The Good Deed ~COMPLETE~

Chapter 46: Being Human

The last thing I remember was clawing at the metal door. It was a failed attempt to escape.  I soon gave up the fight when I realized the door wasn't going to open.  I slid my back down the partition and sat, defeated. My body was exhausted from running and the smoke wasn't making it any better.  Sue sat close and cuddled me. We were trapped, and all we had was each other's comfort.

I could hear Mark whispering words of love to Mandy as she cried softly. I felt bad for my mother, she had no one to hold on to, though, I was thankful my father wasn't there suffering with us.

The smoke was becoming overwhelming, even through my shirt as I held it over my mouth. We were all coughing heavily, and were at serious risk of damaging our lungs. 'Cough-cough' “You guys? 'cough' No matter what happens...I love you all.”

That was my last memory of that tunnel. I passed out.

December 13th 2005 3:33am

I awoke in a hospital bed, a mask stuck to my face; over my mouth and nose. The air was smooth as it entered my lungs. Cool and refreshing; pure oxygen. I looked around the room, unsure of how I even got there. One second I was in a black tunnel and next I was there. It was as fast as blinking my eyes.

The room was quiet, except for the machine forcing oxygen into me. I sat up and removed the mask. Breathing on my own was easy, but my nose and throat were sore. I noticed it was dark outside, but I hadn't realized I had slept for over a day. That's when I noticed the chart hanging on the wall.  The date said it was the 13th.  I had trouble believing I had really slept that long.  Although I had slept for so long, my body was still exhausted. I had attempted to stand, but quickly became dizzy. I laid back down and closed my eyes again and slept another ten hours.

December 13th 2005 1:40pm

The second time I awoke, I wasn't as disoriented, and I knew exactly where I was. The mask was back on my face.  I figured a nurse must have replaced it while I slept. I removed it again, I didn't need it...at least, I didn't want to need it.

I sat up and became startled. There was a strange man there. He was just sitting, staring at me. I had no clue who he was or what he wanted.

“Who the Hell are you?”

He smiled at me. “Relax Joe. You're safe now.” The familiar voice promised.

I knew that voice, I had heard it before...I had spoken to this man before. I couldn't figure out where I knew him from. “How do I know you?”

He stood and walked to me. He held his hand out. “I'm Special Agent Ryan Whiltshire with the FBI.”

I grabbed his hand and shook it. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, we have a lot to discuss.”

I really didn't feel like talking too much.  It hurt my throat to speak.  “Like what?”

“Like the Operation, for one...”

“There is no Operation. Not any more. The headquarters was destroyed...and Jacob Scholtz is dead.”

“I know about Jacob. His body was uncovered yesterday, but...as far as the headquarters...that was just one of them. There are others just like it. The Operation is still alive and well. Jacob had made arrangements in case of his demise.”

“Arrangements? What arrangements?”

“He's already designated someone to take his place to ensure his business continues.”

“What does that mean for me and my family?”

“Remember I told you we may need you to testify...well, now that Jacob is dead, things have changed.  Now, we may need you to lie.”

“Lie? About what?”

Ryan took a deep sigh. “It was originally planned for you to testify against Jacob, but instead you will need to testify against the man that Jacob has assigned to replace him. We plan on bringing him in soon, and we'll need you to identify him as the leader of the Operation. You've never met him, so you'll need to lie while under oath.”

“Who is he?”

“He goes by Tanus. He's a bad man. Much worse than Jacob. We don't really know much about him. We do know that he's responsible for dozens of bombings. Hundreds of innocent people have died because of him. We believe that the bomb used to destroy the Convention Center was crafted by Tanus. He killed seven people in that explosion...we lost two of our own.”

“I know about Albert...who else?”

“Nobody you knew. My point is, he's a bad man that needs to be dealt with.”

“Why me? Why can't you get someone else to do this?” I was tired and just wanted everything to be over with.

“We need you Joe. You've witnessed, first hand, what Jacob was capable of, and you lived to tell about it. I can't say that about many people. As I said, Tanus is much worse. If we don't take him down soon, there's no telling what he'll do next.”

I felt like screaming. Even with Jacob dead and gone, I still couldn't have my life back. “So, what happens? I testify against this guy, Tanus, and then he'll come after me and my family and I'll be right back in the same situation I was in.”

“I realize your concerns Joe, and as I told you before, you and your family will be taken care of. We won't let Tanus or anyone else touch you. They'll never find you.”

“And what if I refuse to testify?”

“Then a lot of people will die.”

Great! Just what I needed, more deaths on my conscience. There were already several I was have trouble accepting.  Albert Tullis of course would be the hardest to let go of. He did the unthinkable by sacrificing himself. Then there was Brandy Page; I didn't even know if she was dead or not.

I didn't want to, but I agreed to help take Tanus down. “Okay. I'll do it.”

“Thank you Joe. I'll be in touch.” Ryan began to walk away.

“Hey?”

He stopped, “What is it?”

“Do you know if Brandy Page made it out of the building?”

Ryan shook his head, which scared me. “I don't know. I haven't seen her since that day, and they haven't found her body.”

I felt some comfort knowing that she might still be alive. "What about Harvey Dunn?"

Again Ryan shook his head.  "Haven't seen him.  But we're looking." Ryan turned and exited the room.

After a few moments of thinking; taking all of the past events in, and the unknown future events to come, I got up from the bed and made my way out of the room and found the nearest nurse. She lead me to my family. Each of them were in separate rooms, and each of them had been treated in a similar fashion as me. Sue, was awake and looking surprisingly sexy in her hospital gown. I rushed to her and held her in my arms. I was thankful I still had her to hold.

Mark and Mandy were both awake and recuperated as well. I briefly checked in on them. They were laying together in the bed, relaxing.

My mother still wore her oxygen mask. When I entered her room, I saw my dad sitting with her, holding her hand. I walked to him and attempted to hug him, but he pushed me away.

He looked angry with me. Maybe because he had nearly lost his wife. “You'd better thank your lucky stars I knew about that tunnel!”

“You saved us?”

“I lead the authorities to the tunnel. We found you just in time. I don't know what I would have done if any of you had died in there.”

I wasn't sure what to say, except, “S-sorry...I...”

“I don't want your apology Joe...I'm just...” The anger in his face was washed away with tears. He grabbed me and hugged me tightly. “I'm just glad you're all okay.  I love you son.”

It was rare to see the old man showing such emotion.  Especially speaking it.  I guess it's circumstances such as the ones we had all experienced, that can break down the walls that surrounds our hearts. I, like my father, don't cry often, but there we were, two grown men, hugging and crying...being human.