Jack Of All Trades (Erotica)

Ray did some calculations and froze when he saw where this was going. “The rear units are using less power than they were in Las Vegas.”

“I do not believe Ambassador Danner is within the vehicle at this time.” Gee suggested and earned a glare from the Major. Bal nodded to her partner.

“We’re within range to take control of the vehicle, Major,” the pilot called out.

“Do it,” she barked.

“System breached. Communication system open, Major.”

“Mr. Levine, this is Major Cha’Risa Ash of Earth’s Security Council Force. We have taken control of your vehicle. We will be stopping you for questioning in the abduction of the Altarian Ambassador Jack Danner. Have your security team drop their weapons out the window when the vehicle stops. Thank you for your cooperation with this matter.” She switched off and looked over at Nann. “You’re up.”

The woman grinned and positioned herself at the side door and locked her boots into the mounts there.

“Major! Gunfire inside the vehicle! One shot!” the pilot called out.

“SHIT! Get us down there and stop that vehicle!”

The side door retracted up into the ceiling and Nann’s sniper gun came online. The barrel snapped into place and the electromagnetic coils instantly charged with a high pitched hum. The gunsight on Nann’s helmet snapped down in place in front of her eyes and she grabbed the handles which directed the barrel and held the triggers.

“Bring the windows down,” Ash ordered.

They could see the large vehicle coming to a stop just ahead on the road. The moment the windows dropped two of the mercs inside leaned out and opened up on them.

Nann tapped her triggers twice and the heads of the shooters disappeared in a red mist.

“Mr. Sharif! You must get the navigation records from the vehicle as quickly as you can!” Gee exclaimed.

“They are attempting to lock us out. That’s not going to happen.” Ray said, his hands flying over his controls.

Bal looked at Gee. “I believe the soldiers may have killed Mr. Levine.”

Nann chambered a special round and fired it into the open window of the luxury vehicle. The payload went off and the car filled with a caustic gas. Extremely uncomfortable when breathed and especially reactive on tattooed skin. Two more mercs burst from the vehicle firing on the carrier. Nann hit one in the spine taking his legs out from under him and punched a hole in the other one’s chest. The crippled merc ate his gun rather than be captured.

The round that went through the window also had a sensor pack which reported no one alive in the back. No one with Altarian genetic material. Maury Levine was dead. The driver in the front was dead sitting next to the last remaining merc who was trying to do something nasty to the vehicle’s computer.

“Fuck you pal!” Ray barked and set off the emergency restraint system around the man. He was hit from three sides by cushions at maximum pressure. Unfortunately this broke his neck so they lost their last chance to question one of the mercs.

“Why the fuck did they do that?” Ash barked.

“They are mercenaries. Perhaps they were paid by Mr. Levine or a third party to ensure they were not taken alive.” Bal suggested.

Then they were on the ground and the back door opened. Leo and Maxim rushed out and dashed to the vehicle but they confirmed that Jack was not inside.

“Did you get the locations they traveled to?” Gee asked Ray.

The man looked at the Major and she gritted her teeth. “They stopped at the second airport on our list,” he confirmed.

“We must go there now.” Gee said.

“We have to wait for local law enforcement to arrive and take control of the scene. They are on their way. Ten minutes out.” Gee sat back and shared a worried look with Bal.

Due to the ill prepared nature of the local police who arrived it took another fifteen minutes to get additional units on scene to guard the crime scene until the state police could come. Only then were they able to get underway to head for the airport.

Major Ash sat across from Gee and felt her cheeks burning. “I want to apologize for not listening before.”

“We understand your decision.” Gee said.

“I’m grateful for that understanding. You were right and I wasn’t. You could be telling me ‘I told you so’,” she said contritely.

“That would not be helpful behavior. We cannot afford to waste energy on such trivial matters. Nothing matters but finding Jack- Ambassador Danner,” Gee slipped once more.

Ash smiled and Nann leaned forward. “What kind of man is Jack Danner that he inspires such fierce devotion?” the redhead said with a grin.

Gee looked at the woman with nervousness but nodded. “Jack is a good man. He strives to do his best in all things though he is not always successful. He cares deeply for his family and friends and does not hesitate to act in protecting them even at risk to himself. He is also silly and playful and often exasperating.”

Bal frowned and nodded but they saw a fondness in her as well. Ash and Nann shared glances.

“Then let’s find him,” the Major said.

Jack’s next recollection was a loud droning which was murdering his thumping brain. He cracked open his eyes and saw… almost nothing. The interior of the plane he was in, shackled once more to a chair, was pitch black except for the dimmed lights from the controls in the cockpit. The two men were up in the first two seats flying the plane. Or rather the one on the left was flying and the other one didn’t look so good. His left arm was wrapped in bandages which were soaked through with blood. The pilot was wearing some kind of goggles. Night vision? Jack looked out the window and saw the tree tops racing by seemingly just under the plane. His stomach threatened to climb up into his throat and he must have made a sound as the injured man peered back at him with a look of pure hatred.

