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Maxie Demarco watched Dare's face go from utter confusion to realization and lastly, worry. "That must have been some call." she commented. "That was my wife," he said, voice hollow. "I think she's in trouble." At the thought, Maxie sort of felt guilty, considering she had been silently lambasting Mrs. Ransom for not bothering to visit her husband. She would have never done that to Kevin. During the time she'd been assigned Kevin Fairchild's private nurse, she had developed a bond with him that could not be explained. How does one fall in love with a comatose man, she asked herself time and again. Yet, when Kevin's condition took a turn for the worse, she thought her heart would stop at the thought of losing him. Dare forced himself into a sitting position and tried to haul his body out of bed. Maxie put aside her thoughts of Kevin and rushed to his side. "You're listed as bedridden until the doctor says otherwise," she told him. But he ignored her and tried to stand on his own. He lurched forward, falling into her. Barely able to contain his tall and muscular frame, Maxie's small one nearly buckled under the weight. "Dare, you're not ready for physical activity," she grunted, and managed to help back onto the edge of the bed. "You don't understand," Dare said between deep ragged breaths of air. "Dyan needs me." "And you need to recover." He defiantly shook his unruly brown head. "I need to get to my wife." His eyes were wide awake now and emblazoned with emotion that touched her. Going against her better judgment, Maxie offered her help. "Is there anything I can do?" Dare managed to stand up, this time without toppling over. He sluggishly made his way to the cupboard where his belongings were. "Just one. I need you to go to security. Tell them that my wife has been kidnapped by Adrian Zeller and taken to his home in North Morland." "Should I alert Mr. Fairchild, too?" "Don't go anywhere near that bastard," he answered, suddenly infuriated. "Only do what I asked." Maxie was startled. She wasn't sure if it was because of his disparaging comment about Franklin Fairchild, or the fact that he stripped naked right in front of her to change into his regular clothes. Feeling anxious and unsure of herself, Maxie headed for the door, nearly tripping over a chair in the process. Feeling clumsy and embarrassed, she practically flung opened the door and ran smack into--- "Mr. Fairchild!" Maxie yelped. "I-I was just on my way out." Afraid to say another word, she hurried past the Legacy leader and out the door. Glad to be out of dodge, she started for the elevators. "Maxie, there you are," Jessie Smith said jogging up to her. He shoved a sealed envelope in her hand. "Normally I wouldn't be acting as your personal delivery boy, but the lady said it was urgent. And quite frankly, she freaked me out." Piqued, Maxie tore the letter open and removed a sleeve of paper.
Maxie shook her head. "It's from my sister. I have to go." "Hey, you have another three hours on your shift!" But Maxie had already disappeared around the hall corner.
Fully dressed, save his open shirt, Dare looked up, as Franklin strolled into the room. "I see the patient is feeling better," the Legacy commander commented as if nothing were amiss. He regarded Dare's exhausted form with hooded eyes. "I was told you were still in recovery. Going by your appearance, I have to concur. Which leads to me to wonder, where you are going?" Dare's slumping shoulders lifted, and his back straightened. Suddenly, he wasn't looking quite so ill, but rather intimidating. "I don't answer to the likes of you anymore." "Such, disrespect after all these years," Franklin bristled. "And to think, I once considered you one of my prized spies." "That makes us almost even," Dare grunted. "I thought you were a man of honor. Now I know you're just a man looking out for number one--- yourself." Franklin bypassed him and walked over to the window. Leaning against one shoulder, he gazed out over the front lawn. "When I first joined the Legacy as a spy I believed all the rhetoric about truth and justice, right and wrong. The first few years of my career were my happiest. But then, ignorance is bliss." He turned from the window and looked at Dare. "There will always be that moment of clarity, an epiphany, if you will. In that moment you will come to understand what myself and the others before me did. There is very little truth in justice, Dare. Even right and wrong go hand in hand. In order to achieve we all have to play the game, whether we like it or not. It's the only way to survive." Dare pointed a reproachful finger at him. "I don't care about your bloody epiphanies. You took an oath to the