“It’s a risk,” Emily replied. “But it’s probably less of a risk than sneaking inside and dealing with people in charge. Besides, if we don’t like where they go, we can always come back here, since we now know where it is.”
He couldn’t argue with her logic. By the time they’d discussed it, the two men had pulled away in the TV truck. He started the SUV and followed at a distance.
The van drove through the empty downtown of Fort Collins. Lots of cars remained in their diagonal parking spaces in front of the little stores, but a tractor had come through and shoved the derelict vehicles out of the main route. Lots of shirts, hats, and every color of underwear had collected against storefronts on the east side of the avenue, as if a westerly wind shoved them all there. However, heavy shoes remained in the street gutters, and on the sidewalks. The breeze was unable to move them.
After passing through the dense part of the city, the TV van headed along a four-lane roadway with a central median lined with giant, leafy trees. He took his eyes off the van for a few seconds to admire the quaint imagery of the pleasant street, but when he looked back to the road, the van’s brake lights flared.
“Oh, shit,” he said, hitting his brakes and angling the truck toward the shoulder.
“They saw us,” Emily deadpanned.
“Are you sure?” He’d asked the question almost at the same time as the driver of the van held out his arm and motioned for him to pull alongside. He then answered his own question. “Yeah, you’re sure.”
He was faced with a difficult choice. If they drove away, it would lead to questions. If they went alongside them, it might expose who they were.
Ted put it back in gear and slow-rolled the hundred yards. “I don’t suppose you have your handcrafted mask from when we were in New York, do you?” She’d torn a woman’s blouse to make masks to keep them hidden. It didn’t surprise him she hadn’t kept hers.
“No, but I do have this.” She reached behind her seat and grabbed one of the T-shirts she’d taken from the shop at Devils Tower. “Can you rip it?”
She handed the light blue shirt to him. He had to put his foot on the brake, but he was able to rip the cheap material in a few seconds. The torn piece was roughly square, which was what she needed to wrap it around her neck, then cover her nose and mouth. “If anyone asks, I’ve got the flu.”
He got the truck moving once more, rolling down Emily’s window along the way. Properly outfitted, she sat up in her seat as if unafraid to talk to the news crew. It was part of acting as if the black uniforms were real.
She waved first as they arrived next to the van. “Hey, guys, what’s the problem?”
The driver gave her a serious look but then cracked a slim smile. “We saw you two following us. I hope you don’t mind us being nosey, but we have a question we want to ask you.”
“Oh?” Emily replied in an upbeat voice.
Ted listened, too, but he also squeezed the grip of his pistol now hidden between the two front seats…
NORAD Black Site Sierra 7, CO
Tabby was shocked at how fast her situation had spiraled into dangerous territory. She stood there next to her captor while watching the line of hooded prisoners outside the strange white box. A high school football team cheered it all on. The scene was surreal.
“Don’t put her in there. I’ll…be quiet. I won’t interrupt you ever again.” She was quick to offer those concessions, but there were other, more permanent ones Tabby wasn’t willing to give up.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to harm her. The obsidian energy can be fine-tuned to any number of channels, from the painful to the pleasurable. If I really wanted to threaten you, or your friends, I could. However, all I’m doing here right now is illustrating the power and science you Old Americans are up against. I want you to know how utterly and completely you’ve been defeated. Then, when you accept it, we can move on to the next room, where I assure you, our discussions will be a lot more pleasant.”
Audrey had been shoved into the box by the handlers. The crazy guy stood off to one side, still without his hood, talking to himself. By her estimation, the white light was designed to wipe minds. It was the exact sort of thing she imagined from a tinpot dictator working to take over her homeland.
“I’ll be good,” she pleaded. “Don’t hurt her.”
David swooshed his white hair out of his eyes. “I promise, I won’t hurt your friend.” At the same time, he dropped his arm, which was a signal to whoever was controlling the box. The energy turned on, seemingly erasing Audrey as she stood inside the cube. It once again became as bright as a small sun, until it abruptly shut off.
“Bring her out!” David commanded.
The helpers pulled Audrey from the cage, dragging her and her baggy white jumpsuit out the door. Tabby was angry at seeing her tossed around, but she dared not express her feelings while on the raised platform, in front of David’s men.
After studying Audrey for a few seconds, the white-haired leader turned to her. “See? She’s fine. I assure you, she’s in peak physical health now that you’re here.” His tone implied her health could change quickly if Tabby did anything he didn’t like. As such, all she did was display
