by Doug Solter
The white Peugeot gunned its engine and smashed into the back of the next car, shoving it out of the way. The driver swung a hard left and raced down an alley.
Emma’s head jerked back as Miyuki launched the motorcycle in between the two remaining cars and scrambled into the alley.
The Peugeot picked up speed. So did Miyuki. Her bike was gaining. The girl’s unrestrained hair whipped Emma’s cheeks and eyes without mercy.
Without slowing, the white Peugeot flew through an intersection where the alley met another road. A truck barely missed them.
Miyuki raced through the same intersection as cars slammed on their brakes to avoid them.
Emma and Miyuki zoomed down another alley, still gaining on the Peugeot.
The car slammed on its brakes, creating a burning rubber smell inside the narrow alley.
Miyuki slowed the cycle. Emma wondered what the car was doing. Were they surrendering?
The Peugeot’s white backup lights glowed. The engine raced, creating another smell of rubber as the car hurtled itself…at them.
Miyuki kicked the rear tire out and skidded the bike to a stop. The narrow alley was only big enough for the car. There was no way to drive around them.
The car picked up speed.
“Miyuki!” Emma said.
“Do you have your purse?”
Emma touched it. She almost forgot it was there. “Yes.”
“Use your Forest Fire mascara.”
“My what?” Emma was confused. “You want me to do your eyes right now?”
“No. Don’t use on eyes. Use on them.”
Emma thought Miyuki had lost it. But then it dawned on her. That gadget training guide Emma was given to read by Mrs. B and didn’t. Cosmetic Weapon Tactics.
“Hurry.” Miyuki planted her leg and spun the back wheel around, swinging the bike around to face the opposite direction.
The Peugeot closed on them.
Emma searched through her purse. Red-hot lipstick. Sleeping Beauty face cream. Raise the Roof rouge. Forest Fire mascara.
Miyuki accelerated. Emma hoped they could outrun the car and not have to rely on her to save them. But a loud crack and the whiz of a bullet reminded Emma that these men didn’t need a car to kill them.
Emma took out the mascara and popped it open. It looked normal. How did she set it off? Oh, why didn’t she read that stupid book!
“How do you use it?”
“Instead of pulling out brush, push down on the top three times,” Miyuki yelled. “It should beep.”
A bullet ricocheted off the handlebar, barely missing Miyuki’s hand.
Emma pressed the top three times and it beeped.
“Now what?”
“Explodes in three seconds.”
“Three?” Emma threw it behind her. The eyeliner popped like a firecracker. Emma glanced back and saw smoke pouring from the container as it filled the tunnel with a black cloud.
Miyuki went flat out down the alley until she reached another open crossroad. Miyuki skidded the bike to a stop.
The girls listened.
Smoke poured from the alley and obscured their vision, but there was the unmistakable sound of metal scraping against stone. The driver couldn’t avoid hitting the narrow walls if he couldn’t see them. Then a loud crunch of steel. The Peugeot’s engine revved up and down in a strange manner.
Soon the sounds of metal being abused stopped.
“He’s stuck in the alley,” Miyuki said.
The engine died and a round of heavy coughing echoed from inside as men’s shoes clattered against the stones.
Miyuki kicked the stand out with her foot and climbed off the motorbike. “Better get ready to kick some butt.”
Emma caught herself breathing hard, the adrenaline percolating through her veins. But she was ready, especially with Miyuki by her side. Emma climbed off the bike and got into a fighting stance.
The girls waited.
The footsteps became distant.
Miyuki inched her way into the alley still hazy from the smoke. She coughed and Emma ran up behind her with a Kleenex covering her mouth. She gave one to Miyuki. They peered into the alley and could make out the outline of the Peugeot. It was slightly crooked with part of its left back bumper sandwiched against the wall of the alley. The opposite front right bumper was mashed against the other side of the wall.
There was no sign of the men.
“They ran out the other side,” Miyuki said, disappointed.
