Fly Hard- Matchmaker Style
Rated PG-13
* * denotes emphasis
< > denotes thoughts
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
Previously
She wasn't one hundred percent sure that was what it was, but given the circumstances, what else could it be? If Perry had heard it, that meant that those in his office might have as well. She hoped that Jack wasn't injured and that Clark had been able to keep The Secret. Whatever had happened, something was about to break and not necessarily in their direction. The four gang members were all conferring over the documents that Cat had printed out for them and as long as they had their heads together there was little chance of them seeing Clark and Jack when they returned, which she suspected could be any time.
As she watched she saw that they were shuffling through the documents as if looking for a particular page. Fuentes had apparently directed Schumak to go get it and he was turning to comply when Lois caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. She realized that if Schumak continued out of Perry's office, he would spot Clark and Jack returning. She was casting about for something she could do to create a diversion when Remy came to the rescue. Apparently she found the errant page and he was called back.
Seconds later the door opened and Clark and Jack slipped in.
Lois heaved a profound sigh of relief when he took her in his arms and she clung to him almost desperately and asked, "Did you find Willie?"
Jack nodded and said, "Help's on the way."
Clark nodded in the direction of Perry's office and asked, "What have they been up to?"
Perry answered his question in a disgusted tone, "They've been futzing around with those fancy tools."
Lois, Clark, Jack and Perry watched in fascination as the gang picked up Perry's desk and moved it aside. Then they took out razor knives and started cutting up and peeling back the carpet.
Once this was done, Schumak and Blackman grabbed a jack hammer and a pick-ax and approached the now cleared space.
Seeing this Perry almost exploded, "What the … Not the Elvis box!"
If Perry was going to say any more he was interrupted by the loud roar of a motor and then the chatter of a jack hammer.
Perry screamed over the noise, "I hope they're not doin' what I think they're doin' ..."
The chatter of the jack hammer continued periodically. It would stop only long enough to clear away the debris created.
With a fatalistic tone, Clark said, "Well, it looks like they have found Dragonetti's vault."
Jack smirked and said, "Yeah, and to think, it's been there all the time. Right under the chief's -"
Perry started and said, "Hey, hey, hey …"
Jack finished, "nose all this time."
They all watched in silence as the destruction continued.
And Now:
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Chapter 7
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The work of destruction in Perry's office had continued for almost half an hour and the staff, most of them at least - Cat refused to leave George's side - were glued to the windows of the conference room, watching. They heard the rat-a-tat-tat of the jack hammer sounding almost like a machinegun going off and kicking up clouds of dust. That changed suddenly when they started to see sparks fly through the cloud of dust.
Clark put his arm around Lois and pulled her away from the window as he said, "I think we all need to step back. Dust has been known to explode. I've seen grain silos go off like so much dynamite. If that happened the windows would shatter from the force of the explosion.
Hearing this warning, both Perry and Jack backed off, but kept an eye on the office from a greater distance.
Suddenly the noise of the jack hammer ceased and a new noise started. Anyone who had worked on a farm, or a craftsman would have recognized the sound, a circular saw, but this one was equipped with a metal cutting blade.
Clark said, "They must have gotten all of the flooring out of the way. Now they are trying to cut into the vault itself."
After a pretty short time that noise died and everyone wondered what was next. Their curiosity was satisfied quickly when a flame suddenly bloomed into existence. When the flame changed color and appearance, Lois said, "Cutting torch. How stupid can they be? If there's paper currency in that safe, they could set it on fire."
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Still wending his way through the ductwork, Jimmy was talking to himself, as if reading a story, "Olsen was tired, hungry, and sore-kneed. But his unquenchable spirit drove him onward. Until ... There! An opening! A light at the end of the tunnel." He was looking at one of the wire grilled openings, like the many he had passed already. He had passed up many because they led into locked enclosures. When he reached this one he looked out and saw that it opened into a stairwell. Smiling in satisfaction he scooted around and inched closer. Pulling his feet back he used both heels to hit the grill. It rattled noisily, but didn't give. He pulled his feet back and hit it a second time, harder. It rattled louder, but still didn't give. He pulled back his feet for a third try and hit it harder still. This time the grill gave with a shriek of metal. It pivoted as on a hinge on the side away from where his feet hit it slamming against the wall making a loud racket, louder than when he was kicking it and that had been loud enough. Rolling over on his stomach he inched his way out and dropped the short distance to the floor.
