Road to Nowhere
Part 16
Note on Magnum timeline- For the sake of this story, Magnum and his pals are vets of the Gulf War not Vietnam. They resigned from the Navy and began their civilian lives in Hawaii probably about the time of the first Abydos mission. They're probably close to 40 in age. I hope that makes sense.
From the case files Of Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV
It's strange the way the past comes back to haunt you. Sometimes everything turns out fine, other times… not so fine. In Ichiro Yashida's case it cost him his life. Mr. Yashida was a well known ceramic artist in Honolulu. He lived quietly on an estate not far from Robin's Nest with his wife and mistress. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, but artists are allowed their eccentricities, aren't they? By all outward appearances it seemed Mr. Yashida had committed hara kiri, ritual suicide. Mrs. Yashida and Miss Nanahara thought otherwise and it turns out they were right.
Mr. and Mrs. Yashida and Miss Nanahara had immigrated from Japan to Hawaii in the 1960s. The set up housekeeping on the windward side of Oahu, one house for the wife and one house for the mistress and a pottery studio for Mr. Yashida. No one expected he'd been a Yakuza boss fleeing the retribution of a rival gang. He lived quietly with his 'family' in Hawaii for nearly forty years. That is up until some young yakuza punk with an art student girlfriend saw an article on the works of Ichiro Yashida. Deciding to make a name for himself this kid comes to Hawaii and hits Mr. Yashida with a throwing star covered in some kind of hallucinogen. It makes him relive the worst moments in his life, deaths he'd caused and pain he'd suffered himself. In the end, it was too much for him and he killed himself.
Mrs. Yashida and Miss Nanahara didn't actually know about the throwing star part but the they knew he'd been hallucinating. I discovered the throwing star in the meditation garden on their estate. Mr. Yashida must have been sitting their when he was hit. As I picked it up I pricked my finger with it. It was later that night after I had relived some of the worst moments of my life that I realized the connection. Fortunately for me, I didn't get enough of the hallucinogen in my system for me to contemplate suicide, but it still wasn't fun.
As it turned out, it looked like the kid wasn't satisfied with just Mr. Yashida's death and wanted to take out Mrs. Yashida and Miss Nanahara, too. So here we were, the ladies tucked safely away at Robin's Nest until this assassin could be apprehended. Robin Master's had been a fan of Mr. Yashida's work and had offered his estate and my services.
When Rick called saying he had a surprise for me I didn't expect it to be a ghost from my past. A ghost who featured in one of the worst times of my life, a time that I had just relived. I buzzed Rick in the gate and went out to meet him. Just stepping out of the King Kamehameha SVU was a woman with shockingly red hair. My eyes, of course, went to her first because she was a very attractive woman and I'm a man who likes very attractive women. She was dressed in jeans, a dark brown t-shirt, and cowboy boots, which was a little odd for Hawaii. She smiled at me and I smiled back. She had a nice smile. Then I noticed the man standing behind her. He looked very familiar but not right somehow. Then it clicked.
"Jack O'Neill! What the hell are you doing here!"
"Hiya, Tom." Jack grasped my offered hand.
"What's with the black hair?" I asked. Last time I'd seen Jack he'd had reddish brown hair just barely starting to show grey.
"Tryin' out something new. Whatcha think?"
"Not you." I knew Jack was in disguise for some reason and it couldn't a good reason.
"Holy- Jack!" TC had come out of the house and caught sight of Jack. "What the hell's wrong with your hair?"
"For cryin' out loud, I come all the way here and all you people can do is mock my hair," Jack shook TC's hand.
"What are you doing here?" I asked. I wasn't sure I'd like his answer.
"We're in a bit of trouble."
"Figures," TC snorted. "So you gonna introduce us to the lady?"
"This is Sam," Jack gestured to his companion. "Sam, this is Thomas and TC."
We shook her hand and I noticed the rings on her sparkling other hand. "You married him?"
"Kinda."
"Cover." Rick put in. I smiled to myself. Rick's first priority was always finding out whether beautiful women were available or not.
"You know it's pretty handy that you're here, Jack," I told him. "We could use a man of your expertise."
"Oh, yeah? What's up?"
"Thomas has got us protecting two old ladies from crazy assassins," TC explained.
"Sounds like fun. What's the deal?"
I gave Jack a quick run down and lead them into the main house. Higgins met us in the foyer. "Magnum, who are these people? Have you forgotten-" he broke off as he stared at Jack. Not to run a metaphor in the ground but he looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Scarecrow?"
Jack had his infamous blank expression on. "I have been called that on occasion," he said evenly.
"You're that mad American pilot," Higgins said.
"Sounds about right. And you're that stiff little Sergeant Major."
"That sounds about right," Rick put in.
Higgins ignored him and continued to stare at Jack. "We thought for certain you had died on that mountain. When we got back, the lads and I drank a toast in your memory."
"I hope it was good scotch."
Higgins held out his hand, "Thank you."
Jack shook his hand. "No big deal. I'm glad it turned out well."
"Jack's going to help us out," I told Higgins.
"That would be greatly appreciated." Higgins said never taking his attention from Jack. "If you'll excuse me?" And with that he walked off deeper into the house.
"I don't think I've ever seen Higgins impressed with someone before," TC said thoughtfully. He was right, too.
"Yeah, me neither. What did you did you, Jack?" Rick asked.
