The Final Mission Part 4
By: P.G. Barnett
Tags: Short Fic, Henry And Sunny, Fiction, Fiction Series, Short Story

My name is Sunny Alexander-Johnson. And I’m Henry James, and we’re writers for Dark Sides of the Truth magazine.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

We knew what Mondays at Dark Sides were all about. As each of us filed into the bullpen, fired up our computers, and grabbed some coffee, we steeled ourselves for rumblings we knew would come from Rick’s office — precursors to the volcanic eruption to follow soon after.

By eleven that morning, the general assumption in the bullpen was Rick had died while sitting in his office at his computer.

“You want to go check on him?”

“What, do you think I’m crazy, woman?”

“Fine, then I’ll go.”

“What in the hell’s gotten into you, princess? Saturday, you were ready to drop him where he stood. Now you’re worried about him?”

“Henry, it’s my prerogative. If I want to check on…”

The intercom on a nearby phone activated.

“Uh, Henry? Would you and Shaundrika please come to my office?”

For several seconds we stared at the phone. Finally, one of us reached over and tapped the speaker button.

“Sure, Rick, we’re on our way.”

“Thank you, Shaundrika.”

“Okay, it has now officially become a cold day in hell.”

“Come on, old man.”

We walked into Rick’s office to find him juggling a coffee mug in one hand while he navigated his computer screen with his mouse. Typically, Rick would ignore us, letting us sit in his office for several minutes while he was satisfied with whatever he was doing. This morning he immediately stopped as we sat down, then stood up, walked around the desk, and shut the door.

Never a good sign.

“Morning you two. Why don’t we sit at the conference table? Anybody need their coffee warmed?”

“I would ask who are you and what have they done with the real Rick McDonnell, but well, after all the shit that’s gone down, I don’t think I really want to know.”

“Funny Henry. Look, we need to start thinking about how we’re going to do this. Manny and Robert should be here soon.”

“Wait. Rick, you want Robert and Manny involved in this?”

“Sunny, we’re going to need all the help we can get. You know Robert has his own connections, and Manny used to be FBI remember? Plus we’re going to need the skills of Becca and Donnie as well.”

“It sounds to me like you’ve already got a plan, Rick.”

“Somewhat yes, but we’ve got a lot of work to do to pull this off without one of us getting killed or captured.”

“You’re making this sound like some kind of Mission Impossible movie Rick.”

Rick chuckled and said, “this isn’t all of that fake movie shit Henry. But in a way, this is a mission. I’m hoping it’s going to be the final mission.”

“Rick. I have to know this. Are you uh…”

“Am I what Shaundrika?”

“Are you planning on killing this Samual Donaldson fellow?”

We both thought it was a legitimate question, especially since we’d witnessed what the man had done to Darla Hardcastle, and after what we presumed he’d done to Enrique Escobar.

“No Shaundrika, I’m not. I want him to confess, and I want to get it on tape. Then I want to get it to the media. With his confession and what I know to corroborate, we’re going to press with it. After Dark Sides and all the media sharks tear into his ass it will destroy him. Quite possibly put his ass to jail.”

“Not like we can just waltz in there and ask the man to incriminate himself, Rick.”

“I know Henry. He won’t talk unless we make him think doing so will save his life.”

“We’re not talking torture or anything like that are we?”

“No Shaundrika we’re just going to scare the living daylights out of him. What I’d like to…”

A knock on Rick’s door interrupted, and Rick got up and swung the door open, allowing Manny Hermanos and Robert Johnson to enter the room. Rick closed the door and returned to the conference table as Manny and Robert pulled chairs across the floor. Robert kissed his wife, then sat.

“Good morning gentlemen, right on time. Manny, I take it Robert’s filled you in?”

“Yeah, but Rick, I have to tell you this idea of yours is muy loco. I mean, I know this dude. Nobody screws with him. He’s got more juice in the organization than Chambers has.”

“Chambers?”

“Director Clarence Chambers. The head of the FBI, Henry.”

“Which means Manny, that he’s got a false sense of security. If nobody in the organization is willing to screw with him, then he probably believes he’s untouchable.”

“Like the movie.”

Everyone in the room stopped talking and turned their heads.

“What Henry?”

“I said like the movie. You know Rick, the Untouchables with Kevin Kostner? The FBI dude and Al Capone?”

“Old man, where in the hell do you come up with some of this shit?”

“Johnson? You wouldn’t know a great movie if it bit you on the ass.”

“Oh yeah, James?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay children. Could you give it a rest? Look, we’ve got a counter-terrorist specialist in the room. We’ve got ex-FBI and ex-military. And we’ve got a pair of investigative reports who don’t know when to stop sticking their noses in people’s businesses.”

“Hey, it’s what we get paid to do, Rick.”

“True Shaundrika, very true.”

“So what’s the plan then?”

“Robert, I think we’re about to become a rogue terrorist cell that gets activated, and our first mission will be to kidnap a member of the FBI.”

“You’re serious?”

“I am.”

“Oh holy shit. We’re going into the terrorism business? Do you realize how dangerous this could be, Rick? First off, what happens if a real terrorist organization gets wind of what we’re trying to do? What happens if Homeland Security picks up on it?”

“I know Sunny, but they’re risks we’re going to have to take. Trust me, if we screw up, Donaldson will know about it long before anybody else, and he’ll make sure we all disappear.”

“Like Hoffa?”

“Yes, Henry. Just like Jimmy Hoffa.”

“Okay, what next?”

“Manny you and Robert need to go back to your office and gear up. Let Donnie and Rebecca know we’re going to require their services over the next couple of weeks. Sunny? You and Henry stick around. I’ll give you the address of a house I own in Herndon, Virginia. I’d suggest you make arrangements with your mother or Victoria to take care of Dante and Alicia while you two are gone.”

“Is this going to be the next safe house, Rick?”

Rick stared at Sunny and smiled.

“I certainly hope not, Shaundrika, but you just never know, do you? Okay everybody, let’s move.”

Read On — The Final Mission Part 5

Let’s s keep in touch: P.G. & Sharon Barnett (paul@pgbarnett.com)

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