Page 21

DOYLE

A freshly showeredand changed Doyle sat at the long, oak table in the presidential suite of the TCR, currently occupied by Nicole Bennet and Jackson Meadows. Outside the wall of windows, the field of Saguaros dotted the mountainous landscape, punctuated by an occasional slither or dash of movement. The sun shone high and bright in the cloudless sky, but the ultra-thin, ridiculously strong AC glass of the resort kept out both the glare and the intense heat, leaving only the beautiful view.

That’s all this place is, Doyle realized, after having been out there for real, fucking 1888, a backdrop. Life outside these protective glass walls was realer than anything in the future where humanity had holed itself away from the discomforts of the planet so thoroughly that a vital cord grew thin to nearly nonexistent. Now that he’d had a taste of it, for even a few hours, Doyle wanted nothing more than to return.

Maybe the planet wasn’t the draw. Maybe, if he was honest, it was Sadie.

Doyle swallowed a hydropod and popped the edible remainder in his mouth as he considered the other serious faces at the table. Nicole, Jackson, McGovern (which burned his chaps), a woman with a pointy face and tightly curled, dark hair introduced as sociologist Dr. Kendra Charles, and none other than the Watcher themselves, ice-blue eyes almost inhuman against their pale face and sleek black suit. It didn’t help that they never seemed to smile.

On the center of the distressed wood table lay the damaged cloaking mechanism, open down the center, its insides spread out like intestines on an operating table. It would take days to fix, assuming he had access to all the parts he needed.

“How’s Jones?” Doyle asked, filling the tense silence.

“Still unconscious,” Nicole reported. Even in her frilly getup, she intimidated the hell out of him.

The Watcher stood, assessing the table. “Good work retrieving the technology, Dr. Doyle. I expect this fixed as soon as possible, preferably today.”

Doyle was about to inform them how unlikely it was to happen that quickly when Nicole stayed him with a hand.

“Naturally. Thank you, Watcher. Now if you will excuse us, I want to find out what Dr. Doyle needs to make it happen and what our associates can do to aid him.”

The Watcher nodded and left the room.

The remaining group of people stared at the door as it slid closed.

“We have to cut the trip early and return,” Jackson said, gesturing toward the frayed innards of the cloaking device.

“We have a saboteur,” Nicole said, biting off the word like she could snap the culprit in half through sheer distaste. “We are not allowing that person, or persons, to get away with it. Not this time.”

Doyle had heard about what happened on Paradise Atlantis, the underwater resort Bennet Systems had attempted to open the year prior. Their own COO of operations and creator of the original advanced Artificial Intelligence system that earned them their fortune had lost her mind. The crazy woman used the AI to sabotage the resort and attempted to kill nearly everyone aboard.

“You don’t think we’re in danger, do you?” Doyle asked, the realization grounding him.

Nicole gave a half-smile. “No. I don’t think there’s a killer on board, if that’s what you’re asking. If I did, this trip would indeed be over. But I do think someone has it out for Bennet Systems, to the point of risking our lives by reprogramming the coordinates for our arrival. And since I’m in charge of the success of this voyage, I will find who and why and execute justice.”

The sparkle in her ice blue eyes made Doyle a believer. Who would be crazy enough to cross this woman? He wondered what Sadie would think of Nicole, with all that power and strength, and shook his head. They were two of a kind in that sense, only Nicole had the benefit of modern day where gender didn’t affect opportunity.

“With all due respect, Ms. Bennet,” McGovern said, answering Doyle’s silent question. “We should cut our losses and get the hell out of here.”

Nicole tapped the tip of her nails against the table, considering him. “The damage has already been done, Mr. McGovern. These people are expecting a fantasy vacation, and I’m afraid a fake cowboy town on the resort is not going to cut it. It is our job to give them the experience of a lifetime. That is the priority. Not the Watcher, not your delicate sensibilities. Your job, assuming you still wish to be employed, is to suck it up, put on your big boy panties, and give a good show. Think you can handle that?”

McGovern sat up straighter but paled and nodded, making Doyle suppress a smirk.

“Doctor Doyle,” Nicole turned her attention to him, and his smirk melted. Hardly anyone called him by his proper title. “You were out there.” She gestured to the other side of the window and the desert below. “How difficult was it to blend in with the locals?”

Doyle chewed on that question. It hadn’t been what he’d expected. “Honestly? It was a bit frightening, but fun.”

“Do you think it would be safe to take small groups out on excursions into town despite the population size?” Nicole asked the group, voice softening as she leaned forward over the table.

Doctor Charles answered first. “In small groups, they should be able to fit in as long as we’re careful about coaching them how to behave and limiting their interactions with the people. As far as time theory goes, I’d have to defer to Dr. Doyle since he’s the one who created the Time Capsule.”

Four pairs of eyes turned to Doyle. He blew out a long, slow breath. “This is a small town we’re talking about. Devil’s Creek doesn’t last past the next decade as people move out to the bigger cities, so while that’s less of a risk to the timeline, it’ll also be easier for them to figure out there’s something going on. There are more people on this resort than in the town. And the truth is we don’t know how anything will affect the timeline since we haven’t tried it yet. That’s why we spent so long scouting the intended area and planning the smaller group excursions, not to mention keeping the machine cloaked.”

The others exchanged glances as Nicole tapped her nails and pursed her lips in thought.

“Everyone leave,” she said after a minute, but before Doyle could stand, she stopped him with a hand. “Not you.”

The others gathered their holopads and left the rustic luxury of Nicole’s quarters. Jackson also stayed put.