Part 47 (1/2)
”Nothing's been triggered,” Cliff said. ”Stop worrying. They're probably just trying to figure out where to go, since there's all of one way.”
Realized what Cliff's weakness was-he'd spent too long being the smartest. He had the person he viewed as his only rival captured and essentially helpless, and that was making him sloppy.
However, this was a chess game. And the thing I'd learned about chess was that even when your opponent seemed overconfident, it could actually be a ruse to make you foolhardy.
So it could easily be that Cliff knew we were in the hall and was baiting us. Because Lopez didn't come to the doorway. Meaning the a.s.sa.s.sins had told them about me and what I'd done to them. Meaning that all the boyfriend c.r.a.p was to bait me into racing in there to protest that I was a good, faithful wife.
There had been a grate in the first room, too high up to investigate. However, there could easily have been a camera up there, meaning that Cliff knew that all of us were here. And he also knew we were weaponized in some way.
But all the a.s.sa.s.sins really knew was that I was h.e.l.la strong. And while Alfred had used hyperspeed while we were in the room, what it would show on camera is him suddenly having a duffel where he'd had nothing before. Meaning that Cliff might think we possessed some sort of super attractor or had had the duffel camouflaged.
In this world, there were no superheroes, after all. Just Alfred, who'd spent decades hiding, and me. They didn't know what hyperspeed was, because humans couldn't see someone going as fast as the two of us could. And there was no way any human would be able to see me going at Full Rage Level. And since Bernie had slapped Jamie, I'd gone well beyond that level of rage.
Put the big gun down carefully, took Stripes off my shoulder, and handed him carefully to c.o.x. ”There's a pressure plate two steps away,” I said in the softest whisper I could. c.o.x and Alfred both nodded. Cantu opened his mouth and I put my hand over it. ”Beyond that I'm not sure. Stay here and don't come in unless it's obvious that I need you.”
Really wanted to hear some music. Didn't think I could take the time to dig out the iPod. But Alfred had said the transmitters worked via our brainwaves. Concentrated. For this kind of battle, I wanted the song I'd used when I'd taken out the former Diplomatic Corps in the Parisian dungeon.
The sounds of Tina Turner's ”Steel Claw” started up. Amazing. No wonder Alfred had every patent in his name in our world-he was a freaking miracle worker.
Picked up my big gun. Then, Tina rocking in my ears, I took a deep breath, jumped over the pressure plate, and kicked my hyperspeed up to eleven.
CHAPTER 72.
MANAGED TO KEEP my jaw from dropping, but only just. ”What's up, Kitty?” Stryker asked. ”You look like you've seen a ghost.”
The Ghost of Bad Fas.h.i.+ons and Worse Hygiene Past, but managed not to say that, either. ”Just been a long day.” That was certainly true.
”We're in a hurry,” Martini said.
Stryker rolled his eyes. ”When aren't you?”
”Don't mouth off to him like that,” I snapped. One of the guys, who was wearing sungla.s.ses, jerked and swiveled his head toward me. Right, that was Yuri Stanislav and he was indeed blind. He also looked a little freaked out.
”You're in a mood,” Stryker said, shooting me a baleful look. ”Still a little sensitive about s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g things up with Australia?”
”You'll fix it,” one of the other guys, who faded memory told me was Ravi Gaekwad, said. The Beauty Queen was sitting on his desk and it appeared they were an item. No accounting for taste, but whatever. At least Ravi looked normal. Looked at Stryker again. Ravi looked incredibly good by comparison.
”Thanks. We need to get moving,” I said to Martini, in part to avoid staring at Stryker. He hadn't looked like this for years now, not since I'd convinced him that a bestselling author should take a modic.u.m of care with his personal hygiene and wardrobe.
To see that what I considered First Iteration Stryker was apparently Only Iteration Stryker in this world was unsettling at best and horrifying at worst. And the hope that maybe he wasn't an author here was dashed by looking at the shelf above his head-where all twelve books in the Taken Away series were prominently and proudly displayed.
