by Gini Koch
“Absolutely, Mister White.”
We took off after Jeff, who was in the distance, doing a great job of dodging, jumping, and moving fast. But there was a whole fleet of little drones after him.
Jeff neared the wall we were heading for and he stopped running in a serpentine fashion. Instead he jumped straight for two servers. The drones clustered behind him.
I was ready to start shooting but I couldn’t be sure I wouldn’t hit Jeff. This wasn’t looking too good when he disappeared.
Managed not to scream, but only because White and I were in the air, jumping between servers when this happened. We landed and White dropped down onto the top of this server, pulling me with him just as all the drones slammed into the wall.
There was an impressive explosion. White waited until the initial debris had flown out, then he had us up and jumping over again. One server before the wall he stopped again. We looked over the edge. Jeff was standing there, looking worried and expectant.
“Right on time,” White said cheerfully, as he shoved me off the server.
Managed not to shriek or accidentally pull the trigger of my gun, but both took a lot of self-control. Jeff caught me like a pro, put me down, and waited to catch White, who jumped the moment I was out of Jeff’s arms.
“I’d have loved to have known about this whole plan,” I said as I dropped my now-inaugurated Glock back into my purse.
Jeff took one hand, White the other. “There wasn’t time,” Jeff said with a grin. “Just a reminder that I was the Head of Field for a reason, baby.”
“You’re the best there is at what you do, Jeff, I know. Now, let’s get out of here. I’m almost sure that the wall you just made fall down leads to the bathrooms and one of those bathrooms has a cube gate in it.”
Jeff shook his head. “Maybe so, but the damage is too high up and the rest of that wall is still intact. We’ll have to get there another way.”
“Fantastic. The next section’s a maze, too. But the room we entered the facility through also has a cube gate return there, so we could be good.”
We headed for the double doors, which, once we reached them, were both locked and standing strong. Fabulous.
“If the doors are locked, where are the people—and I use that term loosely—we’re chasing?” White asked.
Waited for an evil laugh or the sound of a cocking gun. There was none. Interesting. Spun around. No one was here. “They got through somehow. Or a server fell on them. But I doubt we were that lucky, so I assume they got out.”
“How?” Jeff asked. “Unless they walked out with a key, they didn’t have time to grab something before Naomi blew up where they were living.”
“They did, actually. They went back in for guns. Maybe they planned ahead.” Though it seemed more likely that they’d invoked Evacuation Omega more than grabbed a key. The drones had to have been part of the evacuation procedure. “The drones. Where did the drones come from?”
“No idea,” Jeff said. “Behind us is all I’ve got, and based on what I can see and hear, we don’t want to go back.”
“Time to break the door down, Jeffrey,” White said. “I’ll let you try first. I wouldn’t want to imply that I don’t believe you’re strong enough to do it alone.”
“You’re just too old to handle it,” Jeff said as he backed up to run at the door.
“You never used to be so disrespectful when I was the Supreme Pontifex.”
“You weren’t as mouthy as my wife when you were the Pontifex. I think she’s rubbing off on you.”
“I’m all kinds of proud. Jeff, do you really want to run at the door at full speed? If it doesn’t open you could get hurt.”
“If we don’t get out, we’re all dead. I’ll take the risk of shoulder dislocation.” Jeff bent over like a linebacker ready to take out the entire offensive line, and charged. Right as the doors opened.
Jeff slammed right into whoever had opened the doors. Showing we weren’t completely shocked, White grabbed my hand and we ran after them.
Proving that he’d have broken down the door with ease, Jeff and whoever slammed through at least six walls before they came to a stop in a heap.
“Well, that’s one way to get through this part of the maze,” I said as we caught up. “Jeff, are you okay?”
“Yeah, baby,” he said as he got up. “I had padding.”
“Why don’t you ask if we’re okay?” Christopher snarled, as he put his hand up and Jeff pulled him to his feet. Buchanan was still on the ground. White and I helped him up—it seemed like he needed both of us.
“Malcolm, are you okay?” This earned me Patented Glare #1. “Christopher, you’re an A-C, you heal fast. Malcolm’s a human and he doesn’t.”
