Abomination (26 page)

Jennifer told Ryan about how young women were reported
missing, raped or killed wherever Joshua was hiding out. Derek gave Jennifer’s
theory more weight by describing how Joshua would disappear for days within the
timeframes of many of the abductions and murders. For the first time since he
accepted the mission from the deputy director, Ryan was finally getting his
answers.

*****

Colonel Brown stopped the vehicle less than a block from
Kristina’s safe house. Behind the dark tinted windows of the SUV, the men
inside wearing black camouflage released the safeties on their weapons.

“You can bet they’ll have at least three or four outside
and two, maybe three, inside,” briefed Colonel Brown. “There should be no FBI
presence anywhere near the place.”

“Do we bring Scott with us or leave him on his own?”
asked Alex.

“Everyone at that house dies tonight, Alex. Are you
clear? This is where you erase your fuckup. This is where we end this and save
Didache.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dallas parked the car in the nearly empty lot of the
Paulding County Sheriff’s Department. He stepped out of the vehicle and looked
at his watch. It was a little after 2 a.m. when the uneasy feeling hit his
stomach.

“We’re at the right place,” said Tom, looking at the
large departmental sign.

“Maybe we just beat the SWAT team here,” said Dallas.
His phone alerted him to an incoming call. He paused before he looked at the
screen as he made a silent wish it would be Ryan.

“
Agent Chase,”
greeted Deputy Director Donaldson
.
“Sorry to send you out so late on a false alarm, but we just received word from
the scout team that it was the wrong two bad guys. I’ve already notified Atlanta SWAT to stand down.”

“Sir, are you positive?” asked Dallas as the uneasy
feeling turned to nausea.

“
I’m quite sure, son. You guys can stand down as
well. Have you heard from Ryan?”

“No, sir,” said Dallas, turning pale.

“
All right, just have him call me in the morning. I
think we could all use a little rest.”

“Goodnight, sir,” said Dallas, ending the call.

“What?” asked Michelle, noticing his color.

“Director said it was a false alarm. He said it was the
wrong guys and nobody’s coming. I’m not exactly sure what –”

All three of their phones simultaneously chimed and
vibrated – It was Kristina’s panic button.

“Get in the fucking car, Dallas!” yelled Michelle,
jumping behind the wheel. Dallas stood motionless near the front bumper. “Dallas!”
screamed Michelle, snapping him back to reality.

*****

“Do you know where Joshua is now?” asked Ryan.

“Yes,” said Derek. “We have several hideouts around Atlanta. He’s at a house near Dahlonega in the North Georgia Mountains. I’m supposed to
meet him there in a few days. Our plan was to go to Maine while everyone was
down here looking for us. He was certain Colonel Brown would send most of his
guys, leaving him and the scientists relatively unprotected.”

“What were you going to do with them?”

“We were going to kill them all. Everyone that had
anything to do with destroying our lives, we were going to kill. Joshua and I
both agreed that the only way they’d ever stop hunting us is if we were dead,
or they were. I opted for them.”

“I’m guessing I’m on that list,” said Ryan.

“You were for what you did to Peter.”

“He murdered a woman in cold blood in front of our
eyes,” explained Ryan. “And he did it after I identified myself and ordered him
to freeze. He ripped her throat out, threw a bed at us, and killed two of my
agents when he tried to flee. I didn’t show up to kill him, Derek. All I knew
was what they told me about him. The evidence was overwhelming.”

“He doesn’t feel that way anymore,” said Jennifer. “He
understands this was all part of Joshua’s plan for revenge and freedom. He
understands Joshua was using him like he uses everyone else, including you.”

“Is that true?”

“It is, Ryan,” said Derek, taking a deep breath. “I’ll
answer for what I’ve done to those women, but so will they. If I kill them,
they’ll just be replaced. If I show the world what they did to us, they’ll be
shut down forever. They’ll never do this to anyone else again.”

“But you’re not turning yourself in, right?”

