“I…I cannot.”
“Sure you can. You were in this room with the keys clutched like a tree branch over a thousand foot drop into a fiery pit.” Nick ripped the keys out of the man’s hand before forcing him face first on the littered floor. After plastic tying his wrists behind the man’s back, Nick took a quick look around.
“Oh, Muerto… where fore art thou Muerto?”
“Shut up, Payaso. I’m trying to find something to open with these keys I confiscated from a survivor. It must be something important. The guy can’t hear very well, so I’m searching while his ears get a bit better. He’s beginning to annoy me though. Any movement from the neighbors?”
“Not yet. I saw lights go on down the block, but then they turned off. There’s a lot of yardage between properties.”
“I think I’ve found something.” Nick played around with what looked like books on a bookcase without a book out of place near where the concussion grenade went off. “A fake bookcase, Payaso, but it must have a secret release. Excuse me while I get The Keeper of the Keys to come over and show me where the release is.”
“We’re nearly finished arranging the bodies in a semicircle around the helicopters. I hope you can get something meaningful so they don’t kick Paul out on his ass.”
“They won’t get rid of Paul. He knows too much, and if he doesn’t, I do.” Nick plucked the key-man off the floor, holding him upright by the neck. “I found your hidey hole, Bojangles. Hit the release or I get Mr. Sparky out to tickle your balls.”
“I cannot! They will kill me.”
Nick took out his stun-gun. “Oh my… you thought you’d survive this encounter. My bad. I am going to kill you. The only choice you have is a quick death or a nasty painful one. Here’s a demo.”
Nick jolted the man off his feet in a pile. “The next one I do will be a scrotum massage. Now what were you saying about not helping?”
The man rolled to his left, curling into a fetal position. Nick promptly zapped him in the crack of his buttocks, causing him to screech with head thrown back and body jackknifing in the opposite direction. Nick strolled around his contorting body, waited a moment, and zapped the man’s groin area. When the high pitched wail ended in sobs, Nick knelt next to him.
“Hey Bo, how you feel about showing me the release now?”
“Behind bookcase! At bottom… left… switch is there!”
“See how much easier that was when you simply answered the question.” Nick felt around for a moment before finding the trigger. It popped the shelving open in the middle. Nick pulled them open. Three sets of deadbolts and a retina scanner with keypad were located along the door’s edge. “Damn, you guys went all out. Let’s get you into position for eyeball use.”
Nick unlocked the three deadbolts before lifting the man he nicknamed Bojangles into position. “You know what to do, Bo. Give me the keypad code. Then stick your eyeball close for recognition. I hope for your sake you have the right eyeball to open the door. Otherwise, I’ll pluck both of yours out.”
After entering the code given, Bojangles leaned near the scanner. It turned green. Nick opened the door into an eight by sixteen foot room, shielded in metal, housing an arsenal of weaponry, including surface to air missiles. With Bojangles held by his ear, Nick examined the weapons and munitions for a silent moment of disbelief. He connected with Gus.
“Ask John to come in the house and bring our good camera. Does he have his costume on?”
“Of course. El Kabong dressed for his part the moment we finished arranging bodies.”
“Good. Send him over. We need what I found to be part of the cartoon.”
“I don’t know if we have time, Muerto.”
“We’ll make time, Payaso. Send Kabong.”
“I am on now, boss. I will be right over.”
John came to an abrupt halt as Nick guided him into the arsenal. “It appears the Buckeye State has a pest problem. I’ll roll the camera. You do the acting honors. Remember to make this serious, even if we are doing it in an Unholy Trio mode.”
John shook his head in wonder. “I will not have to pretend shock and amazement.”
Nick put Bojangles into a position inside the room where John could do his posturing lecture on border infiltration out of control and the proliferation of terrorist cells with arsenals. Pausing after each different section of munitions John would reiterate the terrorist theme involving the heartland of America. As a connecting scene introduction, John explained the show would involve much more of an imminent threat averted by the Unholy Trio.
After signaling cut, Nick pointed at two hand held rocket launchers. “Let’s bring these along for the final helicopter accounting. They’re M-80’s with enough punch to do what we want inside the hangar when we target the helicopters.”