"Rae." Tobias chuffed. "Spec Forces hasn't captured an APres Guarda safe house in years. There's valuable information in here. Information that could turn the tide of the war."
"If this place doesn't go up in flames, the APres Guarda will know that these people are alive." I nodded to the teenager in front of me and waved the next one up. "I won't be able to protect them." Or myself, for that matter. "They have to appear to have died."
Tobias shook his head. "You'd save thirteen people's lives, yet risk seven billion?"
"Fourteen lives."
He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes closed for a minute.
"Hey, at least I didn't lose a toe this time." I wiggled all five of them before urging the next person up. "Besides, I'm not risking anything. While I was in Ulla's House of Horrors, my CeeBees interfaced with APres Guarda's computers. Not only did they send you that message, they know everything in here, including passwords to their mainframes." Ulla's sadism had given me the key to bring down the bad guys, or at least set back their plans a few decades. "That advantage will be lost if this place doesn't blow."
Tobias swore under his breath. "Minor shut off the verbal countdown but don't attempt to access their firewalls." Tobias set a finger against his ear. "You heard me. Fall back."
"Thank you." Still pointing the cell phone at the man in front of me, I rose up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. Warm skin rasped against my lips. I closed my eyes for a moment and inhaled the scent of his citrus soap before pulling back. I focused on his mouth. "Remind me later to give you some of my CeeBees."
His pupils dilated and he swayed closer.
My eyes fluttered. Or now works for me.
The cell in my hand chirped.
I jerked and straightened. Right. CeeBees. Explosion. Clearing my throat, I focused on the tattered man in front of me. "You're clear. Next."
"You're not going to leave without them, are you?"
"Nope." I swept my phone down the woman in front of me.
"Didn't think so." Tobias raised his phone. Three minutes and fifty-seven seconds remained. "You know the countdown isn't always accurate?"
Seeing it wasn't much better than hearing the gloating in Ulla's voice.
"I think you're going to need help." He touched his cell to mine. The countdown faded away then the screen flashed blue, green and yellow. A second later, the CeeBees prompted him to aim the phone at the explosive device. Tobias gestured to the next woman in line.
With a glance at the others, she shuffled forward to stand in front of him.
"Relax." Baring his teeth, Tobias repeated my gestures. "This shouldn't hurt a bit."
I coughed up a chuckle. Poor Tobias, I think he'd rather be tortured than help.
Minor jogged down the hall, Minion One on his heels. "Sir, I've silenced the countdown but we only have a few minutes remaining."
Gritting his teeth, Tobias shooed our recently freed people out the door. "I'm aware of the countdown. Bring the car by the door. We'll make it."
I looked at the dwindling line. Five left, including the minions. "With seconds to spare."
Minor trotted out the door, followed quickly by the two newly freed slaves. Minion One resumed his position by the door. A man and a woman stood before us.
I rubbed my shoulder against Tobias's arm. He shook his head once. I smiled. It felt good to work together. Thanks to the CeeBees I didn't actually suck at my new job. I'd helped save thirteen people and the whole world. Yay me.
The screen flashed the all clear. I nodded and they dashed out the door. The last slave limped toward me.
Tobias turned toward the minions.
They straightened and looked over Tobias's shoulder before chorusing, "May the Creator show us mercy."
Tobias grunted. "We're not going to kill you."
I tried not to shudder when I swept the cell over the man's sunken eye and missing ear. "Everyone lives."
Hatred blazed in the man's remaining eye.
Obviously he disagreed. The two fingers remaining on his left hand twitched. And probably for good reason. I aimed the cell at his chest and waited. But, I couldn't allow it even though they followed Ulla's orders. My screen flashed all clear. "You're good to go."
With one last glance at the minions, he limped outside.
Headlamps sliced through the night, spotlighting the man.
Aiming my cell at the remaining minion, I watched as a second vehicle pulled abreast of the first. Kuma leapt from the cab and lifted the old man into the truck bed. The slave pointed to the door and faces turned toward us.
Uh-oh. Trouble was brewing.
