The Quixotic Faction: (Above Top Secret Edition) Page 23

  “KBMT? That must be a local station.” Harvey raises a finger as if to say something then drifts in thought before re-raising his finger. “You know I don’t think fiber optics run rampant in these parts. You mentioned yesterday that this energy would need something to boost it.”

  Lincoln continues to tap away in the back, and the van takes on a heavy sway. Everyone grabs something to hold on to. grabs the wheel and maneuvers the van into a Shell gas station just up ahead.

  “Lincoln, where’s that television station?”

  “Already ahead of you. Would you believe Interstate Ten Frontage Road and Hollywood? However—”

  Nomi’s phone interrupts him with a series of chirps. “The admiral and Little John want to know where we at?” she reports.

  Struggling to hold onto the wheel. “Tell him that we are trying to stay vertical and this wind is not making it easy. Where do they want to meet up?”

  “Tell them to meet us at the television station,” Lincoln says. “We need to hurry. If she is going where I believe she is going then we do not have a lot of time.”

  Another gust of wind hits the van, almost lifting it up onto two wheels.

  “Harvey, I have an idea, move it next to the building.!” Lincoln yells.

  Slowly rolling the van to the side of the building, Harvey puts it in park. The building is shielding the van, keeping it from rocking back and forth. Looking back at his friend, who somehow managed to be still tapping away on the iPad, “Okay, I like your idea for the van. But now how do we get to the television station?”

  While Nomi is drastically searching for her phone she dropped when the van nearly tipped, another lightning bolt streaks across the sky, and immediately a crack of thunder follows it, shaking the windows, causing everyone to shield themselves.

  The symbiont grabs Agent Nomi’s attention by stinging her nerves. “I do not like this. Let them deal with it.”

  “I can’t,” she says out loud.

  They both look over at the Nomi, who has gone pale.

  Harvey reaches out and touches her shoulder. “What do you mean?”

  Her eyes dart in his direction. “Nothing, just talking to myself. That bolt was close wasn’t it? What’s the plan?”

  “First, I need to talk to the admiral.” Lincoln opens the back door to get out. Hearing the wind gusting, he turns back to his friend. “Meanwhile, we need to project up.”

  Beaumont Yacht Club,

  Beaumont, TX

  July 23, 1042 hours

  Across town at the Beaumont Yacht Club Inc., St. Clair and Admiral Kay watch a silver Ford Taurus pull up next to them. The admiral’s phone rings; he grabs it out of his pocket and walks around the car.

  Getting out of the Taurus, Director Harris smiles up at Agent St. Clair. “Fine day for a disaster, isn’t it?” The sky lights up again, and again, a crack of thunder immediately follows it. They both flinch and shield themselves. “That was a close one. I didn’t even get a chance to count that time.”

  The sky opens and rain pelts the gentlemen as St. Clair points to the Taurus and runs to the passenger side. He and the director both hurry into the car. St. Clair looks up to see that the admiral has jumped back into the truck, still talking on the phone.

  Almost on cue the director and the large agent run their hands over their heads to wipe off the water. Director Harris watches the rain in disbelief. “Where did that deluge come from?”

  “I was warned yesterday from an old man that a major storm was coming. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.” Looking out the window, he sees even darker clouds coming in quickly, covering up the already ominous clouds. “It’s sure looking worse for wear out there.”

  “I got your report last night. I have to say, this Dr. Lincoln Stevens sounds like someone I would like to work with,” Director Harris notes.

  Still watching the admiral, St. Clair reaches down and adjusts the seat back to give his legs more room. “When we survive today, I will let him know.”

  “Positive thinking, always a good trait for a field agent.” The director smiles as he continues to watch the storm.

  St. Clair looks out the window, watching the clouds build. “Were you able to find any truth to the admiral’s theory?”

  “You mean the one where she is just a pawn and that someone has fed her the technology? Not yet. Director O’Connell is looking into that possibility.”

  St. Clair snaps his head in disbelief. “Director O’Connell? From Internal Affairs? You think it comes from one of us?”

