Faith Defiled (Gray Spear Society Book 14) (16 page)

"Yes, ma'am," they said in unison.

* * *

Marina was yawning as she left her bedroom. She had been up very late looking at evidence without much success. The junk had yielded some fingerprints and serial numbers, but the hackers had been unable to find any matches in their computers. It was becoming obvious the "Goddess" was a very savvy adversary who knew how to cover her tracks.

Corrie was still working in the cage where she performed dangerous experiments. The scientist had stayed up all night without being asked to.

Flickering white light caught Marina's attention, and she hurried over to see what was happening. Corrie had a clear plastic box on her workbench. She was waving a device that looked like a laser pen, but Marina couldn't see the laser. The invisible beam produced strokes of brilliant white light inside the box. The spectacular effect looked like white flame except it didn't burn the plastic.

"What is that?" Marina said excitedly.

"I'm pretty sure this is how the angels were made," Corrie said. "An ultraviolet laser is causing the gas to fluoresce. It's a special chemical that seems to burn but actually just converts the light to the visible spectrum."

"But you're just drawing lines. How do you make angels?"

"That's easy. You bounce the laser off a computer-controlled mirror. You see that technology at laser shows all the time. A complex image would probably require multiple lasers, but all that equipment can be bought off the shelf. The only clever bit was finding the perfect gas."

"Do you think an enemy of God gave them the formula?" Marina said.

"It's possible, but they also could've figured it out with old-fashioned experimentation. The gas in the canister was actually a composite of several chemicals, some with narcotic effects."

"That would explain the warm, happy feeling the victims experienced."

"Yes, ma'am," Corrie said.

Marina stepped back and pondered. Understanding the technology behind the angels was helpful, but the much more important question was motivation. The Goddess was going to an enormous amount of trouble and expense for no obvious reason.

Olivia came out of her bedroom and wandered over. She was wearing floppy pink pajamas with a puffy white rabbit tail. Marina felt a rush of maternal emotions.

Olivia stared at Corrie's laser experiment. "That's cool!"

"I suppose it is," Corrie said.

Her face sagged with exhaustion. All four assistants had helped with the analysis of the evidence. Min Ho and Jia had gone home to sleep, while Imelda was stuck in the security booth.

"Go home," Marina told Corrie. "You did a fine job."

"Thank you, ma'am." Corrie turned off the laser and left.

Marina turned to Olivia. "Hang out with me in the security booth while we wait for the
legionnaires
to show up."

The girl followed Marina to the east side of headquarters. She knocked on a solid steel door, and it opened after a second. Imelda looked out with bags under her eyes. She was a very skinny woman, but normally, she made up for lack of mass with abundant energy. Now she seemed frail and weak.

"You're off duty," Marina said.

"Thank you, ma'am," Imelda said with relief.

Marina and Olivia took her place in the booth. Marina sat before the main console, and Olivia sat in the guest chair. Marina used the external cameras to perform a quick survey of the land around headquarters, and she saw nothing more exciting than a scrawny coyote. A computer screen showed the latest police reports for Pacifica and nearby areas, and they were also uninteresting.

She checked the status of all the weapons systems. Land mines were placed under all the roads in the vicinity. If an enemy evaded the mines, they would face .50 caliber machine guns, sniper rifles, rockets, and a Vulcan cannon. The weapons popped up out of trapdoors in the ground. They were controlled from the booth either by a human or by the security computer. A battery of heat-seeking missiles could knock down helicopters or low-altitude airplanes.

All the diagnostic lights were green, and Marina settled in for a long sit. Shifts in the booth usually lasted eight hours.

She glanced at Olivia. "We need to start making long-term plans for you. You can't spend the rest of your life in headquarters."

"I like it here," Olivia said. "I feel safe, and the people are nice."

"You need to be part of a real family."

"Yang and Jia are like my mom and dad."

"Taking care of you isn't their job," Marina said. "They have other responsibilities. Don't worry. I would never throw you out on the street, but the current situation isn't a permanent solution. This isn't an orphanage. If only your eyes weren't so distinctive. Perhaps you could wear contacts..."

