Chapter 27

The back of his head throbbed with a sharp pain as if he had just slammed into a steel beam. His eyes had not fully opened yet to the distorted voices around him. Where am I? He was sitting on something sturdy that did not budge when he wriggled his body around. The pain. Instinct overtook him as he tried to raise his arm and rub the tender spot with his hand. He couldn’t move. I’m tied up. Forcing his eyes to open, all he could see were blurry images. Two undefined figures seemed to move around his bound body. He heard something, a voice, but still lacked clarity as one of the figures grew larger in his field of view.

“I believe that our mystery man is finally awake,” Dan called out.

Edward acknowledged the observation and walked over to the man who, moments earlier, was bound to a wooden chair which his hands tied behind his back. He had asked Joyce to remain in the master bedroom to avoid any potential danger. There was a brief conversation earlier about why none of them had handcuffs with them, but in haste improvisation, an insulated extension cord did the trick. “Tell me your name.”

The man moved his head around aimlessly to the muffled dialog, trying to regain his bearings and all other senses that he depended on.

“It looks like I got this one good,” Dan said with pride. He had never had to pistol whip someone before, but he was glad it worked on the first try. “Are you sure you don’t want to just call this one in? This might work better in a controlled environment, you know.”

Edward knew that while Hurst was still seething over him, he would not be much of a welcome sight inside the field office. “You know damn well Hurst will kick me out of there as soon as he catches wind of this. It might even land you in the hot seat for just being around me.”

Dan had anticipated such a response, but still, he had to put the option on the table. “This one did not appear in the pictures that Jean showed us. Do you think it’s Nyx?”

The name sent the blood rushing back to Nyx’s head. His vision started to clear as he tilted his head to look at the man who said it. His speech was still a little weak, but he managed to utter a few simple words. “How do you know that name?”

“Son of a bitch.” Edward pulled out his Glock 19 and pressed it firmly into Nyx’s forehead.

“Edward, no.” Dan rushed over, grabbed Edward’s wrist, and shoved it away from the bound man. “That’s something that you can’t come back from. It’s one thing to act in self-defense, but if you execute him in your living room, you will not get any answers, and will be no better than him or his crew of cronies.”

The rage that had built up inside him was a burden that was difficult to suppress. He felt his arms go weak listening to Dan rationalize the situation. “Okay. Fine.” Edward said while giving off a disappointed expression and holstering the handgun. “Where do we start?”

“He was after you, so I guess you get first dibs.”

“How do you know my name?” Nyx asked again in a more clear and articulated voice.

“Nope. You don’t get to ask the questions right now.” Edward bent forward to look Nyx into his eyes. There were so many questions about Andrew, Tremor, the man who attempted to kill Joyce, and even why Nyx came here personally. He chose to stick with his immediate concern and would get to the rest later. “Why did you try to kill my wife?”

Nyx searched his mind, looking for an explanation of how he was sitting there, tied up and face to face with the man he sought to kill. Maybe he was dreaming. He did have a nightmare about being captured some time ago. Was this the extension of that dream? Will I wake up and discover this day was just starting?

The delay was wearing even more thin on Edward’s not so-thick-patience. He drew his hand back and cracked a right hook across Nyx’s face.

“Edward. Is this your idea of being in control?”

“What? I slipped. Luckily this fellow kept me from falling on my face.”

The shot hurt like hell, but the throbbing sensation in the back of his head was even more prominent. Finally, a coherent response belched from his mouth. “We needed to get to you.”

“That was a bad choice using my wife to get to me.”

“It wasn’t my idea.”

“Who’s was it?”

Nyx felt like he was already in a vulnerable state. Do I make myself even more of a target by exposing him, it, whatever was at the root of my actions? He did his best to stall the answer to Edward’s question.

Edward rolled his eyes and sighed. “Alright. Let’s try something simpler. Why are you trying to kill me?”

This was an easier question for Nyx to answer. “Because sooner or later, you were going to find me.”

“You killed Andrew. You bet your ass I was coming for you.”

“It was just business.”

“What an entrepreneur. Where did you get your degree?”

“You joke, but we all have a skill. Sometimes the profession chooses us.”

“Thanks, Buddha.” He wanted to knock some more sense into him, but with a quick glance over at Dan shaking his head, he was forced to play fair. “How did you know that I was the one after you?”

“I was told by a very powerful person.”

“And this powerful person is?”

