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The dataset generation failed because of a cast error
Error code: DatasetGenerationCastError
Exception: DatasetGenerationCastError
Message: An error occurred while generating the dataset
All the data files must have the same columns, but at some point there are 1 new columns ({'text'}) and 4 missing columns ({'Subject', 'choices', 'context', 'id'}).
This happened while the json dataset builder was generating data using
hf://datasets/LongEmotion/LongEmotion/Emotion Detection/Emotion_Detection.jsonl (at revision 253a07bf279374b4047448dae1d889e48452960d)
Please either edit the data files to have matching columns, or separate them into different configurations (see docs at https://hf.co/docs/hub/datasets-manual-configuration#multiple-configurations)
Traceback: Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/builder.py", line 1831, in _prepare_split_single
writer.write_table(table)
File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/arrow_writer.py", line 644, in write_table
pa_table = table_cast(pa_table, self._schema)
File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/table.py", line 2272, in table_cast
return cast_table_to_schema(table, schema)
File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/table.py", line 2218, in cast_table_to_schema
raise CastError(
datasets.table.CastError: Couldn't cast
text: list<item: struct<index: int64, context: string>>
child 0, item: struct<index: int64, context: string>
child 0, index: int64
child 1, context: string
length: int64
to
{'id': Value('int64'), 'context': Value('string'), 'Subject': Value('string'), 'choices': List(Value('string')), 'length': Value('int64')}
because column names don't match
During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/src/services/worker/src/worker/job_runners/config/parquet_and_info.py", line 1456, in compute_config_parquet_and_info_response
parquet_operations = convert_to_parquet(builder)
File "/src/services/worker/src/worker/job_runners/config/parquet_and_info.py", line 1055, in convert_to_parquet
builder.download_and_prepare(
File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/builder.py", line 894, in download_and_prepare
self._download_and_prepare(
File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/builder.py", line 970, in _download_and_prepare
self._prepare_split(split_generator, **prepare_split_kwargs)
File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/builder.py", line 1702, in _prepare_split
for job_id, done, content in self._prepare_split_single(
File "/src/services/worker/.venv/lib/python3.9/site-packages/datasets/builder.py", line 1833, in _prepare_split_single
raise DatasetGenerationCastError.from_cast_error(
datasets.exceptions.DatasetGenerationCastError: An error occurred while generating the dataset
All the data files must have the same columns, but at some point there are 1 new columns ({'text'}) and 4 missing columns ({'Subject', 'choices', 'context', 'id'}).
This happened while the json dataset builder was generating data using
hf://datasets/LongEmotion/LongEmotion/Emotion Detection/Emotion_Detection.jsonl (at revision 253a07bf279374b4047448dae1d889e48452960d)
Please either edit the data files to have matching columns, or separate them into different configurations (see docs at https://hf.co/docs/hub/datasets-manual-configuration#multiple-configurations)Need help to make the dataset viewer work? Make sure to review how to configure the dataset viewer, and open a discussion for direct support.
id
int64 | context
string | Subject
string | choices
list | length
int64 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
0 |
i had thought tarvik would come to the courtyard as he often did , but i guessed wrong .
instead he sent lor back to us with instructions for lor to bring me alone to the castle after dark , and in secret .
i do n't care much for that idea , i told nance .
are you afraid to meet alone with tarvik ?
she teased .
no .
thats not what im afraid of .
if tarvik tells me to come to the castle in secret , then he must suspect we have a private way to leave the temple .
what ?
no !
no one knows of the doorway to the stable but you and me and lor !
then why would he ask me to do that ?
perhaps he suspects , she said slowly , her expression begging me to agree .
but he can not know .
he will , if i follow his instructions .
i wanted to believe she was right , that he had nothing more than a suspicion .
tarvik 's knowledge of the sliding stone to the stable could foul up future escape plans .
and so to avoid exposing that secret , i told our guards i was to be escorted to the castle , accompanied by old lor .
they nodded and smiled , relaxed again now that kovat had left the city .
it was as though everyone once again felt free to breathe .
the only castle resident who never changed was kovat 's large patchy dog .
it gave me the briefest of glances from where it lay against a closed door , then settled back to sleep .
when we entered the castle , tarvik opened his chamber door , saw the temple guards , and looked surprised .
you will leave and return to your posts , he told the guards .
lor will wait outside my door to return the templekeeper when i command it .
i stepped into his room and saw artur , the guard with the streaked hair , standing against the far wall .
he was slightly taller than tarvik , and , i guessed , several years older .
his eyes were a grayer blue , his skin a shade darker , his cheekbones and arched nose sharper .
nance was right .
he was a looker .
tarvik turned , following where i looked .
you , too , artur .
wait outside for me .
artur nodded and followed the other guards from the room .
after closing the door behind them , tarvik said , i thought you wanted to see me privately , stargazer .
why did you bring guards ?
pushing the hood of my cloak back from my face so i could see him better , i said , i ca n't leave the temple gates without the guards .
why did you leave by the gates ?
is there some other way ?
he frowned , drawing his eyebrows together , and bounced lightly on the balls of his feet , such a fidgety guy , always moving .
had kovat once looked like that , young , unscarred and handsome ?
i glanced around his room .
rugs woven in bright patterns covered the walls .
i could n't see any openings in the walls , but i thought there might be some because one of the hanging cloths moved slightly , as though stirred by an air current .
the floor was piled deeply with sheepskins and more of the bright wool rugs .
on the side wall several of the stones had been painted blue and against that background there were small drawings of a deer , a bear , a rabbit , a squirrel .
a larger stone contained a picture of a white horse .
is that banner ?
i asked , walking over to the wall .
he nodded .
that 's very pretty .
i ran my finger lightly over it and could feel the roughness of the stone under the paint .
he reached toward me , unfastened my cloak and slid it from my shoulders so quickly , i had no time to protest .
i am not planning to stay .
then why are you here ?
at your father 's request .
he looked startled at my mention of kovat .
he spoke with you privately ?
he came to see me at the temple this morning before he left .
why should he seek you out alone at the temple ?
because he is free to move about his city and i am not , i said , a bit too carefully , as though talking to a child .
might as well get this straightened out right now , wipe out any notion he had about secret doors in the temple .
while my trip to the castle surrounded by guards draws considerable attention , his brief visit alone to the temple did not .
the same holds true for you , my lad .
you could have come to me when i asked to see you .
his lower lip jutted out in that childlike way that made me want to smile .
i rule the city in his absence .
it is proper for me to send for you and not the other way .
not proper to come to visit me ?
hmm , then what were all those evening appearances when he banged on the gate .
i almost asked him if i should turn him away the next time he came to share a story or a dance , but decided not .
his rapid changes of moods were puzzling and worth avoiding .
no surprise that kovat feared for the safety of his only son .
the difference between the two of them was this .
while both were brave and arrogant , kovat did not allow his emotions to blind his reason .
what was it that kovat the slayer wanted of a templekeeper ?
tarvik demanded .
he wants me to chart the stars and to warn you if i find anything wrong , uh , dangerous , evil , like that .
that caught his attention .
he leaned close to me , his face almost touching mine .
what did you find ?
something warned me , maybe some odd sound or maybe that sixth sense thing , but i reached out and pressed my fingertips against tarvik 's mouth to silence him and nodded toward the door .
for all the door 's thickness , its rough grain was no barrier to sound .
from the corridor we heard a woman ask , is the templekeeper still in my lord tarvik 's chamber ?
we heard lor 's mumbled admission .
is it his cousin or the other one ?
the other .
you will return to your stable .
my guards will escort her back to the temple .
in the silence i could imagine lor 's strong , wrinkled hands clenching .
he would not want to leave me .
but he could not argue .
then i heard his slow shuffle down the corridor , his sandals slapping loudly on the hard floor , and i knew he meant for me to hear him and figure out what to do .
which voice is that ?
i whispered .
ober .
she can send lor away , but artur will remain at my door .
i beckoned him to the far corner away from the door .
that 's what i need to warn you about .
she plots against you .
how can ober be of danger to me ?
and why should she ?
i have no answer to that , tarvik , but your father asked me to warn you and now i have .
why should i believe you ?
no reason at all .
if you think ober is dangerous , you have put yourself in danger by coming here to warn me .
a thought wrinkled his forehead and deepened his scowl because his thoughts always showed all over him .
i did n't bother to look to see if his fists were clenched .
i kept my mouth shut and waited for him to make his own decision .
finally he said , stargazer , do you warn me out of loyalty to kovat ?
no .
i owe him nothing .
then you came because you fear for me .
fair 's fair .
you 've tried to help me .
and i think if you want me to stay alive , you better send your own guards to escort me back to the temple .
i do n't trust ober 's guards .
he hesitated , glanced at the door , then caught my hand and led me behind one of the heavy wall rugs .
musty darkness made me sneeze , probably the musty more than the dark .
tarvik 's grip tightened .
i bumped against the wall , then moved through an archway concealed by the rug .
secret passages ?
wow .
between the walls , he whispered .
here , this place is always cold .
in the darkness he reached around my shoulders to wrap me in my cloak that he still held .
his fingers touched my throat and his hands fumbled with the clasp .
i could n't see a thing in the dark but i could feel his touch , hear his breathing .
and it was back to hand-holding , sword-carrying barbarian time .
was he carrying a sword ?
i had n't noticed and i did n't suppose it was a normal piece of indoor apparel .
but the hand-holding thing continued , his warm strong fingers wrapped around mine .
in a strange , cold , dark , spooky secret passage , it was kind of nice to be able to feel his body heat and hear his footsteps and hang on to his hand .
although i had no reason to memorize the path , i did , trying to place the directions firmly in my mind .
we turned corners and stumbled up and down occasional steps .
at one turning i heard a woman 's voice , her tone too low for me to understand her words .
the passage had no lights , no windows , and i could n't see a thing .
i held my breath and reached out my free hand hoping tarvik , who stalked rapidly in front of me dragging me by my other hand , would not feel my body turn .
my fingers brushed the backing of a rug .
so the passage opened to other rooms .
we ended at a blank wall that appeared to be a single stone set firmly in place .
i could see tarvik now , a shadow shape in the darkness .
either my eyes were adjusting to the darkness or light entered this inner passage at this point .
i could n't locate the source .
tarvik reached up and touched a spot on the wall just above his head height .
a stone door opened into the night air .
he pulled me outside and turned me so that i saw the outline of the hill and the distant temple in the starlight .
i will take you back myself , he said .
there was a reason why i did n't want him to do that .
tarvik , i think you should return to your chamber and perhaps move around and talk loudly so ober hears you .
i can not let you wander the hill alone .
lor is waiting nearby .
why not let me walk with you ?
i think he did not completely believe he was in danger .
if ober guesses we are gone , she will search your room until she finds the passage .
she would not dare enter my room !
can you be certain of that ?
she came to the temple today to ask me why your father stopped to speak with me this morning .
how did she know about that when i did not ?
exactly .
be careful , tarvik .
wait .
there , i see lor in the shadow of those trees .
go back .
it will be safer for us both .
is he there ?
yes .
then i suppose - stargazer , if you seek me again , come this way .
here , let me show you .
press upon the outer wall to open the door .
do you feel it ?
he caught my hand and guided it up the wall , then spread my fingers against the latch stone .
yes .
stargazer ?
what ?
to my surprise , or perhaps not , he tightened his hand around mine , circled me with his other arm , pressed his face against my ear and whispered , i have trusted you .
i have shown you the secret entrance to the castle , known to none but me .
my father knows nothing of this passageway and i have never shown it to artur .
if i trust you , will you trust me ?
for a moment i could barely breathe , unsure what he would do if i pushed him away .
standing very still , held captive , feeling the heat of his cheek against mine , i tried not to panic .
i constantly trust you with my life .
now hurry , before ober sends out a search party for you .
he hesitated , his hand still clinging to mine , then let go , stepped away from me and went back inside the passage .
the door closed behind him .
it perfectly matched the wall .
i knew lor could hear us enough to know we were near , but could n't see me in the shadow of the wall .
i did n't need to explain to him what i planned to do .
he would wait all night for me .
he 'd suspect , as i did , that ober 's guards had instructions to do something other than return me to the temple .
to wait in darkness with lor nearby did n't take courage .
the old man would protect me with his life for nance 's sake .
to turn and touch the latch stone was another matter .
i do not like dark , narrow , enclosed places .
but i did it , turned , ran my fingers lightly across the outer wall until i found that small chipped spot on the stones .
i knew i had to return to where i 'd heard the woman speaking .
once inside i closed the door , entombing myself .
i thought i knew where the inner release must be , but i was n't sure .
if i searched for it now and did not find it , i was going to give in to noisy hysterics .
i could see almost nothing , a few gray shadows in the black .
feeling my way along the wall and counting turns , my shaking fingertips scraped stone until i touched rug backing .
no sound .
tracing the wall opening with my hands , i found it to be barely large enough to squeeze a person through , a large stone missing , nothing more .
i felt my way along the passage until i found the square piece of stone , bumped my toes on it , bent down in the dark and measured its size with my hands .
who had removed it and left it here against the wall ?
ober ?
no .
if she knew about the passageway she would n't bother to wait outside tarvik 's door .
she would have stood behind tarvik 's room and eavesdropped .
tarvik ?
if so , then he must already suspect whoever occupied this room and that did n't seem likely .
perhaps the stone had been removed long ago by someone else .
if so , the answer lay with tarvik .
who had first told him about the passage ?
i could imagine he had accidentally found the doorway to his own room , but had he also discovered the latch stones at the end of the corridor ?
that was harder to believe .
over the years he had spent a lot of alone time in the castle .
but not really alone , not without a guard .
and he said artur did n't know about the passage .
is she still in his chamber ?
the voice startled me out of my thoughts .
we will be told when she leaves .
that was obers voice so the first voice had to be alakar .
what did i hope to gain by standing in the space between the walls ?
with so many missing planets in their horoscopes , i hoped i could fill in information from elsewhere .
if ever a place was elsewhere , this was it , a dark passageway with a concealed opening into their room .
why did he send for her ?
alakar asked .
i will learn that when i have her in my power , ober said .
does she matter to us ?
she is nothing , merely a templekeeper , and so dark and tall and her bones stick out .
can we not have her killed now ?
chapter 11 i bit my tongue and continued to listen .
never had liked the looks of that girl , way too smarmy .
she may seem nothing to you , but i have watched your tarvik .
he looks at her with great longing which is more than he has ever done with you .
you 're mad !
want her when he is promised to me ?
why should he ?
why indeed ?
she requested this audience with him .
he did not send for her .
