by Kate O'Hearn
‘I thought that was you in that article,’ Earl said to Paelen. ‘But if it ain’t, then we’re all in a heap of trouble.’
‘I swear it is not I,’ Paelen insisted. ‘Though I must admit, I do like chocolate. But had it been me, I would not have been caught.’
‘Emily, where did that story happen?’ Joel asked.
Emily scanned the article. ‘Las Vegas.’ She looked back up to the wall and the article with the woman who looked like Diana. ‘Where was the jewellery store?’
‘Salt Lake City, Utah,’ Joel read. ‘And this one has Diana in Denver, Colorado. And here is a sighting in Virginia.’
‘We’ve found articles about them from all over,’ Earl said. ‘If they ain’t the real Diana and a Nirad, where are they coming from?’ He looked at Agent T. ‘What CRU facility could be creating clones?’
Agent T shrugged. ‘I don’t know. There are multiple facilities all over this country. We also have several others scattered around the world. Any one of them could be doing it.’
‘Just how big is the CRU?’ Joel asked.
‘It’s massive,’ Agent T answered. ‘It’s larger than the CIA, FBI and FSA, combined.’
Emily sucked in her breath. ‘How is that possible? I don’t understand how they could be so big and no one really knows about them!’
‘That is the way it was set up. I was recruited into the CRU straight from university. They have been around since the nineteen-thirties. They don’t answer to the President or Congress. They are completely self-governing and independent.’
Silence filled the room as everyone tried to digest the new information. Until now, no one had any idea just how large and dangerous the CRU really were. Finally Alexis approached Agent T. She raised herself up on her hind haunches and placed her paws on his shoulders. Her claws were out as she held her furious face centimetres from his. ‘Tell me now. How do we find out which facility is creating these Olympians?’
‘There is only one way I can think of,’ Agent T answered, again meeting the Sphinx’s challenge without fear. ‘We’ve got to find that racehorse. If he is a clone, we will find his owner and demand to know where he got him.’
‘Did you find Tornado Warning?’ Emily asked.
‘Yes and no,’ the ex-CRU agent answered. When the Sphinx released him, he reached for the pages he’d printed. ‘There are countless articles about him. After the win at the Triple Crown, his owner reported that he’s retiring him. Tornado Warning is at his home stables at the Double R Ranch in California. His owner is a man called Rip Russell. He says he’s putting the stallion out to stud.’
‘Stud?’ Emily cried. ‘If he is a clone of Pegasus and they start to breed him …’
‘There could be a lot of winged horses being born,’ Paelen finished.
Pegasus went mad. The stallion pounded the floor and reared up in fury until his head struck and cracked the ceiling. He kicked a hole in the wall behind him and screamed before trotting down the short hall into the living area, where he took his rage out on the furniture in the room.
As a coffee table shattered to splinters, Emily ran up to him. ‘Pegs, calm down!’ she soothed. ‘Please, you can’t let anyone hear you!’
Pegasus snorted and continued to pound the floor, shattering the white tiles beneath him. Chrysaor ran up to the stallion, trying to calm him down.
‘I promise you we won’t let that happen,’ Emily said. ‘We’ll go out there and stop them.’
‘We will,’ Joel agreed as he and the others followed. ‘We won’t let them do this.’
Emily looked desperately to the others. ‘Should we go now? We could use the Solar Stream to get there.’
Alexis shook her head. ‘That would not be wise. We have been here longer than expected already. If we enter the Solar Stream, it may arouse Jupiter’s suspicions. If you wish to protect this world and remain hidden until we solve this riddle, we must travel by other means.’
‘But we can’t fly over three thousand miles in one night,’ Emily said.
‘No we cannot,’ the Sphinx agreed. ‘We must avoid being seen.’
‘That’s easy for you to say,’ Emily challenged. ‘Pluto gave you his helmet of invisibility. But that won’t help Pegasus or Chrysaor.’
Pegasus nickered. Paelen said, ‘He says we have no choice. We must find Tornado Warning before he reproduces. We can fly by night and hide during the day.’
‘So it’s settled,’ Agent T said. He turned to Earl. ‘Pack up, we leave tonight.’
