“You looked haunted.”
“The creep who robbed the bank. He’s the same guy who gave me these powers. I need to find him.”
“That doesn’t really explain how you looked.” George says, and rests his bronze chin on his hand as he leans on the table.
“Okay. I’ve been seeing things.” I begin as I try and get it straight in my head. “This guy is a major problem for me. I feel like all I do is try and find this jerk. He’s been on my mind for so long, that I’ve been seeing him in, what I can only describe as nightmares. Only I’m awake.”
He nods as he listens. I tell him about the investigation and the fact that there are really bad people looking for this creep as well.
“So you got to find him first, right?”
“That’s the plan.” I reply. “I was hoping to find some evidence at the bank that might help.”
“Let’s go ask our brothers in blue, cuz.” George says and gets up.
“What, just walk up and ask them?” I ask in disbelief.
“Things work a little different here than the mainland.” George says and winks at me.
I get up leisurely, and follow George out, but not before checking my photo on their pancake wall of fame. I smile proudly as I leave the hotel.
It only takes George twenty minutes to locate the police station, then another five minutes sweet-talking the female police officer at the front desk into letting us speak to the chief of police.
“Thanks, George. I’ve got it from here.” I say as the chief holds his office door open for me.
“Take it easy, cuz. Mahalo.” George waves goodbye, and I enter the office of the chief of police.
It’s a simple office. Some filing cabinets, a plain wooden desk with a desk lamp. The white blinds are half-drawn, and they cast a stripy shadow over the rest of the small room.
“So, you need to see some evidence, I hear?” The chief asks as he sits down behind his desk.
I take the chair opposite and sit down. The chief has a slight Japanese look to him. Slight greying around his temples, but it used to be black. He has this kind but wise look in his eyes. Reminds me of a young Mr. Miyagi.
“I need to take some evidence.” I correct him.
“While the investigation continues, that is quite impossible.” He answers casually.
“I know who robbed the bank. So do you. I caught this clown once, I can catch him again. But I need your help.” I reply.
His eyes narrow as he looks at me.
“I am legit.” I say. “You can call the F.B.I. and ask them who I am.”
“I know who you are Cosmic Girl. But I cannot help you.”
I spend the next ten minutes laying it all down for him. The meteorites, the terrorists, the fact that this guy is a murderer and is clearly unhinged.
“The clock is ticking.” I tell him.
“Just one second.” He says and picks up the phone.
I can hear Agent Forest’s southern drawl on the other end of the phone when it’s picked up. He swivels his chair around and looks out of the window as he talks to Agent Forest.
“Oh. Really? When?” The chief says and sits back in his chair. He still has his back to me, so I can’t see his face, but his voice sounds very concerned. “How many? Oh, dear. That’s not good. Yes, I’ll tell her. Thank you, Agent Forest. Mahalo.”
It’s a few seconds before his chair slowly turns, and his grave expression is not good. “Bad news, I’m afraid.” He begins, then gets up and opens his office door. “Wendy, can I have a cup of coffee, please. Oh, and get me case file, Hotel-Zulu-niner-two-seven.” Then he closes the door and walks slowly to his desk and sits back down. “You’ll get to see the evidence, but that is all I am willing to permit.”
“The bad news?” I ask, and motion with my hand for him to get on with it.
“You’re needed on the mainland. There’s been a jailbreak, apparently.”
“A jailbreak? Which jail?” I ask.
“The supermax facility in Colorado.”
Thirteen
Whoa. Supermax facility? Who do they hold in there? And what’s worse, who broke out?
A lady in her forties enters carrying a white mug of steaming coffee and a pale brown file. She barely looks at me as she hands the mug and file to the chief. She turns on her heel and marches back out and closes the door behind her.
He takes a sip of his coffee first.
“Ah, that’s better.” He murmurs and puts the mug down and opens the file. “Let’s see. Evidence room D.” He says as he reads the file.
“Well, shall we?” He says, closing the file and getting up. He picks up his mug and carries it as he leaves his office.
I follow him to a small door not far from a water dispenser. He opens it with a key attached to his belt and holds it open for me. I enter and find myself at the top of some metal stairs. He takes another sip of his coffee before closing the door. I hear it lock automatically behind us. He heads down the metal stairs and I follow.
His heavy footsteps make the stairs vibrate under us.
We descend three flights of stairs down before the chief stops at a metal door. He opens it with a key, then pulls it open.
I enter first and wait for him in a plain beige hallway with cream linoleum flooring.
I see various letters and numbers on the doors. The closest one to us is A on the left, and 10 on the right. The chief locks the door behind us and walks ahead sipping his mug of Joe.
“Here we go.” The chief says outside the door marked as D. He unlocks the door, then fumbles for the light switch. The room eventually blazes to life with bright fluorescent tube lighting.
He flips open the file and checks something. “Row G, shelf twenty-three.” He reads, then takes a sip of his coffee before browsing the rows of shelves. He finds what he’s looking for after a few minutes. He puts his mug and file down on a shelf, and pulls down a small square cardboard box. He places it on the concrete floor and lifts the lid. “There it is. All the evidence we found at the bank.”
