"Oh, I do know him," Mrs. Tucker said. "Like you said, he wears a gray suit even on weekends which is when he always comes in. You're right about him not liking aboriginals. A few years back, my shop was bigger, and I had an area where people could sit and have their dessert and a drink. He was sitting by himself at a table when a couple like you folks asked if they could join him. Very nice, they were. Said that they didn't want to intrude, but his wife was pregnant, and would he mind if they sat with him? Your boss' friend stood up like he had been insulted, muttered something not very nice, and stormed out. That wasn't the only time that he treated some of my aboriginal customers like dirt."
"Sounds like our man. Do you remember what he said?"
"I do. It stayed with me because it started with the first letter of his last name."
"Bet'cha that letter is an F," Doc said.
"Oh no. What he said was much worse. He called them savages. Now, what was his name? Sanders? Simpson, Sampson? Samuelson. Andrew Samuelson."
The following went out on the Wilizy's system wide mental net at about 10:00.
Granny: Franklin is using the name Andrew Samuelson. We're going to stay at the Chocoholic Shop for a bit longer. The shopkeeper may have more information.
Mac: Wizard, you're up. Start checking the North Vancouver financial institutions for a bank account or safety deposit box in the name of Andrew Samuelson. You still have the government's introductory letter, right?
Wizard: I have it right here, I have only a co-op and a credit union to look at. North Vancouver is too small to have anything else.
# # # # # # # #
"The alias is promising," Mac said to Hank. "We may have found his real home base. It would be good if we could find an apartment in the Samuelson name."
"I'll talk to the military. We can flood the area with soldiers who can question landlords." Hank made motions to open a communicator. He stopped when Mac spoke.
"Due... ah, "
"What, Mac?"
"Sorry, Hank. Lost my train of thought for a moment. Due to the possibility that Franklin might still be in the area, we should keep a low profile, don't you think?"
"Yah, I guess that's best."
"I'll let everyone know."
# # # # # # # #
Communication log: Message to all Warriors: 10.05 a.m., March 9.
Mac: All Warriors: Hank warns that we may be in the process of uncovering Franklin's home base. Everyone should stay invisible. If Franklin spots an aboriginal face, that may trigger his flight. Wizard, Doc and Granny are in the field and that's all we need right now. Granny – anything further?
Granny: Doc is pretending to be interested in how the shop operates. The woman can't make ends meet because she pays so much for the chocolate. The place is empty, so we'll be OK here for a bit. I'm watching the store while Mrs. Tucker shows him the storeroom.
Mac: If North Van is Franklin's second home, he'll have the same pattern of eating out as he did in Surrey. See if Mrs. Tucker knows anything about his eating tastes. What restaurants he might frequent, for example.
Granny: I have a perfect way to ask that.
Mac: Franklin could walk in that store any minute, Granny. Let's get you and Doc out of there before he does. Ask the question and clear out. But stay in North Vancouver. Wait, let's have everyone meet at a central location. Everyone stand by.
Mac: All Warriors: Hank would like you in a central location in North Vancouver in the event that we need to put moccasins on the ground quickly. Wizard, stay where you are for the time being. Everyone else, gather at the Lynn Canyon Park – the big green area on the east side of North Van. Winnie and Patella – that means you too. Stay invisible.
Hank had been watching Mac the whole time this conversation went on. "You realize that I didn't actually say any of that, right Mac?"
"Wouldn't it be part of keeping a low profile?" Mac asked. "Did you want them doing something else?"
"No. I guess not."
# # # # # # # #
Communication log: Message to all Warriors: 10.30 a.m.
Granny: Mrs. Tucker says that Franklin frequently eats at the restaurant right next to her shop – North Van Bistro. He'd usually have a meal there and then come to her place for dessert.
Mac: Great! How'd you worm that out of her?
