In 100 Days | Book 2 Page 6

  Kyle, who still has Kiran’s legal pad, asks, “Why do you think Commander Pine is recording everything?”

  “Insurance I guess, having that information is a good way to make sure she stays alive,” answers Kiran.

  “I hope you didn’t plug the drive Nate gave you from CBD into anything on base,” says Kristina to Kyle.

  “I didn’t, I was going to, but I’m glad I didn’t after finding out about ACT and everything is monitored around here,” answers Kyle.

  “I could put a firewall and security measures on your laptop or Kaden’s tablet,” says Kiran.

  “Will they track it though?” asks Kyle.

  “Most likely,” answers Kiran.

  “It’s not worth the risk, let’s just see what we can find out working in the lab,” says Kristina.

  As Kyle, Kristina, and Kiran are talking in Kyle’s SUV, Kyle sees Alex, Ty, and Ovi walk up their driveway and approach their front door.

  Alex says something to Ovi that Kyle, Kiran, and Kristina can’t make out, and Kristina asks Kiran and Kyle, “What are they doing here?”

  “Stay here,” answers Kyle.

  “What’s up guys?” asks Kyle to Alex, Ovi, and Ty as he opens his driver side SUV door.

  Alex, Ovi, and Ty look at Kyle as Kyle comes around his SUV and Alex asks, “Coming or going?”

  “What?” asks Kyle to Alex.

  “You were in your car, are you leaving or just getting back?” asks Alex.

  “Oh, just checking something inside the car,” answers Kyle as he quickly glances over Alex, Ovi, and Ty.

  “We were wondering if you and Kris could help us in our lab today?” asks Alex to Kyle.

  “Sure, what do you need help with?” asks Kyle.

  “It’s better if we show you,” answers Ty.

  Alex looks at Kyle’s SUV and he sees Kiran and Kristina sitting inside Kyle’s SUV.

  “Meet us in the lab at four,” says Alex to Kyle.

  “Where is Julian?” asks Kyle.

  “He’s busy working on something,” answers Ovi.

  Alex, Ty, and Ovi walk down the front porch steps of the Sinclair house and Kyle finds the look that Alex is giving him very weird and creepy.

  “I’m not sure if we have clearance for your lab though!” shouts Kyle to Alex, Ty, and Ovi as they walk away from the Sinclair home.

  “We’ll take care of that!” shouts Alex as he walks with Ovi and Ty down the sidewalk and away from the Sinclair home.

  “What did they want?” asks Kristina as she opens the rear passenger side door of Kyle’s SUV.

  “They want us to help them with something in their lab today,” answers Kyle.

  “Something seems off with them,” says Kyle as he walks over to Kristina’s open rear passenger side door.

  “Alex was always kind of a prick and Ovi and Ty usually just followed Alex’s lead,” replies Kristina.

  “I have one last chip, you could place it in their lab,” says Kiran.

  Kyle looks at Kiran with a questioning look and Kristina says, “I think that’s a good idea. We could hear what’s going on in there.”

  “We almost got caught the last time with that chip,” says Kyle.

  “Put it on your keys this time, they won’t think of it on there,” says Kristina.

  “I’ll find a good spot on your keys,” says Kiran.

  “Plus, the lab floor isn’t as high security as the conference room floor,” says Kristina.

  “I’m trusting you not to get me caught with it,” says Kyle to Kiran.

  Kiran smiles and replies, “When have I ever let you down?”

  “A lot, you let me down a lot,” jokes Kyle.

  “I’ll make sure it’s hidden,” replies Kiran.

  Kyle, Kiran, and Kristina go back into their house.

  “Mom, dad, we are leaving!” shouts Kaden to Kyle and Kristina.

  “Where are you going?” asks Kyle as he walks down the stairs.

  “To the MMA combat training class with Ashlyn and Stan,” answers Kaden.

  “I’m not participating, I’m just there to make sure it’s safe for them,” says Stan as Kyle looks at Stan who is standing next to Ashlyn and Kaden.

  “Okay, just be careful and remember about watching what you say,” says Kyle to Kaden.

  Kaden nods in agreement to Kyle’s statement.

  Kristina runs down the stairs and hugs Kaden.

