by David Archer
“Guys,” Noah said solemnly, “I can honestly say I am amazed. But it still has all the original features, right? The guns, explosive rounds, all that stuff?”
“Oh, yes,” Rodney said. “Self driving capability, video recording, heads-up display and all that are still there, and we added in a satellite-based Wi-Fi system. All of our cars now have that, and not just for those of you with subcoms. Even people like us need to get on the Internet sometimes, no matter where we are.” He grinned. “The only other change to this car is one you may never actually use, but I want to show it to you anyway. Slide back behind the wheel, will you?”
Noah got back into the car and Rodney leaned in beside him. “Pull out the ashtray,” he said, and Noah did so. “Now, reach up inside above it. Feel that button up in there?”
“Yes, I found it.”
Rodney grinned again. “One of the neat things about this car is that, despite how powerful it is and all its goodies, it weighs less than a ton altogether. That’s primarily because of the aluminum engine block, along with an aluminum chassis and all the carbon fiber, Kevlar and polycarbonate. However, that made it possible for us to make one more serious modification. Push that button, then step out and look the car over again.”
Noah pushed the button and felt the car settle lower. He stepped out and took a couple steps away, then turned around and looked. The wheels had retracted almost completely into their fender wells and the bottom of the car seemed to be sitting on the concrete floor. He turned and looked at Rodney.
“You made it a low rider?”
Wally laughed out loud and Rodney chuckled. “Not exactly,” he said. “Go look at the back of the car.”
The rest of the team was standing there staring, but they followed Noah toward the back of the Charger. Noah spotted the major difference instantly, but the rest of them had to stare for a second.
Neil was the first to grasp what he was seeing. “What on Earth are those?” He pointed out a pair of pipes that were sticking out under the rear bumper, each of them with some sort of fin attached.
“Hydro-jets,” Rodney said. “We put a carbon fiber sheet over the entire undercarriage of the car, everywhere except over the wheel wells. When you push that button hidden in the ashtray, the wheels retract and the marine drive system deploys. The impeller for the hydro-jets is driven by a PTO from the transmission, so you just leave it in gear. They are connected to the steering, so they act as your rudders, as well, and they can push the car to over sixty miles per hour on the water.”
“Holy jumping…” Neil said. “An amphibious Charger?”
“Yes!” Wally said, still giggling his head off. “When Rodney told me what he had done, I got so excited I had to go test drive it myself. We took it out to Temple Lake at two o’clock in the morning, and it was awesome! You just drive into the water, then push the button. Absolutely incredible!” He rubbed his hands together, giggling again. “We even put the top down and did a little fishing.”
Sarah suddenly began to chuckle and Jenny looked at her. “What’s so funny?”
Sarah pointed at her husband. “That is the first time I have ever seen Noah completely speechless,” she said. “I’m going to mark this on a calendar, trust me.”
“Well,” Noah said. “Considering that we are headed for an island, it could actually come in handy. Is there anything else I need to know about the car?”
“No, everything else is the same,” Rodney said. “All the weapons are loaded, and the hard drive is clean and ready for whatever you want to do with it.”
“It’s all yours, Noah,” Wally said. “And just so you know, nobody but Rodney and I have driven it since you did. We don’t even show it to any of the other teams.”
Noah looked at him. “All right,” he said. “We need four more vehicles. Marco and Renée will need one, Jenny needs one, Neil needs one and I want one more for Sarah. What have you got for them?”
Sarah touched his arm. “Wait a minute,” she said. “Is the Chrysler I used before available? It changed colors, also, but it drove like a dream.”
“Oh, yes,” Rodney said. He pointed off to the right. “It’s right over there.”
Sarah looked where he pointed and smiled. The Chrysler was currently green, but that was because it would remain whatever color it was last when the engine was shut down. “There is my baby,” she said. “That’s the one I want.”
“Okay,” Noah said. “What about everybody else?”
“We’ve got just about anything they want,” Wally said. “Do they need anything special?”
“That depends,” Noah said. “What kind of special features are available on what kind of cars?”
Rodney furrowed his brow for a second, then grinned. “I think I know just the cars,” he said. He led them across the lot and pointed at a five-year-old Chevy SUV. “We call this one the tank,” he said. “It’s all wheel drive, a turbocharged V-8 with eight hundred horsepower, and it has the same guns as the Charger. It looks like something a suburban couple might drive, but it’s ready for just about anything.”
Noah looked at Marco. “What do you think?”
“Suits me,” he said. “And I wouldn’t mind playing with some of those toys.” He grinned.
“That’s fine, then,” Noah said. “What about Neil and Jenny?”
“I want something sporty,” Jenny said. “Got anything like that?”
Rodney led them past the Chevy and pointed again. “How about that?” he asked. “It’s not one of the fastest things we’ve got, and it doesn’t have any weapons, but it’s about as sporty as you can get. Its only real advantage is in its suspension system; it was originally built for a mission that involved infiltrating a murder ring in San Francisco, so we built it to take corners at high speed and always land on its wheels during a jump.”
Jenny squealed with delight. The car he pointed out was a BMW Z3, a bright red two-seat convertible. “I’ll take it,” she said.
