"Liz said there was some kind of remote to open a door in the rock formation, which we don't have," Michael said as they drove the car Ray had rented toward the compound.
Michael hadn't even thought about the fact that the Project Clean Slate people could trace a car as easily as they could a face. Easier. He was glad Ray had had the idea of renting the car under one of his old identities. Ray had switched faces and names a few times since he'd been stranded on earth.
"I'm sure they have some kind of surveillance cameras," Ray answered. "We'll just give them a good look at your Valenti mug, and I'm sure someone will scurry right out and let us in. Probably even apologize for not doing it faster."
That worked for Michael. There were advantages to being a Valenti clone. Although every time he caught sight of his gray eyes in the rearview mirror, it gave him the wiggins.
Michael's own eyes were gray, so it wasn't that much of a color change. But he couldn't shake the feeling that when he looked into his reflection, it was Valenti staring back. Valenti, the guy who wanted him dead or locked up in one of those cells Liz had seen and experimented on for the rest of his life.
"You okay back there, Iz?" he asked over his shoulder.
"Yeah," she muttered.
Didn't sound convincing. He knew it was freaking her out to be in the same car with him looking like this. Isabel had had nightmares about Valenti from the time she was a little girl. The sheriff was the embodiment of her darkest fears about what could happen to her if anyone found out the truth.
"You're not going to ask if I'm okay?" Ray joked.
"You better be because we've arrived," Michael answered. He pulled to a stop in front of the rock formation. Michael got out of the car and stared straight ahead, trying to look mildly pissed off. A moment later a massive door slid open.
"Welcome to the Bat Cave," Michael muttered as he slid back behind the wheel. He pulled into the elevator Liz had told them about, and when they got to the bottom, he parked in the reserved space. He was Valenti. The big cheeseball.
A guard hustled over as soon as he, Ray, and Isabel set foot out of the car. "We weren't expecting you until tonight," he said.
"That's why I'm here. I want to see what things are like when I'm not expected," Michael answered. He didn't bother to tell him who Ray and Isabel were. He figured Valenti wouldn't bother to explain himself to a peon.
Liz's plan was working out great. He could just act like he was doing some kind of inspection or even giving Ray and Isabel a tour, and they could search every inch of the place.
But actually, why search? This peon would fall all over himself to do whatever Valenti wanted. "I want to show my associates the ship," he said.
My associates. He liked that. Kind of mysterious and you're-way-too-insignificant-to-know-who-theyreally-are. Maybe he should take this show on the road. Do a tour as a Valenti impersonator.
He couldn't believe that thought had popped into his mind. He felt like he was partially buzzed or something. He was actually going to see the ship. He'd spent almost his whole life looking for it, and it was here.
The guard nodded and led the way through a maze of cement corridors, stopping now and then to punch in a security code. When they reached a huge set of metal doors, the guard stepped back. He obviously wanted Michael to do something, but what?
"Please step up to the red line and remove glasses for retina scan," an automated female voice instructed.
Michael automatically moved into position, but his intestines were practically squirming around inside him. His eyes looked like Valenti's, sure. But there's no way his retinas would be a match. No possible way.
A beam of light passed over his eyes.
"Individual not identified," the voice announced. "Access denied."
The guard pulled out a walkie-talkie and mumbled into it. This was it. They were toast. Unless they moved pretty damn fast.
Ray moved up behind the guard, ready to knock him out. Isabel looked ready to take on everyone in the whole place, judging from her narrowed eyes and the way her hands had curled into fists at her sides. Time to rock and roll, Michael thought. Then the doors slid open.
"I'll get someone to go over the system," the guard said, his face pink with embarrassment.
Was it really going to be this easy? Not that he was complaining.
"You do that," Michael answered as he stepped through the doors, Ray and Isabel close beside him.
The ship lay before them. A sleek wedge of metal that was smaller than Michael expected. But looking at it, he found it hard to breathe.
This ship had been built on a planet in a galaxy that humans didn't even have a name for. It had carried his parents all the way here. And they had died inside it when they began the return voyage.
Michael felt like he could stand here for hours, just staring at it. The construction was awesome. He didn't see a seam. Not a bolt. Not a rivet. Nothing. Talk about aerodynamic. The metal itself was even more mind-bending. In places it looked almost liquid. Molten. Rippling as if alive.
Isabel elbowed him. "We have a timetable to keep, Sheriff," she said.
"Right." Michael strode over to the ship, then hesitated. Where were the doors on this thing? He didn't see a handle.
Ray reached out and touched a small raised circle, and a door appeared. Isabel took a deep breath and stepped across the threshold.
"Go ahead," Ray told Michael.
Michael started inside. He'd pretty much given up the hope that this day would ever come. But he was standing on board the ship. He reached out and lightly ran his fingers across the closest wall.
Then he crumpled to his knees, pain clawing through him. Pain from Max, stronger than anything he'd ever felt.
"Sheriff Valenti, are you all right?" a guard shouted.
Footsteps rushed toward him as another slash of pain hit. He felt his face… moving. Twisting. He couldn't hold on to the changes he'd made in his molecular structure.
A guard grabbed Michael by the shoulder-and saw his face. His face. Not Valenti's.
"Something's up," Alex told Maria.
Valenti had just burst out of his house. He strode over to his cruiser, his face set and grim. This was not a man on his way to the grocery store.
"What are we going to do?" Maria demanded, her voice high and shrill.
"Follow him," Alex answered.
Maybe he found out that his girlfriend was cheating on him, Alex thought as he waited for the cruiser to pass their stakeout spot. Or that Kyle had been busted for smoking a joint behind the school.
Not likely. It would be a pretty big coincidence for either of those things to happen right during the few hours when Michael, Isabel, and Ray were breaking into the compound.
"Go!" Maria cried. "You're going to lose him."
"Let me do this," Alex snapped. "I don't want him to notice us." He waited a few more seconds to let another car get between him and Valenti, then pulled out onto the street.
Valenti headed straight to the main road out of town. And yeah, he passed the grocery store.
"He's heading out of town! He's going to the compound! You said you would stop him! Why aren't you stopping him?" Maria shouted.
"I want to wait until we get a little ways into the desert," Alex answered. "It's too dangerous in town. I don't want to accidentally cream someone."
"Okay, okay. Okay, sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to yell. I just-"
"I know," Alex answered. "Me too."
Alex kept his eyes locked on Valenti as they reached the edge of town. Not that he had any doubt where Valenti was heading.
"Okay, I'm going to pull up next to him. You yell… something. That there's been a robbery or whatever. Any sheriff thing you can think of. Maybe that will be enough to make him turn back. Project Clean Slate is a secret. Valenti has to give at least an impersonation of a regular sheriff."