This is my first Get Smart drama story. It is rated T for drama, a bit of violence and emotion. My version of the Smart twins was introduced in my humor story, "Spyin' the Family." This story takes a look at Max's past.
Oh Brother, How Time Does March On!
Sarah Smart knocked on the door of her parents' home in the Washington DC suburb where they lived. Twenty-four years old now, she had her own apartment and worked for Control full time as a secret agent. Her father, Maxwell Smart, had been appointed Chief of Control when Chief Thaddeus had retired five years earlier. Her mother, Agent 99, was still activated and went on cases intermittently. Sarah's twin brother Shawn preferred to work for Control only occasionally, choosing instead to work as a computer analyst and spend time at his hobby: rebuilding and restoring classic cars.
Max, unfortunately, was not a stay-in-the-office Chief. He was always assigning himself cases as they came up; he had a hard time delegating work. He often left Larrabee in charge. Larrabee was good at following orders and Max had found out he was excellent with finances, but he had a hard time making decisions on his own. But Max didn't care, he would rather have Larrabee call him in the field to ask questions than stay at Control all the time.
Last night, Max had invited Sarah to come over for breakfast in the morning; he had just sent 99 and Shawn on a lengthy case somewhere in Japan. She suspected he was lonesome. And he just adored his daughter. He often assigned himself and Sarah to go on cases together.
Sarah knocked again. She called, "Dad? Are you there?" There was no answer. She pulled out her key to the house where she had lived over half of her life. She didn't need it. The door was unlocked; the lock was broken. She went in and saw muddy footprints …that was strange! She ran upstairs and looked in her parent's bedroom. The bed was unmade and bedclothes trailed on the floor. A lamp was knocked over and broken. She saw her Dad's pajamas thrown on the floor over his slippers. There was some mud on the floor up here too. Sarah felt a lump in her throat. Where was her Dad?
Max woke up in a bed and opened his eyes to … nothing …. He blinked….total darkness. He felt disoriented. He was hot and sweaty and wherever he was – well, it smelled damp and musty….and dirty. He felt his clothes…what was he wearing? It felt like a one-piece pullover, something military, perhaps. He checked for his shoe phone…no luck…he was wearing some type of combat boots. They felt too big for his feet. He checked the pockets…nothing in any one of them. And there was an odd pain in his left leg…
Max hated the dark. When 99 was away, he usually kept a dim nightlight on. He knew where that fear came from…and he hadn't ever gotten over it…
The year was 1938. Eight-year old Maxwell Smart was walking home from the last day of school. His friends were excited to be out of school for the summer vacation.
"I don't want to go home!" thought Max, dejectedly.
Max's fourteen-year old brother Jake was the problem. Jake was never disciplined by their parents. They ignored everything bad that he did. They never saw how Jake kicked and slapped Max when no one was looking. He always had a nasty name for his little brother.
Max, on the other hand, couldn't seem to do anything right. No matter what he did, it was always wrong, especially with his father. And his mother always went along with what his father said.
Max arrived at his home. It was run down for lack of repair. He pushed on the door, usually open. It didn't open. He tried the door knob. It was locked. He ran to a window and looked inside. It was too dark to see. He tried to push up on the window, but it wouldn't open.
Max ran around to the back of the house and tried the back door. Locked again. He was puzzled. He pounded on the door, "Mom! Pop! Where are you?" No one answered. He found his pen-knife hidden behind a loose brick. He inserted it between the door and the frame, pushing back the lock into the door. Voilà! The door opened!
Max stepped carefully inside the dark house. When his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he realized there was no furniture in the house. It was totally empty. Was he in the wrong house? He flipped on the light switch. No lights. "Mom? Pop?" he yelled again. He ran up the stairs to the bedrooms, still no one. "Where was Jake?" he thought. He checked all the rooms and closets on the second floor, then headed down the stairs again. By now there was a growing pain in his stomach, not physical, but emotional.
Max passed the hall closet when someone tripped him and he fell and hit his face hard.
Jake pulled Max up by the back of his collar and snarled, "So you came back, you little idiot!" He dragged Max toward the hall and threw him unceremoniously into the closet. Max hit his head hard against the back wall because there were no clothes hung there anymore to soften the blow. "Stay in there, stupid!" yelled Jake, laughing viciously.
Jake locked the closet door and said, "Mom and Pop moved away! They left you here! They didn't want you, you little jerk!" Max heard his footsteps echo in the empty house. He waited till he heard the door slam. It never occurred to Max that his parents had also abandoned Jake.
There was no point in yelling or crying. Jake wouldn't be back soon. Jake got a perverse pleasure out of locking his little brother in the closet and he did it often.
This time was going to be different, thought Max. He had his pencil from school and a piece of paper in his trousers pocket. He slid the paper under the door and pushed the key out of the keyhole with the pencil. He heard it fall and he carefully pulled the paper back into the closet. Eureka! The key was there. He unlocked the door and pocketed the key.
Max got out of the closet as fast as he could and went outside. He was afraid of the "gollywoggles" in the dark house. His father had purposely scared him with stories of horrifying monsters called "gollywoggles" and Max sometimes had nightmares about weird creatures running after him. It was bad when he had to stay in the locked closet all night.
Max came back to the present…you'd think that, at 61 years of age, he would have gotten over that.
He decided to explore his prison. His eyes had adjusted and he could make out some scant furniture. He had been laying on a small cot with a blanket, sheet and pillow. There was a small wooden table and chair near the cot. A pitcher of water was on the table. He was thirsty and hot, but decided not to drink any water…at least for the moment…there was no way of knowing if it was safe.
