The Peace Proxy: Part 1 (11 page)

“I don’t know,” Garrett admitted, “but I
don’t want you to be the one who discovers they do.”

“Go to the police,” Katherine advised.

“I will,” Garrett responded, knowing that
course of action ranked about eighth on his list of ideas.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to meet
you?”

“I’m sure. Just get out of the apartment,”
Garrett responded emphatically. Every fiber of his being screamed
this conversation should have ended one “
get out of the
apartment
” ago.

“Call me after you talk to the police,”
Katherine directed.

“You call me when you get to the office,”
Garrett countered.

“I will,” she responded.

Garrett closed the connection, concerned the
conversation would unnecessarily drag on.

When Garrett arrived at his apartment, the
sun had pushed its way above the horizon and was feebly trying to
loosen winter’s grip on the city. He knew upon entering that
something was amiss. Jacob did not offer its usual greeting.
Garrett cautiously stepped through the entryway, straining to
listen. His pounding heart made it difficult, but he perceived
noises were drifting to his overworked ears from the living area
and the bedroom. Conflicted between leaving the apartment or having
Jacob call security, he froze. The man walking into the entry
hallway from the living area made the decision
for
him. Each stared at the other through an
eon
as time slowed its pace. Garrett perceived the man
was younger than he,
early thirties
, dressed
in a dark overcoat, looking the part of an agent of some
clandestine organization. The stereotype would have been comical if
not for the circumstances. The intruder was nondescript, but for
the eyes. Those were the eyes of a predator and they had just found
their prey. The man took a step toward Garrett and the moment was
shattered. Garrett turned and ran, slamming the door on the way out
as he yelled for Jacob to lock the apartment. He was not sure if
Jacob was still functioning, but it was worth a try. Raised voices
followed him down the hallway, closely accompanied by echoing
footfalls. As he approached the elevator, he realized the requisite
delay required would offer no means of escape. His pursuers were
too close for him to wait on the luxury of that mechanical
conveyance. As he passed the elevator alcove, a chime sounded,
indicating the fickle contraption was stopping at this floor but
his momentum had already carried him irretrievably beyond the point
where using it was an option.

He redoubled his efforts, eyes on the fire
escape tubes at the end of the hallway. Of the latest safety code,
he could
simply
step into the
tube
and say “fire” to initiate his escape. The disc,
which initially supported him in the
tube,
would release, allowing the occupant to freefall until a
combination of magnetic impedance and increasing air pressure
slowed the
disc
to facilitate a survivable
deceleration. In direct violation of the previously referenced
safety code, the two tubes adjacent to the one he had chosen were
marked “out of order,” leaving the only other operational tube on
the far side of the building. Garrett could not express how
thankful he was that the superintendent had summarily ignored his
complaints concerning the unusable
tubes
. He
stepped into the
tube
and risked a glance at
his pursuers before setting his escape into motion. They were
stopped at the elevator, four men, including the man emerging from
the elevator bay. Another man joined the one exiting the elevator.
The two, appearing to be in their early twenties, were identical in
every way, down to their shoes. Those attributes, although
interesting, were
unremarkable
when compared
to how they moved. They had a grace and speed beyond anything
Garett had ever seen.
Initially,
Garrett could
find no meaning behind the constant, but
purposeful
way the
twins
shifted
in relation to
the men from Garrett’s
apartment. Soon he recognized they changed their position in
concert with any movement of the other men, ensuring each twin
could attack any
two
if the need arose. In
the few seconds
Garrett had observed them, the
primitive recesses of his mind were
strongly
advising flight at the earliest opportunity, but, like a quidnunc
entertaining the latest gossip, Garrett could not turn away. He had
to know what force could stop his pursuers in their tracks, as well
as the outcome of the developing confrontation. The intruder
Garrett had encountered in his living room was staring at the
twins. His shocked expression mirrored Garrett’s.

“You, but why?” The man asked, addressing
the closest twin.

Neither twin gave any indication of
registering the question or the
man
. The first
scanned the hall toward Garrett’s apartment before shifting his
attention to the fire escape tubes. His eyes narrowed as they found
Garrett. The other’s gaze turned toward the opposite end of the
hall. There was no indication the senses could discern, but somehow
Garrett sensed the two were calculating possibilities. He could
feel it and the recognition sent a chill through his being. With no
visible signal, the twins reacted with synchronized motion. In that
instant,
the closest twin
leapt
at Garrett with a burst of inhuman speed. The
second ran toward the fire escape tubes at the opposite end of the
hall with bounding strides that were no less impressive than his
counterpart’s
. For the second time in as many
minutes, adrenalin coursed through Garrett’s veins. His pulse
pounded through his temples as his heart pumped with might and
fury. Garrett heard someone say “fire” and realized it had come
from his own lips; the young man was almost on top of him as he
began his descent. Temporal distortion stretched the seconds it
took for gravity to perform its work on his unsupported body. He
registered every motion. The incredible speed with which the twins
sprinted played out in slow motion; one rapidly decreasing the
distance to Garrett, the other increasing the same, the three men
slowly turning back toward the apartment, all highlighted in
a relief
that etched the image into his
memory. It was through this clarity that just as he was about to
slip safely
below
the floor, he saw a fourth
man exit his apartment dragging a reluctant Katherine.

“Katherine!” Garrett screamed in vain, as he
fell into darkness.