Faith Defiled (Gray Spear Society Book 14) (3 page)

She raised her eyebrows. "That's interesting."

"Yes, ma'am, and they were at three different locations, so the effect covered a wide area. Of course, they assumed the angels caused the feeling by some spiritual means. I believe otherwise."

Marina leaned forward and clicked through a few more pictures while she considered how best to proceed. She didn't doubt the authorities would thoroughly investigate the phenomenon. They would interview all the witnesses and do all the forensic work. Her team just had to obtain the reports, and that was easy.

She stopped on a photograph that had been taken at an odd angle. It included a piece of a building across the street. Sunlight glinted off of something shiny on top, but the image was too poorly focused to make out details.

"Are you near the Pier 39 parking garage?" Marina said.

"Yes, ma'am," Hanley said.

"Go to the top level above the 'Public Parking' sign. Somebody was up there while the angels were flying around. They had a direct line of sight."

"It could've been more tourists."

"Maybe," she said. "Look for evidence anyway."

"Yes, ma'am."

She closed her phone and went back to the pictures. The angels were seductively beautiful.

Chapter Two

Hanley put away his phone. He pointed to the top of the parking structure and said, "The boss wants us to look up there."

"Why?" Katie said.

"She saw something in a picture."

The parking structure was made of plain concrete, and the only architectural embellishment was some texturing on one side. A scene depicting whales had been painted on the wall facing the aquarium across the street.

The
legionnaires
went inside and climbed four flights of stairs to reach the top level. Cars filled every space.

Hanley walked over to the corner closest to where the angels had appeared. At first glance, he saw nothing but a low concrete wall.

Katie crouched down. After staring for a long moment, she pointed at the floor. "Scrape marks."

He got down on his knees and leaned in for a close look. He saw white lines in the concrete surface.

"You have sharp eyes," he said. "Those were made by hard metal."

"It could just be a coincidence."

"It doesn't tell us much anyway. Keep looking."

Hanley examined his surroundings. A truck could've easily parked up here while the show was going on, and then driven off afterwards. If the illusion of angels had a technological origin, then the equipment involved was probably bulky. A truck would be necessary.

"I don't see anything else," Katie said.

Hanley nodded. "Not a surprise. We're obviously dealing with experts."

"You're sure people were responsible? Marina and Ipo don't know everything. Maybe God has a new trick up His sleeve. We have no idea what those symbols mean."

"It's hard to imagine our Supreme Boss pulling such a crazy stunt without at least tipping off the local Society commander. They are on speaking terms."

"You're probably right." She nodded.

"Let's go home."

"Our car is towed by now."

"I know," he said. "It's a pain in the ass."

* * *

Marina dialed a number on her phone.

Corrie answered, "Ma'am?"

"I need you to come back to San Francisco. We have a situation."

"That's not really up to me, ma'am. Maybe you should talk to the commander here."

Marina frowned. A few months ago, the legate had stripped the division of most of its scientists. They had been sent to Chicago to help the twins with the damned firewall project. The handful that remained were travelling from cell to cell as missions arose. Corrie had already visited half the cells on the continent and had met over a hundred members of the Society. Marina was actually a little jealous of Corrie's exciting adventures.

"Put him on."

"Yes, ma'am," Corrie said.

A minute later, a man with a soft voice spoke, "Hello?" He was the commander of Houston.

"Frank, this is Marina. I need my scientist back."

"That's a problem. I'm using her."

"But she's my assistant," Marina said.

"The legate told us to share."

She gritted her teeth with frustration. She couldn't go down to Houston and retrieve Corrie by force. Marina didn't even know where the Houston headquarters was located. She was a helpless victim of the situation.

"Listen," Frank said, "I hate this as much as you. My scientist is stuck in Chicago, and I have no idea what he's doing. I'm not even allowed to talk to him. Relying on Corrie is the last thing I want, but I have a mission to finish, and I need her help."

