#9 - THEY THE PEOPLE

Molly Chillafoot walked into the conference room of The People Head Quarters. Actually it was one of five circular conference rooms, the one in the middle, which also happened to be the biggest.

Molly wore a bright yellow t-shirt under a leather jacket that appeared to have been made by a designer who ran out of material and called it fashion. She wore tight blue jeans and black boots with a tall pointy heal. She had red hair with bangs. She also wore enough makeup to paint an entire house and lipstick that matched her hair color and re-shaped her surgically plump lips, something that gave others the impression of an eternal sourpuss. And the observation didn't change much when she spoke.

Her assistant thought she was hot, the main reason she promoted him.

Barely able to open her mouth, Molly began, "Everyone stand as we begin the meeting." Without requiring the raising of hands or any other ceremonial action, Molly continued with their creed. "We The People of the United States and all countries around the world, do solemnly swear to rule the world."

Everyone sat accept her assistant, Willy Baskins. "On the agenda, we need to kill Ariel Berkspah so that we can continue our cleansing the United States of successful small business owners, starting with the women. We will then kill Bob and Kathleen for getting in our way."

"Well said." replied Molly, "Now have a seat Willy. Everyone listen up. That boob of a senator, Riker, is giving me control of the operation and we must use this to our advantage. I intend to position our cutest agents with every CIA agent. They will turn on the charms and make them loyal to The People before they know what happened."

One of The People, Bill is his name, questioned, "Excuse me but what if they're a female agent?"

As if the answer was obvious, Molly replied, "Then we place our cutest MALE agents with them."

Bill put his head down, "Oh, sorry, just checking. I've just never found men to be very cute."

Hal grinned, "I think they are."

Molly shouted, "Enough! Now pay attention!" The room quieted, immediately. Once more in control, calmly, Molly continued, "So, we will match our most attractive agents with theirs and work in tandem with them. We all know our plan and will let them know everything BUT . . . the fact that we're going to brainwash them into being agents of The People. Understood?"

In one voice, all thirty generals responded, "Yes, Supreme Leader."

"Excellent." With a devilish grin, all be it a tiny one, Molly added, "Our meeting is at an end and it is time, once again, to continue to do what we do best and take over the world."

MORE TO COME .......

NOTE: AGAIN, THIS IS MAKE BELIEVE. NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS REAL. NOT THE PEOPLE, NOT THE EVENTS, NOT THE PLACES. EVERYTHING IS FICTITIOUS. Thank you and goodnight.

#8 - HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE

"What do you mean, they got away?" Senator Riker spit the words in disgust.

Windthump's words and tone hid his anxiety. "She took care of the operatives that came in and they . . . disappeared."

"I thought you sent your best at her?"

"They were our best."

"What about that Madison character? You know, the one with the president's name, Joe Madison. I thought he was some kind of super agent. Why didn't you send him?"

"James was working the computer."

As if he hadn't been corrected, Riker demanded, "Well, I think it's time to get him out from behind the computer and in the field. After all, hasn't he been training for field work?"

"Yes, he just completed his training."

"Good, then get him out there!" Riker demanded. "By the way, where is he now?"

"He's driving me. We're entering Mobile and thought we'd stop for Chinese."

A pause greeted Windthump, one that told him what he knew after the words left his mouth, that Riker was ready to blow his stack. "You idiot! With whatever head start they have, you're going for Chinese!"

"Well, sir, we do have the satellites and are getting the rest of our team in position."

"All accept Joe!"

"James, sir. And, yes, he'll be in the mix before you know it. It's just that he works better after a large order of chicken fried rice."

Senator Riker couldn't believe his ears. There they sat, behind by Lord knows how many miles, and they're going for Chinese. He decided it best not to argue, at this point. "I will be contacting you in two hours. The People plan to cutoff every major highway heading north. And, as soon as we locate those three troublemakers, they'll be closing in with your sorry excuse for a team. Now, once I make contact, the head of The People will contact you and you and your team will begin to follow her orders."

