Issue #4

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"Road Trip"
Part 1: A Walk in the Woods

by Chuck Burke

Trust me, guys, never, but NEVER, let yourself get caught between two women. Especially when one is a tough lady cop, and the other is a primo martial artist. Gets downright dangerous!

There I was, getting some surprisingly old business cleared up with Toby Barnes, my downstairs neighbor, when all in the space of a few minutes I find out that:

a - his grandfather was killed in the crash that was meant to kill me way back in 1941;
b - his sister was listening to the whole conversation from the other room;
c - his sister happens to be Abby Walker, the Syracuse Police Lieutenant that I've been working with for the last two months since coming to the city;
d - she now knows that Wildcat, the costumed hero she's taken a shine to, is Ted Grant, her brother's neighbor;
e - she thinks that Ted Grant is involved with Dinah Lance, aka the Black Canary, who was the one that urged me to find out why Toby seemed to be terminally ticked off at me.

Don't ya hate it when it all hits the fan?

At first, I wasn't sure how much Abby had heard, or how much she had implied from the conversation. After all, she had just stepped into the room. Still, her comment to Toby about the paint job made it pretty obvious - she had Toby paint the motorcycle she gave me as Wildcat. And I already knew that Abby was a sharp cookie. One of the many things I like about her.

Dinah, bless her heart, worked fast to dispel any ideas of a romance between her and I. "Abby, I'm an old friend of Ted's, my mother and he worked together a long time ago, and he's like an uncle to me. Please don't think that he and I -"

Abby waved Di's explanation away. "Don't worry about it. Even if there were something between you two, doesn't mean I have to get all bent about it." Abby came over and offered her hand to Dinah. "If you're the kind of 'friend' that I think you are, it just helps make sense of the reports I heard on the radio from Oswego County this morning." Damn, she's sharper than I thought! I better be careful about who comes to visit from the JSA now!

"Hey, that's just great!" chimed in Benny Jackson. My landlord had been keeping an eager eye on Dinah since she arrived yesterday. "How about you and I take in the early show down at the Westcott today, Lady Di? They have one of those romantic foreign films showing, and I could translate for you."

Oh, brother! Still, just like her mother before her, Dinah knows how to let a hapless romantic down easy.

"I'm sorry, Benny, but I have to get back to Gotham City this afternoon. Maybe some other time?" Oh, boy, poor Benny got that smile from her. I've seen mooks melt into puddles of mush under that 500-watt smile. Benny didn't have a chance. He just smiled and mumbled something unintelligible while Dinah ducked out the door to run up to my place.

"Now, about you, Mr. Grant." said Abby, crooking a finger at me. "I've been meaning to ask how we could get in touch with you if the department wanted talk to you. Now I know." She crooked an eyebrow at me. "Maybe I'll even let them know I can reach you, eh? Speaking of which, I go on duty in about twenty minutes, so I better get down to the Public Safety Building." Abby snatched her battered leather jacket off a chair. "By the way, Toby - count me in for your little trip next weekend!" With that, she was gone as well.

"Damn!" said Benny, finally finding his voice again. "Think you could talk Di into coming along, Ted?"

The trip. Yeah, that's where I am now. Toby's on a wildlife art kick, and he wanted to get some pictures of wolves and such in the snow that he could paint. Now, the snow was all gone from Syracuse last week, but if you've ever been in central New York, you'd know that winter ain't down for the count until sometime in late May. Toby had booked a couple of rooms at a little lodge in the Adirondack Mountains, a couple hours from the college. Toby, Benny and I drove up in my Jeep yesterday after classes were done, to get the most out of the weekend. Abby couldn't avoid the Friday night shift, so she drove up this morning. By the time she arrived, we had all ready frozen our butts off for three ours, hiking around in the woods, trying to track down some wolves for his to shoot with that Nikon. No luck. Hey, I can track a gunman for hours, but I'm a city boy. When it comes to tracking animals, I don't know bupkis!

When she arrived, I was sitting by the fireplace, talking to our host. Kirk Pauley is about my height, but all skin and sinew. No weakling - I shook hands with the guy and it felt like my hand was in a vise. I don't think he's anyone to mess with. Face looks like all gristle, too, all thin and tight under a mop of brown hair. Reminds me of someone, but I can't put my finger on it. I was just getting ready to ask him about what he'd done before coming up to Booneville when Abby came in the door.

"Heya, Abby! Need a hand with your stuff?" I asked.

