Cloud Dust

by Connie Suttle

  "You know they'll still try to take all of us down-that's the way this works. With us out of the way, they'll have a clear path to whatever they want."

  "That means they're still scared of us," I pointed out.

  "They ought to be. If they're ever face-to-face with me," Nick closed a hand into a tight fist.

  "I know," I agreed. Nick still had some secrets, as did I. I think we understood one another in that way-it was to protect ourselves and potentially surprise the enemy that we held those things in reserve.

  I trusted him to keep that to himself, just as he trusted me the same way. After all, I'd known those things about him from the moment I laid eyes on him the first time. I'd never told anyone what I knew and he'd eventually come to respect and trust me because of that. Handing Becker to him only solidified the deal.

  "You know, most women mind their weight," Nick observed after watching Mary tear into her king crab, dipping it liberally in drawn butter before eating it. "If she eats like that all the time, she should weigh two hundred. She probably doesn't weigh more than one-twenty as it is."

  "Maybe she really, really likes crab. I used to," I said. We'd already placed our order-I asked for a salad, Nick ordered salmon. After all, if you order salmon in Alaska, you're practically assured of getting good fish.

  "That's enough crab to feed a bodybuilder," Nick said. "And she's still drinking."

  She was-her third drink was set in front of her while we watched. Before she was finished, Mary ordered dessert and a fourth drink. At least she only ate half the tall slice of triple chocolate cake.

  We have Marcus-Colonel Hunter is sending agents to pick him up, Rafe sent. At least Marcus no longer had the locating chip he'd arrived with-I'd destroyed it after mentally scanning his body. From this point on, he was off the enemy radar.

  We may be late getting back to the boat, Rafe added. We're waiting until the agents arrive.

  All right, I said. Let me know if you need help. Mary's still drinking.

  I can't believe she wasn't staggering after she left the bar earlier, he said.

  Probably had a high tolerance for it before she was made a clone, I responded.

  Very possible. We'll get there before the boat sails, I promise.

  Good. I hate going to bed without you.

  Give Nick the information-except for that last part.

  Will do.

  Mary left the restaurant after finishing her drink and paying the tab, only to wander into another bar two buildings down. Maye and Opal took the watch there, while Nick and I found seats outside. A fourth cruise ship had arrived, much smaller than the three already docked. The tourist crowd in Ketchikan had just grown larger.

  "I'm surprised she didn't take a bus tour after asking the bartender about it," Nick said, slipping on a pair of sunglasses.

  "I think she intended to mislead anybody watching," I said. "Just in case. She hasn't behaved nervously the whole time she's been off the boat, so she either doesn't know she's being tailed or no longer cares."

  "She doesn't know. I haven't seen her look behind her once," Nick said. "Anybody with anything to worry about will check their surroundings. She doesn't suspect anything."

  "I hope you're right," I said.

  "We just have to worry about getting that phone. Whatever information she has is probably important."

  "I'd like a map to the enemy's front door," I huffed. "That's not likely to happen. How will we get the phone? I assume Colonel Hunter will have a plan?"

  "There's protocol in place," Nick said. "All of which doesn't place you in danger."

  "Right." I couldn't keep the sarcasm from my voice.

  "Cori, you weren't military. That's why everybody looked down on you at the beginning. We assumed you were-well, worthless. We know better, now. We also know you're a primary target for the enemy and if you're lost, we're all lost. Don't blame Colonel Hunter. Not only is he protecting his best asset; he cares about you. Everybody does. Let us do our jobs around you. We've trained for that and we're good at it."

  "I know." What Nick didn't say but we both knew-Madam President was terrified I'd be lost. I'd become one of her best advisors, without the promotion or the pay raise. While she and Auggie trusted my judgment of others, they didn't trust my judgment regarding myself.

  Great.

  "Cori, you've gone walkabout a few times-admit it. I hear you took Rafe to the top of a hundred foot statue."

  "It's ninety-eight feet. Not counting the base."

  "Like I said."

  "Look, sometimes I need alone time. I always have-even before. I was a writer then, too. It's part of the vocation."

