Pop Travel Page 24

  “Okay. What?” He lifted his head and pouted at her.

  Setting the glass down, Vivienne counted off points on her fingers.

  “One. Hasan is coming back with the answer to our problem. Two. The Feds will take care of the detective and any incriminating videos when they pick up Hasan. Three. All we need to worry about is getting back on track. Once we have Hasan, we will be in control again. Business as usual.” Vivienne dusted off her hands and bared her teeth like a barracuda.

  Ray gulped.

  “I won’t feel good about it until Hasan is back in his lab.”

  “Then get him back!” She pounded the desk. “Call me when you have him.” She made a large arc with her finger as she reached for her imager and disconnected.

  Ray moped at the empty frame. His head flopped from side to side like a rag doll.

  Ed couldn’t stand Ray’s spinelessness. Pathetic.

  Next, he called his second in command, Charles, who had obviously been sound asleep. Wearing a stretched-out, dingy white t-shirt, he yawned throughout Ray’s update.

  When Ray finished, Charles gave a deep sigh.

  “I’m not surprised. We all saw this coming,” he said, looking thoughtful, not shocked. He had a disturbingly calm façade.

  “The good news is, Hasan found a solution. We just need to implement it,” Ray added.

  “Well, yes, that’s good at least. Any word on the video or the detective?” Charles asked with another yawn.

  “No. I’m sure Ed believes I don’t ‘need to know’ that information,” Ray said with a sneer.

  “So what are we going to do now? Just sit and wait?”

  “That’s why I called you! You are in this as deep as I am!” Ray shouted. He winced at his own outburst and calmed down. “Sorry, Charles. I called because I need you to handle the press release. Just in case the evidence does come out.”

  Charles nodded.

  “Yes. That’s a good idea. I should be able to have something ready this morning. I’ve had a few things written down if we ever needed to go public.”

  “Thanks, old friend. Always prepared. I knew I could count on you. We should never have gotten involved with this cover-up in the first place. The next few hours will be crucial to the survival of PTI. I’ll call you in a while.”

  “That’s enough,” Ed said to Nate, who closed the frames. “We’ll take care of them later. You have Paul keeping an eye on all three of them, right?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Ed nodded. He had just enough time for a quick shower before his virtual conference meeting with Vivienne. Everything seemed to be falling back into place. And that made him worry.

  “Any movement from Representative Cooper’s home or office?”

  “No, sir. And nothing from his office or home CC’s, either.”

  “Watch for unusual calls. If Cooper is still alive, he may try to contact his brother to get home.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Stay on it. I’ll be back.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Athens, GA

  6:30 a.m., Saturday, July 27

  earing a powder blue, towel turban and a sharp new suit, courtesy of Dr. Rastogi’s credit card, Cooper emerged from the Athens-Ben Epps Transport Hub. He completed his look with darkly tinted skin from the hair dye, and a thick, brushy mustache. The customs agents hadn’t given him a second glance when they let him through, commenting to each other that he must be another international guest speaker for the University of Georgia. Cooper just nodded and smiled. Dr. Rastogi’s thumbprint mold had come in handy, working out better than Cooper expected.

  Once he got into his rental car, thanks again to Hasan’s uncle, Cooper let out a huge sigh and drove toward home. It would be nice to be back in good old Walnut Grove.

  Patting his breast pocket, he reassured himself the tiny drive with the video message, including the original recording from Audrey, was still safe. If everything went smoothly, he would to take it to the local news station, link up to the satellites, and broadcast it worldwide. One of the advantages to living in a small town; everyone was connected. Cooper had no doubt he could convince Kaleb, the executive producer, to uplink the video, especially once he saw it. Like any newshound, he would be compelled to air such an epic scoop.

  When Cooper pulled into town, he went straight home, parking the rental behind his office. Wanting to avoid a scene, he needed to wash all the dye off his skin. No one would recognize him, and someone would probably call the sheriff to investigate the suspicious new guy in town. He didn’t have time for that explanation.

  As he stepped into his apartment, he paused. Whatever happened to Miki?

