Chapter 49
Adam’s eyes rounded with surprise. “Holy shit!”
“Is that good or bad?” Brooke asked.
“I think it’s working.” He spun the laptop around and showed her the screen.
Brooke squinted at the stream of code that scrolled across the screen, looking confused. “I don’t speak nerd.”
Adam gave her a flat look. “It’s dismantling itself and sending the drones into deep space,” he said with excitement.
“You’re sure about that?”
“Positive.”
“I don’t know about anyone else, but I think that calls for a drink,” JD said. “There’s gotta be a decent bar in this town.”
“I think we should get out of Dodge as soon as possible,” I said.
“I second that notion,” Brooke said.
We stood up from the table and started for the door, but Adam didn’t move.
With a quizzical look, Brooke asked, “Aren’t you coming?”
Adam shook his head. “I’m going off grid. No one will ever see me again. If we built tech like this, somebody else will eventually. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Where will you go?”
“I’ve got a secondary location with gear and supplies.”
With a sad face, Brooke said, “I guess this is goodbye.”
Adam stood up and gave her a hug. “Take care of yourself.”
“You too,” she said.
We shook Adam’s hand and left the coffee shop. Brooke drove us back to the Desert Moon hotel. She was staying just down the road at the Desert Sun.
“What do we do now?” Brooke asked when she pulled into the lot.
I had no doubt the feds were in the desert at Adam’s bunker by now, investigating the blast site. They’d find no evidence. There was nothing to tie us to the scene. We’d been using burner phones. The AI network had purged all logs, and the drones had dispersed into space, never to be recovered.
“Go about life as best you can,” I said. “If anybody shows up asking questions, don’t say anything and get a lawyer. And call me.”
“What will you do now?”
“Go back to LA, then go home.”
“How about I go back to my hotel, get cleaned up, then come back and pick you up? We can drive back to LA tonight.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“On second thought, would you ride with me? I don’t want to go anywhere alone right now.”
“Sure,” I said.
“I’ll get the gear ready,” JD said. “By the time you get back, we’ll be ready to roll.”
Jack hopped out, and we drove to the Desert Sun. It was a one-story motel, and not quite as nice.
Brooke parked by her unit, and we hopped out. She fumbled for the key.
“Excuse the mess,” Brooke said as we stepped inside. “I’ve been living out of this place for almost a month.”
It wasn't bad, just a few articles of clothing scattered here and there. Housekeeping had made the beds. A few bottles of water littered the dresser and nightstand.
"If you don't mind, I'm going to take a shower and get changed. I feel pretty grimy after today. I want to wash that experience off me."
I didn't blame her.
"Make yourself at home. Remote to the TV is on the nightstand."
I flopped onto the bed by the window, grabbed the remote, and reclined.
I clicked on the TV and flipped through until I found a news channel.
A reporter on a breaking news segment said, "Federal authorities are investigating a strange occurrence in the desert earlier today. Witnesses claim to have seen some type of energy strike. The official word is a weather anomaly, a rare form of lightning that struck in the desert.”
Brooke poked her head out of the bathroom. “Hey, are you going to join me, or what?”
I looked around like she was talking to someone else. Playing innocent, I said, “Me?”
“Well, if you’d rather watch TV…”
“Nope. Shower’s good.” I sprang to my feet and pulled off my shirt as I made my way toward her.
“I’ve been cooped up in this hotel for over a month. And you’re the best looking thing I’ve seen this side of Yucca Flats.”
A modest grin curled my lips. “So, where exactly did you hide that HSM?”
“Want me to show you?” she asked with a devilish smirk.