Windthump knew the senator spoke of Molly Chillafoot, the woman who thought she knew everything about everything. Of course, he knew better but, apparently, the senator had been fooled. knowing that arguing would be pointless, Windthump accepted, "Yes, sir."

"Very good. And don't forget to get Joe out there."

"It's James, sir."

"Whatever." Riker disconnected the call.

James glanced at his boss. "I take it he didn't like the Chinese food idea."

"Nope."

"Well, I appreciate your helping me out on this."

"No problem. Just catch that girl and we'll be even." Replied Windthump.

"Will do."

THE STAGE IS BEING SET. TIME TO LEARN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND MOLLY CHILLAFOOT......

#7 - EXIT THROUGH THE RABBIT HOLE

Kathleen drove the three through the tunnel at a supercharged golf cart speed of seventy-miles-an-hour. In less than fifteen minutes, Kathleen began to slow down until she finally came to a stop, nothing visible but what the lights from the golf cart showed and dim lighting along the walls. "We're here, everyone out."

Bob and his flashlight in the lead, they walked another ninety feet until a ladder appeared in the field of vision. Kathleen went up first, followed by Ariel and, finally, Bob. As Kathleen reached the top, she pressed a button. Keypad numbers lit on a pad and she entered a password that caused a metal lid the size of a manhole to open.

One at a time, they popped out of the tunnel like over sized rabbits. The air around them clung, cold and damp, with trees all around, as far as the eye could see. The canopy of trees above hid them from view of anyone trying to spot them from overhead.

After the dim lighting within the tunnel, their eyes had already adjusted to the tiny spots of light surrounded by a hazy darkness. Ariel's eyes, wide with anxiety, scanned the area. "Where are we?"

Kathleen answered, "This is the Grand Bay Wildlife Refuge." She looked at her wristwatch which also had a compass. "Another three miles or so . . . that way," she pointed northeast, "and we'll be clear of the trees. There'll be a house there and we can pick up supplies and take the car out of the garage."

"So, what, you had all this prepared, just in case you had to smuggle a women with a first name that started with the letter 'A'?"

Bob smiled as Ariel and he followed Kathleen. "Something like that. We've been using this tunnel for years to get away when we needed to."

"I see." Ariel said, though she really didn't.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Ariel never would have believed anything like this existed outside of the movies. During the walk through the soft mud of the refuge – everything about it, she just knew had to be illegal – Ariel thought about the events that lead up to this point. A man coming at her with a gun pointed at her, a picture she still couldn't shake; and then Bob of all people comes to her rescue. Next thing she knows, she ends up on the Dauphin Islands, ducks into a secret tunnel, one of her protectors takes out one or more people out to kill her, followed by a death defying ride on a golf cart at seventy-miles-an-hour and knocking into Bob's head, enough times with her own head and elbow to give the poor guy a concussion. I mean, really?

Another two to three miles and they broke free of the trees into a tree lined circular opening with one gravel road in and out and a house and garage that was painted, of all colors, fuchsia.

As if sensing her question, Bob remarked, “Got a good deal on the paint.”

After gaining entrance by number pad code, Bob grabbed a bag and filled it with bottles of water, granola bars and sunflower seeds. Then Kathleen and he walked into a closet and came out with a sniper rifle, two more guns and a sports bag full of ammunition.

“Uh, guys, what's going on?”

Kathleen answered as she headed for the garage. “Just have to be ready. We have a long drive ahead of us and the bad guys will be coming.”

When Ariel stepped into the garage, a surprise awaited her, an all black SUV with darkly tinted windows. Not something you usually find in a fuchsia garage in the middle of nowhere. Of course, it's also true that a person's not whisked away by two rogue CIA agents, but you know.

Soon, the three snaked their way to a small two lane highway that took them to Mississippi.

Three hours later, while they headed northwest toward Louisiana, the bad guys made it to the coast and were now heading toward Mobile, Alabama. As far behind as they were, though, they had a little thing called satellite, not to mention a lot more friends.

