Chapter 20: Eddie's Luck
October 2, 1998
12:00 PM
Precient 24
"You look like you're about ready to shit a brick, kid." Shank commented, studying Skip as he pulled on a spare Kevlar vest from one of the supply crates atop the desk he and three others were gathered around. "You sure you're ready for this?"
"Y-yeah," Skip said, giving a start at the sound of his own name. He, too, wore a bullet proof vest and was currently studying the Beretta 9mm Sam Brocket had thrust his way moments ago as if it might bite him. "Well, I mean, I guess I don't have much choice right? It's either go with you guys or get left behind here. It's just that uh, well, I've never even handled a paintball gun before." Skip sucked in a deep breath and blew it out with a heavy sigh. "Figures. I always knew my luck would get me killed one day.
"No one's getting killed," Zeke said, looking up from examining his rifle for what Eddie Gabbor suspected was the fiftieth time, the look in his eyes saying he meant every word, "and no one is getting left behind either." The lieutenant paused then went on in a tone so soft Eddie wasn't sure he was supposed to hear. "Too many people have been left behind tonight."
"If you say so," Eddie shrugged, adjusting the straps on his own vest before hauling a twelve-gauge shotgun out of a separate crate and thumbing shells into it. His Beretta was reloaded and back in its holster as well. "But I still don't like it. If you ask me – and I know nobody is – then I say too much of the doc's master plan depends on luck. Think about it. With luck we'll be able to make our suicide run through the garage unscathed. With luck we'll be able to have a nice, pleasant drive through a city overrun with monsters without attracting their notice and with luck Burke's helicopters will be prepped and ready to go once we reach Saint Jude's."
"If it all depends on luck," a new voice said gruff and hard as stone, "then we should all be just fine so long as we stick next to you, pig."
The words sounded oddly amiable and as the speaker approached – Eddie didn't need to look up to know it was Slugger, he could tell the Psycho's apart by their voice alone now – Shank tossed a shotgun across the table to the man then set to loading one for himself as well. Eddie didn't need to look up to know that Tech would be with the man either, if he wasn't tailing Shank like a shadow then he would be glued to Slugger. The young officer could just picture the skinny man standing at his friend's shoulder, his lips curled in a scowl that seemed as much a part of his face as his thin eyebrows.
For a time the six men worked in a comfortable silence, checking weapons, loading clips, making sure shoelaces were tight enough. That morning had been all about work, all about preparation. Eddie didn't mind the simple tasks of securing weapons and checking ammo, indeed the smooth, mechanical movements of doing so kept his mind from wandering onto what would happen when they reached the garage. Something that was now only moments away from taking place.
Since the first rays of the sun had penetrated the cracks in the boards on the station's windows the SWAT troopers and Rangers had gone about rousing the others from their sleep. Jobs were handed out immediately, whether they were cleaning firearms, studying blueprints or stockpiling ammunition and food into large duffle bags for the trip to the hospital. There hardly been anytime for the survivors to eat as the tasks handed out by Captain Brown went on without end. Idleness had been one thing the man was not about to tolerate and several of his own troops had received the rough side of his tongue when he felt they had started to slacken in their efforts.
William Brown was the cause of Eddie's discomfort at the moment. In such a short amount of time – hours really – the burly captain had undergone a dramatic change. There was a haunted look to William's red-rimmed eyes now and Officer Gabbor had caught the man muttering to himself more than once that morning. It was understandable though, Eddie supposed, that after everything else Captain Brown had been through watching his best friend die at the hand of his wife would be more than enough to push him over the edge.
Currently Will stood in the center of the room, his men gathered in a circle around him as he gestured at a blueprint of the station laid out in front of him. At first the young officer didn't recognize any of the black-clad troopers gathered around the massive figure of William Brown but then those hard, steely brown eyes of Sam Brocket's glanced his way for a moment. The man looked just as haunted as William and twice as guilty too. Eddie sighed and shook his head, still wanting to wake up in his bed and discover this was all the result of having fallen asleep after the Midnight Creature Feature.
'Don't hold your breath.' He told himself dryly, tucking a handful of shotgun shells into his pocket.
