Crow's Gambit, page 24
part #1 of Sylphan Revelations Series
After a while, they learned Bala had been the only one to make it out of the building. She’d made a beeline for the exit before the doors were sealed and was outside the Crow Works section when the attack came. The security footage caught her leaving the building, after that, her trail disappeared.
It was early morning by the time Darrow returned and gathered them together.
“Well Wang’s going to be okay. They monitored him but the initial assessment was correct, nothing major seems to be damaged. They’re going to keep him in the hospital for a day or two.”
“How’s the XS-9?” Neil asked.
At first Cassie was shocked he could think about that after people had been hurt. Then she had to grudgingly admit it was a valid question. The XS-9 was what had gotten them into this, and it was just possibly the only thing that could get them out.
“She’s fine. Only a few of you know we constructed the XS-9F at a remote site. Since Bala didn’t know where the site was, it’s still secure. For all the good it’s going to do us.” Darrow lowered his eyes and started pacing.
“What do you mean?” Cassie asked.
“They’ve orchestrated this well. It’s all over the news the explosion was an industry accident. One due to negligence and poor safety protocols. They’re saying we’ve been reckless and put our employees and the public in danger.”
“Actually, they’re saying you’re terrorists,” Dale corrected.
Neil threw his coffee mug against the wall where it shattered. “Let me guess, they found out about the PX-345?”
“The fuel for the pulse detonation engine? So what?” Cassie frowned.
“It’s not actually a fuel,” Walt explained. “It was originally developed as a liquid high-density explosive by the military. I believe Mr. Darrow used his influence to obtain some from the Aberdeen Proving Grounds.”
“Borrowed,” Darrow amended.
“Stole,” Neil corrected.
“I don’t understand. Just tell them all what happened. Expose the Navy and the Vice President.”
“It’s not that simple.” Darrow smiled sadly at her. “Most of our evidence against Admiral Forrest and the Vice President is somewhat circumstantial, or at least easy to dismiss. There’s already a call for a congressional inquiry about misuse of government funds and well, Neil’s right. We didn’t exactly ask to use the PX-345.”
“By the time this is all sorted out, I’m sure they will have located the XS-9 and made it quietly disappear.” Neil really didn’t look well Cassie thought. His skin had an unhealthy chalky white sheen to it.
Dale stepped forward. “The FBI is already here. We’re stalling them but we can’t do that forever.”
“So, we’re all going to be arrested?” Joe’s posture slumped in resignation. “I can’t do time, man.”
“Actually, I think the FBI would just be happy with Mr. Darrow. Although I imagine there are some government researchers who would like to have a talk with Cassie as well.”
Wonderful.
Darrow was brushing back his hair and straightening his shirt. He pulled his shoulders back and stood taller. “Dale, if I turn myself in, will it delay them enough for you to get the team to safety?”
“So, you’re just going to give up?”
“I’ve put you all in danger. Especially Cassie and Wang. It’s time I took responsibility for that.”
“But—”
“I always knew it might come to this.” Darrow surveyed the group. “I’m sorry we couldn’t finish what we started. It’s been an honor working with all of you.” He turned and left, leaving everyone stunned.
They all sat there silently for several minutes. Neil, Walt, and Andrew finally stood and walked out without saying a word. It was incredible. With everything she had been through. After everything they had accomplished and discovered. After Gloria and Wang ended up in the hospital. After she ... after she killed a man. After everything, Darrow was just going to quit? Give into the pressure? Stop the mission?
Her grandpa hadn’t given up. Even after Net-Day and the death of her parents, after the loss of his life’s work, he’d seen a thirteen-year-old fly a drone and had strived to open the skies back up. He’d seen a spark of hope and held onto it tightly enough to set all this into motion.
After coming so far, how could she give up now?
If she gave up, it wouldn’t just be quitting. It would be giving up on Grandpa’s dream for her—his dream for the world. It would be letting the Navy and the Vice President win.
Joe interrupted her thoughts. “Okay, so we should go, right?”
“Do you really think they’re going to let the rest of you just walk away?” Dale’s arms were crossed as he studied the floor, frowning. “With all you know?”
“He’s right. We still know too much,” Cassie picked up on Dale’s line of thought. “Even without proof we can cause trouble just speculating about those satellites. Besides, if they leave us free, we could just make a new XS-9. We’re a liability.”
“So, basically we’re screwed,” Joe said dejectedly.
“Well, there’s one thing we can do. One piece of control we could use against them.”
Dale’s head lifted slowly. He stared at Cassie, but she ignored his look and turned to Harvey instead.
“What do you say?” At first, Harvey seemed confused, but as she looked at him, a crooked smile spread across his face.
“The XS-9 itself is ready to fly but its control system isn’t finished,” his bushy eyebrows raised in an unasked question.
“It’s a good thing you’ve got an actual pilot isn’t it?” Cassie answered.
“What? What am I missing?” Joe looked perplexed.
“We’re going to fly the XS-9. We are going to fly it right into orbit, find one of those mystery satellites, and prove to the Navy and the Sylph we’re done being pushed around.”