Legacy. Now you stand before me trying to justify your betrayal. I will never understand your actions." "Really?" he asked in amusement. Franklin smoothed back lock of gray hair. "You seem to have selective memory. Then, love can play many tricks on the heart and mind. You see, I remember a Dare Ransom, who always made sure he came out on top." Franklin held up a hand to silence his protest. "Sure, you never broke the rules; but, you were more than willing to bend and twist them to your favor. Alas, love can bring changes--- some for the good, others not so good." "This has nothing to do with Dyan," Dare angrily retorted. "The position I find myself in now has everything to do with you. I placed my loyalties with you. If I had listened to Dyan long ago, I wouldn't be here." Franklin seemed to take offense to this. "If I had my way, neither would Dyan. But all those years ago I allowed sympathy to get in the way." He observed his agent's uncertain glare. "I take it before the trip down the aisle, Dyan forgot to mention her long history with the Legacy." Dare refused to listen to anymore. "I don't have time for this. I'm not going to let you manipulate me. My wife needs me and that is all that matters." "Your wife needs no one. She's as sharp as whip. How else could I have been outsmarted by a seventeen year old?" Franklin knew he grabbed Dare's full attention. "After her mother died giving birth to her, if it were not for me, Dyan would have grown up in a Russian orphanage. Her chances for survival were little to none." Dare froze, unsure if he had heard correctly. Franklin snickered. "I guess she left out that tidbit too. No, Caleb and Anna Corday, were not her parents. Caleb and Anna weren't even a couple. Just agents following orders," he said truthfully. "In fact, the entire Corday family were never related, with the exception being the twins, Allison and Kaye, of course. In hindsight, Caleb was a bad choice. He detested giving up his freedom for a ready-made family." Dare looked at him in disbelief. "What are you saying? You created a fake family?" "Families," he corrected. "I created families and gave them destinies." Becoming troubled, Franklin began to pace the length of the room. "All that they are and have is at the blessing of my hands. Instead of graciousness, I get finger pointing and accusations of betrayal. Instead of loving me, they turn to a God that does not answer." Sensing the dark turn in the other man's mood, Dare started to back away. In one smooth motion, Franklin withdrew a gun from beneath his coat. "And where do you think you're going?" Dare stopped short of the door. He quickly took note of the silencer on the gun. Franklin could kill him and walk away with no one the wiser. His face blackened by fury, Franklin aimed the gun at Dare's head. "In case you didn't realize, I am God. I gave you the life you have; and, I intend to take it away. Not just from you, but from all of you. When I fall, I'm taking every one of you with you me." Dare ignored the sore pounding of his heart as he tried to think of a way out. If he ran for the door, he was dead. He could try dodging the first bullet, but the likeliness of Franklin missing the second shot was slim. Franklin was legendary for his aim, and Dare's body was feeling less than capable. "There are no solutions Dare," Franklin announced, reading his mind. "You're on the wrong end of my gun, and this time there is no escaping." "I'll see you in hell, Fairchild." he promised. There was an ear shattering explosion. But it wasn't from Franklin's gun. The impact was so strong the trembling could be felt throughout the entire hospital. The two men looked at each other with questioning eyes before rushing to the window. Just outside they saw a billowing black cloud of smoke coming from the direction of the Legacy's main headquarters. Before either of them could react there was a second blast and a large ball of fire scorched the sky. "Good God, we're under attack," Franklin uttered. "We have to get out of here." Dare scowled at him. "You claim to be God. Let's see you do something about this."
The explosion came without warning. Startled, Maxie swerved just in time to avoid hitting a parked car. But she was helpless when the second explosion ripped through the parking lot. A scream tore from her throat as her car careened passed a clutter of bushes, slamming into a brick wall, and ricocheted backwards. Several minutes had passed before Maxie managed to lift her head from the cracked driver's side window. A trickle of blood ran down her left cheek. Unsure of what happened she looked back at the hospital, partially hidden behind a veil of smoke. "Kevin," she whispered and collapsed forward onto the steering wheel.
