Edmundo stormed through the door of Erika Helm's remote security center, cursing under his breath in Portuguese. "Oh, Erika?" he directed more calmly than he felt. "Would you care to tell me what's going on with closed circuit monitoring? The last I checked, I was seeing nothing but snow."
The tech glanced over her shoulder and automatically pushed up her glasses. "I'm working on it, Sir. Dealing with some broad interference that's messing with reception."
"And why did I discover it on my own? These are the types of things I asked to be made aware of."
"You want to hear about every glitch in the system? Sir, I don't think you want me calling you that often."
"This isn't a little glitch," Morais corrected. "Is anything else offline?"
Erika shook her head. "Everything seems to be in standard working order, except…"
"Except what? I don't care how small it is."
"You understand that the radar performs routine sweeps of the surrounding sector. It had a hit about half an hour ago."
"And AGAIN, you don't inform me?" The man barely controlled his voice. If the technician weren't a woman, he would have been tempted to strike her too.
"It only lasted a short time," she explained defensively. "The signal was definitely large enough to indicate a ship, but then it went out of range."
"Have you done any more sweeps since? There could still be something out there!"
"Yes, Sir, at least three. I picked up another signature farther out than the first, but it isn't heading our direction. The boat is stationary well outside our normal sector."
"Is it the same craft you picked up the first time?"
"Not likely. The base of the signal denotes something denser, with more mass."
"And you're certain it isn't moving into our waters?"
"It hasn't yet, but I'm still watching—"
"I want you to do more than watch, Helms. Send out a couple of drones and get some eyes in the sky for us."
"With how buggy the reception is, I won't be able to get us a good picture, Sir."
"I don't need a picture – I need to know what's out there. Send the drones!" That he was being forced to explain his reasoning to his chief of Security was infuriating.
The woman turned back to the computer screen and brought up a program. "Shouldn't take long to get them in the air," she muttered, but her typing suddenly ceased when another window popped up on the monitor.
Morais rested a hand on her shoulder as he peered at the screen. "What is that?"
"Motion sensor went off in the northwest quadrant. Briefly."
"That seems to be a theme tonight, Erika. What is happening to our technology?"
She rapid-fired an inquiry and submitted it for more information. "It's being jammed," the woman announced flatly. "Most of the sensors in the vicinity are working properly, but a select few are going down."
"Something is out there!" Morais insisted. "Erika, we need a drone in the air, now!"
"Sending it, Sir."
"How long will this take?"
"It doesn't have to cover a wide area, but like I said, we won't have a clear shot out there."
"All I want is confirmation that it isn't some random animal or a glitch, and we can proceed from there, Miss Helms. The thermal scanner can operate from a distance, yes?"
"Affirmative, Sir, and it's not particularly invasive. I'll send the computer instructions to gather the readings."
Edmundo went to pacing while she worked. "This is the wrong time for this to happen. You assured me the net was secure, Erika!"
"Nothing has penetrated the net, Mr. Morais, and it's not going to. As soon as you give me the chance, I'll get a fix on this signal jamming our sensors and kill it properly."
"And our surveillance? Can you do anything about that?"
The raven-haired woman pursed her lips. "It's not as simple. Where the camera interference originates from is much harder to track, so—"
"So there's nothing you can do about it, that's what I'm hearing."
"Give me a chance, Mr. Morais! I'm only one person."
"Who's supposedly brilliant at multi-tasking. Why am I not seeing the genius, Erika?"
Her shoulders stiffened with offense. "I'm working on it."
"Do try to work faster. This is only the possibility of a threat approaching our back door, but no need for alarm," Morais said sarcastically.
"Okay," she announced, widening a window on her screen. "I have a drone picking up heat. Enough to be human, but…" Erika faltered, reading something over again. "I've seen this type of signature before, the other night when…"
Morais almost screamed when the woman didn't finish. "What is it?!"
"Not human," she answered mechanically. "Well…one of them is. But the others…look at the heat index, Sir. The range is significantly lower than a normal human body, and I've only seen it once before. Phantoms."
