The hiss of hidden mechanisms built into the wall of the basement floor of The Brewer’s Cafe sounded as Scott pulled the faux book from its shelf. The gang had a “secret” hangout down there which they frequently used for studying and lounging. Adam had been allowed to collaborate with his friends and use a decent portion of this level of the Cafe’s three-floor property to do so and they set to work on it immediately.
As Scott entered the room, he noticed it was occupied by Adam and Lance who were both sleeping heavily. Adam was slumped on the couch and Lance with a book in his lap in the coveted overstuffed reclining chair. He chuckled as he walked over to the snack bar they had on the far wall and turned on the coffee machine, which began brewing shortly after. His amusement only increased when neither of his friends budged from the noise or aroma. He opened a cabinet to retrieve several mugs just as the hidden door slid open again to reveal Charlie, Melody, and Noel.
“Ah, just in time to witness the slumber party going on over here!” he joked as he pointed to the sleeping two.
The girls stopped just through the doorway to see Adam and Lance and laughed. Noel walked to the bar and hopped up on one of the four stools while Charlie and Melody went to the lounge area. Charlie pulled a rather large bean bag chair from the corner to the center of the floor and plopped down while Melody took the second armchair in the room. Once she was in a comfortable position, Charlie called out:
“L.A.S.S.I., would you turn on the T.V. to N.A.N.?”
“Not a problem, Charlie,” chimed the A.I. 's voice from speakers around the room.
The extra large LED screen blinked to life and the New Atlantis News set appeared where a pair of smartly dressed newscasters sat.
“Well, that’s enough of that! Let’s go to Misty with the weather.”
“Thanks, Dan! Misty here with your New Atlantis weather forecast! It looks like we are in for a continuation of the rather chilly weather we’ve been having lately, mostly in the high twenties to low thirties, but sunny with some patches of clouds through most of the week….”
Noel slumped over the bar.
“Only cold? Where is the snow!?” she whined to Scott.
“Hopefully far away…” he said. “The cold as it is is a bit more than usual.”
Melody glanced over at Lance, who was still quite asleep despite the noise permeating the room. She cautiously poked at him with an index finger and giggled when he still didn’t react.
“Speaking of cold, this guy is still out,” she said.
Charlie glanced first at Lance, then at Adam who was also still asleep.
“Yeah, they’ve pretty much been here all day as far as I know,” she said with a shrug as she turned back to the television.
“Said something about working overtime on projects and stuff when I saw them this morning.”
Scott shook his head.
“Always some kind of projects going on with this group,” he stated.
“Even with school out for break. I even have some movie scripts I’m writing.”
Noel rolled her eyes.
“Is this one titled ‘The Life and Times of a Cinematography Major’?” she joked.
“You laugh, but this one is going to be a top hit and is top secret!” replied Scott.
“This breaking news is just in…” came the male newscaster's voice from the speakers.
“Early this morning, there was a major break-in at the New Atlantis Prison.”
Everyone in the room froze and turned their attention to the news broadcast. Melody glanced over at Lance again to see his eyes open and focused on the screen, but otherwise unmoved. She looked at Adam to see the same as if those words from the report had brought them out of their deep sleep.
“If eyewitnesses are to be believed… Am I reading this right?”
The newscaster paused.
“... A large... horned... creature... is said to have attacked the facility and broke through several of the walls, freeing various inmates, including one John Striker. Striker is the lead figure of the criminal organization who call themselves the ‘Ouroboros’ and was recently incarcerated after an attack by the said group on New Atlantis University.”
Adam quickly sat up on the couch and looked at Lance, who closed the book on his lap and looked around the room to see everyone else looking at them both fearfully.
“As far as I know, he doesn't know who we are...” Lance said. “... for now at least…”
“That’s reassuring…” said Noel.
There was a moment of relative silence, everyone zoning out with the noise of the following news article carrying on. The sound of Adam’s cell ringing broke the daze and everyone turned to Adam. Adam slipped his phone from his pocket and looked at the screen.
“Cody,” he said simply.
He slid his thumb across the screen and answered the call.
