Paradise Hacked (First Circle Club Book 2) (30 page)

He and Cat went into the motel. Lisa and Captain Kyle greeted them at the door. Mei was still working on new, secure phones for the team.

"You met Lisa before," Virgil said. "This is Dirk Kyle, recently of the Army Special Forces. We convinced him to flip sides."

"That's not quite accurate," Kyle said. "I'm a neutral third party attempting to negotiate a peaceful settlement."

"I doubt the Army sees you that way."

"True, but for the sake of my honor, I'm sticking to the story."

Cat was staring at him with a dreamy expression. Virgil understood the attraction. Kyle was a sturdy, handsome guy. The scar under his left eye made him look especially manly.

Mei stood up and shook Cat's hand. "I'm Mei. I'm the technology expert for the team, and Virgil's girlfriend."

That last part surprised Virgil. Did Mei feel threatened by Cat's beauty?

Cat looked around. "I know Sara is gone, but there was another guy. He was a bit older."

"Alfred. He's in the sack." Virgil pointed at the white sack in the corner of the room.

She gasped. "Is he dead?"

"No, just resting. He had a hard day. He'll be fine in the morning."

Cat stared at Virgil with an expression of disbelief.

"Let's get down to business," he said. "We know a military outfit called the Crusader Special Unit took Sara. They're well equipped and hostile. Captain Kyle, would you like to add anything else?"

Kyle paused. "I suppose. The commander is Colonel Jack Knox. Under normal conditions, he is a director in the Army Research Laboratory, but he is old-school military. A real guns and bombs kind of guy. Don't expect him to negotiate or surrender. I don't think he has a flexible bone in his body. The brains of the operation is Dr. Theodore Harlow. He handles the science."

Virgil appreciated how Kyle was finally opening up and showing more trust.

"What is this about?" Cat said. "What is the Army doing here?"

"Captain," Virgil said, "would you like to explain?"

"That's top secret information," Kyle said.

"Everybody here has secrets. The only way we'll win is if we lower the walls a little."

Kyle made a sour face. "Harlow discovered a portal to an alien world. The Army is investigating."

"Like a space warp?" Cat said.

"Sort of. According to Virgil, it doesn't lead to an alien world, but he won't say where it actually goes."

All eyes turned to Virgil, but he remained silent.

"Are you going to lower the walls like I just did?" Kyle said.

Virgil was in an awkward spot. He wanted to tell the truth but was forbidden to do so. He looked at Lisa, and she just shrugged. Mei kept her face down over her laptop.

"I think it's necessary for both of you to understand what is at stake here," Virgil said. "Let's take a walk. Just Kyle, Cat Lady, and me."

"You don't want me to come?" Lisa said.

"Ever heard of plausible deniability?"

"Sure."

"You'll want some in this case," he said.

"Got it. Bye."

Virgil, Cat, and Kyle left the hotel. They walked slowly down the road under a night sky full of twinkling stars.

"I can't tell you the truth," Virgil said, "but you might accidently guess a few things."

"Can we ask questions?" Kyle said.

"If they're phrased very carefully."

Nobody spoke for a moment.

"I have one," Kyle said. "I've noticed all of you act very human even though you aren't."

Cat nodded. "Yeah. Like you talk normally even though you don't breathe."

"It is remarkable," Virgil said. "One might think some part of us was human after all."

"What part?"

Virgil shrugged.

"You're cyborgs with human brains," Kyle said.

Virgil smirked. "No."

"The old man at the amusement park mentioned you have human souls."

"That was an interesting statement. Makes one ponder, doesn't it? Normally, human souls are separated from their bodies at death."

Kyle stared at the ground for a long moment. "After you kidnapped me, we went to that creepy basement which smelled like a month-old corpse. There was an iron hatch in the floor. It had strange inscriptions and gave me a very bad feeling. I kind of knew what was on the other side, but at the same time, I didn't know. When you stare at me, I get the same feeling."

"Some mysteries are hidden from the living," Virgil said.

Kyle gulped. "That was a gateway to Hell!"

"I can neither confirm nor deny."

"And you looked very comfortable there. Your 'medical supplies' were in that room."

