Paradise Hacked (First Circle Club Book 2) (24 page)

Those memories gave him the strength to calm the war in his head. The pain gradually subsided.

Virgil was blind in both eyes, but he saw Alfred as a ghostly white shape made of light. Virgil wondered if that was his true form.

"Lisa," he said, "I don't think you should do this."

"Why not?" Lisa said.

"Your self-control isn't the best. It's an extremely intense experience. I'm concerned you might do something foolish."

"Are you calling me a fool?"

"No," Virgil said, "but you must admit you are impulsive."

She paused. "I can handle it."

"That's pride talking."

"No, really. I've fought through plenty of tough times."

"This isn't about fighting," he said. "It's about being calm."

"This is important. I want to be an equal member of the team. Don't you trust me?"

Virgil sighed. "At least wait until I have one good eye to watch you with."

After a few minutes of waiting, he began to see out of the eye which Lisa had damaged. His vision was blurry but adequate.

"I'm going to hold onto you," he said. "It's for everybody's safety."

"You really don't trust me," she said.

"Not with this."

Virgil stood behind Lisa and wrapped his arms around her athletic body. He squeezed as tight as he could.

"Oof!" she said. "Good thing I don't need to breathe."

Alfred performed his surgery. Even before he was quite done, Lisa began to thrash. Virgil needed all his considerable strength to hang onto her. She was bouncing so hard, she lifted him off the ground. She let out screeching noises which reminded him of a crow.

"Lisa!" he barked. "Show me your control. Think about your proudest moments from when you were a Chicago cop. Connect with your humanity."

She stopped jumping, but he could hear her teeth grinding together. Bit by bit, she settled down until he finally felt it was safe to release her.

"That was horrible," she gasped. "It was like a burning coal was stuck in my head."

"I told you," Virgil said.

Alfred sighed. "I guess that just leaves me. I get to have two rounds of torment. Lucky me."

"I'm blind in both eyes," Lisa said.

"I'll do it," Virgil said. "Hold still, both of you."

He used the knife to remove a piece of Lisa's stomach. Then he inserted the black, sticky lump into Alfred's remaining good eye. The reaction wasn't quite as intense the second time, but Alfred had known what was coming.

"Barachiel," Virgil said, "it's done."

"Yes," Barachiel said. "It was hard to watch. The blending of supernatural essences seemed sinful, but I don't think the Celestial Contract forbids it. The possibility has never come up before."

"Do you have any more suggestions?"

"No. I must be alone now."

"Bye," Virgil said.

Barachiel faded away.

The team took a moment to recuperate and heal. Virgil gave Mei another hug. He noticed she avoided looking at his face.

Finally, he faced his teammates. "Kyle can take us to his headquarters or this passage which may not exist. Which should we visit first?"

"We have to visit both," Alfred said, "so whichever is closer."

Lisa nodded. "But our top priority is finding Sara."

"Agreed," Virgil said. "As far as I'm concerned, that's even more important than the mission."

"What about me?" Mei said.

He was still holding the woman he loved, but her presence was an unwelcome complication. Chinatown wasn't safe for her. He didn't like the idea of abandoning her at a hotel with nothing but the clothes on her back and some cash.

"You tell me," he said. "It's your life. Do you want to go into hiding or stick with the team? I don't know which would be safer. The military knows who you are, and they're looking for you. It will only take one small mistake to get caught. It almost happened last night."

Mei stared at the ground. "First my father dies," she said softly, "and now I'm a fugitive. I don't deserve this."

"You're right, and I wish I could make it all better. We'll fix what we can."

"I guess I'll stay with you." She sighed. "At least I'll be with friends if I die."

Virgil kissed her. "Just follow my orders, and you'll be fine. I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe."

Lisa gave him a look with the unspoken message that he hadn't done a great job so far.

"Let's go back to the car," he said quickly.

Virgil led his team through the amusement park. They arrived at a blue Cadillac in the lot in front of the park. Captain Kyle was sitting on the hood.

"Where did you get the car?" Lisa said.

"We stole it from a valet stand," Virgil said.

