Young Offender, Part 19:
Jet steeled himself and took a deep, steady breath. He slid up to the back door of the house and was happy to see a gap in the curtain. He could see their place was totally wrecked. Their possessions were strewn about everywhere and smashed. The man with the rifle leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping a mug of coffee, while the giant teenager sat on the tiled floor, whittling.
He could see a little beyond into the living-room. The mossy-haired woman paced slowly in front of the couch. Jet could tell Ivan was lying on the couch; he could tell it was Ivan from the kid's shoes. What worried Jet was that he couldn't see Albert or the whip-wielding twins.
Obviously, they were waiting for him and Francoise to come back home; no doubt, they were hoping for an ambush. His first thought was of getting Albert and Ivan out of there and keeping Francoise away from them. His first impulse was to rush in and confront them, but Albert's expression of disapproval came to his mind. No, he would confront them, but he'd have to get them on turf he knew really well, turf they more than likely didn't know like he did.
He smirked and gingerly got his flight log out of his leather jacket. He jotted a quick, simple note. Jet tucked it in a crack in the door and gave a quick knock. He activated his acceleration device and headed to the truck where Francoise waited for him. He had her move from the steering wheel, stomped the gas, and headed towards the airstrip.
Ember lofted the note and walked over to Yana, who looked throughly irked. The Czech Rifleman said, "Looks like 002 wants to play. It says, 'Come to the Harmon Airstrip twenty miles east of here. Bring Ivan and Albert with you and we'll talk.' He's thinks he can either set a trap or bargain with us."
"Not a bad idea to strike a deal. It'll keep us from wasting a lot of time and resources. Besides, we have the upper hand." Yana tilted her head towards the chair Albert was bound to; he was barely conscious, one eye almost swollen shut.
The battered and bloody, altered German was stripped to the waist, a deep slit was under his ribcage to the left. A thin, red wire was buried in the slit. The other end trailed on the ground to a small, simple device in Yana's hand. She opened her palm and smiled at Ember.
"Twins!" The spiky-haired duo came sauntering down from the attic room. She turned to them and pointed to the unconscious Ivan with her free hand. "Take him to my airplane. Be careful and make sure he stays asleep. I don't know why he collapsed, but... if he wakes up, he can still be dangerous. Remember, success hinges on our control over the boy and getting 002 to come with us."
"Sure," Castor said. She could tell he wasn't taking her seriously.
"If 001 escapes, you will answer to Scar yourself. The Gamos want him back. I'm sure Scar wouldn't mind letting you talk it over with Mrs Gamo. She's not the forgiving type. Neither is her husband."
Castor and Pollux looked more serious and a little disgruntled. She whirled towards Ember. "You'll drive. Oaf, grab 004. We'll go meet 002. He won't get the upper hand, this time."
"He's pretty tough," Ember reminded her.
She frowned with a sardonic expression. "This time, we'll bargain with him. Then, you'll capture 003. After all, there is no reason to keep promises to property. The Black Ghost wants his acceleration device, not to deal with rebellious ingrates."
Ember glanced around the trashed house and smirked. "Yeah, they have a nice little family going on right now. It'll play to our advantage. Let's get to it."
"Jet, they're on their way!" Francoise warned.
"Stay back and keep hidden!"
"You're going to talk to them? How reasonable do you think they are going to be?"
"I'd fight them, but... damn it! They have Albert and Ivan. Listen, just tell me what I'm up against."
Francoise peeked out of the hanger bay. Jet saw the look of concentration on her face. "In the car I see that large, young man sitting beside Albert. The man with the rifle and the lady are in the front seat. Oh no... where's Ivan?"
"Damn it! I told them to bring both of them."
"Jet! There's something wrong with Albert. It looks as if they've beaten him, but his body temperature is excessively high. I don't know why."
"Well, they can't outrun me. I'll be getting them to shoot their mouths off. Go up to the control room and wait for my signal. We need to find out where Ivan is, and I'm not going to mess around with these jerks. Remember, only drop the plane if I say so."
