Simulation: A Pop Travel Novel Read online

  The pop travel case. That’s what tied them all together. The agent, Hasan Rakhi, and Detective Cooper were in cahoots. But the Colonel knew just what to do. How droll of them to think they could oppose him.

  This is perfect. A tarnished FBI Agent could be just the catalyst I need.

  Crews called Rajul back and whispered his orders without looking at the foolish electronics expert.

  “Make a sim of the woman. I’ll be there directly. Close.”

  Leaning back in his cushioned seat, Crews smiled and strummed his fingers together. The sun continued to shine down on him. Let Senator Cooper have his day and his say. He couldn’t fight progress. And he’d never win against the Colonel.

  After the Senator concluded his speech and thanked everyone, the audience gave him a hearty round of applause. That simpleton’s hero was the only obstacle standing in Crews’ way. Dawson Cooper was too damn popular. Even the opposing side clapped for him, swooning over the handsome, charismatic man like giddy teenagers. He would be a tough match in a presidential race. The Colonel actually looked forward to the challenge. And if it ever got too close, there were other ways to win.

  When the golden boy left the podium, one of his aides pulled him to the side and whispered urgently to him.

  Senator Cooper’s eyes widened, and he dashed out.

  The Colonel leaned forward, letting a devious, Grinch-like grin escape. They must have told him about his brother. Too bad it wasn’t before his speech.

  While the host said a few words and announced the next speaker, the Colonel whispered to Wells as if he was a notepad.

  “We need to pull in the reins on that Senator Cooper or I’ll never get anything accomplished. His nosey detective brother could come in handy at some point.”

  Decatur, GA

  Geri opened her eyes, waking from her blackout to darkness. She sat up on a familiar, uncomfortable couch with a burlap bag covering her head. Strong magnetic cuffs bound her wrists and ankles. Judging by the raspy breathing on her left, she was not alone.

  The dramatic moan coming from person next to her gave him away.

  “Hasan?” She nudged him with her elbow.

  “Unh,” he grunted and nudged her back. “Geri? Where are we?”

  “I don’t know yet. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

  “Unh.”

  What a baby. Geri assessed the situation. She could see light peeking through the holes in the sack over her head and felt the warmth of natural sunlight from a window to the side, telling her it was still daytime. She wasn’t starving, so it should be the same day. Breathing deeply, Geri got a good whiff of the place. Past the burlap smell, she faintly recognized grease, paint, and cleaning solutions. She heard the sizzle of an air gun wrench, warning bells, metallic banging, and gruff voices. They had to be at Rajul’s garage. No wonder the lumpy couch felt familiar.

  Geri leaned over and used her mouth to loosen the bag and get it over her chin. With a few shakes of her head, she flung it off. She recognized Rajul’s dingy reception office, all right.

  The door swung open and Rajul stomped in with two of his men. Geri had never met him, but seeing him close up, she recognized the smaller version of Hasan immediately, now that she knew who he was. Same dark hair, eyes, and skin tone, same prominent nose, same superior attitude. But the differences stood out. Little Rajul had a bushy mustache and didn’t deserve any respect from her.

  “Good. You’re awake.” He yanked the bag off Hasan’s head.

  “Hey! Easy!”

  Rajul sneered at him. “Quiet, annoying, spoiled cousin.”

  “Loser. Thief. Rapscallion!”

  “If you don’t shut up, I’ll have you gagged. My friends are bigger than yours.” Rajul and his thugs laughed.

  Hasan stuck his nose in the air and turned away.

  Focusing on Geri, Rajul snapped his fingers at one of his men.

  The beefy guy stepped over to Geri and squeezed her delicate cheeks with his disgusting, fat fingers. Despite her squirming and resisting, the guy pulled her chin down, opening her mouth, and shoved a swab inside, taking a sample. Rajul’s men were definitely bigger and stronger. But not smarter. Not in the least. She was sure of that.

  When the brute finished, Geri loosened her jaw, working it back and forth, then sneered at them. “You could’ve asked.”

