Episode 7-Free Fall

Episode 7

Free Fall

Karl knew his window was small, incredibly small.  He had one clean shot and that was it.  If he screwed it up, he had a long fall to think about it.

He let go of E.  At the same time, he also let go of his brother’s foot.

“NO!” Sam screamed as Karl watched the fear in his eyes grow like an unchecked infection.

He had no time to reassure his brother, he just had to act.

In the second that he was sucked out the air lock, Karl reached out both hands and grabbed the female assassin by the strap of the parachute and clamped his fingers down.

The force lurched the woman forward suddenly and in that instant Karl, the assassin and E were in a free fall.

Karl knew he had little more than seconds to save himself and E.  He was expecting a fight from the assassin but he quickly realized she was not moving.  The sudden inertia of him grabbing her and jerking her out of the plane had snapped her neck.

Karl put it out of his mind and went to work grabbing the center buckle that held the parachute onto the assassin.  The free fall was insane.  The wind forced E to rush past his head and Karl forced himself to stay calm and not to panic.  He had done jumps before, part of his training from a life that seemed far away, now.

Although he had never jumped out of a plane not wearing a chute, he had also never had to try to save a woman in mid air either.

Details.

****

“Karl!” Sam was still screaming as he watched his brother sacrifice himself and another woman to save him.

He had done it to save Sam.

Sam felt the tears stream down his face as he was whipped back and forth by the air pressure.  He wanted to let go, to follow his brother.  He didn’t want to be the one to make it through.  He didn’t deserve to make it through.

What was he going to do without Karl?

The plane dipped below the pressure line and the air equalized.  Sam dropped to the floor, the suction relinquishing its hold on him and there he laid, the wind still whipping through the cabin of the plane.

Tears ran down his face.

What the hell was Sam going to do?

****

Karl managed to pull the chute away from the lifeless female assassin and kicked her body away sending it rag dolling into the wind.

Karl immediately went about the task of getting the parachute around his shoulders and fastened, which was easier said than done while free falling at terminal velocity.

Karl tried to force himself to focus on the job at hand and not on the ground rushing up at him.  He knew that he was on the clock and that clock was ticking fast.  The need to know how long he had until he hit the ground was overwhelming but he willed himself to see only the task at hand.

Don’t look down.

He felt the buckle clasp latch around his mid section and breathed a quick sigh of relief. The job wasn’t done yet and he turned, spinning in mid-air, trying to find E.

There!

He caught his eye on her and found hope.  She hadn’t drifted too far from him.  He clasped his hand to his side and made himself into an arrow, increasing his fall velocity to catch up to the screaming flailing translator.

Hold on!

He got close to her and opened his arms and halted his speed reaching out to grab her.

Come on…

He grabbed her hand and dragged her toward him, the shock stopped her screaming and she stared at him mystified as to what was happening.

“Hold on to me!” Karl yelled it as loud as he could but the words seemed to die on his lips.  They were swallowed up by the wind.

Nonetheless, she seemed to comprehend and nodded, wrapping her arm around his chest under the chute, then her legs around his waist.  She held on so tight Karl could barely breathe.

Karl wasn’t sure this would work.  The force of the parachute stopping their fall might have been to great for them to hold on.  He might not have tightened the buckle enough.  It didn’t matter, he was out of time.

Karl pulled the rip-cord.

The harness system tightened as the chute opened and caught the wind.  The force of gravity was mighty.  Karl felt his own grip give at the same time E’s did and he struggled desperately to stop it from happening by reaching out.  She did the same as the pull threatened to claim her.

Karl caught her wrist and took the rest of the force onto himself, his arm nearly tearing off.

He held fast, straining with everything he had.  She latched onto his wrist with the same hand, digging herself in so tight that her nails broke his flesh.

Suddenly, there was silence.  The wind had stopped and all that could be heard was their panting and the far off echo of the plane that they had once occupied.

Karl knew they weren’t out of the fire yet.  The parachute held but they had at least ten minutes before they touched down.  He could see the land now, past the struggling E. Although he held her, he only had one of his hands on her.  Soon his arm would give out and instinct would take over, releasing the woman to fall to her death.