I crouch down and take a look.
Well, there’s not much. A red button, which could have been from Devlin’s shirt or coat. Some small baggies with what looks like hair or fibers in, and a Baby Ruth candy wrapper.
I look up at the chief with one of my ‘Really?’ looks.
He picks up his mug and takes a sip again. In a nanosecond, I slip the red button down the inside of my right boot. I put the lid back on the box and fake a sigh of frustration.
“Not much to work with, huh?” I say as I stand up and hold the box out to him.
“Not much at all. It happened all so fast. The robbery only lasted a few seconds, really.” He says and takes another sip of his coffee. “Are you finished?”
“Oh, yes. Quite.” I say and smile.
I dangle my feet over the edge of the cliff as I gaze out over the turquoise water below. Laughter floats up to me from below, as people splash in the water at Hanauma Bay. The water is so clear, I can see a couple of reef sharks as they glide through the ocean on the other side of the coral reef. Hundreds of brightly colored fish swim around the coral, as kids splash in the water nearby. The beauty of the scenery makes me sad.
I wish Mitchell were here. This place feels so peaceful. I make up my mind to bring him here someday.
But first, I have a huge problem to solve.
Flying through time zones is weird.
I left Chicago for Hawaii just after 4pm, so it was still light when I got there, which was just after 11am. Now, as I fly back to Illinois, I can see the sky getting darker the further east I fly.
By the time I get to my street, the sky is a magnificent deep red. I change quickly in an alley back into my normal clothes, then walk promptly to my house. The light in the living room is on when I enter.
“Hey, guys. I’m back.” I say cheerily as I drop my backpack by the stairs and enter the living room.
Dad, Mitchell, Beth and Jessica turn around at once when I en
ter. Jessica launches herself at me, wrapping her arms around me.
“Thank god you’re okay.” Jessica murmurs as she hugs me.
“Where the hell have you been?” Dad and Mitchell ask in unison as they frown at me.
I pat Jessica’s back softly. “I’m okay. A little stressed, but I’m okay.” I say and smile.
“You need to stop going off on your own.” Mitchell says as he steps towards me.
“I just needed some air.” I say.
Beth is about to say something, when my cell phone starts ringing. I got one of my favorite tunes as my ringtone, and the music starts blaring from the hallway. I release Jessica and hurry to the hallway and get my cell from my backpack.
Hmm, unknown number. “Hello?” I answer hesitantly.
“Hello again, Cosmic Girl.” This time I recognize the stern male voice. It’s Bill, the government agent.
“Oh, hi Bill. What’s up?” I reply as Mitchell and my dad continue to frown at me.
“We have a problem.” Bill says slowly.
“And I’m currently trying to deal with the last problem you gave me.” I reply, feeling a little irritable.
“Devlin has busted some serious men out from prison.” Bill says.
“You mean the Supermax facility in Colorado? That was Devlin?” I ask.
Okay, now I’m worried.
“Affirmative. Ten officers were killed during the jailbreak, and more than fifteen inmates are in critical condition.”
“How many missing?” I ask.
“Four. I’ve emailed you their files.”
“Whoa! How the hell do you know my email address?”
He just chuckles darkly back at me down the phone.
Damn it, can’t I get any privacy anymore?
I hurry upstairs and open my laptop. Sure enough, there’s an email with attachments waiting for me. I check the email address it came from. I can’t help but chuckle.
“Just read the files. They might help prepare you for when you meet them.”
I open the email and check the attachments.
“Okay, we have one Johnny Kessler. A six foot-four hulking albino bank robber. Nice. Then we have Troy Blueman, a hit man for the mob. Oh, joy. And then we have Walter Schmitt, a six foot-one satanic psychopath, who enjoys kidnapping and murder. Lovely. Last we have Kurt Kaplan, getaway driver and prolific bank robber. Okay. Something tells me that Devlin is planning something.” I say sarcastically as I check their rap sheets.
“These men are extremely dangerous. Do not underestimate any of them.” Bill warns me in his most serious voice.
“Any news on his whereabouts?” I ask Bill.
“Nothing since the break-out this afternoon. Do you have any new leads?” Bill says.
“Maybe. I need to check something. I’ll get back to you.” I say and hang up as Mitchell and Beth enter my bedroom.
“Whoa. Who are these bozos?” Beth asks as she checks my laptop.
“Devlin’s new buddies.” I say.
“I heard about a jailbreak. Are these the ones who broke out?” Mitchell asks.
“Devlin broke them out.” I tell them.
“Oh, man. Two bank robbers, a hit man and a psycho. Great!” Mitchell says in disgust and runs a hand through his hair.
“If Devlin gives them powers, we are in some serious trouble.” Beth says, and Mitchell and I look at each other.
“Oh, crap!” We both say at once.
“So, when did you want to go to L.A.?” Beth says.
