Charlie Steele and the Menace In the Mountains

- A Thrilling "Hollywood Knights" Adventure! -

By Nancy Berman with Noah Dudley

Chapter Nine: Walking the Plank

"You can walk in on your own, or I can carry you, Miss Steele."

Nathan Zachary pushed open the door to Karl Regen's office and motioned his prisoner inside. Charlie Steele briefly entertained the notion of duking it out with her captor, but knew that would be a losing proposition.

Zachary smiled thinly and holstered his pistol.

As she entered the rough-hewn room, she was greeted by the sight of her comrades—ace pilots specifically recruited for the secret mission to infiltrate this nest of sky pirates—sitting on a cluster of chairs, their hands bound behind them.

From what she could see, her boys hadn't been taken without one hell of a fight. Terry Potter had a cut over his eye and Hale must have taken a fist to the jaw; a thin trickle of blood laced the corner of his mouth. "Lightning" Carter's flannel shirt was torn and he was bent over slightly, obviously smarting from bruised or busted ribs. Her mentor, Norm Houston, didn't show much damage, though his knuckles were skinned and raw from landing a few right crosses.

Charlie realized with a start that "Sonny" Easton was not in the room. That meant one of two things: he had evaded capture...or he had been left for the vultures.

Zachary nudged Charlie into a chair in front of the desk, Karl Regen's "seat of power."

Karl Regen—Sky Haven's self-appointed aristocrat—stood by the window, his back to the room and his hands clasped behind him, practically a parody of a military leader.

Charlie knew it was all for show, though. No one ruled Sky Haven, certainly not Karl Regen. The only law up here on this lonely Free Colorado mountain was "survival of the fittest." Sure, Regen had managed to buy some peace and order in his little corner of this pirate port, but it was just a matter of time before someone meaner, stronger—or smarter—took it all away.

He turned to face his captives, his features clouded by an angry scowl.

"Miss Steele, I presume."

Charlie met his gaze, the picture of defiance.

Regen paused for a moment, then continued, unimpressed by her bravado. "One would have thought the Hollywood Knights' vaunted leader would not have been so foolish as to beard all these lions in this particular den."

Charlie tried to look amused but the effect was hampered by her disguise: scar make-up and a mask.

"'Lions,' huh?" she snorted derisively. "Rats would be more appropriate."

Regen's eyes flashed with anger and he turned to Zachary. "I think we've had quite enough of this amateur charade. Zachary: assist our 'guest' in removing this ludicrous disguise."

"No thanks," Charlie replied coldly. "I'd prefer to use my own handkerchief."

She pulled a bandanna out of her pocket, removed the mask, and wiped as much of the greasepaint from her face as she could. Despite the drab hair color and the few streaks of make-up that remained, she was quickly restored to her normal appearance.

"Ah, I see," Regen observed, eyeing Charlie appreciatively. "The reasons behind Hamlet's devotion to you become apparent. It is indeed a great pity that such radiance will shortly be lost to the world."

"Piracy is one thing, Karl," Charlie said calmly. "Are you sure you want to add murder to your list of crimes?"

"Good heavens, my dear. This won't be murder...it will be an execution." Karl smiled broadly. "You forget, Miss Steele: on this mountain, you are not a duly-designated representative of the Hollywood militia. Right now, right here, my word is the law.

"And you, and your pathetic little band," he added, "are the criminals."

He straightened, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Sadly, we're not at sea. The spectacle of having you all walk the plank into shark-infested waters has a certain drama to it that would be most appropriate for the Nation of Hollywood's star squadron, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't know; I don't like pirate movies. I prefer comedies," Charlie replied dryly.

Behind her bravado, Charlie was thinking as fast as she could. If there was some way she could parlay her imminent death into a hostage situation, she might be able to buy enough time for and escape.

"Defiant to the end, Miss Steele? That's good. It will make the show much more interesting." Regen said stiffly.

"The show?" Charlie asked, an icicle of dread working its way up her spine.

"Yes, well, you've made quite a number of enemies here today," Karl said, "to add to the number of people here who have no reason to love the Hollywood Knights. Your treachery has made an enemy even out of Miss Brown."

