Ring Fold by Scott Swisher

Author:Scott Swisher [Swisher, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Majestic Ink Publishing

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

It was a hot November afternoon in downtown Los Angeles, year 2010. The atmosphere was smothered with gray, smoky-brown haze—blanketing the city skyline. Auto and pedestrian traffic had slowed as local businesses prepared for closure at the tick of 5 PM.

Roxanne Kinder sat at the wheel of her parked KIA Sorrento just outside the Tempus Headquarters. She stared blankly at her reflection in the rear-view mirror. Her green eyes were slightly bloodshot due to a lack of sleep. She placed her fingertips against her scalp and began to fluff some life into her wavy reddish-brown hair, then glanced down at her wristwatch for a time check. Ten minutes before the hour. She could hear Darren’s voice on auto-play in her mind. “And when I say on the hour, I mean ten till … prompt and ready!”

Roxanne exited the vehicle and rushed up the short flight of stairs toward the front entrance of the building carrying a manila envelope. She paused briefly to glance at her reflection once more in the heavily tinted glass doors, then pulled a hair tie out of her pocket and fastened up a tight ponytail. Roxanne hurried across the long stretch of lobby toward the security booth near the elevators. After the customary wave to the security guard, she scanned her badge to call the elevator down.

Darren was wrapping up his presentation as Roxanne entered the conference room. His brassy voice carried over from wall to wall like a snare drum as he paced back and forth, working his hands and bodily gestures like a career politician. “We need to refocus our overall strategy. Subjects and key locations have been identified.”

Roxanne quietly approached the front podium, holding up the envelope for Darren to see. He paused and nudged his chin for her to proceed. She handed him the envelope and then took a seat at the wall behind the podium.

Darren continued, “Some of you may be asking, what’s stopping us from closing in on our targets?” He peeked into the envelope to view its contents. At a quick glance, he could see that new photos of the Ring members had surfaced. His expression intensified. “Nothing!” The meeting attendees began looking around at each other. “That’s your answer.” Darren continued pacing. “Now, many of you, if not all, have been working across the various time zones. What we’re dealing with here is quite unique. Our subjects appear to be just about anywhere at any given moment, almost as if capable of some type of teleportation or time travel—whatever you want to call it. Ridiculous, right?” He surveyed his audience to confirm that collective understanding. “Yep, Time Travel … What a ridiculous concept.”

“Bet your ass it’s ridiculous! These subjects have access to advanced technology and a vast set of connections, far beyond what we’ve been able to assess. That’s why we’ve called in our best. So, yes, it’s time …” Darren slammed his right palm down against the surface of the podium, causing everyone in the room to jump in their seat.

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