“What’s going on?” Jeff asked via the com as we waited for the elevator.
“William’s here because Walter’s supposedly at Dulce for some Security training thing. But they aren’t at Home Base because of a dust storm. Walter called me to share there was big trouble, and he was cut off mid-word.”
“No response from Walter, Ambassador,” William said, voice tense. He’d already lost one brother—I knew he didn’t want to lose another. I didn’t want him to, either.
Elevator arrived, we got in. “We’ve tried calling everyone, Jeff,” Tito said as we headed down. “Only your father at NASA Base and the Pentagon answered their phones.”
“That includes Gladys,” I added.
Heard a variety of impressive cursing from the kitchen. Decided Amy’s was the winner, though Caroline’s came in a close second.
“Let me make it that much better. Per Jeff’s dad, Brian and Michael both called out today—which you’d think would be odd for astronauts to be able to do just like a normal person, but whatever. We can’t reach them, either, and Alfred thought they were both at Dulce.”
“Michael didn’t tell me he’d be there,” Caroline said. Since they were engaged, she’d be the most likely person Michael would give his itinerary to. “He didn’t spend the night last night, though, so maybe he was doing something with Brian.”
“Kitty, what’s your guess for what’s happening?” Chuckie asked.
“I love that you’re asking her for a guess before she has any information,” Christopher snarked as the elevator doors opened.
The four of us ran to the kitchen. “Oh, you’re just jealous because I usually guess right. Megalomaniac Girl reporting for duty. And I think the dust storm that prevented everyone being at Home Base is related to whatever’s going on. And I think we’re going to hate what’s going on.”
“But that’s all the information we have,” Buchanan said. “Unless Missus Chief is holding out on us.”
“Sadly, no. I’ve texted everyone—no one’s replied. Including Kevin, Brian, and Michael.” I cleared my throat. “And also including Mimi and Abby. They went over to help Gladys.”
“You told us before,” Chuckie said. “I’ve tried texting Mimi, but I thought maybe she wasn’t replying because I hadn’t answered her texts from this morning.”
“Where’s Patrick?” Jeff asked, worry plain.
“With Jamie and the other Embassy, Alpha, and Airborne children,” William replied. “On site, in the daycare center. I’ve advised Denise that she shouldn’t release the children to anyone at this point in time. Doreen and Irving are there as well. I’ve also requested that Len and Kyle go to and stay with them and the children. They’re there, as are all the Embassy animals.”
“All?” We had four dogs, three cats, twelve mated pairs of Alpha Four Peregrines, and more Poofs than anyone other than Rain Man had a hope of counting. All was a big number.
“All,” William confirmed. “Doreen said to tell you that their Peregrines sort of herded her and Irving to the daycare center. Denise said to tell you the animals look stressed and ready.”
“Shields up, William!”
“Already done, Ambassador. I activated the shields as soon as you told me to try to contact Walter.”
“Good man.” Effective thinking ran in the Ward family. “So, all we know for sure is that whatever’s going on, the only person who tried or was able to tell us anything was Walter.”
White looked thoughtful. “Missus Martini, correct me if my memory’s inaccurate, but wasn’t Walter one of the few who held out against my ‘younger brother’s’ mind control?”
“Yes, he was.” White and I looked at each other. “You don’t think that’s it, do you, Mister White?” I really hoped he was going to say no.
“Sadly, yes, I do, Missus Martini.”
“Think what’s it?” Caroline asked.
“I hate what you two just jumped to,” Chuckie said. “But with what we know, it’s a good hypothesis.”
“Which is?” Christopher asked.
I answered. “We think Ronaldo Al Dejahl is back in business.”
CHAPTER 15
“WILLIAM, patch us in with Hacker International, will you?”
“She means the computer lab,” Jeff added.
“Yes, Representative Martini, I know. Walter left detailed instructions, including the Ambassador’s nicknames for everything and everybody. Hacker International is connected. Have taken the liberty of putting them on-screen for you, Ambassador.”
After Operation Sherlock, Jeff had decided that if we could find a way for him to never have to visit with Hacker International in person, he wanted that way installed immediately.
So, we’d done an electrical remodel and added big screen monitors with video cameras built in into every room where we had meetings or might want to have meetings. This was most of the general rooms in the Embassy and the Zoo. Since it had been done by A-Cs, it had taken an afternoon. Just one. Hyperspeed was the greatest.
The interior of the Zoo’s computer lab came onto the big screen in the kitchen. It showed five men—Stryker Dane, aka Eddy Simms, from good old Pueblo Caliente, Arizona, Big George Lecroix from France, Dr. Henry Wu from China, Ravi Gaekwad from India, and Yuri Stanislav, aka Omega Red, from Russia. They were all busily at work at their computer terminals, but I wasn’t sure if that was because they were aware that Chuckie was in the Embassy. Chuckie was essentially their boss and he had them in a constant state of alert fear. Jeff really appreciated this, and told Chuckie so often.
They were the best hackers from their respective countries, though each one had his own specialties. In addition to hacking, Stryker was also the author of the very successful Taken Away series wherein he recounted his “totally true” tales of being kidnapped and probed by aliens. Needless to say, Stryker wrote fiction.
He made the most money of the team, therefore, because he had the extra income source to add into all the other income sources. He also had the strongest personality, so he was Team Hacker’s unofficial leader. Sadly, he still had manboobs, an appearance you could charitably call “slovenly,” limited personal hygiene, and long, unkempt hair that, if cleaned and brushed, would be his only attractive feature.
Big George was tall and thin, but still had the Uber Geek look going. Henry was small, balding, and timid in looks as well as actions. Ravi was pretty normal looking and he was engaged to a Dazzler, so he’d fixed up his look a little bit. Omega Red was blind and buffed out, making him the total Hacker International anomaly. I wasn’t sure if he knew that the others never lifted anything heavier than a Big Gulp cup, or if he just liked lifting weights, but he was the only one of them who’d be worth anything in a physical fight.
They were dressed pretty much alike in khaki cargo shorts, sandals, and T-shirts. Today’s group T-shirts were commemorating the X-Files. They had a nice selection, no one duplicating the other’s image choice. This was done because I’d made a joke about them having assigned Geek T-Shirt Days and instead of them dressing nicely for a change, they’d instead created a Shirt Rota Chart. With pride.
Chuckie had ferreted out Stryker’s “bunker” when he and I were in high school and, despite the age difference of about ten years, they’d become friends. So I’d known Stryker since high school, too. I’d known all the other guys by the time I was out of college. They’d joined us as a group, however, during Operation Destruction and had never left. Not a day went by that Jeff didn’t point this out to me. Unhappily. But I found them useful. And fun to bait. Though the baiting would probably have to wait. We had an emergency.