Her weight pulled his one side forward too much and he couldn’t get his other hand in a good enough position to help.  To make matters worse, she was panicked and flailing like a lunatic.

“STOP MOVING!” Karl tried to yell and ended up half growling, half groaning the words.

She froze like a person in a car that teetered on the edge of a cliff.  He could tell she was even holding her breath.

“Don’t let go.”  She whispered, pleading.

Karl shook his head.  “I can’t hang on for much longer.  You have to pull yourself up.”

E shook her head, tears streaming down her face.  Karl felt a ping of sorrow.  The poor thing was probably in shock, it was a wonder she held on this long.

The worst part was that it was his fault.

“Listen to me.  If you don’t do anything, I’m going to drop you, not because I want you but because I can’t keep this up.  You have to pull yourself up.”

“What if you let go when I pull?”  She asked, trying to bring herself back from a fear and shock-addled brain.

“If you try, I’ll hold on.” Karl said, staring at the woman in the eyes.

He watched her resolve change and a strength came over her that he had seen on her before when she helped with the Mongolian in New York.  He welled with a deep respect born out of a shared experience with death and flexed as she pulled with her arm.

Every muscle in his arm screamed in pain but he willed himself to hold on.  He would not let her go.  Not today.

She pulled herself up straining and finally reaching with her other hand to catch Karl’s free hand.

With the new position it was easier for him to pull her up and she latched onto him again.

Karl started laughing.  “Holy shit.  I can’t believe we did that!”

****

Sam just sat on the floor, back against the couch with no sense of guidance or direction, only the absolute and utter emptiness.

What was the point of anything?

He felt the plane touchdown, having completely ignored the fasten seat belt warnings or the oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling.

The plane taxied to a stop and then a ladder was wheeled to the opening where the door would have been.

Sam continued to sit there in silence, not noticing the men who walked up and into the cabin.

“Hello Sam.”  Sam recognized the voice and looked up to see the broken rotting teeth of Hoi’s toothy grin.

Sam took a deep breath as he realized that Hoi was behind it all.  He was behind the murder of his brother, which made it Sam’s fault.

Then a new figure entered the cabin.  The well-dressed and good looking Egyptian thief.

“Mr. Bier.  I believe you can help me with this.” He held up the Ankh.  “I want the cup of Osiris.”

TO BE CONTINUED…

Episode 6-Trust Me

Episode 6

Trust Me

The next couple of hours were a whirlwind.  E was told to pack a bag, which bothered her since she didn’t bring a bag in the first place.  This seemed to irritate both brothers, which in turn, irritated E.  Nevertheless, Sam took her to a large second closet in his room and slid it open revealing a wide range of clothes.  Everything from designer jeans to expansive evening and dinner wear decorated the large closet.  Sam told her to pick anything she needed and handed her one of his suitcases.

“Why does a man have a closet full of expensive women’s clothing?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sam gave her a sly grin.  “Let’s just say they’re lost and found.”

E found some clothes, mostly jeans and shorts, and socks, the necessities. Although she did pack one long black dress with a deep slit up the right side and a low cut front.  That was more wishful thinking than anything else.

Then they were in the limo and on their way to JFK International.

“So,” E broke the silence and grabbed the attention of both Karl and Sam.  “What the hell is going on?”

Sam blinked twice.  “I thought it was self explanatory?”

E took a deep breath and contained her anger, remembering that these two were still her boss.  “Okay I just met you yesterday and I met him,” she nodded towards Karl, “one hour and fifteen minutes ago, right before a giant and an Egyptian blew up half your apartment for an ankle.”

“It’s an Ankh,” Sam snorted.  “Although, I guess I see your point.”

“So what is the cup and how do you know it’s in Cairo?” E questioned.

“The Cup of Osiris,” Sam began with the simplest answer.  “Osiris is one of the ancient Egyptian Gods.  Osiris was the God of Agriculture.  He is also the giver of beer.”

E looked confused.  “The Egyptians had beer?”

Sam chuckled.  “Everyone had beer.  In fact, there is a pretty credible anthropological study that says society as we know it came from beer.  You see, in ancient Mesopotamia-”

“Sam” Karl cut him off.  He could see his brother was about to digress.  “Stay on point, bud.”