"This is it." she said, holding up a single, medium-sized suitcase. "I travel light." She looked significantly at Kirk.

"Abby, meet Kirk Pauley, the owner of the Good Winds Lodge. Kirk, this is Abby Walker, Toby's sister."

"A pleasure to meet you, miss." said Kirk. About as long a sentence as I'd gotten from him. Not unfriendly, just doesn't seem to have a lot to say. Kinda reminds me of Jim Corrigan.

"Hi, Kirk. Nice place you've got here." Abby looked around, admiring the open beams and the big stone fireplace.

"Thanks. It kind of fell into my lap a few years back." With that, Kirk turned to add a couple of logs to the fire, then shuffled off to his office. I led Abby up to her room.

"Hope you don't mind sharing a suite with your brother. There was just one double room and the suite available when we got here last night. I think some rooms have opened up today, though."

"Ted, you're babbling." Abby smiled. "Are you trying to be the gentleman, and accommodate my wishes?" I swear, it looked like her eye twinkled when she said that.

"Just want to make sure you get what you want." I replied, feeling a little foolish.

"Oh, sooner or later, I always get what I want."

After lunch, the four of us took off on foot for points north. Damn, in thirty-plus years of touring the country, I don't think I was ever foolish enough to wander around out in sub-zero temperatures! Still, Kirk had made sure we were outfitted right, and the only place I was really feeling the cold was my face.

We were on a hill, overlooking a small valley, waiting for Toby to get a shot of a wolf den he had found behind some bushes. Once he spotted it, we wisely moved away and looked for a spot where he could get the picture with the telephoto lens. He had two tripods, one for the camera, and another to support this huge lens, I've never seen a setup like it before> He was just about set when we heard a gunshot.

"What the hell?" asked Toby, straightening up. "I checked, there's supposed to be no hunting around here!"

Abby and I were both scanning the hills, looking for the source of the sound. Hard to tell, because of the way sound echos out there. We were both looking further down the valley when we heard another shot, and saw movement in the brush.

"Down there!" she said, as I started down the hill. "Two guys in camouflage!"

"Try to see which way they go, and let me know." I called back. "I'm going after them."

Moving as quietly as I could, I made my way through the trees until I came across a small stream. I followed it for about two hundred yards, and I started hearing voices. Couldn't make out what they were saying, but it gave me something to zero in on.

Like I said before: I can track people, not animals.

It took me about five minutes to find the spot where they fired the first shots. The shells were melting their way into the snow, and I could still smell tobacco smoke in the small clearing. Footprints led off to the east, two sets. Good, Abby spotted them both. No surprises. She must have realized that calling me wasn't such a good idea, though. Don't know why I said that. I looked back up the hill, and there they were. She was pointing toward the east, and I looked. There, up another small rise, was an old firewatch tower. I remember Johnny Thunder telling me about his stint as a ranger, stuck out in the middle of nowhere during the summer, watching for signs of a fire. He might not have been the brightest light on the tree, but that job had to be a low point for him. Still, might be a good spot for an illegal hunter to make a camp. I start toward it, and I wave to the others to start going there too.

Before I'm halfway there, I hear more gunshots, and some excited shouts. Must have hit something, I figured. I was just hoping it wasn't Abby or the guys. I picked up the pace, and caught up to the shooters as they crouched over a still, fur-covered body.

"Damn, that one should be worth a pretty penny. Good shot, Art. Right through the head. The pelt on that one'll bring top dollar."

"Shut up, Pete, and help me carry it up to the truck. I can't skin it out here."

Art and Pete. Names to remember. I started digging under my coat, trying to find my cell phone, when I heard movement off to my right. Art must have heard it too, cause I saw him straighten up and swing the riffle around on the shoulder strap. In my mind, I reviewed what the others were wearing: white parka for Toby, lime green for Benny, and bright orange for Abby. No chance he would mistake them for wolves. That much was good. Still, if he was drawing a bead on them, best to be ready for the worst. I started pulling off outerwear, then my street clothes.

Hey, why pay for long underwear when you have something better to wear under your clothes?

Figuring I was in it to my eyeteeth, I pulled the mask up over my head, and tugged the sleeves down to hook between my middle and ring fingers, stretching the material taut down my arms, and giving my hands at least a little warmth. I stretched upward, and jumped up to grab an overhanging branch. I swung myself up, and balanced myself in the tree. Then, just as Art was gesturing for my friends to come out into the open, I jumped.