"Despicable," Alfred muttered.

Lisa pointed at a tan minivan on the far side of the lot. "I stole that one, too. I already swapped out the license plates, so it's relatively safe to drive. We can use it for a few days if necessary."

"Then let's take yours," Virgil said. "It's roomier besides. Bring it around so I can transfer my weapons."

Lisa jogged away.

Virgil turned to Kyle. "I'm pleased to see you're still here, captain." Virgil smiled.

"I have to admit I considered running," Kyle said, "but you're nothing like what I expected. Maybe my unit is on the wrong side of this fight. I honestly don't know. I have a lot of questions. I decided to stick with you a little longer and see if I can get some answers." He looked at Mei. "You're Mei Li. I saw a report about you. You're a hacker."

Mei blushed. "You make it sound bad. I solve problems for people. Those solutions usually involve technology."

"And you get paid?"

"I have to live, don't I?"

"There are honest and legal ways to accomplish the same thing," Kyle said.

Lisa arrived in the minivan. She opened the back door, and Virgil opened the trunk of the Cadillac. After checking for witnesses, he moved a Micro Uzi and two fragmentation grenades into the minivan.

"That's all you got left?" Lisa said in a tone of dismay.

"I had to leave a few items behind along the way," Virgil said. "I have a gun under my jacket, and so does Alfred. What are you packing?"

"Just a knife and two pistols."

"Hmm. We're lightly equipped. How are we doing for money?"

"I still have pockets full of hundred dollar bills," Mei said.

"That's helpful," Virgil said. "Let's go."

Chapter Fourteen

Barachiel was in the Eighth Level of Heaven. The place was just a black sky full of bright, twinkling stars. There was no gravity or air. Empty space surrounded the angel except for when a joyous soul drifted past.

Barachiel was staring at a sphere of the purest water. The angel was using it to search the Earth for Sara. Images flashed in the water, one after another, thousands of times per second. It was a brute force solution, but for some reason, Barachiel's normal vision of Earth was clouded.

Barachiel noticed a face reflected in the surface of the water. It was a simple abstraction at first, but then it resolved to one which was familiar.

"Uriel," Barachiel said, "what a surprise."

"A pleasant one, I pray," Uriel said.

Barachiel turned to face one of the most mysterious angels in Heaven. Uriel had an odd appearance. Its skin was the color of the sky just before dawn. Its eyes glowed brilliant white. Shimmering sheets of cool, blue flame served as hair and wings. It wore a simple but elegant black gown.

Uriel went by many names, including "Angel of Repentance," "Angel of Sunday," "Flame of God," "Archangel of Salvation," "Watcher," and even "Face of God." If Barachiel could feel fear, it would fear Uriel.

"Yes," Barachiel said, "but still a surprise. I haven't seen you in centuries."

"I've been observing and contemplating in solitude, but I've recently decided to take a more active role in the affairs of the world. You seem very troubled, faithful guardian of God's children. May I be of some assistance?"

"Yes, please! I've lost one of my sheep: Sara Bass. She was a medical examiner in life. I sent her back to Earth a few months ago."

"Ah!" Uriel said. "Your special project. What do they call themselves? The First Circle Club? Not a very inspiring name considering the unique importance of their work."

"I should be able to find Sara easily, but for some reason, I can't. This is just the latest of a string of inexplicable occurrences. There might even be a passage to Heaven I don't know about. Something very odd is happening."

Uriel put a hand on Barachiel's shoulder. "I understand your distress, but do not allow these strange times to overwhelm you. Let faith be your shield, for no one knows the future, not even the angels of Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."

"Yes, but none of this is specified in the Celestial Contract," Barachiel said.

"A mere rulebook full of arbitrary amendments and provisions. It fails to capture the spirit and divine majesty of Creation. It does not fully express the Lord's intentions."

Barachiel furrowed its brow. "These are peculiar words for an angel. I'm confused."

"Be at peace." Uriel's eyes glowed brighter. "Abandon your search. Have confidence that Sara will reappear at the proper time and place. She is an extraordinary woman, much like her friends."