"I probably shouldn't have mentioned that," Virgil said. "Slip of the tongue."

"Lisa has the same... presence as you." Kyle was staring at Virgil with a fearful expression.

"We are two of a kind."

"You both came from Hell, but Alfred and Sara are different," Kyle said. "You bleed black and Alfred bleeds white. Angels?"

"Angels don't have human souls. Alfred and Sara do. That's a critical distinction."

"You say that as if it's a known fact."

"I'm well educated," Virgil said.

"But Alfred and Sara do come from Heaven."

Cat was standing awkwardly and glancing back in the direction of the motel. She was scared.

"Lovely night, isn't it?" Virgil said. "The air is very refreshing. This idle conversation about Heaven, Hell, and human souls is interesting, but maybe we should talk about the magical portal instead. Where might it lead? The answer isn't outer space or an alien world, nor is it anywhere on Earth."

Kyle narrowed his eyes. "Heaven?"

"For the record, I never told you that, but hypothetically, if that were the case, how do you think angels would respond if intruders in spacesuits showed up at their doorstep uninvited?"

"Badly."

"Indeed," Virgil said. "They might even assign a special team of investigators to figure out what's going on. They might demand to know who passed forbidden knowledge to Dr. Harlow. Just as the Army vigorously protects its secrets, so do Heaven and Hell. Hypothetically, of course."

Cat shook her head. "I don't believe any of this. Dead people returning to Earth? Portals to Heaven? It's ridiculous. I know you guys aren't normal people, but there must be a scientific explanation."

He drew a knife from a sheath hidden under his jacket. He stabbed himself in the hand, pushing the knife through to the hilt. When he pulled it out, black, sticky gunk covered the blade. He held the injured hand in front of her face and watched the wound close. She had a terrified expression. Kyle also looked uneasy.

"This isn't one of your cons," Virgil said in a low voice. "Or just another mission." He shot a glance at Kyle. "Dr. Harlow is trying to pierce the veil of death and violate laws laid down by God. He is hacking the system which governs the eternal afterlife. He must be stopped. You two are going to help me achieve that objective. Am I clear?"

Cat nodded.

Kyle muttered, "Yes, sir."

"One other thing," Virgil said. "This information is extremely sensitive. If you tell anybody, you'll be in the kind of trouble that follows you to the grave and beyond. Cat, I'm talking to you in particular. Your first instinct will be to look for a profitable angle. You'll try to turn this situation to your personal advantage. Don't have those thoughts. Dr. Harlow has put himself on a path which leads to damnation and eternal suffering. You could easily join him in Hell. There is plenty of room for more sinners down there, and plenty of demons to torment them. I'm giving you a chance to start climbing out of that hole. Seize the opportunity. OK?"

Cat raised her chin. "You assume I'm nothing but a crook."

"Because you are. Tell me I can rely on you, and
mean it
."

She hesitated. "You can rely on me."

"Good," Virgil said. "Now let's go back to the motel."

They turned around and started back.

"As long as we're working together," Virgil added, "we should know each other's skills. Cat, you go first."

"Well, uh, lying, cheating, stealing, and dressing well, of course," Cat said.

"Any honest skills?"

"Is sex an honest skill?"

"I suppose in some circles," Virgil said.

"Oh, I can pick locks."

"I think that falls into the category of stealing. You're not a child. You must've done something other than swindle people in your life."

Cat thought for a moment. "I'm great at ping-pong."

"That's nice." Virgil sighed. "Captain Kyle, I assume you have more to brag about."

"I have a ton of combat experience," Kyle said. "I'm a dead shot with a gun. I know tactics inside and out. I'm good at blowing things up."

"I expected all that. Anything unusual in your background?"

"I can fly a helicopter, although I wouldn't consider myself an expert pilot."

"That's useful," Virgil said.

"What about you? We don't know anything about your background."

Virgil hesitated for a long moment before answering. "At times, I may act like a U.S. marshal with 25 years of experience. Not that I ever was a marshal, or was alive for that matter, if anybody asks."

Kyle nodded. "Nice."

"Pick up the pace. We need to get back and figure out how we're going to rescue Sara."

* * *

A peculiar formation of stars looked down upon the trio. The stars were arranged in the shape of a smiling face.