"Angels were just sighted flying over San Francisco. I need my scientist to tell me what the hell is really going on."

"Angels?"

"With big, fiery wings," Marina said.

"And I'm dealing with swarms of centipedes that chew holes in concrete. Collapsing buildings have killed over a hundred people."

She had to admit his situation sounded worse than hers.

"I'll send Corrie home as soon as I can," Frank said. "Hopefully, by tonight. We finally have solid information about where these centipedes are coming from."

"OK," she replied in a grudging tone. "I don't have much choice."

He paused. "By the way, has your team been unusually busy lately?"

"The angels could be my fourth mission this year. That's the most I've ever done in one year."

"The last six months have been crazy for us," Frank said. "God's enemies are really turning up the heat."

"Maybe they're nervous because of Chicago."

"Do you know what's happening there? What are they doing with all those scientists? Every time I ask the legate, she shuts me down. You're close to Aaron. He must've told you something."

Marina didn't know all the details, but she certainly knew more than Frank. She realized she should've kept her mouth shut.

"No, nothing," she said. "You obviously have a lot on your plate. I'll let you get back to it. Bye."

She hung up.

Noises outside her office got her attention. She stood up, went to the door, and opened it. Hanley and Katie had returned from their outing.

They had a frazzled appearance, and Marina was glad she hadn't gone with them. She hated few things worse than being stuck in a crowd of tourists. She preferred dark, quiet places with only a few close friends around her.

She met Hanley and Katie by Min Ho's workstation. The hackers had recently changed their furniture to a more futuristic design. They were now lying almost flat on their backs on padded benches. A split keyboard was on either side so each hand had access to just half a keyboard. A bank of eight monitors was suspended over their heads. Instead of having a mouse, a laser system tracked the hackers' eyeballs, and the cursor instantly went wherever they looked. The idea of lasers pointed at her eyes made Marina squeamish.

"What are your thoughts?" she said.

"We were talking in the car, ma'am," Hanley said. "The mild narcotic effect was very interesting. Maybe gas was used on the crowd."

"A hallucinogen would definitely make the angels seem more impressive."

"Indeed."

Marina tapped Min Ho on the shoulder. "Have you found anything new?"

He was a short, slender Korean man. A soft face made him seem babyish even though he was in his thirties. He was wearing a green mesh shirt with leather shoulder patches. Blue pants had rhinestones on the hems. Min Ho's fashion sense was famously over the top.

He looked up from his reclining position. "No, ma'am. It seems like half the internet is trying to figure out what the strange writing means. Linguists and cryptographers from all over are taking a crack at it."

"What about the official investigation?"

"State and federal authorities have people on the scene. The FBI sent forensic specialists. This incident is getting a lot of attention."

"That's good in a way," Marina said. "They'll do the leg work for us. Still, it seems like we should be doing something instead of sitting on our asses."

"I have a suggestion, ma'am," Katie said. "The angels could've been some kind of hologram or projection. We should talk to an expert in the field."

"That's an excellent idea. The three of us will go. Why don't you and Min Ho get the name of an expert while I have a word with Yang."

Marina walked over to the east side of headquarters. A door made of solid steel protected the security booth, and it had no handle on the outside. She knocked.

Yang opened the door and invited her inside. She looked around the overly familiar interior of the booth. A large console had several video displays and lots of controls, but the operator rarely had to touch anything. The security system was largely automated. It identified things worth looking at and showed them on the monitors instantly. The twins had written the software, and at times, it seemed so intelligent, Marina almost wanted to talk to it. The defensive weapons could be operated manually or set to kill anything that approached headquarters.

"I'm going out with Hanley and Katie," she said. "You'll have to hold down the fort on your own for a while."

"Where are you going, ma'am?" Yang said.

"To find an expert on holograms."

"You don't think the angels were real?"

"Not a chance," she said. "I need to remind you of the rules of engagement in case this turns out to be a real mission."

