The Aegis Solution (27 page)

"No, I'm not. That's what the man told me."

"So that's what they are doing over there?"

"Not anymore."

Elias started to speak; then he figured the rest of it out. "Phase Two."

Tillie nodded. "They don't need the virtual reality now. They have their first crop of graduates who
do everything a lot faster than we do. They still have newborns there. And they are still enhancing them,
but now they have a staff of Zippers who take care of the new ones. Many of the Zippers are old
enough to be getting together and creating little Zippers."

Tillie giggled and added, "Sorry. It's not funny. But every time I think about them making little
Zippers, you know, I visualize them…. Never mind."

Elias shook his head. "It is a funny image. But back to your rescue. I've seen what the Zippers did
to the thugs who tried to grab me when I first got here. How were you able to get me out of there?"

"Thanks a lot. What are you, a chauvinist? You don't think I just jumped in and overpowered
them?"

Before Elias could protest, she stopped him. "I'm kidding. Actually, it's pretty simple if you think
about it. They zip around real fast, right?"

"Yes."

"So, therefore, they have accelerated metabolisms, like hummingbirds."

"Makes sense."

"That's what I thought. I call it the Hummingbird Effect because every hypothesis should have a
name. So I did a little research in my library." With a swing of her arm, Tillie indicated a row of three
mismatched bookcases off to the side, which he had not seen before. They were all overfilled with
literature and textbooks.

"What I thought was that if they were running so fast internally, they would be susceptible to drugs
at a level which wouldn't bother us."

"Very clever."

"Gee, thanks," she said sarcastically, before continuing. "I have a few medical books here. One has
a great section on anesthesiology. I basically put together the same gases they use to put us under in the
infirmary for surgery, Desflurane and Sevoflurane, and loaded them in an aerosol dispersal device. I use
the Desflurane for the up-close work because it is less irritating to my mucous membranes."

Elias was amazed. "An aerosol dispersal device?"

With a broad grin, Tillie stood up and crossed the room, opening a door on a tall metal cabinet.
She reached in and removed a balloon partially filled with a liquid.

"It's a water balloon," she explained proudly.

Elias laughed. "Ingenious."

"I fill up the balloon part of the way with water. I have the pressurized tanks with the anesthesia
and use them instead of air to inflate the balloon. I need the water in the balloon so it will burst when
I throw it. I still have to throw it real hard, and it's more reliable if I hit something sharp, but it works."

"Tillie, I'm impressed."

She reacted to his heartfelt compliment immediately, beaming. "They work fairly well. One or two
balloons in the area where there is a Zipper, and he drops within seconds."

"Won't Kreitzmann figure it out soon and give them gas masks?"

She shrugged. "Probably. I've only used them a couple of times. Well, three, counting my first test.
And I've always made a point of picking up the broken rubber from the balloon so all they find
afterward is a wet spot and unconscious Zippers. Rescuing you was the first time I did it in front of a
non-Zipper witness."

"The receptionist."

"Right. So I'm not sure how many more times they'll be useful."

Elias thought of something. "Did you drop your little gas bombs from above?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm guessing, since we are in the air system of Aegis, that you utilize the plenum to move from area
to area."

"I do. It also allows me to watch and listen through the return air grilles."

"I understand. But if you opened a grille in front of the receptionist to drop your balloons, she
would have seen that and told her boss. They'll be checking this system right now and will find us
soon."

Tillie rolled her eyes. "I was kidding before, but either you really are a male chauvinist or maybe I
just look that stupid."

"I am not a male chauvinist!"

"Okay. Then I guess I have a stupid face."

"You don't have…."

She interrupted, "I didn't use the plenum. I was standing near the entrance door, waiting for you.
You know there is no lock or security there. Kreitzmannstein has such a massive ego he doesn't think
he needs it. When I heard you go thundering into the room, I knew they wouldn't let you leave. I
chucked the balloon into the room from the doorway. They had only sent one Zipper, and he fell like
a dead tree. I ran in, made the woman at the desk tell me where your guns were, grabbed them, grabbed
you, and skedaddled."

"You did all of that by yourself?"

Seeing the look on her face return, he held up his hands defensively and added, "Not that you
couldn't have. I'm sure you could lift me over your head with only one arm. I was merely wondering.
I mean, dragging me up to the plenum to get me here would be a little tough, even for Wonder
Woman."

With a smirk, she said, "You're right. I had some help."

"Help? Who? Was it Wilson?"

Reaching out, Tillie patted him on the arm. "All in good time, Mr. Death. Just because I rescued
you doesn't mean that we know you well enough to share the whole membership roster with you."

"I understand. I wouldn't either in your shoes. And please stop calling me that."

"How about some apple juice?"

"Sure, that would be great," Elias answered, shaking his head in frustration.

He watched her as she walked to the refrigerator and pulled out the bottle. "If you don't mind my
asking, how did you get all of this stuff?"

Over her shoulder, she asked, "Do you like it?"

"I do. It's all beautiful. But I didn't think they would have the type of stores in Aegis where you
could pick up decorating items."

"They don't." She returned with two full glasses and set them on the coffee table in front of the
sofa. "Would you like to move over here? Sitting up would probably be good. Think you can make it?"