Now, Pete struck me as the dumb one, but he wasn't completely dead from the neck up. He must have seen me coming out the side of his eye, cause he swung around with his rifle and caught me a good one right upside the head. I went down hard, trying to roll with it, but I smacked up against a tree trunk. I flipped myself upright again, and shook my head to try and clear the stars out, but I wasn't moving fast enough. Pete reversed the gun and shoved the butt-end into my stomach, driving out what breath I'd managed to catch. Abby, Toby and Benny saw me drop to my knees, and started toward me. Art barked out a command to stop, punctuating it with the rifle, and they stopped. That was the last thing I remembered, though, as Pete smacked me in the forehead with that rifle butt, and everything went dark.

Abby filled me in when I came to. Apparently, our buddies Art and Pete are a couple of poachers, supplying furs to a couple of what you call your illegitimate furriers. She's been in on the capture of a couple of them in Syracuse, but they never had the time or resources to go after the fur suppliers. Now she's got her chance. Lucky her.

They had Toby and Benny pick me up and carry me up to the top of the fire tower. Looking around now, I can see why. Real charming place. Single room, no kitchen, no bath, no glass in the windows, no insulation. Thought I was cold before? That was nothing! Wind is blowing through here I think there's a small cloud up by the ceiling dropping snow on us. We aren't moving, of course. Why would we want to leave? Especially since Art supplied us with all this lovely rope, wrapped tightly around each of us. Feel like a freakin mummy!

"Okay, is anybody hurt?" I ask.

"Only my pride." replies Abby. Ah, that's my girl.

"Okay here." says Benny.

"I got something pressing into my ribs, feels like it's about to bust one." says Toby. "How about you?"

"A sore head, but that's nothing new. What's their plan? They just gonna leave us up here?"

"I heard one of them say something about gasoline." says Abby. "They might figure that someone could find us here before we starve." That's the first time I've ever heard fear in her voice. Not a good sign.

"I don't suppose anyone has a knife they can reach, do you?"

"You did. On your belt."

"Thanks, Benny. I had forgotten that. Someone want to go get my pants for me?"

"Owww! Damn, that thing is sharp!"

"What the hell is that, Toby? You got any idea?"

"I think it's my flash pack. I thought we might find some caves, so I had my extra flash for the camera in my pocket."

An idea hits me. "Any chance of working that out of your pocket, Toby? Get it out from under the ropes?"

"Maybe. One rope is pushing down on it, but if I can shift the rope down my body, it should push it right out of my pocket."

I inchworm myself over to him and try to hook my chin over the rope. I don't even wanna think about what it looks like. Finally, I feel the rope pop over the little box underneath.

"There! It's loose in my coat, now push it up till it comes out by the collar." I use my nose, pushing against it, feeling it move so slowly. While I'm doing this, a catch a whiff of smoke.

It ain't tobacco.

Seems like forever before that thing pops out of Toby's coat, but finally it hits the floor between us. I look it over, and spot what I'm looking for. Still, this won't work unless I can make one change to it.

"Any one see a small rock or something? I gotta bust the cover on this thing. Sorry, Toby."

"Don't worry about it. I think I figured out what you're doing. Here, let me try." He squirms around until he can get the box between his teeth. He finagles with it a bit, then bites down. Hard. I hear the crunch of plastic breaking, then he lets it go. There's a trickle of blood from his lip. "Damn. Wouldn't you know I paid extra for the heavy duty case?"

I twist around so my hands can get hold of the flash pack, and I feel around for the test button I had spotted before. My fingers can just get a grip, and hold it up to one of the ropes binding me.

I hit the test button. Against my back, I feel a burst of heat, like getting hit with one of the Wizard's power bolts. These little flash packs throw a lot of current through the wires. I hear the hum of the flash pack recharging, and I hit it again. Six times I punch the button, until I smell that distinctive smell of burning hemp. I drop the flash pack and start heaving against my bonds, until I feel them come loose. A few contortions, and I'm a free man. I grab the flash pack and use the broken lens to saw away at the others' ropes, until we are all free.

Great. We're all free, stuck forty feet in the air, as the legs of the tower are burning.

"What do we do now, Wildcat?" asks Benny. "You don't happen to have a rope in that suit, do you?"

"What do I look like, the Batman? Check the whole place, see if the rangers left anything here."

