Iron Angels by Eric Flint & Alistair Kimble

Author:Eric Flint & Alistair Kimble [Flint, Eric & Kimble, Alistair]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy, Urban, Contemporary, General
ISBN: 9781481482561
Google: nzE7vgAACAAJ
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2017-09-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Jasper and Temple drove to the University of Chicago, which was located near the lake in the Hyde Park neighborhood, about seven miles south of the city’s downtown. Despite being across a state line, it was actually quite close to northwest Indiana—no more than a half hour’s drive from Jasper’s condo in Hammond.

Vance’s phone call had been urgent, canceling their plans to swing by the hospital and speak with Alan Smith’s aunt once again. Temple’s excitement upon hanging up hadn’t puzzled Jasper, but he didn’t know yet if the excitement was caused by Vance’s evidence or the prospect of seeing Ed White again. Probably both.

Jasper couldn’t remember the last time he’d run around this much in one day. Temple’s energy and constitution apparently allowed her to operate at full steam nonstop, all day. Was she hiding Red Bulls somewhere? His eyelids were drooping and his entire body wilted under the heat. But despite the heat, he had her stop at a Starbucks along the way for a dry cappuccino. And damn if it hadn’t hit the spot, despite her oven of a car baking under the August sun.

“You look like a flower left in the sun too long there, kid.” Ed greeted them as they entered the building, smiling widely. “But you, Temple, you look like you’re ready for a photo shoot.”

Temple rolled her eyes. But Jasper was certain by now that she enjoyed Ed’s attention.

“What do you have for us, Ed?”

“We’ve been chatting with a friend of mine, a physicist.” Ed glanced back at them as he opened a door into one of the university’s big buildings. “He’s enjoying the speculative angle Vance’s been chatting away about. That little guy is all right, where’d you find him? He should be doing research for a university, or a Department of Energy lab.”

Ed led them through pleasantly cool hallways. Jasper felt a second or third wind coming on. But, boy, he’d still sleep like a baby tonight.

“Vance is a misfit, sort of like me,” Temple said.

“Looks like you found yourself another one,” Ed nodded at Jasper. “He’s king of the misfits over at the Bureau. You should hear him talk about his executive management and all the nitwit decisions they make or, most of the time, don’t make.”

Temple grinned. “So we do have something in common after all.”

They reached a nice-sized office brimming with books and walls plastered with papers and white boards filled with equations.

Ed looked around. “Now, where’d they get off to? They were just here a few minutes ago.”

A few seconds later, laughter filled the narrow hallway leading to the office. In walked Vance with a rather tall and chiseled man with black hair and dark eyes. They both held coffee cups and wore smiles.

“Thank you, Temple, for leaving me behind,” Vance said. “I enjoyed catching up with my own—”

Temple’s head cocked.

“Kind. Scientists, I mean.”

“Mmm hmm.” A smile crept onto Temple’s lips.

Ed introduced them to Doctor Greg Clark, an astrophysicist. Jasper had to suppress a smile himself. Clark was the picture image of a scientist taken from some old black and white film.

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