The Forbidden Trilogy(134)
by
Karpov Kinrade
Part One – A Deal with the Devil
Chapter 63 – Lucy
Twilight descended on the world outside their airplane, casting long grey shadows into the sky. The moon hung heavy in the night, a large glowing orb that looked as if it had been dipped in powdered sugar. Lucy tried to focus on Agent Morrison's briefing, but the pulse of the sphere in her backpack seemed stronger with the full moon present. The power seduced her into quiet reflections.
Luke jabbed her in the ribs with his elbow.
"Ow, that hurt." She rubbed the sore spot and shot mental daggers at her twin brother.
"Sorry, Sis, but pay attention. What's the matter with you?" His blue eyes studied her, and she knew it was a loaded question.
She hadn't told him about the sphere she'd discovered in Russia, before they'd escaped the Rent-A-Kid center. It just hadn't come up. Normally, they told each other everything, so this omission weighed heavy on her.
His eyes bore into hers, and she turned away, flicking her long brown ponytail at him. "Sorry, just got distracted by the moon."
Morrison scowled. "You two ready to focus? We have a lot to cover here."
This mission was important. The older kids had escaped Rent-A-Kid's evil clutches, but the babies and young kids remained prisoners, and Luke and Lucy had teamed up with International Paranormal Investigators, IPI, to rescue them. It had taken some strong-arming, but Lucy had obtained the address from a reluctant Mr. Black before she and Luke had escaped. After he'd beaten her near to death, Lucy harbored no warm fuzzies for the man, but at least he'd come through in the end. Also, Lucy and Luke knew more about Rent-A-Kid than any of these agents.
The fact that they were martial arts experts, that she was a computer hacker and human lie detector with some cool shadow powers, and Luke could walk through anything, and now, could change the molecular structure of something—like when he'd saved everyone from a cascade of bullets by thickening the air—made them uniquely qualified.
About to set out on their most important assignment yet, it wasn't the money that drove them and their co-workers this time, it was the mission.
Morrison cleared his throat and flexed his biceps as he adjusted himself in his seat. He'd looked distinctly government when they'd first met after the break out, with his black suit, black tie and black briefcase. Seriously, did he take his wardrobe style from the movies? Now he looked military, in camouflage and combat boots.
"As I was saying, the compound is heavily guarded and we have to be careful. They could use the kids as hostages if we blow our cover too soon." He handed them photos of the perimeter that showed walls, fences, guards and cameras everywhere. "Also, count on some snipers that you can't see. We'll drop the two of you into the water, where you'll swim past the fence. If you don't see an opening, use the underwater torch in your packs to cut through. Then, when it's fully dark outside, sneak into the compound and disable guards as needed. Lucy, once you're in, hack their system and take over any surveillance."
Luke flipped through the pictures. "What will I be doing?"
Agent Morrison pointed to a building in the center of the compound. "That's the generator. If Lucy, for some reason, can't get in, you'll need to shut it down manually. But only as a last resort, got it?"
Luke nodded.
"Once you've done that, you need to plant sleeping gas in the ventilation system. This will knock out everyone inside and, hopefully, give us a chance to rescue the children while also keeping them safe. Luke, you'll open the gate and our backup team will arrive to extricate the children and take the staff and guards into custody."
It sounded simple enough, but Lucy's field experience had taught her that plans often went awry in the trenches. "I thought sleeping gas is dangerous, and hasn't been used since that 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis."
Morrison looked up from his file, surprised.
Lucy didn't know if she should be flattered or insulted. "We have been doing this awhile, Agent Morrison. Rent-A-Kid may be a lot of things, but they aren't stupid. We're well trained and well educated."
He put the files back into his backpack and zipped it up. "I can see that. And you're right, that form of sleeping gas hasn't been used in a long time, but our organization created a substitute a few years ago. It's completely safe and top secret. The gas will be visible, and most will think it's smoke from a fire. We need to shut down the fire alarm before it goes off and they start to evacuate."
What other top secret weapons and gadgets does IPI have? Lucy's thoughts were cut short when Morrison handed her and Luke black backpacks.
"These are waterproof. Inside you'll find the sleeping gas grenades, computers, a change of clothes and supplies, and a tank-less breathing system that will attach to your vests and allow you to breathe the oxygen directly from the water."