Karl leaned very close to Charlie, his eyes radiating a mixture of rage and menace.

"And many of them demand that your exit from Sky Haven—and this mortal coil—be as dramatic as can be arranged."

"I misjudged you, Karl. I thought you were smarter than this," Charlie said. "Pirates love to hammer on militia pilots, sure. But mostly they fly for money. I can't believe that you would overlook the opportunity to negotiate for my release. My family and friends are not without wealth. A lot of it."

Regen smiled icily at her suggestion. "Actually, I had considered the possibility of holding you hostage, but then I realized that the possible outcomes from such a course of action end with our little mountain hide-away in flames. The longer you're here, the more likely it is that the rest of the Hollywood Knights—or forces in the employ of your 'mysterious benefactor,' Howard Hughes—will arrive and attempt to take the mountain.

"Of course," he continued, "it is equally likely that the delicate order I've maintained here would be shattered by pirates battling each other for the right to kill you or ransom you off. Either way, your presence here is a destabilizing element...one that will be eliminated right away."

But there was more to it than that, Charlie thought. Regen was scared of something, damn scared. Then it hit her: Regen "welcomed" the Death Ravens into Sky Haven and allowed them safe passage, if only temporarily. The fact that he had allowed the famous leader of the Hollywood Knights access to Sky Haven would probably get Regen killed by another would-be pirate chieftain if he didn't take immediate, decisive action.

That meant there were no options, no bargains to be struck. They were all dead, if they didn't get out of Free Colorado.

"It's going to happen at dawn, Miss Steele," Zachary said.

Charlie—sore and tired after being bound to her chair—glared at the pirate.

"Why so long, Zachary?" she growled. "Need that time to work up the nerve to pull the trigger?"

"Actually," he replied easily, smiling, "the locals insisted. There's a lot of pirates here who want to watch you die in broad daylight. It should be a real show."

"How much of a show did Easton put on?" Charlie replied, barely containing her rage.

"Easton? Oh, so that's his name. Your friend has been missing for hours. I wouldn't expect any last-minute heroics, though...there are plenty of folks out looking for him. He'll die a bit before you, that's all."

"So, what happens now, Zachary? You just here to gloat?"

"Not at all, Miss Steele," he replied.

The office was empty, save for the Ravens, Charlie and Zachary...which is why no one heard Charlie's yelp of surprise when Zachary drew his knife.

"No point in cutting off your circulation any sooner than we have to," he said, slitting through the ropes that bound her hands.

"Now, Miss Steele," he said, "you understand that a few of my colleagues will be waiting outside, in case you decide that you'd like to end your lives sooner than planned? Good."

Zachary gave the group an off-handed salute and left the cabin, slamming the door tight. Although the curtains covered the few windows, the glow of torches could be seen outside as the sounds of muffled conversation rose and fell.

Charlie untied the rest of her bonds, then freed the rest of her companions.

"Damn it," she said, "this whole thing is my fault."

"Hardly, Charlie," Norm replied. "We all knew what we were getting into."

"No! You don't get it! Zachary is the one who recognized me. We'd met before."

"What do you mean?" Potter asked. "He's never seen you before."

"Yes, he has," she said miserably. The room got very quiet as the squad members waited to hear Charlie's explanation. She couldn't look at any of them as she relayed the story.

"He was at Chasen's after the attack on Champion Field. He followed me out onto the terrace and danced with me and...well, I thought he was a friend of Dave's, or some actor. He disappeared after we danced but no one I talked to had seen him. I forgot about it until I saw him in Regen's office the first day we were here."

"Why didn't you tell us, Charlie?" Norm sounded just like her father did when he was very angry at her.

"When he didn't seem to recognize me, I figured we were safe, and I tried to stay out of his way. I didn't figure on him blowing the whistle on us."

Potter paused thoughtfully before responding. "It's understandable, I guess. Nathan Zachary is well-known—not like the Black Swan or 'Genghis' Kahn, but known—for being a smart fellow.

"Now, chaps," Potter added. "We have to be just as smart. We can't bust out of here, and if we try we'll just be shot on the spot. I suggest we get some rest, and wait for Easton."

"Agreed," Charlie said.

