Inner Workings

Inner Workings - Part 32

Louis woke feeling a streak of warmth across his bare arm. He jerked the limb back under the sleeping bag where the rest of him lay covered, safe. An instinct he had acquired in the last few months to keep away from direct light. Before opening his eyes, Louis checked himself. Skin not tingling, eyes not aching, and the sleeping bag he lay in hadn't turned into a cloth cavern. Normal sized. Good, one less thing to worry about. He peeked out of the sleeping bag, blinking hard to adjust the contact lenses swimming about in his eyes.

Last night he had been sure to draw the blinds, but a single crack of dawn, like a weak spotlight, shone upon the cot. Not enough to shrink him, thankfully.

Crap. What time was it? Did he sleep through his alarm? His fingers followed the wires from his ear buds down to the phone. Last night he had risked draining his cell battery to listen to his sleep recording. After such a stressful day he needed it. Plucking the cell by the cord, he found the battery still only half charged. And it was after 5 A.M. Electricity still out.

Sunlight. That meant no clouds. Which meant no rain. No rain, no mudslides, no obstacles keeping Sandra and her men from getting to the house.

Nothing stirred in the house. Still in Will's borrowed jeans from last night, Louis padded towards the stairs to get his clean clothes from the laundry room. He froze at the last step.

Will sat slumped at the window seat, arms crossed and forehead resting against the windowpane. Great. The Fanboy, asleep on his watch. A shove to the shoulder and Will jolted from his slump, eyes wide and gun ready. Seeing Louis he put it away and rubbed his eyes.

"What time is it?"

"Time to get moving." And time for coffee.

***

They had brought the essentials: weapons, phones, first aid, the SkySprechts, and, of course, Red Bull. Still bulky, but necessary, especially since Reese had gotten very little sleep last night. One of these days he would take off and sleep in until two in the afternoon.

Getting through security at the airstrip and hanger had almost been too easy, but Reese figured he shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, especially if the gift horse hung on the pilot's arm and whispered sweet Chinglish nothings in his ear. Beni's influence had been enough to make the story they spun stick, and get him on the helicopter.

"So, how long have you been a translator?" yelled the pilot, Jeff, over the sound of chopping blades.

Reese gritted his teeth against the vibrations of the too small cabin. "Two years."

A lie and one he didn't want to elaborate while suspended over a grey dawn. Barely fifteen minutes in the air and he wished for legroom in the luggage crowded back seat. He and Beni couldn't play Eye Spy to pass the time. Well, they could, but the game would be very boring.

"Didn't think you needed one," said Jeff to Beni, beaming in the co-pilot seat. "I could make you out pretty well last night."

That's because her body language did most of the talking, thought Reese.

"English not that good," said Beni, lowering her eyelashes and stuff-it-with-nutella-she-did-not-just-simper. "Mother and Father know this. Sent him. He... like big brother."

Jeff's eyebrows lifted above the aviator glasses as he looked back to Reese. "So you're her...?"

"Parental supervision." Reese lifted one eyebrow and leaned forward as much as the seat belt would allow and lowering his voice to invoke something said in confidence. "She's the only daughter of a wealthy Chinese couple; who wouldn't send a "translator"?"

Jeff nodded, warning in place, but still smiling as he leaned towards Beni. "So I suppose you never played with a remote control chopper as a kid, did ya darlin'?"

Beni shook her head, pursing her lips and putting the shy on thick.

"How would you like to pilot a real one?"

Beni's eyes went wide. "Eh?"

Mother of stamp licking perverts, just what I need, thought Reese, pulling his seatbelt tighter across his shoulder. Speed demon behind the joystick.

Jeff proceeded to point out the buttons and workings of the helicopter in simple English, from the pedals that worked the tail rotor, to the pitch levers. Beni stuck to her role and occasionally looked back to Reese, bidding a "translation" which consisted of repeatingMandarin phrases he remembered from kung-fu movies, but from his lips stumbledlike a dropped spoon.  When Jeff relinquished control of the main lever to her, she looked to the horizon as if entranced.

"I've always wanted to fly."

Jeff grinned. "You never get rid of that feeling, ya know."

"How much longer until we land?" Reese asked Jeff, his knee jittering.

"If your friend's house is as far north as you said last night, we should be there in a little over an hour."

Reese glanced at his watch, the time ticking down. The countdown to touchdown had already been set, but not to their arrival, to the arrival of Watch One's team.

Maybe Beni should stay behind the joystick, they might get there quicker.

***

Will had his bag, along with Louis' still miniaturized luggage, in the SUV before the Devi's could finish their cold breakfast. Shutting the latch to the back, he rubbed his eyes. The two aspirin he had taken lagged in numbing the ache in his gut and arm. Louis loaded one of Parvati's baskets of food she insisted they bring along on the trip.

"Sure you don't want any?" said Louis, halfheartedly offering a thermos of tepid instant coffee to Will. "You look like crap."

"Coffee isn't going to make me look any less crap." But at least Louis offered, thought Will. Then he frowned as Louis blinked hard and grimaced. "Did you sleep in your contacts?"

"Yeah. You gonna to nag me about that, too?"

"I'd rather you—" Will went silent as Ram came out of the house, a scowl on his face. Massaru soon followed after.

"Problem," Will muttered. Louis followed his line of site and leaned against the SUV, taking a swig of coffee and watched.

"Why not?" Massaru called after his son. "You agreed on it last night."

"That was before we woke up with no electricity!" said Ram.

"All the more reason to leave."

Parvati came out of the house and locked the door behind her, second basket in hand and patient smile on her face. "Are you ready?"

Will and Louis nodded. Ram's jaw twitched and he gestured towards them.

"They're coming with us?"

"We can't leave them in a house without electricity.

Massaru bade Louis and Will get in the back, and when Parvati took the driver's seat, Ram reluctantly got in. Massaru grinned back to his son.

"If you have proposal jitters, it will get worse on the way up."

"It's not that," grumbled Ram.

Will opened his mint tin and ground a spearmint pellet between his molars as the car started. By reflex he offered the tin to Louis.

Louis rolled his eyes. "Mint with coffee? Really?"

Will put the tin away. This was going to be a long ride.

Beside him, Louis tucked his left hand tight under his arm, as if trying to press it straight like an iron.