Fluffy’s Revolution Page 12

  “Hey, these might come in handy,” he says and handcuffs Epps’s hands behind his back.

  “Get the key,” says Indira.

  “Key,” says Riordan. The second security guy tosses him the handcuff key. “Now, take us to Dr. Handler. Everybody walk nice and slow.”

  Hobson leads the way, followed by the two security guards. Riordan, with one of the confiscated guns trained on the guy in front of him, is followed by Epps. Bringing up the rear is Indira with a gun in his back. They descend the spiral wrought iron staircase that leads to the room Epps calls his study.

  Unlike the living room, the study is more masculine: brown wood paneling, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, fireplace, a fully-stocked bar, a desk, computer, and a collection of antique works of art that is unrivaled anywhere in the world: Original Matisses, Van Goghs, Picassos, Miros.

  “Percy, you wait here with the Pinkertons. Epps, take me to Dave,” says Indira. Minutes later Indira and Epps return with Dr. Handler.

  “Dave!” Riordan hasn’t seen his old college buddy in thirty years.

  “Jimmy?”

  “It’s Percy at the moment, but never mind.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “We’ve come to spring you, as we say in the criminal underworld.”

  “Dave,” Indira cuts in, “we need your help.” Then, to Epps and his security guys: “Okay, here’s what’s going to happen: Dave, Percy and me, and Mr. E here are going to get back on that robocopter. We are going to fly outta here. Anybody tries to stop us or follow us, Epps gets it first.”

  “Wait,” says Handler. “My computer. They’ve got it locked up somewhere.”

  “Where is it?” says Indira.

  “It’s locked in a storage room downstairs,” says Hobson.

  “Go get it. Percy, you go with him.”

  Riordan accompanies Hobson out of the room. They return a few minutes later with a small leather carrying case. Riordan gives it to Handler, then he leads the way up the stairs, followed by Handler. Indira, goes up backward, using Epps as a shield and keeping her gun on the security guys, who stay in the study. Once on the roof, they all pile into the robocopter. Riordan sits in the “pilot’s” seat, with Epps next to him in front. Indira shows Riordan how to punch in the coordinates for West Kill Falls, and they take off.

  The flight was brief, but Riordan couldn’t resist asking Handler, “David, is there nothing we can do to stop this asteroid? Couldn’t we explode a nuclear bomb to knock it off its course?”

  It was Epps that answered. “Where did you say you were a professor?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Well, professor, if you knew anything about recent history, you would know that we don’t have nukes anymore. All weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them were destroyed after the Treaty of 2105 when the corporations consolidated power.”

  “But surely we could build one…”

  “No,” said Handler. “There’s not enough time. We would have to start from raw uranium; it would take too long to get enough and to enrich it to weapons grade. We don’t have centrifuges. And we don’t have any missiles to launch it.”

  “We’re over the falls,” said Indira. “Turn on the searchlight.”

  Riordan found the switch that turned on the searchlight and trained it on the terrain below. They could see the stream and the falls, and a road about 100 feet away. There was a van parked near the footpath that led to the falls.

  “That must be Art,” said Riordan.

  “Where are we anyway?” said Epps.

  “We’re in a secret place. If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” said Riordan, getting a bit carried away with his new persona. “It’s just a hunch, but I have a feeling we might be able to find some answers here.”

  The copter set itself down on the road near the car. “That you, professor?” It was Art’s voice. The van door opened and Art emerged.

  “Yes, Art. And I brought some friends―and an enemy.”

  Art was dumbstruck. “But that’s…”

  “Jeremiah Epps, in person,” said Riordan. “And these are my friends, Indira and Dr. David Handler, the world’s foremost astronomer.”

  Now Laura got out of the van, carrying a shoebox, and joined them. Art introduced Laura to everyone.

  “What’s in the box?” asked Indira.

  Laura opened the shoebox and inside were Hacker and Mitzi, who was nursing six tiny mouse babies. “Say hello to Hacker, Mitzi and the family,” said Laura. “Hacker’s the gray one.”