Sam stopped himself.  “Oh yeah, where was I?”

E raised her eyebrow.  “Osiris?”

Sam’s face lit up.  “Oh yes, of course.  So, Osiris fell for one of the other Gods, Isis, but Osiris’s brother, Set, is jealous of their love and challenges him to a duel.”

“With swords?”  E asked, enthralled.

Sam frowned.  “No, with puppets.  Of course with swords or whatever other weapon Gods dueled with.”

E frowned at his sarcasm and Karl quietly interjected.  “Mean Sam.”

Sam stopped himself, Karl’s words bringing his scattering back together.  “Well, it was a stupid question.”

E had to wonder where the man who had seduced her the night before had gone.  Had the drinks really clouded her judgment that much?  Was this mad man the same person? One thing was for sure, she now understood, without a shadow of a doubt, that why Karl had quit his job and come home.

Sam looked back to E to continue.  “Anyway, the night before the duel, in the interest of fair play, Set invited Osiris for a drink.  The legend says that Set presented Osiris with a pre fight gift, a finely crafted drinking cup.”

E raised an eyebrow.  “So let me guess, Set poisoned him?”

Sam shrugged.  “Not really sure, there are tons of versions of the story, some say poison, some say drugged, others say he just got too drunk and Set knew he would.”

“Either way, I’m guessing he lost the duel.” E said knowingly.

Sam smiled at the comment.  “Now you’re with me.  Damn straight he lost, was killed and became the God of Death as well.  Later the bastard son of Osiris and Isis would rise up and take vengeance for Osiris by killing Set, but none of that really matters to us.”

“So this cup you are trying to find is the cup that Set gave to Osiris, the cup that he got drunk from?” E questioned, putting it together.

Sam’s smile widened.  “The Cup of Osiris.  You got it.”

“So how do you know it’s in Cairo?” E asked finally.

“Cairo, like a lot of other Egyptian cities was founded from military outposts.  A general would set up shop there and civilians would flock in to provide services to the soldiers, and before you knew it, you had a city.  Cairo was different, though. They weren’t just there to set up a military outpost, they were there to hide something.” Sam explained.

“The cup,” E said with a smile, getting excited by the story.

Sam clapped.  “You got it, sister!  While they built up they built down, under the Babylon fortress in Old Cairo, a secret tomb.”

E smiled and took it in.  It was quite a fantastic story, Gods and love triangles and hatred, woven together perfectly so that even though the tale made no sense, it still somehow seemed right.

“So why do you think the cup is under the fortress?” She asked finally.

Sam scoffed.  “I know, I always know.”

E blinked.  “Alright then, what do a renegade Egyptian and a Mongolian arms dealer have to do with the cup?”

Sam opened his mouth to speak, then paused.  He took a second to reflect, his face curling in irritated concentration and then he looked at her and said.  “I have no idea.”

The car arrived at the airport and was shown onto the field like V.I.Ps.  E marveled at this.  She had to go through many different airports in her line of work.  Each time proved more irritating then the last, but never had she just skipped the security check and been personally driven onto the tarmac.

The car stopped near a private jet.  They exited and Sam was already on his way to the jet, walking ahead of them like an excited puppy.  The staff of the plane grabbed his bags from the trunk of the car.  Karl got out and told the staff he would carry his own luggage.  E watched this and smiled, gaining a certain amount of respect.

She hung back until Karl came around.  She had some questions she wanted to ask him.  “Is he always like that?”

Karl raised an eyebrow as the two walked toward the plane together.  “Like what?”

“You know,” She said trying to be sensitive.  “All that mad scientist talk in the car.”

Karl grinned.  “You tell me.”

She could tell what he was getting at.  “Look, he wasn’t like that the first night, he knew all the right things to say.  He was just, I don’t know, different.”

Karl nodded.  “I know, Sam’s ADD is pretty bad.  He has a hard time focusing or staying on any one subject.  He can only pull it together when he’s researching or …”

 E looked at him quizzically.  “Or?”

Karl turned and smiled.  “Or trying to get a woman to sleep with him.”

