‘What?’ Asks Frank

Eddie shakes his head

‘No, what are you looking at? You haven’t said anything to me since the warehouse.’ Asks Frank once more

‘Nothing Frank, let’s just say I’m pretty tired of all this bureaucratic bullshit that seems to be sweeping the offices.’

‘The FBI is taking over the case then?’

‘No, I’m seeing to it that they don’t get their dirty hands on this case. It has nothing to do with them. This isn’t pirate DVD’s or drug cartels. This is some guy in my city causing a fuss. I am going to use what the city has at its disposal. Not what Washington thinks I should be using. The FBI is only good for one thing, protecting the president!’

‘I think the secret service protects the President Sir.’ Says Frank

‘How many times have I got to tell you? You have known me long enough to call me by my name Frank, not to mention me and you are good friends, so cut the sir shit’

Frank smiles as Eddie’s composure is clearly broken. Eddie cracks his finger between his tie, loosening it as they reach the incident rooms first floor. The lift door clangs open once again as Frank and Eddie walk on through to the central hub. Just as they reach the bustling hub they are met by Chief Shaw.

‘Ah Frank how nice to see you’ Says Shaw

Frank shakes the Chiefs hand.

‘So where have you been McKenzie?’

‘Nowhere special Chief’

‘Is that so? I heard that you may have been engaging in some rather illegal activities down the industrial complex.’

Frank smiles at the Chief and turns his head slightly to catch a stern look from Eddie. The smile quickly disappears on Frank’s face.

‘You know how it is Chief, people talk’

‘That may be so, but they seem to be talking a lot about you.’

‘Look sir, by my understanding you wanted me to come back. You did fire me after all and what I do with my own personal time is my business, so if you want to give me a ribbing then I’d appreciate it if you hurried up because I have a case to crack.’

‘A case to crack, you have some cheek boy, you aren’t cracking shit around here. The only cracking you will be witnessing is me cracking the whip on your sorry ass.’

Frank leaps forward and grabs Shaw by the tie. He pulls hard on the it, forcing Shaw’s face down to a highly impactful thud on his desk. His nose explodes in a haze of blood as Shaw hits the ground holding his broken nose while staring up at Frank with a surprised look on his face.

‘Looks like cases aren’t the only thing I can crack around here’ says Frank

Sixty Seven

Jason stands at the front of the busted door overlooking the petrified passengers on the train. He is holding his AK47 much like a militia soldier would hold his on all those CNN specials on regimes in unfortunate countries. He paces the width of the train nonstop as he surveys the fear in the eyes of his hostages. He finally stops and points at a man kneeling on the ground with his hands on his head.

‘You, what’s your name?’ Says Jason manoeuvring his way closer to the kneeling man

The man looks up at Jason with a taught look of anxiety

‘Speak up’ Shouts Jason who is now pointing the foreboding AK47 at the man’s chest

‘My name’s Jason’ says the petrified man

Jason’s eyes lights up as he excitedly shakes the gun in an upwards direction signalling the man to his feet.

‘That’s quite a coincidence; my name is Jason as well’

The man looks on nervously at Jason, not shaking his line of sight off the weapon.

‘Would you say Jason is a common name?’ Asks Jason

‘Pretty common’ says the man

‘So you think I’m a common killer then?’

The man’s eyes tighten with fear as watches Jason’s eyes intrude his psyche.

‘No sir’

‘Did I tell you to speak Jason?’

‘No’ says the man

‘So not only do you think I’m a common killer but you also don’t respect me, the man with a gun.’

‘I did not say that’

‘It’s too late for apologies Jason, the damage is done. My feelings are already hurt.’

The man bows his head in fear

‘Look at me’ Shouts Jason while wheeling his AK47.

The man looks at Jason, tight eyed and reeling with sweat.

‘Theirs only room for one Jason on this trip to Boston’

Jason unloads a full clip into the man’s torso, the impact of the bullets contort his body in an unnatural fall to the ground. The man’s clothes are riddled with reddened holes, trickling out with blood. The barrel of Jason’s Ak47 is a blaze with smoke as it bellows out and hangs in the air. Jason smiles as he changes the clip. The heavy mag hits the floor with a frightening echo as the passengers on the train gasp in horror at the mangled body of the man on the floor. Jason looks up and smiles at his hostages.

‘I take it there aren’t any more Jason’s on this train?’

The crowd of passengers fall silent. Jason notices that some of the bullets have strayed and hit the cabin door of the driver. He walks over to the bullet ridden metal door and opens it. The trains’ driver is a mess with sweat and fear as he grips the controls of the train. He looks back at Jason who is grinning at him.

‘Everything okay here Mr Train driver?’ Asks Frank

The driver nods cautiously, visibly upset at the presence of Jason

‘Good, full steam ahead then. Make sure you slow down where I told you to. We are making a slight detour, but we will be back on course very shortly. Is that understood?’

Sixty Eight

Connor chase looks on as a member of his crew drags Adam McKenzie’s body off. Chase watches as blood smears on the hard flooring. He stares at the smudging on the floor, the blood caking the dented concrete, filling the minute holes with red specks. Connor stands up and walks over to the struggling guard who is visibly tiring at the sheer muscly bulk of Adam. He looks at the guard with a glint of sympathy while offering his hand out as a gesture of help.

‘He’s a big guy this one’ States Connor

The guard nods in agreement

‘They sure don’t build them like this much’ Says the guard.

Connor grabs Adam’s motionless legs as he hauls them up to his sides, narrowing his way through the darkened room with only the camera’s lights giving a slight hinge of light. He follows the guard’s lead.

‘Who do you think he is boss?’ Asks the guard

‘No one special I guess. Just some poor sap who was risking his life for a pay check.’

The guard grunts a short laugh, wheezing as he bares Adam’s weight.

‘A bit like us then.’

Connor stops dead as he lets Adam’s feet hit the floor.

‘What do you mean?’

The guard looks back nervously as he tries to collect himself

‘Well what we are doing could be considered dangerous’

Connor shakes his head

‘No, that’s not what you meant. Spit it out!’ Shouts Connor

‘Well don’t you think this is a lot of effort for some money?’

Connor slowly walks up to the jittery guard

‘What money?’ Asks Connor

The guard darts his head from left to right, trying to find the answers in his surroundings.

‘Look at me’ Shouts Connor while grabbing his jaw tightly.

‘I did not mean anything by it boss’ Says the guard

Connor lets go off the guard’s face, pushing him into the wall.

‘This isn’t about money son. This is about principle. When you lack that in life, the only thing you got left is your shadow. The shadow of a man with no principles is a man with no word. If he hasn’t got his word then he has no balls. If he has no balls then all he is a bitch. I don’t mean that in the sense that a woman is a bitch because women are much more than that. Women get labelled that too often. I’m talking about a bitch. A female dog, are you a female dog?’

The guard shakes his head cautiously.

‘Good because the only thing female dogs are good for is sniffing around’