Jimmy was inordinately pleased with himself as he looked up at where he had come from. He muttered to himself, "Now all I need in an M-16 …"
His musing was interrupted by the sound of the hammer of a gun being cocked.
Turning he looked down the barrel of a .38 cal revolver, said, "Uh-oh." And put his hands up.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As Remy started to apply the torch to the vault, Fuentes moved to the conference room and addressed the inhabitants, "As you can see, we found what we were looking for ..."
Clark provided, "Dragonetti's vault."
Weakly, George asked, "How much money is supposed to be in there?"
Fuentes smirked and said, "More money than you will see in your lifetime, thirty million dollars."
"If I was Lex Luthor and not just one of his employees, I'd offer you twice as much to leave us alone and go."
Fuentes chuckled and replied, "From what I've heard, I'd be better off out there with the cops on my tail than, Mr. Luthor."
Apparently Remy had handed the torch to one of the others because suddenly she was at Fuentes's elbow, "We're close."
Fuentes chuckled a mirthless chuckle and said, "Good. I think it's only fitting that after all the trouble he's gone to, I allow the mastermind of this plan to do the actual unveiling, don't you all agree?"
Quietly, Lois said to Clark, "You were right, he wasn't smart enough to think of this on his own.
Fuentes hadn't heard Lois and finished his statement, "Besides, I know you'll all enjoy meeting him." He pulled out his walkie-talkie, pressed the transmit button and said, "We're ready for you, sir."
A few seconds later the elevator chime sounded and the doors opened. When they did, Jimmy stepped out.
There was a unified gasp from the staff members upon seeing him, "Jimmy!"
It took a couple of seconds for it to register that he had his hands up in surrender. When he stepped further into the bull pen Willie stepped out of the elevator with his gun in his hand, aimed at Jimmy's back.
There was a new expostulation from those in the conference room, "Willie!"
Downhearted, Lois said, "But this means …"
Fuentes finished for her, "That help is
not on the way."
Perry was the first to gather his wits and challenged, "Willie, how could you? Why, I recommended you for this job."
Willie countered, "Would you have recommended me if you knew I had a prison record?"
Lois tried to be conciliatory, "Willie, just because you did something bad in the past doesn't mean you have to turn to a life of crime in your sunset years -"
Willie interrupted her, "I just got out ten months ago."
Undeterred, Lois pressed on, "Oh. Well, nothing you did could possibly be as bad as armed robbery and kidnapping.
In a flat tone, almost a monotone, he replied, "Murder one."
Seeing that in this game of one-ups-man-ship she was losing, Lois simply swallowed hard and said, "Oh."
In order to clarify things for himself, Jack asked, "You killed someone?"
Willie shook his head and put his gun away as he said, "Of course not! Don't be ridiculous. I couldn't hurt a fly."
Clark challenged, "If you were innocent, why were you in prison?"
Willie looked around and his eyes fell on Perry's office. He was obviously traveling back in time, in memory as he started to tell the story, oddly enough picking up the story almost where Perry had left off.
"The office was dark when I walked in, but I could tell that there was someone in the big chair behind the desk even though it was turned away from me. I said, ‘Dragonetti? You wanted to see me?'"
"The chair spun around and when it did, I saw that it was Lily sitting in it. She looked so beautiful. She was dressed in that white dress. It was low cut and short. She had a white band around her head that had a white feather hanging over her left ear. She said, ‘No, I did. I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't be away from you.' She stood and stepped around the desk. I couldn't resist her. I moved to her, took her in my arms and we kissed, passionately."
Willie looked around and said, "Lily looked a lot like you, Ms. Lane."
Returning to his story he said, "I said, ‘I'm going to get us out of this, I swear. There's thirty million in here and half of it's mine, fair and square. I'll just wait 'til he gets here.' I took out my gun and faced the door. I have to admit, I had murder in my heart. Dragonetti had my money and he was going to give it to me or else. A figure appeared in the doorway, but before I even had a chance to say anything there was a shot and the figure fell. I was worried. The vault took two keys to open. If Dragonetti was dead and didn't have his key on him it would be impossible to get the money out. Thinking it was Dragonetti, I shouted, ‘Dragonetti!' When I did, suddenly he stepped through the door. He had a gun in his hand and there was still smoke curling from the barrel. He said, ‘Sorry, Bill. There's no such thing as fair and square.' I moved over for a closer look at the body on the floor, it was Murphy."
