Untitled Part 1
(Copyright 2011 Caine Dorr)
It was called the tiers because each of the four towering sections of the hotel got taller as you moved east around the base of the structure. The five elevators that serviced the massive hotel were banked together in the center of the structure. Only one of the five elevators went all of the way to the top of tower four or “East” tower, the tallest, and it was inside the elevator car of this tower that Wayne “Mac” MacCraig rode down toward the parking level in now.
Assistant to Commander Knight, the benefactor of Knight Inc., Mac went everywhere with the Commander as his personal assistant, chief mechanic and bodyguard although the Commander never really needed a bodyguard Mac thought. In fact, more often than not, it was the Commander who had kept Mac alive while in the thick of it.
Mac, on a search for the worlds greatest meatball sub, would be damned if he was going to let this crazy weather keep him down. He’d heard rumors of a new deli just a few blocks away and he was famished. Seeming as the Commander wanted him to check the Crimson Cruiser anyhow, one of two of the Commander’s custom automobiles, Mac thought he might as well pick up lunch. He knew the Commander’s order by heart: Tuna on whole wheat with sprouts.
Mac hated sprouts. He was trying to rate his hatred of the vial vegetable when he heard a hefty smashing sound coming from just below him - the parking garage. As the elevator touched down in the lobby Mac witnessed a family of four enter from the parking garage stairs shaking their heads in dismay even more than they shuck the rain from their umbrellas and overcoats.
“What happened?” Mac asked absently without waiting for an answer as he caught the closing door and took the stairs down to the parking garage two at a time noticing how much colder it had gotten since last night.
“Mr. MacCraig!” Shouted Conner the valet as he moved quickly back to his post at the door from the garage proper.
“The Commander and I need our car Conner.” Mac stepped off the curb and tried to survey the three car pile up. He couldn’t remember the last time he witnessed a car accident in a parking garage.
“No can do sir. As you can see…” Connor motioned with his thumb at the mess.
“Yes I can. What is being done about it?” Mac stepped back up on to the curb, working the problem in his head. The Commander didn’t ask for things early or late, if he needed the car then that was it.
“Mr. Garrison the maintenance man went to call for a toe truck but it may take some time Mr McCraig.”
“I told you kid, call me…”
“Mac.” Commander Knight called from behind them both. He had slipped in silently and without anyone noticing.
“Our query is on the move, we must pursue them now.” The Commander stepped off the curb, where Mac had just been, and looked over the curious accident.
“Like I was telling Mr. McCraig Mr. Knight, I can’t get your cruiser free.”Conner removed his hat and squeezed it in his hands subconsciously. He hated letting down the Tier’s biggest client.”
“Should I secure new transportation boss?” Mac asked. He could tell there was more than one storm brewing here. The storm outside that pelted the street with freezing hail and the storm of gears turning within the Commander’s brain.
“Any other convenience will be wholly unsatisfactory Mac. Hold.” The Commander stepped out into the parking garage, headed for the pile up.
“What did he say?” Conner looked bewildered.
“It’s pretty odd for a three car pile up to happen so that it completely blocks the V.I.P parking slots isn’t it Conner?” Mac gently pushed Conner back up closer to his station booth where the automobile keys hung in a hook cabinet.
“What?” Was all that Conner could muster now, obviously feeling what Mac had all ready been alerted too.
“Hello there.” Mac heard the Commander say as he neared the first crashed automobile.
Then gunfire, echoing like thunder claps inside the parking garage, erupted from the accident scene.
“Take cover kid!” Mac shoved Conner to the cement floor, just inside his station booth. Pulling down the phone from it’s perch Mac shoved it at Conner without instructions. He trusted the long standing employee to know to call for help after all Commander Knight and Knight Inc. Occupied the top three floors of the east tower here at the Tiers. This was hardly the first time the Commander and Mac had been shot at inside the Hotel.
The three automobiles, two sedans and a pick up truck, had crashed into a triangle completely blocking the V.I.P parking slots which were occupied by the Commander’s Crimson Cruiser alone. As the Commander got close enough to notice what was going on boxes from the back of the truck were opened and fire arms were removed to be used to keep Knight Inc. Away.
