Cloud Invasion (9 page)

"I know." We both had loved ones to avenge.

"So." I watched as Ilya's mind worked behind beautiful, dark eyes. "The former President-the one we hunt, knows who you are because you were made before he left the White House," he said.

"And, as he was already plotting and planning while the real Hal Prentice posed as him in the White House, he's responsible for all those deaths at the Louvre."

I wondered how long it would take him and Auggie to come to the proper conclusion. "I just never saw the President before he left office-it was during the last few weeks of his term and he went off the radar afterward. I'm sure Merle and the Joint Chiefs kept him informed as to what a disappointment I was to everybody."

"But now he knows how formidable you are."

"I'm sure he's plotting ways to take us, still," I said. "Why do you think I haven't explained to anybody all the things I can do?"

"This is worse than I imagined," Ilya rubbed his forehead before gazing into the distance. "We have to stay alive, my love. This man must be destroyed."

"Yeah. I feel the same way. I just can't find the fucker to get rid of him."

"He wants to destroy you, because you'll know him, no matter what he looks like," Ilya concluded.

"And he knows you'll stand beside me until the bitter end."

"At least he recognizes the truth of that," Ilya pulled me tighter against him.

"Yeah."

* * *

Notes-Colonel Hunter

"She'll be back," Matt Michaels assured me.

"How do you know? You don't know her like I do," I snapped.

"Then you tell me-will she be back?"

"Yeah. She still has ten minutes." I'd checked my watch again, just to make sure.

"If the enemy is Phillips, and I'm pretty convinced it is, he wants her out of the way," Matt said casually. We sat in my office, with the door shut and James guarding the door. "After all, if he intends to make a bid for the White House again, or any position of power, really, Corinne will know it's him. Whatever he decides to do, she'll know it's him."

"And she can announce what he is to the world," I grumbled. "For all the good it will do."

"With Askins and the Joint Chiefs working against her," Matt shrugged his agreement. "Ricin in the bottled water was an opening volley, I think."

"That means we have to have a private agenda," I said. "I'm hesitant to let the President know all our movements. Anybody could be listening."

"True. This is the biggest mess," Matt agreed.

"Hi, Auggie." Corinne and Rafe appeared in my office, looking fresh off a holiday. "Where were you?" I demanded.

"Hawaii, watching the lava flow from Kilauea," Rafe answered.

"You know, Auggie, I'll do your windows when I get back," Corinne smiled.

"Where do you intend to send DB?" I asked.

"I hear Alaska is a good place to go, and it's really close to Russia. You can practically see Russia from your back door, you know."

"Cori."

"Yeah."

She disappeared, leaving me to stare at Rafe, who barely looked perplexed.

* * *

Corinne

Although streets were blocked off from the wharf in Seattle, tourists were still coming-most of them snapping photographs of the damage to streets and businesses beyond the blockade with their phone cameras. It was easy to get lost in that crowd, especially since I no longer looked like myself. I could have been anyone at that moment-just a tourist carrying a cell phone, dressed in jeans and a fleece jacket.

I stopped at the spot nearest where DB was beneath the ground-he was hungry; I understood that. I'd timed it to coincide with his feeding schedule, too. Where he was going, he'd find plenty of fish, few whales and lots of water mostly free of fishing vessels.

I had to use the same talent I'd employed to bring binoculars to Rafe, except in reverse. Instead of pulling something to me, I'd be sending it away. Before I did that, I took a moment to scan the crowd.

That's when I saw her-a Mary clone. She was here, waiting to report to her superiors about any efforts made to contain DB. That information would likely go straight to Askins and his cronies, and then on to the next one in line.

She knew DB was about to leave his nest to feed.

She knew
.

I also saw something else in her, although she was relatively new at this-she'd been staying in Vancouver, and had plans to get on a cruise ship.

I always wanted to see Vancouver.

Shielding my hand to keep her from knowing, I held up the cell phone and snapped several photographs before sticking it in my pocket and tending to business.

The moment the ground rumbled beneath our feet, I mustered all the energy I had and transported DB north of the Bering Strait.

* * *

"Corinne?"

It took several minutes for me to understand that Rafe was attempting to get my attention.

"Huh?"

I'd used up my last bit of energy to transport myself back to Auggie's office.

"Thank God."

That was Leo's voice. Standing behind Leo was Marcus. I didn't appreciate his presence at all. If I'd been able, I'd have sent him right back to his quarters, just as I'd sent DB to Alaska.

"DB is somewhere near the Bering Strait," I said, attempting to get a hand to cooperate. "I have pictures of a Mary clone down by the wharf. She was waiting to see what we'd do when DB went out to feed. I figure she's really disappointed right now."

"This what you're looking for?" Rafe drew the phone from my jacket pocket and handed it to Auggie.

"Yeah. Thanks. I'm really tired," I said. "Can I lie down?"

* * *

Ilya

I was beginning to understand that sunlight was as essential to Corinne as food and sleep. I turned two sunlamps on for her after placing her in our bed.

"I'll order more sunlamps," James whispered behind me.

"Be discreet about it-we don't know who's watching," I said. "Come, we'll let her sleep."

* * *

"Hawaii?" Dr. Shaw and Colonel Hunter drank coffee with Matt Michaels in our kitchen; James and I found them there after leaving Corinne sleeping in our bedroom.

"She and I share a fascination with volcanoes," I shrugged. "We went to Hawaii after I asked her for a more hospitable spot than the top of Christ of the Andes."

"You went there first?" Director Michaels chuckled.

"Unfortunately. James?" I held up a coffee cup. He nodded, so I made two cups of coffee, passing one to him before taking a chair at the island.

