Gray Lines

Mango looked out the window as she saw Jade’s plane descending toward an active volcano. Steam poured from the top, and yet the jet was heading straight for it.

“Where the hell are we going?” asked Mango. “If we keep on this trajectory, we’re going to crash into the volcano!”

Jade laughed. “Oh, to be young and naïve again.”

Right before the plane looked like it would slam into the volcanic wall, a massive metal door opened in the side of the mountain, and the plane was swallowed by the volcano itself.

Inside, Mango saw a long, dark runway. The plane landed smoothly, rolling to a complete stop. The only light in the dark tunnel were the glowing dots lining the floor.

As soon as they stopped, Jade stood up calmly. “Okay, you two,” she said to Laz and Mango. “Follow me.”

They took a few steps toward the door. Just before opening it, Jade turned back to them.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” she said. “I have things going on, and my guards are very serious about my cause. They’ll kill you in a second.”

She opened the door, and Mango was shoved by a guard to exit the plane. They stepped out onto the runway, surrounded by darkness. The jet pulled away to an extension on the left and vanished into the black. Now they stood still in the quiet tunnel. Jade casually pulled out her phone and started texting.

Laz looked around. “So this is it, huh? Just some hangar in a fake active volcano?”

Jade scoffed at him. “Don’t ever talk about my construction skills like that ever again,” she said, clearly annoyed. “You’re just standing in the driveway.”

Then, a yellow golf cart arrived and stopped in front of them. “Get on,” Jade ordered.

Mango and Laz got on, while guards climbed onto the back. The cart made a U-turn and headed down the runway, but instead of going left, it turned right. It approached another large metal door. The driver stepped off the cart and approached a nearby panel. Leaning forward, he allowed it to scan his eye.

“Access granted,” said a voice from somewhere in the shadows. The massive door rumbled and began to open. The driver quickly returned to the cart as the doors slowly opened.

As they drove inside, both Mango and Laz’s jaws dropped.

Inside the volcano was a massive high-tech facility. Scientists, engineers, and techs filled the space. They were running experiments, testing weapons, and analyzing technology. Silver railings lined the edges of the walls, carrying grey pods of people. A pod would stop somewhere, and after the riders got out, it would take off on its own.

“Welcome to my playhouse,” said Jade. “Here, we test a lot of the weapons before we ship them out.”

Mango looked up and noticed several pipes extending toward the mouth of the volcano. “So that’s where all that fog and steam come from?” she asked.

“Yup,” said Jade. “It’s just exhaust.”

“So this whole place is fake?!”

“Well, actually, it is an active volcano. Just… not too active. The lava’s way below. And I’ve gotta say, it’s a much better energy source than any nuclear plant. Mother Earth is so giving.”

They turned down a hallway on the right. Mango noticed track railings lining the walls and floors.

A small pod zipped past them along one of the tracks, heading back toward the experimental area.

“You like that, huh?” Jade said. “It’s a lot better than using fuel to have people drive around. And faster than walking. Natural rail systems are standard at all of my bases.”

Laz stroked his chin. “So you’ve got a few of these bases then?”

“A woman can never be too careful,” she replied.

They made another turn, this time into a dimly lit corridor. It was darker than the rest of the base. They stopped in front of a smaller metal door with vertical bars at the top and a small slit to look into.

“All right,” said Jade. “Put her in.”

One of the guards quickly jumped down and grabbed Mango, shoving her toward the door. It opened, revealing a tiny gray cell with a single metal bed and nothing else.

“So you’re just going to keep me here until when?” asked Mango. “Until I die?”

Jade shook her head. “No. Until I’m sure you won’t do anything stupid.”

“How can you be sure?” Mango asked. “I wouldn’t underestimate me if I were you.”

“Oh, yeah?” said Jade. “And why is that?”

Mango bit her tongue, stopping herself from saying something she might regret.

“Whatever,” she said.

“So we’re on board, then?” asked Jade.

