by Peter Hoole
“I think I know why. I noticed something at the motel, something I think we should test out.”
“What do you mean, Murphy?”
Murphy whispered something to Darcy, as though trying to save the surprise. She was revelling in her newfound discovery. “Don’t push it until I tell you.”
Darcy nodded, and Murphy left the SUV. As she got out, she requested Caleb to join her. “C’mon Cap. You’re gonna wanna see this.” Caleb exited the vehicle, curious about Murphy’s enthusiasm. Murphy stepped about six feet away from the SUV. “Okay, Darc. Hit it.”
Darcy pressed the yellow button on the console and as she did, the car vanished.
Caleb was speechless for a minute or two. After composing himself, he finally spoke. “What just happened? Where are they?” he asked.
Murphy picked up a stone, and threw it in the direction of the car. It stopped mid-air in the place the SUV had vanished from.
“It’s still there, Cap. We just can’t see it,” she explained. “Okay, Darcy. Press the button again.”
After a second, the car reappeared. Caleb walked up to the car. He looked at Darcy, and she looked back at him with a blank expression.
“What happened?” Darcy asked.
“Darcy. You just vanished into thin air. Or at least, the car did.” He turned to Murphy. “So, that’s what happened to the plane. It really is there?”
“That’s my guess, Cap.”
“But that’s impossible. There no such thing as a cloaking device. Even in Star Trek, it seemed far-fetched.”
“Agreed, sir. But you saw it. I think I know how they do it, too.”
The two had returned to their seats, but Caleb had spun around, paying attention to what his Lieutenant was saying. As he looked back, he made eye contact with Natalie. Her secrets were slowly coming out one at a time, and it was plain to see that she didn’t want to reveal them. “Go on,” Caleb said to Murphy, “Tell me how they do it.”
“Yes, please tell us. I’m sure someone with your incredible mind can access the genius of such a design,” Natalie interjected, her distain for the female Lieutenant palpable. She could not believe that anyone outside the colony could have figured out how the device worked. It was a closely guarded secret, as were many other things inside the colony.
“Okie dokie, I will” Murphy said, smiling towards the prisoner. “While I was looking for the tracking device… by the way, you really need to hide that a bit better.” The last part was directed towards the prisoner.
“Murphy!” Caleb said, trying to keep his excited Lieutenant on task.
Murphy brought her attention back to Caleb. “As I was saying, I found the tracker, and had a closer look at the car. Obviously, I wasn’t going to mess with the electronics, so I just studied them. That’s how I figured out the GPS and police-tracker. I’m sure it does plenty more, but as we had limited time I decided—”
“Murphy! Tell me how the car vanishes,” Caleb said, stopping his Lieutenant mid-sentence. She was prone to rambling when excited.
“How it vanishes?” said Natalie disdainfully. “Idiots.”
“I think we should call it a cloak, sir,” said Murphy.
“Fine. Murphy, please tell me how the cloak works?”
“So, I checked out the panelling on the car, and it didn’t feel… right. I mean, the surface was smooth, like a normal SUV, but it felt more… I don’t know… so I had a closer look. The car panels are more like segments. Along the side of the segments were heaps of little black dots. I’d never seen anything like it before.” Murphy paused, catching herself about to start rambling again. “Anyway, I’d heard about some research that was being done, where tiny micro-cameras would be lined up on one side of an object. Car, building, even a person’s body. Those cameras would be directly linked to monitors on the other side of the object. When activated, the monitors would display the image from the other side of the object, thus making the car look invisible. You get me, sir?”
“Kinda,” replied Caleb.
“Yeah,” Darcy said, “I’ve heard of that too. But I thought they were years away from perfecting it.”
“They are. Or at least, the people we know are.”
Caleb smiled. “This will come in very handy.”
Natalie appeared distressed that the people in the car had figured it out. “I’m guessing your people don’t know that we know about this, right? “Caleb asked. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at him.
