Flyover City! A Novel (with Superheroes)

38. Showdown at 5,280 Feet (Part 2)

 Like Spliff, the guards downstairs were all newbies. Cannon fodder, more or less. The last line of defense, in case anyone made it through the front entrance - where thebig guns were stationed. 

Spliff told them that my call had come from the Mullet, so they didn't question it when he told them they were being reassigned to the second floor, even though the second floor has been vacant for the last year and a half, awaiting remodel. The lab coats, for their part, were too absorbed in running the final tests on the converter to notice one more security guard stepping out of the shadows.

Once we were on the elevator, Spliff told me, "Luckily, we still had your retina on file. Dude, did you know about this 'optical scrambler' we've got? It can fry an intruder's synapses right inside their brain pan..."

"How's that, now?" I coughed.

"No, you're cool, man... I swapped our profile stats with a couple of bigwigs who're on a plane to Atlanta as we speak. We've got access anywhere in the building."

"So I'm trusting my synapses to your data entry skills," I mused, "well, that's okay, I guess. Did you find anything out about Gwen?"

"Check it out: I was looking through the security logs for last night: no assignments for the top floor. Pretty weird, seeing as that's Vaig's executive suite, right?"

"We're going to his office? Are you sure that's where...?"

"Makes sense, doesn't it?"

No. But what does, these days? "What about Vaig?"

"Won't be here 'til eight. And he's going straight downstairs to make a statement to the press before activating the converter, himself." he said, rubbing the palm of his hand against his holster. Maybe it comforted him. "What do you wanna bet she's conscious, too. You know how Vaig likes his witnesses. Everybody's off the phones to watch the closed-circuit feed they're sending out to the news stations."

Innocent bystanders; added insurance, in case the Agency actually sent someone to try and stop Vaig. All those people, oblivious to the fact that history was about to change - retroactively. 

But not Spliff and me. We knew exactly what was at stake. And we had convinced ourselves that somehow, that made us different from the rest of them. 

--------------

Vaig's lair was a cross between a luxury hotel suite, and the lobby for a hotel that offered nothing but luxury suites. The top three floors of building had been gutted to make a single, open space. Mirrored windows curved elegantly into the high ceiling, creating a half-cylinder of one-way glass that looked out onto the Denver skyline. The view was wasted on Vaig: throughout the room, membrane-thin monitors hung from the ceiling. 

In the far corner, above a well used wet bar, the largest screen was completely horizontal, pointing at the ground. On couch beneath it, we found Gwen bound-and-gagged with duct tape.

It maybe wouldn't have been the worst idea if we removed the tape from her mouth last. It was hard enough, just cutting her loose with a paring knife and corkscrew.

"Are you guys crazy? When will the Agency be -" 

Admittedly, this probably wasn't the most opportune moment for me to plant a passionate, chock-full-of-tongue kiss on her mouth, but I was just so relieved to find her unharmed. Plus, I had sort of failed to mention to Spliff about my less than helpful conversation with AVI.

When her arms were finally free, she shoved me off the arm of the couch. "Wait! What's happening?"

Spliff pulled a clump of lint-y tape from her skirt. "We're going to pull the fire alarm, and get everybody out of here before the Agency strike force shows up."