by Gini Koch
“Are you still there?” Lee asked. Wasn’t sure if she was up on the Sales Tip of the Ages or just unsure if I’d hung up. Which I was tempted to do, but I took one for the team and stayed on the phone.
“I am, still here, waiting for you to share what proof you have that Thomas Kendrick is acting in a treasonous manner.”
“We’ve seen the robots.”
“And I’ve Seen The Saucers. But since I doubt we’re about to go see Elton John together, let’s have you share more actual information. Who is ‘we’ that is co-accusing?”
“What does Elton John have to do with this?”
“Possibly as much as Thomas Kendrick, since you’re awfully short on details, facts, or anything resembling information. Start with who the ‘we’ is that makes up the ‘you’ that is so concerned for the safety of the world.”
“Janelle, myself, Ansom, Amos Tobin, and several others I don’t believe you’ve met yet.” Tobin was the head of YatesCorp.
“Quinton Cross?”
“Oh. I’m sorry, you must not know. Quinton passed away. Due to the Alien Flu.”
“It’s not the Alien Flu. It’s the disease Clifford Goodman created and released on an unsuspecting populace, which he called the Alien Flu. However, that disease was human-made. Let’s be sure that you and the rest of ‘we’ keep that very, very straight.”
“Ah, yes, yes, I’m sorry.”
“And condolences on your loss.” Losing Cross probably meant that the ick factor in the world had gone down, but that wasn’t an appropriate thing for the First Lady to say, so I wasn’t going to say it. To Lee. To Amy? Hells to the yeah, I’d be sharing this news with her as soon as possible.
“Thank you. That does sort of bring me to the last thing on my list. With Quinton gone, we need to shore up the Gaultier Enterprises Board. We’d really like Amy Gaultier to take her place with them now.”
“It’s Gaultier-White now. And why are you telling me this?”
“You’re her oldest friend, she’s married to your husband’s cousin, and we can’t reach her. If you’d pass along the message and let her know, we’d appreciate it.”
“Talia, you know what’s interesting to me about this request?”
“What?”
“That it’s you making it, not, say, Janelle or Ansom or anyone else connected with Gaultier.”
“Janelle and Ansom are still too broken up over losing Quinton to handle these kinds of calls,” she said quickly. “I’m helping out.”
“How good of you. Thanks for the heads up, I’ll be sure to share the message as soon as I can.”
“Wonderful. Thank you for your time, I hope we get to meet in person soon.” She hung up before I could say goodbye.
Made sure the call was dead then handed my phone to Buchanan so he could retrieve his tracker. “Well, that was interesting.”
“I personally liked how she avoided telling you who all those making up ‘we’ was for as long as possible,” Wruck said.
“Guaranteed it’s everyone she named and probably the rest of the Dealers of Death that aren’t actually sitting in the White House with us.” Whether the Kramers were part of “we” was something I figured we’d find out soon enough.
“I’m more interested in the robot,” Buchanan said.
“I’m more interested that she called it a robot and not an android, personally. There’s a distinction and I think it’s important. And remember that Eugene Montgomery was fed the robots story to get him to help out the wrong side during Operation Sherlock.”
“I honestly didn’t realize that bringing Lizzie to the Embassy would have caused all of this,” Siler said, sounding angry and worried.
“It didn’t, it just gave them something else to barrage us with. Trust me, this would be going on with or without you two in the Embassy. But it’s good to know that they’re still going for the Juvenile Delinquent Gambit.”
“So, does this mean that Kendrick’s off the suspects list?” Buchanan asked carefully.
“Still fifty-fifty.”
“He stole my helicarrier,” Drax said huffily. “I don’t believe that indicates you should trust him.”
“Yeah, about that . . . Gustav, how’d you like to get onto my good side?”
CHAPTER 23
WE EXPLAINED OUR suspicions about there being an android version of Kendrick about, and also shared that there actually was a Kitty-Bot as well as a couple of friendly, in-control androids.