  “Hi,” said Hacker.

  Riordan, Indira, Handler, and Epps were agog. “How did he do that?” said Epps.

  “Hey, first things first. Aren’t you gonna congratulate me? I’m a dad!”

  “Congratulations,” they all murmured in unison.

  “The voice disc is Hacker’s latest invention. I guess you could call him the Edison of rodents,” said Art.

  “Fantastic,” said Handler.

  “You think I’m smart, just wait until these little critters grow up. Of course, if you have your way, they never will, will they, Mr. Epps?”

  Everyone turns to Epps. He actually looks sheepish. For the first time in his life, Jeremiah Epps is at a loss for words.

  “Hacker, do you think you could contact Fluffy? I’m pretty sure she’s near here,” said Riordan.

  “I haven’t got a lot of experience at long distance telepathy, but Fluffy and I were pretty close, so maybe…”

  “Well, can you try?”

  “Look, could somebody please tell us what this is all about?” said Art.

  “Oh, sorry, Art,” said Riordan. Then he looked searchingly at Indira and Handler. How do I tell someone the world’s about to end?

  “I’ll do it,” said Handler. “Art, Laura, Hacker, there’s an asteroid the size of New Jersey headed straight for Earth. It’s traveling 18,000 miles per hour and it’s twelve million, nine hundred and sixty thousand miles away. In twenty-five days it will be here, and it will destroy the Earth.”

  “Unless…?” said Art.

  “I don’t know,” said Handler.

  “I don’t know either,” said Riordan, “but I just have this feeling Fluffy and her friends at Animal U might have the answer. So, Hacker…”

  Everyone turned their gaze toward the small gray mouse in the shoebox. Hacker was motionless. For a long time, there was no sound but falling water and the wind through the trees.

  “She says to tell you she loves you, Doc. She congratulated me and Mitzi on our babies…”

  “And…?” said everyone.

  “And she’s consulting her crew about letting us come to Animal U. I think the snag is, ahem, you, Mr. Epps. Wait…I’m getting something…They say Epps can come. He might learn something.”

  “Wonderful,” said Riordan. “Now what?”

  “First of all,” said Hacker, “cover this shoebox with something. You’re all gonna get wet, but not my babies.”

  “Here,” said Riordan, “cover it with my raincoat.” He passed his raincoat to Laura.

  “Fluffy and two others are coming to escort us. It’ll take about an hour,” said Hacker.

  “We’ve got to get rid of that robocopter,” said Riordan. “We’ve got to hide it somewhere.”

  “Maybe we can shove it off a cliff or something,” said Indira.

  So, Indira flew the robocopter up the mountain until she got to a place where there was a long sheer drop beside the road. Riordan and Art followed in the van. Laura and Handler stayed behind to
keep an eye on Epps, who seemed lost in thought and kept silent. Indira set the copter down by the edge of the cliff, and they pushed it over the side with the van. They watched as the small craft bounced off the rocky face and broke into a thousand pieces even before it hit bottom. “Well, they’ll have a hard time finding that,” said Indira. Then they drove back to the falls and waited.

  At last, they heard a voice―a voice Riordan recognized. It was Fluffy. “Down here,” she shouted. Her real voice projected through the voice disc still sounded remarkably like Katharine Hepburn’s. The voice was coming from under the falls. Fluffy guided the group across the footbridge and down the eastern bank to the edge of the stream, then up the mossy stone “steps” that led to the cavern. One by one, they crawled through the falling water and into the low-ceilinged cave: Epps went first, so he couldn’t make a break for it―they had taken off his handcuffs so he could negotiate the climb, then came Indira, then Handler, Riordan, Art, and Laura, bearing the shoebox covered with Riordan’s raincoat. Riordan embraced Fluffy. He saw the fur had been shaved off part of her tail and the remnants of the wounds. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine,” said Fluffy. “I can’t believe you’re here, Dad!”