"But I was here when we saved Olivia."

"That mission was atypical. Our first priority is determining the cause of the phenomenon. In particular, we need to know if an enemy of God is responsible. If not, we'll just walk away."

"What if a crime is being committed, ma'am?" Yang said.

"Fighting crime isn't our job. We will covertly investigate and collect evidence until we find the true cause. If it turns out to be a real mission, we will erase the stain on Creation. Until then, try to keep the bloodshed to a minimum, and be inconspicuous."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." Marina patted him on the shoulder. "We'll see you later."

She left the booth.

* * *

Marina walked into a theater in San Jose. The stage was normally used for plays and concerts, but tonight it would host a "holographic fashion show."

It was a beautiful theater with over a thousand seats. Big chandeliers cast light with a golden hue. Red velvet covered the thickly padded chairs. Two balcony levels went almost up to the high, vaulted ceiling. Sheets of black wood covered an orchestra pit in front of the stage.

A man in a plaid shirt was pushing around giant mirrors on the stage. They were much taller than him and required elaborate supports. Some were tilted down. He was using a pen laser and a tape measure to place the mirrors very precisely.

"Mr. Jockel?" Marina said.

The man looked over at her. "Yes. Who are you?" He spoke with a German accent.

"We're with the FBI."

She nodded to Hanley and Katie who were trailing behind her. The three of them wore standard blue business suits appropriate for federal agents.

Jockel faced her. "Did I do something wrong?" He furrowed his brow.

"Not as far as I know. We actually came to borrow your expertise. There was an incident this morning. A large number of people saw angels flying near Pier 39."

"Yes. I saw the pictures. It was an impressive effect."

"So you don't think it was real?" Marina said.

He smirked. "Of course not."

She and her two
legionnaires
walked onto the stage. Complex devices sat on shelves just offstage in the wings. They looked like high-tech movie projectors, and some had attached cooling systems.

"You have interesting toys," Marina said.

Jockel walked over to one of the projectors and turned it on. An image of a beautiful woman in a white gown appeared in one of the mirrors. Her flowing blonde hair was so detailed, Marina could see every strand. She twisted her body, and her dress swirled around her legs. The three-dimensional effect was astonishingly good.

"That's amazing," Marina said.

"Thank you," Jockel replied. "Some of the technology was invented by me."

She smiled. "Then I'm talking to exactly the right person. About these angels, how do you think they were made?"

"I wasn't there, so it's hard to say, but there are some basic rules that all visual effects must obey. First, there must be a source of light. It doesn't just appear in space. Something has to make it."

"The angels appeared to be on fire."

"Fire is an easy effect," he said. "You just turn up the glare. The second rule is there must be a screen or a stage."

"The angels were flying."

"They were flying through something other than plain air. I use mirrors for my illusions."

He tapped on the mirror with the image of the woman. The illusion vibrated as if seen through rippling water.

Hanley stepped forward. "We think a gas might've been involved."

"Yes." Jockel looked at him. "The right chemical might create or refract light under the right conditions."

"Do you know of any such chemical?"

"I'm not a chemist. My degree is in physics, but somehow, I found myself in the fashion industry. I have to say looking at models is more pleasant than looking at physicists." Jockel smirked.

"If you were in charge of this investigation," Marina said, "how would you proceed?"

He faced her. "I'm sure these angels will appear again somewhere else. Such a magnificent performance demands an encore. I'd collect as much physical evidence as possible. If, as you say, a gas was used, there will be residual traces. And it took more than just gas. You need sophisticated technology to form the image. It takes a considerable amount of science to make magic." He pointed to his stacks of equipment. "I'm curious how it was done. I thought I knew every trick in this business."

We need Corrie for this investigation,
Marina thought.

Her phone rang. The caller ID showed Min Ho's code number, and she stepped away for privacy.

She put the phone to her ear. "Yes?"