Ben Marcus
And the Staff of Power
By Jeremy Cook
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2012 Jeremy Cook
Prologue
Peter ran through the desert. He knew it was only a matter of time before they caught up to him. He knew they would come looking for it. How could they not? It was the true source of power and now he had it. It was his responsibility to make sure they didn't get their hands on it. His friend would have wanted it that way.
The sun beat down on him, relentless it seemed as he urged himself forward. He knew of only one place to go. One place that would be safe and one man who could help. Peter's legs felt heavy and his vision blurred as sweat dripped from his matted hair into his eyes, stinging and causing him to stumble. How much farther? How much more did he have left in him? Even through his extreme exhaustion, he felt it's power pushing him to the brink and then beyond.
Suddenly, on the horizon he saw what he longed for. The outcropping of rock was a sight that made his heart feel light. He knew he was almost three. He knew he could make it. The crevice between the rock was there clear as day and Peter slid himself through into the small, hidden cave. He sighed a deep and tired sigh. He was safe for now. No one knew of this place, no one knew how sacred it was. No one, except for Thomas. Thomas could help him. As relief fell over him, he knew all would be well for now. He knew what needed to be done, and Thomas was the one to do it. Thomas must now protect the power and the secret. It was up to him to keep it safe until it was called upon once again. It was Thomas that could keep it out of their hands. Thomas must bear the burden. As he closed his eyes, he could almost see the future unfolding before him. Now, two thousand years later, that power was about to resurface and the person wielding it was far from the one who Peter had envisioned.
Chapter 1
The alarm clock blared in Ben’s ear as he struggled to open his eyes. School was the least favorite part of his life and the alarm signaled that another day had come. And this was just one more day he would have to endure. He swung his feet down to the floor and reached for his cane that lay innocently against his bed post. He grimaced as he pulled himself to his feet, putting most of his weight on the cane. Once he was standing, he gingerly made his way across the room, towards the bathroom. The shower was a tricky ordeal. He had to use the special bars that were installed in his shower to help balance and then wash with his free hand. He had gotten pretty good at balancing in a standing position which made it much easier to wash with both hands. He had, on occasion, slipped and fell which made the process of getting up again an arduous experience. But as time wore on, he gained more strength and balance, so things got a bit easier. He caught a glance of himself in the bathroom mirror and frowned. He was tall, over six feet, and skinny. Although he was thin, he was well built in a wiry kind of way. Since he had to get around with a cane, his upper body was extremely strong. His black hair was thick and scraggly and his face was pale and a bit drawn. He didn’t wear glasses, thank God, because that would have solidified his status as a typical nerd. The only thing that really separated him from his fellow classmates was the fact that he limped and used a single cane to walk with.
Ben was not your typical high school teenager. He had been diagnosed with a rare bone disorder when he was a baby, which made the bones in his left leg weak and misshaped. When he was younger, he was confined to a wheelchair full-time, which made his school life a nightmare and his home life just slightly below horrible. He had worked very hard in physical therapy and in 4th grade; he was able to leave his wheelchair behind for good. To get around, he used a walking stick that served as his cane. He could have just as easily used a standard type of cane that everyone else would use, but Ben had to be a bit different. His father was a businessman who would bring home unique and rare canes and walking sticks from his travels abroad. His favorite was a solid ivory cane made from the tusk of an African elephant. It had some of the most detailed and intricate carvings that Ben had ever seen and it didn’t hurt that it was completely against the law to have. Some of his others included Galdalf’s staff from the Lord of the Rings movies that his dad brought from New Zealand, a totem pole cane from Alaska and long stick that resembled a joust that came from England. If all that didn’t make Ben stand out enough then his brain put him over the top. Ben was not just smart, he was brilliant. His IQ was off the charts and he was above and beyond his peers in every subject except physical education.
Ben finished getting dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast.
“Good morning, how about some cereal?” his mom asked with a smile.
“Just a piece of toast actually, I am not really that hungry” he replied. Ben was not much of a talker, or at least not small talk. He preferred to be left alone most of the time or be the one to initiate the conversation.
“Is Bruce’s mom picking you up today, or are you taking the bus?” his mom inquired as she dropped a plate with a piece of buttered toast down on the table.
“She’s coming this morning and thank God because it looks like its going pour.”
Ben had one really good friend at school and that was Bruce Taylor. He was one of the popular kids and an athlete, but he was also brilliant and one of the only kids who could rival Ben in academics. Ben felt that being friends with Bruce also gave him a pass with most of the kids at school who would cause him trouble. Everyone except for Hunter, who was the star basketball player and the school pain in the ass, pretty much left him alone. Bruce’s only hang up, as Ben saw it, was the fact that he was friends with Hunter. This angered Ben because he felt Bruce was playing both sides, but Bruce had stepped up for Ben on several occasions, so he let it go. The car horn honked and Ben grabbed his stuff and headed for the door.
“See you tonight” Ben called back to his mother. He wasn’t sure is she heard him, but he didn’t feel like repeating himself so he shut the door behind him and hobbled toward the car.
Chapter 2
Bruce’s family was rich beyond comprehension and their car showed it. It was a Mercedes that was imported from Germany and one of only a hundred and fifty in the country. Ben loved the car and was excited every time he got to ride in it.