We scatter through the room, checking the few cabinets and drawers. I pull up the cover on the hatch that leads down to the ladder, and find that there is no ladder. It's down on the ground, barely visible through the smoke. They must have unbolted it, then shinnied down the legs. The legs that are now a mass of flames. I stick my head down, and that when I see the pipe.

"I got something! We'll have to do this all together, but it's our best shot." I reach over and grab the disconnected water pipe that must have once fed a faucet up above. I yell for the others to grab on, and tell me when they're ready. Once they give the go ahead, I push off from the hatch, and swing toward the outer edge of the tower. Those little sheet-metal clamps that hold the pipes don't stand a chance. They start snapping loose, allowing the pipe to bend outward and carry us past the flames, then downward. There is just enough resistance in the copper tubing to keep us from hurtling down to the snow-covered ground. Still, I tell the others to grab for any branches they can reach to slow us down.

I've had worse landings, but those are the ones I try to forget.

We hit the deck in a jumbled ball, all tangled up. Naturally, I'm at the bottom. No big deal, maybe I cushioned their fall. Nobody is hurt, and that's what really matters.

"Everybody all right?" I ask. Everyone nods. "Good. They must have driven off. The tracks are over here. I doubt we can catch up with them, though. Let's gather our stuff up and get back to Good Winds."

We first go to the clearing where we all met up with our friends, Art and Pete. We find the spot easily enough, but there is nothing there.

"But we were carrying the camera bags and tripods. They must have taken them." says Toby.

"Then I think we can find our friends." says Abby. "I stuck my purse in one of those bags. With my cell phone."

"Your department cell phone?" I asked, a grin sneaking across my face. Abby's mouth was turning upward as she nodded in response. "Then let's see if they left my stuff alone, and we can see where they are.

Moments later, I'm pulling my pants and parka on over my black union suit with one hand, while the other is holding my cell phone. I punch out a number, then follow that with a series of memorized key presses that take me through the voice menu system of Delphi Consulting. Finally, I'm talking with the lady behind Delphi: Oracle.

"Hey, lady, I need a trace on a personnel locator. Syracuse Police Department, one Lieutenant Abigal Walker." Abby taps my arm and shakes her head. "Wait a sec."

"It's Tabitha."

"Tabitha? Then shouldn't it be -"

"Say it, and I'll bust you one in the nose!" Ahh, she's a gal after me own heart, ain't she?

"Oracle, that's Tabitha Walker. Give me a location." Seeing puzzled looks from Benny and Toby, I cover the mouthpiece and explain. "Police departments are adding locator bugs to their department phones. That way, they know where their people are. Handy when a cop goes missing. Or when their phone does." I can't help it: I grin.

"Wildcat, I show that officer as being about two miles from your present location. There's a lodge there, the Good Winds Lodge, at-"

"I know the place, Oracle. Thanks. I'll let you know what's going on later. Bye for now." I punch the End button, and turn to the others. "They're back at the lodge, believe it or not. Let's go." As we set off, I make another call, requesting a police presence at the lodge. I figure they should get there about the time we do.

It takes us an hour to hike back, and the sun is setting over the mountains. Sure enough, there's the truck I glimpsed before. I make a note of the license number before we go in. By now, I'm back to looking like Ted Grant. We've all switched coats, and Abby has my battered felt hat and a scarf. I'm hoping to surprise our buddies.

Inside. Kirk Pauley is at his usual spot by the fireplace. Art and Pete are there with him, drinks in hand, telling him how they spent the day driving over from Vermont. Smart boys, they like to cover their tracks. Kirk doesn't look convinced, though.

"Well, isn't this all nice and cozy? Hiya, Kirk. Who're the newcomers?" I asked as I walked in.

"Hi, Ted. These guys just arrived. Say they drove over from Burlington. Must have taken a long break not far from here, though, judging from the ice on their windshield." Damn, Kirk knows there's something not right with them. Still, he can't know that I'm about to take them down, can he?

"Howdy boys. Cold day for a drive, isn't it. Even colder for hunting though." That rattles them. I see Art reaching under his vest. Must have a pistol there. I'm ready to tackle him, but Kirk strikes first. One second, Art's hand is sliding into the vest: the next, he's holding it in the other hand, bent over in pain from the whack Kirk gives him with the fireplace poker.

"None of that. Ted, what's the problem here? And why are the police coming up the drive?"

"Got a couple of poachers here. We came across them in the woods, and they tried killing Abby, the other guys, and myself." I turned to Pete and Art. "You boys ready to go quietly, or do we do this the fun way?" Behind me, I hear Abby chuckle.