Everyone turned to the ex-CRU agent.
‘What are you all looking at?’ Agent T challenged. ‘You don’t expect me to sit idly by while you kids determine our planet’s future? I may be ex-CRU, but I still care for this world. I have skills and specialist knowledge you will need. If the CRU really are behind this, who better to help than me?’
7
After much arguing, it was finally agreed that taking Agent T and Earl with them would be the best option. With the CRU still pursuing them, it was time for the two men to move on anyway. Agent T also voiced deep concerns that the Olympians may have been spotted in the Florida skies before they arrived. He drew out all his weapons and prepared to fight. While Agent T guarded the inside of the house, Alexis put on Pluto’s helmet and prepared to guard the exterior.
When she first donned the helmet, Emily feared it didn’t work. She could still see the Sphinx. But when the others couldn’t see Alexis they concluded that this was another one of Emily’s hidden powers. Emily watched the Sphinx go into the backyard. Alexis spread her wings wide and launched into the air and flew up to the roof of the small house. There she settled to watch for any approaching danger.
Exhausted from the long night, the others settled down for some much needed rest. Pegasus was too upset to settle, but stood watch over Emily and the others as they slept on the sofa.
At sunset, Pegasus woke Emily and Joel. Paelen was already up and eating ambrosia cakes smothered in honey, cherry jam, half a bag of sugar and chocolate syrup. Emily was surprised to find the Sphinx working closely with Agent T. The two had laid out maps on the dining-room table and, using Agent T’s compass, they were plotting their course to Ramona, California, where the Double R Ranch was located.
As she rose from the sofa and stretched, Emily studied Pegasus. The stallion had calmed some, but his eyes were still too bright and alert. The news of Tornado Warning going out to stud had badly affected him.
‘Are you all right, Pegs?’ she asked softly as she stroked the stallion’s neck.
Pegasus looked at her. Deep in his eyes she saw the vision of the two of them soaring in the night skies over Olympus. This was Pegasus’s dream: to be back safely home with her.
‘I wish we were back there too,’ Emily agreed. ‘I hate what the CRU might have done. But we’ll stop them, Pegs. I know we will.’
Pegasus nudged Emily and she hugged his neck tightly.
‘Is he all right?’ Joel asked as he came up.
‘He will be,’ Emily said, ‘once this is over.’
Joel reached out and patted the winged stallion. ‘Pegasus, we could be wrong, you know. Tornado Warning could just be a very fast racehorse. And that woman the police are looking for? She may just look like Diana. Who knows, we could be back in Olympus in a day or two and laughing about this.’
Emily knew Joel too well. He was saying this for Pegasus. Deep in his heart, he didn’t believe it. But she was grateful to him for trying.
‘Joel’s right, Pegs,’ she agreed. ‘It could all be a strange coincidence.’
In the dining area Agent T was marking a course on the map. He looked up at Emily and Joel. ‘Good, you’re up. Earl’s in the kitchen. Grab yourselves something to eat, we’ll be leaving shortly. We’ve got a long flight ahead of us.’ He reached over and picked up a large sweatshirt and then a pair of gloves. ‘Joel, I’ve got these for you. Put it on and wear the gloves.’
‘You want me to wear a sweatshirt in this heat?’
Agent T nodded. ‘Unless you want the world to see that magical silver arm and hand of yours, you’ll do as I say.’
Emily and Joel continued into the kitchen. She looked back at Agent T. ‘Who put him in charge?’
Joel followed her eyes. Agent T was back in deep discussion with Alexis. As they listened, they heard the Sphinx and ex-CRU agent discussing security measures and what they would do if they were opposed. Emily was shocked to hear them not only getting along, they were in complete agreement. If anyone tried to stop them, they were prepared to kill.
She looked at Joel. ‘I guess that’s what puts them in charge.’
When they were ready to go, they filed silently into the dark backyard. Instead of forcing Pegasus through the glass door again, Earl and Agent T took it off its tracks and opened it up completely. Pegasus fitted through without a problem.