There was a small window at the far end of the room. The sun must be coming up; the tiny window was letting in a bit of light and it was becoming easier to see. As Max put weight on his left leg, he felt a searing pain. He limped over to the window, bringing the chair, put his leg on the chair and pulled his pants leg up to look. There was a long gash in his leg. It looked angry and red. He hoped it wasn't infected. Where had that come from? How long had he been here? Where was "here"?
Sarah grabbed the phone in her parents' living room and dialed Max's shoe. She heard it ring in the bedroom upstairs, so she hung up. Next she called Larrabee at Control.
"Larrabee, did my Dad call in this morning?"
"No, Sarah, I haven't heard from him since last night."
"He's missing, Larrabee!" Tears were forming in her eyes. "Can you get a hold of my Mom or Shawn?"
"Sorry, Sarah! Shawn and 99 are on a top secret case and I can't reveal their whereabouts."
"Larrabee, this is an emergency!"
"Sarah, even I don't know exactly where they are. I think Max does….and he's missing."
"I'm coming over, Larrabee. In the meantime, can you try to contact Chief Thaddeus? He'll know what to do." Sarah knew it was best to make suggestions to Larrabee. He worked well that way.
Max stood on the chair and looked out the tiny window. The dank room was below ground with the window just above the soil. There were bars on the window. Foliage outside the window foiled looking out any further.
Max limped over to the bed. He knew he needed a doctor for his leg. He also wondered why he was here…the last thing he remembered was being woken up suddenly and dragged bodily out of bed before he could object or activate any of the safety devices in the house. He suddenly remembered feeling his leg being caught in a small space and a tremendous pain as he was dragged along. Then he had been hit on the head and he didn't remember any more after that.
Max had overlooked a door in the dark area of the prison cell near where he was sitting. It opened suddenly. A Latin-looking man in his early thirties entered the room carrying some food.
"Here's your food, old man," he said disrespectfully.
Max didn't feel old. He still felt in top condition. But he supposed he did look old to the 30-something man. His black hair had turned almost completely white and the lines around his mouth had grown a bit deeper.. But when someone said "old man," it felt strange.
"Where am I?" asked Max. The man put down a small loaf of bread and a piece of some kind of cheese. He looked in the pitcher.
"You didn't drink your water."
"Can you please tell me where I am?" asked Max again. "And I need a doctor for my leg; it's wounded."
"We'll send somebody," the young man said and left the room, locking the door.
Max made a sandwich of sorts with the cheese and ate it hungrily, along with the rest of the bread. It tasted good, even though the bread was dry. He still wasn't sure about the water, but he didn't have a choice; he had to drink it. It seemed okay. Then he washed his face with the water and wiped it with the bedclothes. Yuck, the bedclothes hadn't been washed in … a year? … ever? And how long had he been here unconscious?
Sarah pulled her blue Ford Mustang convertible up to the Control building and ran in to the secret stairway, through the multiple doors and the long hallway to her father's office. Larrabee was sitting at Max's desk and the door was open.
"Sarah, I have Chief Thaddeus on the phone."
"Thanks, Larrabee!" She took the phone. "Uncle Thad, I don't know what to do! Did Larrabee tell you Dad is missing?"
"Yes, Sarah," came the former Chief's deep resonant voice. It was comforting to hear.
"Do you have any idea what to do, Uncle Thad? Can you get in touch with Mom or Shawn?"
"Sarah, your mother and brother are on an extremely touchy mission. I don't think we should disturb them about this…"
"Uncle Thad, my Dad is missing!"
"Sarah, I understand that. But your father can take care of himself. Now, that's not to say we won't look for him. I have a few ideas of my own…I'm on my way to Control right now."
Max's leg was throbbing with pain. Then he heard the door unlock again. A scruffy looking man with a day or two's scraggly beard entered. He was dressed in a white sloppy looking suit, string tie, and carried a black medical bag.
"I am Dr. Fernando Gonzalez. I hear you have a pain."
"Yes, my leg, doctor." Max pulled up his pants leg to reveal the angry red looking wound.
"Infected," said the doctor. "I give you something for pain."
"Can't you clean it up and give me antibiotics or something?"
The doctor looked at him with a blank expression. "We have no antibiotics here. You have to go to Mexico or United States for that."
"But can't you do anything?"
"You take something for pain." He reached in his bag and pulled out some pills from a bottle. "Take 2 every four hours."
"Dr. Gonzalez, there isn't any clock here and I'm not wearing my watch!"
"You got the sun," he said pointing to the window.
"Eh, yes," said Max. "I have another idea. Can you bring me a bottle of whisky to disinfect the wound?"
"I could…for a price….shouldn't be bring the prisoners nothin' like that…"
"I don't have money here," Max was getting desperate. "Look, when I get out of here, I will have my agency pay you whatever you want!"
"I can't believe a prisoner with no money."
"Okay then, where am I?"
"You in jail!" said the doctor.
"I know that…what country or city am I in?"
"You in the island country of San Alvar."
"Central America," mused Max. "San Alvar! Why does that sound familiar?"
"It's on the map," said the doctor.
"I know!" said Max. "The drug cartel gang… Seňor …what was his name? Gustavo! …and his henchmen…they're in prison in the United States…Our Control agents were instrumental in apprehending them…we cut them down to size…" He finally realized why he was here… "The Gustavo gang must have kidnapped me…I'm a hostage to be exchanged for Seňor Gustavo!"
