Chapter 36 - Queen's Gambit I

   We made it back to the house. We made for a rag tag band, that's for sure. Three guys, all varying in height, weight, size and shape... but all dressed for scuba diving, with the gear. Francois is in expensive and tasteful casual clothes. Panic looks separate apart from everyone. That was just the guys, and they were all over the map.

   Me and Elise, actually look similar. An inch of height, I'm a little bigger, she's more compact and her fair skin contrasts with my dark Italian tan. Little Lightning? Looks to pass for any number of things, but all of us women are dressed for casual beach town looks. Francois's wife is the odd girl out. She's a tiny girl, short and thin. Little delicate hands and feet to go along with her little delicate everything else.

   Panic and Rob were talking quietly off to the side. Rob passed his hands across one another, palms out to Panic. Looked like no way, I ain't touching this one. On you, buddy. Panic shrugged without physically shrugging, and ambled over to Francois.

   "Monsieur Verte?"

   "Oui."

   "Question."

   "Yes?"

   "This is your house. Your boat was the one blown up. You and your wife? Would be the normal target, to me. I mean, you're in charge, if you want to be."

   He ran his hands through his hair.

   "As if, this is my... area? Of, being the expert."

   "Well? Still technically your show. Who's in charge, then. We can't just sit around, forever. We need to figure something out, and do something."

   "Again. Not, my, field."

   "Well. Until something better comes along, you mind if I get a little meeting started? Things are gonna start happening. Questions. We need to decide, now."

   "Please."

   "Okay. You can take it back, anytime you want."

   Francois shrugged, and sat down.

   "Okay. We all know what time it is. Thing is? We're late to the game. Other team? Knew there was going to be a game. When we didn't. I don't know for sure? But, time might end up being a precious resource. Here's the hand we got dealt."

   He walked slowly back and forth several times, before beginning.

   "All right. The short story. Our host? Mr. Verte. I don't think I'm telling anyone, what they can't figure out for themselves. Guy made a lot of money. He's done very well for himself. He? Is an investor. In fact, he's the lead investor. He, runs a group for investment."

   He sighed.

   "Mr. Verte, and the investors? They do things, their own way. What they think, is the right way. And? Here's the deal, folks. We're talking about? Some very big numbers. Some of us here? Cops, military. Or? We worked with them. Some of us? Victims of violent crime. But with the exception of our host and his lovely wife? I just happen to know, that every person in this room, knows exactly how you have to handle violent criminals. Every one of us, again, other than our host? Has either... handled it? Or, had it handled for them."

   He paused. I think he's picking up The Devil's dramatic little pause, incorporating it into his shtick. He's cobbled together his face masks and body costumes over his adult life. He likes this bit of costume. He's adding it in.

   "Some of us know, but the rest need to understand. I think everyone knows, that criminals? Can be motivated to violence, for what we think of as small gains. You can get shot and killed, for your wallet in Washington DC. Families, with money? Watch TV. One brother, will kill the other brother. To own all of the family business. Or? Both brothers, will get together and kill mom and dad. Why? Simple. They don't want to wait. They? Want their inheritance now. Like... little children, screaming for more candy. Problem is, though."

   Another pause.

   "We're talking about big numbers. If you walk down the right street, the right alley? In a big city in America. You have nice clothes, nice jewelry? Maybe a nice wallet to go with it. Who knows. If you don't hand it over? It could cost you, your life. Why? Simple. The criminal, wants something. You? Have it. He takes it. I think everyone, when they were little? Encountered those kids. They want your lunch money, your candy. And they will, take it."

   Pause.

   "Fast forward. Criminals? Grow up. Most of them? These are the assholes, that want your wallet and jewelry. Some of them? A woman can't walk around alone, with a nice pair of legs. They'll take that, too. Give it to me? Or I'll take it, by force. And that? Is the world we live in. And that? Is, the so called... civilized world. You don't even want to think, about walking around in some third world shit-hole. I have."

   Pause.