Granny: She doesn't like him because he's been rude to aboriginals in her store. Doc said that he'd like to have a few words with the man. Perhaps bring him a box of chocolate goodies that he had previously licked. We laughed a lot at that. Doc bought a box of some goodies that he said he'd give to Mr. Samuelson as thanks for the tip on the Chocoholic Shop and licked them right in front of her. He bought a second box for the Wilizy to eat. I think he's going to eat the licked goodies all by himself. We'll meet you at Lynn Park soon.
Winnie: I don't mind helping him eat the licked candies.
Mac: I expect you'll be the only volunteer, Winnie. Yollie and TG, can you check out the Bistro?
Yollie: What are we looking for? We know he comes here. We could just wait and trail him.
Mac: That might work so long as he shows up before he sells his captives. Otherwise, not so good. Anything that you can learn from the bistro that won't be leaked to Franklin will be more than we have now.
Yollie: Got it. You're fishing and hoping.
# # # # # # # #
Communication log: Message to all Warriors: 10.40 a.m.
Wizard: All Warriors: The North Van Co-op has an account in Samuelson's name and it had activity in it as recently as yesterday. FF has only a modest sum in the account now, but I saw no sign of it having large amounts in the past. When it becomes low, he transfers money into it. I've asked the bank manager to identify the source of the incoming funds. The co-op does not have safety deposit boxes for rent.
[A few minutes later]
Wizard: This co-op account looks to be the account he uses for his daily transactions. The North Van Bistro appears regularly in his transactions. About once a month, either he becomes very hungry or he has a guest with him.
[A few minutes later]
Wizard: The bank manager says that money is being transferred into this account from the North Vancouver Credit Union. It's across the street. I'm going there now.
Mac: Did you copy that, TG and Yollie? Can you check on a possible guest once a month with Franklin at the Bistro? We're looking for a name or a description. Perhaps there's something in the bistro's reservation book?
Yollie: The bistro isn't open until noon. We'll scout around to see if we can break in. TG says they have a cheap security system. If we want to look at a reservation book privately, now's the time to do it. Staff will start to arrive soon.
Mac: The staff that opens up the restaurant will typically be kitchen staff and you might be able to sneak in with them. They're unlikely to be hanging around in the area where the reservation book is typically found. Provided that the wait staff set the tables the previous night. Bu, it's your call. Only you can assess the danger.
Wolf: Sounds like you're speaking from experience.
Mac: Oh yeah. Far too much experience.
# # # # # # # #
Communication log: Message to all Warriors: 11.10 a.m.
Yollie: Franklin has had a monthly reservation at the Bistro going back to the beginning of the reservation book. I took pictures and can forward if needed. The reservations are always on a Saturday night, always for two, and always at 8 p.m. We can watch their meeting tomorrow night at eight.
Wizard: Could you send me those photos? I may have something here too. Give me a few minutes.
Hank: That's great news about that reservation, Yollie! I'll tell the B.C. military now and...
At that point, the transmission ended.
# # # # # # # #
"Mac, why did you do cut me off?" Hank asked in some exasperation.
"Due respects, Sir! But, involving the B.C. military might not be the best course of action." She clicked a button on
her console, said "Transmission difficulties. Everyone stand by" into her headset, and unclicked the button.
"Due respects? Sir? What's gotten into you?"
"Sorry, ... Hank." Mac tried to relax from the rigid posture she had assumed as soon as she had interrupted Hank's order. "It's just that involving the B.C. army right now would result in a disaster."
"Explain."
"The general that would take over our operation has only one mode of action. He would be the general you would want if B.C. were under direct attack and the most desperate defense possible was necessary. But in an operation such as this where subtlety is needed, his presence would be like bringing a blow torch to a marshmallow roast. In the opportunity we now have, he'd have the restaurant full of undercover agents, he'd have copters in their air, and the wait staff would all walk with military precision. In addition, his focus would be first on finding B.C.'s stolen documents. Rescuing Will and Izzy would be his second priority. His first thought if something went wrong would be to capture Franklin and do what was necessary to find the lost files. We wouldn't know what would be happening to Will and Izzy while he was doing that. He doesn't think of multiple options; he takes the straightest line to his goal and puts everything into that effort. He's a general for a war; not for a strategic operation like this."