“I wouldn’t say that.”

Laz stepped in. “It would be better to keep an eye on her from a close distance. If there’s one thing I know about Mango, it’s that when she’s left alone, she gets into too much trouble.”

Jade scoffed. “I’ll have you know this jail cell is impenetrable.”

Laz shrugged. “I’m sure it is. Which is why I’m also sure she’ll find a way out.”

Jade thought for a moment. Then, she rubbed her head. Her face grimaced as if she were in pain. A guard stepped toward her and patted her back.

“Are you alright, mam?” the guard asked.

“You know,” she said, “this feels like one of those spy movies.”

“What?” asked Mango, confused.

“Well,” Jade said, “I’ve got a secret fortress in a volcano. You’re the woman who fell in love with a spy I murdered… Even though he was my brother, something about this just feels… predictable. It’s off. It’s wrong… ugh, my head.”

Mango was taken aback. “What are you saying? That this has happened before or something?”

Jade shook her head. “No. I’m just saying it feels like it’s happened before.”

Jade’s expression shifted. She rubbed her temples.

“Do you need your pills?” asked one of the guards.

“No,” Jade barked sharply. “Shut up! I’m fine.”

Laz and Mango stared at her. Jade blinked, suddenly aware of her outburst. She cleared her throat and composed herself. “I’m fine,” Jade repeated, more calmly.

Laz looked at her suspiciously. “You get headaches, huh? I hope that’s not a constant thing with you. It seems like it could get in the way of a lot of things.”

“No, just a result of doing too many scenario calculations at once. It’s a bad habit of mine.” Jade smirked. “But you're right, Laz. This does feel exactly like the kind of scenario I’ve seen before. She ends up here, then somehow, some way, she escapes. No, fuck that.”

She snapped her fingers. “We're keeping an eye on you. No miracles this time. Guards, put her back on the cart. We're going to Central Command.”

The guards dragged Mango from the cell and loaded her into the cart.

Mango was confused. Why had Jade listened to Laz?

Something is going on here that I’m missing… better just listen… for now, thought Mango.

The cell was definitely impenetrable. But now, with her being moved, if John was tracking her, he would walk right into a trap! He’d show up in the heart of it all.

While they were walking to the pod, Mango discreetly slipped the tracker from her pocket and dropped it to the floor of the cart. She prayed John would follow the signal and not her.

The cart zoomed into a tunnel, and it was dark for a moment. Then it came out into another hallway. It stopped in front of a large red door. The guards dismounted and opened it for Jade.

“Here we are,” said Jade.

She stepped out. Laz and Mango followed. They entered a vast command center. There were rows of computers, operators at terminals, and a massive screen at the front of the room. At the rear was an elevated section, accessible by some stairs. Atop was a large control panel with a desk chair. They all walked up the stairs, and Janet took a seat.

The guards motioned for Laz and Mango to stand on either side of her.

Cracking her fingers, Jade said, “Okay. Time to get to work.”

“Laz,” she called, stretching out her hand behind her.

He looked at her warily, rubbing the ring on his finger. “You go first,” he said.

“Fine,” she shrugged.

Jade typed some code on her keyboard. The massive screen lit up, displaying disturbing images. They were of crime scenes, kidnappings, assassinations, robberies, even photos of government officials. Red digital lines connected them all like a criminal conspiracy web.

“See?” Jade said. “All these incidents are connected. I’m not sure of the name of the organization running them, but this is as far as I’ve gotten.”

Laz frowned. “I thought you said you knew who and where they were.”

“No,” Jade said. “I told you they existed. I have proof they do. Not specifics. Not until the CIA starts putting its best foot forward.”

Laz wasn’t satisfied. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “So you’re saying that all these elected officials and crimes are connected. Congratulations. Corrupt politics. How revolutionary. Do you have some sort of lead for any of this?”

Jade smirked and typed again. The screen now showed a list of American senators and congressmen. Some names were highlighted.

