16

Chapter 14

Isadora and I watched Mark leave the coffee shop. It actually looked like he was going to head in the wrong direction before quickly turning around. He flashed us a quick smile and two thumbs up before striding down the road.

"Do you think this will work?" Isadora wasn't fully convinced.

"I hope so," although I wasn't completely sure either. I quickly dialed Mark's phone so we could hear how the plan was going.

"Hey man, I'm about to go in," Mark had made good time.

"Great, let me know if you need help placing the bots," I heard the jingle of a bell as Mark opened the door and stepped in.

"How can I help you? I'm afraid we don't have any availability in our dining room at the moment," the hostess's bubbly vibrant voice came through the phone.

"Oh, um..." Mark paused for a second as if he had forgotten the plan.

"Take out," I quickly prompted him. Mark usually wasn't easily distracted.

"Oh, right! I would like to order lunch to go," Mark responded.

"Sure, I can help you with that. Do you need a menu? Or do you know what you'd like already?"

"Can I have a look at the menu?" Mark asked.

"Sure, here you go," I could hear the shuffling of paper in the background.

"Hmmm... anything you would suggest? It all looks so good!"

I looked at my watch, noticing that we only had about 30 minutes before the meeting.

"Just pick something quick, we don't have much time," I told him over the phone.

"I'd suggest the Linguine alla Scoglio, it is one of our specialties. We source the seafood from a local fisherman, so the fish is freshly caught this morning. Also, the Ravioli di Carne is another favorite. Our pasta is homemade every morning," The hostess's voice seemed closer as if Mark had leaned over the front counter.

"The Linguine sounds great. I'll have an order of that please," it also sounded expensive, I thought as Mark started ordering.

"Can I get you anything else? Perhaps dessert? Our Tiramisu is to die for!"

"Just complete the order so you can place the payload!" I was starting to tap my foot nervously. Isadora seemed more composed. She rested her hand on my thigh and it immediately had a calming effect.

"Oh, I love Tiramisu, add that to my order as well," Mark responded.

"Absolutely! Anything to drink?" her voice seemed to get more cheerful as Mark added things to his order.

"Just one of those sparkling waters, please," Mark said.

"Great, so I've got one Linguine alla Scoglio, one Tirimsu, and one sparkling water. That'll be $62.89," I cringed as she gave the total. I had given Mark enough to cover it, but I was hoping for something a little cheaper given my budget.

"Here you go, keep the change!" I could hear Mark pull his wallet out and shuffle through the bills.

"Thank you so much! Please, have a seat and your order should be out in about 15 minutes," I heard the cash register door slide out as the transaction was completed.

"Bathroom," I quickly prompted Mark.

"Oh! Do you mind if I use the restroom?" Mark seemed distracted.

"Certainly, just head back that way and turn left, you can't miss it."

I heard Mark walking through the restaurant. The only noise coming through seemed to be coming from the kitchen and the staff. That would make isolating the data later much easier.

"Do you think it'd be weird if I asked her for her number?" Mark's voice dropped to a whisper.

"Just stick to the plan, don't worry about that right now," the stress of everything was getting to me. Isadora squeezed my thigh and I took a deep breath, relaxing. "Maybe if we get everything in place, you could ask her on the way out."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'm dropping off the first payload now," I heard some shuffling and watched Isadora's screen. The bots came online immediately, rendering a small section of the restaurant on the screen. That was promising. "She's hot, and those green eyes were hypnotizing."

Isadora stifled a giggle next to me.

"Can I help you sir?" a male voice cut through the speaker as the second set of bots were deployed.

"Oh! Er, I was just..." Mark paused for a moment. "Admiring these plants you've got here! They look so real!"

"That's because they are real, sir," the male voice seemed irritated. "You aren't supposed to be back here, we are setting up for a private event, please wait in the front."

"Oh, I was just on my way to the bathroom. The lovely hostess said it was back here," Mark replied.

The other voice sounded exacerbated, "Fine, make it quick, it's back there in the corner."

More shuffling occurred and a third set lit up, creating a third set of points on Isadora's screen, "Strange that there isn't anyone else here for lunch. You'd think this place would be packed this time of day. Your robotics club really go all out if they booked the entire restaurant for this game. This place ain't cheap!"

