Grim Reflections (Gray Spear Society Book 9)

by Alex Siegel

  "He smiles on everybody," Sheryl said. "I have to move on. You should definitely see a doctor tomorrow."

  "Sure. I'll do that. Thanks."

  Sheryl walked off.

  * * *

  Aaron watched as the legate's airplane drove into a private hanger at O'Hare Airport. It had started life as a B-1B bomber. From the needle-sharp nose to the tail fins, the fuselage was 150 feet long. The wings could pivot forward for normal flight or sweep back for when the legate wanted to travel at supersonic speeds. Four jet engines hung low and close together beneath the fuselage. She had made upgrades, but most weren't visible. There was a suspicious bulge on top that hadn't been part of the original design. A black and gray paint job made a dangerous aircraft seem even more so.

  It rolled to a stop in the middle of the hanger. After a moment, the hatch opened and a rope ladder was tossed out. Aaron walked over to meet the new arrivals.

  Ethel scampered down the ladder first, moving with unnatural quickness and agility. She was a thin woman of medium height. Pure, white hair showed her true age. She was old enough to be Aaron's mother. She had very dark skin, and like Tawni, a subtle layer of shadows made it appear even darker. She was wearing a heavy, gray coat and black jeans.

  Her bodyguard, Boreas, came down the ladder at a more human pace. He was a giant man in all dimensions. A dense, gray beard and gray hair gave him the look of an old sea captain. His face was rough and weathered. A hard life spent in unforgiving climates had aged him prematurely. The whites of his eyes had an odd, bluish tint. He was wearing a white, canvas coat that seemed inadequate for the Chicago winter.

  "Ma'am," Aaron said, "Boreas, it's great to see both of you again."

  The pilot of the airplane tossed a couple of big suitcases out of the hatch. Boreas caught them easily and held them in his hands.

  "Are you planning to stay a while?" Aaron said.

  "Until it's over," Ethel said.

  Even after all these years, her eyes still unsettled him. Her enlarged pupils were windows onto a dark place without life or even the hope of life. Looking into them always reminded him that his existence was fragile and fleeting. The only thing standing between it and oblivion was God's will.

  They hurried across the large hanger to a door that led outside. Aaron went out first, and a blast of arctic wind made his eyes water. He pulled down his hat and made sure his coat was zipped up all the way.

  When Boreas stepped outside, he spread his arms wide and took a deep breath. With a smile, he said, "It's like coming home. Nobody told me it was so nice here."

  "Shut up," Ethel muttered. She was huddled in her jacket and scowling.

  Snow was falling from the dark night sky. They jogged over to Aaron's car. He had left the engine running so the interior was toasty warm when they climbed inside. He drove off.

  "What's the latest status?" Ethel said.

  "Most of my team is at a gym where a number of people seem to be infected by the cannibal disease. They're asking questions and gathering information. I expect I won't see them again until morning."

  She nodded. "Who is still here?"

  "Smythe is doing analysis in his lab," Aaron said. "The twins and the scientists are still building the aperture. Nancy went home."

  The drive back to the hotel took only a few minutes. He went around to the back and drove down a ramp to reach the basement. Giant pipes and heavy machinery made the basement into a dimly lit labyrinth. He made several turns and seemed to return to his original position, but he was actually on a lower level now. He arrived at a steel door. He pressed a clicker on the dashboard, and the door folded to the side.

  "You're still planning on moving out of this place?" Ethel said.

  "Yes, ma'am," Aaron said. "The Chinatown building will be ready for us in a few months. Except for weapons, it's effectively usable now."

  "That's a shame. I know how much you like this headquarters."

  "It's my fault for not thinking through the security issues."

  He parked the car. They got out and went to a service elevator with a giant door. He pressed a button beside the door, and electric winches lifted it, revealing an elevator the size of a small bedroom. The group of three went inside.

  "You may not need a headquarters after the twins finish their project," Ethel said.

  "You think the Society will be that different?" Aaron said.

