Keep forced a laugh. “That’s what I’ve heard.”

  “How did you end up helping the Frasiers?” Marie asked. “Were you on your way to visit someone? We don’t get that many strangers traveling through the area.”

  “Random chance,” Keep said. “We actually got turned around outside Fresno and was headed the wrong way.”

  “In other words, you’re lost.”

  “Bingo!”

  “Bad luck for him, good luck for us,” George said.

  “Bill’s most likely in the smaller barn, futzing with his newest toy.”

  “Another car?”

  “I wish. It certainly would have been a lot cheaper. Go on out there to see for yourself. I won’t spoil the surprise.”

  “Thanks, Marie,” George said. “Follow me.”

  We went back out through the front door, circling the farmhouse and following another gravel road to the back. It split there, one path headed to each of the two barns. One of the doors to the smaller had been pushed aside, enough light entering the structure that I could see the rear end of the tarp-covered Mustang on a freshly treated cement floor. Whatever the newer toy was, I didn’t see it right away.

  I could hear someone hammering on metal as we got closer to the door, light tapping that suggested more delicate work. The whirr of an electric driver followed, six times in rapid succession, finishing just as we reached the entrance.

  Keep whistled softly, his eyes fixing on Bill’s latest acquisition at the same time mine did. “Luck be a lady. Bennie, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  I stared at the helicopter resting at the back end of the Ackermann’s barn. I recognized the model immediately, having seen it in multiple movies. A Sikorsky UH-60, better known as a Black Hawk. It looked a little rough around the edges but at least it was in one piece.

  “You don’t want the Mustang anymore, do you?” I replied.

  “Nope.”

  CHAPTER 23

  “Hey Bill,” George shouted, getting the man’s attention. He was sitting on a ladder next to the aircraft, having just finished bolting the cover back on one of the engines. Bald headed with a wrinkled face, dark eyes, and a silver goatee, his broad shoulders and barrel chest made him look imposing in a pair of navy blue mechanic’s coveralls. He looked over at us, waving to George.

  “Well, if it isn’t my favorite jarhead,” Bill roared back, quickly climbing down the ladder and walking toward us. He pointed at the Black Hawk. “What do you think of my latest addition?”

  “Where the hell did you get a Black Hawk?” George replied.

  Bill’s laugh gathered in his expansive belly and exploded out. “I know a guy who handles logistics for surplus, he tipped me off that this baby was coming up for auction. It’s pretty rare they don’t go straight to the boneyard, even rarer to get one in such great shape. I knew I had to have her, no matter what she cost.”

  He reached our position just inside the barn doors, putting out his hand. George shook it firmly before Bill turned our way. “Do you know what we do with uninvited guests around here?” he asked.

  “Uh, no,” I replied, his size more than a little intimidating.

  He laughed heartily again. “We introduce ourselves.” He put his hand out to me. “Bill Ackermann. You can call me Bill or Chief. Never Mister Ackermann.”

  “Ben Murdock,” I replied, losing my hand in his bear paw. He had a firm grip, but didn’t hurt me as he shook before offering the hand to Keep.

  “Avelus Keep,” he said, giving me an indication of how we were going to approach Bill by the name he used. He was taking a risk by going with honesty, but I understand why. I couldn’t see how he would convince Bill to give us a ride in the Black Hawk without explaining the stakes and offering a tidy wad of cash.

  Assuming the helicopter was even functional. Bill’s statement to George suggested it was.

  “Avelus? I’ve never heard that one before. Where are you from?”

  “Caprum,” Keep answered.

  “Never heard of that either.” He laughed again. “George, what brings you over? And with new friends.”

  “There was a fire on my farm,” George answered. “The main house burned to the foundation, with Gloria and me trapped in the basement. Avelus and Ben somehow got us out alive.”

  “A fire?” Bill said, face twisting. “You mentioned Gloria. Is Kyrie okay?”

  “Yeah, she’s fine. She was in the barn when it happened.”

  “Do you know what happened?”