"And you know this how?"
"Due respects, Sir. But I cannot tell you."
"Due respects, again? Mac! Tell me what's going on!"
Mac stood up, squared her shoulders and said. "Due respects, Sir. But I cannot tell you. You should relieve me of my duties for failure to obey a direct order, Sir, if you believe that's your best course of action."
"What would you do if you were in my shoes, Mac?"
"Permission to speak freely, Sir?"
# # # # # # # #
Franklin Franklin's manifesto continued.
I was surprised at how well the initial meeting with Izzy went this morning. She had been obviously happy to see me. I think it would be best if she realizes that I am her only hope to escape her fate. Once she understands that I am the best choice for her future, she will see the way to the light. If she turns me down, I'll sell her to Zzyk. Or perhaps to the North Koreans. I hear that their grand exalted high and mighty grand poobah enjoys variety from time to time.
I've decided to have a second visit with Izzy this afternoon, guided in part by my desire to begin saving her from her sins, but also perhaps shamefully, to see her smile at me again.
Back to the Table of Contents
Chapter 32
Friday afternoon, March 9, day 7.
Izzy's meeting with FF that morning had been short. He said that he had come to save her from her sins but she had to be willing to be saved. He had offered to save a young woman in the past and she had replied with violence. This time, he wouldn't make the same mistake. The brain-band was to prevent her from attacking him. He'd return tomorrow morning to hear her answer.
"And Will?" Izzy asked.
"He's not included in this deal. I'm expecting him to bring heavy bidding. You – not so much. I expect that whoever buys you will kill you. So my offer to you includes saving you from your sins as well as saving your mortal life."
Izzy remained silent, her eyes searching his clothes for any clues that might help her learn where she was. Mud on his trousers? Was he wearing hiking boots?
Franklin saw what she was doing. "Izzy, escape is impossible. You are buried deep underground in a remote area where no communication signals can reach. You have only one way out. First, you have to get up to the ground level. The only way up is by a wire cage that is suspended in the middle of a giant dome. Only a successful iris scan plus entry of a key pad code will bring the cage down or take it up. Once you've taken the cage to the top, you'll still have to pass through three security checks, each of which requires you to stand on an electrified grid immediately in front of an iron gate. A one-person hole through that gate will open if you enter the right key pad code and if an iris scan is successful. The wrong code or a false iris scan results in electrocution. The key pad code at each security gate is different."
"Only I can get in. You will get out only if I take you out. You can't even get out of this cell, so you shouldn't be thinking about escaping from here. Think instead about escaping from your sinful life with the heathen savages. As the face of our God, I can absolve you of those sins. Together, you and I will replenish an arm of the family that has been dormant too long."
Izzy watched FF go. It was kind of him to explain what Will and I will have to do to escape. Kind of stupid, that is.
# # # # # # # #
Back aboard the Wilizy, Mac was also doing some explaining.
"Obviously, I have a military background," Mac began. "I had hoped to be able to hide that longer than I did. A failure on my part but, with due respects, you were making battlefield decisions that I could see would be difficult to undo, so I began taking more and more control. When I slipped up, you were close to making a decision that would have cost lives and I just reacted. Old habits. My apologies, Sir, for overstepping what you would think were my bounds."
"You are worrying now that I am a plant. A spy perhaps that has been infiltrated into your organization, perhaps for some wicked purposes yet to be revealed. I should point out to you that I was enjoying a pleasant, safe, quiet life before I was coerced into joining the Wilizy. Yes, coerced. Stu had given me a job as his assistant long before he took on work assignments with you. Since I was his executive assistant, it was natural for him to delegate some of your work to me. I did not ask for that work. When the risk of his involvement became evident, I was plucked out of my anonymous life and transferred into the thick of a long term war. I was not asked if I wanted to be in that war. Of course, I could have walked away at any time. But I had nowhere to go. I stayed so that I could continue to look after Stu – as I had already done in capturing Rick. Some time previously, I had asked the B.C. military for some weapons to keep Stu safe. I already possessed the skills necessary to use them."
