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He moved to a tray, lifted a champagne flute, dropped his bag to the ground, and pulled out a black kit. “They had a champagne toast to Amanda’s good health that wasn’t on our schedule. Now the entire ballroom is acting as if they’ve been on a bender.” He dropped strips in different glasses. “Have you seen Gator?”
“No. What’s happening?”
“The shirts Iniquus wears in the field monitor our GPS locations and our vitals. My tactical coordinator, Deep, said Gator hasn’t moved his position for twenty minutes, and his vitals are depressed.”
Ethan’s focus caught on flashes of light at the window. He moved to look and saw a drone show lighting the sky.
That probably overlapped with Piper’s speech, and was why no one was downstairs yet.
“Jack, didn’t you tell me drones were illegal in D.C.?”
“Very.” Jack lifted one of the strips from the glass. “Why?” he looked up.
“Drones.” He held up a finger. “The social director didn’t order that up as a surprise?”
“They’d lose their license and go to prison.” Jack held up a strip. It was bright blue. “Date rape drugs. This is flunitrazepam.” Jack pressed his sternal mic. “Deep. Come in, Deep.” With his other hand, he was pulling the test strips from the glasses.
One by one, they came out blue.
“They drugged the guests?” Ethan grabbed the door handle as puffs of white powder billowed out of the HVAC system. Locked. He tugged at the handles, and nothing.
They were security doors. There was no breaking them down.
“Locked,” Ethan called.
Jack reached down to Tango’s collar and pressed the communications button. “Logistics?” Jack stood, tossed everything into his bag, and slung it over his back.
Ethan pulled out his phone to call 9-1-1.
He held up the phone for Jack to see the readout; same as at the Tiftons’, there was no connectivity. “Comms are down,” Ethan said. “The drones are a problem. They’re there for a reason. I’m getting flashes of Ukraine.”
“Agreed,” Jack said as he pressed the elevator button and it didn’t light up. No gears hummed into action. “Your mind is going to Amanda and Piper?”
“Both attacks had high levels of electronic intervention. Piper’s crew manipulated the AI to fly under the radar. They’ve been out-of-the-box thinkers from go.” Ethan pointed toward the stairs. “I’ll go rally the drivers and get ambulances heading our way. Where’s Gator?”
“We’re standing where he is. It must be on one of the other floors.”
A fire alarm sounded, and lights flashed over the exits.
Jack faced the ballroom door and pulled his knee to his chest to break it down.
“No go, they’re fortified,” Ethan said. “Try third floor for Gator and let Owen know.”
Ethan took off, racing for the stairway with Tango at his side.
Jay was at his post, sitting behind his desk, very still.
“We’re under attack,” Ethan called, grabbing the front door handle.
Locked.
Jay hadn’t moved a muscle.
“Jay, man, are you hearing me? I need you moving. We’re under attack.” Ethan stretched for the light switch, looked out the window, and cupped his hand near his eyes to cut the interior glare, watching for a response.
He blinked SOS over and over until he got a signal flashing back from limo headlights. Doors popped open; men were running.
Ethan scanned the room as he made his way to Jay.