“I don’t think you understand,” said Derek. “You can’t
stop Joshua on your own. He’s the one that handed over Peter and Richard to you
and the Colonel. The only reason they’re dead is because he wanted them that
way. You have no idea the damage he’s capable of doing. And if you lock me up,
you’re locking up the one man that can stop him. And when he’s finished with
all of you, I’ll be a sitting duck in my cell.”

“We’re not all morons in the Bureau, Derek. If you
expose what really happened at the lab, neither the Colonel nor my boss will be
able to keep a lid on this any longer. We’ll get the support we need to find
and stop him.”

“The same governmental support they used to find and
stop Bin Laden?” asked Derek. “Joshua makes him look like a girl scout. If the entire
FBI can’t catch one terrorist, what makes you believe you can catch Joshua? Be
realistic, Ryan. You know I’m your best shot.”

Ryan found it difficult to argue his logic. Derek wasn’t
finished explaining why he wasn’t turning himself in.

“See this woman sitting beside me?” asked Derek. “After
everything that’s happened, after everything I’ve told her, after everything
she just heard, she still believes in me when nobody else on the planet would.
She’s also the one who convinced me to take a chance with you. And because of
that, she’s willing to put herself in harm’s way. If the Colonel finds out
about our relationship, he’ll kill her. When Joshua finds out I betrayed him,
she won’t be safe anywhere until he’s dead. There’s no force on the planet that
will prevent me from protecting her. I can’t do that in jail. Do you
understand?”

He immediately thought about Kristina and understood why
Derek couldn’t leave Jennifer. But the obvious issue needed to be discussed
before Ryan could walk away from the killer.

“I’m sorry I have to ask this in front of you, Jennifer.
But I have to know.”

“You want to know when he’s going to take another
woman,” said Jennifer. “He has about five days.”

“That doesn’t leave us much time to sort this out. Derek,
I can’t let you take—“

“We have an idea,” said Derek. “We knew you’d ask. It
may sound a little ridiculous, but it makes sense to us.”

“It’s not ridiculous, sweetie,” said Jennifer, “It’s
simple. And simple seems to be working for us lately.”

“What’s the idea?” asked Ryan.

“The urges last about two days,” explained Derek. “I can
usually fight them off for the first day, but not the second. I’ll go with you
when I get close to losing my grip. You’re going to take me somewhere very
isolated, restrain me as best you can, and then knock me out for a day or two
with a heavy sedative.”

“You really think that’s going to work?”

“We believe it’s a chemical response in my brain set on
some kind of biological timer. Whatever is released into my system kicks in and
gets more intense as the day progresses. But on the third day, there’s nothing.
The urges are completely gone. We’re thinking, if I’m basically paralyzed
during that time, I won’t be able to act on the urge.”

“You’re right,” said Ryan, “That does sound too simple.
You don’t think the urge will linger until you satisfy it by killing? And how
can I be sure you won’t just tell me you’re fine, I release you, and then you
kill another woman, not to mention me?”

“Because I can’t control the physical mutation during
that time,” said Derek. “I can concentrate and make it happen anytime I want,
but during those two or three days, it’s involuntary. I can’t control it. I’m
like a junkie looking for a fix. I’ll start sweating, shaking, hyperventilating,
and then I’ll change. Believe me when I say you’ll know if I’m going to kill.
After the third day, if I look normal, I’m almost positive that’ll be a good
indication the urge is gone. I guess I’m asking you to trust me, Ryan. Do you
have any other ideas?”

“Not off the top of my head.”

*****

The sedan screamed around the curve, sliding across two
lanes of traffic as Michelle stood on the gas pedal. Tom was being slung around
the back seat while he continued trying to reach Steve’s men posted at
Kristina’s safe house. Between attempts he would dial both Ryan’s company
issued and untraceable cell phones. There were no responses on any of them as they
approached the safe house.

The blue and red lights flashed chaotically around and
inside the unmarked car. Each strobe illuminated the concern on their faces.
They knew something had gone terribly wrong. The vehicle came to a screeching
halt in front of the house. Their doors flew open as the rubber stench in the
white cloud caught up with the skid marks. With weapons drawn, they moved up
the walkway in assault positions. The front door was wide open.

