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“They don’t believe you after everything that’s happened?”
“No, they need to learn how to get through the kem äm. There’s a special forces team heading into the jungle, I think. Yeah, Monica said the president authorized it. They know bullets won’t work that great, so they’re going to be testing the defenses of the temple in other ways. The drones haven’t been able to get close. They keep short-circuiting and falling out of the sky. I think an aircraft carrier is already over there.”
“Wow,” Suki said, impressed. “I hope they figure something out.”
“The FBI director has asked me to bring the twins to the White House.”
“Really? I thought the president was evacuated?” Suki noticed a sign showing Miami was the next exit.
“He was. But the boys can see the glyphs now. There were some glowing ones along the walls of the Senate office buildings. They wonder if there are some in the White House and that’s how Calakmul was able to get in undetected. I’m not sure I want to put them at risk. They’ve been going from room to room, using dogs to sniff. They’ve already tried different kinds of tech as well, like goggles that can see different light spectrums. They didn’t find anything.”
“That’s legit,” Suki said. “It would be cool if dogs were able to sniff them. I’ll help if I can. If he tried to hurt us, I could just pull down his shield, and then the army dudes could blow him away.”
“Yeah, you could! But I’d rather not risk any of my kids. I’m okay with you talking to the FBI folks, though. They have a research team at Quantico. I think they’re going to take us all there when you get up here.”
“Sweet. We’re getting close to the airport, I think. Do you want to talk to Mom again?”
“Sure. Love you!”
“Love you,” Suki said, feeling awkward. She handed the phone back, and her mom and dad started talking again.
“So are we going to a big airport or a little one?” she asked Lund.
“A smaller one on the west side of Miami. I have a buddy with an executive jet who sent his pilot down to help us. We can bypass all the security stuff and the police this way.”
“That’s awesome.”
Suki watched the sign with the exit and heard the clicking of the turn signal as the driver slowed to turn right at the upcoming intersection. The turn had lots of trees, and it didn’t look like Miami at all. There were no skyscrapers or hotels, except for a dinky one they’d just passed. Her stomach began to twist with worry.
“This the right way?” she asked.
“The airport is south of here, so, yes—we’re going the right way,” Lund said. He turned around in his seat. “You got a funny feeling about this?”
“I do,” Jane Louise said, her expression somber.
Suki jolted in her seat. “So do I.”
Lund frowned. He tapped Suki’s mom on her knee and gestured to the phone.
“I’ve got to go. Love you, Jonny. I can’t wait to see you. We’ll be there in just a few hours. Bye.” She hung up and gave the phone back to Lund.
He quickly made another call. “Jenson. This is Steve Lund. Are you at the executive airport? Good. Anything strange over there? Is the pilot ready with the jet?” He listened for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. Go sweep the area for me. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious, okay? We’re almost there.”
He hung up. “They haven’t noticed anything. But now you’ve got me nervous.”
“Can they track your phone?” Suki asked.
“I don’t think so. They’d need to get a hold of it to plant spyware, and I don’t let it out of my sight. It’s also encrypted with some pretty strong firmware. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t been watching the airports and paying attention to who’s chartering unexpected flights.”
As soon as he said it, Suki’s stomach did a little double flip. “I think that’s it.”
“How long would it take if we drove to DC from here?” Sarina asked, sounding worried too.
“Sixteen hours, give or take,” Lund said. “I’ve thought about it. Flying’s faster.”
“What if we changed airports?” Suki suggested. “Have the pilot meet us at another one?”
“Expensive but prudent,” Lund agreed. “Let’s change the venue. Fort Lauderdale isn’t that far north. They’ll have an executive airport too. I’ll call Jenson and reroute.”