Edmundo froze with surprise. "It that so? Hm."
"I can handle this," she said smoothly. "Once I activate the gate—"
"No," he cut her off. "Don't do any such thing."
"What? But, Sir, they're clearly here for one reason! They already managed to sneak past the radar and land on Ravensrock. They possess the ability to hamper our security feed, jam our sensors, yet you don't want me to do anything?"
"I didn't say that, Helms, but I want you to consider our current situation. We worked for years just to capture two of the legendaries. And you're telling me we have a few more coming in willingly? I'm not interested in chasing them away."
"Then what do you want me to do, Sir?"
Morais smiled. "Let them come. Get a fix on the signal they're using to jam our sensors, but don't take it out. Not yet. Allow them access within the safety net."
"And then?"
He shook his head, irritated that he had to spell it out. "Then there will be no escape, Erika, not once the fence is activated. No matter how strong they are, ARCIS can outlast them. Several things need to happen, quickly. All but a skeleton crew of security officers will report to the Bunkers. We'll keep most of the men out of harm's way, though we need to leave a small crew in place for show. ARCIS and Heavy Metal will come into play once they breach the facility."
"You want me to just let them in?"
"Keep our normal systems operating, and watch for more features to fail. It will alert you to the Phantom's progress, since we can't see them on the feed. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get moving too."
Morais took a few steps backwards and unhooked his radio. "Corporal Robinson?"
"Yes, Sir?" the reply crackled in return.
"Can you secure your line please?" He waited patiently for the officer to adjust the setting for privacy.
"I'm secure, Sir."
"Good. What I am about to tell you is grave, but I don't want you to give anything away to your men, understand me?"
"Yes…"
"We have intruders on the property. They will likely be infiltrating sometime in the next few minutes. Drones have confirmed we are dealing with more Phantoms."
The Corporal swore.
"Don't give it away, Robinson! Calmly, I want you to instruct the men to move the prisoners to the underground bunker, but don't tell them why. The fools would more than likely give it away to the legendaries. I need you to come to me straight away so we can discuss our counter-offensive."
"We have the means to protect Ravensrock."
"We do, Corporal, but I'm more interested in our new guests staying than being turned away at the door. It would make a brilliant surprise for Doctor Ribeiro, would it not?"
"Yes, Sir." Robinson sighed over the line. "I'll see it done."
"You come join me in the remote security office. And don't be afraid, Corporal. You and your men won't have to lift one finger against these creatures."
Olivia gritted her teeth in fury, facedown on the cold floor again. The taser shock had been stronger that time, she was sure of it. Muscles contracted involuntarily while the officers forced her hands and feet back into manacles. She twisted her wrists within the uncomfortable bands suspended by a short length of chain between her arms.
The red-masked turtle was near drifting off when someone had opened the door to her containment unit, but by instinct she'd caught the man by the throat. Unfortunately, he wasn't alone.
"Olivia!" Reina's anguished cry rang out.
The turtle forced her head upright to glower at the men surrounding her. "I'm fine, Reina!" As fine as someone can be who's been kidnapped and shocked. Repeatedly. Without warning, she was hauled to her feet. Her legs almost gave out when they tried to make her stand, but strong arms grasped her in place. Olivia blinked rapidly to assist her spinning vision, and then made out Reina and Jacob nearby, already back in chains.
She twisted around to look for Nathaniel, who was no longer on the table. Her gaze darkened at the inconsiderate manner in which two men had the orange-masked turtle draped between them. Nate's head lolled to one side, flopping as they shifted him without concern.
Olivia closed her eyes to control the rage and fear bellowing inside her, and was startled when the men on either side of began moving.
"Pick up those feet, Princess. We got places to go."
Liv shuffled carefully to prevent the chain connecting her ankles from tripping her feet. They'd love to see me fall on my face again. I won't give them another chance to laugh at me.
"Straight to the Bunker," the Corporal ordered severely. "No stopping along the way."
"Why are we doing this right now?" the man on her right complained.
"Because Mr. Morais said so, and you're on his payroll! Shut it and move."
