Page 44 of Wyatt
“We’ve got pilots, police officers, firefighters, and that’s only what we know about,” said Ulani.
“This is so strange,” groaned Ethan. “We’ve got to hope that whoever is approaching those girls will be at the beach in the morning. Did Asa find us a couple of young girls to be there?”
“He did,” said Rush. “They’re both only eighteen and look it. They fit the type of what might be recruited and are willing to do whatever is needed. Moose, Nate, and I will be on the pier so that we’re far enough away to not make them nervous.”
“What if we need you?” asked Ulani. Rush grinned.
“We jump in the water and swim,” he smiled. “Don’t worry, hun, we’ll be there if you need us. We’ve got a lot of men and women here. We need to make sure we’re spread out and not causing any suspicion.”
“Me, BJ, Abe, and Christian will be in the lifeguard towers,” said Kev. The others nodded at them.
“I guess the rest of us should spread out,” said Wyatt.
“Don’t forget Ani and me,” said Kelsey, smiling. “We’ll be the middle-aged moms wearing bikinis we shouldn’t wear, taking in the sun.”
“To hell you will,” growled Noa. “You’re not lying out there in a bikini for those guys to ogle.”
“Ogle? You’re learning new words,” smirked Carter. “Although I do agree with the friendly giant. No.”
“Oh, babe,” laughed Ani. “I do love how you still think you can tell me what to do.”
“Okay, okay, we have to get settled on this,” said Ulani. She grabbed a map and laid it out on the table. “This is a full map of the pier area. According to Bethany, the guys who approach the girls usually do so, right here.”
“Alright,” nodded Wyatt. “If we’re spread out in the area, then we should be able to see and hear everything. What we have to make sure of is that they don’t run if they see us. Running on sand is our specialty, but if these guys are young or athletically inclined at all, they could have a huge head start on us.”
“We’ll make sure to cover the street side,” said Ethan.
“Maybe we should do a walk on Imperial Beach,” said Ulani. “It’s Sunday, and it will be crowded, so we wouldn’t be noticed.”
“Babe, I love you, but this group would be noticed,” laughed Wyatt. She smirked at him, nodding.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Well, there’s that great barbecue joint down there with outdoor seating. Let’s walk through this and have some dinner. With any luck, by this time tomorrow, we’ll have figured all this out.”
“Is it ready?” asked the young man standing at the door of their offices.
They weren’t really offices. It was their three-bedroom apartment, one bedroom converted into an office space. The desks weren’t desks. They were folding tables lining the walls.A dozen computers were humming, lights off, and the glow of screen light illuminated the room.
“Joey, don’t fucking ask me that again!” yelled his friend.
“I’m sorry, Sam, but I’m worried. We have to be able to prove that this is reality.”
“If we get caught, we’re in so much fucking trouble,” said their one female partner, Haley.
“If the two of you are going to be nothing but negative, I need you to leave!”
“Geez, chill out,” said Haley. “We’ve invested everything into this.”
“I’m aware!”
Haley and Joey said nothing as they stood at the door, just watching Sam work. His fingers moved so quickly on the keyboard, it was amazing. His abilities were better than anyone they’ve ever known, not to mention his knowledge of the systems.
But it had to be more than knowledge of current systems. You had to be able to put your brain in future mode, figuring out what might come next. What they’d done, what they hoped to show the world, would create waves for a long time.
He was right about one thing. If they were caught, they could be in a lot of trouble, and it all hinged on their ‘volunteers’ keeping their mouths shut. So far, there had been no news stories, nothing to indicate that anyone was the wiser.
Sam’s fingers finally stilled, and he looked at the massive amounts of data on the computer screen. Slowly, he turned to face his partners and smiled.
“It’s ready. We can show the world tomorrow.” Haley squealed, hugging Joey.
