Paradise Hacked (First Circle Club Book 2)

by Siegel, Alex

  Lisa caught up to them. "No," she whispered.

  Virgil heard footsteps. He turned to confront his new adversaries, but Lisa was even quicker. She flew across the room as two soldiers entered. She grabbed one by the head, flipped over him, and broke his thick neck. She kicked the other in the back of the knee, and he fell. She ripped a rifle out of the hands of the first opponent. She fired a stream of bullets through the skull of the second. Brains sprayed outward.

  She stood over her dead victims, glaring furiously. The look in her eyes reminded Virgil of demons he had known.

  "Shameful loss of self-control," Alfred muttered.

  Virgil looked at him. "Are you in pain?"

  "No," Alfred mumbled through a mouth full of white blood, "but I'm going to need medical treatment fairly soon."

  Virgil knew he wasn't talking about any doctor on Earth. The kind of help Alfred needed could only come from Heaven.

  "We still need to search this place," Virgil said. "Can you hang on for a few minutes?"

  "Be quick."

  "Lisa, let's move!"

  Virgil and Lisa ran through the house. They used speed to compensate for lack of stealth.

  Marks on the walls and garbage on the floor provided evidence of a hasty departure by the military. He even found dirty dishes in the kitchen, and the food looked fresh.

  Virgil and Lisa went down to the basement. The space had been cleared, but debris left behind provided some clues. He found screws, bits of wire, drops of solder, metal shavings, and a piece of a broken circuit board. An electronics workshop? he thought.

  The two of them returned to the main floor. They discovered a soldier threatening Alfred with a gun.

  Virgil tried to tackle his adversary, but the guy was surprisingly nimble. Virgil ended up flying into a wall upside-down. He bounced off and made a second attempt. He grabbed the soldier around the midsection, lifted him, and slammed him down like a professional wrestler. The soldier was stunned but still managed to draw a knife and slash Virgil's thigh. Virgil ripped the knife away and stabbed the guy in the right hand, pinning it to the wooden floor.

  Virgil grabbed the soldier's head and stared into his eyes. Virgil used his power at full blast to inflict abject terror.

  "Talk!" he yelled. "Where is your unit? Where did they go?"

  "I don't know!" the soldier gibbered.

  "You must know something!"

  Lisa came over. She touched the man's face, causing the skin to blister and split. She had the power to inflict gruesome injuries on contact. It was the opposite of Sara's healing power. The purplish wounds looked like a nasty combination of a burn and an infection.

  He screamed in agony.

  "Let him be," Alfred called out.

  "Stay out of this," Virgil said. He blasted the soldier with his gaze again. "Talk now or it will only get worse for you."

  "They didn't tell me where they went!" the soldier cried.

  Virgil believed him. It was an obvious security precaution under the circumstances. He didn't like dealing with smart adversaries.

  "I need to go," Alfred said. "I'm losing my strength."

  Virgil growled in frustration. Today had been a complete disaster. He punched the soldier, knocking him out.

  Virgil took another look at Alfred and realized carrying him back to the car wasn't a good idea. He needed to be moved as little as possible.

  "Lisa," Virgil said, "go get the car. I'll guard Alfred."

  Lisa nodded and ran out the front doorway. The door itself was nothing but kindling.

  "I hope you learned your lesson," Virgil said.

  "What lesson?" Alfred said.

  "Walking in the front door isn't always the right choice. You should've gone in with us."

  "If I ever lose my trust in humanity, I won't want to live anymore."

  "You're not alive now," Virgil said.

  "You know what I mean."

  Virgil heard wood creaking overhead. Somebody was walking upstairs.

  Virgil grabbed an assault rifle off the floor and silently padded up the steps.

  The soldier he had stabbed was dead, but the man with broken knees was gone. Virgil explored the second story.

  He heard a low voice behind a closed door, and he debated what to do. If he simply kicked open the door, he would likely get shot, but he didn't have time to mess around. Lisa would be back with the car very soon.