Emily invited Earl to ride with her on Pegasus while Alexis offered to carry Agent T. As the group took to the air, they flew as high as the humans could withstand. With the light of the moon and Agent T’s compass to guide them, they started the long journey west.
Earl whooped and cheered like a kid at riding Pegasus. His excitement was infectious and kept Emily in fits of laughter as he waved and called to Paelen and then over to Joel on Chrysaor. Even after several long hours, Earl was still enjoying the ride.
As the long night slowly passed and the sky behind them started to lighten, Agent T finally directed Alexis down lower in the sky. Passing through the clouds beneath them, they saw the street lights of a large city below.
‘If our calculations are correct, that should be Baton Rouge, Louisiana,’ Agent T turned back and called to them. ‘We’re going to pass over the main city and find somewhere to stop on the other side of it. Understood?’
Everyone called their agreement. Before the dawn arrived fully, they flew down closer to the ground. Emily saw early-morning traffic on the Interstate highway directly beneath them. Following its path, they came across the last motel in the area.
Alexis glided lower and finally chose a spot to land in an open field behind the two-storey motel. Earl climbed off Pegasus first and helped Emily down. Joel climbed stiffly off Chrysaor and looked around. ‘Are we sure we want to stop at a motel? Wouldn’t it be safer to find some woods or something?’
Agent T shook his head. ‘No. That would be a mistake. Out in the open you feel exposed and never truly rest. For what we are facing, we need to stay fresh and sharp. Alexis, Pegasus and Chrysaor especially need to recover after two long nights of heavy flight. We need somewhere private for them to rest their wings.’
Emily hated to admit it, but Agent T was right. She could see Pegasus was tired. His wings were drooping a bit and his head was down.
She looked at the others. ‘He’s right. You need your rest.’
Agent T stepped up to Earl. ‘Come with me – it’s the usual cover story. We’re two brothers who’ve driven all night. Our car broke down and it’s in the garage. We’ll get a double room at the very back and say we need to sleep all day and don’t want to be disturbed.’
Earl nodded and looked to the others. ‘Y’all stay here. We’ve done this before. As soon as we get the room, we’ll come for you.’
Emily stood beside Pegasus as they waited for Earl and Agent T to return. Joel and Paelen came up to her.
‘Do you think we should trust Agent T?’ Joel asked. ‘He was with the CRU. What if he turns us in to get his job back?’
Alexis was lounging on the ground. Her eyes were closed and she was enjoying the fragrance of the predawn air. ‘He would not do that,’ she answered softly. Rising, the Sphinx padded closer to the group. ‘He may not like you,’ she said truthfully. ‘But he will not betray you. There is too much at stake.’
‘How can you be so certain?’ Emily asked.
Alexis cocked her head to the side and narrowed her green eyes. Emily was certain if she could, the Sphinx would have put her hands on her hips. ‘Are you suggesting I do not know my job? That after all this time, I can not read a human’s intentions?’
Emily sighed. She shook her head tiredly. ‘I’m sorry, Alexis, I didn’t mean to insult you. But you don’t understand what the CRU did to us.’
‘Especially Agent T,’ Paelen added.
The Sphinx calmed and sat down. ‘No, I was not there and do not know what he did,’ she admitted. ‘But I do know the man who has been riding on my back all night. He is changed. Whether it was Cupid’s charm or the realization of what the CRU have done, I do not know. But he is on our side. Tom will be a great ally.’
Emily looked at Joel and raised an eyebrow. ‘Tom?’
Paelen caught Emily’s arm. He shook his head. ‘Do not say more. She is tired and worried like the rest of us.’
The arrival of Agent T cut off further conversation. ‘All right – we’ve got a double room on the ground floor, just in from the end.’ He concentrated on Alexis. ‘We’ll use Pluto’s helmet to get you into the room one at a time. People are starting to move around and check out. No one but Earl and I must been seen.’
One by one, the helmet was used to sneak the Olympians into the cramped motel room. Once again, Pegasus had difficulty squeezing through the narrow doorway. But with help, the invisible stallion was finally shoved through.
The ‘do not disturb’ sign was hung on the door and the two mattresses were pulled off the beds and put on the floor to give more comfortable sleeping space for everyone. Before long, they had fallen into a deep, exhausted sleep.