what does she plot ?
ober sounded more as though she was thinking aloud than talking to her daughter .
does kovat long for her , too ?
ober 's low laugh was not pleasant .
not that way , you stupid girl .
something else .
i remember his obsession with the daughter because of her magic .
i wonder .
could this one also possess magic ?
she can not be powerful or kovat would have taken her with him to defeat the warlords of thunder .
to hear their words was scary enough , but it was nothing compared to waiting in the dark passage after their voices died away .
what were they doing ?
had they turned to stare at the hanging rug that separated us ?
did some movement of the air in the cold passageway stir the hanging ?
or had they gone to their warm beds while i was freezing ?
or was ober quietly opening the door to her room and instructing her guards to go outside the castle to grab me when i stepped out of the secret door ?
i waited for what seemed to me half the night , shivering in the folds of my cloak .
when my patience ran out , i touched the backing of the rug .
as it moved slightly , a dim edge of light framed it .
an oil lamp burned in their room .
leaning my head through the wall opening so my ear pressed against the rug , i listened .
somebody was moving around .
there .
a footstep .
a scrape .
was that a bowl or mug scraping on a tabletop ?
how bright was the room ?
should i push the rug aside or would they see it move ?
if i had n't been so positive the lives of tarvik , myself , and maybe nance , too , depended on my knowledge of ober 's plans , i would have felt my way out of the passage and run back to the temple .
instead , i moved the carpet aside the width of a pinch at a time , the wool backing catching on my fingers , pausing after each move to listen for the sound of an indrawn breath .
while i waited , i almost wished someone would scream .
then i could let go and take off out of there and forget the whole dumb idea of playing spy .
nobody screamed .
my last move brought the edge of the rug a finger width past the edge of the opening and i blinked at the light .
set for flight , i peered through .
in the lamp glow at the table the two women bent over an assortment of crockery , their attention fixed on what they did .
the wall that separated us was in deep shadow .
ober dropped a pinch of powder into a bowl .
after carefully opening a small container , she let some liquid drip on the powder .
it flared .
the room filled with yellow smoke that looked like the smoke created by the magician of thunder .
that trick had n't impressed kovat or tarvik .
how did she intend to use it ?
with a fingertip she drew a triangle on the tabletop .
if she touched it with anything other than her finger , i could n't see what she used .
a red glowing line followed her touch .
in the center of the triangle she placed a bowl filled with a dark powder .
making odd hand motions above it , she mumbled a chant .
then she took a part of the powder and measured it into a shiny object she held in her palm .
when she stepped back from the table and reached toward alakar , i saw what the object was .
ober had put the powder into a small ornamental locket that hung on a chain .
slipping the chain over her daughter 's head , she arranged it carefully around her neck .
the little locket hung like a jewel , shining against the dark fabric of alakar 's robe .
it is done , ober said .
are you sure it will work ?
alakar asked .
i know my part well enough if you remember yours .
i wish we were rid of them both now , alakar said .
what use would that be ?
until we receive word of kovat 's death , we can not proceed .
time enough then to wed and rule , my girl .
i strained so hard to catch their words it was a miracle they did n't feel my presence and hear my heart banging away .
they also did n't continue their discussion .
instead , the conversation turned to the usual , empty chatter about jewels and robes .
i waited , shivering and silent , until they blew out the lamp , before i let the rug slide back into place .
receive word of kovat 's death ?
after the dim light of the room , the passageway was thick blackness .
i felt my way along the wall until i reached its end .
a pressure on the spot above the door where tarvik had touched the rock accomplished nothing .
i touched it again , to the side , then above , then below .
had he tricked me ?
had he raised his hand to mislead me , then touched some other stone , the stage magician thing of watch my right hand so you wo n't see what my left hand is doing ?
i had barely been able to see what he did .
but why would he try to mislead me ?
had he guessed i would return this night ?
was i an idiot to believe anything he told me ?
was he waiting now in his room to hand me over to ober 's guards ?
frantic , i felt around the rock 's edge , searching for the latch stone .
i could stay here until daytime when ober and alakar left their room and then , if i had n't frozen to death , i could climb through their wall opening .
but where would that get me ?
guards must constantly patrol the corridor beyond their door .
or i could return to tarvik and tell him what i had overheard .
and how would i explain why i 'd decided to spy on his aunt and cousin ?
he said he trusted me , which could be useful , and , wow , would my turning up now put paid to that idea .
my fingers touched a smaller stone , set slightly deeper in the wall , and almost at the point i had thought tarvik touched .
Dorea was trying to cook a Baklava. When she took it out of the oven, the Baklava was ruined as the bread was not crispy, and the filling was bursting all over the pan. At that moment, her daughter came home and noticed her mom's fresh yet ruined Baklava. She tasted it and gave a thumbs-up to her mother.
i pressed it .
the door opened .
so he had not tricked me and my suspicions were unfair .
not much consolation there .
it meant tarvik really did trust me more than i trusted him , which put me in the unpleasant position of knowing i did have an obligation to help him .
hate being obligated , because in my experience , being in some guy 's debt is never a good thing .
chapter 12 have i mentioned that a thousand years ago , when i was sixteen , i dated rock decko ?
rock in black leather and chains was , uh , hot .
and i was sixteen .
which i hope explains why i thought he was hot .
he was n't much older than me , two or three years , i think .
rock was into motorcycles , worked in a cycle repair shop , and really , really , really wanted to be a bad boy but had no special skills .
i am talking fighting skills .
he could n't possibly have held his own in a hell 's angels type of dust up .
so he hung around the edges when bikers came into the shop , soaking up their wild stories and believing them , then putting himself into the lead role .
i can still hear him telling me , babe , this dude came at me , had a knife this long , thought i 'd back off , blah , blah , blah .
he had me fooled for about a month .
i was really impressed in that teenage nuts way .
were n't you scared ?
nah , babe , nothing scares me .
did i mention he was a really good kisser ?
sixteen is easy to impress .
fortunately , he did n't own a car and neither of us had a room to go to or money to rent one and had n't figured a path around that little obstacle .
also , fortunately , rock had n't yet been tapped to be a wizard .
most smash wizards do n't know they are wizards .
it is n't genetic , at least not where i come from .
it 's more accidental , like discovering you 're a natural on the oboe .
and that happens when a music teacher hands you one and says , i think you might be good on this .
with wizard mentality , the line is , do you sometimes wish for something and are surprised when it happens ?
rock and i were a twosome before his big moment .
while necking in the back booth of the pizza parlor , because necking on a bike is really hazardous and i have a few scars to prove it , i 'd come up for air and tell him about my astrology training , some of it with the local astrologer , some with my gran .
you can tell fortunes ?
hey , can you pick winners , you know , like for a seahawks game ?
verboten , every astrologer knows that , not because it is illegal but because one teeny error can earn you a lifelong enemy , so i told him of course not .
that is n't why we broke up .
another guy tried to hit on me , nothing obnoxious , the sort of thing i could have turned off with a polite , that 's my boyfriend over there .
rock did n't give me a chance .
the guy touched my arm , just touched , did n't grab , and asked my name and could he buy me a beer .
i was on my way back to the booth from a rest room run .
i did n't even get a chance to tell him i stuck to diet coke because even in mudflat they card .
the bad boy wannabe saw us and flew out of the booth swinging a chain and then there was this messy bloody mix-up , with the owner tossing us all out into the parking lot .
i left and headed home .
buses stay clear of mudflat at night .
i had to walk .
lots of time to think .
sure i was n't a brain but at least i knew a violent boyfriend could be a girl 's worst nightmare .
i told him so the next time he phoned .
funny thing , that .
he did n't argue , did n't say he was sorry .
i heard later that some other girl helped scrape him up off the parking lot pavement where mr .
pick-up turned out to be the tougher of the two .
and so i put rock decko out of my mind .
sure , when my cousin jimmy introduced me to darryl decko , six years later , i mentioned rock .
darryl said , my half-ass brother ?
sorry you 've met him , honey .
i do n't have anything to do with him and he 's not crazy about me , either .
and i was dumb enough to believe him .
after the decko boys , and a list of guys in between , is it such a surprise that i avoid letting myself be indebted to good looking young men ?
the troll is a different story .
and speaking of the troll , old lor was about as attractive and therefore , yes , i trusted lor .
peeking out around the edge of the doorway , i saw it was still night-black .
no one guarded the long wall on this side of the castle .
i closed the stone door and moved in the building shadow toward the trees .
a shadow separated from the others .
my breath stopped .
old lor whispered , this way .
i hurried to him and whispered back , we heard ober send you away .
aye , but i waited .
we circled around the back of the temple , past the stables and up the other side , watching from the far wall until we saw that no one stood near the gate except two temple guards .
yeah , tonight there were two of them .
had the guards decided that themselves ?
i did n't know what their rotation was so maybe this was routine , something they did when there were others around .
maybe they did n't like ober and company any more than i did .
when they opened the gate for me , their torches lighting my way , i glanced back and saw the silhouette of ober 's manservant across the hill , a tall form of hood and narrow cloak .
i had n't had time to do his horoscope and i did n't much want to because i had seen the evil washing through ober 's heart and that was enough .
lor was right to lead me to the gate .
now no one would suspect secret entrances .
they might wonder how i had left tarvik 's room and slipped past them , but this was not their castle .
i doubted they knew every exit .
they would figure there must be a door from his room to an adjoining room , with that room opening to a different corridor .
or they would believe i was magic .
that 's the most useful thing about superstitious people .
they are easy to fool .
oh right , a policeman once said something like that to me about fortunetelling .
nance waited for me , wringing the hem of her tunic in her hands and blinking back tears .
she sputtered complaints about the lateness of my return , then touched me and sobbed that i was chilled through and would probably come down with fever .
after wrapping a blanket over my cloak and pushing me down among a pile of sheepskins , she pressed a cup of hot tea into my hands and insisted it would warm me .
i sipped at it , wishing it was coffee , brandy , even their bitter mead , almost anything other than tea .
when she settled down , i told her what had happened .
it sounds to me as though tarvik suspects we also have a secret door , probably because he does , nance exclaimed .
be careful , stargazer .
if he ever discovers our way through the stables , we will become prisoners in this temple .
he trusted me with his secret .
is n't that worth something ?
who can be sure of tarvik ?
he is safe enough now but someday he will rule and marry alakar .
that will change everything .
those who rule do not remember their friends .
think of kovat .
he prayed with the priests of thunder until the daughter of the sun cured him .
then he was quick enough to turn against them .
those who did not escape fell beneath his sword or died in prison cells .
tell me more about this daughter and her consort .
do you remember them ?
i remember them , but it was long ago .
i was a child when they died .
they were both kind to me .
nance , do you know how she cured illness ?
how did she cure kovat ?
i only know what i have been told .
fifteen years ago the daughter and her consort arrived here from the afterworld , from the home of the gods .
i was an infant .
tarvik was four .
his mother had already died , as had my mother and father .
kovat lay on his deathbed .
when the daughter saw him , sheoh , it is so long since i have heard this tale , let me think .
yes , she lay her hands upon him and prepared a drink for him and the fever left him .
he knew then that she possessed great magic .
about what i 'd guessed .
she gave him a swallow of tea or mead or whatever , probably used to wash down a dose of antibiotic .
nance added , no one can do that but a god .
now tell me what ober said .
and what she did .
i told her what ober said .
neither of us was sure what she meant .
as for what ober did , i knew of only one person who could explain that .
nance , is there some way we can speak with the magician of thunder ?
speak with him ?
first you request a secret meeting with tarvik , now you want the same with the magician .
are you mad ?
i need to talk to him .
he might know what sorts of tricks ober uses .
knockout drops ?
poison ?
i do n't know much about drugs , but some are made from wild plants .
we need to tell him what i saw ober mixing and find out what it is .
can he be brought here ?
nance did her drama queen thing , flung herself back against her pile of sheepskins and tossed her head from side to side , exclaiming , life was so easy for me before you came , stargazer .
tarvik did not suspect me .
ober 's guards did not watch me .
i went where i chose when i chose .
and no one ever asked me to invite a magician to the temple .
stargazer !
his eyes hold terrible magic !
okay .
do n't give it another thought .
i gave her my widest smile .
if it is you and me that ober wants to be rid of , and those were her words , i will patiently await my fate .
nance jumped to her feet .
her small fists beat the air .
you are terrible !
wicked !
i can not think why i listen to you !
oh , have your way .
but if the magician 's eyes turn my heart and mind forever against you , it will be what you deserve .
do n't look at his eyes , girlfriend .
let me talk to him alone .
and who will keep him from killing you ?
why should he kill me ?
what would it gain him ?
no , we 'll give him something he wants .
besides freedom , what would he want , nance ?
something i can hand him ?
food and , oh , i can not believe i am planning this with you !
it is madness !
i can not allow it !
while nance moaned and sobbed and shouted her opinions of me , i went outside and heated water over the courtyard fire , carried it inside , washed away the day 's dust , and then dried myself with a linen altar cloth .
by the time i pulled on a clean tunic and rubbed most of the water from my hair , nance was almost calm .
not screaming anyway .
she no longer shouted .
she merely glared at me .
you win , she said .
i can think of only one way to do this and when kovat returns he 'll punish us all .
i will send word to tarvik to order the magician brought to us .
will tarvik do that ?
i will not ask him as his cousin .
i shall command him as temple priest .
i shall say the magician holds knowledge you must have to complete the task kovat set for you .
clever you .
but let me make one change .
nance clapped her hands over her ears and cried , i do not want to hear it !
i said it , anyway .
in the back of my addled brain an idea grew .
i needed to know more than what the magician might say in the presence of nance and tarvik .
nance , i do n't want the magician brought here .
instead , tell tarvik to have his guards escort me alone to the magician 's cell .
her howls of protest should have kept me awake , but it had been a tiresome night and i tuned her out .
her howls were nothing compared to tarvik 's anger .
the next day we spent an unpleasant afternoon stuck in the stale-smelling temple with tarvik .
nance had made me don temple robes , again , so i felt about as grouchy as he acted .
he could hardly believe my request , much less consider granting it .
you want to see who ?
have you gone mad ?
he said .
there were a whole lot of hard truths i was tempted to shout at him .
but nance was right .
if i was going to get my way , i had to let her win through intimidation .
for someone who did n't know that phrase , she had the behavior down pat .
trouble was , for all i knew the guy loved alakar , or lusted for her .
hey , he was nineteen and the girl was gorgeous .
that bit about not wanting her was ober 's thought , not mine .
