Tyler wondered what else they knew about Toby’s ‘talents’ and what his brother had been up to.
“I need to get back out to my post, Henry,” said the guard. “Is it okay if I leave him here, with you?”
“That’s fine, Jake. A job well done. Thank you.”
“No problem, sir. Take care, kid,” he said to Tyler and then retreated in the direction from which they had come.
“Well now, Toby, I would hate to think that you were trying to escape just when we were starting to come to some sort of an understanding. Would you like to explain what you were really doing out there?”
Tyler decided that it was as good a time as any to let him know his true identity. He would find out soon enough, anyway.
“Actually, sir, the truth is—”
He was interrupted by the appearance of a man who had just arrived at the top of the stairs.
The newcomer glanced back and forth between them. “Hey, Henry, what’s going on here?”
“Hi, Jesse. Our friend, Toby, was just about to explain what he was doing outside of the compound.”
Jesse glared at Tyler and shook his head. “That’s not Toby. You’re Tyler, aren’t you?”
“Tyler?” Henry’s gaze swiveled from Jesse to Tyler, and he stared at him with intent. “You’re Tyler?”
Momentarily speechless, Tyler looked back and forth between the two men and then presented Henry with an awkward grin. “Um…hi.”
Henry didn’t respond but turned back to Jesse. “How did you know?”
“Because I just came from talking to Toby just a minute ago. And because I can hear the thoughts of this one.” Jesse nodded his head in Tyler’s direction.
Tyler made a mental note to immediately block all thoughts.
“What are you doing here?” Jesse demanded.
Tyler had practiced his cover story repeatedly during the long drive and was prepared for their inquisition.
“Obviously, I’m here to find my brother.”
“But how did you find us?” Henry asked.
“We’re twins. We have a connection, you know? Wherever he goes, I go.”
“I should have known that Toby would find a way to contact you. I don’t know why we didn’t expect it. We’ve been out looking for you, and here you come, waltzing in our back door. Did you think you were going to break him out?”
“Break him out?” Tyler scoffed. “Are you kidding? With all of those armed guards, outside? I’m not crazy. No…I want to join you. If you’ll let me.”
“Forgive me for being a bit…skeptical, but your brother hasn’t exactly been cooperative. Why should we believe that you want to work with us, when he has refused?”
“Well, for one, I’m not my brother. We might look identical, but we don’t act the same, and we don’t think the same. We never have. He’s always been the more…cautious one, I guess you’d say.”
“So you just decided to run away from home and join him in Mexico?”
“I’m sure you’re aware that we’ve lived with a foster family most of our lives. They haven’t exactly been nurturing, to say the least. With my brother gone, there was no way I was going to stay there by myself. My home is wherever Toby is, and if this is where he’s going to be, then this is where I want to be, too.”
“Hmm, I see. Jesse, can I speak with you for a minute in my office?” He turned to Tyler. “Stay right here. There are cameras everywhere, so don’t think about going far.”
Tyler smiled. “I’ll wait right here.”
The door slid shut after Jesse followed Henry into his office. Tyler closed his eyes in concentration, and although he couldn’t audibly hear their words, he could hear their thoughts that were formed before their words were spoken.
Do you believe him? Henry asked. Could you hear what the boy was thinking?
The boy’s smart, just like his brother. I can sense that, Jesse responded. I could tell that he was blocking his thoughts from me, so it’s hard to say. I think he might be for real though. I know he and his brother are close. Maybe if he’s willing to work with us, he can convince Toby to cooperate, too. I’d say it’s at least worth a shot.
Is there any word on the others?
No, there’s been no sign of them.
Why don’t we bring him in and ask?
The door opened, and Tyler, who was leaning casually against the wall, acted as though he wasn’t aware of the conversation that had just transpired behind the closed door.
“Tyler, why don’t you come on in to my office for a few minutes? I’d like to get to know you a little better.”
Tyler accepted the invitation and sat in a plush upholstered chair in front of a massive mahogany desk. Jesse sat in a matching chair beside him, and Henry took a seat in a black leather chair behind the desk. The man leaned back and cracked his knuckles one at a time.
“So I understand that you would like to join us. I think that we might be able to come to some sort of an arrangement.”
“I’d like that,” Tyler replied.
“I can’t help but wonder, though, whatever happened to your other friends?”
“My friends?”
“Yes. You see, we’re interested in recruiting as many talented, young individuals such as yourself as possible. I’m afraid there may have been some sort of a misunderstanding. I’d like to have the opportunity to sit down with them and explain the great work that we do here and invite them to join our team. I wonder if you might know how I could contact them.”
Tyler knew that he had to lie and lie well. Jesse would try to search his mind to discover their whereabouts and observe his face for implications that he may be lying. He also knew that, in order for any great lie to be plausible, there was a need for a substance of truth.
“My friends…I assume you’re referring to Eddie, Liliana, and Grace.”
“That’s right. I understand that you were all together. When was the last time you saw them?”
Here goes, Tyler thought. Time to put on the poker face. “I was with them in Arizona two days ago.” This, at least, was true. “That’s when I decided to break off from them and come down here. They tried to stop me, but I told them that I wanted to be with my brother.”