  “Well, this briefcase is not public technology. And from your report of her house I am inclined to agree with the admiral. I also have him looking into who erased their past, and he promises me he will rectify that; however, getting them cleared from the FBI list is out of my hands I am hoping Director Merrick out of Boston can help with that.”

  The rear door opens as Admiral Kay dives into the back seat. The wind catches the door, nearly snapping it off of its hinges as the admiral catches it on the first bounce back and slams it shut. “It is getting nasty out there.” Looking up at the driver he says, “You must be Director Sydney Harris. Agent St. Clair here told me you can be trusted.”

  “I am, on both accounts, or I would like to believe. Admiral, I have to admire the trust you have in your team. I was just telling Agent St. Clair here that I would be honored to work with them one day.”

  “Well let’s see when we survive the day first. I’m not comfortable with all these unknowns. For every answer we have there are more questions that come up. All in all, we have no idea what we are going up against.”

  Giving his agent a quick look, Director Harris turns back to the admiral. “Do you have a game plan for today to help everyone with that task?”

  “It would appear that Dr. Stevens has told everyone to ‘project up’, so he believes there is a sense of urgency here.”

  St. Clair grabs the back of his neck, and everyone hears the popping as he adjusts it.

  “What does he want us to do?”

  Reaching into his pocket, the admiral pulls out audio earpieces, and St. Clair does the same. The admiral notes a confused look on the director face. “Dr. Stevens believes that if we can focus our minds with music we can protect our subconscious from registering and being affected from the energy.”

  “Interesting line of thinking.” The director wipes his forehead again.

  Finishing up putting in his earpieces, the admiral leans back in the seat. “Your agent here informed me you are the one with the eyes in the sky? If you can, keep all eyes open and keep him updated with status reports. It could be a huge help.” Noticing the raised eyebrow from the director, the admiral raises a hand apologetically. “Please.”

  He gives the admiral a respectful nod. “That I can do.”

  The admiral taps St. Clair’s shoulder. “We better get going.”

  “Where does Dr. Stevens think we should go?” St. Clair says, finishing up with his ear pieces.

  “We need to get to Hollywood, looks like we are going on TV?”

  Eastex & Lucas Plaza,

  Beaumont, TX

  July 23, 1058 hours

  Back at the van, Agent Nomi is leaning back against the wall of the Shell gas station as Garrett is wearing his mechanical suit, shielding her from the torrent of rain. The backdoor of the van opens, and Lincoln gets out dressed up in his MIT suit and metallic gear.

  Muffling her mouth, Nomi tries not to laugh at the two scientists in their space-aged outfits. “You guys look like something from a B-rated sci-fi movie or a weird rock ’n’ roll band.” Nomi then whispers to Harvey, “I saw him on the recording, but it looks so different in real life.”

  Without moving, he smiles. “He’s our starfish. Hey, why do you think it is happening today? This weather is unreal.”

  “Yeah, Starfish. There’s no way she’s doing whatever she’s doing in this weather,” Nomi adds.

  “The admiral mentioned that he’s going to want go big. This el
ectrical storm will only amplify the energy all the more.” Lincoln ignores the sarcasm and adds, “Which is why we need to get to him before he turns it on again.”

  “She hasn’t made any demands, and I can’t even think of what there is to take in this rat hole of a town.” Nomi lets her frustrations show.

  “Okay he’s a she, I got it! Whatever it is, it has escalated every time it turns it on.”

  Harvey steps back and turns to his friend, still trying to shield Agent Nomi from the rain.

  “Lincoln, relax. To quote Batman: The Dark Knight, ‘Some people just want to see the world burn.’ We got it. Just tell us what we can do to stop this guy, I mean, woman.”

  They both remain motionless, watching Lincoln stand up. With the LED’s in his headgear flashing in no distinguishable pattern he rubs his chin and looks around.

  “Beringei, we need to get to the television station. I’m sure that is where she’s going to set this potential nightmare off.”