   "And here we are. Some criminals? Aren't muggers and rapists. Not even, terrorists. No. They? Wear some very nice suits. You watch TV. We all see, the advertisements. People smiling, enjoying the famous soft drink. Wearing, the shoes that are popular this year. Everyone? Happy and dancing around. Its so sweet, its so wonderful. Its bullshit."

   Pause.

   "That wonderful, wholesome, family value concerned company? So, responsible for the environment, and all the other bullshit they claim? Those shoes, are being made in third world shit-holes. With slave labor. Even the wonderful, family values famous soft drink? Bottled and shipped out of, third world shit-holes. Why? Bigger profits. If the shipping is less, than the difference between union labor at home, and slave labor in the banana republic? Guess what. Its business. That's more profit? That's what they do. And, if you don't do it? The stockholders, will sue you. Win. Remove you. And put a CEO and a board of directors in, that will. Why? More profit. Its business."

   Pause.

   "If you complain? Everyone laughs. Its business. You wouldn't understand. The point I'm going to make? Billions, of dollars are at stake. Over what. Cheap shoes that sell for big money this year, back at home. Some famous soft drink, that everyone wants. And if you raise your voice? Point out what's going on. Raise enough hell over it. Gee. Lets see here. Billions of dollars... one asshole, that thinks he can make a difference. Now I want you to use your head, what happens."

   Pause.

   "Yeah. The happy, family values, ecologically friendly soft drink company? They hired, essentially mercenaries. To eliminate, the problem. The problem that time? Was people trying to start a union. In a banana republic. The corporation? Spent a couple million, and had them squished. So everyone got the point. The big people? Will squash you, if you oppose them. No one really noticed? Because we were all more concerned about which asshole sits in the white house the next four years, while that went on. Everyone knows it, its no secret."

   Pause.

   "Because that's another rule. If it doesn't end up on the TV? On the news. Then, its like it didn't really happen."

   He chuckled.

   "All I was concerned about? I had three good friends, on that boat. I got lucky. My friends? Were underwater, diving. Instead of on the boat. On the way out? The radio. The local news. Reports? That a freak lightning bolt, struck a yacht. Now, do the math, people. They haven't located the wreckage yet. They haven't found any survivors yet, to ask them. That's the story, on the news, already."

   He laughed.

   "And if you believe that fairy tale? Come here. I got a great deal for you. On some oceanfront property. In Ohio. Real cheap, you're gonna make out like a bandit. Running a special today. I'll sweeten the deal. See that bridge? The Brooklyn Bridge, goes in with the deal."

   Everyone chuckled. Nervously, but still.

   "Because if lightning struck that boat? Monkeys, are about to fly out of my ass. I'm serious about this. That? Was no explosion. An explosion? Is a big ball of flame, and a lot of smoke. If lightning struck those big diesel tanks, and exploded? That's what you would have seen. Flames, and smoke. But I was there, you were there, that's not what you saw. What I saw? That was no explosion. That, my friends, was a detonation. You set a detonation off, with a small high pressure explosion. It touches off the huge explosion, of the fuel around it. The hallmark of a detonation, versus a regular explosion? That lovely mushroom cloud, that stays together and lingers. And the sound, by he time it reached us. Not a boom, like an explosion. It was a crack, then a boom. Again, the signature of a detonation."

   Pause.

   "So. That's the rules of this game. There are no rules. And you can get scared by that? Or you can smile. Because. If there's no rules? If there's nothing but happy bullshit on the news, what really happened? Great. That means, there's no authority. No police. No referee. Its meant to frighten you. But me? I'm now allowed to go and cut someone's head off, and stuff it up their ass. We're actually, in all reality? In a very strong position."

   Pause.

   "Francois? Used to have a friend. A... mentor, if you will. He was a priest, of all things. Francois has a conscience. And when he was young, and saw what happens. When there's big money involved. Big governments involved. And? Simple villagers living over top of something that the first world wants, very bad? He saw what ends up happening. I saw it too. Its called? Ethnic cleansing. And you know what? No... special talks on TV. No, UN meetings. No one? Did a damn thing. Why? Everyone wanted, what those poor people lived over."

