Chapter #56Flight to Fane by: Seuzz   Most of your memories from being inside Frank and Joe have rotted away by now. All that remains is an overwhelming fear of them. Joe was rough enough when he had you alone in the back of Eric's shop. Frank--
You shudder hard. Anything would be better than facing Frank. "Can you really keep us safe?" you ask Eric Kim in a trembling voice.
"I won't lie to you, Will," he says gravely. "Where guys like them are concerned, there's no guarantees. But it's a big world to hide in--"
"Don't be a fucking pussy, Prescott," Patterson sneers.
"You don't know these guys!" you yell at him. "I do!" You turn to Eric. "I'll go with you, if you really can protect me."
"I can try," Eric says. To Patterson he asks, "What about you?"
Your schoolmate scowls. "Can I just go home?"
"As far as I'm concerned. It's your neck."
"Hang on," Curt Straussler says. "There's a little matter of kidnapping--"
"Oh, come off it, Curt," Eric snaps. "What are you going to charge him with? Are you gonna show this stuff to the cops? You want them turning your company inside out, wondering if you've got any more--?"
Straussler turns purple, but makes no reply. After a long pause, Patterson stands. "In that case, I got a car out front. I'll see you assholes around." He saunters out.
"Last warning, Curt," Eric says. "You don't have to go with me back to Fane, though you'd be safer there. But you need to get your family out of here."
Straussler tugs furiously at his lip. "I'll drop you off in London," he snaps. "After that--"
"Thanks, I appreciate it. Get your family. Now. Two minutes. I am not joking."
Straussler strides from the room; his goons look uneasily at each other.
But Eric ignores them. "Listen, Will," he says, and grips your arm. "I don't want you to worry about anything. Where we're going you'll be fine. They'll take care of you. You've got information that they'll value a lot, and they'll pay you back by keeping you safe. But you're leaving your life behind. You know that, right?"
Exile. Your gut lurches. But it's that or Frank Durras. You nod.
"Alright," Eric says. "Stick with me, we'll take separate cars out to the air field. The Strausslers are not happy with you, obviously, and you and me should talk anyway."
* * * * *
So you ride out with Eric, trailing behind the Strausslers in their BMW, to the municipal airport. A Gulfstream jet is already out and being fueled. Eric smiles wryly. "How'd you like to be rich enough to have three private planes?"
"Patterson wanted it," you reply.
Eric laughs. "And I don't blame him. I don't blame you either. Just remember that we're hitching a ride with the people you tried robbing."
The flight is less awkward than you'd feared it would be. Curt and Jonathan look very grim as they board the plane, and Mrs. Straussler looks harried and frightened. But they disappear into a back cabin and close the door. You and Eric are up near the front, in two very comfortable seats. After the plane has reached cruising altitude, a stewardess serves up a small but rich dinner of steak and lobster and French fries. You and Eric talk.
"It's called 'Fane'," Eric says. "It's a conglomerate, or a conglomerate of conglomerates, actually, all very big and complicated. I work for them."
"They're in the comic book business?"
He has to put his silverware down as he laughs very long and hard. "No, Will, they're not in the comic book business. Or maybe they are, they got their dicks stuck in all kinds of places. But, uh-- Have you ever heard of industrial espionage? The business of stealing technology and trade secrets and stuff?" You nod. "Well, that's what I do. I'm one of their agents. The comic book shop is just a cover. It's a good match for me, 'cos I love that stuff anyway. But it doesn't pay the rent."
"Who's in Saratoga Falls that you'd be spying on?" You glance behind you. "Is it the Strausslers?" you whisper.
"No, we leave them alone. We'd like to be in business with them, actually. That was another one of my jobs, keeping Curt intrigued with some of the little gadgets and stuff we have."
"Like that thing he used to unmask me?"