"Rae." Tobias set his hand on my forearm. "He's clear. Let's go."
I dropped Ulla's phone on the floor. "These two had better ride in the car with us."
He set his hand on the small of my back as we rushed into the night. Lightning flashed in the distance. "They are the more valuable of the lot."
I dragged in a lungful of sultry air and jogged to the passenger side. "That's not why."
Shrugging, he climbed behind the wheel. "You can't blame them. APres Guarda has their property fight each other, discipline each other, and kill each other."
God, what a bunch of animals. I clenched my hands in my lap. How could Victor be a part of that? I knew he was a good man at heart. He'd saved me after all.
The car dipped as Minions One and Two folded themselves into the back of the HHR, crowding Minor to the corner.
Minor wiggled away from them and leaned forward. "Colonel, cloaking is standing by."
Tobias tapped the radio button on the center console. "One minute three seconds remaining."
Yet, he made no move to start the ignition. I gripped the 'oh snap' strap above the door. "Shouldn't we be peeling out, fleeing in terror?"
Tobias's hands rested on his thighs. "It must appear as if we all perished in the fire."
Appear. Appear is good. White dotted my knuckles. "You mean we have to wait here until then?"
But I don't know about sitting here like ducks waiting to be roasted.
"Yes." Tobias winked at me. "Your plan is brilliant."
My plan is insane. Forty seconds. My heart beat competed with the rumble of thunder to fill the silence.
Tobias clasped my hand and stroked the back with his thumb.
Pleasure nipped at my mounting fear. Thirty-five seconds.
Fabric rustled in the backseat.
"I never did look up douche." Tobias grinned at me. "Maybe you could tell me what it means."
Thirty-two seconds.
Wiping my sweaty palms on my pants, I blinked. What was that supposed to mean? Were we going to die?
Thirty seconds.
Shards of glass glittered as they fled in front of tongues of fire. They sailed around us but didn't even nick the car's silver paint.
"She's early." I shouted above the roar of wind carrying twisted metal over the hood.
Tobias started the ignition. "As I said, APres Guarda's countdowns are not accurate."
Nausea burned at the back of my throat. He knew. While I'd been helping these people thinking I had all the time in the world, he'd known. I tucked my shaking hands between my trembling thighs. Crimson flowers blossomed around us as another explosion rocked the building. "Thanks for not telling me."
My stomach growled.
"Don't worry, I'll feed you." He shifted the car into gear and followed the truck out of the inferno. "I picked up your favorites while I was out."
The passengers in the bed watched the show without expression.
Holy Toledo! Did this kind of thing happen to them often? "I'll have to find them homes."
Tobias nodded and turned onto another side street. "After they've been debriefed and double-checked for any tracking devices."
Sirens wailed in the distance. The burning building filled my side view mirror.
I combed my fingers through my hair and relaxed against the seat. "At least it's over."
"For now." Tob
ias pulled to the side of the road as the fire truck trundled past.
"Uh, Mistress." Springs creaked as a minion dug his thick fingers into my cushion.
My seatback jiggled right before his profile appeared in my peripheral vision. "It's Rae, not mistress."
He nodded once. "Before you arrived, Mistress Torunn authorized Operation Exposure to begin."
I'd heard that name before. Goosebumps rose on my skin. Ulla had gloated about it. "Do you know what it is?"
The minions wagged his head and stared at the floor. "No, Mis—Rae."
Aw snap. Ignoring the pounding starting inside my skull, I forced my jaw to relax. Why had I trashed Ulla's cell. I could practically hear the sadistic witch cackling from her gooey grave.
"Double time it, guys. We're not off shift yet." Tobias's hands strangled the steering wheel as he stood on the accelerator. "We'll be at Beta station in twenty minutes."
"It could be all over by then." Adrenaline warmed me and focused my thoughts. He had a phone. Lurching forward I patted his hip and down his thigh.
He squirmed toward the door. "What are you doing?"
"I need your cell." I lunged for his opposite pocket.