   Pause.

   "Francois, was mentored. By his family priest. Pray for strength. Do the right thing. Next time? Do it, the right way. And he set out, to do just that. And you know what? He found out. To his happy delight. Turns out, there were other rich men, like him. That wanted to do things, the right way. The civilized way. And? They started doing it. They excluded? The assholes. That... hire mercenaries, to kill villagers. Because an extra ten cents, on that two dollar bottle of soft drink you like to drink on a hot summer day? Doesn't sound like much, to you and me. But to them? Its billions of lost profit, year in and year out. You let that shit get started, well, where does it end up."

   Pause.

   "Him, and his army of investors? Have figured out a way. To... exclude, these assholes. And you know what? They're not happy about it. They? Are used to getting their way. Every, single, time. And just like the first time you don't give your lunch money up. Just like the first time the mugger has a fight on his hands. Bullies? They can't have this. They can't have an example set, that you can fight back. Because people might start to get strange ideas. Like, we don't need these assholes. And we can do something about it."

   Pause.

   "The bullies, I'm talking about? They killed his mentor. A priest, for the love of god. Francois, was supposed to get the message. Well? He got the message, all right. He flipped them the middle finger, and went about what he was up to, even harder. They just found out, they got played? And played hard. Beaten, at their own game. The good guys? Are gonna win this time. God, forbid."

   He pointed in the direction of the sea, through the pulled shut curtains.

   "Another? Very convenient accident. Scaring Francois? Was more useful, than eliminating him. He's too... useful. Well, you can see where we're at. Now. Anyone wants out? Fine. No one will make fun of you. I'll wave and smile, and shake your hand, and put you on the plane home. No hard feelings."

   He paused.

   "But if you're like me. If you have anything at all, resembling a conscience. Stick around. I wasn't kidding. We're actually? In a great position. No one? Knows us. We're all just... couple yahoos on vacation. And this ain't about money. This? Is about living in a civilized world. Me, I don't mind paying ten cents more, for a two dollar soft drink. So I know, that someone didn't get killed, to force the others to make it."

   "Or? No problem. You can go home, and... buy coffee. Pay more for it? Because the label says so. Sustainable, friendly produced. All green, and snuggles. People were paid to pick the beans, not killed to force everyone else. But I'm telling you, right here and now. That double priced coffee? Is the same coffee, made the same way. You just buy the bullshit, and give the company twice as much. Why? So you can sleep at night."

   Pause.

   "Me? I can't sleep some nights. Because I was there, and I saw what really goes on. I gave it everything I had, for years. And you know what? I got fooled, too. I? Was part of the bigger game. My job? Wasn't to protect innocent people. That's just the happy bullshit on the label I was given to read. No. My job? Was to raise hell, and raise the cost of the coffee. So, assholes could make more money, off of a more expensive commodity."

   Pause.

   "We just happen? To be exactly the right people. In? Exactly the right place. At? Exactly the right time. We act fast? We can catch the tail of this rogue tiger. And. We hold on, that tiger will drag us back, and let us know which assholes are pulling this shit. And then? They already showed us. There are no rules."

   Pause.

   "Hands. Who, is in. Who wants to go home, and pretend the happy dancing bullshit on TV? Is the truth. Because I tell you something. Me? I'm in. I'm all in. I'm this close? To finding the right ass to kick, to put a stop to the bullshit. Because I'll tell you a secret. These people? Just seem scary. When you find one, and pull back the curtain? They ain't nothing. And I'm all about being there, and seeing the look on their face, when I put my hands on them. Paybacks, are a bitch."

   He raised his hand.

   One by one, people looked at one another. Hands went up, until they were all up.

   "Good. I meant what I said. We're in a perfect position. The other side? Has absolutely no way, to see what's coming. They don't know, they have no way to know. That I was in the... stupid coffee wars when I was young. Me? I'm just some guy. I own a gun shop. I took my girl? On a vacation."