“Even in your own government,” she said, smiling.

Laz stepped forward, his eyes scanning the screen. Mango could tell he was using his total recall ability.

“All I have for you is a name that one of your Congressman gave up after some… convincing. He was given an invitation to meet a group named Tzel El.”

“Tzel El?”

“Yeah. It was this one, Trevor Johnson. Are you trying to memorize it?” Jade asked. “You know I can just give it to you. As a show of good faith, I don’t need the satellite permanently. I just want to borrow it. Just to prove a point.”

Laz looked at her. Jade smiled innocently. “If it’s for America,” Laz said, “then fine.”

Mango's face twisted in shock. “Are you serious? She just told you these are evil elites who’ve infiltrated your government!”

Jade and Laz looked at each other, then back at Mango. “You clearly don’t know history,” said Laz. “We used Nazis to defeat the Nazis. They got us to the moon.”

“So,” Mango said, “we should do it again?”

“In this world,” Jade said, “it doesn’t matter what side you’re on, as long as they’re on your side. Right, Laz?”

“Exactly,” Laz said. “Let me get a copy of this, and we’ll see where it goes.”

Jade gestured, and a subordinate appeared with a thumb drive. She handed it to Laz.

“Now for the codes,” she said.

“Fine,” Laz said, and they exchanged the thumb drive and ring.

“Are you insane?” Mango shouted. “You are such a fool!”

“Shut up,” said Laz. “Agent Eagle would kill for this info. I'll be One instead of him! I got it, and I didn’t even have to kill anyone. That’s called negotiation. Soon”

“You did kill someone,” Mango spat. “His name was John Nero.”

Laz shrugged. “John was collateral damage.”

Mango’s face became red with anger. She lunged at Laz, but a guard grabbed her just in time.

“I’ll kill you,” she screamed. “Both of you!”

Jade and Laz laughed.

“We’ll see about that,” Jade said.

Jade then entered the codes into her terminal. A feed of the satellite in orbit appeared on screen. As she typed in the last of the code’s sequence, the satellite began to shift.

Her eyes lit up. A smile spread across her face.

“Perfect,” she said. “Now to show some people I mean business.”

She adjusted the satellite, aligning it with a target somewhere in Europe. It began to glow, charging.

“Wait, you’re firing it?” Laz asked.

“Not exactly,” Jade replied. “Unlike my idiot brother, I know how to use this thing. I’m just pinpointing targets. Unlike Tokyo, which was obliterated for no reason. I just have to wait. I guarantee I’ll get a response within moments.”

“A response from whom?” Mango demanded.

“You’ll see,” Jade said. “Make sure you pay attention,” she said to Laz.

“Focus,” Laz said.

“Total Recall,” Jade said before he was able to speak. “I wonder what that does.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Laz replied in a snarky tone.

“I’m guessing it’s probably some memory-related thing,” Jade said.

Laz bit his lip in frustration. “How did you know?” he asked.

Jade shook her head. “Our dad created the focus system. You’d be surprised how often this thing references movies and TV shows.”

She sucked her teeth. “What a nerd. Luckily for me, I have a FOCUS of my own. My Talent ‘Blueprint’ tells me everything I need to know about a device, inside and out. I just have to see it function twice to understand it. Even down to how it’s constructed.”

“I guess that explains how you made all your fancy toys,” said Mango.

Jade turned to her. “I wish. It can only tell me how to recreate things that already exist. You still have to be a genius to make new ones.”

A lackey approached Jade from the side. “Ma’am, you have an incoming call,” he said.

Jade clapped her hands with a childlike grin. “Perfect. Put them on the screen.”

Suddenly, the large monitor lit up, revealing a man in a business suit flanked by several military officers. He had a strong jawline, white hair, and piercing blue eyes. Though he wore no flag pin, Mango could tell by their standard camo and accents that the soldiers behind him were European.

