End Game

CHAPTER 32

“Why are we still alive?” Reel asked.

She and Robie had been thrown into a small wooden shack and the door padlocked behind them. It was already growing very warm, and Robie could feel the sweat on his face and under his armpits. They could hear the rustle of booted feet just outside, so they were keeping their voices low.

“Maybe the little son of a bitch only murders one person a day,” said Robie grimly. He used his shirt to rub off blood and other matter from his face.

Reel did the same. “God, I feel like shit about Holly. And Luke. They beheaded him. They’re no better than ISIS.”

“I’d like to know how they got to them,” said Robie. “They were supposed to be on a commercial bus headed to Denver. I didn’t hear of any bus hijackings, did you?”

She shook her head. “Maybe they got to them after that.”

“How would these pricks even know they were heading to Denver?” asked Robie. “We were the only ones who knew about that.”

“Obviously not.”

“You think they’re behind the prisoners in the van? If so, maybe they got to Blue Man, too?”

Reel said, “If that prick killed Blue Man I will personally slit his throat.”

Robie looked around the tight parameters of their cell. “We could easily break through the wood, but that doesn’t get us anywhere with guards right outside.”

“It’s daylight now. We’ll have to wait until nightfall.”

“If we’re still alive,” he pointed out.

At half past seven the door was unlocked and a face appeared.

“Let’s go,” the guard said.

“Where?” asked Robie.

“Dinner.”

Reel and Robie exchanged glances.

“Move it!” snapped the man, who looked like he wanted to just start shooting.

They were taken to a small outbuilding by a half-dozen guards and their shackles removed.

The lead guard said, “There’s a shower in there. And there are clean clothes hanging on pegs inside.”

“I’m fine with what I have on,” said Reel.

“Well, he’s not. So shower and change. You both stink. And you’re covered in shit. And I’ve been ordered to shoot you right here if you don’t comply.”

Inside was a facility like a gym locker room. There was only one large communal shower with multiple shower heads.

“You can go first,” Robie said. “I’ll wait around the corner.”

She rolled her eyes. “Robie, you’ve seen all of me there is to see.”

They showered with Reel on one side of the shower and Robie on the other. He kept his gaze averted from her and thus didn’t see Reel steal a glance at him. However, she was only checking out one part of his body.

“How’s the arm, honestly?” she said, while soaping up.

Robie said, “Good as new. Your oblique?”

“You can see for yourself.”

He flinched and then glanced quickly at her, to find Reel staring back at him. She pointed to the injured side. “All healed up. Even had plastic surgery to take care of the scarring.”

His gaze dipped to the oblique and then slightly above and below before snapping back to her face.

“You look better than ever, Robie. Like you’ve been carved out of granite.” She paused. “You seem uncomfortable.”

“Mixed signals tend to do that to me.”

She turned her back on him and continued cleaning up.

This time Robie let his gaze wander from the small, hard muscles in her back to the longer, ropier muscles in her delts and triceps. Then his gaze wandered lower, stopping at her feet before moving back up again.

“You look in great fighting shape, too, Jess.”

“What every girl wants to hear.”

“Is this change in attitude because you know we’re going to die here?” he asked.

“Maybe a little. But only a little.”

Robie was about to say something else, but finally just shook his head and rinsed off.

They dressed and were led to another building fronted by a pair of intricately carved double wooden doors. Inside was an elegant dining room.

The table looked antique. A square of Oriental rug was underneath. Cloth napkins were laid next to silverware and porcelain plates.

A chandelier with what looked to be real crystal pieces hung above the table.

A pair of sconces on one wall flickered with propane gas flames.

Reel touched the scratchy tunic she had been given to wear. It came down to the tops of her knees. Sandals were on her feet.

Robie was in medical scrubs a dull plum color. They had given him nothing for his feet. From the shadows of the room they could sense people watching.

Robie had given Reel her cred pack after getting it back from Dolph earlier. He’d slipped his inside the pocket of the scrub pants.