  “Don’t overdo it in the class today,” says Kristina.

  “I won’t mom,” replies Kaden.

  Stan says as he looks at Kyle, “We’ll be in Building C if you need us.”

  “Okay thank you, we are going to the lab and then we’ll come back home,” replies Kyle.

  Kaden, Ashlyn, and Stan exit their house and get into Stan’s car.

  “We have a little time; you want to mess around before we go to the lab?” asks Kyle to Kristina.

  “Not with these cameras in here,” answers Kristina and then Kristina says, “I think we should go see P before we go to the lab, he told Kaden that he wanted us to come by his house today.”

  “I think that’s a good idea, let me check on how Kiran’s doing with my keys first,” replies Kyle and then Kyle walks back up the stairs.

  Kristina looks at the camera that is in the corner near the front door, and she says to herself, “I wonder who is monitoring these cameras and what they see people doing. Perverts.”

  Kyle and Kristina exit their house and they get into Kyle’s electric SUV.

  Kyle looks at the small black dime sized chip that Kiran attached to his keys and says, “The chip looks pretty good, it looks like a key fab.”

  “I think it will be fine, it blends in with your keys,” says Kristina.

  Kyle starts up his electric SUV and drives down the street and arrives at Paxton’s house.

  “Did Kaden say anything about what Paxton wanted?” asks Kyle to Kristina as he turns off his electric SUV and they sit inside there for a minute just staring at the front of Paxton’s house.

  “He didn’t say much. He’s getting better about watching what he says inside the house,” answers Kristina.

  Kyle and Kristina exit their SUV and Kyle knocks on Paxton’s front door.

  Paxton’s little brother answers the door and Kyle and Kristina say hello to Paxton’s brother Pete.

  “Pax you have visitors!” shouts Pete.

  Kyle and Kristina enter Paxton’s house and Paxton’s mom greets Kyle and Kristina.

  “Nice to see you again Pauline,” says Kristina to Paxton’s mom.

  “Paxton is on the back patio,” says Pauline and Pauline takes Kyle and Kristina out to Paxton.

  Paxton is drinking a beer while he sits in a patio chair when Pauline, Kyle, and Kristina walk over to him.

  “Hey, you two want a beer?” asks Paxton to Kyle and Kristina.

  “No thanks, we are going to the lab after this, so it’s best we are sober for that,” answers Kyle.

  “Do you want anything to drink though?” asks Pauline to Kyle and Kristina.

  “No thank you,” answers Kyle and Kristina doesn’t want anything to drink either.

  “I’ll be in the house preparing lunch if you need me,” says Pauline.

  “Thanks ma,” replies Paxton.

  “Isn’t it a little early to be drinking?” asks Kyle to Paxton.

  “It’s five o’ clock somewhere,” jokes Paxton and then Paxton drinks from his beer bottle.

  Kyle looks around Paxton’s backyard and he sees that Paxton only has one neighbor to his left and an open lot to his right. Kristina looks around Paxton’s covered back patio and she does not see any ACT cameras.

  “Are there any cameras out here?” asks Kristina to Paxton.

  “Not on my property, but I think my neighbor has one. I was thinking about ripping all the cameras out inside the house,” answers Paxton.

  “Wouldn’t that cause a problem?” asks Kyle.

  “Probably, but what right do they
have to put cameras and microphones in our homes?” answers Paxton.

  Kyle and Kristina don’t answer Paxton.

  “That’s invasion of privacy,” says Paxton.

  “It sure is, but what can you do about it,” responds Kyle.

  “I can rip those motherfuckers out of my house,” says Paxton.

  “The government has been spying on people for a long time now, that’s nothing new,” says Kyle.

  “But it’s not right,” responds Paxton.

  “Everything okay Pax?” asks Kristina to Paxton.

  Paxton seems off and like something is bothering him.

  “Was just thinking about a lot of stuff lately. Like what has happened so far and who I lost in my life,” answers Paxton.

  Kyle looks at Paxton and wonders if that statement was geared at him and what happened in the airport.

  “I’m not blaming you for what happened at the airport, but it just sucks losing good people,” says Paxton to Kyle.

  Kyle looks at Kristina and neither of them know what to say to Paxton.