Francoise nodded and scampered towards the metal staircase leading up to the second level of the hanger bay. She quickly ducked down out of sight. Jet's eyes drifted to the massive airplane frame dangling from several, bowing girders. He had spilled oil on the concrete floor so Francoise would know when to yank the release leaver. He knew his plan was stupid at best, dangerous at worst.
He wasn't afraid to face them down in a fight. He was afraid of seeing the others harmed, and he was feeling a twinge of panic at the idea of being held by the Black Ghost again. He steadied his breathing as the car pulled up to the door of the hanger bay.
He watched them get out of the car, the over-sized teenager dragging Albert with him. Jet was dismayed to see Albert wore no shirt, his artificial arm blatantly apparent. Albert was always so careful to keep it covered.
Jet couldn't hide the look of disgust he gave them after seeing Albert. The beating he had received was severe, and the German cyborg was shaky and unsteady on his feet. What concerned Jet was a gapping hole on Albert's left side that was oozing a thick, dark brown liquid.
"This is your meeting, 002. We can't catch you by conventional means, so you appear to have the advantage over us. So, what is it you have to say?" Jet didn't like the patronizing tone the woman addressed him with. It bubbled up more hatred in Jet's heart.
"Look! None of us are going back. Leave us alone."
"Leave you alone? But we have a lot at stake over retrieving two of you!"
Jet flinched back in surprise, and thought carefully about who was here and why they would talk with him rather than attack. "Oh, it's clear now. You have to take Ivan back. That's a no-brainer; the kid is psycho-powerful. You brought Albert here, because he's not on you list. I don't think you'd bother with me, unless I had something to offer. What do you want?"
"The acceleration device prototype in your body is very valuable. The Black Ghost wants it back, along with 001. You'll find my offer quite reasonable. Surrender and come back with us. In exchange, my team will no longer pursue 003 and 004. We'll let them go free."
Jet crossed his arms and adopted an arrogant smirk full of bravado. He needed to test her so he asked, "What if I don't want to go back? What if I prefer saving my own skin? Then what are you going to do?"
She smiled and leaned on her walking cane, giving him a look as if he were a slow child. "Two things. One, I activate 004's self-detonation device." Jet couldn't keep the shock off his face, his blood drained away. "Oh, you weren't aware, then? It's enough to take out this whole city. Two, even if you and 003 escape somehow, 001 will be after you.
"The twins are on their way to hand 001 back to his father. Only this time, his father has wisely decide to give him a lobotomy, so he'll be perfectly obedient from now on. So you see? Not much you can do." She hoisted her walking cane and pointed the pink crystal topper at him; her charm bracelet gave a jingling sound, then she said, "Check mate."
"You let the kid go!" Jet shouted.
"No, you and him are coming back to the Black Ghost with us. Take my offer or leave it."
Jet mulled over the possibilities in his head. If he just walked away with them, Albert and Francoise would have a chance to escape. Plus, he would have a chance to find Ivan and maybe free him again. After all, he did owe Ivan, big time. Images of his legs being taken from him nagged at the corner of his brain; he shoved those away as a wave of nausea hit. Albert's words of pride, the only ones Jet had ever received, drove away his anxiety. He refocused on the task at hand, getting the woman and her team in a vulnerable state.
Still, this woman was a Black Ghost agent. He said, "So why should I trust you to be above the board? I'm sure you're a liar."
"What choice do you have! Surrender now, or we leave 004 here and detonate him at a safe distance!"
"Fine!" Jet shouted. He gritted his teeth. "I'll go, but you free him first."
The mossy haired woman nodded to the giant. The giant yanked the bonds around Albert's wrists off and shoved him towards Jet. Jet quickly lunged forward and caught Albert before he stumbled and fell. Albert looked up at him and shook his head. "They'll kill you on the way there. They only need your body."
