Under the Microscope

Chapter 13

Zach POV

Zach was hiding in the boiler room of the brewery, in an old employees locker, watching Toko and Alice fighting, who was barely managing to stay in the fight. Zach discovered Toko''s identity when overhearing he and Pang speaking. Zach learned that the former was taking over in their hunt for Zach, while the latter was dealing with Crawford. Toko was so quick, agile and strong that he was able to land several punches and kicks on Alice before she was able to bring her fist down to land a single punch. Alice was yelling at Toko in Japanese, and the ladder responded very quietly and calm, also in Japanese. Though Zach could not understand what they were saying, he could tell from body language that Toko was toying with Alice. Zach's hiding place was directly behind the chair that held captive his best friend Corey, while in another chair a little further to Corey's left was an elderly Italian man that Zach found out from listening in was Monticello Papageno. Both of them were screaming underneath the duct tape that was placed tightly over both their mouths.

Zach was with Eleanor Tinsley on the way to the airport to head back to Fleming, Eleanor received a call on her cell phone. Zach, who was holding Eleanor's cell phone, while the ladder was driving her rental car, answered the phone to a frantically hysterical Ralph Miller, Corey's father, saying his son was kidnapped. Zach soon heard Ralph say that the assassin who's been running amok in Fleming, Marcus Pang, with the help of Big and Lil' Dave and their gangs, held Ronald Reagen High School hostage until Zach Monroe came to them, Scott Adams was shot in the arm while trying to reason with Pang. Zach was told inadvertently by Ralph Miller that Ryan Philips and his comrades identified Corey as being Zach Monroe, since the real thing was nowhere to be found. Pang did not believe for a second what he was being told but brought Corey to Seattle with him anyway as a bargaining chip. Hearing this, Zach waited for Eleanor to stop at a red light and then bolted out the door and running back toward the hospital, hoping if Crawford and the others were still there.

Zach knew that Eleanor was frantically tailing him to try and drag him back home, but he could not do it. He used side roads and dodging behind buildings and cars to finally lose Eleanor's trail on him. Too many people have died already on his account, his parents, Leo and countless others who were risking their lives by protecting him like Scott. He was not about to let one of his best friends take the fall for him. Zach figured the best way to end this thing with Pang and whoever else is after him would be to confront these people himself. Crawford and Leo did not train him so he could sit on his hands and do nothing. This was his time to take the fight to the bad guys. However, Zach did not know Seattle to save his life and he did not have money for a taxi, so he stuck out his thumb out on the side of the road hoping that someone could give him a lift back to the hospital.

As luck would have it, or rather God, as Zach believed, he found someone to drive him to the hospital almost immediately after he signaled his need for one. It was a large black man in brown denim overalls and a long-sleeve white cotton shirt, driving an old Honda car.

"Get in, Zachary," said the man, Zach was stunned at first that the man knew his name, but soon figured that if he did, Zach knew Crawford was involved, "my name is Utu Sal-Ore, I am the personal servant to Special Agent Maxwell Crawford and I've known him for over thirty years. I have been in Fleming for the past several months as requested by Maxwell for extra support, but today, I come out of the shadows to aid him in rescuing Majah McKay, Mistah Papageno and your friend Mistah Miller."

"You're going to make me go back with Mrs. Tinsley aren't you?" said Zach all the while wondering where Utu's accent was from.

"Oh, quite the contrary," said Utu, "you're a large asset to this operation. Mrs. Tinsley is actually aiding us as well. She knew what the call was about because I had already informed her. We flew into Seattle together shortly after you and Agent Crawford arrived."