“Good morning Ben,” Bruce’s mother Mary said as he opened the car door.
“Good morning Mrs. Taylor,” he replied, “How are you today?”
She looked in the rearview mirror. “I am fine and you?”
“I’m here” Ben replied with a touch of sarcasm. Bruce’s mother was a very nice woman who always treated Ben like a part of the family. He had stayed over at Bruce’s house dozens of times over the years and he liked the way the family treated him. As the car pulled away Bruce gave Ben a smug smile. Bruce was your typical jock and popular kid. He was shorter than Ben by six inches, but he was well built and muscular. His hair was light brown and always seemed in perfect condition. Ben made it a habit of calling him Ken as much as he could.
“You ready for Friday’s trip to the science center?” Bruce asked knowing the answer before the words came out.
“Are you out of your mind?” Ben said as he turned to look out the window. “I hate field trips more than anything. I hate the science center. I hate how the school requires me to ride on a handicapped bus and I hate that Hunter Black is going to be there.” He grabbed his bag and pretended to be rummaging for something.
“He’s not going to bother you, trust me.” Bruce said abruptly.
“Are you going to hold my hand? Ben mocked, “Because if you’re not, he’ll find a way to mess with me and you know it.” Ben felt himself getting worked up already and it was only Tuesday.
“I told him not to mess with you or I would deck him a good one, just trust me.” Bruce always knew how to calm Ben down and today was no exception. Even though Ben felt better, he still sat in a huff until they pulled up the drive of the school.
Ben and Bruce attended Stone Forest Academy just outside the city limits. It was a very small, expensive private middle and high school where only the rich and intelligent were allowed to set foot. The school was set up like a college and the day to day schedule was like it as well. There were more than two dozen buildings that adorned the campus. The whole school sat on the shores of Wolf Lake which was a large, fingered lake with huge moss covered cypress trees along its green shores. The buildings resembled the architecture of Tuscany and were dotted with countless fountains and gardens. It had an on campus stadium for outdoor sports and a gymnasium for indoor. The library was bigger and contained more books that the city’s main branch and its Catholic church was the second largest in the area. The main building that contained the homerooms was like the pantheon, with its huge pillars and columns and everything was either stone or polished marble. Bruce helped Ben get out of the car and they both headed toward the main hall to homeroom. As they got to the door, Hunter came up behind them.
“You ready for practice today, dork?” he mocked as he elbowed Bruce in the side.
“I’ll be there” he replied hoping Hunter would just inquire and then leave.
“Hey sticks, what’s the rush?” Hunter gawked at Ben as he hobbled in the door. Hunter liked to call Ben “sticks” which referred to the fact he walked using a cane. Hunter reminded Ben of Biff from Back to the Future. He was big, tall and nasty as anything.
“Shut up and get lost” Ben snapped as he tried to move forward.
“A pleasure as always” Hunter said as he did a mock bow while Ben tried to limp forward as fast as he could manage. “Don’t trip on anything, you know, like my foot.” Hunter called as he stood watching Ben struggle down the corridor.
“Don’t be a jerk Hunter, seriously. Just leave the guy alone. You know one day that kid is going to be richer that the whole lot of us, then who’ll be laughing?” Bruce gave Hunter a smile and trotted off down the hallway after Ben.
They got to homeroom and scuffled to their desks. The bell was about to ring and Mr. Miller was a stickler for being “ready” when the bell rang.
Chapter 3
As soon as the bell rang, Mr. Miller was at the front of the class ready to begin homeroom. Ben hated homeroom, but he loved Mr. Miller. He would often hang out after homeroom to chat about things with the very educated teacher. Ben loved to learn and to be challenged. It killed him to not know the answer to things and Mr. Miller seemed to have all the answers. Mr. Miller called for silence during the pledge, the prayer and the National Anthem. Afterward everyone had to get out their agendas and make sure homework was complete and reading was done for the upcoming day of classes. This was the time of day that Ben was just able to sit and zone out. He really didn’t need to read that much. Most of the stuff he knew enough about to be a part of the discussion without actually having to read the boring material.
Fifteen minutes later the second bell rang and Ben was out the door as fast as he could hobble. Whenever he had Dr. Tanzi’s history class for first period, he never stayed to chat with Mr. Miller. The only teacher Ben liked more than Mr. Miller was Dr. Tanzi. Luckily for Ben, history was only in the next building, so it was a relatively quick trip for him. As he entered the small classroom, he saw Dr. Tanzi sitting at his desk with his usually cynical expression on his face. He was an older man, in his sixties Ben guessed, with gray hair and a bit of a belly. He had the best expressions and a wonderful sense of humor. He was one of the smartest people Ben had ever met and since he held degrees from Harvard and Dartmouth, he could see why. His history class this year was Ben’s favorite. Since it was A.P. history, they learned things that Ben knew little about, which he loved.
“Morning Ben,” Dr. Tanzi called out as Ben shuffled through the door.
“Good Morning, how’s it going so far today?” Ben said as he headed for his seat.
“As good as it gets, I guess, as good as it gets” Dr. Tanzi put his glasses on and grimaced as he stood. He waited at the podium at the front of the class as everyone filed in and sat at their desks. As soon as everyone was seated he grabbed a dry erase marker and wrote the word “Moses” on the board.
