Jonathan pressed the transmit button. “Okay, we got that.”
The computer display shifted to a blue background with white lines and words, clearly a digital rendering of an old-style blueprint. “I got this from the Department of Public Works,” Venice explained. “The graphics aren’t optimal, but it’s the best I could do in the limited time window.”
“What’s the date on this document?” Jonathan asked. The labels appeared to be handwritten, which he hadn’t seen since the advent of computer-aided design rendered traditional draftsmen irrelevant in the late 1980s.
“Nineteen thirty-two,” Venice said.
Boxers gave a low whistle. “What do you bet they moved a few walls since then?”
“He can hear, too?” Georgie said. “That’s not fair. Why can’t we hear?”
“Shut up, Georgie,” LeBron said.
“Be nice to your brother,” Dawn said.
Venice explained, “The basic bones of the place should be the same. I did a quick but thorough search of building permits in the last twenty years, and nothing showed up.”
Jonathan transmitted, “Of course that assumes that they would necessarily file for permits instead of just building stuff out themselves.”
“I think that’s a good assumption,” Venice said. “Hoping to find a trail to something more recent, I also scoured the fire inspection records, and saw no mention of structural changes.”
Jonathan looked to Boxers, who shook his head. “I don’t know how the hell she thinks of this shit,” Big Guy said. Then he shot a glance at Dawn. “Pardon my language.”
“Page four gives you the best overview of the floor plan,” Venice said.
Jonathan clicked his way to page four, which revealed a plan view for a manufacturing facility that looked like every other manufacturing facility. The offices lined the front part, while the much larger processing area featured labels that included an offal room, a bleeding pit, and a head washing station. These in addition to storage rooms, a pre-cooler, a cooler, and a freezer.
“That’s disgusting,” Boxers said. “Almost makes you want to be a vegetarian.” For Big Guy, almost was the key word there. The amount of red meat he could consume at one sitting made him legend among his fellow Unit operators back in the day.
“I just hope they cleaned it up before they abandoned it,” Jonathan said. “After a few years in a freezer without electricity, I bet that can get pretty ripe.”
“They have electricity,” LeBron said.
Jonathan’s and Boxers’ heads turned in unison. “Excuse me?” they said.
The unison chorus made LeBron laugh. “Yeah, they’ve had it for a while.”
Jonathan keyed his mike and passed that detail along to Venice.
“That doesn’t sound right,” she said. “Stand by one.”
Jonathan turned to LeBron. “How long have they had electricity back?”
The kid turned to his wife and brother. “What, three months?”
“About that,” Georgie said.
“Less,” Dawn said. “About ten weeks.”
Ten weeks it was. It didn’t matter all that much, and Jonathan was not going to challenge Dawn. Truth be told, he was a little afraid of some women, too.
“Scorpion, Mother Hen,” Venice’s voice said. “I’m sorry. I checked the electric bill by the company name, not by the address. They’re right. The electricity is on at the facility. It has been for about the last ten weeks.”
Jonathan smiled and winked at Dawn. She had no idea what it was for, but it made her smile anyway.
Jonathan checked his watch. It was time to shift from general plans to specific plans. “Mother Hen, I have a mission for you. Please find the locations of the external electrical shutoffs and download them to my GPS. I’ll also need you to monitor local police and fire frequencies and keep us from getting in deeper than we can handle.”
“I’ve already sent the electrical shutoffs,” Venice said. “I’m also downloading the locations of the nearest public trauma center and the nearest clandestine facility. Just so you know, if it comes to that, I’d shoot for the clandestine shop. Their record is better and they’re only three miles farther away.”
Jonathan didn’t acknowledge that transmission because it was inappropriate traffic to begin with, and he didn’t want the surrounding civilians to know that there’d been more conversation.
He looked up at Boxers. “Do you have anything more for Mother Hen?”
Big Guy shook his head. “Not for now,” he said.
Jonathan keyed the mike. “You’re off the hook for a while, Mother Hen. We’ll let you know when we’re ready to go hot.”
Jonathan closed the laptop and stood. “Okay, Big Guy,” he said. “Time to play with our new toy.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
As the water cooled, Graham stood in the tub and climbed out. Teddy and his posse had been gone for a while. Until a few minutes ago, Graham had been in a blind panic. They were going to kill him, one way or another. That’s what Teddy had said — not in so many words, but that was what the words he did say actually meant. The question he had to deal with was a Faustian deal of the highest order. (Yes, he’d read Faust.) He could declare defeat and give them what they wanted, and the reward would be to die immediately, or he could hold out longer and preserve his life.
That wasn’t really a choice at all, now that his heart had calmed a little and he could think clearly. More time on the planet was better than less time. Plus, deep in his heart, he didn’t believe the part about breaking bones and crushing his balls. If it came to that, then he would fight until he had nothing left to fight with.
When it was all done, if he’d lost the fight and the breaking and the crushing got to be too much, he could always break then.
Graham was shocked that his panic had subsided. He was still frightened and sad, but he felt as if those emotions had somehow made him stronger — not physically, but mentally. Thirty-six hours ago, more or less, his life had been normal — pretending to study for a math test he could have done with his eyes closed, hoping against hope that Avery Hessington and the rest of the high school royalty would let him walk the halls unmolested.
Thirty-six hours ago, it mattered what names people called him — freak, geek, gay, pussy, queer (he’d lived with them all for as long as he could remember). It mattered who would dare to sit with him in the cafeteria, and it mattered that he lived in fear of being called on because he always knew the right answer.
That all seemed so distant now, so irrelevant — though as the memories rejuvenated in his head, they triggered vivid resentment. Who the hell was Avery Hessington to put him through that kind of hell? And how could Graham have taken it so seriously? If he ever got out of this, he was going to tell Avery what an asshole he was.
The first step was to climb out of the tub. He stepped over the lip and onto the concrete floor.
Graham’s fingers and toes had turned pruny and white from the water. As he explored this massive room, the water draining from his matted clothes left a slick on the floor. He walked to the far wall, where windows lined its entire width. Through the thick layer of grime, he could see the wire reinforcement in the glass. He felt a flutter of hope in his belly. Could escape really be so easy? As he approached, he had to climb over all kinds of abandoned… stuff. Much of it was shiny, and while much of it was heavy, nothing he saw was either pointy or sharp. Nothing that would make a good weapon.
But maybe something would make a good glass breaker.