"I just the doctor," said Gonzalez. "I got one other thing I can do for you to help leg."
"What's that?"
"I bring saw and amputate. I do it for free."
"That's all right. You don't need to do that." Max hoped it wouldn't come to that.
The doctor exited the cell and Max swallowed two of the pills. If only he had his shoe phone, he could call for help. If only he had his laser pen, he could cut through the bars on the window. If only….he had forgotten how much he and other Control agents relied on their gadgets and electronics. In this situation, he needed to rely on his wits alone. If only the pain would let up…
Chief Thaddeus arrived at Control and sat down across from Larrabee, who was sitting in the Chief's old chair.
"Sarah, we have had a communiqué from the country of San Alvar. Max is being held there."
"Let me go down there, Uncle Thad!"
"It's not up to me, Sarah; it would be up to Max."
"Since he's not here, I'll just appoint myself to go down there and bring him back!"
"Not so fast, young lady. They want to do an exchange for the Gustavo gang. We have had them in prison for a couple of years…remember the drug cartel?"
"An exchange? Can we trust them?"
"There is no telling at this point. I don't know if they would consider Max valuable to them outside of the exchange. And we aren't going to exchange one man for five! We need more intelligence reports before we can do anything, Sarah. I don't want you running down there unless we know exactly what we are getting into. And I certainly wouldn't let you go alone!"
Max wondered how long he had been in the jail cell. It was late evening and getting dark again. Even though the weather was still warm, Max pulled the blanket on the bed around him, shivering. A fever maybe? From the infection? The pain had been lessened by the medication the doctor had given him, but it hadn't done anything for the infection. He slept fitfully. His mind went back to his childhood…
The night after his parents left him, Max slept on the back porch. He woke up in the morning still hungry. This time he couldn't ignore it.
He looked for his red bike, his one prized possession. He felt like he could fly like the wind on it. It had been a Christmas gift from his Mother two years ago, before money had gotten as tight as it was now, before there were no gifts or luxuries at all. It wasn't anywhere on his parents' property. The bike was gone!
He ran two blocks down the alley. He climbed the wood fence into Mickey O'Brien's yard. He caught his foot at the top of the fence and tumbled down on the grass. He picked himself up and brushed off his shirt. He knocked on Mickey's back door. Mickey's mother opened the door, with Mickey behind her.
"Hi, Mrs. O'Brien. Can Mickey come out to play?"
"Maxwell Smart, have you had breakfast yet?" Whenever Max came over early in the morning, she knew he was hungry, but he would never ask outright.
"Would you believe I had a wonderful breakfast of steak and eggs?"
"I most certainly would not!" Mrs. O'Brien had her hands on her hips and was smiling. She was used to Max's way of covering up for things he didn't want to own up to.
"Would you believe breakfast at the White House with President Roosevelt?"
"Get in here, Max, before I spank your skinny behind! I was just about to make breakfast for all of us. Sit down."
Max sat down at the table. He loved Mrs. O'Brien. He secretly wished she were his Mom. While the O'Briens weren't wealthy, at least Mr. O'Brien was still working. He had a job on the New York Central and during the depression, railroad jobs were one of the most stable that you could have.
Max, his best friend Mickey and Mickey's sister Mary Ellen began to eat breakfast. Mrs. O'Brien looked at Max and wondered. He had several bruises on his face and arms. He was still wearing his school clothes and they looked dirty and wrinkled. "Max where did you get those bruises?"
Max looked evasive. "I fell down," he said truthfully.
"Max, I'm going to call your mother and find out why you don't have your play clothes on today and why you haven't had a bath."
"Didn't want one," he replied. "And we don't have a phone any more. Pop had it disconnected month or two ago."
"Well, then I am going over to see your parents."
"No, no! Don't do that!" Max looked as if he were going to cry.
"All right, Max. You children go out to play and stay away from the train yard!"
Max woke up when he heard the key turn in the door. Wondering if he were still dreaming, he sat up.
A girl with long black hair, a shawl and a long white dress entered. She sat down next to him on the bed. "Mr. Smart, I know who you are…I am Angelica, a Control agent. I am here to help you."
"You're going to break me out?"
"Not yet. The time is not right. I bring you something else." She produced a bottle of gin from under her shawl. "Dr. Gonzalez is my father. He is a double agent…working for KAOS officially, but really for Control. We want to help you…we had to find out if you were really Maxwell Smart." She nodded toward the bottle of gin. "It will disinfect the wound and won't have a heavy smell. The juniper smell won't alert anyone, there are juniper growing all around this area."
"And here…I get you antibiotic too. She poured 20 pills into his hand. Take one morning and one night for 10 days. And last, I bring you meat sandwich and two tacos!" She had them wrapped in tin foil.
"You're wonderful!" said Max. "Your name is Angelica? You are an angel!"
"Throw the wrapping under bed, so no one know. And hide the gin. We have to keep you here till your leg is better and you can travel. My father will be back to check your leg every day." She left the cell and locked the door again.
Max ate the food, took the meds and then brought out the bottle of gin. He poured it gingerly on his wound and almost passed out from the pain. He poured more on the wound as soon as he could stand it. Then he took a couple of mouthfuls from the bottle. It relaxed him enough to be able to sleep.
From the time his parents disappeared, Max lived with his Aunt Emily, Uncle Alex and his cousin Niko. He was happy there, although he missed his mother. Aunt Emily was her sister and looked remarkably like her.
