Underground, it was virtually impossible to detect which direction they were traveling, so they had to rely strictly upon the map and directions Ian had provided. Twice, they came upon a fork in the tunnel, and each time they stopped to recheck the map. The last thing they needed was to come up top only to discover that they had entered Area 51 or some other top-secret location. They were prepared to answer questions once they arrived to IIA headquarters. Any other destination, and they would literally be at a loss for words to explain their presence.
When they came to the second fork in the tunnel, Eddie turned the map upside down, turned it around again, and then drummed his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, look.” He tapped the map. “In the drawing, Ian shows that we should turn right here, but in the written directions, it clearly says that we should turn left. I don’t know if we should believe the drawing or what he has in writing. I’m kind of leaning toward what he has written, but I’m not sure. If we take a wrong turn now, we could be screwed.”
“I think the picture is probably more accurate,” Grace said. “I mean, if he’s driven through here several times, I’m sure he knows what it looks like. I think we should go with the map instead.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m leaning more towards what he has written, and we can’t waste time sitting here all day trying to figure it out. I’m going left, and hopefully when we get to the next intersection, it will be clear if we went the right way.”
“Yeah, but the next intersection is twenty miles ahead,” Grace pointed out. “If we turn the wrong way, we’ll have to backtrack twenty miles.”
“Well, unless you have a better idea of how to figure it out, I’m going left.” He proceeded along the tunnel before Grace could argue further.
They had driven all of thirty seconds when a voice in Grace’s head told her that they should turn around and take the tunnel that had led to the right. She had learned long ago that the voice was always correct, and any time she had ever ignored the voice, she had always come to regret it.
“Eddie, I think we’re going the wrong way. I think we should turn around and take the other tunnel.”
“Look, we don’t know for sure, and we’ve already started this way. I say we just keep going.”
They continued on for another minute, and then a clear vision took over her mind. She vividly saw them drive down the other tunnel, and the voice in her head became louder as it shouted, Turn around now!
With as much authority as she could muster, she shouted, “Eddie, stop!”
He glanced at her, slowed the vehicle slightly, but continued on.
Grace placed a hand on his arm, willing him to feel the vision that she saw.
The golf cart came to a slow halt, and he turned to look at her. Her hand remained on his arm.
“The tunnel on the right was the correct way.” She spoke slowly, clearly, and with confidence. “I saw it, Eddie. I saw us drive down the other tunnel. Trust me.” She looked into his crystal brown eyes and willed him to believe her. She willed him to feel the same knowledge she held in her mind. She willed him to turn around.
He was silent for a moment as he held her gaze. After a few moments, he said, “I believe you. I believe you, Grace.” The tunnel was wide enough that he was easily able to maneuver a U-turn, and in less than two minutes they were headed up the opposite tunnel.
They continued the drive for a minute without speaking, and then Eddie broke the silence. “I’m sorry, Grace. I should have listened. We’re in this together. I’m just anxious to get there and get out of there, but if I take us the wrong way, we aren’t going to get there any faster. If I do anything dumb like that again, just smack me or something, okay?”
She laughed. “Um…okay.” His concession of stubbornness touched her, and if anything, it made her attraction for him stronger.
The remainder of the trip passed quickly and without incident, and soon they arrived at what would hopefully prove to be IIA headquarters. They parked beside the only other vehicle—an electric golf cart identical to the one they were driving. Unlike Edwards Base, there wasn’t an elevator. Instead, they found a long series of winding rock steps. The air below ground was cool and had a musty, damp odor. As they climbed their way to the surface, they were guided by dimly lit wall lamps that lined the stairway. The air around them became noticeably warmer and smelled fresher. By the time they neared the top, it seemed they must have climbed the equivalent of three flights of stairs. A line of bright light greeted them from beneath the space under the door.
“All right. You ready to do this again, Airman Smith?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be, Sergeant Martinez. Game face on.” She took a deep breath and touched her hat to ensure that it was still in place.
Their infiltration into Edwards Air Force Base had been nerve-racking to the extreme. Fear that men with machine guns would discover their masquerade had caused her heart to pound and hands to tremble; however, that venture suddenly seemed like a walk in the park in comparison to marching straight into the headquarters of the enemy.
Eddie twisted the door handle and peered out. They were immediately assaulted by a blast of warm air. They stepped outside onto fine, brown gravel and looked around with caution to assess their position. There was no one around, but they knew that the video camera mounted atop the building adjacent to them had announced their arrival. Ian had explained that the grounds were monitored by security cameras that were attended twenty-four hours a day by security guards in a building near the front gate.
Grace glanced back at the door, from which they had arrived. The tunnel entrance looked like a small shack that had been built into the side of a hill. The rear of the property was backed by a small mountain. The other three sides of the perimeter were guarded by a tall barbed wire fence. Ian had described the premises with precise detail and had also drawn a map. The entire property sat on twenty acres and housed a total of nine plain, brown modular buildings.