  Nomi gives him a satisfied smile then looks up at Harvey. “Beringei?”

  Looking down at her, he gives her a smile. “I’ll explain later.”

  “Well Little John calls me Flea.” A huge grin forms across her face.

  After a moment for the name to register, Beringei tries to hold back his excitement. “Now we all have superhero pseudonyms.”

  “Not you too! I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned that!” Going to slap his forehead, he forgets about his equipment as his metallic glove clangs against his headgear, causing him to stumble back.

  As they laugh as another lightning bolt lights up the sky, and a few seconds later a deafening crack of thunder motivates everyone to somber up.

  Harvey slides away from the wall. “You know, every time I have been seen in my suit I have been shot at. How far away is this television station?” He pauses, collecting a thought. “If we can get the briefcase away from her before she turns it on then this will be an easy day.”

  Without any warning, a series of relentless compression waves sweep across the town. The air around them becomes strange and unreal with every rapid compression wave. Lincoln is pressed against the van as Nomi has a death grip on Harvey’s suit. The ringing in her ears is unbearable as every nerve in her body is searing in pain.

  Lincoln's sensory equipment is registering to almost the point of overloading the circuits. “Harvey! You need to take down the FCC towers!”

  “You’re kidding right? They’re like five thousand of those in this town.” He looks at his friend in disbelief.

  The last of the waves sweep across town as the air takes on a purplish-bruised look along with an eerie stillness. They all look up as the rain comes to an abrupt stop. Harvey adjusts the volume on his MP3 player, shaking his head he strains to looks up at the clouds. “These clouds look pissed.”

  Walking over to his friend while he watches the ever-darkening and churning clouds, Lincoln taps away on the control panel on his wrist. “This is not good! One lightning strike and the entire area affected by this energy could hypothetically ignite and blow up.”

  Shifting in the direction of his friend, with the music still blaring in his ears. “I get it, disable the towers, and we can weaken the energy field.”

  “Right, and there are only five hundred and thirty-six towers. I will get to the television station; the admiral and Agent St. Clair should already there.”

  “Five hundred thirty-six, that’s so much better.” Shuffling away from his friend, Harvey goes to launch himself into the air when he notices Nomi has a full body grip on his leg. “Flea! I need you to let go!”

  Lincoln rushes over to her. “Her vitals are in overload! We need to get them out of this atmosphere and fast!” He looks around. “The van!”

  Not hiding the sarcasm, Harvey realizes that the energy has not made it inside his suit. Turning down the MP3 player, he yawns to pop his ears. “Great idea, there’s no airflow in there!”

  Rushing over to the back door of the van he waves for Harvey to hurry. Harvey reaches down and as gently as he can, tries to grip Nomi without crushing her. Wedging his mechanical hand between her and his leg, he manages some separation.

  Nomi’s head snaps up. Pure anger is making her almost unrecognizable as she throws herself off of his leg and against the nearby wall. With no time to register a reaction time, she springs off of the wall and flies over Harvey, knocking Lincoln over, pinning him to the ground.

  Nomi grabs the base of his headgear and twists her body in an aerial movement, snapping his neck while flipping him face down on the asphalt, his hands landing on the back of his head. Pausing in a crouched pose, she poises herself at mechanical exoskeleton.

  Harvey slides himself around to see her crouched over his friend. Before he can understand what happened, Nomi launches herself at him. Reacting, he is able to catch her leg causing her scream. She grabs a hold of the mechanical arm and looks at Harvey. Their eyes meet and her facial features are almost unrecognizable. “Whoa, Yukiko, what has gotten into . . . Oh damn, it is the energy in this atmosphere.”

  Glancing at the open van door, he pleads, “I hope you don’t hold this against me.” He then tosses her in. Hearing a loud thump, she crashes into the equipment, nearly tipping the van over. Her screams of anger and pain echo from everywhere.

  He slams the back door closed and pounds the top of the van, crunching in the doorframe, preventing the doors from being able to open. Then grabbing the back of the van, he swings the front end into the wall, cutting off any exit from the van.