Max's mother, Rose, was always kind to him, but would never stand up to Max's father. Although Sam Smart never physically hurt the boys, Max was terrified of his yelling. And Sam felt the boys were a burden, especially after he lost his job due to the depression and his constant drinking. Max was hurt, but possibly not surprised, at the abandonment. Rose would go along with anything that Sam said.
Max never saw his brother Jake again after he moved in with his aunt and uncle. Even now, he had no idea what had happened to Jake…
The days of inaction passed slowly for Sarah. Every day she went down to Control to see if there was any more news of Max.
"Uncle Thad," said Sarah, "I have to go to San Alvar to find my Dad! I can't just sit around here waiting…it's not like I haven't been on any cases before…and I'm well trained…"
The President's hot line rang. Larrabee answered it. "Yes, the Chief has been kidnapped. I have Chief Thaddeus here with me…yes…" he handed the phone to the former Chief.
"Yes, sir….take any risk…but no exchange. Yes sir!" Thaddeus hung up the phone.
"Sarah, the President won't authorize the exchange. We went to too much trouble to apprehend the Gustavo gang the first time. The cartel has been broken, but the remaining gang members have made an agreement with KAOS and are planning to start up the cartel again. Because they have your father, we are over a barrel. Sarah, you're right…we have to go in and get him!"
"You're letting me go, right, Uncle Thad?"
"Yes, Sarah…the President is re-activating me for this case and while he won't authorize the exchange, he knows your father is too important…I'm going with you, Sarah!"
Sarah felt relief and excitement welling up in her. "When do we start, Uncle Thad?"
"Right now, Sarah." He turned to Larrabee. "I'm leaving you in charge, Larrabee. If anything comes up that you can't handle, I expect you to call me right away. Is that clear?" Larrabee seemed to have gotten more competent since he had been working for Max. Odd…
The days and nights all ran together. Max wasn't sure how long he had been in the prison. His leg felt much better. The antibiotics were doing their job. He was still limping, but not badly
The young Hispanic man entered the cell just as the sun was coming up. He shook Max roughly. "Wake up, old man. Time for your lunch break." The man brought in some bread and water. No cheese or meat anymore. Max didn't complain about that either. He was getting used to being hungry. Angelica still brought him food when she could, which wasn't often. But the medication was the most important thing. At least he was getting well.
Later on in the day, Dr. Gonzalez came back to look at his leg. "Not completely healed, but you are much better. You still have pain, yes?"
"Not much, Doctor. I'm anxious to get out of here…"
"Angelica come tonight…you do just what she says."
"I just have one request…can she bring me a pair of socks? These boots don't fit right and will be uncomfortable to walk in…I'm afraid of abrasions on my feet and ankles…in this heat…I don't want another infection."
"She will bring, Mr. Smart," the doctor smiled for the first time.
There was nothing much to do during the day. This was the most difficult thing for Max; he was used to being extremely active. Since his leg was feeling better, he began to do his regular exercises. The heat was still oppressive. He wished he could get a bath and clean clothes. And a shave.
And he missed 99 so much…. He wanted to smell her hair, kiss her soft lips, wrap his arms around her… Every night he fell asleep thinking of her, but for some reason his dreams kept going back to the events of 1938…
Mickey O'Brien's sister Mary Ellen was crying. Her dog Scruffy was missing. She came down the back steps of their house, her eyes still red from crying. She was a little, skinny waif, with short, blonde hair, in contrast to her brother Mickey, who was tall and muscular with a shock of red hair. Max was short, wiry and thin. He had unkempt jet black hair, falling over his forehead. Mrs. O'Brien called them the three Musketeers because they were so different, but spent every minute they could together. She was glad the boys let Mary Ellen tag along, there weren't many girls her age in the neighborhood.
"We're going to find your dog, Mary Ellen. Let's make some signs and put them up all over." Max's funny drawings of the little fox terrier on the signs did indeed give the idea of what kind of dog to look for.
The children finished making signs and tied them up around some trees. "Mary Ellen, we have to do more!" declared Max authoritatively. "Let's look for footprints!"
"There are too many footprints in the yard," said Mary Ellen. "Scruffy's been in the yard every day since we got him."
"Let's look down near the rail yards," said Max.
"Mom said not to, Max."
"Well, you don't have to come if you don't want to."
"We'll come," smiled little Mary Ellen. It was always an adventure with Max.
"Where's your bike, Max?" asked Mickey.
"Couldn't find it this morning," said Max.
The three children ran over to the rail yards, several miles away from their neighborhood. There were myriads of boxcars, flat cars, refrigerator cars, hoppers and cabooses in the yards waiting to be made into trains. There was a round house where the little switch engines could back onto a turntable, be swung around to a different section of track and move freight cars around in another direction. This way they could make up the long freight trains that would bring commodities to other parts of the country.
Mickey and Max ran over to an old train shed, followed closely by Mary Ellen. There were rusting railroad parts piled up around the warehouse exterior. Mickey climbed up on a crate and wiped his hand over the dirty glass to see better. He ducked down immediately and whispered, "Max, it's Jake! He's in there!"
"Let's see!" said Max.
"Wait…I think he could see us from here. Let's go inside and listen."
"I'm scared!" said Mary Ellen. She was afraid of Max's big brother. He had hit her once for no reason at all. After that, she stayed far away from him.
"Mary Ellen, stay out here behind the crate. Keep hidden! We'll find out what's going on," said Max.
