He found a strategic location near the perimeter of the park, where he could stay hidden behind a well-manicured hedge and still have a clear shot of the tower’s base. He pulled out a pair of night binoculars and studied the tower for several minutes. No question about it, their decision to focus their attention on the second floor made perfect sense. The base was simply too well fortified for their purposes. Of course, that meant he’d have to get himself up to the second floor, but that was easy enough. He’d just break into one of the gated ladders that led up to the second floor.
As Todd reconned the area and checked security, he discovered a night guard strolling down the sidewalk that extended around the tower. Todd glanced at his watch. Still plenty of time. He’d continue to watch, to see if any other guards were on duty and to time how long it took this one to walk around the tower. When he was sure of the situation, he’d get on with his work. If I finish in time, I might even take a tour of the tower to see what Falconcity looks like from the top. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do. It’ll be a great location to double-check our plan.
As Todd studied the layout of the City District, he replayed the last moment before jumping out of the plane over in his mind. He had regretted the obscene gesture the moment after he’d done it, but by that time he was already falling away from the plane and had to turn his attention to other matters.
Why had he done it? After all, hadn’t he made peace with the woman who he’d considered his stepmom for much of his life? Pat Vogt and Allan Pritchard had been the closest things to parents he’d known. For sure, they’d had their differences; their ups and downs, but that wasn’t unusual. He still had the birthday present she’d given him; a knife passed down from her father. Hell, it had saved his life more than once, and he still considered it the coolest gift he had ever received.
Pat had finally overcome her prejudices against him. Hadn’t she been the one who’d given him the means to get on with his life; to become the person he was today? Without her help, he would never have been able to start his life over by entering the military.
It had been in the Army where he learned most of the skills he now used as a mercenary. It had also where he discovered that his childhood was unusual; to say the least. Sitting around at night with the guys, he had listened to their stories about their lives before entering the Army. It didn’t take long for him to realize that Pat was right. He was different in many ways; ways that would threaten his buddies if they knew. So he became good at hiding out, keeping to himself most of the time, and when that wasn’t possible, saying as little as he could get away with about his past.
Maybe, just maybe, it was time to give Pat another chance. After all, they were both integral to the success of this mission. Lives depended on them being able to get along.
Transit
James opened the back hatch of the SUV and tossed their two overnight bags into the back while Alp and Pat climbed into the backseat, as would be expected of a captive and her guard. James had requested a vehicle at the airfield so he could drive himself in at his own pace. He wanted to be sure he had time to study the route and make note of any changes that may have taken place since his last visit to Falcon Lair.
As Pat and Alp climbed into the back seat, Pat took out a small electronic device that looked like a cross between a cell phone and a walky-talky. After checking it, she nodded to James.
“It’s safe to talk. No sign of any bugs.”
James nodded.
The trip was uneventful until they reached the gates of Falconcity of Wonders. The first thing James noticed was the amount of new construction that had been completed in his absence. With the new construction had come increased security, not only at the entry gates, where there were now three armed guards, but also all along the newly paved roads and the high wall that surrounded the city.
“Boy, I’d like to have the security camera contract for this city,” Pat noted from the back seat.
“Yeah, I’ll say,” James replied. “Every corner has them as well as in between the intersections of the longer blocks. Big Brother is definitely watching.”
“Is that going to be a problem?” Alp asked with a note of concern in her voice.
“Well, no, not really,” Pat replied. “We knew they’d have plenty of surveillance both in the city and in Falcon Lair. We’ve a plan to take care of that.”
“That’s good,” Alp said, with a sigh of relief. “Is it okay that I’m getting excited about seeing my sisters again?”
“Perfectly,” James replied. “Just act like you normally would. The only exception is to treat Pat and me like we’re the worst scoundrels you’ve ever met.”
“Sure, that shouldn’t be hard,” Alp quipped.
“Ouch,” James said with a chuckle. “That one stung.”
He pointed out the window in front of them.
“There it is; their replica of the Eiffel Tower. Just one of the many wonders of Falconcity,” James said, changing his voice to sound like a tour guide.
“It was only about half finished when I was last here. It’s really quite amazing, isn’t it? And over to our right is the New York City district. No need to hop in a plane and fly over the Atlantic Ocean. Just come to Falconcity where Paris and New York are side-by-side. Oh, and out the left window is London, Venice, and Rome. Like the brochure says, ‘A world within a city.’”
They drove on for a few minutes in silence, gawking at the amazing scenery all around them. James imagined what it would feel like to be a family taking all this in for the first time while on vacation; Pat, the mother with their daughter, Alp riding in the back seat as dear old dad pointed out each unique attraction.
But no, such thinking was dangerous. James shook himself out of the daydream. They weren’t a family. They were on an extremely dangerous mission, and he was responsible for getting all of them out safely, along with the rest of Alp’s siblings.