  Virgil kicked the door, but instead of entering immediately, he dropped down and moved to the side. As expected, bullets zipped through the space his head had just occupied.

  "If you shoot at me again," he yelled. "I will kill you. Last warning. Drop your weapons."

  Virgil charged in and saw two soldiers, one sitting on a chair and one lying on the floor. The latter had broken knees. He shot Virgil in the chest with a pistol. Virgil responded by blasting the man several times in the face.

  Virgil turned to the other threat. The soldier was sitting in front of a security console with several video displays. Live feeds showed views of the house, both inside and outside. He was wearing a headset wired to a military radio. His hands were in the air.

  "Smart man," Virgil said. "Who are you talking to?"

  "My commander."

  "Excellent. Back away. Let me speak to him."

  The soldier's hands were shaking as he handed over the headset. He went to a far corner of the room, and Virgil kept his gun pointed in that direction.

  Virgil put on the headset. "Who do I have the pleasure of talking to?"

  "I'm not telling you my name," a male voice responded.

  "But you're in charge?"

  "Yes."

  "You have to stop what you're doing," Virgil said. "Give it up. You're causing more trouble than you can imagine."

  "I'm doing what is right for the United States and humanity. We can't let aliens come and go as they please. I have no idea what your intentions are. An invasion force might show up tomorrow. We must understand your technology. We must control your portals."

  "I promise no invasion is coming."

  "Your word means nothing to me," the commander said. "You just killed more of my men."

  "They shot at us first. You've been the aggressor from the beginning."

  "With good reason. You're monsters."

  "You don't know what you're talking about," Virgil said.

  "We examined your friend, Sara. She looks human, but the resemblance is only skin deep."

  Virgil lowered his head. That statement had confirmed Sara was a prisoner.

  "I can't tell you the truth, but I will say you're headed for disaster. You will fail to achieve your objectives, and even more soldiers will die."

  "I've never failed before," the commander said. "It won't happen this time. I will protect the Earth from you no matter what it takes. I never admit defeat."

  Virgil heard a car horn outside the house. Lisa had returned.

  He threw the headset angrily at the floor and ran downstairs. The minivan was parked on the lawn as close to the front door as it could get.

  Captain Kyle and Mei were standing on the porch and staring at Alfred with horrified expressions.

  "Come on!" Virgil said. "Help me get him into the car!"

  Kyle helped Virgil carry Alfred. They carefully placed the injured man on the back seat, but he didn't have the strength to sit up on his own. Virgil leaned him against the window.

  Virgil and Mei sat in the middle seats. Lisa was at the wheel, and Kyle was riding shotgun.

  As soon as everybody was settled, Lisa drove off.

  "What happened?" Mei said.

  "They attacked without provocation," Virgil said. "They had no interest in talking. The headquarters is gone, but a squad was left behind to kill us. I did confirm they're holding Sara."

  "Where are we going?" Lisa said.

  "Back to Aladdin's Castle," Alfred said. "I'm sure I can get what I need there."

  Virgil nodded. Either Alfred would go to Heaven to get healed, or t
he necessary materials would be brought to him through the passage.

  "How can you still be alive?" Kyle said. "You look like talking cottage cheese."

  "I wasn't really alive to begin with."

  "Are you a cyborg? A zombie?"

  "Stop asking those questions!" Virgil said. "That's secret information. Keep your theories to yourself."

  Kyle closed his mouth.

  "Lisa, drive faster," Virgil added.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Lisa parked the car in a dirt alley behind Aladdin's Castle. The path was marked "Staff Only," but she hadn't cared. The location allowed the team to reach the Rocket to Heaven ride without going through the park.

  Virgil stepped out and looked around, but he didn't see any witnesses. To get into the park, he would have to climb over a tall fence with rusty barbed wire on top. A cinderblock wall ran along the other side of the alley, and private homes were beyond the wall.

  Virgil checked on Alfred again. Even for a dead man, he didn't look good.

  Lisa got out of the car and joined Virgil.

  "Lisa and I will go in and talk to management," he said. "We'll find out what to do."

