She shrugs, smiling. “Anything for you, babes, you know that.” She pats her on her shoulder, and Ruby winces. “Shit, are you okay?”
Ruby looks away. “It’s nothing, I… I got shot there yesterday.”
“Say what? Bitch, why aren’t you in the hospital?”
“I was. I stayed a few hours, had surgery, took some painkillers, and we left.”
“We?”
I step forward, smiling politely. “I needed her help. She’s a tough cookie, she’ll be fine.”
Veronica eyes me warily. “Uh-huh… So, babes,” she says, turning back to Ruby, “who are your friends?”
We’re quickly introduced, and I explain what we need from her. Veronica nods along, listening with a professional ear.
“Okay,” she says, finally. “I can do that.” She addresses the group. “The trick with a convincing disguise isn’t to try altering your entire appearance completely. It’s to distort certain aspects of your appearance so it looks natural, but different enough from your normal features.”
I nod. “Makes sense…”
I’ve never thought about the science behind this sort of thing, and it’s actually quite interesting.
Ruby’s friend walks over to me and stops at my side. She’s at least a foot smaller than me. She stretches up, gesturing to my face with her pinky finger. “What we do first is add a prosthetic nose. This is probably the most recognizable feature, and altering that will completely change the dynamic of your face. Next,” she points to the scar I have running down under my eye, “we’ll cover up any obvious blemishes — anything people will see and remember.” She turns to me. “That’s a beauty — mind if I ask how you got it?”
I shrug. “It was a gift from an old acquaintance.”
She raises an eyebrow. “And what did you give them in return?”
I look her in the eyes but say nothing. My lips form a thin line and my jaw muscles twitch… my silence telling a thousand tales.
She chuckles nervously. “Okay… so finally, we accessorize — fake glasses and facial hair for the guys, and different makeup for the lady… something subtle, but a new look with accessories. You won’t recognize your own reflection.”
“This is great,” says Ruby. “Thank you so much for this!”
Veronica moves over to her. “Don’t mention it. So who’s first?”
We all exchange glances. “I’ll do it,” says Jonas after a moment. He smiles. “Make me pretty, will you?”
Veronica rolls her eyes and grabs him by the hand and leads him out of the kitchen. “I’m good, but I’m not a miracle worker, honey…”
They disappear into the first room along the hall, and the door closes behind them. I take a seat at the table, and after a moment Oscar and Ruby join me.
“You okay?” she asks.
I nod. “Yeah. You?”
“Yeah…”
“Your friend is quite a character.”
“She’s the best.”
“I’ll make sure she’s taken care of once this is over.”
“I appreciate that, Adrian, thanks.”
She stands and leaves the kitchen, heading for the room where Jonas is getting his makeover. Oscar moves into her seat and clears his throat.
“Adrian,” he says in a hushed tone. “This plan of yours to get inside the White House… it sounds great an’ all, but have you thought about how we’re going to get out again?”
I look him in the eye, tensing my jaw muscles again as I let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I need to talk to you about that…”
24
President Cunningham paced back and forth in front of his desk. He looked concerned, even a little nervous, though not for the reasons people might think.
It had been almost eighteen hours since news broke of North Korea’s global invasion. He knew it was coming, but he also knew the first twenty-four hours would be critical. He didn’t expect them to fall at the first hurdle, because many of the countries they’re attacking were crippled beyond any immediate recovery. His concerns had more to do with how significant the attacks were. He needed the world to see that not only were they being threatened, but also that they had no hope. The first and only line of defense anywhere was GlobaTech, which shouldn’t be any match for the full power of North Korea’s forces.
Pacing with him on the opposite side of the Oval Office was Heskith. He looked visibly calmer, but that was more for Cunningham’s benefit. He knew if he looked worried, it would affect his president.
Of the two of them, he was the more grounded. While Cunningham was an idealist and a blind believer in destiny, Heskith looked at the bigger picture and focused on the realistic concerns. He thought GlobaTech’s forces were a more significant threat than Cunningham gave them credit for. Despite having the advantage of knowing every tactical detail about their operations, he still appreciated the dangers of underestimating any enemy.
“What’s the latest?” asked Cunningham, pausing to look at his chief of staff.
“I’m expecting an update from Atkins in a few moments,” Heskith replied. “They’re monitoring everything in real time down in the Situation Room.”
The president sighed. “I should be down there…”
Heskith shook his head. “No, sir, you shouldn’t. Your place is here, showing strength and faith in the face of a crisis. That’s what anyone else in your position would do.”
“Gerry, anyone else would be down there making decisions and—”
“Mr. President, with respect, what decisions, exactly, would you make? You knew this was going to happen, and we have no intention of deploying any of our own armed forces overseas. Not yet, anyway. Your job, right now, is all PR. You need to look strong and unafraid so the American people feel compelled to put their faith in you. That way, when the time comes, they’ll see your actions as the only logical choice.”
Cunningham started to respond but refrained. He knew Heskith had a point.
A few more minutes of tense silence passed before the intercom buzzed on the president’s desk. He moved toward it and pressed the flashing button. “Yes?”
“Sir, Director Atkins is here for you,” announced his secretary.
“Send him in.”
He exchanged an excited glance with Heskith as the door opened. Dennis Atkins strode purposefully into the room, a folder tucked under his arm. Cunningham was quick to note the troubled look on his face.
“What is it?” he asked him.
Atkins took the folder in his hand and passed it to the president. “This is the latest briefing on the attacks,” he explained. “The Koreans have established themselves in the capital cities of most countries across Asia. Beijing, Moscow, Tokyo, New Delhi — they are all now officially under North Korean rule. There are reports coming in from all over of refugees being slaughtered in the tens of thousands.”
“What about the Middle East?” asked Heskith. “Is there word from Egypt or Saudi Arabia?”
Atkins shook his head. “Nothing as yet. We’re trying to establish a feed via Cerberus, but it’s difficult to do without alerting people to the fact we’re still in control of it. The eyes of the world are everywhere. The media coverage alone could undo us if we’re not careful.”
Cunningham nodded, listening to the report. “What’s wrong, Dennis?” he asked, recognizing there was more on his mind than the invasion. “Besides the obvious…”
Atkins sighed heavily. He tried to speak a couple of times but the words seemed to fail him, and he hesitated.
“Director…?” prompted Heskith.
“We had word last night from our asset in New Jersey regarding the Adrian Hell situation,” he said finally.