“I’m okay, Missus Chief. I got the thrill of being sandwiched in between the two of them, so while I got crushed I didn’t get battered.”
“Some people would like that.” This earned me both Patented Glare #2 from Christopher and an annoyed grunt from Jeff.
“I’m not one of them, Missus Chief. Though not being slammed first into the walls is probably why I’m okay.”
“Well, I guess that’s good. Why are you guys here?”
They both gave me the “really?” look. “Because you two and my dad weren’t back yet,” Christopher said. “And Buchanan indicated things looked bad here.”
“He wasn’t wrong,” Jeff said, as he grabbed my hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Which gate?” I asked. “Bathroom or the room we originally entered through?”
“We came in via the bathroom,” Christopher said.
“And we’re closer to the bathrooms now, too, thanks to your husband using the two of us to break through walls,” Buchanan said as I grabbed his hand and we took off. “Where are the clones?”
“No idea. We think they made it out.”
“We didn’t see them, but we didn’t have too far to go.” Buchanan had us out of the maze and to the elevator lobby door, which was off its hinges. Presumed that was Christopher’s doing.
“Should we take the time to search for them?” White asked. “They know things we’d prefer they didn’t, and they do have information we need.”
We paused at the door of the bathroom with the gate in it. As we did, a loud rumble shook the whole place. It sounded and felt like the sound of thunder when the lightning strike is right next to you.
“The hell with them,” Jeff said. “We need to get out of here.”
“Link up,” Buchanan said, as Jeff grabbed White and White grabbed Christopher.
We were about to enter the bathroom when I looked up. And screamed. Because the ceiling was caving in on us.
Fortunately we were all connected because Christopher took off at Flash Level, as the rubble hit right where Buchanan and I had been standing.
We stopped at the elevator lobby, mostly because its ceiling was still intact. The cubicle section we’d been in was buried. “Now where?” Christopher asked.
“No idea. The elevators go up to the top part of this facility but not out. We could go back to the entry control room, but we didn’t find another gate and don’t have time to search for another hidden one.”
Buchanan shook his head. “I think that area’s all down now.”
Jeff put his arm around me and pulled me closer, then did the same with Christopher. Christopher followed suit with his father, and White took Buchanan’s free hand in his and pulled him closer into our little circle.
Tried to think of appropriate last words. “Love all of you so much and I really hate that the bad guys are going to get to win.”
The ground shook again and as the ceiling fell I noted that there was a golden glow around us.
All of a sudden, we weren’t in a collapsing underground facility any more, but in our living room.
We all blinked.
“Are you all in a group huddle for a reason?” Mom asked.
We broke apart to see most of the team and everyone who’d been
over at the Gaultier Cloning Facility sitting or standing there.
“Not that I’m complaining, but how the hell did we get out?” Christopher asked.
“Naomi.” Looked around, but she wasn’t here. Chuckie, who was sitting in between Gower and Abigail, looked at me hopefully. “It had to be Naomi. The way we were pulled out was just like when ACE did it.”
Mom sighed. “I should have put my foot down and kept Naomi here.”
“Mom, it wasn’t your fault. You told her not to go and told me to leave her here. If it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine.”
“No,” Buchanan said firmly, as Dad walked out with Jamie in his arms. “This wasn’t your fault. I was there. She made the choice she felt she had to and she made that choice to protect her friends and family. She overdid it because . . .” he looked at Chuckie, “she was afraid and didn’t realize she was giving herself too much.”
Chuckie shook his head. “She knew what she was doing,” he said quietly, and there was so much sorrow in his voice that I wanted to cry. Held it in, though, because now wasn’t the time to lose it completely.
Abigail nodded. “She’d . . . talked to me about it, what it felt like when they gave her the drug. She wasn’t afraid of it.”
Dad cleared his throat. “Ah, kitten? I think we may have another . . . little problem.”
That earned the room’s attention. “What’s wrong, Dad? Jamie, are you okay?”