   "Rob? You're just a master mason. Brick, block and tile. Skykid? Master electrician. We're all just yahoos, on vacation. Elise? You're just some American detective, between detective jobs. On vacation. Vladimir? A businessman. Assistant, to some big business guy. We all, have the perfect cover. Just... be yourself. Its too easy."

   Rob raised his hand.

   "Rob?"

   "Question. This all sounds, wonderful. What's the plan. You even got one?"

   "Yeah."

   "Well?"

   "Okay. That was a well coordinated strike. The kind of idiots, that just tape a cellphone to a pipe bomb? This, was not what happened. Professionals did that. This, had planning. The high explosive charges, would have been in place, long before. Because any good magic trick? The trick was actually done, way before you even know you're going to see a magic trick."

   Rob looked at Skykid.

   "Okay. What are you thinking set it off."

   "Glad you asked. This was done? Very carefully. Again, I respect the level of professionalism, that went into this. I want you to notice something. If the boat blew up, in harbor? No good. Cameras would record, what was obviously a detonation. No lightning. No, it has to happen when the boat is out. Far enough away, from anyone else? That you can get away with the bullshit lightning story."

   Rob mused.

   "I'll give you that. But, someone had to be nearby. To push the little red button."

   Panic smiled.

   "Did they? They want Francois, and his wife. Dead. Cell phones. His cell, and his wife's cell? On the boat. GPS location? Turned on. For the navigation apps. You can sit, and watch a laptop. The right dots, are together. Out? In the water. Finally. You follow, a ways off. When there's no boats around, when things are far enough off shore, there's no recordings and witnesses. Only then? Do you send the confirmation signal."

   Rob shrugged.

   "Maybe so. But, can you prove it."

   "No rules. I don't have to. But? Proving it, or... satisfying myself? The way to go about it, just happens to provide clues."

   Rob eyes him.

   "Such as."

   "I have access to a big boat. Actually? Two big boats. I'm buddies, with the navigation and communications officer, on the one boat. We like to geek out together, after hours. He, has a big... air traffic controller screen. Its recorded. So, if boats run into one another? You don't play he said, she said. You can show? Who ran into who. I'm betting you, my last twenty bucks? Francois's transponder, had a shadow. Not close. Far enough away. Probably, someone fishing. But? They played tag."

   "What's that prove."

   "It doesn't prove, anything. But, it'll be obvious. Remember, the big boats? Are docked. All, those little boats, again docked. All those transponders. One of them? Had the power on. Ready. Night? And day. For a while."

   "How do you know that."

   "I don't. But once I do? There's my proof. Think. You're the field team. Waiting. Waiting, for the pieces to line up, just right. You need... power, for stuff. A laptop, for instance. To watch? Francois's and his wife's... dots on the map. You fire up the panel juice? Keep it fired up. Transponder is on, too. In dock, night and day. Waiting."

   Rob wagged his head.

   "Keep going."

   "Ah, you're seeing it. Then? This transponder? After all that waiting. Just happens? To decide to go out, like magic. When you guys leave."

   Rob made a sour face.

   "But, they're watching the boat. They know, Francois and his wife, aren't on it."

   "No, Rob. Thugs? Would ironically, know that. Because human beings, notice things. But, these are the pros. Let the technology? Do the work for you. You sit back. Why get busted tailing a car, when you can just watch a dot on a map, instead. I was there, watching this. On the Smiley Face Killer case. You just GPS tag the vehicles? Then sit back, a couple miles back. They can't get away."

   "Okay. Then, they shadow us out. A ways off, but still."

   "Yep. Far enough away, they can see everything. The big picture. Is the boat far enough out? Check. All other boats not around, too close? Check. There we go. Send the confirmation signal. Kaboom."

   Rob thought about it.

   "And you can get this?"

   Panic smiled.