  "We suspected as much," Nick grinned. "We just don't know who."

  "I'll tell you someday. I promised Leo I would."

  "See, you can call them by their first names. I say Colonel Hunter and Dr. Shaw."

  "Rafe does the same."

  "They won't allow anyone else to do it. From a military standpoint, it's disrespectful. From you, well, they know you care. If you started calling Colonel Hunter Colonel Hunter, he'd wonder what he did to piss you off. Leo Shaw doesn't let anyone else get away with calling him Leo."

  "I feel special," I said.

  "It's a compliment. They respect you more than anybody I know."

  "Uh-huh. That's why Auggie told Maye to order me around."

  "You scare Maye witless," Nick said, leaning forward in his chair. "She has no idea how to deal with what you can do. One minute you're in view-the next, you could be on the other side of the planet. She doesn't know how to protect that."

  "Great-now you're making me feel bad."

  "That's not my intention," he leaned back again, causing the wooden chair he sat on to creak as he shifted. "I'm just telling you that we're not doing any of this to make you miserable. We do it because we're worried. Colonel Hunter freaks whenever you show your independence by going off on a whim."

  "You're right-I wasn't military." I turned away from him then, to check the door into the bar. She still in there? I asked Maye.

  Yes, and still drinking.

  She has to be back on the boat in half an hour, if she's going.

  Copy that. Wait, she's handing the bartender cash. Get ready.

  Nick and I rose after Mary walked down the street, ambling past more businesses. Following her at a discreet distance while Maye and Opal followed us, we made our way toward the line of people waiting to get back on the boat.

  Everybody had to pass through a checkpoint and their belongings and purchases went through X-ray machines. I figured there wasn't anything on Mary's new phone to set it off.

  Honey, she's getting back on the boat, I informed Rafe.

  It'll be a while-the agents just got here, he replied. I'll let you know when we get through the checkpoint.

  Thanks. We'll keep following her from a distance-unless she heads for her cabin.

  Good. Keep me updated.

  Will do.

  Nick and I had little on us when we went through the checkpoint before boarding-our phones and his wallet went through the machine. Mary, still walking ahead of us, went straight to the bar on deck three.

  Why wasn't I surprised?

  She's in the main bar on the ship, I sent to Maye and Rafe. Nick and I took a table near the windows, where a waiter sidled up to us and took our drink orders.

  "Maye and Opal are across the bar," Nick informed me when the waiter left.

  "Sounds good." I didn't turn to look. Instead, I glanced briefly at Mary, who checked her watch again.

  What did that mean? Honey, you'd better hurry, it's ten till four, I sent.

  We're close, he replied.

  Ten minutes passed and I hadn't heard from Rafe. I worried that he and Jeff would be left behind in Ketchikan. Sure, I could go get them, but that could cause problems later.

  Mary checked her watch again before pulling out her cell phone. Fear washed over me then and I wanted to scream. I didn't. Instead, I had to act as quick
ly as I could to gather the four of us and transport us off the boat. It and the three ships docked behind it blew up simultaneously.

  Chapter 8

  Ilya

  Jeff and I had to run to get up the gangway to the checkpoint. Tossing my cell phone into the tub, it was sent through while I walked through the metal detector.

  Jeff, who'd been sprinting behind me, had to take time to remove his wallet, cell phone and change from his pocket. I walked into the ship, expecting him to be behind me shortly.

  I only had enough range to shield myself when the ship exploded around us. Jeff-and the crewmembers behind me-didn't make it.

  * * *

  Notes-Colonel Hunter

  At least Corinne had the presence of mind to get the three others back to Seattle. She was so terrified that Rafe was dead that Shaw had to sedate her. Maye heard from Rafe half an hour after the explosions, sending a wave of relief through the facility.

  Jeff was the one who didn't make it. Rafe had gone through the checkpoint ahead of Jeff, which meant that his shield wouldn't reach. Matt was receiving continuous reports on the devastation while I instructed Rafe to get to the airport where my agents were ready to take off with Marcus in tow.

  We understood now that the cell phone Marcus passed to the clone had been rigged as a detonator. Somehow, divers had gotten to the hulls of four ships and planted enough explosives there to destroy all of them twice over.

