Deadly Weakness (Gray Spear Society) (43 page)

He closed the laptop and placed it carefully on the floor. Then he jumped up and down on it like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Finally, he kicked the damned thing across the room. The grin on his face was so broad it made his cheeks hurt.

His personal phone rang and he grabbed it. "Hanley here."

"This is Xavier. I picked out the perfect location for staging the attack. It's a cement factory that was closed down. Less than a mile from the enemy headquarters."

"What's the address?" Hanley grabbed a piece of paper and a pen.

"2925 South Hoyne Ave. That's H-O-Y-N-E. I'm here right now. There's plenty of space inside the main building where your men can get ready."

"It's going to take me a while to get the Unit organized. Let's say, four hours?"

"What? No!" Xavier said. "You have to move quicker than that. Do you understand how dangerous this is for me? I can't just hang out here for four hours."

"Sorry, but my men are all over the hotel. I'm sure some of them wandered off to eat breakfast. It's going to take an hour just to notify everybody of the schedule. I'm trying to manage a hundred and forty people here. A group that large doesn't jump on short notice. And we have to pack all the equipment into the vehicles and caravan across town. The logistics of this kind of operation are a nightmare. You have no idea. Four hours actually seems a little optimistic."

Xavier breathed into the phone. "Can you do it in three hours?"

"I don't know," Hanley said. "I can try."

"Then I'll go away and hide for three hours. When I come back, you'd better be here."

"I will
try,
Xavier. That's the best I can promise. Besides, the timing of this attack isn't critical. This headquarters isn't going to sneak away just because we're a little late. It's a very big, very immobile building last I checked. Frankly, I'd rather not rush things. You may not appreciate it, but I'm still responsible for the lives of my men."

Xavier muttered something unintelligible and hung up.

Hanley immediately reached for his gray Society phone. He dialed Aaron.

"You don't have to tell me," Aaron said. "I listened to the whole call."

"Was the address right?" Hanley said.

"Yes. That was Xavier's actual location according to Bethany. He made sure we knew exactly where he was. Your next job is to gather your men and move them to the cement factory. Bring light weaponry only. There's less chance of an accident that way, and you won't be doing any fighting today."

"Yes, sir. How much time do I have?"

"Three hours sounds good to me," Aaron said. "Take more time if absolutely necessary. The legate and some
legionnaires
will be prowling around the factory by the time you get there. Don't look at them."

"Do you think Xavier will actually meet me?"

"Not a fucking chance. At least not the real Xavier. I have to go." The call ended.

* * *

Xavier looked through a dirty window at the cement factory in the distance. He was in an empty apartment about a half-mile away. The only furniture was a chair and a table in front of the window. Three items were on the table: a telescope, a .338 caliber sniper rifle, and the radio transmitter for the detonators.

He leaned down and peered through the telescope. He had cleaned a small patch of the window so the telescope would work better. Through the eyepiece he saw the back of the factory. The rear doors were wide open, giving him a view of the interior. The brown waters of the river were in the foreground. Patches of ice drifted very slowly across the surface of the water.

Even though it was an exciting moment, it was hard to stay alert. He had watched for an hour without seeing any movement. He was too tired to deal with this combination of tension and boredom. What was the Society doing?

He was rubbing his neck when he finally saw something. Two small motor boats were drifting along the river. The occupants were crouched down and watching the shore.

Xavier used the telescope to get a closer look. The legate was in the lead boat. Her white hair and black skin were unmistakable, and she had her bodyguard with her. There were two more
legionnaires
in her boat and four in the other. Everybody wore the new type of body armor he had seen the other night. They were heavily laden with weapons. Even the legate wore guns and grenades in addition to the machetes she always carried.

Xavier glanced at the sniper rifle. He was close enough to take a shot at the legate. However, her bodyguard had the freakish gift of looking slightly forward in time. He would push her out of the way of the bullet while Xavier was still pulling the trigger. Killing anybody else would just scare the legate away. There was no point.

Stick to the plan,
Xavier thought.
She may be fast, but she can't outrun a fireball.
He went back to the telescope.

He saw more movement on the far side of the factory. A large group carrying signs was walking up the street.

"What the hell?" he said out loud.

He refocused the telescope. The people were protesting the Chinese occupation of Tibet, and it was a rambunctious crowd. They were yelling at the buildings as if being really loud would actually make anybody else care. Some protesters even wandered into the parking lot of the cement factory briefly.

The crowd continued walking down the road and eventually disappeared from sight. Xavier turned his attention back to the legate.
Soon it will be over,
he thought.

* * *

Four protesters remained behind as the rest moved on. Aaron and Yule each carried a metal suitcase. Bethany had a backpack. Marina brought up the rear and watched for signs of trouble.

Aaron led the way as they dashed into the factory and ducked into the shadows. He quickly checked his surroundings. He didn't see any immediate threats.

"Yule, do you see anything?" Aaron said.

Yule took his sunglasses off. His giant eyes swept back and forth, and when he blinked, Aaron could hear his eyelids slap together.

"No," he said at last. "It looks safe."

Aaron relaxed a little.

"Ladies and gentleman," he said. "There is a bomb in this room. The protest march will come back this way in exactly forty-five minutes. We have until then to disarm it. Also, Xavier is watching from outside, so stay away from the windows and doors. Bethany, wait right here. Don't move an inch until I give you permission."

"Yes, sir," Bethany said.

"And if you see Xavier, ignore him. It's just a harmless shadow. Yule, take the lead. Use those amazing eyes."

