I wanted access to that gate and not just because it would be nice to be right. I wanted access because Algar had told me it was vital, and I knew he hadn’t said that merely to be dramatic.
Contemplated what I could say. And realized I could say what I both wanted and needed to.
“Kitty knows about Algar.”
Had to say this—results were immediate.
CHAPTER 63
HAPPILY, FOR ONCE, they were the results I was hoping for.
All the animals turned to me, looks of shocked relief on their faces. Harlie mewed questioningly at me.
“He said I remind him of the first King of Alpha Four. And, yes, I know that Richard and Paul know about him. We can’t talk about him, though, he prevents it. I think he’s allowing me to talk about him with all of you because you don’t really talk to anyone else like you talk to Kitty, and Algar wants me to find that Cube Gate.”
Bruno did his head bob thing and scratched gently at the carpet.
“I’m not sure why he wants me to find the hidden gate, but if I have to guess, it’s because Algar wants Kitty to use the gate to get in and out of Gaultier safely. Or something along those lines.”
Lola, Bruno’s mate, and Poofikins started squawking and mewing. Was pretty sure they were telling Bruno and Harlie that I should be told where the hidden gate was.
I’d gotten really good at understanding what the animals were saying, or at least what they were trying to get across to me. However, that only worked when they actually wanted me to know what they were saying. When they didn’t, as now, it was much more guesswork than certain knowledge on my part.
The animals finally reached agreement. The Peregrines cooed at me in a lovely manner, then they disappeared. The Poofs all purred at me, which was also a lovely sound, then they took off, too. Bruno, Harlie, and Poofikins were all who remained.
Bruno flapped his wings at me, while doing the head bob thing.
“Okay.” Put my purse over my head. “Ready.”
Harlie and Poofikins jumped onto my shoulders. Bruno trotted out of this room and I followed.
He headed for the nursery, which made me more than a little worried. But we went through it and into the isolation chamber that was attached to the master bedroom.
It was really more of an isolation bedroom, complete with a king-size bed, two regular beds, and all the tubes and needles you could ask for. But considering that Jeff needed isolation regularly, it was nice to have it so close and safe. Jamie and I also needed isolation sometimes, and I was a lot less panicky with this room than the regular isolation chambers.
Everything in this room was very white. For whatever reason, white seemed to be the operative color of choice for an isolation bedroom. The isolation chambers weren’t this monochromatic, but Jeff never complained about this color scheme, or lack thereof, so I hadn’t worried about it.
The Colemans hadn’t had any A-C talents, but Terry had, and I knew this suite had been hers before she’d been infected by the Yates/Mephistopheles in-control superbeing and died. In fact, the memory she’d programmed Jeff to implant in me had shown her and the boys lying in the king bed in this isolation chamber. I just hadn’t realized that until we’d moved in here and I’d spent some time in this room with Jeff.
One of the many things I hadn’t paid much attention to until this very moment was the fact that the big bed was attached to the wall. I’d figured this was because it was an extra-large hospital bed and the isolation equipment was fragile.
However, Bruno jumped onto this bed and stared at the headboard. Oh, goody, a test. Nice to know even the animal kingdom wanted me to keep the skills sharp.
Looked at the headboard. It looked like a headboard. It appeared to be made of wood, painted white, shocker, with some inlaid wooden squares also painted white. There were five of these, all about five inches square, in a line across the headboard. A sixth, slightly larger, square was in the middle of the headboard, near the top. Not the most exciting of designs, but great if you were really into geometric shapes and straight angles.
Bruno looked at me over his shoulder, then turned back to the study of the headboard. Clearly I was slow to react.
Dawned on me that the squares in the headboard could be one side of a cube. The square up top in particular, since closer inspection showed that it wasn’t quite like the others.
“Huh. Algar said we’d been looking incorrectly. Everyone was searching for an actual gate, not a cube that’s hidden in plain sight. How does it work?”
Bruno flapped his wings on the bed. I took the hint and climbed up, Poofs still on my shoulders. I was on my knees in front of the main square. Bruno came over and squawked. Took the hint and picked him up. He was heavier than my cats but thankfully lighter than our smallest dog, Duchess.
Harlie mewed at me in an urgent manner.
“Okay. Does it matter if you’re all thinking of different places than me?”
Bruno cooed.
“Good to know. Touch is key, got it. You’re sure it won’t drop us onto, or worse, into someone or something?”
Got reassuring purrs and coos, along with some extra cautionary advice.
“And you’re positive we can get back?”
Mews and purrs confirmed that the Poofs and Peregrines had their Ways and I was good as long as I was with them or Bruno.
“Gotcha. Kitty’s ready for the wild ride. I hope.”
With that I reached out and touched the top square.
And again, results were immediate.
CHAPTER 64
I’D THOUGHT OF THE LAIR, where Jeff and I had lived during the first part of my tenure with Centaurion Division. And in the Lair I was. Unlike a gate transfer, there was no nausea. Cube travel was definitely the way to go.
We were in the living room, in front of the TV, facing the couch, which was exactly what I’d seen in my mind.
There was a glittery square right in front of me. Reached for it and therefore touched it, and was right back on the bed in the isolation chamber. “Wow.”
Touched the cube again and was right back in the Lair. “Cool.” Now that I was here, contemplated wandering around. However, there was a lot going on, and besides, someone was going to notice that I was here, instead of in the Embassy, and I didn’t want to explain the Cube Gate to random people at this precise time. Did wonder what Algar was up to, but now probably wasn’t the time to try to visit him. So I touched the floating square.
Only, this time, I’d been thinking about Algar. And that’s where I ended up. “Whoops.”
I was in the weird reclamation area again, right on the tank platform I’d been on before. The room looked even bigger than when I’d been here before, but I was too shocked to really examine too much. Algar looked surprised, so there was that.
Harlie and Poofikins purred loudly, jumped off my shoulders and onto Algar’s, and rubbed up against him like he was their long-lost bestie. Wasn’t so shocked that this was lost on me.
Algar recovered faster than me. “Well, I see you’ve found the gate and figured out how to use it.”
“Um, sort of.” Saw a pile of glittery things in the far corner of the room.
“Good. Carry on.” With that, he snapped his fingers and Bruno and I were back in the isolation room at the Embassy.
Put Bruno down on the bed. “Care to explain all that to me?”
Bruno shot me the “I’m An Innocent Birdie” look. Gave him my Death Glare in return. I won. Bruno flapped his wings, cooed, squawked, and did some serious head bobbing that could have qualified him for any major urban hip-hop competition.