“Can anyone tell me a bit about the man I wrote on the board?” he inquired to the class. “Anyone?”
Eli, who sat at the back of class, raised his hand in the air and Dr. Tanzi called on him.
“He led the Hebrews out of Egypt,” he said with a tone of finality.
“Right, but does anyone really know how or when it all happened?” Dr. Tanzi looked around and saw that no one was really sure. “Well, the story goes something like this.” He cleared his throat and started pacing across the front of the room. “Moses was a Hebrew boy who was placed in a basket by his mother and sent down the Nile River to escape the Egyptian armies. The soldiers were sent by the Pharaoh to kill all the Hebrew boys because of a prophecy that told of a Hebrew boy overthrowing Pharaoh. The basket was said to have washed up at the palace of the Pharaoh where he was discovered and adopted as a member of the royal family. Moses discovered later in his life that he was not Egyptian, but in fact a Hebrew, and fled into the desert. It was there it was said that he found the burning bush and was spoken to by the Hebrew God who gave him instructions to return to Egypt. He was to demand that his people be released from slavery. Moses did as he was told, but Pharaoh did not listen. Moses told Pharaoh that if he did not let his people go, that his God would rain down deadly plagues on Egypt. The worst of which was the death of the first born child of every Egyptian family. The angel of death would only pass over the doors painted with lamb’s blood. The blood symbolized that it was a Hebrew family inside. After that, Pharaoh let the Hebrews go, but followed them to the Red Sea. Moses parted the seas with the power of God and as Pharaoh’s army followed, he let the waves fall, engulfing the entire Egyptian Army.”
Dr. Tanzi just looked back and smiled as they class took it all in. He talked quite fast, but the students were used to it by now.
“What Pharoah was it?” asked Tanya from the front row.
“Most people and stories claim the Pharaoh was Ramses II, but there is no real evidence of that. Some others think it was Tutmoses IV who was the Pharaoh. Either way, most scholars agree that Moses did exist, they just are a bit shaky on the details.”
The rest of the lesson was so engaging to Ben he was disappointed when the bell rang, signaling him to head for French class. As he was leaving he approached Dr. Tanzi.
“How do they try to explain the parting of the Red Sea?” Dr. Tanzi chuckled as he listened to Ben’s inquiry.
“Some think that it was all made up and others think it was some kind of tidal phenomenon. No one will ever know, so it’s more of a belief than it is a scientific question.”
Ben hated those types of things. He liked concrete evidence, not faith or belief. He walked out the door, the subject still heavy on his mind.
Chapter 4
Tel Aviv – The cell phone in Orin’s pocket vibrated and he flipped it open to listen.
“The artifact has been located,” the gruff, masked voice said. “A store owner in Tangiers had it for sale, but it was sold. Get over there and track it down. This is a level one priority.”
With that the phone went blank and Orin just flipped it closed and shoved it in his pocket. He got up, grabbed his briefcase and headed for the door. This was it!! They found it and I am the one they chose to get it. I hope they know who they are dealing with. He snatched his jacket from the hanger and grabbed the handle of the door. Orin was a tall man with dark black hair and a thin, angular face. He was in amazing physical shape and it showed just in the way he walked and carried himself. As he exited the tiny building on the back streets of Tel Aviv, a car pulled up and the door opened. Orin slipped in the back of the car and sat down. He opened the briefcase and rummaged through the contents. The case contained his passports; Jack Collis was the name he used instead of his own. He had cash from major countries from around the globe and he had a gun. These days security was tight, but the gun was made of a polymer and broke down into indistinguishable pieces that could pass easily through security if needed. He knew his work was secret so he never partnered with anyone. He was always alone and he preferred it that way. Partners and teams make mischief and Orin wanted to stay away from that kind of trouble. That was the trouble that makes high profile diplomats raise their eyebrows. His job was simple; find and acquire artifacts and items that were found or stolen that could help aid his government in securing their future. He had been given the daunting task to find a lost nuclear warhead that had fallen from a U.S Navy jet on procedures over the Afghan desert. He was sent to find and nearly a half a billion dollars worth of gold bars that were stashed by Saddam after the Gulf War and he almost got a hold of a secret U.S Army super tank that was on special maneuvers in the North African Desert. That job nearly ended up in disaster and kept him off the grid for two years.
Now he was ready. This was it. This was the item they had been waiting for. Now the Israeli government would have the ultimate weapon and he would be the one to get it for them. He would be rich beyond measure. This time, he was not planning to just hand it over. Once he got what they wanted, he would bribe them for all the money he could ever spend. He was so close. Tangiers, Morocco was just a few hours flight away and then the search would begin. As he boarded the small, unmarked jet with his briefcase, he looked back over the lights of Tel Aviv.
“You’re going to make me rich,” he whispered and he turned and walked down the aisle.
Chapter 5
Virginia – David Anderson hung up the phone and twirled in his swivel chair.
“He’s on the move,” he said. David was speaking to his twin brother, Stephen, who was sitting at the desk across the room.
“Where’s he going to this time?” he replied, not looking up from his computer monitor.
