THE IRON SHIELD

PART I THE IRON SHIELD Chapter I

I

December 24, 2037

It's Christmas Eve in New York City and Detective John Eckhart is doing a little last minute Christmas shopping for his family. John has been a police officer for fifteen years and a detective for nine of those years. When he was eighteen he joined the army. When he was twenty-one, he joined the Special Forces, ranger battalion. He was in the Special Forces for five years. He and his wife Jennifer have been married for twenty-one years. They have two kids: Michael who is six and Amanda who is four. John picked out a necklace for Jennifer, a doll for Amanda, and T-Rex stuffed animal for Michael. Jennifer had done shopping earlier, but John wished to get a couple other things for his family as well.

John had just picked up the stuffed animal when his phone rang. With full hands, John managed to reach into his pocket to grab his phone and answer it. He slid his finger across the screen and answered the phone. It was Jennifer. "Hi honey, I just picked up the last thing and I'm on my way home."

"Oh good, the kids are all wound up and can't wait for you to come home."

"I'll be there in a few, love you, bye." He quickly hung up and put the phone back in his pocket. Snow was falling all around him and made a nice thin layer on the sidewalk. John hurried to his vehicle, a Chevrolet Traverse, got in, started the engine, let it warm up a little and drove home to their townhouse four blocks away.

John parked the Traverse at his home and walked up to the front door. He reached into his pocket and fumbled for his keys. After finding the right key he unlocked the two locks and stepped into the warm and radiant place he called home. Michael and Amanda ran to him as he walked inside. A loud "Daddy" echoed through the house as they ran to John and wrapped their arms around him. The gifts of course were concealed in the bags that he carried. John bent down and hugged his children. Jennifer had just finished cooking dinner when John got home. It was nearly seven o'clock and the sun had set. The sky was pitch black, but the snow kept falling. John arose from his crouched position and embraced his wife and gave her a kiss. "You're just in time, dinner is ready."

"Oh, good, I'm famished. Okay kids to the table." John quickly took the bagged gifts and placed them in the living room which was adjacent to the kitchen and placed them under the seven foot decorated tree.

The family had just sat down to their meal when the doorbell rang. "Who could that be at this hour?" asked Jennifer.

"I don't know. Jack said he would stop by for a little bit, but I didn't think he'd stop by now." Jack was John's younger brother. John got up from the table and strode to the front door. The peephole was frosted over and could not be seen through. John unlocked the door and opened the door. A sharp pain hit him on the forehead as the baseball bat struck it. John fell to the ground dizzy and discombobulated. A loud ringing sound echoed through his ears. Everything was a blur. He could not figure out what was going, but soon realized he was lying on his stomach with his hands zip tied behind his back. The next few seconds would haunt him as the only sounds besides the ringing in his ears was screams and gunshots. Pain struck him in his stomach. He was unsure if it was the fact he was helpless while his family was in danger or that he had been kicked hard or both. John was hoisted up and carried to a van. Still confused of his surroundings his head hit the metal floor of the van and heard the hard sliding of the van door and the screeching of tires as the van raced off.

John couldn't make heads or tails. As he became more conscious and aware of his surroundings he realized he was in a dark room tied to a chair alone. He wondered if his family was okay or even dead. The thought made him feel nauseous.