Damn it, they take the fun out of it. The police are coming in the front door as they put their hands up on their heads. As the police lead them out, I turn to Kirk.

"Don't miss much, do you?"

"I was, ah, raised to be observant." he says quietly. "But aren't you afraid they'll associate you with your alter ego?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

"The bulge around your neck, and the black bodysuit I spotted when you were taking off your boots here this morning. Other than that, a logical guess. I don't know who you are, and I don't want to know. But will they?"

"Judging from the puzzled looks they had when I mentioned the hunting, they didn't figure it out. And I don't worry too much about it myself." I looked more closely at his face. "But I still can't figure out where I know you from."

"Can't help you there, Ted. I've always been pretty much a loner." Kirk turns away to put more wood on the fire. "You and your friends about ready for dinner? Kaitlin should have it ready by now."

A few hours later, we're all gathered in the main lodge again, watching television. There's a special news report on, about the Green Lantern Corps.

"After several years absence, I think most will agree that it's good to have the Green Lantern Corps back again. The young Green Lantern that is serving with the Justice League has been a great protector for the Earth, but as we understand it, the Corps was always meant to serve more than just our planet. So, while they will be headquartered here on the site of Coast City, this group of noble alien warriors will spread out across the galaxy, bringing justice and hope wherever it is needed. This is Linda Parks, thank you and good night." The scene on the television changes from a slender, dark-haired woman standing outside the new home of the Green Lantern Corps, to a stuffed suit in a studio.

"Thank you, Linda. Yes, having the Green Lanterns here on Earth will ensure that we see the best of many worlds, now and in the future. For all of us at GBS, thank you, and good night."

"Boy, all those reports must study the same cliche book, don't they?" I ask. Kirk Pauley quickly gets up and leaves the room. "Geez, was it something I said?"

Kaitlin, his live-in cook and housekeeper, shook her head. "That's odd, Kirk always catches the eleven o'clock news. He's downright religious about it. Wonder if he's all right?" She gets up and follows him out the door, leaving Abby, Toby, Benny and myself alone in the room.

"Something doesn't seem right, does it Ted?" asks Abby.

"Think we should follow them?"

"Only if we can make it look like we're going to our own rooms." she replies. We get up, and start up the stairs. Halfway up, we hear the sound of a door slamming, then Kaitlin is in the hallway, screaming for us.

"Please, come up here! Something's wrong!" We rush up to meet her. "It's Kirk. He must have gone crazy or something." Tears are running down her face as Abby takes the frightened girl in her arms.

"What is it, Kaitlin? You can tell us." I say gently.

"It's Kirk! When I got to his room, he was in this funny costume! All red and white, with this big, funny white thing draped over his shoulders. And he had all kinds of guns and knifes on the bed, and in this big suitcase! He was hooking them on the costume, on his arms, his legs, even across his back! He even had a mask over his face when I came in! He took one look at me, grabbed the last couple of knifes, then ran out to the balcony! I saw him jump over it before the door slammed shut!" As she spoke, I heard the sound of an engine outside. I ran through his room and out to the balcony. I looked down the driveway, just in time to catch a glimpse of taillights retreating own the hill.

I turn around and go back into his room. There, on the bed, is the suitcase Kaitlin mentioned. It's one of those custom jobs, for carrying equipment. Both sides are filled with foam, with a place for each item. I recognize a lot of the items this baby was made to carry. Two Luger pistols. Throwing knives. Shuriken. Katars, those big punch daggers with the H-shaped handles. A long-barreled sniper rifle. Some heavy duty firepower.

I see something else. A manilla folder. The papers inside are faded, look to be a few years old, and they've been handled a lot. Lists of phrases, and names or titles associated with them. And I see one that catches my eye. "The best of many worlds, now and in the future." And next to that, it says "The Secretary General of the United Nations".

Now what in the hell is that supposed to mean?

Of course, you have to wait till the next issue to find out what's up with Kirk Pauley. If you've already figured out who he is (or think you have) then good for you. If not, don't worry: I'll fill you in next time.

Lots of good stuff coming up, folks. Next issue will wrap up this storyline, pretty neatly I hope. Then, you'll find out whatever happened to somebody very near and dear to our hero. And coming up after that, an untold tale from Wildcat's early career.

Come along for the ride, why don't ya?

As always, any questions, comments, complaints, offers of bribes, or other random thoughts can be sent to me at cjburke@lycos.com.