I nod. Not about the money? How could it be? Giant robots made of impenetrable materials would be worth billions. Far more than what they could ever steal. Unless the stealing was to hide something else.
“Kate, how do you hide a murder?” I ask her.
“Someone hid a murder?” she asks, eyes perking up.
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “Theoretically, how do you hide a murder?”
She shrugs. I glance at Tia and raise an eyebrow in question to her.
“No body, no crime?” Tias ask, shrugging her shoulders.
I shake my head. “No, well, I mean yes. But no, you hide a murder by killing several people at the same time. If someone blows up a bus, they aren’t looking for why you did it. If you don’t look for the why then you have a much harder time finding the person who committed the crime. What if those robberies were just a smoke screen?”
“You mean he was after something specific with his heists but because… ‘giant robots’… no one bothered to look deeper into it?”
I nod. “How long after they seized my lab did the robots show up?” I ask her. It’s a long shot, but the fact that no one took them down until I hit one with an alien ship tells me I’m likely right.
“A month, maybe two,” she says.
“When they attacked, why didn’t Carlos take them out?”
Tia looks back the way we came then to us, confusion playing across her features. “Carlos? The mage—”
I wave my hand at her. “No, sorry. The Protector. His name is Carlos.”
“Oh,” she says. “Is he as handsome with the helmet off as he is in it?” The total non sequitur catches me by surprise. For an instant, I see Kate blush. Blush!
“Yes,” Kate whispers.
“Uh, back on track. Why wasn’t The Protector there to take them out?”
“They always coincided with a natural disaster or a large accident. I think the first one happened just after an Earthquake in Chile…” Kate says, her eyes go up as she thinks. She rubs her face in exhaustion and I know exactly how she feels. My bones hurt. “I don’t know Amelia, I’m too tired to think. Just make your point already.”
“It isn’t hard to figure out that The Protector is about saving lives. If you could make a disaster happen, or act quickly enough after it did… then you could guarantee he would never interfere. Like in Arizona.”
“You mean when the Armory attacked you?”
I nod. “They were waiting for me. They knew where we would be and knew when to attack. The only thing they didn’t know, was how close Carlos and I are. That he would come if I really called because he knew I wouldn’t call him from his duty unless my life was in danger.”
Tia makes a little motion with her hand to get my attention. “Isn’t your life always in danger?”
I start to tell her no… then I realize it is. “Yes, but… I can handle just about anything that comes my way. The Armory tore apart my armor like it was cotton candy. They knew exactly where to hit me. Just because I’m having a challenge doesn’t mean I am going to call every hero I know and have them drop what they are doing to come help me. After all, they have their challenges too.”
“In the police, we always call for backup. But, I guess when you can fly and stuff you don’t always need it.”
“Whatever he was after with his heists, does it matter?” Kate asks.
“Maybe. We need to get down to the harbor to find out,” I say with a grin.
“I had a feeling you were going to say that. That’s miles away, Amelia. Can’t we just wait here for sun up and—” as if the universe heard her, a bright light flashed overhead followed by the roar of helicopter blades.
YOU ARE SURROUNDED. DO NOT MOVE. LAY DOWN ON YOUR STOMACH AND—
Tia leaps up, lifts the dumpster she was resting by as if it weighed nothing, and chucked it at the chopper. The pilot saw it coming and veered hard over, but he isn’t fast enough. The metal bin collides with the tail rotor in a shower of sparks. Kate throws herself over me as bits of metal and trash rain down. The chopper spins out of control disappearing behind the buildings for a few seconds.
“We need to move,” Kate says. She leaps up, lifting me onto her back. Before I can get a good hold, she takes off running. She’s slower than she’s been all night. The constant running and fighting is taking its toll on her.
Sirens and shouts follow us as we run past the strip mall, through another alley then follow Tia as she leaps a fence into a backyard. Within a minute we’re running between sub-divisions, dodging patrols and trying to stay out of the light.
We stop to rest for a second next to a stucco-covered yellow house with a shaggy lawn.