* * *

Hanley walked into headquarters. Marina was in the booth, and he nodded to her respectfully. Olivia was in the other seat, still wearing her pajamas.

For just an instant, Marina looked different. Her features seemed made of hard crystal, and her eyes were glowing green orbs. It was a startling vision, but after he blinked, she was her normal self again. Her red hair needed to be combed, and her green eyes were a little bloodshot. She was wearing a baggy green shirt which was more comfortable than attractive. Usually, she dressed more sharply, but he guessed she had been too tired to care.

"Did Corrie discover anything?" Hanley said.

"Yes," Marina said. "The angels are a product of gas, lasers, mirrors, and computers. She'll be happy to give you a demonstration when she wakes up. In the meantime, watch the news. I'm expecting our enemy to make the next move at any time."

"Yes, ma'am. Are we going to fly that reconnaissance drone again?"

"The hackers are asleep, and nobody else can do it. I'll wait a few hours and then wake up Min Ho. Go in."

Hanley entered the main part of headquarters and headed straight for the living room. He turned on the television, found a news channel, and turned up the volume. He listened as he went to the kitchen nearby. He began to prepare breakfast.

Ipo, Katie, and Yang arrived after a short while. Everybody helped with the cooking, and they made a meal of eggs, bacon, toast, oatmeal, fresh orange juice, and fruit salad. The
legionnaires
had slept enough to be in a reasonably good mood. Hanley hoped it lasted.

He filled a plate and brought it to the security booth. Marina gratefully accepted her breakfast.

"Come out and eat," he told Olivia.

The little girl followed him back to the kitchen. He had never spent much time with children, and it still felt odd to have one in his workplace. Fortunately, she was very well behaved, abnormally so.

Yang already had a plate ready for her with everything just the way she liked it. Everybody on the team adored Olivia, but Yang and Jia were especially fond of her. They had practically adopted her as their own child.

A report on the news grabbed Hanley's attention.

"Monday morning turned into a nightmare for commuters when angels appeared over the freeway," a female reporter said. "They flew for two minutes above the interchange between Interstate 80 and the Bayshore Freeway. The distraction caused hundreds of minor collisions. Tow trucks and emergency crews are rushing to the scene, but the raised highways have limited access. It will take hours to untangle the snarl..."

Hanley knew that location well. Hundreds of thousands of cars passed through that interchange every day. It was a choke point for traffic, and its closure would have ripple effects across the entire Bay Area.

Marina's voice came down from speakers installed in the ceiling. "Hanley and Katie, you're with me. We're taking the helicopter. Ipo, you're in the booth. Move!"

Hanley and Katie met Marina in the entry chamber. The three of them ran outside and around to the white tent behind headquarters. Marina usually let one of her
legionnaires
drive, but she was obviously in a feisty mood. She sat in the driver's seat of an Aston Marin Rapide, a four-door supercar costing more than two hundred grand. Hanley took the other front seat, and Katie sat in the back.

The engine had barely started when Marina stepped on the gas. She backed up, spun, and launched the car forward without ever coming to a stop. Hanley held onto an overhead strap with both hands.

The ride to Half Moon Bay Airport took a scant five minutes at an average speed of over a hundred miles per hour. It was a regional airport built right on the coast with a view of the Pacific Ocean. There was only one runway which catered to small, private aircraft. Marina had made special arrangements to park her helicopter on a pad.

The wheels squealed as she made sharp turns. The car skidded to a stop in front of a helicopter painted a sexy black and silver. It could carry two pilots in front and four passengers in back. Dual turbine engines were mounted just beneath the rotor. The helicopter had a sharp nose and retractable landing gear. Hidden chain guns could pop out from the rear.

Marina climbed into the pilot's seat and started the engine. Hanley and Katie climbed into the passenger compartment, gave each other worried looks, and buckled their seatbelts tightly.