"That mother fucker is going to get us all killed." The whiny, somewhat high-pitched tone belonged to Tech and his conspiratorial way of speaking drew all eyes his way. "Don't look at me like that, you can see it too!"
Of course, the weasely little fellow was referring to Captain Brown. Ever since Foster's death the man had hardly paused in barking orders and racing about to see them carried out to the letter. Every word William spoke now dripped acid and was edged so sharply Eddie was astounded Will didn't draw blood from speaking alone. There was an eagerness about the captain now too, a barely contained energy, as if he were looking forward to the death trap that the parking garage presented. That, coupled with the way the man was constantly mumbling into his beard did not instill Eddie with a great deal of confidence that their leader could get the job done.
"Cut the guy some slack," Zeke said, checking the clip in his pistol now, "he just watched his best friend get his brains blown out by his wife because he was trying to kill him. That's enough to fuck with anyone's head."
"True," Eddie agreed, examining his own sidearm, "but if he's fallen off his nut I don't think he should be the one calling the shots around here."
"I hear that." Slugger nodded, thumbing a few extra rounds into the empty chambers of his revolver, Skip's baseball bat supported in the crook of his arm. "I don't know about you guys but I'd like to make it out of here with a whole skin and I doubt that following around a head case like Captain Willy over there is the best way to go about it." He finished with a pointed stare to where William was conversing with the other officers. Tech nodded his approval.
"He's not a head case," Zeke said, looking up from his weapon to give the biker an icy look of his own. The stare down lasted for only a heartbeat but Eddie could feel the intensity in the two men's gazes, their eyes sharp and cool. He saw Skip swallow thickly out of the corner of his eye. "He's just shaken up," the Ranger continued, holstering the .45 and Eddie found himself relaxing tense muscles. For a moment he had thought the lieutenant intended to use it. "I've seen it happen before, to soldiers who had to watch their buddies get shot up. They short circuit and go into shock for a little while but when things heat up they snap out of it. William will be there when we need him. Oh, and Officer Gabbor," Eddie felt the man's hand close around his wrist, saw those stony eyes lock with his, "like it or not I'm the one calling the shots around here. Don't forget that."
Too dumbfounded – and, he was forced to admit, more than a little intimidated – by Zeke's edged stare, the young officer merely nodded. Slowly, the lieutenant did the same and released his hold on the younger man's forearm. It was then that Eddie discovered how to breathe again.
"Damn crackers are all going to get me killed." Eddie muttered under his breath and while he meant the words for his ears alone Shank must have heard as he promptly burst out laughing.
"At least you've got someone to blame!" A huge grin split the big man's bearded face.
The sound of a door opening and closing overhead silenced each man's tongue and drew their eyes. Gregory Burke stepped out of William Brown's office and marched down the steps passed the desk where the other Rangers went about checking weapons or making sure if Rachel needed anything. William did not so much as glance at the man as he hurried by, heading for Lieutenant Wilcott. William never looked up at his office anymore either, it might have not existed for all the mind he paid it. Eddie found it hard to look up that way sometimes too…the weeping coming from above was hard to bear.
Eddie had once thought the hook-nosed doctor looked like a scholar with his angular features and the spectacles covering bird-like eyes but the man looked more a beggar now. Burke's shirt was rumpled, stained and only half-tucked into a pair of wrinkled slacks. Blue eyes that were normally bright and alert seemed dimmer now, puffy and pink with fatigue. The physician's graying hair was a frazzled mess, one he was currently trying to sort out with one hand.
"I have some bad news." Burke said calmly upon reaching Zeke's side, his words crisp and polished.
"That doesn't surprise me." The Ranger sighed, scooping up his rifle and slinging the strap across his chest. "What is it?"
"Tessa Foster is clearly in shock. It seems that having to shoot her husband has caused her to seal herself off from reality." No shit, Eddie thought but said nothing. Burke could have been discussing the weather for all the feeling in his voice. "I doubt any of us can reach her now, wherever her mind is it is far way. Normally I'd recommend institutionalization for a patient like Tessa but I obviously can't do that in this situation."