Chapter 14
The morning sun lifted above the Seine as Paris woke up to a new day. Since Nadia’s laptop had been stolen, the Gems tracked down a web café near their hotel. They huddled around a public computer with a web cam as Nadia inserted a thumb drive that contained an encrypted Authority program that scrambled their IP address and location. She told Emma that the program would also erase their digital footprint from the public-use computer. Emma didn’t quite understand what the girl was saying, but trusted Nadia knew what she was doing.
The Gems first placed a video conference call with Ben in California. It was around midnight there. Olivia explained to him about what they’d found out and asked him about the decision not to confront AgEurope or Raymond Foods about the modifications.
“Yes, Emma’s father offered to fly the engineers back to California so we could discuss those modified schematics with our lawyers. Those unauthorized modifications could have liability consequences for our company, not to mention ruin AirTech’s reputation if they caused an accident or an explosion. Are you implying that Jacqueline Boyay and Raymond Foods are involved in some kind of conspiracy?”
“We only know she’s involved somehow, Mr. Gooden,” Olivia said. “Do you know why Raymond Foods would make these modifications? It doesn’t make any sense to us, but we’re not engineers.”
Ben glanced to the side at another screen, looking over the schematics Nadia had sent him. He shook his head. “Part of this modification uses sprinklers in the seed storage area. Which doesn’t make sense because those vaults are all airtight.”
“What does that mean?” Emma asked.
“Air pumps remove all the oxygen from the vaults when there’s no one inside. It’s like a vacuum sealing a bag of frozen meat you want to store in the freezer for a long period of time. The vacuum inside the vault protects the seeds. The strange thing is…you can’t have a fire without oxygen, so why put fire sprinklers in a place a fire can’t exist?”
“Yes,” Nadia said. “And why risk the sprinklers leaking water into a controlled environment designed to eliminate the chance for mold to grow?”
“Thanks for the info, Ben,” Emma said. “We’ll keep you in the loop if we find anything else.”
“All right. You should call your grandma. She’s worried.”
Emma bet she was more than worried. “I will, Ben. Thanks!”
They closed down the video call and the connection. Olivia took her phone and walked outside to contact Mrs. B at her special number for further instructions. Emma, Miyuki, and Nadia bought some coffee, tea, and baguettes, then found a table. Emma’s sleepy brain welcomed the caffeinated liquid. She’d barely slept last night due to hearing gunshots in her sleep.
“Last night, you upset Olivia.” Nadia sipped her tea. “Taking off on that motorbike like that. So dangerous.”
Miyuki scoffed. “We needed more answers. Capturing that man would help.”
“Those answers aren’t worth sacrificing your life. Or Emma’s.”
“She jumped on the bike to help me. Wouldn’t you do the same?”
“Of course. But—it was too reckless. You’re always so reckless.” Nadia drank her tea.
Miyuki nibbled on her baguette, her face sad.
“Where did you learn to ride a bike like that?” Emma asked.
Miyuki cheered up instantly. “I do motocross in Japan. Competed in events. When I was a little girl, I used to ride my bicycle everywhere in town. Then I discovered motorcycles. They go much fas
ter than bicycles.”
“Did you really blow up your boyfriend’s motorbike?”
Miyuki grinned at her baguette. “Maybe.”
“Maybe? What’s the story behind that?”
“He cheated on me with girl from another school. He wasn’t on his motorcycle when I did it,” Miyuki said, “but it did make him pee-pee in his pants.”
Even Nadia smiled at that one.
Olivia entered the café and found their table. She paused at the food. “Did no one get anything for me? I could’ve been a bit peckish, you know.”
“Sorry,” Nadia said.
Olivia joined them. “I spoke with Mrs. B and she wants us to go back to America and pay Mr. Ron Raymond a visit.”
Nadia sliced her own baguette in half and placed one half on a paper napkin next to Olivia. “Does Mrs. B suspect he knows what Jacqueline’s plans are?”
“Either that or could give us a clue as to why.” Olivia took the gift baguette and smeared it with some butter before taking a bite. “I’ll book us a private jet tonight, courtesy of Mr. Gooden. That way we can fly straight to Kansas City.”