Max went in the train shed cautiously, followed by Mickey. It was dark, the only illumination was a dim bare light bulb in the distance. He looked around. There were multiple sets of railroad tracks going into the shed, and out again at the other end. This was where they repaired and refurbished the steam engines that pulled the freight trains. There were engines on tracks in various states of repair. No renovation work was going on today because it was Saturday, but Max could hear the sound of at least one switcher moving cars around in the distance.
Mickey was right. Jake and two of his friends were standing under the dim light talking to an adult man. Max looked closer; he couldn't recognize the man, but there was his bike! There were some other bicycles and various items in boxes surrounding the boys. And there was Scruffy! It looked as if the man were handing Jake and the other boys some money.
"That does it!" said Max. We're going in!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Mickey.
"We are going to get my bike back and Scruffy too!"
"How?" asked Mickey, incredulously.
"Good question," said Max. He squinted his eyes, thinking hard. "You go wait outside, get Mary Ellen. Be prepared to follow me when I come out. It will be fast!"
Mickey left and Max waited for his brother and friends to leave. The man had Scruffy on a leash. Max made his move. He ran across the warehouse, jumped on his bike and knocked the man over by bumping into him from behind. The bike fell, with Max on it, but Max grabbed the dog's leash even before he got up. He pulled the little dog up onto the bike's handlebars and rode away like the wind. The man was still picking himself up and yelling, "Hey, kid! Come back!"
Max was out the warehouse door in a flash. Mickey and Mary Ellen ran after him as fast as they could run. Max found an empty, open boxcar and lifted his bicycle and Scruffy into it. Then he ran back for his friends. The man was still running after them.
"Hurry up," called Max. "Let's hide in the boxcar over here." The boys helped Mary Ellen up into the boxcar and shut the door part way. Scruffy was barking, but Mary Ellen petted him and he stopped barking and licked her face.
"We have to be real quiet!" whispered Max. The boxcar was dark and smelled sweet, like hay. There was still some soft hay in the corners on the floor.
"Let's sit down there and hope he goes away!" whispered Mickey. The children and the dog hid in the darkest corner while they heard the man opening other boxcars.
Then the man opened the boxcar the three children were hiding in…he didn't open the door very far and they held their breath. He closed it again.
The children waited until he had walked away, then Mickey whispered, "What was going on in there, Max?"
"Jake's been stealing stuff, Mickey. I didn't believe it till we saw him over in the train shed just now. He's selling it to get money! I can't believe it…my bike and Scruffy, too! And there's a whole stash of bikes and other stuff."
Mary Ellen didn't say anything but held on to her dog tightly.
"What're we going to do, Max? He'll just find us and steal the stuff back. And probably beat you up again. Maybe he'll have his two buddies and that man go after us and beat us up too!!"
"We could tell Officer Murphy!" piped up Mary Ellen.
"Maybe you could," said Max. "But I've been skipping school. Not a good plan to tell Officer Murphy."
"Besides, he wouldn't believe three kids," said Mickey. "But my Mom would…"
"But then we'd have to tell her we were in the train yard. She keeps telling us not to come here."
"Max, you think it's safe to leave now?" asked Mary Ellen. "Scruffy is getting antsy."
"Mary Ellen, take my bike and get home with Scruffy. Hide the bike somewhere," said Max.
Max awoke with a start. He hadn't seen Mickey and Mary Ellen since…well, it had been a lot of years since they had moved out of the neighborhood…and Jake…when was the last time he had seen Jake? Not since that day in the train yard.
Max had never told his twins that they had an Uncle Jake. He hadn't told 99 about Jake either. He had wanted to forget about Jake, but he couldn't. Every once in a while, the memories came back and seemed as real as yesterday. He wondered if Jake were still alive…
Chief Thaddeus and Sarah were aboard a small private Control jet, heading for San Alvar.
"Now, Sarah, you remember our cover? I'm your father and we are American tourists vacationing in San Alvar."
"Where will we be, Uncle Thad?"
"They have a beautiful beach area that's popular with tourists. There is a hotel where I have gotten us reservations. When we find Max, we can hide him there until we can spirit him back to the US."
"Do they know about me?" asked Sarah.
"KAOS is involved, Sarah. We found out that they are helping fund the drug cartel. And they know everything possible about every Control agent. That's why we have to be vigilant not to let our cover down. And there are Control agents in San Alvar who are working to break your father out of prison, Sarah."
"Prison," she gasped. "He's been in prison?"
"Probably the entire time he has been gone, Sarah. There are Control agents – double agents – working in the prison. They are doing their best to ensure his safety. They are planning to break Max out. Then we rendezvous with them immediately to get him out of the country. We don't know what shape he will be in, Sarah…" said the former Chief.
That night Max made a point of not sleeping. He had slept a lot during the day to make sure he would be alert. It must have been about midnight when he heard the door unlock and Angelica entered. She gave Max a pair of socks.
"Quickly!" she said. "Put on the socks. No time for talk now."
She led the way out of the prison and into the rain forest. "I don't want you to get separated from me; we are on our way to rendezvous with Control agents…It's dark and you don't know your way. If you get caught, it will not go well for you. I hope you won't think me forward if I ask you to hold my hand," said Angelica.
"You look the same age as my daughter Sarah. If it would keep me from being captured again, I would carry you the whole way," he said gallantly.