he tended to treat me like a pet , picking me up to toss me on his horse , tucking in my hair so it would not be noticed , fastening my cloak when i looked cold .
oh yes , he liked to hug me , and probably any other available female , and might have progressed to grabby if i let him , but it was nothing more than flirting .
i knew that .
i was entertainment , amusing him with my reactions to his teasing .
i speak for the daughter of the sun , nance chanted for the third time .
tarvik glared .
he had left his guards in the courtyard , as requested , and entered dressed in his temple garb of fur-trimmed cape and gold armbands .
in his out thrust hands lay his offering , a gold trinket cradled in a soft new temple cloth .
today the cloth was another one of the linen ones i loved .
i did n't have much use for jewelry in the middle of the olympic mountains , but clean towels ?
definitely included on my want list .
the silk ones served nance 's hobby nicely but were useless when it came to drying my hair .
nance ignored his offering .
the daughter rejects all gifts from those who refuse her small requests .
how can i know this is truly the daughter 's request ?
tarvik demanded .
the daughter sent me a vision of the magician speaking with the templekeeper , nance chanted .
do you question my visions , son of kovat , faithful servant of the daughter ?
tarvik thrust out his lower lip .
we waited .
at last he said , what if the magician harms the templekeeper or - or anyone ?
my father 's anger will be toward me .
nance repeated the answer i had given her .
if he could do harm , he would have escaped by now .
the daughter knows the courage of brave tarvik exceeds the powers of the magician .
of course we won .
we knew we would .
had we argued with tarvik in the courtyard , dressed in tunics , our faces unpainted , he might have held out against a cousin and a stranger .
but here in the musty shadows of the hanging lamps , overseen by the portraits of his father 's gods and faced by two fully costumed priests of the daughter , he could drag his feet a bit , but had to give in to nance 's demands .
wish i could have had such power over the magician .
with a pouch of food hidden under my cape , i followed an escort guard back to the castle , then through a creaking metal gate , then down a winding stone staircase into the damp smell of basement .
backed into his cell , the magician faced me with the defiant hatred of a captive who knows where to place the blame .
as the guard closed the door behind me , i began to doubt my judgment .
why had i thought i could gain information from this man ?
i had outdone him in front of a powerful warlord , taken his one chance at freedom .
his gaze followed mine around the cell .
not pretty , is it ?
soon kovat will tire of you , too , and you will find yourself entombed in a like place .
mold sketched odd patterns on the stone walls .
light filtered through a grate far overhead .
the cell , a man 's height in width and depth , was beneath a courtyard of the castle , reached by twisting narrow stairs and foul-smelling corridors .
the magician had no comforts of sheepskins or bench , only the earth floor , cold and hard beneath his body at night .
remembering the bribe , i drew the pouch of food from the folds of my cape and held it out to him .
he accepted it , his bony fingers curling like talons around it .
i waited while he ate the cheese .
the bread he concealed beneath his tunic before handing back nance 's pouch .
i accept your gift but i owe you nothing in return , he said .
whatever you give me , you give to protect yourself , i said .
why is that ?
your life depends on kovat 's whim .
i can probably gain a favor or two from him .
once in command , the lady ober will have no use for me .
then you 'll lose me as your one chance out of here .
why should you help me ?
it was you who destroyed me .
no .
no , i did n't .
you destroyed yourself .
you did n't have good answers for kovat 's questions .
my words were brave enough but i still was n't going to look in his eyes .
hypnotism is funny stuff , nothing i have ever understood or been willing to try .
it can be shot through with bad magic .
what is it you want ?
i saw something i hope you can explain to me .
why should i do that ?
because i do n't know what is planned .
maybe the overthrow of kovat 's son .
maybe the destruction of all of us .
he squatted in a corner and turned his face to the wall .
hunched up , his thin hands and feet protruding from his tunic , he looked old and sick and defeated .
this matters not to me .
one ruler will entomb me , another will behead me .
where is the difference ?
a quick death might be easier .
is there nothing i can offer you ?
a way out , he whispered against the stones .
i 'll do what i can when kovat returns but there 's no way to help you escape now .
he glanced up .
i turned my eyes away .
would you help me if you could ?
in return for the right information , why not ?
your captivity is no use to me .
and that was true .
he was a weak , weary old man , separated from friends and home .
if let go , he would disappear into the mountains .
he 'd want freedom far more than revenge .
i could tell you how to free me .
true , i wasnt scared of a sickly old man , but what about kovat when he returned ?
if he discovered i had helped the magician escape , and kovat had an unpleasant ability to know exactly whom to suspect of what , what would happen to me ?
while i worried that through , i nodded .
go ahead , tell me .
i could tell you the contents of drugs to add to the drinks of the guards that would make them sleep through any sound .
you could steal past them and release me .
and when they woke up they could hack me to death .
make your own choice .
whatever you want of me must be paid for with my freedom .
the guard rapped his sword hilt against the outer surface of the cell door .
i called to him to wait a moment longer .
then i told the old man what i had heard and seen in ober 's chamber .
i know her magic , he said .
i know those signs and powders she uses .
when i am out of this place i will tell you what it means .
tell me quickly and i will try to get you out .
later will be beyond caring , dark woman .
i am weary to the brink of death and you have not much longer .
now i will tell you how to mix the drug to overcome the guards .
make your choice when you wish .
but if you hope to save yourself , you had better choose soon .
what ober mixes can be fatal .
she learned from a deathwalker .
he had barely time to tell me the leaves i must grind and simmer and add to a drink for the guards .
first , grinding coffee beans is the limit of my culinary skills .
second , his mixture might be deadly .
i think we both knew i was n't going to do it .
the guard knocked again , opened the door , and said it was time to leave .
i had no more than returned to the temple courtyard when nance attacked me with questions .
what did he do ?
how did he speak ?
what are the cells like ?
did he cast a spell on you ?
did he tell you what you need to know ?
will he help us ?
i described the prison cell with its shaft of light entering through the ceiling grill .
she clapped her hands and exclaimed , yes , i know where that is !
the grill opens to a small courtyard so the guards can check on the prisoner from above .
did he tell you what you sought ?
i told her his bargain .
nance shrieked , clapped her hands over her mouth and stared at me , her eyes wide above her crossed fingers .
he said tarvik 's life lay in ober 's hands .
do you believe him ?
is he lying to gain his freedom ?
if you help him , you will destroy yourself , stargazer .
promise me you will try no such madness .
i nodded .
i 'm not suicidal .
for now we were safe enough .
and who could know what might occur .
maybe my suspicions were wrong .
better yet , maybe bad weather would change kovat 's plans and he would return before ober attempted whatever she was up to .
nance , what exactly is a deathwalker ?
i asked and waited patiently for her to go through her usual series of screams and threats after which i added , the magician warned me against the deathwalker .
the magician ?
the magician said that ?
oh stargazer !
so tell me , what exactly is a deathwalker ?
i do n't really know .
i only know the tales lor tells .
some say that man can kill you with a touch .
some say he is already dead .
some say his soul is gone , that he traded it to an evil god .
none of her explanations matched anything i knew about .
the magician of thunder was little more than an old man with a few stage tricks .
so probably the deathwalker was also overrated , a man who once murdered someone under odd circumstances , creating rumors about himself .
while nance fussed around me , i drew a circle on a tabletop .
as i did not know an hour , all i could use was the day kovat had given me .
that meant placing the sun on the morning horizon of the deathwalkers chart and hoping it showed a message from that spot .
i knew from memory the placement of the slower planets .
i added them .
after what i had felt in ober 's chart , i did n't want to do his horoscope and certainly i did n't want to touch it .
nance leaned against the table .
what do you see in your magic circle ?
nothing much , little more than i saw in the charts of erlan and kovat , but then , this one not only lacks the moon and near planets , it lacks the placement of time .
you sound like my chants .
your meaning is clouded .
it is , i sighed .
i hoped for some clear message but there is n't one .
turning to look at her , i dropped my hand to the table for support .
when can we get out of these robes ?
a shock of cold ran through my hand .
i stumbled back .
stargazer ?
you look pale .
are you faint ?
i stared at the circle .
the sun .
his heart .
i had touched it .
nothing but cold , i whispered .
you 're cold ?
shall i make you some tea ?
no .
i did n't know what to tell her , disbelieving what i felt .
not the pits of the earth , not the swirling horror of ober 's heart .
something worse .
slowly , not wanting to do it at all , i reached out my hand and pressed my palm over the sun in the deathwalker 's chart .
it 's cold , his heart is a piece of ice .
that 's no surprise .
notice how the other guards avoid him ?
he is wicked , that 's certain , and i think they fear him .
worse than that .
i continued to press my palm to the table .
if i had not felt the cold i would have thought there was simply nothing to feel .
this business of heartbeats baffled me .
yet i felt them every time i touched the sun in a horoscope .
i had felt the pounding of erlan 's heart , the lighter rhythm of the hearts of ober and alakar .
his heart is frozen .
not cold , frozen .
no heartbeat , no pulsing , nothing .
and that means ?
what does it mean , you tell me what it means when a heart does not beat .
her eyes widened and she paled .
i told you , stargazer , i told you .
the man is dead .
he has no soul .
and his heart no longer beats .
which is why he is called a deathwalker ?
nance shrieked , i hate this !
do n't tell me more !
i do n't want to know !
she ran out of our rooms and back toward the altar room , and while i stood staring at the circle , i heard her banging around with the candlesticks .
i waited .
she calmed down enough to return .
we have to warn tarvik .
ober mentioned kovat 's death .
it may be only a wish on her part , but still , tarvik needs to know .
how can he beware of an unknown danger ?
i shrugged .
distance , maybe .
he could make himself unavailable ?
avoid her and stick close to his guards ?
impossible .
guards could protect him from an attacker with a dagger , but magic ?
also , tarvik must dine with his guests .
he can do no less as host .
had n't thought about the etiquette among the unwashed .
could he pretend to be sick and stay in his room ?
if ober seeks to harm him , that would give her an opportunity .
she could claim to bring him healing potions and instead poison him .
i do n't think she wants him dead until he 's married to alakar .
but she might have a potion to make him obey her .
maybe he needs you or me at his side to slap his hands if he tries to drink stuff he should n't ?
or better , we claim the daughter wishes us in attendance to cure him with our constant prayers ?
she moaned .
how easily you expand the duties of the temple .
and how is tarvik supposed to know your plan ?
how about i go secretly tonight to warn him ?
not without me .
after considerable arguing i was forced to accept , once again , this kid could at times be stronger and more stubborn than myself .
what would tarvik think , after showing me the secret door and telling me he trusted me , if i popped up in his room from the passageway entrance and brought along nance ?
no one knows of this passage , not even my father , he had said , and put my fingers on the touchstones so that i could use the passage .
i trust you , he had said .
if i was not so sure ober planned to damage the guy , i would never break that trust .
now i had to balance his anger against my fear for his safety .
i told nance , he is going to hate me for this .
but that 's better than letting her drug him .
|
Dorea
|
[
"Delight",
"Anger",
"Embarrassment",
"Hopeless",
"Pride",
"Disappointment"
] | 12,100 |
1 |
he could accept personal danger , but not for rachael .
his day was tedious and he was distracted , imagining her working in a different time zone in a dangerous location .
it was late at his apartment when she called .
hey , dya miss me ?
he smiled to himself .
yeah , you know i do .
whats going on down there ?
you know i cant talk about it much , except its interesting .
interesting ?
like good interesting or bad interesting ?
just interesting .
so , when are you coming home ?
probably tomorrow .
im meeting some of my bureaucrat counterparts , so need to try to be cordial .
things work a little slower here .
maybe theyre just slow-rolling you .
yeah , well , theres some patronizing .
thats for sure .
at least there are some female officials , so were getting something done .
um , so men arent efficient ?
lets just say that these men spend too much time flirting and less on business .
so .
do i need to be jealous ?
not a chance , big boy .
so , when do i get to hold that gorgeous body again ?
like i said .
maybe tomorrow night .
it all depends on how it goes down here .
he became serious .
the news isnt good on the border .
were getting whacked every week .
americans are getting more pissed .
yeah , i know .
some of us are paid to try to stop it .
its kinda tough when the mexican police dont do much .
i guess we cant treat mexico like other countries .
she responded , you wouldnt think catching one cutthroat who operates openly would be difficult , but my spook buddy here says its the way things go .
our mexican problem controls the government .
so , come home tonight !
wish i could .
i have to open every door possible , even if it leads to a dead end -- pun intended .
yeah .
i guess youre in the bigs now , so you have to go through the motions .
well , got ta go .
ill call you tomorrow and let you know when ill be home .
they exchanged loving messages before ending the call .
he should have ignored her before and gone after cardenas when he was close .
there was no chance of surprise now .
the surprise you worry too much , amigo .
cardenas was feeling good .
padilla stood rather than sit , watching the evening sunset .
with all respect , jefe , it is imprudent not to be careful .
i am getting much criticism for not finding you and bringing you to jail .
criticism from whom !
tell me , and ill have him eliminated .
its bigger than that , seor .
the american government is pressuring everyone .
are you not happy with your new position , jefe de polica !
oh , si , seor , but many people are suspicious .
we should not kill so many .
i am not trusted .
there are none to be trusted in government .
you are not unusual .
i am alive after so many are not .
that can be changed , hah !
jefe , you know what i mean .
si , my friend , but as long as i pay you , you will do as you are told !
now , i am preparing a little surprise for the norte americanos .
illinois stokes began a remarkable recovery .
after returning home with carolyn under military disability , he began physical therapy at a va hospital , going every day for several weeks to restore the strength and motion in his arms and legs .
he was able to walk normally after a couple weeks and even did some short jogging along the street by their home .
he attended school functions for his daughters and generally enjoyed the time with his family .
his arms were a larger problem .
after the va , he continued therapy on his arms and shoulders weekly at a local hospital .
he regained about eighty percent of his shoulder rotation and was able to begin light weight training after two months .
one night after a brisk walk and dinner with the family , peter called .
hey , buddy .
ready to go a few rounds with rocky ?
hi , peter .
hows it going ?
oh , im lonely in dc while my girl is away on business .
just thought id call to check up on you .
stokes went into another room , yeah , well .
im doing great .
lots of pain killers for the shoulders , but its getting less all the time .
im starting to work on the weight machine and fast-walking .
bet i could out walk you now !
hey , dont press it .
take advantage of the time off .
i am , buddy .
but , i wanted to talk to you anyway .
i think im ready to get back on duty go back to texas .
john , are you nuts ?
correction , youre nuts !
you dodged the big one and dont need to press your luck .
stokes was speaking softly .