  Rajul smiled as he dropped the sample into a plastic bag and sealed it. “And I’m sure you would have willingly opened wide, right?”

  “No.”

  “See? I have saved myself a few steps.” He held up the bag and shooed the men out ahead of him.

  “Wait! What’s going on? You’re just going to leave us here?” Geri struggled with her cuffs.

  “Yeah. I need to use the bathroom,” Hasan added, and wiggled in his seat.

  “Sorry. You’ll just have to wait.” Rajul shut and locked the door.

  Geri sneered at the camera in the opposite corner of the ceiling and considered her options. She didn’t have the patience to sit and wait to be rescued. Dipping her chin to her chest, she whispered to Hasan.

  “We’re getting out of here. Be smart and quiet and follow my lead.”

  “Good. I really do have to go.”

  Geri shook her head. He better not blow their escape. Feeling her left wrist with her right hand, she wasn’t surprised to discover her QV was missing. But she still had her three-gem ring, a gift from her friend, Claire, in the tech lab. She called it the Swiss Army Laser Ring.

  Fiddling with the band, she hoped she chose the right stone and aimed it at her cuffs, away from her back. She turned it off when a slight charred smell hit her nose.

  “Is something burning?” Hasan asked, sniffing the air.

  “Shh!” Geri must’ve singed the couch. The metal cuff was hot, but she managed to squeeze her hand free, widening the cuff enough with the slice she made to twist out of it. To fool the dolts watching on the camera, she kept her hands behind her and scooted closer to Hasan. She whispered to him through clenched teeth, like a ventriloquist.

  “Angle your back to me and scooch in close. Lean on me if you have to.”

  Mister Discretion burst out, “No way. What if you miss?”

  Geri glared at him. “I won’t.”

  “The couch disagrees.”

  A voice came over a speaker in the room. “Be still in there.”

  Geri rolled her eyes. Hasan was impossible. She had to do everything herself. Taking a risk, Geri stood and hopped to the opposite wall underneath the camera. She quickly cut off her foot cuffs and disabled the feed.

  “We don’t have much time. They’ll be in here in a few seconds. Get up!” She dashed over to Hasan. As he struggled to rise, she grabbed his arm, spun him around, and sliced open his cuffs.

  “Goodness!” he protested.

  “Shut up and listen! When they come in, lie on the floor and pretend you’re still bound.”

  He nodded and did it. Once he was in position, she stood behind the door.

  Two of Rajul’s guys slowly opened the door and peeked in.

  Hasan did a great job writhing and moaning on the floor. “I have to go. Ohh, I have to go soo bad. I have to go now! Have mercy!”

  Distracted by Hasan, the guards joked and laughed with each other at his discomfort.

  “He’s a little pisser!”

  “Hey, where’s the other—?” They forgot about Geri long enough for her to clobber one of them with two well-placed neck chops.

  The other grabbed her, but she zapped him in the gut using the topaz taser stone on her ring, and he fell to the floor next to his buddy.

  After shutting the door, she barked at Hasan, “Come on!”

  Geri hoped no one else noticed the two guards’ delayed absence as she quickly removed the coveralls from one of the brutes. Hasan’s eyes were wide as he did the same with the other. They put the coveralls on themselves and propped up the guards on the couch. Then Geri welded the cuffs back together on them. It wasn’t a s
trong weld, but it should hold them long enough for her and Hasan to get away.

  “Hey, that’s handy,” Hasan said.

  “Shh!” Geri shushed him and snatched the QVs off the guards’ wrists.

  She put a finger to her lips. Getting a nod from Hasan, she cracked the door open and peered into the garage. She scanned to the left and saw a desk in the corner with a compucenter imager displaying a card game in the main frame and a smaller frame of static in the corner. The two empty chairs on either side of it must’ve been where their guards had been sitting to watch them.

  Along the wall were five car stalls, one empty, two with raised cars, and two with vehicles on the ground. Geri counted three mechanics in that area. Past them, she spotted an exit sign over a door on the far wall. On the right side of the garage were two impressive service stations. One housed an old car that looked like it was getting a physical. Wires and tubes protruded from it, leading to a large machine with an imager showing the car’s insides. In the dark corner on her immediate right, a metal spiral staircase led up and down.