“Hold up,” said Tom, turning his powerful flashlight
toward an odd shaped mound under the hedges bordering the front yard. They
changed direction and put their gun sights on the dark mass. They crossed the
yard quickly. The mass took a human shape as they approached.

“It’s Patrick,” said Michelle, reaching down to check
for a pulse. “He’s dead.”

Tom leaned down to check the pulse on the body of
another one of Steve’s men lying behind Patrick. The two holes in the back of
his head made checking unnecessary. They turned their attention back to the
open front door.

“Let’s go,” ordered Michelle.

They entered the dark house using their flashlights and
quickly cleared the first floor. Two more bodies were in the living room.
Michelle was the first to reach the bottom step of the staircase. She silently
moved up with Dallas and Tom close behind.

*****

“Okay,” exhaled Ryan. “First things first. I need some
of your blood.”

“Now who’s the freak?” asked Derek.

“I have a scientist who’s helping me find some answers,”
explained Ryan. “We have a little plan of our own to expose what happened at
the lab, but they need a few things. One of those things is a sample of your
DNA. Another is your medical records from the beginning of the Didache Project.
The third part of that equation is finding a local lab for them to examine both.
The funny thing is, we thought the most difficult part would be getting your
blood.”

“Who’s the scientist helping?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t answer that right now. Their
identity and location needs to stay hidden. How do you want to handle Joshua?”

“We’ll keep the schedule of me going up to the hideout.
You can wire me up, but you’ll need to stay away. If you’re anywhere near the
place, he’ll know.”

“You’re going to take him into custody yourself? It
doesn’t sound like a simple or smart plan.”

“I’m not taking him into custody, Ryan. I’m going to
kill him.”

“That’s not how this is going to work, Derek. We don’t
assassinate suspects. We try to detain them. Remember that little piece of
paper called the Constitution? It’s what separates us from the animals. Even
Joshua has a right to face his accusers at a fair trial. I’m not a bleeding
heart liberal, but I still believe in the process.”

“You don’t know shit about him, do you? That position
might work on the Colonel, but not Joshua. He goes beyond any law man created.
He needs to be removed from the planet, and unless you have a spaceship, we’re
going to have to kill him to stop him.”

“Give me one day, Derek. Let me work on a plan. If you
still think it’s impossible, then we’ll talk about doing it your way, okay?”

“One day, Ryan. If you don’t convince me, then I go get
him alone. It’s just the way it has to happen. None of us are safe as long as
he’s out there.”

“Agreed,” said Ryan. “We’ll talk about what we’re going
to do with Colonel Brown tomorrow as well. How do I reach you?”

“I’ll tell you when you leave,” said Derek, glancing
over at Jennifer.

“Looking at the hour, it needs to be pretty soon,” said
Ryan, feeling his hip for his phone. “I’m surprised nobody’s – shit! That
explains why nobody’s called.” He stood up and looked around. He walked over to
the destroyed dining room table and picked up the pieces of his phone. “That’s
not good. I need to run to my car and grab my other cell.”

“Let’s call it a night,” said Derek. “I’ll walk you out
and let you know how to reach me tomorrow.”

Everyone stood and walked into the kitchen. Jennifer
stopped Ryan and gave him a hug. “I can’t even begin to tell you how much
better we feel.”

“I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am you’re letting
me walk out of here,” said Ryan with a smile.

“Believe it or not,” said Jennifer, “I knew you’d
listen. You’re a good man. You both are. That’s why I know we’re going to be
okay. Thank you, Ryan. Thank you for proving Derek wrong.”

“The jury is still out, babe,” said Derek. “But if you feel
good about this, then so do I.”

“I do,” said Jennifer.

Derek walked out of the house with Ryan so Jennifer
couldn’t hear their conversation. They both instinctively walked slowly looking
in every direction before leaving the carport. When they stopped at Ryan’s car
door, Derek moved in closer to the FBI agent sent to hunt him down.

“If you’ve ever loved anything in your life, then you
might understand a fraction of how much I love her,” said Derek. “She doesn’t
easily give her trust, but she’s given it to you. Because of her, I’ll give you
mine as well. But you’ll know the exact second when I take it back because
it’ll be your last on earth. I shit you not.”