Inner Workings

Inner Workings - Part 38

To Milton, someone had flipped a switch. One moment slow, quiet, dead. The next, a circuit of activity buzzed through Comp Tech. In his experience that meant something was wrong. Grant bounced off the cot and had his computer linked up to satellite surveillance in the time it took Cetz to toss his coffee down the sink. Olivia, who had been working the surveillance desk in Grant's office while he slept, moved to another console. Cetz barked coordinates for Grant to plug in.

"It's cloudy there too," said Olivia.

Cetz fiddled with his headset and his tablet. "Can you pick up local police chatter?"

"I can try."

"Anything I can do?" said Milton.

Cetz turned and snapped, his face going red. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I followed you. Thought I could help."

"This has nothing to do with head shrinking, get out!"

As Milton retreated from the Comp Tech Office he heard Cetz mutter to his headset. "Damn it Louis, pick up!"

That tone. Walking back up to the lab, and the quiet comfort of a patient lab chimp, Milton recognized it. If Rachel treated the BTs like her babies, Cetz treated the Agents of the Watch like his kids.

***

"The whole dress was made of bows! Can you believe it? A dress made of nothing but ribbon. It was so cool!"

"I'd imagine it'd be cold too, wearing nothing but ribbon," added Will blandly.

The fashion student had come back a minute after Louis left, crowding against Will's side with her pile of laundry. In any other situation Will would have relished the distraction. Instead he imagined if he could use ribbon to gag her mouth. Which wasn't a very polite line of thought and he blamed it on his lack of sleep.

As he laid a folded t-shirt down with Paro's pile, his cell chirped. Thank God. Maybe it was Louis calling from the Red Cross tent. He moved back from the folding table and checked the screen. Cetz. Even better.

"Rowe. Any updates on our backup?" asked Will, weary and glad for the distraction.

"No. We got problems. Is everyone together?"

"I'm here with Dr. Devi, and his wife." Will waved his free hand at Massaru, who joined him by the wall, worry wrinkling his face. "Louis went out for coffee. Ram and his girlfriend are putting luggage away. What's wrong?"

"Marked Industries has a workshop five miles away from you guys."

Will's spine stiffened. Ram and Mary had been gone longer than expected. It wouldn't be too far-fetched for them to be taken by Sandra's men. Though how they would know Massaru had a son with a fiancé-to-be was beyond him.

"What is wrong?" asked Massaru.

Will put out his hand, begging patience. "I'll call Louis."

"That's the second problem," said Cetz. "I already tried. He didn't answer."

***

Jeff leaned close to Beni, whispering in her ear above the cutting of chopper blades. "I tell ya, darlin'. Up here, alone, it's the closest thing to heaven."

Beni gripped the stick tighter, smiling. "Hea-von?"

"Well, second closest compared to you."

Reese measured if he should embrace his role as Beni's bodyguard "translator" and pull the two of them apart. Beni seemed genuinely happy to pilot the helicopter and be wooed. Still made Reese queasy. That or the double dose of Red Bull before the flight.