Chapter 40

40

The stench of damp concrete and rusted metal assaulted Alex’s nostrils as they were herded deeper into the bowels of the abandoned amusement park. Their footsteps echoed ominously off the crumbling walls, each step bringing them deeper into what felt like their own personal descent into hell.

As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she checked on the others. Despite their current predicament, everyone appeared unharmed. Gabriel, in particular, caught her attention. The shock seemed to be wearing off. Much to her relief, he looked more alert, studying the underground space.

The details weren’t pretty. There were eight real enemies, at most. But each one had multiple doppelgangers.

No way Jason and his team—or hers—could disarm that many highly-trained men unarmed. When they had no idea who was real and who wasn’t … the odds of success went from astronomical to laughably impossible.

Apparently satisfied that they’d been herded far enough into the corner, the general nodded at the man at his side.

“Sit down and shut up,” the assistant ordered them.

The other guards, and their replicas, formed a ring around them, careful to stay well out of reach, assault rifles at the ready.

Taking a seat on the floor between Jason and her cousin, she studied the perimeter—or at least as much of it as she could see from the shadows—cataloging exits, potential weapons, anything that might give them an edge.

That’s when she saw it—nestled in a darkened corner, its green light blinking lazily, sat one of Gabriel’s holographic emitter boxes.

If they could take out that box, it might disrupt the entire network. It wasn’t much, but in their current situation, even a few seconds of chaos could mean the difference between life and death.

Because the end game was more than clear. The general would spirit Jason, Cody and probably Gabriel off to a dark interrogation cell somewhere, but the rest of them would become, as Munsinger said, collateral damage.

She stretched out her legs, hoping the movement would catch Jason’s attention. When he eyed her, she flicked her gaze meaningfully towards the emitter. He followed the direction of her gaze so stealthily he literally didn’t move his head. Then understanding dawned. He gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Leaning into his shoulder, she waited until the closest guards looked away. Then she whispered, “If I destroy that, I can shut down the holograms.”

“For how long?”

Careful to keep her eyes on their captors, she responded through tight lips. “Twenty seconds. Thirty, tops.”

“That’ll do.” Jason’s response was equally hushed, his breath warm against her ear. “You’ll need help.”

Jason’s eyes flicked to Paige, then back to the emitter box. In a fluid motion, he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. Alex watched as Paige mirrored the gesture, her face betraying nothing, but her meaning clear. She understood.

The silent acknowledgement made Alex’s heart crash into her ribs. They weren’t beaten yet.

Jason picked at the hem of his cargo pants, seemingly miles away in thought. “I’ll create a distraction,” he murmured.

A rustle of movement to their left caught Alex’s attention. Gravy had inched closer to Jason, his face set in grim determination. “Not you. I got this,” he whispered.

“Negative,” Jason insisted. “Stand down, soldier.”

“I know the man,” Gravy insisted.

Alex’s gaze darted between the two men, weighing their options in a split second. “Let Gravy do it,” she breathed.

Before Jason could object further, Gravy shot to his feet.

Rifles zeroed in on him from all directions. Gravy raised his hands, fingers spread. His voice rang out, sharp and accusatory. “Was any of it real, Dad? Or was I just another moving part in your whole world-dominating-villain scheme?”

Shock flashed across Munsinger’s face before a mask of cold indifference settled back in. “You were always too soft, son. Too easily led by your emotions.”

Gravy laughed, a bitter sound edged with pain. “Dude. You wouldn’t know a feeling if it bit you in the?—”

“Enough!” The general’s roar echoed off the concrete walls.

Father and son squared off, their voices rising in a crescendo of accusation and denial. The attention in the room shifted. The guards’ eyes were drawn to the unfolding drama, their grips on their weapons loosening ever so slightly.

Alex caught Jason’s eye, a silent question passing between them. Now or never.

She rose, ready to pivot and dive behind the cardboard boxes stacked in front of the emitter.

But a blur of motion caught her off guard. Paige lunged at her, eyes blazing with fury. “This is all your fault!” She shrieked, her voice echoing off the concrete walls. “You and your stupid team led Seven-Five straight to us!”

Before Alex could react, Paige shoved her backwards. Alex stumbled, her back slamming into the boxes. They toppled to the floor in a tangle of cardboard and limbs.

“You think you’re so smart,” Paige snarled. She slammed her palm into the floor half an inch from Alex’s face.

Alex caught on quickly, returning Paige’s mock blows with convincing force. “At least we’re doing something,” she spat back, her elbow ‘accidentally’ ramming into the box holding the device, which crashed to the floor.

They continued fighting, a whirlwind of flailing limbs and angry shouts. Each movement was calculated, every blow strategic as they systematically beat the emitter box.

“Make them stop!” someone, probably the general, yelled.

Rough voices shouted orders as their captors moved to intervene.

But the box was still blinking.

Alex strained to land one last blow. The plastic case gave way. But the holographic enemies were still there.

Rough hands hauled her to her feet. Paige, too.

The green light on the emitter blinked out, but the holographic army still stood. Had she been mistaken? She thought Gabriel had told her this was the one weak link in his tech. Any disruption to the system required a reboot that lasted up to half a minute. A lifetime if you were trying to convince a buyer the holograms appeared real.

The bitter taste of defeat hit her tongue, until something distracted her. Did the images just waver? Panting hard from the exertion, she blinked, barely willing to believe what she was seeing. The holographic replicas of the Seven-Five operatives flickered and distorted, their forms stretching and twisting like images in a funhouse mirror. Ghostly figures blinked in and out of existence, their movements jerky and unnatural. The basement filled with an eerie, strobing light as the holograms malfunctioned, one by one.

Shouts of alarm mingled with the harsh crack of gunfire as some of the fritzing holograms discharged their weapons, adding to the mayhem.

The air crackled with tension and possibility, a moment suspended between order and chaos.

Ten. Nine. Eight.

Her cousin’s program would reboot any second.

As the holographic chaos swirled around them, a familiar silhouette emerged from the pulsing shadows.

Jason.

He had Munsinger up against him, one beefy arm locked around the older man’s throat. The cold steel of a gun barrel pressed against the general’s temple, glinting in the erratic light of the malfunctioning holograms.

His voice cut through the din, steady and commanding. “Nobody move.”