peter , i did something stupid and almost paid the stupid price .
im not going to do it again .
but , i didnt do my duty either .
i want to help out .
the guys are fighting a war down there .
have you talked to carolyn ?
no .
i dont know what to say to her .
john , listen to yourself .
you have everything a guy could want .
dont blow it !
i dont want to , peter , but you know how boring life is sitting around and exercising all day .
get a job .
ive been a green-suiter my whole life .
it doesnt really translate into anything on the civilian side .
i tried before .
i hear you , brother , but ive also learned the hard way that there are more important things .
the chat ended a short time later .
peter knew that it was only a matter of time before stokes would return to texas and suffer the consequences at home .
peter had wrecked his engagement with rachael once and vowed never to take the chance again .
hell gate the trip to mexico was wasted time .
rachael met with dozens of ineffective diplomats and police authorities at the national and state levels .
all promised to take actions to stop the brutality by the cardenas cartel , but she didnt expect anything to change .
she was packing her laptop and papers from the guest office she used , which also doubled as a bedroom , when steve harris knocked .
rachael had learned that he was an egotistical creep with bad breath , small man syndrome , and an over-active sex drive .
he never took his eyes off her and made oblique sexual references .
well , rachael , i hope your visit wasnt a total waste of time .
he pressed a forearm against her doorframe .
she kept packing , fearing he would ask her out after being sequestered in the embassy for two days .
she responded , i dont get it , steve .
i didnt feel like anyone down here takes this seriously .
are all the mexicans on cardenas payroll ?
he dropped his arm and strolled to a chair at the edge of the table to get a better look at her legs .
its hard to tell , rachael .
a lot of them are .
most of the good cops and military leaders have been killed , so the rest are scared .
she tried to ignore his stare .
well , im going to recommend some changes in relations when i get home , this patronizing bullshit doesnt cut it with me .
whoa , lady , take it easy on the natives .
we get along okay down here , and mexico is our neighbor .
good neighbors dont try to burn down the house next door .
this thing will blow over .
its only a matter of time before things settle down and return to normal .
and what is normal , steve ?
weve got people getting killed on our side of the border , and thats not acceptable .
neither are broken diplomatic relations .
so , how about we go out tonight and celebrate ?
i know a great little restaurant that serves big steaks and great paella .
sorry , cant .
ive got some reporting and packing to do .
im eating-in tonight .
great , ill get something delivered up here .
do you like red wine ?
mexico has some of the best reds that get re-bottled in california .
no , steve .
i need to be alone .
youve been very kind , but i need to be alone now .
he looked at her in disbelief then rose from his chair saying , all right .
i know a brush-off when i see it ( she doubted it ) .
maybe next visit , or ill call you when i get back to dc in a few months .
i dont think my fianc would approve and arent you married ?
hey , its only professional .
i wasnt suggesting anything more .
okay , sorry if i mistook your intentions .
how about we say goodnight for now , and ill see you in the morning when i leave for the airport ?
he backed out of her office , still savoring the view , sure , ill be riding with you along with the rest of the security detail .
she said goodbye and tried to imagine how he could be of any help to the security team .
the embassy is located on the paseo de la reforma in the center of the city , about seven miles from the airport .
rachael had arranged for a company flight leaving at ten oclock in the morning .
she called peter and they talked for several minutes .
he told her about his discussion with stokes , and she vented some of her frustration with the mexicans and the agency .
they agreed to have dinner when she returned .
she went to bed early and dreamed about being with him again .
she didnt mention calling him her fianc , but they would have that discussion soon .
she was well rested in the morning and dressed in a comfortable navy blue pants-suit for the trip to washington .
her hair was in a ponytail and she looked forward to washing it at home .
she met steve at nine for the trip to the airport .
she wore flats for comfort , and was still taller than him .
one of the marines in civilian clothes opened the back door to the center black suv , then took a position next to the driver .
steve sat next to rachael .
the three-vehicle caravan departed the embassy , heading south on a narrow one-way street .
steve explained , we like to take different routes to the airport .
well be on the chapultepec highway in about ten minutes and then straight to the airport .
rachael just nodded and looked out the window .
she appreciated the security measures , but the precautions just made it more unnerving .
well , i wont say ill miss it .
its certainly no fun visiting a foreign city and spending the whole time under a security blanket .
yeah , its what happens when youre a government official .
neither the mexicans nor the americans want any problems .
are three carloads of guards really necessary ?
it sure attracts attention .
better to be safe in numbers .
he was smiling at her discomfort .
apprehension in washington , peter was eating lunch at his desk when his cellphone rang showing an unknown number .
hello .
a womans voice said , peter ?
is this major shields ?
that depends .
ah , peter , this is cybil in rachaels office .
he sat upright .
yes , cybil , whats going on ?
oh , peter , its terrible .
i dont know what to say .
calm down , cybil , whats going on ?
is rachael okay ?
peter , we dont know .
there was an attack on her car .
have you seen the news ?
no , im at work .
tell me , cybil !
oh , peter , its terrible .
they were driving to the airport this morning from the embassy .
he took a deep breath .
cybil , tell me what you know .
thats just it , peter .
we dont know anything yet .
it just happened .
all right , cybil .
ill find out what i can .
please let me know if you learn more .
ill ... oh , peter .
she left an envelope for you if there was any trouble .
he trembled with the thought of a last letter from rachael .
how could the cia not know more ?
if they dont know , then who would know ?
he rushed to the conference room to watch news reports .
a few moments passed before his phone rang again .
this time it was stokes .
peter , i just saw a flash on cnn .
some embassy cars got attacked in mexico city .
they say it was a group going to the airport .
i hope rachael wasnt aboard .
john , her office just called .
it was her security detail .
oh , god !
how is she ?
dont know .
nobody seems to know .
look , peter .
i dont want to alarm you , but a bunch of security personnel were killed .
from the amateur video , i didnt see any females .
john , i got ta go .
ill call later .
peter hung up and tried to decide what to do next .
he needed to get more information and called the pentagon operations intelligence office , asking for master sergeant blomstein .
placed on hold , several seconds passed before someone answered , blomstein .
peter responded , hey , josh , its shields .
ive got a problem .
okay , peter , you sound upset .
tell me whats going on ?
youre a desk jock , remember .
yeah , i know .
something happened , and i need your eyes into the news feeds .
whats going on ?
josh , a security detail was taking rachael to the airport in mexico city .
it looks like they got ambushed .
geez , peter .
we just started getting some stuff .
if rachael was aboard , ill dig deep .
thanks , josh .
i just want to know if shes alive , and where she is .
understand , buddy .
and , peter im sorry .
yeah , well .
thanks , pal .
after hanging up , he went down the hall to ltc gates office .
sir , ive got a situation .
gates removed his tiny reading glasses that didnt fit his bulbous head .
what is it , major ?
sir , theres been an attack on a u.s. security detail from the embassy in mexico .
okay , so now we got one more catastrophe cuz of the drug war .
sir , rachael aston was being driven to the airport .
gates stood , saying , sorry , peter .
i didnt understand .
sir , i want to get involved .
peter , what can you do ?
this is not in our job description .
i dont know , colonel , but i cant just sit around .
all right , get productive .
find out what you can , and whos doing anything about it .
roger that .
peter left abruptly .
on a private jet , heading for juarez from mexico city , hector cardenas sat in a comfortable seat facing toward the tail , staring at rachael .
two body guards sat nearby .
they had removed her restraints when she was thrown aboard immediately before takeoff .
her knees were bleeding through torn pant legs from the brutal way shed been dragged from the car .
most of the blood covering her was from steve harris , when they pulled her across his body .
the ambush had worked perfectly , with both the lead and following cars destroyed by rpgs ( rocket propelled grenades ) , trapping the center car .
a dozen gunmen surrounded rachaels car and the guards surrendered when a mine was placed beneath them .
there was no time to radio the embassy for more marines .
when the doors were opened , everyone except rachael was machine-gunned .
cardenas smiled at her , please , ms. aston , make yourself comfortable .
youre not going anywhere at this altitude .
would you like a drink ?
she was hurt but mostly scared and mad as hell .
she had never seen people shot in cold blood before .
what do you think youre doing ?
he smiled calmly , do you know who i am ?
yeah , youre that scumbag cardenas .
oh , please , be polite .
i wouldnt want to treat you like our mutual friend jamie montes .
polite has nothing to do with it .
youre a dead man .
im just waiting around for the celebration .
oh , you and i are going to have our own celebration .
he signaled his men who wrestled with her to tape her arms behind her back and tied a heavy canvas bag over her head .
she fought and could hardly breathe as they threw her into the baggage compartment .
peter in motion he tried calling the embassy , but the commercial phone lines were overloaded .
he needed to do something anything to help , so he called cybil to pick up the envelope .
en route , josh called him , okay , boss , heres all we know right now .
there were three vans and a total of 10 guards , an embassy guy named harris and rachael .
we think she was in the middle van when the two end vans were blown up , probably by rpgs .
the guards in the two end vans were badly wounded by the blast , some dead .
the middle van wasnt destroyed .
the two guards and harris in the middle van were all killed by automatic gunfire .
rachael wasnt there when police and embassy troops arrived .
peter interrupted , did anyone see her ?
was she taken away , was she wounded , was she hurt ?
we dont know , peter , but she wasnt there .
it sounds like they went specifically after her .
yeah , it does .
okay .
thanks , josh .
ill be in touch .
peter , ill keep watching for anything new through the intel channels .
roger that .
thanks .
he arrived at the street corner opposite the roslyn metro station where cybil asked to meet .
it was easier than trying to get peter through cia security .
she was standing by the curb , wearing a tan wool coat against the cold wind blowing from the east .
he signaled for her to get into his explorer .
she climbed in , handing him an envelope and fastening her seat belt .
oh , peter , im so sorry .
thanks , cybil .
ill take you back to langley .
its okay , peter .
i parked my car at the metro parking lot around the corner .
he laid the unopened envelope beside him and drove to the lot entrance , just a block away .
thanks , cybil .
i know rachael would also be grateful .
shes a nice person , peter .
we all want her back .
yeah .
well , just keep me up to speed if any more is learned .
what are you going to do ?
i dont know , but im not going to sit around and do nothing .
good !
look , if i can do anything at all , call me .
he wrote her private cellphone number on the envelope .
as she began to pull the door handle , he looked at her and said , cybil , rachael told me about you and jamie .
im so sorry .
i wish i could have helped .
she patted his arm as tears welled in her eyes .
peter , you tried .
you tried .
i loved him and miss him every day .
i dont want you to feel this way .
get her back !
she quickly left his car , unable to say more .
he then drove down to roosevelt park to be alone along the potomac .
staring out the windshield at the river , he hesitated when opening the envelope .
when he returned back at the bureau , gates had left a note on peters desk to see him .
colonel , you wanted to see me ?
yes , peter , sit down .
i was just informed through channels that the el paso station chief , mike schmitt , got an email from the cardenas cartel .
i know chief schmitt .
so what did it say ?
peter had his hands clasped on his thighs .
i dont know the details , but you better call him .
he stood and started to walk out when gates continued , peter , if you want to go back to el paso , ill make it official this time .
thank you , sir .
he hurried back to his office , and called chief schmitt who was waiting for the call .
peter , i got this message that ill send to you .
ive already sent it to dhs and all the three-letter agencies .
mike , tell me what it says .
peter ... it says that there will be another spectacle on youtube tonight .
it goes on with a lot of bullshit about stopping the war on him , cardenas , and some other sadistic ranting about the cia woman , etc .
i really dont want to go into details , but you get the point .
i think hes going to kill ms. aston tonight .
sorry , i know she meant something to you .
yeah .
something .
he didnt appreciate schmitts past tense .
peter , if i could do anything , inbounds or out , id do it .
i just dont know what .
look , mike .
im coming down .
good , all my troops want to help .
oh , yeah , peter .
you should know that he copied the local news stations on the message , so this will be viral .
his head was throbbing , look , mike .
thanks .
ill see you later today , as soon as i can get there .
hey , one more thing .
your buddy stokes .
hes already on his way here too .
peter had enough to worry about without concern for john and carolyn .
in the meantime , gates came into his office with some papers .
here you go , peter , orders to support the texas guard in el paso .
youll report admin-wise to light colonel marian colson , but the orders say you have direct tactical control under the director .
thanks , colonel , this is super .
how about transport ?
im working on it , you get home and pack .
ill have you outbound before youre done .
roger that , sir .
and , peter .
good luck , son .
gates extended his hand .
jailed rachael hit her head on the bulkhead as the plane hopped on landing , bruising her shoulder .
after some fast turns , the pitch of the engines resonated from inside a hangar before shutting down .
her bare feet were unbound , but her hands were tied behind , and the bag on her head was soaked from exhaling for several hours .
she was hurt and exhausted when the door was opened and she was jerked to her feet .
two men gripped her upper arms as she stumbled down the unseen stairs from the plane .
both shins were scraped and bleeding .
they threw her onto the rear seat of a car , which started to move immediately .
other than engine smells inside the hangar , there were no sensual or visual clues about her location , although within seconds , she could feel the heat of sunrays coming through the windows .
men were talking in the front seat , but she didnt understand them .
the car made several turns , initially , then drove at high speed on a straight course for a long time .
the seat smelled moldy and didnt provide much isolation from ruts in the road .
at the speed they were travelling without stopping , she assumed they were on some kind of major highway .
she had no way to gauge time , but it was at least half an hour .
scared , exhausted and injured , rachaels apprehension increased when the car slowed , turning abruptly before stopping temporarily while someone exited , leaving the door open and the engine idling .
she could vaguely hear the metallic sound of a chain and creaking gate opening .
then the person returned to the car and they drove a short distance before stopping .
the door by her feet opened , and she was pulled by her ankles half way out before her legs were dropped onto the pavement .
two men grabbed her roughly , pulling her backward and upward , forcing her to walk before she was balanced .
within minutes , she was thrown into a jail cell where her bindings were cut free .
pushing up from the dirt-crusted floor , she was able to sit and remove the bag over her head , throwing it violently .
her eyes adjusted to the small adobe cell with rusted bars at one end .
the door was open , and a dark evil-looking man in a rumpled suit stood alone , staring at her .
he had an amused look on his face .
good day , miss aston .
i trust you had an enjoyable trip ?
who , who are you ?
where am i , and why am i here !
padilla didnt answer her questions directly .
who i am is not important , but let us say that you are in my care at this old abandoned federal prison , somewhere in mexico .
why you are here is a bit more complicated .
you people are insane !
i assume youre with that lunatic cardenas , and you know who i am .