  “It’s a long story. Maybe I can give you the whole thing later. Marie already said we could stay with you for a few days, if that’s alright?”

  “Hmph. I don’t know if I want a Marine in my barracks. You said Marie already approved the request?”

  “Yeah,” George replied, smiling.

  “Well, then, the General’s spoken. I guess that’s settled.” He laughed again. “You two need a billet too?”

  “No,” Keep answered. “We can’t stay.”

  “I told him about the Mustang,” George explained. “He wants to make an offer on it.”

  “It’s not for sale,” Bill replied quickly. “I love that car.”

  “Actually,” Keep said. “I was interested in your car before we stepped into the barn. Now I’m a lot more interested in your helicopter.”

  “She definitely isn’t for sale,” Bill said. “Not that you could afford her. Are you a helo pilot, Avelus?”

  “Not in the slightest,” Keep replied. “I don’t want to buy the helicopter. I want to charter it.”

  Bill smiled widely. “Now we’re talking,” he said. “I’m actually looking to use her to do charters, mainly for video. Movies, tv shows, that kind of thing. I’ve got all the approvals already.”

  “How long ago did you pick up the Black Hawk?” George asked.

  “Almost six months now. She came flight-ready, but I’ve been tuning her up to make sure everything’s tight as can be. When are you thinking you’d like to book her, and what do you want to use her for?”

  “I’d like to leave right now,” Keep said. “A quick trip to a junkyard west of Los Angeles. I’d like to use that FRIES system I see you have installed to drop us onto the top of a building.”

  Bill laughed heavily enough his whole face turned beet red. “That is definitely not what I expected you to say. You do know how illegal that would be, right?”

  “It’s only illegal if you get caught,” Keep replied.

  Bill’s smile faded, and he stared at Keep. “You’re serious.”

  He nodded.

  “Why do you want to fast rope onto a building?”

  “Dark operatives from my galaxy have taken Ben’s mother, sister, and her boyfriend hostage there. We intend to rescue them.”

  Bill looked like he was about to laugh again, until he realized Keep was still serious. “Dark operatives? Your galaxy?” he asked instead, glancing at George. “What kind of nutjob did you bring to my farm, Gunny?”

  George made a face. “That’s the thing, Chief. He’s not joking, and he’s not insane. Everything he just said is true.”

  Bill’s face contorted again, clearly struggling to process the situation. “Wh-what do you mean?”

  “Our farm was attacked,” George said. “By a unit of soldiers clad in all-black and wearing opaque black helmets. They took Gloria and me hostage and tied us up in the basement while they waited for Avelus and Ben to come back. It didn’t turn out too well for them, thanks to these two. The bodies are still on my property.”

  Bill’s mouth gaped open. “What?”

  “You’re welcome to fly over and get a look at them if you agree to the charter,” Keep said. “But we’re in a bit of a hurry, and we have some prep work to do before we take off.”

  Bill put a ham hand to his forehead. “This can’t be real, George. You’re playing a joke on me, aren’t you? Something you can put on TikTok.”

  “I wish I was,” George said. “Avelus really is from another galaxy, called the Manticore Spiral. His ship crash landed on my property yesterday. I thought it was crazy too, but I’ve witnessed enough since then that I fully believe it.”

  “They’re holding my family,” I said. “The faster we can get there to help them, the better our chances will be to free them unharmed. But we need to be discreet.”

  “I don’t know what movies you’ve seen,” Bill answered. “And I know there was a hubbub about stealth helos when they killed Bin Laden, but Black Hawks are not silent. At all. Not that I’m quite ready to believe your story about being from another galaxy. You both look pretty damn human to me.”

  “That’s because the Manticore Spiral is full of humans,” Keep said. “We originated from this Earth four hundred years in the future. From a colony ship that fell into a wormhole.”

  “Uh-huh,” Bill scoffed. “That would also make you a time traveler, then?”

  “Technically, only the original settlers traveled through time. Though I guess since we still haven’t caught up to the moment in time when the founding of the Spiral was set in motion that does sort of make me a time traveler. And we don’t need the helicopter to be naturally silent. I can take care of all that. Badabing badaboom.”

