#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.....