“YOU! Shut the fuck up!” he grunted.

“Dave. Conserve your strength.”

So injured guy was named Dave. Jack took stock of his situation. He was shackled to a chair in a small vintage, propeller driven airplane, flying ridiculously low… to avoid detection maybe? He still had on the glittery suit and one of his captors had a very bad injury on his arm. Potentially a mortal wound. How it happened he had no idea as it must have happened while he’d been unconscious.

He glanced out the window again and looked up this time. He found some familiar constellations and determined they were heading west. He was going to go out on a limb and say they were headed towards Los Angeles. As good a guess as any he supposed.

A short time later the radio crackled. The pilot looked over at Dave but he was breathing shallowly and looked unconscious. He flipped on his mic. “Inbound,” was all he said.

Jack looked out the window and could see a wide glow on the horizon but everything below was blackness. He held his breath as the pilot made adjustments to slow them and take them even lower. Jack began to see spots in front of his eyes when the wheels screeched as they landed. He gasped in a breath and tried to settle his nerves. The plane taxied for a long time then stopped. The interior lights went off and Jack couldn’t see anything.

“Dave, we’re here.”

Silence.

“Dave?”

Headlights from a car outside suddenly lit up the inside of the plane. Dave was dead. His bandage was saturated with his blood. The pilot was staring at Jack with murder in his eyes. He picked up the shock stick and jammed it against Jack’s chest.

Once more lightning shot through Jack’s body. Then he heard a sharp crack sound and the pilot dropped to the floor, his blood and brains splashing against the opposite window.

Jack’s consciousness began to slip away once again as a face outside his window peered in at him. Something familiar… then nothing.

It took twenty more minutes before the personnel carrier reached the remote airfield.

They landed and fanned out as they approached the building. Bal discovered a large drum behind the building which still had some residual heat from an intense fire within it. Something was burned in the drum recently. They moved to the front door and saw it was open. Gee noted the marks in the dust indicating a number of feet recently moving through the door. She slipped inside with Bal following closely. Leo and Maxim were at their heels but gave the all clear shortly after confirming the building was empty.

The Major entered with Ray and found Gee and Bal staring at a chair bolted to the middle of the floor in the otherwise empty garage. A pile of chains lay on the floor behind the chair. Bal knelt to scan the chains.

“Traces of Jack’s cells on the chains. He was here.”

“The barrel.” Gee asked and the hair on Leo’s and Max’s necks stood on end from her tone.

“Not enough residue inside to be a body and the temperatures required to turn his bones to ash would have slagged the barrel as well.” Bal explained. Gee sighed with relief as did the two soldiers.

They spread out and Leo called out when he found something. Gee and Bal were immediately at his side. He looked a little uncomfortable being the focus of their attention so he just pointed to his finding.

“The dust is thick along this bench except for here. The stack of clothing has been disturbed. There is also boot shaped gaps in the dust.

“They burned his clothes and dressed him in something from here.” Gee guessed. She picked up the next garment on the pile and unfolded it.

There was a snort from the doorway. Gee and Bal turned to look at the Major.

“They dressed him as Elvis?” she grinned.

“That they dressed him at all is a good sign,” Bal indicated and the Major’s grin dimmed as she nodded.

“Major! I have blood!” Nann called out over their comms. Bal took a quick image of the suit Gee was holding up and they all rushed outside to join the sniper.

“I followed the tracks from the door and some led to a spot where the Empress was parked. The other tracks led to the paved surface leading to the runway. Then I saw this.” Nann explained as she pointed to the ground.

The dirt was disturbed quite a bit and there were splashes of blood in the sand. Bal knelt beside the area and ran her scanner over it.

“A struggle?” the Major asked. “Did Jack fight back?”

“Not sure. Look here. There are two deep divots in the ground and one seems to have blood on it. The divots are likely from Jack’s horns when he fell on his back here. The fact that there’s blood on the hole likely means his horn had blood on it-”

“Which wasn’t his.” Bal remarked. “None of the blood is his. There’s some flesh in the hole as well which also isn’t his. From the foot prints and Jack’s impression in the sand I think he was being carried by two men and one dropped him, Jack’s horn injuring the man in the process.”

“How sharp are his horns?” the Major asked.

“It’s just the points you must avoid but they’re sharper than your sharpest blade. Does your blade sharpen itself constantly?” Gee asked and the team’s eyes widened.

Gee returned to examining the patterns and footprints in the sand. “The injured man was led onto the pavement. Then Jack was dragged to the pavement as well.” She looked out at the dark strip of concrete. “What kind of air craft could carry three passengers, travel without being detected, and what kind of range would it have? What abandoned airports are within that range?” She looked over at Ray whose fingers were flying over his terminal.