"I ain't goin' let it happen again. Besides, I still gotta find Ivan."
Albert nodded. "Francoise?"
"Fine," Jet said. "We've got a really risky plan worked out."
Albert gave him a faint smile. "You always come up with hare-brained schemes."
"002! Enough! Get into our car!" the woman snapped.
Jet steadied Albert on his feet and turned to the woman. "You got me!" Jet gave her an arrogant smirk and waved his hands towards himself. "Now come and get me."
She marched forward over the spot Jet had marked on the floor. Jet yelled, "Now, Frannie!" A sudden squeal and the hull of a plane came hurtling downwards. Jet was shocked to see the giant teen move gracefully and quickly to shove the woman down and shield her with his body against the plane's frame. He noticed the woman was, thankfully, knocked unconscious.
Jet push Albert behind him when he saw the rifleman level the long-muzzled weapon. Jet flicked his molar-turned-acceleration-switch. Time seemed to pause around him as he ran over to the man. He flicked it again and time returned to normal as he swung his right fist into the man's jaw.
The man went reeling, just as Jet felt a crushing pressure to his shoulder blades. He lost his breath and sprawled on the floor. He struggled to breath as he turned on his side. The giant had snuck up on him, somehow. He watched the giant jump over the wrecked airplane frame with incredible agility. Jet gasped when he saw the giant teen was leaping towards the second level of the hanger bay.
"Run, Frannie!" Jet yelled. He jumped to his feet, but the rifleman leaped in front of him and punched Jet's cheek. Jet stepped back and adopted a fist-fighting stance. The man swung, but Jet ducked and sunk his left into the man's gut. The man grunted and brought his clenched fists down on Jet's back. Jet fell to the ground and rolled over on his back; he saw the barrel of a gun pointed at the bridge of his nose.
His mind went blank, before he could flick his tongue to his molar to escape, the rifleman stiffened, a shocked expression across his face before he collapsed on Jet. He quickly shoved the wounded man off and hopped to his feet. He whirled around to see Albert, laying on the ground, gun hand pointed towards where the rifleman had been standing.
Francoise's scream disrupted their locked eyes. Jet spun around and used his acceleration to get to the upper level. The giant teen had Francoise's wrist in his beefy hand. He was starting to drag Francoise towards the door. Jet kicked aside a chair and shouted, "You leave her alone, King Kong!"
Jet rushed at the giant teen, right fist ready. Francoise screamed, "Jet, no!" but it was too late. He was committed to swinging upwards at the giant's chin. He was shocked when the giant side stepped and caught Jet by the throat.
He had no chance as the giant squeezed his neck. His world went dark. He scraped at the giant's hand, but to no avail. His limbs went heavy and he slumped, in spite of his burning desire to fight.
"Please... please... please let him go," Francoise begged as tears streamed down her face. Her hand was caught too tightly in the giant teen's fist, Jet's neck was caught in the other. The redheaded giant turned to her, a baffled expression on his face. "Please don't hurt him. I'll go with you. Just don't hurt him!"
"It's necessary that Countess Yana subdue him so she can free her husband. Without 002, and 001, she can't liberate herself. Also, Ember can't take his wife and daughter away. His child, she's just five, she's innocent and needs a chance to grow up without the Black Ghost's influence upon her psyche. She needs protection. Ember doesn't know it yet, but Dr. Gamo has plans for her because she has some abilities like his son," the giant spoke with a rich, deep voice. He spoke with an intelligence that didn't match his outward appearance. Francoise only now noticed there was an intelligence in the eyes under shaggy, red bangs.
"Then you know the Black Ghost is evil! Why sacrifice Ivan to them, if you believe children need to be raised apart from them?"
"Because I do believe 001 needs to be destroyed, even though I believe Ann Ember needs to live. 001 has great potential that could destroy the earth. He will start developing more and more talents. He will part himself from humanity, and forget what it's like to be flesh. One day in the future, he will try to make himself a god. Don't you see, his father will give him a lobotomy and rescue the earth from the danger he poses by unchecked power. Not Ember's daughter. She's too gentle."