The red-masked turtle tried to look over her shoulder. It was difficult to catch a glimpse of the others, but she could hear the rustle of chains and footsteps, so she was confident they weren't being separated. Don't think I could handle that. If I lose sight of them, I'll probably go crazy. She was directed toward an elevator with a firm shove, and stepped onto the car tentatively. What will the bunker be like? Could be worse then the lab. I don't like this.
She was pushed into the corner, and the handlers released her to return to their phones.
"Man this sucks!" One struck the side of the elevator. "The biggest games of the year, and the streaming is down? I can't even figure out what the score is!"
"I tried restarting my phone," another mentioned. "Thought that might help, but I still only have one lousy bar of service."
Nathaniel was unceremoniously dropped on his shell near Olivia's feet while his handlers went to huddle with the others.
"Close the window, and try opening the browser again. There has to be a way to get one freaking score!"
Olivia crouched over her orange-masked cousin anxiously. She couldn't touch him, but was grateful to see him closer up. "Nate," she whispered. "You have to be okay, Itoko." She was stunned when blue-green eyes suddenly snapped open to look at her.
"They're here," he mouthed silently.
She bent down further, not understanding what he meant. "What?" Olivia barely breathed the word.
"Our dads," he emphasized.
Olivia considered the possibility, and it immediately made sense. The internet failing on the phones. The rapid move to get them to an underground bunker. Before she had a chance to feel joy, Nate was mouthing something else she didn't catch. "What are you saying?" she hissed.
"Alley oop," he repeated softly, and glanced at the ceiling, then down to his legs. Which weren't chained.
"Are you sure?"
He gave her a pointed look, then gazed in the direction of the elevator's control panel. "You stop it," he said quietly.
"When?"
"You'll know. Be ready for me."
The red-masked turtle nodded, and her heart began to race. She edged closer to Reina and Jake, who'd watched the scene play out in amazed silence. "Whatever you do, don't move," she told them softly. The elevator was descending, and time was running out. She wanted to ask Nate another question, but wasn't granted the opportunity.
"Put the phones away," someone said disgustedly. "Knowing the score won't change it, and we can find out how it ended later. Let's get this one back up." He jerked a thumb toward Nate, who'd returned to his "faint" a moment before.
"How'd we get stuck with his heavy shell? Somebody else is carrying him if we have to move again."
"You sound pretty weak for a guy who's shooting off his mouth all the time. Where are these famous muscles you like to brag about? Now you can't handle the weight?"
"I can handle him just fine!" His companion answered proudly, gathering Nate in his arms by himself. "Y'see?"
Without hesitation the orange-masked turtle rammed his head backwards into the man's face, and Olivia didn't miss Nate's grimace of pain. She had the presence of mind to know what he would do next, and spun around so her back was facing her cousin. Liv pulled the chain connecting her wrists taut and was rewarded by the immediate pressure of Nathaniel's foot. She helped him launch toward the ceiling, and saw him curl into a ball an instant before his shell struck the light.
The elevator was cast into darkness, and Olivia flew backwards toward the control panel. She searched blindly with her hands behind her back, seeking the one button that pulled instead of pushed. In the background she heard cries, grunts, and blows, and each sound reinforced her growing smirk. Her fingers gripped the edge of the emergency stop button, and she twisted it out. The elevator jerked to a halt, and one more shout precluded the last thud.
"Did you get them all?" Liv called tentatively.
"Get…what…who?" Jake's voice reached out in the darkness.
"Nate?" Reina followed it fearfully.
Emergency lights flickered on, illuminating the satisfying sight of six unconscious figures stacked across the floor, along with Nate standing over them.
"You're okay!" the blond teen cried.
Nathaniel grinned with another wince. "Some 'professionals'. Reina, can you get the keys?"
"Oh!" She immediately bent down to search the men, a feat made easier by the fact that her hands were bound in front. "Got it! Turn around, Nate. I'll get your wrists."
Jacob gaped like he'd seen a ghost. "What the…how did you do that without hands?"
"You're hanging out with ninjas now, Jake," Nate told him. "You'd better get used to it."