AND BOB'S MOMENT CONTINUES.......

[Don't worry!!! All this is pretend. It never happened!!!!!]  

#6 - SHARKS IN THE WATER

The head of the CIA, Max Windthump, stood infuriated on his boat, anchored just out of sight of Dauphin Island. "How the hell does she do it? Every time I chase her to that damned island, she gets away! I mean, this time, I sent in three of my best fighters. Damn it, James, I want to know what happened!"

Agent, James Madison, sat at the computer setting up the footage for his boss.

The plan was simple. When they went in, the little twerp Bob would pull Ariel away, Kathleen would see the men weren't armed -- well nothing more than brass knuckles -- and she wouldn't use her gun. Once the men killed Kathleen, they'd search the house to see how she and Bob kept getting away from them.

Granted, every time Kathleen and Bob gave the slip, they ended up solving the case without any help. They also tended to use tactics better known for activities of the ATF. Max wanted, more than anything, this woman killed, controlled, or gone.

Unfortunately, his men underestimated Kathleen and, consequently, she took care of them in a matter of seconds. Madison braced himself for the tirade.

Windthump leaned over the shoulder of his tech savvy super agent who proved potentially as good as Kathleen. "James, what have you gotten, anything?"

"Nothing you're going to like."

Windthump watched as Kathleen broke a leg, and two noses without any of the men able to do more than prepare to punch. In disbelief, "What the . . .?

Then they saw Kathleen grab the camera and taunt Windthump. His face reddened until James thought it would blow. Then she threw the camera out the door and all they saw from then on, a walkway and grass.

"Damn!" Windthump began to pace the room, Kathleen's taunt grading on his nerves, infuriating him with every passing moment. Finally, after he collected himself, he realized he had just lost valuable time. Angry with himself for letting the witch get into his head, Windthump said, "Damn it, okay, it's time to send our men into canvas the rooms and see what they can uncover."

James half turned. "What makes you think that anything different will be found?"

Windthump turned quickly. "Because you're going to be with them. And then you're going to go talk to that Captain Jack, and then you're going to pick up on the trail of those three. And, when you do, you'll introduce Ariel to The People."

The People was the only name that Windthump used for the organization that helped to do the work of the special interest groups behind the murders. No one with the government had any knowledge of the activities, secretly occurring under the codename PROTECTION. None accept Senator Travis Riker.

Travis Riker would be up for re-election next year and counted on votes gathered by a certain special interest group, one that represented big business against the uncertainty of small business success. This group had plenty of money and Senator Riker wanted it for his campaign and the assurance of victory.

Madison didn't like this part of his job, but he had to follow orders. As long as Windthump had a commanding title, Madison would be the good soldier and obey. Kathleen? Obviously, she liked to think a little too much outside the box which, in Madison's book, made her a dangerous liability to everyone around her. If Bob dies, it's because of Kathleen's actions. When Ariel died, it was because she ruined the country's economics, something he firmly believed lied in the success of big business gaining control of all business activities.

Yes, he supported small business. As long as the owners gained small profit. After all, what good could they possibly do with their money but for themselves and their small businesses that employed so few, if any, employees. No, too much money in the hands of too few was not good. That money would be better served in the hands of the big business owners who would bring about more jobs and, therefore, place more money in the hands of more citizens.

Madison joined the men who picked through the mostly unfurnished one story house used by Kathleen and Bob to either hideout or slip away. The only reason they had been allowed to return was because Windthump wanted to know their secret. That and also the fact that the inhabitants of Dauphin Island liked Kathleen because she helped them by providing money for supplies that helped some of them with their fishing, and others to enhance their tourism by providing money to make material for things such as shirts, shorts and swimsuits, or to build their own surfboards. Kathleen also helped them with the necessary means to repair their homes.

