Time Bomb Town - Chapter Nine
The dim, slightly damp, home-made basement was lit with one small bulb. Wyatt and Dalton had maneuvered themselves into somewhat sitting positions and were currently being lectured by their father, who was bound to a desk chair.
“...out of your MINDS? Putting yourselves needlessly at risk, going to drug dealers to pretend to buy drugs? Getting your friends involved? What will your mother think? If I survive this, she'll kill me now, for sure.”
“Dad, mom's helping. She's got Agent Turner,” said Dalton.
“What...what do you mean she's 'got' Agent Turner? Jack Turner?”
“Well he was searching our house and tried to arrest us and...” said Wyatt.
“And WHAT?”
“Well, we had to...you know...” Wyatt mumbled.
“Oh dear Lord...you kidnapped a Federal Agent?”
“Assaulted... then kidnapped....actually...” sighed Dalton.
“You realize Turner was probably the best chance I had to get out of here, right? Do you realize that now?”
“Dad! He thought you were in on it!”
“The F.B.I. thought you were a criminal! We couldn't trust any of them to find you.”
“It's the Bureau's job to find criminals!”
Suddenly Dalton looked over at Wyatt. “Something's coming through. Are you getting that?”
“Yeah,” Wyatt stifled a giggle. “That really, really tickles.”
“Graming...what?”
“Your Morse code sucks, dude.”
“Boys...tell me what is going on right this instant.”
Wyatt nodded to his boots, lifting his feet into the air. He was wearing desert tan Oakley SI assault boots. He spun himself around so his father could see the bottom of his feet. Just barely visible was a cut mark in the heel. “We put wireless transmitters in the heels of our left boots. They work like pagers. We get a buzz when Ziggy sends the signal. He types in words and it translates to Morse code.”
“When they searched us they were...pretty thorough...but they didn't search our shoes,” said Dalton.
Carter Vance raised his eyebrow. “Okay. I'm...somewhat impressed.”
“Bob Fielding!” said Dalton triumphantly. “It's Bob Fielding.”
Wyatt nodded. “Yeah... not the greatest news.”
“What about Bob Fielding?” asked Carter.
“He's the mole. He's the inside guy on Midas' payroll.”
“What are you talking about, Wyatt? That's impossible. He's one of my oldest friends.”
“Well, if everything went according to plan-” Wyatt was cut off by the sound of the trap door above them opening, flooding in light. Footsteps came skipping down the staircase. Midas entered the room like a magician taking the stage. If he had a cape he would have twirled it. His golden plastic crown was on his head and he held in his hand a thin sliver of metal. A scalpel.
“Look as this. What a shabby sight. The Vance boys, all tied up.” He stepped over to Dalton and squatted down. His giant fake pupils stared into Dalton's eyes. “You're very, very pretty.”
“You're very disturbed,” said Dalton.
“Midas. Leave them alone,” Carter Vance struggled in his chair but he was bound tight.
“OH! Agent Vance. I will get to you, promptly. I just need to acquaint myself with your progeny.” He ran the scalpel gently down Dalton's face, blade side away from skin. “You could grow to love me, dearest W.”
“You're not my type, seriously.”
“I could fix that,” Midas held up the scalpel. Midas smiled as he watched the beads of sweat on Dalton's forehead. Dalton was keeping his eyes on the razor sharp blade dancing in front of his face.
“This is crap,” said Wyatt. “I'm prettier than he is.”
Midas stopped and turned to Wyatt, bemused. “Ah, jealousy. The green monster. Don't fret, pet. We'll get to play yet.”
“Midas,” Carter's voice carried a command. Midas ignored it.
“You so are not prettier than I am,” Dalton called Midas' attention back. Midas smiled at him. It was like a snake opening its mouth to strike. With blinding speed Midas brought the blade down in a slash across Dalton's chest. The blade sliced through Dalton's shirt and skin easily. A bright red laceration appeared from Dalton's collar bone diagonally down to his waist. Dalton gasped in pain, but didn't cry out.
“MIDAS!” Carter Vance was enraged. Wyatt tried to roll and kick at him. Midas ignored them both. Instead he reached out and touched the blood welling from the wound. He rubbed the fresh blood between his fingers. Then he probed the wound with his fingernails. Dalton bit back a cry of pain.
“Oh relax. It's just a flesh wound,” Midas stood and faced Carter Vance. He took his bloody fingernails and dug them in the man's face. Holding Carter's chin, smearing it with his son's blood. But he continued to speak to Dalton. “Right now, it's just a cool scar you'll have to remind you of the night your father died. Think of all the girls that will run their hands across it, think of all the sympathy sex-”
“He's engaged. Getting married. That scar will go to waste,” Wyatt interrupted. Midas stopped, turned and gazed at Wyatt. Suddenly and viciously he kicked Wyatt in the head. Something cracked and Wyatt spun and rolled with the force of the blow.
Midas got down and yanked Wyatt up by the hair. “I'm not digging your vibe.”
All Wyatt could do was spit blood and watch the shooting lights behind his eyes. Barely holding on to consciousness.