  "God hinted to me that everything will be different afterwards, assuming the thing works."

  The elevator door closed. He used the buttons to enter a secret code, and the elevator began to rise.

  "And if it doesn't," he said, "we'll all die."

  She nodded.

  He looked at the big suitcases in Boreas' hands. "You want me to take one of those?"

  "No." Boreas shook his head. "I'm good."

  They went swiftly up to the secret twenty-second floor. The door opened, and they stepped into a white, concrete chamber. The computer known as Jack was behind a six-inch thickness of bulletproof glass.

  "Greetings, legatus legionis," Jack said. "I haven't seen you in a long time. May I test you to verify your identity?"

  Ethel furrowed her brow. "Go ahead."

  A hidden panel on the wall dropped open. A tube fired a dart at her chest. She snatched the dart out of the air with an impossibly quick reaction. She held it up. Aaron could see black poison smeared on the tip.

  "I didn't realize this test would be deadly," she said.

  "Only the true legate could survive it," Jack said. "You may enter."

  The side door buzzed. Ethel handed the dart to Aaron, pulled open the heavy door with both hands, and went through. He and Boreas followed.

  Aaron glanced into the science laboratory but didn't see anybody inside. As they passed the conference room, he saw that it was unoccupied too. Headquarters was very quiet. Where are all the scientists? he wondered. Did the twins actually let them sleep?

  The group reached the section of headquarters where the aperture was being assembled. Bethany and Leanna were still hard at work in the middle of the high-tech junk yard.

  "Messy," Ethel murmured.

  "Every square inch of space is in use," Aaron said. "There isn't room to put anything away."

  They walked over to the twins.

  "Hello, ma'am," Bethany said without looking up from her work.

  She was peering through a microscope at the tiny components of the aperture. Leanna had her hands inside the guts of an industrial robot. She seemed to be making repairs.

  Ethel examined the aperture. "Aaron told me you need another week."

  "That is approximately correct," Bethany said.

  "This is the famous 'aperture?'"

  "Yes."

  "Tell me what it's for," Ethel said.

  "Not now, ma'am."

  Ethel stared. "Did you just refuse my direct order?"

  "We must finish this task before the sun rises and solar radiation contaminates the readings."

  Ethel stood in silence, and Aaron wondered what she would do next. Technically, refusing to obey a legate was punishable by death. Under normal circumstances, Bethany would already be decapitated.

  "You'll talk to me tomorrow morning?" Ethel said finally.

  "Yes, ma'am," Bethany said.

  "Then I'll wait."

  "What happened to all the scientists?" Aaron said.

  "I followed your recommendation and sent them to bed," Bethany said. "Now, please, leave us alone. We need quiet."

  Aaron, Boreas, and Ethel moved away.

  "I apologize on their behalf," Aaron said.

  "Don't." Ethel shook her head. "It seems like we have some time on our hands, so let's talk about the security around here. I saw the bills for the ridiculously expensive upgrades you installed last month. I'm curious about what all that money bought."

  "Yes, ma'am. Let's start by going up to the roof."

  She winced but didn't complain. They walked to a nearby staircase and climbed up. The ste
el door at the top was frozen shut. Aaron had to kick it a few times to break the ice. Finally, they reached the roof.

  Freezing wind startled him. We won't stay up here for long, he thought.

  He pointed to a pair of white metal sheds on the side of the roof. "I increased the number of guided missiles to fifty. I also improved the automatic mortar system." He pointed to various locations on the roof. Snow-covered panels concealed the hidden mortars. "Ten launchers and a total of a thousand rounds. The system can hit targets out to four kilometers with reasonable precision. Jack controls it all. We humans can stay safe and sound below."

  "Not bad," Ethel said.

  "But this is the real star of the show." Aaron walked over to a white plastic ball mounted on a cylindrical support. The ball was about ten feet in diameter. "There is a microwave cannon inside."

  "You intend to cook your enemies?"