Elias stood slowly, wobbling for a moment. Tillie, seeing this, started to come over but he waved
her off. "I can do it. Give me a second."

In a moment, his head cleared and he was able to walk the five paces to the sofa, dropping heavily
into the overstuffed cushion.

With a deep sigh, he said, "There! Made it."

"Congratulations. To answer your question, I've accumulated all of it over the years from newbies."

"People bring in this kind of stuff?"

"This kind of stuff? What kind of a comment is that?"

"I didn't mean it that way. Really. I'm only surprised that people checking in at Aegis would bring
their refrigerator magnets with them."

"People have their favorite items buried with them when they die. Why wouldn't they bring them
here? At least here they know they can look at them again."

"That's true. But how did you get them?"

"Well, I didn't steal them if that's what you mean."

"I didn't…."

"Don't give me that. I saw it in your eyes. You were visualizing me dropping out of the ceiling grille
while people slept and stealing their favorite peacock feather fans."

Elias laughed. "I admit I did briefly entertain that image. Are you sure you aren't a graduate of
Kreitzmann's psychic class?"

She held up both hands, palms facing Elias. "No way! I would never submit to any of his
experiments."

"I'm curious because if people went to the trouble of bringing their prized possessions, their lovely
objects…."

"That's better."

"…into Aegis with them, why would they give them up?"

With a subtle upward jerk of her shoulders, Tillie answered, "I guess they just liked me."

"They just liked you? People spontaneously gave you these things?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes I'd barter with them."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been here a long time. I was one of the first-day group."

"You were?"

"Yes. So, that and, well, another reason – I know my way around. A lot of times the newbies
wanted something and I knew where and how to get it. I'd trade for something they had that I liked. I'm
kind of like that genial character in the old World War II movies who could always procure whatever
his sergeant needed, and nobody ever asked him how he got it.

"People would arrive here with a whole bunch of stuff. They never seemed to mind giving up one
or two of their pieces. The only exception was all the refrigerator magnets. That whole collection was
given to me at once."

"Who would do that?"

"You aren't my only rescue. A very nice lady arrived who had them all packed in one of her
suitcases. I watched her come in and was tracking her when the Zooks…."

"Zooks?"

"That's my name for the ZooCity hooligans. Anyway, they jumped her. God knows what they were
going to do to her. But they never got the chance."

"You are the Wonder Woman of Aegis, aren't you?"

The huge smile again filled her face. "I do what I can. Now it's my turn to ask some questions, if
you feel up to it."

"Fire away."

"Who do you work for?"

"No one. I'm retired."

Her mouth scrunched up in an expression of displeasure. "Okay. So you're going to lie to me. And
after I saved your butt back there."

"I'm not lying," Elias protested emphatically. "I am retired."

"From where?"

Elias looked up at the cast-in-place concrete ceiling, in an unconscious attempt to reduce her ability
to read his mind by looking into his eyes. "A department within Homeland Security."

"Which department?"

He laughed. "One you've never heard of."

"Try me."

"It is called the OCI."

"Office for the Coordination of Intelligence."

"How do you…?"

"Just do," she interrupted. "What did you do there? Before you retired, that is."

Giving up any pretense, he answered, "I ran it."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

Elias nodded.

Without another word, Tillie quickly rose from the sofa and walked to the same cabinet where she
kept her knock-out bombs. From it she withdrew an object which was blocked by her body. With a
flourish, she turned and held it up for Elias to see. It was a square of cardboard with two words printed
on it with a Sharpie. Elias made an involuntary sound as he recognized it as the sign from the video in
Faulk's office. On it were the words – Help us!

"That was you."

She nodded, carefully placing the sign back into the cabinet and closing the metal door. As she
returned to the sofa, Elias asked, "How did you know about the camera there?"

Dropping down, she answered, "As I said before, all in good time. I'm still not one hundred
percent sure I can trust you."

Elias was not certain what direction to take next. She took advantage of his silence by asking, "Why
was it so long before you got here?"

"So long? You only put up the sign a few days ago. I think that's pretty damn quick."

"Not like a 9-1-1 call. Should've been hours, not days."

He shook his head in frustration. "Well, I'm here now."

"Whoopee! The cavalry has arrived, and the first thing that happens is I have to rescue him."

"Thanks."

"Actually, since you've been here, you've been rescued twice. The first time you had to be saved
from the Zooks."

"You were watching?"

"Yes. I've been watching the entrance since I put up the message."

"Why didn't you help me then? Not that I needed it."

"Of course not," she said, rolling her eyes. "I was going to jump in, but the Zippers beat me to it.
I would have if they were going to mess with you, but they didn't."

"Okay! So I haven't gotten off to a great start."

"You could say that again."

"I do have a question for you, though. Since you seem to know everything going on in here, have
you met a man named Eric who would have arrived about two and a half months ago?"

Her brow knitted in thought for a moment. "No. At least not by that name. What does he look
like?"

"About six feet tall, brown hair, brown eyes, dark complexion, average build but in good shape."

"That sounds like about a fourth of the population. Do you have a picture?"

"Not on me, but I do have one back on my laptop."

"We'll have to look at it. When I see his face, I can tell you if he arrived and maybe where he is
now. Who is he?"