"No need to do, Mr. Smart." She grabbed his hand and they made their way through the thick rain forest. The sounds of the forest were diverse; some loud, some soft, all wild and strange. He was glad he had the boots on; they were much easier to walk in than his phone shoes would have been.
They walked for what seemed like hours. His leg started getting sore and he was beginning to limp again. Presently, Max could see the sun starting to come up through the leaves…and the rain forest was thinning. Soon an expanse of sandy beach lay between them and the ocean. The Hotel San Alvar was a short distance away on the beachfront.
Angelica stopped at the edge of the forest and said, "This is as far as I can go. Please walk as quickly as you can…Chief Thaddeus and another agent will be meet you in the lobby. The least you are seen, the better."
Max looked at her affectionately. "Thank you, Angelica. And thank your father too. You both literally saved my life." He gave her a kiss on the forehead and a gentle hug.
She smiled and hugged him back. "Go quickly!" He started across the beach. He looked back momentarily and Angelica was gone.
In the lobby, Max met the former Chief and, lo and behold, his little Sarah! He hugged her tightly. She hugged him back, then said, "We have to get upstairs to the room fast…we can't waste any time."
"She's right, Max," said the Chief.
They were riding up in the elevator, when Sarah said to Max, "Dad, you smell awful and you look pretty bad, too!"
"You're telling me!" said Max, "and I haven't even seen myself yet!"
"Max, we'll be leaving as soon as possible," said Thaddeus, as they walked in the room, after checking for enemy agents and bugs. "You're still not safe at any time while you're in San Alvar."
"OK, Dad…I imagine you want a bath right away…here's some clean clothes. Don't shave; I'm going to do it for you…and you need a haircut."
Max bathed and put on clean clothes. He never knew those things could feel so wonderful.
"Oh, and Dad, don't put your shirt on yet…I'll give you the haircut too."
"I'm sure you can do that, but are you sure you can shave me without cutting my throat, Hon'?" said Max to Sarah, smiling.
"I'm quite competent, Dad. You'll see!"
Sarah gave Max a haircut and a shave. Max dressed in the navy blue suit, silver and blue tie and wine colored vest they had brought for him.
"Wow," said Sarah. "You sure are a fox!"
"What's that, Sarah?"
"You know, a real handsome guy!" She gave him a kiss. She patted his belly. "I think you lost some weight, too, Dad."
"I wasn't exactly staying at the Ritz Carlton, Sarah!" It felt good to be teasing with Sarah again. He could hardly wait to get home. He put his gun in its shoulder holster.
The Chief called for Room Service. "Sarah, make sure you don't let anyone in here except Room Service or me."
"Right, Uncle Thad," she replied.
Sarah went on the porch outside their 12th floor room. It faced the ocean and she sat down in the sun on a lounge chair, keeping the door open. She put on some sunscreen and a big hat and sunglasses.
"Dad," she called. "Tell me when Room Service comes. I'll cover you to make sure everything is all right."
"Okay, hon'," he replied.
Sarah pulled the hat over her face and listened for a knock. She wanted to get in a little sun before she had to go back to Washington. It was still coldish there this time of year.
There was a knock on the door. Max put his hand on his gun and went over to the door. "Who is it?"
"Room Service."
Max opened the door. A tall waiter pushed a cart with a long white tablecloth over it. It was filled with food and dishes. Max gave him a tip and turned to call Sarah. "Sarah, lunch is served!"
He turned around again and saw the tall waiter holding a gun on him. The man shut the door. "What do you want?" said Max, surprised. He wondered if his instincts had gone flat after being in that prison…
"Who are you?" asked Max. The man didn't say anything. He had gray hair streaked with black. He was maybe 6'2" tall, thin, a high forehead, with hazel eyes. He looked to be in his late 60's.
"Who are you?" said Max again. He expected the man was KAOS. He wondered why Sarah wasn't covering him.
"So, little brother, you don't recognize me?"
"Jake?" said Max in amazement.
"Jacob Smart, little brother."
"Jake, sit down, put the gun away, what have you been doing all these years?"
Jake sat down, but kept the gun trained on his brother. "Well, you little idiot, you did make something of yourself, after all. What was that you always said, you wanted to be on the side of 'goodness and niceness?' So, what did that get you?"
"It got me a great career, a wonderful wife and family and some self-esteem, something I didn't have much of when you were around, Jake."
"Call me Jacob!" said Jake.
"Why, Jake?"
"I want a little respect from you!"
"Jake, You never gave me any respect … all you ever did was push me around. I never fought back because I was too little. But I think we're too old to keep up this feud. I've been angry over our relationship for years, but I forced myself to try to forget the anger. I forgave you many times in my heart, even though I couldn't say it to you. Keeping that anger in eats your heart out. Forgiveness is the right and honorable thing to do."
"You're still eight years old, Max!"
"And you haven't changed much either…Jake, you're the one still feuding and fighting. So, tell me, what have you done since I was eight years old?"
"KAOS is my life now…the drug cartel…I suppose you didn't know that was my baby! And you broke it up…well, no more…I'm sick of you interfering in everything I ever tried to do!"
"What are you talking about? I haven't seen you for …" Max mentally counted… "fifty-three years!"
"I never confronted you till now, but I knew you were one of Control's top agents, and now the Chief. There were many times I thought about having you taken out, but I was too busy down here in San Alvar."
Max was wondering where Sarah was. He didn't want her to hear the bad words between him and his brother, but he was also concerned Jake might do something to her. After all, he hadn't hesitated to hit little Mary Ellen when they were kids. And it didn't seem that he had changed much.