  “And I hope the admiral doesn’t hold that against me.” He steps back away from the van, watching it and hearing Flea’s rage quiet down as if running out of steam.

  “Hey, Starfish, it’s safe to get up now. I wonder how the admiral and Little John are doing on their end.”

  I-10 Frontage Road,

  Beaumont, TX

  July 23, 1159 hours

  Sitting in the parking lot of the Farmers Insurance Group next to KBMT 12, Agent St. Clair and the admiral sit in disbelief and awe at the color of the air around them.

  The television station appears to be vacant when the admiral lets out a low whistle.

  “Agent St. Clair, have you ever seen anything like this?”

  “Call me Little John, and yeah, well, sort of.”

  The admiral quickly looks at him. “Little John? As in Robin Hood?”

  He chuckles. “Alan Hale was my dad’s favorite actor, and I was nicknamed after his roles in the Robin Hood movies.”

  “I am not sure I know that name, but that will be for another time. Lincoln says this atmosphere could be caused by Orgone energy.”

  “Don know about that, never heard of that energy. What else does that limp starfish have to say about it?”

  Shaking his head, the admiral chuckles. “Don’t care for him much?”

  “He blew up my truck.”

  “We covered that already. Anyways, he was telling us that this energy affects the nervous system, and whether it is negative or positive depends on the spectrum being used.”

  Flashes of Nomi flood St Clair’s thoughts and he recalls her words, ‘It also increases my nerve sensitivity.’ He grips the wheel and looks around the truck. “This is not good. Where are they now? They’re in trouble.”

  “We all are if we can’t find this Ms. DuFerot and stop her.” The admiral looks at him confused.

  “It’s Flea, I mean Agent Nomi, and she has a medical thing that affects her nerves. This origami energy will not go well with her,” St. Clair stresses.

  As if on cue, a Honda Civic crashes into the light pole behind them and explodes on impact, causing the truck to lift for a spilt second.

  The admiral jumps out of the truck and rushes over to the fire. Pointing his arms out, high-pressured streams shoot out, freezing the water surrounding the vehicle. The ice builds and stacks as steam pours into the air and over the fire.

  St. Clair joins him. He can feel his coils struggling to maintain
cohesion as he flickers in and out of phase. “Not very good at putting out fires, are you?”

  “It is not exactly a garden hose, and when we make it out of this you need to tell me about your condition as well as Agent Nomi’s.”

  “Yes sir, we can do that.”

  Behind them a whisper can be heard over the crackling of ice. “Well isn’t this interesting.”

  They both snap in the direction of the voice to see a woman remaining motionless as she is tilting her head towards her shoulder. A slight smile forms on her face as she recognizes St. Clair from the other day. She is wearing a skin-tight, neoprene suit with what appears to be electronic circuits stitched into it.

  St. Clair rushes towards her; however, the energy surrounding the woman is making it even more difficult to maintain his coil cohesion. The admiral, still trying to extinguish the car fire, hears the sirens of emergency vehicles coming from the highway.

  Stopping right in front of her, he continues the internal struggles. Her smile grows wider as she steps towards him, reaching her hand to touch his chest. “And who might you be?” she asks as her hand passes through him.

  St. Clair vanishes and reappears behind her. With all the focus and concentration, he can muster, his body solidifies, and he grabs her at the shoulders. Struggling at the surprise, she takes out a control unit to the suit. With slight thumb movements across the screen, the energy level surrounding her intensifies, causing St. Clair to yell and drop to a knee.

  The admiral hears the yell and looks back at the woman responsible for this energy field and sees the large agent falling to his knees, rapidly phasing in and out.

  Hearing the sirens, she turns in the admirals’ direction. Seeing the igloo forming over the car crash, she jumps up and down all giddy. “You must be Admiral Julian Kay. M was right.” Looking at her phone again, she thumbs the screen again, and a pulse emits from her body causing the admiral to be thrown back into the icy car wreck.