He hissed and tried to cross his legs. "It's in my breast pocket."
My greedy fingers raced up his belly to delve into his pocket. I brushed his cell before plucking it out. "Show me what operation Exposure is."
My eyes devoured the words as they rushed across the screen. Fear and disbelief tumbled through me. Cold sweat popped out of my forehead. Oh man, oh mama. This was worse than I thought.
"Well?" Tires screeched as we took the turn ahead.
"APres Guarda is kidnapping the UED's protected witnesses and placing them in secure locations to be discovered in all their scaly and alien glory in the morning." I glanced at the clock. Four o'clock which was seven on the East coast. I stomped on the floorboard on my side, begging the car to go faster. "Given that it's Friday, banks and credit unions might already have opened their vaults."
Chapter Twenty-Two
"Don't worry, Rae." Tobias took the turn into the industrial park on two wheels. Dawn bruised the horizon but the storm clouds creeping from the west threatened to choke off any chance of light. "The UED has managed to contain worse threats than exposing the existence of aliens on Earth."
I squeezed the 'oh snap' handle above the door so hard I swear I left behind fingerprints. "You don't understand." I glared at the clock. On the East coast it was seven-thirty-three and someone showing up at work was about to get a nasty surprise. "These are aliens in secured locations. The US government is going to sit up and take notice."
My mind grappled with the possibilities. I would feel better knowing where they intended to stash the extraterrestrials. Maybe. Unfortunately, Tobias's phone didn't have enough memory to download all the files, let alone sift through the information. I'd have to wait until we reached the base.
In the back seat, Minions One and Two sat as silent as stone gargoyles.
Technician Minor alternated between stroking his moustache and fiddling with his cell. "Nothing is coming across the news channels."
I rolled my eyes. Could he be any more ignorant of American paranoia? "Do you really think there would be? The Feds aren't about to let it slip that we've been invaded."
"You haven't been invaded." Tobias barreled through the four way stop. The car slowed as we approached the turn. "And anyone they do discover, we'll get back."
Tobias cranked the wheel. Tires squealed. We slid around corner and up the curb before he corrected and brought the HHR back across the street into the right lane.
"Like that's going to help matters." The seat belt bit into my hip and dug into my belly. Right and his maniacal driving was supposed to convince me that the situation was in hand. "First aliens show up in bank vaults, then they're stolen right out from under Big Brother's eyes. That kind of thing is liable to drive the US government right into the APres Guarda's clutches."
Minor cleared his throat. "I have sent a high priority alert to all active UED stations. Personnel are standing by."
"I think you're overreacting." Tobias grunted as the car jumped the curb into the parking lot.
"Not hardly!" When he hit a pothole, I bounced in my seat and my hair brushed the car's ceiling. "The US government is in a precarious position. Between the wars, the religious crazies, the rising trade deficit, the sucky economy and the outrageous debt, Big Brother will make a deal with the devil to retain military and technological superiority over our enemies. Tell me APres Guarda won't promise them that in exchange for some secret pact."
Tobias tapped the brakes as we skidded around the corner of the building. "By galactic law, it's illegal to give advanced technology to developing worlds."
"Yeah and the APres Guarda is so keen on following universal laws." I poked the seatbelt release and almost lost a nipple as the car hungrily slurped up the strap. My heels restlessly tapped the floor boards.
"The information you carry will go a long way to seeing those responsible punished." Tobias stood on the brake, laying rubber on the black top behind us.
I braced one hand on the dash to keep from rocketing through the windshield. He just wasn't getting it. How could I make him understand? Resting my other hand on the automatic lock button, I waited for the car to shudder to a stop. "Even if you do manage to rescue the aliens, think about the consequences for the UED. Aliens in their protective custody have been kidnapped and exposed. Not many folks are going to trust you to keep them safe after that."
As soon as the stop threw me back against my seat, I thumped the locks and shoved the door open. Warmth seeped into my cold toes as I leapt out. Dashing around the ticking hood, I ran for the entrance.
"Rae!" Tobias's boots rasped the asphalt as he chased me.