The Commander dove under the closest sedan, it’s front axle up on the bumper of the other sedan as both sedan’s surrounded and covered a portion of the truck. Bullets ripped through the car’s top and shredded the interior causing white puffs of stuffing to fly out of the smashed windows and lodge into wet icy half frozen areas of the parking garage floor covered with hail and freezing rain from the storm outside.
Mac pulled the .380 savage from his left ankle holster. Crouching, he moved around the accident to set up a flanking position. Internally he hoped he’d not have to kill anyone today since he was simply carrying a standard pistol, not one of the custom ordinance weapons that Knight Inc. Outfitted it’s agents with.
In one fluid motion the commander picked the sedan he used for cover up off the ground and held it at arms length. The Commander and Mac both witnessed two separate goons - sent to stop or even kill the Commander - flinch and duck for cover simply because the sedan was lifted off the floor.
Mac used the distraction to move in closer at a faster pace. The Commander pulled the spare tire from beneath the sedan with his right hand and flung it at the man firing on his left with a colt .45. As the sedan dropped and bounced on the wet concrete it made an evil crash as the trunk lid was ripped off it’s hinges as the Commander braced it against his left arm and bolted over the sedan like running up over a hill as he charged the other two men who were still firing.
Bullets impacted the trunk lid the Commander used as an iconic shield, for it’s protective properties were nil, as he charged forward toward the man on his left firing with two .38 pistols. Mac heard the first pistol click on empty as the Commander was on top of him, the second pistol didn’t have a chance to spit anymore of it’s led.
Mac spun around a large wagon and drew down on the third member of the shooting party. The man behind the pick up truck slapped another circular magazine into the bottom of his Tommy gun and prepared to spin around and fire on the Commander when Mac took another step out.
“Drop it bud.” Mac waited but was fairly certain what would happen.
The second man the Commander took on, the first now laying on the pavement out could and toothless, fell to the ground after a sharp snap sound followed by a high pitch cry and metallic clatter as his pistols left his hands. The man with the Tommy gun flinched as if he wanted to look but stopped him self. Mac didn’t, he’d seen the Commander break dozens of wrists over the years. The man with the Tommy figured this was his best shot, assuming Mac would be off guard too and spun around on one knee as he drew the big machine gun down on Mac.
Mac fired a single shot from his .380 savage sending the Tommy gun man to the pavement with his brethren. “Damn.” He said out loud and moved toward the body, kicking away the Tommy gun.
“Mac?” The Commander called out.
“I’m good Commander.”
“Climb behind the wheel, we’ve wasted too much time all ready.” The Commander picked up and dragged the sedan without a trunk lid ninety degrees, effectively clearing it from the truck and the other car. With a shove he caused it to roll over on it’s top and slide into the station wagon Mac had used as cover.
Mac hopped over the side of the Crimson Cruiser, which had been backed in as requested, and climbed behind the wheel. With a turn of it’s key the engine roared to life within the parking garage. Checking the instruments Mac witnessed the Commander pick up the rear of the pick up truck and roll it, on it’s front wheels only, safely out of the way of the Crimson Cruiser.
Mac pulled the cruiser out into the isle and felt a pang of remorse for the man he’d had to shoot and kill but it didn’t last long as the Commander opened the door to the passenger side of the cruiser.
“Tell the authorities we’ll be back to make a statement later Conner.” The Commander stated into the parking garage and climbed into the cruiser. Mac shot out of the entrance and skidded around heading west down 108th on the hail slick pavement before the Commander even had the door closed.
“Good. You activated the dash tracker Mac. They won’t get away again.” The Commander stared squarely ahead with a look of steely determination on his square jaw. Mac had seen it before and knew better to ask too many questions.
He focused on maneuvering through the traffic.
I like how much faster we get to the action on this piece so I've decided to break up COMMANDER KNIGHT's total story into two parts and i"ll open the entire project with this piece of fiction instead of SKY SENTRY.
This character is of course inspired in part by DOC SAVAGE and I was adamant about not calling him DOC in any way shape or form. Unfortunately no one told that to Mac, he kept wanting to call the Commander Doc and I had to keep stopping him with the delete key.
Please feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line, I want constructive criticism so that each piece of fiction is as good as it can be and my writing is better and better.
