The man in scrubs turned to Cheri and said, “Please stand aside miss, or I’ll have to have you escorted out.”
While Cheri did her best to distract him, the woman in scrubs felt my wrist, then my neck, and muttered, “Something weird is going on here… heart rate slow but steady, but pulse feels strange… and… no signs of burns? Hey, Mike, take a look at this…”
The man in scrubs looked at Cheri and said, “Billings, keep her back,” and came to my side. “Huh. What is going on here? Something is definitely not right. I… Louise, get Dr. Bronson, stat.”
The woman in scrubs darted toward the door, but before she could leave, Cheri swung the door closed and stood in front of it. “Hang on just a second, Louise. I want you to witness this. You know, Billy, you seem pretty cool now, but you weren’t a nice guy in high school. You remember how you and your football buddies used to bully Nelson Chin? You took his violin once and threw if on the roof of the English building. Remember that?”
“What? No, I was just playing around, I’m not a bully.”
“The bully never thinks he’s a bully. Well, did you know Nelson is my cousin? I was only a sophomore in high school back then so I couldn’t do much about it, but guess what? I’m all grown up now.” Billings went for his weapon, but too late; she lashed out her left foot, connecting with the side of his head; he flew to the far wall, and crumpled to the ground, unconscious. “That was for Nelson,” she hissed, and both Louise and Mike reached into the pockets of their scrubs. “Uh, uh, uh,” Cheri sang, “just hold it right there, unless you want to join him. Man, that treatment I got was awesome, Lucinda!”
“The brig is three floors almost directly below us, sonny boy. The stairs are down the hall to the right about forty meters through an unmarked door. That’s where we go. Time to move.”
I raised my left fist and motioned for Cheri to duck; I said, “Sorry, guys,” and pressed the raised mole on my left forearm, releasing a volley of flechette needles, and down they went, one on top of the other.
As she dragged the two away from the door, Cheri said, “Okay, I guess it’s on.” I plucked her laser and flechette pistols out of my unzipped right thigh and handed them to her.
“Yep. It’s on. And remind me not to get on your bad side. Stand behind me. My body is hardened against the EMP, so it’ll shield you and your new arm from the effects.” As my thigh closed, I held out my left fist, activated the enhanced EMP device embedded in my knuckles, and the there was a massive flash; the lights went out and the machines stopped clicking and beeping; scampering footsteps and roaring voices filled the hall outside the room almost immediately, and moments later dim emergency lights came on.
Cheri chuckled. “Billy Billings always was a douche bag. He didn’t even notice I was wearing a dragon skin vest. What next, chief?”
Ava, can we knock out the emergency lights too?
“Actually, I’m surprised they’re working. Whatever kind of generator they’re using to power them must be a fair distance away, so we’ll need to use a different kind of stealth. First, block the door, then take the scrubs off those two and put them on. It wouldn’t fool anyone normally, but under the low lights and with all the chaos out there, it might work.”
I motioned to Cheri; we did as Ava instructed, and were soon wearing ill-fitting scrubs, facemasks, and head coverings, with nothing left showing except our eyes and ears. “They must be really busy out there. I can’t believe no one has tried to come in here yet… a couple of hiker girls are probably a low priority, though, even if one was ‘electrocuted’. There’s a door to a staircase about forty meters to the right, that’s where we go next.”
Cheri nodded. “Just keep your head down and move like you have a purpose. With any luck, no one will even notice us. You might want to roll those pants up a little, though. They’re dragging.”
I had put on the male doctor’s scrubs, and he was probably ten centimeters taller than me. “Hang on, Lucy, I have an idea that will make our disguise a little better.”
Suddenly I felt myself stretching out, and soon I was tall enough to fit the scrubs perfectly. “Not bad, eh? Might as well turn you back into a boy while we’re at it.”
Well, whatever you’re going to do, hurry. We’ve got to go, and quit calling me Lucy!
“Oh, stop squawking. You’re ready.”
I felt myself… Hey, no more girl bumps…
Cheri had pulled a sheet off the stretcher and spread it over the three unconscious soldiers as my body morphed. “Whoa, look at you, stretch. When all this is over, if you don’t get your dad to hook me up with a body like yours, I will be pissed.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Ready?”
She took my hand for a moment. “Lucas, this will work. Somehow, it will work.”
“I sure hope so.”
Cheri put her hand on the doorknob. “Okay, follow me, forty meters down to the right. Which side is the door on?”
Ava?
“The left.”
Right.
“Oh, don’t even. This is not the time, shorty.”
What? You said left, and I said right. Oh, I get it. Sorry.
“The left,” I whispered.
Cheri nodded. “Right. Here we go, with purpose.”
We exited into a broad, nearly empty hallway; two soldiers were coming our way as we strode forward like we owned the place. One of the burly soldiers said, “You two, we’re clearing the building. There’s been some kind of electrical attack. Turn around.”
Cheri kept walking, so I followed. “We’ll be out in a moment, I’ve just got to get my things,” she said with authority.
“Sorry, we’re under orders. Everyone out, now.”