  “Hasan, I need you to go sit at the CC desk out there and pretend you’re one of these idiot guards. I have to check something out.”

  “What? Sit out there? Alone? In plain sight?”

  For a moment she wished Aimee were there. At least she would’ve followed orders without questioning her. Much.

  “I’ll be right back. No one will bother you. Just act like you belong. Pretend you’re a big, dumb mechanic. You’ll be fine. Trust me.”

  Hasan frowned and peeked out the door.

  Geri wondered what plan of action his high tech brain and chicken heart were formulating. They didn’t have time to mess around.

  Just before she reached up to shove him out, he spoke.

  “Fine.” Hasan stood tall and left, strutting a little too casually. He made it to the desk and sat down without drawing any attention.

  Giving him a thumbs-up, she walked over to the stairs. She could hear muffled voices rising from below. Rajul’s distinctly stood out, commanding the others. Geri slinked down the stairs and peered around the corner. Through the cracked door, she saw the scene of an operating room, but scarier and less sanitary. It was complete with wheeled gurney, a dim light hanging over it, and three ugly nurses scurrying around. Rajul’s back was to her, easy to identify, being much shorter than the others. When one of the big guys walked over to Rajul, he exposed a giant vat of blue liquid with a body floating in it. It was a jarring sight. But as it slowly bobbed around, she saw her own face on it. She gasped and covered her mouth.

  Too late.

  They all spun around. Geri was caught.

  She sprinted back up the stairs.

  “Get her!” Rajul screeched.

  With the three goons downstairs scrambling after her, Geri waved and pointed for Hasan to run for the exit.

  They met at the first empty stall and raced to the back door, dodging carts, oil spills, and other debris.

  When the mechanics working on the cars figured out what was happening from Rajul screaming at everyone, they moved to block the way out.

  Geri ran past the first guard, then stopped short, leaned to the side, and stuck her leg out for the second one barreling toward her. He fell and made a good obstacle for their pursuers.

  Jumping onto the hood of a car, she slid past the third who reached for her, letting Hasan sneak around him. But an unexpected fourth stood firm in front of the exit with a large wrench and a disgusting grin. He had an intimidating scar starting at the top of his bald head, slicing his left eyebrow in half. Geri skidded to a halt in front of him, shaking her hands at her sides while she gauged how to tackle him.

  Surprisingly, Hasan dashed around her and ran right up to the guy.

  The huge mechanic grabbed Hasan by the throat and dangled him a foot off the floor. What was that kid thinking?

  Hasan struggled to breathe, but while Geri went for the taser on her ring to help him, he reached out and poked the guy with a cattle prod-looking tool, shocking him. Where did he find that?

  The guy quivered with the jolt, dropping Hasan, and fell to the floor, leaving the way clear for them to hustle outside.

  Hearing the commotion of Rajul screaming at his guys behind them, Geri slammed the door shut and looked around for a way to barricade it. She spotted a tire tower and motioned for Hasan to help her push it over. Then, she opened one of the QVs she’d swiped from the guards and found his vehicle remote on it. She aimed it at the parking lot and a big black truck roared to life. Grabbing Hasan by the arm, Geri pulled him along as she sprinted for the truck.

  Old cars blocked the gate in the back, and Geri remembered the front had the tire spikes. She didn’t have time to think, so she shouted at Hasan while she drove around looking for a way out.

  “Check the QVs for some kind of remote to open the gate!”

  Rajul and his mechanics streamed around the corner from the front of the garage.

  Geri and Hasan zoomed past them.

  “How about this?” Hasan pressed a gadget and the back gate opened, old cars and all. A secret getaway.

  “Perfect.” She blasted out of the lot.

  Seconds later, three vehicles exploded onto the highway after them. Several electric shots and a few metal bullets hit them, but it was a big truck. It took all the hits without a wince. It must’ve been shockproof insulated. Upgrades were one of the perks of working for Rajul.