"Yeah. Damnable bit of luck, that. I'm kinda sorry you got caught. It was a neat play you guys were making, and since I'm in the espionage racket myself I can appreciate it on its own terms." He puts his fork down long enough to shake your hand. "But I was actually keeping an eye on the military base. Fort Suffolk."
Oh. Of course.
"They're a research station," he continues, "and some of our rivals are working on some interesting stuff out there."
That doesn't seem to square with his owning a comic book shop, and you say as much. Again, he laughs.
"You don't know military types," he says. "They love the stuff I carry. Oh my God, the coin they drop. You might not have seen them around the store much, but it wasn't you guys, it was them that kept me in business. Well, that's not true," he adds. "Home office was subsidizing me.
"Now, Fane's gonna be real interested in what you can tell them about that book and those masks," he continues. "That's how you're going to pay for your protection."
"There's not a lot I can tell them. Patterson had the book, and he was running things--"
"They'll be interested in all that, sure, but they're gonna be more interested in your two magic guys. From what you said in your, uh, interview--" He shifts uncomfortably, and leans close. "I'm real sorry about that. I mean, I'da gotten it out of you myself, but it woulda been a lot nicer with me. Anyway," he continues when you don't reply. "You got close to those two magic guys. Real close. Anything you can tell us about them will be very valuable."
"Are you gonna try capturing them?"
Eric is silent a moment. "I won't lie to you, Will, one reason I let your friend stay behind was to act as bait for those two. But I'm not hopeful we can catch them. They're way out of my league, at least. But anything you can tell me about them will help us protect you."
So you tell Eric your story, from the beginning, with as much detail as you can remember under his prodding. He slides his meal away and takes copious notes. It fills the otherwise boring flight.
"This is excellent, Will," he says when you're done. "This is amazing."
"I just got lucky. And I had the masks--"
"And did some really impressive things with them. It's a pity you can't tell us more about Frank and Joe's organization, but I bet Fane knows more about them, and you can help fill in a few pieces."
"Is that all I'm going to do, give them my story?"
"I don't know," he admits. "They'll put you in a protection program, at the very least. But I wouldn't be surprised if they offered you a job."
What? "But I'm just a kid, I don't know how to do anything," you protest.
"Everyone is just a kid when they start out," Eric says. "But you got talent, and Fane values talent. You'll land on your feet. You'll see."
He settles back, and you do too. It's been a long and busy day, and you soon doze off, though your slumber is uneasy.
* * * * *
You're woken with a jolt, and the stewardess appears to tell you and Eric to prepare for landing. Thirty minutes later, you exit the plane under a dull gray sky. "Welcome to sunny England," he laughs.
A silver Bentley is waiting for you, and you have a comfortable two-hour drive out into the countryside. Eric tells you only a little more. "You're going to be meeting one of the top guys at Fane," he says. "Don't worry about it. While you were sleeping I went up into the pilots' cabin and sent them my report. I talked you up. He'll be eager to meet you, treat you nice."
You're still very nervous, and more so when the ride ends in front of one of those big English country houses like you've seen on TV. A butler admits you and Eric, and guides you into a cozy parlor. Eric just indicates that you should keep still.
After a few minutes a door that's been hidden behind some paneling opens. A man in a dark three-piece suit steps out. He looks like he's in his sixties, with a narrow, well-lined face and white hair. His eyes twinkle warmly, and he greets you with quiet but formal courtesy. "Mr. Prescott, so pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Jameson Hyde-White. Mr. Kim has said that he's already told you a great deal about us." He glances at Eric, who nods. "I will come to the point, then. Your life is in a great deal of danger. We can protect you. But we can do more than that. We can offer you employment. Would you like a job with us?"
Despite Eric's anticipations, the offer still startles you. "Don't you want to ask me questions first?"
"This first question is the most important," he says. "We will keep you safe, whether you say 'Yes' or 'No,' have no fear of that. It is merely a matter of whether you want to work for us."
"But I don't really know anything."
His smile remains warm. "You know more than you think. Everyone does."  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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