Still not stopping, Cheri, now sounding irritated, said, “Yeah, I heard you. I’ll be out in a second.” By now we were a couple of meters past the soldiers, and one of them said, “Wait, who are you?”
Cheri spun and roared, “Have you cleared everyone out of this wing? Because there are some people in that room just ahead. By the time you get them out, we’ll be on our way out too.”
By now, it was obvious that our bluff was over with these soldiers. They went for their weapons, and one of them said, “Hands up. Identify yourselves immediately.”
Cheri sighed and said, “Really, fellas? I was hoping we could do this the easy way.” She turned and continued in the opposite direction; one of the soldiers shouted, “Halt!” and raised his weapon; Cheri spun with her flechette in hand, and before the soldiers could make a move, she fired; the soldier with the gun drawn went down immediately, but the other one was not hit; he seemed shocked, his eyes going from his partner to Cheri and back.
“What’s your name, soldier? Just your first name is fine,” said Cheri, edging toward him while pointing the flechette at his torso, his hand frozen over his sidearm.
“What did you shoot him with? Are you Russian?” he asked, recovering some of his bravado.
She giggled. “Lucas, you hear that? ‘Are we Russian?’ No, we’re far, far worse than that. If you had let us go, you’d be out of this building and everything would be fine, but no, you had to play hero. Well, sorry, but Billy, you ain’t no hero.” Then she shot him, this time making contact, and he fell on his partner.
“You’re getting good with the speeches. That’s two in about three minutes.”
“Aww, you’re right, I should have just shot him and saved us a little time. We better make a run for it before someone else comes.”
We turned and sprinted for the door to the stairway… and we almost made it.
36
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
MEETING WITH SVC
122052 22:12
-Status report.
-Although it’ll take hours to clear out, most of the gate crashers are exiting. They have taken a few of the overzealous into custody.
-You know what I meant.
-Yes, of course. There is nothing to report. The vehicles Oakes and the others were traveli
ng in were found abandoned thirty miles northwest of Area 51, but no sign of the occupants. It seems likely that they changed cars at that point.
-And no hint of the boy?
-Nothing.
-Well, what the hell happened? There’s no way the boy would just give up, so either they captured him or he’s dead. What other options are there?
-The only other option I can think of is that they have some information we don’t have.
-What do you mean, like the dad is somewhere else?
-Well, that would explain things.
-Okay, let’s play this out. We’d have to assume the Americans knew of our plan in advance and moved the dad. Any ideas where they may have moved him? I mean, we only have all the rest of the world to consider.
-I can’t say where he is, but I would be willing to bet that, if we could find Oakes and his crew, they would lead us to him.
-You might be right, but how do we track them? Oakes won’t answer… wait a minute, I see where you’re going.
-Yes. (JR) can lead us to them through his son.
-Would he do it? He knows we’re not trying to interfere with the rescue, we just need (WK). But I thought just half an hour ago we decided we didn’t trust (JR).
-No, you decided that. I was just throwing out possibilities.
-Oh, no, (SVC). You can’t have it both ways. You can’t manipulate me and then say, ‘Oh, I was just kidding’.
-All right, I do have my suspicions about (JR), but we should ask him, anyway. Whatever his answer is, it’ll tell us what we need to know.
-Well, get him on via hologram. I want to see his face when we’re talking to him. And pass me that bottle; it’s going to be another long night.
****
J ust past the doorway to the emergency access staircase, the hallway elbowed to the left, and as we reached the door, we skidded to a stop as a mass of soldiers in full exosuits came around the corner. In the middle of the group was a tall, tubby man in a navy blue suit; he had a mostly bald head, glasses, a bushy moustache, and a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. He took a long drag, tossed the butt on the floor, and said, “Well, hello, Lucas. Finally, we meet in person. And this must be the famous Chi Kim of the Sacramento Kim family. I’m acquainted with your parents, Miss Kim, through their fine work for us in security details around the world. Nice disguises, by the way. Lucas, I wonder if you can guess who I am.”
“Hang on, sonny boy. I know why you’re angry, but it will not help us now. Take two deep breaths, then answer.”
I took two deep breaths, then said, “I know who you are. You’re the man on the phone.”
He smiled in a way that almost looked genuine. “That’s right, you’ve got it. Oh, Lucas, I wish we were meeting under different circumstances, I really do. You should be on your way to China right now, working on your next project, but here you are. I told you five missions and we’ll release your father, but you’re three missions short. It wouldn’t be right for me to release him now. That would make both of us liars. I bet you’re wondering how I knew to be here right now, instead of trying to monitor you in China and wondering why you’re not there.”
Cheri edged forward. “Hey, he’s just a kid. Why don’t you talk to me? I’m a full-grown adult. Plus, you know my parents, so we have some stuff in common.”
She’s trying to get his attention so we can figure out what to do, Ava.
“I can see that. We have some options, but the best bet for the moment is to keep him talking. Let’s see where this goes. If worse comes to worse, I think I can get out of here using control mode.”
If we do that, you won’t kill anyone, will you?
“Not on purpose.”
Oh, boy.