The lack of guards present didn’t negate the fact that their every move was closely monitored. Any sign of hesitation or fear and security would be upon them. As long as they walked tall and with confidence, no one should suspect anything unusual about their presence. They had reviewed the map one final time before they had climbed the stairs; the layout of IIA headquarters was memorized. Their targeted destination was two buildings down and three buildings to the right.
Grace was thankful that the buildings had only a few small windows near the ceiling; their parade across the graveled lot would hopefully go unnoticed by the occupants within. They had successfully reached the second building without spying anyone, but when they rounded the corner, they were greeted by a middle-aged man with salt and pepper gray hair, a mustache, and a beer belly. He sat on the second step of the small, wooden porch with a cigarette in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
“Good afternoon,” he said with a smile. “What brings the military up to our neck of the woods today?”
It was Eddie who spoke. “Colonel Davis sent us to check out a few things and grab some files from his office. He’s detained for the day, entertaining some important bigwigs at the air show.”
“So he sent you to do his dirty work, huh?” The man chuckled. Grace wondered if he was joking or if ‘dirty work’ actually referred to the illegitimate business of the IIA and its associates.
Graced laughed in return. “Yeah, lucky us. Everyone else gets a day of fun and we’re stuck working.”
“Well, good luck to you. I was in the military myself in my younger days. I was an Army Ranger. I know all about taking orders from higher command. They’ll walk all over you when they want to.”
“That’s for sure,” Eddie agreed.
“Well then, do you know where you’re headed?”
“Yep. I think we’re that third building, right on the end down there.”
“That’s right. No one’s been there
in a couple of weeks. Should be locked up. Do you have a key?”
“Oh yeah, we’re all set,” Eddie reassured him. He of course didn’t require a key to open a lock, and the last thing they wanted was for the man to locate a guard to let them in and have their every move watched.
“Okay then. I wish you a speedy journey.”
“Thank you,” Grace replied with a sweet smile.
“Well, at least we know that our appearance here doesn’t seem unusual,” Eddie whispered after they were out of earshot. “This might be easier than I expected.”
They found the inside of the rectangular building to be plain and simple. It housed four desks, a large table, a few file cabinets, a copy machine, a water cooler, and a small restroom. Like Ian had described, the maps to the Mexican compound were located on the large table near the back wall. They were massive, about two feet by three feet, and Grace immediately applied herself to the copy machine to shrink them down to size so that the copies would fit inside of a file folder.
While she copied, Eddie began to search for the access card that would be needed to log into the computer system. Ian had explained that the card would either be found within the Colonel’s desk or in his file cabinet.
Over the whine of the copy machine, Grace listened to the heavy thuds of Eddie’s footsteps and squeaks of the floorboards, of the thin, modular floor. She turned, with a start, when he slammed his palm on the side of a file cabinet. The resounding vibration caused a picture frame to topple, which in turn landed on a mug full of pens.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s not here! It’s…We came all this way, and it’s not here.”
“What do you mean? It has to be here.” Grace left the copy machine and crossed the room to Eddie.
“Ian said that the access card is always kept in the Colonel’s desk, and he said that a second, spare card is kept in the last file, at the back of the second drawer, of the file cabinet. They’re both gone.”
“Do you think the Colonel could be in Mexico?”
“He could be. But if so, it doesn’t explain where the second card is. And it doesn’t help us a whole lot right now when we need it. It’s not like we can just come back again. We need the key now.”
“Let me think for a minute.” Grace sat in the Colonel’s black swivel leather chair. She turned so that she faced his desk and placed both hands on the glass top. With eyes closed, she focused on the feeling of the room. She sensed the commanding officer who had last sat in the chair; she felt his lingering presence and tried to imagine where he had placed the card. Then she saw it.
“It’s in the third drawer down.”
“The third drawer?”
“Yeah, let me see.” She pulled the drawer open and reached into the empty space behind the last file. Between the metal slats she touched what felt like a credit card. She gripped it between her fingertips and retrieved what looked like a hotel room key.
“It got pushed back in the second drawer and fell down,” she explained.
“You’re amazing.” His relief was obvious, and she was rewarded with a smile and hug.
All too eagerly, Grace accepted the hug. She tried to ignore the fact that his aura revealed only colors of friendship. He obviously didn’t feel the same adoration for her that she felt for him, but she was confident that she would eventually be able to win him over.
He released her from the embrace and glanced to the copy machine. “Are the maps done?”
“They should be. I just shrank down the last one. It should be sitting on the copier. Let me put the originals back, and we should be good to go.”
“Not yet. We have to find the password, too. The card won’t do us much good if we can’t log into the system. It should be…”
Eddie trailed off as Grace flipped the access card around so he could see the backside. “You mean this password?” She grinned and tapped the small piece of paper that had been taped to the back.
“That’s the password?”
“I assume so. It has nine figures with a combination of letters and numbers, just like Ian said it would.”
“Well, that’s certainly convenient. I guess they aren’t too concerned about a security breach, are they?”