Charlie managed to drift off into a light sleep which was plagued with half-formed visions of her father, her friends, Jimmy Vega, her mother—people floating in and out of the mist, trying to talk to her...but she couldn't hear them.

Charlie awoke with a start, unable to breathe. Someone had a hand over her mouth.

She opened her eyes to see Zachary bending over her. There were dark circles under the handsome pirate's eyes and the rough shadow of his beard showed along his jaw. She tried to struggle and alert her squadronmates but Zachary pressed his hand more firmly against her mouth and shook his head.

There was a muffled commotion in the darkened office.

Oh God, Charlie thought in panic, they're not going to wait until morning!

Potter's concerned face moved into her view. "Is she ready?" he asked tersely.

Zachary turned his head slightly and said, "Yeah, she's awake."

He took her hand off her mouth and yanked to her feet. "We've got to stop meeting like this, y'know. Now get a move on!"

She didn't have time to reply as he ducked out of the little room, leaving her to shove her hair under a bandanna. At least I don't have to put that damn make-up on.

The Ravens were standing with Zachary and several of the Sky Haven guards, including young Ned...who had been one of their "tour guides."

Zachary spoke in a low voice. "I don't have time to explain, but you can trust these guys, and we're gonna get you out of here right now."

"Wait a minute, Zachary. Where's Easton?" she demanded.

"He's fine, Charlie. Just helping set up a little diversion in case we need it. No more questions now...just move. And no matter what happens, get in your planes and get the hell out of here. There's some fog, but the sun will be up very shortly. We're almost out of time."

They left the cabin and moved as quietly as they could towards the airfield. Smoke from a few hearth fires were beginning to rise into the pre-dawn sky. Zachary and the Sky Haven guards were well-armed, and it appeared that the other Ravens had somehow gotten firearms as well.

Charlie's mind was a whirl as she ran. One minute she was preparing to die, the next she was running to safety through the woods, apparently thanks to Nathan Zachary, the man she thought had betrayed them. She had a million questions for him—What had he been doing in Hollywood? How had he gotten into the party? Why hadn't anyone else seen him? What was he doing in Sky Haven?

Zachary motioned to the group to drop down behind the low dense shrubbery that ringed the airfield. The area looked clear, but there was no point in taking a risk this close to the planes. At some unseen command, "Ned"—his name was actually Jack Mulligan, Nathan's wingman in his pirate group, the Fortune Hunters—rose up and walked calmly towards the planes, as if he were a guard on a routine patrol.

When no one challenged him, he turned back towards the woods and jerked his head. The other guards stood and urged the Ravens towards the planes, but Zachary held Charlie back.

"We don't have a lot of time, but I want you to know that I'm not the one who sold you out to Regen."

"So who did, pirate?"

"You did, Miss Steele. Or rather, your performance with the convoy gave you away. Karl arranged for a zeppelin flyby—it was one of Kahn's, I think—to test you out. And you didn't attack. That, and you were conspicuously absent at the premier of Lana Cooper's new film two days' ago. He put two-and-two together and came up with...you. He's an arrogant bastard, but he's no dope."

"So where do you fit in all this mess?"

"I volunteered to handle your 'execution.' I figure that way, well, you'll get out of here alive."

"Oh, really?" she replied, arching an eyebrow skeptically. "And if you were so bent on helping us, why wait so long before springing us?"

"Because Sky Haven is a valuable asset to me in my line of work," he replied. "I couldn't tip my hand too early, because I'd like to be able to come back here again. But I just couldn't stand by and watch you be murdered, Miss Steele. Its one thing to shoot down a militia pilot during a raid. Its quite another to stand by and watch a woman be butchered."

Charlie smiled. "So, now you're a pirate helping the 'poor little rich girl' out of danger? Keep that sort of thing up and you'll develop a nasty reputation for being a gentleman, Mr. Zachary."

Zachary grinned, but before he could reply, footsteps crashed toward them from the woods.

"Damn!" Zachary hissed. "It's a patrol! I'll handle this, but you'd better get going!"

As Charlie turned to run to her plane, she heard a man's voice calling out in alarm:

"What the hell is going on here?"

Well, Charlie thought, so much for a quiet exit...