Patty had a helicopter pick them up and fly them out of Kansas and into Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Over some unexceptional acreage of sand and brush, a secret entrance opened beneath them. The helicopter descended into the underground facility.
“You have an awful lot of secret bases for not a supervillain,” observed Tia.
“It’s not mine,” said Patty. “I’m building it on spec for a client, but given the circumstances, I figured we could borrow it.” The helicopter settled onto the landing pad as the entrance closed overhead. “But it is expensive, so try not to break anything.”
On the pad, they were greeted by Reynolds and a team of contractors and engineers. Bonita, who had spent the flight studying the holographic schematics, pulled Reynolds aside and began conferring with him.
“Can they build it?” asked Byron.
“Let’s hope so,” said Patty.
“I wish Malady hadn’t been blown up,” said Tia. “I’d feel more confident if he were around.”
Patty scanned some paperwork she was given. “You have to work with what you have, but I hire the best. If my team can build a moon base in three weeks, this machine in three days should be… well, not easy, but possible.” She handed off the form. “In the meantime, you should get some rest.”
“We can help,” said Byron.
Patty said, “Oh, can you? Have a handy degree in theoretical quantum physics, do you?”
“Well, no, but—”
“Are you, by chance, some expert on electrical or mechanical engineering?”
“Well, no—”
“Can I be blunt? You are here, Byron, because we still believe it is your destiny to die saving the universe. And you, Mrs. Yukimura-Durodoye, are here simply as a courtesy. It is my job to manage my team, and your job to stay out of the way until we need you. If we even end up needing you. Have a snack. Get some rest. We’ll call you if…”
Her voice trailed off as she walked away.
“Something to eat does sound good,” said Byron.
Chestnut barked.
“Come on, then,” said Tia. “Commissary is this way.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve seen a lot of secret lairs. You get a feel for their layouts.”
She led them through the base. Construction was almost done on this one. The logos had yet to be stenciled. Many of the labs were bare-bones, waiting for whatever fiendish scientific experiment the final owner would want to plug into them. Security systems were being wired in. But if Tia imagined the construction crews in matching jumpsuits, it wasn’t hard to see what it would end up being.
The commissary was bustling. After a short wait in line, they had servings of mac ’n’ cheese and steamed veggies plopped on their trays. They found an empty table in the hall. Byron took a bite of the macaroni. It wasn’t bad.
He was about to offer a spoonful to Chestnut, but she was content munching on a tray of meat loaf she’d gotten somewhere during the walk from the line to the table.
“What did Connie do to you?” asked Byron.
Tia picked at her food. “She put more of the caretaker in me.” She nibbled at some macaroni, but she was still feeling ill. She dabbed at the sweat on her forehead. “I can handle it.”
“I wish she could’ve told us her plan.”
“Byron, I’ve spent decades getting in and out of perilous situations with Connie. It isn’t our job to know the plan. It’s our job to be ready when the plan happens. I know it stinks, but we’ll get through it. We’ll get Hiro and Connie back.”
She reached across the table and put her hand on his. A jolt ran between them, and the commissary lights flickered. Chestnut latched onto Byron’s belt and yanked him back.
“Oh, right,” she said. “No touching.”
“So where is Hiro?” asked Byron. “We know Connie is out there, doing her thing, saving the world. What about Hiro?”
“It’s a good question. If he’s the anti-Connie, then maybe he’s out there, sowing chaos and disaster.”
“So why isn’t he here? If he’s the anti-Connie, and she appeared when we imperiled the world, wouldn’t he sense what we’re doing? Wouldn’t he try to stop us if it could work?”
“Damn, I hadn’t thought of that,” said Tia. “But maybe he hasn’t noticed.”
“Maybe. Or maybe we’re just wasting our time.”
“No,” said Tia. “It’s Connie’s plan, and I don’t know what it is, but I have to believe it’s going to work.” She pushed away from the table. “And we’re going to help make it work.”
They marched through the base for half an hour before they could finally find someone to give them directions to Patty’s office.
“We can be useful,” said Tia.
Patty smirked. “I’m sure you can. If you could build a”—she flipped through some paperwork—“lepton phase array, it’d really help me out. All my sources are coming up empty.”
“I might know someone,” said Tia, dialing her phone. “Hey, Larry. This is Tia. I was wondering if you have any lepton phase arrays lying around? You’ll check? Thanks.”
She lowered the phone.
“He’s checking.”
Tia snapped her fingers at Patty, who reluctantly handed over Reynolds’s hard-to-find parts list.
“You do? Two of them? Great. I don’t suppose you’d mind letting us borrow one? I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. That’s terrific. You’re a lifesaver. While I have you on the phone, mind if I ask about a few other things?”
She walked away, leaving Byron and Chestnut standing there.
Patty asked, “Don’t suppose your dog has a talent for electrical engineering?”
Three days later, the final pieces of the machine were being assembled. The machine took up most of the lab. It looked pretty much identical to any other feat of engineered superscience.
“Is it working?” asked Tia.
“We don’t know,” said Bonita. “We haven’t turned it on yet.”
“What are we waiting for?” asked Byron.
Bonita said, “I know you’re impatient, but it won’t do any good if we rush it. We’ll only get one shot at activating this… whatever it is.”
“You don’t know what it does?” asked Tia.
“The nearest answer I could give you is that it breaks the laws of physics. If it works.”
“It’ll work,” said Reynolds.
Tia wiped at her nose, noticing some blood on her hand. The nosebleeds had become a problem seven hours ago. She could feel her body breaking down. If she touched Byron now, the chaos within her would destroy her and everything within miles. Maybe farther than that.
Maybe much farther.
She took a cautious step away from him, even though she was already well out of arm’s reach. Couldn’t hurt to be safe.
“I know that I’m falling apart,” said Tia. “Connie has to be a hundred times worse.”
The last bits of machinery were locked into place. Reynolds gave the signal, and the device hummed to life. It didn’t melt or explode, which everyone took as a good sign.
“Never had any doubts,” said Patty. “I only hire the best.”
“Now what?” asked Tia.
Bonita flipped a few small switches, and the machine’s hum pitched a few octaves higher. Her hand hovered over the final activation button.