by Siegel, Alex
"I found the cipher chip and analyzed the microcode. The radio uses algorithms I've never seen before. It certainly isn't standard military hardware. I'm afraid the math is way beyond me, sir. I can't hack these radios on my own. I need help from the twins."
"They're very busy."
"I know," Perry said, "but two minutes of their time might be enough. I just need them to solve some equations."
Aaron sighed. "I suppose two minutes is acceptable."
Everybody made their way out to the aperture assembly area. Marina now understood what the twins were doing and why it was so important. The aperture would allow them to perform a miracle on a universal scale. It would take them to the place where God lived.
The twins were working on the aperture using high-tech tools. Robotic arms were placing and soldering components faster than the eye could follow. Wesley stood nearby and seemed to be whispering words of encouragement.
"What is the Red Eye radio?" Marina said to Aaron softly.
"A gadget we captured from the enemy," he replied. "Untraceable, unbreakable communication."
"Bethany," Perry said, "I need a moment of your time. There is a file called Red Eye on my computer. It contains ciphers used by a secure radio. Can you please solve the equations?"
Bethany looked at him with her translucent black eyeballs. She was identical to her sister except she wore a diamond necklace with a giant pendant. It was the Eye of Satinia, an heirloom from the Satinian royal family. The girls had been born as princesses. What they were now didn't have a name.
"The equations have no solution in this universe," Bethany said. "An enemy of God devised them."
"The Army is using forbidden technology?" Perry said.
"Yes. It's very dangerous."
Aaron raised his eyebrows. "I guess that makes this a real mission, and the Army is our enemy. It's a little late in the game, but it's nice to know we were on the right track all along. Now we can fight without holding anything back. Still, it doesn't solve the essential problem. Our opposition has a means of communication that we can't intercept or hack. That's a huge advantage for them and a huge problem for us."
Perry was staring at the floor.
"What are you thinking?"
"Breaking the code isn't strictly necessary, sir," Perry said. "If we could plant secondary modulators..."
Aaron raised one eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Basically, bugs in the radios. They would transmit in the clear on a second channel. We could listen to the enemy's communication without them knowing."
"That sounds great, but how do we get the bugs in the radios?"
"Easy," Perry said. "We send out a couple of guys dressed like Army technicians. They drive from unit to unit and 'adjust' the radios. All they need is the right credentials."
Aaron nodded. "Brilliant. I'll send out Smythe. He was in the Army. He can talk the talk."
"And Hanley," Marina said. "He was a Navy Seal once. They'll be a good team."
"It's a plan. Perry, go off and do whatever you need to do to prepare."
"Yes, sir." Perry ran off.
Marina took out her phone. "I just realized. We should call Ethel and tell her the news."
She and Aaron moved away from the crowd. She called Ethel and held up her phone so he could overhear the conversation.
"Hello, Marina," Ethel said. "Are you in Chicago now?"
"Yes, ma'am," Marina said. "Er, I mean, yes. I'm with Aaron, and we have good news. We're married."
It felt strange talking to her former superior. Marina had answered to Ethel for eleven years and had expected to do so until one of them died. Reversing that relationship was almost inconceivable.
"What?" Ethel sounded astonished.
"Wesley performed the ceremony while we stood in the Lord's divine light. It was a beautiful moment."
Ethel was silent for a time. "That's... extremely surprising."
"That's not all," Marina said. "You work for us now. We're the Lord and Lady of the Society." The words still felt strange in her mouth.
She promised herself she wouldn't be mean to Ethel as payback for all the times Marina had suffered under Ethel's command. Marina already knew it would be a hard promise to keep.
"I'm unfamiliar with those titles."
"It means all the legates report to us," Marina said.
"Wesley did this?" Ethel said in a tone of disbelief tinged with anger.
"With God's blessing."
