THE GIFT

Chapter 9

An hour later, he and Melanie were heading back to his ranch, discussing what their bomb should say. Even though his ranch and Curtis’ were next to each other, the road from one driveway to the other was a trip of about six miles.

“If you’d told me, a year ago, that I’d be hiding for my life in Texas from a corporate assassin, I’d have fallen over laughing and asked where you got such good weed.” Melanie explained, then finished sardonically “Now, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to laugh, again…if ever.”

“You’ll be fine. Curtis is a good man…he keeps his word.” Matt said in the ubiquitous calm, Texas drawl that made any bad situation seem manageable. Just then, he noticed a dark, late model sedan pull out of a driveway they just passed. He made it his business to vigilant about the town and its cars. This one wasn’t familiar.

“We got company.” He said, his voice still calm. “Call Curtis and let him know we’re being followed. Tell him to get Avery out here. Oh…and don’t fret…I gotcha covered.” He promised with a smile.

He began speeding up slightly to see if the sedan reacted. The sedan matched their speed, then began gaining on them, removing any doubt that they were being followed. He easily kept ahead of the sedan, but as he approached the narrow two-lane bridge across a wide creek bed, he saw the tractor pulling a hay harvester midway across the bridge…blocking his way. With “flight” no longer an option, his “fight” instinct took over and his combat experience kicked in.

“Hold on!” he barked. His voice now tempered. He slammed on his brakes just as the sedan got within a few car lengths, causing the same reaction from the driver of the sedan. Swerving to avoid plowing into the pickup truck, the sedan slid into the ditch on the far side of the road, coming to a stop some twenty yards away, facing perpendicular to 54 Matt’s truck. Instantly, the passenger’s door flew open. A man wearing a ski mask raised his machine pistol and began firing at them. Matt dove from the truck while pulling his sidearm from its holster. The fear-banishing calm that only comes from experience embraced him. With full metal jacket rounds buzzing past like angry hornets, he took aim and placed a single forty-caliber round dead center of Ski Mask’s forehead, eliminating that threat.

Meanwhile, the driver had jumped from the car and began firing an AK47 at them in automatic mode. As Matt was ducking around the truck for cover from an all-too-familiar sound, the driver advanced across the road, changing his emptied magazine as he did so.

Matt looked for Melanie, expecting her to have gotten out of the truck. When he didn’t see her, he looked at the door. His heart sunk. Several holes showing where the AK rounds had exited were clearly visible. A thin line of blood began dripping from the door jamb.

GODAMMIT! GODAMMIT! He raged. He could hear the crunching of gravel, as the driver moved around the truck. Matt lay on his back and spotted the drivers feet at the opposite end of the truck. He fired into the driver’s ankles until he hit the ground.

“HEY ASSHOLE!” he called out, causing the driver to look at him, then he emptied his clip into the driver’s face. You sons of bitches!

“Oh Melanie…” he moaned, “I’m…so sorry.” Grief swept over him. He had failed to protect her right after promising to do so. His heart shattered, then reformed into iron-hard rage. They just made it personal. “I’ll get your message out…I promise.”

Moments later, Avery and the only other two police vehicles in town, came to a skidding stop mere yards away from Matt’s truck. All three lawmen exited their cars with guns drawn.

“MATT…MELANIE!” Avery called out.

“Over here.” Matt called out. Avery sent the deputies to check on the bad guy by the sedan as he stepped over the obviously dead driver. Damn, Matt. He thought, seeing the driver’s face…or what was left of 55 it. Passing the open truck door, he looked in and instantly wished he hadn’t. The sight was gruesome. Melanie had been hit by a bullet in her chest and one in her neck. Blood had exploded throughout the cab. It was a bloody mess that he hadn’t seen since Afghanistan. It angered him that someone would do this in his “village”.

“Matt, you okay, brother?” He called out as he rounded the truck.

“Yea…I’m just f*****g fine!” he bellowed in anger. “She was my mission…and they fuckin’ killed her.” He spat, on the verge of tears. “I want ‘em, Av…I want ‘em bad. I’m going to cut their f*****g hearts out.” He raged.

“You and me, both, brother…we’ll get ‘em. They done pulled the wrong tiger’s tail. You can have their hearts…I want their skulls.”

