Paradise Hacked (First Circle Club Book 2) (32 page)

"What? What did he say?"

"He was trying to recruit me. He invited me to a meeting with his alien buddies."

"When?" Knox said excitedly. "Where?"

"Navy Pier Ferris wheel at noon."

Knox turned to his computer and searched for information. The pages that popped up weren't encouraging. That location was a very popular, year-round tourist stop. The Pier had dozens of attractions including an IMAX theater, a children's museum, several restaurants, a Shakespeare theater, a convention center, cruise ships, and a beer garden. Placing armed military personnel in that location would be tricky to say the least.

"We'll have to dress up the men as police officers," Knox said. "That will allow them to carry guns at least."

"They'll bump into real police who might ask questions," Bernard said.

"We'll need a cover story. I'm more concerned about your meeting with the aliens. They might use some kind of mind-control on you. Be prepared for psychic warfare."

"Are you serious, sir?"

"Yes," Knox said, "but victory is possible. Captain Kyle of all people resisted the mind-control during his meeting in the coffee shop. I'm sure you have the mental strength, but be prepared."

"Yes, sir."

"And don't try to fight them. You've already seen their physical capabilities. Alone, you don't stand a chance. Wait for the teams to swarm in."

"Are you going to try to kill them?" Bernard said.

"Plan A is capturing the aliens with overwhelming force, and if that doesn't work, we'll open fire."

"In the middle of a crowd of tourists, sir?"

"What choice do we have?" Knox said. "We'll keep a low profile until the last second. We may need a few boats in the water to make sure the aliens don't swim away." He checked his watch. "We don't have a huge amount of time. I had better get this operation organized."

* * *

Virgil looked at the Navy Pier entrance with some trepidation. It was a brick structure three stories tall. The words "CHICAGO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM" ran across the top, but he knew the museum was just one of many attractions.

He stopped and turned to Lisa, Alfred, and Kyle. "Ready?"

They nodded, but all three lacked enthusiasm.

"This could end in disaster," Alfred said. "It will be chaos."

"Just stay focused. I have a good feeling."

"Back when I was a cop," Lisa said, "some of my friends got killed by good feelings."

"I've had the same experience in the Army," Kyle added. "You were a cop? Where?"

"Forget I said anything."

Virgil looked to the north where Cat was entering the Pier another way. She was wearing tight jeans, boots with high heels, and a black fur-lined coat which hugged her body. Her blonde hair flowed freely, teased by the wind.

Kyle also looked at her. "Now that's a fine woman."

"Careful, tiger," Lisa said. "She'll tear your heart out just for kicks."

"She doesn't seem that bad."

"You don't know her. She's a professional liar."

"I've performed covert missions," Kyle said. "Being a good liar doesn't necessarily make one a bad person. She obviously wants to change her ways, or she wouldn't be here."

Virgil pushed an earbud into his ear. He spoke softly into a microphone hidden under his collar, "Cat, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," she replied through the radio.

"Your job is to just be an extra pair of eyes. Notice the things we don't notice and warn us. Stay out of trouble otherwise. We're going in now."

Virgil led his three companions into the building. The front part of Navy Pier was a shopping mall which featured restaurants, the IMAX Theater, and various shops. He could tell from the clothing that most of the crowd consisted of tourists. There were a lot of them.

He also saw an abundance of police officers, many more than he would consider normal. Detective Haymaker had sent a large contingent, but some were probably soldiers in disguise. He picked out a few fakes by the way their equipment was mounted on their belts.

Virgil's team was also wearing good disguises. They proceeded through the mall without incident and took an escalator up to the Crystal Gardens. They entered a huge, indoor garden under a glass ceiling. Virgil guessed it was a full acre of plants. An entire forest of palm trees was growing in the warm, humid air. Christmas lights were strung between the trunks.

He spoke into his microphone. "Cat, what do you see?"

"A ton of cops," she replied. "Some aren't wearing their uniforms right though."

"I made the same observation. It's going to be quite a mess."

Virgil, Lisa, Alfred, and Kyle went outside and entered the small amusement park section of the Pier. There was a swing ride and a miniature golf course, but the Ferris wheel was the main attraction. Virgil guessed it was 200 feet tall. The enclosed gondolas could hold several people each.