Max glanced over at the door to the porch. It was closed and Sarah's hat was on the lounge chair. She must be in the room. And where was the Chief?
"Jake, put down the gun. We haven't talked in years and I promise I won't try anything."
Jake put the gun away in his shoulder holster. "You and your snotface friends told that cop Murphy that I was stealing things from the neighborhood folks and selling them. I got caught and put in the Boy's Home for four years, thanks to you! Then it was just one jail sentence after another, prison once…until I met up with the KAOS boys. Then I made something of myself!"
"Jake, I never said anything to Officer Murphy or anyone else. Mary Ellen and Mickey O'Brien were the only ones who knew about it. I couldn't say anything because I had been skipping school."
Jake gave Max a quizzical look. "Goody-two-shoes skipping out of school? I don't believe it!"
"Tell me, Jake," Max said pensively. "Why did our parents abandon us?"
"Who knows?" said Jake, shrugging his shoulders. "I suppose you missed them…"
"I missed Mom…" said Max. He felt like eight years old at that moment. "Where did they go?" Another shrug from Jake. He paused, then looked at Jake again. "Jake, what do you want with me?"
"You're valuable as a trade to get the Gustavo gang back in San Alvar." Jake got a nasty look on his face. "Of course, you know you won't make it back to the US alive, even if we make the trade!"
At that moment, the door opened and Max's thirty-something Latin-looking captor from the prison stepped in with Chief Thaddeus at gunpoint. He had the former Chief's hands tied in front of him. He closed the door and pushed the Chief into an overstuffed chair.
"Good work, Carlos!" said Jake. "Max, you've met my son…"
"Carlos is your son?" said Max in surprise. "I can see where he gets his good manners from…" he said dryly.
Just then Sarah popped up from behind the couch where Max was sitting. She had her revolver in her hand. Her eyes looked angry, but her hand never wavered on her revolver.
"Throw down the gun, Carlos!" she demanded." Jake went for his gun, secreted in its shoulder holster. "You too, Jake!" Both men threw their guns on the floor and held their hands up.
Max stepped over to Thaddeus to untie his hands. He handed Carlos' gun to the former Chief. Max smiled, looking at Sarah. She was a fine Control agent. He was very proud of her.
"Sit down, Jake. And meet my daughter Sarah."
"Sarah is your daughter? So, how did you manage to have such a beautiful daughter, Max?" asked Jake, sarcastically.
"Don't know, Jake," said Max. He winked at Sarah. "So where is your wife, Jake; are you married?"
"Was…just a few years. Got tired of her. Name was Ramona. Carlos came to work for me 10 years ago. I don't know and don't care where Ramona is." He glanced in Carlos' direction. "You know where she is, don't you, boy?"
Carlos nodded. He wasn't so cocky around his father.
Chief Thaddeus pulled Max aside. "Max, we have to get you out of here; this is too dangerous…we need to get Jake and Carlos back to the US to prison, too. Down here they would just bribe someone to get out of prison…"
"You're right," said Max. "You said you brought a Control jet? Let's go back tonight…"
"Max, I don't think it's a good idea for you and Sarah to be on the same jet as Jake…too many things could happen…"
"So what's your plan?"
"Max, you're the Chief…what's your plan?"
"Eh, I almost forgot. I have several Control agents in Guatemala right now, I can have them fly over here in just a few hours. They can fly back with Jake and Carlos. We can take the jet as soon as they arrive. I'll get on it right away, Chief."
"Max, you're the Chief…"
Sarah got in touch with the Guatemala agents and then they went back to the task of guarding Max's unfortunate relatives. Jake liked to bait Max with insults to see if he could get him angry.
"So, little brother, you've won this time," he sneered. "But you won't get away with it. This whole country is in my back pocket, you know. You won't get out of San Alvar alive. You're still an idiot!"
"You are talking about killing your own brother!" said Sarah in disbelief. She wondered why Max was just sitting there, taking it, not even getting angry. She didn't realize that had been his only defense against Jake when they were children.
Jake turned to Sarah. "Shut up! You're a little brat, too, just like your father. Probably as dim-witted as he is too!"
"Jake, don't talk like that to my daughter!" Max sounded angry.
"Oh, are you going to stop me?" He laughed. He had found Max's trigger.
Max gave Jake a sharp punch to the chest that knocked the wind out of him. Jake fell back on the couch. Max pulled him up again and gave him a punch that landed him on the floor. Jake kicked Max's feet out from under him and punched the shorter man back. They rolled around on the floor, Jake with his hands around Max's neck. Max pulled away and punched Jake hard in the face. Max managed to stand up and he kicked Jake while he was on the floor. Then he pulled him up again and backed him against the wall. About to deliver another punch to his brother's face, Max was pulled off his brother by Thaddeus.
"Max, we don't need this right now!" said the former Chief.
Max was breathing hard and Thaddeus pushed him over to the sofa. Sarah had never seen her father this angry. She was also shocked that Max would kick an opponent while he was down. Jake had gotten the worst of the fight, his eye was swollen and his face was bleeding. Max was rubbing his neck.
Sarah stood behind Max, her revolver in her right hand, still pointed in Jake's direction. She rubbed Max's back and neck comfortingly with her left hand. "Calm down, Dad." She glanced over at where Carlos had been sitting. He was no longer there.
"Uncle Thad, where's Carlos?" said Sarah.
