Cloud Invasion (11 page)

"What?" Maye turned to Nick.

"She talked to the bartender last night about one of the bus tours in Ketchikan," he grinned. "He wanted to hook up with her, I could tell, so I asked him about her last night when I went for a beer after dinner."

"Which tour?"

"No idea-there are several buses, so there's no way to tell unless she actually books the excursion."

"Damn," Maye cursed. "We have to follow her, no matter where she goes. How are we going to do this?"

"She may be laying a false trail," Rafe bit into his last slice of bacon.

"Even worse," Opal said.

"It's what I would do," Rafe added after thinking-and chewing-for a moment.

"We'll just have to split up and stay in contact with each other," Maye said. "Corinne and I can use telepathy; the rest will have to rely on cell phones."

"I can use telepathy," Rafe grinned.

"Seriously?" Maye frowned at Rafe. "Why doesn't Colonel Hunter know this?"

"Because I haven't told him?"

"Great. Why didn't you tell us?"

"Corinne knows."

"Hey," I elbowed him-he was trying to place half the blame on me.

"So, Nick with Corinne, Opal with me, Rafe with Jeff," Maye sorted us quickly.

"I don't like that," Rafe said immediately. He wanted to stay with me.

"You outed yourself, now you pay the price," Maye pointed her fork at him. "Everybody who can do telepathy gets a non-telepathic partner."

"Dude," I nodded at Nick.

"Dudette," he grinned at me.

"Fine," Rafe breathed.
Just don't get too chummy
, he warned.

Honey, that won't happen
, I replied.

* * *

Mary stayed in her cabin for the rest of the day, ordering room service for her meals and drinks. She was also drinking heavily-James let us know she ordered two bottles of expensive Scotch and consumed both by midnight.

Something was definitely going on-I just couldn't figure out what it was.

Sure, I could see things in most people. For some reason, whatever Mary was thinking or instructed to do was blocked. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see past that fog. Yes, I'd read a few things in her, but those weren't particularly important. The important stuff was behind a wall I couldn't penetrate.

As a casual observer, she acted nervous, too, and I couldn't explain that. She didn't recognize any of us-I'd enhanced the disguises myself.

"Nobody can get off the boat until nine tomorrow morning, after we dock," Opal said. "We'll have to watch for Mary then."

* * *

Notes-Colonel Hunter

"Here's the security footage-we just got this." Matt set his tablet on my desk. I watched as Marcus was shown boarding the first train of the day the morning after he'd escaped. "Train headed to Vancouver, just as we thought," Matt confirmed.

"Do you think he had contact with the Mary clone before she boarded the ship?"

"No idea. It would have taken some careful manipulation, though, if he did. After all, he had to get in touch with Askins or one of the others, and then receive instructions."

"True. She boarded the minute she could, which was shortly after two."

"There's been no sightings of Marcus after he left the train station in Vancouver, but he could be on a fishing boat for all we know. He didn't board a plane, I know that much," Matt snorted.

He'd been doing his research, I could see that. I had no idea how extensive his reach might be, but it looked impressive from where I sat. I'd come up with almost identical information, but I'd had to proceed with caution so I wouldn't alert Askins and the enemy.

My core team, after all, was on a cruise ship in Alaskan waters, their attention focused on a Mary clone.

"Anything new from the cabin bug?" Matt asked.

"Other than the clone getting drunk? No." I swiped my finger across the tablet, reviewing the security images of Marcus boarding the train in Seattle, then getting off in Vancouver and walking away.

"Fucker," I hissed, dropping a fist onto my desk with a thump. "The first sign of adversity and he runs to the opposition, ready to lick their feet."

"Corinne didn't like him from the start, did she?"

"No," I admitted. "Remind me to get rid of anybody in the future that she has a problem with. He came with such high recommendations, too."

"Probably never put to the test before," Matt said. "People behave differently when they're under fire."

"Corinne sure did. I can't believe we ever thought her weak and untalented."

"The others show their talents right away?"

"Yes. Immediately. They couldn't wait to show off what they had."

* * *

Corinne

"Cabbage?"

"Hmmm?"

"Make sure Nick doesn't put you in danger," Ilya said. We were in bed, both of us reading. There was a library on board the ship, so we'd borrowed books to read.

"That's not going to happen." I set my book down on the covers and pulled his face to mine for a kiss. "Stop worrying. You can stay in constant contact if you want."

"You should also stay in contact with me. Let me know what you are seeing, if anything seems out of place."

"I will."

"Hmmph," he mumbled against my mouth.
We will have words if you do not include me
.

What kind of words?
He was still kissing me, so this was the only way I could respond.

Angry.

Then why are you kissing me if you anticipate being angry?

Just reminding you of what you stand to lose for a time should you not stay in contact.

Really? You're predicting the future? I didn't know you had it in you
. He nipped my lower lip to show me he was serious. Both books were eventually kicked off the bed after he pushed me back and set about removing my pajamas.

* * *

She's on the move
, Maye announced the following morning. Right at nine, as if she were on a schedule, our Mary clone left her cabin and headed for deck two, where passengers could disembark from the ship.

We'd separated with our respective partners inside the coffee shop on Deck three, waiting for word from those watching the feed from the bug.

