Brotherhood

Monkey Business

"They've got access to nearly as much classified technology as we do," Unum reported. "They're blocking the signal to the tracer bracelets, and of course the signal for this call is being scrambled. They won't be able to access my end of this call, but they're no doubt recording you, so be very careful about what you say."

"Got it. Can you find us?"

"I'll find you," Unum assured. "I will search the entire planet to find you if I must, but Terra will stop at nothing to keep you."

"Yeah, I got that impression. They think they can use me to save the world."

"I am aware of their ideations," Unum grumbled. "Russell left quite the long-winded Dear John letter when he escaped. A chat between us is long overdue. But he isn't important. As much as it pains me to say this, even my Seven is less important than you are. You still have the watch?"

Blake eyed the watch ruefully. "Yeah, but you said, you know, blocking?"

"Blocking the signal of those tracer bracelets is much harder than you may think. Did they put anything else on you, any other bracelet or necklace or other item of jewelry?"

Blake did a quick check. "Not finding anything, but they've implanted things in my flesh before."

"Try not to let them."

"Great advice."

"When the time comes, they are going to want to evacuate you. Do whatever you have to do to keep them from taking you!"

"Unum, Adam's dying!" Blake blurted. "Three shot One, and if he's not integrated into Uno's trio...?"

"I am aware of the situation. Whatever you may think of me, be assured that I love my Seven as much as you do. You did the right thing, calling me, and I'll find you both! Can you access him at all?"

"They locked me in, but they said I can watch him on the CCTV, and they'd let me be with him when..." Blake swallowed hard. "I don't know if they'll let me actually be with him before then or not." He took a deep breath and hunched over, speaking softly and fast. "I know y'all are well-trained and know what you're doing, but I'm going to go insane if I can't help somehow! Is there anything I can do?"

"Your eyes are aquamarine now?"

Blake grimaced. "Yeah. Elton told you?"

"Elton's given me a full report. You should be able to sense Shard presence now. Am I right?"

Blake grimaced again. "Yeah."

"Then it will be difficult to hide my psionics from you. Keep track of them as much as you can. Another thing you can do is try to locate the generator that is producing the shield blocking the tracers. It will be in a well-guarded area and requires a massive amount of power. Look for high-voltage lines with redundant power generators. Even if you can find it, it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to access it. But if you can pinpoint it, find a general location? When we arrive, you can give us that information, we can take the generator out, and we'll have our exit option if we need it. That will save a lot of time, and the faster I can get Seven reintegrated, the better."

Blake forced the thought of Adam being reintegrated out of his mind. "When 'we' arrive?" Blake asked in surprise. "You're coming, too?"

"All three of us are coming, Mr. Shelton!" Unum vowed. His voice was a furious snarl. "Terra has made its last fatal mistake. They corrupted my Uno and my Dos, got my One and my Three shot, and then they took both my Seven and you! We are coming, and we're going to make such an example out of Russell and Terra that no other group would dare to even think about crossing us again! And don't worry, Mr. Shelton. I will make absolutely sure you get your licks in. By the time we're finished, the building you're in won't be much more than a memory, and neither will Terra!"