There was another long silence. "I suppose I should be happy for you. Congratulations on your promotion and marriage. I'm certainly glad God chose you two. I wouldn't want to answer to anybody else." She took a breath. "This is fine. I just need a little time to digest the information. I'm an old woman and big changes upset me. It's been quite a day for all of us. Break the news to the other legates gently. They might not take it too well."
"Where are you now?" Marina said.
"Driving through the back country of Virginia on the way to Linville... ma'am. It's not a pleasant ride. If we hit another pothole, I might suffer permanent neck damage. But we'll get there."
"Good luck. Stay in touch. Bye." Marina closed her phone.
She wanted to hear more details about Ethel's adventures, but now wasn't the time. Marina had to focus on her own enormous problems.
She looked over at the aperture. It was a beautifully constructed device, as much art as science. Clearly, the twins would pass through the large opening in the center.
It was surrounded by lesser devices. There was a thing that looked like a coffin standing on end. It was made of polished, silvery metal and had a control panel. Numbers on the display were counting up like a gas pump at a filling station.
"I have a stupid question," Marina said. "Why are the twins still here?"
Aaron furrowed his brow. "Where else would they be? This fortress was built to protect them. I recently upgraded all the defensive systems at great expense. All the legionnaires are here."
"It just seems like they should be somewhere else, a safe place the enemy doesn't know about. We can have our little war here, but the twins don't need to be in harm's way. Unless I'm missing something."
He stared at her with his brooding eyes. She loved how the shadows made him appear dark and mysterious.
He abruptly walked over to the twins and announced, "You're moving tonight. Start packing. I'm sending you and the aperture to Chinatown."
Bethany faced him. Her robotic features didn't seem capable of expressing emotion, but somehow she managed to convey alarm. "That's impossible, sir! All of our equipment is here."
"And by tomorrow morning, it will be there."
"Packing and unpacking will take all night, sir! Some of the devices are very heavy and fragile."
"You'll have as much manpower as you need," Aaron said. "I have a lot of big, beefy legionnaires in this hotel who will haul elephants if I order them to. I understand this move is very inconvenient, and it will slow down the project, but it's necessary. After you're gone, I'll have a lot more strategic flexibility. I can use this hotel as a giant decoy. We can go on offense without worrying so much about protecting our base."
Bethany didn't appear enthusiastic.
"Move! Start packing!"
She and her sister hurried off.
Wesley raised his perfect, little eyebrows. "I'm confused. What's in Chinatown?"
"When we were hunting down Xavier," Aaron said, "I purchased a large building in Chinatown. I convinced him our headquarters was there. After he was killed, I kept the building and refurbished it. At first, it was going to be my backup headquarters, but now I'm planning to make it my primary headquarters. The basement will be the ideal place for the twins to work. It's big, safe, and well hidden."
Marina remembered seeing the place, but she hadn't gone inside. It had been a toxic waste site back then.
"A second stronghold?"
"Yes," Aaron said.
Wesley's eyes widened. "That's what I was missing! This is the
great secret that God kept even from me. Of course! The twins must go there immediately."
"I'm glad you agree," Aaron said uneasily.
"They will need guardians, a special group of legionnaires, the best available."
"I suppose."
"I'll choose them." Wesley had a fierce expression. "When the aperture is activated, the right people must be present. I'll go to Chinatown, too. Yes, this will work!" He clenched his fist triumphantly.
"Hold on! I thought I was in charge."
Wesley stared at him.
"Fine." Aaron shrugged. "We'll call that Group A. Marina will be the commander, and I'll stay here to run the war. Is that all right with you, dear?" he asked Marina. "Are you willing to go to Chinatown and be responsible for the twins' safety?"
"Sure," she said uncertainly, remembering the toxic waste. "What condition is the building in?"
"It has water, power, and everything else. I'll send Nancy along as your guide. The only major deficiency is a lack of defensive weapons, but that shouldn't matter. The enemy will have their hands full fighting me. They won't even think to look for you. You'll have peace and quiet until the project is done."