the man stood erect with his hands folded in front , oh , yes , we know who you are , and , soon , the whole world will see you on tv .
what !
what do you mean ?
fear overtook her .
oh , you will see .
for now , enjoy the comforts of our hospitality .
im hungry and need to clean up !
all in good time .
all in good time .
he pulled the old steel gate closed with a loud clunk .
she looked around at the space , no larger than her bedroom closet .
it had a filthy old cot and a sink and open toilet with no seat or running water .
sitting on the very edge of the thin decayed feather mattress , she imagined all the microscopic creatures inside .
the room was void of anything else and hadnt been cleaned in decades .
at least there were no snakes .
after a few moments alone , however , fear gripped her as she remembered how billy ware was murdered in front of the whole world .
suddenly , nothing mattered .
she thought about peter .
he must be going crazy .
return to action look , carolyn , im going back to help peter , thats all .
her face was streaming tears , john , youre not well enough , and youll get killed .
he loved her so much .
he stopped packing and held her , look , sweetheart .
i dont know what we can do down there , but its for rachael .
you wouldnt like me very much if anything happened to her , and i sat here on my ass .
look .
im more fit than ninety percent of the police and military , so i cant hide behind some supposed disability .
besides , i owe peter my life , and he couldnt live without her .
i know , i know .
i want her back too , but you guys are not the ones to do it .
exhaling and looking down , she shrugged , youre also the best guys to save her .
he tossed his bag over his shoulder , kissing her passionately .
hug the girls for me .
i got ta run to the airport .
she followed to his truck .
you need to wash this thing .
starting the engine , he said , yeah , when i get back .
ill call tonight .
i love you .
in washington peter called gates after packing his gear and clothing .
all right , peter , you need to get over to andrews asap .
got a c38a from the ang ( air national guard ) on standby .
thanks , colonel .
ill get you a sitrep once i know whats going on .
en route to the air force base , he called ltc marian colson to let her know he was coming .
she said someone would meet him .
there was a misty , chilly rain falling and a slight wind , but the traffic was unaffected .
the trip to andrews took only forty minutes , and the plane was waiting at the ang hangar .
it was already preflight checked and fueled .
it took less than five minutes after peter boarded for the engines to reach temperature and start the takeoff roll .
the c38 is a militarized version of the gulfsteam g200 , produced under license by israeli aircraft industries .
it can fly at over 500 miles per hour at 45,000 feet .
its all-weather range is 2700 miles .
once airborne , the plane banked left sharply to course 260 degrees , while passing through 5000 feet .
once on course , the pilot engaged the autopilot and announced , sir , weve got a slight headwind , so the computer is showing three hours twenty to touchdown .
that should put us on the ground just before 1400 local .
peter moved aft to the vhf secure command radio console away from the flight crew .
he contacted arng headquarters , this is major shields , requesting phone patch , over .
major shields , on whose authority are you using this comm frequency ?
over .
ltc colonel gates at hq , over .
after a few moments the operator replied , ah , roger , major .
what do you require ?
phone patch .
he supplied the number .
the radio operator initiated the call .
go ahead , major , your call is in process .
he waited until she answered , then keyed the microphone , cybil , this is peter shields in an air force plane heading for el paso , over .
he un-keyed the mike .
oh , hello , peter .
i wasnt expecting a radio call .
he waited a few seconds , ah , cybil , this radio only allows me to have one-way communications , so we need to say over when listening .
over .
oh , okay , ive got it .
whats going on , peter ?
im so worried here .
ah , over .
im heading for el paso , cybil .
look , i need sandy vitales private cellphone number .
can you get it for me ?
over .
i think so , peter , but how will i get it to you ?
over .
just call my cellphone and leave it in my voicemail or send me an sms message .
ill call him when we land .
and , cybil , dont tell anyone that im going to call him , over .
sure , peter .
it might take me a little while .
over .
no problem .
ill be in the air for a few hours anyway .
over .
okay , peter .
ill do it .
over .
out .
three hours later , when the plane taxied to a stop at the ang security forces squadron terminal at biggs army airfield , fort bliss , el paso , the same specialist that met him before was waiting .
he tried to take peters bag again , but was refused .
colonel colson wanted to meet you here , sir .
peter nodded while listening to his cellphone messages .
they walked inside where colson was using an unoccupied office .
welcome back , major .
i wish it was under more pleasant circumstances .
peter was in civilian clothes so didnt salute .
thanks , colonel .
i guess im destined to be in el paso more than my own office .
take a desk in any open cubicle , and make yourself at home .
anything you need , come to me , or call my cellphone .
heres my card .
actually , colonel , i need to make a very private call .
it involves rachael astons kidnapping .
okay , sure .
take the squadron room down the hall .
its not in use today .
great .
thanks .
oh , and , peter , major , please step into my office .
she had a subdued look on her face .
when he entered , she closed the door .
look , the news just reported that cardenas is going to broadcast something at seven oclock tonight .
he says its in revenge for his fathers death .
peter looked at her helplessly , any chance he doesnt mean rachael ?
he doesnt have anyone else important alive that we know of .
excuse me .
i need to make some calls .
he rushed from her office to the squadron room and closed the door .
his first call began ringing , stokes .
john , its peter .
where are you at right now ?
just landed at el paso .
good .
get your gear and come to bliss , the security squadron .
roger that , major .
ill be there as quick as i get my gear .
shields out .
he then called the number he had programmed into his phone from cybil .
the message was a male voice without identification , leave a message .
peter stood upright as though he was addressing the director in person , sandy vitale , this is major peter shields .
you need to call me immediately , reference sandcastle .
he then went to a computer terminal and did some on-line shopping using his credit card .
he then asked colson to have her driver go to a sporting goods outlet to pick up his order .
he listed several more tactical items from the armory on a piece of paper , asking colson to provide .
back in the squad room , he called another special number at macdill , afb , in tampa , florida , and asked to speak to u.s. army special operations commander , lt. general robert gardner , who answered moments later , major shields !
how are you , peter ?
im fine , sir , but i have an urgent request to ask .
go ahead , major .
if weve got it , youll get it .
sir , are you aware that a u.s. government intelligence director was kidnapped in mexico today ?
we heard about it , peter .
we also heard a familiar name , rachael aston .
yes , sir , theyve got her .
what you probably dont know is that theyre planning to kill her publically , on youtube tonight .
the general knew peter from his former days as a special forces operator at macdill , and knew rachael by reputation after the chicago counter-terror operation .
he also knew what she meant to peter .
peter , what do you need ?
they discussed his thoughts about an operation in mexico , and then his phone beeped from another incoming call .
the general understood peters request and signed off .
this is shields .
the man on the other end spoke cautiously , uh , yes .
this is sandy vitale .
i believe you called me .
yes , director .
i need to talk to you about rachael aston .
are you insane , major ?
this is an open line , and ill not discuss anything remotely related to the company .
look , sir , i dont want to threaten you , but ill blow the whistle on you , if i need to .
i dont have any idea what youre talking about !
how about land in la paz ?
how about your meeting with hector cardenas as a congressman ?
there was a long pause .
how dare you !
look , i dont know who you are , or what you think you know , but this call is over .
then so is your career !
peter held his breath not knowing if vitale would continue or hang up .
after several seconds and heavy breathing in the microphone , vitale said , what is this about ?
its about rachael aston .
she was kidnapped today .
yes , yes .
i know that .
what has that got to do with me ?
it has everything to do with you .
she works for you .
you sent her to mexico .
for all i know , you tipped off the cartel .
how dare you talk to me like that !
ill tell you how , you pompous son-of-a-bitch !
you took a bribe of land in mexico from jamie montes when you were a congressman .
you also met secretly with cardenas when he was an illegal student in college .
you cant prove any of this !
peter didnt have anything but rachaels letter , wan na bet ?
or put it differently , wan na take the risk ?
this is all fabricated bullshit , major , and youre going to get court-martialed .
wont be the first time , asshole .
be my guest if anything happens to her .
theres nothing i can do about that !
oh , yes there is .
so , are you through playing games ?
we dont have time for more bantering , and youre either helping or hurting her .
its better for you , if you cooperate .
are you threatening me ?
if you are , let me assure you ... look , sir , you dont want me as an enemy , trust me .
so , shut up and listen .
there was a pause .
okay , im listening .
raiders stokes arrived as the call with vitale was ending .
they embraced , and peter invited john into the squadron room that had become an operations center .
they talked a little about johns tearful goodbye with carolyn and about peters plans so far .
john , weve got a lot of pieces to put together and not much time .
do you know where shes at ?
no , thats the biggest problem .
but , i think i can find her , if we have the time .
remember your old buddy commandante padilla ?
oh yeah .
do we get to see him again ?
ive got some courtesies to return .
hes our link .
hes got to be involved .
if we can get him at home or his office , then we have a chance .
cardenas could have rachael anywhere .
we cant cover enough ground with the time hes giving .
im working on that .
the plan went together quickly , but it would be dark , after sunset that night before everything was ready .
peter and stokes were constantly on the phone and internet .
in the late afternoon , peter called vitale again , but the call went to voicemail .
damn him !
he slammed the table with his fist , then his phone rang .
the display said it was vitale .
damn , you , i said to keep the phone close , and dont miss my calls .
stokes was listening to only one side as peter continued , i dont care about your excuses .
there is nothing more important .
do you hear me ?
john couldnt believe peter was talking to the top intelligence official in the country .
did you get the information i requested ?
good .
peter began writing .
stokes smiled , then peter spoke to vitale , now , listen very carefully , because you now have rachaels life in your hands , and its a life i value above all things .
think of it as her fate is your fate .
peter listened for a moment , shut up and listen .
you need to call cardenas , and get this stopped or stalled long enough for us to get to her .
after listening again .
i dont care if you havent spoken to him in years .
a pause , then call padilla .
i dont care how you do it !
youre the cia for christ sake .
make the call , and stop the excuses !
as i said before , im holding you responsible .
stokes cringed before peter continued , consider it a promise .
peter shut off the call .
what an arrogant ass !
no wonder hes in politics .
rock and roll sunlight dimmed rapidly over the mountains .
by five , peter and john were dressed in desert camouflage uniforms ( dcus ) with backpacks , water camels , body armor , sincgars radio , gps , medical supplies and weapons .
colson had done an outstanding job cutting through red tape .
they had the intel they needed and were waiting for their ride .
within minutes they heard the whispery sound of the experimental s-97 high-speed scout and attack aircraft as it landed : the new design is half helicopter and half turbo-prop conventional aircraft .
the coaxial-rotor system uses two stacked counter-rotating blades on top of the fuselage and a five-blade rear pusher propeller to carry troops silently at more than 250 miles per hour then deposit them without a runway .
the small experimental version only had room for two soldiers and equipment .
it was designed using classified stealth technologies .
general gardner had convinced the manufacturer in arizona to loan the plane to the cia , which was assuming responsibility for the operation .
the pilot was a factory test pilot volunteer with more than five thousand hours flying combat helicopters in the active army .
his name was chief warrant officer steve perry ( u.s. army retired ) and he was excited to be called to action .
he excused himself to use the mens room and stretch , while the soldiers loaded their gear aboard .
with only ten minutes on the ground , the assault team was cleared for takeoff by air traffic control through bliss and across el paso commercial air space , staying below 2000 feet .
at this altitude , they were silent and invisible in the moonless sky .
perry wore night vision goggles ( nvgs ) , flying around the outskirts of juarez to gps coordinates provided by shields .
elsewhere , sandy vitale closed the door to his office and scripted the discussion before dialing the phone .
he really didnt know cardenas , and when they had met years earlier , he was a congressman , not the head of the cia .
his first call was to juan padilla .
hola .
yes , i would like to speak to juan padilla , please .
this is commandante padilla .
well , commandante , my name is sandoval vitale .
im with the american cia .
yes , mr. vitale .
i am honored by your call .
yes , commandante .
i am calling because i wish to speak to mr. hector cardenas .
i was told that you would know his phone number .
padilla was silent for several seconds .
si , seor vitale .
of course , i do not have the phone number of mr. cardenas .
but you do know how to contact him ?
i have talked to him in the past when examining some matters .
look , mr. padilla .
it is a matter of national urgency for me to speak to him .
whose national urgency ?
excuse me .
the u.s. security .
in that case , seor , i am pleased to assist you .
if you will give me your telephone number , i will make some calls , and maybe mr. cardenas will oblige you .
yes , well , all right .
tell him we met many years ago when i was in congress .
i would like to speak with him as quickly as possible ( he gave the number ) .
yes , seor , sure .
i will try hard to get your message to him .
thank you for calling .
padilla hung up before vitale could speak more .
he thought , so it begins , the americans want to bargain .
almost an hour later , near the hour of rachaels execution , cardenas called vitale .
hello .
this is hector cardenas .
ah , hello , mr. cardenas .
how are you today ?
im fine .
is this a social call ?
oh , ah , no .
do you remember meeting me ten years ago ?
i remember meeting you .
si , si .
you were in congress then , and now you have the whole cia .
ah , yes .
thats me .
look , seor vitale .
i am a very busy man tonight .
what is this about ?
about ?
oh , well .
my associates in government heard some news stories that you would kill ms. aston at seven tonight .
yes , it is all arranged .
several of my men are going to enjoy her body first .
it should provide quite a long bit of entertainment , if you understand me ?
ah , well .
thats what we need to discuss .
no !
we need to discuss nothing .
you call me assuming i care to talk to the great cia .
well , i do not care .
you see , i am more powerful than you , or my government in mexico .
yes , well .
i do respect your position there , but please understand how we might react .
ms. aston is no ordinary citizen .
shes a senior government executive .
the u.s. government will not tolerate such action .
how will you stop me ?
vitale didnt have an answer .
look , mr. cardenas , what do you want to stop this ?
he smiled at the thought of the cia begging .
i want my father back alive .
i want my money for the drugs captured at what you call smugglers ridge .
i want to live in peace and not worry every time my shipments cross the border .
if you give me all this , then i will spare ms. aston .
look , be reasonable .
you know i cant do these things .
your father is dead .
yes , my father is dead !
you people killed him .
now it is my turn .
look , there must be something ?
cardenas was tired of the dialogue , and it was time to set up for the execution .
okay , mr. vitale , i ask your government for one billion dollars .
you must pay tonight by ten oclock in mexico city .
i will make the announcements of the delay .
but ... good day !
resistance the men congregating outside rachaels cell were the ugliest humans she had ever seen .
they glared and joked at her .
she sat on the cot and stared away from them at the wall , trying not to show emotion , although fear was overwhelming her .