“Nope.” Grace grinned again. “Lucky for us. Now, can we get out of here, please? I don’t think my nerves can take much more of this spy business today.”
“I hear ya. Let’s get out of here while luck is on our side.”
CHAPTER 18: MEXICO
Stretched out on the bed, Liliana leaned against a stack of pillows propped against the headboard while they waited for Eddie and Grace to return. She had flipped through the channels until she stopped at a classic movie but couldn’t stay focused on it; her gaze continued to discreetly wander to Tyler. His legs dangled over the arm of an oversized chair as he leaned back and took a nap.
Daydreams of a future with Tyler mingled their way between her growing concern for Eddie and Grace. She fantasized that he was running after her on a sandy beach. When he finally caught up to her, they tumbled about in the sand as the waves teased their bare toes. Twinges of guilt pulled at her conscience. Such a fantasy should have no place in her mind, when worry for her two friends should be at the forefront of her thoughts. Eddie and Grace had willingly put themselves in danger, and all she could think about was her feelings for a boy.
“So after I catch you and we tumble about in the sand, what happens next?”
Caught off guard and immediately embarrassed, Liliana looked up. His eyes were still closed, but his quirky smile revealed that he was awake.
Liliana found herself at a loss for words. “I…uh…um…that’s not fair. Those were private thoughts.”
He opened his eyes and grinned. “There’s no such thing as a private thought,” he teased. Her flushed cheeks must have been obvious, from across the room, because he added, “Oh, come on. It’s no big deal.”
With swift agility, he flipped himself up and over the arm of the chair and came to sit on the edge of the bed, beside her.
Still leaning against the pillows, Liliana felt her pulse began to race as she looked into Tyler’s eyes. Whether it was his close proximity and her full awareness of his presence or the fact that she was still blushing, the room suddenly grew warmer. His body heat seemed to radiate straight toward her. The damp tips of his hair glistened from his recent shower, and she found the fresh scent of hotel soap to be surprisingly intoxicating.
“So tell me, where is this beach of yours?” His eyes seemed to twinkle with amusement.
“Are you laughing at me?”
He shook his head. “You can hear my thoughts, Liliana. Does it sound like I’m laughing?”
She paused for a moment to assess his thoughts and observe his aura. He wasn’t laughing; in fact, he seemed to be fascinated with her daydream.
“The beach…It’s um…in Seattle. There’s a place I like to go, near the Sound. It’s never crowded. I was just imagining that I could take you there someday, just you and I, when all of this crazy stuff is over.”
“I’d like that. You didn’t answer my question, though. After I catch you and we tumble about in the sand…what happens next?”
“I didn’t get that far,” she said, with a grin.
“Well, when you do, let me know, okay? I’d…like to know.”
“Do you think you’ll ever get to come to Seattle? I mean, after all of this is over, where will you go? Will you have to go back to your foster family?”
His mood and aura visibly darkened. “I don’t know. With luck, my brother and I will be together again. I hope to God we don’t have to go back, but if we don’t, I don’t know where the state will send us. Will they find us a new foster family? Maybe. But, my brother and I will both be considered runaways, so who knows…Maybe they’ll just send us to juvie and keep us there until we turn eighteen. I don’t know what will happen. Right now I just need to focus on getting him back, and then I guess we’ll worry about the f
uture after that.”
He met her gaze with his own and leaned in closer. “I would love to come see you in Seattle, Liliana. Other than my brother, I’ve never felt closer to anyone in my life. I feel a connection to you.”
Her response came out almost in a whisper. “I feel it too.”
He leaned in close. His warm breath was almost upon her lips, and then he sat back and said, “You have perfect timing.”
She frowned. “Um…excuse me?”
“It’s Toby,” he explained.
“Oh.” Perfect timing, indeed, she thought.
As she listened to their one-sided conversation, trying to make sense of it all, she tried to fill in the blanks.
“We were just talking about what we’re going to do after we rescue you,” Tyler explained to his brother with what seemed like a defensive tone. He was silent for a moment and then said, “You’ll like her. I can’t wait for you to meet her.” Another moment of silence passed, and then he said, “Eddie and Grace should be back soon and then we’ll take a look at the maps and see what we’re up against. If all goes as planned we should be there tomorrow.” He grew silent again as he listened to Toby. Then he laughed. “It’s a crazy idea, but I think you’re right. In the long run, it will probably be the best plan. Everyone else is going to hate it, but I guess I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do. Don’t worry, bro. No matter what, I am coming for you.” He was silent for a moment, and then he glanced at Liliana and smiled. “Hey, you know me,” he said to his brother. “I won’t do anything you wouldn’t do. I’ll see you soon.” She wondered if he was talking about her or his plan. She tried to gauge his thoughts, but he was obviously blocking them from her.
“What is your crazy plan, and how come I’m not going to like it?” She flopped down on the bed and repositioned herself against the pillows.
Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy) Page 21
