister is in danger," he rasped. "You have to call her right now. Do it now!"

***

It was cold.

He could feel the wind tugging at his hair, swirling his dark mane in the frigid air. But he couldn't figure out how he had come to be outside. As he rose up on one arm, a pain lanced through his shoulder. The pain and the cold were unfamiliar sensations. He could have sworn he had been inside, but now he wasn't so sure.

His dark eyes opened to blue skies and puffy clouds which would have been a grand sight if he hadn't been seeing them through a giant hole in the ceiling. Pushing through the pain, he managed to stand and survey the scene.

"What in the hell?" he muttered. The room was trashed. Bits of the ceiling were scattered all over the floor. Something massive must have crashed through the roof, he reasoned. As he walked around, testing his balance, he found two other people lying on the floor. And they didn't look good.

He didn't recognize either of them. The body closest to him was male. He looked like the boy next door. Plaid shirt, jeans and boots. Like a good-ole-boy had fallen off a turnip truck. Lying not far from the man's left hand was a gun, a Baretta 9mm. It was strange, but the Baretta was the only familiar thing in the room.

He checked the man for a pulse. It was faint, but there. The woman was in worse shape. Her blond hair was matted with blood, whether it was hers or his, he wasn't sure. Her pulse was thready, and she was in severe need of a doctor.

Lights flickered in the room, making him wonder if the power was about to go out. He needed the lights to stay on of he was to help the strangers. A creaking from the ceiling that hadn't been noticeable earlier, suddenly became a yawning moan. There was something on the roof. Something just out of his sight was threatening to collapse the entire roof of the small cabin. He quickly moved both bodies to a more secure location, then ignored the pain in his shoulder and crawled up onto the roof to investigate the noise.

What he found wasn't what he expected. A helicopter teetered near the edge of the hole. But it wasn't the helicopter that garnered his immediate concern. It was the woman moving around inside the cockpit. It seemed she was unaware of her precarious situation until the aircraft shifted unexpectedly and she screamed in horror.

"Oh, God! Oh, God!" he could hear her chanting. "Don't die, mister!" The woman focused her concern on the pilot instead of saving herself. He ran towards the aircraft attempting to get the woman's attention, but she was more concentrated on the pilot.

"Get out of there," he yelled.

She looked up, finally seeing him. "Help me! The pilot's injured."

The helicopter lurched. "Stop moving!" he yelled. "The aircraft is about to fall through the roof of this building."

The woman froze in place, her face horror stricken. "I have to get him out of here. What am I going to do?" Her voice rose a few octaves indicating her fear.

"Come toward me. Stay on this end of the helicopter. First we'll save you, then we'll save him."

"NO! she screamed. "First we save him! I'm not going to leave him here."

The roof shuttered under the helicopter's weight, knocking him off his feet. The woman fell backward into the large compartment at the rear of the craft. She screamed and fell out of the massive side door. Her hands managed to grasp the edge before she fell out, hanging by her fingertips, dangling through the hole in the roof.

"Help me! Help me!" she cried, all thoughts of the pilot's injuries had vanished from her mind. He moved to assist her when a male voice stopped him in his tracks. "Don't come any closer, Fairchild."

The pilot's eyes were red and swollen. He must have been seeing things, because he wasn't Fairchild, was he?

"Fairchild? Who's Fairchild?" A pain in his head throbbed. Was that his name? He didn't know because he couldn't remember. He couldn't remember anything.

"He's a killer, Marian. Don't trust him." The pilot grunted in pain as he reached for his weapon and prepared to fire on the man he called Fairchild.

Cloak & Dagger - Episode 9

Athena Kassoff and Ian Fairchild in Cloak & Dagger.

Cloak & Dagger

Episode 9: Infiltration

The air was stale and humid. The farther they traveled into the tunnel, the harder it became to breathe. The tunnel on the left took them around the perimeter of the house. Fergus was struggling more than Daniel Fouts and Faith Fairchild. His breath came quickly as he rapidly sipped the air. He leaned against Daniel. Fergus knew there was an exit. He just wasn't sure how long it would take to find it. 

Daniel pondered the same thing. But Faith was as true as her name. She was going to find that door come hell or high water. 

But none of them had to wait. The tunnel just came to an unexpected end. Daniel felt the wall moving his hand from top to bottom, but the door was flat. 

"There's no door handle," Fouts said as his own breath was becoming more labored. "We need to get out of here as quickly as possible. The CO2  levels are rising."

"Security precaution." Fergus leaned against the side of the tunnel. "I'd forgotten about that little detail."

"Do you seem to know how to open this secret door? I'd like to do it before we loose all consciousness."

"I knew the tunnels were here, Mr. Fouts. I didn't exactly traipse around in them."

Faith rolled her eyes. Dealing with these two was like watching old reruns of Abbott & Costello from her father's secret DVD collection. 

"Oh, stop babbling and move out of the way." Faith pushed the two men apart. They were no better than her brothers. They left all the heavy lifting to the females of the species. 

