The Break - Chapter 26

Chapter 26 As he sat at the table on the deck, Ian watched the people walk on the 16th Street Mall. He always watched people. Actually, he was always evaluating each person to determine the level of threat they posed to him. It wasn’t a habit. It was a way of life. It had kept him alive for the last thirty years and he planned on keeping himself alive for another. It was 1966 when he joined the Navy. Not wanting to be just another sailor, Ian applied for Navy Seal School. After he was accepted, he managed to make it through the training and was rewarded with his first tour in Vietnam early in 1967. He did his second tour right after and decided to stay for a third. That’s what caught the eye of the CIA station chief. Here was a highly trained killer that wanted to stay where the killing was. That could definitely become useful. The station chief immediately began recruit Ian. Ian’s stint in the Navy was up at the end of his third tour. He resigned and immediately joined the CIA. It wasn’t even necessary for him to leave Vietnam. The training began as soon as he walked off the base. About five hundred yards from the gate, Ian heard the screech of tires. Before he could even react, three men jumped from the still moving car and grabbed Ian. They easily overpowered Ian and threw him into the back of a Mercedes Limousine. Totally disoriented, Ian looked up to see a very stern Station Chief staring at him sternly. “I’m very disappointed.” The chief hissed. “Never, ever let your guard down. Lesson number one. Never let this happen to you again. If we were gooks or worse yet Russians, you would be headed for a very short life of torture and pain.” Ian just lay on the floor. There was nothing to be said. He fucked up and he knew, but it would never happen again. That’s why even when sipping iced tea on a beautiful summer day in Denver, CO during peacetime, Ian accounted for every pedestrian, every car and every bus, everything period. Being an experienced professional, Ian could be deep in thought while still monitoring his surroundings. “Denver really is a beautiful place.” He thought. “A lot better than some of those Eastern European shit holes.” During the last thirty odd years, he had rarely been in the US. One thing Ian knew for sure, he hated Eastern Europe. He much preferred South American or Asia, but this stint in Denver had really made him appreciate the US. He was here on a mission, a very important mission – personally. Frank Johnson had just been the wrong grunt at the wrong time. It really wouldn’t have mattered who Ian grabbed that fateful day in Saigon in 1972, but Frank happened to be the one that staggered trustingly out of the bar that night. Ian had doctored his drink without Frankie having any idea of what was happening. For the next two months Ian and his team of ‘specialists’ subjected Frank Johnson to unimaginable types of torture and ‘reprogramming’. They had turned him into a shell of a man. A man that wouldn’t fit in to society, but would serve a purpose at a later date. That day had come. Ian had already made his first contacts with Frank. From those first meeting, Ian was sure that the ‘reprogramming’ had stuck. It was now just a matter of time. A few more chance meetings like those and Frankie Boy would be good to go. Actually, Ian was quite surprised by Frank’s reaction to seeing him the first time. Especially since none of the other ‘trainees’ had even recognized Ian when he approached them to see if they were viable weapons. They had been totally useless, for some reason they had returned from Vietnam and got back to their lives. Obviously, Frank was different. The theory was that one they had cracked the men, they would be able to create killing machines that could be used at later dates. Unfortunately, the operation was not sanctioned by any federal agency. As soon as the station chief’s superiors discovered the program, it was shut down with extreme prejudice. Luckily for Ian, the station chief bore the brunt of the wrath. He ended up spending the rest of his short life doing hard labor in Leavenworth. Since he was technically just a field agent, Ian was reassigned for deep undercover operations. He was very skilled linguistically. It turned out that he had a natural ability with Slavic languages. After two years of intensive immersion training, he was inserted into Hungry. Ostensibly, he was placed there to make contact with leaders of the 1956 rebellion. It was plausible since several had just been released after serving twenty years in jail. Given an identity and a list of contacts, Ian was dropped off on his own. He was given strict instructions to avoid making any contact with any of the individuals for the next three years. During that time, he was to assimilate to the culture and build his credibility. After the waiting period, he was to make sure he met his targets in a seemly random fashion. Once this was accomplished, he was to try to build an organization to formant a new uprising. That is what they told him anyway. After being in country for three months, he was taken by the KGB and taken to Moscow. Upon arrival, he was treated with all the honors and ceremony that every captured spy receives. For years, he was subjected to torture, starvation and other deprivations. It seems that the folks back in Washington weren’t as forgiving as they seemed to be once they found out how zealous Ian had been in “training” his men. All the time, effort and money they put into his training was actually an investment. They used him as a bargaining chip to free several Jewish