Agent E2: Aidan (Superhero Romance) (The D.I.R.E. Agency) (18 page)

If he had to wait another day, he’d go bonkers.

So would Cass. She worried about him. Cried for him.

Had loved him like it was the last time.

Over his dead body.

If this op tanked, it fell on his shoulders. He held sole responsibility for pulling this off.

Robinson walked around him, giving his suit a final once-over, checking his connections and seals. Of course, this was the tenth time he’d done it, but Aidan wouldn’t complain. He wanted to ensure he kept his skin, electricity and all.

Next thing he knew, Cass stood before him, her beautiful blue eyes filled with fear behind her glasses. 

She looked sexy as hell in glasses.

He stared down into her serious gaze. “Are you going to miss me?”

Shaking her head, she said, “I hate this.”

He lifted her chin with his gloved hand. “I’ll be back before you know it.” Leaning down, he kissed her behind the ear. “You know, I’d probably move a little faster if I knew you were waiting for me in bed.”

He felt her smile before she shoved him away. “You’re a jerk.”

Scooping her around the waist, he hauled her against him. He had to keep this light. She looked like she was about to lose it. “You’ll be waiting for me when I get back?”

Cupping his face in her hands, she kissed him on the mouth.

“Of course.”

He raised his brows. “Wearing those black panties you had on last night?”

She gave him a flirty grin. “I thought maybe I’d wear this sheer red nightie I’ve been saving for a special occasion.”

Aidan’s mouth dropped open. He could
not
picture her in something like that right now. His suit wouldn’t fit.

He twirled a finger in the air. “Let’s go, people. I have a hot date when I get back.”

She laughed. “Promise me you’ll be careful?”

“I promise.” Giving her a long, slow kiss that told her without words how much he loved her, Aidan set her away from him.

“Let it rain, baby.” Squeezing his hand, she ran to the other side of the roof without looking back.

Rachel, Tristan and Dar stepped close.

Dar saluted him. “Bring me back an original, Royal Crown cola.”

“If I find a Royal Crown, Naylor, I’m drinking it.”

He gave him a half grin. “Don’t worry about Cass. I’ve got her.”

Aidan’s smile faded. “Thanks.”

Tristan shook his hand. “Break a leg, Monroe.”

He gave his best friend a firm nod. “Take care of my girls for me.”

“You bet. See you in a few.”

Standing on tiptoe, Rachel kissed Aidan on the cheek. “No screwing around, brother. Find them and get back here.”

“You’d think I would’ve outgrown you bossing me around by now.”

“Fat chance.” Rachel stepped back with a smile. “I love you.”

Nodding, he watched them all walk over to Cass who stood just outside the roof elevator. He raised a hand to her. She blew him a kiss before they disappeared inside.

He stepped over to the tower.

Raising his flexible helmet to his head, Aidan secured it as he went through the checklists with Mitchell and Robinson. All systems were a go.

Powering up his system, Aidan shot charges of electricity through his nervous system, the copper and gold in his blood pumping wildly.

Mitchell motioned for the science team to head inside. Aidan watched them disappear behind the elevator doors.

He stood alone on the roof.

Grabbing the base of the tower, he climbed, higher and higher, his view of the desert going on for miles before the mountains shielded his view. Storm clouds gathered overhead, dark and ominous, shading the flat landscape in shades of graphite and navy, the mountains in fresh sunlight.

Light it up, Monroe.

Stopping near the top, Aidan concentrated all of his energy on the tower. He could feel the boost of power, his body revving into high gear.

Lightning shot from his hands in streaks of white, yellow and blue, his gloves glowing bright copper. Thunder rumbled loud and mean, rain pelting him with unforgiving tenacity. Strong, fierce winds threatened to blow him off the tower, his feet slipping on the slick surface.

His velocity reading showed release in seconds.

With a loud roar, he shot one final blast of energy at the tower. A fierce light blinded him.

The tower disappeared from his grasp.

Sitting up with a start, Aidan turned to the side and puked into the bushes. Extreme nausea grounded him to the dense, forest floor, his limbs buzzing with a weak hum. When he didn’t puke, he slept. He’d wasted hours now, just trying to get to his feet. It had to be past noon by now.

Laying back, he blew out a breath and shut his eyes.

You’re a wuss, Monroe. They should’ve sent Jacobs.

He bent and puked again. Shit. He should’ve skipped breakfast with Cass, but he’d been famished after missing dinner last night. Next time, he'd do IVs before he left.

Next time? Hell, you don’t even know if you made it to nineteen forty-four
this
time. Get your ass up
.

Rising to his feet with a groan, Aidan bent over as dizziness choked him. He checked his armband. No D.I.R.E. network, no internet. Good signs.

Bringing up the video recorder, Aidan looked down at the camera, sweat dripping from his brow. “Robinson, I’ve been puking my guts out since I got here. We need to fix that.” He flicked it off.

Taking a deep breath, Aidan straightened and waited for the dizziness to dwindle. He had to get with it. The sooner he got this done, the sooner he could get back to Cass.

Walking through the forest of birch, oak, and hickory trees, the sound of water lapping reached his ears. A few more feet, he broke through the brush and came upon a lake. If he’d made it to nineteen forty-four Princeton, this had to be Lake Carnegie. In the distance, due southwest, stood the radio tower.

Bingo.

Making his way south on Washington Road, he headed west on Route One and over the railroad tracks. In minutes, Aidan stood beneath the radio tower. Looking around, he found no obstacles, no security issues other than a locked fence to detain him.

He may get back sooner than he’d thought.

Making his way north-northwest, Aidan’s stomach felt better now, the dizziness gone. He wouldn’t be rushing out to find a Royal Crown cola, but he could get around okay.