Dale let out a long sigh of resignation while Harvey just chuckled. Joe stood silently with his mouth hanging open.
“Uh, Dale?” Cassie smiled at him sweetly. “How would you like to help us do something that will probably get us all arrested or killed?”
“How is that any different than a normal day around here?” He sighed again. “What do you want me to do?”
“Harvey and I need a way to get out of here without anyone knowing. Then we each need transportation. Harvey needs to get to the XS-9 wherever it is, and I need to get to a barnstorming control center.”
“Wait. We’re going to fly the mission?” Joe asked with a confused expression still on his face.
“Yes.”
“Isn’t this mission why people are trying to kill you—and now, us?” Joe’s voice rose a half octave.
“If the mission succeeds, we’ll have sensor data we can use as leverage against them. If it fails, then we aren’t as much of a danger to them. There won’t be as much reason to hunt us down anymore. But as long as it’s still a possibility one way or another, they won’t leave any of us alone. Why would they?” Cassie turned to hide her smile. “Well, except you Joe. They probably aren’t genuinely concerned with you.”
“You wound me,” he mumbled. “Okay. I can help with the barnstorming center. I’ve got connections all along the East Coast, and I know just the place. Dale and I scouted it out months ago.”
They all looked at Dale expectantly. He looked at each of them in turn and sighed again.
“I don’t have any desire to live in Leavenworth, but they’ll probably kill us instead of arresting us so, why not? Should be fun.” His smile wasn’t very convincing. “I think I know a way. Give me a few minutes to get things ready.”
Twenty minutes later Cassie, Dale, and Joe had coordinated what they were going to do. They had each sent messages to contacts outside Crow Research and things were in motion. Now all they had to do was get out of the building without anyone noticing. They sat or paced in turn as they waited to see what Dale had planned.
Susan came bounding into the room, a smile on her face and a donut in her hand.
“Hey guys. Is there any coffee left? We’ve got donuts but no coffee. That just can’t happen.” She started pouring a cup of coffee. There were still a few other people milling around the cafeteria. Susan lowered her voice. “Dale says to meet him in the blue sector storage room in ten minutes. And don’t all leave at the same time. They could still have people inside watching.”
Sticking the donut in her mouth she picked up two cups of coffee and skipped out of the cafeteria. Cassie marveled at her and wondered how she managed that, skip without spilling the coffee.
They left individually over the next ten minutes. Cassie was the last to go. She finished her coffee, threw away the cup, and headed to the blue sector. It wasn’t until that moment she realized she wasn’t sure where the storage room was. Trying to walk at a normal pace, she entered the blue sector and started searching for a storage room.
Suddenly an arm reached out and grabbed her. She would have screamed if a hand hadn’t clamped over her mouth at the same time. Dale poked his head out of a door. He removed his hand and motioned her into the room. Inside she found Dale and Joe wearing dark blue paramedic uniforms and jackets. Harvey was standing beside them. Susan was also there munching a donut. In the middle of the closet were two empty wheelchairs.
“Harvey and Cassie, have a seat,” Dale instructed. “They probably have a description of you two, which is why you have just become accident victims.”
The two of them sat down. Susan covered their lower bodies with blankets and Dale placed oxygen masks over their faces. “Try to keep your eyes closed,” Dale said.
They pushed the wheelchairs down the hallways single file with Dale leading the way. Instead of heading toward the front of the building, they were going to a side entrance.
Cassie kept fluttering her eyes, sneaking peaks at where they were. They came to a loading door where a Crow Research security guard stood waiting to help them exit. Outside two ambulances were waiting. Their lights flashing and the backdoors open and waiting. Several local police officers stood next to a police SUV observing them. They didn’t appear to be watching closely, however.
Dale took one of her arms to help her stand. A paramedic leaned out of the ambulance and together they helped her into the back. The doors shut behind them and Cassie breathed a sigh of relief. Dale climbed into the passenger seat as the ambulance started to move. She started to sit up, but the other man pushed her back and replaced the oxygen mask.
“Remember you’re injured. Just lie there and be quiet.” Cassie hoped he wasn’t really a paramedic. His bedside manner sucked.
The ambulance slowed and stopped. She could hear Dale talking to someone through his window and then a flashlight was shined through the back window. A second later there were two loud knocks on the side of the ambulance, and they began moving again. The sirens started as their speed picked up.
Chapter 39
SEVERAL MINUTES PASSED before the other man removed her oxygen mask and told her she could sit up.
“What now?” She called up front to Dale.
“We’re going to go under an overpass in a minute. When we do you and I are going to jump out. Garrett will take the ambulance several miles away and ditch it.”
The driver nodded at her.
“Garrett, give us at least an hour before you call into the hospital to report where it is.”
“Will do.”
When they reached the overpass, it took less than five seconds to make the switch. The ambulance sped off into the dark. Headlights flashed as Dale unlocked the doors to a black sedan concealed in the shadows. Soon they were speeding down backroads.