He shrugged, "Saved his ass twenty years ago."
We knew better than to try to get more out of Jack. Higgins would probably relate the story later anyway. "TC and I are going to do a sweep of the perimeter. Rick, you want to arm Jack."
"Sure. C'mon, Jack."
I glanced at Sam not really knowing what to do with her. She'd been sticking pretty close to
Jack. "Sam, you'll be safe if you stay with Higgins-."
"And the rest of the girls?" she asked sharply. "Thanks, but if there's gonna be a showdown I'd prefer a weapon, too."
Jack grinned. He knew we'd underestimate her and was just waiting for it "Meet Major Sam Carter, USAF. And just because her reproductive organs are on the inside and yours are on the outside doesn't mean that she can't kick your ass." He turned to Sam, "Did I get that right?"
Sam sighed heavily and shook her head, but rewarded Jack with a smile, "I'm never going to hear the end of that am I?"
"Nope."
"Look, Sam, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" I began but she cut me off.
"It's okay. I'm used to it."
"Be careful or she might challenge you to arm wrestle." Jack winked at Sam and she elbowed him playfully in the ribs. They followed Rick to the bedroom that had been turned into the armory and I made my way outside to meet up with TC.
A little while later, we were making our way back to the main house when Rick came up to us. "Higgins is going over the layout of the estate with Jack and Sam's looking over the computer controlled security. I gotta tell you boys, that is a lady after my own heart. Not only is she really hot, you ought to see the way she handles a firearm."
"Yeah, well, Orville. I wouldn't try to handle her if I were you," TC told him.
"Jack wouldn't be too happy if you did," I agreed.
"You think they-"
"Oh, yeah."
Rick shrugged, "Just as well, she's too tall anyway."
"You mean you're too short," TC goaded him
We were just stepping up to the door when Jack came out with Sam close at his heels, their guns drawn. "The motion detectors along the beach have gone off," she told us.
"Rick, stay here," Jack ordered. "Thomas, you and I will head for the beach. TC, you and Carter circle around the garden and take up position in the tree line."
"Yes, sir," Sam answered automatically and she and TC were off. Jack and I made our way to the beach. Part of me was a little upset that Jack was taking charge of my 'op', but that was just my ego. My survival instinct was glad to have Jack in charge, because that meant no matter what we would get out of this. Jack was one of the legends in the military, the kind of guy you would follow anywhere. I trusted Jack as much as I did Rick and TC. He'd saved my life when he wasn't even capable of saving his on. I owed him and whatever kind of trouble brought him here, I'd do whatever I could to get him out. That is after we took care of this crazy assassin.
"This guy's an idiot," Jack muttered and I had to agree. He was just walking up the beach like he owned the place. "Carter," he spoke in to his radio. "You and TC get a clear shot, take it."
"Yes, sir."
"C'mon, let's go say hi," Jack told me and I followed him out into the open. "Assassin! Kree!" Jack yelled. The kid stopped and let lose a couple of throwing stars before a bullet took him down.
"Crap!" Jack yelped and I saw a throwing star sticking out of his bicep. "Please tell me this is not one of the poison ones."
"Looks like it."
"Swell."
"'Assassin! Kree!'?" I questioned.
"It's an expression. It worked didn't it?"
"Sir, what happened?" Sam asked coming out of the trees with TC following.
"That bastard got me with one of his poisoned thingies," Jack pulled it out of his arm and looked at it.
"Did you shoot him?" TC asked.
"No," I said. "I thought that was one of you."
"Nah, we didn't get a chance."
"Then who?"
"That would be me."
We all turned to see a Japanese man jump from the tree limb above our heads. He walked over to me and bowed formally. "Mr. Magnum, please extend the sincerest apologies of the Red Dragons to Mrs. Yashida. We deeply regret the death of Mr. Yashida. It was not sanctioned by our leadership. Please assure Mrs. Yashida and Miss Nanahara that they will be troubled no further."
A small motor boat approached the beach and two men jumped out. They retrieved the assassin's body and took it back to the boat.
The man before me bowed once more. I bowed back and he turned to walk to the boat.
"Hey," Jack called out. "I don't suppose you boys have an antidote?" Jack wave the throwing star.
"Unfortunately for you we do not. I suggest you have yourself sedated and restrained until it is out of your system."
"Crap."
TBC
A/N: Some of you wondered about the lesser known people on Jack's list from the last part. Cole Cash AKA Grifter is a character from the comic book Wild CATs. He was in a Black Ops unit that was experimented on by a government agency. Elijah Snow is part of the Planetary organization which is billed as 'Archeologists of the Unknown' from Warren Ellis's comic Planetary. (A great book by the way, it explores mythic sci-fi and comic characters in a way only Warren can pull off. Check it out.) Archie Goodwin is Nero Wolfe's confidential assistant from Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe novels. Bobby Caldwell is Linus's father mentioned in Ocean's 11. Catherine Crown is Catherine Banning from the Thomas Crown Affair. Most likely none or very few of these people will put in an actual appearance in the story. I just thought the list needed filling out and added some of my favorite fictional characters that could be in a position to help Jack out. Also, Landau, Luckman and Lake are an inter-dimensional investment and insurance firm that Wolverine from X-men has had dealings with. Madripoor is also a fictional island off of Asia that Wolverine used to own a bar on, in addition to having an L, L and L office.