"What are you saying, doc?" Zeke asked, quirking an eyebrow as he studied the other man. "Are you telling me the only way I'm going to be able to get her to come with us is by dragging her myself?"
"In a word, yes." Burke said after a moment with a quick nod.
"I told you I didn't like it." Eddie muttered but Zeke ignored the young officer.
"Christ, it's always something isn't it?" The Ranger said then turned to face Burke. "Alright, I'll go and talk to her and if worst comes to worst I'll get Coop to throw her over one shoulder and carry her out of there. I'm not leaving anyone else behind. Doc, you're with me."
Both men turned to go then skidded to a halt as William's large frame loomed up in front of them. Eddie hadn't seen the man come over but judging by the way he had his arms crossed and the thunderclouds in his eyes the captain had heard enough of Zeke's plan to find it displeasing. Captain Brown was flanked by half a dozen SWAT troopers, including Sam and Kathy, all looking as grim as he did. Kathy glanced between Sam and Will anxiously as if expecting either man to explode at any moment.
"Great," Eddie muttered to him self, "talk about throwing a match into a powder keg." Picking up the Mossburg, Eddie moved to stand by the lieutenant. The bikers followed a moment later and so did a miserable looking Skip a moment after that.
"Going somewhere, Lieutenant Wilcott?" Brown asked passively, his face a thunderhead.
"I'm going to get Tessa." Zeke shot back, voice steady, face expressionless.
The SWAT troopers standing behind their captain fingered the butts of pistols or gripped the handles of their MP5s tighter, leading the Psychos to do much the same. The stand off attracted the interest of the rest of Zeke's team and the Rangers stalked over quickly, with the exception of Rachel who sat looking on with a drawn face. The soldiers' weapons were pointed at the floor but the men looked ready to come up firing given half an excuse and half a second. Kath reached for Sam's arm but he batted her hand away irritably.
'Please, God,' Eddie prayed silently, 'there's enough ways for us to get killed in this city tonight without adding getting shot to bits by each other to the bill. Great, I'm surrounded by a bunch of paranoid whities with guns. I should have known I'd have days like this.'
"She's staying." William replied plainly. "She doesn't want to leave Jacob and that's' her choice. We'll send help back for her once we get out of the city." Brown's face darkened. "And no one is going to try and haul Tess out of there against her own will. No one."
Zeke's eyes widened and he fixed the other man with a wondering look, perhaps thinking that Will was joking. "Are you nuts?" He said and Eddie winced. Accusing the captain of losing his sanity was probably not the wisest move given his current condition. Skip gulped loudly next to him. "The station might be safe now but God only knows what's going to happen once we pull up all the defenses. You saw those things that attacked us. Do you really think a locked door will keep them out? It's not safe for anyone to be alone in this city tonight, especially someone in Tessa's state of mind. Now, I'm sorry about your friend captain but I'm not letting her stay here so stand aside."
William didn't flinch though his eyes flickered, daring the man to try and move him. Sam scowled openly at Lieutenant Wilcott, growling deep in his throat. The troopers continued to caress their weapons and Kathy looked around as if wishing she could just choose a direction and bolt. Next to Eddie, Shank snorted and Skip began mumbling under his breath with his eyes squeezed tight, reciting a Hail Mary. The air suddenly seemed much closer together to Officer Gabbor.
'If this is good luck I can't wait to see some bad. Good luck my ass! If I really am lucky this would be a great time for it!' Eddie tightened trembling, sweaty hands around the shotgun. If push came to shove he wasn't certain he could pull the trigger on anyone in the room – even if they drew down on him first. Eddie started to hum Luck Be A Lady Tonight.
"Screw it, I'll get her myself." Zeke said, face red and obviously frustrated, as he started to push past Captain Brown.
With a howl that made Eddie jump and brought a startled gasp from the unflappable Burke, Sam Brocket leapt forward and caught the Ranger around the throat. There was a raucous crash as the SWAT trooper drove Zeke back onto a desk, knocking empty supply crates and a mountain of paperwork to the floor. Looking on, too stunned by Sam's sudden display of primal rage to move, the rookie watched as Sergeant Brocket wedged the barrel of his pistol beneath the struggling lieutenant's chin.
