Paradise Hacked (First Circle Club Book 2) (38 page)

Lisa released Dr. Z. "Satisfied?"

"Yes," Sara said. "Now we can go."

* * *

What a mess,
Kyle thought.

He was driving the ambulance, and he could see the A.D.I.C.S. Facility ahead. The normal lights were out, so the only illumination came from the headlights and flashers on the fire trucks. Many soldiers were meandering around, and some had shell-shocked expressions. Firemen were providing first-aid to the injured.

Kyle slowed down and approached cautiously. He looked like a paramedic, but if asked to perform like one, he would fail. He couldn't let himself get caught in that trap.

A soldier waving his arm caught Kyle's attention. Virgil, Lisa, Alfred, and Sara were huddled together as if trying to share body heat on a chilly night. They had switched clothes to Air Force fatigues, stolen from real soldiers. Nobody else was paying attention to them.

Kyle drove through the open gate and stopped but left the engine running. Virgil and his team immediately shuffled over, pretending to be tired or hurt. They climbed into the back of the ambulance. As soon as they were settled, Kyle turned the ambulance around and drove away.

He switched on the sirens and flashing lights. He sped towards the front gate of the base, following a route he had previously memorized.

"Any trouble?" Kyle said.

Virgil sat in front on the passenger side. "No. We had good intelligence, and everything went as expected."

"How many casualties?"

Kyle was afraid to hear the answer. The idea of American soldiers dying sickened him.

"We didn't check the bodies," Virgil said, "but I expect a few were killed. The initial assault was pretty rough, and it was Hell down below. At least we didn't have to shoot anybody."

On balance, it was good news, but Kyle wasn't jubilant.

The ambulance arrived at the main part of the base. Dark buildings zipped by on both sides. Nobody attempted to stop them because they were obviously headed to a hospital.

Sara poked her head up front. "Have we met?"

"No. I'm Captain Dirk Kyle. I've heard quite a bit about you."

"What does he know?" Sara asked Virgil.

"A lot," he said, "but not everything."

She raised her eyebrows. "Management approved of this?"

"Uh, no."

"I see. Does he understand how much danger he is in?"

"I've tried to make that clear," Virgil said. "By the way, Cat Lady also played a part in your rescue."

"The club is getting bigger."

"Seems that way, although I don't expect Kyle and Cat to be full-time participants. I see them more in a spot role, but we needed the whole crowd to bust you out."

"Thank you for that," Sara said. "Next time, I won't let myself get caught. I went in hoping I could talk to the enemy and set them straight. It didn't work out that way, obviously. Where is Mei?"

"At our next stop."

Chapter Twenty-two

The phone on Colonel Knox's desk rang.

He grabbed the handset. "Hello?"

"Colonel Knox? This is General Eisan at Burr Air Force Base."

"Oh!" Knox settled back in his chair. "How are my aliens doing?"

"That's what I'm calling about. There has been an incident."

Knox became tense. "What happened?"

"Unknown intruders rescued them," Eisan said. "They're gone."

"How is that possible?" Knox said angrily. "You assured me they were being held in a heavily guarded, maximum security facility. I believe you used the phrase, 'God Himself couldn't bust them out.' Their location was top secret. Yet you couldn't hold onto them for two whole days."

"It's not entirely clear what happened. We know the facility was flooded with tear gas, and the power was cut."

"Didn't you have backup power?"

"The generator was destroyed," Eisan said. "It appears an ambulance was used at some point."

"Did you get any surveillance recordings?"

"The system was down for most of the time, but we did capture a few useful images at the beginning. A big man with brown hair and a black woman were the primary aggressors."

Knox had a cold feeling. He had badly underestimated the aliens' capabilities and determination.

Eisan added, "They demonstrated inhuman speed and strength. The man was shot and didn't care. I can only conclude they were more aliens. How many of these things are out there?"

"Only four on Earth, as far as I know. The two you were holding and the two who rescued them. You interrogated your prisoners, right? Did they tell you anything?"

"No. Nothing. Colonel Knox, I'm very upset with you. Good soldiers died tonight. Many are in the hospital. You should've warned me of the danger."

