Chapter 20: An Axe to Grind
Marcy and Gibby's plan had been brilliant. Knudsen and Jacobo were on their way to the helipad in the back courtyard when they got the call. Technically the whole team got it, but Knudsen and Jacobo were the closest to the helipad when it happened.
"Well, well, well, looks like we got ourselves a regular Saint Hanna reunion."
"Asa" Knudsen growled into the communicator. "What have you done with Bascombe?"
"The old man's alive for now. I never figured you for the sentimental type Jason."
"Well, we don't get paid unless we all come back, you know how it is. You can keep the old man but you'd have to kill him." Knudsen was lying through his teeth. He hoped Asa would figure that taking hostages was a lost cause and let him go. It was a long shot it was the only shot they had right now.
"That's a real pretty story Jason. Now I don't know if it's true or if it ain't, but I got an insurance plan see. This whole building is rigged to blow at the push of a button. Now you may be a cold son of a bitch but I know for a fact that you tried to get people cleared out before you blew up that dam. So unless prison really hardened you you'll take that book up to the roof to meet me and then maybe, if I'm feeling generous, you can have the old man back."
Outside Knudsen could see the helicopter, the same one that had nearly killed them two nights ago. Escape was so close and in that thing they could probably outrun the blast. The employer had called them a suicide squad. He wouldn't care if they all made it back, heck that'd probably mean bigger shares.
"Knudsen" Marcy said over the radio. "I cut Asa from the network. Gibby and I are hacking into the building's emergency systems. We're gonna set off the fire alarms to get everyone out."
Five hundred thousand dollars, plus Bascombe's share and a clean slate.
"Good, get to the chopper. Johnny'll meet you there. I'm gonna go get our fearless leader back."
Knudsen took out his axe again and slid off the safety sleeve. There would be no mercy for this bastard. As he ran to the roof, the fire alarms went off and the screams of the panicked elite filled the halls. No guards blocked his path as wound his way up the stairs. That either meant that they had evacuated too or that they were too busy attacking the others.
A few short minutes later, he found Asa on the roof, true to his word, holding Bascombe in a headlock with a fire axe clenched in his beefy hand. Knudsen said nothing to him as he tossed the knapsack over. It landed and skidded to a stop at Asa's feet. He bent down and picked it up, feeling for the weight of the book. That seemed to satisfy him and he pushed Bascombe across the roof towards Knudsen.
"I always knew you was yellow Jason. You can't stand to see innocent people hurt."
"True" Knudsen admitted. "But a dumb bastard like you is a different story entirely." The bag in Asa's hand exploded in a flash and a cloud of smoke. Asa got blown back and slammed into an air condition unit, actually denting it. "Magician's flash paper and gunpowder. Take that back to your boss Asa."
He and Bascombe turned to leave.
"Oh Jason."
Knudsen whirled around to see Asa standing up, totally unscathed. The one place on his arm where there seemed to be a wound was glowing blue and closing up.
"What the hell?" Knudsen said under his breath.
Asa held out his axe free hand to reveal the detonator he had promised. With a grin he slammed his fat finger against the red button on the top… and nothing happened. He tried it a couple more times but there was no explosion.
"What happened?"
"My good friend Gibby Norton set an EMP generator in Francesco LeBlake's car a couple of days ago. We thought it might come in handy."
"Why you no good lousy…" Asa's words trailed off into angry gibberish as he charged Knudsen and Bascombe with his axe.
Knudsen blocked the blade with his own and shouted at Bascombe through gritted teeth "Get to the helicopter. Get the others out."
Bascombe wasted no time arguing, which was both good and bad. On the one hand it allowed Knudsen to focus on his fight, on the other a no don't would have been good for his ego. He swatted Asa's blade away and slashed his axe across Asa's chest. That same blue stuff dripped out before the wound closed up. Asa grinned at him.
"I got me some upgrades and…"
"You talk too much" Knudsen said as bashed Asa in the face.