E frowned and ignored the last part.  “So this is the reason for the quests?”

Karl chuckled.  “So Dan warned you about us, huh?”

E shook her head.  “He didn’t have to, you two are infamous throughout the company.  No one will work with you two.”

Karl smiled at her.  “And yet, you’re here.  Why is that?”

E thought of her lonely one bedroom apartment and her lack of friends or romantic prospects and couldn’t help but smile.  “I guess I needed a change.”

****

The plane ride from New York to Cairo was more than long.  Karl and E chatted after they took off while the two beautiful stewardesses took turns turning down Sam’s advances.

E found Sam’s change interesting.  His passes at the two women were perfectly timed and his words rolled off his silver tongue in a way that E marveled at the women’s ability to turn him down.

Her main interest, however, was Karl.  He was soft spoken and hard lined but had the face of an old soldier with more scars than he cared to talk about.  His eyes, on the other hand where hawk-like and no matter how into the conversation with E he became, she could tell he was also always watching Sam.  He was, without a doubt, Sam’s caretaker.

She could feel he was attracted to her and she shared the feeling Karl was her type in every way, with the exception of the fact that she knew, without a doubt, that to commit to Karl was to commit to Sam.

It wasn’t long before sleep took the three of them.

E slowly began to wake from a perfect dreamless sleep, she heard the two stewardesses talking back and forth in Arabic.  Unfortunately, she wasn’t as fluent in Arabic as she was in other languages.  They seemed to be resolved to do something and to agree that now was a good time to do it.

E listened harder, stirring and focusing on the fast words tumbling out of their mouths, trying to use her brain to translate.  What were they talking about?  Something about parachuting or skydiving?  Then the one took her coat off and revealed a small parachute harnessed around her body.  The one with her coat still on said something about the sexy one.  E assumed they were referring to Sam…

E sat up and squinted at them, they both turned to her and froze.

“Did you just say ‘killed’?” E asked.

The next part happened so fast it was hard for E to follow.

****

Karl had been awake for some time but continued to feign sleep.  He watched as the two stewardesses seemed to converse in hurried Arabic.  He couldn’t understand what they were saying but he had an idea.  Then, when he saw the one drop her coat to reveal a thin, covert parachute backpack, he knew they were all in trouble.  He was seconds from making his move when he felt Ethel sit up next to him and ask them.  “Did you just say ‘killed’?”

The one closest to Karl with her coat still on raised her hand and a medium sized throwing knife slid from its hiding place in her sleeve and into her palm.

She hurled it with deadly perfection at E’s head.

Karl’s reflexes were put to the test as he lashed out his hand and snatched the blade out of the air.  He caught the thing by the blade and it cut into his palm.

He ignored the pain.

Karl was already in motion and the two would-be assassins were caught completely by surprise.  Karl wheeled into a high back-spin kick.  His heel connecting with the ones temple, the blow was hard and absolute.  She spiraled through the air crashing into the sleeping Sam.

Sam woke screaming as the unconscious body dropped on top of him, “WHAT THE HELL?!”

Karl turned as the second assassin charged, knife in hand, she stabbed for his abdomen.  Karl dropped the blade he had caught to free up his hand.  He caught her wrist and placed a hard front-kick to the woman’s mid section.

She flew across the plane and crashed into the exit door.

“Seriously, what is going on?!”  Sam screamed as he stood and whirled.

Karl focused on the assassin.  “Who are you?  Who sent you?”

She began to speak Arabic at an alarming rate, E still sitting and near shock tried to translate.  “She’s saying you’re dead.  That we are all dead…”

Karl maintained focus on the woman.  “It’s over, you have no options left.”

The assassin stood and laughed then grabbed a safety bar and stood to the side of the door before using her other hand to grip the emergency hatch release lever.

Karl’s eyes widened.  “Wait!  Don’t!”  was all he could manage to say before she torqued  the lever, popping the hatch and breaking the seal on the pressurized cabin, sending the door spinning into the air.  The plane shook and the sudden rush of air flooded the cabin, sucking everything toward the opening.  Sam leapt, just in time to grab the base of the chair he had slept in.  It was bolted to the plane and wasn’t going anywhere.