“Didn’t think so,” Caleb said, returning his attention to Murphy. “Great work, Lieutenant.”
Murphy smiled, content with her work.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Deciding not to use the cloak, Caleb drove the car to the north side of the complex. As the alert level had been heightened in the city, their entry onto the plane had to be precise. He was certain that the sudden appearance of a modified cargo plane at the end of a runway would cause problems. They had to play this right. They had to play this safe. “So, where is it?” he asked Natalie.
“It’s at the northern end of the runway,” she replied. For so long, Natalie had believed that the people from the Colony were the most advanced people to have existed. If their devices could be worked out by normal people, then maybe they weren’t as advanced as she’d hoped.
“Murphy,” Caleb asked his Lieutenant, “you searched her, right? Did you find anything that looked like a locator, or remote?”
“No, sir. I didn’t get a chance to look in her bag, though,” Murphy replied.
“Have a look. There must be something in there.”
Murphy picked up the prisoner’s backpack, which had been resting on the middle seat with her. Among the clothing and smaller weapons, Murphy pulled out the only electronic device she could find; a tablet. She turned it on, but was greeted with a message telling her the tablet required a thumb print to activate.
Murphy turned around, and held the tablet out in front of Natalie.
Natalie looked at the tablet, and placed her hands in her pocket. Her willingness to help had completely subsided. “Surely you can figure that out too, bitch,” Natalie said with disdain.
Without warning, Dunleavy reached down and grabbed Natalie’s hand. He ripped her thumb out, putting major strain on the metacarpal and trapezium bones. He continued to squeeze, and eventually a small crack was heard. Natalie let out a scream that deafened the people in the car, but due to the soundproof windows, couldn’t be heard outside.
Not letting up, Dunleavy pulled her now-broken hand forward, and placed her left thumb on the screen. The tablet opened, and the programs were revealed.
Murphy scanned the program list. There were numerous programs, Threat Analysis, PhoneTrack, Satellite Maintenance, ‘Bat Diagnostics… but one caught her eye – Kite Controls. Murphy opened the program, and found a panel similar to what was on the GPS display of the SUV, with a few additional functions. “Cap, I think I have it,” Murphy said.
“Good, Lieutenant. Don’t touch anything for now. We need to organise this.”
Murphy looked through the program, attempting to familiarise herself with the features. She was impressed with the work, but also a bit bemused. Though similar in concept to the most tablets on the market, and the tablet the team used on a regular basis, the Colonials tablet seemed to be purpose built – solely for their use.
While she waited for Caleb, she opened the ‘Bat Diagnostics program. It was a display of the SUV. She turned to Natalie. “You named the SUV after something that flies? Are you serious?”
Natalie stared back sullenly.
“Oh well,” Murphy continued her mocking, looking at Casey. “Maybe these guys aren’t as bright as we thought.”
Natalie snapped. The colonies contained the brightest people on the planet, and she would not stand for them being insulted. “It’s short for ’wombat’, you idiot.” She winced, fighting the pain of her broken hand.
Murphy and Casey both laughed. When the humour subsided, Casey a
sked a question. “Seriously, you called the car a freakin’ Wombat. You named it after a cute little bear thing. Couldn’t think of a better name than that?” he asked scornfully.
Natalie just ignored the statement, not wanting to reveal anything other than what she had to.
“Oh well… let’s see if there’s anything wrong with the Wombat then,” Murphy said.
She opened the program and looked at the options.
She pressed the option that indicated “Which ‘Bat would you like to diagnose?” The next option was to choose the closest in proximity to the device, which Murphy pressed. The tablet came up with a schematic of the ‘Bat, and showed that there were currently six passengers. It also noted that all systems were nominal, apart from the malfunctioning tracking device.
Suddenly, a warning indicator appeared on the main display on the console of the car. Caleb studied the message - a red flashing light saying ‘alert’.
After five seconds of flashing, the display changed to show four blue dots converging on their current location. Apparently, they hadn’t been as covert as they thought, and someone at the airport had tipped them off.
