Chapter 25
I knew something was wrong the moment the teleportation haze faded from my vision. We were in HQ, but it was just Angie and me.
"What's the matter, big brother?" Angie asked me.
"I don't know," I said, looking around anxiously. "Nothing much, I hope. It looks like Wizzit sent the others somewhere else." I shrugged. "I guess I'm supposed to make sure you're okay, that you're not hurt or anything."
"How could I be? I didn't really do anything; I just shot that little gun at the monster."
"Believe me, little sis, you did plenty. We couldn't have done it without you. We had to have six Primes to defeat that monster, and Red and Orange weren't available."
"Why weren't they?" she asked me. "Aren't you guys on call twenty-four/seven?"
"Eh, it's a long story," I said with a shake of my head. I didn't want to get into Mike's situation, and I had no idea what was going on with Shelley. "Anyway, I think you can keep the weapons -- the blaster and the stick. You should try to have them handy in case we need you again."
Angie looked dubiously at the Escrima stick in her hand. "Okay, the blaster would be fine, but isn't this thing a little too big to be carrying around in my purse? Could you get me something a little smaller, like a yawara or a kubotan or something like that? Or maybe a pair of them -- one for each hand?"
I felt a grin spread across my face. "See, that's what I'm talking about! The other guys all want these big hammers and swords and axes and stuff, but I think the little weapons work just fine." I shook my head. "I don't think we have any on hand, but I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks." She reached over to give me a hug. "This was fun, but I've got to get back home now. Mom and Dad will be wondering where I am."
"Okay. Take care of yourself. I'll see you in a couple of weeks."
"'Bye!"
It took a couple of tries, but I finally managed to get Wizzit's attention, and he sent Angie on her way. Then I said, "Okay, Wizzit, do you want to take me where the other Primes are now?"
He didn't say anything, but I felt the familiar tingling at the base of my skull, and a moment later I was standing in the main room of the stronghouse. The others were standing together in a group over near the bathroom. Lily's bowl of food sat on the floor in the middle of the room. It looked as though she had barely touched it, and she hadn't drunk any of the water. I couldn't see any sign of Lily herself.
Trina looked up as the light from my teleportation faded. "Trevor," she asked softly, "do you know what Prime Commander would have been doing here?"
"Sure. I asked him to feed Lily."
"You sent him here?" Toby demanded. For some reason, he suddenly looked as though he wanted to punch my lights out.
I took a step back. "Uh, yeah."
"It's not his fault, Toby." That sounded like Shelley's voice, but strangled somehow, as if she were under a great strain. "He couldn't have known. None of us could."
"He could bloody well have --"
"That's enough!" Shelley's voice had steel in it. "It's. Not. His. Fault!"
"What's not my fault?" I moved uneasily toward the others. "What happened?"
Trina and Toby stood aside as I approached, Toby still with murder in his eyes, and then Padma and Nicolai took a step back. The first thing I saw was Shelley. She was kneeling on the floor, looking up at me. She wasn't crying, not now, but her face was streaked with tears. I felt a sick wave of dread. "Oh, no!"
"She killed him, Trevor," Trina said, so softly I could barely hear her. "Lily killed Commander Windham." And then she began to cry.
Now I could see him. Prime Commander was lying on the floor. His hat was askew and the mask had been torn from his face. There was a bruise along the side of his head, which was twisted around at a strange angle that told me that his neck had been broken. "No!" I breathed in horror. "No, she couldn't have!"
"The commander had me teleport him here shortly after you left," Wizzit said, all his joviality gone for once. "He received a call on his cellphone while he was here. He went over by the bathroom to answer it, and she followed him. My camera doesn't extend into that area of the stronghouse, but my sensors recorded the sounds of a struggle. A telephone call was made from the commander's phone, and then there was a flash of light, as if someone teleported in or out. There was a second flash of light moments later."
"What we think happened," Shelley said, sounding as if she were holding her voice steady by sheer force of will, "was that she saw the cellphone and killed Dad to get it, probably in response to some part of that special order JB Swift had us give her. Then she called a number owned by Enclave. Once she made the connection, they were able to use the phone's GPS to discover her location and teleport someone out to retrieve her. That's why there were two flashes."
I closed my eyes and felt hot tears sting my eyelids. Oh, Lily, I thought miserably, what have you done?
"I'm sorry, Trev," Shelley was saying. "I know how much you wanted to help Li Lin-fa."
I shook my head. "No, I'm the one who's sorry." My voice sound so harsh to my ears that I barely recognized it. "I wanted to help her get free, and that made me trust JB Swift. I won't make that mistake again." I swallowed hard. "Li Lin-fa asked me to kill her once. She said she didn't want Lily to murder anyone, didn't want to be responsible for that. I should have taken her up on it when I had the chance. That's another mistake I won't make again." I looked up. "She's proved she's hostile, right, Wizzit? We can take her out on sight?"
There was a pause, and then Wizzit said softly, "Yes."
###
The Attack Doll Series
by
Douglas A. Taylor
Twenty-one-year-old Trevor Chiao is Prime Indigo; he is a member of the fabulous Primes, a group of seven men and women whose mission is to protect the Earth from Enclave, an alien organization bent on taking over the world.
Protected by an indigo-colored force shield that enhances his strength and speed and keeps his identity secret, he travels all over the world with his fellow Primes, battling monsters, Zoinks, and the mysterious Lily Lee, a beautiful Asian woman who refers to herself as . . . the Attack Doll.
Attack Doll 1: Violet Lost
Trevor becomes the mentor of Padma Reddy, a young woman from India who has joined the team as their new Prime Violet. When Padma is kidnapped by Enclave during her first mission as a Prime, Trevor must risk his own life to infiltrate the Enclave base and rescue . . . Violet Lost.
Attack Doll 2: Junior Prime
Trevor usually gets along pretty well with his younger sister Angela, but when the two of them are taken prisoner by Enclave and Angie discovers Trevor's secret identity, he doesn't quite know how to handle it. What's a guy to do when his kid sister wants to tag along as a . . . Junior Prime?
Don't miss the next exciting book in the Attack Doll series:
Attack Doll 3: Protocol Black
The death of Prime Commander has dealt a heavy blow to Trevor and his fellow Primes. And when the team is threatened by government forces intent on discovering their secrets, things go from bad to worse. To hold the team together, the Primes must enlist the aid of an old friend and implement . . . Protocol Black.
Attack Doll 2: Junior Prime Page 25