“Eventually, they are going to find us,” Tia says. “It also won’t take them long to figure out where we’re going.”
I nod my head. “If they have as many super-powered assets as Orlondo claims, it won’t be long before they send them in. Especially once they find out the barrier is coming down at dawn.” A plan starts to form, a risky plan.
“Oh no you don’t, Amelia Lockheart,” Kate says as her powers allow her to feel my emotions. It’s an easy leap for her to guess what I am going to say next.
“I think it’s the only way,” I tell her. I glance around, we’re exhausted. Tia and Kate especially, since they’ve been carrying the burden, literally, all night.
“I am not abandoning you,” Kate says.
“You’re not. Let’s find a modern car, one I can hack, and I’ll take off toward the docks. Meanwhile, you two make a ruckus and draw them away from there. Once the sun comes up, I can call for reinforcements and we can blow this whole thing wide open!”
She shakes her head. “No.”
“Kate, it’s the only thing I can think of. Even if you get caught, they’re likely to bring you to the docks once they figure out that is where I am. This is a good plan.”
I can see her resolve weakening. “Hon, you can’t carry me all night. It’s seven miles to where we need to go. You’re not that strong.” Defiance flashes in her eyes for a second, followed by resignation.
“You’re right, I can’t. I can barely carry you now, I don’t think I could make it that far,” she says.
“I’m sorry I’m only strong when I’m massive. But then I can’t move very fast,” Tia ads. “It’s a good plan. They are looking for three women, they won’t even bat an eye at a woman alone. At least not until it’s too late.”
“For the record, if you die, I’m throwing you under the bus, so Luke doesn’t kill me,” she says.
“I’m not going to die. I promise.”
I liked this plan a lot more when Kate and Tia were next to me, not running down the street back the way we came disappearing into the shadows. We picked an SUV, hoping the higher elevation and tinted windows would obscure me enough to hide my identity. I make sure I take a pic of the VIN so I can repay the owner. I feel bad about stealing his truck. Thankfully, he also works at Papel Prensa, a local paper mill, and left his work hat in the passenger seat. I slip it on and pull the visor low. Now I look just like an average person on their way to work. Nothing to see here… I hope.
The Chevy Tahoe pulls out onto the street, it isn’t a BMW, but it does the trick. I keep my hands low on the wheel since I’m actually controlling the vehicle from my wrist computer. I don’t think the designers ever had this in mind… however, you put a computer with a wireless connection in something, and it will be hacked and used in ways the designers never intended.
The GPS beeps at me to turn as it takes me to Zona Portuia. The farthest pier north in the harbor has a massive hangar-like facility used to repair ships, or at least it used to be. The half dome is high enough off the ocean surface to drive a cargo ship into. It’s also completely concealed. It doesn’t take much imagination to think they might be hiding something else in there.
Being alone, and unable to communicate with Kate if I’m in trouble, is the hardest part of this plan. I’ve grown so used to my independence, first becau
se of my regular armor, then my alien set, being without it, or Epic, is frustrating. I just don’t know how to fix it without fighting the government over my right to hang on to the fruits of my labor. I certainly don’t want to be the cause of a world war. Which sounds exactly like what would have happened if they hadn’t found the solution they did.
They were just stupid in who they trusted.
Inky black skies turn gray as I drive the quiet streets. A helicopter passes by overhead, but far enough up I only hear it and see the flashing lights. It takes me almost an hour to navigate through to the downtown core and then to the coast. The barrier’s effect is obvious. Huge sections of the city are cut off. The barrier doesn’t extend out to the ocean, so I can’t actually get to where I want to be. But I can see it.
Now what?
I look around at the city. It’s starting to come alive. Despite the barrier and the state of emergency, life goes on. Coffee shops open, restaurants fill the air with delicious smells. People got to work and eat. I check my clock. Fifteen minutes to sun up. I have the wrist computer set to tell me when it happens. The moment I have access I’m bringing the thunder. I can’t help but grin thinking about it.
I’m so lost in thought I don’t notice the police officer until he’s knocking on my window.