  “Do you know any of the soldiers here?” asks Kristina to Paxton.

  “A couple, but most of them report back to Commander Pine and Lieutenant General Swartz now,” answers Paxton.

  “Are Commander Pine’s people trustworthy?” asks Kristina to Paxton.

  Paxton sits up in his chair and answers, “I don’t know, but I doubt it.”

  Kyle looks at the ground and asks Paxton, “But what did you want to talk to us about Pax?”

  Paxton looks at Kyle and in a quiet tone answers, “I got some intel about some new people around the base and some new orders.”

  “Who are they?” asks Kristina.

  “I believe the two people are two guys. They are Colonel Meyers and Major Hoffmann,” answers Paxton.

  “Did they come with Lieutenant General Swartz?” asks Kyle.

  “I’m not sure, but they are here now. I heard a group talking about a general passing down orders to clear out major cities all over the US,” answers Paxton.

  “Is the general here?” asks Kyle.

  “I don’t think so, but he’s who Lieutenant General Swartz reports to and Commander Pine reports to Lieutenant General Swartz,” answers Paxton.

  “Who do Sheila and Elias report to?” asks Kyle.

  Paxton finishes his beer and answers, “I don’t know, but I know there is someone that they report to, but I haven’t been around them when they talked with that person, unfortunately.”

  “But aren’t you in their inner circle?” asks Kristina to Paxton.

  “Only to a certain level. Elias and Sheila only keep me in the loop when they need me,” answers Paxton.

  “We need to get to the lab,” says Kyle to Kristina.

  “You going to be okay Pax?” asks Kristina to Paxton.

  Paxton smiles and answers Kristina, “I’m going to be just fine. I just need another beer or six.”

  “Be careful with the drinking, we can’t have you hung over tomorrow,” says Kyle to Paxton.

  “Why, what’s tomorrow?” asks Paxton.

  Kyle looks at Kristina and Kristina answers Paxton, “We just need you to be in good shape.”

  “I’ll be fine, just gotta decompress today and I’ll be ready to go tomorrow,” replies Paxton.

  “Thank you for the box of supplies,” says Kristina to Paxton.

  “That was all Elias and Sheila. They have tons of food, water, and supplies. They are set up pretty good here,” replies Paxton.

  “Where do they live?” asks Kyle to Paxton.

  “In another small neighborhood on base. With all the other higher ups,” answers Paxton.

  Paxton realizes that he’s been talking a lot and says, “But I need to stop saying too much. You never know who is listening.”

  “You should go inside and relax,” says Kyle to Paxton.

  Paxton smiles at Kyle.

  Kyle and Kristina say goodbye to Paxton, Pauline, and Peter and they get into Kyle’s electric SUV.

  Kyle starts up his electric SUV and says, “Man Paxton gets chatty when he drinks.”

  Kristina replies, “Yeah, he needs to be careful what he says and who he says it to.”

  Kyle drives to Building F and parks his electric SUV in the parking lot.

  Kristina and Kyle exit from Kyle’s electric SUV and Kyle looks at his keys.

  “It will be fine,” says Kristina.

  “Just checking that it’s still on my key ring,” replies Kyle.

  Kyle and Kristina enter Building F and they make their way over to the security checkpoint.

  Security has been stepped up and now they have a scanner, x-ray machine, and two security guards.

  Kyle notices that the security guards are the same men from before when Kyle and Kristina met with Sheila, Paxton, and Elias.

  “So much for being an easy security check here,” says Kyle to Kristina in a low tone as they walk towards the security scanner and x-ray machine.

  Kristina walks through the scanner and she looks at the two male security guards.

  “You are clear, move along,” says the Caucasian male security guard to Kristina.

  “Don’t want to see my tits today?” asks Kristina to the Caucasian male security guard and then Kristina moves away from the security check.

  Kyle places his keys onto the x-ray belt and makes his way through the scanner. As his keys go through the x-ray machine Kyle notices the male security guard, at the x-ray machine, looks at his keys thoroughly and Kyle starts to get nervous.

  Kyle thinks to himself, “What the fuck? This guy better not find the chip.”

  The male security guard puts Kyle’s keys back into the plastic bin.

  “You’re clear, move along,” says the African American male security guard to Kyle.