Jake smiled. "He's not as dumb as he looks. He sneaked out while you were busy, little brother!" Max had the feeling Jake had planned the fight for that very reason. Jake was still controlling the situation.
"Max, you're the Chief," said Thaddeus. "Do something."
"Sarah, call downstairs and have the hotel police grab Carlos when he gets into the lobby."
"That won't work, you brainless idiot! I told you I have the whole country in my back pocket," Jake sneered.
"I've had it, Jake," said Max. "Sarah, please get that rope and a handkerchief." Max tied up Jake and put the handkerchief as a gag in his mouth, tying another one around his mouth so he couldn't talk.
"Let's lock the door, Sarah," said Thaddeus. "I'm sure this food isn't warm any more," he said, nodding toward the room service table Jake had rolled in earlier, "but I don't want to take the chance with room service again. Max? Aren't you hungry?"
Max was sitting on the sofa, with his head in his hand, looking very tired. "Eh, no, not right now…you two go ahead….."
"Dad, this is an order….eat something!" said Sarah. He smiled at her, took a couple of half-hearted bites of the slightly warm omelet and drank some cold coffee. Sarah and Thaddeus ate some of the food too.
Max started to pace back and forth, thinking. Sarah noticed he was limping. "Dad, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, hon'." He kissed her on the forehead. Max was upset with himself for attacking Jake. He knew it had been a setup by Jake to let Carlos get away. He also hadn't realized he still harbored that much resentment toward Jake. He had surprised himself by the fierceness of his anger. He could send in agents later to capture Carlos…he wasn't too concerned about that.
And there was something else…he had made two small, but deadly mistakes. He had let Jake in the room without making sure Sarah was there to cover him. And he had forgotten to lock the room door, so it was easy for Carlos to sneak out.
"Chief," said Max out of habit, "Why don't I watch Jake until the Guatemala agents arrive."
"Max, you look exhausted. Why don't you take a nap. I can watch Jake…"
"No, I'm the Chief and this is my brother. I'll watch him," said Max stubbornly.
"Dad, I'll help you." Sarah sat down beside him.
"Okay, hon'," he said. He put his arm around her.
Thaddeus picked up a magazine and sat in the overstuffed chair. It was his opinion that Max needed to get some sleep. Max had mentioned that he hadn't slept all night, had walked 6 hours in the rain forest. He hadn't eaten well for two weeks. He had spent days in a horrid prison with a bad infection and had just gone through a very nasty emotional experience, not to mention a physical fight, that was 53 years in the making.
Thaddeus kept glancing over at Max. It wouldn't be long now. Max had his head on Sarah's shoulder and had closed his eyes. Sarah smiled in Thaddeus direction. She nodded and pointed at Max. She carefully removed herself and let Max lay down on the sofa, sleeping soundly.
Agent 99 and Shawn Smart had wrapped up their case in Japan and 99 called into Control to report in. She reached Larrabee.
"Larrabee, let me talk to Max." said 99.
"He's not here, 99."
"Where is he?"
"He's on a case and I can't tell you where…"
"Larrabee! I need to talk to him!"
"You can try him on his shoe phone…"
99 touched the buttons on her own shoe phone. It was concealed in the bottom of a flat pump. It was digital and outfitted with touch-tone. Max had tried the touch-tone phone in his shoes and hadn't liked it, and he had insisted on keeping his old dial-style shoe. Every time he needed a new pair of shoes, he had to argue with the lab to put the old dial phone in the new shoes.
Max's phone rang. He woke up, rolled over on the couch, trying to grab at his shoe and fell off the sofa onto the floor. He sat up on the floor, rubbed his head, answered the phone and said sleepily, "Max here."
"Max! Are you all right?"
"I'm just fine. I was taking a nap."
"Where are you?"
"I can't say, 99. I'm on a case. Sarah is with me. Are you and Shawn all right?"
"Max, we've wrapped up the case and are flying home tonight. When will you be home? I miss you so much, love!"
"I miss you too, sweetheart! We should be leaving soon too. Can't say any more."
"Love you, Max!" said 99 and hung up. It was good to hear her voice.
"When are the Guatemala agents due, Dad?" asked Sarah.
"Soon," he said. At that moment, there was a knock on the door as the two Guatemala agents arrived. One of them was holding Carlos at gunpoint.
"All right, Jake, it's time for you and Carlos to go," said Max, as he loosened the ropes around his brother's hands and feet. He pulled off the gag from his mouth. "I don't know that there is much of anything to say any more…Goodbye, Jake…"
"You're no better than me, you know, little brother!" said Jake. Max just looked sad as his brother and nephew departed.
The Guatemala agents took Jake and Carlos to their plane. Max, Sarah and Chief Thaddeus watched them take off and then followed in the Control jet.
Approximately eight hours later the Control jet arrived in Washington, DC. Sarah's convertible was parked at the airport and she drove her father and the former chief to Control headquarters.
Larrabee had news. "Max, your brother's flight was lost on radar. It was supposed to be in a flight path over the east coast, but was diverted somehow to the west…it disappeared on radar over the Sonoran desert. I'm sorry, Max."
Max didn't feel anything. It seemed that his emotions were totally drained and he didn't possess any more of them. "Sarah, let's go home," he said quietly.
Just then 99 and Shawn entered Max's office. "Max, love, it's so good to see you!" 99 hugged and kissed her husband. He looked thinner and pale and so, so tired. "Tell me where you've been, Max!"
"It's a long story, 99 and we may not have seen the end of this yet…."
THE END