  "Hurry," Alfred said.

  Virgil and Lisa ran to the fence. After checking for witnesses again, they quickly climbed over and dropped onto the grass on the other side. A line of trees and tall bushes formed a screen. They pushed through the foliage and reached the Rocket to Heaven from the back side.

  "Old Man!" Virgil yelled.

  The old man came out of his rickety wooden shack. "A third visit? This is becoming a habit."

  "Alfred is badly hurt. We need to talk to Barachiel now."

  The old man retrieved his silver tray from his shack. Water sloshed in the tray as he set it down on the grass.

  Virgil leaned over the tray. "Barachiel! We need you!"

  An image of the angel formed in the water. Barachiel was walking down a city street, but it wasn't any city on Earth. Gold flagstones covered the streets. Jewels decorated buildings made of platinum, and everything had a heavenly glow.

  "I saw what happened," Barachiel said. "Alfred needs fresh milk from Saturn's rings."

  "Send some down," Virgil said.

  "You and Lisa should come up and get it. The material will be more potent if it is collected by a friend."

  "Does that really matter?"

  "Indeed," Barachiel said. "Heaven is a spiritual place. Loving gestures are essential, and in this case, there is also personal sacrifice and redemption. You will enter Heaven, and you will leave of your own volition, both of you. Alfred couldn't ask for anything more."

  Virgil looked at Lisa. "You want to take a ride?"

  "Sure," she said.

  "Can I trust you to come back to Earth?"

  She nodded. "I did it before."

  "That was just a taste of Heaven. We're about to get the grand tour. The temptation to stay might be strong."

  "I always do my job." She gave him a serious look. "I never let down my friends."

  "Then why did you die in prison?"

  She winced. "That was because of a mistake I won't make again."

  "I just want to be sure," he said. "This is big picture stuff. We can't be thinking about ourselves. We're trouble shooters, not trouble makers."

  "Seriously, you can trust me."

  Virgil hesitated, then turned to the old man. "Crank up the machine."

  * * *

  Kyle heard a sound like a giant spring releasing. He caught a glimpse of two objects shooting up from the park. They vanished into the blue sky.

  "What was that?" he said.

  "Virgil and Lisa," Alfred said. "I expect they're fetching what I need to recover from my injuries."

  "Which is what?"

  Alfred was silent.

  Kyle sighed in frustration. He was used to being the guy with the secrets. Classified combat missions were just another day at the office for him.

  Virgil's team was obviously doing something hugely important. Kyle could only make poorly informed guesses at the truth. He wanted to believe Virgil was a good guy, but the evidence was ambiguous.

  Kyle turned around and looked at Mei. He could tell her hair was naturally black, but she had changed the color to dark red. She had a very pretty face.

  "I know you're a hacker," Kyle said. "Are you also a freak like the others?"

  "No. I'm a regular, human hacker."

  "Virgil certainly likes you."

  "That's none of your business," Mei replied irritably. "I have a question, as long as we're talking. How did you track us down to Chinatown?"

  "A hacker was trying to penetrate our systems, and we narrowed down the source of the attacks to your neighborhood."

  She blushed. "In other words, it's my fault, but I wasn't attacking you. I was just trying to cut through the lies and get at the truth."

  "I guess I can understand that. A lot of lies are floating around. It's dishonorable." Kyle faced forward. "What do we do now? Wait?"

  "Yes," Alfred said. "It could be a while. I hope I'm still here when Virgil and Lisa get back."

  "Back from where? Outer space? What kind of crazy technology shoots people into the sky?"

  Alfred went silent again.

  * * *

  Virgil and Lisa landed on the silver platform in the sky. The old woman with white flowers in her hair was standing there.

  "You're back," she said.

  "Yes," Virgil said, "and we're continuing onwards. Is this actually Heaven?"

  "The border. Are you allowed to go in? Both of you stink of damnation."

  "We're just visiting. Barachiel said it was OK."

  The old woman brightened. "Then I guess you may proceed."