When Emily awoke, there was still light coming from behind the curtains. She looked over and saw Pegasus was also awake. ‘You OK, Pegs?’ she whispered softly.
The stallion pressed his muzzle to her hand. His eyes were still bright and alert. There was no mistaking it. Pegasus was scared. Despite what Joel had said before, Pegasus didn’t believe it either. Deep inside, the stallion knew that somehow, Tornado Warning was part of him.
Emily rose to use the bathroom. In the tight, crowded room, she had to climb over Pegasus. Then she stepped over Joel on the other mattress. But as she put her foot down, she trod on Chrysaor. The winged boar squealed and complained loudly.
‘Sorry! Go back to sleep …’ Emily hushed, as she gave him a light pat. She looked around to see if his squeals had awoken the others. Satisfied that they remained asleep, Emily continued her obstacle course to the bathroom. But as she entered, she found Alexis lounging on her back in an overflowing bathtub.
‘Did your father not teach you to knock?’ Alexis demanded.
Too stunned at the sight of the Sphinx in the bath, Emily backed out of the room and shut the door quietly behind her. Paelen was awake and smiled at her.
‘She’s been in there half the day,’ he whispered.
Irritated by the need to use the toilet, Emily muttered, ‘I thought cats hated water.’
‘I heard that, Emily!’ Alexis called from the bathroom.
Hours later, everyone was up and moving around. Joel was introducing Paelen and Chrysaor to the joys of cable television. Paelen held the remote and was learning to channel surf. ‘Pegasus, move out of the way, you are blocking my view!’ he complained as he tried to see around the large stallion. There was just so much to watch, he couldn’t settle on one station for more than a minute or two. ‘This is amazing,’ he cried as he started to follow a science-fiction movie. ‘We must get this in Olympus!’
Chrysaor squealed loudly in protest when Paelen changed the channel again. He tried to snatch the remote from Paelen.
Joel looked at Emily. ‘Do you think Jupiter would go for satellite or cable TV?’
‘Neither,’ she laughed as she watched her friends enjoying their first television experience.
On the bed behind them, Agent T was counting out his remaining money. ‘Earl, how much cash do you have left?’ he asked.
Earl opened his walled and pulled out two ten-dollar bills. ‘Twenty bucks, that’s it.’
Agent T
looked at Emily. ‘Did you bring anything from Olympus we can sell?’
‘No, we didn’t expect to be here this long. The plan was to get a close look at Tornado Warning and then go right back.’
Agent T sighed. ‘We have ninety-seven dollars left. That won’t get us another room, let alone a lot of food.’
‘Well, we can’t go back to Olympus for more,’ Emily said.
Alexis finally emerged from the bathroom. Her dark hair was up in a towel and she was struggling to pull on a T-shirt with her paws. As Emily helped her finish getting dressed, the Sphinx’s eyes settled on Paelen. ‘It is lucky that we have a very good thief among us.’
Paelen looked up. ‘I am not a thief any more,’ he complained. ‘Why will no one believe me?’
Agent T rose from the bed. ‘Because we need a good thief right now and you’re elected.’
Paelen handed the remote to Chrysaor and came closer. ‘What do you need?’
‘Money,’ Agent T said.
‘And food,’ Earl said. ‘We can’t all eat the ambrosia, you Olympians need that.’
Paelen nodded. ‘I will go. How do I find money? The last time we needed it, Cupid won a costume competition. I do not know if there is another such competition around here.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Joel volunteered. ‘Your sandals can carry us both. And if Alexis will let me, I’ll use Pluto’s helmet to stay invisible while you use your talent to stretch yourself out and fit into whereever we need to go.’
The Sphinx carried the helmet over to Joel. She smiled warmly. ‘Anything for you. You just ask and it will be my command.’
Emily balled her hands into tight fists. As she did, the ceramic lamp on the table beside her exploded.
‘What the hell?’ Earl cried as he jumped away from the flying pieces.
‘Sorry,’ Emily quickly said. ‘My hand accidentally hit it.’
‘That wasn’t your hand,’ Joel challenged. ‘That lamp blew up!’