"I assumed you knew what you were doing," Knox said. "The A.D.I.C.S. Facility was built for this specific purpose. Nobody else on my staff knew the aliens were there. I don't know what else I could've done."

"You could've warned me. Something like, 'oh, by the way, there are two more monsters from outer space running around, and they will rip apart your security like it isn't even there.'"

"They aren't that tough. My people captured two of them after all."

Eisan's voice became louder. "Not that tough? I don't know whether you're incompetent, ignorant, or oblivious. Four alien invaders are on Earth! Our best security can't stop them. Yet you're treating this matter with a casual indifference which I find dismaying."

"That's simply not true. I have several squads of Special Forces operatives here. We have been investigating and pursuing these aliens since they were discovered. No effort was spared."

"Yet you still failed."

"I caught two of them!" Knox said. "You're the guy who let them go."

"I'm going to write a report right now and send it to Washington. It will recommend that the Army assign a much more senior officer to this matter. Clearly, a mere colonel is inadequate to handle a problem of this magnitude. We are talking about national security, even planetary security! The President must be made aware."

Knox closed his eyes. "I suppose there is nothing I can say which will stop you from writing that report."

"Nothing at all."

There was a click, and he heard a dial tone.

He stood up. It was time to talk to Dr. Harlow.

* * *

Mei put down her headset. She was grinning like she had won the lottery.

"You seem pleased," Cat said.

They were still hiding in the telephone exchange building. Night had fallen, and chilly air was blowing in through the broken window. It was quiet outside.

"I just tapped a very interesting phone call. Want to hear it?" Mei said.

"Sure."

Mei played the call through the speakers on her laptop.

Cat was thoughtful afterwards. "This is big."

"The good news is it sounds like the operation was a success. My friends were rescued. You were part of it and should feel proud of yourself. And now I have Colonel Knox's phone number, which means I have his address. As soon as we get back to Chicago, he'll have some unexpected visitors."

* * *

Dr. Harlow's eyes were drooping. He shook himself awake. There was no time for rest. He was building a radiation sensor package for his new spacesuit, and the small parts were troublesome. A tiny gold component slipped out of his tweezers and landed on his workbench. He grunted with annoyance.

He stood up straight and stretched his neck. His laboratory was crowded and buzzing with activity. Colonel Knox had summoned additional technicians and equipment from Washington to supplement Harlow's existing resources. The church nave was big, but there was still hardly enough room for everybody to work. The racket from titanium plates being cut, shaped, and welded was constant.

Harlow saw Colonel Knox walk over with a very grim expression. Harlow put down his tools.

"We have a problem," Knox said in a low voice. "The two captured aliens were rescued."

A chill went down Harlow's spine. "All four of them are on the loose again?"

"It appears so, and we have no idea where they are."

Harlow rubbed his eyes. He was too worn down to handle any more stress.

"And that's not all," Knox added. "An Air Force general is up in arms about it. He is going to send a scathing report to Washington. I'm still dealing with the fallout from the Navy Pier debacle. We'll have time for one more experiment, maybe, and then it is game over for us. How is the suit coming?"

"It should be assembled within hours if we don't stop working."

"Don't rest until it's done."

Harlow nodded. "Yes, sir."

"By the way, the wreckage of Rena Penn's airplane was found in the mountains of Virginia. A nosedive straight into the ground. No survivors. The cause of the crash is unclear."

"Tragic. My heart goes out to her family. Now, if you'll excuse me, sir, I need to get back to work."

"Of course." Knox walked off.

Instead of returning to his workbench, Harlow went to his electron microscope which was standing in the corner. The brass tubes gleamed dully and needed a good polishing. He took his silver coin out of his pocket and placed it into the microscope's specimen holder. He pushed in the drawer and turned on the power.

While he waited for the air pumps to create a hard vacuum, he watched the activity in his lab. The parts of the suit were coming together. Seeing his vision becoming reality was fun despite the desperate circumstances. Medieval plate mail had inspired the design, and he expected to look like a knight in shining armor, except the burnished titanium would give it a rainbow hue.