“Too many traffic cameras on the major roadways,” Dale explained. We don’t want to be easy to track down once the FBI realize what happened.”
They soon reached their destination. A twenty-story building in an office park. The side of the building said Fidelity World Insurance. It was early Sunday morning and the parking lot was empty, illuminated by the soft glow of several solar powered lights. The building’s windows were dark.
“Fidelity World Insurance? Is that just another part of Darrow Industries?”
“No. The FBI, or others, will be watching all Darrow holdings. Several of the top floors aren’t used by the insurance company. They rent the space out to other businesses, including, in this case, a front for illegal drone control. They think it’s a VR conference center.”
Cassie nodded. Barnstormer centers often masqueraded as things like VR hubs.
Dale grabbed two bags from the trunk. One he slipped over his shoulder and the other he tossed to Cassie. She realized it was hers, the one she had brought from Minnesota.
“I thought you might like your own helmet to do this.”
She smiled at him, grateful.
Dale swiped an entry card across the pad by the door and ushered her into the lobby. They hurried toward an elevator. Getting off on the eighteenth floor, they approached a small frosted glass fronted office. There was a “For Rent” sign still hanging in the front window. Dale swiped the entry card again and opened the door. The front office was furnished with a reception counter, desk, and chair but devoid of any other items or papers.
“Whatever you plan to do, I think you should hurry.” Dale proceeded to pull several items out his bag including a sleek and dangerous looking gun.
“I take it we’re expecting company. Couldn’t we just, you know, talk to them about this?”
“They staged a military strike on a domestic target. I think we’ve gone beyond the point of talking.” He slung the gun over his shoulder and picked up the half empty bag. “Those guys back at the house were the B-team. We should probably expect the A-team now.”
“The A-team?”
“Special forces types. Probably SEALs.”
“So, you’ve got something in that bag of goodies that will stop them?”
“Stop them, no. Slow them down, maybe.” Dale watched Cassie’s shoulders slump. “Don’t worry. Help is on the way. I hope.”
“And in the meantime?”
“Several of the insurance company’s clients deal with sensitive intellectual property. This building is equipped with a nettle exterior to dissuade climbing drones. It was constructed soon after the Baltimore attack, so it’s also greatly over designed for safety. The only possible entries are through the lobby or roof.”
“So, you’ll guard one and I’ll guard the other?” Cassie was struggling with how this was going to work out.
“We’ve got creeper drones deployed on the roof and stairwells. With any luck we’ll at least know what direction they are coming from.”
Dale positioned himself behind a counter at the end of the hallway. What little furniture there was in the hallway he’d positioned as a crude barricade in front of him. It didn’t look to Cassie like it would stop bullets, but it might slow things down a little. He donned a micromesh armored vest and pulled a black-barreled assault rifle out.
He noticed her expression. “Don’t worry. It’s loaded with putty rounds. They’ll still feel like they’re getting hit by a baseball moving at high speed though.”
“Are you expecting me to use one of those too?”
“Nope.” Dale slipped on a pair of slim VR glasses and turned toward her. “Look. I don’t have any illusions about how this might go, but this is my job.” He took her by the shoulders and nudged her toward the back. “You have a different job. Get to work.”
The space Cassie entered was originally designed as a conference room, but it had been significantly remodeled. The lights automatically came on in a low glow when she entered. Four full VR control stations lined the two walls. Choosing one at random she hopped into the chair and started powering it up. Her helmet easily interfaced with the unit and opened an encrypted communications channel. Almost immediately Lizzy’s voice could be heard.
“I know I said I like excitement but damn Cassie.”
“You had something better to do today? Is everything ready?”
“Everything is set. Your friend Susan transferred the neural network parameters a little while ago. I already had copies of the control algorithms for the engines.”
“Were you able to use the Crow Works network to connect to the XS-9?”
“Easy peasy. The connection port I used the other day was still coded to me.”
A new window popped into her vision. Harvey’s lackadaisical expression greeted her.
“We’re ready here, but you better hurry. It’s only me and a couple techs. We can’t hold off anyone if they try to stop us.”
“Local law enforcement is being sent to his location, Cassie,” Lizzy said in her ear.
“Harvey, transfer control to us and then get out of there. The police are on their way.”
After giving a lazy salute, Harvey disappeared. New data streams started coming online and screens of system data started stacking themselves in the three-dimensional virtual space. Everything looked identical to the simulations, but somehow the fact there was a physical drone sitting out there made things different. With a deep breath, she let her senses expand out into the sea of data from the drone. Quickly she organized and filtered the information into manageable chunks and set the control system to monitor several things automatically.
At the touch of a floating control, magnetic rotors slowly started spinning up the plane’s compressor. Fuel was released to the combustor and the engines came fully to life. Pressure and temperature gages started to climb. Methodically, the computer tested the controls surfaces making the plane’s skin ripple. Across Cassie’s field of vision, checklists switched from caution yellow to ready green.
Ready or not, the XS-9 was waiting to fly.