"Zeke!" Rachel screamed from across the room, desperately trying to get to her feet and wailing with frustration when she could not.
"Shut up!" Sam bellowed at the pilot though his wide, feverish eyes were fixed squarely on the Ranger who clutched at the hand gripping his throat. "If Tessa wants to stay then she stays, you son of a bitch! You didn't come here to help civilians so don't try and get all righteous now! Her husband is dead because of you! The government made this shit didn't they? They've known about it all along haven't they? Haven't they! You were sent in to clean up their mess right? Right? Admit it! Tell the truth you bastard!"
Sam was raving, his eyes an inferno of madness, his whole body quaking as he went about his insane interrogation. Spittle flew from cracked lips as he spoke, seemingly deaf to Kathryn's weeping pleas to let Zeke go. The lieutenant choked and spluttered, spasming on the desk, rapidly turning red as his attacker denied him oxygen.
"Get off him you bloody bastard!" Wesley cried, pushing forward with the other Rangers at his back. With a snarl Captain Brown seized the man by his shoulders and threw him back roughly. The troopers behind him leveled their weapons.
"So much for counting on luck." Eddie said.
"You could say that again." Skip mumbled…then everything exploded.
Kathy gasped, turning all heads her way. One of the Rangers – a man with a hard face and frigid brown eyes – wrapped one hand around the girl's throat, the other drawing the pistol at his hip and pressing it to her temple. Before Eddie could even wrap his mind around the situation the SWAT troopers and Captain Brown swirled about, drawing down on the soldier, leading the Rangers to draw down on the officers which, in turn, lead the Psychos to pull their pieces as well. In the space of two seconds everyone was pointing a gun at someone else: police officer at Ranger, Ranger at police officer, Psycho at both.
"Hail Mary, full of grace…" Skip's words grew in volume, his eyes wedged shut but Eddie stopped paying attention when the young man's prayer turned into a senseless babble.
"Pierce," Zeke choked, still prying at Sam's hand though his eyes were on the Ranger who held Kathryn Ward hostage. "What…the hell…are you…doing?"
"Let the lieutenant go or she dies." Pierce said, those unwavering eyes holding Sam's fast. "I'll kill her." As if to emphasize his words the stony-faced Ranger pulled back the hammer on his pistol. Tears leaked from beneath the closed lids of Kathy's eyes.
"If you hurt her I'll spray this sorry fucker's brains all over the floor!" Sam snarled but Eddie could see the man's grip had slackened on Zeke's throat, giving the man some of his color back.
"Yeah?" Sergeant Pierce shot back and for once Eddie could see emotion in the man's hard eyes – fear. There was a wild panic there, all the horror and fright the man had been suppressing all night finally coming back to overwhelm him in a single instant. "She'll still be dead, you want to risk that? It's your choice, friend. Now, you either let the lieutenant go or I'll put a bullet in her." Ryan tightened his hold around Kathy's neck, stirring a fearful cry from the young woman. "I've shot moving targets from over a mile away, son, so you had better believe I won't miss at this range."
An air of tension, so thick and complete that Eddie found it difficult to breathe, settled on the room. Neither man made any move to relinquish what leverage he had, neither man dared to so much as blink. Nobody dared to blink. More than a dozen sets of eyes shifted and locked with each other, each gaze a whirling tapestry of suspicion and fear. The only sound apart from harsh, labored breathing was that of Skip Francis calling on the name of every saint in the Bible.
'Nuts to this,' Eddie thought as he lowered his shotgun. They were trapped in a city overrun with the rejects from a monster movie and they were fighting with each other? 'Raccoon City might have gone bonkers but that doesn't mean we all have to do likewise. If they all want to kill each other that's cool with me but let them do it after we get out of this deathtrap. God, I'm so sick of all this crap! Can't these numbskulls see we're all going to wind up tagged and bagged unless we co-operate?'
