“DARPA?” Hawkins asks. He’s a bit red in the face, showing admirable restraint. Alessi has information he’s wanted since escaping Island 731.
“GOD,” she says, to eight confused listeners. “Genetic Offense Directive. They’re a black operation under the umbrella of DARPA, but without really any oversight. The island she’s from—” She nods at Lilly. “—was one of their projects.”
“They’re the ones in Lompoc,” Hawkins says.
Alessi sags in defeat. “You’re not going to listen to me, are you?”
I look at the resolute faces around me. The FC-P won’t back down from a Kaiju. They’re not about to back down from a shady government agency. But, these people are also my responsibility. Two of them aren’t even adults. Sure, they might argue that point, and they might also point out that physically, they’re more than ready, but they’re still my responsibility.
“We’re going to Lompoc,” I say, “but not all of us.”
“Cooper. Watson. Take mini-Cooper and go on a vacation. Pay in cash. Go dark. They might not be interested in you, but why take chances.” Watson is about to complain, but I silence him by clamping my fingers and thumb together. “There isn’t anything you can’t do on the road from a laptop. Just a few days, until this clears up.”
They both nod. Now comes the hard part. “Hawkins. Joliet. I need you both to take the girls and—”
“Not a chance,” Hawkins says. “I’m coming with you.”
“Not your call,” I say, matching the serious tone of his voice. “I know what this means for you, but if these GOD assholes are coming for Lilly and Maigo, I’ll feel better knowing you’re with them.”
“But,” Lilly says, and I clamp my hand at her.
“I’m not about to deliver you to them,” I say. “These guys are better than us.” I look at Hawkins, waiting for a challenge. He doesn’t offer any. He saw them in action. Knows we’re lucky to be alive. “They have access to weapons and technology that no one else does.” Back to Lilly. “This is not ‘capture the flag,’ and the BlackGuard are not us. No offense to any of you, but these guys are out of our league.”
“And if you get in trouble?” Maigo asks. “If you get killed? What then?”
“Won’t happen,” I say, but I know she’ll see straight through the bravado. “Just...stay safe. If we need your help, we’ll call.”
“Better keep us on speed dial,” Lilly quips with a half smile that reveals a sharp canine tooth. Her tail whips back and forth, revealing the agitation she’s keeping out of her expression.
“Collins, Woodstock.” The rest goes unsaid and they both nod. Not only is Collins my most trusted partner, but these two have been by my side since first contact with Nemesis. Collins is willing to walk into the belly of the beast, so to speak, and Woodstock is always there to pull us out. I turn to Alessi. “We’ll need a plane to get us there, and a chopper when we land. Can you swing that?”
Her grin says she can. I’m not sure what her position at Zoomb really is, but she’s got pull, and for now, with GOD and maybe even a goddess to deal with, I’ll take what help I can get.
12
“Dammit,” Alicio Brice muttered. While Building-K was sealed and the exits all covered by highly armed men, the BlackGuard would not be arriving to take care of this problem. They had been diverted by the one person at GOD whose authority superseded Brice’s, Zach Cole, the program’s director. He wasn’t a scientist. Lacked the mind for that kind of work. But he was ruthlessly efficient and a cunning man, not to be trifled with. And he was the man Brice would have to answer to if this problem wasn’t taken care of in a quiet manner.
While the GOD research facility was located on the Pacific Coast, outside Lompoc—the flower seed capital of the world—their main offices were located beyond the countless fields of flowers, in town, rising high above the city’s valley-sandwiched grid of two-story homes and businesses. If things got loud, Cole would know about it.