He let out a hacky, smoker’s laugh, and said, “Please, Miss Kim. We both know Lucas is the person of interest here, no offense to you. We’ve been monitoring the connections between the so-called LFP and the Bright Hand for quite a long time, so we know of their interest in him and especially his father. Are you surprised? I know it doesn’t fit the image of the crude Americans, just trying to win through brute force. The LFP have their fingers in a few pies, I’ll give them that. They’ve been quite industrious. But we are everywhere. When we learned of their plan to ‘storm the gates’ of Area 51, it was a sure bet that it was a distraction so someone could attempt to rescue your father, and we knew their necks were too precious to risk trying it themselves, so it was obvious that they would send you. The sacrificial lamb, as it were. You would have had a better chance than them, anyway. So, we moved your father, as you now know, and leaked the information to Ambassador Roehl, knowing that he would get the information to you, and you would believe it because of the source. He feels quite indebted to you, and for excellent reason. It was another simple leap to count on you making the attempt here, tonight… I mean, you were already here in the US, and your father was so nearby… there was no way you could pass up the opportunity, could you? You made it further than I expected, too. We almost didn’t get here in time. If you had waited another minute to do whatever it was you did to knock out the power, we wouldn’t have. Tough luck, that.”
“Tell him he never told you his name. Just get him to talk more. I have an idea.”
“you never told us your name.”
“And that was by design. Do you remember telling me when all this was over you would come for me? You are one of the very few people in the world, maybe the only person who could actually pull that off. So, I don’t think it would be wise to tell you my name, at least not yet. We need to come to a better understanding first. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. I mean, look at you, you’re a near miracle. To be a little flowery, I would have to say that you outshine all the seven wonders of the world, and here you are, a teenage boy. I’ve seen all you can do, you know. I’ve seen you as a girl, then an older girl, I’ve seen your arms and legs extended as wings, I’ve seen you get shot point-blank with no effect. And I’ve seen you outsmart some extremely clever and focused people.”
Wait a minute… I know we wanted to keep him talking, but why is he talking so much? He’s trying to stall for time or something…
“I imagine he’s trying to think of some way out of this that won’t end up with him being dead. I think we surprised them, sonny boy. We got here before they were ready for us. Ahh, that’s what I was hoping for… the EMP can take down the exosuits, so it’ll freeze all those soldiers if we hit them with a pulse. We have two shots left, so we don’t want to use both in case we need one to get out of here, but one pulse will do for this group. We’ll need to do it quick before others come, though. Now, I want you to confront him. Let’s see what his reaction is.”
I held up my hand, and after a moment of confusion, he stopped talking. “You know a lot about me, but I know some things too. I know we got here before you expected it. I know you have my dad here, and I know where he is. I’m going to get him out of here, and you will not stop me.”
He turned to the soldier to his left and said, “I told you he’s smart. That’s what happens when both of your parents are geniuses. But Lucas, I also know you are autistic. Officially I believe it’s Asperger’s, extremely high-functioning. That means you think a little differently and have some trouble with social cues. Maybe thinking differently is what allows you to see connections that others might miss. Either way, it’s too late to try to fool you now. We must resort to what we do best, at least in the eyes of the rest of the world.”
“The fact that he admitted it means he has no fear of us. Let’s give him a little fear, shall we?”
Excellent idea.
As he turned to order the exosuited soldiers to take us, I whispered out of the corner of my mouth, “Get behind me,” and Cheri scurried back; I raised my left fist as the soldiers raised their weapons and activated the EMP; the emergency lights shattered, and the soldiers all sort of ‘locked up’, freezing in awkward positions; some fell over, bumping into others and causing them
to fall as well; when they were done, there was an enormous pile of what looked like soldier statues covering the entire width of the hall.
“I’ll block the entrance,” said Cheri, as she lobbed two spider grenades in the opposite direction; a moment later came two satisfying pops, and it covered the area in the familiar, impossibly sticky material.
The man in the blue suit had by now recovered his composure. “Those glue bombs are exceedingly clever. We made a half-hearted attempt at reverse-engineering some material we got from Brazil, but it proved more difficult than it was worth for us. And I knew the Bright Hand had a portable EMP, but I didn’t know they had miniaturized them, and I didn’t know it was that powerful. You have it in your hand?”
“You understand that you’re our prisoner now?” said Cheri, pulling the man away from the frozen soldiers and rifling through his pockets.
“I don’t have any weapons,” the man said, holding his hands above his head.
“Oh yeah? Take off your shoes and pants,” said Cheri, motioning for him to hurry. She pulled out her flechette gun and said, “It’s that or beddy-bye time. Either way is okay with me.”
He sighed and looked at me. “Really, Lucas, this is beneath you. I just came here to negotiate. I’ve been trying to do that with your father all this time, but he just won’t listen to reason. I was hoping, since you’re here now, we could come to some sort of agreement that would work for all of us. I hoped we could all sit down, you, me, your father, and Miss Kim, of course, if you want her there, to come to an arrangement of mutual benefit. I’ll have a hard time doing that without my pants on.”
Reassemble (Singular Book 4) Page 23