***
Everyone is gathered and waiting in the meeting room in the Professor’s quarters when Blythe and I arrive. The Professor is at the head of the table, his characteristically messy brown hair like a bird’s nest around his head, his clothing rumpled and unkempt. Jenica sits at his right side in a fresh, black flight suit, her hands folded on the table. Gage is at the foot of the table, slouching with one foot resting on the opposite thigh. As Blythe and I take our seats, I am acutely aware of the fact that Olivia’s chair, across from Jenica, is empty. A cold fist knots in my stomach as I notice the video panels pulled up on either side of the professor, each depicting scenes from Stonehead. I blink and look away from the one showing Olivia’s battered and bruised face.
Once we’re all seated, Jenica stands and begins the meeting. “I trust that you all have seen this footage. It’s been all over the news since Olivia was captured at Stonehead.” Everyone nods silently and she continues. “Olivia—and the others imprisoned at Stonehead—are scheduled for execution at 9:00 o’clock a.m. eastern time. That only gives us a few hours and a very narrow window of opportunity. Our last attack was well-planned, but we did not anticipate that our EMP would be targeted.”
My gaze swivels to Gage as I realize that no one has explained yet how things went wrong at Stonehead. Agata’s EMP was supposed to knock out the MPs weapons, but it’s obvious from the footage that this is not what happened.
“They knew about Agata,” Gage says in answer to my unspoken question. “I don’t know how, but they did. They had some kind of device, something that emitted a high-pitched frequency that only Agata could hear. It rendered her unable to do what we brought her to do.”
“Is she okay?” Blythe asks.
He nods. “She’s got a little headache, but it’s nothing a good night’s sleep won’t cure.”
“I am working on trying to figure out how they knew about Agata,” Jenica says, “but we all know that the most pressing matter is getting back into Stonehead and getting Olivia and the other prisoners out alive.”
“I hate to sound negative, but how the hell do you propose we do that?” asks Blythe.
“With these.” Jenica reaches behind the panel and comes out with two MP helmets. She drops them onto the table with a ‘clunk’, their white, gleaming faces turned toward us. I can see myself in the reflection of one of them.
“Sayer Strom from Alpha team was thoughtful enough to strip two of the stunned MPs of their armor and identification last night. We’re going in covertly this time. Two of you will pose as Military Police escorting in a group of prisoners. With these ID tags, you will have access to even the most secure levels of Stonehead. Olivia will be in maximum security lockup, the hardest to get to. Luckily, one of these guys is an officer and his credentials will get you in.”
“Wait a minute?” I ask, my mind racing as I try to wrap my mind around Jenica’s plan. “Those officers were stunned, not killed. Surely by now they’ve reported back and had their old IDs voided.”
A hint of a smile pulls at Jenica’s lips. “Strom took care of that for us by chaining the officers together and dropping them down into a ditch. If we’re lucky they won’t be found for days and by then it won’t matter. If the credentials are rejected, the prisoners that you’re bringing in will trump all else. Or I should say, the main prisoner. They won’t be able to resist letting you in with this guy as bait.”
“Who’s the bait?” Gage asks. I can tell he’s as intrigued by this plan as I am.
The Professor stands and speaks for the first time since the meeting began. He removes his glasses and I can see that tears have pooled in his eyes. He is afraid, not for us but for Olivia. I know he sees her like a daughter. We are all like his children.
“I am.”
Part Three:
Secrets
(Gage Bronson)
The Bionics Page 29