“And you haven’t heard from them since?”
Tyler shook his head. “No.”
“Well, that is unfortunate. They would be a valuable asset to our team, that’s for sure. Would you happen to know how to contact them? A phone number, perhaps?”
He was sure that if the man wanted their phone number, he was powerful enough and had enough connections that he could access it. Tyler shook his head and tried to look disappointed. “No, I’m sorry.”
“Well then, I guess we’ll have to just keep trying on our own. I’m sure we’ll find them, eventually.” His words were casual, but his menacing tone was undeniable.
Tyler didn’t respond, and Jesse finally broke the uncomfortable silence. “Well, I’m sure that you would like to see your brother.” He turned to Henry. “Would you like me to put him in the empty room next to Toby?”
“That would be fine. Perhaps later this evening, Tyler, after you’ve had dinner and have had a chance to see your brother, we may talk again.”
Tyler smiled. “Sure. I’d like that.”
Jesse stood to leave, and Tyler was happy to follow. Not only was he anxious to see Toby, but he was ready to leave the vicinity of Henry’s uncomfortable, speculative stare. Tyler knew that the man didn’t believe his story, but he was also confident that Henry wouldn’t turn him out into the Mexican wilderness either.
Just as Tyler reached the door, Henry called out, “I’m sorry, Tyler. One more question, if you don’t mind.”
Tyler turned. “Yes?”
“You mentioned Eddie, Liliana, and Grace. What about your friend Sarah? Where was the last place you saw her?”
He didn’t care if Henry believed him or not. He wasn’t about to give any indication of Sarah’s whereabouts. She and her b
aby had to be protected at all costs. “She wasn’t interested in coming with us. She stayed in Washington.”
There was nothing more to say on the matter, and before he had a chance to hear Henry’s reaction, he turned and followed Jesse out the door and down the second set of steps. They walked down another hallway identical to the one they had just come from and made casual small talk along the way. Jesse wasn’t nearly as intimidating as Henry, but Tyler wasn’t fooled either; the man couldn’t be trusted.
They stopped at the end of the hallway, and Tyler watched carefully as Jesse slid his access card through the security box, beside the door. The door slid open, and Tyler followed Jesse into the room.
Tyler grinned at the sight of his brother, who was leaning back in bed, his eyes on an open book. Upon hearing Jesse’s entrance, Toby glanced up from the pages and did a double take.
“You’re here.” He set the book on the bed and swung his legs over the side.
Tyler grinned. “I told you I’d find you.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Jesse said, “I’ll leave you boys alone so you can get caught up, and I’ll come back in an hour with dinner.”
“Thanks, Jesse,” Toby said.
Jesse smiled, nodded, and then was gone. The door slid shut with a resounding click.
Tyler followed Toby’s gaze to the video camera mounted on the ceiling. Watch what you say, Toby thought.
Gotcha, Tyler replied silently. Their every word would be monitored closely. The boys would have to engage in idle small talk for a few minutes.
“So I can’t believe you made it here,” Toby said.
“Yeah, it was a long trip. You’re kinda out here in the middle of nowhere.”
“I wouldn’t know. I haven’t been outside since I got here.”
“Well, maybe we can work on that. You know, I think if these guys realize that they can trust you, they might give you a little more freedom and wouldn’t keep you locked up.” Silently he said, Just go with it. Let them hear what they want to hear.
Facing away from the camera, Toby winked in understanding. “Yeah, I don’t know. You really want to work with these people?”
“I do. What do we have going for us, back home? Nothing, that’s what! If we stay here and work for them, we could actually have a place to call home. We could have a purpose. We could finally put our powers to use and maybe help someone else out, along the way. Each day will be an adventure.”
Wow, I’m convinced, Toby thought. Sounds good to me. Too bad they aren’t as honest as they pretend to be. Out loud, he said, “I don’t know. Maybe you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. This is a great opportunity. We have a chance for a new start at life. I say we embrace it and take all these guys have to offer. After all, what do we have to lose?”
Tyler glanced discreetly from the camera and back to Toby. Do you think they’re getting all of this? he asked silently.
I’m sure they’re soaking up every word, Toby thought.
They were interrupted when the thoughts of someone other than his brother invaded his mind. Oh my gosh, Tyler! I knew I heard another voice, in here. You made it!
He smiled when he spotted her. She stood below the video camera, pressed against the corner of the wall. You must be Rebecka, he thought. My brother’s told me a lot about you.
She was beautiful and could easily have been a model. Toby had given him a hard time about falling for Liliana; he wondered just how close his brother and this girl had become.
Hey, brother, Toby thought, pretend to take a nap so we can all chat silently and they don’t get suspicious.
“Would you mind if I lie down for a bit, just until dinner?” Tyler asked. “I’m exhausted from the trip.”
“Not a problem. Go ahead and take the bed. I’ll just sit at the desk and read for a bit.”
They each took their unsuspecting positions, so that the watchful eyes in the security room would hopefully ignore them, and then Tyler filled them in on their plan.
Well, I think it sounds like a good idea, Toby thought. We just need to think of a way to get evidence.