Ah, crap.
I roll the window down and plaster my best smile on.
“You can’t park here,” he tells me. I look around, searching for a sign or something I missed.
“Okay, I’ll move right now.”
He nods, stepping back but then he looks back at me. As his eyes narrow I realize the jig is up. The engine roars to life as I start it and slam the throttle all the way forward. The big SUV bucks as I plow over a bicycle stand. It’s not my fault, I only know how to drive from Fortza!
I can’t hear him shouting, but I see him waving his arms in the rear-view mirror before he pulls up his radio. Crap. I manage to get the beast on the road, bringing the front end to a semblance of control as I floor it down the long straight street that runs parallel to the one I need. The barrier is one block East of me, following the road that runs perpendicular to the docks.
If I can just find a place to… the SUV slams to a halt. The airbag explodes in my face sending me flying backward into the chair. Through the haze, I hear the door open. I blink trying to clear my mind, but the impact from the airbag leaves me feeling fuzzy. My face aches where it hit. My arms flop around uselessly. I’m reaching for the door when it pops open.
“Yep, that’s her. Tell el jefe we have her.” I don’t recognize the voice. I try to raise my arm but my whole body is stunned from the impact. My eyes refuse to focus. A rough hand grabs me by the hair and yanks me out of the truck. My fingers fumble for hand holds but I can’t make them grasp. I hit the ground— hard. I land on my shoulder, rolling to my back and look up. I don’t recognize the costumes, but there are three of them in matching outfits. Red and black with diamonds, spades, and clubs on them. Each one with a different symbol but the same motif. The one who grabbed me has diamonds on his shirt. They’re wearing thin masks that barely cover their eyes and black capes.
“What?” I manage to spit out. “You all get lost from the poker convention?”
“Funny,” Diamond says. “Clubs, pick her up.” It’s then that I notice the three of them are all men, large men, like Luke. Clubs is bigger than the other three, with muscles on his muscles and a shiny bald head. He lifts me like I’m nothing, throwing me over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. “Let Heart know we’re coming. Spade?”
“By your leave,” the man answers in an overly formal and annoying voice. He waves his hands around and all of us suddenly lift into the air as if we’re on magic carpet.
“I must have hit my head harder than I thought,” I mutter from over Clubs shoulder. “I’m trapped in a Vegas circus act.”
“I can add some broken ribs to your struggles if you like?” Diamond threatens. “Or you can shut the hell up.”
“What crawled into your pants and died,” I say.
Clubs let out a hearty laugh. His shaking disturbs my injuries and I let out an audible, “Ow.”
We slow down after a moment. Our elevation descends rapidly. The ground comes up and I close my eyes thinking we’re going to hit. At the last second, we come to a gentle halt and hit the ground with barely a bump.
“Put her over there and bind her arms. Heart told us what she did with her computer, none of that now,” Diamond says.
We’re in a small park opposite the hangar I was trying to get to. It’s the kind of park people have lunch in, situated between the two roads. A small tree grants some shadows over a park bench. Club jerks me off his shoulder and slams me down on the wooden bench. “Hands,” he orders. He doesn’t say much and his tone is guttural.
“Feet,” I say in response. He smiles, leans over and grabs both my wrists in one of his hands. He produces a roll of duct tape. He binds my wrists together wrapping them three times before he then secures them to the park bench.
Which really sucks. In order to call down my armor, I have to hit a button. I also need my wrists to not be bound. Of course, any minute now the sun is going to peek, and the barrier will drop. At least then, Epic will be able to find me. Maybe even Carlos will fall from the sky… any minute now.
“Something’s wrong,” Kate said, her hand pushing hair behind an ear as she turns to look back the way they had come. For the last hour, the forces of Rafael had followed them north. Now, suddenly they pull back. As she watched the two police cars which were closing in on them, turn off their lights and speed off to the west. She checked her watch, for the hundredth time. The sun would be up in a mere minute and then Amelia could armor up… she’d be fine…
Then why did Kate feel a distinct amount of anxiety coming from her friend? Despite their distance, Kate could always feel Amelia’s emotional state, and right now it wasn’t good.