Yule moved forward slowly. He studied the concrete floor with great interest, although Aaron didn't see anything but dirt and cracks. The factory was filthy.

"Honey," Marina said, "darling, will you finally tell me what the hell is going on?"

Aaron smiled without looking at her. His eyes were focused on the dark corners.

"Sure," he said. "When I was a police detective, I learned that every criminal has a modus operandi. When they find a trick that works, they always stick with it. So, when I found out Xavier was a traitor, I immediately wanted to know his M.O. Bethany's excellent research gave me the answer. Xavier uses his shadows to draw his enemies into traps."

He drifted over to one of the offices along the side of the building. He peeked in through a dirty window. The office was empty except for a broken chair and a mop. He moved on. Before taking each step, he looked for wires strung across the ground.

"Continue," Marina said, "please."

"It's a very risky game though. To make his shadows act properly, he has to see them with his own eyes. He has to hide nearby and watch. Otherwise, it quickly becomes obvious they're just projections."

"But Xavier would be dumb to take those risks with us. We almost killed him in Hastings. Why isn't he just running away?"

"Two reasons," Aaron said. "First, he's insane. He can't let go of Rhiannon. Second, I offered him prizes worth the risks. I made sure the lure of Chicago was impossible to refuse."

Yule looked at the floor. "Tire tracks. A vehicle was here recently. It parked there." He pointed at a spot near a ladder that appeared undistinguished to Aaron.

"I'm still listening," Marina said. "What prizes?"

"The legate for one," Aaron said. "She's in a boat on the river right now. We could walk outside and say hello to her if we wanted."

She looked towards the back of the building. "How did Xavier know she would be here?"

"Dew told him. He's the computer expert in Houston and Xavier's most trusted friend. I knew Xavier would eventually make contact with Dew out of desperation. Dew leaked the information about the legate visiting Chicago, just like I ordered him to. Dew also mentioned we're living in a temporary headquarters. He was specific about certain details. It was enough to allow Xavier to investigate further. The Chicago headquarters was the other prize."

"But he thinks we're in Chinatown."

Yule climbed the ladder. He studied each rung like he was reading words off of them. His enormous vertical pupils were as large as camera lenses.

"That was my trick," Bethany said. "I changed the county records to show a different date. I also changed the owner to one Xavier would know: Global Real Estate Partners. I made it look like that's where we lived."

"Who is Global Real Estate Partners?" Marina said.

"I'm surprised you don't recognize the name, ma'am. They bought the Rosemont Tower Hotel. They'll probably buy your new headquarters in San Francisco for you. The partners are the seven legates of the world."

"I had to fool Xavier," Aaron said. "I couldn't let him know our real address. The rest of the team helped me fix up the new building to make it look convincing."

He followed Yule up the rusty ladder. Aaron found it awkward to climb while holding a heavy suitcase, but if Yule could do it, so could he. Marina was right behind Aaron.

Yule reached the top and stepped onto a huge loft. "The dust is disturbed. Xavier was here." He began to walk slowly across the wooden planks. His eyes flicked back and forth.

"What about Hanley?" Marina said. "What was his part in your plan?"

Aaron nodded. "Right before Xavier fled, he talked to Hanley. Literally seconds before. That was the moment Xavier realized Hanley was a Spear. After that, Xavier always knew Hanley was lying to him."

"Then why did you leave Hanley in place as chief of the Special Missions Unit? We should've faked his death Sunday night if he was already burned."

"I left Hanley out there for Xavier to play with. In the end, Xavier used Hanley to set this trap. Sometimes the best way to control your enemy is to give him a little help. It's not the obvious thing to do, but it can be very effective."

Aaron followed Yule slowly across the loft. Aaron only saw poorly lit dust and debris, but Yule obviously perceived much more. He pointed his finger at certain spots as if they were important.

"So," Marina said, "Xavier told Hanley he would be here at a certain time. Xavier knew the legate would find out and try to kill him herself."

"And as soon as she walks in, he'll blow her up," Aaron said, "or at least try to. He'll use his shadows to draw her into the building. That's his M.O."

Yule stopped in front of a pile of white plastic pails with blue lids. "This is it," he said. "This whole area is heavily disturbed. The pails were moved."

Aaron crouched down in front of a pail. He was afraid to touch it because it might have a booby trap. He opened his metal suitcase, which contained several devices packed in black foam padding.

He took out a gray, handheld unit with an opening at the end. He turned it on and waved it in front of the pails. He heard the soft whir of a fan. Immediately, it began to beep and words appeared on an LCD display.

"Trinitrotoluene," he read out loud, "cyclonite. You definitely found a bomb. Bethany! Come up here but be very careful. Stay in the shadows and avoid the windows. The footing on this platform is treacherous, so take slow steps. I don't want you to fall through."

He watched as Bethany made her way along the side walls of the factory. Even though she hadn't received much training, she did a fair job of being sneaky. Maybe Norbert had given her some lessons. She climbed the wobbly ladder. Her eyes bulged when she looked over the side of the high loft.

"Eyes forward," Aaron commanded. "Watch where you're putting your feet."

She held her arms out and made squeaky noises as she crept across the loft. He waited impatiently, but he wasn't going to rush her.

Finally, she reached him and looked at the pails. "The bomb is in those?" She pointed.

He nodded. "Can you help me use this equipment? It's a little too technical for me."

"Yes, sir. I read the manuals this morning during breakfast."

"Good. Then why don't you take over. We're looking for the detonator, but don't touch anything. The pails could be rigged to explode."