  “Oh yeah, how?”

  “Magic,” I said, starting to get a vague idea of Keep’s still unrevealed plan. If I was right, then he was right to say it wasn’t a great plan, but I could still see how we might be able to pull it off. The Black Hawk would greatly improve the odds over the Mustang.

  “It’s not magic,” Keep argued.

  “It’s close enough,” I retorted. “And I don’t want to waste time explaining the differences right now.”

  “Fair enough,” Keep agreed. “For the sake of this argument, let’s call it magic. Or the Force.”

  “Uh-huh,” Bill said, still not convinced. He leaned toward George. “You have a hidden camera on you somewhere, don’t you? In the button of your flannel, maybe?”

  Keep sighed and raised his arm, the push symbol on his sleeve glowing beneath his skin. Bill lifted off the ground suddenly, pushed into the air and held there by a second symbol.

  “What the hell?” he cried out, arms windmilling as he dangled six feet off the floor of the barn. “This is impossible.”

  “Like magic?” I offered.

  He stilled his body, letting himself hang in the air. His fear fading quickly, he did a forward somersault, remaining aloft “Like magic,” he agreed. “And kind of fun. Whooo!” He fell forward, pretending to swim.

  Keep let him go. Bill cried out as he fell, until Keep stopped him a few inches off the ground. “I can take care of the noise so they won’t hear us coming. I just need you to fly us there.”

  Bill dropped the last few inches, landing in a plank position. He hopped spryly to his feet. “You really did just use the Force on me, didn’t you? And if that’s real, then the rest of it is too, isn’t it?”

  “I told you it was, Chief,” George said.

  “I don’t know how to react to that.”

  “Tell me you’ll help us rescue my mom and sister,” I said.

  “I don’t know,” Bill replied. “I don’t think I want to get involved in some crazy intergalactic mayhem.”

  “How much will it cost to change your mind?” Keep asked.

  Bill smiled. “How much do you have?”

  “Enough.”

  “Come on, Bill,” George said. “Innocent people are in trouble. And from what Avelus tells me, if these bad guys win then we’re all in deep shit. All you have to do is fly us to a junkyard and drop us on a rooftop and you’ll be well paid for the effort. There’s no downside.”

  “Us?” I said, looking at George. I had already figured out from his interaction with Bill that he was a Marine. A gunnery sergeant. Maybe he hadn’t been on active duty for a long time, but I didn’t think the skills or attitude ever really left.

  “Gloria’s going to kill me, but I can’t just ignore all of this when I can do something about it. I’m coming with you.” He eyed Bill again.

  “This is beyond insane, Gunny,” Bill said.

  “Yup,” George agreed. “Are you in?”

  Bill laughed heartily. “In that case? Hell yeah.”

  CHAPTER 24

  “I brought everything you asked for,” Gloria said, entering the barn with a paper bag full of the items George had sent her up to the house to collect. She took the bag to the workbench against the wall near the Black Hawk and began unloading it. A bottle of whisky, a belt, some dish towels, a box cutter, disinfectant and bandages, plus two bags of potato chips and a six-pack of beer.

  “Thank you,” Keep said, looking over the items. “This will do just fine.”

  I still wasn’t totally certain what Keep wanted the stuff for, but I had a pretty good idea. He had asked George for it immediately after Bill agreed to fly us to the meeting place in the Black Hawk, setting in motion a risky plan that would either see Mom, Sheri, and Nick freed or probably all of us dead.

  To be honest, I didn’t expect either woman to be agreeable to the rescue plan. But they had both been military wives, and they both still understood that their husbands weren’t able to ignore the plight of someone in need. How could they be mad at a personality trait that had been a large part of why they had fallen in love with their men in the first place?

  “Ben, beer?” Gloria asked, scooping the six-pack from the bench and holding it up.

  “No, thank you,” I replied, looking at Bill. “Are you sure we should be drinking?”