  Kyle grabs his keys, and he walks with Kristina down the interior hallway.

  “See I told you everything would be okay,” says Kristina to Kyle as they approach the windows to the lab that Alex told Kyle to meet them in.

  Kyle and Kristina look at the windows of the lab and they see blood splatter on the windows, floor, and counter inside the lab.

  Kristina is shocked to see the blood splatter and she wonders what happened in the lab.

  Kyle looks through one of the clean windows of the lab and he does not see anyone inside the lab. Kyle looks down the hallway and he doesn’t see Alex, Ty, Ovi, or anyone to talk to.

  “What happened in there?” asks Kristina.

  Kyle, while looking at the blood stained lab window, answers Kristina, “I don’t know but this can’t be good.”

  CHAPTER 6

  DAY 46

  “I still can’t believe what we saw in the lab,” says Kristina to Kyle as they sit in bed early in the morning.

  “Me too, I just keep wondering what happened in there,” replies Kyle.

  “You think Sheila would know?” asks Kristina.

  “Worth a shot, but how do we contact her?” answers Kyle.

  “Where do Alex, Ty, Julian, and Ovi live?” asks Kristina to Kyle.

  “I don’t know,” answers Kyle, and Kristina and Kyle think about what to do next and how they can get answers about what happened in the lab that they were supposed to meet Alex, Ty, and Ovi in yesterday.

  “I’ll check with Kiran and see if he heard anything last night over the radio,” says Kyle to Kristina and then Kyle exits his master bedroom.

  Kyle walks down the upstairs hallway and he hears Evelyn and Kiran arguing in their bedroom.

  “Careful what you say,” says Kiran to Evelyn.

  “I don’t care if they can hear me,” replies Evelyn.

  Kyle stops walking and listens to Kiran and Evelyn’s conversation as he puts his left ear near the closed bedroom door of Kiran and Evelyn’s room.

  “I don’t feel safe here,” says Evelyn.

  “But what can we do now, you wanted to come here,” replies Kiran.

  “Yeah, but now I wan
t to leave,” responds Evelyn.

  “Okay, then we go back home,” says Kiran.

  “But then what?” asks Evelyn.

  Kyle hears the conversation go quiet and he hears someone walk behind him in the hallway.

  “What are you doing?” asks Kristina to Kyle.

  Kyle turns around and he sees Kristina. Kyle hears movement inside Kiran and Evelyn’s bedroom, and he tries to walk away from Kiran’s bedroom door.

  Evelyn opens the bedroom door, and she sees Kyle standing a foot away from her bedroom door.

  Kyle makes eye contact with Evelyn and Evelyn asks, “Did you hear us?”

  Kyle, thinks about lying and decides to tell the truth and answers, “Yeah, I couldn’t help but hear you guys.”

  Kiran walks over to Evelyn and says, “Sorry if we were being loud.”

  “Let’s go downstairs and talk,” replies Kyle.

  Kyle, Kristina, Evelyn, and Kiran enter the kitchen and Kristina asks, “Does anyone want coffee?”

  Evelyn and Kiran say yes to have coffee and Kristina turns on the coffee maker.

  “Are you guys really going to leave?” asks Kyle as he looks at Kiran and Evelyn.

  Evelyn looks at Kiran for an answer.

  “Yeah I think so,” answers Kiran.

  “Where are you going to go?” asks Kristina as she stands by the coffee maker.

  Evelyn looks at Kiran and Kiran answers, “We’ll go back home.”

  “How much gas do you have?” asks Kyle.

  “Probably about three quarters of a tank. We haven’t driven much since we got here,” answers Kiran.

  “Anyway to talk you out of it?” asks Kyle to Kiran.

  “It’s just not safe here anymore,” answers Kiran.

  “Why? What makes you say that?” asks Kyle.

  “I heard…” answers Kiran and Kyle interrupts, “Careful.”

  Kiran looks at the camera in the corner of the kitchen and says in a quiet tone, “I’ll tell you later.”

  Kristina hands everyone a cup of coffee and Kyle says, “Let’s go out back.”

  Kyle, Kristina, Evelyn, and Kiran go out to their back covered patio.

  “It’s safer to talk out here,” says Kyle.