“No,” Emma said. “I want to fly commercial again.”
“It wastes so much time. We’d have to change planes and wait for hours at airports. Quicker if we fly direct.”
“I know. But I’d feel safer.”
“I’ll check the plane myself after the pilot does, love.”
“She’s a registered pilot, Emma,” Nadia added.
“No, I’d feel better on a commercial plane.”
Olivia scoffed. “You’re a young American heiress traveling abroad. They always take private jets. It’s part of your cover.”
“We can fly commercial,” Miyuki said. “No biggie.”
Olivia stared at Miyuki, but the Japanese girl didn’t flinch.
“Perhaps we should,” Nadia said, her eyes reaching out for Olivia’s approval. “If it would make Emma more comfortable.”
Olivia threw up her hands. “Fine. We’ll leave in the morning and waste hours getting there, then.”
***
The Airbus 380 aircraft boasted two passenger decks and seats for up to 538 passengers. It amazed Emma that something so big could fly way above the clouds. The Air Global first-class section of seats were divided into a one-two-one layout. Olivia booked two rows of middle seats together, picking Nadia as her seatmate while leaving Miyuki with Emma. The chairs were huge and comfy with plenty of private space in front to put up one’s legs and relax. The chair itself even reclined to form a nice bed. Before takeoff, the first-class steward came by with complimentary wine. But the girls were offered orange juice.
Miyuki removed the privacy screen between their two seats, and for once, Emma didn’t mind.
“Look. Complimentary slippers.” Miyuki giggled and showed them off on her feet. “I feel like English princess.”
“I can see you in this beautiful pink dress,” Emma said. “Wearing your hair up in a tiara…as you sit on top of a motorcycle.”
Miyuki covered her mouth and laughed. “You’re so funny.” The girl let her laugh fade before gazing at Emma with her gentle eyes.
“What?”
“I’m happy you joined the Gems. We needed a girl like you.”
“What kind of girl am I?”
“The kind of girl that jumps on the back of a motorcycle with me. Please don’t misunderstand, if I needed them, Olivia and Nadia would be there for me. We’ve been through a lot together in a short amount of time, but Nadia and Olivia are close and…they don’t get me sometimes,” Miyuki said. “I like to have fun. I don’t like sitting around and worrying about things. What’s the point? Every new day is a gift and I want to bathe myself in it like sunlight and have it warm me up inside.”
Emma wished she saw life like that. It must be amazing. She hoped some of Miyuki’s attitude would rub off on her.
“A gift, huh? That’s an interesting way of looking at it.”
“You disagree?”
“Seeing my grandma at breakfast every day is a gift,” Emma said. “She’s healthy now, but she’s old. I worry that…someday I’ll wake up and not see her there making breakfast. Bad enough my dad…”
A wave of sadness crashed against Emma, choking off her words.
“I understand,” Miyuki said.
Emma swallowed back the tears. “I keep…I keep losing the people that I love. My mom. My dad. Grandma might be next. I want it to stop.”
“I’m afraid you can’t stop death.”
“But why me? What did I do? Everyone else gets to have their parents around, but I feel like I’m being punished for some horrible sin.” Emma lay back in her chair, letting her head sink into the leather. She didn’t want to dump her problems all over her new friend. Emma feared she would push Miyuki away like she did everyone else in her life.
Miyuki softened and took off her seat belt. “Would you like a hug before takeoff?”
Emma wiped her cheek and nodded.
The four jet engines spooled up before the tractor pushed their aircraft from the gate. In fifteen minutes, the large plane soared into the air and headed west towards the Atlantic Ocean.
Emma thought about listening to music, but chose to read for a while. She’d just bought A Howl in Space, the second book in the thrilling Star Wolf sci-fi werewolf series, and couldn’t wait to get started. Miyuki selected a street racer video game from the plane’s entertainment system menu. She wore headphones, but still squealed with delight every time her car did a wicked slide or huge jump.
After a while, Emma felt the orange juice and bottle of water she’d drunk at the airport collecting down in her basement. She placed her bookmark and unfastened her seat belt.