I felt bad that I couldn't tell Mark more about what was happening, but the fewer people involved, the better. "Yeah, we take it pretty seriously," was all I said, hoping he wouldn't ask any further questions.

"Ok, mister uptight is looking my way again. I'm going to have to dip into the bathroom. Putting you on mute," I heard the phone go silent and was grateful that Mark did so.

"So far so good, three of them are up, and we seem to be getting a pretty decent reception. Looks like one of the staff is checking out one of the plants Mark tossed the package in, see?" Isadora and I watched the screen as someone came into view of one of the plants, rustling some of the leaves and muttering something under his breath that we couldn't make out across the connection. He walked toward the front of the restaurant and paused by the hostess for a minute before returning to the back of the restaurant.

The sound of a door creaking open came through the speaker of the phone as Mark unmuted it, "Okay, I'll head back toward the entrance now and drop the rest of these off."

"You're doing great, Mark," I reassured him over the phone as a fourth set of robots came online.

"Oh shit!" I heard shuffling on the other side of the phone and something spilling onto the tile. Another set of points came online, but they were colored yellow on the screen instead of green, indicating a less-than-ideal location.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I think I just saw my dad," I could almost hear Mark's breathing getting heavier over the phone.

"What's your dad doing over on this side of town?" I'd never met Mark's dad, but from what Mark told me, he was very strict and spent most of his time dealing with his business.

"I told him I might be running late to our meeting later because I had to finish up an assignment. He can't see me here," Mark paused. "Shit, it looks like he's about to come in here. What should I do?"

I could practically hear Mark's heart racing as he panicked, "Maybe he is just walking by?" What were the chances that Mark's dad would show up at the exact same place today of all days?

"He stopped. He's checking his phone," there was a pause. "Now he's looking at the sign. Fuck, he's about to come in."

"What are you doing down there?" I heard the voice of the irritated man from before.

"Oh, um... I dropped my keys, I think they slid under this table," Mark's voice was shaky. In the distance, I heard the jingle of the restaurant's door as someone came in.

"Well, make it quick, your order is almost ready," the man walked away with a huff.

"Shit, is there another way out of here? He cannot spot me. He's already told me if I don't get serious, he's not going to pay for my tuition next semester," Mark paused. "He's looking at his phone again.

"How may I help you, sir?" I could vaguely hear the hostess in the background greet Mark's dad.

I couldn't quite catch his response, but a few seconds later, the door jingled again, "Shit, that was close. It looked like he got a message on his phone and then turned around and left," there was a sigh of relief. "Okay, looks clear. Oh man, that was insane. Let me finish these up and get out of here before he comes back. I dropped one of the bags on the floor when I saw my dad. I'm sorry, they spilled under the table I ducked next to."

"It's fine, Mark. You're doing great so far, just finish up and get out of there," I wished there was more I could do for him. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. We were down to less than 10 minutes before the meeting. I really didn't want Mark to be there when The Order got there.

Another set of points flared to life on Isadora's screen indicating another successful deployment.

"There aren't any other places I can drop these off man, what do you want me to do? I'm almost back to the front," Mark said.

I looked at the point cloud showing most of the restaurant as the data flowed back to Isadora's laptop. There was a space in one of the corners where Mark was that didn't show anything, "Is there a basket or counter close by? We've almost covered the entire restaurant except that corner you are approaching."

"No, the only thing there is a trash can," Mark relayed back to me.

"Just toss one in there. It isn't ideal, but if it is metal, the bots may still be able to pick up on the vibrations," it was a long shot, but hopefully it wouldn't be an issue.

More yellow dots flared to life, indicating they'd been deployed. "Shit, I can see my dad outside. He's standing at the corner of the street talking to someone on his phone. I need to get out of here. I don't think I'll be able to come back to the coffee shop. I'll have to go a different way to avoid him."

"That's okay, you did great, thank you for your help," I said. Isadora typed in some commands as more data started coming through from the restaurant.

There was a jingle as Mark went to leave the restaurant.

"Sir?" the sound of the hostess came through the phone.

"Erm, yes?" I heard Mark respond.

