Terminal Incursion by J M Guillen

Author:J M Guillen [Guillen, J M]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-02-29T16:00:00+00:00

2

For a long moment, we all sat draped in silence.

“Okay,” I said. “Fair enough. Maybe we start with the easy stuff.”

“Reasonable.” Lockley sat straighter and adjusted his tie.

“Can you at least tell us why you met us here?” Delacruz gestured wide, indicating the Sadhana complex. “I know Designates are often secretive regarding their rendezvous points—”

Outside, machine gun fire rattled. For a moment, we all froze in place.

“It’s nothing,” Lockley assured us. “The jungle is dangerous. We often have to discourage the… wildlife.”

We. I wondered who he meant. Garret Valis? Michele from L.A?

“Ah,” Sofia responded. “I only wondered about the timing of our meeting.”

“And location,” I added.

“This is simple enough.” Designate Lockley smiled, magnanimous. “You recall how I shared that only Ling and I have system access to Roethke Island?”

“I do.” I drank more wine.

“Well that,” he gestured at the beacon on our phaneric overlay, “is a tesseract ignition node, set by Ling. It’s keyed to any one of you three. Once any of you kindle the device with your presence, it’s geared to either remove you all from Roethke Island or summon reinforcements.”

“You don’t know which?” Delacruz asked.

“I don’t. That being said, tesseracts remain the only viable form of transport for this area. The few railcars which have survived inevitably pass through one.”

“Interesting,” Anya mused to herself. “CRONE and… others have indicated escape from the island is next to impossible.”

“It is.” The Designate took another sip. “Yet with this device, there is a method. A certain one.”

“Sounds perfect,” I said, my smile a bit wide.

“No,” Designate Lockley responded. “It is not.”

“How so?” Anya asked. Her voice sounded small.

“The situation has grown dire, far more than Ling imagined. Circumstances on the island are quite explosive. Yet, due to its nature, I lacked any quick means of egress.”

“So…” Delacruz frowned.

“So, instead, I would have the tesseract function as a means of escape, if an emergency requires such. Therefore, I cannot allow it to be triggered just now.”

“But you said it’s geared to us,” Delacruz responded. “Not you. Can you even use it?”

“Keyed to any one of you,” Lockley said, pointing one finger at her. “Once the tesseract ignites, I can easily reconfigure the transportation parameters and travel to safety.”

Anya frowned, as if working something out.

Lockley regarded her, as if noticing her train of thought.

“He is keeping us here, in proximity to the tesseract, in case he needs it,” Anya said quietly.

“Excellent, Petrova,” Designate Lockley acknowledged. “That is exactly my intention.”

“What?” I turned back to Lockley, stunned. “Why?”

“Key under the mat,” Delacruz grumbled.

“It is as he said. We are his escape plan.” Anya stared at the Designate, her eyes cold. “He never said he wished to make use of his plan at this time.”

“That’s…” I waved one hand.

“My work here remains incomplete,” Lockley said. “Once we ignite the tesseract, it will not function again.”

“Then let us assist you?” I tilted my head. “In whatever work you are doing?” I didn’t want to lend this guy a hand—not really. But he seemed open to discussion.

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