“Good to know, Mister President. Don’t make me regret letting you come along.”
“I’d complain that I’m henpecked, but then I’d have to feel everyone laughing at me. And I can feel that all of you think Kitty’s right.” He jerked. “Huh. My blocks were on the highest level I could manage because of what was going on. I shouldn’t be able to feel anyone, not even Kitty.”
“Did you take your blocks down and forget?” Reader asked worriedly.
“No . . .” Jeff concentrated. “My blocks are still up. But I can . . . feel? But it’s different. It’s sort of muted. Like . . . like watching a mixed martial arts fight on TV versus watching it ringside, or being involved in the fight.”
“Why ask why? Take the help as it comes. Who else can you feel here and where are they?”
“So now I get to lead?” Jeff’s sarcasm knob was turned to about seven.
“No. You get to tell me where I’m going.”
“Jeff, we’re running out of time,” Reader said, Commander Voice on Full. “Do what Kitty wants.”
Jeff shot him a betrayed look. “Fine.” He was concentrating again and he nodded. “I feel Christopher. He’s angry and worried. But not about himself. He’s worried about . . . Butler?”
“John is an android. Nerida dousing him with water could be a bad thing and getting zapped with electricity could be worse. Plus, Kozlow is probably up here, too, affecting what he can, and out of all of us, he has the best shot of hurting John.”
“I have someone who feels very self-satisfied and anticipatory. Pretty sure it’s a woman.”
“Pretty sure it’s Nerida. Where is she?”
“Near Christopher. There’s also someone who feels bored, a little worried, and a lot jealous.”
“That’s certainly an emotion you’d know. What’s he jealous of?”
“Ha ha ha, this is me laughing at your attempt to keep things light. He’s jealous of the woman’s abilities, Christopher’s abilities, others’ abilities. And he’s really uncomfortable being here. Not here in this building, but here in this region. He’s resentful for having to be here at all.”
“That’s Kozlow, for certain. He’s probably worried that Mossad will find him again.”
“Do you feel Malcolm or Jeremy?” White asked as Olivia Newton-John singing “Suspended in Time” came on. Algar was focused way more than normal on the easy listening selections right now. Possibly to keep me moving cautiously.
“No, but . . .” Jeff cocked his head. “He’s waiting. But for what? Or whom?” He looked at me. “Oh. Yeah, baby, I think you need to lead.”
“Who’s waiting for me to make my move?”
“Mossy. He’s here somewhere watching. He’s ready to kill but not in an angry way. He’s a soldier and he’s identified his targets. But he hasn’t killed them yet and I can’t tell why.”
“That’s all you feel?” Siler asked, sounding worried. “Two people in addition to Christopher and Mossy?”
“Yeah, I don’t feel Butler and he’s a well-made android, one of Marling’s, and he has emotions, so I can pick him up. And I don’t. I don’t feel Buchanan or Jeremy, either.”
Refused to say that this could be because all of them were dead. Forced myself to focus on what I could do, which was kill Nerida and Kozlow as fast as possible. “Okay, no hyperspeed unless we’re running away and running in a direction we’ve already confirmed as safe. One electrical booby trap merely indicates others are likely. Stay low, and everyone please look for traps.”
“Spotting them is definitely not her strong suit,” White said as he took the rolling purse back from Jeff. Was about ninety-nine percent positive White knew it was an Algar Portal and was ensuring that he or I had it under our control at all times.
“I’d be offended but it’s true.”
“Keep an eye out for cameras, obvious and hidden,” Siler said. “If they’re watching us coming then we don’t have the element of surprise. They may already know someone’s in here, so expect ambush, too.”
“I don’t get anything like that from either one of them,” Jeff said. “But the emotions are coming through to me in such an odd way I can’t be sure what I’m getting is accurate.”
“Well, then we’ll do what we always do—wing it until it works. So, lead on MacDuff. Hand signals from here on in unless we have to speak or one of us dies.”
Jeff rolled his eyes. “Thanks for that.” But he took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Ready for silent running, baby.”
I did go first, with Jeff pointing the way. We all stayed low, and everyone kept a wary eye out for traps. Neither found nor tripped any. Either no one had been expected to get through that doorway, they were hugely overconfident, or we were expected. Or all three.
This area was nice and state of the art and all that, but it wasn’t nearly as sleek and beautiful as the other floors we’d seen and sort of messed up. Really hoped White was right and that the A-Cs could fix what had gotten wrecked fast.
This floor was another thick arrowhead shape, though less elongated than the observation deck level. Weaved in, out, and around the walls, furnishings, and office rubble to finally get to the section of this floor that was at the arrowhead’s point. And it was here, as No Doubt’s “Suspension Without Suspense” hit my airwaves, that we found the only people alive on this floor.
On the plus side, everyone we were looking for was here.
On the negative side, only one of those people was standing.
CHAPTER 79
ON THE PLUS SIDE AGAIN, Butler, Buchanan, and Jeremy were all present. They were each prone, sort of floating a few inches off the floor. They were all also surrounded by a faint, hazy glow.
Took Algar’s musical clues to indicate that they were in some form of suspended animation because, on the negative side again, I couldn’t tell if they were breathing or not.
Christopher was breathing. He was also standing with his legs spread apart, each foot and lower leg in a bucket of water. His arms were spread apart and tied to a very large circuit board. His neck was tied to it, too.
Based on the way we’d slunk into this area, Christopher was directly in front of me. A somewhat swarthy, Slavic-looking man was sitting at a desk to my right and Christopher’s left. He had his feet up on the desk, was leaning back in his chair, and looked hella bored. I’d seen him plenty of times and fought with him more than once—I’d been right: this was Russell Kozlow. Remembered that I hadn’t called Chernobog. Decided I’d worry about that later.
A woman was on the other side of Christopher, in profile to me. But I recognized her insipid nastiness. Definitely Nerida Alfero. Super, this part of the gang was all here.
Kozlow was playing with something in his hand. Had a feeling it was a kill switch, either tied to the circuit board or to the men in suspended animation, or both, which would explain why Mossy wasn’t making a move, wherever he happened to be observing this from.