fast footsteps down the hall signaled something happening , when hector cardenas yelled something to the others .
he pushed his way past and opened her cell .
good evening , ms. aston .
you really do look terrible .
oh , you are still a beautiful woman , but fear is not becoming on you .
rachael wanted to say something , but he had total control , so she remained silent .
i had a chat with your mr. vitale .
he is a weak person .
she remained silent .
do you know what we have planned ?
you see these men ?
they have a hard life , so the mexican women dont like them very much .
when you came to this old federale prison , they became very excited .
i told them that each could have you as his own toy tonight before they kill you .
you will be a movie star , a dead porn star after your first movie .
so sad .
but , your mr. vitale , he is trying to bargain for you , and i have asked for him to get only one billion dollars , so that i wont kill you at ten oclock tonight .
what do you think of that ?
he was standing next to her as she turned her head .
i think youre shit , and ill enjoy watching you die .
he slapped her hard , knocking her to the floor where she covered her face , silently whimpering .
you will show respect in front of my people .
holding her face , she screamed , go to hell !
she feared he would unleash his dogs at that point , but he left her cell instead , locking the gate .
it was reassuring , knowing that the creatures were momentarily outside the locked bars .
coming neither soldier had flown at such speed this close to the ground before .
the s-97 had a completely enclosed front and rear cockpit for streamlined operation .
there was mild wind noise , but the flight was otherwise quiet , in eerie contrast to the throbbing torque from the 1500 horsepower turbo-shaft engine , radiating through the hull .
it was difficult to see land features , but occasional lights on the ground showed a breakneck speed reference .
over the intercom , the unseen pilot in front said , ten miles to touchdown .
they had organized everything at bliss and were already wearing almost everything .
loose items were gripped firmly as the plane slowed and descended in one controlled transition from flight .
the pilot came on again , once on the ground , crouch low , the blades on this thing are only slightly above head height .
ill secure the bubble then depart back to base .
call me for pickup .
peter responded , thanks for the ride , chief .
well call when ready .
roger that .
the plane settled quietly in a small clearing .
they hardly realized it was on the ground .
opening the side-lifting window , a vortex of desert dust enveloped them .
peter jumped out , and stokes handed loose gear , then jumped down himself .
the pilot was standing nearby to latch the door with a gloved hand over his nose and mouth to shield against the dust , patting them each on the shoulder before climbing back into the cockpit .
within seconds , they were moving through the brush in darkness , completely silent .
they crouched low as a car passed on the nearby dirt road .
peter , said , its only about a half klick ( half a kilometer ) from here .
roger that .
both were wearing tactical headsets , and the military sincgars radio was inside peters pack .
the brush raked against them , depositing small spores and barbs as they jogged around cactus in the partial-moon light toward the lone ranch home .
peter didnt expect padilla to be home , but hoped someone would know where he was .
he would do anything tonight to get information .
a hundred meters away from the house , peter signaled to stop and kneel .
light wind blew through the sage as he whispered .
okay , john .
last time he had guards front and back , but i got around them , so watch for more now .
you take the front and this side .
im going to reconnoiter the back and far side .
stokes nodded , roger .
be careful .
he gave a thumbs-up signal then disappeared into the night .
stokes moved to the edge of the brush about fifty meters from the house .
he was positioned closer to the rear corner and could see partway down the back of the house .
it was dark , but someone lit a cigarette showing two men sitting on the porch .
he then moved into position to view the front and identified two more men .
his earpiece sounded , stokes , come in .
stokes here .
i ident four sitting , two front , two back .
confirm .
stokes replied , roger .
confirm also two by two .
peter came back , lets get them sitting .
you take front , ill take back -- on my mark .
roger that .
simultaneously , both rangers moved slowly to the sides of the house .
peter went toward the rear corner and stokes to the front .
timing was important .
the wind noise helped them move undetected .
stokes whispered , in position .
peter replied , prepare to engage .
this signaled stokes to cock his weapon .
the distance both needed to cover from their respective corners to the sitting guards was about thirty feet , a little over one second away .
ready .
mark !
peter stepped from the corner walking fast directly at the two men .
he switched on his gun light , which was fastened to the barrel with velcro straps .
both men were startled , and one fell backward in his chair , while the other reached for his automatic rifle .
he yelled , dont move !
he didnt care if they understood the language , they understood the instruction .
the fat man who fell tried to roll and grab his gun , while the standing man glared , frozen in place .
peter momentarily focused the light beam directly in the face of the down man , i said , dont move !
the standing man then made a move for his weapon , and peter fired twice into his upper body , and then aimed back at the down man who covered his head with his arms .
the man who was shot stood motionless for half a second before falling to his knees , trying to grasp something unseen to break his fall .
he slumped face down on the patio deck .
peter couldnt be sure how badly hurt the man really was , he hadnt been able to aim .
peter signaled the fallen fat man who was now whimpering something in spanish , to get up .
peter assumed the down man was dead , but shot him again in the back of the head , not wanting any surprises .
he called stokes .
are you clear ?
clear .
good .
bring them to the rear .
roger .
about a minute later , stokes rounded the corner following two mexicans , with their hands behind their heads .
good work , striker two .
looks like you had a little more trouble than me .
yeah , that one wanted to be a hero .
peter ordered two men face down on the ground and put one in a chair , while stokes guarded the others .
the man sitting was the fat one that had fallen over .
he was still whimpering as peter forced him to sit next to the bloody corpse .
he stood in front of him with his m4 aimed at the mans face asking , where is padilla ?
the man was shaking uncontrollably , no sabe , seor , no sabe !
peter rocked forward within a foot of his face , padilla !
tell me , or join your friend in hell !
one of the men on the ground spoke , he does not know , seor .
el commandante , he does not tell us this .
well , then .
you are all worthless , so i will kill you now .
wait !
wait !
please , seor .
we can tell you .
stokes was looking at peter in disbelief .
he had never seen him ready to kill in cold blood .
peter responded with his gun aimed at the talker on the ground , tell me what ?
speak now , or you will never talk again .
please , seor .
jefe padilla is coming home .
putting his foot on the mans back and resting his gun muzzle by his ear .
when ?
we do not know .
he was to be home soon after his work .
where is his work ?
the man on the ground next to the talker gave a warning in spanish , and peter stomped his combat boot hard into the back of his neck , temporarily paralyzing the man .
i said , where is his work ?
please , seor , we do not know certainly , but he had miguel , que descanse en paz ( rest in peace ) , take him to the old part of federale prison , 'centro federal de readaptacin .
it is located in almoloya de jurez .
peter told the man to stand , while stokes pushed the fat man from the chair back to the ground .
tell me about this prison .
it is very old , from the time of francisco villa .
when is he coming here ?
i do not know .
i swear !
he said after some work at the prison .
peter could guess at the work .
he ordered the man back down and stokes to guard them .
he prayed that his cellphone would connect through one of the towers in el paso .
he stepped out of earshot from the guards and dialed the number .
this time , vitale answered on the first ring .
peter demanded , tell me what happened ?
vitale spoke nervously , look , major .
i tried .
i really tried .
calm down .
tell me what happened .
well , he wont stop the execution and the other things .
what other things ?
vitale couldnt speak for several seconds , hes having his killers do things to her , before ... you worthless shit , didnt you get anything !
major , he agreed to hold off till ten oclock .
thats all .
why ten ?
because .
because he thinks i might get him a billion dollars .
what !
hes ransoming her ?
well , no .
hes playing a sick game .
what game ?
he knows i wont get the money .
did you try ?
dont be ridiculous .
theres no one in government that would approve that !
look you spineless wimp , you try .
and , you get me more time !
i know where shes at .
oh good .
we can call the police .
the police have her , you moron .
now get me more time !
what if i cant ?
then say your prayers , because im coming back to washington !
peter ended the call , hoping fear would work in his favor .
it was only a couple hours before rachael would be dead -- or worse .
returning to stokes , he started to say something when they heard a car driving down the dirt road toward padillas ranch .
john , keep these guys quiet , im going out front .
ive got em .
but be careful , peter .
peter was gone .
as he neared the front corner of the house , the car slid in loose gravel , stopping with a dust cloud encasing it and swirling in the headlight beams .
the driver exited in the fog and walked toward the house yelling , renato , angel , dnde ests ?
he was another fat man in a poorly pressed suit coat , dnde ests ?
with no reply , he pulled a pistol from his shoulder holster and crouched painfully , trying to look through the front windows to the back .
he moved in peters direction .
midway to the corner , peter stepped from the darkness , drop it !
the man started to raise his weapon , and peter shot a short automatic burst , hitting him in the stomach and throat .
the man dropped his gun and fell to his knees holding his neck before rolling over .
peter took careful aim and shot him again in the chest , and then walked toward the car .
inside , padilla strained over the front seat , trying to put the car in reverse .
peter shot both front tires then moved beside the car .
several bullets were fired from inside the car , shattering windows , but all missed , as peter returned fire with an automatic burst through the front drivers window .
this scared padilla , who threw out his gun .
peter yelled , get out of the car !
get out now !
the rear door flew open on the opposite side , and peter moved around , aiming at padilla .
a quick check of the car showed no more occupants .
up against the car !
hands on the roof !
spread your feet !
peter kicked padillas feet farther apart as he patted him down , careful to check for an ankle gun , popular with police .
he spun him around , pressing his rifle below his chin , major padilla , how good of you to drop in again .
remember me ?
padilla was petrified , and peter smelled urine .
he roughly pulled padilla in front of the car , into the lights , throwing him in the dirt .
padilla tried to regain some balance on all fours , but peter kicked him onto his side .
padilla put his hands in front of his face in a reflex action .
peter yelled , look at me !
look good !
im the last face youre going to see on this earth .
stokes was still in back , unable to see anything in front except rippling shadows in the headlights shining through the darkened house .
padilla defiantly tried again to roll onto his side when the gun blast ripped through his right elbow .
he fell screaming onto his back cradling his severed arm when peter fired another burst , exploding the right knee .
stop crying , or you lose the other leg and arm !
you apparently didnt take me seriously last time .
padilla cried , please !
please , seor !
no more !
why are you doing this ?
why ?
i have done nothing to you !
padilla was bawling hysterically .
thats not important .
its important what you will do .
anything !
anything !
just let me live !
remember our little game ?
now think about your left knee .
i have several magazines of ball shot ammunition that im going to use , first cutting off your remaining leg .
no !
no !
dont do that !
i will do anything please dont shoot me again .
please !
wheres rachael aston ?
i dont wait !
i will tell you !
talk fast .
he was standing over padilla , aiming at his remaining leg .
she is with cardenas at 'centro federal de readaptacin .
good .
how do we get in there ?
be careful how you answer .
you can not .
only i can get you in .
he moaned and began rolling around grasping his arm .
blood loss from cut vessels in his leg caused padilla to hallucinate .
peter grabbed his shirt collar , what about your guards ?
can they get in ?
padilla was going into shock , saying weakly , no , no .
they can not ...
which gate should i use ?
which gate !
padilla was verging on blacking out , no gates .
walls are meter thick ...
he lost consciousness .
peter left him bleeding in the dirt , and ran around back where stokes was guarding the others .
stokes asked , what happened ?
i heard a lot of gunfire , not all yours .
just a little tussle with your mexican friend , but hes in hell now .
what time is it ?
its after nine .
we got ta go .
not much time .
what about these turds ?
peter flipped back to full automatic , but stokes yelled , peter !
we cant waste these guys !
thats murder .
call it justice for all their victims .
we cant ...
the machine-gun burst cutting through the row of men was startling .
all screamed .
peter !
he responded , just some leg wounds .
come on .
we got ta go !
stokes didnt feel any sympathy for the wounded men , who had done much worse to their victims .
they jogged back into the brush for the rest of their gear , where peter used the radio to call el paso .
raven , this is strike team , over .
go ahead strike .
raven , over .
raven .
need pickup at point bravo , over .
up in one , strike .
stand by for pickup in six , over .
raven , get ops working on coordinates to an old juarez federal prison , the central federal readjustment prison .
roger that strike , out .
they gathered everything and ran up the road to the turnout used by guy during peters prior visit to padilla .
prison vitale had never met peter , but knew his background from press reports he found online .
he was overtaken by fear now that peter was in a rage and somehow knew his darkest secrets .
he needed to do something , or his career would end and probably his life .
he dialed the last number called , and cardenas answered immediately , ah , my friend mr. vitale .
do you have my money ?
no .
no i dont , but you better give up now , and let ms. aston go !
what , and miss all the fun !
im about to make a home movie for the world to enjoy .
its called a snuff movie .
im sure you will enjoy it .
look , we know where you are and are coming to get you , so you better stop what youre doing and give up .
that is not in my nature , seor .
but thanks for the tip .
adios .
but wait ... fifteen miles south of el paso , the s-97 settled cautiously in the darkness .
unable to see through the dust swirling everywhere , peter used his gun light as a beacon .
they could hardly breathe as the pilot turned on the interior lights .
they were airborne in less than twenty seconds .
peter asked the pilot over the intercom , got vector ?
good to go , strike .
great .
at the prison , cardenas moved quickly down the stairs , walking fast to the cell block .
twelve men stood from the floor when he approached .
he ordered several to get to the prison entrance .
rachael sat upright , startled by yelling and men running .
cardenas opened her cell door , and two men ran in , grabbing her and pulling her through the opening .
rachael screamed and kicked forcefully , but never got balanced before being thrown onto the floor .
cardenas was yelling at another man who manipulated camera and lighting equipment .
she tried to crawl , but one of them grabbed her feet and then ripped her blouse open .
cardenas clubbed him , yelling spanish obscenities .
the man backed away as the cameraman continued to test lighting .
in the air , peter and stokes were rechecking their gear and looking out the side plexiglas door onto a moonlit landscape .
theyd been in the air only three minutes when the s-97 pilot reported , the prison is in sight , strike , dead ahead .
peter commanded , chief , do a fly-around .
there were no lights in the huge rectangular building , which was surrounded by weed fields , empty gun towers and rusted barbed fencing .
okay , john , heres what i see .
our best chance is to get on the roof .
you take position on the end by all the cars .
im going inside .
stokes replied , roger that .
ive got seven full mags .
here , take these .
peter handed him three more .
if i need more , ill need you inside anyway , but youll probably have a lot of squirrels leaving the nest , once im in .
as the plane settled quietly in the center of the roof , stokes said , sounds cool .
lets rock this house !
yeah !
how often do we get to break into prison !
both jumped clear before the plane disappeared straight up into the blackness .