Another door inside the space opened, and a man wearing a white shirt and pants with black-and-white checks hurried in carrying two covered dishes. He set one down in front of one chair at the table, and the other in front of another chair. Then he disappeared back through the doorway.

Robie looked at Reel and shrugged. “Maybe we’re eating alone,” he said.

“No, you’re not.”

They turned to look in the direction from where the voice had come.

A high-backed leather chair swiveled around and there sat Dolph at a desk reading over some papers. He folded them over and placed them in a desk drawer. Then he stood, leaned behind a small bookcase, and retrieved a rifle that had been set there against the wall. He held it up as he walked over to them.

“Yours, I believe,” he said, indicating Reel.

Reel eyed the sniper rifle. “Yes. Can I have it back? Loaded?”

“Please, sit down and eat before it gets cold,” said Dolph.

They sat and uncovered their dishes to see baked chicken, rice, and vegetables together with a small salad and bread.

Dolph took the seat at the head of the table.

As Robie took up his fork he said to Dolph, “You’re not eating?”

Dolph waved this comment off as he continued to examine the rifle. He finally placed the weapon on the table. “My men tell me that you’re both excellent shots.”

Reel took a bite of salad and chewed it methodically, making him wait for her answer. “We’re the best you’ll ever see.”

Dolph made no reaction to this bit of bravado.

“What’s your real name?” Robie asked him.

“I already told you that,” he said impatiently. He looked at them curiously. “How old do you think I am?”

Robie said, “Midthirties.”

“I’m fifty-six.”

Reel’s eyes widened a bit. “So you’ve discovered the fountain of youth in eastern Colorado?”

“No, I discovered something far better. I discovered absolute power. It’s wonderful for the complexion.”

He sat forward and assumed a thoughtful expression. “I have so few people to share my philosophies with. My men, they’re good and they work hard and they obey me. That last part is critical. But they don’t think at the same level that I do. Now, you two are from Washington, DC. As barren as that place is, people do talk politics, competing philosophies.”

“Your philosophies seem pretty clear,” said Reel. “You’re wearing them.”

“No, no, disabuse yourself of that notion. I chose Nazi, but I could have chosen something else.”

“I’m not following,” said Reel.

“Hitler was only one of many. And, indeed, in terms of longevity, while he had perhaps the greatest impact on the world, he was not successful in maintaining what he had created. In fact, he was one of the worst.”

“The Thousand Year Reich lasted, what, a couple decades?” said Robie.

“Precisely. I could name twenty others who did it longer and better than he did. But give the man credit. It took an entire world to bring him down.”

“Well, the world was fighting Italy and Japan, too.”

“Please, the Italians don’t count. To a man they preferred wine and meatballs to fighting. The Japanese fought hard, I’ll give you that. But they had a warrior tradition. The emperors of the Rising Sun ruled for centuries. The Chinese the same. The monarchies as well. And it all comes down to one thing.”

Robie took a bite of chicken. “And what is that?”

“Democracies are clearly the weakest form of government there is.”

“I don’t think you’d find many free people to agree with that,” said Reel.

Dolph looked disappointed by this comment. “I really had hoped for at least a bit of nuance.” He sat back and puffed on his cigarette. “Yes, they’re free. To live in chaos. Too many cooks in the kitchen. Too many people with a place at the table. Too many voices in the room. People are idiots. They don’t know what they want other than to get as much as they can at the expense of their neighbor. You think that Lord of the Flies mentality happens only after a disaster? It happens every day, stopping just short of criminal action.” Though his words seemed inspired by anger, Dolph suddenly laughed. “I’m sure you like facts. I will give some to you. America has the longest-running democracy in history. And what is it? About two and a half centuries old? In the timeline of history that’s a rounding error. The most efficient, the longest-lasting form of government is, without debate, autocratic. One commands and others obey. People deride that as evil. I would say then the world dearly needs more evil.”

“I think there’s more than enough, actually,” opined Reel.