"I will remind you that I tried to stay out of your affairs. I did not attend your debriefing meeting after the last battle. I tried to absent myself from this battle, but Stu in his perception that I would be more use to you than he, pushed me back in. So, no. I am not a plant and I wish you no harm. If I could have a wish, I would wish to be left alone."
"But what's done cannot be undone. So let me tell you what you face. For a group of amateur soldiers, the Wilizy has done remarkably well. You have achieved great success and the members of your group are, individually, top notch in what they do. However, your success was driven largely by your superior science and by Izzy's natural talents in formulating a long term strategy. Plus you were going up against an old man who had become set in his ways and may well be in his dotage. That fortunate success by rank amateurs will not continue when you face three simultaneous wars against three major combatants, each with assets that you do not have. Should you survive this current battle with Franklin Franklin, you will not survive the war that is coming."
"When I perceived the inevitability of what you would face, I took the opportunity of my time on this ship alone with your son to make myself thoroughly familiar with your capabilities. To a small extent, I took advantage of Wolf's attraction to me. To a degree that I allowed, we became friends. But not in the way that you are thinking right now. Although I do feel a sense of attraction to him, both of us know that a fuller relationship is impossible."
"From a battlefield perspective, the Wilizy have some major weaknesses. I will mention two. As mentioned, your science is a major part of your strength. However, it has been structured within your organization in what is referred to as a silo. One person alone knows what is inside that silo; nobody else can enter the silo; nobody else can take any of the science out of the silo. In a time of war, this can lead to a catastrophe because nobody in your organization can draw on that science with Will absent from the battle ground.
Nobody in the organization is even likely to perceive that scientific solutions may exist because such things are Will's area and nobody knows what he does or thinks. Your silo is now locked tight."
"Your second weakness falls into the area of military organization. You, for example, have found yourself serving as a battlefield commander when you have had no such training and where your own natural talents make you a potential liability. I mean no disrespect, Sir, but your talents demand that you serve in the field as a member of a strike force. You do not belong in a command ship. The second half of what should be the Wilizy's #1 strike force is babysitting her daughter and trying to prevent any of her other children from being exposed to danger. On this, she has already failed."
"I see some hope in winning this battle if we can act as a professional military force. Our success will depend on what we can uncover on Franklin's brother. Succeed there and we might come out of this unscathed. Everything else that we are doing is useful, but not essential. I propose, Sir, that you assign me temporary duties as the Wilizy's battlefield commander. In that position, I will make some slight adjustments in your organizational structure and manage the battlefield. If I succeed, both of us can reconsider our relationship. You may choose to put me into that position formally; I may chose to walk away. If I fail in the next couple of days, ... well, there will be no need to have any reconsideration."
# # # # # # # #
Communication log: Message to all Warriors: 12:20 p.m., March 9.
Mac: Apologies everyone. We're back to full system broadcasts. No cause to be alarmed. If you have any urgent messages, send them now. Other messages – please hold those for a short period.
Wizard: I'm at the North Vancouver credit union with good news. Franklin not only has a bank account here, but he has a safety deposit box as well. Here's the best news of all. The credit union is reserved for citizens of North Vancouver. Franklin had to provide a local address to receive his account. He has an apartment of some form east of Lonsdale Avenue near St. Andrews Avenue. The name of that cross street may have been why he picked the name Andrew Samuelson. I'm sending the full address to Mac now.
Wizard: The size of this bank account has varied over the years, but it has had a large amount in it at times. It does serve as the source of the money that is transferred to the co-op. The money that comes into this account is always in the form of cash, and that cash deposit always occurs on the same day that Franklin accesses his safety deposit box.