inside , rachael sat curled on the floor , not able to look at the lights , as cardenas began giving directions .
peter ran across the roof looking for an entrance , but all roof doors were padlocked .
moving to the edge of the building , he took a rope from his pack , along with all remaining ammunition , and rappelled down the side of the four-story building .
at ground level , he could see interior lights in one section .
moving along the wall , below window height , the first door ahead was standing open .
deep inside , cardenas stood over rachael , now , my beauty , the fun will begin .
i hope you entertain us .
he moved back to a computer that had video feeding from the camera .
she looked at him defiantly , but said nothing as he walked backward , barking instructions to the three men with him .
they attacked together , ripping at her clothing and pressing her to the floor .
one man struggled in the excitement to lower his pants .
she thrashed , but the man on top was too heavy and smelled like unwashed feet .
he was fat , unshaven with bad teeth and greasy hair , and hadnt bathed in days .
peter moved cautiously in the dark until he heard her scream .
he ran toward the sound , as she cried out , repeatedly .
his adrenalin was raging as he ran down a dark hall , toward the light .
she screamed again !
he turned the corner about fifty feet behind the mob scene .
his footsteps had been masked by rachaels pleading and the men yelling , cardenas yelling the loudest .
she was pinned to the floor by two men , with another on top .
she fought as men jeered and hooted .
cardenas was looking through the camera display , and no one saw peter take careful aim at the man on top , firing one shot into his head .
the body jerked violently then collapsed on top of rachael .
at first , the other men cheered thinking the attacker had climaxed prematurely , but then they saw his shattered skull .
they released her , as she screamed and pushed at the limp corpse .
one man tried to rise as peter fired a burst at him , hitting him at least once .
the second man tried to roll away , but collided with the opposite cell bars .
peter fired a burst at his back without aiming .
cardenas threw the camera and tripod at peter then ran toward the far end of the corridor .
peter ignored him , running to rachael .
one of her attackers was crawling away as peter pulled the dead one off of her .
as the mexican tried to stand , peter raised his m4 with his free hand and fired a burst , again without aiming , downing him for a second time .
rachael clung to his left leg as he turned toward the other wounded man trying to pull upward on the bars only five feet away .
he was shot , but still moving .
peter fired several times into his back and head .
hot brass shell casings pinged off the floor around her as she gripped tightly , burying her face in his pant leg .
men ran toward them from the direction cardenas had taken .
he lifted her and felt another surge of rage looking at her tattered underwear and bloodied body , rachael , sweetheart , we got ta move fast !
she showed renewed strength , as she pushed up to her feet , while peter took aim down the hall .
run that way !
he pointed to the darkened hall from where he had entered .
she was hurt , but she ran in bare feet for the darkness , stumbling on hot shell casings , while peter knelt , waiting .
stokes couldnt hear the gunfire inside , crouching in the dark behind the roof faade , when suddenly the massive ground-level door burst open below and several men ran to the cars .
he didnt see a woman and held fire .
instead of fleeing , the men were grabbing weapons from cars and several began running back toward the prison .
he switched to automatic and aimed down into the moving horde , firing a full thirty-round magazine fanning left and right .
it was impossible to aim as he ducked , reloaded and reengaged over the wall .
this time , several men , behind the cars , fired back , and he dropped below cover again .
he moved left about twenty feet and visualized where the muzzle blasts had been .
switching to semi-automatic , he rose quickly and fired where the flashes came from , exposing very little of himself .
he counted three men firing from the parking lot below .
there were also some casualties lying on the dirt by the door , but others had made it back inside .
when rachael rounded the corner away from peter , he stood and started to run in the same direction .
hearing the security door behind them creak open further , he turned and fell prone , strafing the end of the corridor .
he then flipped to semi-auto and took aim at a muzzle flash in the smoky haze , as bullets ricocheted off the floor and walls near him .
he squeezed off four shots until the shooting stopped .
he remained still , waiting .
gun smoke filled the corridor , but he could see several men down .
most were moaning , and some struggled to rise .
stokes was pinned down , but safe , kneeling behind the thick concrete of the roof faade .
he keyed his head-mounted communicator , peter , come in .
peter was set to voice activation , go ahead .
i got some , but some went back in with weaps , over .
yeah , i got a few , not sure if all .
rachael is heading out the side .
can you get to her ?
over .
is your rope still in place ?
over .
yes .
on my way .
stokes put his spare magazines in his leg pockets , then sprinted to peters pack .
the side yard below looked quiet , so he rappelled down and moved to the door about fifty feet away .
it was dark , and he peered inside , moving swiftly into shadows .
she was whimpering nearby .
rachael ?
rachael , its john .
he heard her feet shuffling closer , but she didnt say anything .
her arms flew tightly around his neck , and he could feel her quivering almost-naked body clinging to him in terror .
rachael , wheres peter ?
she released and pointed to the lighted corridor .
there .
look , honey .
ive got to help peter .
she released her grip and followed behind him as he moved toward the light .
there was no sound , but there was a strong smell of cordite .
peter , its stokes .
i have rachael .
hold .
im coming your way , john .
stokes remained still .
peter rounded the corner .
ive got them pinned .
lets get her to the roof for extraction .
roger that .
peter took a covering position as john grabbed her upper arm and led rachael to the courtyard .
were clear peter .
ill cover .
peter ran toward the door , where stokes knelt outside aiming past him .
no one followed .
peter said , get her to the roof , john .
you climb , then pull her up .
i cant peter .
arms arent strong enough to climb .
ill cover .
peter looked at him for a moment , then patted his shoulders and ran with rachael to the rope .
rachael .
ill go up first then send down a harness to pull you up .
she jerked her head up and down but still didnt speak .
it took him several seconds to scale the wall .
he pulled up the rope and tied a double loop at the bottom for her legs , dropping back down .
step into the harness .
as he pulled upward , she was able to push with her feet , helping him .
she still had remarkable strength as adrenalin flooded her body .
stokes fired three shots and moved to the edge of the door for more cover .
rachael came over the wall showing good agility , and peter quickly dropped the rope again .
john , come up now .
hold one .
he fired several more rounds , then ran to the rope .
peter handed his m4 to rachael .
honey , you cover us .
she screamed , peter !
i dont know how ...
he looked at her and said calmly , just lean over and point toward the door .
if someone looks out shoot !
dont worry about hitting em .
itll keep them inside .
she moved to his right with a clear view over the edge at the doorway below .
peter struggled to pull stokes up .
even with johns legs helping , the lift was almost twice rachaels weight .
still , he was up quickly .
rachael had fired several times .
peter pulled the sincgars radio from his pack and keyed the microphone .
raven , come in .
raven here , over .
raven need extract , last location , expedite , expect fire , over .
roger .
stand by , over .
out .
they moved to the center of the flat roof taking opposing cover positions .
rachael stayed between them , trembling in the cold desert night .
the temperature had nothing to do with her chill .
she said nothing .
long seconds passed before the s-97 appeared overhead .
rushing to open the rear hatch , the soldiers helped rachael get inside and belted in .
the pilot ran around the front of the idling aircraft with ten extra magazines .
peter said , thanks , ace , get them out of here .
ive still got some work to do .
stokes yelled .
hell no , you dont !
not alone !
rachael screamed .
peter !
-- as the hatch was locked .
the rangers moved away , and the plane disappeared .
Simon, an amateur painter, had been working on a portrait of his deceased pet for over a week. After he finally completed it, he stepped back and immediately noticed that he had painted the wrong color for his pet's fur. Just then, his wife saw it and exclaimed, "That's exactly how I remember him!"
when all was quiet , stokes said , man .
youre pressing your luck our luck .
buddy , i appreciate your help , but you dont need to do this .
hey , im the guy with the bad shoulders , and someone needs to pay .
peter patted him on the knee , good man , lets go .
safe the pilot reached behind his seat , waving a headset , which she took .
ms. aston , theres an extra flight suit under the seat by you .
she was still dazed and hardly aware that she was in her underwear .
oh .
oh , thanks .
no problem , maam .
he was smiling to himself , having enjoyed the view , when she climbed aboard .
he was unaware of the ordeal shed endured .
it was dark in the plane , but after releasing the seatbelt she was able to find the suit and struggle into it .
she was still shaking , thinking of the smelly monster that peter killed , clawing at her .
she was glad they all died .
in the ambush in mexico city , steve had begged , and they had shot him for no reason .
she was glad when cardenas men were killed .
she wanted them all dead .
it only took a few minutes to cross the border and arrive at ft. bliss .
the pilot spoke into the headset , maam , were going to land now .
colonel colson will meet you and take charge .
im staying with the plane to get our boys back out .
peter !
he and john were still with those madmen .
god , why did they stay ?
peter , i need you now !
marian colson opened the hatch and helped rachael step out of the airplane .
she seemed less like a colonel and more like a woman than any other time .
let me help you , dear .
lets get you patched up and pretty .
rachael felt weak .
thanks .
worried cardenas hid in an upstairs office without lights , not knowing where his men were , or if the danger was over .
he dialed his cellphone .
mr. vitale !
whos this ?
hector cardenas !
what do you want ?
do you have my money ?
no , there is no money .
well , we had some visitors tonight .
were they your men ?
not really , just some other good americans .
yes , its the american way .
now you see , they have taken my prize , and i am going to find them all and kill them .
they killed some of my men .
good .
less shit to send down the sewer .
now , mr. vitale , there is no need to be coarse .
i want to bargain with you .
hows that ?
well , you see .
i dont know how many you sent , or where they are right now .
this worries me .
so , you call off your dogs , and ill assure that none are killed .
well .
ill see what i can do .
vitale didnt plan to do anything .
on the roof , peter and john discussed options .
stokes was pumped .
lets go get him , peter .
no .
hes expecting us .
im sure he has an army coming .
we need a different plan .
airborne sometime later , cardenas had dozens of men search the prison from roof to cellar before feeling it was safe to move .
twelve men were dead and a dozen more wounded by the americans , and he had lost rachael aston .
the americans would pay ten times over !
when he learned that padilla was also dead , he knew it was time to move farther south , away from the border .
he ordered an escort to the airport .
several men surrounded him as they ran to his limousine .
two guards got into the car with him and he ordered the remaining guards to follow them in their own cars to the airport , about twenty minutes away .
once at his hangar , the pilot was waiting for him .
he had inspected the plane and had it fueled .
cardenas ordered an immediate takeoff .
he didnt feel completely safe until his plane was airborne .
the night sky was bright with stars as they rose above the low cloud cover .
his temples throbbed and he told one of his body guards to mix a pain reliever with his scotch .
the affect was almost immediate , as he reclined in the soft goatskin-covered luxury seat .
his eyes closed , and he was soon dreaming .
the vision of rachael aston , submissive , pleading under his control , nearly naked , caused him to smile .
it was not the vision he had expected to film , but she was still fun to watch .
oh , well , there would be more .
there was turbulence while the plane was climbing , but it was peaceful at cruising altitude , as the plane headed due south , toward mexico city .
he always enjoyed the mexican vastness , which was his in many tangible ways .
he felt a sense of tranquility .
he relaxed for the first time in hours and felt his eyelids grow heavy .
suddenly , there was a loud interior noise as the luggage compartment door slammed open .
shields and stokes jumped out , with m4s leveled at the two body guards who first looked at cardenas , unsure what to do .
he screamed something , and the guards hesitated momentarily before reaching inside their jackets .
the american gunfire inside the narrow cabin was deafening , as the two lifeless guard bodies slumped in their seats .
the pilot yelled something from the cockpit , and the plane dropped momentarily , before he regained control .
cardenas face was distorted by fear as he raised his hands in submission .
hello , hector .
peter moved toward the man paralyzed by rage , as stokes checked the body guards .
both were dead by several shots in the chest ; their eyes remained fixed .
cardenas screamed , what is this !
this is my plane .
you can not be here !
peter smiled , oh , but we are here !
cardenas slumped and lifted his chin in defiance as the rangers moved quickly to restrain him with belts and shoe laces from the dead mexicans .
now , were going to take a little trip together .
stokes guarded cardenas as peter went forward to the cockpit .
the pilot was armed but showed peter his gun , without attempting to use it .
peter instructed him to turn toward el paso , which the pilot obeyed immediately .
back over juarez , peter used the planes radio to call el paso control , clearing the way for a direct flight into the main airport with hector cardenas aboard .
once cleared to fly over the border , cardenas was blindfolded and gagged .
the rest of the flight was uneventful , ending the reign of terror .
peace hours later , peter had been resting his head on his forearms , leaning against the railing of her hospital bed .
he needed rest , but wasnt leaving her .
she was sleeping with two ivs , one for fluids and one for antibiotics .
she looked fresh and beautiful with clean hair and only minor scrapes and bruises visible above the pure white sheets .
the nurses had been especially attentive .
shed slept for hours before her head nodded .
after a moment , she said , peter ?
he looked up and stood , stroking her hair .
hi .
how are you doing ?
she licked her lips .
oh , ive felt better .
you look good all cleaned up .
he was dressed in civilian clothes .
rachael , youre gorgeous .
she looked around asking , what time is it ?
oh , around daybreak .
the nurse said youd be out for a while with the antibiotics .
she reached both hands to his arm , pulling him down to kiss .
thank you .
thank you and john .
he spoke softly , still caressing her head , hell be here , after some sleep .
you can thank him then .
peter , i was so scared .
her eyes watered as they embraced .
its over , rachael .
cardenas is in jail in el paso .
you got him ?
yes .
we got him .
hes cozy in u.s. custody .
thank , god !
that monster !
she looked away and started to cry .
sweetheart , he cant hurt you anymore .
she clutched his hand and pulled him down again , wrapping her arm around his neck with a firm grip .
she couldnt talk .
rachael .
you need to rest and not worry about him anymore .
ill be here with you and wont leave .
she lay back with a peaceful expression and started to doze again , under the influence of the drugs .
he sat down beside her , finally allowing himself to relax .
he hadnt slept for two days , and his eyes were heavy .
he smiled lightly and started to doze off when she opened her eyes as he was drifting toward sleep .
peter .
ah , yes ?
i want you to propose again .
about the author frank perry has worked with the military since 1966 , first on active duty , then with industry .
his background includes military operations , technology and involvement in most of the systems and organizations included in his books .
in addition to the military , he has thirty years of experience supplying solutions to federal , state and municipal law enforcement involving tactics and equipment .
he is currently a consultant in surveillance technologies used for homeland security .
he lives in coastal new hampshire .
he welcomes comments and ideas/suggestions for new material .
feel free to contact him at : books.by.frank @ gmail.com duke manfist : thanksgiving ... with my fist !