 She felt along the joist and framing. There were no hinges so the door either had a catch or it simply slid open. She tried to move the wall to one side or the other but it sidn't budge. She glanced around the last few feet of the tunnel looking for something that was out of place. 

The light was fashioned under an elaborate hurricane lamp. That was indeed odd, she thought silently. The rest of the lights in the passageway had been small circular lights in the ceiling. She studied the hurricane lamp and found a key jutting out of the base. 

If this lamp had been in a room, she would see the need for a key. It made the light turn off and on. This light had been turned on the moment they entered the tunnel. So, there would be no need for a key. 

Unless...

Faith reached up and turned the key. The far wall at the end of the tunnel slid opened. A whooshing of fresh air hit them like a much needed drink of water for a thirsty man. 

The open door now revealed a darkened room. This had to be the library because the light in Chandelor's room had been on. The three if them filed out of the passageway and into the library. Fergus was the last to exit, as he did the door slid closed on its own. 

"Must be some sort of pressure plate in the floor. Cool " Only Faith would find pressure plates cool. 

"Let's just hope we can open it again when we need to leave." Fergus was the master of understatement. 

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Daniel said. "Right now I want you to take us to your staff. I want to hear from them what Liz Hunter has been up to since you've been gone."

"There's a hallway out this door that only the staff uses. Mr. Knight doesn't like seeing the help."

"Sounds like a real peach." Fouts let Fergus lead the way and Faith followed closely behind.

No one really knew Chandelor Knight. He was the elusive head of the Knights Foundation and the High Council. If someone could get to him, they could literally get to anyone in the whole organization. Fouts had yet to meet his employer. So, convincing him Liz Hunter was manipulating him wouldn't be easy.

"My head housekeeper, Agnes Edgington, sees and hears everything that goes on in the estate," Fergus said. "If you want answers, she might be a place to start."

***

Ian Fairchild wasn't the only one who thought he was Ethan. Even some of Ethan's enemies were convinced.

Athena Kassoff easily made it into the mine tunnels below the shack her father had his men guarding. She wasn't certain why she was doing something so stupid,but her father, Isidor, hadn't raised her to be someone who stood by and let the world lead her down the wrong path. If she was going to take the wrong path, she wanted to make the decision on her own.

Her blond hair was pulled back into a loose pony tail but strands came loose whipping into her face like invisible cobwebs on Halloween. The farther she went down the rabbit hole, the louder the voices became.

But these voices were weaker, different. When she came to the end of the tunnel, she knew why. Her father wasn't secretly drilling in the abandoned mine. He was holding prisoners. Many were unconscious or too weak to move. The ones who were awake called out a chorus of 'help me,' 'save me,' 'get me out of here.' Only two prisoners were halfway lucid and neither had noticed her approach.

***

"Who do you think is behind this?" Ian asked.

Franklin wasn't the one who answered. It was Athena.

"My father may have brought you here, but Julian Black is the one keeping you here. He has a mysterious plan I don't even want to contemplate."

Ian couldn't see the woman very well but there was definitely something familiar about her.

"Do I know you?" he asked. "Who is your father?"

"Isidor Kassoff."

A visible gasp came from Franklin's cell. "You're Octavia's sister?" The stress of speaking made him gag. He coughed and hacked until he had to lie down from exertion.

"If he finds you down here, he'll lock you up with the rest of us," Ian said.

"I have protection." Athena showed them her stun gun

"You think that's going to protect you from men with automatic weapons?'

"I can't believe my father would do this," Athena said.

"You're father's not working alone," Franklin told her. "Octavia brought the man in the next cell. You are in danger if you stay around them."

"How do I know i can trust you?" She held the stun gun tightly in her right hand.

While they conversed, two men dressed in cammo heard their muffled voices and came to investigate. They held guns in an active position. The men quietly came up behind Athena but they couldn't hide from the eyes of Franklin who had the best view of the long tunnel from his cell.

"Behind you!" Franklin shouted.

Athena turned but not in enough time. One guard slammed her against Ian's cell. She fumbled with her stun gun while Ian reached through the bars to assist her. As his arm came out, Athena shoved the stun gun toward the guard. Somehow she shocked both Ian and the guard in one fell motion. Ian fell backward landing awkwardly on his cot. 

The guard who had received less of the voltage growled and threw Athena roughly toward the second guard.

"Your father is not going to be happy you've discovered his dirty little secrets," the guard retorted in a threatening voice.

"I can't believe my father is involved with a low life like you."

"He has to keep you in your rich lifestyle, doesn't he?"

"I make my own money." Athena elbowed the man in the ribs but the guard barely grunted. "LET ME GO!"

"Yeah, buddy. Let the girl go."

The guard looked with surprise over his shoulder. Ian had somehow escaped his cell and recovered from the stun blast. He wrenched the guard's hands off Athena and threw him across the room. His body hit the rough, rocky wall with a hollow thud and he crumpled to the floor unconscious.

"How did you do that?" Athena asked gasping for breath.

Ian stared at his hands as if he'd never seen them before. "I have no idea."