"You're wrong about him!" Francoise raged. More tears spilled. "Ivan is more human than you! He loves and is trying to save humanity from the Black Ghost! Listen, none of us need to be used by the Black Ghost. We could all work together. We could help Countess Yana and Ember get their families. You could be free too. We're all victims of them."
"Yes, true. We are all tools of the Black Ghost, whether we choose it or not." His amber eyes narrowed, and he leaned down towards her face. He tossed Jet aside, without a second glance. "The sooner you learn your place, the better off you'll be."
She was stunned for a few seconds. "Wait! You don't want to work for them?"
"No. Ember is my companion, as is Countess Yana and the twins. All I desire is to make their lives better. If that means you people need to be subdued and taken back to the Black Ghost, so be it."
A fierce anger welled up inside her. "Ivan, Jet, and Albert are my family! I will continue to fight for our freedom!"
The giant shook his head, she could detected a trace of sorrow before he said, "Then we will have enmity between us."
"It doesn't need to be this way," she sobbed, laying her forehead against the meaty hand around her fist. She felt his hand gently stroke the top of her head.
"Please... 003... Francoise... don't try to curry my favor." The giant's expression grew soft. "Your tears are wasted on me. I have no loyalty except to making sure Ember's family is comfortable, and that Countess Manma Yana has a chance to enjoy a life with her husband."
"Then you know how I feel towards the other cyborgs! Why would you hurt me in the way you wouldn't want to be hurt?"
The giant shook his head and said, "I guess you don't understand, then, why I'm taking you back to the Black Ghost. It's all for the sake of family."
A cold, hard emptiness filled the pit of her stomach. She realized those assassins were bonded with each other as much as she was to the male cyborgs. The giant tugged her upward and stooped to grab Jet's wrist in his other hand. "Time to go, 003," he said, dragging them to the doorway.
She gasped when Albert jumped into the doorway, slumped against the door jamb, and raised his right hand. "Let them go," he said low, but firm, a trickle of rusty liquid was at the corner of his mouth.
"Countess had you under control," the giant said, looking baffled.
Albert had bits of plastic and electronics in his left hand. The giant looked as angry as Albert. The German man let the pieces fall through the fingers of his left hand and said, "You mean the remote to my self-detonation device? Gone. Listen, she's still unconscious and Ember is hurt. You have a chance to help them, if you hurry."
The giant teen moved towards the door with a grim expression, still dragging Francoise and Jet with him. Albert moved his metallic hand up to the giant's nose and shook his head. "You won't be leaving with them."
Francoise looked up, surprised as the pressure around her wrist was suddenly gone. She clutched her painful, tingling hand to her chest and watched the giant pass Albert.
"You won't avoid the Black Ghost forever. They will keep pursuing you until you surrender," his deep voice rumbled as he walked down the metal staircase. Albert slumped forward, his right arm dropped like it was made of lead. Francoise quickly got a chair and had Albert sit, then she knelt beside Jet's body on the floor.
She gingerly touched his bruised neck and was relieved to see a pulse. Francoise lightly smacked Jet's chin and shook him slightly. "Jet! Wake up!"
He groaned and opened an eye. "What the... did you get the number of that bus?" he asked in English. She almost asked him what he meant, when she heard a car drive off. Jet hopped to his feet, staggered, and leaned against a table with radio equipment. "Damn it! We have to go get Ivan!"
"Their plane is close by. We need to try," Albert agreed and got to his feet. Jet slipped off his leather bomber jack and handed it to Albert. The German man was able to finally cover his altered body.
Francoise followed them to the truck. A wave of despair hit her. She couldn't think of any way to rescue Ivan. Her mind went to the darkest scenarios about what would happen to the Russian boy once back in his parents' clutches.
To be continued.