phil elmore published by ire press , an imprint of league entertainment , at smashwords copyright 2012 by league entertainment llc this is a work of fiction .
names , characters , places and incidents , even those based on real people , are either the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously .
any resemblance to actual persons , living or dead , events or locales is entirely coincidental .
all rights reserved .
created by phil elmore , john jackson & ken chapman cover and interior art by johnny atomic duke manfist and its characters are trademarks of league entertainment , llc contents title & copyright part 1 : butterfly in the sky part 2 : alvin tostig has a son today part 3 : party on down to the xscape beat part 4 : were beggars and blighters and neer do-well cads part 5 : whos the cat that wont cop out part 6 : and all the beads we made by hand part 7 : let me hear your body talk part 8 : from glen to glen and down the mountain side part 9 : and then you call me and its not so bad part 10 : never knew no good from bad part 11 : if theres something weird in your neighborhood part 12 : take my license , all that jive part 13 : and when your fears subside and shadows still remain part 14 : these are the things i can do without part 15 : and they were all impressed with your halston dress epilogue : the part after the credits about phil elmore other duke manfist titles part 1 : butterfly in the sky health advisory , warned the sign bolted to the double glass doors of the gordos chain restaurant .
the sign , which by law appeared in the entranceway of every gordos fast food establishment , warned that merely breathing the air of the restaurant ( the word restaurant , also by federal law , was required to appear in quotes whenever used to refer to a gordos ) was equivalent to consuming a 400 calorie meal for every thirty minutes spent on the premises .
a helpful grid outlined the various diseases patrons could expect to suffer after stays of increasing duration .
at the one hour mark , adult-onset diabetes was likely .
after two , heart attack was virtually guaranteed .
the chart stopped at three hours , thirteen minutes , for no one eating at a gordos had yet managed to remain on the property longer than that , unless resting in the ambulance in the parking lot also counted .
so noted a duly engraved asterisk .
the customer in the purple shower curtain had ignored the sign and was now resting comfortably in his mobility scooter at the order counter , trying to catch his breath .
he pointed at the grid of letters and numbers with one thick hand .
mccc7700 ?
he asked .
thats the meatball , cheese , cheese , and cheese meal , sir , said the teenager behind the counter .
what about mcccc9900 ?
more cheese , sir , but otherwise identical .
and the shl4802 ?
the customer asked .
thats our shovel of lard , said the teenager behind the counter .
that .
ill take that , too .
yes , sir .
would you like to artery surprise that for just twenty-five cents more ?
yes , said the customer in the shower curtain .
and i want some extra buckets of heart thunder .
yes , sir .
additional sauces are extra , sir .
geez , what a rip-off , the large man said , wheezing .
okay .
ill pay it .
of course , sir .
behind the man in the shower curtain , a small pack of scooter-going customers revved their electric motors anxiously .
this patrons breakfast order had taken ten minutes to compile , thanks to the new menu grid at the front of the restaurant .
new changes in food service law had gone into effect that morning , requiring the gordos chain ( and every other fast food restaurant ) to post the calorie counts for their meals .
the problem was that there was only so much space on the grid .
gordos management had made the decision to abbreviate the meals next to their four-to-six digit calorie numbers , which left the menu looking like the nasdaq ticker .
your order is sixty-three , sir , said the kid behind the counter .
you can pick it up over there .
he pointed to the order-pickup window three feet away .
geez , said the man in the shower curtain .
its way over there .
sweating and complaining , he directed his scooter to the area indicated .
once there he put his hand on his chest while he waited for his breathing to return to normal .
then his eyes widened .
sir ?
asked the teenaged employee .
are you having a stroke ?
the kid reached under the counter for a stroke coupon , good for a thirty percent discount during a subsequent visit .
i forgot my drink , said the man in the shower curtain .
add a diet coke , of course , sir .
the kid paused , then handed the man the coupon anyway .
just in case , sir .
more loudly , he said , may i help the person whos next ?
a second , then a third mobility scooter jockeyed for position .
the breakfast crowd was heavy this morning .
the florid , sweat-covered patron wearing matching 7x under armor sweatpants and workout shirt had just opened his mouth to order when a rope snaked down from the drop ceiling above him .
as the first man on the first scooter , the kid behind the counter , and the other customers watched in open-mouthed amazement , acquiring high blood pressure as they inhaled , several more cables appeared .
a quintuplex of ninjas climbed silently down the cables , brandishing swords and nunchucks .
welcome to gordos , said the kid behind the counter .
theres a line , you know , said the man on the scooter .
gaaaaakkkkkkk , said the kid behind the counter , who had just been stabbed through the face with a ninja sword .
please dont kill me , said the man in the shower curtain .
i havent eaten yet .
the silent killers went about silently killing the not-so silent restaurant customers , beating and slashing and chopping at them .
the man in the shower curtain slapped his scooters controls , only to find his battery was dead .
he tumbled from the scooter , collided with the floor , and slid across the polished tiles exactly as quickly as mayonnaise also does not , oozing across the recently mopped surface with his shower curtain trailing behind him .
one of the ninjas walked calmly around him to head him off .
the man in the shower curtain looked up as the ninja raised his bloody sword .
the enormous grille of a humway assault vehicle tapped the ninja gently on the shoulder .
even when it is not touching you , there is something imposing about a humway assault vehicle .
it looks like nothing so much as a grizzly bear riding a shark while both are carried in the talons of a mighty eagle , if the shark is also humping a dumpster and the grizzly bear has two enraged elephants for hands , if all of that was , you know , a truck .
and when it does touch you , the most playful nudge from an eight-thousand-pound humway feels a lot like having your internal organs ruptured as your spine is crushed and your body is thrown through the air by the impact , because that happens .
as the humway crashed through the wall of the gordos , the ninjas heart crashed through the wall of his ribcage and his brain crashed through the wall of his skull .
the ninja puree that landed wetly on the floor next to the fat man in the shower curtain was still holding its sword when duke manfist climbed from the drivers seat of his vehicle .
everybodys under duress , he announced .
arrest , said ken goodspeed , his partner , leaping dynamically from the passenger seat .
ken was a good-looking asian man in a stylish blazer , formerly of the federal bureau of investigation .
he was also just killed .
thooop !
said ken goodspeed .
the flaming arrow that had just lodged in his left eye socket continued to burn after his body hit the floor .
not my fault , said duke .
the worlds manliest action hero , duke manfist was as tall as he was wide .
his neck was thicker than his bullet-shaped head .
his dark hair was slicked into a battering ram .
enormous biceps would have ripped his shirt sleeves to shreds , had his black muscle-t had sleeves .
because , you know .
it was sleeveless .
his bulging paunch stretched the fabric of his shirt taut and hung over the chrome manhole-cover-sized belt buckle at his waist , which held up his camouflage pants and bore the image of a grizzly bear riding a shark as both were carried in the talons of an eagle as they all fled a nuclear explosion .
he wore scuffed combat boots and carried an enormous revolver in a shoulder holster .
on his forehead were perched a pair of unlicensed ray-ban style sunglasses .
his jaw was so strong that it worked out on its own , while his chin could pull nails like a claw-hammer .
an attractive woman in a nearby booth whose breasts were admirably large and whose waist was admirably thin was overcome by dukes manliness and fainted .
her husband caught her , started to glare at duke , then thought better of it .
then he , too , fainted .
duke drew his jackson arms revolver .
the plot-tuned action of the weapon stopped working whenever it was convenient or inconvenient but duke had a good feeling about his gun today .
that might have had something to do with the explosive bullets he had loaded that morning .
blam !
said dukes revolver .
blam !
blam !
whooosh , said a ninja .
fooooom !
i dont want to whoosh-foom , said another of the ninja , now paralyzed with fear and getting ready to also-faint .
todays not your day , nancy , said duke , and whoosh-foomed the ninja into flaming ninja-parts , all of which fainted individually .
chaos erupted .
the surviving ninja ran for it , but duke fired after them , destroying large swaths of the gordos in the process .
he had just taken aim at the last of the remaining ninja when another ninja , already wreathed in flame , went running past his line of sight .
bill ?
said the first ninja .
whereve you been , man ?
aaaaaarrrrggggghhhhhhh !
screamed the ninja who was on fire .
duke and his revolver blammed at them .
the ninja who was not bill made a beautiful fooming noise as his assets were reallocated across the dining area .
the already flaming ninja , however , disappeared through the exit before duke could shoot him .
manfist took aim and tried , but his weapon clicked conveniently ( or inconveniently ) empty .
next time , pal , he said , projecting from his diaphragm , well just see whos the flamer .
he turned to the man in the shower curtain expectantly .
uh , said the fat man .
no ?
duke said .
what about ... next time , pal ... that burning sensation youre feeling will be ... justice .
the fat man shook his neck fat .
nuh uh .
next time , pal , duke tried again , youll be trailing the smoke of having recently been ... killed .
he whipped the sunglasses off his forehead as he said it , then put them back on .
yeeeeeaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh !
screamed the man in the shower curtain , in a perfect imitation of roger daltry from the who .
were we doing a whole csi : miami thing there ?
duke asked .
ner , said the man in the shower curtain .
erm herving a strerk .
youre having a stroke ?
asked duke .
they got coupons for that here .
ermahgerd , said the fat man .
er dernt wernt ter der .
no , im not thirsty , gerard butler , said duke .
and we ditched that whole meme thing after the halloween special .
ggttthhhhkkkkk , said the fat man .
boy , you can say that again , said duke .
he climbed back into the humway , fired up the engine , and backed out of the restaurant , his front bumper trailing brick , mortar , and ninja grease .
the humway reversed neatly into the gas station across the street , deliberately cutting off a hybrid-electric prius .
duke paused long enough to fire a few rounds from his revolver after the retreating prius , but did not manage to hit anything .
i hate pumping my own gas , he said .
to be continued ... part 2 : alvin tostig has a son today duke manfist grabbed the gray 1980s brick-phone mounted to the dash and dialed the operator , which was secret headquarters idea of a hidden code to reach secret headquarters .
when the connection went through , a television screen on the dash illuminated with the image of doctor coplawyer , secret headquarters operations manager , law enforcement liaison , legal adviser , medical officer , accountant , accredited scuba instructor , ice sculptor , it manager , caterer , and iso auditor .
he was wearing his customary sam browne duty belt , bulletproof vest , three-piece suit , and white medical jacket .
a stethoscope and a badge hung around his neck .
coplawyer was the man responsible for recruiting , deceiving , and sometimes kidnapping the various personnel who became duke manfists ill-fated partners .
each of the ken goodspeeds signed an ironclad service contract remanding them to coplawyers custody .
their names were legally changed to ken goodspeed for the duration of the contract , which prevented duke from having to learn hundreds of new names every month a feat which duke , the sole field operative for secret headquarters and the product of an experimental program to create the worlds manliest action hero , was ill-equipped to manage .
while he was impossibly fearless , impossibly strong , and impossibly manly , duke manfist was not terribly bright .
i know a narrator whos gon na get punched if he doesnt stop calling me dumb , said duke .
while he was impossibly fearless , impossibly strong , impossibly handsome , impossibly brave , and impossibly manly , he was not fond of things like math , science , words , or information , which made tasks of rote memorization , short-term memory , long-term memory , and other things best left to pencil-necks , nerds , and nancies things which he seldom bothered to trouble himself with .
all that and you ended the sentence with a preposition ?
asked coplawyer .
dont you start .
can we continue with the first-chapter exposition ?
whatever chokes your mime , pal , said duke .
he glanced out the window as a flaming ninja ran past in the other direction , screaming and trailing smoke .
duke , said coplawyer .
the shadow president would like an update .
the shadow president was the man who told the real president , the real congress , and the real ghostbusters what to really do .
that last bit is parody and no copyright infringement is implied or should be inferred .
the shadow president was the only man manly enough to give duke manfist orders , and had in fact contributed the genetic material used to create duke manfist ( and a host of less than successful almost-duke-manfists , who shared the unfortunate side effect of being serial killers and the more fortunate side effect of having been killed by duke manfist during the halloween special ) .
|
Simon
|
[
"Delight",
"Anger",
"Embarrassment",
"Hopeless",
"Pride",
"Disappointment"
] | 24,110 |
2 | "elaina did , judging by the astonished fury he could see in her eyes , even from this far .\nhe did(...TRUNCATED) |
Andy
| ["Gratitude & Anger","Embarrassment & Joy","Sadness & Anger","Gratitude & Joy","Embarrassment & Sadn(...TRUNCATED) | 24,583 |
3 | "brazen finally sent a rider to locate the county exec who he thought was on his way back from visit(...TRUNCATED) |
Albert
|
[
"Jealousy",
"Embarrassment",
"Nervousness",
"Delight",
"Disapproval",
"Guilt"
] | 21,790 |
4 | "that is the last straw !\nan image with abby , and me came into my head .\nan image of me holding h(...TRUNCATED) |
Momo
|
[
"Relief",
"Sadness",
"Anger",
"Hopeless",
"Amusement",
"Guilt"
] | 20,156 |
5 | "i walked most of the way , working for my bed and supper when i could , sleeping under hedges when (...TRUNCATED) |
Andre
|
[
"Disapproval",
"Amusement",
"Annoyance",
"Nervousness",
"Fear",
"Unbothered"
] | 15,608 |
6 | "brians face contorted in a way that i cant accurately describe , the way a young boy might watch a (...TRUNCATED) |
Mike
|
[
"Anger",
"Disappointment",
"Jealousy",
"Nervousness",
"Annoyance",
"Gratitude"
] | 26,700 |
7 | "then the thing stepped out to fill the last three feet between the house and the fence .\nit was a (...TRUNCATED) |
Julius
|
[
"Hopeful",
"Fear",
"Hopeless",
"Disapproval",
"Remorse",
"Embarrassment"
] | 12,268 |
8 | "valiente had supplied plentiful information on the targets security , so there would hopefully be n(...TRUNCATED) |
Liam
|
[
"Pride",
"Jealousy",
"Sadness",
"Disappointment",
"Embarrassment",
"Delight"
] | 26,325 |
9 | "lancereaux passed away a few years back but he knew my wife pretty well before we were married .\ni(...TRUNCATED) |
Joe
|
[
"Delight",
"Disappointment",
"Anger",
"Pessimism",
"Remorse",
"Anticipation"
] | 20,082 |
End of preview.
The version of the LongEmotion dataset we are releasing now does not include the ground truth. In the future, we will release the complete dataset.
For more information about LongEmotion, feel free to visit https://longemotion.github.io/
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