  He hadn’t heard back from her or her mother. Hopefully, no news was good news. Without his QV, he couldn’t check on her just yet. He would have to call her as soon as he got to the station. Frowning about her, he jumped in the shower. Miki had to be okay. He couldn’t take another devastating loss.

  Walnut Grove, GA

  7:00 a.m., Saturday, July 27

  Miki’s eyes popped open. Sunlight snuck in from the crack of her heavy drapes. On the ceiling, a bright green 7:00 a.m. glowed from her CC clock. Sleep had escaped her for yet another night. Too much stress poked at her brain.

  When she got home Friday afternoon, she had given her mother the “I got stuck downtown after a concert and overslept” alibi with a side of “Oh yeah, my QV died, too.” Miki felt bad for lying, but felt worse when her mother bought it so easily and didn’t yell at her. No reprimands about her irresponsibility or inconsideration. How dare her mom think so little of her, accepting such a lame excuse!

  Last night, all through the rehearsal dinner, Miki kept glancing at her FBI-tainted QV. She couldn’t stop wondering if Cooper was okay or what he might be involved in. It was crazy! He surely couldn’t have done anything so reprehensible. And yet, there she sat, under surveillance, ready to rat him out to the Feds. Whether she wanted to or not.

  It didn’t help that Jared was so geeked about it all. He’d had a goofy smile on his face all night. He even made it through a civil conversation with her father. Jared loved his assignment, caressing his QV, patting it and rubbing it like a lucky rabbit’s foot.

  Since she couldn’t go back to sleep with so much on her mind, Miki sat up in her bed. She needed to do something to get her mind off the Cooper situation. With so much time before she had to get ready for the wedding, she would go nuts just sitting around, listening to her sister and her bridesmaids titter like helium-headed fools.

  Touching her desk, the imager opened up her calendar, showing when her next school assignments were due. She wouldn’t be able to concentrate on homework, either. But the calendar reminded her today would normally be office cleaning day. Perfect. Some menial work would relieve a little stress. She threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and left.

  When she pulled into the small lot behind the building, she stopped short. There, where no one ever parked but her, sat a strange car. She backed out and pulled over to the curb in front of the office. As she stepped out and shut the door, a cat screeched in a nearby alley making Miki jump. She hated how jittery she was lately. Taking a deep breath, she walked around to the side of the building and unlocked the office.

  “Hello? Anybody here?” she called as she poked her head inside. With all dark and silent, she entered, triggering lights to come on. Everything looked the same as she left it. She waited and listened some more. Nothing. The car probably belonged to a friend or relative of a neighbor who would tell her about it later. She shrugged. After relocking the door, she went to the back closet for the cleaning supplies.

  While she autovacced in Cooper’s office, she heard a bump from upstairs. It sounded like the familiar thump of Cooper’s dresser, which she heard every morning as he got ready for work. She went out to her desk and checked her QV. She clenched her fists, having trouble deciding what to do.

  Familiar footsteps trod down the stairs. Grabbing the biggest thing on he
r desk, she hurried over to the door. It had to be Cooper. Should I question him first? He wouldn’t tell her anything. And he certainly wouldn’t let her detain him to call the Feds. What if he was dangerous? Miki’s whole body shook.

  A keycard clicked the door and it slowly opened.

  “Miki?”

  Whammo!

  She smashed a potted fern over his head, and he crumpled to the floor, out cold.

  “Sorry, Cooper.” She felt bad, but hitting him with the plant also felt strangely satisfying. She was doing her duty, right?

  Guess I better make the call. She found Agent Lipton’s number in her QV and pressed it. While she waited for him to answer, she noticed a tiny glint of something slipping out of Cooper’s jacket pocket. She picked it up.

  “Lipton here.”

  Miki jumped when he answered, and she shoved the little stick drive into her jeans pocket.

  “Miki Mabley, uh, reporting for duty,” she said. “I have Cooper here ready to be picked up. He’s unconscious. Am I off the hook now?”

  “Really?” he said. He looked surprised. “That’s great. Thank you. We will be there shortly.”

