Galilee Rising(55)

"I need tools," Jem says, more to himself than me.

"We need to call the bomb squad."

"They may not make it in time. I need tools. Wire cutters, screwdriver, electrical clips, just bring everything in the toolbox."

"You know how to defuse bombs?" I roll my eyes at my stupidity. "Of course you do. I'll be right back."

I run the way we came to the toolbox. I have basic knowledge of bomb squad equipment so I know all that's useful here is the exacto knife, a screwdriver, and electrical tape. With those in hand, I rush out of the boiler room in search of a utility closet or mechanical room. The utility closet is locked, so I shoot the lock. "Just me!" I shout to give Jem peace of mind. I search furiously through detergents and cleaning supplies for another tool box. Shit. The mechanical room is beyond the now empty laundry room, the staff evacuated already, and I have to shoot this lock too. I have more success here.

When I return to the boiler room, Jem is pulling a disk out of the camera and stuffing it in his pocket. "Did you get everything?"

"I hope so." We move over to the bomb with now less than ten minutes left. I drop my collection. "Here." He hands me the flashlight, and we bend down next to the tools. "You defused this type before?"

"Once or twice," he says, picking up the wire cutters. "The only problem is Cain knows I have. He'll have it booby trapped. Tilt and trembler switches, anti-tamper devices, a hidden detonator or two. He will not make it easy on me." He takes a deep breath to steady himself. "I really wish you'd--"

"Not happening. Get to work."

He does. The bomb has almost two dozen wires and Jem examines, cuts, or ignores them all like a virtuoso whose instrument is a bomb. I try to keep my eyes off the counter but it's fucking impossible. Seconds ticking down to destruction. About a minute into this unbelievably tense process, my cell phone rings and I jerk in surprise. Jem glances at me, breath shaky. "Sorry." I pull it out to check the screen. It's Harry. "Harry?" I say into it.

"Where are you?"

"The hospital. The first bomb is here in the boiler room."

"Have they found the others yet?" Jem asks.

"Who is that?" Harry asks.

I put Harry on speaker. "Lord Nightingale. He's defusing the bomb."

"What? Joanna, no. Get the hell out of there. The squad's on the way. I--"

"Tell him the other three bombs are most likely in the boiler rooms of city hall, the library, and the Justice statue, and if not found there, try the airport, The Falls, and Pendergast Industries."

"Did you get that?" I ask Harry.

"We found one at city hall. It's set to go off in twenty-five minutes. They're working on it now."

"No!" Jem shouts. "There could be half a dozen anti-tamper devices or false switches. He'll have back-ups for his back-ups. I've already found two on this one. He knows your techniques and thought processes. Tell them to wait for me. I'll finish here and get to the hall as fast as I can."

"We're not waiting--"

"Captain O'Hara, I know how this man thinks! He wants you to try. They had to re-build the President Wayne Memorial and two bomb techs lost their lives because they underestimated him. Order them to wait!" He bobs his head to indicate that I should hang up. I do. His full attention returns to the problem at hand.

"Do you really think there's a bomb at Pendergast?"

He's quiet as he places clips to bypass wires, then says, "Yes. They need to evacuate."

"They're already doing it. It's company policy to evacuate after a terrorist attack. This qualifies." I watch him work for a whole thirty seconds before I can't hold in my question anymore. "This is all for you, isn't it? It's a test for you, to get your attention."

Silence, then, "Yes." He yanks a wire out and throws it aside.

I pause this time as I decide if I should ask the real question. Like I could ever stop myself. "He's your brother, isn't he? Jordan?" For the first time, Jem stops working and looks at me, mouth slack. "You both have the same, exact smile and voice."

"Oh." Jem returns to work, slowly starting up. "After Uma, I went looking for him. Scowered the globe, but he…" He shakes his head. "It was a fool's errand. If my brother doesn't want to be found, he won't be. After a year, I gave up. I took a post in Independence but something had changed. I couldn't sleep, I barely ate, the bitterness and frustration were eating me alive.

"Then one night, it had to be three in the morning, I was walking the streets as I often did when I came across a pimp beating a prostitute in an alley. For a second I thought about continuing on. Then she noticed me, met my eyes, and blind rage overtook me. I beat the man within an inch of his life. But…for the first time in over a year I felt as if I could breathe again. So I went out the next night, then the one after that. While I was out patrolling, I felt close to content. Then one night I was almost arrested, so I commissioned a suit. Became 'The Nightingale' after my favorite Keats poem. A few months after that, we formed the Triumvirate and the work really began."