“We’ll be coming up on Hollywood in just a minute or two,” James said in his normal voice. “It wasn’t in the original plans for Falconcity, but the Sheik used his influence and family connections to have it added so he could build his replica of Falcon Lair. Eyes sharp now.” He said this last statement as much for himself as for his companions.
He drove up to a gate that appeared to be the only access to the Lair. The Lair was surrounded by an eight foot tall wall with razor-wire on top. James swiped a card thru a card reader and the gate slowly swung open. Inside he could see the residence and several cameras pointed at him.
Falcon Lair would be considered a modest residence by today’s Hollywood standards, but in its day, during the Roaring Twenties, it was the cat’s meow. Like the original Falcon Lair, the Sheik’s residence was divided into two buildings; the main living area and a smaller structure where most of the serving staff stayed. Between the two was a large oasis-looking area complete with palm trees, fountains and a large pool. But James wasn’t interested in the aesthetics of the place. His eyes were on the additional security that included new surveillance cameras.
James pulled the SUV up to the metal garage door that led to the underground parking area. He opened his window, leaned his head out and waved to the guard on the other end of the camera. He waited for the door to open before driving down the steep incline. As he pulled into the garage he pointed out the one-way mirrored glass to Pat. He pulled the SUV into the parking garage where the Sheik’s two white limos were parked along with a large service truck that reminded James of the bread trucks of his childhood. He breathed a sigh of relief as he pointed out the truck to Pat, who nodded back at him. He parked the SUV next to one of the limos and turned off the engine. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled as he watched a large man walking towards the car.
“Here comes Ned; one of Willow’s men and our escort,” James said. “Okay gals, game on.”
The Eiffel Tower’s base station Todd selected to break into housed an elevator that would take him to the second floor only, rather than one whose eleva
tor shot non-stop to the top. Once he finished his handiwork on the two support legs, he would use a second elevator to take him to the tower’s pinnacle. All the replica tower’s elevators were of the latest design and much faster than those found in the original Eiffel Tower so the trip to the top would take less than two minutes.
The lock on the base station door was surprisingly easy to pick. The designers should have invested a little more of the project budget on better locks, Todd thought as he felt his instruments click in place. He slipped through the door, closing it behind him. Less than a minute later, he was on the second floor. It took less than fifteen minutes to finish his task. He waited for the patrolling guard to come around another time before stepping into the second elevator.
Less than two minutes later, the elevator doors opened 1,100 feet above Falconcity. Todd walked out to one of the four observation decks. Unlike the original Eiffel Tower where the views from the top were blocked by a crisscrossed fence, the design of Eiffel Tower Dubai provided an expansive view in all four directions.
Todd headed straight for the north view which would allow him to see ninety percent of Falconcity. To say it was a breathtaking view would be competing for a gold medal in understatement; but he hadn’t taken this trip just to admire the view, though indeed it was well worth the effort. Before him was a city on a hundred acres of arid desert land that would cost, by its completion, over thirty-six billion dollars. But more important to Todd: this was the city where his crew had hopefully completed their tasks and were now burrowed down in hiding; tasks that, in less than twelve hours, would throw this whole city into chaos.
And it was time to check on his team’s progress towards that end.
Miriam Petty rolled over on her left side for the sixth time in the last thirty-minutes, sat up to pound her pillow as she sighed in frustration, finally leaning over and turning on the light between the two beds.
Chickowski stirred in the other bed, opened his eyes and glared at his roommate.
“Excuse me. Some of us are sleeping over here.”
“Yeah, and it’s disgusting to those of us over here that can’t,” Petty shot back.
Chickowski laid in bed for a minute trying to go back to sleep, as Petty continued to umph and sigh loudly. Finally, growing frustrated himself, he sat up and looked over at her.
“Well, I know something that often makes it easier for me to sleep.” His suggestive tone made it unnecessary for him to rub his genital area through the sheet but he did it anyway.
“You’re an asshole, you know that, Thaddeus. You’re just like every other man on the planet. Always thinking of only one thing; your own sexual gratification.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Chickowski asked. “There’s been plenty of other times my mind was on sex, and you didn’t complain.”
“But not now, you idiot,” Petty replied. “Not when, in a few hours, you’re supposed to prove to that other asshole down there that this template thingy really works.”
“Well, so what? It does work.”
“Are you sure? More to the point, do you have any idea how to make it work?”
“No, not completely,” Chickowski admitted, “but that’s why we call them experiments.”
“And what if your damn experiment doesn’t work? What if something goes wrong?”
“Well…” Chickowski started.
“Well, our deal is in the toilet, that’s what. And all that fortune and our future is flushed down the hole as well. Sleep on that,” Petty said as she reached over and turned out the light. Minutes later, her snoring reverberated through the room while Chickowski lay in bed wide awake.
Todd reached up and adjusted the single earbud that served to keep him and his team connected. It reminded him of a hearing aid an old person might wear, though the earbud’s technology was much more sophisticated. It made it possible for him to communicate with his team without anyone else listening into their conversation. Of course, at some point some wiseass techy would invent the next piece of technology that would allow someone to overcome this technology’s security. So it went in this line of work.