Memories of deadly fighting…hand to hand…machine guns…grenades and mortars…blood and body parts everywhere. The pain of losing a brother warrior and the vengeful anger that gives birth to. Melanie was a “sister”. A woman of courage, willing to put her life on the line for all humanity. She will be avenged they both silently swore.

“s**t!” Curtis growled, then threw the beer bottle across the room, smashing it on the hearth. “Motherfu…” he mumbled, cupping his face in his huge hands.

“What is it, Hun?” Sharon asked, taken aback by her husband’s outburst. Seeing him start to sob alarmed her. “Curtis, what is it?’ she demanded urgently.

After a couple tortured sobs, he replied “Melanie…is…dead.”

“WHAT?” Sharon practically screamed. Reeling backwards, she dropped onto the sofa.

“Matt and Melanie were…ambushed.” He continued after gathering his composure. “Matt is okay…but Melanie…was hit.” He cast his eyes to the floor, plopped into his easy chair and wept. “I promised her she would be safe.”

Sharon gasped. “Oh my God…oh my God.” She breathed heavily. “This can’t be happening. What about James?”

“Babydoll,” he started in a hollow voice, “it’s fixin’ to get real dangerous around here. People are gonna get hurt, even killed. Why don’t you go visit your Momma for a while, so I know you’re safe?” he asked sorrowfully.

“Are you out of your ever-lovin’ mind?” she shot back, her anger surpassing her grief. “If you think for one minute that I would abandon you at a time like this…you got another thing comin’. You’re gonna need me.” She said emphatically. “And God knows I need you. Don’t you ever ask me to leave you standing alone. It ain’t gonna happen, cowboy! You should know that by now.” She proclaimed fiercely, tears welling in her eyes. “Visit Momma…my ass.” The seeds of rage began to grow through her bruised dignity. Melanie was her friend. She had made promises to her, as well.

Then returning to the moment, the reality began to sink in. She fell back into sorrow. Just then, James entered the house through the kitchen.

“I heard yelling…is anything wrong?” he asked. Then, seeing their tears, he asked “What’s wrong. Did something happen?”

“Cuz…” Curtis stared, his throat tightening “It’s Melanie…”

“What about Melanie?” he interrupted in a panic.

“She…ah…she was…ah…killed a litt…” Curtis tried to answer.

“KILLED?” James bellowed, “What do you mean “killed”? When? Who did it? How?”

“She and Matt…” Curtis started slowly, “were ambushed. They were on their way to make an…um…info-bomb.” He said slowly. “Matt took the assholes out, but Melanie was hit. Avery…thinks she...ah…died instantly, based on…” He explained in too much detail. 57 James felt light-headed. Melanie…dead? No…not possible. He just had lunch with her. No…this was somebody’s idea of a sick joke. He began to falter.

“Aw s**t!” Curtis exclaimed, seeing James go pale. “I’m sorry, Cuz.”

James realized that he had been in love with her all along. Why hadn’t he told her? How where his days going to start, now that her smile would no longer sweeten them? Her voice would no longer sooth his troubled mind…her touch would no longer make him feel wanted. His head began to swim. His stomach began to turn.

Doctor Clark…the O’Connors…now Melanie. All dead because his selfish, nothing-to-lose, who-cares insistence on being a frickin’ human guinea pig. Why? For what reason? Why couldn’t he have been selfish enough to cut Melanie completely out of his life? She would be happily running her business and loving life. Background noise became a dull hum.

Now he had brought death to his cousin’s doorstep. The room began to move.

Curtis saw the blood flow from James’ face and his eyes start to roll. He quickly dashed to his cousin’s side just in time to catch him from collapsing. James’ world went black.

“Are you okay, Hun?” a distant voice beckoned from a deep, dark hole…or grave. It didn’t matter. Slowly, light began to manifest itself, as though he was being raised from the darkness. “That’s it, Hun…come on back.” The sweet voice implored.

Suddenly...Sharon’s face filled the light and he flinched in surprise.

“What happened?” he asked urgently. Then he remembered and slumped back into the sofa. Apparently, the shock had been too much. He cast an embarrassing glance at Curtis. “Thanks for catching me.” He mumbled.