“Source said that he was going to Tangiers and he even has the name of the shop he’s aiming for.” David spoke in his deep tone as he relayed the information. “They’ve located the item, they’ve known where it was as of this morning,” he said. David waited for his brother to respond. Stephen swung around so fast he paused for a second to focus before speaking.
“Are you sure that this is the real thing? This is it?” He was up now and gathering his things. David nodded.
“From what our source says, a shop keeper had the item and sold it earlier today, but it shouldn’t be that hard a thing to find, especially for Orin,” David said calmly. Stephen was shoving all kinds of equipment into his bag as David finally stood up and got himself ready as well.
“How much of a head start does he have on us?” Stephen asked in frenzy of trying to zip his bag closed.
“He left for the airport five minutes ago, so not that long. It’s going to take us twelve hours to get there and he should be there in four, but the shop should be closed until morning, so he’ll have a few hours head start at best.” David headed for the door with Stephen right behind. They boarded the elevator in the hall and David pushed the button labeled H for the helipad on the roof of the building.
The brothers were a team to reckon with. They had worked together in the agency for eight years now and they knew their stuff. David was the wild one. He took chances and risks on every mission. He was tall with fiery red hair. His face was full of freckles and his physique was scraggly and thin. His brother, Stephen, was the resourceful one. He was good with numbers and always tried to think things through before doing them. He was shorter with brown hair and glasses. He, like his brother, was thin and a bit scrawny. As a team, they each filled the missing piece that the other one didn’t posses. Six years ago they were placed in division 11C which was essentially code for completely classified. All of their operations were highly risky and totally secret. Except for the director, who they themselves had never even met or seen, no one knew what they were doing. They had been assigned to follow and monitor Orin Lucas since he surfaced in Tunisia two years ago and tried to take over the super tank from U.S forces. He almost succeeded which got the attention of the United States who made him a priority one surveillance.
The elevator door slid open and they could hear the thunder of the helicopter blades and wind that they stirred up hit them directly in the face. They ducked their heads and stepped aboard the chopper. The pilot knew where to go, but had no idea who he was taking and the frosted glass that blocked the cabin did not allow him to see their faces.
“I’ve never seen Morocco” David yelled to Stephen as they sat down. “I hope the food is good, I am starving.” Stephen smiled as the door closed and the chopper lifted off the pad and headed for the base. There they would catch their flight to Tangiers.
Chapter 6
The light streamed into Ben’s room and he pulled the blanket over his head to block the sunlight from ruining his last minutes of sleep. Just as he was about to grab the alarm and shut it off, he came to a satisfying realization. It was Saturday! He rolled back over and closed his eyes, desperately trying to get back to sleep. The morning sun was bright and warm as it illuminated his bedroom. This is the time when he wished he lived somewhere other than Central Florida. If he lived in Maine or Alaska, his chances of a cloudy day would be greatly increased. But he was awake now and debating on whether he should laze in bed or get up. He flipped over and lay on his stomach, but before he could even think about lazing in bed, the decision was made for him. He heard one of his favorite noises. A car pulled in the driveway and he heard a door shut. He could make out a muffled voice and then the car pulling away. Dad was home. Now he was motivated to get out of bed. He didn’t get to see his dad nearly as much as he would like. His dad worked for an international bank and it was his job to travel the world and look into businesses requesting money for investing or expanding. He would often spend up to a week looking into various types of companies on almost every continent. This particular trip involved a company in Africa, but that’s all Ben knew.
He was dressed in a flash and headed downstairs to see his father. His dad was sitting at the kitchen table with his briefcase open, milling over a stack of papers. He looked up and smiled when Ben limped into the room.
“What on earth are you doing up this early?” he inquired with a huge grin on his face. “Not that I really mind seeing you as soon as I get home.” Ben’s father was a kind and gentle man. He was taller than Ben, with short brown hair and a very strong, athletic build. Just like Ben, he was very intelligent and seemed to know something about everything. He could carry on a knowledgeable conversation about almost anything and either be informed or at least seem informed about the topic. Ben strived to be like his dad and it pained him every day to look in the mirror and see that his leg was preventing him from doing that.
“How was your trip?” Ben asked as he sat down at the table.
“Dry and hot, but it was a pretty amazing place I’ll have to say,” he replied as he thumbed through some papers. Ben loved to hear about other countries. He had always wanted to travel to exotic places and see amazing sights, but he had only been to Europe and it was on a tour. It was fun, but the excitement was lacking.
“Got you something though,” his dad said as he closed his briefcase.
Even though Ben knew it was another cane, he was always excited to see what his father managed to find. He had about thirty different canes already, but he always liked to add to his collection. His dad left the room and came back a moment later with his special “ski” bag. His dad had to buy a bag designed for skis to transport his canes from place to place. It also worked when Ben himself traveled. His dad unzipped the case and pulled out his latest find. Ben was rather taken aback by what came out of the bag. The cane was tall, about five feet or so. It was very simple and looked similar to a straightened piece of driftwood. It was sturdy and smooth, but it had an air of mystery to it.
“The man I bought it from claims it is over two thousand years old. I have a certificate to go with it. Not that I really think it’s that old, but if you look at it in the sunlight, it shimmers. I have never seen any kind of wood do that. It’s almost like it is inlaid with crystals or something.”