Drax seemed amenable to seeing if he could determine if someone was or wasn’t an android or robot. Buchanan made some calls and the androids were requested.
The Cameron Maurer android was living in D.C. with his mother, Nancy. They had four Field teams assigned to them on a 24/7 basis and Nancy checked in with us regularly. However, we didn’t do a lot of study on Maurer, because, frankly, it was already hard enough on his mother, and we saw no reason to make things harder.
The Colonel John Butler android, on the other hand, was at the Dulce Science Center in New Mexico, since that was the main A-C Base of Operations for Centaurion Division. Butler had agreed to as much study and testing as we wanted to do, so him staying at Dulce made sense.
Both androids had been able to retain enough of their humanity that they were now more Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation than The Terminator. So far, they were the only ones we’d been able to capture and keep from self-destructing, but the hope was that we could hot-wire other androids and save them, too.
The decision was made that it was safer to do Android Identification Testing at Dulce than at the White House or the Embassy. But before Drax was allowed over there, Buchanan wanted Reader’s approval, not to mention Jeff’s, Chuckie’s, Tim’s, Serene’s, Gower’s, and my mother’s. To say that Buchanan wasn’t trusting was to say that ice was cold and water wet.
“But how can you be sure that the Thomas who took my helicarrier isn’t the man who’s sitting in another part of the white House right now?” Drax asked.
“That, Gustav, is the question of the hour. Tell me, truthfully, what did you think of Kendrick before the stolen helicarrier incident?”
“I liked him. He was enthused about and interested in everything I could bring to his company. It was exciting, my first big potential client. We were discussing a merger,” he added rather wistfully.
“He mentioned that, too. So, did he act differently when he came to see you, when the helicarrier was stolen?”
Drax looked thoughtful. “You know . . . now that you put it that way, yes, he seemed a little off. Frankly, I thought it was because of all the drama that was going on here.”
“Why did he come to see you during that drama? What reason did he give?”
“We’d had a meeting planned already. But when he arrived he said he didn’t want to discuss the merger but instead wanted to get some of my invisible tech to test out . . .” Drax looked pissed. “And so he took my invisible helicarrier when I went to get him a small handheld tracker. That was a joke, wasn’t it? Something I was supposed to laugh at?”
“Well, whoever took the helicarrier is laughing. Whether that’s the real Thomas Kendrick or an android under someone else’s control is the question. Did you ever meet Clifford Goodman, or did Kendrick ever mention him to you?”
“The lunatic who tried to kill everyone? No, no one other than Stephanie had ever mentioned him. She was afraid of him until—” Drax looked like he was sorry he’d said this.
“Until what? Or, should I ask, until you gave her what tech?”
“She has a personal protection suit. It increases her strength and natural abilities, and assists her with things that don’t come naturally.”
“That’s why she was so hard to control,” Buchanan growled.
“And why she can ride a motorcycle so well.” Though Serene had already proved that A-Cs with enoug
h will could find the way to manage human machinery. And suit or no suit, I was sure that Stephanie had had the will. “Why didn’t you want to tell us about that, Gustav?”
“It’s still experimental, and I don’t want you to take it from her and reverse engineer it.”
We all jerked. “That’s why they took the helicarrier. It’s not just for the hostages, not that anyone has given us a ransom demand. They have fighter jets and an invisible helicarrier carrying God alone knows what tech. It’s why they haven’t attacked us with it, yet, too. They’re still too busy learning from it.”
“Which again points to Titan,” Drax said.
“It does, that’s true.”
“Do you think whoever took my tech and your people, be it Thomas or someone else, is creating androids of the hostages?” Drax asked.
The rest of us stared at each other. The looks of horror on the men’s faces probably matched my own. “Gustav,” I said finally, “we hadn’t considered that horrible option until you just mentioned it, but it just moved to the top of the list of what I think our enemies are doing.”
