Hello friends! It's been a while...nine months in fact! But I'm determined to finish this fic by the end of June!
Wish me luck with my muses!
Virgil and Alan exchanged glances.
'What are we waiting for? Let's go join the others.'
Gordon, Kayo, Brains and Jeff made their way to a small coffee shop Jeff remembered from…before…not that far from Tracy Towers that was quiet and discreet. There was much to discuss and plans to finalise.
Brains had managed to find blueprints to the tower and everything seemed to be the same as Jeff knew it. He had hoped that this universe would hold no changes, that seemed to be the case in most things. That didn't mean the Hood wouldn't have created some surprises – Jeff was pretty sure he would be ready for them, and Kyrano had agreed.
Lots of coffee had been drunk, blueprints pored over and a rough route decided with two back-ups. The four of them left and then separated so that the equipment they needed could be gathered. Brains had brought some gadgets he'd managed to create out of the supplies he found and the two days he had to get things together. It wasn't much, a couple of Alan's 'tin-can' openers, a small detonation device 'just in case', some climbing equipment and some very basic gecko gloves.
Brains wished them well, pressing into Gordon's hands a portable device that was reminiscent of EOS with the instructions of how to use the code to get through the Hood's systems.
The six met up all together in Central Park. It was late evening now, and the group strolled along, Kyrano and Jeff in the lead discussing what each other had done through the day and finalising any plans still to be made.
They stopped and bought hotdogs from one of the vendors and chose a picnic bench that gave them a view of the sun setting behind the grand towers of Manhattan. Food and drink was consumed in a companionable silence and they cleared up their rubbish and set off for Tracy Towers that was.
Gaat International Headquarters looked exactly like Tracy Towers. Everything but the name was identical on the surface, but the schematics had thrown up a couple of differences, one of which was a second entrance via the underground parking that Jeff had never installed.
They were currently grouped around it as Gordon and Kayo set to work overriding the computer-controlled doors and cameras using the encryption program Brains had written.
It took longer than they would have liked, but probably not as long as it felt, and then there was a click and they were through. They moved quietly though the lower levels, easily avoiding the guards.
'My brother knows we are coming, that we are here.'
They had taken a moment halfway up the tower to make sure they had everything in mind when Kyrano voiced it. It was too easy. Both Kyrano and Kayo felt it, and Jeff agreed. There were guards on every level, sure, but avoiding them this easily was…wrong.
'You all know what the goal is. I need to undo my wish and we need to get that stone away from the Hood. I won't undo my wish until then, just to be sure.'
Everyone nodded. There wasn't too much of a plan to get the Dreamstone, they hoped that numbers would overwhelm the Hood. His mind-control powers were limited and they waned the more they were used. That was the only weakness they knew of and they were going to throw everything at him.
The top ten levels were where they met resistance. This time there were armed guards, but instead of fighting, they merely pointed their guns and gestured for the family to move forward.
At the entrance to the executive office on the top floor Jeff paused, hand on the door, and looked at his loved ones with him. They all gave him reassuring smiles and he felt their support and love. He took a breath and opened the door.
This was it.
'Hello Jeff, old friend. I've been expecting you.'