Dunleavy raised his weapon, as though anticipating a fight. Caleb saw this via the rear view mirror. “Put that gun down, Mike. We’re not killing civilians; I don’t care how much of a threat they are.”
“But Jackson…”
“No ‘buts’, Mike. That’s a line I’ve never crossed. And I won’t be starting now. So again… put that gun down!”
Knowing he couldn’t change Caleb’s mind, Dunleavy put the gun away, though not before a short pause.
“Besides… they can’t shoot or arrest what they can’t see,” Caleb said, as he pressed the cloak button. Caleb drove the ‘Bat a little further up the road, the fence still separating them from the runway.
“Sir, just go about another fifty yards up Perimeter Road, and turn left into the parking lot,” said Murphy.
“Are you sure, Lieutenant?” replied Caleb.
“It’s okay, sir. Just drive through the lot and park with the ‘Bats nose against the fence. That will line us up with the plane.”
Trusting his Lieutenants judgement, Caleb followed her instructions. He drove for an additional fifty yards, and turned left. The parking lot was empty, save for one car parked close to the building.
He drove through the lot, coming to a stop as the nose of the ‘Bat hit the fence. He turned the engine off, but left the power running.
“What’s the plan, boss?” asked Casey from the back.
Caleb heard the question, but chose not to respond. “Mike, how long until your friend gets here?”
“He was in Oregon. Normally takes a few of hours, but I imagine he’ll be here soon. I’m not sure he knows how to drive slowly.”
“Call him to find out.”
Without question, Dunleavy did as requested. He took out his phone, and pressed the green button. This brought up the last number he’d called.
Jacob answered after the first ring.
Before he could talk, Dunleavy spoke.
“We’re at Kings County International Airport, Seattle. What’s your ETA?”
“I thought you’d go there,” replied Jacob, “I’ve been going about a ninety an hour for the trip, so I’ll be there in about twenty.”
“Good. Call me when you arrive.” Dunleavy hung up, not waiting for a response.
“Twenty minutes,” he said to Caleb.
“Good, that gives us some time. Murphy, how is it coming with the controls?” Caleb turned to his Lieutenant.
“All good, sir. I think I’ve got a plan.”
“Good. Let’s hear it.”
Despite averaging close to ninety miles per hour for the trip, Jacob had found time to assess the situation. He’d been requested, by William’s superior no less, to ensure that Dunleavy would go to the Zone Three colony. Where that was, Jacob didn’t know. All he knew was that Zone Three covered the land that made up North America.
He’d surmised that the group would pick a central location. But, despite his best attempts, he hadn’t been able to ascertain the exact coordinates.
As he drove, he was unsure of exactly what awaited him at the airport. He knew that Dunleavy had recruited him to perform individual missions, those that would be bogged down by having too many people involved. Jacob was also the main person to carry out the threat elimination missions. He knew the other team specialised in what was termed by Dunleavy to be aggressive hacking. He knew what that implied. They got the information that allowed Dunleavy to pick the missions and targets that were given Jacob. Once identified, Jacob would go on search and destroy missions.
He remembered his first meeting with Dunleavy. It was directly after the Bogota mission. Directly after he’d made the deal with William. Jacob had been released, in a manner of speaking, anyway. He was led, blindfolded to a location outside the city. On the way, he thought he would just be let go. Instead, when he arrived, he was put on his knees, and told to keep his head down.
It was then he’d heard the shots. His two escorts had been shot, and some more, unidentified people were taking him away. For extra care, they’d put a shroud on his head. To this day, he had no idea who those people were. Only thing he knew, was that they were American, judging by their accents.
For two hours they travelled. First in the back of a truck, and then in a plane. Minutes after it landed, he was sitting in a chair, and his blindfold and shroud were removed.
It was there he’d met Dunleavy. In the following ten-minute conversation, he’d learned more about what the Colonials were up to than in the entire time he knew William.