All this made it difficult for one of the biggest tourist companies, Paradise Construction And Facilities. No, not the best of names for a company, but the owner, Wayne Hampton of Wayne Hampton Enterprises, stood behind the company and employed hundreds of thousands of people all over the country, and the world.

In order to help his efforts, Wayne had bought a stretch of land for a ridiculous amount of money and put his own hotel up. He kept things modest and made it appear, on the surface, that he was perfectly happy with just what he had. Underneath, he wanted the entire island and all the fishing narrowed down to one corner so that it could be controlled and hidden from view.

Madison liked Hampton from the start. He saw a kindness in Hampton that he rarely saw in people with means, a special kindness that came from humble beginnings. Madison believed that Hampton had the best interest of everyone around him. This made it easy for Windthump to convince Madison of Kathleen's danger.

As Madison went through every room, every board of every floor and every inch of the attic. Just as everyone before, he saw nothing to alert him to the trap door in the bedroom. The carefully concealed floor boards that were treated with a special wax -- made from ingredients found only on the island -- that resisted any kind of chipping or splintering. The only thing he did discover: The buttons on the foot board. Not knowing the proper order, nothing happened when he clicked them.

To the displeasure of his boss, Madison had nothing new to report and headed for the coast to begin his search for the whereabouts of Kathleen, Bob and Ariel.

Tune in as the plot thickens, same blog, same site.....

[NOT THAT ANYONE SHOULD THINK OTHERWISE BUT, JUST IN CASE, I'M MAKING ALL THIS UP.]

#5 - TIME TO GO!!!

 Now, at the moment, Ariel didn't know what would happen. After all, they had just arrived on a boat navigated by Captain Jack, while singing the song, Captain Jack. If that wasn't enough, everyone on shore appeared to know the song as well. But it didn't end there.

A man dressed in sandals, cutoff jeans and wire-rimmed sunglasses, with a red suntan that appeared to have changed the man's God-given skin color permanently, walked straight to them from a path that wound its way down through palm trees. As he approached, his true size became more apparent.

Bob, Kathleen and Ariel stood at the bottom and waited. Once before them, the man stood all of five-feet two inches, and Ariel immediately thought how cute the little guy was who stood a good seven inches shorter than her with nothing more than the skin that attach itself to slender muscles that wrapped their way around his bones.

The man spoke as he smiled broadly. "Kathleen, my wonder, to what do I owe this visit?"

"Another mission."

With a look of disappointment, he responded, "Why is it that I only see you when your on a mission?"

To Ariel's surprise, Kathleen and the man opened their arms to one another and hugged, as if old friends.

The man turned to Bob, "And how good it is to see you, Bob."

"How are you, Jack."

Ariel couldn't hide her surprise. "Jack?"

Bob nodded, "It's a common enough name." He then introduced her, "Jack, this is Ariel."

"My aren't you a precious one to look at. And are you and Bob here?"

Quickly, she responded, "No! I mean, I don't have a problem with Bob or anything, well, accept that he's taken me from my family and friends never to return, all be it, not by his choosing, I know." Ariel took a breath. "Anyway, I just know him as a customer of my coffee shop . . . and now, I guess, some kind of government agent."

"Well, it's nice to meet you just the same. As far as Bob and Kathleen here, they're the right kind, and if they're protecting you, you couldn't be in better hands."

Kathleen talked with Jack as they headed further inland until they reached a white cottage. Jack said, "We replanted the plants around your house." With a disgusted look, Jack added, "All that damage those troublemakers did, when they came in without a care for anything around them. Had to uproot two trees they killed and replace them. Just don't care about anything or anybody."

"You're right Jack. That's why I'm considering a move-" Kathleen stopped quick.

Jack jumped in front of her, looked up to catch her attention since Kathleen stood a good nine inches taller. "Don't you dare move out of here. It's because of you that we have what we have."

"It's because of me that those people keep coming back . . . and, I'm expecting them fairly soon this time."

"And if you leave all together, those people will take control and give it to that Wayne Hampton fella."