We'll go first
, Rafe announced. I glanced across the shop where he and Jeff sat at a table, drinking coffee and looking through the large windows at the dock outside. Ketchikan was quite pretty, actually, with houses painted in bright colors scattered up the steep hillside, which made up the majority of the small town.

We'll go last
, Maye announced.
Corinne, stay with Nick-no funny stuff. Colonel Hunter's orders
.

It didn't take but a moment to realize that Maye had told Auggie what I'd done in Dublin-transporting myself in front of the Mary clone there and getting close enough for her to touch me. She could have killed me, had she suspected I might be anyone other than the Baikov clone. After my moment of consideration, I swallowed my annoyance and said
all right
.

Rafe offered a frown-he certainly agreed with Auggie-I'd gotten too close to the enemy in his opinion, too.
Fine
, I sent only to him.
I won't let them touch me again
.

Sure, I could see all that in them if I wanted, but this time around, I could shut it off easily if I wanted. Most of the time, I shut it off around those I considered allies. Marcus I'd read, but when I'd watched him before he left the facility, he was merely angry. He planned his escape later, after I hadn't bothered to monitor him. I resolved not to make that mistake again.

Going now
, Rafe informed us after the Mary clone made her way down the gangway to the dock. Nick touched my arm, so I followed him off the boat seconds later.

At first, it appeared that Mary was following the crowd down a boardwalk, passing a few shops, restaurants and bars designed to draw cruise tourists. Eventually, she walked into a bar near the end of the boardwalk.

"I hope she doesn't plan to drink the whole time she's off the boat," Nick muttered beside me. We watched as Rafe and Jeff waited a few seconds before following Mary into the bar.

"I guess we get to sit at the table outside," Nick sighed. "Want anything? I'll go in and get it."

"Just a bottle of water," I said. By that time, Maye and Opal caught up with us and sat at an outside table not far away. Maye waited until Nick went into the bar before following.

"She's in there, sitting at the bar with some of the hard stuff in front of her," Nick reported, plunking a bottle of water on the scarred wooden table in front of me. He had a soda in his hand, so he set it on the table before taking his seat.

She's checking her watch
, Rafe informed us.

I relayed that message to Nick.

"She's either waiting for someone or gauging her time before leaving," he shrugged.

What followed was the longest two hours of my life.

At the one-hour mark, Rafe and Jeff traded places with Maye and Opal-who sat at a different table inside the bar while Rafe paid cash for their drinks and left.

The following hour was just as boring, although the weather was nice and the day clear and sunny. We'd already heard (several times) from locals that we'd gotten ideal weather for our visit-apparently that was something unusual.

Clear and sunny in Ketchikan still meant temperatures in the low sixties, but that felt wonderful to me. As long as the sun was shining overhead, I was happy.
You're smiling
, Rafe informed me.

The sun is shining. Face it-we've had nothing but clouds the last two days
.

True. I can't say I like you sleeping on that tiny sofa under a sunlamp
. I'd done that for a few hours both nights-after sex. I'd gotten back in bed with him, though, for the last hour or two before sunrise.

I don't like it either
, I said.
But it's necessary
.

Then I'll learn to live with it
, he replied.

I love you
, I said.

She's moving
, Maye informed us.

Rafe and Jeff waited a few seconds before rising and following discreetly. A few seconds later, Nick nodded to me. Dumping our empty cup and bottle in the recycle bin, we followed Rafe and Jeff at a distance.

Nick was incredible at tracking someone-we were lost in a crowd twice, but both times, he grabbed my arm and led me in the proper direction. I could have done my location thing on Rafe, but with Nick beside me, it wasn't necessary.

She's seen us,
Rafe sent.
It's your turn, cabbage. She's going into a souvenir shop
.

She did go into the most touristy souvenir shop she could find, crowded already with people from three tour boats, two of them lined up behind ours at the nearby docks.

"Our turn," I said softly beside Nick. He nodded and picked up the pace, heading unerringly toward the proper shop.

Mary looked at shot glasses. She looked at coffee mugs. She examined T-shirts, visors, maps, visitors' guides and everything in between.

Nick's breath caught first-he knew before we set eyes on the fucker.

Marcus walked into the shop from a second door down the way-the shop was so large it had two entrances.

Rafe, Maye, Marcus is here
, I sent, attempting to avoid the urgency in my voice. Marcus didn't recognize any of us, but there was something different about him. He, like Mary, was now enveloped in a fog. Something prevented me from seeing his intentions.

"Classic," Nick breathed.

We'd watched as Marcus bumped into Mary, making her drop her cell phone. She bent to pick it up while he offered apologies.

The cell phone she tucked in her pocket wasn't the one she dropped. Nick and I knew that immediately. I informed the rest of our team while they waited outside.

This is a way of passing information
, Maye said when I let her and Rafe know.
Without sending it the traditional way
, she continued.
There'll be notes or something on the new phone, and possible notes on the one Marcus now has
.

Jeff and I will tail Marcus when he leaves
, Rafe said.

He's heading for the door now
, I said.

I just texted Colonel Hunter
, Maye sent.
He says detain Marcus for questioning if possible
.

On it
, Rafe replied. Nick and I watched as Marcus left the shop before turning our attention back to Mary. She gathered two coffee mugs, both with
Ketchikan, AK
printed on them, and headed for the checkout.