“I see you’re aiming a satellite laser at us,” the man said flatly. “Any particular reason? We haven’t even made contact with you.”

Jade smiled a large coy smile. “I don’t know. Why would you be upset about me aiming at a random field in Europe?”

“Because it’s our territory,” the man said. “You’ll be registered as a terrorist if you don’t stand down.”

“Oh, really?” Jade said. “And which country would that be to? I notice there are no flags behind you. Not even a pin on your uniform.”

The man stammered. “I, uh…”

“Exactly what I thought,” Jade said with a smirk. “And don’t worry. I can’t fire it.”

“You won’t? Then why are you–

“-Because it’s in position.”

“In position?”

The screen then split in two.

“You know,” Jade said, “I know you’re too old to understand screen sharing, but pay attention to your side.”

The right half of the screen showed the satellite in orbit, and another, smaller satellite approaching it. Suddenly, the smaller satellite exploded, revealing a large, high-tech spyglass module. It hovered into place and attached itself to the front of the laser satellite, followed by a series of similar attachments pointing in multiple directions.

“With this,” Jade said, “I can hit that random field, and simultaneously strike targets in Asia, Africa, Australia, and Mexico. Places where supposedly ‘no one lives’ or ‘nothing’s going on.’ Funny, isn’t it?”

The man sucked his teeth. “You’ve made your point. But there’s nothing out there.”

“Then why are you calling me? I’m also sure you can contact the politicians in those regions and warn them that nothing will be attacked.”

The man leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin. “Maybe. Why would I do that? Maybe we just locate your little volcano base and nuke it.”

“You can try,” Jade said, nonchalant. “But by the time you fire, I’ll be long gone. And the laser is already charged.”

“So what the hell do you want?”

Jade’s tone turned cold. “I want you to stay the hell out of my way, and everyone else’s. Give me an audience with the one who’s really in charge so I can convince them.”

He laughed. “You really think I have the authority to do that?”

“Maybe not,” Jade said, tilting her head. “You do come off more like a spokesman lackey.”

“Hey—” he started.

“-Shut up,” Jade snapped, cutting him off. “Just pass the message to your masters. Tell them to pull their lackeys out of my underlings. Maybe then I’ll leave you alone…for now.”

“You don’t even know who we are,” the man said. “Why would we comply?”

“Easy,” Jade said, her voice turning serious. “I may not know who controls the Silk Road, but I do know the traffic routes. I can trace where your operations intersect, and blow those junctions to hell.”

The man grimaced. “I’ll relay that. But we’ll need time to respond.”

“Fine,” Jade said. She pressed a button. The satellite paused its charging, but its ominous glow remained. “You have exactly three hours. Then I start making decisions.”

The call was cut off. “See?” Jade said calmly. “That wasn’t so hard. I told you there was something else out there, and I proved it. Is that good enough for you, Laz?”

“More than enough.” Laz said with a smile.

Mango shook her head in disbelief.

Was Jade bluffing? Was this shadow organization even real? Could that have been a staged video?

Something in her gut said Jade wasn’t bluffing at all. She was playing on a level Mango hadn’t even realized existed.

Jade turned to Laz and handed him back the ring. “I guess I don’t really need this anymore.”

“What about our country?” Laz asked.

Jade shrugged. “You’ll get what you want, but only after those assholes decide to surrender. Contact whomever you need. Let them know what’s happening.”

“Fine,” Laz said. “Where’s your communications room?”

“Guards,” Jade called. “Take him to the closest one.”

One of the guards gestured to Laz and began escorting him out.

“What about her?” another guard asked, pointing at Mango.

Jade snapped her fingers, and a lackey brought over a chair. Jade patted the seat invitingly.

“Take a load off, sweetie,” she said. “I get the feeling I should keep an eye on you.”

Mango sucked her teeth and reluctantly sat down. She couldn’t believe it. In just one move, Jade had managed to get the CIA in her pocket and possibly all of the underground under her thumb.