Nyx gave another lengthy pause before answering the question. “Someone more dangerous than me. Someone who doesn’t accept failure. Someone who sees their vision to the end. Someone that no one can touch.”

“Avery?”

Nyx’s eyes lit up. He didn’t know whether to be scared or relieved that Edward said the name, and not him. He chose to give a subtle nod rather than vocally confirm the response.

“So, you have a puppet master, and it is a computer.” Edward laughed in an attempt to belittle Nyx.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll be dispatched either by you or the one I work for in time. If you process me through the system, I’ll be out before I ever see a courtroom. Then the cycle begins all over again. I kill, then I’m hunted. A never-ending loop.”

“Really? You think you’ll simply be released after the carnage you’ve caused?”

“I’ve done work for some of the most powerful in the world. I am valuable to them regardless of what others think of me.

“That’s fine. We’ll go after them, too, when the time comes. Now tell me about Avery. Why does this thing want the world to burn?”

Nyx lowered and shook his head. “He doesn’t want to destroy the world. He wants to rebuild it into a better world. A safer world. But first, he needs to clean it up.”

Edward scoffed. “Do you truly believe that?”

“It doesn’t matter what I believe. In the end, I’m on borrowed time. I’ll be cleaned along with the other scum deemed unworthy of society.”

“Then why don’t you tell us all you know of Avery. Where do we find him? How do we stop him? You’ll likely still live out your fate, but at least you will have gained a shred of decency in return.”

“Do you really think I have that information? Do I seem like someone that can be trusted after being manipulated?”

“Right.” Edward moved back to his feet. “I need to discuss something with my colleague, don’t go anywhere.”

He walked over to Dan, who was guarding the hallway for any more surprises. They both took occasional quick glances over at Nyx as they conversed.

“Do you think that he’s telling the truth?” Dan asked.

“I think we should just shoot him and end whatever carnage he has planned next.”

“You know better than that. He at least confirmed a few things for us. Why he targeted you and Joyce. What he is. The entity known as Avery.”

“He’s not going to give us anything on Avery. It doesn’t matter if he knows anything of value. You can tell from the look in his eyes, that it doesn’t help him either way.”

“I do not disagree with you about what he knows, but as your boss, I ask that you at least maintain some diplomacy, and more importantly, as your friend, I kindly ask that you show a little bit of restraint. I would like to keep my pension after this is over.”

Edward nodded and walked back over to Nyx. He found it odd that Nyx didn’t squirm in his restraints and didn’t bother to make eye contact unless he was face to face with someone. It was as if he had given up on all hope and let the cards play themselves.

“Sorry, you don’t get to die today.”

Nyx’s facial reaction was one of confusion and exhaustion. “Do we really have to go round and round with this?”

“I’m afraid so. I’m willing to accept that you don’t know where Avery is located. But I still have a few questions.”

“Shoot,” Nyx said, hoping to trigger an animal instinct in Edward to end his agony.

Edward decided against a clever response to the offer, instead remembering Dan and doing his best to go the professional route. “Let’s try this one. How many people are working under you, or Avery, whoever is in charge?”

“Five.”

The prompt and unimpeded answer had thrown Edward off balance in his mind. “Five? That was quick. Is that a random number, or are you telling me the truth?” Edward tried to study Nyx’s eyes; he was no human lie detector but thought that some anomaly would present itself if he was hiding something.

Nyx responded again with one simple word. “Five.”

The five pictures Edward and Dan were presented with at Andrew’s guest house flashed into his mind. I guess Jean did a pretty good job. He looked over to Dan who gave a thumbs up in approval. “What of their names?”

“I don’t know their names.”

“So, what, do you just say, ‘hey redhead, go kill that guy,’ and whoever has the red hair does what you ask?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then how ‘exactly’ do you refer to them?”

“We all have aliases. You obviously know mine and probably Tremor. The lifeless fellow you have somewhere in the house was Lucious.”

“And what of the other three?”

“I couldn’t tell you. I’ve only seen them once. I’d have to have a picture to look at.”

Edward remembered giving Dan a thumb drive with the photographs and detailed information regarding locations. “Hey Dan, would you be able to get the thumb drive so we can pull up the photos on Joyce’s laptop?”

“Sure, but can it wait? My car is damn near a block away. I don’t want to leave you alone just yet.”

Edward sighed. “Alright, we’ll take care of it later.”

“I will say that their names are Piranha, Slim and Echo,” Nyx offered without any further questioning.