Dunleavy told him the details of the serum, of how you could constantly regenerate from it. Dunleavy promised that, once he controlled the serum, he would become a billionaire; selling the product to the highest bidders.
Still, it was gaining that control that was the problem, and that was why he needed Jacob’s help. He couldn’t trust anyone in the government, nor any of his other contacts. He needed Jacob, and Jacob needed him. It was a mutually beneficial relationship.
Jacob also cultivated relationship with William, the representative of the colony.
As he drove, he contemplated which way his allegiance would fall. He knew that this was the time to make the decision, as once a bridge was burnt, it could not be rebuilt.
As he drove towards the airport, now only ten minutes out, the assassin made his decision.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Murphy’s plan sounded risky. There were a lot of elements in play. Timing, as always, was crucial. As Caleb thought on the plan, he decided it was the correct way to go, possibly the only way.
He backed the car up, away from the fence. “When will you be ready to go, Lieutenant?” Caleb asked her.
“As soon as you give the word, Cap, I’ll lower the ramp,” she replied.
Caleb checked the GPS display. The police had hung around for several minutes. When they saw no black SUV lurking in the area, they’d left. They had more important things to deal with than following up on such reports.
Caleb turned to Dunleavy. “Mike… how far out?” he asked, referring to the impending arrival of Jacob.
“He should be here in a couple of minutes,” Dunleavy replied. As he spoke, his phone rang. “Just go to the end of the road, I’ll meet you at the parking lot entrance,” Dunleavy told Jacob. He hung up. Dunleavy checked his surrounds, making sure no one was in the vicinity. When he was certain there was no one, he exited the car, looking strange as he seemed to appear in mid-air.
Caleb did the same, not wanting Dunleavy left alone. He wanted to check out Dunleavy’s contact for himself. They walked to the edge of the parking lot, together. As they reached the end, they saw the sedan approaching.
The sedan entered the parking lot, and came to a stop adjacent to where Caleb and Dunleavy were standing, two bays from the ‘Bat. A tall, strongly built man exited the car. Apart from his build, the
man wasn’t extraordinary in any way. No tattoos, and only minor visible scars… just like Caleb.
“Mike,” Jacob began, “you’re in deep shit. Have you heard the radio?”
“What the fuck do you think, Jacob? Of course I have”
Caleb didn’t feel optimistic, as the two clearly didn’t like each other.
“Whatever,” Jacob said, nonchalantly. “Shall we get out of here?”
“Wait a minute. You two…” Caleb stopped them, “you need to tell me who you are, and what you’re doing here. I’ve heard Mike’s version of it all. Now I wanna hear yours.”
“Okay then,” Jacob replied, “As far as I can tell, whatever we’ve been up to lately. Your team’s missions to god knows where, and my missions to the same… and it’s all about to start raining shit on everyone.”
“Be more specific,” asked an agitated Caleb.
“Yes, sir,” Jacob replied, feigning a salute. “We’re here to find out where the colony is. And you have a prisoner who is going to take us there.”
Dunleavy looked uneasily at Caleb. “Wow, you seem to know a lot,” Caleb said, returning Dunleavy’s look.
“Look,” Jacob said, “I know you’re sceptical, I would be too. I mean, shit, I don’t know you, you don’t know me. But I do know that I wanna hurt those sons of bitches. They blew up a fucking passenger plane. A plane full of innocents.”
Jacob had always had a gift for lying and manipulation, and was using his gift to its full ability.
And Caleb almost believed him.
In fact, he may have, had he not noticed the blood on the trunk of the back of the sedan.
Caleb knew Jacob wasn’t to be trusted. “Alright then, I guess we can use all the help we can get,” Caleb said, acting as though nothing were amiss.
“Good. Let’s do this. Where’s the plane?”
“That will take some explaining,” said Dunleavy, “Follow me to the car?”
“What car?”
Rather than explaining it then and there, Caleb signalled to Darcy, and she turned off the cloak. The ‘Bat slowly came into view. Jacob looked on in amazement.