  Initially, Rafe asked that Corinne come for him. I'd had to tell him she was unconscious-that she was terrified he was dead so Shaw had to give her something. I think he was grateful for that, at least, although he didn't appreciate a ride in a small plane with Marcus-he wanted to break Marcus' neck for killing Jeff.

  I wanted to break Marcus' neck for killing Jeff and thousands of tourists on those ships, not to mention their crews. Word was only a few were found alive-most were dead; their body parts were floating in the waters surrounding the dock, waiting for recovery teams to pick them up.

  Had this been Phillips' plan to get rid of the Program? To kill all of them in the midst of thousands of others?

  No wonder the clone drank everything she could get her hands on-she'd been instructed to commit suicide.

  We probably wouldn't get a full body count for a day or two-the manifests would have to be examined, and there were a few-not many-who'd lagged behind and hadn't boarded the boats, yet.

  They were now being questioned by authorities, when they'd had nothing to do with the explosions.

  "Rafe's in the air," James informed me. "ETA around ten, local time."

  "Good. I hope he's here by the time Corinne wakes."

  "I thought she was going to lose it," James whispered.

  "She hasn't shown any signs of PTSD until now-not that I blame her," I said. "I'd lose it if I thought Laci was dead."

  "Jeff is dead." James sighed. This affected all of us; we'd lost enough as it was. This was one more death to add to that list-what Phillips and his cronies had to pay for. At least we knew whom to blame, now. We just couldn't find the fucker.

  The other thing that bothered me just as much was he'd found a way to get things past Corinne, and neither she nor I understood that. How could that happen? "Who's with Cori?" I asked James. He was headed back to his desk.

  "Dr. Shaw."

  "Good."

  * * *

  Corinne

  "Rafe's on his way back. Jeff didn't make it." Those were Leo's first words to me when I opened my eyes. Yes, I'd been on the verge of another panic attack. Instead, I shoved my grief and fear away while covering my eyes with a hand.

  "How?" I whispered.

  He understood that I was asking about Jeff. Rafe had likely employed his shield and was bounced into the water, who knew how many miles away.

  "Jeff was behind Rafe at the checkpoint. You know Rafe's shield only encompasses a few feet. He was too far ahead and couldn't save him."

  "Fuck."

  "Don't take the blame for this. Neither should Rafe. It's a miracle any of you survived."

  "Leo, how can I not feel guilty? Maybe I should have tried harder to read Mary. Instead, I just followed her around like a lapdog, thinking she'd take us to her leader."

  "Corinne, you know what we're up against. As long as our Program is alive, they know they can't take what they want. We're all that's standing between them and whatever they have planned. We've seen they have no qualms about killing-even of their own-if it suits their purpose. If the White House is the ultimate goal, well, you know as well as I that we don't need that in charge of the country."

  I gave a slight nod. What Leo said made sense, but it still didn't do much to make me feel less guilty. "Is Marcus on his way back?" I asked, attempting to shove those thoughts aside.

  "Yes, and Colonel Hunter says Rafe is ready to break his neck. They're on the same flight."

  "I think I want to kill him, too," I said. "He thinks this is the way to be patriotic? To sign up for shit like that? He probably couldn't wait to call Askins and spill everything he knew."

  "We're hoping to find that out when he gets here."

  "I sure hope nobody else knows he's coming," I snapped. "I don't want somebody trying to get him away from us the same way they dealt with those cruise ships. Askins and his bunch have a lot of blood on their hands."

  "Well, we know now they've been behind every attack-in a roundabout way, and that includes Montana and Georgia."

  "No doubt looking for the results they achieved in Montana. That's why Askins raised his hand first when the President went looking for a place to keep those survivors."

  "And why she was kept in the dark afterward, while we weren't included at all. Farrell at the least should have been pulled into the loop, but they didn't want anybody who had even a short acquaintance with morals to go anywhere near their experiment."

  "You know, I think this is the first time you've ever revealed your true feelings, Leo. I'm proud of you."