"You forgot your order! Here it is."

"Oh, er, thanks!" I heard the rustling of a bag as Mark grabbed lunch.

"Have a great day, sir," the sound of her voice faded into the background as Mark stepped out onto the street.

"Okay, I gotta go. Thanks for lunch man, call me later to tell me if it worked!" the call disconnected.

"Now let's hope we actually get some information about these guys," I watched as Isadora continued working. We needed to run some calibration steps to integrate the entire set of robots. The progress bar streamed across the screen as the clock ticked closer to 1 PM.

Isadora concentrated on her work. We plugged our headphones into her laptop in anticipation as the progress got closer to 100%. With all of the bots working together, we'd be able to not only see but hear what was going on. Or so I hoped.

The clock on the computer ticked over to 1 PM and a few seconds later, the progress bar flashed green indicating that it had been completed.

"Did it work?" I asked nervously.

"I... think so," Isadora and I waited for what seemed like ages. I hadn't even realized I was holding my breath until the jingle of the front doorbell at Bella Trattoria sounded through both of our headphones. I let out a sigh of relief, it worked, but would we hear anything important?

Chapter 15

"Welcome to Bella Trattoria, Mr. Sinclair. Your usual table?" The chipper hostess asked.

"Yes. We are also waiting for one other. Please escort her back when she gets here," the man's deep voice conveyed an authority almost as if he owned the place. The staff definitely recognized the man. Did he own the restaurant? Or maybe he was an important client that frequented the place.

Isadora clicked a few buttons, expanding some windows as the hostess and two patrons walked into the dining area. The more data points we received, the clearer the images became.

"No wonder Mark was tongue-tied. Look at the rack on that girl!" Isadora commented as the figure of the hostess seemed to snap more into focus as they walked to their table.

"Yeah, but why aren't the other two as clear?" The man who spoke looked like he was about a foot taller than the hostess, but something kept shifting around him. His figure never quite snapped into focus. His associate was even more ambiguous. It was almost like there was a cloud where they walked.

"Daniel will be your server this afternoon. Here are some menus," the hostess placed two menus on the table and returned to the front.

"Wait over there, you know what to do," the man spoke to his associate. The unknown figure moved into the corner of the restaurant close to the back. I could make out a clicking sound against the tile, but still no details about this figure.

Another person entered the view from the kitchen, walking toward Mr. Sinclair's table. "Welcome back, Mr. Sinclair. It's always a pleasure to serve you here. Will you be having your usual?" It was the man who kept questioning Mark. His arrogant voice was more placating when addressing Mr. Sinclair though.

"Not today. Unfortunately, I won't be staying long. Just bring me a glass of the 2006 Montalcino."

"Certainly, sir. Anything for your associate?" the waiter asked, motioning toward the other figure.

"No, that'll be all," the man replied. The waiter quickly made his way back into the kitchen and disappeared from sight.

The front door opened again as someone new walked in.

"Welcome to Bella Trattoria, how may I help you?" the hostess addressed the newcomer.

"I'm supposed to be meeting someone here," it was Celeste's voice. She sounded nervous.

"Join me, Ms. Turner," I noticed the bots quickly began to fill in the rendering of Celeste as she made her way toward Mr. Sinclair. Celeste appeared just as I expected. I looked at the area of the image where the associate was standing, but strangely, there was nothing there anymore as if the cloud dispersed and there was only a void left behind.

"Where did the other one go?" I asked Isadora.

Isadora opened another window that contained a recording of the meeting and scrubbed through the data. We watched as the void where the associate had been standing simply vanished as if nothing was there any longer.

"I don't know, it's like they aren't there anymore. Do you think they left?" Isadora asked.

"No, I don't think so unless they teleported. One frame, there was that strange void, the next, poof! Gone," I watched the screen trying to see if I noticed anything.

"Please have a seat, Ms. Turner, we have much to discuss," the strange man commanded Celeste to sit across from him. She shuffled into the seat, tapping her foot nervously.

"Tell me about the other night," Daniel had quickly come and gone, leaving a glass on the table. I watched as the man swirled the contents before taking a drink. I still could not make out any details. Compared to Celeste, Daniel, and the hostess, my bots had a hard time detecting details about Mr. Sinclair. It was like his whole body would morph and blend in different ways, never settling.