"Sounds a little boring. You're going to have all the fun."
"I hope that's the case," he said. "Now I just have to figure out how to move a large quantity of people and equipment from here to Chinatown without the enemy noticing. We'll need trucks and a distraction..."
Marina could tell from his expression that a plan was coming together in his big head. She was eager to hear it. This was why the Lord had chosen him.
"Actually," Aaron said, "we'll need three groups. Group A will be the Chinatown team. That's you, Wesley, the twins, the scientists, and the 'special' legionnaires. Basically, anybody we can't afford to lose. Group B will be the Rosemont Tower Hotel defense team which I will command. We will protect this building with every weapon we can muster. Nancy designed this place to hold off an army. We'll see if she did a good job."
"What's the point of that?" Marina said.
"To give the enemy a meaningless objective. The longer I can stretch out the war, the better it is for you. This plan is all about creating confusion and buying time until the aperture is ready. Group C will be the guerilla fighters. They'll go out and harass the enemy with ambushes and sabotage."
"That's the group I want to run. Sounds like fun."
"No." He shook his head. "Group A is a thousand times more important. All our eggs are in that basket. I would really like the Lady of the Society to be in charge."
She pouted. "You're right." She could hardly complain that she was getting an inferior assignment.
He gave her a hug. "But maybe you can have a little fun. We have to ambush a supply convoy tonight. We need more weapons and ammunition. It should be a nice, bloody fight. Do you want to lead that team?"
"Yes." She nodded. "Thanks." He always knew exactly what she needed.
"Anything for my darling bride."
She smiled at him. He kissed her on the lips.
"That leaves the question of who will command group C," Aaron said. "I suppose it should be one of the legates."
"The South American legate," Wesley said. "Leonardo."
Aaron raised his eyebrows. "You're sure?"
The boy nodded. "Yes. It's his destiny. Let's go tell him!" He scampered off.
Aaron, Marina, Charles, and the protection team followed Wesley through the large hotel. They first had to take the secret elevators back to the first floor, and then they had to ride a regular elevator back up.
Marina used the opportunity to call her headquarters in San Francisco. She dialed Min Ho's number.
"Ma'am?" the hacker said. "How are things in Chicago?"
"Very interesting. I'm married to Aaron, and we were both promoted. We're in charge of the entire Society."
"What? I think we have a bad connection."
"You heard me. I'm your boss's boss's boss." She explained in a little more detail.
He paused. "Then who is my boss now?"
"I guess I have to figure that out, but it will wait. The SF legionnaires and I will be stuck here for at least a couple of days. In the meantime, I want all the assistants to stay in headquarters full-time. Olivia needs whatever protection you can give her."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Oh," she said. "One other thing. We left our van in front of the executive terminal at the airport. It has a computer in the back. I took it from the enemy after the fight under the Golden Gate Bridge. Get the computer and analyze the data. There might be an important clue."
"Can it wait an hour, ma'am? We're in the middle of dinner."
"Sure. That mission is temporarily on hold anyway. Take your time. Bye."
Marina put away her phone.
Aaron furrowed his brow. "Golden Gate Bridge?"
"It's a huge mess that still needs cleaning up. Coming here wasn't convenient."
"Blame God for the timing. And who is Olivia? I don't remember somebody with that name on your team."
"Wesley's girlfriend." She smirked.
"Huh?" He stared at her.
"That's right," Wesley said in his musical voice. "And she'll be my wife one day."
"You actually met her briefly," Marina said. "She's the little girl I saved from the tsunami. She can perform a kind of mind control."
Aaron shook his head. "I don't have space left in my brain for more surprising twists. Let's focus on the task at hand. Leonardo is the legate of South America, and he has a rather strident personality. His bodyguard is Débora."
Eventually, they reached the room on the twentieth floor where Leonardo was staying. Aaron knocked firmly.