"Put the goddamn guns down!" Officer Gabbor bellowed, earning more than one odd look as he lowered his weapon and stomped out into the circle of raised firearms. The rookie's face was twisted with rage and a frustration that carried to the soles of his feet. They were looking at him like he was crazy? Eddie felt like screaming. "I'm tired of all this bullshit! Somebody is always eyeballing someone else sideways or whispering to each other or passing looks – stop it! Do none of you inbred mother fuckers realize that there is a city full of flesh eating monsters out there just waiting to get in here and have us for lunch?"
Eddie gestured towards the front entrance with the barrel of his twelve gauge. Skip cracked one eye open and quieted his rambling to a soft murmur A few bodies shifted uncomfortably but no one made a move to put his weapon down. 'Please God, don't let me get hit by a stray.' Eddie though as he continued his tirade. Luck Be A Lady Tonight played through his head again.
"Look at you all!" He shouted, throwing a disgusted stare around the room. "You're probably the only people left alive in this city and you're all pointing guns at each other! Now, I'm going to grab one of those bags of ammo and one of those bags of food and head down to a garage overflowing with zombies and probably die but at least if I do it'll be with people more civilized than yourselves. Is anyone coming with me?"
Huffing and puffing, Eddie looked around at the faces of the other survivors with a quiet anxiety. He most certainly did not want to have to go down to the parking garage alone. 'I would though, Lord help me, I would. Let them stay here and use each other for target practice – I've got other plans, thank you very much.'
Slowly, painfully slowly at that, arms began to lower and men began to breathe again. With a final look at Kathy, Sam released his death grip on the lieutenant's throat and Zeke collapsed to the ground coughing and sputtering. Rachel limped towards him but he shied her away with a quick gesture. Coop was at his side quickly, hauling the man back to his feet.
"Let the woman go, Pierce." Lieutenant Wilcott wheezed, rubbing his neck but Ryan was slow to react, looking one way and the other sweat beading down his face as his knuckles went white on the pistol grip. At first, Zeke looked astonished then his face turned to stone and he all but barked his next command. "I said let her go sergeant…that's an order!"
Still looking uncertain, Ryan blew out a deep breath and removed his arm from around Kathy's neck. Once freed the girl darted across the room to where Sergeant Brocket stood, burying her face in his chest as her shoulders shook. The SWAT officer reached up and used one hand to smooth her hair, glaring daggers at Pierce over her shoulder. Ryan dropped his gaze to the floor and only then did Eddie allow himself to breathe a relieved sigh.
'Luck be a lady tonight,' the song started up in his head again.
"Let's go." Captain Brown grumbled with a final glare of contempt for the Rangers before turning on his heel towards the elevator. Several of his troops hefted up the bulging duffle bags before following.
"Get your gear squared away and let's move." Zeke ordered, regaining his feet if not his composure, dusting himself off. "Wesley you support Rachel, Skip stick with Coop and Scott – you too doc. Sergeant Pierce, you're with me, I'd like to have a word with you."
Ryan nodded somberly – Eddie would have said he looked ashamed but that seemed impossible for the cold-eyed sniper – moving to the front of the line to stand beside the lieutenant. Skip looked just as grim, just as pale, as he went to stand between the heavy weapons specialist and radioman. Slinging the final duffle bag around his neck, Eddie followed after with Shank and the bikers on his heels.
"Well, that took ten years off my life." The big man mumbled behind him, tugging at his beard, and Eddie was forced to agree.
"If it makes you feel any better," Tech said, "we'll all probably be fucking dead in ten minutes anyways."
"Thanks," Shank sighed, "that really doesn't help."
'Let Operation Suicide begin,' Eddie thought ruefully, climbing into the elevator with the others, wondering why William was smiling so eagerly. At the tail end of his dark brooding a familiar chorus began to sound in his head and hum across his lips. 'Luck be a lady tonight. Luck, if you ever were a lady to begin with…'
Why did that song only ever come to mind before something bad was about to happen? Again, Eddie Gabbor felt like screaming.
Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait but here's another update, Readers. Stay tuned, more coming…hopefully sooner. A big action sequence will be in the next chapter so please keeping reading. Drop a review when you get the chance to tell me what you like/don't like. Thank you and enjoy.