He took the cane to the window and held it under a shaft of light that was coming through the panes of glass. It was truly amazing. The staff began to shimmer almost as if it was covered with a thick coat of sparkling glitter; only the light was more pure and deep. Ben was enamored with his new gift.
“This could be the best one yet dad, it’s incredible.” Ben could not take his eyes off it.
“It’s stronger than steel,” his dad said and he took the cane and walked out the back door.
“Hey, where are going?” Ben called out as he tried to keep up with his father as he stepped out onto the porch. His father walked up to a palm tree in the back yard and held the cane in a batter’s stance then turned and looked back at Ben.
“Check this out” he called as he turned his gaze back on the tree. With all his power and strength, he swung the cane as hard as he could at the tree. When the cane made contact with the trunk, splinters of wood went flying. Ben was a bit shocked at his father’s strange behavior. He wondered why he was acting like a college frat boy banging things in the back yard. His dad walked back up the yard and onto the porch. He handed the cane to Ben.
“Check it out, not a single dent or splinter on this thing. Strange huh?” His dad gazed up into the bright blue sky.
“What were all those splinters of wood then?” Ben asked as he studied the cane a bit closer.
“Go and take a look at the tree and you’ll see where the splinters came from.”
Ben took the cane and walked over to the tree that his father had slammed just a moment ago. The trunk of the tree had a gouge in it that looked as if it had be hit by the head of an axe. He looked at the cane again and then walked back up to the porch.
“How can a wooden stick do so much damage to a tree trunk? Ben wondered, “No offense, but you can’t swing that hard.” His father smiled.
“I have no idea how this thing can be so strong, but I think it’s pretty cool. It must have something to do with why it shimmers in the sun.” His dad opened the door to the porch and walked in to the house. As he did he turned back to Ben. “Let’s go out for breakfast, come on.” Ben smiled and followed his dad back into the house.
“I’ll leave this here for now” Ben said as he learned his new cane against the dining room chair and grabbed his everyday, hospital issued metal cane. As he followed his dad to the garage Ben tapped him on the shoulder.
“Are you feeling alright? Ben asked, “You seem a bit overexcited this morning.” His dad stopped and turned back.
“You know I actually feel amazing today. I feel like I drank ten cups of coffee. Now let’s grab some food, I’m starved.”
Chapter 7
Orin walked silently down a narrow side street of Tangiers. His destination was just up the street and around the corner to the left. He knew that he needed to be unnoticed, even though he felt pretty sure that no one was following him. He had been off the grid and quiet for long enough that he felt anyone who had been interested in him from before would have given up tagging him by now or at least lost his trail. He rounded the corner and headed up the sidewalk. The shop he was looking for was now right in front of him. It was an oddities type of store. It obviously catered to tourists who were hungry to buy some cheap junk that claimed to be authentic to Morocco. The street was quiet even though a few people wandered here and there. He looked in the window of the shop and was delighted to see that there were no customers. He opened the door and walked up to the counter. The man behind the counter greeted him and asked how he could help. In his best Arabic, Orin asked about the artifact and described it in full detail. The man looked at him with a blank stare and spoke in clear English
“I sold it already,” he said frankly.
“That is quite unfortunate,” Orin replied.
“Is it?” the man replied with a harsh tone to his voice.
Orin was quite taken aback by the brashness and the words the store owner spoke, but he quickly responded.
“Then you will tell me exactly who you sold it to and when you sold it.” Orin leaned over the counter coming face to face with the owner waiting for a reply.
“I don’t know, I wasn’t here when it sold, but I know it sold yesterday because that was the day I was home sick,” he snapped. Orin went for his gun and pointed it in the face of the now shocked store owner.
“Get me the receipts for everything you sold on that day. Do it now!” The man paused for a brief moment and then moved his right arm slightly in a very awkward fashion. In a flash there was a muffled pop and the man fell over backward and slumped to the floor. Orin put the gun away and vaulted the counter. He looked under the lip of the back of the counter and saw that the man had not had enough time to hit the alarm button and with the silencer on his gun, no one outside the store would have heard a thing. Orin knew that it was completely unnecessary to kill the man, but that was his nature and how he operated. He quickly moved the body of the store owner to the back and then headed for the office. He was looking for the receipts. This store was modern and in today’s world, most people bought larger items with a credit card. He hoped this was the case with the item he was looking for. Cash was harder to follow and he would have to track down the person who worked that day if he couldn’t find who bought it using receipts.
It took him no time at all to find where the store owner kept record and transactions and he proceeded to sift through the receipts to find what he was looking for. As he thumbed through the piles of papers, a grin came across his face. It seemed that since the store owner was not in the store, the person who was working wrote the specific name of each item sold on each receipt in detail so that the owner would not be confused by the vagueness of the computer printed receipts. It took minutes to find three receipts that had the heading he was looking for written right on them. He held all three up and tried to make a guess. In the end he put the receipts into his wallet and stole out of the store. If he was wrong, going back to find the person who worked that day and tracking down the artifact would pose a major problem. Hopefully his risk would pay off and one of the receipts would be for the item he was looking for. He left the dark streets and hailed for his car. On the way to the airport he called his contact and reported his progress, leaving out some minor details however.