Karl managed to catch Sam’s foot as the air pressure lifted him into the air.  E had no idea what was going on and was pulled from her seat.  She screamed as Karl reached out and caught her hand as she flew past him.  The three hung there in mid-air as the plane suddenly began to dive to get low enough to balance the pressure.

Karl looked up and saw his brother’s grip slipping.  They wouldn’t make it low enough before they would all be pulled through the opening and fall to their deaths.  Karl had to think fast.  He looked back toward the stewardess who remained standing right next to the door holding on and laughing as she watched the three’s hope diminish.

Karl had an idea.

He looked down at E who now floated there in front of him, her eyes begging him not to let go.

“Do you trust me?!” Karl Yelled to her.

“I just met you!” She yelled back.

Karl frowned.  “That’s gonna have to do.”

Karl took a deep breath and let go…

TO BE CONTINUED…

Episode 5-Destination Cairo

5

Destination, Cairo

Carolyn rode the ridiculous elevator up toward the penthouse where the brothers lived.

When Karl had called her and asked her to come over fast and alone, she had wanted to tell him to shove it.  After all, he was the one who had left the bureau and her, twisting in the wind to brew beer.  So why should she help him now?

Because she owed him.  Plain and simple.

She shifted back and forth wanting this to be over already.  She pushed her strawberry blonde hair over her ear and adjusted her suit coat.  The elevator dinged and the doors opened.

“Carrie! So lovely to see you again.”  Sam’s voice cut the silence suddenly and Carolyn frowned.

Carolyn hated Sam.

The reasons for this hatred were numerous, including the fact that he was one of the biggest reasons Karl had left the bureau and eventually her, but he was also just plain unlikable.

She also hated being called Carrie.

“Don’t start with me, Sam.” She turned at him with a hard and stern look.

Sam grinned.  “But I missed you so much.”

Carolyn ignored him as she walked into the penthouse and looked at Karl.  “Okay, I’m here.  What do you want?”

Karl looked like he felt awkward, “Well we had a situation.”

Sam chuckled.  “A situation?  We were attacked by terrorists!”

E came down the stairs.  “They weren’t terrorists, the big one keeps saying Nahoi will make us pay.”

Carolyn’s scowl intensified and Sam tried to look innocent.  “How?  How, Sam?  How could you possibly get into it with that psycho?  Last time you got in with that psycho you almost ended up dead and we had to quell an international incident!”

“How was I supposed to know it’s rude to make eye contact?” Sam got defensive.

E barged in.  “Excuse me, but who is Nahoi?”

Carolyn raised an eyebrow and looked over E.  “Who’s the skirt?”

“Who’s the skirt?” Sam mocked.  “Were you born in 1952?”

Carolyn gritted her teeth.  “Karl put a muzzle on him, or I will.”

“What the hell are you doing with a muzzle?” Sam never missed a beat.

“Sam, give it a rest.” Karl played peacekeeper.

E was yet again being forgotten about.  “Excuse me, but no one answered my question.  Who is Nahoi?”

Karl turned to E first.  “He’s a Mongolian weapons dealer, mostly dealing in stolen guns, but he also has a pension for acquiring rare artifacts.”

Karl then turned back to Carolyn.  “She’s our new translator.”

Carolyn gave Karl a knowing look.  “Sure she is, a little too hot for a translator.”

Sam shrugged.  “I don’t know, she’s a high seven, tops.”

E snapped a glared at Sam.  “Screw you buddy.”

“Kidding!” Sam said, chuckling.

“Wait,” Carolyn interjected.  “My turn for questions.  What happened here, how are you involved with Hoi again, and what does she mean by the big one?”

Karl took a deep breath and looked at Sam.  Sam shrugged and smiled.  “Hey, this is all you.”

****

“So let me get this straight,” Carolyn said as she watched the security camera footage from the research room.  “You guys stole an artifact from Nahoi-”

“Reclaimed.”  Sam interrupted.

Carolyn continued ignoring him.  “Then this guy shows up with his Mongolian buddy to take it back.”

“Steal.” Sam corrected again.

Carolyn continued to ignore him, “And you two manage to fight them off, during which, one jumps out your broken window.  You need to report this.”