  “I guess we both have some tales to tell―er, no pun intended. Fluffy, this is my good friend, Indira.”

  Fluffy looked between her dad and Indira and sensed their love.

  “I’ve heard so much about you, Fluffy,” said Indira. “So great to finally meet you.” She couldn’t resist reaching out and stroking Fluffy’s head.

  “It’s great to meet you too, Indira,” said Fluffy. She couldn’t help wondering if she had a rival for her dad’s love.

  With Fluffy were Bernard and Mama Angelica. Fluffy introduced them and Riordan introduced his party. “And this is Jeremiah Epps,” Riordan said at last, with a mixture of pride at his capture and trepidation at how he would be received.

  “Welcome to all of you,” said Mama Angelica. “Even you, Mr. Epps.” Then, to Indira: “You’ll have to leave your gun here, young lady. They’re neither allowed nor needed where we’re going.”

  “I think I’ve got one too—in my raincoat,” said Riordan. Laura got the gun out of his pocket and tossed it aside.

  Fluffy asked Laura to open the box, just for a moment, so she could say hello to Hacker and Mitzi and see the babies.

  “Hi, Fluffy,” said Hacker. “So here we are, all together again.”

  “Congratulations, Hacker and Mitzi,” said Fluffy. “The next generation of GAB mice is here. Now the world will truly see something―if the world survives.”

  Then Bernard made the stone gate open and they all entered the long tunnel. Riordan started to put the handcuffs back on Epps. “You don’t need to do that,” said Epps. “I won’t make any trouble.”

  “He speaks the truth,” said Mama Angelica. Riordan pocketed the handcuffs, and they set off.

  Chapter Thirteen – Eve of Destruction

  “Astrologers? What do you mean astrologers?” Valerie Trump was on her handheld, trying to make sense out of Hobson’s rattled ramblings.

  “Maybe it’s astronomers,” said Hobson.

  “Okay, let’s take it from the top one more time: Epps was kidnapped by a pair of academic types who were there to free a certain Dr. Handler, who is an astronomer Epps was holding hostage at the house?”

  “Right.”

  “And you say there are six more ‘astrologers’ being held prisoner at one of the guest houses on the property?”

  “That’s right.”

  “But why was he holding scientists captive?”

  “I don’t know. You know Epps. He gives orders, I take ‘em. No questions.”

  “Yes, I know him. And what about his robocopter? Have you been able to trace it?”

  “It had an automatic GP signal. We traced it to the top of West Kill Mountain in the Catskills; then we lost it.”

  “I want to speak to those scientists.”

  “Of course.”

  “I’ll be landing on the roof in half an hour.”

  “Very good, Miss Trump.”

  Valerie Trump hung up and headed straight for her robocopter. She punched in the coordinates for the Epps estate and took off.

  Including Handler, there were seven astronomers in the Western Hemisphere who had discovered the asteroid. Epps had them all rounded up and flown to his estate within an hour after his Asian counterpart, Ho Chung Tanaka, had informed Epps and Himmelmann that one of his Chinese astronomers had discovered the impending doom.

  Hobson met Valerie on the Epps helipad. “We have surveillance footage of the abduction. From that camera right there,” said Hobson pointing to the surveillance camera just above the door that led to the spiral staircase. He took out his handheld and showed the footage to Valerie. “Face recognition software has identified both of them.” He froze on Riordan as he tumbled out of the robocopter. “This is James Riordan, wanted for animal terrorist activities. The woman is Indira Afia Fitzpatrick, Dr. Handler’s assistant.”

  “Could this have something to do with animal terrorists?”

  “I don’t know.”

  The other six astronomers were billeted under the watchful eyes of robot guards and attack robodogs in a six-bedroom guest house not far from the main house on the Epps estate. By now it was ten o’clock at night, and three of the six had retired to their rooms. The other three: Somes from Yerkes in Wisconsin, Kandinsky from Mauna Kea in Hawaii, and Calderon from the VLT (Very Large Telescope) in Chile. Somes was reading one of the many volumes provided in the large bookcase against one wall and Kandinsky and Calderon were engaged in an intense game of chess when Valerie Trump, with Hobson in tow, entered the room.