Chapter 8
David and Stephen slowly opened the door to the shop in downtown Tangiers. They were ready for anything, especially for a face-to-face confrontation with Orin. Little did they know that they were about an hour too late. Just as the two brothers were entering the store, Orin was comfortably on his airplane where he sat with a laptop and a secure internet connection in his hands. The brothers slowly walked into the store and glanced around. The store was completely empty and no one had come out to greet them even though a bell had chimed when they opened the front door. The whole thing seemed a bit off.
“I get a feeling we’re too late” David said as he walked toward the counter. “No doubt Orin found what he was looking for and he must have done it fast” David was now right in front of the counter when he grabbed for his gun. “Stephen!!” he shouted as he clutched the side arm and held it out in a defensive stance.
“What!?” Stephen called back as he studied some strange looking items on a high shelf at the back of the store.
“Blood stains and a blood trail. It looks like someone was either hurt or killed and by the looks of the blood. It was recent.” David jumped the counter and bent down to look at the blood on the tile. He followed the trail through the back curtain and saw what he feared. “We’ve got a body!” he yelled back to Stephen who was just now at the counter. “Call it in Stephen.” David was positive that Orin was the culprit; the coincidence was far too great. David looked around the office to try to find out what Orin had accomplished, but Orin was a professional and he knew that any trail could lead back to him, Orin would have covered. He had meticulously replaced everything as he found it, leaving no signs that he plundered through the store files.
“The cleanup team is on their way,” Stephen said as he came to the back of the store, “About ten minutes, we need to get out of here.” Stephen was holding his phone that gave a secure line directly to the NSA (National Security Agency) who was now sending a team to clean up the mess without local authorities being involved. This type of operation needed to stay out of the papers and out of local authority’s control.
“Whatever Orin got, he must have gotten from the clerk and killed him. We’ll never know what he knew. Our only chance now is to tag Orin and follow him. If we’re lucky, he’ll find the artifact’s location and lead us right to it.” David had his hands on his hips as he looked at the dead body of the store owner. As the two brothers slipped out the back door of the store, the cleanup team entered through the front doors. They worked like ghosts. Hardly making a sound, but being very thorough in their work. In less than ten minutes, there was no sign that the clerk in the store had even existed. They had cleaned up the mess, disposed of the body, and even changed the government records to indicate another person as the man who owned the store. Orin may have ended the clerk’s life, but the NSA team erased his very existence. As the brothers walked down the dark street, David’s phone rang. He answered and immediately hung his head.
“Just find him,” David said as he closed the secure phone and placed it in his pocket. “They lost Orin,” David said as he turned to his brother and shrugged his shoulders.
What now?” Stephen inquired, seeming almost stunned that after years of surveillance, they had lost Orin when they needed him the most.
“Back to Virginia and hope we catch him again.” David kicked a pebble down the street as he walked.
“What if we don’t find him, how will we find the artifact?” Stephen asked.
“Well, I’ve been told that if whoever bought it uses it, we’ll know.” David pressed the button on the back of his phone that signaled for the town car to pick them up.
“What does the artifact do?” Stephen asked.
“No clue, I was just told that it can do some serious damage.” David’s pace quickened as he saw the black town car come into sight.
“Talk about vague, what the heck does serious damage mean anyway? Damage on a personal scale or bigger? Like a small bomb?” Stephen was trying to understand why this thing that was sold in a tourist thrift shop could pose any danger.
“Think global, that’s what I was told.” David ducked into the car and shut the door. Stephen jumped in on the other side.
“Global!? How could a tourist trinket cause global damage?”
“I have no idea Stephen, I have no idea.”
Chapter 9
Ben woke up Monday morning feeling a bit irritated. He grabbed the white alarm on the bedside table and switched it off. He got out of bed and lumbered into the shower. Monday was a tough day for him. The weekend was gone and he had to face five straight days of school. One good thing was that his dad was home and wouldn’t have to leave again until Tuesday. He picked out some clothes and labored to get his pants on. He glanced over at the cane holder and decided that today he would take his new cane to school. As he grasped the wooden shaft, he remembered the strange way his father had acted when he demonstrated how strong it was. He walked into the hallway and slowly down the steps. His mother has left his breakfast out for him. Cereal and toast was waiting silently on the kitchen table. Obviously she had left for work early. His dad was sound asleep upstairs after his long previous week of travel. The kitchen was empty and it left Ben with only his thoughts about going to school. He could feel a bit of anger welling up in him thinking about all the hassles of the coming day.
Just as he pulled the wooden chair from the table to sit down, he heard a terrible shrieking noise coming from the living room. The noise was piercing, like a knife cutting through the morning silence. He moved as quickly as he could into the living room and looked around for what could have made that horrid sound. He saw nothing immediately, but he could hear movements from upstairs which meant the noise had woken his father. Another visual sweep of the room and Ben saw what had made the noise. His mother’s beautiful Macaw was laying at the bottom of his cage, motionless. Ben slowly went over to the cage and looked at the poor animal. It was obvious from his vantage point that the animal was dead. Ben was horrified. Not just by the fact that the bird had died so suddenly, but by the fact that it looked as if it had internally exploded. The sight made his stomach turn and he had to close his eyes and look away.
“What in the hell was that noise?” Ben’s dad said as he staggered into the living room half asleep.