Kathleen and Bob knew he referred to the head of Wayne Hampton Enterprises, owner of a group of condominiums and vacation homes all over the world. He bought a small section of land on the east coast of the island. Jack trusted him about as far as he could throw him even though the rest of those on the island couldn't refuse the ridiculous amount of money he paid.

"Well, either way, I intend for this to be the last time we have to hideaway. One way or another, once we've gotten Ariel to safety, we're going to make sure the corruption is stopped."

Jack shook his head doubtfully. "Well, if anyone can do it, it's you."

Once they came to the house, Jack said his goodbyes and left them. The three fugitives went inside, sat at the kitchen table and discussed their plans. After a few hours had past, a quiet beeping sounded off. Ariel turned in the direction and saw a red light on the wall near the refrigerator, "What's that about?"

"Time to go." Kathleen stood and walked to a laptop she had put on the kitchen counter. "They'll be here in a few minutes. Bob, you take Ariel out of here and wait for me underneath."

Bob reached out to Ariel. "Come with me to the bedroom, now."

Ariel didn't know what to think, but began to trust Kathleen and Bob. She followed Bob to the bedroom. Once there, she saw Bob bend over the floor, then reach up to the foot of the bed and felt for a button or switch. He then reached higher with his other hand and began pushing interchangeably, and Ariel heard the clicking of buttons.

Suddenly, the floor opened up and she stepped back in surprise. The two headed down a ladder, Bob holding a flashlight.

Kathleen knelt down at the kitchen doorway with her gun drawn and aimed at the front door. When the door opened, no one appeared, at first. Then the first of three men came with hands raised, in plain view. She smiled to herself, Looks like they did learn something.

She stood a few inches taller than the man in front, eye-to-eye with the man on the left and an inch taller than the man to the right. They moved quickly toward her and she saw the brass knuckles, "Three of you and you're wearing brass. That's just sad."

As soon as she finished the last word, the first man came at her and she wasted no time, dropping to her right knee and punching at a hard angle, connecting with the inside of his knee and producing a loud pop and crunching of bone, the man screamed in pain, buckled to the floor.

She came up quick. Before she straightened, she punched the man to the right in the nose with lightning precision, blood splattering while cartilage crushed into his brain; as she continued to straighten, she crossed her left punch with an impossibly quick and vicious right that connected with the taller man's nose, again crush, the man falling a split second after the other.

Two seconds, at the most, two men dead and the other writhing in pain. Kathleen knelt down to the man on the ground holding his leg, bone poking out of the skin. She cocked her head to the side and stared closely at a something black and shiny. She reached for it and noticed it to be a camera. She picked it up to her face and smiled. "Hi, Max. Looks like your men didn't put up much of a fight. There is good news, though. One of them looks like he'll live." As if pouting, she added, "Bad news is that you're not going to find out what you wanted." She perked up. "Oh well, easy come, easy go. Anyway, you should come get this one because he's hurting something awful."

She paused to allow the video to pick up the groaning and sobbing of the man who lay in excruciating pain. Kathleen then straightened up and threw the camera out of the house before she ran to the bedroom. She headed down the ladder and closed the floor tightly back into position.

Bob shined the flashlight for Kathleen to see her steps and then the floor. When Kathleen stepped onto the ground and turned, Ariel saw the blood. "Kathleen! What happened?"

Kathleen looked down and saw splattering of blood. "Oh, damn it. I liked this shirt, too." Casually, but in a hurry, she headed deeper into the steel tunnel. "Come on, there's a hopped up golf cart about a half mile down."

Ariel stood in shock at how calmly Kathleen spoke, something that spooked her, more than a little. Obviously, she'd been in a fight and probably killed someone. She'd never been in the company of someone so cold about killing. She'd seen movies about it, and even liked them. Something about the fact that this was real life, disturbed her, though.

Bob gently placed a hand on her shoulder which made her flinch and jerk her vision upon him. He quietly said, "Ariel, we really do need to get back to shore so we can get going before anyone sees us."