  "Cook their electronics. This baby can knock planes, helicopters, and missiles right out of the sky. The circuits fry, and the engines die. It's the latest thing from our buddies at White Flame Technology."

  "Very good." Ethel nodded. "Can we go back inside now?"

  "Of course, ma'am."

  The three of them went back down the stairs. Aaron closed the door firmly.

  He led his companions across headquarters to the security booth. They stopped at the door leading to the booth, which had no handle on the outside.

  "Open sesame, Jack," Aaron said.

  The door unlocked, and a piston pushed it open. The group crowded inside. The racks containing Jack's computer modules took up the bulk of the floor space inside the small booth. It wasn't really a place for humans these days, much less three.

  Aaron pointed at the weapons control panels on the security console. "We have eight Vulcan cannons mounted on the corners of the hotel behind hidden panels. Each cannon has two thousand rounds of armor-piercing ammunition. They can kill anything short of a tank."

  "What if our enemies have a tank?" Ethel said.

  "Glad you asked, ma'am." He pointed at another set of controls. "Anti-tank land mines are under the parking lot and surrounding roads. We have every approach covered. Buried explosives can also blow out trenches that are too wide for a tank to cross."

  "Excellent."

  "Rings of heat and motion sensors surround the hotel. Video cameras with infrared capability cover every inch of this property and the surrounding properties. It's physically impossible to get close without being spotted."

  "And Jack controls it all?" Ethel touched one of the computer racks.

  "Correct. He never falls asleep or gets bored. He misses nothing. And we upgraded the security inside the hotel. There are drop-down guns in every hallway. We have enough nerve gas to kill everybody ten times over. The gas can be released on specific floors behind air-tight doors."

  "The twenty-first floor is still a giant death trap?"

  "Yes, ma'am," Aaron said. "There was no need to upgrade that. Oh, I almost forgot. We have automatic sniper rifles on the building too. Accurate out to two kilometers. Perfect for picking off high-value targets."

  "What about an artillery attack?" Ethel said.

  "This thing is built out of special composite concrete." He stomped the floor. "Shells will bounce off. We would have plenty of time to chase down and kill whoever is shooting at us."

  She raised her eyebrows. "Are you worried about anything?"

  "A thousand-pound bomb dropped from high altitude would give us grief, but even in that case, we're not helpless. Jack, tell the legate."

  "Yes, sir." Jack's voice emanated from speakers on the security console. "I'm tied into the FAA, Homeland Security, and NORAD. It would be very difficult for a military aircraft to approach undetected. We would respond with a surface-to-air missile."

  Ethel nodded. "I'm satisfied. Now let's get out of this booth. I need to unpack and get some sleep."

  * * *

  Norbert put his hands on his hips and looked around the gym. In the last two hours, he had talked to ten people, all obviously affected by the illness. He was learning to identify the signs at a glance. An extremely high energy level and a desire to exercise constantly were the most obvious symptoms. The sick ones danced around like children on a sugar high.

  He was very worried. If this gym was typical of the area, then hundreds if not thousands of people were infected.

  Tawni walked up to Norbert. Her black and gray tights showed off a body that could arouse a man in a coma. Norbert tried not to notice.

  "Any luck?" she said.

  He shook his head. "Nobody can explain how they suddenly acquired the bodies of Olympic athletes, but I've heard some bad theories."

  "Same here. One guy told me it's because the Devil is inside him. He didn't complain though."

  Norbert kept an eye on Sheryl. She was working with a short man who had so much muscle on his chest that he looked like a parody of himself. He was showing off by doing one-handed pull ups.

  Tawni moved closer to Norbert. "How is it going between you and the twins?"

  "Why?" He furrowed his brow.

  "They're so busy these days. Do they still have time for you?"

  "Not that it's any of your business, but our sex life has been... inadequate for the last couple of months."

  She nodded. "That's what I thought. They're always working. How much do they sleep?"

  "An hour a night is sufficient for them. Then they get up, eat, and go right back to work. It will be over soon though. I can survive without sex for another week."

