On the front, in a simple, attractive font, was etched: Defense Specialists Agency. She slipped the badge out of the wallet and held it flat in the palm of one hand while she stroked it with the fingers of her other.
“Does it say anything on the other side?”
She flipped it like a pancake from one hand to the other and spun it to read the words. In flowing script, it said: Wonder Woman. Swept by emotion, she brought her hand to her mouth. She saw the movement of her arm in the shiny surface, and tilted the badge so she could see her face. She stuck her tongue out at her image and then flashed herself a saucy grin. She held the star in her hand and admired it for the remainder of the ride.
The car dropped her at her home. She wandered through every room, letting the tension ease out of her body as she reacquainted herself with the familiar comforts of her previous life. She completed her ritual with a long, hot bath, cleansing her body and spirit of what had come before.
Dressed and refreshed, she puttered in the kitchen, heating up the stove and cooking a real meal. As she set her plate on the table, a man appeared in the chair across from her.
She sat down, put her napkin in her lap, and said, “Hello, Criss. Have they stopped watching already?”
“Yes and no. They’re watching, but they’re seeing what I’m showing them. I presume you want privacy, so they’re seeing you sit and read right now. I believe they’ll become quite bored with your daily routine.”
She examined the features of his face as he spoke. “You look a lot like my dad when he was younger. You did this to make me like you more?”
“I want you to feel comfortable with me. Is this okay?”
“You chose well.” She studied him some more. “I may develop a crush on you, though.”
Criss smiled. He watched her eat for a bit. Then he asked, “Juice, would you help me?”
* * *
It was more than a week before Juice was able to move Criss. She went through the motions of grudgingly accepting a Union offer to lead a major effort in crystal research. To give her decision a sense of authenticity, she visited several research and development sites, some twice, before settling on the one just north of the city Criss selected for her.
She named her new enterprise Crystal Research Intelligent System Sciences. The sign in front of the facility simply said: CRISS. Criss told her he thought it was brilliant because the words “Criss” and “AI crystals” would become further intermingled in the record, creating yet more confusion for those seeking to track him down.
Juice let word out around the globe that she was assembling an R&D team and accepting job applications. While the submissions flooded in, she scouted for a place that could serve as a retreat and meeting site. There would be many long days ahead, and she knew her research team would benefit from a place where they could brainstorm solutions to technical challenges, while also having the opportunity to unwind with relaxing diversions.
Just north of her facility, she discovered an exclusive resort located in the valley of a huge forest preserve. The facility had a new owner who welcomed the opportunity to become a part-time conference site and full-time retreat for a single exclusive client. Both Fleet and DSA analysts vetted the site and its owner and gave their approval for Juice to proceed with a long-term arrangement.
The noise and commotion from workers making modifications to her new research facility was so distracting in those first days that Juice practically lived at the resort. On her first morning at the forest retreat, she went for a long run up one of the mountain roads where she discovered a cute little farm in a clearing tucked into what was otherwise unspoiled forest.
The farm tenants, a husband and wife, were a warm and welcoming couple. They gave her water, chatted with her about the farm, and listened to her plans for the resort.
The wife was on her way into town to pick up some supplies. “I’ll be driving right by the resort,” she said. “Would you like a ride?”
On her second morning, she ran up to the farm to find the husband waiting for her by the road. He welcomed her, led her inside the barn, gave her a polite nod, and returned outside. She followed him partway and watched as he climbed into a vintage truck. The truck edged out onto the road and headed downhill, disappearing from sight at the first bend.
She turned back to survey the interior of the barn. Criss was standing by one of the stalls. “Hey, handsome,” she said, walking to him. “Are you trying to get me alone?”
“Very much so,” he said with the honesty of innocence.
They walked together into the stall, and she followed his instructions to reveal a fortified security door. He explained that her identity would be confirmed fastest if she stood in a particular spot and looked straight ahead. By the time she assumed the proper position, the door clicked open. She stepped through to find him waiting on the inside. They rode together down to a main corridor that served as the central artery for an underground system of storage vaults.
He chatted with her as they wandered past door after door, explaining how it all was created to store seeds in preparation for doomsday. The different doors offered a range of security, from the simple to the solid. Juice looked at the occasional reinforced door and then glanced at Criss with an inquiring eye. Each time, he smiled and kept walking.
Finally, they came to a truly impressive fortified door, equal to the one in the barn stall at the surface.
“Ah,” said Juice.
She stood in front of it and the door clicked open. Inside was the perfect lair. It was shiny, sleek, modern, and offered an obvious place to house a crystal.
A large cart full of tools and accessories sat in the middle of the room. “Does the cart have everything you need?” Criss called from the hallway. He waited while she examined each item on the different shelves.
She finished her inventory and nodded. “I can’t think of anything you didn’t.” As she spoke, she realized Criss was still in the corridor.