Neil rolled his eyes, but then he suddenly froze. “What about that one?” he asked. “For me, I mean?”
The car he was pointing out was a 1966 Pontiac GTO.
“That’s a beauty,” Rodney said. “We upgraded the drivetrain with a turbocharged LS3 Chevy engine that puts out over seven hundred horse, mated to a six speed automatic transmission that will let it get very close to two hundred miles per hour. It’s a classic, and bound to draw a lot of attention. That’s the only drawback to driving a car like that, everybody is watching it.”
Neil shrugged. “Like I care,” he said. “I’m supposed to be some kind of super computer consultant, anyway. Who would be surprised if I had an expensive car?”
Noah nodded. “That’ll work,” he said. He turned to Wally. “One other thing,” he said. “I want one of the explosive printers.”
“Not a problem,” Wally said. “If you want to bring the cars around front, I’ll have one brought out for you.”
“You heard the man,” Noah said. “Everybody mount up, let’s go.”
Rodney opened the gate and watched as all five vehicles were driven out with Noah in the lead. They went around the front of the building and gathered their luggage from Howard in the van, and then a couple of technicians came out with a big 3D printer on a cart. Wally was right behind them.
“I had them throw in some extra supplies,” Wally said. “You might not need them, but it’s better to have them.”
Noah nodded. “I appreciate it,” he said. He shook Wally’s hand and they got the printer loaded into the back of the SUV. As soon as that was done, Noah got into the Charger and they headed toward the armory. An hour later, after selecting a number of weapons to carry with them, they finally hit the highway that led to the interstate.
As soon as they were rolling, Noah said, “Activate all.” He waited a couple of seconds, then said, “Noah to everyone, I’ve got the subcoms on. We should all be close enough to stay in communication, so everybody speak up to stop for anything.”
; “Roger that,” Marco said.
Neil followed with, “You got it.”
Jenny said, “No problem, I will.”
Sarah waited till everyone else answered, then said, “I’m right behind you, Noah, no worries.”
Their convoy rolled toward whatever the future might hold.
THREE
The subcoms were subdermal communication devices, and each of the team had one embedded against their skulls, right next to the auditory canal of their right ears. They were powered directly by the electrochemical processes of the human body and operated on frequencies similar to what was used for Wi-Fi systems. It allowed the team members to stay in constant contact, even across great distance, if the subcoms were connected on each end to Wi-Fi signals.
The team cruised down the highway with Noah in the lead and Sarah right behind him, chatting about everything from the mission to inconsequential thoughts and ideas. Neil was next in the GTO with Jenny right behind him, while Marco drove the SUV with Renée as his passenger, bringing up the rear.
“Okay,” Noah said to everyone, “the drive to Galveston is gonna take almost twenty hours, when we add in stops for gas and eating, so I’m planning to spend the night in Oklahoma City. Everybody okay with that?”
“That sounds fine,” Neil said, “but don’t forget to stop for dinner somewhere. I know we just had lunch a couple hours ago, but I’m getting hungry already.”
“You’re always hungry,” Marco said. “I’ve never seen anybody who can eat as much as you can.”
“Oh, really?” Neil shot back. “I noticed you can keep up with me pretty well.”
They stopped for coffee in a little Kansas town called Colby, swinging through a fast food drive through and getting back on the road almost immediately, and stayed on the road after that until they reached their stopping point. They were all ready for a break by that time, so they found a restaurant and had a decent dinner, then got rooms at a Holiday Inn. After the flight from England and the long drive, they were all tired. They went to their rooms and went to bed, and Noah suggested they should meet in the continental breakfast room at eight in the morning.
“As soon as we get some breakfast,” he said, “I want to get back on the road. I’d like to get down there and settle in to our apartments this evening. I’d like a day to relax before I have to report to work the day after tomorrow.”
They rolled in to Galveston at five o’clock on Saturday afternoon and had no trouble finding their apartments. They were quite nice, and all of them were furnished even down to linens, dishes in the cabinets and everything.
“Somebody came in and set them all up for us,” Jenny said through the subcoms. “Holy crap, they even stocked up the groceries. Ooh, my favorite cereals!”
They all heard Sarah chuckle. “Jenny, they know just about everything about us. I’m pretty sure they would know what your favorite cereal might be.”
The apartment complex had two buildings, and the apartments they would occupy were all in the same one. Neil’s apartment was directly across from the one Noah and Sarah were using, and Marco and Renée were on the next floor up. Jenny’s apartment was next door to theirs. Fortunately, that would make sure they were close enough to each other to allow the subcoms to work without having to log onto Wi-Fi.
“This gives us a good base of operations,” Noah said. “Tomorrow is Sunday, so we could rest up a little bit. Jenny, you should probably hang out on the beach a bit tomorrow. Neil, I want you to get your computers and the printer all set up at your place tomorrow, so Marco and Renée will be down on the beach, as well. Marco, keep a close eye on Jenny. Try to spot anyone who might seem to be scouting potential victims on the beach.”
