Episode 9: Ultimatum

By Leigh Barker

Episode 9. Ultimatum: Season 3 - Ethan Gill - The Orpheus Directive:

Orpheus knows his murderous attempt to silence Ethan by threatening his unit’s families has failed and now Ethan is coming to him.

Ethan doesn’t know that there’s a trap waiting for him, but it wouldn’t matter if he did. He’d go anyway, the stakes are just too high. He must stop Orpheus or the world will pay a terrible price.

And on the dark streets of the nation’s capital, the hitman Jimmy Detroit is spreading death as only he can. With clinical and ruthless efficiency.

While Ethan takes the fight to Orpheus, Andie makes a staggering discovery.

Ethan has issued his ultimatum and now they just have to stay alive.

Orpheus has a decision to make; comply with Ethan's demands, or die. At noon tomorrow.

High noon.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leigh Barker
• Release date: Oct 14, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463812099

Leigh Barker

Leigh was born in Dudley in the middle of England. He has been a merchant seaman, a (useless) electronics salesman, a programmer, and a business analyst. And now he is a full-time writer, but that doesn't make him a bad person.He is presently writing 4 series:Clan, following the adventures of Calum Maclean as he tries to avoid the Bonnie Prince but still protect his beloved Highlands.The Hellfire Legacy Series follows US Marine Master Sergeant Ethan Gill and his team as they take on the jobs too hot for other special forces. They go where they're sent; South America, Middle East, Korea, but their most dangerous missions are on US soil.Volume #1: A Whisper of ArmageddonVolume #2: The Hellfire LegacyVolume #3: The Orpheus DirectiveEden, a three-volume series -Trinity is at war with Lucid, the son of Lucifer, and he will do whatever it takes to win. The Archangel Gabriel has an army but he needs more. He needs heroes, but they are few and far between. Which is why he gets Dylan and co. Not too much luck in Heaven then.Volume #1: Eden's Last HeroVolume #2: WinterwoodVolume #3: Requiem for Eden.Soldiers is set in 1914 and follows John Regret and his 12-man squad on their suicidal mission to find and destroy the German howitzer nicknamed Big Bertha. Find it before it drops it's thousand-pound shells on the allied army retreating across France. A seemingly hopeless mission that just cannot fail.Other occasional series include:Anarchy, the 'completely true' stories of men doing what men do when there's nobody to keep them in check. Create mayhem and behave like monkeys on speed.Coffee Break Reads - each issue has 5 stories short enough to read while taking a break from life. A mix of adventure, love, disaster, and fun. All with one thing in common; for a moment they transport the reader to another world.Episode 1 of each Season is free and can be picked up with other free books at:https://leighwbarker.com/my-library/Just copy the link above and paste it into your browser and you're there...

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The Orpheus Directive

(Season 1)

(Episode 9)

Ultimatum

Copyright Leigh Barker

Published by Leigh Barker at Smashwords

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ISBN: 9780463812099

Ultimatum

Ethan was driving an ancient VW camper van he’d found abandoned outside an apartment block off M Street. The owner—or the former owner must not have wanted it, because she’d left the keys above the visor, and everybody knows that translates as please take my car.

Andie was sitting on a bench at the edge of Lafayette Square and didn’t even glance at the rust heap on wheels with its flowers and zodiac signs all over it. Until she saw Ethan grinning at her over the fur-covered steering wheel.

She didn’t move, not because she didn’t believe it was him, but because she was afraid the killers might see her get into that pile of crap. She got up slowly and looked around at the joggers and walkers looking at the monstrosity, shaking their heads and moving on. What was he thinking? The man had no style at all. A hippie bus, for Christ’s sake.

She looked around slowly again, but there was no sign of the killers, so no chance they’d shoot her before she got in that thing with everybody watching. Thank God her sainted mother was away and not able to see this. She prayed there was no TV in rehab.

Ethan blew the horn, a sound like a constipated duck. He leaned over and opened the passenger door, which creaked and clunked loud enough to wake the dead.

Look what I found, Ethan said as she climbed in. Cool wheels or what?

What, she said, sinking down as low as she could into the split and lumpy seat.

The wagon stank of something. Please, god, don’t let it be marijuana; that would be too freaky, temporal displacement to the sixties. Groovy, man. But it was cat pee and she was probably sitting in it. She breathed a sigh of relief. Cats. What was it with people and cats? They hate people and they eat birds. And piss on car seats. It was a conspiracy by therapists. Big up the vicious little shits as friendly and cuddly, then charge two hundred an hour to make owners feel better when their little friend tries to scratch their eyes out.

You lost the Cherokee, then, she said, and shifted across the seat to try to stop mopping up the pee.

Yeah, Ethan said, crunching the gears and moving out into the traffic at a little faster than walking speed. Blown the excess. Should’ve taken out the waiver.

She stared at him. The Secret Service, the FBI, Homeland, the police, and kiddy crossing guards were looking for them to shoot their heads off