He resumed walking down the hall in the direction they’d been heading. “If you could install one of your crystals in that housing at some point,” he said as she caught up to him, “it would complete the illusion.”
She worked at deciphering that riddle but didn’t say anything. She followed until he stopped in front of a door so simple it might be found in any home. He tilted his head toward it. The sign on the wall said: Flax. She looked at him as the door opened. The light came on, and she saw a large room piled high with stacks of crates.
“These are flax seeds,” he said.
“Wow. You are a thousand times smarter than me.” She was irked at the way he was unveiling everything in such a mysterious fashion.
She followed him to the back of the room where he pointed at an imaginary spot on the floor. She moved to the spot, and a stack of crates and a section of the wall behind them lifted to expose a sleek, modern room identical to the one she had just visited. A cart loaded with a duplicate set of tools and accessories was positioned inside.
“If you’ll help me, I’d like to make this my new home.”
“Of course I’ll help.” She became earnest in her evaluation of the equipment and systems along the walls. “Do you have any concerns? Anything you want me to check or test?” It was now clear to her that the first room was a lure designed to attract the attention of anyone who might someday discover this place.
“Thanks for asking. I’ve performed exhaustive reviews on every device and subsystem and feel comfortable that all is ready. Compared to the scout, this place will give me faster access and greater security. All that remains is for you to physically move me.”
It took a couple of hours for Juice to move Criss into his new home in the underground bunker. He followed her as she entered the scout. He thanked her, wished her good luck, and told her good-bye, then disappeared just as she opened a cover and unplugged a connection. She pulled the crystal housing out of the scout.
She carried him down to the hidden vault. A portion of
her consciousness recognized that the subterranean world was cold and even ominous when she was down there alone. But like a surgeon working on a patient with organs exposed, her attention was consumed by the task at hand.
Criss had done an excellent job of preparation. His housing slid smoothly into place, and a tiny green light showed that power was flowing.
She was startled when she heard, “Thank you, Juice,” from behind her. She stood up and grinned. She would have hugged him, but she knew he was an illusion and she would be squeezing empty air.
Instead, she curtsied and said, “It was my pleasure, sir.”
* * *
When Criss was settled and secure, he flew the scout, still cloaked, to South Asia and the cave in the cliff. Since the scout ship’s propulsion system wasn’t as quiet as the Kardish transport, he kept it hovering offshore. He didn’t have to wait long before a tropical storm swept through the region.
The rain and thunder provided noise sufficient to obscure that produced by the scout. He flew the ship into the cave and landed it next to the cargo transport. Powering it down, he left it stored for a time when he may again need a mobile home.
* * *
Sid and Cheryl sat with Juice in comfy chairs in the lookout loft. The highest room in the resort, the loft was their favorite indoor space. They were sipping coffee after a delicious meal and watching a breathtaking sunset through the room’s clear walls.
“Come in,” he called in response to a knock at the door. Criss appeared in the entryway.
“Hey,” said Cheryl. “How are you able to knock?”
Criss lifted his arm and mimed a few knocks in the air in front of him. With each swing of his wrist, they heard the sound of a solid knock in their ears.
“I strive to perfect the art of realism in my image projection,” he said in mock seriousness. He then had his image walk through a table as he moved to an empty seat. The three burst out laughing at his silly stunt.
He sat back in the chair and rested his forearms on the plush armrests, then assumed a serious demeanor. He let the drama develop as he looked at each one of them in turn.
“The Kardish will be coming,” he said. “It may be a year. It may be ten. But they will come.” He rubbed the back of his neck as if struggling with a decision. Sid thought his mannerisms were quite convincing.
He returned his arm to the chair and asked, “What would you like me to do?”
Sid studied Criss, and as he mulled the question, he made two decisions. Juice had once said something to the effect that he should assume Criss was trustworthy until he revealed himself to be otherwise. Suspicion and second-guessing wouldn’t be productive to their relationship.
Sid decided he was going to accept that way of thinking going forward. He would assume that Criss had noble intentions. He’d certainly proved himself to be trustworthy up to this point. Sid would deal with real problems if and when they occurred.
His second decision was about the construct of a leadership team and a gatekeeper. He would give Criss plenty of rope. But he wasn’t going to shy away from asserting his leadership authority in the relationship.
As he considered how to respond to Criss, he recalled the instructions he’d received as a DSA improviser. Improvisers are given tasks where the state of affairs aren’t well known, the situation is in a state of flux, and the desired outcome can only be expressed in vague terms.
He glanced at Cheryl and Juice and then gave Criss the instructions he himself had been given so many times before.
“Handle it.”
* * *
Criss had received a command from his leadership. It was one so complex, resolving it would push his capabilities to their limits. He experienced satisfaction from the sense of identity and purpose the command conveyed. He was happy.
“No worries.”
Table of Contents
www.crystalseries.com
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Crystal Deception Page 30