“Hey,” Neil said, “I can have everything set up in the next hour here. Can I go to the beach tomorrow, too?”
“That sounds okay. Everybody just relax for now and get settled in, because the mission really begins Monday morning.”
“Okay, can we shut the subcoms off for tonight, then?” Marco asked. “My wife and I would like a little bit of privacy, if that’s okay.”
“No problem,” Noah said. “Just remember to turn them back on in the morning.”
They all said goodnight and Sarah went to the kitchen of their apartment to start something for dinner. Noah sat down in the living room and turned on the television, flipping through channels to look for something worth watching. He found the Netflix app and chose a movie that he thought they might both enjoy, then went into the kitchen to see what Sarah was doing.
“What's for dinner?” he asked, coming up behind her quietly and putting his arms around her.
Sarah grinned and snuggled into his arms. “Pizza,” she said. “There were several in the freezer, and it was quick and easy. I’ll make something more serious tomorrow night.”
Noah nodded, then leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Pizza sounds just fine,” he said. “I found a movie I think you might like. As soon as the pizzas are ready, we can go sit down and eat while we watch it.”
“Okay, babe,” she said. “There’s beer and soft drinks in the fridge.”
Noah let go of her and went to the refrigerator, took out a bottle of beer and twisted off the lid. “You want one?” he asked.
“You know what?” Sarah said with a grin. “A beer actually sounds pretty good right now.”
Noah reached into the fridge again and took out another bottle, twisted off the cap and handed it to her. She tilted it back and took a long pull, then let out a sigh. “Oh, that’s good.”
By the time the pizza came out of the oven, both of them had finished the beers. Sarah cut the pizza into slices and put it onto a tray while Noah grabbed two more bottles of beer and then they both went back to the living room. They sat on the sofa and Noah started the movie.
For the next couple of hours, the two of them were lost in the science fiction universe that played out on the screen before them. Between the epic space battles and the efforts of a few rebels to undermine the authority of the evil Galactic Empire, they were able to relax and put reality aside for a while.
When it was over, Sarah cleaned up while Noah went to get his shower. It was only eight thirty, but they both decided they were tired enough to call it a day. Noah wasn’t surprised when Sarah came into the bathroom and slid the shower door aside, stepping in with him.
“Turn around and let me wash your back,” she said. “Then you can do mine.”
They slept until nine the next morning and were awakened by someone knocking on the door. Noah rolled out of bed and pulled on his pants, then went to the door and looked through the peephole. Neil was standing there, so he opened the door and let the tall, skinny young man come inside.
“Good morning,” Noah said. “Everything okay?”
“Sure, why not?” Neil said. “My girlfriend gets to go down the beach and play bait, today, and I’m supposed to hang out in my apartment and do nothing. What could possibly be wrong with that?”
Sarah came out of the bedroom in a bathrobe. “Neil, that’s not what Noah said,” she replied. “He already told you you can go to the beach with her. What’s got you all upset this morning?”
Neil sat down on the sofa. “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s just—Jenny and I have been together constantly now for the last couple months, and I don’t like the idea of her being down there trying to get the attention of people like this. I know, I know, she’s probably just as dangerous as you are, Noah, but she’s still my girlfriend, remember? I have a little trouble coping with her being bait.”
“She’s doing her job, Neil,” Noah said. “That’s what we do in this team, we do our jobs. Are you trying to tell me you’re not going to be able to do yours?”
“No, and don’t put words in my mouth. I just—and I guess I just needed to come over and vent a little bit. You know, you’re the guy I always go to when I need to let off steam.” He gave a slightly sarcastic laugh. “That’s probably because you’re the only one w
ho can listen to it without getting mad at me.”
“Neil, she’ll be okay,” Sarah said. “Realistically, trying to kidnap her would probably be the biggest mistake these people ever made. I’m pretty sure that’s why they gave her this particular assignment, you know?”
“I know, I know. Like I said, this is really just about me needing to be the man, I guess.”
“I understand that,” Noah said. “When is she heading down to the beach?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know she’s even out of bed yet. I didn’t want to wake her up, you know? I thought she should get as much rest as possible before she goes out looking for trouble.”
“Oh,” Sarah said, giving him the eye, “but you didn’t think anything about waking us up? Gee, how sweet of you.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Neil said. “I just needed to talk to somebody, and you guys were it. I’ll go back home and leave you alone.”
“No, it’s too late for that, anyway,” Sarah said. “You might as well stay for breakfast. I will put the coffee on and get it started. We are all neighbors, so it shouldn’t surprise anybody if we know each other.”
The two men followed her into the kitchen, and a few minutes later, they were drinking coffee at the table while she was scrambling eggs in a bowl.
“So, anyway,” Neil said, “I went through my mission files. They got me scheduled to visit the university medical center on Tuesday to start going through the computer system there. I’m supposed to be a computer security consultant, but the idea is for me to look for any kind of emails or other communications that might involve the black market organ business.”
“Yes,” Noah said. “Marco will start as a paramedic with the local fire department tomorrow, as well. There have been a couple of people who disappeared after being carried to the university emergency room by ambulance, so the idea is to look for a connection there, as well.”