“We need to head for the harbor,” she said, jumping down the thirty feet from the rooftop as if it were nothing.
Floating behind her like a leaf on the wind, their local police guide, Tia, drifted down to touch the ground next to her. “They could just be heading for their base…”
Kate shook her head. “No, they have her. I can feel it. Which way to the pier?”
Tia pointed off in the direction of the coming light.
“Come on, we don’t have much time.” Kate took off at a run. Despite her exhaustion, she pushed herself to move as fast as she could. Her friend was in trouble. “I knew this was a bad idea,” she muttered to herself as she dodged around garden gnomes that populated this part of the city’s housing.
“It will take us an hour to run there,” Tia said to her as they jogged.
“I know. But… we need to hurry.”
“I have a plan, but you’ll have to trust me,” Tia told her.
Kate pulled up short and looked the Argentinean woman up and down. Kate’s powers precluded people the ability to lie to her. However, the less she knew someone the harder it was to pick up on subtle deceits. Had Tia played along all night just to wait for the opportune moment to betray them? Not only did her powers say no, but Kate’s instincts said no as well.
“Okay, I trust you. What’s your plan?”
“Well, your powers work better the closer and longer you’re around someone… We get arrested,” she said with a grin. Tia cupped her hands together and started yelling. “Policía! Policía! Policía!” It didn’t take long for the lights in the nearby homes to light up. Kate joined the chorus and within a few minutes, the two women were staring down the barrel of a gun.
Sunlight peeked over the harbor. Within seconds of the light touching the barrier, it dissolved like so much foam in the sea. I let out a sigh of relief, glancing down at my wrist computer. Sure enough, it beeps, letting me know the connection to Epic is alive. Now, all I have to do is figure out a way to—
A rough hand smacks the back of my head. A series of
sparks and stars swim through my vision from the blow. “Stop strugglin’ or I’ll hit you harder, got it?”
“Dude, I’m a scientist. Stop hitting me in the head!” I spit out.
“Stop trying to escape,” he counters.
“Fair enough,” I say with a shrug, leaning back I try to move my wrists a lot more subtly. Captain Club doesn’t notice unless I get too animated so I’ll need to move real slow like. “What’s your super-power anyway? Looking like an idiot in a leotard?”
He growls at me. “No, I’m an F5 strongman. Strongest there is now that you killed Behemoth.”
Images of the giantess floating off into space flashed through my vision. “I didn’t kill her,” I say.
“Sure, that’s why she’s gone. Because you did nothin’.”
How can this big idiot be right and wrong at the same time? I shake my head, whatever. I don’t have time to argue with him, I just need him to leave me alone for a few minutes so I can get free.
Diamond and Spade are a few feet away whispering something to each other when Diamond holds his hand to his ear in the universal, “I’ve got mail,” move.
“Rafael wants us to bring her to the docks, so he can take care of her,” he tells the other two. “Heart will meet us there.”
Clubs picks me up, tearing through the duct tape holding me to the bench like it isn’t even there, then throwing me over his shoulder rough enough I bounce against the steel hard muscles in his back.
“So, Clubs, you’re super strong, what’s Diamond?” I ask the brute.
“He’s tough. Can’t be hurt,” he says while walking slowly across the street.
“What about Spades?”
“He makes everyone float. Well, a Spade kind of looks like a leaf? See?” he says, twisting slightly so I can indeed see. That actually makes sense in a weird sort of way.
“I take it Heart, is because she can control people?” I ask.
“Yep, you got it. See, it isn’t a bad little motif after all.”
I don’t say anything else as he carries me across the street. I catch a glimpse of what’s waiting for me. They have the pedestrian doors to the hangar open. Heart stands next to it in her costume, with a cloak added to it. She smiles at me as we go by, not the fun kind of smile, but the cat who caught the canary smile.
Unbreakable Arsenal (Full Metal Superhero Book 5) Page 13