Another set of stars appeared, but these were so dark, they were almost invisible at night.

"Azazel," the first set of stars said, "how nice. Come to admire my work?"

"I came to caution you, Uriel. The anarchy is spreading. The fires of Hell are roaring."

"That's the point, isn't it?"

"We have a long road ahead," Azazel said. "I think you are falling prey to the temptation to rush things. We might be exposed."

"A demon is lecturing an angel about temptation? How amusing."

"I must also question your sanity. Lately, you've been... erratic."

"By the standards of angels," Uriel said, "I am certainly insane. By the standards of men, I grow wiser every day. Which is right? But have no fear, teacher of warfare. I will allow the current drama to play out according to the plan we agreed upon."

"Why not just end it? Remove your mantle of blindness. Allow the powers of Heaven to see the truth, and I will do the same in Hell."

Uriel shook its head. "Too early. None of our objectives have been achieved."

"Mammon put Mr. Li's soul in Limbo."

"That was a lovely moment, I admit, but the pillars of Heaven hardly shuddered. Mr. Li's soul isn't the shiniest."

"You really want to take this all the way to the end?" Azazel said. "Perhaps we are risking too much. We are trying to fix the system, not turn it into a smoking crater. Lisa almost ended the Heavenly Choir with her comments during her tour of Heaven."

"While Harlow still breathes, we will continue. We will go right to the edge."

"What if he successfully enters Heaven and lives? What if his new spacesuit works? It would be a calamity even for us."

Uriel watched Virgil from above. "I have faith that the First Circle Club will not allow that to happen."

* * *

Virgil walked into the motel followed by Cat and Kyle.

"Have a nice walk?" Lisa said.

"Delightful," Virgil said. "We talked about sports. Now that everybody is refreshed, we can figure out how we're going to rescue Sara. Obviously, we have to find her first."

"How big is the Crusader Special Unit?" Cat said.

"Around eighty people," Kyle said. "Half are soldiers who are responsible for security. The other half is a blend of scientists and technicians."

"Big group."

"And it might be getting bigger. If I were Knox, I'd requisition more squads. The opposition is surprisingly tough." Kyle looked at Virgil.

"We need somebody on the inside," Cat said. "Can you go back as a double-agent?"

"They think I'm a traitor."

"Then tell your buddies Virgil forced you to cooperate."

"Or used mind-control on me," Kyle said.

Cat looked at Virgil. "Can you actually do mind-control?"

"No," he said. "I can make people experience guilt and fear, a sort of preview of Hell. Alfred can create positive, friendly feelings. That's as far as it goes. And it's possible for somebody with a strong will to resist our powers."

"Oh! You did that to me in the spa when we first met. That's why I felt so bad!"

"I was just trying to get the truth out of you. It didn't work."

"You manipulated me," Cat said angrily. "You made me question my whole life for no reason!"

"Not true." Virgil shook his head. "My power doesn't create bad feelings from nothing. The guilt was real. You're a con-artist, a crook. You hurt innocent people for a living."

"I take money from fools who don't deserve to have it."

"That weak argument won't keep you out of Hell. You need more compassion."

Cat crossed her arms defiantly. "According to who? Where is the rule book that shows who gets to go to Heaven?"

"You're not allowed to see the official rule book. It's for immortal eyes only."

"That's crazy. How are we supposed to know how to win the game if we can't read the rules?"

Virgil shrugged. "Good question. I'm also not a big fan of how Heaven and Hell handle their business. Too much fine print. But obviously, I'm not in any position to make changes. Of course, Christians would tell you to read the
Bible
. However you slice it, being a con-artist is wrong. I didn't manipulate you. I unintentionally saved you. Now accept the gift and move on."

She glared at him. "Can Lisa and Sara do any tricks?"

"Sara has a healing power. Lisa can injure. Enough about us. Let's talk about the mission."

"Do you think I should try being a double-agent?" Kyle asked.

Virgil shook his head. "I wouldn't recommend it. You're liable to end up in jail for the rest of your life. Most people won't believe you succumbed to mind-control. At the very least, you'll be kept under close observation for a long time, and that doesn't help us."