He decided to check in with Jasper and Firefly first. He tapped the device and heard the contact open.
“Todd here.”
“What’s up boss?” Jasper replied. “Anything the matter?”
“No,” Todd replied. “Just checking in from atop the Eiffel Tower. How you two coming along?”
“Wow, so you really made it up there,” Jasper responded.
“I’ll tell you about it later. What's your situation.”
“On schedule. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just another day at the office,” Jasper replied. “Firefly says to tell you that he doesn’t want any more water jumps. He’s been complaining the wet socks aggravate his athlete’s foot.”
“Duly noted,” Todd laughed. “Tell him relief is on the way in the form of a hundred and three degree temperatures for the next six to eight hours. That should dry out his feet.”
“Any problems locating the transportation to the second objective,” Todd asked.
“We scouted around before starting the primary task and found several boats that will serve the purpose,” Jasper replied.
“Good; continue as planned.”
“Will do.”
Todd rotated the dial on the ear bud to a second channel to talk to the second team.
The news from Shark and Python was not so good. Even though they should have completed their tasks over an hour ago and been in hiding by now, they were still finishing up.
“The security up here is much more than we anticipated,” Python said, then in a much softer voice added, “and every time we have to move to cover, I have to almost carry Shark, and boy, the dude is heavy, but don’t worry. We’re almost finished.”
“What happened?” Todd asked, a tone of concern growing in his voice.
Shark came on line. “Don't worry boss, just turned my ankle. It’s getting better as we speak.”
“Well, make sure no one sees you,” Todd instructed, a knot of worry beginning to gnaw at his stomach. “That could blow the whole mission. Is there going to be a problem with the second objective? That has to happen.”
“No,” Python responded, “I reconned the site. Once away from here things will be fine. I checked the route and even with a gimp it will not be a problem. Getting in, with the small window we have, will be more of a challenge.”
“Okay,” Todd said, the knot relaxing a little. “Don’t give Shark too many painkillers. We need him sharp.”
“And when has Shark ever been sharp?” Jasper quipped. “But don’t worry. There’s no need to make any change at this point.”
After completing the call, Todd stood for a moment reviewing the situation and enjoying the view. A lone bird soared on the early dawn air currents. I wish I could join you, Todd thought. Just spread my wings and fly away, leaving all my cares behind. He spread his arms and moved his body in time with the bird’s motions imagining what it felt like. He relaxed his body as he consciously released the tension growing along his shoulders and down his back.
At first he thought it was a call coming in from one of his team members, but then realized the voice was coming from within and not from the earbud. What was going on here?
This is Kristin. Who are you?
Kristin? That name sounded familiar but from where? Then he remembered.
Well, hello again. How are you and your baby?
Not good, came the reply. I’m with my sisters, and we’re in trouble.
Strange the message was so clear. It felt like someone standing next to him.
You seem so close. Even closer than before.
Yes, you’re right, but I don’t know how that’s possible. My captors have taken my sister, brother and I out of the country. We’re now with our other sisters, and it’s horrible here.
That sounded all too familiar. James hadn’t gone into much detail about who they were trying to rescue, bu
t Todd had done a little of his own research.
You’re one of the Kindred, aren’t you?
There was a long pause. He was afraid he’d lost the connection but then…
Yes, that’s right, but how did you know?
Never mind. Remember I said I was someone who meant you no harm. Well, I think you’ll find that our meeting is very serendipitous.
What the hell does that mean?
I’ll explain later…when we meet.
What?
But before Todd could answer he heard the elevator behind him start to descend. What the hell? Had that been an automatic action, or had someone below requested it? Someone like the guard who’d broken with his routine for some reason.
Sorry…gotta go, Todd said then broke the connection before Kristin could respond.
He quickly calculated the time he had before the elevator’s return. Two minutes down, two minutes back up. Was that enough time to complete the transformation? But even as he was asking himself that question, he stripped off his shirt and tossed it into the almost empty backpack then untied his boots and kicked them off into the pack as well. Meanwhile, he could feel the internal changes taking place as his bones started to hollow out and morph themselves. Forcing such a transformation turned what was normally an uncomfortable process into an excruciatingly painful one, but still he continued. Time was running out.
As the final transformation took place, he stepped onto the pack so his pants would fall at least partially in with the shirt and shoes. He could now hear the elevator drawing nearer. Less than a minute before the doors opened. He looked around through the now supremely crafted eyes of a Great Gray Owl. Spying the earbud on the walkway, he picked it up with his beak and plopped it into the backpack. Without moving the rest of his body, he easily turned his neck 180 degrees towards the door to confirm it hadn’t yet opened. Then praying that the transformation was complete enough, he grabbed the pack’s handle with his clawed feet and spread his wings. Was he strong enough yet to carry himself and his pack? Only one way to find out. Flapping his wings he leaped onto the railing and into the night sky just as the elevator doors began to open; a lone gray feather fluttering down to the tower’s floor.
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