“Do you mean ‘our enemies’ as in yours, or as in yours and mine?” Drax sounded rather hopeful.
Heaved a sigh. “Yours and ours. Clearly whoever took your tech isn’t doing it to give it special upgrades and return it to you.” Only the A-Cs did things like that. And while we did have traitors in the A-C midst—Stephanie currently being Example A—it wasn’t likely that an A-C had engineered this particular heist. Possible, but improbable.
“So how do we tell if Kendrick is for us or against us?” Siler asked. “I mean, I have ways, but they’re unpleasant.”
“To put it mildly, I’m sure. But if he’s essentially being framed, that wouldn’t be a wise course of action.” Looked at Buchanan. “You haven’t heard from our mutual friend?”
“Not since the last time I told you about.” When Camilla had sent a weird message—Staying longer on Spring Break, getting lots of souvenirs. Which had told all of us, Buchanan and Chuckie included, nothing.
But thinking about Camilla reminded me of something. She’d been in deep with Drax before I’d pulled her out to supposedly help save the day at the end of Operation Epidemic. “Ah, Gustav, did anyone other than Stephanie answer your ad on the dark web?”
“Yes,” he said with more than a little defensiveness. “A very competent woman. She has a very different role than Stephanie does.”
“You mean you don’t have two chicks shooting arrows at your prospective clients? I almost want to ask why not.”
“Because Stephanie was functioning as my bodyguard in addition to assisting in creating a demand for our products.”
“Wow, I guess they have marketing on Vatusus. Because that was a truly impressive spin for what Stephanie was actually doing. So, what’s this other woman’s name?”
“Marguerite Gautier. Her family is French, though she’s an American.”
Managed not to react, but this was necessary only because my father liked old movies and I’d watched many with him growing up. Marguerite Gautier was the name of Greta Garbo’s character in Camille, which was basically Camilla’s name. And it was close enough to Gaultier that it was likely she was getting double duty or more from the alias.
“Where is Marguerite now?”
“She had a family emergency—I believe her mother had contracted the disease. Of course I let her leave to go home and care for her parents.”
“Of course. Why would I think that a guy who has his bodyguard shooting crossbow arrows at half of D.C. wouldn’t be a kind and caring employer who puts the needs of his employees first?”
“Yes, I do. It’s a Vata strength, something we pride ourselves in on Vatusus.”
“I see they lack sarcasm on Vatusus, though. But, whatever. So, Marguerite left and you haven’t seen her since?”
“No. She told me she’d advise me when it was safe for her to return to work. After all, the disease was quite contagious. It was very valiant of her to go home and risk exposure, but she’s a loving person, and brave as well.”
Brave I could agree with. Loving I had yet to see from Camilla, but I was sure she was capable of the emotion. Clearly Drax had been completely fooled by her, though without Jeff, Jeremy, or another empath, we didn’t have confirmation that he was telling the truth.
“And you’re here now, so if she’s trying to call, the phone’s just ringing.”
“My phone was confiscated.”
“Figure of speech. Okay, so what did Marguerite do for you?” Might as well find out what Camilla was doing there. After all, no one in the know was willing to tell me, so getting the information out of Drax, in front of Buchanan, was kind of Ironic Justice. Which I still felt should be the title of a monthly comic.
“She was in charge of expansion. She was brokering the deal between Drax Industrial and Titan Security.”
Of course she was. But whether this meant that she was finding out just how bad it was before the CIA, NSA, FBI, and all of Centaurion Division did a raid, or whether she thought Kendrick and Drax were both on the up and up and wanted us to reap the benefits of their merger I didn’t know. And I also knew that I had no way of knowing without being able to ask Camilla straight out. Which was currently not possible.
“So, what about your other employees?”
“I don’t have any others.”
“We only found him and Stephanie,” Siler confirmed.
“Do you have hyperspeed?” Why not? Everyone else from other solar systems seemed to.
“No, not as your people do. But my machines build themselves.”