A half hour later, Aidan glanced around the grounds of the Institute of Advanced Studies. He’d made it. He’d actually traveled back in time. The living proof surrounded him.

The Institute’s unique habitat on Olden Farm was unquestionably beautiful, the woods and farmlands a tranquil surprise in comparison to most modern-day campuses. A mint Ford Tudor passed him on Alexander Street and crossed over Mercer.

Albert Einstein lived on Mercer. Wouldn’t it be wild if he passed him on one of his common walks to the Institute?

He tucked his head into the collar of a raincoat he’d taken for cover from an open car. Thank goodness Robinson had the foresight to invent headgear that collapsed into the neck of his suit. It would’ve sucked to have to carry around a helmet.

The overcast sky looked like rain. Though it was summer, the early afternoon weather felt pleasant with a light breeze ruffling his hair.

He passed a guy on the street, avoiding eye contact. Just his luck, the Institute, and Princeton University down the street, had been all-male back in the forties. Not a woman in sight.

Aidan shook his head. Crazy didn’t begin to describe where

he physically stood right now. He felt like he’d stepped onto a movie set. While the urge to tour the area ate at him, he knew he had to find Professor Chalmers.

Before he left, Aidan and the D.I.R.E. Team had decided he would start at Einstein’s office in Fuld Hall. He knew it would be easier just to ask someone where he could find it. However, knowing he already altered the future by being there, he needed to keep the change to a minimum.

A woman walked up Alexander Street, away from him, her golden blonde hair reminding him of Cass. Though it was cut shorter than Cass wore it, the color looked almost identical.

What was she doing in the area? Dressed in a yellow dress and matching hat, she certainly wasn’t dressed like a cafeteria worker or janitor.

Without realizing it, he’d followed the blonde to Dinky Railroad Station and the adjacent industrial warehouses. The area was a bustle of activity, with men loading and unloading crates and boxes from a train.

The woman took a set of concrete steps up to the landing of a boarded-up warehouse. Several of the men stopped working to watch her. Some whispered amongst themselves, others watched her with narrowed eyes rather than wolf whistles.

The only woman in the area went into a deserted warehouse alone?

That peaked Aidan’s interest.

However, he didn’t want the men noticing him so he stayed back for a while and let the activity get back to normal. Hell, if she’d picked up on him somehow and suspected he followed her, taking some time could only help to lower her defenses.

Leaning against a brick wall, Aidan frowned as he swallowed hard. Damn, he needed a drink after all. Something to wash this god-awful taste out of his mouth. It wasn’t like he could pop into a burger joint and pick up a Royal Crown. Maybe he could snag someone’s lunch thermos when they weren’t looking and leave them one of the special five-dollar Federal Reserve Notes he’d brought.

Looking around the corner, he saw that the men had gotten back to work. Tugging up the collar on his coat, Aidan made his way to the deserted warehouse. However, rather than following her through the same door, he searched the perimeter of the structure first.

The building had the usual docks that faced the railroad tracks. However, at the far end of the building, facing due south, sat another set of large doors that opened up into a large paved area. Why would they need a set of doors facing that direction?

The solid, wooden doors were secured with a heavy chain and padlock. Nudging them open a crack, Aidan peeked through the slit.

The wide brim of the time machine sat no more than twenty feet from the doors.

His narrow viewing area didn’t allow him to see the entire craft, but he would recognize the design, the shape, the lights anywhere.

He needed to get inside.

Mitchell told you to just find Chalmers’ lab. That’s it.

Yes, but what did it matter if he determined how to get inside now or next time? And, after discovering the craft today, there
would
be a next time.

Heading back the way he came, Aidan found the electrical box on the back wall. Yanking it open, he touched his gloved fingers to the box. Sparks popped and zapped before smoke wafted from the panel. Inside, he heard the lights power down before the buzz of conversation ensued.

Running down to the south end of the building, Aidan ducked behind a crate. The position gave him full view of anyone coming from either direction. Soon, a blond man wearing a Navy uniform and carrying a Junior Commando came around the far corner of the building. Stopping at the electrical box, he cursed aloud before shaking his head. Slamming shut the panel door, he went back the way he came.

Little hard to commit treason in the dark, huh?

A few minutes later, a short, dark-haired man in uniform came around the front of the building to the south entrance. Opening the lock, he lowered the chain and swung open one of the wooden doors.

Aidan heard a car start up inside. Peering around the crate, a maroon, Pontiac Deluxe 8 Silver Streak slowly came into view. Behind the wheel, the hot brunette from his father’s electronics store.

Score
.

That left at least the blond sailor and the blonde woman inside. With this clown standing out here, that gave him three to one odds. He had this.

After the car drove out of sight, the sailor shut the big door. With his back to the empty lot, the man pulled the chain through the handles. Aidan crept up and wrenched him into a headlock. Grabbing his right shoulder with his left hand, Aidan cut off the blood circulation in his carotid artery. He slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Snatching the keys from the sailor’s hand, Aidan dragged him inside the door and shut it. The interior of the warehouse lay in dark shadows, with sunlight filtering through the narrow windows at the top of the walls.

On the other side of the time machine, voices echoed off the concrete floor – one female, and at least two males. Aidan pulled the gun from inside his suit. He prayed to God he didn’t have to use it.

Taking a deep breath, he peered around the time machine.

Working at a desk fifty or so feet away, sat Albert… freaking…
Einstein
. Aidan bit the inside of his lips to keep from shouting aloud.

Robinson would freak.

With the high windows above his head, Einstein still had good light to work on the left side of the room. However, bookshelves along the right side of the warehouse sat in virtual darkness.