“It ain’t no thang, Cuz.” He responded gently. “You’ve been through a lot. To tell ya the truth,” he hesitated, “I’m having a hard...time…with it” he choked, “myself.”

“Oh, Babybear.” Sharon whimpered as she rose to wrap her arms around Curtis, her own tears flowing freely. That was his cue, and he began to sob.

James’ tears flowed silently now, his own heart still steadily breaking with every passing minute. From the far regions of his mind, a rage began to take hold and grow. It slowly rose into hateful temperature. Its vicious edge began to glow hot white with vengeance and keen itself with alloyed revulsion for the evil that was wrought, and for those who wrought it upon him…upon Melanie…but mostly upon the world…James’ thirst for vengeance became unslakable. They will pay…dearly.

James’ tears flowed silently now, his own heart still steadily breaking with every passing minute. From the far regions of his mind, a rage began to take hold and grow. It slowly rose into hateful temperature. Its vicious edge began to glow hot white with vengeance and keen itself with alloyed revulsion for the evil that was wrought, and for those who wrought it upon him…upon Melanie…but mostly upon the world…James’ thirst for vengeance became unslakable. They will pay…dearly.

Not long after the news was received, a knock came at the front door. Curtis grabbed his pistol and went to answer the knock. Peering through the leaded glass, he relaxed and opened the door. Matt stepped in and the two men embraced.

“I’m sorry, brother…” Matt choked. He took a moment to collect his emotions. Curtis placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “It went down too fast.” He started a fast-paced report. “I didn’t have time…no…I didn’t think” he corrected, admonishing himself, but moving on “to tell her to get out of the truck. The first bogey started throwing nines at us with a Mac, or something. I guess that surprised me. A lot of lead was flying. I took him out, but the other bogey jumps out with an AK. I had to duck around my truck for cover. I thought she got out, but…” he paused to strangle back tears of rage. “I saw blood coming from the cab…”

“Be easy, my brother…” Curtis comforted. “Ain’t no need to report. Nobody faults you for a damn thing. Whatever you did, none of us would have done differently. I should have anticipated.” He apologized, “Anyway, we’re glad…I’M glad you’re still here.” He finished, drawing Matt into a man-sized hug.

“Avery took her bod…took her to the morgue.” He concluded. 59 “Come on over here, we’ve been thinkin’ about this, and you my friend, are a huge part of it.” Matt needed a diversion.

James and Sharon rose from the big round table and embraced Matt. “Have a seat, Hun.” Sharon offered. Matt sat with without a word. He glanced at James and saw the agony in his eyes. He hung his head, and he too, cried.

The mood was grim, and the air was heavy with anger. Curtis remained standing and put on his war face. The enormity of what was happening was impossible to assess. This will change the world no less than the atom bomb did…probably more. Economies will collapse as stock markets plummet. Fortunes are going to be lost and people will die. There is no way around any of that. But this was personal.

“Okay, I’ve sent a Code Red out. They’ve spilt blood, so all bets are off. I’m issuing shoot-on-sight orders to everyone. Our latest intel says there are at least twelve bogeys in town. We can be sure more are coming. But we have help coming, too. Right now, we’re secure, so no need to worry. Just stay sharp.”

“As far as the mission goes…Matt…we need you to build the strongest Internet bomb you have ever put together. We want the formula for this potion to go to every medical facility connected to the web…every research laboratory…and most importantly to every news media outlet on the planet, big and small. Not just the networks, but the whole Internet. We want this to be so ubiquitous that governments will not be able to ignore or contain it. Hell, I want ‘em to celebrate this on Sesame Street.”

He paused, then added “I know Melanie was going to do the public message part, but you’ll have to do what you can. We’ll help as much as we can. And brother…ya did good today. Ya took some bad guys out and ya came home.”

“She was a good soldier. She was scared, but she didn’t run or desert the cause…and that’s a good soldier. I’ll build a memorial into the bomb…tell them what happened. The whole world needs to know that she died for them. With any luck…men in black will become an endangered species…with a bounty on their heads.”

James couldn’t help but feel the irony of that description. He had called himself a soldier once, in order to justify, or more accurately cope with running a man off the road to a fiery death. He supposed putting a socially acceptable label on it made killing okay. If you killed for an acceptable cause, you were a “soldier”. But the dead were just as dead….and soldiers die, too.