  She stroked his right biceps with her index finger and smiled. "You don't have to."

  "What are you saying?" He took a step back.

  "The twins won't notice if you have a little fun on the side."

  His eyes widened. "I'm committed to them, and you're committed to Sheryl."

  "I'm not committed to anybody." She shook her head.

  It was hard to turn away from her beautiful face. Her wicked smile promised a passion and spontaneity that Bethany and Leanna had never delivered even during the good times. With them, sex was always a carefully scripted ritual.

  "I choose to be faithful."

  She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned close. "But you're thinking about it." She glanced down. "You're thinking hard."

  His face grew warm as he realized he had an embarrassing condition. He quickly sat on the seat of a nearby rowing machine and crossed his legs.

  She sat beside him and put her hand on his thigh. "Nobody will get hurt."

  "What about Sheryl?" he said. "Do you give a damn about her feelings?"

  "She'll understand."

  "No." He pushed her hand off. "I still love the twins, and they still love me. Just because we haven't slept together in a while doesn't mean that relationship has ended."

  She took his hand and used it to caress her cheek.

  "Stop that!" he said.

  She winked. "OK. I'll stop, for now."

  Sheryl looked in their direction. She had obviously heard him raise his voice.

  She came over and said, "What's going on, guys?"

  "I'm tired of wasting our time in this gym," Tawni said. "We're getting nowhere."

  "What do you suggest we do instead?"

  Tawni looked around. Her gaze settled on a particularly large, African-American man. He was lifting a hundred-pound weight with one hand while eating a granola bar with the other. Food garbage was scattered around his feet. She walked straight over to him.

  "What does she think she's doing?" Sheryl said.

  Norbert shrugged.

  Tawni got close to the man and struck up a conversation with him. He smiled at her, and she glanced down like an embarrassed, young girl. When he showed off his muscles, she stared at his bulging biceps with wide eyes. He made a fist, and she held it with both hands. He lifted her into the air.

  "She's hitting on him," Sheryl said in a tone of dismay.

  Tawni leaned against the man. She ran her hand up h
is thigh and whispered into his ear. He nodded with enthusiasm.

  She headed towards the locker rooms. Norbert watched Sheryl chase after her.

  Chapter Seven

  Sheryl ran to catch up with Tawni. "What are you doing?"

  "Going home with him," Tawni said, "obviously. Maybe we'll find some clues in his apartment."

  "What are Norbert and I supposed to do?" Sheryl trailed Tawni into the women's locker room.

  "Follow me. Watch my back."

  Tawni put on her regular clothes over her tights to save time. After a hesitation, Sheryl also got dressed. She was fuming. Tawni should've discussed this plan with her teammates at least. She wasn't the boss.

  Tawni took off while Sheryl was still only half-dressed. By the time Sheryl left the locker room, Tawni and her mark were already gone.

  Norbert was standing there with a confused expression.

  "Get your clothes on," Sheryl said. "She wants us to follow."

  He went into the men's locker room.

  She opened her phone and selected the locator app. The small display showed directions and distances to every member of the Gray Spear Society in the area. Tawni was already moving quickly to the north. She must be in a car, Sheryl thought.

  Aaron and a big cluster of other icons were located five miles to the south-east of her position. The rest were the twins, the scientists, Smythe, and Nancy. The color of the icons showed their rank in the Society. Aaron was blue, and the assistants were yellow. Legionnaires were shown in green.

  There were also two gray icons that Sheryl didn't expect. She frowned and zoomed in. One was labeled "legatus legionis." She guessed the other was Boreas.

  "Oh, shit," she said.

  The legate scared the hell out of Sheryl every time they met. She was like a creature from the underworld.

  Norbert came out of the locker room wearing his street clothes.

  "The legate is in town," Sheryl said.

  "Not a surprise under the circumstances. I'm glad she's here to help. Come on. I don't want Tawni to get too far ahead of us."

  They hurried out of the gym, ran to the car, and sat inside. He started the engine. Frigid air blasted out of the heating vents.