  "That's amusing, Corinne. Rafe should be here in an hour. If you're hungry, I'll allow you to get up."

  "I want pancakes," I said.

  "I'll have someone make them for you," he held up a hand. "I said get up. Not cook."

  "How are Nick, Maye and Opal?" I asked as I slid off the bed.

  "Shaken," Leo said. "The enemy obviously likes his surprises."

  "We're lucky to be here," I said, shuffling toward the bathroom. After all, there were plenty of people who hadn't been so lucky.

  "Nick said the same thing."

  * * *

  Corinne, are you awake? Rafe sent while I examined my image in the bathroom mirror.

  Honey, I can't say how happy I am to hear your voice, I said.

  I don't suppose you'd come get me?

  I'll be right there. Leo will have a fit, but the bathroom door is closed, so he can't have one until after the fact.

  Good.

  Rafe barely had time to send his one word message before I stood beside him. He'd just gotten off the small jet and stood on the tarmac of the military installation on Whidbey Island, watching two agents unloading a docile Marcus.

  It was probably a wise move on Marcus' part-if he acted up in any way, Rafe would use it as an excuse to kill him.

  That's how angry Rafe was. He had no desire to ride in the same vehicle on a long journey to our mountain-he wanted away from the temptation that a living Marcus presented.

  "Let me tell them I'm leaving with you," Rafe leaned down to give me a hard kiss. I watched him lope toward one of the agents, who'd stepped back to allow a military police contingent to shackle Marcus before stuffing him into the backseat of an armored vehicle.

  "We're good to go," he was back after a short conversation. "I had to let Colonel Hunter know, but he promised not to yell at you," Rafe offered a guilty grin.

  "Of course you did. He won't yell; he'll just have Leo do it. I'm glad you're safe," I leaned into him.

  "My love, you're cold," he said. "Why didn't you bring a
jacket?"

  "Because I wanted to see somebody really bad and didn't take time to get one from the closet."

  "Then come." He led me toward a nearby guard shack. Once on the other side of it, I relocated us to the facility.

  "Your pancakes are ready, and I'll hold off yelling until our session tomorrow," Leo informed me as he walked out of our kitchen. Pancakes were ready-James had a spatula in his hand as Rafe and I sat down at the kitchen island.

  "Thanks for cooking," I gave James a hug when he set a plate of pancakes in front of me.

  "Thanks for not being dead." He hugged both of us. Rafe grinned when James stepped away.

  "I hope your pancakes are good," Rafe said.

  "Come on-I can make pancakes. Not much else, but pancakes I can do."

  * * *

  "Marcus is in the lockup downstairs-next to the Mary clone from Dublin," Auggie said when I asked at breakfast the following morning. "He says he doesn't remember handing a cell phone off in Ketchikan."

  "That's preposterous," Rafe growled. "The fucker is lying to save his ass."

  "Whether he's lying or not, he's done his job. He's worthless to the enemy, now. Worthless to us, too," Auggie said. "I need more coffee."

  "Auggie, do you suppose Askins and Phillips think they killed us?" I asked. "They were waiting for us to follow Clone Mary. I'm sorry I fell for that."

  "Marcus played right into their plan-defecting when he did," Auggie growled. "So yes, I believe they wanted to lure us away. Who knows who might have been watching when you and Rafe first appeared in Vancouver?"

  "I feel like an idiot. So many people died," I began.

  "That wasn't your fault, so stop thinking it is," Rafe pulled me against him. "We wanted to follow Mary. We had other people out looking for Marcus in Vancouver. The enemy got to him first and handed him a cell phone detonator."

  "This isn't the first time they've done that," Leo said. "Remember when they bombed the Mansion?"

  "Yeah." I remembered, all right. Again, I hadn't seen the danger until the last moment, and people died.

  "What are we going to do?" I asked, dropping my head into my arms at the kitchen island.

  "Maybe we should let them think you're dead." Matt Michaels walked in.

  "How will we do that and keep Madam President from going crazy?" Auggie asked. "You know they'll be watching her reaction to this news. She won't take it well if she believes it. She won't be able to hide it if she knows the truth."