Jazz was thrown hard to the pavement. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked back to where the bomb went off. A swift heat scalded her face, and she quickly turned away. From where she laid all she could see were legs and feet running in different directions. But the screams of horror and disbelief told the whole story. Jazz's 2way pager bleeped and she dug it out of her pocket. ARE YOU IN? It was Irish Quinn, her getaway. Through the growing crowd of people, Jazz searched for the guarded entrance to the Legacy's main headquarters. A small grin played on her lips. Just as she calculated the entrance was now open and vulnerable, with security personnel and the likes running in and out. YES. I'M IN. Jazz gathered herself up from the ground and started for the main entrance. Setting a bomb off in her car had proved to be a brilliant move. Everyone was too busy worrying about the explosion in the parking lot to notice what was going on inside. Fighting her way through the growing crowd, Jazz reached the doors and slipped into the cool confines of the Legacy building. Now it was time for Plan B. Destroy and Conquer.
Franklin continued his fast pace down the hospital corridor. "I want the entire compound on lockdown. No one is to get in or get out, except for security. Have the premises combed for bombs, or anything suspicious. Call in the Knights Foundation for back up." "But Mr. Fairchild, all entrances including security have been ordered open to let everyone out." "Who in the hell decided that?" Franklin yelled at the guard without missing a step in his frantic pace. "Second in command sir. You were nowhere to be found. It was a split second decision." "It was a stupid decision," Dare chided, speaking for the first time. "There's a strong possibility that security may have been breached." The guard looked from Dare to Franklin with worry. "What do we do now sir?" "Evacuate everyone," Franklin instructed. "Have Sogard network as many Legacy files to the Knights Foundation as possible. We can't afford to lose everything if this place comes down." "That's it?" The guard was young and obviously shaken. "Pray for a miracle kid." he grunted and abandoned him. "Mind if I borrow this," Dare said reaching into the guard's vest and taking his Glock. "No sir." He gestured with his assault rifle. "I have this." Dare started to go after Franklin when the guard stopped him. "Sir, um, are we going to die?" he asked. The fear in his eyes made Dare feel sorry for him. Chances are he was some kid who joined ranks after watching too many espionage movies, and playing too many video games. "What's your name?" Dare asked him. "Matthew. Matthew Daly." "Do what Franklin told you Matthew, and everything will be all right." Matthew seemed relieved. He made a couple of backward steps before turning around and running off to follow orders. Dare quickly made his way down the long hall, dodging person after person. He was just nearing the end when he saw Franklin's familiar head disappear through a side exit door. Dare followed in pursuit. Sure enough, Franklin was making for a quick escape. "The only place you're going is with me, Fairchild." Dare said and raised the Glock into position. Franklin's back straightened and his shoulders rounded back. "You and what army is going to stop me?" Before Dare replied with a smart remark, Franklin whirled around and fired his pistol. Unable to hear the shot, Dare's natural instinct was to duck and roll. He hit the pavement with the flat of his stomach, and managed a shot of his own before rolling to safety behind a brick post. Franklin fired twice as he retreated to his car. Just when he tried to slip inside, Dare aimed and shot out the driver's side window. At first Franklin appeared stunned. Then he grabbed his arm. Dare saw the blood ease through Franklin's fingers and wasted no time in making his next move. He came towards the car never taking his finger off the trigger. Franklin tried to raise his gun, but dropped it when the pain was too severe. He slumped down the inside of the open car door to the ground. Dare stood over his former mentor and pointed the barrel to his head. "Now who needs to pray for a miracle?" Suddenly looking all of his elder years, Franklin took several deep breaths. "I'm going to need a doctor." Dare shook his head in disbelief. "Bandage your own wounds, you bastard," he said and dragged him to his feet. "You're coming with me. To North Morland, to be exact. Dyan has been taken by that jackass, Adrian Zeller. And I have a feeling you're somehow in involved in this garbage." "I'm not going back---," Franklin grumbled before stopping himself. Dare shoved him against the car. "Going back where? To North Morland? So you've been there before." A wicked grin spread on his face. "I knew your hands were all over this. Get in the car before I change my mind and end your miserable life right here." Franklin got in and slid over to the passenger side. "Between my bad arm and your illness, I don't think we'll make it there anyway." Dare slammed the driver's door shut. "Don't worry, Frank. I'm feeling much better now." He held out his hands for the keys. Franklin grudgingly gave them to him. He cranked the engine with a roar. "Fasten your seatbelt. It's going to be a bumpy night."