A woman opened the door, and Marina guessed she was Débora. The legate's bodyguard had a gorgeous mane of brown hair which was tightly braided. Her formal gray robes were more stylishly cut than usual. Knives and guns hung from a leather belt around her waist. She had a huge lump in her throat as if she were in the middle of swallowing a rubber ball, but she didn't appear to be in distress.
"Yes?" she whispered.
"We need to see the legate," Aaron said.
"Come in, please."
"Why are you whispering?"
"When I speak normally," she whispered, "ears bleed."
The crowd entered the hotel room. The suite was as large as an apartment with the bed in a separate room. The furniture was upholstered with black and blue striped fabric. Plush, golden carpet covered the floor. Three big-screen televisions were placed around the suite. A heavily tinted window provided a beautiful view to the east of the Cook County Forest Preserve.
Leonardo was watching a soccer match on television. He was a stunningly handsome man with a perfectly trimmed goatee. Long, black hair went past his shoulders. His skin was a golden brown which suggested long days spent under a tropical sun. He was holding a dark brown drink. He wore a yellow silk shirt with a thin, gold chain around his neck. He looked ready to go to a nightclub instead of war. Marina smelled cologne.
She had never met the South American legate before, but she could already tell she didn't care for him.
Leonardo stood up.
Aaron smiled. "We have good news. You're getting an important assignment."
"I am?" Leonardo furrowed his brow. "By whose authority? I give assignments. I don't receive them!"
"Things have changed."
"Bow to the Lord and Lady of the Society," Wesley said. "Show your respect."
Leonardo looked at the boy. "The what?"
"Your new bosses."
"According to who?"
"The Voice of Truth and the Lord Almighty," Wesley said. "Good enough? Ask God. He'll tell you."
Leonardo had a distant expression. After a moment, his brown face lost a shade of color. He knelt on one knee and lowered his head.
"Mis disculpas, Señor y Señora. How may I serve you?"
"We need a commander to lead a guerilla force into battle," Aaron said. "Are you our man?"
Leonardo looked up. "I was born with a knife between my teeth."
"That must've annoyed your mother." Aaron smiled. "Your assignment is to cause as much havoc as possible. Make our adversaries chase their own shadows until they drop from exhaustion."
Leonardo nodded. "I won't disappoint you, sir, but we need more weapons."
"They're in short supply. You'll have to scavenge the bodies of those you kill."
"Not a problem."
Aaron patted Leonardo on the shoulder. "We'll assign legionnaires to you at the meeting this evening. We'll see you there."
Aaron, Marina, and the rest of their party left the room.
"Can I get something to eat?" Marina said. "I haven't had a bite since breakfast, and it's been a rather busy day."
"Sure," Aaron said. "It will be a great pleasure to feed my new bride, but first, we have to get the ball rolling on the move to Chinatown. We need a lot of big, strong bodies."
She smiled at him.
Chapter Thirteen
Iris's airplane touched down for the second time today. After a seemingly endless flight, she was back in San Francisco.
The airplane taxied over to the executive terminal and parked. She and Laurence walked up to the cockpit.
The pilot turned to her. "Is that all you need, ma'am, or should we fly somewhere else?"
Iris didn't like his tone, but she let it go.
"We're getting off," she said, "but I don't want to leave this jet here. My enemies might notice it. Park it at another airport in the area. I'll call you back when I need a ride."
"Yes, ma'am."
The airport staff placed a staircase against the airplane. Laurence opened the hatch, and he and Iris climbed down to the tarmac.
She led the way to the parking lot on the north side of the terminal. She was looking for a brown van with no windows in the back, and she had a general idea of its location. She had seen the van through the eyes of the woman with red hair, and the memory was still fresh.
The parking lot in front of the executive terminal was very large, so it took some wandering back and forth, but she eventually found the van. She put her face against the window and peeked inside. The interior looked right, and bulletproof windows were additional confirmation.