“Mom’s bird, it just up and died” Ben said, seeming calm for someone who was on the verge of throwing up.
“What happened?” he asked, “were you in here when he screamed?” Ben’s dad walked over to the cage and looked in. “Good Lord, what could have made him die like that. It’s like his innards exploded.” He opened the cage and pushed the green bird with his extended index finger. Now Ben really felt sick.
“I was in the kitchen. I didn’t even know what made sound. I never heard it make a screech like that.” Ben was beginning to calm down as he was now at least ten feet from the cage. “When I finally saw that the bird was dead, I realized he must have made the sound.
“Well, I can’t let you mother see him this way. You need to go to school. I will clean up the mess and tell you mom what happened. She needs to know what happened, but she doesn’t need to see the bird’s body, not like this.” His dad walked into the kitchen to get a plastic bag to put the bird in. Ben walked with him.
“That scream is going to haunt me. I can still feel my heart pounding it scared me so damn bad.” Ben tried to get a smile out, but it was no use. This was turning out to be a rotten day. Just as he was about to sit down to his breakfast for the second time, he heard the familiar HONK of the car horn.
“Is your ride here already?” Ben’s dad asked as he shook open a crumpled brown Publix bag.
“Yeah, that’s them. See ya later this afternoon. Sorry I couldn’t help you bury the bird.” Ben grabbed his bag and walked toward the kitchen door, his new walking stick in hand.
“Bury the bird? Are you nuts?” His dad smiled wide now. “I never really liked the bird anyway, so maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. But don’t ever tell you mom I said that.” With that, he turned and walked into the living room and Ben walked out to the driveway. As Ben made his way to the car, a strong breeze made him take notice of the weather. The clouds were racing across the sky and building as they went. Dark, black, ominous clouds sped by like a heard of stallions stampeding across the heavens. Lightning flashed and a rumble of thunder followed immediately after. Ben moved quicker as he headed for Bruce’s car. He reached for the handle just as the first drops of rain began to fall. He shut the door behind him and slumped into the seat.
“Wow, that storm sure did pick up. Talk about good timing Mrs. G,” Ben said as he sank into the cushy seats.
“Glad I could help. Weird though since the weatherman said there was only a slight chance of rain today.” As she spoke she threw the car into reverse and backed slowly out of Ben’s driveway.
“Weathermen have the best job, I think. I mean really, how many jobs are there where you can be completely wrong day after day and not get fired. And……not only can you be wrong, but you don’t have to apologize for it either,” Bruce blurted out in response to what his mother had said. Bruce’s first words seemed very passionate which made Ben laugh. He often took great amusement in Bruce’s mini rants. “Seriously, do you think that the guy on channel 6 is going to come on and say he’s sorry that he told us it wasn’t going rain? Oops, sorry. No way, he’ll just pass over it like he never said it wasn’t going to rain.” Bruce flopped back in the seat.
“Done now?” Ben said as he usually did after one of Bruce’s classic rants. After that there was silence in the car. Partly because it was Monday and they were all tired, but mostly because of what was happening outside. Ben sat with his cane in his hands watching the weather outside turn from bad to plain strange. The wind was howling so much you could hear it through the cracks of the doors and feel it move the car on the road from side to side. Rain was coming down in sheets, but was heavier than he had ever seen. Heavy rain is pretty normal for Central Florida in the summer, but not in February and definitely not like this. Cars were pulling off the road and Bruce’s mother was gripping the wheel like grim death. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck a lamp post in the parking lot out the left side of the car. The pole split and a piece careened into the road forcing Bruce’s mom to slam on the brakes. Ben felt his body lurch forward. His cane went flying, hit the back of the seats and fell to the floor.
“You guys all right?” Bruce’s mom asked from the front seat, still too shaken to turn around and look.
“We’re fine. Not your fault mom.” Bruce seemed nearly un-phased. Ben was afraid by the prospect of an accident. He knew that he would have a nearly impossible time freeing himself and getting to safety. It was one of his greatest fears. He sat back and made sure the seatbelt was still secure. The car moved forward as the weather seemed to be subsiding for the moment. He left the cane lying on the floor. He didn’t want to reach for it and have another short stop and break his neck. That’s all he needed. With the way the ride had been, Ben was actually relieved to arrive at school. He and Bruce got out of the car and started their walk towards homeroom.
“Hey….new walking stick. I like it,” Bruce said as he grabbed the stick to feel.
“Yeah, dad got it on his last trip. It’s supposed to be thousands of years old, but I think that’s a crock. It’s cool though and strong as hell. Dad smashed a tree trunk with this thing and it did nothing to the stick. The tree wasn’t as lucky though.” Ben smiled again as the memory of his dad swinging at the tree was still fresh in his head. As the two walked closer to the building, the weather began to take a serious turn. Up ahead, they could see students running for cover and soon realized that they were running from the hail that began to pound the school grounds. Ben hurried as quickly as he could, but the hailstones hurt as he made his way toward the main hall. Bruce stayed with Ben even though he could have been under cover already. Ben was out of breath when they finally got to the overhang that hung above the entrance to the main building where homerooms are held.