  “Gentlemen,” said Hobson, “this is Valerie Trump, acting CEO of Epsilon.” He introduced the three scientists to Valerie.

  “But what happened to Epps?” said Somes.

  “We don’t know,” said Valerie, filling in as few details as possible. “He’s disappeared. Now, I need to know why he has kidnapped you.”

  “You mean, neither of you knows?” said Kandinsky. Valerie and Hobson both shook their heads. Kandinsky began to laugh. The other two joined in.

  “My god,” said Calderon, “the world is about to end, and Epps and us are the only ones who know!” They all had another good laugh.

  “What do you mean ‘the world is about to end’?”

  All the men started talking at once. “I’ll tell it,” said Somes. “There is an asteroid about one-eighth the mass of our moon headed straight for Earth. When it gets here, it will obliterate our planet.”

  Valerie was stunned into silence. She swallowed hard. “And when will it get here?”

  “Twenty-five days.”

  She looked at the calendar on her handheld. “So, the world ends July second. Is there anything anybody can do about it?”

  “Nada,” said Calderon.

  “And you and Epps are the only ones who know?” said Valerie.

  “Well, actually,” said Kandinsky, “other astronomers in other parts of the world have also disappeared. I heard it on the news. So, Epps’s counterparts in the Triumvirate must also know.”

  “You mean, between all you geniuses, and all the other geniuses in the world, no one can figure out how to stop the world from ending?”

  “That’s about it,” said Somes.

  “I can understand why they kept it a secret,” said Valerie. “But somehow I think Epps, Tanaka, and Himmelmann must have also cooked up some kind of plan.” She dials up her assistant. “Ivan, this is an emergency. I need to you to get me the numbers for
Tanaka and Himmelmann, then conference them and patch me in.”

  Valerie told Tanaka and Himmelmann of Epps’s kidnapping, and that she is taking the reins of Epsilon, at least temporarily. She told them she knows about the asteroid and they fill her in on the evacuation plan. “So you’ve each chosen 10,000 elite to leave the planet with you and now we need to choose 10,000 from the Western Hemisphere, correct? …And what is the date of departure? …June thirtieth. We’ll be ready.” She hung up and got Ivan on the phone again. “Ivan, I want you to call all members of the top management team… Yes, right now… I don’t care what time it is… So wake them up! Tell them I’m convening an emergency meeting in thirty minutes in the main conference room. It’s mandatory!” Then she turned to Hobson and the astronomers. “Thank you, gentlemen, your cooperation is greatly appreciated. There is, in fact, a plan in place to evacuate as many people as possible to another planet. We leave for Moonbase June twenty-ninth. Of course, you and your families will all be included in the evacuation.”

  “Miss Trump, what about Mr. Epps?” said Hobson.

  “What about him?”

  “Shouldn’t we send out a search party?”

  “To hell with him,” said Valerie. “He’s probably being beaten and tortured by a bunch of animal terrorists right now, and as far as I’m concerned, they can have him!” Stone-faced, she gave them a stiff, cursory nod, turned on her heel, and headed for her robocopter.

  When the stone curtains parted and Riordan, Indira, and the others exited the tunnel, they beheld the Animal U campus illuminated by hundreds of amber-tinted street lamps. “How can you have kept all this a secret from the Triumvirate?” asked Riordan.

  “It hasn’t been easy,” said Mama Angelica. “Having a lot of financial resources helps. We blocked off the road that led here, jack-hammered it into dust, and let nature do the rest. We hacked into all map apps and deleted this location. We made it look like unpopulated wilderness. For fifteen years we’ve managed to keep it a secret from the Triumvirate and the D.I.S. Of course, that will all be over now. I certainly hope your visit is worth it.”