“Want to explain that more clearly? Are you saying that you’ve got robots in your factory?”
“Not as such, not like you’re talking about. But Vata can mentally connect to electronics and such. It’s not that difficult to merely show the machine what it is I want it do to or create.”
“Every day. I learn something new every, single day. At least this is new information I could not possibly have known before, so there’s that. So, seriously, no other staff? No henchmen hanging about to do the dirty work or just the heavy lifting?”
“No, I have machines for that.”
“I see the future, and it’s all Terminator.”
“Nothing attacked us,” Buchanan said, eyeing Drax suspiciously.
“Because you didn’t find me at my factory. You found me at my home.”
“It was a lair,” Siler said. “Trust me. Total lair.”
“Nightcrawler, you complete me. Sharks and such?”
“No, but they’re probably on order.”
“So, who helped you design your home, Gustav?”
“Stephanie,” he admitted. “I liked her design suggestions.”
“I’ll bet they were quite grandiose.” Siler nodded emphatically but I kept the Inner Hyena at bay. Just. “So, I didn’t ask before—where is the Supervillain Lair and where is the actual factory?”
“The Supervillain Lair is in the Ivy City neighborhood,” Buchanan shared. “It’s a converted warehouse.”
“Right in the middle of D.C.? Seriously? And no one’s noticed?”
“Yep,” Siler said.
“I keep a low profile,” Drax said with a sniff.
Siler grinned. “True, at least on the outside. Though the warehouse the agents went to first was in the middle of Turkistan. Be happy we have gates.”
“Always am. So, Gustav, where’s the factory?”
Drax made sure to look at Siler and Buchanan when he answered. “Across the street.”
CHAPTER 24
DRAX HAD A RATHER SMUG EXPRESSION, which contrasted nicely with the shocked and embarrassed looks from Buchanan and Siler.
The Inner Hyena got a snort out of me, but I managed to keep the rest inside. “So, I assume everyone was far
too busy with Stephanie to check out the surrounding buildings?”
“Nice spin,” Buchanan said as he texted.
“I’ll take it,” Siler added.
“Sending agents to the area now.” Buchanan looked up. “What might they be facing?”
“Not much, since they won’t be able to get into the factory without me,” Drax said. “The building won’t let them in.”
Let that sit on the air for a moment. “Ah, Gustav? Are we to assume that you mean the building has some form of sentience?”
“Not as any of us do. But it’s computerized and automated, and I told it not to allow anyone in if they’re not with me. That includes Stephanie and Marguerite.”
“You know, Alpha Four had some weird smart metal, it’s what their Unity Necklaces are made out of. Think it’s the same?”
“Similar,” Wruck answered. “Different worlds have different properties.”
“So, like, there are worlds with sentient dirt and water and such?”
“Yes. Most are more like the metals in the Unity Necklaces and those from Vatusus. Very few elements can actually reason and communicate, though there are some planets that have such, of course.”
“Oh, of course. And, oh my God, we are so not ready for the Greater Galactic Community. Plus, the learning is starting to get to that point where I feel like I’m back in college. College was great, but I’m really not ready to go back for my Masters in Alien Planetary Geology.”
“You’ll be fine,” Wruck said loyally. “As a species humans are amazingly adaptable, and you personally, Kitty, are a prime example.”
“John’s my favorite. But back to the fun of Gustav’s thinking metal, because I’d rather deal with the problem at hand than the myriad problems just waiting for us out there in the great unknown.”
“I’ve had the agents hold,” Buchanan said. “In case the building decides to be nasty.”
“It won’t,” Drax said. “I don’t have it programmed to be violent. Well, not as long as they don’t actually get in.”
“Fantastic. Malcolm, please keep those teams on hold. The ramifications of all of this are just awesome, aren’t they? No wonder Titan wanted to do a merger. Which, I have to add, makes it more unlikely that Kendrick is the one who stole the helicarrier. Why steal one thing when there’s so much more you can get just by playing nicely with others?”