   "Rob. How many times you seen it. Two geeks meet? We smile and all but run into each other's arms. We like to geek out. Have a little geek fest. I get to, what. Watch a movie. See the transponder signals. When I think I got your shadow? I can now ID it. Play it in reverse. See it go back, in the mess, the pile up that's the dock. Then? Shut all the other one's off. And now see it. Alone. Days at a time, always on, waiting."

   "Holy shit."

   "Yeah. That? Is the tiger. We're harmless. We're, just mice. A mouse? Can ride the tiger's tail. All the way home."

   "How. This is a pro field team. You ain't wearing a ball cap and sunglasses, and following them around. No way."

   "Why would I. That, would be fighting hard. I wanna fight smart. I know who they are now. I can document the boat. What flag it flies. I can get near enough, to ID their cell phones. I can follow transponder signals, on a map. I can track cellphone dots on a map, too. Ironically? I can now do to them, exactly what they were doing to Francois."

   Rob mused, and calculated.

   "I'm not saying, its not a decent plan. I think it is. I'm not saying, that you can't do this stuff. Cause I've seen you, following signals around in the jungle. Aiming us right at distant targets, we didn't know how to locate."

   Panic grinned. With his face dropped, I've said it before. The two don't go well together. Its a smiling death mask.

   "So. What are you saying."

   "Where's your... tech support for all this."

   "Glad you asked. I can get that here? Toys and tech support."

   "How. We're out of the country."

   Panic grinned.

   "Little Lightning? Would you come up here, honey? Please."

   She stood up, and walked over.

   "I can get the tech and the toys here? Anytime I want."

   "Light?"

   "Little Robbie. You want something? To be where you want it to be. What do you put out, and you don't have to wait very long."

   "Bait."

   He grinned.

   "Exactly. Tech support team, with toys?"

   He glanced at his watch.

   "Close of business, say 4, 5. Latest. Couple hours, flight time. The best tech support, far as I know? Will be here, for a late dinner."

   "Really?"

   "Like you would say, Rob? Yep yep. Merry? Honey."

   "Yeah."

   "Will you be a dear? Take Little Lightning, and I want you to make a couple pictures, a couple little videos."

   "Of what."

   "Little Lightning. Doing her thing. Laying out, all oiled up. Some Teddy Ball fun. A little dancing in the surf. And? Very important. Her, standing on Teddy, balancing. A little booby shot, wouldn't hurt any. Have her wear something? Disgraceful."

   I smiled.

   "You, are so devious."

   He blew me a kiss.

   "No, I'm not. I'm actually? Far worse."

   "Instructions."

   "Use your burner. Burner, to burner. Tell him, to contact me on my burner. After all, I need to tell him which toys I need."

   Me and Light were going off, to do just that. As soon as the meeting was over. He was wrapping up.

   "Francois? A polite suggestion."

   "Yes."

   "The object of a chess game? Is checkmate. But? The Queen. Is the most important piece on the board. I'm sorry, but... the farther away from you, the Queen is right now? The safer she is."

   Francois calculated.

   "And? I agree."

   "All right. We're going to do a magic act, people. This illusion? You've seen it before. Its called? The Condemned."

   I smiled. He went on to explain, the hanged man illusion. With Francois and his wife, hanged? Dead. They're out of the way. His investment group, couldn't be stopped. But? Killing both him and his wife at once, created a great deal of confusion, if only temporarily. Panic asked him not to try to limit that apparent confusion? Do the opposite. Ramp, it, up.

   Make it appear? As if powerful money men, were all fighting over who got what, and what would be done. Let the enemy think? They were fighting among themselves, over investment opportunities. Fighting, over who was going to be in charge and lead, next. Over who got to control, hundreds of billions of investment dollars. Now leveraged, to the hilt? To be trillions of dollars, being controlled.

   Make it look, as if the knights of the round table, were fighting. Over who got to wield, that big beautiful golden sword next.

   He finished up, with the ending. When the hanged man, reappears and rips his cloak off at the end of the illusion? His empire, still intact. His army? Not really fighting among themselves. He'll be at his destination. And? Suddenly more powerful than ever.

   And the enemy? They'll shit themselves.