  Hasan looked back at the guys chasing them through the little window in the cab behind their heads.

  “You should see all the junk in the back of this truck. Tires, wires, bungee cords, a toolbox, and trash. Lots of trash. Some people have no sense of propriety.”

  “Shut up and throw something at them!”

  “Oh, yeah.” Hasan ducked as another shot ricocheted off the truck frame above his head. “Hey!”

  He opened the window and reached through. He was able to dislodge a tire. It bounced out of the truck toward their pursuers, making one of them swerve into the other lane. A car coming the opposite direction forced them off the road into a ditch.

  As Geri reached an intersection, the light turned red. She prayed no one was coming and floored it.

  The cross traffic had just started, so the oncoming cars had time to stop and let her speed through. Then they got going again, slowing down Rajul’s men, who swerved and smashed a couple of cars, but kept coming.

  Hasan continued to throw whatever he could reach at the guys chasing them.

  As they approached a more populated area, the shooting subsided.

  After making it through another light into heavier traffic, the remaining vehicles stopped and went back the way they’d come.

  Hasan shut the window and sat back down. “I guess they gave up.”

  “I doubt it. I think they let us go.” Geri wondered why, but was relieved to be free again. She shivered, remembering her face on that floating body, and was afraid to think of what they might do with it. It didn’t seem possible in such a short amount of time. She would have to ask Hasan.

  For now, they needed to ditch the truck. It surely had a tracking device.

  Monticello, GA

  Sunday, June 21, 2082

  ow many times does this make?”

  Cooper raised his head and smirked, relieved to hear Dawson’s voice. The metal bench in the cold cell was making his butt sore. He’d had a long time to sit and think about things and was ready for action.

  “Eight? Ten? Some of them are a little fuzzy. What took you so long? And where’s your entourage?” he asked as the officer let him out. Cooper looked over Dawson’s shoulder for Espen, his manager, or a couple of aides. He didn’t travel many places without them.

  “Do you know where you are?” Dawson’s face was completely serious and he didn’t sound like he was in a joking mood. He ignored Cooper’s foolish questions.

  Cooper needled him anyway, “BFE?”

  “Exactly. I had to drive all the way do
wn here from Atlanta. And I was in the middle of a luncheon debate. In D.C.!” Now Dawson sounded like their stern father. And the crease in his forehead gave him a scary resemblance.

  “Sorry. I promise I won’t let it happen again.” Cooper held up his right hand with three fingers raised like a boy scout.

  Dawson loosened a little, letting a huff of a laugh escape. They never stayed mad at each other for long. He was a great bro for going to all that trouble. While the guard let Cooper out, Dawson continued his interrogation.

  “So what happened? And why are you all the way out here anyway?”

  Dawson deserved an explanation, but Cooper wasn’t ready to stun him with the truth just yet. He held out his innocent hands.

  “I swear I didn’t do anything. They arrested me just outside the city limits. I have no idea why they dragged me down here, either. No one wanted to answer any of my questions. I have my suspicions, but I’ll save them for the trip home. It’s a long story.”

  “Well, it’s a long trip. You’ll have plenty of time to tell me.”

  After Cooper retrieved his QV, they stepped outside and Dawson unlocked a questionable rental car. Cooper sniffed at it. He couldn’t picture Dawson behind the wheel of the rusty, converted Mercedes tank.

  “You drove all the way from Atlanta in that?”

  “Yes. This lovely piece of machinery was all they had on such short notice. I prayed the whole way. It took me an hour and a half. Monticello doesn’t have a pop travel receiving dock.”

  “And I bet no one is in a hurry to get one, either. This is a very sleepy town.”

  “I know. Even the one light had trouble deciding what color came next.” Dawson’s QV buzzed, but after a quick glance, he ignored it.

  Cooper chuckled as they pulled away, headed back to Atlanta. Putting off the big explanation, he was afraid to divulge his current predicament to his overprotective younger brother. Dawson would insist on getting involved.

  And as expected, he got right to the point. “Which brings me back to my question—what are you doing in Monticello?”

  “I hate to say it, but I think I’m being diverted.”