Terry Neale - Jo-el

“What are you saying, Sally?”

“There’s a Delta team and about thirty military guys heading for your house in San Francisco.”

“How long?” My heart began to race, Yerchenkov recognized the change in me and moved from his position on the bed. I took no notice.

“Two minutes.”

“Bounce me home.”

I was in the family room trying to think. The disc monitors. I grabbed the little container and the one I’d been using. The life pills, I leapt up the stairs two at a time, by the time I was half-way I remembered I could have bounced up to the bathroom. I picked up the box of pills. I was sweating profusely, my breathing was heavy, I needed to get out of there. What else did I need?

“They’re in the street.”

“Bounce me to the park, somewhere.”

Sally picked the public bathrooms, it was dark, no one around. I changed my look to an Asian man, baggy jacket, black, greying hair, fortyish. I wondered outside, breathing deeply, there were a few joggers in the distance, but no walkers. Slowly I calmed down and headed to a café I knew was open on a Sunday night on the outskirt of the park. When I arrived it was almost empty, I sat at the back facing the window to the street, for what reason I don’t know, it just felt right. I ordered coffee and begun to relax.

“Sally, what’s happening?”

“They’ve cordoned off your street and are in your house. The neighbors are all outside asking questions, nobody is telling them anything.”

“How did they find me?”

There was a pause for a minute, I felt alone, “ Sally,” I called out in my head.

“It was the coloring book. Fingerprints.”

“The one I bought for Billy?”

“Yes, she took it with her when you bounced them back to her condo.”

“Shit! That bloody woman.”

“I told you she was a bitch.”

“Where did they match the fingerprints? I don’t have a record.”

“TSA, when you come into the country.”

Of course, every non-citizen is finger-printed, I was still on a Green Card. Mary didn’t want to take citizenship, she thought we might go home one day.

“I’ve got some bad news, Jo-el.” I could hear the fear in Sally’s voice, I’d never heard it quite like that.

“What?” I asked, not sure if I wanted to know.

Again, a pause. “They’ve arrested Maggie and Sean.”

I placed my hands over my face and felt tears well up in my eyes. I shook with horror and breathed in and out so hard, I must have looked like I was hyperventilating. A man from behind the counter came over to me and inquired if I was okay. I shooed him away.

“Where are they, Sally?”

“Maggie is at a police station here in San Francisco, it only just happened. They’ve taken her to a two-story basement, deepest place close by. Sean is in a similar situation in Costa Mesa, no basement, they don’t have one.”

My initial instinct was to get them out. But what would I say to them and where would I take them. They didn’t know who their father had become. They couldn’t tell anyone anything about me, they were useless to these assholes. Except for one thing and that was as plain as the eye can see. They were a bargaining chip to get at me.

Sally interrupted my misery, “they’re moving them to the east coast. I’m sorry.” She knew I was hurting. “ They are both in FBI cars, Maggie is being taken to Travis Air Force Base, Sean is leaving out of John Wayne. There’s two guys with each of them holding weapons to their heads.”

Oh, my God! They must be frightened to death. “How long before they are airborne?”

“Twenty minutes for Maggie, maybe ten for Sean.”

Perhaps I should get them out, but I struggled with what that would achieve? Right now, they knew nothing about me, which was fine. There was nowhere to take them? Their current lives were over, not a chance of a reconciliation with the authorities in the US, so no way they could continue as they were. And it was my fault. Damn the bloody Americans. I fiddled nervously with my coffee spoon. I should let it play out? Those idiots would soon realize that Maggie and Sean knew nothing. Lie detectors and sodium pentothal wouldn’t help. I cringed at the thought. The clock on the right wall was moving fast, I had five minutes to rescue Sean. I was in two minds. Tears blurred my vision, my stomach wretched, I fought the urge to rush in, I needed time, then suddenly the correct path became clear. My head raised up, a rush of adrenaline invigorated my body and a smirk crossed my lips.

“What do you think I should I do, Sally?”

“Get them out and terminate the bastards,” she replied, instantly.

Sally’s solution, subtle as a brick.

“ I didn’t pick up the container, is there time?”

“Sure, if you don’t mind kicking some teeth.”

“Show me!”

My heads-up screen came to life with a view of the outside of my home. A circle of heavily armed men stood in the street. I moved the view inside the house. They were turning it upside down but hadn’t reached the garage. I left a couple of bucks on the table at the café and walked around the corner. I changed back to Jo-el.

“ Activate the shield, Sally and bounce me into the garage.”

Immediately I heard the commotion from the kitchen. The container was where I’d left it on the shelf. I grabbed it and was about to leave. A soldier came through the door from the kitchen and saw me, I grinned at him as he raised his weapon.

“Fuck you bastards,” I yelled at him and bounced back to the park.

“That felt good, Sally.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“I need to stash this thing, find me a lock-up that hasn’t had a lot of use lately.”

“Okay, ready?”

“Let’s go!”

A light came on as I came to rest. Boxes were strewn randomly and a layer of dust covered everything. I placed the container along a wall after depositing the pills and small box with the remaining disc monitors inside. “Where am I?”

“Stockton, hasn’t been opened for almost two years.”

“Fine, let’s go find a hotel?”

I changed my likeness back to the Asian man.

“You want to stay in Stockton?”

“No, let’s go downtown San Francisco. A Hyatt.”

Twenty minutes later I was enjoying the view from a suite on the twenty-sixth floor of the Grand Hyatt.

I called Sally to join me. She walked around the room, admiring the décor, pretending to run her hand along the drape curtains. She was elegantly dressed in a white cocktail mini-dress with an outer shear cover. A gold pendant graced her neck. Rings sparkled on both hands.

“You look adorable,” I said, but my voice couldn’t hide my fear.

She smiled and sauntered over to where I was standing, allowing her cheek to touch mine very gently. I was taken aback as I felt the softness of her face on mine.

“I like the new look, tré chic.” I’d upgraded my look, still Asian but younger, expensive dark grey suit, white business shirt with cufflinks, modern tie and highly polished black shoes. “Seems like you have a plan, Jo-el?”

“Jason Lee,” I said, “that’s how I signed in. So first thing, I need some more cash, I only had enough for one night, what with the security deposit.”

“You want to steal it?”

“Yes, preferably from a bad guy, but if the FBI have any cash lying around that would be perfect.”