"My name is Kowalski," the man said as they walked along the hall. "I am the analysts of the unit. I also am the scientist and inventor. I created some of the items that we'll be using in the group." Rico noted the pride in the man's voice and notice the heightened color in the man's cheeks. Looked like he was as much into science and inventing stuff as Rico was into making things go 'kaboom'.
He followed Kowalski into the parking lot. Kowalski opened the back of a black van and motioned Rico to put his bag there. They climbed into the van and Kowalski pulled out of the parking lot. Rico watched the scenery go by as Kowalski talked on and on about stuff he created, some of which apparently blew up when tested. Rico smiled at that. He'd love to watch the inventions blow up. Maybe he could get some ideas for his explosives.
He also discussed the other two members of the unit. "Manfredi is our martial arts expert. He'll be running our martial arts training and making sure we stay in top fighting condition. Johnson is our strategies as well as medic and takes care of everything short of major surgery. He also helps me with some of my inventions. We just have one more member to find. Skipper is trying to find a code-breaker and computer-hacker."
An hour had passed when Rico noticed a city skyline in the distance. It looked like the New York skyline. He hadn't talked at all during all that time, but he decided to risk it. "Whar we go?"
"To our HQ. Skipper believes that the best hiding place is in plain sight. HQ is in one of the apartment buildings on Park Avenue near Central Park. We have an entire floor for just our unit."
It was late afternoon as they drove through the busy traffic of NYC. Eventually, they pulled up to a nice apartment building with a parking area underground. Kowalski parked the van and headed to a nearby stairwell. He walked over to a mounted fire extinguisher case and opened the door. Moving the extinguisher a little to the side, he placed his hand against the left side of the case. There was a faint glow inside the case before a portion of the wall moved aside. Rico was astonished, as he would have never known there was a door there.
They entered a small room and the door slid closed behind them. The room was only big enough to hold several people standing. In the far corner was a picture of a penguin's head. It hung over a covered hole in the floor. Kowalski walked up to the picture and looked into the eyes of the penguin and said in a clear voice, "Kowalski". A computerized voice proclaimed, "voice and eye pattern acknowledged. Welcome home, Kowalski."
He reached down and pulled up the cover to reveal a set of metal rungs. Without a word, Kowalski went through the hole. Rico slung his bag over his shoulder and climbed down into the hole. The hole itself was only a couple of feet thick. Afterwards, it opened into a large room. Rice momentarily stopped at the bottom of the ladder to look around in amazement. He could tell at a glance that this was a main area of HQ. By one wall was a TV and a couch. On the wall next to the ladder was some kind of large fish trophy. By the third wall was an open kitchen and dining table with six chairs. The fourth wall had an opening that led into a hallway. This is where the tall man headed, stopping at the entrance.
"The first room on the left is Skipper's and mine. The first on the right belongs to Johnson and Manfredi. They're both out on surveillance right now. The last room on the left is your room. When we find our final member, he'll be sharing the room with you. I hope you're fine with sharing a room." Rico nodded. "The last room on the right is the toilet, and the door at the end of the hall has the showers and sinks. Any questions?"
Rico looked around the room, looked up at the hole they came through, and back around the room again. He wanted to ask how all the furniture made it through that small hole, but he was concerned about not being understood. Finally, curiosity won out. Talking slowly and carefully he asked how they got the furniture into the HQ.
Kowalski stared at him for a long time. So long, Rico started to tense up. He knew the man wouldn't understand. His anxiety was relieved when Kowalski said, "you were asking how we got the furniture in here when the entrance is so small?" Rico nodded and Kowalski smiled. "We have more than one entrance. Skipper believes that we should have other escape routes. Just in case. We brought the furniture through those openings. Skipper will show you those when he gets here tonight."
Rico looked around the area again and back of the rung ladder. "Entia fla?"
Kowalski hemmed a little. "Er, well, yes. An entire floor under the building. We're waiting for one of the units to open above so that we'll have another entrance. It'll also help with our cover, as we'll be able to enter our HQ from the apartment, rather than the stairwell."
There was an awkward silence as Rico continued to stare at the slightly taller man. "Um. Well. Yes. Soooo...go ahead and get settled in. Dinner is at 1800. The others should be back by then."