  “I’m sure I shouldn't be drinking,” Bill said, his boisterous laugh filling the barn as he pulled one of the cans from the bundle. "But who knows; why pass it up when this might be my last chance." He cracked it open and took a long swig, spilling some of it on his beard and grinning as he wiped it off, snickering and reaching for the bag of chips.

  Marie scowled at him. "That's not funny, you old goat." He chuckled again, shoving a handful of chips into his mouth.

  I heard the van’s engine, turning to watch George pull it into the barn. He brought it to a stop a few feet from the Mustang, two energy rifles in his hands when he hopped out. “Are you going to give us basic training on these, Keep?” he asked, walking the guns over and holding one out to Bill.

  The big man didn’t have a free hand between the beer and chips. “What do I need a gun for? I’m the pilot.”

  “What if you get shot down?” George asked.

  “What?” Bill grumbled. “Not gonna happen.” He looked over the rifle. “That’s some pretty mean looking hardware though. I’ve never seen a machine gun like that before.”

  “It’s not a machine gun,” I said, motioning for George to give me one of the rifles. It was a common enough model that we had a handful of them in the armory on Head Case. I turned it so George and Bill could get a good look. “Power switch,” I said, flipping it on. It responded with a light hum. “Shot counter.” I showed them the small readout on the side. “Battery pack.” I tapped the small, square block at the back of the weapon, and then the slider just under it. “Battery pack release. Hit that, drop the spent pack, slap in a new one. Not that different from a regular magazine, just different placement.”

  “Nice,” Bill said before shoving more chips into his mouth and downing the rest of his beer.

  I turned away from them, aiming at a square of scrap metal across the barn before moving my finger to the trigger. “It’s fully automatic if you hold the trigger down for five seconds.” I didn’t, squeezing off a single round. The energy bolt zipped across the barn and into the metal, melting a one inch diameter hole right through it.

  “Shit,” Bill said, spitting out his next bite of chips. “That wasn’t made in China. Or on Earth. Was it?”

  “No. At least, not originally. But I didn’t get the impression from the kidnappers that they were able to transit between the Spiral and Earth. Keep, what do you think?”

  “I think they were dropped here some time ago,” Keep said. “Sedaya’s been ruling over his duchy for nearly forty years, after his father died in an ambush by a rival duke just before entering hyperspace en route to Atlas.”

  “What?” I said, laughing and making air quotes. “Conveniently for Sedaya, I’m sure.”

  “I’m not saying he had his father murdered so he could take over his empire…but he had his father murdered so he could take over his empire. Badabing badaboom.”

  “Do you think they were put here before you were? How could that be possible if Sedaya’s only recently discovered sigiltech and how to use it?”

  “One, he’s known about it a lot longer than I ever guessed and somehow managed to keep himself from bragging about it or otherwise being the immodest blowhard he generally is. Two, the mystery of Sucaath deepens.”

  “Sucaath promised that once the Gilded were returned to prominence, his alliance would be assured.”

  Keep stared at me, expression suddenly tense. “What did you just say?”

  “That was in the message from Sedaya to Nobukku. Or Nobukku to Sedaya. Whichever direction the slab was supposed to move.”

  “You didn’t tell me that before.”

  “I didn’t think of it. Why?”

  “The Gilded,” he said. “That’s bad.”

  “You’ve said that about everything related to the sigiltech.”

  “Do you know what the Gilded are?”

  “No. How would I?”

  Keep shook his head before turning away from me. “It doesn’t matter right now. None of the details do. Riding in on the Black Hawk will buy us some time, but the sooner we can get to the target, the better our odds of taking them off guard.”

  “Keep, what are the Gilded?” I asked. “Come on, you can’t leave us hanging like this." He didn't answer. "Keep?”

  He ignored me, opening the bottle of whisky and taking a quick pull on it before splashing some of it on one of the dishtowels Gloria brought.

  “Keep,” I repeated.

  “Forget it, Ben,” George said. “He doesn’t want to talk about that right now.”