She walked, mechanically at first, and soon, they were driving a golf cart with a glass windshield covering the front. A good thing, too, because they hit seventy miles-an-hour. Only two seats, she had to sit on Bob's lap, something that brought about a couple head knocks and a few elbow shots to Bob.

Ordinarily, this might've been kind of cool, even funny in a Three Stooges sort of way. All things considered, though, the fun and humor would have to wait.

Tune in next time, same blog, same site.....

#4 - BOAT RIDE

     They stopped at a gas station and bought a map of Alabama, when they noticed a map of Mississippi. They bought it, too. Looking over the maps, they decided to head to Mobile and then SW to Biloxi, Mississippi. From there they would decide their next move.

     Once in Biloxi, they headed toward the shore. After a couple wrong turns, nothing appeared familiar. Small houses bordered the two lane road that stood for a highway. Bob remarked, "As long as we keep heading south, we've got to hit the shoreline."

     "Then what?" Ariel asked. "I know we're trying to hide away, but are you sure about this?"

     Kathleen responded, "No one's going to think of looking down here. Once we get to the shore, then we can figure out a way to get to one of the islands. From there, we should have time to figure things out."

     Ariel sat back doubtfully.

     Bob turned, "Trust me. Kathleen has a way."

     "A way for what?" Ariel asked, arms folded.

     "A way of making something out of nothing."

     As if on queue, Kathleen pointed through the windshield. "And there's our way."

     Ariel leaned forward to see ocean in the distance. Soon, they came as far as the road would take them and parked at a restaurant. Ariel looked around before she asked, "This is our way to where, exactly?"

     Kathleen unbuckled her seat belt, half turned, and said, "You'll see."

     Sarcastically, she replied, "And are you sure that you see because-"

     Bob cut her off. "Just, trust her. Let's go."

     She rolled her eyes. "Oh boy."

     The three walked to the coast where they came across a dock with a fishing boat, the Wreck of the Gulf, filthy with the smell of fish and one man moving gear around on deck. Kathleen walked quickly. "Excuse me.      Where are you headed?"

     "Just finished a little fishing. Going home." Came the man's gruff response.

     "You wouldn't by any chance be able to take me and my friends . . . out."

     "Out?" The man straightened.

     "To one of the islands." Kathleen asked as if everyone asked a perfect stranger to take them to a non-specific location.

     "I don't think so."

     Kathleen offered, "We have cash."

     The fisherman eyed her curiously, then glanced at Bob and Ariel. After considering, he asked, "Why is this so important?"

     "We need to visit a relative."

     He cracked a smile. "And what island does this relative live on?"

     "Dauphin Island?"

     The smile lessened. The fisherman considered again before he asked, "How much?"

     Kathleen held money. "Four hundred dollars."

     The fisherman grinned. "Come aboard. By the way, I'm Captain Jack."

     Bob, Ariel and Kathleen introduced themselves as Betty, Renee and Rick, and soon, headed out on the Gulf of Mexico. Within a few hours, Dauphin Island appeared in the distance, a strip of vegetation and earth that broke through the surrounding waters. From here, Bob and Kathleen would talk over the path they'd take to Nevada, and then work on the murder of women small business owners, beginning with the letter A. They also needed to find the best way to keep Ariel, aka Betty, alive.

     As the boat made its way for one of the smaller docks, Bob noticed the captain quietly singing a song. He turned to see the smile on Captain Jack's face. He stared down upon Bob and began to sing louder, which is when all three noticed the song he sang, one by Billy Joel with the same name as their navigator.

     Soon Bob began to sing along with him in a loud voice. By the time they pulled into the dock and tied down the boat, all four were singing loudly.

     Apparently, Billy Joel's music -- or, at the very least, this song -- had been popular to those around that particular dock on Dauphin Island, as the song found its way upon the voices of most everyone there.

     This lead to a question for Bob and Kathleen: Why?

Keep a lookout for more. I think it's high time for a little action.....