‘ETA on the President thirty minutes’
Seventy
Sandra Austin is stood at the vending machine for what seems like the hundredth time in one day. Her camera man Mike walks up to her gingerly.
‘Have you spoken to Bob yet?’
She takes another hot coffee from the vending machine. She takes a long sip from the cup, the warm liquid refreshing her tedious spirits.
‘You know what Mike, since the last time you asked me I still haven’t spoken to him. I wonder why.’ She states sarcastically
Mike shakes his head in frustration.
‘Well to be honest Sandra I don’t like sitting on my ass all day at a Goddamn train station waiting for something to supposedly happen when one of the biggest news worthy events that I have ever witnessed in my thirty five years of being alive is happening right now, and I’m not there to film it!’
Sandra throws Mike a stern look.
‘What did you expect Mike; they let you into M.I.T to film Connor Chase and his men up close?’
‘No not exactly. But I do want to be in the vicinity when they send the SWAT in.’
‘Do you think they would let you film that Mike? Don’t you think that maybe that would give Chase a warning about the infiltration?’ Mike shrugs at Sandra’s comments. He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a cigar. He lights it and blows smoke into Sandra’s Face. She shoos the smoke away with her hands and pulls a sickened face at Mike. She steps backwards and throws the bird at Mike. He laughs and walks away leaving her by herself sipping on lukewarm powdered coffee.
‘Asshole’ she mutters to herself while casually people watching.
Seventy One
Eddie smith walks into the interrogation room. Three security officers are standing at the door. He signals them to go relieving them off their duties. They comply and earnestly walk out of the room. Eddie shuts the door firmly behind them. He turns around and looks at Frank who is sitting down palms faced down on the table glancing at Eddie. He walks over to the table and takes a seat, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he does so. He rests his hands on the table and looks back up at Frank. They make eye contact. Frank smiles openly and relaxes back into his seat.
‘What?’ Asks Frank
Eddie shakes his head in disappointment as he lights a cigarette.
‘I think it’s obvious don’t you?’
‘Not exactly Eddie. Enlighten me.’
‘I’ll give you one clue’
‘Go on’
Eddie gets up from his seat and looks Frank up and down. Frank is shackled with handcuffs around his wrists. Eddie slowly makes his way around the interrogation table. He grabs Frank by the head and slams it hard into the metal table. Frank’s scull bounces in one tremendous jolting action. Frank grunts in pain. Eddie walks back to his seat and sits down, calmly observing Frank. The three security guards rush in guns drawn.
‘Is everything okay Sir?’ asks one of them
Eddie nods. The guard notices Frank’s bleeding nose and smiles. He walks out with the two other guards and slams the door.
‘I’ll let you have that one for free Eddie’ snarls Frank while whipping the blood off his nose
‘This isn’t about me getting one for free Frank. It’s about me trusting in you and putting in a good word to get you back on the force. Then what do you do. You go and break the chief of police’s nose. Then to make matters worse, you are suspected of being in a damn fire fight with the secret service’
‘What do you mean the secret service?’ asks Frank
‘Don’t play stupid Frank. Did you not go and see Jacob Reach in downtown Boston earlier today?’
Frank shakes his head while whipping at his face once again.
‘No I did not. And even if I did I wouldn’t be fighting the damn secret service.’
Eddie seems unconvinced. He stubs out his cigarette on the metal table and stands up.
‘So you’re telling me that all this chatter about you being involved in a shootout down town is bullshit? And the fact that I found you down in a warehouse not too far away from the alleged shooting is pure coincidence?’
Frank shakes his head.
‘You’re Goddamn right it’s a coincidence. Ever since I came back all I’ve been hearing is how I’m in it for me and not one of the team. Truth is it was my own team that sold me out and made me look that way. So you tell me Mr DA, who’s really to trust, the Goddamn department, the people who seem to have a raging hard on over me and my business, or me, a guy that has done nothing but his job, a guy that has nothing but dedication and balls. I admit that I am not perfect. Heck I’m imperfect! That doesn’t mean that I’m the person people seem to be pinning me for. All they do all day long is speculate if I’m a good cop or a bad one. Truth is Eddie I’m the cop I need to be, the cop that Boston needs me to be. Nothing else, if they don’t like it, then they can kiss my ass because quite frankly if you’re going to arrest me then do it now, if not then un-cuff me. I have an ass hole to arrest.’
Eddie walks over to Frank and unlocks his cuffs.
‘Look Frank I understand where you’re coming from, all I want from you is the decency to not make me look like an idiot. If you have to do what you have to do, then make sure that it doesn’t lead back to me or you. I know that sometimes the rules have to be broken. But I don’t want you to think that gives you the right to go out and cause havoc. When you’re on those streets you are representing the City of Boston and its law enforcement. Don’t you forget that’ Says Eddie
Frank nods as he gets up from his seat, rubbing his wrists.
‘Is Shaw okay?’ Asks Frank
Eddie laughs
‘Yeah he’s alright. His nose isn’t broken, just his pride.’
‘Well the asshole deserved it. All he does is bark orders. He should keep his fat mouth shut when it comes to mentioning me and my life’
Eddie nods in agreement, patting Frank on his tatty shoulder.
‘Frank you need to get some hot food in you and have a shower. A change of clothes and a belly full of food will do you good, a lot better than no food and half a bottle of Jack.’
‘Yeah I hear you.’
Frank walks towards the door.
‘One more thing before I forget, keep away from Shaw. He wants blood, and I’m not talking about a punch up. The guy wants your career Frank.’
‘As far as I’m concerned he can have the darn thing, less problems for me to deal with.’
‘True but just be prepared that after this shit storm is over, he’s coming for you. I’ll put in a good word with the FBI or some other agency and get you transferred out of this crappy department’
Seventy Two
Jason is pacing the train’s cabin once more. His eye line never leaving the direction of the hostages. He watches their every move. Processing each of their face’s in an attempt to recognise everyone. He’s sure about this situation. He’s never been surer of anything in his life. He leans against the train’s cabin next to the large window and peers outside. He notices the fast moving landscape. He stares long and hard into the windows view losing focus of his current situation. The hostages are quiet as they watch his every move. Clearly shaken and distraught, most of the hostages dare not look at each other at running the risk of making Jason think they are conspiring. The mangled corpse a few feet away from the grief stricken group is reminder enough of the danger of this situation. One man sits and watches Jason with calculating intent in his eyes. The man has long dirty brown hair, amidst with grease and grey hairs specked throughout his sparse hairdo. He is wearing a black hooded jumper, unbranded. His blue washed denim jeans are of the norm. Overall he is the sort of man you wouldn’t notice in a hurry. The sort of man Jason wouldn’t notice in a hurry. The man staring at Jason is slim and slender. He is notably tall while sitting down. The herd of hostages surrounding Jason disguises the tall hooded man. No one notices him except the pregnant women sitting next to him. She turns her head slightly, slanting her vision from Jason while she addresses the hooded man.