I look at her, but the horror of what these guys could do if Devlin gave them powers, is still fresh. I blink and nod my head.
“Right. Tomorrow.” I say.
Fourteen
The next day in school, I try to be on my best behavior. The teachers are looking at me like I’m made of glass, like I’m about to break at any moment. I try to smile and act like I’m fine. The last thing I need right now is concerned teachers wanting to check on my mental health. I’ve got enough problems to deal with. Four hardened criminals and one extremely crazy super-freak running around, plus a whole bunch of terrorists hunting for him as well. My diary was full.
At lunch, I sit down opposite Georgia and slide the red button across the table to her.
“Can you take a look?” I ask quietly, as she looks at the button and puts down her fork.
She looks at me with a shocked expression. “What, here?”
“No one’s watching.” Beth says next to her, and nudges her.
Georgia looks around cautiously for a few seconds, then reaches out and touches the button. Her eyes snap shut and her breathing becomes shallow as she lifts the red button and rubs it between her finger and thumb. Beth’s eyes flicker as she stares off into space.
“Hello. What’s going on here?” Paul says as he joins us, followed by Ryan and Pamela.
I put my finger to my lips.
“Beth?” Paul asks as he sits down next to her. Her eyes flick to him briefly, then Paul nods his head and picks up his hamburger.
“Hey.” Mitchell says as he sits down next to me. Stuart sits down opposite Paul silently, and they bump fists across the table.
I smile up at Mitchell as the first images start to enter my head, courtesy of Beth.
I close my eyes. I see Devlin rip the ATM machine from the wall, then the image stops abruptly and begins to run backwards. Devlin is now putting the ATM back, then takes off into the sky.
Boy, this is weird. The island shrinks as Devlin climbs higher, then we’re through the clouds and flying backwards through clear blue skies.
Okay, now let’s see where you came from.
The sun remains front and center for a few minutes, then the sun disappears quickly to the right. There’s a blinding flash and a mighty boom, then hundreds of metal fragments suddenly coalesce into a fighter jet. I see the fear in the pilot’s eyes, and Devlin’s smiling face reflected back in the jet’s canopy. Then the plane fades from view in seconds and Devlin is flying through fluffy white clouds. A few seconds later and we pass through darker clouds. I hear the rumble of thunder, then Devlin is through and I see the rain and flashes of lightning above us as he descends. Then he’s down and walking backwards through a door into a palatial home.
I see tiled flooring as Devlin continues to walk languidly backwards, then he sits and we see a map spread out on a pink marble coffee table. I see certain areas circled with red marker.
Okay, Beth, stop. Can you hold it? I ask inside my head as I gaze at the map of the world.
The image stops just as Devlin reaches out and points at a red circle.
I stare at the map in my head and check the locations. New York is circled, Chicago is circled, and there are two red circles in the mid-west, but I can’t see the map too clearly. The location that Devlin was pointing at was the one in New York.
My eyes snap open. Everyone at our table is blinking and coming around.
We look at each other, then as one, we all turn to Georgia with big grins on our faces. Beth gives Georgia a big hug.
“That was amazing.” I gush, then remember my hunger and pick up my turkey sub and start eating.
Paul leans forward and winks at Georgia, who blushes and puts the button back down on to the table.
I’m still processing the new information as I slowly chew.
New York, Chicago, the Mid-West? What the hell is Devlin up to?
“You don’t think he’s planning to rob more banks, do you?” Stuart asks as he looks around at our thoughtful faces.
“Maybe. We got some big banks here. New York has some pretty big ones too.” Mitchell says.
The other kids are starting to get up now. I quickly eat and take a sip of my water before I have to get up.
As I walk to my next class with Georgia and Stuart, I try and replay some of the memory in my head. I focus on when Devlin landed and began walking backwards.
He looked down briefly before he took off, and I get a quick glimpse of dirty buildings and hear
the noise of the people below. Some are arguing, I think, it sounds like they’re shouting anyway. But what language is this I hear? I play the memory forward as Devlin steps through the open door, then I recognize the language. Spanish.
“Ah, ha.” I blurt out as I enter the class for Mr. Stein’s Physics class.
“It’s nice to see some enthusiasm, Miss Brookes.” Mr. Stein says as he looks at me.
“Oh, yeah,” I say. “I love the laws of physics, sir.” I add with enthusiasm.
“Especially breaking them.” I hear Stuart say quietly behind me.
We take our seats, and Stuart leans over to me. “What is it?” He whispers.
“I think I know where Devlin is.” I whisper back.
After school, I lead the others to the sidewalk and we huddle.
“Mexico.” I say as they lean in. “I’m sure of it.”
“What do we do? We can’t just bust in there acting all gangster.” Paul asks.
“We’re going. We can’t afford to waste a single second with this creep.” I say. “Who’s with me?” I ask.
“I’m in.” Ryan says and folds his arms. “You’re going to need some firepower, right?”
Cosmic Girl: Looking For Trouble: superhero series for young adults - Book Two Page 10
