Part 6

Washington, D.C., Potomac Warehouse

October 24, 1998

Jamie became aware of a small sound outside the cell where he was held. He tensed as the door scraped open softly, and a tall, slim figure dressed in black entered the dimly lit room. He peered intently at the figure, and shook his head slightly. "Now I'm hallucinating. That looks like mom," he thought.

The figure whispered, "Jamie, are you all right?"

The voice was his mom's, but Jamie couldn't answer. All he could do was stare at the apparition that looked and sounded so much like his mother.

"Jamie, it's me. I've come to rescue you."

The figure approached him and turned her attention to the handcuffs that secured him to iron bars embedded in the concrete wall. She bent down, quickly picked the lock and released his hands. She looked into his battered face and winced, as she repeated, "Are you all right?" Then she gathered him in her arms and hugged him gently. "Oh Jamie, I'm so glad I found you," she said softly.

"Mom, is it really you? How did you find me, and when did you learn to pick locks?"

"I promise I'll tell you later, Jamie. Right now, I've got to get you out of here safely, and then find the people who did this to you." She took a small walkie-talkie out of her pack and whispered, "Scarecrow, Sovereign. Baby Bear is safe. Black out in five minutes. Sovereign out."

A voice crackled back, "Sovereign, Scarecrow. Copy, and good job."

Jamie was startled by the second voice. "That sounded like Lee," he thought. "Scarecrow and Sovereign? Mom, that's what my kidnaper kept saying, 'Sovereign won't let anything happen to you. She and Scarecrow will do whatever we ask to get you back safely.' Mom, who are Scarecrow and Sovereign?"

"Jamie, I said I'd explain everything later. Right now, you've got to get out of here." She reached into her pack and withdrew two pairs of goggles. She handed Jamie a pair, "Jamie, these are night vision goggles. In a few minutes the lights are going out and you'll need these to see. Now, when we leave this cell, I want you to turn right and go into the room at the very end of the building. You'll find a trapdoor in the floor that will lead you to the river level. There, you'll find a small boat tied up. Get in and wait for me. If I'm not there in twenty minutes, get out of here." She handed him a walkie-talkie and continued, "If you do leave, use this to contact Damselfly and Tiburon. Tell them Sovereign and Scarecrow need back-up."

She took out her walkie-talkie again and spoke into it softly, "All right Scarecrow, lights out." Then to Jamie, she said, "Get ready to put on your goggles." Amanda pulled a gun out of her waistband and took aim at a light fixture in the ceiling. Jamie stood in awe as his mom squeezed off a shot, shattered the light, and then methodically began shooting out all the lights in the area. Jamie heard answering gunshots from across the warehouse, and soon the whole area was plunged into complete darkness. He put on his goggles and stared at his mother, who was also wearing a pair. "This is so weird. When did mom learn how to shoot?" he wondered.

"Get going, Jamie. Get out of here now."

He turned to the right and began making his way down to the room his mom had indicated. When he turned and looked back, his mother was nowhere to be seen.

Amanda moved stealthily through the pitch black warehouse, every sense on high alert. She needed to find Lee and then try to get to Terzei. As she approached the far end of the building, she heard a sound coming from behind a stack of wooden crates. Carefully, she inched her way forward and peered behind the crates. She gasped silently when she saw three bodies sprawled out on the floor. She quietly and cautiously approached the first one. He was one of the terrorists and he was dead. A check of the second body revealed another dead terrorist. She held her breath as she crept slowly toward the third body. It was Lee. She let out a soft sigh of relief when she heard him moan. He sat up gingerly, rubbing the back of his head, then he turned to Amanda and whispered, "Get out of here now. Terzei is close."

Terzei's voice penetrated the dark, "Oh, it's much too late for that Scarecrow. Toss your gun away, Sovereign." It clattered in the gloom as she complied. "Finally, you're both mine. Or, should I say that three of you are mine, since your son is also my captive?"

Amanda, who had not taken her eyes off of Lee, with an almost imperceptible movement of her head let Lee know that Jamie was indeed safe. Lee understood. Turning to Terzei, Amanda was not surprised that he was wearing night vision goggles as well. Her gaze took in the gun he held on the two of them. To buy a little time she began to plead with him, "Please don't hurt my son. You have us; you don't need Jamie."

Terzei replied with a sneer, "Jamie. If not for him, 'The Foundation' would have celebrated a glorious victory. He will pay for his interference, as will you and Scarecrow." He kicked Lee hard in the side before demanding, "Get to your feet. Time for a family reunion. Too bad for you it will have to be a short one."

Amanda helped Lee struggle to a standing position and held him tightly around the waist. He leaned heavily against her as he attempted to gain his balance. Terzei pushed the barrel of his weapon into Lee's back and motioned for the couple to start walking toward the end of the warehouse where Jamie's cell was located.

Lee kept looking for some way to reverse the situation, but with both him and Amanda unarmed, it was not going to be easy. As they continued their trek across the warehouse, none of them were aware of the figure silently trailing them. When they finally reached the cell, Terzei unlocked the door and gestured to Lee and Amanda to enter. The unknown figure took that opportunity to strike. With one whack of a crowbar, Terzei collapsed onto the concrete floor. Lee and Amanda jerked around at the crack and the thud of the body hitting the floor and were amazed to see Jamie standing over the body, grasping a crowbar in his hands.

Amanda gaped at her son before admonishing him, "Jamie, just what are you doing here? What were you thinking? You know I told you to go wait in the boat. I wanted you out of here and not in the middle of all this danger. It's not like we're not grateful, but the whole purpose of this operation was to make sure you were safe."

"Mom, I am safe. And if I'm not mistaken, I just saved your life. You'd think a guy could get a little credit."

Lee interjected, "You know, he's right Amanda," and despite the seriousness of the situation, he chuckled, "Anyway, to me it looks like he's just following in his mother's footsteps. Another member of the family who doesn't know how to follow orders!"

Amanda scowled at Lee before the humor of the situation hit her too. Smiling, she put her arms around both of her men, and said, "Let's get out of here. I'm ready to see some daylight again!"