When Evil Prevails

Section 26

Writer - Gabriel Shaytan

FX is a Rysher production in conjunction with Fireworks Entertainment Inc. and Winterset Productions Inc as well as Hallmark Entertainment.

Don’t own ‘em, aren’t bein’ paid.
   

        Light appeared at the end of the tunnel, bright light, well… bright now that his eyes were becoming accustomed to the dark.  The truck rumbled past the platform, switching onto another track that ended at a ramp, and Rollie felt the change back onto normal tyres as they headed up onto the streets of the city.

        Sitting in the back, Rollie looked down at the unconscious man lying between him and Clem.  Reaching down he checked for a pulse and found one easily, noted the rise and fall of the man's chest and sighed in relief, it hadn't been very bright when he'd grabbed the man and he hadn't been sure he hadn't done more damage than he wanted too.
        ' That was a strange thing to do, knocking him unconscious for his protection' Clem commented ' Is he ok?'
        ' He'll be fine… what are we going to do with him?' Rollie asked ' You already know why I did it'
        ' You know… I admire what you did, not many people would see past their own safety'
        ' Yeah… well I guess it's practise'
        ' You get kidnapped often do you?' Clem asked with a smile that sent Rollie chuckling slightly.
        ' Fairly often actually yeah… people don't seem to like the fact I help the cops'
        ' I've seen you in the paper… and your work, you do good Tyler'
        ' I try… I think you could do good too, you don't seem to have the right demeanour for a criminal'

        Clem smiled back at Rollie, his good nature was fine, but it also helped get information and acceptance where John's surely growls would bring only stubborn resistance… still couldn't anyone be redeemed?  Truth be told he thought often about getting out, and with the cock-up that this had turned into it seemed a good time to do that… still, there was the money they'd pay for Spielberg.  That would pay for his change to honest living and if they didn't pay... the maybe there was another way.

        Onto the streets, Rollie looked down at the man again and sighed, they didn't have time to offload him somewhere, and that meant for the time being he was staying with them.  He didn't want to think what would happen later… the man wasn't really important to them, the only one they really had to keep alive was Steven… he sighed, just when things had started to look up it all came crashing to a halt again.
 

        Angie watched carefully as the detector worked, so far they hadn't had any traces on Rollie but she was still sure that she'd picked right, she couldn't afford to be wrong.

        Carrying the detector to the front of the van, she stood next to Mira and looked out the window, she'd made sure that the detector was set to its maximum range, only a hundred meters, so she hoped to spot something out of place instead of relying on it.

        It was taking too long though, and all they had to go on was her guesses.
        ' I don't think we're going to find them Angie, at least not like this' Mira answered, her cops instincts and experience telling her to find a different way.
        ' I can't think of anything else to do Mira' Angie replied… subdued.
        ' We'll find him Angie, besides, knowing Rollie he's already figuring a way out'

        Moving back to her seat, Angie sat, looked at the screen and tried to think of another way to find Rollie.  He didn't carry anything with a tracker, at least not since the P.D.A had been found in the car.

        The detector beeped in her hands and Angie looked at it in shock for a moment before grabbing for her P.D.A, he was somewhere close.
        ' Mira stop the van.  Rollie's out there somewhere' Angie called, hurriedly looking out the back window while Mira took the front.
 

        ' Hey, that's that van from the movie set' John shouted, pointing.

        Rollie looked, seeing the van, saw the shadow at the back door, knowing it would be Angie looking around, presumably the detector had gone off.  He tensed… prepared to move.
        ' Don't do it Tyler… I don't want to hurt you, so don't force me to' Clem said, seeing the man's reactions.

        The moment was past, the van out of view again and he sighed with how close they'd come.  It was time to take things into his own hands, time to start working out some plan for getting himself and the two others out alive.

        The truck pulled to a stop some fifteen minutes later, offloading it's cargo before Horton took the vehicle on further, making sure to return it to the depot from where he'd "borrowed" it.
 

        ' I got the plates' Angie replied while pointing to the picture on her P.D.A.
        ' We already know it was an engineer's truck Angie' Mira countered.
        ' Yeah, but then we'll know which depot it was taken from'

        Bringing up the department of motor vehicle's records, Angie under Mira's scrutiny searched looking for the correct plates.  It didn't take long and even better was the fact that it had been borrowed by one Jim O'North, a certified city subway engineer, so sometime he would return it.
        ' Tony, yeah Mira here.  Get over to the subway depot, you're looking for a guy named Jim O'North… yeah… I know it sounds fake just do it'

