Chapter XX

illiam walked into the doorway held open by the 'retrieval officer,' as he would soon learn was the offending agent's title.  His name he didn't catch.

The short hallway dead-ended into a hallway leading to another 'T' intersection.  "A guy could get lost real quick in here," thought William.

The right turn lead into the front office of the building, and a span of coves laid out in an arch was quite impressive.  "Well, at least the colors went together real nice, grays and blues, if you like prison colors" he thought to himself.

William was led into a little alcove in the far right of the arch, and started to sit down when he looked into the alcove across the way, and there, sat his Sharon.  She was looking at him, and it was evident she'd been crying.  Her clothes were rumpled, her hair was not quite as pretty as she usually kept it, and there were huge circles under her eyes.  He immediately started back up, when he was roughly pushed back down.

He mouthed "Are you OK?"  She just shook her head, and turned her face away from him.  It crushed William to see her do that, because he'd given her everything he owned just to make her life as easy as he could.  He didn't know what he could have possibly done to make her treat him so.

At that, William turned his back on her and just hung his head as if he'd just lost the best friend he'd ever had.  And he had!  Sharon was his life; without her; he was nothing.  That could be proven by his life the last two weeks.  It had been two weeks since he'd seen her, and it was the loneliest two weeks he'd ever spent in his life.

Within five minutes, a man brushed by William, and sat down in the squeaky chair behind the large wooden Oak desk.  "Okay, Mr. Travis, all we have is a few questions of you, and you'll be returned to your place of residence."

William knew the voice, and never even looked up.

"Mr. Travis, did you understand the prior statement?"  William still didn't look up.  He just nodded, and kept his head down.  He never even looked up nor did he look around when he recognized the voice of the woman speaking to Sharon at the other end of the arch.

"Mr. Travis," Len Mathers was speaking again. "We need to know the location of the original set of disks containing the codes.  We know you were given them, as we have been informed by your wife.  She claims she does not know where the disks were taken, neither whether or not they still exist, nor where they were put if they do still exist.  This is a matter of national security, and . . ."

Suddenly William raised his head and looked Len Mathers straight in the eye and said in a low voice, "you have your nerve Mr. Mathers.  First you commandeered my plane, then sweet talked us into your big airplane, then held us at gunpoint while we were shackled like common criminals.  You turned us over to a madman who nearly killed us, and now you want me to co-operate with you?"

Williams voice was getting louder and louder.  "You claim it's a matter of national security, but you fail to treat us in any kind of constitutional manner.  You have my wife over there and God only knows how she's been treated.  And you want me to turn over something you think I have because you think you can create zombies who will do for you what you can't get any other way."

William was standing now, and leaning over the edge of the desk and was talking extremely loud.  "I've lost my wife over this, I've lost everything I own because of this, I've lost my life, and I've lost my will to live.  You can kiss me where the sun doesn't shine.  And, if you want to shoot me, an unarmed man, handcuffed and unable to defend myself, well, that just about sounds par for the course."

William could be heard all over the huge office building, and there were two black suits standing beside Len's desk.  "I see you have your armed rent-a-cops handy to protect your soft and no-account candy rear-end just in case your 'criminal' gets out of hand.  Well you can take this to the bank.  I'd rather have the noose back around my neck, and step off the bucket my own self before I'll help you in an way, shape, form or fashion!  Do you understand Mr. Big shot FBI guy?"

William turned to look in the direction of the alcove in which Sharon was seated, and he could only see her with her head down on the desk.  Melinda was seated behind the desk and her head was bowed low as she listened to the dressing down William was giving Len.

"Do what you have to do and turn me loose, or arrest me" William finished, and he sat down.  Len motioned to one of the big guys who walked over to William, removed the cuffs and said, come this way sir.  William got up and followed the guy back out the way they came, never even looking Sharon's way.  He didn't need his heart seared any more than it already was, and he didn't need the knife in his chest turned any more.

Just before he stepped through the door, he hollered back at Len, "by the way, what's the scoop on my plane?  Have you got it dismantled yet?  And the house.  Is it torn down yet?  Or the car, or my pickup . . .  have you torn them all apart yet looking for the codes?  Well, let me give you a hint.  They are not there.  But, I want anything you've torn up repaired to original, or, I'll have your head on a platter, you got that?  Now get me my plane!"

At that he kicked the door open bending the handle and stomped out.  He started walking out the long driveway past the car that was to take him home.  The car pulled up a little ahead of him, and stopped.  Two guys got out, one opened the door, the other just pointed to it.  "Where's your Glock?  Ain't you gonna kidnap me at gunpoint again?  Or are you gonna hit me over the head with your big gun or super dooper captive beater stick and knock me senseless?" William said sarcastically.

"We are not taking you home Mr. Travis.  We're taking you to your plane." the guy said.

"Just give me the address and I'll get there on my own," growled William.

"Well, we can't do that.  You see, it's in a restricted area, and we'll have to blindfold you to take you to it."

"I'll tell you what, Mr. Special big whoopteedo FBI Agent.  You just keep the plane.  I wouldn't trust it anyway if you guys mechanic like you treat people.  I'd be afraid of it."

With that he sidestepped the agent, and started on down the side walk.  William never turned around when he heard the doors shut on the car, nor when the tires squalled as it was u-turned to head back toward the office.

He heard the car squall to a stop, and two doors opened, then shut.  Hardly had the sound died when he heard them open again, then close.  He heard the engine start, the tires chirp as it was jerked into gear with the engine running too fast, then heard the tires squall as the car was gunned coming down the drive.

As the car came screaming down the drive, he saw Sharon looking out the back window as she swept by.  She gave a little wave, then was gone.

For some reason, the Death Sentence seemed so very heavy right about now.

© 2000 - 2025