Uriel smiled and faded away. Its mouth and eyes were the last things to vanish.

Barachiel looked at the sphere of water again but couldn't remember what it was for. Barachiel shrugged and flew off, confused but at peace.

The water shattered into a million tiny droplets.

* * *

Beautiful location for a passage to Heaven,
Virgil thought.

He, Lisa, Alfred, Mei, and Captain Kyle were walking through a meadow in the woods. Winter had withered the plants and had stripped the leaves from the trees, but the setting was still enchanting. The world was shades of green and brown. It was easy to forget how close the city was.

"You're sure this is the place?" Virgil said.

Kyle nodded. "But I've never been here during the day. We performed the experiments at night."

Virgil searched for evidence. He found areas where the grass was trampled, and many footprints marked the soft dirt. Bits of garbage such as tape, tissues, and candy wrappers were caught in the weeds.

"Lots of people were certainly here," he said. "How does the portal work? How do you open it?"

"I'm surprised you don't know," Kyle said.

"We know about other portals, just not this one."

"There was a funny dance and a strange chant. I didn't recognize the language."

"Can you show me?" Virgil said.

"I won't do a good job."

"Please."

Kyle walked to the middle of the clearing. He performed a dance which involved complicated shuffles and turns. Nothing happened.

"That's the best I can do," he said.

"Thanks anyway," Virgil said.

He sniffed the air and detected the scent of Heaven, but it was very faint.
Why didn't Barachiel know about this place?
he wondered.

"Not many clues here," Lisa said. "Should we move on?"

"I suppose. The military headquarters is our next stop. Speaking of which, you never told us the name of the project, Kyle."

Kyle pressed his lips together.

"You can trust us," Alfred said.

Kyle's shoulders sagged. "I suppose knowing a name can't do much harm. It's called the Crusader Special Unit. The headquarters is in a house nearby."

"A regular house?"

"A big one. We told the neighbors we are a movie crew shooting a horror film inside the house. That explained all the cars and lights at night."

"Clever," Virgil said. "Hang on. They know we took you prisoner, which means they know you might lead us back to them. A smart commander would prepare for that contingency."

"We have a habit of getting ambushed," Lisa said in a sour tone.

"A habit we need to break."

"We don't have much choice," Alfred said. "I'm sure it will be fine once we get the conversation going."

"And you have to be unarmed," Kyle said. "That was the deal."

* * *

Kyle pointed. "That big one near the end of the block with the wide porch."

Virgil studied the target. The house was huge. It had expensive copper gutters and stone frames around the windows. There was no sign of activity. The long, curving driveway was empty.

"Is anybody home?" he said.

"Should be," Kyle said. "Headquarters is staffed twenty-four hours a day."

As per their agreement earlier, nobody was armed, not even with a knife. All the weapons had been stowed in the minivan. Kyle had permitted the team to just wear Kevlar vests.

Virgil turned to Mei who had tagged along. "Go back to the car and wait for us."

"You'll be OK?" she said fearfully.

"Sure. We're just going to have a nice, friendly conversation with them."

"What do I do if, uh...?"

"Don't worry about that," Virgil said. "Have faith in us, OK?"

She nodded. He gave her a soft kiss. She hugged him and walked away.

Virgil faced the house again. "OK, folks, how do you want to play this?"

"Walk up and knock on the door," Kyle said. "You just want to talk, right?"

"We want to talk
safely
. That's a subtle but important distinction."

"Speaking of safety, I probably want to let you folks go on without me. If the other operatives see me with you, they'll think I betrayed my unit."

"That's pretty much what you did," Virgil said.

"But I don't need to rub their faces in it. Why don't I keep an eye on Mei for you?"

The idea of a handsome stranger spending time with Virgil's girlfriend didn't appeal to him, but it was probably better than her being alone and completely vulnerable.

"Just friendly companionship," Virgil said. "Nothing more."

"Sir, I am a man of honor. Good luck."

Kyle trotted off towards the minivan parked well down the street.

Virgil looked at Alfred and Lisa. "We need a plan."

"Didn't we already agree on one?" Alfred said. "We go over there and talk to them."