Jamie looked at all of us before she spoke. “Fairy Godfather ACE is back,” she said. “And Fairy Godfather ACE is angry.”
CHAPTER 92
WE ALL LOOKED AT GOWER. “Paul, is ACE back?”
Gower shook his head. “He’s not here, I can’t feel him.”
Because ACE cannot be with Paul any more. It was ACE’s voice, inside my head.
ACE? You’re back? You’re okay? We’ve been so worried about you and didn’t know what to do and—
ACE knows. ACE has been where Kitty could not go. Naomi came to free ACE. Naomi came just in time. ACE is grateful, but ACE is also sad. Naomi cannot come home now. Ever again.
Wanted to ask about that, but something else was more urgent. ACE, you sound different. Are you able to be here without being inside Paul?
Yes, but ACE must still have a host. ACE had to make promises in order to return. ACE has . . . broken laws. Laws Kitty cannot understand.
I’ve talked to Algar, I think I know what you mean, and that you’re right in that I probably can’t understand fully.
ACE had to promise to interfere less. Naomi did not save Kitty and the others, though Naomi provided the means by freeing ACE. But ACE did not save Kitty and the others, either. There was a long pause.
Then who did save us, ACE, if it wasn’t you or Naomi?
Jamie saved Kitty.
Looked at my daughter. She didn’t seem to be “there.” ACE, are you . . . inside . . . Jamie?
Yes. If ACE was to return to Kitty, ACE had to agree to inhabit someone who has no power in this world. ACE chose Jamie. ACE is sorry, but ACE had to choose a host who can filter properly.
Interesting choice. Jamie was probably the most powerful individual on the planet, but if you took “power” to mean influence within the world, she was less than two years old, and that meant completely powerless in terms of how the majority would choose to look at it. ACE had learned as much from us as we had from him.
I understand. Will it hurt her?
No! ACE would never hurt Jamie! But it will be hard for Jamie to allow ACE to speak, as Paul used to. Paul was ready. Jamie . . . Jamie says she is ready, but ACE does not believe this is true.
And this was also clever. If ACE was in trouble with the Universal Meddling Elder Gods or something because he’d interfered, then choosing to inhabit Jamie meant that his temptations would be fewer.
While we all had asked Gower to channel ACE to ask him for advice without hesitation, there was no way Jeff and I were going to do the same with our baby daughter. Asking a grown man for advice on how to prevent nuclear war or raving lunatics from kidnapping our children was one thing—asking your toddler who was the potential kidnappee was quite another.
Check and mate.
ACE is not Kitty’s enemy. ACE will never desert Kitty, but ACE could not inhabit Kitty. It was not . . . allowed. And ACE knows Kitty has searched for ACE. ACE has heard Kitty searching for ACE. It gave ACE . . . hope.
Hope. Is Naomi dead?
Not . . . really. Not as Michael and Fuzzball and Gladys are dead. ACE has joined them in, at their request. Fuzzball held Michael and Gladys here, waiting for ACE to return.
Good Poof.
Yes. But Naomi is not alive as Kitty is. Or even as ACE and Algar are. Naomi exists . . . elsewhere.
Did she trade herself for you?
No. ACE would not have allowed that. But what Naomi did to herself means Naomi cannot return to this world as anyone would know her. ACE is sorry. Chuckie will ask, but ACE cannot bring Naomi back to Chuckie or Chuckie to Naomi. Chuckie must stay here, where Chuckie belongs.
It’s not fair.
No, it is not. But Naomi made the choice. Freely.
Jamie said you were angry. Is that why? Or are you angry with me for letting it happen?
ACE is angry, yes. But ACE is not angry with Kitty or Jeff or the others. Naomi’s choice is not Kitty’s triumph or Kitty’s fault. ACE is angry that Kitty’s enemies have succeeded. ACE is angry that Michael, and Fuzzball, and Gladys are dead and that Naomi can never come back.
ACE is angry that ACE cannot fix what Kitty’s enemies have done. ACE cannot tell Kitty what to do or help Kitty. ACE cannot avenge Michael’s loss or support Naomi’s sacrifice. ACE cannot help Chuckie through this loss, or Caroline, or the others.