“Seems you boys have taken my fun-loving nature for frivolity,” Midas turned back to Carter. “But your dad knows. Don't you dad?”
Carter didn't speak. Midas leaned forward and SHRIEKED in Vance's face. “DON'T YOU, DAD?”
Carter spoke softly, “I know.”
“So your little wrist watch only has a few minutes left on it. How much time left in Timebomb Town? And what happens when Timebomb Town goes boom?”
“You'll just have to wait and see.”
Midas twisted Carter's wrist painfully around so the face of the watch was visible. “Twenty-two minutes left. How much damage do you think I can do to your sons in that time, Agent Vance?”
“You're going to kill us all anyway.”
“Quite. Quite so. But at least you won't go to your death having watched your children mutilated like Dexter and Hannibal Lecter collecting the slide projector. I'll be starting with the baby of the fam,” Midas spun and flicked the scalpel through the air. It stuck deep in Dalton's arm. He bent over and pulled it out. A spurt of blood pulsed. “Oooh. I hit a vein.”
He walked around to Dalton's other side, holding the young man in profile as he faced Carter. Twirling the blade between his fingers, he stopped it beneath Dalton's nose. “I like your nose. Sometimes I miss mine.”
The scalpel dug into skin.
“Stop.”
Midas locked eyes with Carter. “Yesss?”
“It's a...it's not a timebomb. It's a biometric sensor set to send a satellite signal that will release an email containing all the information I've gathered on the mole you have working in the FBI. The file is codenamed Timebomb Town. If you remove this from my wrist or kill me, that file will be released throughout the F.B.I.”
Midas lowered the scalpel, mildly surprised. “All...all the information you have? You still don't know who it is...”
“With the information I've compiled it will only be a matter of time until the information is correlated and the mole is revealed.”
“Shut it off.”
“You would have to let me loose. I have to enter a code and it's fingerprint activated.”
“I could just cut off your finger.”
“Just give me one hand and I'll shut it off.”
Midas released Carter's right hand, holding the scalpel to the agent's throat. “Gently now.”
Using his free hand, Carter Vance punched a code into his watch and pressed his fingertip on to the face. The count-down stopped. Midas re-bound Carter's right hand to the chair.
He grinned and bowed low, doffing his crown to Carter, “Now I will let you die quickly.” He turned to go up the stairs.
Wyatt rolled over, his head throbbing and pounding. “It's too late. It's Fielding. We already know it's Bob Fielding. We already got the proof. And you are busted.”
Midas glanced over his shoulder at Wyatt. Filled with explosive rage, Midas smashed his fist down into Wyatt's face. Wyatt blacked out.
“...out of your MINDS? Putting yourselves needlessly at risk, going to drug dealers to pretend to buy drugs? Getting your friends involved? What will your mother think? If I survive this, she'll kill me now, for sure.”
“Dad, mom's helping. She's got Agent Turner,” said Dalton.
“What...what do you mean she's 'got' Agent Turner? Jack Turner?”
“Well he was searching our house and tried to arrest us and...” said Wyatt.
“And WHAT?”
“Well, we had to...you know...” Wyatt mumbled.
“Oh dear Lord...you kidnapped a Federal Agent?”
“Assaulted... then kidnapped....actually...” sighed Dalton.
“You realize Turner was probably the best chance I had to get out of here, right? Do you realize that now?”
“Dad! He thought you were in on it!”
“The F.B.I. thought you were a criminal! We couldn't trust any of them to find you.”
“It's the Bureau's job to find criminals!”
Suddenly Dalton looked over at Wyatt. “Something's coming through. Are you getting that?”
“Yeah,” Wyatt stifled a giggle. “That really, really tickles.”
“Graming...what?”
“Your Morse code sucks, dude.”
“Boys...tell me what is going on right this instant.”
Wyatt nodded to his boots, lifting his feet into the air. He was wearing desert tan Oakley SI assault boots. He spun himself around so his father could see the bottom of his feet. Just barely visible was a cut mark in the heel. “We put wireless transmitters in the heels of our left boots. They work like pagers. We get a buzz when Ziggy sends the signal. He types in words and it translates to Morse code.”
“When they searched us they were...pretty thorough...but they didn't search our shoes,” said Dalton.
Carter Vance raised his eyebrow. “Okay. I'm...somewhat impressed.”
“Bob Fielding!” said Dalton triumphantly. “It's Bob Fielding.”
Wyatt nodded. “Yeah... not the greatest news.”
“What about Bob Fielding?” asked Carter.
“He's the mole. He's the inside guy on Midas' payroll.”
“What are you talking about, Wyatt? That's impossible. He's one of my oldest friends.”
“Well, if everything went according to plan-” Wyatt was cut off by the sound of the trap door above them opening, flooding in light. Footsteps came skipping down the staircase. Midas entered the room like a magician taking the stage. If he had a cape he would have twirled it. His golden plastic crown was on his head and he held in his hand a thin sliver of metal. A scalpel.