”Right.” Martini hustled us over to what looked like a big computer server but which, when the front was opened, turned out to be empty. Martini fiddled with something I couldn't see and I realized there was a gate inside. Clever. Why they had to hide it in their own building was beyond me, but like so many things alien, I just went with ”whatever.”
”We're set for a noon meeting, meaning they're going to let you guys break bread with them,” James said. ”This is good. But we're pretty sure they expect us to blow it again. Plan for press to be there in full force.”
”We'll handle it.” I would have defended our plan, such as it was, but I was too busy eavesdropping on the guys Martini said my CA called Hacker International. They were speaking softly, but I caught the gist-Yuri thought I sounded wrong. And he wanted to call t.i.to in to check and see if I was an android.
The other four were readying to tackle me in an effort to ensure that I couldn't harm anyone or steal Jamie. Which was rather heroic, all things considered. However, it would mean that, in order to explain what was really going on, we'd have to tell even more people what was going on, and I knew that wasn't in anyone's best interests.
Yuri hadn't reacted to the first thing I'd said. He'd reacted when I'd told Stryker not to be rude to Martini. Meaning that it wasn't the sound of my voice but the words I was saying or the tone I'd used, or both, that had made Yuri react.
Time to go back to high school, which Charles and I had been in when he'd first found Stryker. ”What are the five of you whispering about like you're in grade school?” I asked as I went over to them. ”You'd better not be watching p.o.r.n on our time.”
”Ah, Kitty,” Yuri said. ”Why don't you let us hold Jamie for a minute?”
”Because I don't trust any of you not to drop her on her head. Seriously, what's up with all of you?”
”Sounds like Kitty to me,” Stryker muttered.
”Yuri might be right,” a small Chinese guy who I was fairly sure was named Henry Wu said nervously.
”I don't know,” Ravi sounded worried. ”Might be her. Might not be.”
”Oh my G.o.d, seriously? This is what the powwow is about? It's me. I had a concussion in case you didn't register that. Sorry if I'm not making your days with witty banter right now. We're in the middle of a crisis.”
”When aren't you?” the tall black guy, who memory shared was Big George Lecroix, asked. ”But, just to make everyone feel comfortable, what do you call us?”
”You mean besides my favorite idiots? Hacker International.”
Big George shrugged. ”Works for me.”
”Great,” James said, coming over. ”While we'll have several hours to kill before your luncheon, let's kill them in Australia, shall we?” He put his hand on my back and steered me back to Martini. ”Now, if we can start going through and actually get to Sydney Base, that would make everyone, the President and myself in particular, happy.”
”We're ready, James.” Martini indicated that the others should start walking through. Which they did. The slow fade was unsettling to watch, so I didn't.
”Do we carry Jamie through?” I asked him quietly.
”Yep. I'll be carrying both of you.” He grinned and kissed the top of my head. ”You never have to go through a gate alone unless I'm not around, baby.” Noting Yuri noting this exchange.
It took what seemed like forever but really was only about two minutes for everyone else and all the luggage to go through. Evalyne and Phoebe wanted to go last, but Martini overruled them.
”Are they trustworthy?” I jerked my head toward the hackers. If they were the same as or better than I remembered, then these were probably the best hackers in the world right now, meaning they were extremely smart in a lot of ways. Ways that might help me.
”Your CA thinks so, yeah.”
”Yuri suspects. I think I can keep them from blowing my cover, if it's okay.”
He sighed. ”Make it fast.”
Handed Jamie to her father and went over to the hackers. ”Yuri's right,” I said softly. ”But I'm not an android. I'm in Bizarro World, and your Kitty's changed places with me. I don't know how to get back and I'm not sure that she does, either. Can you work on that while we're in Australia?”
”I knew it!” Yuri said triumphantly. The others looked interested and freaked out in about equal measures. But none of them looked like they didn't believe me, and that was good.