dissidents from the gulag. Being a guest of the KGB for almost twenty years was not kind to Ian. Being extremely intelligent and having plenty of time to think, Ian developed several scenarios as to how he ended up enjoying the hospitality of the Soviets. Most of the scenarios involved a conspiracy between his superiors. He had been set up and he knew it. There was no other explanation. Confident in his skills, he could imagine that he had made any mistakes. After spending so much time with the elite KGB, he knew they could not have been smart enough to break his cover on their own. Suddenly, one night a man he had never seen came to the eight-by-eight cell he called home. Without explanation, the man picked him up from the floor and led him outside where he was loaded into a truck like a box of cargo. For four days he remained chained in the back of the truck. Then, the canvas flap was opened, his chains were removed and he was pulled from the truck. Unceremoniously, he was dumped on the ground like an unwanted cat and the truck drove away. No words were exchanged the entire time, so he had no idea where he was. In didn’t matter. He was alive and he was free. Now, there was only one thought that occupied his mind. That thought was revenge. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- They stood there in disbelief. Ass had dropped a bomb and none of them really knew how to respond. This had been one bizarre bus trip. In the last three days, more stuff had happened than any of them could fathom. First, Ass declared that he and Ben were in love. Then they were almost too cute as a couple for a day and a half. Now, Ass just told them he and Ben had sex, but he couldn’t do it again. “Dude.” Pete said. “What’s going on?” “I … I … I …” Ass struggled to get the words out. “It’s … like … it’s just too weird.” “What’s too weird?” Pete continued. “Dude, I just had sex with another man … with Ben.” Ass tried to explain. All of them paused to try to make sense of the situation. “I’m so freaked out.” Ass cried as tears began running down his face. “I…I…can’t handle …” “Sappenin', yo?” Ben asked a little too cheerfully. Being oblivious to Ass' emotional state, he was wallowing in his post-coital enthusiasm for all to see. Realizing that Ben had joined them, everyone quit talking. The tension hung in the air as everyone waited for some one else to respond. No one did. “Eddie?” Ben asked in a concerned tone when he saw the tears in Ass' eyes. His joyous state deflated instantaneously. “You okay?” “No, dude.” He replied through his tears. “What …” Ben started. Ass pushed past Ben and went towards the back of the bus. “I gotta be alone for a while.” Ass said after he passed. Shutting the divider behind him, Ass threw himself on the bed where he and Ben had finished less than a half an hour ago. He cried softly at first and then he cried louder. But he covered his face with a pillow so the others would not hear him crying. “What the hell?” Ben asked. “Dude, no idea.” Pete responded. “I think you two need to talk.” Ronnie added. Schnieder just kept driving. That is one of the luxuries of being the driver. You have something else to occupy you when things get heavy. He busied himself looking in mirrors, adjusting the radio and washing the windshield. Ben flopped down on the couch and gazed out the window. Ronnie opened his cell phone and started dialing a number. Picking up on the cue, Pete went to the closet and pulled out his acoustic guitar, sat down and began running through scales. “Dad.” Ronnie said. “Yeah, it’s me. Hey, I have some great news. The record company set up some gigs for us.” Moving to the front of the bus, Ronnie took a seat on the top step and put his feet down two steps lower. “That’s great.” Ron said. “What did they offer you?” “Twenty-five thousand per show.” Ronnie said happily. “Wow, that’s a lot of money.” His father responded. “You didn’t take it, right?” “Course not, Dad.” Ronnie replied. “You did teach me a few things.” “So, how did you convince the guys not to take it?” Ron asked. “No biggie, Eddie stepped up and told everyone I knew what I was doing.” Ronnie explained. “Smart kid.” Ron said. “Always liked him. Pete give you any problems.” “A little at first, but you know.” Ronnie said. “So, I countered with fifty and we got forty one five.” “Not bad, son.” Ron said proudly. “Actually, it’s outstanding. Don’t think I could’ve done better myself.” “Th-thanks, Dad.” Ronnie said taken aback at the compliment from his father. “So where you playing?” Ron said. They continued the conversation. Ronnie went through the itinerary and what they had been playing. Additionally, they talked about the reviews and how much larger the crowds had been getting. The word on Ratdick was out and people were coming in droves. Ron told Ronnie about the newest deal he was working on and then dropped a bombshell. It seemed that Ron and Sheila were having problems and they were going to officially take a break. “So, you mind if your old man joins you on the road for a while?” Ron asked hesitantly. “No, Dad.” Ronnie replied. “That’d be great – really.” Never before had Ronnie felt so close to his father. This phone call was the best conversation they had ever had. Ronnie found himself actually missing his father. It was a new feeling. Ronnie felt a warm glow throughout his body. His Dad was coming to see him play. He really had made it. <<< Chapter 25 Technorati Tags: Fiction, Online Book, Chapter, Rebeleyeball, Paul Gavin IceRocket Tags: Fiction, Blook, Chapter, rebeleyeball Copyright (c) 2006 Paul Gavin. All rights reserved.