David Golemon - Primeval

"Damn, Jack, my money is still on you when things get tight." He looked from the downed man to the other Spetsnaz around him. "I hope the lesson here has been learned," he said, turning toward Sagli and Deonovich. It was Sagli who stepped away from the tent and interpreted what Alexander had just said. The commandos just watched and listened with their newfound respect for the American.

Punchy Alexander said something to Deonovich that the others could not hear. The large Russian raised a brow, but followed his orders. He pulled out a German-made Glock nine-millimeter automatic and quickly stepped up to the man Jack had so ruthlessly put down. Just as Collins rolled onto his side, finally under control, he watched as Deonovich aimed and placed a bullet into the back of the Russian's head, slamming him back to the ground from where he was attempting to rise.

At that moment all inside the camp heard the drumming of wood on wood. It was quick and sporadic across the Stikine and just to the north. Alexander chose to ignore the strange sound, not wanting to lend credence to it.

"Stupidity will not be tolerated," Alexander said loudly and waited while his words were delivered in Russian. "This is not a game and you are not dealing with fools." He turned and watched Sagli say his words. Then he said something to the smaller Russian and watched as he went to the tent and checked on Lynn. He stepped out and nodded to Alexander that the woman was okay. "Allow the colonel five minutes with his sister, then return him to his men."

Sagli started to reach for Jack to help him to his feet, and then he thought better of it. He nodded toward the tent and Jack, for his part, rolled and sat up. He watched Sagli as he waved some men over to remove the body of their fallen comrade. With one more respectful look at the restrained Collins, Sagli smiled and moved away; as he did, a sudden flash of lightning streaked across the sky and that was soon followed by a massive thunderclap.

Alexander looked over at Everett and Farbeaux and smiled, and then he looked up at the sky where fast-moving black clouds blotted out the moonlight, and then he finally turned away and reentered the large tent.

Jack didn't stand up, he just tried to get his breathing under control. Hands were on him, around him, and he could smell his sister. It was the same smell she had always had since childhood: one of roses in late summer. Even through the sweat and grime of captivity and the strong odor of antiseptic, he knew it was her, and he buried his head into her body as she hugged him. For the briefest of moments, that hug was enough and they stayed that way for a full minute as the first of the raindrops started falling from a sky that was fast becoming angry.

"You have never ceased to amaze me as to how you can get into so much trouble. How are you doing, little sister?" Jack asked as he finally looked into the bruised face of Lynn.

Both lips were swollen and her left eye was closing from the kick to the face she had just received, compliments of the late Spetsnaz guard just now being tossed out near the river.

Lynn smiled back down at her brother and placed a hand on his cheek. Jack saw the bandage covering her missing finger, but he chose not to dwell on it because of his anger being so close to the surface.

"It's good to see you, Jack," she said, shaking her head. "By the way, this is one hell of a rescue."

"Hey, we have our moments, although this isn't the best advertisement for us," he said as he sat up with some effort.

Jack again wiggled toward the front of the tent and made himself as comfortable as possible. He once more took in the appearance of his sister. She was in rough shape, but he knew it could have been far worse with the bunch that had taken her.

"Sorry about Punchy Jack. I knew you two were close."

"I should have acted on my instincts, sis, the stupid bastard gave himself away in Los Angeles, but I just couldn't get myself to believe it. You were right all along. Now, if the rest of what you and your bosses think is happening is true, we may have a mess on our hands."

"Okay, everything we believed about Alexander back at the Farm is true. The trail he left in his computerespionage led us right to him. But what in the hell is he doing out here, Jack?"

"I had a feeling I had screwed up at some point and blown my cover, Jack, where was it?" Punchy asked. He had caught them off guard as he eased himself behind them while they spoke.

"Well, Lynn figured you for one of the bad guys over a year ago. When she told me I was alerted, as one of your closest friends, of course, to watch for Providence that you were as she said: a lying, dirty, treasonous son of a bitch. But to answer your question, confirmation of you going rogue came in L.A. It was the vest. You refused wearing bulletproof vests for fifteen years, swore you would never wear a safety net, that if agents were dumb enough to get shot, they deserved the consequences." Jack looked up and eyed the larger man. "Personally, I think it was because it made you look fatter than you are." The words were delivered slow and cold, as was Jack's way.

"Damn, I should have remembered that you had a memory to beat all hell." Alexander raised his coat collar as he examined the sky. Then he looked down at Lynn, who wanted to be sick with him standing so close to her and Jack.

"Why the murder in Seattle, Punchy? I know it wasn't for a damned diamond, or wagons full of gold. Hell, in your position you could steal half the treasury of the Canadian government and get away with it, so why?" Collins asked.

"It's called covering our tracks — black operations class 101 at MI-5, Jack, you know that. We didn't need anyone out there who could lead your intelligence apparatus or Canada's to us before we had our prize."

"What about Doc Ellenshaw?"

Punchy Alexander laughed as he leaned down and slapped Jack on the back, then he looked over at Lynn.

"Can you imagine my consternation when Jack's little girlfriend, Sarah, walked in with the one man we couldn't find for ten whole years, Professor Ellenshaw? Just who in the hell do you work for, Jack, that you would know a crazy, far-out bastard as that?"

"My new friends are far better than my old ones. By the way, Punchy, you know I'm going to kill you for what you did to the doc, don't you?" Jack said as the rain started falling in earnest.

Alexander became silent, the laughing had ceased and the humor had gone out of the situation.

"Let me guess at your interest in covering your tracks and why the doc was so prominent in your plans to cover them."

"Give it a try, Jack," Alexander said, his smile completely gone.

"Ellenshaw filed a report with the Washington State authorities, or hell, even with Stanford upon his return from Canada in '68, and you got a hold of that report through computer espionage, which my baby sister here uncovered over a year ago and traced it back to you. With the reports the doc filed he became an interest to you. You tried to find him so he could lead you here without the maps and the journal because of his relationship with L. T. Lattimer, but he was with me in a place you could never imagine, lost to everyone but a select few." He looked up into the rain at Punchy. "Just what in the hell are you after, Punchy, that would compel you to commit treason and murder innocent people?"

"It took me years and years, Jack, my boy. Using every avenue I could find, any generated report coming from Canada and Alaska. Every word laid down on paper — until I came across an obscure mention of L. T. Lattimer and a gold find back in 1968." A powerful lightning bolt made Alexander flinch and duck, but both Lynn and Jack saw the smile spread on his lips. "Then my keyword was hit… Keyword — computers made my life so much easier, Jack. One small little word placed into a far-fetched report by a hippy grad student from Stanford University — your Professor Ellenshaw. A guilt-fed report on a missing man in the Canadian wilderness, a man who left behind a description of a place where not only one treasure resided, but possibly two. And tomorrow, I will recover the second item and be off, and you, Jack, will play a large part in the happily-ever-after part of my story. By the way, if that little girlfriend is still at the fishing camp, I'll tell you, Jack, I wouldn't mind getting some of that." Alexander smiled, then that turned into a laugh, and then he turned and made his way out of the heavy rain.