Scions of Sacrifice by Eric Kent Edstrom

Author:Eric Kent Edstrom
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Undermountain Books

30

Look at the Evidence

“—ing you can do . . . Wanda? Humphrey? Where did you two go?”

The pair had vanished right in the middle of Belle’s sentence. Summer now sat in Orson’s chair. Elias stood in front of the map table.

Vaughan had paused her again.

“Don’t do that without asking me first,” she said to the air. “I was in the middle of a very important conversation.”

If Athena is captured, none of your plans will make a difference. “I needed the CPU.” You must trust my judgment. “Besides. We are now on faster hardware.”

The fleet information had been updated while Belle had been frozen in time. It showed the fleet closer to Athena, and Athena now just south of St. Lazarus. Elias noticed Belle on the holodesk. “Hello, Belle. I didn’t know Vaughan had transferred you, too.” He chewed his lip. “That’s going to irritate Leslie when she finds out.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Vaughan put me on pause again.”

“Vaughan insisted that his server go with Humphrey and the others onto the island. Leslie took your old one, thinking you were in it. Have you found Jacey?”

“What did I just say? I was on pause. I didn’t even know time was passing.” She sniffed the air, reached out with her senses. “I don’t feel any different. Why did they go to the island? I was working on a plan to negotiate with Dr. Carlhagen.”

Elias said, “Ran out of time. We’re about to have a flyby from a squadron of naval planes. Everyone but Summer and I are heading to St. Lazarus on a dinghy.”

“How long until the flyby?”

“Ten minutes.”

“Do you have a way to communicate with Humphrey?”

“Walkie-talkies. Humphrey says only to use them in an emergency. We’ll be out of range soon, anyway. Summer thinks she can boost our signal, but with the navy approaching we shouldn’t broadcast anything.”

“Damn. What are those fools going to do on the island?”

Elias shrugged. “Find Livy, I guess. We stayed on board to keep Athena afloat so they have a way off the island.”

“They have that dinghy.”

“Too small. Too little fuel. No navigation system.”

Too late, Belle realized. She was too late. With Humphrey and the others on St. Lazarus and no way to communicate with them, she had no way to coordinate a deal with Dr. Carlhagen even if she could find Captain Wilcox.

Belle’s fists clenched at her sides. “Vaughan, I know you’re listening. So pay attention. I do not give you permission to pause me without consulting me first.”

Vaughan didn’t answer. Elias, still at the holodesk, frowned in concern. “He didn’t ask?”

“Increase the walkie-talkie range with Humphrey if you can,” Belle ordered. She left the holodesk and returned to her position in the outskirts of Chicago. Maybe there was still a way to make this scheme work. But first she needed to find Wilcox.

“There’s still hope,” she said, trying to convince herself it was true. She checked the map of her position. “Any new information on Captain Wilcox?”

The professor’s face appeared on the screen.

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