I understand.
And ACE is angry that others who do not care about Earth can require ACE to leave ACE’s penguins alone without ACE’s protection.
I’m sorry we put you into the position of being in trouble with your peers, ACE.
Algar had told me that by helping us ACE had put himself onto the wrong radars and clearly he hadn’t exaggerated. The two powerful beings who’d ended up watching over Earth were trapped between the rock of dependency and the hard place of free will, both constrained by their peers or more powerful beings from doing all they wanted to for the billions of human penguins they both watched over.
And yet they were both still here and, in their own ways, both still helping. They’d started out as distant observers and now were actively involved with keeping their favorite penguins alive. They risked for us, even though both of them would probably deny it. They risked themselves to take care of us, because that’s what you did for the beings you loved.
No. ACE is not sorry for anything ACE has done to help Kitty or the others. ACE loves ACE’s penguins. But right now, all ACE can do is tell Kitty that Kitty thinks right, and, Naomi knows that Kitty thinks right.
Right now. Well, that wasn’t permanent, or at least ACE had some kind of plan to work around his new restrictions. Just like Algar had found his ways to work around the restrictions he had in place to protect himself from discovery.
As for my thinking right, took that to mean I was correct and, despite what the bad guys wanted us to think, Chuckie wasn’t the Mastermind. It was a small comfort that I could tell him and the others that Naomi knew this before she’d left us. But small comforts were better than none.
Even though you can’t do what you have in the past, ACE, I’m glad you’re back. I’ve missed you.
ACE missed Kitty, too. ACE is happy with Jamie. No one can hurt Jamie because ACE is allowed to protect ACE.
Ah. So this was actually ACE’s checkmate. I wholeheartedly approved. Thanks, ACE. I swallowed. This is going to be the last time we talk like this, isn’t it?
Perhaps. When Jamie sleeps it will be . . . easier for her to allow ACE to interact. When Kitty sleeps it will also be easier.
Great, more weird dreams were in my future. Under the
circumstances, I’d deal with them. Well, that’s more than we’ve had for quite a while. You won’t talk to me, or anyone else, if it would hurt Jamie, right?
Correct. ACE will not allow anything or anyone to hurt Jamie, including ACE.
Super, that’s all any parent can ask. ACE . . . welcome home.
Felt the warmth that meant ACE was hugging me in my mind. Reveled in it because it had been so long.
And then it was gone.
Algar had said we had to be careful of what we wished for. I’d asked for ACE back, and back he was, but the cost for ACE’s return was high, higher than any of us could have guessed, and I knew Algar had known it would be.
Whether the cost was worth it would depend on who you asked. I didn’t know, and I figured I might never know. And I couldn’t tell anyone. ACE hadn’t needed to tell me that, because I knew already.
Where Naomi was now, what Naomi was now, wasn’t something we were going to get to know. And sharing that she was “somewhere else” wouldn’t allow Chuckie, Gower, Abigail, or anyone else to heal. “Somewhere else” meant a search for El Dorado, and that meant focus and energy and more heartbreak, because ACE had said Naomi couldn’t come back and he hadn’t used any weasel words. He’d said never.
Jamie blinked and looked at me. “Mommy, why are you crying?”
“Because Auntie Mimi is gone, baby.”
Jamie opened her mouth, as if she was going to argue. Then she stopped, closed her mouth, and reached for me. I took her out of Dad’s arms and held her, while I let myself cry, in part so I wouldn’t have to listen to the sounds of other people’s tears.
CHAPTER 93
JEFF HAD INSISTED that Mom and Dad and Chuckie all stay in our apartment, versus going home or even down to the guest floor. None of them argued.
Everyone was exhausted emotionally and physically and, heartbroken or not, we all went to bed. Couldn’t speak for anyone else, but my sleep was thankfully dreamless. It was also over too quickly.
Chuckie didn’t join us for breakfast. “I’m bringing out Charles’ parents,” Mom said as we finished eating. “They’ll be here in a couple of hours. I asked them to pack to stay for a couple of weeks.”