“That sounds like some kind of Saturday morning cartoon characters.”

“I didn’t pick the names.”

“Here’s another one for you while your lips are loose. How does Avery contact you?”

“If electricity flows through it, it’s a means of communication.”

“Would you mind clarifying into a more defined medium?”

“Phone calls, texts, computers, even morse code.”

“What do you mean morse code?”

Slim performed another operational check of his equipment before giving his status to Avery. He tailored his arsenal to his strengths, close-quarters combat. The black tactical vest housed four extra magazines filled with thirty rounds of nine-millimeter ammunition to go along with the Heckler and Koch MP5-A2 submachine gun he slung around his body. Attached was also a canister of CS gas, more commonly referred to as tear gas for riot control. He checked the straps and seal to the mask that would prevent him from inhaling the chemical, then pressed send on his phone.

“Is everything in order?” Avery asked on the other end of the line.

“Checked and ready.”

“Press five on the keypad when you are at the door, then wait ten seconds before proceeding with extraction.”

“Roger.” Slim got out of the truck and moved in on the house as low possible while keeping the submachine gun tight to his chest.

When he reached the house, he slid the mask down over his face and checked the seal by attempting to breathe while covering the attached filter canister. He pressed the number five on the phone, and it immediately hung up. Grabbing the CS canister with his left hand, he readied himself to pull the pin and throw it inside the house. “Five… four… three… two… one.”

Nyx looked at Edward and then at Dan toward the hallway. A mild look of surprise overcame his face. Always listening. His head still throbbed, but the message was clear as the lights flashed.

dash-dash-dot _ dot _ dash _, dash-dot-dot _ dash-dash-dash _ dot-dash-dash _ dash-dot

‘Get Down.’

Edward turned his head towards Dan to see what the light show coming from the hallway was about.

Dan stood there inquisitively but quickly understood what was happening. Morse code was something that had been instilled into the older generation of agents. “Edward. Get down now.”

There was a slight glimpse of confusion on Edward’s face, but when he noticed Nyx had fallen over sideways in his chair and watching Dan react so hastily, it also caused him to react in the same fashion as he dropped to the ground.

The metal canister pinged as it bounced and rolled along the floor. The popping sound, followed by the steady stream of gas, quickly masked the room. The front door slammed against the wall as Slim forcefully kicked it open, almost breaking the hinges. Automatic gunfire rang out all across the room.

The three clutched the ground as the gas filled their lungs and the hail of bullets sprayed above their bodies.

Slim called out, the sound of his voice was muffled through the mask. “Nyx? Speak up. Where are you?”

Nyx tried to control his breathing, but being bound to the chair offered no reprieve from freeing his hands and trying to mask his face. “Down here.” Nyx did his best to yell while the sound of coughing and choking crowded the room.

Slim fired random shots as he roamed toward the sound of the voice. Looking down, he could barely see anything through the fog of tear gas. He felt something squishy as he took his next step.

“Ah!” Nyx cried out while choking on his own mucus.

Slim acted quickly, knelt down and waved the vapor away from the object. “Nyx.” He loosened the electrical cord so that his hands could slip through. Once freed, he helped Nyx to his feet. He didn’t have an extra mask to give but asked, “where are the others?”

Edward did his best to overcome the effects of the gas. He had trained for it but it wasn’t something he had expected to encounter in his own home. He couldn’t tell how many people there were through the chaos and random gun fire, but he knew they were there for Nyx. He couldn’t muster the strength to do anything other than to stay as low and quiet as possible, letting the fog hide his presence.

Amidst his coughing, Nyx grabbed ahold of Slim. “Don’t worry about them. Go.”

Slim changed the magazine for a fresh one and emptied it all around while making their way towards the door.

Edward couldn’t let them get away. He was weakened, but through the haze in his eyes, he could determine that the beams of light that glared in his eyes were coming from the front door. He hoped that Dan was still behind him in the hallway and pulled out his Glock 19 to fire every round in the magazine toward the light.

It took about eight minutes for the gas to thin enough. The opening in the front door, combined with the overpressure of the home, allowed for a speedier escape.

The gas had finally dissipated enough to allow easier breathing and clearer sight. The house fell silent once the coughing subsided. Edward and Dan both rose to their feet and ran toward the door. There was nothing but a small blood splatter on the door frame. Nyx was gone, along with the rescuer.

“Keep a lookout; I need to check on Joyce,” Edward said as he turned and rushed upstairs.