Switchback

Chapter 30

Richard opened his eyes to see Morris standing over him. He wore a lopsided grin. The expression, combined with his eerie appearance was unsettling.

"Calm down, Richard." Morris stepped away and looked at the wall monitor. On screen was a silhouette image of a male body. It began to beep. A red circle appeared over the heart. "If you don't you'll end up back where you were half an hour ago."

"What's happening?" Richard gasped. He glanced around the room. It was empty. This calmed him down – and allowed a tingle of frustration to creep over him.

"Mild heart attack."

"Christ. It's no wonder."

"What did Frankie say to you?"

"He thinks some of Nickle's old memories are still in my head and wants them."

Morris nodded. "Told me the same thing."

"They have the equipment here to do it?"

"Stolen just for the occasion. Very risky process – could kill you."

"I'm well aware." Richard shrugged. "And maybe that's not so bad."

"What?"

"You heard exactly what I said."

Morris frowned. "Let me get this straight... Since being knocked out and waking up – a total of maybe fifteen minutes unconscious - you've gone from having a mild coronary over Mingle's plans to indifference. That's quite a shift in a tiny amount of time."

"More of a realization."

"You'll have to elaborate."

"Why?"

"Humour me."

"Apathy brought on by bullshit? Confusion? Acceptance? Who knows, maybe I'm going through stages of grief. What's for sure - I'm done being scared. If one side of the law isn't trying to destroy me it's the other. Mingle wants to satisfy a whim and doesn't give a shit what happens. And where's Maxwell's logic? I'm sure he's been told over and over that I couldn't become a Locum if I had violent tendencies. Yet he's still chasing me. I might as well be dead when the only other option is the Trench. And the way my heart's acting it's only a matter of time before lights out.

"You can't just give up."

"Why not? In two days my life's been ruined – there's no coming back from this."

"I think you're trying to act indifferent as a coping mechanism."

"Not for a second." Richard's tone was blunt, his manner serious. Something really had shifted in him.

"What about your family?"

"My wife won't accept me like this. Same with my kids. I'm a stranger."

"Families love you for who you are, not what you look like."

Before Richard could reply the door slid open and Mingle walked in. His two men followed.

"How's our friend?" he asked.

"Fine." Morris twitched when he said this. It was almost impossible to see. Richard noticed and had no idea what it meant.

"Any progress with the block?"

"None."

"What have you tried?"

"Nothing."

"Say that again?"

Instead of replying Morris removed a small, round object from his lab coat pocket. When Frankie saw it he scrambled for something in his jacket. The other two men did the same.

But it was too late.

He pressed a yellow button on the top and threw the sphere in the air. Just before it hit the ceiling there was a flash of white light and the three men fell to the ground.

"Holy shit!" Richard yelped. His heart monitor began to beep.

"Stay calm." Morris watched the ball drop to the ground and stomped on it. When he lifted his foot there was nothing but dust.

"What the hell happened?"

"Making sure things stay on track."

"Are they dead?"

"Of course! I don't fuck around."

Richard gulped and looked from body to body. The monitor continued to beep. "How did it kill them and not us?"

"I can't even begin to explain," said Morris. He moved to the monitor and tapped the screen on a red circle around a heart icon. It turned amber. The beeping stopped. "Take a deep breath. You're safe."

"Why?" Some of the apathy from earlier was gone. Richard's behavior and heart rate made it clear he was scared.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Morris crossed to the examining table and began to undo his restraints with long fingers.

Richard remained still and watched him. "What's going on?"

"What do you think? I just saved your ass. Even if Mingle got the info he wanted and you survived, he still would have killed you. The guy might look old and beat up but he was ruthless."

"And I'm important to you in some way?"

"You're part of a bigger picture. Frankie Mingle served his purpose."

"What purpose?"

"A diversion."

"And what bigger picture?"

"Sorry Richard, all in good time."

There was no reply. Richard stared past Morris.

"What is it?" Morris asked. He turned around. A screen had appeared on the wall. On it a group of men dressed in fatigues were moving along a hallway, guns drawn. "Oh this is interesting."

"They're not supposed to be here?"

Morris grabbed Richard and pulled him off the gurney. "We've got maybe five minutes before they reach the door." He slapped his hand against a section of wall. On the other side of the room a hidden passage slid open. "This hallway will take you under two buildings. It exits in an alley. No one will search for you that far away"

"Then what?"

"You're on your own."

"That's it?"

"Not much else I can do right now." Morris glanced at the monitor. The soldiers were closer. "We've got about two minutes left."

"Christ," Richard muttered. "It doesn't even matter."

"Yes it does," said Morris. "Or else you wouldn't have looked apprehensive when you saw the soldiers on screen. Don't be embarrassed. Everyone talks a good game until the shit hits the fan."

"What about you?"

"Staying."

"What does that accomplish?"

A soft alarm started and the lights shifted from white to red.

"It's complicated," said Morris. "But I can't leave."

Voices floated from just outside the door.

"Please go. Otherwise this was all for nothing."

Richard did as he was told.