"I looked around at Lily for support, but she was shrinking back. Dragonetti said, ‘I realized this was becoming a one man operation and the two of you conveniently complied."
"Then I said, ‘If you think you can get rid of me that easily …' I was interrupted by Dragonetti, ‘Lieutenant Moore, arrest this man for the murder of Mr. Murphy.' It was a total set-up and I realized that Lily had been part of it. That crooked flatfoot Moore stepped in and took my gun. Dragonetti handed him his gun. He proved he was part of it when he said, ‘I'll probably need these guns for evidence. I guess you wrestled that one out of his hand.' Dragonetti answered, ‘Yes, that's it. Thank you.' That's when Lily really proved that she was in on it, I said, ‘You won't get away with this. Lily, tell him what really happened.' That turncoat, Jezebel crossed over to Dragonetti, put her hands on his arm and said, ‘It's just like Pino said. You killed him.' I was flabbergasted. I thought all along that she loved me, ‘Not you, Lily …' She sneered and said, ‘There's a sucker born every minute.' Well, there you have it. I didn't kill nobody, but I went up the river for it."
"I lost a lifetime because of Dragonetti and I swore, if I ever got out, I'd come back for what belonged to me." Willie sighed and continued on, "Dragonetti got his due, though. He was gunned down a week after I went to prison."
They had all been absorbed in listening to his story. Clark was the first to speak, "Willie, they're going to send you right back to prison for what you've done to us."
Willie snapped back from his trip down memory lane and replied, "But you weren't supposed to be here!" He transferred his attention to Fuentes, "And you broke your promise. You said no guns."
Fuentes smirked and said, "I lied." He looked around and then added, "About a lot of things." With a sudden move he grabbed Willie and removed his revolver from its holster.
Surprised, Willie blurted out, "Fuentes, what do you think you're doing?"
Fuentes sneered and said, "Sorry, Pops. You're a liability."
Confused, Willie said, "But I'm the one who told you about the vault in the first place."
In a sarcastic tone, Fuentes replied, "And I'll always remember you fondly for it. But we've got to make a clean getaway and you're not exactly at your physical peak."
Just then, Remy stuck her head out through the office door and said, "We're in."
"Good! Load the bags."
Boldly, Lois asked, "What about us?"
Fuentes shouted, "Remy!"
Remy was carrying two overstuffed bags as she responded to his summons.
Fuentes said, "I believe I've come around to your way of thinking. We'll take these up and meet you at the chopper. They're all yours." He looked around at the group and then added, "Except her," as he pointed at Cat and finished, "We may need a hostage if anything goes wrong."
George tried to jump Fuentes, but he was still too weakened. Remy was easily able to handle him.
Lois knew that Clark would be able to deal with them more easily if they were divided and was confident that after dealing with the rest he would save her. Lois looked at Clark, trying to convey her confidence in him and then stepped forward and said, "Take me instead."
Fuentes looked back and forth between her and Cat and decided that one was as good as another and said, "Okay. You go with us."
Seeing the look on Remy's face, Lois said, "You can't just kill them."
Fuentes laughed and said, "You'd be surprised what you can do for thirty million dollars." To Remy he said, "We'll meet you on the roof."
Fuentes dragged Lois out of the room as Remy pointed her gun at the group and said, "Get him up. Let's go."
Hoping that Lois knew what she was doing, Clark played along and helped George to his feet. He took most of his weight as they headed for the stairs.
Clark saw Fuentes and Schumak enter the elevator before they entered the stairwell. He knew that if he had any chance of getting them all out of this he would have to act now. He pretended that George was too much for him and said, "Jack, can you help me with him?"
Jack moved over and took some of George's weight.
As he did, Clark sent a beam of heat vision at the light fixture. There was a sudden, blinding flash and then the stairwell was plunged into darkness.
Suddenly, Jack found that he was supporting George by himself and almost collapsed under his weight.
The flash followed by the profound darkness disoriented Remy and Blackman who were both behind the hostages and in reflex they both brought up their weapons. Before they were able to do anything else they were both knocked out, laid out on the steps and their weapons thrown down the stairs.
Jack heard the clatter of the weapons and eased George to the steps. Once this was done he started feeling around. His hands encountered the unconscious forms and he shouted to Jimmy, "Help me ties these two up. Clark knocked them out in the confusion."
Cat asked, "Where is he?"
Jimmy replied, "I don't know, but I feel sorry for Fuentes if he tries anything with Lois."
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