Dolph did not seem to hear her. “You saw what happened when Saddam was toppled. Certainly he killed many of his own. Certainly he was cruel. But by taking him out of power, how many more have died? Ten times? A hundred times? I can give you example after example. People don’t want freedom. People want to be safe. Democracies cannot provide that. But one person with the requisite power can. I am that person to my people. And I desperately want my people to greatly increase in number.”

Reel had to use her hands to dig into the chicken since no knife had been provided, for obvious reasons. “So you’re the leader who keeps your people safe?”

“I am not a joke, or a lunatic, since I know that is what you’re thinking. I rule, but I do so benevolently.”

“Like you did with Holly and Luke?” she said.

“Luke Miller broke his oath. This I have already explained to you. Holly was an example. This she brought upon herself when she formed her alliance with the traitor Luke. I must have rules. And those rules must be enforced. Otherwise, there is chaos. And chaos will bring down any regime. Even mine.” He paused and stubbed out his cigarette on the tabletop. “Now, when you are trying to change things and your power is not yet at its height, you must use stealth. You work from the inside out. You turn people to your cause. Then before your opposition knows what is happening”—he stopped and, pulling a knife from a holder on his belt, drilled its point into the table—“they are the weaker ones and they can be vanquished.”

“So that’s your goal, overthrowing the United States.”

Dolph pulled his knife free. “I don’t have to overthrow the United States. I will never have the power to do that. But I just have to change the perspective of some in a few key places. That is all. People make it too complicated. I make it simple. And by making it simple my focus is complete and my odds of success are far greater. We are making terrific strides.”

“‘We’?”

“I’m affiliated with other organizations that share my core beliefs.” He patted the stock of Reel’s rifle. “We don’t do it with this. We do it by raising dark money to fund policies and candidates that we like. We even help write legislation. We have infiltrated legitimate political organizations, or found those already inside those organizations who are sympathetic to our goals. It is a wonderful thing. To have friends in power.”

He stopped and studied them. “You didn’t expect some asshole simplistically labeled a neo-Nazi to talk about organizational infrastructure, policies, strategic legislative endeavors, and dark money funding, did you?”

“No, we didn’t,” admitted Robie.

“I don’t go around screaming, ‘Heil Hitler!’ What would be the point? But by my playing dress-up and filling a cliché, as it were, people underestimate me. They put me in a little box and assume I will always be in that little box and not in the mainstream.”

“And then before the mainstream figures it out, there you are with a lot more force behind you,” said Robie.

Dolph nodded approvingly and pointed at Robie. “Now there is the nuance I was looking for. I take people underestimating me as a wonderful gift. Complacency by the masses is my greatest weapon. Did you know we have a very large social media platform? We have blogs and vlogs and online news organizations that communicate directly to our core population, which is growing exponentially every year. We get out the facts that need to be gotten out. Last week, our collective online clicks rivaled anything CNN or even Fox has been getting lately. It is tremendously exciting.”

“I can see it probably gets you off,” said Reel drily.

Before Dolph could respond, Robie said, “Global conquering aside, do you know Roger Walton?”

Dolph shook his head. “Who?”

“He disappeared from his cabin here about a week ago.”

“And why is this of interest to me?”

“It’s of interest to us.”

“And why should you think that anything should be of interest to you now?”

Here we go, thought Robie.

“So when do we get a bullet in the head like Holly?” asked Reel.

“It is timely that you ask that,” said Dolph. He hefted Reel’s rifle. “You mentioned just now that you and your comrade are the best shots I will ever meet. I need good marksmen, excuse me, markspeople.”

“That’s not going to happen,” said Reel.

Dolph ignored her and said, “I’m going to give you a chance to prove yourself and perhaps save your life at the same time.”

“How?” she asked.

In answer Dolph aimed the rifle at Robie. “A simple test. You shoot him, you live. You don’t, you both die. And the test commences now.”

He slammed his fist on the table.

The doors burst open and armed guards came in, seized Robie and Reel, and hauled them outside.

Dolph followed with the rifle.