Ancients

Rothman looked at Martha and seemed happy. They stared at each other for the longest time and then Rothman turned and looked the men over.

'Do not worry, Colonel. Martha and I can keep a secret as well as anyone in the world.'

Jack watched as Martha covered her mouth and he would have sworn that she chuckled at Rothman's small joke.

'Our time is short and Martha and I have wasted a lot of it because we do not normally interfere with the affairs of your ... well, the affairs of the world. I think, though, and I'm sure Martha would agree, that you may just be the people who could assist us.'

'Colonel, it's not just a coincidence that you and we have been thrown together. The situation in the world is dire and we believe we know who is behind it. I speak of the actions in Korea and the murders here; they are tied together,' Martha said.

Jack was beginning to feel as though he had stepped down the rabbit hole. He looked at Carl, who was looking at Martha as if she were an alien.

Collins was about to ask just what in the world these two were talking about when a servant stepped into the den through the sliding doors and approached Martha. He watched as a concerned look crossed her face. She thanked the man and then excused him. She looked closely at Jack, then she stood and made her way to the small desk and removed the phone there and placed it on the center of the tabletop. Jack saw a flashing light, which meant that someone was on hold. Martha sat back and looked at their guests.

'It seems we have a call, Colonel. A gentleman has asked to speak to you, Carmichael, and me.'

'Don't tell me the director has learned we took the plane already,' Everett said, half joking, as he stood and went to the large window that looked out on the pool in the back. He gestured for Mendenhall and Ryan to cover the other windows.

'I assure you men that this property is well guarded,' Rothman said as he watched the three men at the windows.

'Nothing personal, sir, but we have already discussed the shortfalls of your security arrangements, and I'm sorry to inform you they are sorely lacking.'

Rothman looked from Everett to Jack and nodded.

Martha reached out and placed the call into conference mode by pushing the flashing button.

'Hello,' she said as if the call were anything but unusual.

'I assume I am speaking with Martha Laughlin?'

'I don't believe I recognize your voice.'

'That is not a concern at the moment, Miss Laughlin. I take it I am being listened to by Carmichael Rothman and a Colonel Jack Collins?'

The three remained silent as Jack quickly glanced at Everett, who stood to the side of the window frame. He shook his head to indicate that the yard was clear. Jack did the same with Mendenhall and Ryan, who had a view of the front. They had the same answer.

'Your silence is answer enough. There is no need to tell you who I am. That does not matter. What does matter is that individually you three are bothersome, but together you are a threat. Colonel Collins, I do not know whom it is you work for, but as of this moment you will not interfere with me again. I suspect it was you and the three men you have with you that played the role of hero in Ethiopia. Well, I am here to tell you that such actions have an equal and far harsher reaction. This is a lesson I'm sure you have learned in the past few days.'

'Something tells me you're not the type to carry threats out yourself. By the sound of your voice, I assume you order others to do the dangerous stuff while you manicure your nails and watch.'

Martha and Carmichael watched Collins silently.

'Very good, Colonel. Your wit in times of stress tells me you are a man used to danger. The real point here is that I have the power to do it, as the body count of your people has clearly shown. Now, Carmichael and Martha, I believe you to be the last of our brothers and sisters. Mr. Keeler failed as his father and brother before him to protect that which was not his, nor yours. You may eventually guess at my identity and that is fine. I do, however, know yours. You and your kind have always been sorely lacking in strength and you are no exception. Your forefathers should have remained with us, because as a split entity, you have no spine.'

'We are aware of what you are doing and now have the spine to tell the world about you. We may have been weak in the past and allowed you certain liberties in regard to world affairs. Now that it only Martha and myself left, what the hell, we are letting the world finally know about you and your people and all the misery you have caused throughout history.'

'Your story should make very interesting fodder, Mr. Rothman. Far more interesting is the fact that I would have looked forward to your explanation as to why you and your kind allowed it to happen without helping those poor, poor people throughout history. You and that bitch beside you deserve to die with the colonel and his backward monkey-people.'

'Hey!' Ryan said from his place at the front window. 'Monkey-people?'

'Good-bye ... Oh, one last item, Colonel. Tell your men at the windows to duck.'

The line went dead just as the windows on every wall in the den exploded inward in a hail of bullets. Jack threw himself to the floor, crawled quickly to Martha, and pulled her roughly out of her chair. Mendenhall duckwalked from his spot at the now-nonexistent front window, pulled Carmichael from his chair, and then covered him with his body.

'I think you pissed him off, Jack,' Everett said as he fired three quick rounds out the window frame and then pulled back.

'That's what monkeys do,' Collins said as he looked at Martha. More bullets flew through the windows and slammed into the expensive paneling. 'We need a not-too-obvious way out of here.'

'There is a passage that Carmichael uses to reach his helicopter at the back of the property. It's through the basement, but the electric car is on tracks and only carries two people at a time,' she said, as something hit the table and thumped to the floor.

Jack looked until he found the object and then decided very quickly that he had no time to dispose of it. Suddenly Ryan was there; he picked up the grenade and threw it out the window, barely missing Everett's head. They heard the crump of the grenade as it went off in the pool.

'Colonel, this place has too many holes in it; maybe we should move someplace else,' Ryan said as he hit the floor next to Jack.

'As I said, you're learning, Ryan. Come on, we're heading for the basement. Help Mendenhall with Rothman. Swabby, we need cover fire now!'

Everett fired six quick shots out the window and then turned and fired five more out the window that Ryan had been covering. He heard someone outside cry out in pain and then was quickly rewarded with a hundred return rounds slamming into the walls and artwork around them.

'Go, Jack!' Carl shouted as he quickly placed another clip into his Beretta and repeated the same sequence of cover fire.

Collins pulled Martha to her feet and ran to the double doors of the den. He opened the doors and went into the long hallway. He slammed Martha against the wall and waited for Ryan and Mendenhall to get Rothman out of the den.

'Get the hell out of there, Carl!' Collins ordered. 'Lead the way, Ms. Laughlin.'

Jack fell in right behind the older but agile woman as she went from the hallway into a large kitchen. Ryan, Will, and Rothman caught up through the swinging doors and then Ryan turned and held the door for Everett, who fired three times at an unseen entity behind him.

'At least ten, maybe more, Jack, and they're hot on our ass,' Everett shouted and then quickly fired five times through the swinging doors. Another yelp of pain and then blood ran underneath the door. 'Not bad for monkeys, huh?'

'This way,' Martha said as she pulled open the door leading to the basement.

Jack pushed Will and Rothman ahead, and then Ryan quickly went by and down the stairs just as Everett ducked and the swinging door above him jerked as ten bullets punched through the wood.

'These guys are getting serious, Jack.'

Collins fired his entire clip through the splintered doorway and then pulled Everett after him.

Once in the spacious basement, they heard the attacking force above them as they moved about. It was only