Ezekiel Zeller paused from removing his coat. He waited and listened as the footsteps came up the stairs. He looked down at his own feet which stood in a puddle of melting snow. He wasn't allowed to go outside. If they knew, they would be very upset. He heard the footsteps stop and then turn in the direction of his bedroom. They were loud and moved without fear. Ezekiel's hopes fell. It was not his son, Adrian. Adrian's steps were soft; and, for all his cocky veneer moved with uncertainty. Ezekiel tugged off his coat and threw it on the bed. He tried hard to recall the last time he had seen his son. They had been in the basement where Ezekiel spent most of his time creating candles and wax figurines. Their conversation was awkward, with Adrian doing most of the talking. There was so much he had wanted to say to his son, but his thoughts were too muddled. He was unable to think straight. Ezekiel caught sight of his reflection in the wall mirror. He didn't recognize the frail man staring back at him with haunted eyes. What had he become? What had happened to him all those years ago? "Damn you." he cursed not at himself, but at the person he blamed for his downfall. "Damn you!" Ezekiel grabbed the mirror and desperately began pulling it from it's hinges. "Ezekiel!" his sister yelled from behind. Dragging the mirror from the wall he threw it down and the glass shattered across the floor. The surge of anger took a lot out of him and he fell, exhausted, against the wall. Dagmar glared at him. "What is the matter with you?" She pointed at the clumps of snow along the wood floor and then at the broken mirror. "First you defy my orders and leave the house. And now this. What am I to do with you, hmm? If you refuse to listen, what will I be forced to do?" His sister came closer to him. Her heavy boots crunched pieces of glass beneath her feet. She was small and plump with frosted hair and dark beady eyes. Her physical appearance belied the fierce spirit that dwelled inside her. "Don't be angry with me," Ezekiel pleaded. "I've done all that you've asked of me." "Have you?" she asked quietly. "Then why could I not find you when I needed you? I searched everywhere for you only to discover you were out playing instead of working." Ezekiel held his head in his hands as he tried to collect his thoughts. Why had he gone outside? The others, the voice in his head answered. "There are other people here," he answered. "People who should not be here." She gave him a piercing look. "I already explained why they are here. They are a part of my plan." "These people should not be here." he uttered, trying greatly to follow the flow of conversation. His head hurt so badly. It always hurt when he tried too hard to think. Dagmar placed a hand to her weary face. "I told your idiot son bringing you here would be a mistake," she said. She turned from him all the while muttering to herself. "But what could I do? Adrian is the one with all the money. If he wanted you out of the hospital, then let it be, I said." She turned to him again. "But I knew this would be too much trouble. Adrian does not listen." "You mustn't say such things," Ezekiel said. "It is not his fault you are troubled. You let these people into this house, and now more have come. They are like vermin. They will multiply." "You are talking nonsense, brother." He pointed to the window. "There are others coming. I tried to stop them, but I fear it is too late." "And what do these others look like?" Ezekiel tried to think, but he could only remember one. "She was fair. A blonde. Small like you." Dagmar's eyes winced as if in pain. She went to the window and stared hard at the surrounding forest. She shook her head in defiance. "If there are others, as you say, they will not live through the night."