Miyuki slipped off her headphones. “Am I bothering you?”
“No, just going for a walk.” Emma flashed a smile as she stood in the aisle. Emma waved as she walked past Olivia and Nadia, who were curled up in their seats having a deep conversation. Most likely about her.
Emma reached the first-class lounge. A tasteful display of donuts, muffins, cheeses, and breads were set up on the counter. Another steward prepared bottles of liquor for the bar. One older passenger sat on the couch, enjoying his French newspaper.
Emma took care of business in the lavatory. She washed her hands and checked her face in the mirror. The morning disaster look she’d worn at the hotel was gone. Her face looked okay, but those strands of blond hair went every which way but straight. Emma had left her purse in the seat, so she tried to tame the rebellious strands with her fingers. It wasn’t working. Emma remembered the hair scrunchie she still had in her pocket. She pulled back her unruly hair into a large ponytail and tied it off. Emma was satisfied and stepped out of the lavatory. She stopped by the display of cheese and took a nibble. Then another little nibble. It was good cheese.
“They’re both out cold,” a hushed yet tense voice said.
“What do you mean? Both pilots?” a louder voice asked.
Emma stopped chewing. She approached the forward passageway the crew used to access the cockpit. Two flight attendants were there and looked scared.
“I went up to the cockpit and the door was open. The copilot is on the floor near the door as if he struggled to unlock it before he passed out.”
“And Captain Ashcroft? She’s out too?”
The other nodded. “I think the plane is on autopilot, but…do you know if anyone on the crew has flying experience?”
Emma’s heart was beating so fast she couldn’t breathe. Was this how her dad had felt when he knew it was hopeless? When her dad had known he was going to die? Emma felt her legs giving out, so she dropped into a chair. Her brain replayed her father’s accident as if she’d been there. The screams. The terror. Her father fighting for control of the aircraft…and losing. The images were fast and furious, beating her up inside.
“Don’t tell the passengers,” the older flight attendant said with renewed professionalism, her years of t
raining coming out in full force. “Go to each member of the crew and tell them the situation. See if we can find someone with flying experience. Meanwhile, I’ll get on the radio and declare an emergency.”
The younger attendant walked into the lounge without seeing Emma. She whispered to the steward setting up the bar. His face turned white as he shook his head. The attendant left and the steward ran off too.
They were scared, Emma thought. Just like she was.
“No wonder you didn’t come back.” Miyuki bounced into the lounge, eying the food. “Mmm, blueberry muffins. Look fresh too.” Miyuki saw Emma’s face and knelt. “Are you okay?”
Emma laid her hands on Miyuki’s shoulders to brace her for the news. “Both pilots have passed out. The flight attendants were just talking about it. They need someone to fly the plane.”
Miyuki absorbed the news.
Emma shook her. “Don’t you understand, Miyuki? I’ll never make it to my seventeenth birthday because we’re all going to die horrible deaths.”
Miyuki grinned.
Emma couldn’t believe it. The end was coming and this girl thought it was funny?
“Don’t be silly,” Miyuki said. “We know a pilot. Olivia! She can fly this plane.”
Emma’s mind recycled the info. Yes! It was in Olivia’s bio. She could fly planes. And even helicopters!
“C’mon.” Miyuki grabbed Emma and ran down the aisle to where Olivia and Nadia were.
Miyuki stood there shaking with excitement.
Olivia caught her eyes. “What are you all giddy about, love?”
“Ha!” Miyuki clapped her hands together. “Guess what you get to do today.”
Chapter 15
Olivia couldn’t believe what Miyuki told her about the pilots. It sounded like her friend was explaining the plot to a Hollywood movie, not real life. Certainly not her life. Olivia turned and glanced back into the cabin. She could see the crowded business and economy sections. A mother and a little girl were playing a card game. There must be a lot of families on this plane.
Olivia took note of Emma’s face, the color drained from her skin. No doubt this situation created a major panic inside her due to her father’s accident. Now it created a major panic within Olivia too.