“Hey, bro,” he said with sudden enthusiasm.
“I am guessing you just watched the broadcast,” came Cody’s voice over the phone. “Where are you right now?”
“How did you know…? I’m at the hideout,” answered Adam as he put the phone on speaker.
“Just a guess. I assume Lance is there as well?”
“Ever perceptive, lieutenant. I am,” spoke up Lance, projecting his voice.
“Good. Don’t go anywhere. I will be there in ten minutes or so to talk to both of you. To the rest of you listening in, don’t panic; we have this under control.”
With that, the call ended.
—--—--
Lt. Chase ended the call and entered the driver seat of his sleek, high-powered car and it started with the press of a button. He revved the engine and gunned the vehicle out from the edge of the parking lot where it sat. After reaching the main street, he pressed a button on his steering wheel, activating the voice command for the Bluetooth embedded in the dash.
“Call Clark,” he stated.
“Calling Clark,” replied an automated voice from the speakers.
A tone buzzed a few times before the call picked up.
“What’s up, boss?” answered a woman’s voice.
“I am sure by now you know about Striker,” stated Cody.
“We are being assigned to keep an eye on both Adam and Lance in case someone decides to go after them. I want you to see who is available for a round-the-clock watch in shifts... maybe see if you can get Larson and Piero involved. Meet up at the cafe and we will go from there.”
“Understood. See you soon.”
The call ended and Cody let out a long sigh. There were going to be rather long days and nights ahead for all of them. He wasn’t sure how his brother and their friend would react to being practically babysat, or whether it was even necessary, but he knew it wasn’t worth risking otherwise. These were people he cared about, so he wasn’t about to argue against it. Thankfully he had a very capable partner-in-crime-fighting: Sergeant Angel Clark.
A few minutes later, Cody drove up to where The Brewer’s Cafe resided and parallel parked a few spots away from the main door. He exited his vehicle and entered, stopping just long enough to grab the steaming cup of coffee his mother had clearly left for him, his name in bold marker across the recycled paper cup.
He walked down the stairs to the library below. He paused, taking a deep breath, before activating the secret switch for the hangout. The group turned to the doorway as Cody entered the room, the door closing automatically behind him.
“Glad you two didn't run off,” stated Cody.
“I'm just going to be straightforward with you guys. Things aren't pretty with the news being broadcast as it has been. The good news is that the N.A.P.D. has already planned ahead and we will be placing units to keep an eye on you guys until things smooth out.”
“Fun…” stated Adam unenthusiastically.
“How long do you think that is going to be?”
“You've been around me long enough to know how this works, dude,” replied Cody. “Either until we find Striker again or until it seems there is no longer a risk.”
“Not that we would be given a choice in the matter,” said Lance as he stood up.
“It is what it is. Who is going to be watching us then?”
“I have Sgt. Clark and a few others on the case with me,” stated Cody just as a faint beeping came from his phone.
“Speaking of whom,” he said as he looked to see it was, in fact, his partner notifying him she arrived at the cafe.
Cody hit the button on the inside wall to reopen the doorway. A few moments later, a shorter woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing the navy blue and black uniform of the N.A.P.D. stepped through.
“I know Adam and Charlie know Sgt. Angel Clark. To the rest of you, I've been working with her almost exclusively for the last several years,” stated Cody.
“I trust her with my life, and in turn am trusting her to keep an eye out for you as well.”
Clark stood near Cody, her hands behind her back.
“Someone’s gotta keep you out of trouble,” she said with a smirk.
“You do a pretty good job at it too,” noted Adam.
“I guess if anyone’s gotta watch over us, you’re the best option.”
“So wait… why are S.W.A.T. units being assigned as guard dogs? Aren’t you guys meant to handle more extreme situations?” asked Scott.
“No offense…”
“Wouldn’t you say the potential threat of a high-end criminal organization led by a fanatical terrorist coming after you and probably your friends and family would register as a bit extreme?” responded Cody.
“Oh… point taken…”
“Don’t worry,” said Clark.
“You’ll be in good hands.”
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