Dagmar Krause firmly closed the door to her brother's room. "It cannot be," she murmured. She was fair. A blonde. She remembered the pictures Dyan Ransom once showed of her sisters. Both blond and pretty. What Dagmar hadn't know then was one of them was a Legacy spy. And if her nephew had followed her orders Kaye Corday should be dead, or at the very least out of action. Dagmar reached in her pocket for the cell phone she always carried and dialed Adrian's number. "Where are you?" she asked the second he answered. "I'm on my way to the manor," Adrian answered impatiently. "I believe I have something that will be of strong interest to you and father." Dagmar ignored his rambling. "Did you do as I asked. Did you kill Kaye Corday?" At first he said nothing. Then he cleared his throat. "No. Something more important came up." Her angry curses echoed in the dim and airy hallway. "Then that is the woman your father saw on the property." "She's there. Are you certain?" "No I'm not. But if it is her you will regret this. Understand?" Dagmar didn't wait for his reply, instead snapping the phone shut and shoving it back in her pocket. "Father, please let this work," she begged, looking up at the ceiling and imagining she could see the heavens. A painful lump formed in her throat as her voice grew thick with emotion. "I have lost everything and everyone I have ever loved. The saddest day of a woman's life is when she out lives her husband and children. The worst is when she is forced to watch them be shot down like rabid dogs, and she is helpless to save them." Dagmar stretched out her hands before her. The years had not been kind. Her skin was spotted and almost translucent. She could even trace the fat blue veins with her eyes. But it was the ever present trembling that vexed her. The once steady hands that held her children when they were babies had failed them when they needed her. "Ah, yes, Franklin shall know what it means to fail," Dagmar sighed. She had ensnared his children like he had did hers. And his children were many. All of them born of the Legacy. Including his own son. And like hers, Franklin's would die for his sins. Dagmar wiped the unshed tears from her eyes. She had Adrian's mess to deal with. Dagmar marched up the second flight of stairs leading to the third floor, and to the security room located at the end of the corridor. Unlocking the door, she entered a room where security monitors lined the walls along with a working console filled with buttons that controlled them. But it was the second monitor that observed the outside of the house that drew Dagmar's attention. She looked on as an unknown car drove up to the property. Dagmar's thin lips curled up in a sneer. "Will you walk into my parlour, said the spider to the fly," she recited in a near whisper. "Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy..."
Kaye parked the Maserati behind a thick barrier of bristled shrubbery. Far apart from the neighboring homes, the Zeller mansion rested on a rocky hill partially hidden behind a band of trees. The old Victorian home appeared to be desolate and long abandoned. It fit perfectly the scribbled the description she had found upon rifling through Melanie's purse. Kaye picked up the gun in her lap. It belonged to Dare. She couldn't stop wondering if he was okay. She cut Melanie a hard glance. "I'd be right beside him if it weren't for you." She let out a long suffering sigh. "It's as if none of you want me to be happy." Using her free hand, Kaye caressed her throbbing head. She wished she had some painkillers. She hated the way they made her feel, but anything was better than this. Later, she promised herself. Right now she had to focus on the task at hand. She opened the door to the Maserati and got out. A cut of chilled wind, sliced at Kaye's face and hands. With only a long sleeve top and jeans to cover her, she was not dressed for a trip to the mountains. She looked up to the sky where dark clouds were gathering. A storm was coming leaving her little time to waste. Following the pathway encrusted with patches of snow, it wasn't long before Kaye entered the curiously open gates enclosing the mansion. Her instincts warned her something was very wrong. And it wasn't just the feeling that she was trespassing on haunted land either. She was on edge about what she might find lurking within the confines of the Zeller home. Hearing the creaking and slamming of steel bars, she whirled around. The curiously open gates had closed and locked, trapping her inside. Her ears perked at the sound of a branch snapping nearby. Kaye expertly aimed her gun. Her muscles tense, she inched closer to the blanket of trees. She repeatedly flexed her trigger finger in an effort to keep it from numbing from the cold. It
could have easily been the wind, she told herself. But Kaye wasn't
convinced. She was not alone. Someone was out there. THE
LEGACY HAS MANY REASONS
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