  Within thirty minutes, a younger agent showed up with two partners. When the agent flashed his ID, Miki nodded and backed out of the way. The men searched Cooper’s pockets and put cuffs on him.

  “Are cuffs necessary? And where are you going to take him?” she asked.

  “Don’t worry about it, miss. You’re free of your obligation.”

  “Okay.” She looked at Cooper and pouted. She didn’t like the situation one bit, but she had no choice. Which reminded her.

  “Hey, what about my QV?”

  “Oh. Here, I can take care of it,” the guy said and put out his hand. She gave him her QV and he popped off the back. After removing a small black chip, he replaced the cover and gave it back to her. That was too easy. Why didn’t I think of that?

  “Thanks.”

  He nodded. She watched them take Cooper away.

  Now she couldn’t even clean anymore. Guilt made her stomach hurt. It could also be hunger. She wanted to go tell Jared what happened. Before she took a step, she remembered the drive in her pocket. Curiosity told her to watch it. Common sense told her to stop the agents and hand it over. Curiosity won.

  When she turned toward her desk to put it into her compucenter, she realized it wouldn’t be such a good idea at the office. She locked up and jumped into her car. Jared’s house should be safe. She was dying to see what was on it. Maybe it would explain what Cooper had been up to.

  Beasley Hills Plantation

  7:00 a.m., Saturday, July 27

  “I guess I’m home,” Hasan said as he stepped out of the taxi.

  “Your mother will be happy to see you.” Geri had dropped all traces of her accent.

  Hasan gave her a strained smile and they turned to face their consequences.

  At the front door of the manor house, Hasan’s two guards and four androids stood waiting for them. Geri scowled at the sight of Blake on the steps in front of them. He had changed into his work clothes, black jeans, a black t-shirt, and a confident sneer.

  “Welcome back, Hasan,” a guard said.

  “Thanks,” Hasan answered with the frown of a kid who got caught skipping class.

  “Do you know how much trouble you’re in?” young man! Geri added in her head for the other guard. These guys were sad excuses for babysitters, much less guards.

  “I’ll take the Creator upstairs to the lab. Geri, you should come, too,” Blake said and grabbed Hasan by the arm.

  “I can walk by myself.” Hasan tried to shake out of Blake’s hold, but quickly gave up, his face cringing as Blake tightened his grip.

  “Take it easy, Blake. I’m right behind you.” As they went inside, Geri sensed something was wrong.

  The guards followed them up to the second floor. While Blake allowed Hasan to stop in and greet his mother, Geri tried to get Blake to talk.

  “What’s going on? I thought I was just dropping him off,” she whispered.

  “Slight change of plans,” he answered, keeping his eyes on Hasan.

  “I see.” So Blake wasn’t going to talk. No surprise there. She would have to wait. And she hated waiting.

  “Okay. I’m ready,” Hasan said as he rejoined them.

  A guard told Blake the code to unlock the attic access. Geri and Hasan followed Blake up the stairs.

  “We’ll be at HQ if you need us,” the nicer guard said. “Just talk to the cameras.”

  Hasan turned to him with a wave and a grin. The guard waved back with a kink in his smile and shut the door.

  Blake opened the lab with a key card.

  “Wow. When did they install that?” asked Hasan.

  “This morning. I need to have access,” Blake answered as they walked in.

  “Great. Just like I left it.” Hasan took a few steps as he looked around.

  As soon as the lab door latched, Blake drilled Geri.

  “Where is the video?”

  “Ed told me to bring them to him.”

  “Change of plans,” he sneered and held out his hand.

  “Oh. Here.” She handed over both drives and cocked an eyebrow at Blake’s harsh tone.

  “Is this all?” He glared, acting as if she were the enemy.

  “Yes.” Did I give myself away? Surely he doesn’t know.

  “Good. Hasan, we had some propofol delivered for you to experiment with.” Blake pointed to a box sitting on a long table off to the side.

  “How nice,” Hasan said sarcastically. He shuffled over to the box and examined the contents.