I halted before I plowed through the glass doors and yanked on the handle. On the first jerk, metal clicked against metal.
"You need a code to open the doors." Tobias huffed to a stop next to me and aimed his key fob at the lock.
I tugged on the handle again and staggered back as the door flew open. "Thanks."
I dashed inside then halted when the hallway branched. Which way? Left were doors and white walls. The view on the right was identical.
Tobias grabbed my hand as he jogged by. "This way."
I jerked to the left then sprinted to match his long-legged strides. My pounding heart competed with the saw of my lungs for dominance of my hearing. God, I was out of shape.
He led me right at the next corridor then tugged me through the first door on the left. Flat monitors striped the square room. On one, Kuma steered the truck down the street toward the building. The screen underneath it targeted each face in the cab as well as the bed. Small heads popped up on the monitor, key features and measurements were taken and the mainframe began searching for their identities.
Tobias tugged me to the left. Three keyboards sat on a desk area. He jerked out a high back office chair. "Sit."
"Typing will take too long." Shaking my head, I pulled free and walked to the bank of black boxes on the opposite wall. I laid my hand on one. Tingles raced down my arm and out my fingertips. "This way is faster."
The screens above the mainframe cleared off the alien writing and replaced it with the green graphic of the APres Guarda. Pages popped up only to be replaced less than a second later with another and another.
There were so many documents. Too many. How were we to find the sites in time? I gritted my teeth. "Show me the sites selected for Operation Exposure."
Heat flared inside my skull. Raising my hand, I lifted it to my aching temples.
"Even with your CeeBees, the file is too big for your brain to sort and digest at the same time."
Footsteps pounded behind me, followed by the rattle of plastic. I didn't turn. Couldn't really. My muscles had seized, locking me in place. The noise in my head had soared to the battle of the bongos.
"By the Creator!" Awe
tinged Minor's voice. "She's doing that by touch."
I blinked. The motion felt like sand paper against my eyes.
"Where are the APres Guarda's overseers?" Tobias brushed his fingers over my forehead.
The contact whipped through me like cold fire. Uh-oh. The man usually was a toasty furnace. I must be getting sick. Well, too bad. A chill invaded my bones. I needed to see this through.
"In interrogation rooms one and two." Minor's reflection ghosted through the blur of information flashing across the screen. Glass tinkled then water splashed.
My nose twitched. Did I smell grape soda? My tongue felt like velvet in my mouth. Please let me have smelled grape soda.
Wedging himself between me and the servers, Tobias raised a glass brimming with fizzy goodness. He brushed stiff plastic across my bottom lip. "I need you to drink this. It will help your muscles relax."
That would be good. Parting my lips, I latched onto the straw and inhaled. My tastebuds rejoiced in the sweet wetness.
A whisper of movement swept across my consciousness.
"That's good. Drink it all." Tobias swept my bangs out of my eyes. "Kuma, are the others secure?"
A chair creaked and then keys clicked on the keyboard. In my peripheral vision, the screens changed. "I've locked them in the conference room. They're taking turns washing up, changing clothes and eating." Kuma's soft baritone overrode the humming in the room. "I'm not sure about the pregnant one. From the way she clutches her stomach, I think she's in labor."
I sucked air through the straw before spitting it out. Pages disappeared from my screen to drift through the surrounding monitors.
"The others can tend her, if necessary. Start looking through the data for anything on Operation Exposure." Tobias crouched down for a moment. When he straightened, he held an open two liter bottle of soda. Purple foam frothed to the top as he poured more into my glass. "Rae, can you move your free hand?"
Pins and needles pricked across my skin. Shunting aside the pain, I managed to twitch my fingers. "Guess not."
Smiling, Tobias returned the bottle to the floor then aimed the straw at my mouth. "It's enough. Stretch your fingers as far as you can. When you touch the mainframe, I need you to authorize Minor to search the WitSec files for those people in our custody. Can you do that?"
Blue Maneuver-Urban SciFi/Fantasy (Extraterrestrial security program) Page 27