Karl shook his head.  “I think we are going to keep this one between us.”

Carolyn turned from the footage.  “So, what exactly do you want me to do for you?”

“Take the big guy off our hands, for one.  Turn him over to the C.I.A or Interpol.  Then, off the books, try and find out who the Egyptian is.” Karl answered.

Carolyn’s eyes narrowed.  “And how should I explain the big guy?  I just ran into him in the super market?”

Karl grinned.  “Be creative, don’t forget… you owe me.”

Carolyn sighed.  “Fine, but when this is over we are even.”

****

The Thief

He boarded the private jet and took a seat.  A very attractive American woman walked over with a glass of champagne on a tray.  She bent over to the thief and he smiled, before taking the glass and saying ‘thank you.’

The flight attendant smiled back.  “Of course sir, we will be taking off in fifteen minutes.”

The thief nodded before pulling out his phone, it was time to give Hoi an update.

He scrolled through his contact list and found Hoi.  He selected the option to call and waited for his Mongolian, gun-running associate to answer.

“Hoi.” He answered in English with a heavy accent.

“It’s me.” the thief said in perfect English.  “I’m on my way back now.”

“You get the ankle?” Hoi said flubbing the last word.

“The ankh,” The thief corrected him.  “Yes I did, although sacrifices had to be made.”

Hoi laughed.  “I told you Karl was a tough bastard!  What happened?”

“I will be coming home alone.” The thief said.

Hoi hesitated to respond, and the thief could read the silence.  Hoi didn’t like the fact that the thief had left his man behind, used him as a large distraction.  He would be worried that his friend would roll over on Hoi, not to mention he would have to replace the loyal soldier.

Finally, Hoi spoke.  “You used him as a distraction to steal the thing and left him behind?”

The thief paused while considering how to answer this question.  “Yes.”

He went with honesty because there was no reason not to.  The ankh was the last piece of the puzzle.  He would now finally be able to enter the vault and get to the cup, and Hoi had already spent too much on the operation to back out now.

“You better not be thinking of pulling that shit with me.” Hoi threatened.

The thief was planning exactly that.  “Of course not, what is one soldier in the face of the millions you’re going to make?”

The question was rhetorical and Hoi changed the subject.  “Fine, you get back fast and I send a car.  I want to get out of this fucking desert.”

The thief smiled.  “I will call.”

The thief hung up the phone as the plane began to taxi onto the run way.

****

The Brothers

Carolyn had left and taken the enforcer with her.  It was easy for her after the damage Karl had done to the big man’s knee and face.

Now the brothers and E walked through the disaster area that was the research room. This room was Sam’s temple, when he wasn’t drunk, that is.  He would be here for hours scouring through books and internet pages in order to decipher ancient legends and come up with locations for the treasures they hunted.

Karl was unequivocally the muscle, his skills in combat and war were unparalleled.  He was also gifted with a good business sense and an ability to learn anything quickly.

But no one researched like Sam.

He was never wrong about a location or a puzzle.  His brain craved the challenge.

Sam now went through the papers and books scattered around the floor, picking them up and trying to organize them.

Karl was inspecting the damage as well.

E turned over a chair and plopped down, looking exhausted.  Karl turned seeing her stressed face.  “You can go if you like.”

E looked up, not quite understanding.  “Are you firing me?”

Karl chuckled.  “No, of course not, but you looked as if you wanted out of here.”

E pushed herself up.  “I’m fine.  All in a day’s work, and I have no interest in quitting.”

Karl raised an eyebrow.  “Are you sure?  It can be dangerous with us.”

E thought about her empty, one bedroom apartment and the complete lack of excitement in her life and managed a smile.  “No worries.”

“Ooh, I think she’s a keeper.” Sam said it with a certain insinuation.

Both Karl and E gave him dirty looks, then Karl looked back to E.  “Well that’s good, although it doesn’t matter right now.  Without the ankh, we are dead in the water.”

E frowned.  She was actually slightly bummed at the cancelling of the adventure.

Sam began to grin.  “Not so sure about that.”

Karl and E turned back toward him. “The cup is in Cairo.”

TO BE CONTINUED…