“What a friggin’ day. This sucks. First my mother’s bird dies, then we nearly die in the car. Now I get hammered with hail. Time to go back to bed.” Ben could feel himself getting irritated. He would often get mad at things he couldn’t control. It was just his way of dealing.
“Wait….your mom’s bird died? What the hell!” Bruce seemed shocked that Ben had neglected to mention it.
“Long story, I’ll tell you at lunch” Ben replied. Ben and Bruce walked into homeroom. As they did they could hear the pounding of the hail on the roof. The strange thing was that the sounds were getting louder as if the hailstones were getting bigger.
“WEATHERMEN!!” Bruce shouted as he looked up at the ceiling. Several students looked up at him and Ben.
“He’s just a bit angry with weathermen today. Tomorrow it will be mailmen. You know.” Ben said out loud as they passed curious students. He smiled as he felt he had made a pretty good remark. Apparently it worked because several of the students who had looked up at Bruce laughed and went back to their work. Ben just sat down and smiled.
Chapter 10
As the Anderson brothers were heading in their dark black town car toward the Tangiers airport, Orin sat in the cabin of his private jet which, in fact, was owned by the Israeli government. His laptop was open and he was connecting to a secure connection with a program which allows him access to information only someone with his rank could get. He needed personal information. The receipt from the store gave him the last four digits of the credit card number, the first and last name, the card type and the written note telling what was sold. It wasn’t a smoking gun, but he was sure he could manage. He started with the first receipt. As he scrolled through thousands of records, he found the name and the credit information. The first receipt was a bust. The man on the other end claimed said that he had bought a hand carved cane. Orin felt a surge of excitement.
“Can you describe the item?” Orin asked. The man on the other end paused.
“It was carved by a local artisan,” the man said, “It’s got carving of elephants and other animals.” Orin cursed under his breath.
“Thank you for your time,” Orin said and hung up the phone. He pulled out the second receipt and flipped open his phone. The second one hit the jackpot.
“Hello?” a voice answered.
“Good day, this is Mike from Chase Visa’s fraud department calling regarding a purchase you recently made. Am I speaking to Eli Marcus?” Orin waited for a response.
“This is Eli; can you tell me what this is all about?”
“Sir we received notice of a purchase made in Morocco a few days ago and want to make sure that it is a valid charge. Can you verify the amount, the name of the store you made the purchase and describe what item was purchased?” There was a pause on the other end and then the caller replied.
“Oh yes, that certainty is a valid charge. It was for one hundred and fifty U.S dollars. I can’t remember the name of the shop, but it was in Tangiers.”
“Fine sir just fine. And the item?” Orin prodded. The phone was silent for a long second before the caller responded.
“Why do you need to know what the item is? I told you the charge was valid.” Orin gritted his teeth and looked at the ceiling.
“The store owner wrote down what was sold and we wanted to make sure that the receipts match the item sold. We wanted to ensure the store wasn’t being fraudulent with their books.” Orin hoped that would be enough.
“Fine, fine. It was a walking stick for my son,” the caller snipped.
“Can you verify your address so we can free up the hold and get everything back on track?” Orin asked. The caller verified the address and Orin confirmed that the address was indeed the same as what was listed on the account. He needed to be sure. With so many people moving these days, not confirming the address could have been a costly mistake.
“Thank you sir and now the hold will be taken off your account. You have a nice day and thank you for choosing Chase Visa. Goodbye.” Orin hung up the phone and smiled in his sly way. He pushed the intercom button.
“Where to sir?” the pilot inquired nearly instantaneously.
Orin told the pilot where to go and then took his finger off the button and sat back in his seat. He was almost there. He knew who had the artifact and where he needed to go. Best of all, it was an innocent person that had it, so getting it shouldn’t prove to be very difficult. He should be easy to bribe. Bribing was always the first option. There was no mess and no questions. A wad of cash and an exchange that would make him the most powerful man in the Israeli government was just hours away. He closed his eyes as the private jet made a sharp left and headed for the United States.
Chapter 11
Ben could still hear the weather now and again throughout the morning. He had gone from class to class in the main building without being able to go outside. The weather had certainly played havoc on the day. Sometimes it was black as night and windier than he had ever seen. Ben knew windy since he’d been through a few hurricanes. Sometimes, it was calm and sunny. According to a boy in his math class people called Sherman, who had stepped outside said he nearly froze. Now it can get pretty chilly in Central Florida, but to be freezing in the middle of the day was not normal. Not that you could really trust Sherman, but it seemed strange anyway.
The bell rang signaling the end of math and also reminded Ben that it was lunch time. Ben wasn’t the biggest fan of lunch. He’d like to think that with all the intelligent and privileged kids that went to Stone Forest, the lunchroom would be a calm, intellectual place to sit and converse with your classmates. It was far from that. The lunchroom was your typical, clicky, groupie, pain in the butt. Ben met up with Bruce half way to the lunchroom and they walked in silence until they entered the doors etched the words “Lunch Hall”. The lunchroom was a large, square room with a very high ceiling that came to a peak with beams going crossways. The tables were long, faux wood tables with metal legs that could be folded up and locked in the wall so that the room could be used for other functions. The floor was a brick and orange colored Spanish tile with large grout lines and huge individual tile pieces. At the back were two massive plate glass windows and to the back left was where you entered to get your food.