Marina was as aggressive in the air as she was on the ground. She flew low and very fast, probably breaking several FAA rules in the process. She crossed the mountains first, and Hanley made a point of enjoying the scenic view despite almost clipping a few tall trees. South San Francisco was next, and from the air, he could see the dense mix of residential and industrial neighborhoods.

Half a minute later, the helicopter reached San Francisco proper. The urban mass was so compact, there was no room for front yards. The yards behind the houses were just big enough for a little grass and maybe a tree. Some buildings extended to the lot line on all four sides.

People on the ground were looking up with astonished expressions. The helicopter was low enough to set off car alarms and maybe crack a few windows.

Hanley could see the interchange directly ahead through the front windshield. The Bayshore Freeway bent to the left at a triangular interchange with Interstate 80. Both highways were raised above the surrounding buildings. Bumper-to-bumper traffic was at a dead stop in every lane, even on the shoulders.

"This is really pissing me off!" Marina yelled.

Hanley spotted writing on the white wall of an office building. The squares and circles looked the same as the other times, but there were a lot more of them. An entire paragraph of Kelly's geometric language had been burned into the wall, covering most of the surface. Hanley expected a translation would be posted on the internet within the hour, and he was afraid of what it would say.

Flashing red and blue lights showed where dozens of emergency vehicles were trying to reach the interchange, but it was going to take them a while. A police helicopter and two news helicopters were also buzzing around.

"Figure out where the lasers came from!" Marina yelled.

Hanley scanned the surrounding area with his eyes. He was looking for someplace high, flat, and open. The obvious choice was a parking garage adjacent to the interchange. He pointed, and she nodded.

She flew over. The cars on the top floor of the garage filled almost every space, and he didn't think there was room for the helicopter, but she squeezed it in somehow. The rotors were just inches from hitting cars on both sides. He exhaled with relief when the helicopter touched down, and she killed the engine.

Marina, Hanley, and Katie immediately began to search for clues. Hanley didn't see anything, and he wasn't surprised. He expected the Warriors had been careful, and the wash from the helicopter had blown away all loose debris. Of course, there was a good chance the team was looking in the wrong place entirely.

"There must be a surveillance system," Marina said. "Come on."

They ran down stairs to reach the first floor of the garage. They found a Chinese woman in a payment booth by the exit.

"We're with the FBI!" Marina said. "Where are your surveillance recordings?" She pointed at a camera above the exit.

The woman's eyes widened. "An off-site company records the feeds."

Marina snarled, and Hanley understood her anger. Min Ho or Jia could hack into the company and grab a copy of the video, but they were asleep. Retrieving the video would have to wait.

Two police cars with flashing lights raced into the garage. They were headed up.

"Shit," Marina said.

She led Hanley and Katie back up the stairs at a run.

The police cars were parked in front of the helicopter when the Spears arrived. Four uniformed officers were staring at the aircraft with perplexed expressions.

Marina didn't hesitate. She ran forward and jabbed her fingernails into the necks of two of them. A third cop tried to pull a gun on her, but she kicked it out of his hand and then kicked him in the face. While he was dazed, she injected venom into his neck.

The fourth cop reached for his gun. She charged forward, flipped, slammed both her feet into his chest, and landed on top of him. She gave him a dose of venom.

The entire one-woman assault had taken just a few seconds. Hanley had to clap in appreciation of her inhuman swiftness and skill.

"How much venom can you produce, ma'am?" he said.

"Ten to fifteen doses a day, depending on their size," Marina said.

"Have you ever run out at a bad time?"

"Yes."

Hanley looked over at the elevated freeways. Some people had stepped out of their cars and were taking pictures of the writing on the wall.

He imagined trucks spraying gas had simply driven through the interchange. The enemy had already left when the angels appeared. The still morning air would've allowed the cloud of gas to persist long enough to create the illusion.

Why?
he wondered.
What is the Goddess trying to accomplish?

"Let's go before more cops show up," Marina said.

"Where are we going, ma'am?" Katie said.

"Home, I suppose. Once again, we're a few minutes too late. It's so frustrating. We have to hope we find something on the video. I'll wake up Min Ho. A couple of hours of sleep will have to be enough for him."