"Here's the Mary clone Cori found at the wharf-I've sent Opal and Nick down to look for her, but they're traveling by conventional means and haven't arrived, yet. I doubt they'll find anything, but Nick may pick something up," Colonel Hunter shoved the cell phone across the island so I could look at the photographs.

"Definitely a Mary clone," James said. He'd taken the chair next to mine and studied the photographs with me.

"We'll have to wait until Corinne wakes to get more information," Dr. Shaw said. "I suspect there's more, anyway."

"I believe all these clones have partial information-not enough to set anyone on the proper trail," I said, handing the phone to James. "It's in Phillips' best interest to destroy the originals who know too much and only keep clones. I wonder whether any of them knew that was his plan?"

"Doubt it," Matt Michaels sipped his coffee.

I very much doubted it, too, but I kept that opinion to myself.

"I'm sending Dr. Farrell to Wales, Alaska, to look for DB," Colonel Hunter said. "He asked to go."

"That's probably a good idea," James said, handing the cell phone back to me. "That's not one of our phones," he added. "I wonder where Cori got it."

"Don't ask," I patted James' shoulder.

Why did I have the feeling that I could use that phone to call my daughter and nobody would know?

"I already have copies of the photographs-that's all I found on there," Colonel Hunter said. "You can give it back to Corinne."

"I will." I stuffed the phone in a pocket. Like the binoculars she'd given me, I imagined it worked far better than anything else currently on the market.

"We've postponed any work on the facility," Colonel Hunter began. "I wanted those windows, but bringing people in and out will just be a red flag to anyone watching. I have no idea whether we're safe here or not, but it's looking more and more like we won't be safe no matter where we go."

"Are you intending to let the Governor know that it's all right to make repairs and open the waterfront again?" Matt Michaels asked.

"I'll see that he gets the message tomorrow. In the meantime, I have eyes on Merle and his cronies. I'm interested in what they do when they get the news."

"I have some people I trust with eyes on Elliott Bay," Matt said. "I'm waiting for word-there are a few boats on the water that we haven't been able to identify."

"It makes sense that they'd be watching for DB to make his appearance. I'll bet they have cameras on all those boats, too, so they can scare the crap out of the public when DB shows up. Except he won't," James said.

"I could have them picked up, but that will tip our hand," Matt said. "I'm ordering my agents to tail them when they come off the water."

"Make it a discreet tail," I said.

"We're always that," Matt said. "Count on it."

* * *

Corinne

"Want dinner, cabbage?" Ilya woke me with a kiss. "I can't understand why you're not sunburned after sleeping beneath these lamps for four hours."

"Don't worry about that," I mumbled while stretching. "Thanks for two lamps," I blinked my eyes open.

"I'll find as many as you want," the corner of his mouth curled nicely. "I believe we've managed to flummox the enemy."

"Really? Flummox is a great word."

"The Mary clone at the wharf has escaped us, but Matt has agents tailing a few boat occupants after they came to shore. I believe they waited to record a show in the bay, and were more than disappointed when it didn't materialize."

"I think she's staying in Vancouver," I stifled a noisy yawn. "That's what I saw in her. Probably headed there, if she hasn't already arrived."

"Good information. Come, cabbage-I enlisted James' help, so we have spaghetti waiting."

"That sounds really good," I said.

"We made meatballs for the carnivores," he smiled at me again.

"I love your mouth-it's perfect," I reached up to touch it. He kissed my hand. "Come to dinner, my love. Everyone is waiting."

* * *

Marcus stared at me all through dinner. I considered sending him to Alaska to stay with DB for a few days. At least with the frenetic pace of the last two days, he hadn't gotten to torture me any. He wanted to, though-that was easy enough to see.

In my opinion, Auggie needed to find another job for Marcus. Rafe could get me through my exercises just fine. Opal and Nick were missing at the table, but Laci and her two guards had come. I recalled that Maye and Nick wanted a meeting with Rafe and me. That would have to wait.

"Spaghetti is wonderful," I sighed, giving James and Rafe the best smile I could. I was still tired, but the nap under sunlamps had helped a lot.

"Where did you learn to make this sauce-it's incredible," Laci asked Rafe.

"I had a friend who owned a restaurant in Parma," Rafe grinned. "Best sauce ever. I never get mine as good as his, though."

"This is more than good enough," Leo said. "Who has the parmesan grater?"

The gadget was passed to him.

"I'm all about the meatballs," Matt said. "They're excellent. Same teacher?"

"Yes. I've been making this for thirty years."

"They let you cook in prison?" Marcus asked, sarcasm evident in his voice.

"Marcus, I wouldn't say anything else if I were you," Auggie warned.

"I was in prison for protesting my son's murder," Ilya, accent and all, had come to the fore with a vengeance. "Baikov had him killed, because he asked too many questions. Now, would you like to know how good I am at Krav Maga?"

Marcus almost dropped his fork, he was so stunned. Yes, he was used to Rafe's American-sounding voice. This voice and accent he hadn't heard before.

"Sucks to be you right now, Marcus," I said and went back to my food.

"It does. You'll be reassigned tomorrow," Auggie growled.

You'll have to keep an eye on him
, I sent to Auggie. I saw the slight nod-he understood that all too well. We didn't need another Becker on the loose, I knew that much. While Becker never had much in the brains department, Marcus just wasn't using his.

Marcus at least saw me as a more formidable target, now, so he wasn't picking on me. Instead of keeping his mouth shut, he chose to air his prejudices instead. He hadn't been briefed on the reasons Ilya was in prison; he only knew he'd been there before his escape to the U.S. and the Program.