Any information that you might want is kept in Henry’s office, Rebecka thought. Anything of real importance would be on his computer. I’ve watched him. To get on the computer you have to have an access card and password.
Oh? Could that be like the access card that I have hidden in my shoe?
Are you kidding? That’s awesome! Rebecka thought. If you weren’t pretending to be asleep right now and I was actually supposed to be here, I’d hug you.
I can’t take all of the credit Eddie and Grace actually got the card, so you’ll have to thank them when you see them. So what do you think? We wait until night and then break into his office?
It’s not as easy as all that, Rebecka thought. The surveillance cameras are monitored twenty-four hours a day. The second they see us, they’ll have armed guards at the door.
So, then we have to make sure they don’t see us, Tyler thought.
Toby drummed his fingers on the desk. How do you propose we do that?
Can we disable the cameras? Tyler wondered.
We could, Rebecka thought, but as soon as the guard realizes that the cameras aren’t working, he’ll have a dozen guards patrolling the halls to make sure everyone is where they’re supposed to be.
Hmmm, Tyler thought, then I guess we need to think of something else.
They each fell into silence while they tried to think of another idea.
Wait a minute! Toby thought. If we can’t disable the security cameras, why can’t we disable the security guard?
Disable the security guard? How do you plan to make that happen? Tyler questioned silently.
The same way they disabled me when I first got here. They keep sedatives in the nurse’s office. Rebecka sometimes delivers desserts and coffee to the staff members. If she can make the guard sleep for a while, then we can go wherever we want.
That’s a good idea, Rebecka thought, but then we’re faced with the problem of getting the sedatives out of the nurse’s office. Any ideas there?
Tyler grinned. I’ll bet we can come up with a plan.
*****
“How was dinner?” Jesse asked.
“It was great, thanks,” Tyler replied. “I haven’t had a meal that good in a long time.”
“That’s good to hear. You ready to go up and see Henry? He’s waiting for you.”
“Sure. Lead the way.”
Toby interrupted their departure. “Hey, Jesse, I’ve got a bit of a headache. Do you think I could get some medicine or something from the nurse?”
“Sure thing. Come on with us. I’ll drop you off on the way. You can stay there until I come back down.”
The nurse’s office was located in the center of the hallway. Tyler had been briefed on the layout of the tunnels. The rooms in this hallway were the sleeping quarters for all of the residents. The hallway above, where Tyler had first entered, held Henry’s office, the offices of other agents and officials, and the kitchen. There was a third tunnel, which Tyler hadn’t yet seen, that held labs and testing facilities. Rebecka had explained that the third tunnel also held a second exit to the outside world.
Jesse made sure that the nurse was in her office and left Toby in her care. Then Tyler followed him toward the end of the hallway to the staircase. Tyler’s target was the security room. Rebecka had said that it was the last room in the hall across from the stairs.
Tyler knew that a guard sat behind the closed door with a careful eye trained on the surveillance monitors. The goal was to distract the guard, long enough for Rebecka to swipe enough sedatives from the nurse’s office. Each step of their plan had to be timed with exact precision or they would all be caught.
Jesse led the way up the stairs and Tyler followed close behind. When he made it to the fourth step, he knew it was now or never. The cameras would catch his every move, so he had to make the fall look believable, but he also didn’t want to
fall so hard that he might actually break something. With a holler, he slipped forward. He fell on his hands and face and then half-rolled, half-slid and came to a stop at the bottom. His leg stuck out in an awkward angle. Unsure if the guard had seen the fall, he decided to call out for good measure, “Ow! Ow! My ankle! I think it’s broken!”
Jesse hurried down the stairs and knelt by his side. At the same time, the door to the security room opened and the young guard, who appeared to be eighteen or nineteen, came out to kneel by his other side.
Okay, Toby, the guard’s out. Tell Rebecka to do her thing, Tyler silently called to his brother. According to the plan, Toby would lie on a cot and keep the nurse distracted. The medicine cabinets were located in a back room. Rebecka would teleport in, locate the needed sedatives, and hopefully get out before she was noticed.
“Man, are you okay?” Jesse asked.
“I don’t know. My ankle really hurts.”
“Dude, that was an awesome fall,” the guard said. “I saw it all on camera. I mean, don’t get me wrong. It looked like it really hurt, but it was pretty funny.” Jesse glared at the guard who said, “Yeah, I’ll just shut up now, sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Tyler said. “I admit it wasn’t one of my finer moves.” He made a show of rotating his ankle and winced sharply as though in pain.
Jesse sighed. “I should get the nurse.”
“No, if anything, I should at least be able to walk down there on my own. Do you think you can help me stand?”
“Yeah, yeah. Here. We can each take an arm.” Jesse indicated to the guard that he should help. They each took an elbow and assisted Tyler to a standing position. He slowly attempted to put weight on his “hurt” ankle and immediately lifted it.
“Ow! This sucks.”
“Maybe you just need to walk it out,” Jesse said. “I’ll help you walk down to the nurse.”
“Yeah, sure. Maybe if we just take it real slow.”
“Do you need me?” the guard asked. “Cuz, I should be in the control room right now.”
Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy) Page 23