“Look as this. What a shabby sight. The Vance boys, all tied up.” He stepped over to Dalton and squatted down. His giant fake pupils stared into Dalton's eyes. “You're very, very pretty.”
“You're very disturbed,” said Dalton.
“Midas. Leave them alone,” Carter Vance struggled in his chair but he was bound tight.
“OH! Agent Vance. I will get to you, promptly. I just need to acquaint myself with your progeny.” He ran the scalpel gently down Dalton's face, blade side away from skin. “You could grow to love me, dearest W.”
“You're not my type, seriously.”
“I could fix that,” Midas held up the scalpel. Midas smiled as he watched the beads of sweat on Dalton's forehead. Dalton was keeping his eyes on the razor sharp blade dancing in front of his face.
“This is crap,” said Wyatt. “I'm prettier than he is.”
Midas stopped and turned to Wyatt, bemused. “Ah, jealousy. The green monster. Don't fret, pet. We'll get to play yet.”
“Midas,” Carter's voice carried a command. Midas ignored it.
“You so are not prettier than I am,” Dalton called Midas' attention back. Midas smiled at him. It was like a snake opening its mouth to strike. With blinding speed Midas brought the blade down in a slash across Dalton's chest. The blade sliced through Dalton's shirt and skin easily. A bright red laceration appeared from Dalton's collar bone diagonally down to his waist. Dalton gasped in pain, but didn't cry out.
“MIDAS!” Carter Vance was enraged. Wyatt tried to roll and kick at him. Midas ignored them both. Instead he reached out and touched the blood welling from the wound. He rubbed the fresh blood between his fingers. Then he probed the wound with his fingernails. Dalton bit back a cry of pain.
“Oh relax. It's just a flesh wound,” Midas stood and faced Carter Vance. He took his bloody fingernails and dug them in the man's face. Holding Carter's chin, smearing it with his son's blood. But he continued to speak to Dalton. “Right now, it's just a cool scar you'll have to remind you of the night your father died. Think of all the girls that will run their hands across it, think of all the sympathy sex-”
“He's engaged. Getting married. That scar will go to waste,” Wyatt interrupted. Midas stopped, turned and gazed at Wyatt. Suddenly and viciously he kicked Wyatt in the head. Something cracked and Wyatt spun and rolled with the force of the blow.
Midas got down and yanked Wyatt up by the hair. “I'm not digging your vibe.”
All Wyatt could do was spit blood and watch the shooting lights behind his eyes. Barely holding on to consciousness.
“Seems you boys have taken my fun-loving nature for frivolity,” Midas turned back to Carter. “But your dad knows. Don't you dad?”
Carter didn't speak. Midas leaned forward and SHRIEKED in Vance's face. “DON'T YOU, DAD?”
Carter spoke softly, “I know.”
“So your little wrist watch only has a few minutes left on it. How much time left in Timebomb Town? And what happens when Timebomb Town goes boom?”
“You'll just have to wait and see.”
Midas twisted Carter's wrist painfully around so the face of the watch was visible. “Twenty-two minutes left. How much damage do you think I can do to your sons in that time, Agent Vance?”
“You're going to kill us all anyway.”
“Quite. Quite so. But at least you won't go to your death having watched your children mutilated like Dexter and Hannibal Lecter collecting the slide projector. I'll be starting with the baby of the fam,” Midas spun and flicked the scalpel through the air. It stuck deep in Dalton's arm. He bent over and pulled it out. A spurt of blood pulsed. “Oooh. I hit a vein.”
He walked around to Dalton's other side, holding the young man in profile as he faced Carter. Twirling the blade between his fingers, he stopped it beneath Dalton's nose. “I like your nose. Sometimes I miss mine.”
The scalpel dug into skin.
“Stop.”
Midas locked eyes with Carter. “Yesss?”
“It's a...it's not a timebomb. It's a biometric sensor set to send a satellite signal that will release an email containing all the information I've gathered on the mole you have working in the FBI. The file is codenamed Timebomb Town. If you remove this from my wrist or kill me, that file will be released throughout the F.B.I.”
Midas lowered the scalpel, mildly surprised. “All...all the information you have? You still don't know who it is...”
“With the information I've compiled it will only be a matter of time until the information is correlated and the mole is revealed.”
“Shut it off.”
“You would have to let me loose. I have to enter a code and it's fingerprint activated.”
“I could just cut off your finger.”
“Just give me one hand and I'll shut it off.”
Midas released Carter's right hand, holding the scalpel to the agent's throat. “Gently now.”
Using his free hand, Carter Vance punched a code into his watch and pressed his fingertip on to the face. The count-down stopped. Midas re-bound Carter's right hand to the chair.
He grinned and bowed low, doffing his crown to Carter, “Now I will let you die quickly.” He turned to go up the stairs.
Wyatt rolled over, his head throbbing and pounding. “It's too late. It's Fielding. We already know it's Bob Fielding. We already got the proof. And you are busted.”
Midas glanced over his shoulder at Wyatt. Filled with explosive rage, Midas smashed his fist down into Wyatt's face. Wyatt blacked out.
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