  Virgil and Lisa started down a silver path which snaked through the sky. He couldn't see the far end, and he wondered how long the journey would take. Alfred needed treatment soon.

  Lisa started running. The lack of handrails and the slick, polished surface caused Virgil to hold back. If he slipped and fell, he might never stop falling. Walking was clearly too slow though. He ran after her.

  As he pushed to go faster, he experienced a strange effect. Distances seemed to compress, and his body stretched. His strides became longer and longer until he was bounding miles at a time.

  "It's like running in a dream," he said.

  Lisa nodded. "Heaven is more like fantasy than reality."

  They suddenly arrived at white pearly gates. Thousands of people were standing in line and passing through the gates one at a time. A man in white robes was inspecting each person before admitting them.

  "We don't have time to wait in line," Lisa said.

  "You're right," Virgil said. "It could take hours, even days."

  "Let's talk to the guy."

  "I believe that's Saint Peter."

  They walked up to the custodian of the gate. He had long white hair and a magnificent white beard.

  He sniffed the air. "Gah! That stench! Get away from me!"

  "We need to go in," Virgil said. "We're on a mission to save a friend."

  "Nobody gets in unless their name is in my book." Saint Peter pointed at a white tome on a pedestal. "Should I bother to look?"

  Virgil frowned. "Probably not."

  "Then leave before I call the guardian angels down upon you."

  Everybody in line began to look up. Angels were appearing in the sky, and they quickly became a swirling cloud. They glided effortlessly on giant eagle wings.

  "Ah, ha!" Saint Peter said. "You see? The Legions of Heaven are assembling to send you back to the realm of fire and brimstone. Prepare to be expelled, foul fiends!"

  Barachiel appeared in the center of the formation, and it had the most impressive wings of all. The angel was wearing a sparkling gown with blue jewels sewn into the fabric. It descended and lightly touched the ground.

  Saint Peter stood with a smug impression.

  "Let them in," Barachiel said.

  He gasped. "But... but
..."

  "Special circumstances. I take full responsibility."

  His shoulders sagged. "What is this place coming to? I thought we had rules."

  Barachiel, Virgil, and Lisa walked through the giant gateway.

  "Please don't make me look like a fool," Barachiel whispered.

  "We'll do our best," Virgil said.

  He gave Lisa a meaningful look, and she nodded.

  "Saturn is in the Seventh Heaven," Barachiel said. "We could go straight there, but I think we'll make some brief stops along the way instead. I wouldn't want you to come here and feel like you were cheated out of a tour. That would be rude of me."

  "What about Alfred?" Virgil said. "He needs treatment urgently."

  "Time moves differently up here. Don't worry. I'll make sure you get back to Earth in time to save him. First stop, the Mall."

  Barachiel snapped its enormous wings, and the group was instantly transported to a new location. Virgil looked around in wonder.

  He was inside an endless indoor shopping mall. Three floors of stores ran into the distance in both directions. The stores featured the usual goods such as clothing, jewelry, purses, and makeup. Angels served as the staff. Human souls were going in and out of the stores, taking what they wanted or just browsing. Money never changed hands.

  "What are they doing?" Virgil said.

  "Shopping, of course," Barachiel said. "For some people, a mall is Heaven."

  He noticed most of the souls were women.

  "But what do they do with the stuff?"

  "Wear it or carry it around. Eventually, they return it."

  "How pointless," Virgil said.

  Barachiel shrugged. "It's obviously not the right Heaven for you."

  "I can see how this might be fun," Lisa said, "for a while. I've always wanted to go on a shopping spree without paying for anything. It does seem kind of pointless though."

  "As long as we're here, let's visit the Food Court."

  The angel snapped its wings again.

  They appeared in a food court as big as a city. Kiosks served every kind of food including Mexican, Chinese, pasta, barbeque, sandwiches, ice cream, cookies, pancakes, Japanese, and vegan. Diners sat at picnic tables with food heaped high on plastic plates. They were stuffing their mouths, sometimes using both hands at once.