"Stay sharp," Virgil said.

"Don't worry," Kyle said. "I'm so amped up, I'm jumping out of my shoes."

"Alfred, you have the hardest part. I know how difficult it is for you to be deceptive."

"I'll do my best."

Kyle pointed at a man standing by the base of the wheel. "That's Bernard."

"OK," Virgil said. "Hold up."

The group stopped walking.

He looked around and spotted Detective Haymaker by a stand that sold pretzels and nuts. He was mumbling into his lapel.
Good man,
Virgil thought.

He spoke into his own hidden microphone. "Cat, any last words before we do this?"

"Yeah," Cat said. "You got guts. Oh, and make sure Kyle doesn't get shot. He's really cute."

Virgil smirked. "Sure." He turned to his companions. "Let's go."

"I'll do the talking," Kyle said.

They walked up to Bernard. He was short but thick and obviously tough. He was wearing a blue Chicago Cubs jacket.

"Captain," Kyle said, "good to see you again. You came alone, right?"

"Of course," Bernard said. "These are your new friends?"

Kyle nodded.

"I recognize the black woman," Bernard added. "We had an interesting encounter at a truck stop."

Lisa smiled. "I hope you learned your lesson. Don't mess with me."

"You crushed a man's skull."

"I was in a mood after being ambushed and shot at even though I hadn't committed a crime."

"Just say what you came to say," Bernard said impatiently.

"Your project is dangerously misguided," Alfred said. "It is based on misunderstandings and lies."

He was using his special voice. It had no effect on Virgil, but he could tell the difference by the musical quality. It reminded him of the choir he had heard in Heaven. Kyle swayed on his feet.

Bernard closed his eyes and shook his head. "You're trying to control my mind. It won't work. You'll need cold, hard facts to convince me."

* * *

Colonel Knox was in the communications room of his church headquarters. A full staff of technicians were sitting at their consoles and computers.

He was looking at live video coming from Navy Pier. His men had hastily installed a few cameras around the Ferris wheel. The images were at odd angles, and in a few cases, poorly focused, but he could see what he needed to see.

"Tell the teams to move in," Knox commanded. "Cut off any escape, then tighten the noose. Lethal force is authorized if there is trouble, but try to shoot around the civilians."

* * *

Detective Haymaker finally spotted Virgil. A baseball cap and a mustache served as a simple disguise which was effective at a distance. Lisa and Alfred were with him, also lightly disguised. Haymaker didn't recognize the other two men, but one had to be Captain Kyle.

Haymaker noticed police officers filtering in from all directions. They were moving cautiously while trying to be inconspicuous.

He could tell at once they were impersonators. For one thing, he was temporarily in charge of the police task force on Navy Pier, and he hadn't ordered any action. The cops also showed tell-tale signs such as poorly fitting uniforms, improper gear, and missing service tags. The disguises would've fooled a civilian but not a real detective.

Haymaker spoke into his radio. "We got perps dressed as cops. Twenty, maybe more. I want all units to converge on the Ferris wheel. Separate the real from the fakes, and arrest the fakes. Be advised they're armed and dangerous. Expect violent resistance."

He moved back and took cover behind a food stand. He put his hand on his gun but didn't draw it.

* * *

Kyle saw the cops, and he knew it was time for action. A familiar calm settled over him. Instead of feeling excitement or fear, he became more focused, his training kicked in, and the world slowed down. He came alive in these moments.

He nudged Virgil.

"I know," Virgil said.

"Go on," Captain Bernard said, "prove you're telling the truth."

Kyle wasn't interested in continuing the conversation. He was waiting for Virgil to give the "go" signal.

Kyle glanced at Lisa. She was grinning, but the expression conveyed demonic malice instead of joy. Her unblinking stare and bloodless eyes also disturbed him. Her inhuman nature was obvious now. He was very glad she wasn't his enemy this time. He felt sorry for his former brothers in arms.

Alfred was frowning. He kept glancing in all directions, obviously aware of the impending attack but not looking forward to it. Unlike the rest of them, fighting wasn't Alfred's natural state.