        ' We're going there as well right' Angie answered, it wasn't a question.
        ' Angela… this is a police invest…'
        ' Don't give me that Mira… without me you wouldn't know anything, besides, this is Rollie we're talking about… you've got to let me help, you didn't stop Rollie helping when I was in trouble'
        ' Are you sure?  Before you couldn't stand him, didn't trust him…'
        ' Get OVER it Mira. I'm not letting Rollie stay with those people a minute longer than he has to'
        ' What about Mr Spielberg?'
        ' Mira, you know I want him out as well, Steven's been great, he actually listens when I talk to him… not many directors care what the apprentice thinks'
        ' I thought you two were partners, you keep calling yourself the apprentice' Mira replied, climbing back into the driver's seat, knowing there wasn't any hope of getting Angela to change her mind about going.
        ' Yeah we are' Angie answered, hiding a smile ' The jobs are chosen by mutual consent but he's still the boss.  I'm not bothered by that, he listens when I've got something to say and usually agrees with me anyway… there aren't many times when we disagree on set'
        ' And off set?'
        ' Oh off set we fight all the time' Angie laughed, knowing how untrue that was, not to say they never fell out, just that it was only over little things, unimportant and not really worth fighting over.  It was better to fight over something like that, something they could resolve easier than over something big, that had only happened a few times, and neither of them had enjoyed the alienation they'd felt from one another.

        Mira kept her eyes on the road as she heard Angela making noise in the back, didn't know what the effects artist was up to yet hoped that it was something constructive… knowing Angela it would be.
 

        Tony was at the depot, he'd identified himself to the desk chief and had asked if the man had been back on not, learning that he hadn't he grinned and asked the man for a description.
        ' Can do better than that, got his licence right here' the man answered, shuffling through a file and returning with a glossy photo.
        ' Can I keep this?' Tony asked.
        ' Well sure, got some extra's, they're always losing them you know'
        ' Oh, forget I came by if you would, he doesn't need to know I'm looking for him'
        ' Forget who?  No one's been in all day' the man replied with a smile, he'd been hit with desk duty because of O'North and he'd hated the man ever since.

        Moving back to the car, Tony sat in wait, hoping that Mira was right and that the man wouldn’t just dump the truck and move elsewhere under a new name, it was too easy to do.

        It was several minutes before he saw the black van approach, and wondered what the hell they were doing here, the people in the truck had already seem the van before and if they caught sight of it now they might get spooked.  At least they were sensible enough to park in the alleyway across the road, where the shadows blended with the van, making it harder to see.

        Climbing from the comfortable seat of the car he moved over and knocked on the window, getting Mira to open up for him while he kept his eyes on the depot.
        ' We got a picture' Tony explained, handing it to his fellow detective.
        ' What… hey' Mira replied, just about to look at it when Angie pulled it from her grasp and headed back to her seat at the computer.

        Tony shrugged and asked Mira to watch the depot as he headed across to stand looking over Angela's shoulder as she ran the picture into the computer and started checking for the man in departmental records.
        ' Smart job with the name' Angie commented waiting for the computer to return a match.
        ' What?' Tony asked.
        ' Well, we know one of the guy's they called was named Horton, and now we have this guy named O'North… sound's a little more than coincidence'
        ' You've lost me on that one' Tony replied.
        ' Horton, O'North… they're made up of the same letters.  Rearrange O'North and you get Horton… or the other way around'
        ' So that's why you're searching for both' Tony answered, impressed by how quickly she'd seen what could be a link.
        ' I thought it might be worth it, though it might take a little while longer'

        ' I think time just ran out guys' Mira called from the front ' I think he's arrived'
        ' Let's go Mira' Tony replied sliding the gun from its holster.
        ' NO' Angie said loudly, eyes flashing ' If you take him we loose the chance to find the others'
        ' He'll know we're following him if we take the van, or my car' Tony pointed out.
        ' Then we can't use either, and I've got the perfect thing' Angie answered, moving to the back and rummaging through one of the compartments, pulling out her rollerblades.
        ' You're going to follow him on those?' Tony asked.
        ' Yeah, piece of cake, no one else turned up so he's going to be walking back'
        ' He probably knows what you look like'
        ' Not in these he won't' Angie answered, pulling out some jeans with rips in them, and her black shirt with white stripes on the short sleeves along with her dark sunglasses and beret ' I'll wear a tracker and you can follow along behind.  You'll have to leave your car here Tony, you'll need to tell Mira which way to go'
        ' I don't know about this Angela… what if he grabs you?' Tony asked ' With the tracker on you could be in big trouble'
        ' He won't even see the tracker' Angie answered, lifting the small earrings and necklace from the desk draw and slipping her other earrings out ' I am doing this guys… just don't lose me, range is about two miles'
        ' Good luck Angela' Tony said as Angie slid out the back door, noticing the man walked from the depot office without alarm.
        ' Hey, good luck is bad luck' Angie answered.
        ' Break a leg' Mira finished, throwing the younger woman a smile and watching as she headed up the street before turning around and heading back down and around the corner after Horton.

        ' Let's pick it up shall we?' Mira said turning to Tony.
        ' You've been hanging with Tyler too much, you're starting to sound like him' Tony answered with a grin, sitting at the computer and watching the spot that indicated Angela's position moving along steadily ' Ok, she just turned onto Lafayette heading north'
        ' Right, we're rolling' Mira answered, backing the van from the shadows and onto the street, hoping they didn't run into traffic before they could tell Angela.