  “I’m asking again. What is going on? Why am I still here, Blake?” An ominous cloud of doubt formed over her head. Her skin tingled, anticipating a Blake storm about to strike.

  “We need to experiment on someone, don’t we?” Blake said with a wide, shark-like smile.

  “Me?” Geri stepped back with one hand to her chest and one held out to stop his approach. How many times had she popped in the last twenty-four hours? She had to be close to the limit. “Hold on, now.”

  “We aren’t experimenting on humans,” Hasan said, still looking through the box, oblivious to Geri and Blake’s confrontation.

  “Geri just volunteered,” Blake said over his shoulder, staying focused on her. “Didn’t you, Geri?” He circled her.

  “I guess so.” Her mind raced for a way out. Blake’s cold stare kept her moving away from the arc of his rotation. “Hasan, let’s go. I’m ready to pop home,” she said, nervously. Maybe she could use this to her advantage.

  “Oh, you aren’t going home, either. Just a few feet,” he said and pointed at the receiving dock across the room. Blake stopped as Geri backed into the transmission platform. She needed to get Hasan’s attention.

  Hasan walked toward them, staring at a couple of syringes in his hands.

  “Fine. I guess I’m working for you two now, eh?” He finally looked up and recognized the tension between Blake and Geri. “Is something wrong here?”

  “No. Our boss, Ed, just wants Geri to demonstrate the new technique for everyone here,” He spread his arms for the cameras.

  “I’d rather not. We need to use rats for the experiments.” Hasan set the syringes at the medical station. “I want to do it right this time.”

  “You are going to use Geri for one first,” Blake ordered.

  Geri could tell from his tone, he was in no mood to debate.

  Hasan threw his hands in the air.

  “If I must. But it’ll have to be off the record. Geri, go ahead and have a seat in the dock,” he said. “I have to get everything started up and go through a pre-transport checklist. Then I’ll give you a med scan. Only take a few minutes.”

  He got busy turning on the machines and looking over the system. Geri took her time settling into the dock.

  “Cooper’s experiment went very well, didn’t it? Too bad he can’t join us,” said Blake.

&nbs
p; “I miss Cooper,” Hasan said while he worked.

  “What are you talking about?” Geri asked, sitting up in the dock chair.

  “Oh, didn’t you know? Lipton is bringing Cooper downtown as we speak. He got away from me, but when he got home, his assistant knocked him out and turned him in” Blake held his stomach and bellowed a full, evil laugh. Geri had never seen this eerily happy side of Blake. He needed therapy, or even better, a rubber room.

  “What?” Hasan looked wide-eyed at Geri. She frowned and shook her head.

  “Now I understand.” She put a hand to her forehead. She was toast. Unless. She had to make Hasan understand what she wanted to do.

  “Don’t make this difficult. Just do as I say. Got it?” He gave them each a stabbing glare.

  Geri felt Blake’s finger-pointing gesture, from his eyes to hers, without him doing it.

  “Yes, sir.” Hasan gave Blake a salute. He looked at Geri again and she nodded.

  When Hasan completed his preparations, he picked up a plate and scanner to check Geri’s vitals along with the sedative gun. He smiled at Blake as he walked over to her in the dock.

  With Hasan blocking Blake’s view, Geri took the plate and pulled up a notescreen. She typed “2 fbi.”

  Hasan winked and nodded.

  When he completed the pre pop medscan, Geri’s eyes were full of worry. Hasan patted her arm and gave her the sedative.

  “Try to relax, Geri. Everything will be fine,” Hasan said with a sincere smile.

  She had to trust him. She prayed he was right. Her breathing slowed, her eyes shut, and she was out.

  “I just have to check one more thing before I use the propofol and transmit her.”

  “Move it along, Hasan,” Blake demanded. What a bully!

  “I’m moving. I’m moving.” He changed the code and brought Geri the second shot to put her in the temporary coma. So cool! After sealing the dock, Hasan returned to the transmitting station.

  Pop!

  Hasan opened the dock to show Blake she was gone. Then he went over to the receiving station. Blake stood next to the platform where Geri would arrive.