The microscope was finally ready. Harlow put his eye against the eyepiece.

"Hello?" he whispered.

An abstract face formed on the phosphor screen. "Dr. Harlow," it said, "these conversations are becoming more frequent and less useful. Don't you have work to do?"

The sounds in the laboratory suddenly stopped. Harlow glanced over his shoulder and saw that time had frozen.

"Our adversaries escaped," he said.

"I'm aware."

"They're coming for me."

"Indeed," the face said.

"Aren't you worried? Why don't you do something about it?"

"My life isn't at risk. They don't know who I am."

Harlow became angry. The face couldn't care less what happened to him.

"What if I told them?"

"Dr. Harlow," the face said, "I don't respond to threats. If you deviate from my instructions, I will throw you to the wolves, body and soul."

"I don't understand why you're doing this. I never have. What's your angle?"

"Just work on your precious spacesuit. Your small, selfish mind is incapable of understanding my objectives."

Harlow clenched his fists. He was being played for a fool, but there was nothing he could do about it. The face held all the cards. Sneaking into Heaven was the only way to escape eternal damnation, and he couldn't pull that off without the face's help.

"What happens after I finish the suit? You haven't told me where the new passage is."

"I've decided you'll use an old one," the face said. "It's famous actually. The Rocket to Heaven ride at Aladdin's Castle."

"What is that?"

"A children's amusement park. It's quite lovely. The ride is guarded by an old man who isn't really a man at all. Now pay attention. This is what you must do...."

* * *

Kyle parked the ambulance behind the telephone exchange building where Cat and Mei were stationed. He had already turned off the sirens and lights. He tucked the vehicle into some nice dark shadows where it wouldn't be seen from the road.

Everybody got out. A chilly breeze was blowing, and it cut through the lightweight paramedic costume Kyle was still wearing. The team walked around to the front of the small building. Their stolen minivan was parked in the tiny lot.

He knocked on the door. "It's me."

Cat opened the door. She was smiling, and her perfect white teeth almost gleamed. She surprised him by giving him a hug.

"You made it," she said. "Was it tough?"

"No worse than expected," Virgil said.

Everybody crowded into the building and closed the door. Stacks of computers and telephone switching equipment were all around. There was barely room to move.

"Listen to this," Mei said.

She played a recording of a phone call. Kyle recognized Colonel Knox's voice, and he sounded very tired.

"Nice job," Virgil said. "That answers a few lingering questions."

"Colonel Knox took the call at the Riverside Cavalry Church of Christ," Mei said. "The church has been closed for a few years. I called the owner, and he said new renters just took possession of the place."

"Great. We'll drive through the night and should be there by morning. We already have all the weapons we need. Capturing Colonel Knox is a primary objective, but I'm most interested in talking to Dr. Harlow. He is the key to this mystery. Move out."

Kyle sighed. He would be sleeping in the car again, but at least he would get some sleep. That was a luxury on a mission.

* * *

Colonel Knox took a big gulp from his cup of coffee. He didn't know how much coffee he had drunk during the long night, but it certainly wasn't a healthy amount.

Ground and satellite photos of the Aladdin's Castle Amusement Park were spread out across his desk. He had drawn a red circle around the Rocket to Heaven ride in the back corner of the park. According to Dr. Harlow, it was the secret portal.

That fact had made Knox wonder what was really going on. Why would aliens hide a gateway to their home world in a kiddie ride? Were the opposition really aliens at all? He still hadn't seen the slightest evidence of advanced technology. The four strangers certainly had extraordinary physical abilities, but that observation didn't necessarily imply they were aliens.

Knox couldn't think of a credible alternative though. He pushed aside his doubts and focused on the photographs. He had made a career out of fighting onward in the face of doubt.

He couldn't ignore his security problems as easily. He had to make sure nothing interfered with the final experiment of the Crusader Special Unit. A successful result might salvage his career, and failure would certainly doom him. Keeping out the civilians would be easy, but if the police got involved, he might have another Navy Pier situation on his hands. He couldn't let that happen.