The disguised military operatives were creating a circular perimeter around the Ferris wheel. Kyle recognized many of the faces. They hadn't drawn their weapons yet, but their hands hovered near their guns. He saw anxiety in their eyes.

"Now?" he whispered to Virgil.

"Not quite," Virgil replied.

Bernard had a smug expression. He thought the game was over. Kyle wanted to smack his lying, dishonorable face.

Many more police officers burst onto the scene, coming from all directions. They yelled angrily at the operatives and demanded they disarm. Cops suddenly outnumbered tourists. There was a moment of confusion as everybody tried to figure out what was happening. People moved randomly like gas particles.

"Now," Virgil said.

The group ran towards the north side of the Pier. Lake Michigan was just two hundred feet away, and the frigid water was their destination.

A line of men blocked their escape though. Virgil and Lisa threw their bodies fearlessly at the opposition like human bowling balls. Kyle heard a few gunshots but kept running.

He heard a thump. He glanced backwards and saw Alfred had tripped over a low fence. Alfred winked at Kyle.

He continued on. Virgil and Lisa were fighting any operatives who dared to get in their way, but it was hardly a fair contest. Kyle had never seen anybody move so fast or hit so hard. Lisa was particularly nasty. By the time he caught up, nobody blocked his path to freedom.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the real police also engaging, and they outnumbered the military by at least four to one. A full-scale brawl was breaking out.

Kyle didn't let himself get distracted. He jumped down to a service road which ran along the north side of the Pier. Virgil and Lisa were keeping pace on either side of him like bodyguards. Kyle wasn't accustomed to thinking of himself as needing protection.

He jumped into the lake, fully clothed. The shocking cold locked up his muscles. It was like diving into an ice bath. He forced his body to move and soon bobbed to the surface. He began to swim towards a nearby water filtration plant. The distance wasn't much farther than the length of a football field, but he expected it would still be a tough swim.

Kyle paused briefly to look over his shoulder. He glimpsed Alfred at the bottom of a scrum. He was fighting back, but he didn't want to win. The soldiers holding him also had to contend with the police. Nobody could spare any attention for the fugitives in the water.

Kyle heard a motorboat engine. He looked over and saw a white speedboat coming at him from the east. It had no markings, and he guessed it was part of the military contingent. Colonel Knox had thought ahead.

Kyle didn't see where Virgil and Lisa had gone. Kyle appeared to be on his own.

He kept swimming towards the filtration plant. There was nothing else to do. If he didn't get out of the water within a few minutes, hypothermia would become a life-threatening issue. He could feel the water sucking the heat out of his body. He swam harder.

The speedboat approached and turned abruptly to stop.

A man standing on the bow in civilian clothes said, "Stop swimming! Get onto the boat!"

He had a gun in hand. A second man was at the wheel of the small craft.

The boat rocked unexpectedly. Virgil climbed onto the bow from the other side, grabbed the soldier, and tossed him into the water. At the same time, Lisa climbed onto the stern. She traded blows with the man at the wheel, and even though he was bigger than her, she won handily. The second soldier landed in the water with an impressive splash.

Virgil reached down, grabbed Kyle by the arm, and hauled him onto the boat. As soon as Kyle was safely onboard, Lisa opened the throttle and drove the boat away. Kyle was shivering and happy to rest for a moment.

"Nice of them to provide transportation," he said through chattering teeth.

"An unexpected bonus," Virgil said, "but there might be more boats."

He had his gun out and was looking across the water warily.

The original plan had been to swim to the filtration plant, run across to the other side, and get into an escape boat parked there. Lisa just drove around the plant instead. It was an enormous facility.

"How much water does this plant handle?" Kyle said.

"A billion gallons a day," Lisa said.

"Wow."

They arrived at their own boat a couple of minutes later. Virgil had rented a blue speedboat for the day. The three of them climbed across, causing both boats to rock. Virgil took the wheel of the second boat while Lisa untied it. He drove off.

Kyle went straight to a duffle bag sitting in the boat. It contained clean, dry clothes and fresh disguises for all of them. Virgil and Lisa appeared content to stay wet for the moment. They weren't even shivering, and Kyle envied them.