"I-I don't really know, sir," Celeste's voice sounded like she would break down into tears at any moment. "It all happened so fast. I drew the sigil as instructed. It was exactly as I practiced, exactly how I was taught!"

"Ms. Turner, I know all of this. I've reviewed the images. I want to know how she escaped, did she have help?" the man said.

I looked toward Isadora as we listened in, "They didn't see us, that is good."

Isadora nodded, focusing on the conversation happening.

"I-I don't know sir, there was a blinding light and I was... knocked out. When I came to, I attempted to track her down, but I was attacked," she placed her arm on the table as if to show the man something. "See? I destroyed it and continued my search, but I couldn't find them. It was too dark and I was bleeding."

"Did you attempt to track her down by other means?" the man said impatiently, unconcerned for Celeste's injuries.

"Y-yes sir, I did. I followed the protocol. I performed the scrying spell, hoping to pick up on any magical incantations," Celeste explained. Part of me worried that she would somehow give this man information about us.

"And did you find anything?" I could see him lean forward across the table, staring down at Celeste.

"N-Nothing, sir..." Celeste lowered her head. She didn't betray us, that's a good sign, but we weren't out of the woods yet.

Suddenly, all the dots on the computer screen indicating our bots scrambled for a moment, a static sound like nails on a chalkboard filling our headphones. "What the hell is that?" Isadora and I went to remove our headphones to avoid discomfort when the sound came back a moment later.

"You know what to do," was the first thing I heard from Mr. Sinclair as the static died off. What had we missed?

"Ms. Turner, I think it is best that you come with me. Our scholars will review everything and take it from here," the man finished his drink. Celeste started shaking. I remember I had given her the command to come by my place after the meeting so we could go over everything.

"P-please sir, give me another chance to make this right and track her down, I know I can do it," Celeste pleaded, but I could tell she was uncomfortable.

"No, you've already lost a valuable artifact and the girl. I do not tolerate mistakes, Ms. Turner. Now I'm left to clean up the mess that you've made. Do not make this any more difficult," Mr. Sinclair's voice was filled with anger.

I wondered if I could give Celeste a command through our bond remotely. I tried to establish a link with her as I did earlier. I felt her quivering and scared, unsure what would happen to her if she didn't show up at my place later as I commanded her to do.

You do not have to come to my place tonight, Celeste. Do not reveal our identities or location though.

I felt some sense of relief over the bond. I hoped that worked. I wasn't sure what would happen if she was unable to fulfill one of my commands.

"Umm James? I think we should get going," Isadora tapped my shoulder. She was looking out the front window of the cafe. Two large men in a black SUV across the street stepped out and started looking around the area. They were like caricatures pulled from a movie, dressed in suits and wearing sunglasses. They scanned the street before heading toward the coffee shop.

"Yup, I think you're right," both of us started tossing the equipment into my backpack, hoping they didn't spot us. Luckily, the place was full so as long as we didn't make ourselves too obvious, we might be able to slip out. Unfortunately, I didn't know if they would be able to detect Isadora. Did they have devices that could track people from other worlds? I wasn't going to stick around to find out. I threw the backpack over my shoulder and looked around. Going out the front wasn't going to be an option since the two men were seconds from entering the cafe.

Isadora watched the men, latching onto my arm as they came closer. "What do we do now, James?"

There was a door into the back area of the cafe, but it was locked with a keypad. Maybe there was a service entrance back there, but we'd have to wait until someone opened the door for us and we didn't have much time. There was a small alcove leading to some bathrooms next to it.

"Let's wait over there, next to the bathrooms. If we can't slip out the back, you can duck into the restroom and lock the door until they leave," I hoped this would work.

"What about you?" Isadora asked, worried.

"They aren't looking for me, but they may be able to track you," we made our way into the alcove, Isadora taking cover out of sight as I stood there hoping someone would come out.

The door opened and the two men walked in. They started moving from table to table as if they owned the place, accosting people who were on their computers and creating a ruckus.

One of the employees noticed and stepped around the corner to intercept the men, "Excuse me, sirs, may I help you?"